The Trip of a Lifetime

Tokyo

2009-07-22T20:45:00.006-06:00

Tokyo was a very different experience than Kyoto. We arrived at the airport and took the train into the bustling city center. We got a little confused finding our hostel, but once we got checked in, we were right at home and ready to explore. We found a café near us that served great cheap eats, and the people there were very friendly. Some of the other customers smiled and welcomed us as we entered the shop. We had a great bowl of noodles and then headed across the street to visit the local temple.

The road to the temple was closed to traffic and was lined with souvenir shops. Shops selling snacks, chopsticks, golden waving cats, kimonos, kites, tea pots, etc. filled stalls in the classic Japanese style. It was a crowded boulevard with foreign and local tourists, and school groups dressed in uniforms wanting to interview tourists to practice their English. We completed an interview with a group of giggling school girls and helped them spell our answers in their notebooks. After a few hours of sightseeing we called it a night and turned in early. We had made a new friend, San from Thailand, and we all planned on heading out early the next morning for a full day on the town.

Our second day in Tokyo was a full one. We started out early with a trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market. The market is open every day from 6-9 am and is the largest fresh fish market in Japan. All the fresh catch from the day is sold to local restaurants and private buyers, and people line up early to get the freshest stuff. The market also is home to some great sushi restaurants, and people line up for sushi breakfast. We joined the crowd and ate a huge platter of sushi. I have never had sushi for breakfast, but I have to say that this was some of the best sushi I have ever eaten!

We left the fish market at 9 am, and found that none of the surrounding shops were open until 10. We went into a local coffee shop to kill time and plan our day. From there it was off to the Sony Building, where they show all the latest developments in personal electronics. Leon was in heaven! We spent hours looking at floor after floor of cameras, camcorder, computers, music players, and video games.

We left the Sony Building and ventured out into the surrounding area, known as the Ginza area. The Rodeo Drive of Tokyo, Ginza is full of high-end designer shops and expensive salons. While not exactly friendly to the backpacker budget, I had a good time window shopping and getting caught up on the latest fashion trends. (Payback for all those hours Leon made me feign interest in electronics.)

On our final day in Tokyo, we headed back to explore the local temple in more detail. This time we met a group of Japanese university students who offered to give us a tour to practice their English. The tour was great because it gave us a better understanding of the rituals that accompany a traditional temple visit. They explained to us to proper procedure for washing your hands and mouth before entering the temple, the traditional offering of 5 yen that you make upon entering the temple, and the correct method to offer prayers. They also showed us how to get our fortune from the booth outside the temple. They explained that you keep a good fortune with you, and if you get a bad fortune then you tie it to a post outside the temple to leave your bad luck behind you.
By mid-afternoon we decide that it was time to leave Tokyo behind us. We took the train back to the airport, and had one last meal before our marathon flight from Tokyo to Buenos Aires. We really enjoyed our two weeks in Japan, and wish that we could have seen more. Maybe one day we will return, with more time and a bigger budget!

Kyoto

2009-07-21T17:28:00.005-06:00

Once our rail pass ran out, we decided to explore our base town of Kyoto. Kyoto is a fairly large city, and it took us several days to explore the different neighborhoods. The first day we went to downtown Kyoto, which is the main shopping district of the city. The main streets Shijo-Dori and Sanjo-Dori are lined with large department stores and small boutiques selling clothing, tea pots, fans, chopsticks, and other specialty items. The Japanese are very fashionable, and the shops both carried traditional clothing and the latest runway fashions. You could find all the major American clothing stores, plus some local shops which used traditional Japanese fabrics. One store in particular caught my fancy. It was called Raak and was filled with hand-dyed Japanese fabric. The scarves came in different sizes and could be folded and tied to create purses, bottled water holders, gift wrapping, etc. I decided to purchase one and went into the store ready to buy. Unfortunately, the store clerks were less than thrilled. English is not widely spoken in Japan, and I don’t speak Japanese. As soon as I walked into the store, the clerks ran in the opposite direction and an intense discussion began over who was going to have to help me. Finally a girl timidly walked over and helped me choose a scarf. It was a bizarre feeling, walking into a shop and feeling like a leper. In most countries the tourists are welcomed with open arms for the revenue that they generate. Japan, though incredibly beautiful, is not particularly tourist friendly. I don’t expect people to speak English, and I always try to learn at least a few phrases in the local language, but Japan was a struggle.

Another day we did a walk around the area known as Southern Higashiyama. This part of the city is older and has some beautiful traditional architecture. There are winding cobblestone paths and a couple of beautiful shrines. It wasn’t uncommon to see women dressed in the traditional kimono walking the streets completing their daily errands.

The shrines in this area are amazing. They sit on the edge of the city, and walking through the gates you feel as though you are transported miles away. All at once you find yourself in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature. They are always crowded with tourists and locals, but the feeling of serenity is stronger than the push of the crowds.

We also used our days in Kyoto to sample some traditional Japanese dishes. Ramen noodles were a favorite, and were much better than the Top Ramen that I lived off of in college. Tempura was tasty, and of course there was the sushi. For a quick lunch we found a local restaurant that served inexpensive bento box lunches. The only thing that we were not a fan of was soba noodles. I love pasta, but the soba noodles, made from buckwheat, just tasted too much like health-food for my taste. The thing that surprised me the most about the food here was the lack of vegetables. At home, Japanese food is a lot of steamed vegetables, whereas in Japan, the food was mostly meat and rice or noodles. Vegetables were rarely seen and were expensive to add. Even at the grocery store, you were unlikely to see the wide selection of produce that is available to American consumers.

After ten days in Kyoto, it was time to head to Tokyo. We had an early flight on Japan Airlines, and left our apartment at 5 am to catch the train that would take us from Kyoto to Kansai International Airport. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that the subway in Kyoto doesn’t start running until 6. We walked out to find the streets deserted and no trains running. Nothing like running 2 km with 16 kg of weight on your back to wake you up! We arrived out of breath and just in time. It was off to Tokyo!

Kobe

2009-07-18T15:27:00.001-06:00

On our second day in Japan we decided to visit the nearby town of Kobe. The train ride was about an hour long and we arrived in Kobe just in time for lunch. While Kobe is famous for their beef, the price of Kobe beef in Japan was a little outside our budget. Instead, we followed the advice of our Lonely Planet and stopped at an “atmospheric place” called Kintoki that is “popular with locals”. We were not expecting that it would be only locals. You know that classic scene in Westerns were the stranger walks into the bar and the music and talking stops and everyone just stares at the newcomer? That was basically what happened. We walked in, and the whole restaurant simultaneously stopped and stared. There was no English menu and we weren’t sure how to go about ordering. There were several dishes laid out on a counter near the kitchen. The dishes were lined up in rows and had prices at the top of each row. We finally figured out that we could walk up to the row and grab what we wanted. We chose a plate of tempura and a plate of vegetables to share. Both were good, but we were still hungry. We saw the woman at the next table eating a bowl of rice with chicken and egg that looked delicious, but that wasn’t on the table of food. We got our waitresses attention and pointed to the bowl of rice indicating that we wanted to order that. She brought us more green tea. We pointed again to the bowl of rice. She brought out one. We decided to just share and eat a snack later.
From there it was off to the Hakutsuru Brewery and Museum. The Brewery offers free tours of the museum that explain both the traditional and modern methods of making sake. We got a little lost finding the museum, but there were a couple of very helpful locals who kept us on track. We arrived at the museum just in time to take the tour, which was very interesting. Unfortunately we arrived after the sake tasting area had closed. We bought a couple of things from the shop and headed back to the center of town.
Kobe doesn’t have a lot of sights, but we did explore the local China Town area. It pretty much looks like the China Town that they have in Boston, New York, Bangkok, and every major city throughout the globe. There was a fantastic little tea shop, with dozens of loose-leaf teas from China and Japan, but after an hour of wondering we bought some dumplings for dinner and headed home.

Nara

2009-07-15T09:18:00.012-06:00

The next day we were up early and headed to the train station. We had to decide to make the most of our rail passes and we were off to the nearby city of Nara for the day. We found the train station without any trouble, and the trains to Nara were clearly marked on the board. On the platform we waited with the other passengers to board the train. Unlike in other countries where those waiting form a crowd and then mob the door when the train arrives, the Japanese mark where on the platform the doors will open, and form two neat lines. The trains are very fast and smooth in Japan, and it is interesting to look out the window as you travel and see how developed the country is. On the two hour ride from Kyoto to Nara I didn’t see a single break in the development.

When we arrived in the city we decided to do the city walking tour suggested in our Lonely Planet. We started up the main road to the first pagoda, located in a peaceful city park. We had heard about the deer population in Nara, but we were surprised to find them crowded in the city park. We were even more surprised by their behavior. Men on lunch break would sit in the park, surrounded by deer. People would purchase deer snacks from park vendors for 100 yen (about $1) and feed groups of deer. Deer would wonder outside of the park, down the sidewalk, and across the street, following people who had fed them and wanting to be petted. It was bizarre!

After spending some time checking out the pagoda, and of course, the crazy deer, we headed to the next stop on the tour, a large Buddhist Temple. The road to the temple was filled with tourist and school groups and lines with shops selling tea pots, chopsticks, fans, and other traditional Japanese gifts. Then there were the deer. Hundreds of them this time. They would wander up sniffing your pockets for food and searching for affection. I didn’t have any deer food, but apparently by Lonely Planet looked good enough. One deer tried to eat it while I was reading the temple description to Leon!

The temple is guarded by two carved wooded warriors that dominate the entry arch. They stand at least two stories tall and look as though they might spring to life at any moment. The pictures we took really don’t do them justice, as there is a chain link fence in front of them, but it was by far some of the most life-like sculpture I have ever seen.

We continued in to see the temple, the largest wooden building in the world. Stepping through the gates you can easily forget that you are in a city. All you see is the temple, the beautifully manicured gardens, and a background of mountains and spring forest. Inside the temple is just as peaceful. The wooden architecture creates a feeling of warmth and calm, and the large Buddha that fills the room only adds to the sense of peace. Two more wooden warriors guard the inside of the temple. They aren’t as big as the ones at the gate, but the carving was just as spectacular, and this time there were no fences obstructing the view.

Behind the Buddha (which is huge!) there is a wooden pillar with a hole through the bottom. The story is that the hole is the same size as the Buddha’s left nostril. Those who can pass through the hole are destined for enlightenment. Of course we had to try it! Leon went first and despite his broad shoulders wiggled through so fast that the picture I took was nothing but a blur. Then he convinced me to try. I put both arms through first like he had instructed, making my shoulders smaller. Unfortunately there was no way to make my hips smaller and I got stuck. Leon was laughing, the Japanese tourists were snapping pictures and giggling, and I was flailing my arms. Leon pulled me the rest of the way through, and we were a big hit with the locals.

After the temple it was a hike through the forest to find a nearby Shinto Shrine. Called the Kasuga Taisha shrine, the entrance is lined with hundreds of stone lanterns; each a little different from the last. It is incredibly peaceful and you feel miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city that lies less than a mile away. We left the shrine with aching feet and walked back to the train station for the two hour commute back to Kyoto and our beds.

Hello Japan (Installment 1)

2009-07-14T09:31:00.000-06:00

Our trip from Bangkok to Kyoto was uneventful and relatively short. Normally short is good, but it was an overnight flight and so more time would have been nice. We arrived exhausted after only a couple hours of fitful sleep. We collected our luggage, exchanged our money and headed for the train station that would take us from the airport to Kyoto. We decided to buy the four day Japan Rail Pass, which was a much better deal than buying individual train tickets, and then started the long journey to our new digs.
The airport express took us from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto in about an hour. From there, we had to change to the metro and then walk about 15 minutes to our furnished apartment. Since we were planning on staying in Kyoto for ten days, we decided to stay at a furnished apartment rather than a hotel or hostel. We thought that would offer us some privacy and a chance to save some money by cooking some of our own meals. We had no trouble finding the place, and the owner was there waiting to show us the space.
It was a traditional Japanese style apartment. There was a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room area. The loving area was covered in the traditional tatami matt style, and there were two fold out beds for sleeping on. There was a small coffee table for eating and working, and floor pillows to sit on. It’s a good thing we got used to sitting on the floor so much in India!
Once we had thrown down our backpacks it was time to head out for some food, but first we needed some cash. No problem, the apartment owner assured us that there were ATMs on every corner. Unfortunately in Japan, they use a different ATM network than any other country in the world, and most ATMs do not accept non-Japanese cards. Two hours and seven banks later, we finally had some cash. By then our serious lack of sleep had caught up with us, so we bought some ramen noodles from the local 7-11 and slurped them down before crashing on the floor.

Back in Bangkok

2009-06-11T08:21:00.001-06:00

After our excursion in to Laos, it was Back to Bangkok. Our first visit to Thailand’s capital was not quite normal, what with the New Year and the protesting and all, so we were looking forward to getting another look at Bangkok. We decided to try a different part of town, and opted for a hotel in Siam rather than near the backpacker haven of Khosan Road. We had a hard time finding the place (our taxi driver did his best to understand our poor Thai and it took three tries before we ended up at the right hotel), but once we were there, it was a whole different Bangkok.
Siam is the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district, and what a shopping district! I have never seen so many big malls so close together. The major intersection closest to our hotel had a shopping mall on three of the four corners. All were at least 6 stories high and had a huge number of stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. All of the malls were connected by skywalks and the Bangkok Skytrain (for those malls further down the street) so you never even had to go out onto the street. You could just go straight from one mall to another without ever opening your umbrella even during the rainy season.
This area also houses all the comforts of home, and we used our time here to get all those things we had been missing. Leon ate at Burger King at least three times. We went to the cinema three days in a row, and even went bowling! Leon was patient while I perused the goods at Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Tiffany’s, and Michael Kors (come on it’s been months since I have seen a fashion magazine!).
After a week of comfort we were ready to move on to the next adventure. We were headed to Osaka, Japan and were ready to reimburse ourselves in Asian culture. Konnichiwa Osaka!

