Ain't Wastin' Time

Thank you!

2008-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mom and Dad! Mom for funding and encouragement, Dad for all your great ideas.

For advice, friendship, beds, and help along the way, I'd like to thank Jenn Brown, John Bailey, Tom Villalon, Justin and Nathan, Mr. Kurtz, Sulo and Richie, Victoria Baker, Katja, Mr. and Mrs. Ericson, Porter Schutt, Ann Copeland, Sharon and Steve, the Mongan family, and Danny, Gabe, and Ally.

Additional thanks to everyone who has been emailing or posting comments, to Jesse Saunders for help with planning, to Matt Mascitti for being patient, and of course, thanks to Matt Dinneen for putting up with me for six months and for being such a gentleman (even though I'm his sister!).

And, to everyone who has been with us, reading along, thank you for sticking with it!

The Final Tally

168 days
123 blog posts
26 books read
13 different modes of transportation used
11 countries visited
6 baggage carousels ridden
4 animal species frightened off runways
2 people
1 amazing trip

Johannesburg

2008-05-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

The morning of the 16th, Matt, Nate and I woke up and packed our gear. Matt was feeling pretty crumby, so I rushed to make us something to eat, then the taxi arrived to take us to the airport. After 20 minutes of driving, with 10 minutes more until the airport and about 45 more until our flight, I realized I had left our phone at the hostel. Oh well. As Matt reassured me, "it's the best possible time to lose it!"

So, after a short flight we arrived in Johannesburg (to read the recent societal conflict in Joburg, please read the BBC article here), and after a few obstacles related to transportation, we finally arrived at our new backpackers. I investigated the hostel and nearby shopping center while Matt rested for a few hours. Then Nate arrived and, after some dinner, we decided on our plans for the following day before bed.

The next morning, we stopped by a pharmacy for Matt then headed to the Apartheid Museum. Before we walked through the front door, we were randomly assigned races then split up. We were reunited within minutes, but it underscored how suddenly you can be separated from people you care about. Personally, I think the skin color, family, and nationality any person is born into are a matter of chance. And I think everyone should be treated equally, without regard for those characteristics; but not everyone subscribes to that belief.

In the museum, we learned that the appalling system of segregation didn't end until 1991. We learned about the forced removals of families from their homes and the separate townships built hold different races. We learned about the Pass Laws, which forced people to carry identification so the police could monitor and restrict their movements. And we learned about the Sharpeville Massacre (which happened at a protest against the Pass Laws) and the Soweto Uprising (to oppose the teaching of children in Afrikaans). But we also learned about people like Mandela, Biko, and Sisulu and organizations like the ANC. It was a very emotional and educational few hours.

After we left the museum, it was time for Nate to catch his bus to the airport. We said goodbye and he hitched his ride. He headed home to the US to stay, for the first time in 4 years, and Matt and I were back to the original two travelers again.

That afternoon, Matt had a rest while took care of some last minute trip chores. I spent about an hour in the sun, trying to get the tan I knew people at home would expect and then showered before heading out. I walked quite a distance to a large market where I bought the souvenirs that I had been wanting throughout the trip (having to carry every bracelet and trinket on my back really restricted my souvenir purchases :). I took a taxi back to the hostel that evening and Matt and I had dinner before re-packing our bags (in the dark because of a planned power outage) for the final time and hitting the hay.

The following morning, we were up early for our tour of Soweto, or the south western townships of Johannesburg (to learn more about the famous area, please visit the Wiki article here). These were constructed during Apartheid to house the black population of the city but were not well-known outside of SA until the Soweto Uprising in 1976. As we drove around the area, our guide educated us on the different forms of housing and the evolution of the area into the 21st Century. We stopped at various landmarks like Nelson Mandela's and Desmond Tutu's former homes as well as visiting the Hector Pietersen Memorial Museum and the Regina Mundi Catholic Church. Pietersen was 13 when he was killed during the Soweto Uprising and his name has become synonymous with tragedy.

On June 16th, 1976, a large group of students set out to march in protest of the recent decision to mandate the teaching of children in Afrikaans. The students didn't speak the language and wanted instead to be taught in their native languages. During the protest, unrest mounted and eventually shots broke out. One of the first casualties was young Hector Pietersen who became a martyr to the cause. Afterwards, as his picture circulated throughout the press around the world, it garnered support against the Apartheid government.

After our tour of Soweto, we were taken back to the backpackers where we grabbed our bags and hopped on a bus. In a half hour, we were at the Johannesburg airport. We had to wait several hours there, sending postcards and reading books, before our flight left. It was a 19 hour flight with a long fuel layover in Dakar, Senegal where we weren't allowed to exit the plane. Early the next morning, we were excited to find ourselves in Washington DC, and one puddle jumper later, we were picked up in Philadelphia.

We were finally home.

The pictures in this post are: the South African Bill of Rights, barbed wire with newer and older homes in Soweto, the Madonna and Child at the Regina Mundi Church, and the famed picture of Hector Pietersen.

Nelspruit & Kruger National Park

2008-05-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

I don't remember where this event happened, but if you have a few seconds to waste, check out this video.

On April 12th, Matt and I arrived in Nelspruit, realizing that it was one of the last times we'd fly before coming home. Every moment then, being so close to the end of our trip, was full of anticipation about what we had left to see in Africa, about making sure to do everything we had hoped, and about looking forward to hugging our family and friends again.

We arrived at our backpackers in the afternoon and after checking in, headed out into the town to find Nathan who had arrived by bus. We located him without much trouble and poked around the rather empty streets of Nelspruit looking for a bite to eat. Eventually, we relented and stopped for fast food at a gas station. After eating, I inquired if there was an internet café anywhere nearby. The kind lady behind the counter informed me that there weren't any nearby that were open. There was one we could walk to, but it was quite a distance and we were carrying Nate's gear (from 6 months in Zambia) and the city wasn't the safest for walking anyway. The lady even offered us the computer in the gas station office.

I told her she was very kind, but we couldn't intrude on her like that. Anyway, the three of us wanted to each spend about an hour on a computer. I told her that we decided to walk, and without hesitating, she asked her husband to mind the register while she drove the three of us, plus gear, to the internet café at the mall. It was such a nice gesture from a stranger and Nate, Matt and I showered her with thanks and compliments on the short drive.

After our internet time, we grabbed some groceries and hired a taxi to take us to the backpackers where we concocted a lovely pasta dinner then met some American students who were studying abroad. The following day was our day to relax; to get laundry done, to phone Johannesburg and formuate plans there, and to recoup and prepare for the last few days of our trip. Also, we had been bumped up to a fancy room because the students were occupying all the dorm beds, so our room had its own radio, a little kitchen and a bathtub! It was a lovely place to relax, and the hostel had lush, green landscaping and an aviary to check out. That evening, we made another yummy dinner and watched a movie in the main/lobby room over a glass of wine.

The next morning, Matt, Nate and I were up before the sun, piling into a van with our guide, Dave, to go explore Kruger National Park. We had to leave before dawn because the park opened at 6am and it was important to maximize our time there. It has "more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve" (Wiki) and it's known that if you're only going to Africa briefly for a safari, that's the place to go. So, I'm going to give you a brief rundown of our day. We spent the majority of the time driving around (you're forbidden to exit your vehicle) so the interesting parts of the day are animals. I will refer to them by their collective nouns when there were more than one. And throughout the day, we saw the red and yellow-billed hornbills which might not sound familiar, but if you remember Zazoo from the Lion King, then you know who I'm talking about.

The first animal of consequence we saw was a leopard who just strode across the asphalt in front of our vehicle. We took his/her presence as a good sign since they're rather unusual to see. Shortly afterward, Dave spotted rhinos in the distance and we used the binoculars to find a crash of 9 white rhinos foraging together. After driving a bit more, we spotted a journey of giraffes and made a point of calling our friend, Suzanne, who wanted to come just to see giraffes, but was unable to join us.

Then, while we were driving, we slowly came upon a clan of hyenas. There were about 6 of them, adults and children, napping on both sides of the road. They were fascinating to see and they came very close to the van. After that, we saw a dazzle of zebra moving around in a haphazard fashion. When we slowed down to see what they were reacting to, we noticed a leopard sneaking around and trying to separate one from the group. After the excitement of the hunt, ahem, I mean, watching the hunt from the van, we headed to a rest camp where we stopped for breakfast.

Brekky was a great opportunity to caffeinate and check out the resident bats before hopping back in the van to spot as many animals as possible while the sun was still low in the sky. The first interesting beast we came across was a large martial eagle, in the crook of a branch, shredding the body of a monitor lizard. We watched in awe as it destroyed its prey before we moved on. Next, Dave spotted a Cape buffalo at the edge of the reeds by a junction of two rivers. Then finally, it was time for a light lunch and a break from the hot afternoon, but not before stopping with a group of vehicle to watch crocodiles and hippos near a large watering hole.

A few hours later, after reading a substantial portion of my book and having a shower, I joined Matt and Nate and we headed out with a large group of people and some park staff for a night drive. We didn't see many animals, and after it got dark the spotlights didn't help much. Everything was mediocre until we saw a leopard. We watched it step around the area until it found a nice spot and laid down. We must have stopped for fifteen minutes just watching that leopard relax. It was our miraculous third leopard of the day. Then we headed back to the rest camp where Dave had prepared a braai (barbeque). The four of us made quick work of meat, potatoes, corn and veggies before bed.

The following morning, we were all up before the sun (again). After eating a little breakfast, and waiting for the 6am park-entry gate to open, we were exploring again. And the first animal of consequence that we saw, that walked right across the road in front of us, was a leopard. Another leopard. Our fourth in two days.

A few moments later, and farther down the road, there were several vehicles gathered and when we came upon them we realized what they were looking at a male lion. After he disappeared into the bushes, a female lion appearred. The pair of them were trying to find an impala breakfast. We watched the lions interact with one another and walk on the road between the vehicles. When the female came nearby (video here), we realized she was blind in one eye. After we left the lions, we headed towards the exit from the park. On our way out, we spotted a ground hornbill (huge red & black bird), a couple of steenboks (my favorite), a duiker (another small antelope), and a few crowds of baboons and impalas sunning themselves together.

When we left the park, we drove for a bit and checked out some of the natural sights in the area. We saw a small but gorgeous waterfall, God's Window (a scenic viewpoint which was obscured by fog), and the potholes, which were cylindrical voids carved out of the rocks by the circular scouring motion of the passing river. But the most stunning sight we saw was Blyde River Canyon; the largest "green canyon" in the world. Now, I will admit, our day was a speedy run-through of the sights, but I think all three of us loved the time we spent at Blyde River Canyon, scrambling over the rocks with the lizards. And I can try to explain how incredibly deep the canyon was, or how verdant, or how breathtaking was the view, but it can't convey the beauty. I'll put in the picture to give you a better idea.

After our fun jaunt in the out-of-doors, we had some pancakes for lunch and headed back to the hostel for the evening.

The pictures in this post are: a yellow-billed hornbill (Zazoo), a white rhino, a hyena, the martial eagle with his food in this claw, a Cape buffalo, our lazy leopard, my steenbok, the potholes, and Blyde River Canyon.

Durban, Underberg, and Lesotho

2008-05-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

On April 3rd, I disembarked from the plane in Durban and I was thrilled. I hadn't seen my friends from Peace Corps, Nate and Justin, for 9 months and over a year, respectively. Justin had been in a village outside of Durban, volunteering with Peace Corps South Africa, and Nate had been working with the Crisis Corps in Zambia.

When we arrived, Matt and I checked in to the backpackers then headed in to the town center. We showed up at a designated place at a designated time, and there was Nathan's smiling self, walking down the sidewalk towards us. The three of us explored the bustling city for a bit, then grabbed some groceries and headed back to the hostel where we concocted a dinner. Later in the evening, Suzanne, a friend of Justin's from AmeriCorps, arrived and we all became quick friends.

The following morning, Matt had some internet time while Suzanne, Nate, and I took a walk down the beach and explored Durban's coast, picking up shells and cooling our toes in the water. With the aid of cellphones, the three of us linked up with Matt at lunchtime and Justin, the VIP, finally arrived. After a long lunch and some catching up time, we explored the town further and stopped at the BAT Centre to soak up some community atmosphere and admire local art.

Afterwards, when we stopped to procure some groceries, we ran into the other girls coming to hang out in Durban. Jaime, Monica, and Kristen headed back to the hostel with us and we all got to know each other while cooking and eating dinner. After dinner and a glass of wine (or two) we all headed out on the town to spend the night chatting, drinking, and dancing.

The following day, we all explored busy, family-oriented uShaka Marine World nearby and hung out at the beach, putting in a few minutes of surfing. After some snacking, we all headed home and prepared another massive group dinner. That evening, we went out again and had another great time.

The next day the crew was a bit lethargic and we weren't able to round up all the troops until late in the day. Finally, we all headed out to the lush Durban Botanical Gardens where we listened to a popular, local band play as we explored the premises. The climate in Durban must be unusually hospitable because we saw flora in the gardens from all over the world. We poked the cacti, smelled the flowers and tasted the herbs in the "garden of the senses" and swung on some hanging roots from a banyan tree before heading out.

After our lovely garden stroll, we had lunch/dinner at an Indian restaurant where Matt and I ordered for everyone. It was a fun chance to try out our new knowledge of Indian cuisine and I think everyone enjoyed our selections. After dinner, we went out to a movie before returning and coordinating plans for the following day.

The next morning, we bid a fond farewell to most of the group while Matt, Nate, Suzanne and I headed out on a shuttle to the Sani Lodge in Underberg. The trip took most of the day and after we arrived, we ate dinner and formulated a schedule for the upcoming days.

The following morning, the four of us woke up and ate a hearty breakfast before heading out on a hike. The 5 hour hike took us up to some great viewpoints, over hills and across dales until we finally scrambled down to a river valley. By the time we arrived, we had been hiking for a couple of hours and the deep pool that we came upon provided too much temptation for us all to ignore.

After repeatedly leaping off of tall rocks into the welcoming but frigid waters, we dried out in the sun while eating our lunch. The rest of the hike followed the river for several miles past waterfalls, and tiny tributaries guarded by grassy hills. Eventually, we reached a gravel road which took us back to the lodge. That evening, we read, ate and packed up our bags for an overnight trip. Matt, Nate and I were up and fed early the next day and the three of us piled into a Land Rover with our fearless guide, Matthew, to head up the Sani Pass.

The Kingdom of Lesotho is formed of a massive plateau which towers above and inside of South Africa and it has the highest low point (got that?) of any country in the world. In the areas we visited, people sustained themselves by farming crops and animals. The land was very rocky and mountainous and many of the shepherds lived a nomadic lifestyle.

After the treacherous drive up Sani Pass, we drove about two more hours into the country, meanwhile learning from our guide about the Drackensberg mountains and the country of Lesotho. We were thrilled when we arrived at the home where we would spend the night. The family we stayed with were very caring and they lived in a beautiful spot beside a stream with a large yard and many fruit trees.

After we arrived, we were taken for a walk up into surrounding the village. First, we stopped at the healer's "office" where we learned about traditional herbal remedies and had our fortunes told. Then we walked by several homes until we reached a rondavel (cylindrical stone house with a straw roof) where we learned from a group of community women all about local crafts and songs for celebrations. Finally, we headed back to the house at dusk for a delicious dinner (no utensils please!) and bed.

The following morning after breakfast, we headed up the hill to visit the grade school where we did a lot of handshaking with eager kids then chatted with the teachers before classes began. We stood at the front of the eldest group of students and they asked us all sorts of questions like where were we from and how old were we, and do we have children. The chance to interact with the kids was great and I think both sides gained from it.

We left the school on horseback. What fun! I haven't ridden in ages and it was a blast to spend a couple of hours in the saddle. And the steep, gravel-covered mountainside paths definitely added to the excitement. After riding, we headed back towards Sani Pass in the truck, stopping first at the highest pub on the continent. When we arrived home we found that Suzanne was still around and had a nice chance to catch up on each others activities over the previous few days. Then it was time for dinner, and finally bed!

The next morning, we packed up all of our gear and headed back to Durban.

The pictures in this blog post are: Durban, the river valley viewed during the hike, the river, angora goats at the shearing building, little friends from the village, rondavels, the night sky including the Southern Cross, Nate at school, me riding and me helping to shear a goat.

Cape Town

2008-04-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

The morning of the 28th, we had to grab breakfast and take a picture of a road sign before we caught our flight to Cape Town. After landing, we waited for a minibus to come and collect us and drive us to our fantastic backpackers on Long Street in central Cape Town. Upon arrival, we had more errands to deal with as we managed to drop off our dirty laundry, buy a new headlamp, eat dinner and pick up some groceries. While we were completing these necessary tasks, it was nice to see a little bit of the city and to notice the plateau (Table Mountain) towering over the city. When we noticed it, we were surprised to see clouds rolling off the edge of it and down the sides. We found out later that the clouds that constantly hover there are nicknamed the tablecloth, but we weren't lucky enough to see it pouring over again. Eventually, we headed back to the hostel to bed.

The following morning, we arranged some trips and gathered some information about the town before heading to the Robben Island Visitors Center where we hoped to purchase tickets. At the time, we were blissfully unaware that tickets to the island sell out weeks in advance. We ended up waiting in line for several hours in the hopes that someone would be unable to use tickets they had previously purchased. Three or four hours into the wait, a man came up next to myself and the rest of the standby line and asked the lady behind the counter if she could perform any miracles. She groaned and started typing information into her computer while giving us a lecture about how much trouble she might get into. Within 15 minutes, we had our tickets for the next boat ride.

Although Robben Island is a quaint little museum town now, it has an infamous history. It had long been used for imprisonment, but in the 1960's, the government started using it to incarcerate people who protested or spoke out opposing apartheid. Some of the famous people who had been held prisoner there include Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Jacob Zuma, Govan Mbeki, and Robert Sobukwe.

Our tour guide was a former inmate and he showed us the current town on the island, the prison including Nelson Mandela's cell, the lighthouse, and the penguins and rabbits who call the island home. It was late in the day when we finally arrived back home and we went to bed early because we had a big day in front of us.

The following morning, we were up early with our daypacks ready and armed for a brief but strenuous hike up the Platteklip Gorge route at Table Mountain. It was a gorgeous hike and we were rewarded with breathtaking views at the top. When we reached the table top, we were able to walk around the periphery looking over the city, out at Robben Island and the Atlantic Ocean and over to the Cape of Good Hope. It was stunning.

We headed down via the cable car then hopped a taxi out to Green Point Market. We spent quite a long time at the market admiring all the goods for sale from all over the continent. Every variety of handmade jewelry, dyed and painted cloth, carvings in various mediums, trinkets and art were available. Eventually, my legs were worn out, and as Matt eyed up antler bottle openers, I sat down with a nice couple from Kenya and we talked about Cape Town and traveling. Finally, Matt and I headed back to the backpackers for an early evening.

