It's a Small World...

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

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

South Africa

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.

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

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

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!

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