Bangkok Part 2

Laos

2009-06-04T05:49:00.001-06:00

The trip from Thailand to Laos was our first real overland border crossing, and we weren’t really sure what to expect. The book had warned of long lines, red tape, and possible bribes so we were a little nervous as we approached the border. Instead, the whole process was relatively easy. The Mekong River marks the border between the two countries, and two small towns on either side serve as the immigration check points. We arrived in Chiang Khong (the Thai side) by bus, took a taxi to the Thai immigration office where they stamped us out of the country. Then we walked down to the river and took a long boat across the Mekong to Laos. Once on the Laos side, it was two passport photos and $35 for a visa. The whole process took less than an hour.
We found ourselves in Houai Xai for the night, which is literally a one street town. Fortunately we found a nice hotel with a great view of the river, and a local restaurant which offered good food at cheap prices. The next morning, we prepared for our long journey to Luang Prabang. The best way to get there from Houai Xai is via slowboat down the Mekong. The journey takes two full days, with an overnight stop at the halfway point of Pakbeng. The boats don’t stop, and there is no food on board, so we grabbed, a quick breakfast, some sandwiches for later, and headed down to the docks to get a seat on a boat.
The slowboats are exactly that, slow. For the first few hours you can sit, relax, and soak up the beautiful scenery. When you picture Southeast Asia with the steep mountainous terrain, the rice fields, the farmers and fishermen with their cone shaped straw hats; Laos is what you are picturing. It is amazing, but after a few hours it all starts to look the same, and you realize that you are sitting on a hard wooden bench on an over-crowded boat and you have 4 hours to go before you dock for the night. You try to make the best of it by reading, sipping on some Beer Laos (which is the only thing they sell on the boat) and talking to your neighbors (all tourists even though you’re on the “local” boat).
Day two was even worse than the first. The first day there were two slowboats carrying tourist down the river. On the second morning there was one boat; same number of people. Leon and I snagged seats up front on the floor, which ironically was more comfortable than the wooden bench seats. The second day was also two hours longer than the first, and since there was no excitement to get us through the first few hours like there had been the first day; it was a really long day.
Luang Prabang made up for the crazy boat ride. It was incredibly charming with Buddhist monasteries dispersed among French colonial architecture. The streets were lined with fabulous restaurants serving local, French, and fusion cuisine and shops selling local crafts. The south end of town had a huge night market where local vendors would sell the fabrics and wooden bowls that Laos is famous for. In the morning you could wake up early and watch the hundreds of local monks make their morning alms route. The locals line the streets and sit with steaming hot rice which they offer in handfuls to the monks passing by. The owner of our guesthouse asked me to join her one morning, which I did. The line of monks seemed never-ending and the rice burnt my hands, but the experience was something that I will never forget.
From Luang Prabang it was off to the town of Phosavon to see the mysterious Plain of Jars. Our journey to Phosavon was eventful. First we found seats on the local bus, right across from a nice Irish couple. We were just getting settled in when three men clambered onto the bus with a motorcycle. Where were they going to put a motorcycle on a bus? Apparently, right next to us. They tied the bike in the aisle between our seats, meaning that to get up for any reason, we had to climb over the bike. The drive was mountainous and the roads were curvy. The driver seemed to think that he was Speed Racer, and took over turn with squealing tires. I felt pretty sure for most of the morning that we were either going to fly off the mountain, or that I was going to get sick. All the tire-squealing took its toll, and we ended up with a flat tire and a lunch break. An hour and a half later we were back on the road. The driver, now trying to make up for lost time drove even faster this time, stopping every two hours to get out and inspect the tires to avoid another flat.
Phosavon was an interesting look at the history of Laos. First there was the Plain of Jars, the mysterious stone urns located around the city. No one is completely sure who put them there, or what their purpose was. They have only recently begun to study them. Up until five years ago the area was considered unsafe due to the large number of unexploded ordinance left from the Vietnam War.
The war history of Laos was also interesting. I don’t remember learning a lot about the Vietnam was in school, and I was shocked to discover the impact that the war had and is still having on this developing nation. Laos was actually the most heavily bombed country during the Vietnam War. The Viet Kong used Laos to travel from North to South Vietnam, and America bombed Laos in an effort to stop the flow of traffic. Millions of bombs were dropped on the country and approximately 30% of them remain as unexploded ordinance. Hundreds of children and farmers are still killed and injured every year by bombed that were dropped during a war that ended before I was born.
The Plain of Jars sights have recently been cleared, and as a tourist it is interesting to visit. You have to be careful to stay on the clearly marked paths, because the area off the path hasn’t been cleared. We saw a groundskeeper mowing the lawn around the sight and we both thought, “You couldn’t pay me enough to do that job! Every sweep of the mower could be your last.” It gave us a glimpse of the fear that local farmers face every day plowing their fields. The children actually search out the bombs because the scrap metal is valuable. All through the town you see shells being used as BBQ Grills, fence posts, wind chimes, etc. It is crazy, and sad.
After Phosavon it was time for a lighter mood. We headed south to Vang Vieng, a town that is known for having a backpacker party atmosphere. We rented tubes and floated down the river, enjoying the relaxing vibe. The river bank is lined with bars, and the proprietors throw out ropes to pill you in for a drink or snack. It reminded me a little bit of Beach Weekend in college, and was fun for a day. After a few days of pampering in a nice hotel, and enjoying the beautiful views, it was time to move on. We headed for Vientiane and the Thai border.

Laos

Chaing Mai

2009-05-31T20:28:00.001-06:00

Chiang Mai was one of my favorite cities so far. We arrived in the city late afternoon and found a guesthouse located in the old part of the city. The original city was built with walls and a moat for protection. While most of the wall is no longer standing, the moat is still present, and we were only a few blocks away from the old eastern wall, which is now a great place for an evening stroll. After we got settled in, we decided to head to the night market for some dinner.
The night market is a must see in Chiang Mai. Every evening the streets are filled with vendors selling designer and knock-off clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, luggage, shoes, accessorize, electronics, crafts, you name it. There is also rows of chairs where you can plop down for a traditional Thai massage if your find yourself weary after hours of bargain hunting. If you need to refuel while shopping, there is a food market, within the larger night market where you can sit down for some freshly prepared local cuisine, and that’s where we found ourselves on that first evening in town.
Leon wanted seafood, so we found a restaurant that looked busy and grabbed a table. The menu was huge and the selection of fresh fish available was overwhelming. We watched as the locals lined up to carefully select their fresh crab have the critter weighed, and then choose the method of preparation. While I usually like to try to local food, I just don’t have the heart to look my food in the eye before I eat it, so we skipped the crab and we went from some Pad Thai and some yellow curry. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, and we walked off our meal strolling through the rest of the market.
The next day we decided to walk around and see what activities Chiang Mai had to offer. We grabbed some brochures from the hotel lobby and headed to the local coffee shop for a treat and a planning session. We decided to do an activity called Flight of the Gibbon. We had read about it on TripAdvisor and after making the decision to sign up it was time to shop around for the best price. Like almost everything in Thailand, we found that the price for Flight of the Gibbon was negotiable so we started hitting up the local travel agents to see who could get us the best deal. We found a good offer and arranged to be picked up from our hotel the next morning.
Neither Leon nor I is a morning person, so our six o’clock pick-up came really early. We were the first to be picked up, so piled into the back of the van and settled in for the hour long drive out to the Flight of the Gibbons. We filled out our paperwork and release forms, and then went to get fitted into our flight gear. We were each given a harness and helmet, and were told how to use the different clips on our gear. Then it was off to the first platform.
Flight of the Gibbons is a zip-line experience through the rainforests of northern Thailand. You experience the forests from the point of view of the gibbons, and the money goes to help protect their habitat. We zipped through the 18 platforms with our group, then put our feet back on the ground and did a hike to the top of a local waterfall. Then it was a traditional Thai lunch, and back home. We met some great people on the trip, and ended up having a night on the town with our new Nepali friend, Muna.
Chiang Mai was great, and we spent four nights soaking up the city. The temples, the shops, the restaurants all made for a fun-filled couple of days. Unfortunately, the visas in Thailand don’t leave you a lot of time, and it was time to head across the border. We left to continue our journey north into Laos.

Chiang Mai

The Journey North

2009-05-23T10:37:00.002-06:00

We left Krabi and took a VIP bus north to Bangkok. From there it was a ride across town in a shared taxi that we called the Bumpy Bus of Bangkok. They crammed 12 people plus luggage into a minivan and headed through town at high speed. The roads were bumpy and each bump sent every passenger flying up off the seats. Fun for me, but misery for Leon, who being much taller than the other passengers was sent crashing into the ceiling at each bump.
After winding our way through the northern bus station, we found the bus to Ayutthaya and managed to hop on just as it was pulling out. From there it was a quick 90 minute journey north to the historic Thai city. We found the P.U. Guesthouse, a charming place with a quirky name, and settled in.
Ayutthaya provides an interesting look at ancient Thailand. Ruins of the past are nestled in the midst of the modern city, and you never know what you might discover on a walk down the street. We visited the highlights of the town, sampled some of the local street food, and checked out the goods on offer at the local market. After two days of exploring, it was time to move on, and it was just a couple hours north to the town of Sukhothai.
Sukhothai is a UNESCO heritage site and has an amazing old town with a large collection of old Buddhist temples. We stayed in the new town, at a local guesthouse. We had a little cottage to ourselves, and a beautiful garden that we shared with four turtles, one cat, three kittens, and lots of fish and birds. It was incredibly peaceful and the family who ran the house was incredibly welcoming.
After resting the first day, we decided to spend the second day exploring the ruins. We took a local bus to the old section of town. Unlike at home, the local bus in this small town was a pickup truck with benches that lined the bed. Locals piled on with huge baskets of fruit and sacks of grain, and it cost less than a dollar for our 30 minute ride across the city.
When we arrived at the UNESCO site, we were surprised at the size of the area. We decided to rent bikes to explore the ruins and the park like surroundings. The weather was perfect, the skies were blue, and we were charmed by the serenity of the temples and the monks in their saffron colored robes.
The small towns were charming, and offered us a different view of life in Thailand. The further north we went, the more stunning the scenery, and we were excited to head to the northern capital of Chiang Mai. We had heard from others that it was a beautiful city, and we were about to see for ourselves just how right they were.

Ayuthaya and Sukothai

Krabi

2009-05-14T22:08:00.001-06:00

Our trip to Krabi wasn’t quite as smooth as our previous bus trip. This time we took a private bus instead of a government bus. The fares were cheaper, and we soon discovered why. Though the seats were nice and comfortable, there was no bathroom, which makes a 6 hour bus ride seem really long. There was also no food, although they did stop at one of their restaurants so that you could give them more money to eat their food. Instead of going straight through to Krabi, the bus would stop along the way, picking up and dropping off local passengers, extending the journey by two hours. When we finally arrived in Krabi, we were ready for dinner, a shower, and a good night’s sleep.
The next day we went down to breakfast and asked at the hotel about local sea kayaking trips. We had read in our travel guide that the area was known for kayaking and it was something that we were both interested in trying. Our hotel had brochures from all the local companies so during breakfast we read through them and decided on a full day trip with kayaking in the morning and snorkeling in the afternoon. We booked the trip for the following day, and then went out to explore the town.
We found a great little local place for lunch. The local places tend to have the best food and the best prices, but they don’t usually have menus and the ones that do don’t have menus in English. Our method is to find a spot that is busy, look at what people are eating, and when we see something that looks good, point to it. The locals find it very entertaining that a couple of farang (foreigners) are interesting in eating the real local food, not the westernized versions that you often find at the larger places in town.
After lunch we walked to the bus station. Not wanting to get stuck on a private bus again, we wanted to book our ticket at the government station a few days in advance. Our book said that the station was 4 Km away and we thought it would make a nice walk. We got a little bit lost along the way, and 4 Km turned into 5 or 6. When we finally arrived at the bus station it was 6 pm. We walked up to the ticket window only to have it shut in our face. Apparently we would have to come back tomorrow.
We took a taxi back from the bus station, and when we were dropped off we were greeted by the hotel manager. Our kayaking trip for the next day had been cancelled due to weather. A huge storm was expected to hit the coast, and they were predicting rain for the next five days. Bummer! Undaunted, our hotel manager suggested a company that ran half day kayaking trips in an inlet about an hour away. The inlet would provide protection from the storm. We were disappointed to miss out on the snorkeling, but we still wanted to try to kayaking, so we agreed to the half day trip.
The next morning our guide picked us up at 8. We rode around and picked up a few more kayakers, and then headed about an hour north towards the inlet. They gave us coffee and tea while we filled out paperwork and got fitted into our life jackets. Then we settled into our kayaks and off we went. It took awhile for Leon and I to get used to paddling together, but we devised a system that worked and then we were really moving.
The scenery was spectacular. All around us these huge limestone cliffs rose out of the water, creating a pathway for us to paddle through. After about an hour of kayaking we were through the cliffs and into a mangrove forest. The going here was a little rougher. The mangrove forests are very dense and you have to manuvere your paddle around the branches above the water and the roots below. It is easy to get caught on a branch and tip. The passage ways are very narrow and there are a lot of sharp turns. Along with the challenges, the mangrove forest also brought some pleasant surprises.
There are two types of monkeys that live in the forests near Krabi. The gibbons are small, black tree dwellers. They rarely come out of the trees, but fly through them singing. We were lucky enough to see one swinging over our heads. The long tail macaws are much more social. They came down to share our snack of fresh pineapple and watermelon. One hopped aboard our guide’s boat, and then swam to our kayak to get more fruit and some fresh water. He helped himself to Leon’s water bottle, and then caught a ride on the front of our boat to the edge of the forest, and then hopped off to join his family.

Krabi

The Beach

2009-05-07T23:13:00.002-06:00

We took an overnight bus from Bangkok to Koh Pha-ngan. In India, our experience with buses had been less than pleasant, but we had been assured that the buses in Thailand were “five-star all the way” so we decided to give it a go. We arrived at the bus station a little later than we planned, and didn’t have time to grab a meal before boarding the bus. We were hungry, so we made a quick stop at the bus stop Dunkin’ Donuts and took some pastries to go.

While I wouldn’t call the buses five-star, they were pretty nice. We were greeted at the door by the bus stewardess, who looked just like a 1950s airline stewardess with her little uniform and hat. She showed us to our seats and we settled in for the journey. Shortly after we left, she started the movie; a ridiculous French film that I couldn’t bear to watch. Halfway through the entertainment, it was juice boxes and boxed lunches. In the morning, we were given moist toilettes and coffee to wake us up before transferring to the ferry. The cost of the ferry was included in our bus fare. We spent the three hour journey roaming the deck to enjoy the view and napping in the comfy seating area. All this for the bargain price of $21 per person. Greyhound could take some lessons here.

Our hotel in Koh Pha-ngan was the perfect beach retreat. We had a secluded bungalow with a front porch that overlooked the pier. A hammock provided the perfect place to read a book or enjoy the spectacular sunsets, and a kitty that we named Honey came by every morning and evening to sit with us.

Our first day in Koh Pha-ngan we went to visit sunset beach, famous for the monthly full moon parties. The sand was white and soft, and the water seemed almost too perfect to be natural. The water was crystal clear blue, warm, and had not a single wave. We laid out an enjoyed the sun, with an occasional dip in the clear waters.
The next day in Koh Pha-ngan we went on a longboat trip around the island. Our first stop was a waterfall. We landed on the beach, and hiked about 1km to the falls. There was took a dip in the cool waters and climbed to the top of the falls to enjoy the spectacular view. Our next stop was Bottle Beach, a pristine area that can only be reached by boat. The remote island has no roads, and it is possible to lie on Bottle Beach as the only visitors. We were supposed to end our trip with snorkeling at Ko Ma, but a huge storm forced us to turn back. We hurried through the torrential downpour, huddling together to try and keep warm and as dry as possible. The rain stopped just as suddenly as it started, and we stopped at a nearby beach for snorkeling. Then it was home for a buffet of green curry, yellow curry, and sweet and sour vegetables.

Our fourth day on the island, Leon and I rented a scooter to explore the island. We had originally planned to head to Ko Ma for some snorkeling, but winds were high and the waters were rough. Instead we decided to explore the few roads that exist on the island. We found a great local restaurant, and saw some prawn farmers hard at work. It was interesting to see the local villages scattered between the areas that are dominated by the tourist industry.
Having seen the entire island, we decided to head across the country to see the Andaman Coast exploring the north. We found a bus the Krabi that left the following morning. As we boarded the ferry, we were relaxed, revived, and ready to explore.

Koh Pha-nagn

Bangkok Dangerous???

2009-04-27T06:39:00.005-06:00

Our flight to Bangkok was only 4 hours long, but we still arrived exhausted. Our flight left Mumbai at 4 am, meaning a sleepless night. We couldn’t wait to find a hotel and settle in for a day of rest before exploring a new country. Here’s what happened instead…

Despite our fatigue, we managed to find an ATM and a pre-paid taxi to take us from the airport into town. The guesthouse that the book recommended had clean, albeit small, rooms at a good price. We threw our stuff down and stepped out to grab some food before hitting the sheets. There was a wealth of food options right outside our door, and we settled on the noodle bowls that a friendly old woman was selling. We weren’t sure at first what to order, but the woman pointed, indicating that we should choose a type of noodle, a type of meat, and then sit down. Each bowl of noodle is served with a spoon, a set of chopsticks, and four condiments for seasoning; red chili, vinegar with peppers, fish sauce, and sugar. We experimented until we found the perfect blend of spices and then dug in. A delicious meal for under a dollar. So far, Thailand was looking good.