The following morning, we ate breakfast before heading out on our scheduled vineyard tour in the Stellenbosch region. We spent the day visiting the Villiere, Beyerskloof, Dieu Donné, and Fairview vineyards, learning how red and white wine and champagne are made and exploring the vineyard country. I also learned some neat wine-tasting skills like how to judge the age and why aerating is important before testing the flavor.

The next day brought on our Cape Point tour. We spent the day driving, hiking and biking all over the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, visiting Hout Bay (where people from Cape Town used to procure timber), traveling along Chapman's Peak Drive (a scenic drive along the Atlantic Ocean), and saying hi to the penguins at Boulders Beach (if you want to see them playing, click here).

Our last full day in Cape Town allowed us to see some of the sights within the city limits. First we visited the Castle of Good Hope which was a fort built by the Dutch East India Company in the mid 1600's. Then we headed over to the District 6 Museum where we learned the history of the infamous community. In the Nineteenth Century, the neighborhood was a thriving settlement of people of all races and backgrounds, but by 1966, 60,000 people had been forcibly removed to allow the area to become an all-white neighborhood. It was tragic and a scene that played out repeatedly during the era of apartheid.

Later in the afternoon, we spent some time walking along Government Avenue, looking at the parks and museums before heading back to hide from the drizzle and pack our bags for Durban. Before dusk, we headed out to watch the sun set at Camps Bay before returning for bed.

The pictures in this post are: warthog x-ing, Mandela's cell, me and the view of Cape Town and Table Mountain from Robben Island, Cape Town from Table Mountain, the hills and vines surrounding the Dieu Donné Vineyard, the Cape of Good Hope, the penguins at Boulders, poems carved in a cell door at the fort, a public apology outside the District 6 Museum, and the sunset at Camps Bay.

Maun and Namibia

2008-04-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Matt and I spent 21st of March in the tiny town of Maun, recovering from our safari. Besides going to the grocery store and resting, we also spent several hours on the internet catching up on emails, news, and contacting our loved ones.

The following morning we headed back to the internet cafe to make some phone calls regarding a rental vehicle. We would be arriving in Windhoek, Namibia during Easter weekend while everyone was taking family vacations, so finding a rental car was not easy or cheap. Eventually, between the phone at the internet cafe and the payphone at the airport, we reserved a vehicle then hopped our flight to Namibia. The rental agency picked us up when we arrived and we drove to their office where they introduced us to our truck and how to use all of its amenities.

The ride from the rental agency to the backpackers was a bumpy one since , of the two of us, Matt is the better at driving stick, and the word "proficient" at the time would have been an exaggeration of his skills. Eventually, we arrived at the hostel, set up our new car tent and slept like logs all night.

The following morning, we made a brief stop at the grocery store before heading out towards Sossusvlei. The drive took about 5 hours mostly along empty gravel roads. I had several opportunities to practice my driving during this time. We're lucky it was a rental because the transmission must have been in pain. When we finally arrived at the campsite at the entrance to the park, we found it would cost $80 US for us to stay there for the evening. After a bit of frustration directed at the "new management," we headed back the way we had come and drove 40 miles before finding a campsite.

Just before we arrived at the campsite, I saw something that completely lifted my mood and made me burst out laughing. It was a springbok. When you see how they move, you'll understand why I thought it was so funny. I wasn't able to record one, but the first minute of the video here will give you the idea.

When we arrived we parked the car and went in search of the owners. We discovered that they had gone out for groceries and we should just pick a campsite and come back up to the house when we heard a car. Except that when we returned to the truck, we discovered that we had somehow gotten a flat. At that point, it was dusk, we were exhausted and neither of us had touched food in ages.

It was decided that we'd drive down and pick a site, have a snack, watch the sun set, then in a new mindset, swap out the tire. We met some nice friends who welcomed us up to a good spot for the sunset, and afterwards, helped us change the tire. Then we set up our tent again and went to bed.

The following morning, we were up before the sun, making coffee and showering before heading off to Sossusvei. As we drove, the rising sun was covering the hills with its light and shadows. Even though we were traversing the same path as the previous day, our attitudes were much better and we were anticipating the splendour of the renowned dunes.

When we finally entered the park, the dunes didn't disappoint. I don't know how to describe them except as massive, otherwordly, deep red dunes. We enjoyed the off-road time in the truck before we arrived at Deadvlei and it was time to hike. We followed streams of footprints until we arrived at a large, dry white clay pan surrounded my massive dunes. The sun was large and hot and there was no protection around as Matt and I hauled ourselves up one huge dune to the left. Then I watched in admiration as he trekked far into the distance to the top of the largest dune around. This might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but some of the dunes can be up to 1000 feet tall and you barely gain ground with each step.

Following our walks, we headed back to the car for some much-needed hydration. After driving around the dunes a bit longer, we headed to Swakopmund, and it was another six hours before we arrived. Our backpackers was called Desert Sky and it had all the amenities. First, we set up a sandboarding trip for the following day, then cooked some dinner before bed.

The following day was a blast. I've only tried to snowboard twice, and both times I spent the afternoon on my butt. But sandboarding was much easier to catch on because it's slower than snowboarding and the surface is completely uniform. We spent several hours hiking up dunes and flying down them on the thoroughly-waxed boards. In the process, we met a bunch of cool people and got tons of exercise. Some of the friends we made were three American college students who were studying abroad in Windhoek, and we chatted with them for ages and ended up offering them a drive back to town the following day.

Upon returning from sandboarding, I took a nap until 5 or 6 when Matt and I made up some dinner and headed off to the Swakop Lodge. The photographer from sandboarding was showing our group video from that afternoon and offering pictures for sale. After watching the video and drinking a beer with our new friends, we headed back to our car/tent and went to bed.

The following morning, I was up early for a seal and dolphin trip. The car picked me up and we headed down and got on the boat. It was an interesting trip. Most people were on the boat to see bottlenosed dolphins, but I was there for the seals and the Heavysides Dolphin. We saw the unusual Heavysides dolphin within of few minutes of our trip then we headed out towards the seals, paralleling the duney shoreline as we motored along. Our captain slowed down at points to feed fish to the giant pelicans, seagulls and other birds who recognized us and flew along with our boat. When we reached the island with the seal colony, I was surprised at first by the smell. It was overwhelming. But as we pulled away from shore a bit, it was easier to watch the seals playing around with each other in the waves (if you're interested in the seals you can see video here). After the seals, we searched for bottlenose dolphins for a while before giving up and heading to the harbour for lunch. Halfway through our snacktime, a bottlenose dolphin showed up in the harbour right next to our boat. We followed him around for a bit, much to the amusement of the other passengers, before heading back to the dock. After I was dropped off at the backpackers, Matt and I had to gather our gear and make room to accommodate our new friends in the car before heading towards Windhoek.

It was a surprisingly short 5 hour drive. As we rode, we sang along with the odd selection of CDs which we borrowed from the car rental man and talked about Namibia and home. When we arrived in Windhoek, we dropped off Vaun, Jesse, and Ryan before returning the car to its owner and heading to our backpackers.

The following day was spent exploring the points of interest in Windhoek such as the historic buildings, government center and market. Then, the rain began to fall and made us scurry for shelter in a nearby internet cafe until it was time to meet our friends for dinner.

The chosen location was Joe's Beerhouse, which is well-known for its selection of game meats. We tried everything from crocodile to ostrich to zebra before the meal was finished and despite my initial horror, all of the pretty animals tasted quite delicious. Eventually, we parted ways with our friends and took a taxi back to the backpackers where we spent our last night in Namibia.

The pictures in the post are: our fancy-pants camper truck, pretty sights on the way to Sossusvlei, a massive dune, the view from the top of a dune, the clay pan with its scorched trees, the Tropic of Capricorn which we crossed over on the way from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund, me preparing for sandboarding, a Heavysides dolphin with dunes behind, and Christ Church in Windhoek.

Botswana!

2008-04-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This is a long post.

If you are at work, you might want to wait until lunch to read it. :)

The morning of March 12th, I woke up in splendor at Shackelton's and after a delicious breakfast, Matt, Victor and I were on the road to the Zambia/Botswana border. When we arrived, we met Willy, Anne, Gro, and Erling who were on the safari with us, and Andy, our knowledgeable guide. After taking a brief trip across the river border, we all piled into a big safari truck with our gear. We headed to Chobezi where we took a scenic boatride along the river We spotted a group of impalas and a group of kudus, along with a cluster of hippos in the water and baboons in the trees, then a monitor lizard and a breeding herd of elephants before the boatride was over.

After our splendid and relaxing trip, we headed to a little airport and flew to Linyanti, where our plane sent a family of warthogs scurrying off the gravel runway. Despite the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere, we noted the presence of something incredibly familiar. It was a Cameltones sticker on the propeller barricade parked at the runway (someone please email Rob Grant and crew and indict them for vandalism... kidding). We all piled into another safari truck and had an AMAZING drive to our new camp. In addition to the animals we had already spotted along the river, we saw an ostrich (now that's a ridiculous animal) and several giraffes (even taller in person). By the time we arrived at the camp, we were thoroughly excited for the coming days. We settled our gear into the new tents and had a spectacular dinner (prepared by Gladys) before going to bed exhausted.

The next morning at breakfast, we were informed that the guides had heard lions very nearby during the night. We set out in the truck after eating and spent about an hour finding, following, losing and recovering tracks before we located the "border boys." These three male lions live between Namibia and Botswana, and despite visa regulations for the rest of us, these juveniles can walk freely across the border whenever they feel inclined.

When we came upon them, they were lounging in the shade, observing us halfheartedly. The way they laid on their backs, licked their paws, or nibbled at an itch was remarkably similar to a housepet. They were very cute and furry, and part of me wanted to live my own jungle book story and become a lion. Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from our furry friends and continued to drive. We located a warthog family, a group of kudus, and some storks before we stopped for a tea break. Then we headed back to the camp for relaxation, lunch, and a shower before heading out again in the evening.

Our first mission was to see if we could find the border boys again and we did. Apparently, when you're a lion, you feel free to take naps in the middle of the road. We watched the boys take their siesta for a bit before the sun began to set and we headed off. Just when dusk was staring to gain the upper hand on the sky, we came upon two gorgeous girls and a young boy lion resting on the top of a giant termite mound. They looked noble perched like that, as if they were in charge of all the other animals. When the sun had fully set, we headed back to camp for a yummy dinner and a good night's rest.

The following morning, we were up before the sun, getting ready for a long day. We had to turn on our flashlights (headlamps) before exiting the tent to make sure there weren't any big, hungry, eyes gleaming nearby. When we were sure the way was clear, we headed up for breakfast (with lots of coffee) then hopped in the truck. We drove for a couple of hours to Savuti Marsh in Chobe National Park. We had been smacked by intrusive bushes periodically on all of our drives, so we were a bit surprised when Andy warned us, "this is the part of the road where the branches will come into the car." That statement began a period of about a half hour when all of us had to lean far to the center of the open vehicle to avoid being impaled or losing an eye. It was exciting.

When we arrived at the park office, we were greeted with a collection animal bones (an elephant femur is about 3' long with a cross-sectional area as big as your fist) and we spotted a few sets of sun-bleached bones a few times during the day, contrasting against the green grass. Another new appearance were the lilac-breasted rollers (small birds) flying alongside our truck and swooping down to grab the crickets which our wheels frightened out of the grass. In addition to the usual suspects, we spotted wildebeests (otherwise known as gnus), secretary birds (a large flying bird) and zebras! The zebras seemed humble, strolling along, as if they didn't know that everyone in the world envies their attire.

We stopped for lunch in a picturesque spot near a waterhole where we we joined by wildebeests, impalas, cattle egrets and others, as well as a few giraffes in the distance. After our tasty break, we searched futilely for about an hour for hyenas and wild dogs before heading back to camp. When we arrived, it was time for a shower (heated water in a suspended bucket equipped with a showerhead) then a rest before dinner.

The following morning, our drive was rather unsuccessful until the very end when we saw a breeding herd (mothers, babies, and juveniles) of elephants then a leopard tortoise on our way back to camp. After a siesta and dinner at the camp, we headed out for the evening drive. We saw a herd of waterbucks before the dark clouds that had been slowly encroaching opened up on us. The brief downpour soaked several of us, so we remedied the situation with some sundowners at the side of a hippo pond before heading back to the camp.

The next day, we had a game drive on the way to the runway. We spotted the usuals, plus a tawny eagle and one of my favorites, a chameleon. I know it's a relatively boring animal on a safari, but I loved the chameleon. He is an oddity. His feet open like hinges before he steps down, his eyes can rotate around in his head, he changes color, and he's got an attitude! I tried to pick him up but he inflated his throat and made menacing noises, so I left him alone. Anyway, after my chameleon investigation, we hopped on a little Piper Caravan (a prop plane which seats about 12) and flew to the Vumbura airstrip where we frightened a flock of ostriches off the runway.

After we loaded our gear into the vehicle there, we drove around on a failed search for a leopard then began to head to our new camp before we were halted by engine trouble. After quite some time, we found a mechanic who fixed the truck but not before it was nearly dark. As we finally headed off, another safari truck drove by in the opposite direction and shouted that they knew where a leopard was hunting. We followed them until we sighted a figure slinking through the tall grass. Our leopard was a juvenile male and we watched him for several minutes before the sun set. We all knew, in the dark, as the rain began to fall, that we were still several hours from our intended camp. As we drove away from the leopard, Victor informed us that we'd be staying at a closer camp that night because of all the car trouble we'd had. As we neared the new camp, the truck became lodged in deep mud. We were told to hop out and after walking for a couple of minutes in the dark and drizzle, we entered our chance home for the night. It was Vumbura, one of the nicest lodges that the company owns. We walked in to an impeccably-styled lobby room with a long, wooden bar and deep, luxurious-looking couches. As our eyes roamed around the premises, we took in everything from the endless dining table to the map-room.

After stripping off our soaked, outer layers and rehabilitating with mixed beverages, we were briefed on the layout of the lodge and our altered schedule. Before we knew it, it was time for a magnificent dinner, and after that, we were lead to our rooms. I'm not going to describe ourroom itself, save that it was large, but rather focus on the amenities. There was a massive shower, huge, plush beds under a mosquito net the size of a normal room, a sunken, sumptuous, lounge area, a deck with an outdoor shower, and finally, a small, private pool. Despite the fact that we didn't have time to use most of the luxuries, we still appreciated their presence as we sunk into dreams.

The next morning, we headed off in the direction of our previous night's intended camp. The effect of the night's rain was visible in all of the marshy areas that existed where the roads had been and the truck became thoroughly stuck twice on the way to the camp. The first time, we helped to free a larger truck which then towed us out, and the second time, we were all up to our knees in water, barefoot, hauling sticks for traction, jacking up the truck, and cracking open cans of Hansa. It was hard work and good fun. After we finally got moving, we spotted a steenbock. This is another favorite animal of mine now. It's an antelope the size of a large rabbit or a small dog. It is an absurd animal and it sent me daydreaming of having a small flock of them to roam around my backyard.

In addition to the steenbok, we saw several sable antelope and wildebeests before we arrived at the Lechwe camp. After a brief snack, we headed up the adjacent river in canoes chatting, racing, and avoiding potential hippo hangout spots. We all loved the time on the river and didn't head back to camp until dusk. Then it was time for dinner and bed.

The following morning was Simon's birthday and we all sung to him at breakfast. As we ate, we discovered that our guide, Andy, had told his boss our truck had gotten stuck SIX times on the way to Lechwe camp. The boss, realizing how much of an inconvenience it would be to replay this process on the way out of the camp had decided to send a HELICOPTER to collect us. We all cheered Andy and were thrilled at the new development as went packed our bags. Later, the helicopter setting down in the long grass made me feel a bit like I was in Jurassic Park or Apocalypse Now and it was brief but exciting. After the helicopter pilot shuttled all of us to the runway, we waited for our plane and flew to Xigera where we frightened a group of zebras and impalas off the runway upon landing.

We drove from the runway to an arm of the Okavango Delta where we hopped in mokoros (hollowed-out log canoes) and were punted (the aquatic use of the word) to the Xigera camp island in time for sunset.

The following morning, we went for a nature walk and learned about tracking animals using footprints and droppings. We also learned about various plants and birds and we followed some giraffes who made sure to stay safely ahead of us while we walked. We also witnessed the setting and springing of a bird trap which you can watch here. Upon returning to camp, we ate a big breakfast and paid close attention to a lesson on the history and formation of the delta including the importance of termite mounds (during dry periods, the termites begin building on the newly-accessible land and the baboons come to rest on the mound and leave seeds in their droppings which become trees over time and when the water rises again, you have a new island).

After a little leisure time, we headed out in the mokoros again, admiring the islands and spotting reed frogs. We eventually, we stopped at an island for mokoro-punting lessons, elephant tusk playtime, and sundowners. The sunset was vibrant and polychromatic and it could be seen clearly in the reflection of the smooth, delta water. When we arrived back at the camp, we had a big dinner and a belated birthday cake for Simon (baked in a hole with coals above and on top of the lidded pot) before a long evening of cocktails, toasts, and chatting around the fire. Later, when Erling and Gro headed to bed, they found that an elephant had made himself at home in the campsite and their clothes were strewn about in the reeds and the tent was on its side.

The following day was our last with wilderness and it began with elephants strolling by our tents after a long night of wandering about the camp. Gro and Erling (their tent was under an amarula tree) woke up to an elephant right outside their screen door, and then a trunk inside their tent. After our family of nine reunited at breakfast and we heard about the elephant in the tent, it was time to pack and take a mokoro trip back to the Xigera runway where we flew to Maun and sadly parted ways. Matt and I grabbed a taxi to a backpackers and made ourselves at home before hopping a public minibus (combi) into town and assessing the place. Soon, we were back and exhaustedly fell into bed.

The pictures on this post are: The direction post at Vumbura runway, an ostrich, one of the Border Boys, the lovely ladies and son, a herd of zebras as Chobe, the watering hole with impalas and a wildebeest, cocktail hour by the truck, the last-minute breeding herd bath, Mr. Chameleon, juvenile leopard in the dusk, our normal camp style, another gorgeous sunset, the Okavango Delta, a giraffe, and the whole crew (I'm going to name people clockwise, starting with Matt and the guides who were not with us everyday will be labeled "guide." Matt, guide, Victor, guide, Anne, Gro, Willy, Erling, Simon, guide, Ellie, Andy, guide, guide).

Zambia

2008-03-30T02:36:00.000-07:00

The morning of March 7th, I was groggy but excited as I found myself on a plane to a new continent, in a hemisphere I'd never visited.

Matt and I arrived in Johannesburg and then transferred to Livingston where we were collected and driven to our hostel (called a "backpackers" in Africa). A couple observations from that drive are; the world is bright and colorful (there was not a layer of filth and smog like some places in India) and the ceiling of the sky was so HIGH! I finally know what Paul Simon has been singing about all this time. These "African skies" are of a different nature than what we have at home.

The first few hours were spent between showering (the last shower was two days previous in Goa) and organizing our possessions. I don't know if you've ever stayed at a hostel before, but it's an intelligent decision to lock up everything but a few articles of clothing and some toiletries. We didn't do much else that day besides procure some kwacha (Zambia's currency) and pick up some snacks at the grocery store.

The following morning, we were up early and on the road to Victoria Falls with our friends Christina and Richard who we had met at the backpackers the previous evening. Matt and I brought nothing with us to the Falls besides the entrance fees. Why? Because standing anywhere within about a quarter mile from the Falls during the wet season is comparable to standing under your shower, and standing nearer than that is more similar to swimming.

The Falls were gorgeous and the area around them was an adventure to explore. We walked down a steep trail and through a river, then over some boulders to see the "boiling pot" where the water crashes and churns at the base of the waterfall. But to really get a good taste of the Falls, we had to walk down a few wooded paths and over a bridge to see.... nothing. We could see each other, but anything farther than a few yards was just gray. It must feel like that to stand inside a rain cloud, and not a shred of my clothes were dry, my hair was wet through and I had removed my glasses since they were useless in the deluge.

After our soaking, we headed upriver on a sunny walkway to see the top of the falls and give our clothes a chance to dry. When we were drier, we found a minibus and hopped a ride back into town and got a taste of some local lunch. We spent the evening socializing with all sorts of new friends from all over the world who were either travelling through or living in African countries. We even met a guy from Delaware who works as a bush pilot for Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The following morning I decided, at the last minute, to join some friends on a canoe trip. It proved to be a beneficial decision. There were about a dozen of us canoeing and two guides alongside in kayaks. Our canoes were a strange combination of a kayak, a canoe and an inflatable, seating two people who use kayak paddles. The river was a blast though; there were plenty of simple rapids and the weather was amazing. The guides briefed us in the morning on how to react if a hippo bumps you out of your boat, and on the importance of avoiding crocodiles. And it was no joke because we saw about ten hippos and a couple crocodiles. And joining us along the shoreline during different points were a monitor lizard, two giraffes, and scores of birds whose names I have forgotten.

When I returned to the hostel, I had time to handwash some laundry and grab a shower before the electricity went out. Matt and I ended the evening having a candlelight dinner out with some friends from the hostel before bed. The 10th of March was an interesting day as most of the morning and early afternoon were spent watching my brother hurl himself off a bridge twice, and then a cliff.

The bridge spanning the Zambezi River just past Victoria Falls is a steel lifeline between Zimbabwe and Zambia (a.k.a. Zim/Zam) and it stands 111 meters high above the raging current. Some people (not those of sound mind) choose to bungee jump off the bridge. Matt and our friend Justin not only bungee jumped, but also used the gorge swing (if you've never been introduced to a gorge swing or if you enjoy watching other people torture themselves, please have a look at the video I took of Matt) AND took a zipline across the river. This madness took up most of the day and I spent the evening reading our southern Africa book and having a cocktail in the backpackers' pool (it was a stressful morning).

The following day, Matt and I repacked all of our gear and headed to the airport where we met Victor and Simon. Victor was one of our guides and Simon was part of the group with Matt and I. We headed straight to Victoria Falls, and this time we brought our cameras (so those two previous pics are purposely out of chronological sequence). After our lovely wander around the waterfall, we took a drive to the middle of nowhere to find a shockingly luxurious inn (Shackelton's) where we were greeted with cheeses and snacks the likes of which we'd rarely seen in months. The sunset over the oxbow lake bordering the property was stunning as were the magnificent spread at dinner and the wood-fired hot water showers. I went to bed with safari dreams in my head; excited to fully begin my adventure the following day.

The pictures in this post are: The Zambezi River and the tall plumes of spray from the Falls viewed from the airplane, the tip top of the waterfall, a day of fun on the river with foreboding waterfall-spray downriver, Victoria Falls from the Zambia side, and the Shackelton's sunset.

UPDATE

2008-03-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hi! Sorry for the lack of communication. I will have internet access for a couple of days and intend to catch up on the blog. Keep your eyes peeled for updates! A hint of what's to come: new continent and new hemisphere :) -ellie

p.s. I will post the older posts below this note, and the newer ones (when I get around to them) above.

India

2008-03-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

Let me make another disclaimer here:

These thoughts are from the mind of a Western-raised foreigner who only spent a month in the country. They are not thoroughly-studied or verified cultural norms. They're also composed rapidly in order to polish off the India posts.... finally.

Clothing

Both men and women can dress completely in sheets of fabric (although there men mostly wore tailored shirts, and women wore small tailored tops under their saris, and many people wore more western clothing). Women can wear saris, a long, rectangular piece of cloth, which they tie magically like a skirt and then wrap up around their chest and over the shoulder and they look gorgeous. The men can wear a dhoti, like a long wrap-skirt which they pull up in the middle then tuck in the back of the waist to function as shorts. On their heads the women can wear head scarves and the men can wear turbans or just wrap a scarf around their head repeatedly.

Affection

It is socially improper for women and men to show affection in public, which means no kissing, no hugging, no hand holding. However, men can show affection to each other, so you often see good friends walking down the road with an arm around one another or two men holding hands.

Markets

The fabrics, clothes, and other products sold at outdoor markets are so colorful that they give the bustling markets the feeling of a straight-laced street party.

Poverty

The poverty is severe and it's everywhere. That is not to say that everyone is impoverished, but rather that the tent-shacks of the seriously destitute exist alongside the skyscraper apartments of the upper-class.

Dating

There are no "personals" in the newspaper as we have them, but rather "matrimonials." These search for husbands and wives based on a couple dozen words regarding income, class, and life goals.

Castes

The caste system makes no sense to me. I don't understand it and it's irrelevant to me. But I thought I had better mention it. If you'd like to read about it, check the BBC's page on the subject.

Animals

There are alot of monkeys, holy cows, parrots, and farm animals everywhere, all the time.

Photography

Maybe it's the age of the culture, maybe it's the colorful clothing; I don't know why, but the photo opportunities in this country are ubiquitous.

Conversation

So many people are fluent or passable in English, that it's easy to converse, get around, and make friends.

Religion

Most people are Hindus. The differences between Hinduism and (our majority religion) Christianity are vast.

Diet

A huge number of people (maybe the majority) are vegetarians. Very different from at home where you can go out to dinner and not see a single veggie option on the menu.

Goa

2008-03-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

February 29th, we arrived at the Karmali train station and took a moto-rickshaw into Panjim, or Panaji, the capital of Goa. The Portuguese colonial influence was immediately visible in the architecture we saw as we rode into town. Upon reaching our hotel, we had time for showers and to catch up on some laundry before taking a walk. Our walking tour took us through some residential areas in the old quarter, by government buildings, and past some impressive religious temples including the Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church. The church and the lack of "holy cows" roaming the streets were some noticeable signs of the predominant religion in the area, Christianity. After our tour, we headed to the bank and took out some cash to pay for our cooking class the following morning; the main reason for our visit to Panjim.

The following morning, after breakfast, we met up with the woman who would be our teacher. After some chatting, we found out the price of our class had increased and that the necessary ingredients for our desired dishes had not been procured. We were to meet again at 7pm. So we spent the day checking out the town, walking, tasting local food and catching up on BBC news. At the arranged time, we met up with the lady who walked us through backstreets to her house. In her kitchen, she proceeded to read off an internet-printout recipe to tell us how to chop up the vegetables. Though we had asked her to teach us to make proper chai tea, she just threw a pre-mixed herb blend into the hot water and it tasted nothing like the chai we had been drinking all over India. Several of the sauces were already prepared, so there was no chance for us to learn how to make them ourselves.

The woman made us pay a professional-cooking-class price and that's not the type of education we received. So after about ten minutes, when we realized this "chef" had no idea what she was doing and had never cooked the meals before, we asked her if it would be possible to end the class. She said we could have a refund, but the money was in the bank and it was 8pm. The following day was Sunday, so the bank would be closed, could we come in Monday? We told he we were going to the beach, we would come back on the 4th if that would be okay. It would. And what percentage of the money would be refunded? One hundred percent. Okay.

The next day, we got booted out of our hotel room at the 8 am checkout. The housekeeping man knocked on the door 3 times in ten minutes (starting at 7:57) asking for us to pay another night if we were going to stay late, even though we were clearly minutes away from leaving. Anyway, so then we grabbed some breakfast and successfully found the bus park and the bus to Margao. Then, we hopped another bus to Palolem and by 2pm, we had checked into our beach shack, and were floating in the Arabian Sea.

The state of Goa is renowned for its beaches, which come in forms ranging from secluded sandy strips to massive party areas with music every night. We picked a long, white-sand beach that was known for its beauty, called Palolem. It was fantastic. If we walked 15 minutes up to the street, there were shops, bars, internet cafes, and delicious restaurants, but down on our corner of the beach it was perfectly quiet. The "Cozy Nook" was right on the end of the beach, with a river, then a peninsula with a rocky island (i) on the other side. We spent the majority of the time reading, swimming, eating, and relaxing. The first full day also included a scooter rental and a sunny, breezy, fun ride out to Patnem, another beach nearby. The second full day included a lovely, solitary, barefoot, thoughtful walk up and down the river, over rocks and out to the island, checking every tidepool and talking to all the birds, dogs, crabs, and fish. That night, I picked up a Ganesh (the Remover of Obstacles) ring and called the cooking lady in Panjim to make sure everything was on schedule for the following day. It was.

On the fourth, we spent the morning on the beach before heading back by buses to Panjim to collect our money from the cooking teacher. We arrived at the office early and she wasn't there. She never came. Her boss accepted no responsibility and was repeatedly talking to someone in whispers over the phone while we waited over an hour in the office. Then I went to the police while Matt stayed at the office to make sure the boss wouldn't leave. The lady had never planned to give our money back. It was a fair bit of money, but that's not even what upsets me. It's the lying, and deliberate thievery from naive foreigners as well as that we lost several days of our trip to this cooking class. I only went to the police in hopes that the lady would get worried and pay us back. Anyway, it was a terrible few hours before we had to leave in a hurry and catch our overnight train to Bombay.

We arrived in town before the sun was up and hopped a taxi to a 24-hour internet cafe, which we intended to make our home for the day. When we found the door locked, we headed to the street for a half a dozen glasses of chai each (total cost $1.50) before checking again and having success. After plenty of skype conversations, I headed out for souvenirs and didn't return until we had to go for our flight to Johannesburg.

The pictures in this post are: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, Goan architecture and a puppy in the window, peppers drying in the sun, the view from Cozy Nook in Palolem, and Patnem beach.

Mumbai

2008-03-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Bombay on the 23rd of February and were thrilled to find a haven in Colaba, the hip, accessible, appealing to tourists (laundry, internet, good and cheap food), middle-class section of town. After we had checked into our tiny hotel room and had a bite to eat, we were on a mission to find enticing used books. We spent hours ogling the titles and rummaging through piles in the stalls surrounding Flora Fountain. The final tally for me was 2 used books traded in, 1 used book received in trade, 1 used book purchased, 2 copy books (literally, photocopied from originals) purchased for a total cost of $8. Fantastic.

The next day was packed with mandatory sightseeing. First we visited Mani Bhavan, Ghandi's house while he was in Mumbai, where we found many dioramas and news clippings in a few tiny rooms valiantly attempting to summarize a monumental life. Then, after a short stroll and some experimentation with local foods (bhelpuri), we located Chowpatty Beach. The popular local hangout was pretty, but the smoggy haze hovering in the air dimmed its beauty and I wouldn't want to touch the water. Nonetheless, the beach view was pleasant and on our other side were the European-styled buildings left over from colonial days. Eventually, we hopped in a taxi to Crawford market, and wandered through the nearby streets for a while before finding out that the market was closed on Sundays. Oh well. Then we hopped another taxi (they're around 50 cents) to the Gateway of India, which was "Erected to Commemorate the Landing in India of Their Imperial Majesties King George V and Queen Mary on the Second of December MCMXI." It was intended to function as every visitor's entrance point to Mumbai. The gateway itself was being restored, but the Taj Palace Hotel was just as imposing and magnificent.

Afterwards, we realized we still had some time before sunset so we headed for walk up the grassy "maidans" near Bombay University where we witnessed dozens of pick-up cricket matches being played with the bowlers standing only a few yards apart. Matt and I both watched in amazement as a batter would smack a ball to the outfield (read: the middle of several other groups games) and immediately, an outfielder would materialize and fling the ball back towards the pitch. There were dozens of cricket balls in the air at any given second! How the players kept the ball, game and team straight, I have no idea. After gawking in amazement for quite some time, a periodically ducking to avoid decapitation, we continued north to see the sun setting on Victoria Terminus. The building was constructed in 1888 and it is a monument to Victorian Gothic (I had to look that up on Wiki) architecture.

The following morning, after breakfast and chores, Matt and I spent a couple of hours researching train times and cooking classes on the internet. After determining when train run to Goa and where we could take a recommended cooking class, we headed up to the station (waited in line forever) and booked our tickets. While grabbing a snack near the station, we recognized a pair of people from the ticket line and chatted together while we ate. We discovered that Moraud was from France and Tina from Australia and they had just met each other in the train station after realizing it was, coincidentally, the first day in India for both of them. The four of us decided to explore the bustling markets together, and we had fun finding our way there and exploring the dense, writhing mass of bargaining humanity. We four foreigners drew a considerable amount of attention when we decided to try sweet paan. The paan is a digestive/sweet/breath-freshener consisting of dried fruits, sweet pastes, and spices wrapped up in a betel leaf bundle which you place in your mouth in its entirety. The paanwalla made our bundles BIG and everyone got a good laugh of us foreigners trying to fit them into our mouths in one piece, drooling sugary goo everywhere, and generally getting ourselves sticky.

We walked until the sun started to set, then hopped a taxi to Colaba where we wandered more and grabbed a drink on the street. Matt and I have found many comfort foods as we've been traveling which make a convenient little treat whenever you're frustrated, lost, tired or bored. One of these is sweet lime soda (fresh lime juice, sugar water, and club soda, introduced to us by Mr. Ericson) which we all tasted before dinner. Matt and I ordered dinner for everyone; our favorite dishes from all over the country, including a savoury navratan korma, a comprehensive thali, and a massive, crispy paper dosa. After dinner, we bid a fond farewell to our new friends and headed home to bed.

The next day, Matt and I had to pack for a train ride later in the day before heading to Elephanta Island. When we boarded the ferry boat to the island, we were happy to find Tina, coincidentally, on our boat. The island is notable for its Hindu temple caves. The shrines were probably cut into the stone around 1000 AD although they were probably unknown to the Western world until the Portuguese discovered them in the 1800's. Although they have suffered a lot of damage, the intricacy of the carvings is still apparent, and the patience and effort that went into their construction is obvious. The best (from a humorous, not artistic standpoint) carving is of the God, Shiva, taking both male and female form simultaneously. So, while it's left half has masculine features, it's right half has delicate, ladylike features including a breast. One can only wonder what the bottom half of the carving looked like before it crumbled. After we returned from the island, Matt and I had to say goodbye to Tina and hurry to catch our overnight train to Aurangabad, from where we would leave to visit the Ajanta Caves.

We arrived in the Aurangabad train station at 5AM on the 27th, and sat down with our packs and some chai to gather our thoughts and figure out how to get to Ajanta. We were only sitting on the bench for a minute until a train pulled in on the track nearest to us, named the Ajanta Express. I knew it would leave in a matter of minutes, so I ran up to a door and asked a passenger if it was going to Ajanta. He said yes. I asked if I could buy a ticket on the train (since previously we had reserved our tickets ahead of time). He said yes. I ran to another door. There was no conductor, but I asked another passenger if the train was going to Ajanta. Yes. I ran back and told Matt we needed to get on the train, and we both grabbed our bags and jumped into the train as it was pulling away. I learned later that the people I asked only understood "englishwordsenglishwords Ajanta englishwordsenglishwords." And because the train WAS called the Ajanta Express, they answered me, "yes." I found out that we were now heading exactly the wrong direction from Ajanta, that the next stop which wasn't in a cornfield was two hours away, that a conductor might turn up any minute and fine me for being on the train without a ticket, and that there are not even train tracks leading to Ajanta.

I won't elaborate on my frustration, the looks I got from Matt, or how we paid dearly to get ourselves out of the situation, but by 1PM, we were climbing up the rock stairs to see the caves.

The site is on a horseshoe-shaped gorge, carved into the rock by the winding River Waghur and the caves are on the nearly-vertical outer wall of the gorge, cut into the stone, with facades and interiors like great stone buildings. They were constructed between 200 BC to 600 AD when they served as Buddhist temples and their obscure location as well as their design aided in their preservation for centuries until they were discovered by a party of foreigners hunting the area in the 1800's.

Matt and I found the paintings, carvings and statues to be absolutely extraordinary, with the colors of the paintings still intact and the intricacy of the carving readily visible. If you were unaware of the age of the site, it would be easy to believe that all the artworks there were created within the last hundred years. While we were there, there were several other groups of tourists as well, but not many foreigners like us. We met several groups of curious friends who either wanted to chat, shake hands or take pictures with us.

After spending several hours in awe, wandering around the caves with our jaws hanging, it was time to head back to Aurangabad for our next train. This time, we did it properly. We sat in the blazing sun on the dusty edge of the road until a packed local bus came by. Two hours later, we were in Aurangabad and after some dinner and some internet, we were on an overnight train again, back to Mumbai. We arrived there early in the morning and grabbed a room in a hostel where we both took a solid nap and a shower, before a brief wander around town, some dinner and another train, down towards Goa.

Pictures on this post are: a parallel-parked ox-cart in the city, multiple pick-up cricket matches in front of Bombay University, a taxi in front of Crawford Market, transgender Shiva, the River Waghur with caves in the cliff walls, my gorgeous new friends, resplendent Buddha in a cave (please note the ceiling artwork, many-Buddha wall carvings, and stone pillars which are not and addition to the cave, but a part of the rock), and one of the surprisingly-old paintings on the cave walls.

Desert Oasis

2008-02-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Jaisalmer on February 18th to a miniscule airport in the desert. Our hotel was an ancient, labyrinthine building and our room admired the timeworn fort perched on a narrow plateau. The furry-eared receptionist informed us that it was the week of the Desert Festival and the events were free and open to everyone, featuring such events as a turban-tying race, moustache competition and camel polo. The atmosphere of the town was relaxed and rhythmic with a feel of pervasive history.

As we explored the town the first evening, we saw traditionally-dressed men with their heads wrapped in turbans or scarves and women with traditional jewelry and nose rings. As we walked, bulls wandered through the streets and vendors were selling food and fabric. After wandering for a bit, we had lunch at a haveli (a northern Indian or Pakistani private residence, which in Jaisalmer are mostly stone with incredible ornate carvings on the outside) on a veranda which looked like something from Indiana Jones. Then we arranged an overnight camel safari before finding the best chai(delicious tea) and thalis (set meals sampling several dishes served with bread and rice) in town.

The following day was Matt's 24th birthday, so we both slept in late. After running several errands, we tried and failed to see part of the Festival, then had a moto-rickshaw drive us around to several famous havelis and up into the historic fort. We ambled for a bit through ancient alleys and accidentally beautiful sights (kids playing cricket in front of a temple, brightly painted front doors set in timeworn stone walls, and dozens of shops displaying bright jewelry and fabrics). Then Matt had a chance to talk to his girlfriend before dinner and festival fireworks.