We walked out on to the main road to find a new SIM card for the cell phone, and found a 7-Eleven right around the corner. How convenient! While Leon was checking out the SIM card selection, I was checking out the street, and what was the first thing that I spotted when I looked out the front door? A 7-Eleven! There was another one right across the street! Yes, 7-Elevens are in Thailand what Starbucks is in America. They are everywhere. There are two inside the Bangkok bus station.
The other thing that we noticed on the street, were vendors, dozens of them, selling nothing but water guns. We had read on the plane about the Thai New Year celebration called Songkran. Traditionally, the festival is about cleansing and honoring your elders and it is celebrated with a ritual spraying of water. We set off down the street, smiling at the vendors and giggling as small children shyly sprayed their guns at us before hiding behind their parents. As Leon put it, it was little squirts from little squirts. Nothing to be afraid of. Then we rounded the corner, and a kindly old woman wished us a happy new year before dumping a bucket of water over our heads. We were drenched, and this was war!

We made a beeline back to the hotel room (dodging water the whole way) to put away anything valuable, then headed out to buy waterproof wallets and super-soakers. One block from our hotel, we found Ko San Road and the heart of the Songkran celebration. We joined the crowd of revelers roaming the streets. Everywhere there were people spraying water guns, or smearing mud (another ritual apparently). Vendors lined the streets selling food, drinks, mud, and water gun refills to keep the party fueled. After a few hours of playing, we went back to the hotel, wrung out our clothes and finally slept.

The second day we headed out for another day of celebrating with the crowds. We put on our clothes, which were still a little damp from the day before, grabbed some fried rice and entered the fray. We walked for blocks and as we neared the center of town, we looked up to see a plume of black smoke. We stopped to ask a local man what was happening. He told us not to worry, it was the red shirts and it was under control. Unaware of the political situation that was unfolding, we thought he meant that it was a controlled fire put on by the fire department; just part of the celebration. Still, something seemed off, so we turned and began walking back the other direction.

A few blocks later, we stopped for a beer on a busy patio. We struck up a conversation with some British girls and were having a relaxing afternoon when we were interrupted by a tourist with a loudspeaker. She said that she was interpreting for the police, and had been instructed to tell all foreigners to head back to their hotel rooms. It was unsafe for us to be on the streets, and the police would be by shortly to close the bar. Leon and I looked at each other nervously, downed our beers and prepared to leave. Everyone else at the bar acted as though nothing had happened. The British girls told us about the protests, and said that such announcements are common. They assured us that we weren’t in any danger, the police were just following procedure, CYA. We decided to be safe and move closer to our hotel. If there was no problem, then no problem; but if there was a problem we would be close to safety.

We stopped into the guesthouse and asked the owner about the protest. “Don’t worry. You safe.” The news on the television was in Thai, and from what we have heard pretty censored, so we decided to check the internet for stories about what was happening in town. The NY Times was showing the damage on the front page, and it turns out the “controlled fire” we had seen earlier was a burning bus. We logged on to the State Department website, and filled in the Embassy form to notify them of our location and contact information, and decided that it was time to get out of Bangkok. We bought bus ticket to Koh Pha-ngan that left the following evening.

Our last day in Bangkok, we wandered the area near the palace. The palace itself was closed for the holiday, but the amulet market just outside the walls was open and we spent hours looking for the perfect ones. Next to the palace is a center for Buddhist Education, and they were having a festival for Songkran. Food vendors and craftsmen from all over the country had gathered. We walked around sampling the culinary delights and learned about the traditional celebration of Songkran. We also got a chance to see the famous reclining Buddha (the world’s largest) before heading back to the hotel and away from the city.

It was interesting to be in Bangkok when we were. Between the Songkran Festival and the protests, our visit to the city was hardly normal. Strangely, we didn’t feel like we were in danger in Bangkok until we left. Even then, we thought that the news reports sensationalized the situation, and made things seem more dangerous that they were. We will return to the city before we leave Thailand, and I am curious to see the differences.

Bangkok

Good-bye to India

2009-04-22T05:49:00.001-06:00

Our last train ride in India certainly wasn’t our best. We left Jaipur at 2:40 in the afternoon. More than 17 hours later, we arrived in Mumbai. While the long rides are never fun, this one was especially tough. It came at the end of a long two weeks, and the sleepers cars were all sold out. The only available tickets that could get us to Mumbai in time for our flight out were in the chair car. It was all night, in a cramped chair car with the lights on. We arrived at our hotel tired and more than a little grumpy. We were fully prepared to spend the next 36 hours hiding in our room, counting down to our departure. Instead, a little magic happened as we walked through the door.
A scout was waiting outside our hotel. He worked in the pictures, and he was looking for some westerners to stand in as extras for the latest Bollywood film. The scene was to take place in Las Vegas, and he needed some people to look like they were enjoying themselves in a casino. They would pay for transportation, our meals and would pay us 500 rupees for the experience. How could we pass that up? We joined the group of tourists who had agreed to participate, and piled into taxis on our way to super-stardom.
Filmiji Studios isn’t exactly Universal, but the experience was fun. There were 10 westerners total, 5 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Canadian, 1 Brit, and a Dutch girl. Upon arrival at the studio, we were shown into a dressing room. We were provided with costumes, hair and make-up, and then sent to the set for our first scene. It was a bar scene, and we were all supposed to stand around with drinks in our hands looking like we were enjoying a night out on the town. It took them about three hours to shoot us from all different angles. Finally, they were satisfied with the shot, and we took a break for lunch.
After lunch we had some down time. It would be a few hours before they would need us again, so we just lounged in our dressing room, and watched as they filmed other scenes for the movie. At about 6 they needed us again. This time we were audience members for a spectacular Vegas show. The show portion of the scene had been filmed earlier, so we had to look at the camera, and pretend we saw something amazing. This time we got it right after only three takes. This acting thing isn’t so hard…
We changed back into our normal clothes, and headed back to the hotel. It was after 11 when we arrived, and we were running on only a few hours sleep. I was done for the day, but somehow Leon and Rachel found the energy to make it out for one drink with our fellow extras. They arrived home late, and we spent our last day in India, sleeping in. Our flight for Bangkok left at 4 am, and it would be another sleepless night. As we rode to the airport I think we were all a little sad. As excited as we were about our trip to Thailand, we all loved India. We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived, and we weren’t sure how we were ever going to spend three months in such a strange place. Over the course of three months we fell in love; with the beautiful scenery, with the delicious food, and with the people, who open their country and their hearts so willingly to the thousands of travelers who come seeking knowledge, spiritual clarity, or just a good time. I hope that one day I will return to India, but for now it’s good-bye India, hello Thailand.

Movie Magic

Jaipur

2009-04-20T08:09:00.000-06:00

Jaipur is known as the “Pink City”. The story goes that the old city was originally built with cheap materials due to a lack of funds. To cover up the shoddy work, the whole city was painted pink; every wall, every building. Though the city underwent repairs in the late 19th century, the pink color remained, and the old city it still easily recognizable by the rose colored walls.
We only had one full day in Jaipur, so once we settled into our guesthouse we headed straight out for lunch. At the restaurant, we met a British traveler, Claire. She was traveling alone and we invited her to spend the day exploring the city with us. We negotiated a rickshaw, and found our way to the pink city walls.
Our first stop was a bizarre one. In the early 19th century, the king of Jaipur had an interest in astrology. It was widely believed at the time that astrology could be used as a tool to predict everything from wars, to auspicious marriage days. Because of this belief, the king built a park with a number of tools designed to track the movements of the stars so that people could use this information to chart their astrological course. The park, and the tools are still standing within the walls of the pink city. While they are no longer used to predict wars, the tools themselves are remarkable accurate a tracking the movements of the heavenly bodies.
We wandered around the bazaars for a few hours, seeing the city palace, and some famous observation sites throughout the city. As sunset approached, we found ourselves in a rickshaw again, this time heading out 3 km outside of Jaipur to see the “Monkey Temple”. The Monkey Temple is a series of temples in a narrow ravine on the outskirts of town. Though some of the temples are still in use, the area is now more famous for the monkey population. Nearly 5000 monkeys live within the temples in the ravine, and they are the reason that most tourists visit the area. A vendor outside the temple gates sells peanuts and other treats which you can give to the monkeys who live inside. For those of us who live in a country where monkeys are only found in zoos, it is an incredible experience.
The monkeys are very used to people, and will romp and play only a few feet from where you are walking. We purchased some peanuts for the monkeys from the vendor outside. We started out by throwing them on the ground, but soon found that the monkeys will come and take the peanuts right out of your hand. They are very gentle, and will hold your hand while they use their second hand to stuff as many peanuts as possible into their cheeks. Once they are stuffed, they will shell and eat the peanuts one by one, just the way that we would.
We took our time passing out a pound of peanuts, and then we rode back into town. We had a leisurely dinner, and then walked Claire back to her hotel. On the way home, we stopped for a treat; Baskin Robbins! The next day we had a brutal 17 hour train ride, but we found our trip to Jaipur to be not only short but sweet.

p.s. our pictures from Jaipur were killed by a horrible virus.

The Venice of India

2009-04-20T08:06:00.000-06:00

Rajasthan was not on our original itinerary, but as we travelled around India, the locals told us that no trip to India would be complete without a visit to the famous northwestern state. We searched our book and it listed Udaipur as one of the most beautiful cities in the country, so after another overnight train ride, we found ourselves with four days to spend in the “Venice of India”.
We were lucky on arrival to meet a local rickshaw driver named Billu. He offered us a fair price for a ride into town (usually you have to haggle to get only slightly ripped off) and patiently drove us to a few hotels to check out options. We settled on the Panorama guesthouse, a small, family run hotel with quaint rooms and a rooftop restaurant overlooking Lake Pichola.
After settling into our rooms, we set out on foot to explore the town, and find a post office. We wandered through the cloth markets, the produce market, the spice market, and the oil market. We walked down a side street where vendors were making fresh potato chips, sold for 5 rupees a bag and women were sorting huge barrels of chilies so hot you could smell it.
As we found to be the case in most of India, the people in these markets were friendly and welcoming. They happily posed for pictures that we took of them, and explained the local crafts. The spice vendors explained to us the different types of fresh tea leaves available at their stalls. Leon, stopped at a local electronics repair stall to have a pair of headphones fixed. He was told the repair would be five minutes and would cost 10 rupees, but while we waited wouldn’t we please sit down and have a glass of chai and tell about our travels? We met local families, and made new friends, and at the end of the day we wandered back to our hotel, charmed with Udaipur.
The next day, we decided to take a tour of the city with our rickshaw driver, Billu. For a set price of 550 rupees ($11) he would drive the three of us to all the major sights in Udaipur and anywhere else we asked to go. He took us to the “Milk Lake” where the locals go to bathe. Then we took a boat ride to a park that sits on a small island in the middle of a lake. After that, it was off to another park, this one built for the Royal Princesses and their handmaidens to enjoy. We ended our day at the Monsoon Palace. The famous palace, built in 1883, was built high on a mountain overlooking the city. The royal family built it as a summer residence, with the thought that they could spend the monsoon season there, looking out over their kingdom. Unfortunately, just before the palace was completed, they realized that there was no way to pump water to the palace. Construction was stopped, and no one ever lived there. Still, the nearly finished palace sits, high on a hill, surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary. The view from the top was spectacular, and a perfect way to end our day.
Our third day in Udaipur was also busy. I got up early to get an acupressure massage. It was excruciatingly painful, and unlike any massage that I have ever experienced, but I left feeling exhilarated and relaxed. Next up; an Indian cooking class. The owner of our hotel offered cooking classes taught by his wife in their home. We had picked the menu the day before, and now it was off to learn how to cook a full Indian meal. The three of us crowded into the kitchen and learned how to make chai, vegetable kofta, mixed vegetable curry, raita, vegetable fried rice, potato pakora, chapatti, and galub jamon. After the lesson, we ate all the food, and we left with full tummies and happy hearts.
On our final day in Udaipur, we went to see the City Palace. The palace was once the home of the royal family of Udaipur, but was now a museum. The exhibits explained the history of the city, and gave an image of royal palace life into the modern age. After the palace it was lunch, and some errands before catching yet another train. This time we were off to Jaipur, our last new city on our journey through India.

Udaipur

Agra

2009-04-19T07:41:00.000-06:00

Our journey to Agra was exhausting. We had left Corbett National park on a 10 pm sleeper train and managed to grab a few hours of sleep before we arrived in Delhi at 4 am. We then had to pile into a rickshaw and journey across town to a different train station to catch our 5:30 am train to Agra. Three hours, and a short nap later, we found ourselves in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We were exhausted, but there was not rest for the weary. It was Thursday morning, and since the Taj is closed on Fridays we had only one day to see one of the great wonders of the world.
Off to the hotel, quick breakfast and shower, and then away we went. I knew that I should feel tired, but between the chai and my excitement at seeing the Taj I was buzzing. We picked a hotel that was only a few blocks from the Taj Mahal, and the walk there filled me with anticipation. You can’t really see the Taj as you approach due to the surrounding wall, but you know that you are getting closer as you walk down the street loaded with souvenir shops.
The ticket for the Taj Mahal is expensive by Indian standards, 750 rupees ($15) for foreign visitors. When you are used to paying less than that for a hotel room, the price seems exorbitant, but once you have seen it you realize that it is worth every penny (even without the free bottle of water and shoe covers that you get). Locals pay much less, about 15 rupees, which is a common practice in India. It keeps the national treasures affordable for the locals and still provides the government with enough funds to maintain the monuments.
Security is tight at the Taj Mahal. Visitors aren’t allowed to bring in much, no large bags, no guide books, no outside food or drink. Everyone must pass through a metal detector and a personal search before entering the sight. One you walk through the security check point, you find yourself in the outer courtyard. It is a large square courtyard with four gates, three leading out to the city, and one leading in to the Taj Mahal. You still can’t see the Taj from here, and by this point the anticipation was overwhelming. We walked toward the north gate, and through the arch of the wall, you see your first glimpse of the tomb.
The Taj Mahal is a monument to love, built by a maharaja for his favorite wife after her death. It is made entirely of marble, with semi-precious stone inlay. The building itself, and the grounds are perfectly symmetrical, and the complex is meant to represent the paradise as described in the Koran, with rivers of milk and honey. The building glows in the light of the sun, and the perfect symmetry and tranquil atmosphere give the place the feeling of another world. It was so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. The story says that the Maharaja was so consumed by grief that he dedicated years (one source said 13 another 20) and millions of rupees to building the final resting place for his beloved wife. His son, outraged at the money that was being spent, ousted his father and imprisoned him in Agra fort, a few kilometers up the river and the king spent his last days staring out the window at the wonder he had built. It is romantic, and tragic, and you feel those things when you are there.
We spent three hours admiring the intricate carvings and stone inlay work. We wandered through the building, and sat in the gardens soaking up the feeling of being in a place so magical. It was late afternoon, and we were hungry and tired, but I left with tears in my eyes, glancing over my shoulder for one last look at something I never thought I would see.
We decided to leave from a different gate than the one we had entered to explore a different neighborhood, and the feeling of peace and happiness was immediately shattered by the crush of vendors that greeted us as we left the gate. We found ourselves surrounded by a mob of young men trying to lure us into their shops. We fought our way through to the end of the street and found a rooftop restaurant serving a lunchtime thali with a view of the Taj. We filled up on rice, a chickpea curry, and dal and then headed back to our room for a little rest. The next day would bring another train ride and we needed all the rest we could get.

Agra

Elephants and tigers and bears, oh my!