The next day, we were up early and packed, heading to the Dedansar Stadium (a large expanse of sand with a wall on two sides, a hill on another, and several tents set up with chairs to watch the events) for several festival events. There were a few thousand people attending the festival, ranging from desert nomads to VIPs from all over India and world tourists scattered throughout. People were sitting under tents, buying snacks, listening to bands practice, hiding from the scorching desert sun, admiring the beautifully-decorated camels, and strolling the grounds. Eventually, the program began and we saw wrestling competitions, camel decorating contests, camel polo (Matt's favorite, especially after we narrowly missed elephant polo in Nepal) and a camel race (my favorite). The camel race did NOT consist of men on camels racing from point A to point B. Rather, it began with several men standing behind a line in their underwear. When the starting gun fired, the men ran 10 yards to their dhotis (wrap pants) and shirts, and rushed to get dressed, then they ran another ten yards to a cloth which they tied into a turban, next they had to run to saddle pads and carry them to their camel, then run back and grab the saddle itself and carry that to the camel. The man who got dressed, saddled up, and up on his camel first was the winner. To see a video of this thrilling race, please click here.

After a bit of the festival, we headed back to town, hopped in our arranged Jeep and headed out to meet our camels in the desert. We arrived in the middle of nowhere to a small hut where two men and a boy were sitting in the shade. The boy came right up and introduced himself, saying he would be our camel safari guide. I giggled and humored him, only to find out five minutes later that he was he was our guide and the only one who spoke English. Hussein and our elderly camel-tender, Metan, had us (after the all-important glass of chai) hook our bags to the saddles and climb onto our camels (mine was named Jodah) who then groaned and stood up jerkily. The next few hours were spent bumping along in the saddle, wrapped up from the sun, through villages and scrubby flatlands, and eventually into dunes.

When we reached the prescribed location, we all dismounted our camels and Metan and Hussein set up camp while Matt and I explored the dunes as the sun set. We spent the next several hours chatting with Hussein, drinking chai, running around the dunes, and singing to each other around a campfire in the sand. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful sleep under the stars.

The following morning, we had breakfast, brushed our teeth and talked to the camels before travelling again (to see the groggy wake-up video, please click here). We were plodding along for a few hours before we came to a small village where Hussein had us dismount and enter the compound. We met a dozen kids and several adults, all in traditional garb. The ladies did not want to be photographed, but they wore quarter-sized nose piercings, and large, silver jewelry, and they dressed in colorful saris. I am certain that - besides more advanced wells and portable cooking gas tanks - they live the same way as their great-grandparents, gathering animal dung and brush for fires and raising goats for milk, meat, and money. After a lovely visit and some chai, we headed back out on the camels, eventually arriving at the Sam sand dunes. At the dunes, we bid a find farewell to Hussein, Metan and our camels and struck out to find the focus of the final day's festival events.

There was a period of over an hour, as we waited with the crowds, when the camel races were postponed due to blowing sand. At last, the wind calmed and we saw several groups of camels race each other over a quarter mile. The onlookers were concentrated around the finish line, and at the finish of every race, many had to run for safety to avoid being trampled by the speeding camels whose momentum refused to allow them to stop. We spent time with the crowd in the dunes and watched the concluding ceremonies under the light of the full moon before heading back to town in the Jeep.

The next morning in Jaisalmer, we were up early to make the most of our last hours in the lovely town. Matt and I headed up to the fort together but then split up to indulge our individual agendas. I wandered through the alley shops, testing the local vendors to find a bedspread at the right price (if you've been reading, you're aware of my unaccountable sadness when I was unable to purchase a bedspread of tribal cloth in Thailand). The state of Rajasthan is famous for its beautiful fabrics, with contrasting patterns patched together, complemented by embroidery and sewn-on mirrors. Eventually, I found the perfect one and forked over the cash before running around to see the Jain Temples, then meeting up with Matt, grabbing a moto-rickshaw and flying to Jodhpur, then Delhi. In Delhi, we took an overnight train and were delighted to share our cabin with a mother and her five-year-old, both of whom spoke English. We talked for hours with the mom and played with the little one until it was time to sleep. When we woke up, we were in Bombay.

The pictures in this post are: sunset camels in the dunes, a winding alley and shops inside the fort, boys dressed up to perform for the Desert Festival, my boy Jodah, me and the group trudging through the desert, a windswept dune, the sun setting, the post-sunset colors over the dunes, me and Jodah under the moon (depending on your display, you might not be able to catch this one), beautiful children, myself (looking like a dork) with Metan & Hussein and the camels, Desert Festival crowd (please open this picture and have a look at the crowd stretching up onto the dunes) , and my new prized possession.

Varanasi & Bodhgaya

2008-02-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

Matt and I had heard a few tales of woe about travelling in India before we arrived in the country, and a few more specifically about Varanasi. The town's backpacker nickname is "very nasty" and our first taste of it was just that.

We hired a pre-paid taxi upon arriving at the Varanasi airport since pre-paid tends to be more reputable and safer that hiring a driver at random. Still, the driver tried to charge us for "parking fees" then repeatedly told us that our hotel was very expensive and he would take us to his, "no problem." When he stopped the car in the city to let his friend get in with us, it was the last draw. Matt had been feeling under the weather and hadn't slept well in several days and politely shoved the driver's friend out of the car and loudly scolded the driver who stopped messing around and took us to our hotel, but not before asking for a tip.

Since all of the decent hotels were booked full, after numerous phonecalls we had to settle on an empty, run down apartment. The hotel staff tried to overcharge us for the room we had booked, but eventually they relented to the price we had agreed upon. I spent that day poking around the town while Matt laid in bed resting and trying to recuperate. (I even bought him a cheap watch for his birthday. since we NEVER have time apart, this was a golden opportunity and we needed a watch anyway, but now he's started wearing one he had in his pack, so I have no good present afterall) We stayed at our mediocre hotel and accomplished very little that day.

The following day, we were finally able to reserve a room at our desired hotel. While re-packing our belongings to move, we realized our cell phone was gone; we had either misplaced it or someone with sticky fingers decided it was theirs. We gave up on it and hired (overpaid) a rickshaw to take us to the ghats, where we were dropped off in an alley, then had to follow a child through winding backstreets to our new hotel. When we arrived, it was 2pm and they had already given away the "reserved" room since I had specified on the phone that I would arrive at 1pm. AAAaaaahhhh! Finally, Matt and I took the only room they had available, for $5 a night, with shared squatter toilets, and shared cold showers. Then we had a late lunch, which was pretty delicious, and things began to improve.

After our meal, we took a boatride (video) to explore the holy Ganges River (spelled Ganga and pronounced gahn-gah in India). The Ganga is sacred to people of the Hindu faith and it possesses many powers. Bathing in the waters can cleanse you of your sins and having your ashes placed in the waters can send your soul to Heaven. Despite the river's importance, it has innumerable sewers, agricultural toxins, and city water runoff emptying into it. But the Ganga is called the "Holy Mother", and the water is so sacred that people rinse with it, bathe in it, collect it, and even drink it. And certain bodies, which for spiritual reasons may not be cremated, are frequently placed in the river in their entirety.

"In Varanasi, India's most sacred city, the coliform bacterial count is at least 3,000 times higher than the standard established as safe by the United Nations world Health Organization, according to Veer Bhadra Mishra, an engineer and Hindu priest who's led a campaign there to clean the river for two decades." (Smithsonian, 2007)

Though we were in Varanasi for several days, we were trying to absorb local culture more than to visit tourist sites. Though I might not effectively put in to words all that we accomplished, we did see alot of Varanasi and came to really admire it. We made some traveler friends (Justin and Erika) from NYC while we were in town and had dinner with them three nights in a row. The third day was spent exploring the town by wandering the back alleys and main streets. If you have time for a 30 second walk, please check out this video.

We spent a significant portion of the fourth day at the train station arranging a trip to Bodhgaya, before returning to the river for a walk along the ghats. That night, a large portion of the young male population were partaking in rowdy, colorful, religious devotions (puja) involving pop music while frantically dancing through the streets, following an icon of Vishnu.

The following morning, we were walking through the alleys loaded with our packs on at 4:30 AM and there were a surprisingly number of people awake, brewing their tea, brushing their teeth and otherwise beginning their day. We successfully caught a rickshaw and got to our train platform in a hurry before discovering the train as delayed for an hour and a half. We met some other travellers and chatted with them for ages while drinking numerous cups of chai.

After a long wait and a longer train ride, we arrived at our stop and caught a rickshaw to our next town which was lovely. The Sakumuni Buddha achieved enlightenment in Bodhgaya around 500BC and it has become one of the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. The utter devotion of the people in the town is inspiring and the town itself was beautiful and relatively calm. For some odd reason, all the children want to speak with foreigners to practice their English and we made many young friends while we were in town. Unfortunately, there are an inordinate amount of beggars because Buddhists believe you can improve your karma by giving, so the beggars know to come to this pilgrimage site.

The Mahabodhi complex is the main religious site in town, containing the Mahabodhi Temple and a Bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original, under which Buddha became enlightened (to investigate further into the religion, please check out the BBC website on the topic). The first evening during lunch, we met a few little boys who wanted talked to us about our country, our ages, cricket, school, etc. Many children spoke to us while we were around, but these children from the first evening kept criss-crossing our path and we returned many times to their family's tea shop. There were about a dozen people in the family and all the kids were filthy but adorable, they spoke good English, and they never asked us for anything except to come by the shop.

During the days we spent in Bodhgaya, there was a chanting ceremony taking place and monks from all over Asia were in town, dappling our vision with orange, red, yellow, and mauve . If there are people in this world striving too attain enlightenment and a perfect peace, then that kind of peace must be a possibility. I particularly adore the child-monks, with their young faces and serious expressions who make me want to run and hug them. The chanting during the festival was so rhythmic and coming from so many people simultaneously that it had an amazing power. We spent at least twenty minutes sitting cross-legged outdoors riveted to the sounds, trying to absorb some of the passion that these monks were chanting with. It was almost as if they didn't have to speak the words for us to hear them.

The second day, we explored more of the town, seeing temples built be people from every country or region in Asia, with their own architecture. The straight lines and golden deer from Tibet, the golden, pointed temples from Thailand, and the dragons and sweeping rooflines from China served as a Buddhist review of our trip. Right at sunset, we came around a corner to find a giant Buddha statue with the sun setting behind it. We admired the rainbow of colors while sipping chai (we've become chai addicts on this trip and it's so cheap and delicious, I can't seem to find a problem with it yet). The third day we spent a couple morning hours on Valentines Day conversations before wandering around in town, strolling about the outskirts, checking out the lotus pond, (during this afternoon Matt caught a goat. Please check the link to his blog on the right to see pictures) going out of our way because the president's motorcade was coming, and spending time with our adopted family. The last evening in Bodhgaya, we sat down with our family for a while and handed out some hygiene items and a couple issues of Newsweek, learned some Hindi song lyrics, and generally chatting before it was time to get a moto-rickshaw back to the train station.

The following morning, we were back in crazy Varanasi. We had a chance to catch up on a bit of sleep, do some laundry (please check the video), wander around and get lost, finally locate dinner, and finally put some good time into the Delhi blog post. The following day was ridiculous. We hopped a flight and arrived in Delhi with too much time before our next flight to stay in the airport, but not enough time to go anywhere else. When we arrived, we picked up our bags and went searching all over for an internet cafe (Matt has a great picture of the two of us in a crowded, crumbling alley pushing the luggage cart that we borrowed from the airport). Frustrated and unsuccessful, we returned to the airport dragging our cart and resorted to pleading our case to the airline representative. She gave us passes to the airline lounge which turned out to be a bare, public restaurant. But I only know that because I searched for it out of curiosity. You see, when we accidentally showed up at the fancy lounge by accident, lugging our bags, completely frustrated, we must have looked quite pitiful because the receptionist there let us stay, though she turned many others back out. There, we found delicious finger food, plush couches, free internet, and all the tea we could drink.

The pictures in this post are: the holy Ganga River, daily activities at the ghats, a sign reading "fortunate are the people who reside on the banks of Ganga" painted among filth, vendors selling bangles and other necessities, a busy row of Varanasi's famous silk stores, monks participating in the chanting ceremony at the main temple in Bodhgaya, the main temple at sunset with a golden Buddha statue glowing inside (zoom), and the family who Matt and I befriended and won't forget.

Delhi and Agra

2008-02-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Matt and I arrived in Delhi during the wee hours of February third. Mr. and Mrs. Ericson (the parents of my dear friend, Katja) welcomed us into their home and we fell fast asleep until noon. When we finally emerged, the Ericson's unofficial-family-member / driver, Sanjay, showed us the highlights of New and Old Delhi including stops at the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort. The Jama Masjid is the main mosque in Old Delhi, and it was prominent, but the market outside was what really drew my attention. It was bustling with vendors and patrons bundled up with colorful scarves and saris looking for the perfect deal. In the air, the summons of vendors mixed with the call to prayer being broadcast from the mosque (video). Returning home after our day of touring, Mr. Ericson took us to dinner at a South Indian restaurant. The food was unlike any that I've tried before and I'm looking forward to time along the coast to try these savory dishes where they originated.

The following morning, we were rattling down the rails on a train to Agra. Matt and I have picked up a habit of phoning hotels immediately before arriving in the city instead of a day or two in advance, and we need to remedy this habit right away. We called from the train and wandered for about two hours inquiring in lobbies before finding a decent, available hotel room. The only activities we had time for that night were dinner and a haircut for Matt (in an alley shop with a dull, grade-school scissors) before bed.

We were outdoors before the crack of dawn the following morning to see the sun rise on the Taj Mahal. It was chilly, but we had a great view, and after maneuvering some inconveniently-placed decorative flowers, we had a tripod spot as well. The sunrise was gray and hazy but still magnificent, as it unveiled the massive marble monument. We wandered around the grounds for hours, in awe of the architectural masterpiece in front of us.

The central building was amazingly detailed, with ornate flowers cut from precious and semiprecious stones embedded in the translucent white marble around all edges of the walls. There were also latticed marble panes and Arabic script engraved above the entrance. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum in tribute to his favorite wife and is widely considered one of love's greatest masterpieces. The single detail that renders the building non-symmetric is his own tomb, which is located just to the side next to hers which is much larger, and in the center of the main room.

We spent ages admiring the main building and all of the surrounding structures, architectural elements and landscaping. It was an absolutely breathtaking area and every detail could be scrutinized and appreciated. I must have spent at least 20 minutes just staring at the multitude of stone flowers. Although the shape of many were similar, the grain of the different stones provided each with its own identity and the contrasting colors of the many crystals made each stand out. (the interior picture was taken secretly since they're not allowed, so it might be fuzzy. to see the individual stones, enlarge the other shot)

After reluctantly withdrawing from the Taj, we headed to the Agra Fort. The fort has existed in its current position for over a thousand years, but did not achieve its status as an architectural masterpiece until after it was rebuilt for King Akbar in the 1500's. When his grandson, Shah Jahan (of Taj fame), had the throne years later, the Shah converted the fort into a palace. Shah Jahan's usurping son later commendeered the fort and imprisoned his father in a room with a clear view of his beloved's mausoleum. Like many of the tourist sites we have visited in developing countries, this was another where you can touch everything, nowhere is off-limits and you're free to wander wherever you want. The only area we didn't thoroughly investigate was in the outer courtyard where we were turned back by a furious monkey who wanted Matt's Coke.

Following the fort, we headed to Akbar's Mausoleum where we were greeted by a strange array of hosts (video). The mausoleum was beautifully constructed and although not as massive or highly detailed as some of the other structures we had seen, the internal paintings were an incredibly colorful and intricate. When we had investigated the sight for awhile, we met a mother and son outside and traded a pair of toothbrushes for some pictures and nonverbal conversation. Then it was time to take a tuktuk the train station and head home to Delhi.

The following day, we headed to the National Museum, which was spectacular. The most interesting section was from the Harappan Civilization along the Indus Valley (wiki). The civilization flourished five thousand years ago and had technological advancements that are lacking in many developing areas today! First of all, the cities were constructed based on urban planning and they had plumb bobs which show attention to construction. They had water storage systems and wastewater drainage and they cultivated crops. Clay children’s toys have been found from the areas and there is evidence of extensive international trading.

We spent several hours at the museum and the guards had to turn off all the lights and lock the doors to make us leave. We seem to shut down museums all the time. After a brief wander, we met up with some friends of Matt's at Connaught Circus. They happened to stop briefly in Delhi as an excursion away from their boat while sailing around the world. To learn about their trip and its educational goals, check their website. We ended up having dinner and a couple of beers with them before heading back to the Ericson's house.

The following morning was a bit lethargic, that is to say, the Ericsons have soft beds, hot water, a coffee maker, a laptop, and BBC news on cable. I would like to come clean and say that all of our mornings were a bit delayed by the welcome presence of creature comforts. After our lazy morning, we headed to Qutb Minar, a tower built by the first Muslim leader of Delhi. The tower's immense height (72.5m) and its age (built in the 1100's) are the reasons for its fame, but they're not what I most enjoyed about the complex. Ever since Angkor Wat, Matt and I have developed an affinity for crumbling stone structures and the buildings surrounding the Qutb Minar provided us with just that. Also on the grounds is a pillar, made of 98% pure iron, erected in the Fourth Century AD which has withstood the ravages of time without rusting. It seems to be an anomaly and I was utterly fascinated by it due to my engineering background. But I won't bore you talking about metal poles.

After Qutb Minar, we wandered the grounds of Emperor Humayun's Tomb for a while. It was built in the 1560's AD in the same Mughal architecture which defines the Taj Mahal, which was constructed at a later date. The grounds were so similar that we didn't spend much time before I got bored and began exploring on my own. I found a lovely balcony and shouted for Romeo but was sorely disappointed when he didn't turn up. Alas. Following our explorations, we went out to a lovely restaurant with Mr. Ericson where I acquired a love of sweet raita (basically yogurt) and tasted properly-cooked tandoori chicken which is not at all dry.

The next day, Matt had acquired mild, flu-like symptoms, and we took it easy. Our first stop was the embassy to have a few more blank pages to our passports before heading to amble through more ruins. The Tughlaqabad Fort was a massive project to serve as the third capital of Delhi under king Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq. However, after a dispute with the king during construction, a saint put a curse on the area (the king had mandated that all laborers in Delhi must come to work on his fort, taking many away from digging the saint's well). Within six years, the king was dead and his son had shifted the capital. The area is more or less desolate today and fun to stroll around in, imagining the glory that could have been.

After our strolling, we headed to the State Craft Emporium (a tame substitute for the local markets due to Matt's feeling crumby) which was quite mediocre, before heading back to the Ericson's where we watched a lovely Indian film named, "Lagaan," which I would recommend to everyone.

The following morning, we were up early to bid a fond farewell to the Ericsons and Sanjay before hopping on a plane to Varanasi.

The pictures in this post are: the Taj, me admiring the Taj, exterior stone engraving, interior stone engraving, an angled view of the Agra Fort, the interior paintings of Akbar's Mausoleum, the son we met, ancient columns at Qutb Minar, myself calling Romeo, and the ruins of the Tughlaqabad Fort.

Notes on Southeast Asia

2008-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

These are some observations I've made while travelling around this region:

(These are quick thoughts, definitely generalizations, and

probably stereotypes. I'm just putting them up here to

give a vague idea of how different life is here.)

Hinduism and Buddhism affect all aspects of life for many people,

Behavioral norms are governed by religion, such as not patting a child on the head because it's the highest and therefore holiest part of his body.
Saffron-robed monks are everywhere. They're on public transportation, in fast food restaurants, talking on cell phones, and scattered about your everyday life.
Most Hindu homes and businesses will have a shrine with religious icons which they will "feed," wash, and pray to everyday.

Silk is for sale everywhere in every shape and form.

You see elephants walking down the side of the road on occasion (there's no other way to transport them!) and in all sorts of religious, historic, and cultural imagery

Feet are dirty and low. Don't point them at people, don't step over anyone on the ground, and don't put them up on anything.

Only in expat homes, upscale businesses, and tourist establishments do you see sit-down toilets. The normal custom is squatter toilets and no toilet paper, just the bidet hose. (remember the story about why we always shake with the right hand?)

Here are some differences solely taking place in Thailand:

They are centuries ahead of the rest of us. Literally! According to their calendar, the current year is 2551!

You must remove your shoes before entering any home, most businesses, and in temples. (We only saw this in Thailand while we were in Southeast Asia. Now we're seeing it in India as well, but you must remove shoes in temples in most countries.)

Thai Islands

2008-01-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

We arrived in coastal Southern Thailand on the evening of January 25th, with nowhere to stay and a laundry list of sights we wanted to see. By the time the following morning rolled around, we were on a minibus to Ko Lanta, which is a large, gorgeous, and mellow island in the Andaman Sea. When we arrived, it took us at least an hour of walking to find a magnificent little $15/night bungalow with an outdoor shower just off the beach. The sun was on the verge of setting while we were checking in, and after a mad scramble to get the packs in the room and pick up supplies from 7-11 (oddly, that store is all over this country) we were on the beach watching the multicolored orb descend into the sea, sipping home-made celebratory island cocktails.

The following day was a magnificent day of relaxation. We spent the whole morning on the beach, swimming, floating in the water, reading, and napping in the shade. We decided that since we were in the shade, there was no reason to apply sunscreen. Whoops. That mistake had implications for 5 painful days. Stupid. Oh well, lesson learned. We really did nothing else that day except relax and watch another sunset. And I finished Life of Pi, which is a glorious book that everyone should read.

The following day, urged on by feelings of guilt over the previous day's lethargy, we rented a motorbike to tour the island. We found a multitude of different size and shape beaches, separated by rocky outcrops, each bordered by a smattering of bungalows or restaurants. It was a blast moving along at our own pace and stopping to examine the beaches on a whim. And, of course, Matt and I both LOVED to drive the motorbike.

Afterwards, we stopped for dinner with Bendigo and Stephanie. I hadn't seen Bendigo since I left Jamaica and it was lovely to be able to catch up with him. As we ate, firedancers came out on the beach to perform and left us spellbound.

The following morning, we hopped the early ferry to Ko Phi Phi, where "The Beach" was filmed. We found the island to be just as stunning as we had heard. Where there wasn't a rocky cliff jutting up out of greenery, there was a silky, white sand beach sinking into translucent teal water.

As soon as we finished checking into a hotel room (think wicker box with no lid, turned upside-down on wooden slats, with no bathroom) I was heading to the beach in my suit with my snorkel. The guidebook referred to the beach we were staying as having "deluxe sand and polychromatic marine life," so I knew I had to get out there immediately. I used to snorkel frequently in Jamaica and became quite fond of it. Tripod would frequently join me on those ventures, but that's another story. It was lovely to get in the water again, and I could hardly believe that there could be such a variety of marine life so close to shore in a tourist area.

As I snorkelled, I saw angelfish, scorpionfish, parrotfish, as well as many others that I couldn't recognize. I snorkelled for about a half hour before arriving at a rocky outcrop where I could rest. There were two other snorkelers there so I asked how they were doing and if they had seen anything good. "Just the sharks," they replied. "Sharks?!" "Yeah, the sharks. This is Shark Point! Were you swimming with your eyes closed?!" As I followed them back towards shore, I made sure to scan the periphery of my vision, instead of investigating the little rocky nooks below me. And sure enough, there were sharks! I saw two black-tipped reef sharks! They weren't too big or too nearby, so I didn't feel threatened. Also, there were several other people snorkeling and if everyone knew the sharks were ravenous man-eaters, I would have been the only fool in the water. Needless to say, I survived the self-absorbed sharks. That evening, Matt and I walked along the beach to the main town where we asked about scuba diving opportunities before taking a boat back to our hotel (There were no motorized vehicles on the island).

The small island of Ko Phi Phi Don (wiki) was devastated during the tsunami. There is sandy isthmus where the shops and sunbathing areas are concentrated and waves met there coming from both sides of the island. Of approximately 10,000 people who were on the island on December 26th, 2004 roughly 2,000 were killed. Over half of those bodies were never recovered.

This is not my picture, it's just an example of a black-tipped reef shark from cyberspace.
This one's an adult, the one's I saw were juveniles.

The following morning, we packed our stuff, checked out of the hotel and had breakfast. Then I was back in the water again since the ferry wasn't until 2:30. And I saw sharks again! About a dozen this time, with the largest looking to be about four feet long. I also saw a tiny octopus (I swam down to make sure) before I had to run back up the beach to leave.

After we arrived in Phuket, we hopped a bus to Khao Lak, where we signed up for the dive we wanted before heading to bed. The following morning, we were up early and on the shuttle (the back of a truck) to the boat. We went out with Big Blue Diving Company to Richelieu Rock, because we heard it was one of the best dive sites around (wiki: Similan Islands). I was anxious at first since the only times I had been diving were as part of my certification over nine months previously, but all my worries floated away as soon as I hit the water. We completed two dives that day and the marine life was gorgeous. I had never been so deep (20 meters!) and the density and variety of aquatic life far exceeded anything I'd seen before.

After diving, we headed back to Khao Lak to shower, eat, and chill out for the rest of the day. The following morning, we were on a bus to Kokkloi, then Krabi where we tried to finish some last minute chores before leaving the country. We were terribly unsuccessful. So the next afternoon when we arrived in Bangkok with an eight hour layover before our flight to Delhi, we headed into the city one more time. We spent a few hours eying up souvenirs, haggling over t-shirts, buying & selling books, and munching on cheap pad thai before heading back to the airport.

We still arrived three hours early for our flight so we had wasted a bit of extra time before discovering our flight was delayed. My pent up energy, anxiety to finally get to India, and frustration sent me ambling all over the airport. After walking nowhere for a half hour, I stumbled upon an internet cafe, and when I stepped in to ask their rates, I met face to face with someone, and my jaw dropped. So did his. It was Laird Hayward.

Soon, Matt, Laird, Brad and I were all talking about how this giant world seems amazingly tiny sometimes. After a brief chat and some hugs, Matt and I jogged back to the gate just in time and finally boarded our plane to Delhi.

The pictures in this post are: the post-sunset light show on Ko Lanta, fire dancers, two shots of Ko Phi Phi, a stolen reef shark, and Matt & I in the water.

Just a thought...

2008-01-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

I realize I've completely neglected to mention a topic on the blog that has been a big point of discussion for Matt and I lately. For the last few weeks, we've been in a time zone which is 12 hours away from US east coast time. Also, our trip is five months and two weeks long, and on the 25th, we had been traveling for two months and three weeks.

That means we're roughly halfway around the world, and roughly halfway finished our trip. On February second we're heading to India, which means a new country and a new time zone. We'll be heading towards home for the first time.

While it's a bit sad that the trip has passed the 50% point, it's comforting to think that we're edging closer to familiar turf, to family, friends, and three-footed dogs, and to not living out of a backpack. Hugs and love to everyone who's been following along. -ell

Thailand !

2008-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I think I might have tried to stuff to much info into this post. I'll try not to do that anymore.

I didn't know airplanes could speed, but our flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok lasted only 20 minutes and the ascent and descent were the fastest I've ever experienced. Matt and I arrived in Bangkok in the evening, and ventured in to the city to have a drink with our friend Victoria (who we met in Vietnam) before she headed to Indonesia later that night. It was great to see her and to check out a bit of the expat scene in Bangkok.

The following day, the intestinal symptoms I'd been trying to ignore for days finally got the best of me. I took a rest day and started some antibiotics (which I'm certain are magic).

On the third day, Matt and I took a water taxi down the Chao Phraya River to Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It is the largest and oldest temple in Thailand, and inside one of the many buildings on the premises is a 150 feet long, 50 feet high golden (glazed with gold leaf) Buddha lying on his side in the center of the room. The soles of his feet, which were as big as barn doors, were engraved with 108 auspicious symbols made from mother of pearl. After admiring the Buddha and wandering the beautiful grounds, we headed to the Grand Palace, but were refused entry due to a public (Thai-only) funerary ceremony for the King's sister.

So, we headed to Chinatown to find Thieves Market, but instead found a thriving community of street vendors and a whole different market which was ENORMOUS. We had a blast wandering the crowded alleys lined with stalls, and tasted all sorts of ambiguous but yummy snacks from the chefs' carts. Anything you could want for life was on sale; from air guns to toothbrushes, cow's livers to new clothes, children's toys, pots & pans, raw, preserved, and cooked food, appliances... an entire city's-worth of possessions.

Eventually, we hopped a taxi to Ratchadamnoen Stadium, a well-known spot for Muay Thai, or Thai boxing. The rules are different in this game; you can knee or kick your opponent. The matches began with the lightest opponents facing off and the weights increased as the night went on. To phrase this another way, the first pairs we saw were kids, maybe eight or nine years old. Then they progressed to teenagers, young adults, and finally, grown men. I had never been to a boxing match before and I think this was a great first experience. The kids' coaches patted down their chests after every round to make sure they weren't hurt and I got an impression that the sport was pretty well-regulated. You can see my video of the kids here.

During the third bout, a man came down to us with a card that said, "this area is for gambling, please move to another section." But, by that time all of the good seats were taken and we didn't want to move, so we conveyed our point of view, and they let us stay. As the matches became more intense (and we were standing on the lowest row in the section, against a chain link fence) the gamblers were leaning over us or climbing up the fence to take bets from the section in front. We saw alot of money passed around that night and the crowd's enthusiasm for the boxers was quite contagious. We were continuously rooting for whoever we liked by yelling out the color of his boxing shorts at the top of our lungs. I put up a video of the adults boxing here.

The following morning, we had to switch hotels and take care of miscellaneous chores (sell some books, send a box home, schedule a cooking class). Then we inquired about boat tours to the "khlong" (the canal-based, teak house-packed, older section of town) which we deemed too expensive and decided we could have our own walking tour for a fraction of the price. We ended up on a fruitless but fun wander through a new part of the city, although not the area we were aiming to find. We headed back as the sun was setting and decided to check out Khao San Road. We thought our hotel's neighborhood was packed with travelers until we arrived at Khao San.

It was a Fear and Loathing-esque tourist zoo. Under the neon lights and hanging advertisements, to a mixed soundtrack of hip-hop, rock, and thai pop, an amazingly diverse group of people were all wandering the same street. The night market had brought out everyone, local vendors with hip t-shirts and stalls, bedecked mountain people loudly slinging handmade goods, upwardly mobile European families with babies in prams, ragged opium-infused nomads of the world, and people like Matt and I who just came to sip a beer and watch the show.

The following day we were up early for our Thai cooking class. Our teacher, May Kaidee, first took us to the market to explain the significance and characteristics of important vegetables, herbs and spices before bring us back to her restaurant. We donned aprons and inspected our bowls of ingredients, prepared for us like a TV cooking show. Matt and I and another pair of students diligently prepared the dishes according to the recipes. Then we would taste both results and May would throw in some seasonings, explaining the reason for each. We would all taste them again and discuss the final result. It was a great was to spend a morning and to learn how to use Thai staple ingredients and spices. And that was just a morning class!

In the afternoon, we took the water taxi then the sky train to arrive a block from Jim Thompson's house. He was born in Greenville, DE to a well-known family and worked for the military before moving to Thailand and making his name internationally. He admired the quality of handwoven silks produced in the country and by designing unique prints and using attractive colors, Mr. Thompson (wiki) made the silks universally admired and accessible. The cottage industry had been slowly fading out until he revitalized it, and it's popularity continues today. Mr. Thompson had constructed a gorgeous home in a blend of Thai and Western styles, appointed with his magnificent collection of Southeast Asian art, which became a museum after he disappeared while walking in rural Malaysia in 1967. Matt and I spent several hours admiring the art collection, the gorgeous home and the lush landscaping while mulling over Jim's connection to Greenville and his family's connection with our Mother's father.

After extracting ourselves from the strangely familiar museum grounds, Matt and I headed to Nguan Lee, a streetside cookshop recommended by the New York Times. The stewed duck was so delicious that I ordered a second helping all for myself. After dinner, and feeling rotund and spoiled, Matt and I headed to one of the mandatory tourist attractions of Bangkok, the red light district. Although it has become a standard stop on the tourist path, it didn't seem like it could have been watered down. It was absurd. I'm not going to go in detail about this except to say that the doors to all of the clubs were wide open, showing off scandalously-dressed women, and I didn't think much of the parents (and there were more than a few) who brought their kids with them to wander around. Who brings a ten-year-old boy to a place like that?! Really! This is ridiculous parenting. Anyway, after our fascination devolved to boredom and disgust, we headed home to pack for Chiang Mai.

Another short flight (I know, terrible carbon footprint, I'm sorry) before we reached Chiang Mai and found a place to stay. Then, we got straight to work searching for a trek to visit the local Hill Tribes that didn't involve 20 other tourists, gimmicky add-ons, gawking at tribes people like they're in a zoo, and well-trodden paths. And yeah, they get to see the "longneck" tribe with bronze the rings stacked on their neck, but we wanted to get to spend time with the people, not take a picture and leave (I state this so strongly because I'm jealous of their pictures and trying to justify my choice). Anyway, we booked a tour then checked out the Sunday market, full of mountain people (that's actually the politically correct name) with handmade jewelry and homespun cloth. Then we each got an hour long massage for four bucks before bed.

In the morning, we switched hotels before having a bit of an adventure getting out of town to a Tesco store. I'd been feeling guilty about not giving anything to begging kids, so I wanted to contribute somehow without giving them sweets (sugar rots teeth, especially in rural areas without dentists) or cash (money takes away the parents' ability to provide and encourages them to keep the kids out of school). So I went to the store and bought a bunch of school supplies to haul up to the mountains. Twenty bucks is enough to give 35 kids each a new composition book, two pencils, an eraser and a pen as well as a map of the world, a small globe, and coloring pencils for the classroom. After I got back, Matt and I checked out the night market which was fantastic because I got to ditch my old, paper-thin flip-flops for some cushiony, cheap, fake crocs. I never thought I'd be wearing them, but out of necessity I've realized they're fantasticly comfortable.

The following morning after breakfast, we hopped in the back of a truck to head to the hills for our trek. On the way, we stopped at Buatong waterfall which consisted of room temperature water cascading down a hill over chalky, white mineral deposits (video). It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the cool water felt invigorating splashing around our ankles as we climbed, barefoot, up the bubbly-looking white rock. We hopped back in the truck and rode for a little while before reaching a Lahu village where we had lunch before starting our walk.

We walked up dirt farming paths and through winding forested trails (used to retrieve bamboo for building homes, making cookware, and a multitude of everyday uses) for a few hours until we arrived at a Karen tribe village where we would spend the night. After an icy bucket bath in a bamboo-covered area outside, it was time to help with dinner (video), then we ate and hung out while neighbors dropped by to see what was going on. After the food petered out, so did the guests and we went up the hill to sit around a fire and drink tea under the full moon. It was a lovely evening, and I slept like a rock that night, bundled in blankets on a mat in the largest room of a bamboo house.

In the morning after breakfast, we bid a fond farewell to our hosts and hit the road again, walking first through an Akha village, then through a Palong village where we stopped at a school to drop off the supplies. The teacher had me stand in front of the class and talk for a minute which was confusing to me since the kids barely speak Thai (the tribes all have there own dialects) much less English. We stopped at a couple more villages that day before meeting our truck and driving back to town. It was an interesting excursion. An attempt at cultural understanding which left me all the more baffled and inquisitive. What century are we living in anyway?

The following day, we got up to take a massage course at Baan Nit. Thai massage is different from what we experience in the US because in addition to using pressure points, they also stretch out your muscles. I would liken it to someone doing yoga for you. It feels great and you leave feeling energetic and loose. Matt and I took a six hour course to learn the basics of the art. I took copious notes in the hopes that I won't have forgotten it all before I get home. Then I wrote the majority of this blog update.

The next morning, We headed to Wat Phra Singh, one of the most important temples in the area. It's a great exzample of Lanna architecture and the main Buddha statue is much-venerated. To me, this means: it's pretty.

The I headed to a local market in hopes of finding some of the beautiful handicrafts that I had restrained myself from purchasing at the Sunday market. It was a failed search, and although I left with fat pockets, I'm never going to see a Hmong tribe bedspread ever again. Alas. We took a red taxi (the back of a truck) back to the hotel to grab our bags before heading to the airport.

If you like beautiful things, rainbow colors,sunsets, or fluffy clouds, please have a look at this video of our flight.

The pictures in this post are: The reclining Buddha, miscellaneous but gorgeous buildings and stupas at Wat Pho, the boxing ring with a pair of fighters, Matt and I at the beginning of the cooking class, Jim Thompson's house, Buatong waterfall, the Lahu village viewed from a hill, Matt and I with our kind hosts for the night (I look like I'm bald and sporting a toupee in this shot), an incongruous sight in the hills, a pair of monks outside Wat Phra Singh, and a stack of gleaming Buddhas.

Siem Reap Temples

2008-01-16T00:35:00.000-08:00

Everyone said, "If you're in Southeast Asia, GO to Angkor Wat."

The temples outside of Siem Rep, Cambodia, were built between the 9th and 13th centuries by the ancient Khmer empire, and they fall in stark contrast to the state of the country today. The empire, at that time, stretched from Burma to Vietnam and the capital at Angkor boasted over one million residents when London had a scant fifty thousand. The temples were built by the God-Kings and served as the religious and social nexus. Only the heads of faith and government were allowed to inhabit stone dwellings, so the multitude of wooden structures comprising most of the city, are long gone. In the 1800's, a French archaeologist visiting Cambodia learned of the massive temples, long buried by jungle, and brought them back into the world's view.