2009-04-19T07:38:00.001-06:00

We took a flight from Calcutta to Delhi, and then from there we took an overnight train to Corbett National Park. We arrived at the train station at 4:55 am, exhausted, but ready for adventure. We were met at the station by our friendly guide, Mohin. We stopped for a quick glass of chai, and then continued on to the hotel to settle into our room and rest before our day’s adventures. At 11, Mohin came to get us and took us for a walk through the outskirts of the park to the banks of a local river. A school group was there doing wilderness activities like repelling and river crossing. We watched them for awhile before heading back to get lunch. We ate a light soup and salad meal, and then went to meet our ride for our first forest safari.
Our first trip into the forest was an elephant safari. Our ride was a 36 year old elephant named Kanchan and her handler. Four of us rode on her back, sitting sideways on a saddle. Her handler sat in front of us on her shoulders. To board the elephant we had to walk up a set of stairs to a platform, and climb on. Once everyone was safely aboard, we set out into the forest.
Kanchan plodded slowly through the forest, following a path that was familiar to her. She seemed unaware of our excitement, stopping every so often to grab a snack off a nearby tree branch. Meanwhile, we were looking around us anxiously, searching for signs of the elusive tigers that inhabit the area. We had heard stories before we left about the man-eater who had been trapped only two months before after killing a local villager, and our guide told tales of handlers who had been pulled right off of their elephants by the mighty cats. We searched the bushes, and caught our breath at every sound, half hoping to spot a tiger, and half afraid to. Our guide taught us to listen to the screams of the monkey, who spot the tigers from the treetops and then warn the other animals to be on the alert, and we walked past the bones of deer that had been dinner for one hungry animal. We spent two hours in the forest, and without spotting a tiger. We were disappointed, but only slightly. We had so much fun riding Kanchan, and at the end of our tour she let us pet her, which we all thought was adorable.
Our second day began with a 5 am wake-up call. We quickly got dressed and piled into the resort jeep. Today we were going to drive further into the park on a jeep safari. We stopped at the park gates to fill out our admission paperwork and pick-up our guide/tracker. It wasn’t long before our guide yelled excitedly for our driver to stop. We all got out to look at his find, fresh tracks from a male tiger! Something was close by. Now we were awake. We were searching the trees with our binoculars looking for clues. There were plenty of spotted deer (referred to as tiger food by our guide), a wild boar, loads of monkeys, and even some wild peacocks. We crossed a river, and then we stopped again; another tiger print, this time from a female. We stopped to listen carefully. We heard the sounds of the monkeys and the peacocks, and then all of a sudden, from far away, a roar! It was incredible! We didn’t see the tiger, but we knew that he was there, and probably saw us. That was enough to send shivers up my spine. We spent nearly three hours searching the forest before calling it a day and heading back to town for a late breakfast. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet provided by the country side and the fresh air (a rarity in India). We had a train at night that we take us back to Delhi and then on to Agra. It was going to be a long couple of days.

Corbett

Calcutta

2009-04-18T00:25:00.001-06:00

I admit, none of us was particularly looking forward to our stay in Calcutta. We had been warned that it was large, dirty, overpopulated, impoverished, and had nothing to see, so our plan was to stay just long enough to find a way out. Instead the city defied all of our expectations. We found a reasonably priced hotel, in a cute little area of town. There were loads of cheap, tasty restaurants within walking distance, and any service that you could require; internet, laundry, passport photos, etc.
We spent most of our time in Calcutta, catching up on planning and taking care of trip business. We needed to book our next few rail tickets, purchase new SIM cards for the cell phones, do laundry, etc. and we left only the final day for sightseeing. When we did finally get around to leaving our charismatic neighborhood, we found the greater city to be clean and easy to get around. Calcutta has the only Subway system in India. It was cheap, clean, and efficient on par with the systems that we had seen throughout Europe. There was a large central park area, where the local residents gathered for walks, picnics, and pick-up cricket games. We visited Victoria Monument, an impressive structure with a museum documenting the history of India under British rule, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
We stayed in Calcutta for four days, and though there weren’t many tourist sites, per se, we found Calcutta to be a lovely modern Indian city. It was large. It was crowded. There were areas were the poverty was heartbreaking, but it was nothing like we thought it would be. Once again, India managed o surprised us.

Kolkata

A Taste of Family Life

2009-04-18T00:22:00.001-06:00

Our train ride from Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar was 23 hours, and we had plenty of time to get to know that people riding around us. Sitting across the aisle was a young Indian man and his mother. They struck up a friendly conversation about our travels and we talked to them for awhile. Nearing the city, we began to look in our guide book to find a hotel to stay in. Our new friends took notice, and insisted that we stay with them instead of spending money on a hotel. At first we demurred, saying that there was three of us and we couldn’t possible impose. They were persistent, and we finally agreed, although we were still feeling hesitant. Ferida, the mother, called home to let her daughter-in-law know that guests would be arriving for dinner, and before we could protest any further is was all arranged.
We took the short trip from the rail station to their home, which was a lovely 3 bedroom flat near the center of the city. They were a small family, just five members. Ferida’s husband had died of cancer the year before, leaving her with their two sons, Mispa and Salman. Mispa’s wife, and their maid Mousy also stayed in the flat. They had us put our bags into the guest room, and fed us a meal of biryani. It was our first home-cooked meal since South Africa, and it was delicious! Eager to please, the boys took us to meet their fried, Raju, and the five of us went out to explore Bhubaneswar at night. It was a Friday night, but the city is small, and there isn’t much to do except head to the mall, so that’s what we did. After a couple hours of checking out the local “hot spots” we went home. It was dinner time, and even though we had just eaten a few hours before, we couldn’t refuse the tasty meal.
Staying with the family gave us a unique opportunity to see the social structure of the home, which is quite different from ours. Women in India are very much respected and appreciated, but gender roles in India are still very clearly defined in a way that doesn’t exist in American these days. Of course as guests, these gender roles didn’t apply to us, and we were treated with the utmost respect and care. Meal times were strange for us because of the eating order. In America, everyone sits down to dinner together. While the host is usually responsible for preparation and clean-up, it is not unheard of for guest to help out in these areas. During our stay with the Khan family, there was a distinct order to the food service. As guests, we were served first, by the sons. Once we had finished eating, Mispa, the oldest son would eat, followed by the women and Salman. This felt very awkward to us, and after the first two meals, Mispa began eating with us at our invitation, but the woman would always eat last, and often not until we had gone to bed for the evening.
The sleeping arrangements were also strange. In America it is standard practice for guest to sleep in a guestroom/office, etc. or even on the couch. Rarely does a member of the family give up their room. In this case, Leon and I were given one room, Rachel another, and the five members of the Khan family slept in the remaining room together. Again this seemed awkward to us. The one room was plenty large enough for the three of us, and we tried insisting that we sleep this way, but they refused, saying that they wanted to give us our privacy.
Our first full day in Bhubaneswar was a Monday, and Mispa took that day off work so that he, Salman, ad their friend Raju could show us around. They took us to the Sun Temple, the most beautiful temple in the state of Orissa. Though centuries old, the temple was in pristine condition and the carvings and gardens were well worth the long drive. After our trip there, we went to the large Buddhist Temple that sits on a hill overlooking the city. The view from the top was spectacular. Our final stop was the caves near town. Nowhere near as large or impressive as the Ellora caves, they did provide a nice place to sit and watch the sunset over the city.
Our second day in Bhubaneswar, the boys took us to the zoo. I was hesitant to go, because I was unsure of what conditions would be at a zoo in a developing country, but curiosity and manners led us to go. We packed (or rather the ladies packed) a picnic lunch for us, and we enjoyed our meal in a shady park in front of the zoo before walking to see the exhibits. The facilities were not up to the standards that one sees in an American zoo, but they weren’t as bad as I had imagined either, and there were noticeable efforts to improve the animal welfare.
After three nights in Bhubaneswar, we were ready to move on. We loved staying with the Khans, but we didn’t want to overstay our welcome, and our time in India was coming to a close quicker than we had thought possible. We boarded the train to Calcutta (with another packed lunch) and headed even further north.

Bubhanesware

Hyderabad

2009-04-13T08:27:00.001-06:00

Our first night in Hyderabad, we walked around the busy Lad Bazaar area. The area is known for having everything one would need for a full Indian wedding, and the shops are overflowing with silk sarees, henna, and jewelry shops carrying bangles and pearls. I bargained for a pair of beaded Indian shoes, and some bangles, which every Indian woman from birth to death seems to be wearing. The area around the bazaar was filled with street vendors selling everything from snacks to underwear and provides for hours of free entertainment. You can walk along the street, examining the wares, laughing at the children trying to sell you school books or the old men insisting that you need a saree for your stay in India. Tiring of the market, we decided to go for dinner, and we delighted to find that Hyderabad had a McDonalds! We were dying to see what the menu of McDonald’s would be in a country were more that 90% of the people don’t eat beef. The big seller here in the McVeggie Combo, which comes with masala fries. The “burger” is actually pretty good, and is something that I would eat at home if our McDonald’s had it. Other than the menu, the Golden Arches was just what you would find at home. There were smiling families, happy meals, and even a children’s birthday party. Ronald McDonald sat out front on a bench for photo ops and you could still finish your meal with a McFlurry.
Our second day in Hyderabad, we took a trip to Ramoji Film Studio. Listed in the Guinness book of World records as the world’s largest film studio, Ramoji is something like a poor man’s Universal Studios. There is a studio tour, which is takes you around to look at the various film sets. Most of the tour was in Hindi, but we got the gist of what was said by looking at the sets. Unlike American movies, which are filmed a lot on location these days, almost all Indian films are made exclusively in studios. Also, the budgets are considerably lower, with the average film budget a mere $1 million, unheard of by American standards. Once you finish the studio tour, there is a theme park area, which has only three attractions. You visit the attractions in order, and are allowed to visit each attraction only once. After the attractions, one which was an eerie copy of “It’s A Small World” we decided to get lunch. We shelled out 99 rupees (about $2) for an all-you-can eat Indian/Chinese buffet. We had just sat down at a table to eat, when we were rudely interrupted by a monkey. He stormed right up to the table; stole food off Leon’s plate, then came after mine. I screamed and pushed the plate towards him. He grabbed a handful and jumped off the table to consume our lunch! Leon was yelling, “Bad monkey!” and I was afraid that he would get bitten. We moved and found a table inside, and finished our lunch. After a long bus ride home, we were exhausted. Another crazy day in India.
Our last day in Hyderabad, we visited the Golconda Fort. A huge fort overlooking the city, we walked for hours through the old ramparts and admired the view from the top. What a beautiful view! We left the fort and headed to the train station to catch the train to Bhubaneswar. We weren’t looking forward to the 23 hour train ride, but we were ready to move on and experience a new city.

Hyderabad

Pondicherry, ma cheri

2009-04-13T08:22:00.000-06:00

Pondicherry is a former French colony, and has a distinct French flavor that is lacking in the rest of India. We stayed in the “Ville Blanche” or white town, which is where the French colonials lived. While the “Ville Noir” area of town has a similar look and feel as much of India, the “Ville Blanche” has wide tree-lined boulevards, with French names and locals who still say Bonjour instead of hello. Since we had just arrived from Tamil Nadu, where we ate nothing but thali, the smell of fresh baguettes was a god send. We spent much of the first day lounging in a boulangerie, where we found Wi-Fi and real cappuccino to compliment the chocolate cake. We caught up on e-mails and internet, and planned the next few stops on our journey. At the end of the day, we went exploring in the “Ville Noir. “ We walked the streets, searching for a place to rent some scooters. We went from shop to shop, comparison shopping, and occasionally getting swept up in the impromptu parades that appear in front of the many Hindu temples. We finally found what we were looking for, but realized that we wouldn’t be able to find our way back home, so we hopped in a rickshaw and went back to our hotel for a nightcap and a good night’s sleep.
Our second morning in Pondicherry, I woke up early to get my haircut at the local salon (a bargain at $1.50 including tip), while Leon and Rachel went to pick up two rental scooters. We had plans to leave Pondicherry and visit the settlement of Auroville, located 8 km north of town. Leon had driven a scooter before, but never in the city, and Rachel and I were both a little afraid of learning to drive in such heavy traffic. We decided that Rachel would drive one scooter, and I would ride on the back of Leon’s scooter switching places half way through the day. We tried to look for the roads with the least traffic, giving Rachel time to adjust to a new style of driving, but before long we found ourselves at a major intersection. She handled the traffic well, and we made it safely to the Auroville welcome center.
Auroville is this sort of experimental living community, founded by a French woman named “The Mother” and based on the teachings of Swami Sri Aribindo. It is supposed to be a place where people from all races, creeds, and backgrounds can live and learn together in harmony, in hope of creating a perfect society. I was more than a little skeptical, and was counting on the welcome center to provide some answers. It didn’t. They showed a short video that didn’t give any more information than our guide book. Frustrated, we went to one of the settlements where our friend Chelsea was staying. We were eager to see her, and we thought that since she had been there for a few days that she might be able to provide us with some answers to our questions. We missed Chelsea, but talked to some of the other people staying at her camp. From what I can tell, Auroville is mostly foreign travelers, not locals. They stay for cheap, and work on various projects throughout the community of Auroville. The project that Chelsea was working on was a reforestation project. They have very little contact with the local community, and to me it seemed like people were looking more for an escape from the real world than for a way to change it. We couldn’t find Chelsea, and we wanted to get home before dark, so we got back on the scooters and headed south.
Rachel was driving the scooter again for the ride home, and I was riding as Leon’s passenger. We had switched places after visiting the welcome center, thinking that the peaceful roads in Auroville would provide a good place to learn. Right as I was getting the hang of things, a huge truck came roaring towards my. Though technically the road is not one way, there wasn’t room for the both of us on that road, and the truck’s blaring horn made it clear he wasn’t planning on stopping. I swerved off the road into a puddle of mud, lost my balance, and nearly took out the old Indian women who rushed over to help me. After that I was too shaky to keep driving, so I handed the scooter back to Rachel and continued as Leon’s passenger. On the way home, we had to take the highway, which was a frightening experience. I just closed my eyes and kept listening for the scream of a crash. Amazingly, we made it into the city and through rush hour traffic in one piece.
Thinking out motorbike adventure was over, we got a good night’s rest in our hotel, and the next morning we went down to return the bikes, only to discover that one of the bikes had been stolen! We checked with the hotel to see if they had seen anything suspicious. They hadn’t, so Leon and Rachel rode the remaining scooter back to the rental agency and told the owner about the theft. They told him that they would go with him to the police station to file a report of the theft. After several wasted hours at the station, they returned home. The owner of the scooters was extremely upset. He had no insurance on the vehicles, and was expecting us to reimburse him for the cost of a new bike! We refused, and said that we would pay for our rental, and offer him a small amount for his time and trouble, but that we would not pay for a new bike. He kept insisting that we were rich Americans who could surely afford a new bike, whereas he was a struggling business man and this loss would surely break him. He threatened to call the police if we didn’t give him money, which of course we had no objection to. We knew that the threat was empty, and once he knew that we knew this, he stopped making threats, but refused to leave our hotel. Finally, the hotel managers came out and repeated the previous offer that we had made. He finally left, but he wasn’t happy. Not the best way to end our visit in an otherwise beautiful city.

Trichy

2009-04-03T03:52:00.001-06:00

The first two days in Trichy, I was suffering from a stomach virus, and spent most of my time in the room recovering. Leon and Rachel did some exploring though, and this is their story…
They decided to visit the Rock Fort. The guide book suggested taking a bus, but they weren’t sure where to pick it up. They went straight to the bus station and found the bus right away with some help from the locals. At the base of the Rock Fort, you take off your shoes (a common etiquette at Indian temples and monuments), cross the street and are greeted by Lakshmi the elephant. This was Rachel’s first meeting with a temple elephant. She gave her a rupee for a blessing and was charmed by the elephant’s sweet nature, but was concerned at the elephant’s busy schedule as the Fort Hostess with the Mostest.
After greeting Lakshmi, they walked up the steps to the top of the Rock Fort. There were large crowds of people walking up, or just sitting to enjoy the view of Trichy at twilight. Near the top of the steps, Rachel met two small boys, eager to talk to an American. They asked a lot of questions and posed for pictures with Rachel. They didn’t have a camera of their own, so they asked if Rachel could send them a copy of the photo. She took down their address (both boys insisted on writing their address, even though they were brothers who lived in the same house). We also found out later that the address they gave wasn’t complete, so it is doubtful that any mail would reach them. After the temple, Rachel and Leon went shopping for some electronics and dinner. They were excited to find a restaurant serving American style fried chicken, and got take-away for a late night feast.
The third day in Trichy, we went to see the huge temple with six gates. The gates, or walls, surround the temple and get smaller and smaller the further you go in. The first three gates are a vibrant part of the city, with vendors, homes, restaurants, even rickshaws. The fourth gate is the beginning of the proper temple. There you remove your shoes and enter into the sacred area. A few vendors remain in this inner section, but they sell idols and offerings for the devout. The innermost temple is restricted for non-Hindus, but we sat near the entrance and watched the locals come and go. On the way out of the temple, we met Lakshmi the elephant walking down the street. She came over and blessed our heads, along with the heads of many locals. Children lined up with offerings of rupees and bananas for Lakshmi. Her mouth was full of fruit, but she always made room for more.
Our fourth day in Trichy, we ran some errands, and then went about finding a bus to Pondicherry, our next scheduled stop. We were told that there was not direct bus, but we could take one bus for four hours, then switch to a second bus for the last hour. As usual, finding the correct bus was a challenge. Many of the buses only list their destination in Hindi, and often times they never pull up to their assigned bay at the bus station, meaning you have to ask each bus if it is the right one. After talking to at least 6 bus drivers, Leon found a bus that was headed the right way. A “luxury bus,” it was equipped with a television that played blaring loud Bollywood movies. We tried listening to our ipod, but between the movie and the sound of the horn (which buses use like a blinker) it was useless. Nevertheless, the three hours flew by. We found our second bus with no problem and continued on to Pondicherry.

Trichy

Madurai

2009-03-26T04:30:00.004-06:00

We took a 1st class overnight train from Varkala to Maduria. The estimated arrival time for the train was 6am, we had hoped the train would get in a little late as they almost always do, allowing us the few extra hours of shuteye. This time it was early, two hours early; inconceivable! So we stumbled into town half asleep. We went straight to the hotel with the highest rating in our guidebook, The Supreme Hotel and hoped they would take pity on us. We were so relieved when we arrived and let us check in so early. We went straight to our rooms, and grabbed a quick nap before heading out for breakfast. We had a mediocre breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then found a pharmacy for some cold medicine. Leon was still fighting a cold that he caught in yoga camp. He tried the Aryvedic stuff, but now it was time for some good old fashioned western medicine. Heavily sedated, Leon took another nap; while Rachel and I went out to explore the city.
Madurai is a temple town, and attracts all manner of pilgrims. The diverse crowd makes for an entertaining walk. Our first sight as we rounded the corner of the main street, was a little girl walking on an tightrope along the street. We kept walking, and explored some of the local shops. We were searching for the famous flower market, which didn’t seem to be where the map said it was. A local man saw us looking at the map in confusion, and told us that the flower market had moved 4 km outside of town. Disappointed, we were about to head home, when he lured us into his shop. “I make you any item of clothing, only 80 rupees!” Rachel was looking for new clothes, and he was so funny and helpful, so we went to check it out. Once in the store, he pulled out all of his samples for us to view. Rachel settled on a pair of pants. She picked out her fabric, and stood for her measurements. “I’ll have them ready for you in two hours for only 550 rupees.” What happened to 80 rupees you might be wondering? Apparently, the fabric is nicer, and more of it was required than he had put into his original estimate. Rachel talked him down to 500 rupees, and agreed to come back the next day to pick up her new pants. It was getting late, so we headed back to the hotel to check on Leon and get some dinner.
After another mediocre meal, this time on the Hotel rooftop, we settled into our room for a movie; when, all of a sudden, Leon jumped out of the bed screaming! Bed bugs! Again! It was 1 am but we marched straight down to the front desk and demanded another room. The immediately gave us the keys to another room, and helped us move our bags. We asked how soon we could send our laundry out. They told us to bring it down at 8 am and they would take care of it. We came down the next morning at 8, but since the second room seemed to be infested too, we decided to change hotels completely. We calmly explained the situation to the hotel manager, expecting some sort of service. Instead of apologies, he had the nerve to charge us for two nights accommodation! The hotel has a 24 hour check-in/check-out policy, and since it was past 5 am we were technically there for 2 nights. We were outraged! There was nothing we could do except move, so that’s what we did.
We moved two blocks over to Sree Devi, and were delighted to find that our room was the penthouse suite! We were the only room on the rooftop terrace, with an amazing view of the Madurai temple. We sent our laundry out immediately and laid our back packs out on the terrace to soak up the sun and chase out any bugs that might have stowed away in our stuff. The hotel staff was more than helpful, and even offered to bring us lunch on the terrace so that we could watch our stuff. He went to a local restaurant, and came back with a traditional thali (meal) for us to enjoy.
After lunch, Leon and I went out to search for some souvenirs. We found a shop across the street from the temple that had handicrafts from all over India. We found some cute items and headed back to the hotel to meet up with Rachel, then we went to pick up Rachel’s pants from the tailor. They turned out great, and Leon and Rachel each decided that they wanted a shirt. The tailor was delighted! More business! We chose the fabrics, and both Leon and Rachel had their measurements done for their shirts. As we left the shop, the jolly tailor pointed us toward the evening parade and shouted for us to always remember our fat Indian brother. We were starving, but the parade was starting in five minutes and we didn’t want to be late. We drank some chai, and sampled some fried bananas and Indian hushpuppies as appetizers. The parade was short, but sparkling, as the temple animals (one elephant and two camels) marched by in the finest attire, followed by golden statues of the temple deities. After the short parade, we ate dinner and then returned to the temple for the evening parade.
The main event at the temple in Madurai is a parade inside the temple gates at 9 pm. Non-Hindus aren’t allowed inside the innermost temple where the statues of Shiva and his wife normally rest. Each night, the statues are placed into cases and carried into the outer temple. The temple priests surround the statues and sing lullabies to the deities as they walk before tucking them back into the inner temple for the night. We decided to tuck ourselves in for the night, and headed back to our rooftop abode. The attentive hotel staff brought beer up to us and offered to clean our room. It was 10 pm, and they had obviously waited for us to get home so that we could tip them, but they were so eager to please that we couldn’t resist. After they left we sat, relaxed, and reflected on the hectic day.
For a change of pace, we decided to spend the next day at the Ghandi Museum. The museum gave a very detailed look at the struggle for freedom in India, ending with the influence of Ghandi. As is usually the case when we visit museums, there was a school group there. They were very excited to see Americans in India, and asked about our knowledge and interest in Ghandi. They were thrilled to know that their national hero was an honored figure throughout the world. We left the museum and stopped at the corner stand for some fresh mosambi juice (mosambi is a Indian fruit; kind of a mix between an orange and a lime). While enjoying our juice, we were approached by two rickshaw drivers looking to drum up some business. They drove the traditional rickshaws, the ones propelled by bicycle, instead of the auto-rickshaws that we were used to. At first we were reluctant to ride with them because they seem so small and we were worried that our weight would be too much for them, but after talking to them and viewing pictures of their families and houses, we couldn’t give our business to anyone else. Leon and I climbed into one rickshaw, and Rachel rode in the other. It took them about 30 minutes to pull us back to our hotel, and the whole time we felt like we were on a parade float. Cars were passing us on the street honking and waving. Children and vendors would wave as we rolled slowly past. The drivers were surprisingly strong, and though you could tell that they were working hard, they were able to pull us all the way home. When we got the hotel, we thought that the agreed upon price (about $1) was too low, so we gave them a big tip ($2) for their efforts. Our driver was thrilled, and happily accepted some of the bottled water we offered him. Rachel’s driver was just as hot. He refused the water that we offered, but used his doti (the skirt like wraps worn by men) to wipe the sweat off his brow. He must have been really hot, because he pulled the doti up all the way, and to our amazement, revealed that he was wearing NOTHING underneath it! Right on the middle of the busy street! We were the only ones who seemed to think that there was anything unusual about this, of course.
Our final day in Madurai we thought we should catch up on some errands. Since we had purchased souvenirs earlier in the week, we made a trip to the post office to mail them home. We have sent a couple of packages home already, but this was by far the most complicated process we have ever encountered. The post office doesn’t provide boxes or packing materials. Instead, they send you to have your parcels wrapped by one of the street vendors. They also don’t use boxes, well not really. They take scraps of boxes and wrap them loosely around your package, then wrap cheesecloth around the whole thing. They then start sewing the cloth together around the package, working their way around, pulling the fabric tight as they go, so the whole thing looks like a misshapen football type thing. Then they melt wax, and put it over the seams. You write the address on the material with colored pens, and they use stickers and stamps for postage (they sew those on too). The whole process was extremely complex. It involved waiting in line several times and waiting for our packages to be wrapped. All in all it took about 3 hours and cost about $30 for the two packages. I will be amazed if they make it in one piece.
We had a great time in Madurai, but the monsoon is getting closer every day and the heat is chasing us north. We booked a train and headed north to Trichy. Stay tuned for more Adventures In India!

Madurai

Yoga Camp

2009-03-13T00:42:00.001-06:00

Two hours of traveling from Varkala, and we found ourselves at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram at Neyyar Dam. Since our previous ashram experience had been so disappointing, we weren’t really sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there were two other travelers on the bus headed to the ashram, and as we hiked the last kilometer from the bus stop to the front gates, we began to feel better about our prospects. We checked in for our stay (they require a three night minimum) and were assigned to our dorm rooms. Rachel and I were in Lakshmi dorm, Leon was in Rama. We claimed our beds and hung our mosquito nets, then ventured out to dinner. The food is simple vegetarian, eaten from the traditional Indian tin plates. Diners sit in long rows on the floor and eat with their fingers. You are served as much as you can eat by the dining room staff, but since meals are silent, they are usually short . After dinner we went shopping in the camp boutique to purchase yoga mats, and water bottles for use during our stay, and prepared ourselves for the first Satsang.
The Satsangs are the bookends of the day at the ashram. Each day starts and ends with the meditation and chanting sessions. They start with 20 minutes of silent meditation (I usually made it 10 minutes before the wiggles got me), followed by about 40 minutes of chanting. The chanting is in Sanskrit, and follows a lead and repeat pattern. They provide books so that you can follow along, but since our Sanskrit is a little rusty, it took us several days to become comfortable with the pronunciations. After chanting, there was a teaching and discussion session. The head swami would grab a book off his shelf (a different book for each day of the week) and would open at random to pull a topic for discussion. The first night, the topic was Jainism. We discussed the history and practices of the religion, then sang one last song before heading off to bed.
Our first full day at the ashram was a little bit confusing. There were probably 70 people who had arrived for the Yoga Vacation, but since it was everyone’s first day, no one was really confident about the schedule or location of the various classes. After the morning Satsang at 6, there was tea at 7:30, followed by the morning yoga class at 8. Our morning teacher was an American woman named, Rhoda. She is 77, and in better shape than I am. She started yoga thirty years ago, and now volunteers as a teacher at the centers all over the world. Our first class was challenging and informative. After class, everyone gathers for the first meal of the day at 10 am. Next is Karma Yoga, at 11. An integral part of the Sivananda program, Karma Yoga is selfless service. Each guest is required to participate, and on the first day we were divided into groups and assigned tasks. I was given the job of cleaning the bathrooms in one of the women’s dorms. Leon was on the maintenance team, which was using the week to repaint some benches, and Rachel was assigned the job of rolling out the mats for morning Satsang. After Karma Yoga is free time until the lecture at 2 pm. You can use the time to read, go for a swim at the lake (just watch out for the crocs), practice your yoga, go to the library, take a nap, etc. After the lecture, there is the afternoon yoga class at 3:30, followed by dinner at 6 and evening Satsang at 8.
In addition to the regularly scheduled activities, there were occasional special events in place of evening Satsangs. On Wednesday nights, there is a silent walk from the ashram to the dam, where we could chant and sing under the stars. On Thursday night, there was a talent show. Rachel sang a song, and was a huge hit! She was giving encore performances in the dorms for people that had missed the show.
We stayed at the ashram for a week. We loved the clean air and the feeling of health and wellness that developed within us. It was surprisingly relaxing given the rigorous schedule, but we were missing the feeling of being in India. We decided to leave with some of our new friends, and head to the beach at Varkala for some R&R.
After a quick 40 minute train ride from Trivandram, we arrived in Varkala with our new friends, Erin and Trevor. We found a hotel, and headed straight for dinner. We found a nice café on the beach, where we ordered mojitos and lasagna. The next morning, we woke up early for yoga class on the hotel rooftop, then a quick breakfast, and down to the beach. We were laying there enjoying the sun and sand, when we saw some familiar face. Our old friends, Mike and Chelsea, who we spent the first few weeks in India with were in Varkala too. We spent a few days swimming, sunbathing, and catching up with old friends. After a week of relaxing on the beach, we headed east to the temple town of Madurai, and continued our journey through India.

(We didn't take any pictures at the ashram. For the privacy of the other students they ask that you not take photos during classes or lectures. If you are interested in seeing the ashram, or learning more about their programs, you can visit their website, www.sivananda.org)

Kochi

2009-03-07T02:19:00.001-07:00

On our last day in Mysore, Rachel met up with us, and the three of us hopped a bus to the coastal city of Kochi. Our first evening, we went to see the traditional Keralan art of Kathkali dancing. An ancient art form, Kathkali dancers used to travel from temple to temple, performing shows at night for the local villagers in exchange for food. The dancers use movements of the hands, feet, and face to convey different ideas, telling Hindu religious stories. The costumes are very elaborate, and each dancer spends over one hour putting on make-up before the show. Before the performance, a local professor explained to us the tradition of the dance. I found it interesting. Leon fell asleep. The next day, we went on an eight hour tour of the backwaters region. For the morning portion of our journey, we rode on an old rice boat through the broad canals, watching the local fisherman put out their nets. In the afternoon, we switched to a smaller canoe that would allow us to traverse the narrow channels of the backwater villages. We stopped in a village to see how the fisherman prepared the mussels caught in the backwaters. They also grind the shells of the mussels to create Aruyvedic medicines. Further down the river, we stopped to watch ladies of the village spin coir rope from the skins of the coconuts. A local coconut farmer climbed a tree to show us how the fruit is harvested and we each sampled a fresh coconut. It turns out, I hate fresh coconut, so we left it on the ground as a treat for the local cows and goats.
The final day in Kochi we visited the island of Fort Kochin. To get to Fort Kochin from Ernakulam you must take a local ferry. We headed to the main boat jetty to purchase tickets for the next ferry. Though there was a man at the counter, he refused to sell us tickets till 5 minutes before the ferry left. He told us to sit down and come back in 20 minutes. As we went to sit down, we noticed a line was forming at the counter, the very same counter we had just been turned away from. Afraid to lose our place, we decided to stand in line as well. But now there were two lines instead of one, we were unsure how to proceed. So, we decided to divide and conquer, Rachel stood in the woman’s line while Leon stood with me in the general line. Once on the ferry the ride was short and pleasant. We arrived and spent the day wandering the streets of Fort Kochin.
One of the first western colonies in India, Fort Kochi has a distinct European feeling with wide boulevards and coffee houses that serve real coffee instead of the Indian standard, Nescafe. We visited the first Christian church in India, and treated ourselves to an authentic Italian dinner. We were running out of time to get to Yoga Camp, so we headed south, with a quick stop at the beach in Varkala before committing ourselves to the rigorous schedule of Ashram life.

Kochi

Some Experiences are Better Than Others...

2009-02-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Since we had been traveling mostly by bus, we decided to give train travel another shot for our trip to Mysore. We had loved using the trains in Europe, but we found the Indian train system to be complicated. They frequently oversell trains, and it is possible to buy a ticket for a train with no seats available. Hundred for people buy tickets and are placed on a wait list. They are allowed to board the train, and people will sleep wherever they can find a space, doubling up, sleeping on the floor, or in the space between cars. We booked through a local travel agent who was familiar with the system and could get us seats on a train that was booked. We arrived on the train to find people sleeping in our beds. We showed our tickets,
and they grudgingly agreed to move. We squeezed ourselves and our luggage onto the top bunks, and settled in for a long ride. We arrived in Mysore exhausted from our travels. The first three hotels that we visited were booked. Desperate, we took a recommendation from our rickshaw driver. He took us to a hotel that we just off the main road, near the main sights, offering a clean room at a reasonable price. We were thrilled to find that we had hot water and cable television all for the bargain price of 325 rupees per night! Unfortunately, as they say, things that seem too good to be true, often are. Our “clean hotel” had bed bugs. It was a nightmare! We never saw them, but we woke up covered in bites. We had hundreds. We packed up and decided to move to splurge on a nice hotel. We found one that our book recommended, and even splurged on an upgraded room. We went straight to the pharmacy for some cortizone cream, and then sent everything we owned to the laundry, just in case. We sat in the hotel all day, with hardly a stitch of clothing, watching tv, waiting for our clothes to come back, and trying not to itch. It took two full weeks for the bites to heal.