The Kingdom of Cambodia has had an extraordinarily tumultuous past, and the temples serve as a point of pride for all Khmers. As well they should because they are outstanding. On our first day, we visited Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Bayon among others. The heat was overwhelming and the temple steps were tall and steep. Despite the scorching ball of fire beating down on us, we had an amazing time visiting the temples and admiring how the intricate artwork adorning them could remain intact after so many centuries. An interesting note about Ta Prohm, the tumbling structures and trees shooting up between the building blocks gives it an incredible ambiance. That's why it was chosen to be used in the Tombraider movie.

The second day, we awoke early to visit Angkor Wat for sunrise. The carved stone murals blanketing the massive walls told stories of historical and religious importance. Of course the favorite of Matt and I was King Rama's monkey army attacking invaders. I can't recall the names of the other temples we visited that day, but I fondly recall my siesta (Matt and I decided to take a break during the hottest hours) in a breezy restaurant hammock. Before we headed back to the hotel that day, we took a ride up on a giant helium balloon (raised and lowered every 15 minutes) to view the temples from above. It wasn't worth the money, but the pictures pretty decent.

On the third day, I had developed a rather severe upset stomach which shortened the day substantially. First, we saw Banteay Srei before heading to the Cambodia Landmine Museum which was amazing. Aki Ra was a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge, who slaughtered his family and forced him to lay thousands of landmines. After Pol Pot lost power, Aki Ra became his own man and the morals deep within him found strength and bubbled to the surface. He founded the landmine museum to educate people and provide funds to care for his adopted family of children who were orphaned or maimed by mines. He still spends all of his free time out in the countryside locating and defusing hidden mines using only his toe and a shovel. For information about the museum or to donate, please visit the website. After the museum, we saw Banteay Samre then headed back to rest, buy souvenirs and pack for Thailand.

The pictures in this post are: the view of the Angkor Wat complex and moat from above, a shoebox-size carving at Ta Prohm, a tree oozing out between blocks at Ta Prohm with a surprisingly large termite in the trunk, faces and carvings at Bayon, Angkor Wat at sunrise, a detail of the monkey army mural (I couldn't get a good shot of one of the head-biting monkeys so I though foot- or knee-biting would work), another favorite carving of I don't know what, and domesticating a wild elephant at Banteay Samre.

Welcome to Cambodia

2008-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Cambodia on January 9th and spent the afternoon exploring Phnom Penh. Our first stop was for a local lunch of fish in palm sugar and ginger beef which was delicious. We had a treat awaiting us, which was to see a good friend of mine who now lives in this part of the world (purposefully vague because she travels all over). So I had to head back towards the internet cafe to see if she had responded to my email. On the brief walk we were surprised by several things, but unfortunately I don't have pictures for all of them. We saw an elephant walking down the side of the road (apparently not normal even in Cambodia, but only Matt got the picture), a standard gas station,

a snack vendor selling fried crickets, bird eggs, grub worms, beetles and tarantulas, and a government office,

and we had only been walking for five minutes. Then, we arrived at the internet cafe and whose head popped up from behind a computer but Jenn Brown! Just the girl I wanted to see! An hour later, we had concocted cocktails, and an hour after that, we were at a lovely restaurant trying all sorts of local dishes. The amok was fantastic and I liked the tarantula legs, but not the body.

If anyone is reading this with children or if you are sensitive to gore, you should stop here.

I'm going to insert a brief synopsis of recent Cambodian history here, stolen from Wikipedia and edited by me:

Cambodia gained independence from France on November 9, 1953. It became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. As the Vietnam War progressed, Sihanouk adopted an official policy of neutrality until ousted in 1970 by a military coup led by Prime Minister General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, while on a trip abroad. From Beijing, Sihanouk realigned himself with the communist Khmer Rouge rebels who had been slowly gaining territory in the remote mountain regions and urged his followers to help in overthrowing the pro-United States government of Lon Nol, hastening the onset of civil war.

The Khmer Rouge reached Phnom Penh and took power in 1975, changing the official name of the country to Democratic Kampuchea, led by Pol Pot. They immediately evacuated the cities and sent the entire population on forced marches to rural work projects. They attempted to rebuild the country's agriculture on the model of the 11th century. They also discarded Western medicine, with the result that while hundreds of thousands died from starvation and disease there were almost no drugs in the country. Estimates vary, but roughly one million people were viciously executed during the reign of Pol Pot. An emphasis was put on murdering anyone in a position of power, or anyone educated. The Khmer Rouge discovered this by research or by feeling the hands of victim, if they were rough, they were a worker and should be sent to labor in the country, if they were smooth, they were educated and should be killed.

In November 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions across the border and the genocide of Vietnamese in Cambodia. Violent occupation and warfare between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge holdouts continued throughout the 1980s. Peace efforts began in Paris in 1989, culminating two years later in October 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a ceasefire, and deal with refugees and disarmament.

The following day was going to be a long and sad one. We took a tuk tuk (small 1-axle carriage pulled behind a motorcycle) to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and then to Tuol Sleng Museum. I'm going to keep the description of these sites to a bare minimum.

Tuol Sleng had been a school before it was converted to become Security Prison 21 by Pol Pot's cadres in 1975 (this happened so recently, it's atrocious). It was used to torture prisoners for information and as a holding area before prisoners were transported to Choeung Ek.

Choeung Ek was used for execution and burial and there's a shrine near the entrance which holds hundreds of skulls. A large portion of the remains have still not been disinterred and it's obvious that not all of the pebbles in the dust under your feet are made from rock.

After the day's learning was over, Matt and I went wandering around by the Mekong River before eating and hitting the hay. The following morning we were up early for a boat ride to Siem Reap. The trip was gorgeous, but it was obvious that people were living in poverty. You can see video of the boat ride here.

When we arrived outside of Siem Reap, we saw more of the same. Upon reaching Siem Reap, we found a hotel and then dinner before interviewing a tuk tuk driver who would take us to see the temple ruins the following day.

I think the pictures in this post are self-explanatory.

Nha Trang and Hoi An

2008-01-10T04:27:00.000-08:00

Nha Trang is on the coast in south central Vietnam. It's very relaxed and there's not much there besides beach. We went soley for fun and relaxation. After on a pretty strict regimen of sight-seeing, eating local food, and soaking up culture and we needed a few days to soak up some sun instead.

We arrived from our sleeper train late in the morning and went to meet up with Victoria at our hotel before checking out the town. It was lovely to stretch our legs as we walked all up and down the beach stretching our legs and assessing the area. Towards the end of our walk, we came to a river outlet jam-packed with house boats and men gracefully casting their fishing nets while people ferried goods from the shore to the boats with small, bowl-shaped, wicker basket boats.

When it became dark, we headed home to bathe before going out. After a short stop to grab some fantastic street sandwiches, we stopped in to the Sailors' Club. We had heard wonderful things about the place from fellow travellers and were not disappointed. The surroundings were plush, the drinks were cheap, and the whole place was on the beach.

The following day we all slept in late before eating and laying on the beach all afternoon. It wasn't hot out or sunny and the surf was ROUGH, but the relaxed mood and the salt spray were just what we were all looking for. Eventually, we pulled ourselves off of the beach chairs to compare prices of boat tours and bus tickets with travel agencies. Then, we grabbed chicken drumsticks from an impromptu restaurant on the side of a road. After a minute to check email, and a quick shower, we had another fantastic street sandwich (baguettes are big here because of the French) and headed back to the Sailors' Club. Yes, we weren't trying anything new, but that's not why we came to Nha Trang.

Victoria had carried a purse that night, which she had mentioned earlier because she knew it wasn't the best idea, but after all, we were going out for a nice drink. We walked back from the Sailors' Club around 10pm, but no one was out on our hotel's side street since most people in Vietnam go to bed early. When we were only meters away from the gate to the hotel, some unfortunate events transpired, and it all happened very fast. A motorbike came out of the dark with two men on it and veered toward Victoria to grab her bag. Before we knew it, Victoria and the man from the back of the bike were on the ground. I screamed (apparently very bad things) at the top of my lungs and Matt, who had been carrying two 1.5L bottles of water, nailed the bad man in the head with them. Victoria never let go of her bag, and in seconds the man on the bike sped off with his empty-handed cohort sprinting after. The whole thing happened in less than 5 seconds and although Victoria was shaken up and fairly scraped, she was okay and she had her bag.

That night, we all had a pretty restless sleep.

The following day, we were trying to make jokes about our triumph and the incident was on everyone's minds. We had scheduled a boat trip, so we had a quick breakfast and headed to the dock. We stopped by four islands on the trip and the first was just to swim, so all three of us donned our suits and leapt off the top of the boat. It was a bit chilly, so we didn't last long. On our way to the second island, we stopped by one of the floating villages to pick up a few fish. After we moored at the island, the staff folded down the seats into a giant table and laid out a massive lunch for us all to share. When our bellies were full, the staff got up on the table with some plastic drums and the tour guide turned into a singer, the cook into a drummer, and the captain into a great guitarist. It was fantastic and you can see the video of it here.

Following the performance, the guide stripped to his shorts and leapt in the water with a buoy and a bottle, saying that shots were free for anybody swimming. Seconds later we were all in the South China Sea and the sun had finally come out. After a little Vietnamese rice vodka and a half dozen flying leaps off the top of the boat, we were on our way to Tam, which was island number three. While I sunbathed, Matt and Victoria went parasailing for $10. Myself, I couldn't justify the expense. The next stop was an island with an aquarium that I LOVED. I can part with $1.50 to see sharks, bright little tropical fish, eels, six-foot-long snappers, and to touch sea turtles.

It was a great way to spend a day and it cost lest than ten bucks. Amazing. Following our trip, we showered, ate, and hopped aboard a sleeper bus destined for Hoi An. I've never been on a sleeper bus before, but it's not a bad option when there's no train. It was about the size of a greyhound and fit about 32 people almost completely reclined. Three "beds" wide, two deep, and five (head-to-toe) long, with the rear serving as one big cave-bed for 5 people. We reached our destination early the next morning and grabbed a room and a nap before checking out the town.

Hoi An was an international trading port as early as the 1600's but lost prominence when silt buildup from the river eventually made the port difficult to access. This environmental inevitability saved the beautiful old town from over development. Many of the old homes and temples are still standing and Chinese, European, and Japanese influences are clearly visible. The town has become a tourist destination and is now known for its skilled tailors as well as its history. Matt and I both had a few garments made and I won't trouble you with all the appointments and fittings, but it was definitely worth it.

Our first morning, we worked out logistics and tailor business. For lunch, we had a chance to sample the local specialties. The three of us had cao lau (noodles with sprouts, greens, rice crackers and pork in broth), fried wonton (sauteed vegetables on a fried, flat, square of dough) and white rose (a small steamed dumpling of shrimp). Fried wonton is my favorite, and the only comparison I can think of is nachos! Delicious Asian nachos! Yum! After lunch we wandered around the old town, soaking up the atmosphere and visiting the historic buildings and the museum.

The second day, we took a bus to My Son; ruins from the 7th Century built by the Cham people. It was a lovely experience (although not the most sustainable) to be able to touch the sculptures and enter the ancient buildings. It is a UNESCO heritage site, but since it wasn't well-marked, we basically had the opportunity to explore it for ourselves. Interestingly, most of the buildings were made from brick and though some of them have crumbled, several are still standing strong with little hint of decay.

The last day, we bid farewell to Victoria in the morning, repeatedly visited the tailor, ate and went to the local market for a little gift shopping. Then we briefly used the internet before picking up our clothes (finally!) at the tailor, then packing for Cambodia.

Sorry this post isn't as well written as others. Less frequent internet access and a tummy ache have alot to do with that.

The pictures in this post are: the beach at Nha Trang, beautiful blue (house) boats, friendly fishermen, Victoria and Matt and I at the Sailors' Club, local beverages in the South China Sea, a lantern shop in Hoi An, the ruins at My Son, a fascinating sculpture from varying centuries, my dress (i tried to get it in a red/orange, but they didn't have enough fabric that color )

Hanoi and Ha Long

2008-01-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

We arrived at the Hanoi airport late in the afternoon on the 28th. When we reached the baggage claim, we found an unguarded, unsloped, unedged conveyor belt at knee level. I was presented with an opportunity I had been waiting a lifetime for. Here's the video link (same as at the end of the Hong Kong post).

Following a lovely trip around with the luggage (which was greeted with a strange mix of conspiring grins and disapproving scowls) we hopped a minibus into town. After we checked in at our hotel, we went on a little wander to check out the Old Quarter. It was late and we were peckish. We couldn't decide what to eat so we found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant filled with locals where a herd of boys led us upstairs and pointed at another pair of locals who were grilling up some assortment of meats and veggies on a skillet attached to the table. At first we were a bit perturbed by the boys cutting up the meat with scissors, but the meal turned out to be delicious and alot of fun, not to mention costing us less than three dollars.

The next morning we began a more thorough exploration of Hanoi. On our wander we had some tea on the sidewalk sitting around on 6 inch stools with the rest of the populous; seven cents a glass. Then we tried pieces of pineapple on a stick, covered in spice, and it was great too. I love street food. Unfortunately, I can't remember or write about every one of the little treats we tried (fried sweet potato pancakes, fried bananas, little baguette sandwiches, etc.) but they're a tasty way to learn about a culture.

That day we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake (in the center of the Old Quarter) whose name means "The Lake of the Restored Sword," as was called such due to the legend of Emperor Le Loi. The emperor had a sword which lead him to victory again the Chinese Ming Dynasty after they invaded the country. The legend says that a magical turtle had given him the sword, and one day, long after his military success, he was on a boat in the lake and a magical turtle came up out of the water, reclaimed the sword, and returned down into the lake.

The Tortoise Tower was built in the center of the lake and has become a symbol of the city. The Ngoc Son Temple was also built on the lake to honor a great military leader, but it also serves as a home for a preserved tortoise of the type which dwells in the lake.

Following the lake, we went to see the Hoa Lo Prison Museum which was quite distressing, but simultaneously fascinating. It was built by the French colonists in the middle of the 19th Century to hold rebellious Vietnamese and then was used during the Vietnam War (called the American War here) to hold captured American troops. The prisoners ironically nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton and the irony lives on because besides a small section which now holds the museum, the rest of the prison was eventually bulldozed to construct a hotel. It was heart wrenching to see the miserable conditions in which the prisoners lived and the drastic escape plots that some of them brought to fruition (most of these involved crawling through wastewater outlet pipes). Our next stop was a more pleasant one at the Temple of Literature, built in 1070AD as a shrine to Confucius.

I have described temples many times over and this was like most except that in place of the Buddha and other religious icons were teachers and scholars. There was also a library and dormitory and, like may places of importance, a drum and bell. By the time we left the Temple, dusk was enshrouding the city, and we went for a stroll to locate some food. We had picked a restaurant out of our guidebook, but on the way there, we passed through a lovely snack street and decided to pick a place there. We scouted out a massive buffet, and after they (non-verbally) walked us through the process of selecting food and having it heated up, we ordered quite a bit and it was brought over to us on our stools. We didn't know what we were eating, but most of it was delicious! I try not to think about the high possibility of some of the meat being dog. Alas. Then, with our stomachs full, we meandered over to St. Joseph Cathedral. We arrived just in the nick of time, to see it beautifully lit up after a service.

The following day, during our free hotel breakfast, we met a lovely friend named Victoria. After chatting briefly, the three of us went to investigate costs of tours to Ha Long Bay during which we decided to take the trip together. After that, Matt and I found a taxi driver to carry us to the Museum of Ethnology for 60,000 VND (less than 4USD). We traveled for a few minutes before he pulled over and pointed to a museum which seemed to us too close to the town center and with a surprising amount of military debris in the courtyard. Matt stayed in the cab trying to communicate with the driver as I went into the museum in a failed attempt to find an English speaker. Despite the lack of actual proof that we were in the wrong spot, and not being able to find the exact name of the place we wanted to go on the driver's map, we managed to convey that we knew he was trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Several minutes later, we arrived at the Museum of Ethnology with a feeling of triumph.

The museum was lovely and comprehensively described the lifestyle of many minority groups of Vietnam. It was fascinating to see how they had all adapted to their surroundings and the differences between customs of each group. We saw how certain tribes make clothing out of pummeled tree bark and the ritual ceremonies of others. Outdoors there were full-scale replicas of village homes to show the differences in architecture among the various groups. We stayed at the museum for several hours before heading back to the Old Quarter. After a little rest, we headed out into town in search of a cheap massage (very plentiful in this part of the world) but first stumbled upon a lovely street market and browsed before locating our desired end. The massages were wonderfully inexpensive but involved some interesting techniques such as punching (and the tiny masseuse was much stronger than she looked), knuckle cracking, toe pulling, hair combing and, most surprisingly, the masseuse leaping up on the table and straddling me to massage my back. Feeling slightly beaten and confused, Matt and I ambled back to the hotel for bed.

The following day, Matt, Victoria and I hopped on our tour bus to Ha Long City and then scrambled onto the boat. After ages of jostling the other boats (since we were basically triple parked in and surrounded by a TON of other identical ships) we finally got out to the open water. It was a bit hazy, but the bay was still beautiful with karst islands sporadically jutting up from the green water. And in certain protected coves, leeward of the larger islands, were villages composed of floating homes, floating schools, and floating fish farms. I saw groups of kids playing, each in their own rowboat, and some of the kids were (my guess:) as young as four! And meanwhile, the family guard dogs ran deftly around the narrow, wooden, bobbing edges of the fish pens barking. It was incredible to see a life totally based on water (ironically, they have to import the drinking water).

Our first stop was the "Surprising Cave," where we saw an expansive dry cavern with any number of stalactite and stalagmite formations, which our guide Ba pointed out looked like (someone has spent WAY too much time in there) a dragon, a woman with long hair, noodles, phallic symbol, frogs, etc. After the cave, we headed back to the boat to change into swimsuits. We hopped onto kayaks and had a blast exploring all the little caves, coves, through tunnels, and islands nearby. I must say that there's little upper-body exercise where you're travelling and it felt fantastic to get out on the water and work against the breeze for a while. For a 360 degree view of the bay, please check the video link here.

When we got back to the boat, we showered and had a very welcome dinner. Following dinner, we all chatted about everyone's favorite local snacks. I don't know how it came to be the topic of discussion, but it was quite fun to to learn how delicious stroopwafels (Dutch) are with tea and how foreigners don't know how to properly eat marmite (Australian). After a couple of hours of chatting, it was still only eight o'clock and we were all exhausted. After a few card games, and still fading, we decided to start celebrating all the New Years as they rolled around. First it was Central Australia, then Japan, and finally China before we got to celebrate ours in Vietnam. It was a fitting ceremony for such an international crowd.

The following day was gorgeous and clear but still too chilly to swim. As we sat out in the breeze, we kept hip-hip-hooraying for every country on the hour. We had a lovely morning cruising around through Bai Tu Long Bay before we returned to Ha Long Bay for lunch and hopped the bus back to Hanoi. That entire evening was a minor disaster. Even at dinner, the waitress delivered my food to someone else and when I pointed it out, she picked up the partially eaten food and tried to give it to me. Then when we returned to our old hotel, they said someone had called them and said we weren't coming back that night (fibbers!). It took Matt, Victoria, and me ages to find a half decent place with a couple of rooms.