Mysore

Hampi, India

2009-02-27T05:18:00.001-07:00

After an overnight bus trip, we arrived in Hampi to be greeted by the usual mob of rickshaw drivers, offering to take us anywhere in town that we wanted to go for only 10 rupees. Since we knew that the town was only one street, we fought our way through the crowd and began the search for a hotel. We found a room and settled in. Our first mission: to find breakfast. On the main street, we found a little restaurant. Not long after our food arrived we were approached by a young local boy with a pet monkey. He was asking for money and food. Most towns ask that you not give money, especially to children because they don’t want to legitimize begging as a lifestyle. We did offer him some fruit for him and his monkey, and he shared it with his younger brother. Hampi is known for having a large number of ruined temples, and we decided to explore the area on motor scooters. We rented two, and set off. About 3 miles outside of town, we realized that there was a problem with Mike’s scooter. It was loosing power quickly. We stopped on the side of the road to investigate. We looked in the tank, and found that the scooter was almost out of gas. The attendant who rented us the bike had forgotten to put in the gas we had purchased. Our only option was to keep going to the next town and hope we made it before the tank completely ran out. We were relieved to hear that there was a gas station close by, but arrived there to find it was out of gas! We asked around town, and were told that there wasn’t another gas station in town, but that we could buy gas from a shop. They fill up water bottles with petrol and charge 25 rupees more than the petrol station. We were stuck, so we bought another litre and continued our ride. The next day we made a visit to Virupaksha Temple. Outside the temple, ladies sell bananas, which you can give in offering to the temple gods, or to the cows or Lakshmi. The cows outside the temple are very friendly, almost like dogs. They want you to pet them and feed them bananas and are very affectionate. Inside the temple, the highlight is a visit with Lakshmi the temple elephant. She accepts offerings for the temple, and in return will bless you by tapping you on the head with her trunk. Despite her size, she was very gentle and sweet. There were also two tribes of monkeys, who lived inside the temple, and visitors with food offerings had to keep a close watch on the thieving beasts.
Chelsea and Mike headed out of town that night, leaving Leon and I alone for the first time since South Africa. We decided to walk down to the river and find a restaurant for a nice dinner. We enjoyed some of the best curry in India at a place called the Mango and on the way home, we were delighted to see that it was bath time for the elephant Lakshmi. She bathed in the river, spraying herself and her handler with water. The next day we walked to the other end of town and explored the ruined temple complex and the ghats along the river. We ended the day with a hike up Matanga Hill for a spectacular view of the town and the surrounding area. We left Hampi and headed further south to the town of Mysore.

Hampi

Goa

2009-02-27T05:13:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Goa ready for some relaxation after a whirlwind two weeks. After travelling for nearly 24 hours straight, we were exhausted. We dropped our packs in the sand, and Mike, Chelsea, Leon and I set off to find somewhere to stay. After looking at a few places, we found two beach huts, located in a palm grove about 100 meters from the water. Each had a private bathroom and a hammock out front for relaxing, so we negotiated the price and settled in. Goa is a world apart, and is known among travelers as the “black hole” of India. It is easy to get sucked in, and nearly impossible to leave. The beaches are wide and uncrowded, and the water is almost like bath water. Restaurants line the beach offering cheap drinks and all the foods you miss from home, salads, pizza, even Mexican food! At the north end of the town was a small rock outcropping, and a smaller beach. Dolphins would swim in the morning, and there was a fresh water lake where you could rinse off after a day in the sea. It is beautiful, and relaxing, but it is geared entirely towards foreign tourists, and it is easy to forget that you are in India. After six days there we decided that we had spent enough time on vacation, and it was time to dive back in. We took a local bus into the town of Panjim, and then found bus tickets to Hampi.

Arambol, Goa

Horn OK Please

2009-01-23T08:02:00.003-07:00

Incredible India is the slogan for the official government tourist office here, and it is pretty accurate. India is like no place I have ever been. On arrival in Mumbai we met two American travelers in the customs line. We decided to share a cab into the city and watched in awe as it took 6 Indians 45 minutes to load five people and five backpacks into a minivan (they tried 3 before settling on the one that they thought would be the most comfortable). After arriving at the hotel, we went in search of food and found a local restaurant that was still serving. We didn't recognize anything on the menu, so we randomly selected five entrees and hoped for the best. When the feast arrived, we were unsure about the proper etiquette, so we asked our server, and he was delighted to show us the local style of family style dining and eating with your hands. The food was delicious and cost just over $2 a person. What a deal! The next day we arranged for a bus to Aurungabad, and spent the day wandering around Mumbai. We saw the Gateway to India and the Taj Hotel, the sight of the recent terror attacks. From the outside of the building you would never know that anything had happened, but scars from the attacks are all over the city. There are signs all over Mumbai encouraging citizens to report suspicious behaviour, and you have to provide identification to use computers at internet cafes in an effort of stop cyber terrorism. The people will talk to you about how saddened they were by the days events, and how they support America's efforts at stopping acts of terror.
Our bus to Aurungabad was an overnight sleeper. The seats were comfortable, and if you could ignore the Bollywood movie playing as entertainment you got a great nights sleep. The locals that were on the bus were very friendly, offering suggestions for sights to see as we traveled the country. When we got off the bus, we started the search for a hotel. It turns out that five Americans walking the streets of Aurungabad constitutes a parade. People stopped what they were doing to watch us, and children followed us waving, giggling, and yelling hello! We found a hotel in town that offered a 6 bed dorm room for the five of us for $12 per night. India is easy on the wallet.
We caught a bus for the Ellora caves; ancient Buddhist and Jainist temples carved out of the mountains near Aurungabad. The sight was amazing, and the experience was enhanced by the bizarre events of the day. Upon entering the sight, the first thing we saw was a family of monkeys. Fortunately we had some bananas handy, so we were able to make some new friends. As we ventured into the caves (cue the adventure music here) we we amazed at the detailed carvings and paintings covering the walls of the caves that are almost 1000 years old. The other tourist were mostly Indian nationals, who where happy to explain the different gods to us, in exchange for photographs. By the end of the day I felt like Brangelina and my cheeks hurt from smiling, but how can you say no to taking your picture with babies and primary school classes?
The next day the boys braved the streets of Aurungabad and rented bikes to get around town and see the sights. The roads in India are filled with trucks, cars, bikes, motorcycles carrying entire families, rickshaws, pedestrians, and livestock. There are no traffic lights, and lanes are optional. The trucks honk their horns through intersections to announce they are coming through, the rickshaws and motorcycles blow their horns to tell you to move out of the way, the pedestrians and bikes scramble to avoid all other traffic, and the cows do whatever they want, confident that all traffic will stop to let them pass. Terrified of the bikes, the girls stuck with the rickshaws. We managed to see the "mini-Taj Mahal" and the "Water Wheel" before hoping the bus to the town of Fardupur.
The local bus was a different experience from the tourist bus we had taken from Mumbai. On this bus we were loaded on early to ensure that we got seats, and a place to stow our luggage. During the journey, we talked to the locals sitting around us, and they allowed us to listed to their ipods and get a taste for the local music. At the rest stop outside of Fardupur, everyone filed off the bus and rearranged themselves so that we could be near the front for our stop. The driver, concerned that we would get lost, made a special stop near the town hotel. Instead of being annoyed with the inconvenience, people just smiled, waved, and bobbled their heads as the bus drove off. (The Indian head bobble is a unique thing. When ever they are happy Indian seems to bobble their heads from side to side like bobble heads. The expression is common and seems to be uncontrollable, like they are so happy they can't help it. It is adorable!)
The Ajunta Caves are in far better condition than the caves at Ellora. This means the paintings are more beautiful, but there are more people, and more restrictions on your movements as a result. We met a group of four young Indian women on the bus into the caves, and they offered to spend the day with us and act as our guides through the caves. It was helpful to have them around to explain the significance of the art. India is very religiously tolerant, and prides itself on being accepting of all religions. There were symbols in the caves representing most major religions, and a common image was that of four elephant bodies sharing one head. The idea is that the four elephants represent the major religions, all have different bodies, but all think with the same thought of honoring God. Pretty interesting.
We left Fardupur and the Ajunta Caves and headed north. We caught a bus to the big city of Jalgoan. As usual, the bus was stuffed to the limit. There was not room for our luggage, so they threw it on the roof, and we looked anxiously out the window at each turn expecting to see out luggage go flying. Instead, it was Leon who went flying off his feet as we rounded the first turn only to land in a heap on the three Indians crammed into the seat on his right. He felt terrible, but in typical Indian fashion they just laughed, offered to let him sit down, and then spent the next two hours trying to teach him Hindi. He was the most popular guy on the bus, and everyone was sorry to see him get off. One of his new found friends bought us a treat of paan when we got off the bus. We had no idea how to eat it, but thanked them just the same, and headed to the train station.
At the station in Jalgoan we bought tickets for the 1:30 am train to Wardha. We had two hours to kill, and we found ourselves a nice patch of sidewalk outside the station to wait it out. As we sat at talked we began to notice that we were attracting attention. First people were looking in our direction, and then slowly then started to move closer until eventually we were surrounded by a crowd of curious onlookers. Not quite sure what to make of it, we decided to try and find someone in the crowd who spoke English. Two men stepped up and took turns asking us questions and translating our answers to the crowd. Our friend Mike wears a charm necklace with charms collected during his travels. He saw a boy in the crowd with a similar necklace, and arranged a trade, one charm for another. Another man, gave Mike a bracelet to wear and insisted that he never remove it from him arm. We got a slew of e-mail addresses, and phone numbers, and were told that we were invited to dinner and tea the next time we came through town. Finally the crowd got so big that it attracted the attention of the local police. They asked us to please sit in the first class waiting area to avoid blocking traffic. :)
When the train finally arrived, we were dismayed to find that there were no seats available for our overnight journey. One ticket-taker suggested that we get off at the next stop, and head down to the sleeper car section where we could pay extra for a bed. We willingly went from car to car, only to find that there were no sleepers available either. We ended up sitting on the floor, near the doors, using our backpacks as cushions the entire night. We managed a few hours sleep, but our first order of business after arriving in Wardha was to find a hotel and crash.
From Warha, we headed 9km south to the town of Sevegram. Located there is the ashram founded by Gandhi, and the base for his peaceful resistance movement. The ashram is still functioning today, and they allow visitors who are interested in learning about Gandhi and his teachings to stay a few days, living the life of the ashram follows. We moved to Sevegram the next morning, and stayed for three nights. The schedule was as follows: Wake up at 4:30 for morning prayer. Yoga from 5:30-6:30 followed by an hour of community cleaning. At 7:30 we ate breakfast, and then we had an hour of free time and two more hours of community work before lunch. After lunch we rested until 3, worked for two more hours, until dinner at 5. Evening prayer was at 6 and then lights out around 9. The boys spent their work hours in the fields, helping to plant an organic garden, and the girls worked in the kitchen, cleaning grain and helping to serve meals. During our free time, we took naps, did laundry, or bathed using buckets of water set out in the sun to warm. There was an old woman at the ashram who had attended school there as a child, and was a teenager during Gandhi's final years there. She would sit with us in the afternoons and tell us stories about the man and his mission, and about life on the ashram. After three days, the schedule was beginning to wear on us, and we decided to move on. We left to head toward Goa and the beach, and our second week in India.

It's a Small World...

2009-01-19T08:39:00.003-07:00

After leaving Cape Town, we decided to change our flights to spend two days in Hong Kong instead of one. Since we weren't able to visit mainland China due to visa issues, I was really excited to see what Hong Kong had to offer. In some ways, it was just what I expected, it was a chain of islands with more skyscrapers crammed on it than one would think humanly possible. In other ways it surprised my with it's charm and quirky systems. Like New York, Hong Kong is a huge commercial center with wide boulevards and towering skyscrapers. Unlike New York, the people of Hong Kong are some of the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever seen. Everything is very organized (throught security at the airpot you get a laminated piece of paper with a number that matches the number taped to the bucket that your hand luagge goes through the x-rays in) and clearly marked to cut down on confusion, and if you show the slightest hesitation about direction a local would stop to ask if you needed help or directions. It is also spotless. There are trash cans everywhere, people with colds were face masks to avoid infecting others with their germs, and there are regular announcements at the train station reminding you that littering and spitting are prohibited.

We stayed on the island of Kowloon, just across the harbor from Hong Kong island. Our tiny guesthouse was one of many located in a building called Chungking Mansion, a HUGE shopping and commercial center filled with restrants, currency exchanges, and every type of retail outlet you can imagine. The room itself was incredibly clean, but was about 12 square feet large (including the bathroom). The owner, Simon was helpful and friendly, just like everyone else that we met, and went about and beyond to make sure that all of our needs were met.

Our first day we took the ferry boat across Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong island to explore Victoria Peak. There is a cable car that runs up the mountain and offers extrodinary views of the city and water below. The tram ride was quick and uber effiecient like everything in Hong Kong, and at the top we found a shopping mall, just like everywhere else in Hong Kong. :) The views and the tram ride were worth the trip though. On the way back down we decided to find lunch, and thought we would have no problem finding a place to eat near such a major tourist attraction. Instead we walked for blocks, confounded that there were no eateries amid all the shopping. Finally we were clued into the fact that all the resturants are located, where else, in the shopping malls. We found a lunch spot, but since we were so late she was nearly out of food. Our only option was to try the local specialty, fish ball soup. We decided just to dive into the deep end of Chinese cuisine and we pleasantly surprised. Fish ball soup is yummy! We spent the evening wandering through the evening street markets, looking at the junk and haggling with the shop owners for the best prices. We bought a small jade buddah from one vendor whose only English was, "Cheap price for you, cheap price for you".

The next day we took the train out to the small and relatively undeveloped islant of Lantau. From the metro station you hop on a cable car (gondola for all you skiers) that would take us across the island to the Golden Buddah. The cable car seemed to stretch on forever across the mountains, and in all the trip took about 30 minutes. We got off and walked through a small village to the base of the Golden Buddah (actually brass) and then up the stairs to the foot of the statue. What an impressive sight! Amidst the only remaining natural area of Hong Kong, a huge buddah and a quiet monastary. While we weren't allowed to enter the monastary, we were allowed to walk around the outside and peek in the doors to see the ornate areas reserved for the prayer and meditation of the monks; while outside the inscense sticks lit in prayer by the faithful scented the air with their thick spicy aroma. Exhausted from our long walk, we decided to splurge on on the the tourist traps, massages. We each got a 45 minute back message, and then went to sleep and prepared for our flight the following afternoon to India.

Hong Kong

Cape Town, Part Two

2009-01-13T06:00:00.003-07:00

Our last two weeks in Cape Town were just as enjoyable as the first. My birthday was on the 29th and the day was great. Leon made me breakfast in bed, and then we drove down the road to Constantia to go wine tasting at some of the local vineyards. With the exception of one vineyard, the wine tastings are free, which is great. It allowed us to try some wines that we wouldn't have ordinarily purchased, and we were pleasantly surprised by some of the local whites. We ended up buying a few bottles of wine to drink with dinner over the course of the next two weeks, and some local champagne to help us ring in the new year.

For New Year's we got dressed up and hit the town. There was a local bar in Cape Town that was hosting a New Year's Eve party, and we danced the night away. We enjoyed cheap drinks (less than $1), a big dance floor, and the vocal styling of the latest winner of South African Idol. We were a little disappointed that they don't do the traditional countdown to the New Year though. We did it ourselves, but it just wasn't quite the same.

Our last big trip around the city was to take the Cable Car up to the summit of Table Mountain. The trip up was beautiful, and there were some short hikes up at the top of the mountain that allowed for spectacular views of the city below. We had spent the last week just relaxing, and thought the exercise would be refreshing. Unfortunately we got a little carried away. We bought tickets down the mountain, but when we realized there was a trail we passed them to some nice Brits and decided that a nice walk down would be just right. Going down is supposed to be easy right? Well our "easy" trip down ended up being three hours down a steep, slippery rock face, and by the time we got to the bottom we weren't sure our legs would work to drive our manual car home. The next four days we went back to just laying by the pool. Anything else was sheer agony.

After a month of resting up, we were ready to tackle the world again, and we left for Hong Kong excited to explore a new city and culture. More to come soon...

South Africa

2008-12-30T11:33:00.002-07:00

Our first two weeks in Cape Town have given us a much needed break from our travels. We have been constantly moving up to this point, so it was nice to have the time to unpack our belongings before moving on. We are staying in a nice little cottage attached to a B&B in the fishing village of Hout Bay. It is a scenic area with the majestic Table Mountain outside our front door, and the beach only minutes away. After a few days of R&R by the pool, we dove in and started making the rounds of tourist attractions. We started off with Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens. Located at the base of Table Mountain it offers spectacular views and hikes directly from the gardens to the mountain summit. Our next trip was to Simon’s Town and the Penguin colony located just south of the town. It is one of two natural penguin colonies located in the Cape, and you can walk down the bridge finding yourself only a few feet from the tiny little African Jackass penguins in their natural habitat. They are so cute! We also took a trip to the Two Oceans Aquarium downtown and looked at the sharks, sting rays, and giant turtles. The sharks would come right up to the glass and stare at you with their cold eyes; wouldn’t want to run into him in the water. The beaches here are lovely, and there are several to choose from, but the Atlantic Ocean is too cold to swim in this far south.
Culturally we have found South Africa to be pretty similar to home. You can find all the same foods that you would at home (even Mexican!) and the grocery stores look just like the ones at home. Of course, right when you convince yourself that you could be in California, you drive past a township or see a sign warning you not to feed the baboons. Things here are much cheaper than at home though. We went to see a movie at the theater for only $3.50! People here are very friendly, and when they hear our accents they will spend 20 minutes asking you about your travels and offering suggestions of sights, restaurants, beaches and shops for you to explore during your stay. There is still a lot to see here, and we are looking to our next two weeks in Africa.

South Africa

...the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

2008-12-11T12:03:00.004-07:00

We arrived in Morroco with some trepidation. We weren't really sure what to expect, since the only information that I had about Morocco came from the movie Casablanca. We were pleasantly surprised by our first hotel; and had the good fortune to meet another American couple. They had made arrangements to rent a car, and they kindly invited us to join them on a trip down the coast. Not looking forward to the 11 hour bus ride that were had planned, we scrapped our plans and decided to hit the road with Ken and May Beth. The scenic journey down the coast was more than we hoped for. I had no idea that Morocco had such q dramatic coastline. Wide sandy beaches gave way to sharp cliffs pummled with gigantic waves. The small towns that we stopped in along the way were so quaint. The people were friendly and welcoming, the local food was cheap and delicious. Ken and May Beth travelled the area 30 years ago, and offered great information about the local history and culture, and a perspective for how things have changed. We travelled with them for three days ending at the beach resort of Agadir. There we split ways, as Ken and May Beth headed south and we headed into the desert of Marrakesh.
Marrakesh is a unique experience and probably is the closest thing to the steroetypical Moroccan image. Our hotel was located in the Ancient Medina that is the heart of the old city. Narrow winding alleys zig zag within the medina walls creating a huge maze that you can wander through for hours. Shops selling everything from traditional Moroccan clothing to luggage and spices line the way, and vondors call out to you in French as you walk past trying to lure you into their store. The goods are cheap and many are made from hand. It is a shoppers paradise, and if I had more money and luggage space I could have purchased a new wardrobe. When you reach the main square of the medina the action really starts. Vendors selling fresh sqeezed orange juice fight for space with snake charmers, henna artists, and monkeys. The only thing to do is find q cafe with a rooftop patio and take it all in from a comfortable distance.
Now we are back to the relative calm of Casablanca, a bustling city in it's own right, but an industrial center rather than a tourist hub. We will take a day to relax and try to ship some of our purchases home (we have tried repeatedly but the poste office never seems to be open) before heading off to the warm shores of Cape Town.

Morocco

Dahab and the Sinai Peninsula

2008-12-10T09:05:00.004-07:00

So, I am a little behind on blogging, but I couldn't move on to Morocco without talking about Dahab. Speaking for myself, Dahab was my favorite city in Egypt. The hustle and bustle of Cairo was thrilling, and the monuments of Luxor awe-inspiring, but there was something about Dahab that made you feel at ease. The town is small, a backpackers village up the coast from the more popular Sharm-el-Sheik, but the veiw is everybit as lovely as those offered at the five star resorts. Each morning we ate breakfast looking over the Red Sea to the mountainous coastline of Saudi Arabia with the wind in our hair and the restaurant kitty in our lap. We rented snorkel gear and explored the two reefs located just off the shore and were amazed by the underwater world. Neither of us were experience snorkelers, but we got a few hours in following schools of fish through the water to the reef just a few feet below the water's surface. We only had two short days there before our flight, but I hope someday to return there so that we can spend more time diving and get a chance to climb Mt. Sinai. Next trip...

Dahab

The Valley of the Kings

2008-11-25T10:10:00.002-07:00

After leaving Cairo we took a train up the river Nile to the town of Luxor in Middle Egypt. The town was much smaller than Cairo, and as tourist season isn't yet in full swing we found the town to me a welcome quiet. We walked the few blocks from the train station to our hotel where we were greeted by the owners like family. We were exhausted from the overnight journey and they insisted that we join them for an Egyptian breakfast before heading to our room for a nap. That evening our hosts arranged for us a felucca ride down the Nile and a visit to the local banana plantion. We walked around to see the banana trees and then ate fresh bananas. The next day we walked through town to Karnak Temple. Other than that Pyramids at Giza it is the largest monument in Egypt. The temple itself was awe inspiring. We arrived at the Temple around noon, which as it turns out was perfect timing. Most of the large tour groups were at lunch and we had the temple almost completely to ourselves. Our only real company was a group of Egyptian school children, who were more excited to see us than the temple. They followed us around asking us questions and taking pictures of us. Now I know how Brad Pitt must feel. :)

Our last day in Luxor, we rented bikes and took the ferry boat across the Nile to the Valley of the Queens. Outwardly less impressive than the pyramids at Giza, the interior of the pyramids here were beautiful. It’s amazing to think that the artwork within the tombs has survived so many thousands of years. We left that evening to head toward the coastal town of Hurghada and our final destination in Egypt, Dahab.

From Luxor

Welcome to Cairo!

2008-11-21T08:46:00.002-07:00

We arrived in Cairo late in the evening and weren't really sure what to expect. Our neighbor on the plane was an Egyptian and he pointed out the Nile and the Pyramids to us from the plane as we landed. We got off the plane, purchased our visas and went through customs with no problems. Fortunately, we had arranged for a pick-up from the airport by our hotel, and our driver was waiting for us at baggage claim; as were the tourist police, with their crisp white uniforms and huge guns. They check the drivers to make sure that the trip was pre-arranged and that he wasn't taking advantage of us. The drive to the hotel was crazy. There are lanes, but people completely disregard them. Cars weave in and out of lanes, dodging other cars, pedestrians, and food carts. The hotel was small and quaint, and located on a busy street. We settled into our room and spent the first day relaxing. The second day, we headed out to the pyramids at Giza. It was an experience. Our hotel had arranged for a driver for the day to drive us out the the pyramid sights. Little did we know, that the pyramids would be one of many stops. It is common practice here for drivers to make unscheduled stops and shops around town. They will tell you, that they want to show you the local crafts and then leave you at a shop while the owner of the store provides you a free tour and then tries to sell you whatever they can. Meanwhile, your driver has wandered off and you are stuck. Trying to limit the stops doesn't really work since you don't know where you're going, and since it was our first day out and we didn't want to appear rude, we didn't think to just refuse to get out of the car. We also discovered later that if you do buy anything, the driver makes a commission for bringing you into the shop (which is usually factored into your price). After an exhausting day of sightseeing, and feeling taken advantage of, we were a little disillusioned with the city. We took a day off to relax, and then tried again the next day with a journey to the American University and Coptic Cairo. Walking down the street is an adventure in itself. I mentioned earlier the traffic, and walking offers you no protection from the cars. There are very few street lights, and the ones that exist are mostly ignored. There are also no crosswalks, so to cross the street, you just have to step out into traffic and hope that no one hits you. The drivers will honk and yell at you for making them slow down, and for the first few days we would use the locals as human sheilds, following them closely at intersections. There is also the sheer volume of people to contend with. Cairo is home to more than 20 million resident, almost double that of New York City. There are crowds round the clock. As foreigners with light skin and hair we were easily idetifiable as tourists. People would shout out to us as we walked past, "Where you from?" and "Welcome to Cairo!" Vendors will try and tempt you to enter their shops, "I give you good price, you know how much?" And then there was the constant staring. Children and adults alike will stare at you as you walk past, or point. The men will whistle or cat call. After our first experience in Giza, we were wary of people offering to help us, as any help, whether solicited of not was only to recieve baksheesh (a tip for service). At the end of a few days we were ready to leave Cairo and move on, but unfortunately, Leon had come down with food poisoning, and the 15 hour train ride to Aswan wasn't an option. We decided to stay in Cairo a few extra days while he recovered. While the extra days weren't planned, they did offer me a chance to see a different side of the city. Whilw many people were looking to make any money they could from the tourists, some people that we met were genuinely kind. With Leon sick I ventured out on my own to find us food and supplies. I was having a hard time finding what I was looking for, and a man that we had met a few days before saw and asked if I needed help. I asked him to point me in the direction of a restaurant with broth. He insisted on taking me there himself, helping me place the order, making sure that they wrapped it well and made sure I arrived home. When I offered to pay him, he kindly refused, and said for me to bring Leon to his shop again when he was better and he would have us over for tea. Another time we met a girl in the subway who was studying English. She was only in her first year of study, but she asked us as many questions as she could think of on the short walk to the train, and when we hopped on board she shouted to us, "I love you! Egypt loves you!" After nine days in the "Mother of All Cities" we boarded a train for Luxor. We were excited to explore a new part of the country, a quieter part of the country but we also left feeling that we had seen some of the sweetest people that Cairo had to offer.

Cairo

Living Life to the Fullest

2008-11-10T10:56:00.002-07:00

Though we only spent a short time in Spain, we got a feel for the pace of life there; and life is good. It is all about enjoyment. They sleep late, take long lunches, siesta, and party til the sun comes up. It seems like all we did in Spain was eat and drink. First there was the long lunch (unlike the Spaniards we can't stay up all night and then be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for breakfast). For lunch, the locals normally eat the "Menu del Dia." You choose a first course, second course, dessert, drink and coffee for around $10. After lunch we would wander the streets, exploring the city before enjoying a brief nap before dinner at around 10. Many Spanish restaurants don't even open their doors for dinner until 9 and it's not uncommon to see people heading out to their evening meal at 11:30 or later. Since our first night in Spain was election night in the US, this scheduled worked out perfectly for us. We found a restaurant near our hotel that was hosting an election night bash. They had two set meal options for dinner, the Obama meal (which was a hamburger and fries) and the McCain meal (which was a steak and salad). The place was decorated with red, white, and blue streamers, and they had CNN on the big screen televisions. The place was packed with both natives and Americans waiting for the results to come in. At about 3 am we gave in to fatigue and called it a night, but the party at the restaurant went all night. Our other big night on the town in Spain was our last night in Madrid. There we went to see a flamenco show at a club down the street. It was fabulous. The music and the dance were so filled with fire and passion that it brought tears to my eyes. I wish we had been able to spend more time there because I could easily live off of paella, sangria, and tapas and I would have loved to take flameno lessons, but we were also ready to explore other regions of the globe and experience life outside of the western world.

Our Roman Holiday

2008-11-06T11:43:00.004-07:00

Rome truly is the eternal city. It is amazing that new buildings stand only feet away from the Coluseum, which is 10 times older than our country. We arrived in Rome exhausted, but were refreshed by the feeling of awe at seeing so many amazing sights in one city. After checking in at our hotel, we went straight to the Coluseum, only to find that it had already closed for the day. We were disappointed, but only for a moment, as we found a cafe directly across the street which offered spetacular food and an unbeatable view. The next morning we woke up early and headed to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. St. Peter's was crowded with throngs of tourists, but the lines moved quickly and we found it to be well worth the short wait. After that we toured the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel. We were surprised to find that the Sistene Chapel isn't a separate church, but rather one of the many rooms on display in the Vatican museum. In fact, I didn't realize that I was in it until I saw the sign on the wall. I was expecting a traditional church with pews, a pulpit, and a giant painting of the final judgment. Instead, the Sistene Chapel is one of many rooms that are on display in the vatican. It is incredibly opulanet, and every surface of the wall and ceiling are covered with paintings by Michaelangelo. The Final Judgement is only a small part of the entire room, and though not what I expected, it was more impressive as a part of a whole than alone. We then wandered across the Tiber River to see the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and my favorite, the Trivi Fountain. We threw our coins into the fountain to ensure a return trip to this beautiful city. (Actually we threw in two. The first time we just threw them in and since you are supposed to do it over your shoulder we threw in a second coin each just to be sure.) We finished off the evening with some gelato and walk through the city at night. Our last day we went back to the Coluseum and the ruins of the Roman Forum for a look at ancient Rome. All in all we spent four nights in the city, more than we spent anywhere else, and yet it wasn't enough. The feeling of the city is infectious. I even convinced Leon to watch the old movie Roman Holiday with me. :)

Rome

Palermo

2008-11-03T00:21:00.003-07:00

Unlike Venice, everyone in Palermo has a car; and they know how to use the horn. The streets are narrow and the sidewalks are even more narrow, so foot traffic and auto traffic fight for space, and it is not uncommon to see people walking down the street because the sidewalks are overcrowded, or to see cars parked on the sidewalk, forcing more people to walk on the street. Crossing the street is like playing frogger on your last life. It's noisy, it's crowded, and it's filled with boistrous smiling people. The restaurants are filled with traditional Sicilian sea-food dishes and a tortellini soup that they assure you will cure any ailment. The architecture is a mix of Italian, Spanish, and North African influences and makes for an ecclectic view. The mountains that seem to rise directly out of the ocean make a fantastic setting. Our time here was brief, and it rained most of the time, so we didn't see as much as we would have liked, but we found it an interesting contrast to Venice, and the train ride from Palermo to Rome was spectacular! We rode along the Italian coast, only a few meters from the shore, watching the waves crash along the beach and the sun set over the crystal clear water. Since we were coming from an island to the main land via train, they actually drove the train onto a boat to cross the water and then back on the tracks and onto to Rome...