The following morning, Matt bought us some train tickets. We only had time for a short wander through a local market that sold pershible goods (everything from fish to flowers) before we headed to the station and hopped on the train.

The pictures in this post are: busy motorbike traffic, the magic turtle, the drum at the Temple of Literature, buffet dinner, ethnic minority house at the Ethnology Museum, the Surprising Cave (please note the size of the steps in the picture), a floating village and other sleeper boats viewed from the entrance of the cave, and two shots of rocky outcrops in Ha Long Bay.

Tongue Twisters

2008-01-08T04:41:00.000-08:00

The following is an incomplete list, divided by region/country, of words that we have learned during our trip:

China

Ni hao. (nee how) Hello.
Xie xie. (tsay tsay) Thank you.
Ce suo (tsuh sue-o) Bathroom
Tang mien (tahng mee-en) Noodle soup
Jiaoz (jee-ow-tsuh) Dumplings
Duo shao qian (dwoy sh-ow chen) How much is it?

Tibet

Tashi deleck. (tahsh-ee del-ai) Hello.
Tuchina. (tuh-chin-ah) Thank you.

Nepal

Namaste. (nah-mah-stay) Hello or Goodbye. Literally: I salute the God within you.

Vietnam

Xin chao. (sin jow) Hello.
Cam on. (cum uhn) Thank you.
Gia bao nhieu? (zhah bow nyou) How much is it?
Pho (foh) Noodle

Phrases we have not learned how to successfully communicate are:

We're brother and sister. -Numerous times, people have pointed to Matt and then a ring on my hand or otherwise insinuated that we're married or dating. I have failed in every sign language attempt to explain and have gone as far as to draw out a mother, father, daughter and son standing next to a house. Then I have pointed at the kids in the drawing, and then to Matt and myself, but this seems to accidentally convey that we have two children together!

Now could you please say it? -I have tried to say a word in your language, and after a couple of tries, I get my message across. But before I get my coffee, or go to the bathroom, or whatever it was I was asking about, I want you to say the confusing word so that I can hear it and improve my pronunciation. This concept is so intangible and unrelated to the discussion (since language questions have little to do with coffee or toilets...) that every attempt to convey it has so far ended in confusion and failure.

Hong Kong

2007-12-27T18:12:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Hong Kong on the afternoon of the 23rd. After grabbing some new money at the airport ATM, we hopped on the train which took us into the city. From there we hired a taxi to take us all the way to the Mongan's apartment. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! What a fantastic change to go from washing my clothes on the floor of hostel showers, to my very own bedroom, a washing machine and a computer with Skype. Hooray! And what a spectacular view! After coming to terms with a new level of comfort, Matt and I set out to explore the town of Stanley. We found it to be a cute market village unfortunately infested with tour groups. We ate the cheapest food we could find and headed back to the apartment for an early bed time.

Christmas eve morning we took the apartment shuttle to Stanley, hopped the bus to Central, then caught the Star Ferry across the harbour to Kowloon. Discovering that it's common knowledge that Hong Kong's transportation system is easy and efficient did not diminish our pride at navigating a new city so easily. We wandered up Nathan road (which has gained the nickname, "the golden mile," for it's ability to extract money out of consumers' pockets) and admired its resemblance to New York City with its brightly lit shops, multitude of pedestrians and ubiquitous advertisements. For lunch we stopped in to a corner restaurant to try cold pigeon in wine sauce which was surprisingly delicious.

After quite a bit of walking including a failed foray into the museum district (Closed early today!) we headed up Temple Street to see the famed night market. There's something I love about markets in the mixture of the people-watching, the abundance of local culture, and the general madness. We had a lovely time haggling and buying souvenirs. I even bought a watch for $4 (it loses five minutes every 12 hours... but at least it's consistent).

Then we headed to the Avenue of the Stars (complete with Hong Kong movie star handprints) to look out over the harbour with the heaving masses of holiday revellers. And we immediately discovered why the area drew in such crowds; the view was INCREDIBLE and the atmosphere infectious. After taking just short of a million pictures, we headed back home.

Christmas morning was very lazy. In fact, it extended far into Christmas afternoon. We opened up a package from home, drank plenty of coffee and talked on Skype with family for hours. It was fantastic to have a computer at our fingertips instead of having to wait ages for one that might not work at a hostel. To be able to see our family (over a video chat) was a great way to feel like we were home for the holidays. When we finally got moving around mid afternoon, we headed to downtown Hong Kong where we had a stroll around the old part of "Central." Surprisingly, one of the most fascinating sights we saw were dried food stores. Whose idea was it to think of drying needlefish, lizards or octopus?! And who is going to eat them?!

In the beginning of our walk, we were following a path described in Lonely Planet, but eventually we got lost and that's always when the exciting stuff happens. We walked own a very tight little alley packed with fruit vendors, discovered the longest escalator in the world (800 meters!), and found a delicious Malaysian restaurant. Then - it being a holiday and all - we headed to the biggest party street in Hong Kong; Lan Kwai Fong. We had a great time watching drunk westerners singing 80's rock songs while Chinese tourists eagerly snapped pictures. It was hilarious. People seemed to think Matt was some kind of celebrity because at least a dozen people pulled him in to their pictures in the 2 hours we were there.

The following morning, we were awake early to take the tram up to Victoria Peak. Despite the grade of the hill reaching as high as 24%, people used to be carried up to the peak in sedan chairs until the tram was opened in 1888. It was lovely to be able to see all of Hong Kong from the top of the hill (video here) and look around 360 degrees.

Next, we tried to buy tickets for a ferry to Macau but were turned back since we didn't have our passports. So we dined on dim sum at Maxim's City Hall which was recommended as a great spot to try the famous style of food. The staff wheeled around carts stacked with the little rattan steamer trays full of all different types of dumplings, buns, spring rolls and desserts and we picked several trays that looked good. After eating (painfully) more than our fill, we headed across the harbour to Kowloon.

In Kowloon, we finally had a chance to visit the History Museum which I was dying to see. It was very comprehensive and covered how the land mass was formed, its prehistoric inhabitants, how it became a strategic and influential trading center, the evolution of the monetary system, as well as the political history (including HK's importance as a trading center, the British occupation, the Opium Wars, the Japanese occupation during WWII, etc.) and then we had to leave because the museum was closing.

After two more ferries, we arrived on Lamma Island just in time for dinner. We had heard wonderful things about the fresh seafood restaurants there and were not disappointed. Our first surprise came with the sight of MASSIVE tanks full of both familiar and unfamiliar creatures "all for your dining pleasure." (Check out my video here) The strangest had to be the geoduck (wiki) which was new to me, and the prettiest was the aquamarine lobster with orange spots and black and white striped claws. After wandering awhile and admiring the town, we had a great dinner before heading all the way back to Stanley, exhausted.

The 27th we were up early to head to Macau. But by the time we got to Stanley, took the bus to Central (30min), walked to the ferry office, waited to buy our tickets, waited for the ferry to leave (45min), travelled (1hr), arrived and waited through customs (1.25hr) it was already late in the day. And we were determined to make tea at the Peninsula Hotel (Dad's Christmas gift to us and a MUST for anyone visiting HK) at 3pm, which left us with under two hours in Macau. So we made sure to hit all of the high points: a walk through the old town, an exploration of the remains of St. Paul's Cathedral, and a 5 minute peak into famous Casino Lisboa before rushing back to the ferry terminal. It was a mad dash and not nearly enough time to soak up the culture, but we got an idea of the place and that had to be enough for us.

So we headed back to Central then to Kowloon only to wait in line another hour and a half before sitting down to a well-deserved tea. The extravagant setting and the sumptuous spread were a fantastic treat to two weary souls who hadn't eaten breakfast that day. We stayed for ages relishing the festive atmosphere (still only days after Christmas) and savouring every morsel of the feast.

Afterwards, I had a long overdue haircut before heading back home to pack my bags because Matt and I were headed to Vietnam in the morning.

The pictures on this post are: the incredible view from the Mongan's apartment, a delecious cold pigeon (please note the head), Temple Street night market, the view of HK from Kowloon at night, Matt threatening to eat a dried octopus, bundles of dried needlefish, the view of HK from the Peak, your choice of seafood at a restaurant on Lamma Island, the remains of St. Paul's Cathedral in Macau, and tea at the Peninsula Hotel (if i look groggy, it's because I was blinking).

To see my arrival at the Hanoi Airport, click here.
p.s. I've always wanted to do that!!

Shanghai

2007-12-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

When we got in, it was late afternoon so we checked into the hostel before checking out the area. We wandered over to east Nanjing road which is a big shopping road in the area (we like to see those types of places, like markets and such, the bustle and local culture are fun to experience). So we wandered up and down the road and grabbed some noodles for a snack before heading to the Bund along the western bank of the Huangpu River. The Bund became important in the early 1900's as a financial and trading center for countries from all over the world who wanted a piece of the action in the tea and opium trade at the time.

The second day, we headed to Megabyte for brunch (found out about it from Lonely Planet) where we put a bit of money onto a swipe card and tried lots of little bits of food from a buffet of different restaurants. Next we headed to the Shanghai museum which I loved. The section about the development of standardized currency was really interesting. Apparently out of the bartering system evolved a custom of trading your goods for axe-heads (made of solid metal of varying types) which you could then trade to others since (depending on the weight and type of metal) the metal they were constructed from had a fairly consistent value to all people. Later, the axe-heads were replaced by flat metals tokens which still maintained the basic 2D shape of an axe head, then eventually by flat tokens in a circle shape like the coins we have today. We also saw "pillows" made of bronze and porcelain, pottery over six thousand years old, and intricately designed bronze pots for wine and food.

Our third day in Shanghai was packed, hectic, but alot of fun. Our first stop was the old section of Shanghai where we revelled in the gorgeous architecture and imagined what life would have been like there 100 years ago. The we grabbed brunch at a highly recommended (by Lonely Planet) dumpling take-away restaurant (they were unusually delicious, I think they steam them with broth of some kind) before heading to Yuyuan Gardens. We had a long, lovely, and meandering walk through the gardens (think: Labrynth) taking in the calming feng shui nature of it's design.

Our next stop was Dongtai road antique market where dozens of vendors sell "authentic" Chinese antiques (by this point in the day, it was gray and cool and a heavy mist was falling). We admired the antiques, bought some and scoffed at prices of others before taking a taxi to Xintiandi, which is the hip, newly re-developed section of the French Concession. At this point, Matt and I split up because I wanted to keep walking in the rain, and you know he's the sensible one.....

Anyway, I had a lovely stroll around the area (got lost) before hopping on the subway and heading back to the hostel in time for Matt and I to get to the Theatre Centre to see the acrobats. The performance was INCREDIBLE. There was a lady balancing multiple candles on her chin while moving around, a man and woman swinging theatrically while doing acrobatics dangling from a ribbon attached to the ceiling, a dozen people balanced on an incredibly tall and precarious stack of chairs, amazing jugglers, people being catapulted high into the air only to land perfectly on some sort of unstable target, and extraordinarily flexible people. But that description can't explain the difficulty level of stunts that this group was performing. Maybe my brief video clip of the Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe will give you an idea. Following the show, we had several fun hours hanging out with Matt's friend (from college), Howie, who happened to be visiting the city at the same time as us.

We had read in our guidebook about the incredible restaurants in Shanghai that have been influenced by cuisine from all over the world. Keep in mind that by this point in our journey, for two pseudo-foodies, we've been eating strange food, street food, food that after you've tried it you don't like it at all, food that we just point at to order because we don't know what it is, etc. So we factored into our budget a legitimately nice restaurant where we had brunch. It was spectacular. First of all, it was nice to be fancy and treated luxuriously, and second of all, the food was amazing... turkey stuffed with asian fruits, salad (!), and a dessert called a pavlova which I adored.

On our walk back to the hostel, we stepped inside the HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) building. It was built in the early 1900's and the mosaic ceiling in the lobby is well known to be a work of art (no pictures please). The Zodiac signs were displayed in the center surrounded by views of cities all over the world. It was beautiful.

Following brunch, we had some downtime because we ate MUCH more than we should have. We spent the rest of the afternon relaxing, planning our Hong Kong itinerary, checking emails, and working on other miscellaneous chores before it was time to eat again. Our friend, Ann Copeland, had given us contact information for a friend of hers who lives in Shanghai so we met up with Sharon and her family that evening. We had a real Shanghainese dinner (which included peacock and rabbit) and it was fabulous to be a part of a family event after being away from home for so long. It turns out that it was actually the family Christmas dinner (Iris, 8, had written a letter to Santa asking him to come early since they were going to be away from home during Christmas) and Matt and I felt incredily lucky to be able to celebrate the holiday with such lovely people.

The pictures in this post are: East Najing Lu, the Bund at night, a bronze wine vessel made between 1100 and 1300 BC, "Old Town," and a beautiful nook in Yuyuan Gardens.

Xi'an

2007-12-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

So, we arrived in Xi'an late in the afternoon and had a little downtime updating our journals and evaluating our new location. Xi'an is historically important because it was the capital of China for many centuries (including during the Qin dynasty (pronounced: chin) which some believe to be the origin of the word China). Then we ventured out into the nearby Muslim Quarter (see Islam in China on Wiki) where there is a snack street for lunner (we've been eating 2 meals a day, brunch and lunner). "Snack street" is a common term for a street lined with vendors selling all types of food from dried fruits or fried snacks to entire meals. We tasted the local specialty of cold noodles with sesame sauce and hot peppers. It was delicious! The noodles were fat, translucent and rectangular with the texture of swiss cheese and the sauce was quite spicy but subdued with sesame oil. The description can't compare to the taste. :)

The following day we went on a group tour which (in retrospect) was not the best idea. The tour was pretty inexpensive, which translated into lots of stops at gift shops, tourist traps, and the like, but i did get to see how silk was made, which was neat. The silk worms make cocoons, then the factory boils the cocoons and unrolls - literally - the silk off of them and twist multiple threads together onto spindles. We also saw the remnants of Banpo, a 6000 year old village (it sounds interesting, but in reality it consisted of post holes and skeletons). But the highlight of the tour was the Terracotta Warriors (and horses).

The warriors were made for the first Qin emperor around 200 BC to protect him in the afterlife, but when a rival heard about their construction, he sent his army to destroy them. They area was looted and burned and all of the clay figures were smashed. In 1974, they were discovered by farmers trying to dig a well (the farmers still work at the museum signing books) and museum staff still works around the clock everyday trying to reconstruct the warriors. The most interesting things we saw at the museum were two bronze chariots with horses and drivers with weapons as well as the warriors. Only about a fifth of the warriors have been repaired and are standing in military formation as the pictures show. We were able to see over a thousand of them, but there are over 8,000 at the site. One interesting fact about the warriors is that since they were all made by hand and since there were so many different craftsmen working on the project, every soldier's face is unique. It's incredible to think of the power the Qin Emperor must have held when looking at his army, still guarding him thousands of years later. Please have a look at my video of the warriors here.

That evening we had dinner at a dumpling restaurant overlooking the city which had been recommended to us. The difficulty is however, that due to the tonal nature of the Chinese language, even when we are told a word or phrase, it's almost impossible for us to repeat it correctly. So in these situations (something needed at the store, an address for a taxi, restaurant names, etc.) we ask someone who both speaks English and who can write in Chinese characters, to write a note with our required information on it, then we walk around the city like fools, showing to everyone who looks nice until we end up in what seems like the right spot, with the right product, at the right destination, etc.). Following dinner, we went to buy headphones and got lost which was alot of fun. I've realized that some of our most interesting travel experienced have involved getting lost or trying an unidentifiable food.

The following day, we failed to accomplish most of our planned goals. We rented bikes from our hotel (we heard that you could cycle around the top of the city wall) and ran several errands (lunch, train tickets, etc.) before heading to the wall. When we arrived to purchase our tickets, they said, "Yes, there are bikes on top of the wall you can rent and ride. But read the sign." And the sign of course said: You may not bring private bicycles onto the city wall. Poo. So we checked out the city bell tower instead briefly before headed to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. After 30 minutes of HIGHLY hazardous bicycling we realized the even if we reached the pagoda in within the following ten minutes, we'd only have ten more minutes before closing. We turned around, exhausted, and cycled home. In a full day, we had only visited one minor sight. Oh well.

The next day was a whirlwind of sightseeing to make up for the failures of the previous day. We woke up and packed our things, had breakfast and headed to the Big Goose Pagoda which we had missed the previous day. It was a large and lovely park, but since it was flat and sparsely treed, you could see the whole thing (no fun to explore) then we headed up the pagoda where we walked up 7 stories to take pictures of the city. It was minimally interesting. But I'm a bit "templed out" as the phrase goes. We headed from there straight to the city wall which is one of the oldest and best preserved city walls in China. After a brief chance to admire it's immense and forbidding character, we hurried back to the hostel to grab our bags before the train left for Shanghai.

The pictures on this blog are: the overnight train (this is just one car of many, please note how much it looks like barracks or an overcrowded camp, you have to sleep with all of your clothes on), a six thousand year old skull at Banpo, close-up of some of the warriors, the area of downtown near where we were staying, and the city wall (that's not fog, it's smog).

Seasons Greetings!!

2007-12-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Matt and I wanted to wish you all the happiest holiday season imaginable. We're in Hong Kong right now living the high life at our friends' BEAUTIFUL apartment. It's nice to be home :)

Please click here to see our cheesy video Christmas card. Hugs and kisses to everyone!

Hahahaha

2007-12-20T05:13:00.001-08:00

I just retracted my accidental post. We're in Hong Kong now so we're able to post freely, edit and such. I will post about Xi'an soon. In the meantime check the videos (Youtube link on the right ->) that I was finally able to upload. Hugs and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! -ell

Last Chengdu Pics

2007-12-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

These pics are actors from the Sichuan Opera and adolescent giant pandas at the research base. That's all for now, see you in Shanghai. -ell

More Chengdu pics

2007-12-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll here.

I have a bunch of cool pictures from Chengdu that I want to post, but I can't put them all up. These are just two: me exercising with strangers at People's Park, and a beautiful bridge on the way to the Giant Buddha.

Chengdu

2007-12-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

The pictures are: myself and Red and a pet vendor at the local market.

FW: Chengdu

2007-12-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

The pictures are: the Giant Buddha of Leshan (please note his conscience behind his left ear), the city of Chengdu at night from the central park,

FW: Chengdu

2007-12-17T21:09:00.001-08:00

The last time I wrote was in Kathmandu. From there, we flew to Chengdu then to the train to Xi'an, but I'm going to focus on Chengdu in this post.

On our layover in Lhasa, Matt and I met a fellow American who turned out to be good friends with Tom Villalon (someone we know well from high school). His name is John Bailey (I know I'm writing in the wrong tense, sorry) and he's studying in Beijing. We ended up spending the next couple of days together and had a great time.