Palermo

Venice

2008-10-30T14:10:00.006-06:00

Our first stop in Italy, was the island city of Venice. We found it beautiful and charming, but different than we expected. Unlike other famous European cities, where you have a list of famous attractions to see during your stay, the biggest attraction in Venice is the city itself. Spread out over more that 100 small islands and connected by bridges, the city is completely unique. The two modes of transportation are boat and your feet, and it is the only city where you will not see a single car or bicycle on the road. The roads are built around this, and are narrow labyrinths that open into large piazzos. Even with the best map and a great sense of dirrection it is easy to find yourself lost or simply at a dead end, and you have to retrace your steps to get back on track. It gives the city a unique feeling; the thought that something dark and mysterious is lurking around the next corner. The masquerade masks that the city is famous for are on display everywhere and only add to this feeling. It also gives the feeling that the city is not real, and it something set aside for tourist. Most locals seem to live off of the main island, and while winding through the narrow alleys gives you a feeling of adventure the only things you see are souvenir shops and restaurants, no traces of the real world outside. St. Marks Square is so crowded with tourists that it is forbidden to sit there; the citys effort to prevent loitering. Fortunately, we chose to stay on the small island of Lido, a short boat trip from the main island. It was a refreshing view of local life, and we very much enjoyed the sights, sounds, and tastes of this island. Known for its beaches, we walked along the shores of Lido eating our gelato and stepped foot on the shores of the Mediterranian for the first time.

From Venice

Munich

2008-10-24T10:22:00.007-06:00

Munich was fabulous! We arrived in Munich on Sunday morning, and decided to do the free city tour offered by our hostel. It was a great way to spend the day and see the sights, since the only things open in Munich on Sundays are churches and Beer Gardens. It gave us not only a great orientation to the city sights, but also a brief overview of the city's history, which has some very interesting moments. At the end of the tour we sat in the Chinese Pagoda Beer Garden and enjoyed our HUGE beers with some brats and sauerkraut. The food was amazing, and the beer was a great deal for the price. The following day we went on a tour of the BMW factory and then walked around the site of the '72 Olympic Games. We met some great people at the hostel, and spent the night drinking and making friends in the hostel bar. The next day was our trip to Dachau, which I already talked about. We followed up that experience with a visit to the restaurant at one of Munich's six local breweries. The Augustiner Brewery had great beer and a good offering of local favorites, including pork, blue cabbage, knodle, dumplings, and strudel. The locals were quick to point out their favorite dishes for us to try, and instead of bring fresh bread to the table, they bring out warm pretzels, so Leon was in heaven. Though Munich has a history that is often sad, there is much about the culture to celebrate, and we wish that we could have spent a few more days in Germany. Instead it's off to Italy...

From Munich

To honor the dead, and to warn the living

2008-10-21T12:26:00.005-06:00

Today we went to visit the first concentration camp under Hitler's regime, Dachau. The camps is about 15 km outside of Munich, and we took a guided tour of the site. The guide gave a detailed account of how the camps were established. Dachau was the first, and served not only as the model for all future concentration camps, but as a training ground for new guards and commanders and as a showcase for diplomatic tours. He helped to describe the evolution of the camps, from a work camp for political prisoners to a source of slave labor, and finally, as a "final solution" to the problem of jews and other "undesirables". The tour was eye opening, and appalling. The original gas chamber and ovens are still on the site at the insistence of the camp surviviers, and visiters can walk through the chambers in the same path that many prisoners took. Standing in the gas chamber was a humbling experience; knowing as we do that do many others walked in but never saw the other side.

Dachau

Walking Along the Blue Danube

2008-10-19T12:55:00.004-06:00

If Budapest isn't on your list of places to visit, you should add it immediately. We had such an amazing time in this city! The city is actually divided into two parts, the Buda, which is the hilly section on the west side of the Danube, and the Pest, which stretches out east from the river. Our flat was on the west side, in the shadow of the Buda Castle. Our first morning in Budapest we set out to explore, and walked up the steps to the Buda Castle. What a view! The castle itself is impressive, but the view from the castle over the river is breathtaking. We strolled down and walked across the Cable Bride to the Pest side of the city to the Central Market. Since we had a flat with a full kitchen instead of our usual hotel type accomadation we thought we would take advantage of the opportunity and cook ourselves a home cooked meal. The Central Market was a shopping experience. It is like the biggest farmers market you have ever seen. Meet vendors line the center aisles, each with a specialty, i.e. beef, pork, etc. Lining the sides you find stalls with fruits, vegetables, and spices, and in the front, the bakery with all the bread and pastries that you could ever want. Feeling a little overwhelmed we decided to fall back on a Hungarian favorite, goulash. We found a spice pack and recipe and gathered the rest of our ingredients, then with our hands full of packages headed home. We also stopped at a regular grocery store for snacks, thinking that maybe the Central Market was more of a tourist thing. It is not. The grocery stores only have a VERY small selection of meat, bread and produce. Hungarians only purchase these items at the grocery in case of emergencies, and still do most of their shopping in the market setting.
Aside from Buda Castle, the city of Budapest is dotted with many architectural treasures and monuments. The streets are tree lined and clean, the people are incredibly friendly and very proud of their city. It rivals Paris in it's beauty, and the price tag is much friendlier to the American Dollar.
Another thing that you can't miss in Budapest is the baths. They are fabulous! They have many public bath houses located throughout the city. We went to one of the larger ones in City Park. You pay an entrance fee and then you have five hours to explore the baths, saunas, and steam rooms. The baths are kept at different temperatures, so you can find the one that suites you, or you can hop around. Some are medicinal, some are just heated. They also offer massages and mud baths for an additional charge. The whole day cost just $24 for both of us, and we left feeling relaxed, refreshed, and ready for our train ride to Munich.

Budapest

Prague

2008-10-16T02:42:00.002-06:00

We took a tour of the city in Prague, and before the tour started our tour guide gave us some warnings about the city: 1. Do not change money anywhere in the city, use only ATMs to get cash as even the authorized places will give you fake or Hungarian money. 2. Do not trust the taxi drivers. They are now obligated to use the meter, but being creative souls they discovered that tourist don't know their way around, so they will drive you for miles out of your way to up your cab fare to astronomical levels. 3. Watch out for pickpocket when using any public transportation. They can steal your shoes while you walk down the street. Having experienced the trustworthy cabdrivers upon our arrival, when trusted what she said. Maybe this tainted our view of the city, or maybe it just help us to approach the city without being so naive. That being said, the Old Town, Lesser Town, and Castle Areas of the city are lovely. The city wasn't bombed in either of the World Wars, so the architecture is perfectly preserved. The church in Prague Castle rivals the beauty of Notre Dame Cathedral. Oddly, none of these buildings are still used as churches. They were converted to concert halls during the Communist era. An interesting history to hear, since growing up in America we learn very little about the communist movement other than they were the bad guys in every film of the 1980s. Having that steroetype of Eastern Europe in our head, we felt that most people we encountered were unfriendly. They rarely smiled, even at each other, and the constant warnings posted everywhere about theives leave you feeling a little paranoid. We had a difficult time with the trains in and out the the country, as we got conflicting information from each person that we talked to, and once on the train it didn't really matter what ticket we got as they were all "invalid" for one reason or another and we had to pay money to stay on the train everytime someone came around to check our tickets. We breathed a huge sigh of relief upon crossing into Hungary. We are hoping that our stay here will offer us a different view of Eastern Europe.

Prague

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

2008-10-14T13:21:00.002-06:00

Our journey in the Netherlands was both weird and wonderful. We started in Amsterdam, which is like no place I have even been. It is like a fantasy land for grown ups, with a lot less glitter than Vegas. People walk the streets smoking, eating and drinking weed and hash. The Red Light district allows for every man to fulfill his wildest fantasies. These are the things that most Americans associate with Amsterdam, and they are a big part of the tourist market I'm sure, but as shocking as these things would be anywhere else, you expect them in Amsterdam. Here are some things about Amsterdam that really surprised me: The city is much smaller than I expected; less than 1 million people and in area, roughly the size of Denver. The canals are amazing! The traffic patterns are wonderful. Bikers and pedestrians have the right of way in most cases, and automobile drivers have to wait patiently (it is said that there are more bike in Amsterdam than people for this reason). The Dutch LOVE junk food. Fried food is available everywhere. French fries with mayo, hamburgers, and anything fried are staples. There is even a restaurant called FEBO with several locations where you can put your money in the wall and pull out a delicious fried fritter. It reminded me of the weird automats that you see in 1950s movies.
After Amsterdam we took a train to visit our friends Alison and Tom in their small villiage near Zaltbommel. The Dutch countryside is wonderful. They took us to their "River Beach" just on the otherside of the dyke near their home. We spent the afternoon collecting shells and watching the ships roll by. Who would of thought we could enjoy a day at the beach in The Netherlands in October?! Aside from the quaint atmosphere it was great to see some good friends. We have met so many interesting people, but there is nothing quite like a familiar face. We got homemade sushi and traditional Dutch breakfast. They taught us how to ride bikes "The Dutch Way," girls hitching a ride on the back of the boys. It was lovely. We had such a lovely time that we decided to stay and extra day before leaving to head on the Prague.

Netherlands

Why French Women Don't Get Fat

2008-10-10T07:10:00.005-06:00

The real reason that French women don't get fat despite all the bread, cheese, chocolate, and crepes is the stairs. They are all over Paris. A trip to enjoy the view from Sacre Coure is like 20 minutes on the stairclimber. The Arc de Triumph, many of the Metro stations, and our hotel were the same. Of course, this does mean that you can eat mille feuille until your sick, so it's worth it. ;) Aside from the food, which is truly amazing; Paris is beautiful. The lights, the architecite, the language; they all combine to create a feeling that is palpable. It makes you feel happy, and inspired. It's not wonder that so many famous artist chose to make this city their home. We loved every second of our visit there. We spent hours walking up the Champs-Elysees enjoying the sights and the perfect weather. We saw, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc, the Louvre, Sacre Coure, the Moulin Roughe. We had lunch in Montmarte at a fabulous bistro, and at the end of the day we sat in our hotel room and watched the street below from our thrid story window. We were sorry to leave, but excited to see Amsterdam and some friendly faces in Alison and Tom. More to come...

Paris

La Bella Bambina

2008-10-07T02:48:00.000-06:00

The people that we have met so far on the trip have been so kind, and have really added to our enjoyment. This morning on our way to Paris was a perfect example. We flew into Beauvais on an early morning flight and had to take a shuttle bus into Paris. The trip is a little over an hour; and we happened to sit behind an Italian family on holiday. There was a little girl sitting right in front of me, and I saw her eyeing me through the crack between the seats. I smiled and she must have decided that I was okay because she started talking to me. She told me about how she was studying English in school, and that today was her 9th birthday. With her limited English vocabulary she grilled me for the next 40 minutes, wanting to know what State I was from, had I been to the Grand Canyon, did I have any pets, did I have a car or a motorcycle, etc.? When we ran into a language barrier she would just use hand gestures until I understood, and when her mother tried to tell her that I wasn’t understanding her Italian, she wasn’t the least bit deterred. She just nodded and insisted that I would get it eventually. When we finally arrived in Paris, she was so disappointed to see us walk the other direction. She called for me to wait as we grabbed our bags, and walked over to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Ciao, Sara; my bella Americano.” she said. It was lovely, and such a great way to start the second week of our journey.

The Rolling Hills of Scotland

2008-10-06T11:14:00.003-06:00

We spent the last few days in the quaint Scottish town of Edinburgh. It was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of London. The entire city center is only a couple of miles, which makes it perfect for wondering the streets and exploring. We took a three hour walking tour on our first day and learned about the colorful history of the city; including castles, witches, and many ghosts. Edinburgh is a great city for travelers, particularly students and backpackers. The lodging was half the price we paid in London and many of the local pubs offered discounted food for people who could prove that they were backpackers. There are also lots of free things to fill your time, including, the walking tour, the museums, and some half day hikes. Bring your hat and gloves though. The wind coming off the water makes for chilly days and the ever-present drizzle makes afternoon tea a must. Overall, we really enjoyed out time in Scotland. After only a few days in London we were starting to feel a little tired, and the smaller city gave us a chance to catch our breath (that is when we weren’t huffing and puffing up the steep hills that are everywhere here). Tomorrow we head to Paris for another couple of crazy days. Hopefully the French Cuisine will more than make up for the 4 am taxi ride to the airport.

From Edinburgh

Bus Trip to Edinburgh

2008-10-02T02:04:00.002-06:00

So we just arrived in Edinburgh after an overnight bus ride from London, and since we can't check into our hotel until 2 we thought we would recount the events of our trip. First of all, for those of you who know me, I haven't taken a bus trip since the time I went to see my sister via Greyhound during a college break. That trip was enough to last me eight or nine years. This one was even better. We got to Victoria Coach Station early just in case (we got horribly lost the night before on the way to see Wicked and almost missed our show). Since we had plenty of time, I sat down to enjoy a classic episode of Sex and the City on my ipod, when I felt something hit my arm. At first I thought, someone is throwing things at me; then I found the culprit. I pigeon, was sitting on the column next to me, laughing. Fortunately, I was wearing Leon's jacket. ;) On the bus, I fell asleep, but halfway through the night, Leon woke up to a commotion. Apparently the man in front of him was slumped over, and after about an hour in this awkward position, people started to suspect that he had died from a heart attack. There was a debate raging about who would poke to poor man to determine if he was still alive. Fortunately for him he woke up just as quickly as he went to sleep, so he wasn't dead, he just had a bad case of narcolepsy. When we got to the bus station in Edinburgh, I decided to hit the toilets before hitting the town. As I have said in earlier e-mails, you have to pay to pee on this continent. I put my money in the turnstile, but while walking through my backpack got horrible tangled in the turnstiles and in trying to disentangle myself I fell flat on my face, on the floor of the loo. I hate bus trips.

Mind the Gap

2008-10-01T03:32:00.003-06:00

Though a lot like a major US city, there are some quirky features to London that make it confusing, frustrating, and wonderful. The food is strange (who eats baked beans for Breakfast?), you have to pay to use the public toilets (50p to pee), and the streets never seem to match what’s on the map. That being said we have really enjoyed our stay here. London is such an international city, and we have met so many nice people. Last night we went to the local pub for a pint and ended up playing billiards with a Greek, a Spaniard, a Scot and an Irishman. The sights have been great. We’ve seen all the big stuff, and tonight we took in a little culture with a night at the theatre. We went to see Wicked, which was loads of fun. Tomorrow we spent one last day exploring the city before we head up north to Scotland. I’ll need some of that whiskey to wash down the Hagas…

For more photos:

London

We're on our way!

2008-09-26T13:48:00.000-06:00

We are officially homeless. We packed up the apartment and drove ourselves and the kitties across the country to New Hampshire. Here we have spent the last five days resting, visiting family, and attending to last minute details. I thought our to-do list would never end, but today is our last full day in the states and we have whittled the list down to just a few things. Tomorrow we can sleep in and then head into Boston in the afternoon to catch our first flight. I am so excited; I hope I can get a good night’s sleep!

Itinerary

2008-08-29T15:31:00.003-06:00

So the itinerary is set, (but of course we reserve the right to change our minds) and here it is... We are leaving Denver on September 19 and driving to New Hampshire to drop off the car and the kitties with the Ewell clan before taking off on our great adventure. Our first flight is on September 27 from Boston to London. From there we spend 8 frantic weeks riding planes, trains, and automobiles through Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, Munich, Venice, Palermo, Barcelona, and Madrid. We leave Europe to spend three weeks each in Egypt and Morocco, and in mid-December was head south to Cape Town, South Africa for a moth of R&R on the beach. In January we head to India, with a brief stop over in Hong Kong. We will spend three months in the land of spices traveling from Mumbai (Bombay) to Kulkata (Calcutta) and back again. In March we go to Thailand for a month and then to Japan just in time for the cherry blossoms. In May we head to the land down under, Australia and New Zealand. We will end our trip in South America, with a month in Argentina, then a month in Peru, ending our trip with the hike up Macchu Picchu. More to come...

Getting Ready

2008-05-31T16:53:00.003-06:00

I admit, the thought of quitting my job and taking a year off to travel the world is both terrifying and exhilarating. Giving up the stability of a steady paycheck , benefits, a permanent place to call home...it's taken some time to get my head around it. I still don't know if the idea has completely sunk in, and maybe it won't until a few weeks into the trip, but each day I get more and more excited about the opportunities that lay ahead. The itinerary is set, the tickets are in hand, and we have started the first round of vaccinations. Each day the trip becomes a little more real. The next four months are going to fly by...