The evening when we arrived, we tried a 'hotpot' restaurant, which is a bit like Chinese fondue in broth. It consists of a big metal bowl, heated from below, which is divided into two sections. Both sections are filled with boiling broth, but one of them is extraordinarily hot, full of the type of pepper that lights your entire mouth and lips on fire, while the other is flavored mostly by onions and spices. The restaurant provides you with plates of any type of raw food that you would like, from cow lungs to cucumber. We chose vegetables and standard meats, mutton, beef, chicken, etc. Then we tossed all the food in the pot and grabbed it out with chopsticks. It was a delicious local experience.

The following day, we had noodles for breakfast then took a bus to Leshan where we spent the first half hour exploring the local markets (where we saw all kinds of animals for sale as food including big bags full of frogs). Then we took aboat upriver to see the town's main attraction; a giant Buddha carved into a rock wall. He was constructed in the 700's to protect sailors from the perilous river currents (which have since calmed down) and at 71 meters high, he's the tallest Buddha in the world. We departed the boat near the Buddha and spent a lovely afternoon exploring the temples in the surrounding hills as well as the enormous Buddha himself. Afterwards, we tried gong bao jiding (kung pao chicken, a local specialty) then hopped a bus back to Chengdu.

The following day, we said goodbye to John in the morning (he had to get back to Beijing) and spent the day exploring Chengdu. I'm certain that most people in the States have never heard of it (I certainly hadn't), but it's one of the largest cities in China and the population of the metro area alone is over 14 million. First, we grabbed a snack (skewers of meat or veg which vendors deep fry and then you paint with spices) then our first stop was a local market area we had read about. There were many plants and garden supplies for sale there, but we were much more entertained by the pets.

The pet areas were sort of divided between reptiles and mammals. In the reptile sections, we saw scorpions, giant lizards, bags of turtles, and a variety of snakes. The turtles ranged in size from one which probably weighed at least 25 pounds to the quarter-sized ones that can sit in the palm of your hand with plenty of room to spare. As far as the furry creatures go, we saw mice, guinea pigs, a wide variety of rabbits, puppies, gerbils, and a grey creature that looked like a small rabbit except with short ears and a long tail. We also saw tons of birds for sale including African Grey parrots (they're the kind that can repeat full sentences) which cost about a tenth of what they would in the States.

After the market, we grabbed lunch at a corner restaurant where we pointed at the names (in Chinese characters) of two local dishes noted in our Lonely Planet China book. They brought over just what we asked for and it was delicious!! We also were able to ask for rice and specify that we didn't want the food too spicy. I was pretty pleased with our work and felt very fortunate to have my Lonely Planet in hand as we left with full bellies.

After our lunch, we walked across the street to Peoples' Park. The park was founded after citizens revolted against corrupt government officials. The pleasant irony is that the park used to be a private garden for a railroad official who embezzled money and now it can be enjoyed by everyone. We had a great time strolling around the premises admiring the beautiful landscape, the cute pond and streams, and the tiled gathering areas. In China, there is a great movement among the elderly to stay fit and exercise daily, and many of the parks we visited have been full of groups practicing tai chi, aerobics, or just going for walks. Parks also fuel a vibrant social scene as musical groups practice together, families come to play, friends enjoy a game of mah jong, and people play badminton, hacky sack (it's not exactly the same as hacky sack, but since I don't know the name, that's the best way to describe it), or ping pong. This particular parks also had paddle boats, many tea houses, and a small amusement park.

After the park we had a brief break and got right back to exploring. We decided to go back to the shopping area, where we had eaten the previous night, because it had been bustling with people. We had quite an exciting time wandering around (getting lost always leads to good adventures) but the best part would have to be the park in the center of town. We had passed by it many times during the day, but as we walked through it at night, we had a chance to really explore it, and it was amazing. First of all, the layout/architecture of the park was really beautiful, but also, there were incredible fountain and light shows. The park itself probably covered a city block and the fountains were almost the full length of one side. The fountains were colored and the displays were all set to music. It was gorgeous.

The following morning, we visited the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base!!!! and there were pandas everywhere!!!!! and I loved it!!!!

Our haphazard trip around the base began with the red pandas, which looked like a cross between a raccoon and a panda, but red and very fluffy. Then we visited the adolescent giant pandas, then the adults and finally, the ADORABLE baby giant pandas. If I could have one, I would take such good care of it and love it always. Unfortunately, I don't think it would have been possible to convince the staff of my sincerity. Matt and I stayed for about 45 minutes with our faces glued to the plexiglass, drooling over the little pandas. They were asleep when we arrived, but shortly after, they were fed some bamboo and they began to get up and eat and play. They had a climbing platform and a plastic rocking horse (!). Four of them were active in the room we were watching and at one point, two of them were sitting on the rocking horse together. It was one of the most adorable sights I have ever beheld. The only thing that pulled us away from the baby pandas was we had read that for $6US you could hold a red panda (you could hold a giant panda too, but it cost $140!). Sure enough, you could and we did. It only lasted a minute or two, but I love the panda and would give almost anything to have one for a pet (I could start growing bamboo!). With heavy hearts, we had to leave our panda friends, but we still had a big day ahead of us.

At People's Park, we had met a tour guide named Mr. Tray Lee. We were a bit skeptical of him at first, but we took his phone number and Googled him and he was recommended by numerous sources including Frommers and the New York Times. We called him and arranged a visit to a local Sichuan opera house. The Sichuan opera is apparently very famous in China and Captain Lee (as I decided to call him) took us to a small, local performance (not a tourist trap). When we arrived, he took us backstage to see the actors putting on makeup and costumes (very elaborate!) and then we had all the free tea we could drink before the play began. Captain Lee sat behind us and described generally what was going on in the play. I can't really describe it to you guys since I was so confused the entire time, but it was definitely entertaining and there were alot of theatrics involved. After the theater, we grabbed a bite to eat and then had to grab all of our things from the hostel and the overnight train to Xi'an.

The picture is the city of Chengdu at night from the central park.

This evening, we are taking a train to Shanghai. I will try to update the blog with Xi'an info from there. I hope this all works.

Ok, I had to send most of the pics as a separate email because the file size was too large to send them all together, sorry it's not so aesthetically pleasing.

elliephant

2007-12-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Additional pics: Chitwan traffic jam and Chitwan house. trying to put up more video arggg....

So, after Matt and I left Pokhara, we headed to Chitwan National Park, which was a 5 hour bus ride. When we got there, we found out some friends we had made in Pokhara were staying at the same hotel as us. When we first arrived, we had lunch and a freezing shower before heading to the Elephant Breeding Center where they raise the elephants who work in the park. During training, the guides sit on the elephants' necks, holding a set of reigns, with their bare feet behind the elephants' ears. When they want an elephant to go one direction or another, they kick it behind one or the other ear and when they want it to go faster, they hit the top of its head with a stick. Unfortunately, it's not the most humane animal treatment I've ever seen.

As we walked into the compound, the trainers were giving agility lessons to the juvenile elephants. This consisted of a football (soccer) match between elephants. It was awesome to watch and the little Nepali kids were thrilled as well to run after the ball when it was kicked too far (or into the river). To see the massive beasts playing with a tiny, little soccer ball was pretty adorable. Shortly after that, we saw a rhino which was interesting but sad because it was sick and shouldn't have been in such a relatively populous area. Then we entered the Breeding Center.

There were baby elephants EVERYWHERE and I love them. They are the biggest smallest animal ever and they're wonderful. I never realized how useful a trunk would be! It functions as a straw-hand-cup-thumb-nose. How multi-purpose! And they will do anything for food. We watched one baby steal a bag of grain right out of a trainer's hands and run. It was adorable and the trainer was completely helpless because the baby was about 10 times his size.

The Breeding Center sells biscuits (imagine a giant dog cookie) and we bought about 3 dozen and had a fantastic time feeding them to the babies, which you can watch here (I'm still trying to upload this) . That was about all we did that day but I was happy as a clam because I had been looking forward to playing with the baby elephants for so long.

The following day, we were up early to go for a dug-out canoe ride and jungle walk. Our guide, Krishna, and his sidekick, as well as me, Matt, Robert and Vincent walked a few minutes upriver to the canoe launching area. We ended up waiting for about an hour and a half (because although there were plenty of canoes and "boat men," OUR boat man was not there) which was terribly boring except for two amusing interludes. The first break from the tedium consisted of us finding bamboo sticks and fashioning spears out of them (by cutting one end in half and tying in a pottery shard point) , and the second was when Matt tried to steal one of the canoes. This escapade ended when one staff member leapt into the boat that Matt was captaining and another passed him the end of a bamboo pole from the shore to reel in the renegade American.

Eventually, we had our canoe ride and saw two types of crocodiles as well as some neat birds. The canoe dropped us off in the National Park and we wandered around for a couple of hours looking for tigers and bears that never showed up. We did, however, see a pretty type of monkey that has white fur and a black face before we headed home for lunch. After lunch we went on an elephant ride which was fun but a bit sad as well. I don't think these elephants like their jobs. Halfway through the ride, I saw another white girl steering her elephant, and I asked my guide if I could do the same. He hopped right off and let me ride the whole rest of the way on the elephant's head. It was loads of fun, and by the end the elephant and I were great friends (from my point of view).

After the elephant ride, we had dinner and a few drinks before heading to a Tharu Culture Show. It was in a theater and the stage was lit up but not the audience, so it didn't feel like a million tourists staring at locals. It was actually interesting and quite entertaining. First, there were a few dances with drums and sticks. The men ran around in a well-choreographed pattern, hitting their fighting sticks together to the rhythm of the drums. I must say that the highlights of the show were: the grown man in a peacock suit who hopped around the stage bobbing his head in a mating season dance, and the boy-woman dance when young men dressed as women were being chased by a man. It was rather hilarious. And it turned out that the audience was primarily composed of locals who also thought it was great fun to watch.

We spent the rest of the evening getting into a bit of trouble with our new friends Guy, William, Vincent, and Robert.

I have finally been able to upload one of the paragliding videos, which you can see here. There might be a second video up, so please check for that too if you're interested.

I'm frustrated that I'm having such a difficult time uploading videos and I've been here for almost 2 hours trying. I want to get them online before I reach China and can no longer properly update my blog. Alas...

running jokes

2007-12-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

When Matt and I went paragliding, we had to list emergency contact information for our family, including emails. It seem odd to me that they might notify a family of catastrophe by email and now the joke has evolved to become any silly thing we do.
Reply to: crash@blueskyparagliding.com
Reply to: trampledbyelephant@junglewildlifecamp.org
Reply to: crocodileattack@chitwansafari.net

On South Park, the Chinese character (who owns City Wok) cannot pronounce L's. Well, it turns out that the Chinese can say L just fine and that it's only a difficulty for the Japanese. Regardless, the Tibetan phrase for "hello" is "tashi delek" which Matt and I have turned into "oh, tashi derreck." Basically, we say this at random moments and it's completely incorrect and inappropriate.

My new name is "Pants," which Matt has derived the following way: ellie > smellie > smellie pants > pants. So now he refers to me as Pants all the time.

In China, when we sometimes had TV access, Matt and I would watch CCTV9 because it's the only English language station there. The advertisements on that channel are rather amusing because alot of them are strange translations. The absolute best ad was one for a tea pillow. Now I ask you, who doesn't need a tea pillow? It's a normal pillow for your bed, but it has tea leaves inside to sooth you while you sleep. The ad for this ridiculous product begins with a strange man who looks like he's had a facelift, saying, "Imagine the combination of pillow and tea." Which he says rather slowly, as if he is proposing an absolutely genius idea that will revolutionize everyday life. Since this ad was on every five minutes on the only channel in English, it became a standard in our repertoire.

Here in Kathmandu, it feels like everybody is trying to sell you Tiger Balm. All the vendors on the street are in your face, pressuring you to buy it from them. So every time Matt and I are at a shop and notice it for sale, we always point it out to each other. "Matt, here's that Tiger Balm you've been looking for." "Oh there it is! I've been wondering where I could get some! I've been looking everywhere!"

One day, we were in a taxi, driving out of Kathmandu, when we noticed that one of the big, communal piles of garbage on the street had a dead monkey on top of it. Matt turned to me and said, "Hey Ell, where do you put your dead monkey? In the trash, with the rest of your dead monkeys!!" Humor is a fantastic way to avoid considering the reality of the situation.

All of these jokes have become routine on our trip and can be tailored to fit any occasion. They might sound ridiculous, but who are we kidding, this whole thing is ridiculous. :)

Playtime Outside

2007-12-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

So, the following day, we woke up and had breakfast before heading to Blue Sky Paragliding. We had scheduled a flight, and although the 3rd was rainy and cloudy and crummy, the 4th was beautiful. So, after waiting around for the first group of the day to come down, they loaded a bunch of us into a van with a ton of gear on the top and hauled us all the the tippy top of a nearby hill. After we got up there, it only took a second to get in the air. I was the first person and we were off in no time. Damu clipped me in and said, "Walk.....now RUN!" Seconds later, we were floating in the air.

For me, it was a great mix of absolute terror and complete elation. I loved it. I wish it had lasted all day (but I don't have the funds for that). There were eagles and vultures flying around with all of us up there, just riding on the thermals. Apparently, the companies who send people up like this sometimes even train birds to seek out the pockets of hot air so that it's easier for the paragliders to find them. But we were up there, riding on the air like waves, and it was amazing. Everytime I looked down, my heart just jumped up to my throat, but as long as I kept looking straight out, it was ok. I'm rather certain that Damu got a kick out of my screaming like a child, and kept doing crazy stuff. Or maybe I just thought it was crazy since we were so bloody HIGH! I told him I was ready for anything, so after gently turning and rising with the warm air, he steered us over to the lake where we spun like mad. It was alot like a roller coaster with loop-di-loops except there was no framework of any kind.

By the time we stopped spiralling, we were not very high above the lake and I could see the landing area. As we approached it, Damu said, "no water, no water, no water.." as if he were saying no whammy. I thought he was teasing for several seconds and then realized we were in fact, quite low. Just as we reached the edge of the lake, we landed in a heap in the mud. As I stood up, a water buffalo walked by with an angry woman following, throwing rocks. I just began to laugh. What a crazy morning.

After that amazing experience and feeling like I had just had a coronary, Matt and I grabbed lunch at our favorite spot before heading to the lake. We rented a strange metal-box-looking paddleboat and headed off to explore. The lake proved to be quite large, and the paddleboat inefficient. We made it almost all the way across before taking a break for a cocktail (Matthew had the foresight for this one). After some lovely sunset mountain pictures, we turned around and headed back in the direction of the dock. When we saw two other white people in a wooden boat, we decided it was no match for our trusty craft, and after all, we ARE pirates. So we paddled as fast as we could straight for their vessel without saying a word. When we got quite close, they were staring, so we stood up and yelled, "Ahoy! Avast ye matey! You've been pirated!" And other such ridiculous phrases.

After a brief explanation, we headed away. Minutes later, they were alongside (as we say in nautical terms...). Surprisingly, instead of being appalled by our behavior, they thought we were amusing (which is good, because we thought we were HILARIOUS) and came over to chat. They,re named Shannon and Andy, and the four of us ended up talked for ages and then meeting up later for dinner. What a great day!

The following morning we got a late start, but after a shower, some breakfast, and a few errands (by this time it's about 3pm, whoops) we headed around the lake to hike up to the World Peace Pagoda. It's on the top of a ridge, overlooking lake Phewa Tal and Pokhara and has a great view of the Himalayas. The stupa (as they call it here) was given as a gift from Japanese monks to promote world peace.

We decided to take the scenic route to the pagoda, so we hiked around to the north side of the lake, and nearby some terraced farms before following the ridge towards the peak. We were moving as fast as we could at the end because the shadow of the ridge we were on was slowly devouring Pokhara and the mountains. We got up to the pagoda just in time to take some quick pictures then practically sprinted down the short side of the hill before all the boats (that row to the other side of the lake, where we're staying) left for the night. When we got back, it was time for a delicious dinner near a fire at Tea Time Bamboostan before bed.

Today, we got up, had brekkie and rented scooters again (sooo much fun). We drove all the way through Pokhara, east towards a lake we had read about. After about 45 minutes (including a brief backtrack), we reached Begnas Tal just at the same time 4 more tourists were pulling in on their mopeds (and we thought we were the only bright ones). We all decided to share the cost of a rowboat and had a great time paddling in circles before reaching a cute spit of land where we relaxed for a bit. There was a family walking around us, washing their clothes and dishes in the lake as we admired all the nearby hills and mountains reflected in the lake's perfectly placid surface.

It was quite soothing to spend those few minutes there soaking up the sun before heading back towards Pokhara on our scooters (or "hogs" as Matt calls them). If you've ever driven on rural roads in a developing country, you know what I'm talking about. It's a chaotic combination of decomposing roads, a lack of traffic rules, rogue livestock, and so many different forms of transportation (pedestrians, bicyclists, giant trucks, little motorcycles, speeding minibuses, etc.) that it all becomes pandemonium. It's quite exhilarating to try to navigate it and Matt and I had a blast.

Following our adventure, we decided to head to the middle of Pokhara to find an authentic Nepali restaurant. We did, and it was great. Those are the places where I love to hang out, and despite the fact that we couldn't converse with each other, this was no exception.

The pictures are: the view from my seat in the air, me and Damu hovering (Matt took that one), the snake charmer who appeared out of nowhere during breakfast, the sunset view of the lake and mountains from the Peace Pagoda, the mirror-like surface of Begnas Tal, and me on my scooter.

Note: I intend to put in video links (that's why some words are red) but the connection here is terrible, so it would be impossible to upload the video now. Please check again in about a week.

Pokhara...

2007-12-03T06:03:00.001-08:00

Well hello!! So, Matt and I are in Pokhara now (and he's well and eating solid foods) and it seems like a very cool town. We arrived here by bus after a 7 hour ride from Kathmandu.

Like our other long ride (from the Tibet border to Kathmandu) the scenery was unbelievable. It's really hard to get a decent picture out of a bus window when you're bumping along a dirt road and inanimate objects seem to be ganging up just to ruin your shot (power lines, trees, hillsides, parked vehicles, etc.). But I tried my best, and this is what I came up with:

I was trying to get one shot that showed both the tropical foliage and the Himalayas, but I was thwarted. Alas. (Please note that the second pic DOES have Himalayas in the background, not just clouds)

Anyway, my other good shot from that journey is the following:

So, we're here in Pokhara, and after breakfast and a failed attempt to organize a kayak trip, Matt and I rented scooters and had a blast driving them around the bumpy streets and disorganized traffic of Nepal. First we checked out the old part of Pokhara, which was quite nice and lost in time, before heading to the International Mountain Museum.

The museum was adorable, think: very-well-researched old Japanese straw rain hat placed atop a piece of notebook paper with a face drawn on in marker. We had a nice time reading stories of the world's highest peaks and checking out gear from first summits. It's incredible to think that the people who summited these massive mountains (K2, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, etc.) in the 50's did so without the aid of any super-lightweight, aluminum shaft, thermal insulating, micro-fiber (insert descriptive phrase here) hi-tech gear that we have today.

So, we were in the museum for about a half hour before it started to drizzle. It almost never rains in Nepal in November but the drizzle turned into a pour that lasted at over an hour. We had thoroughly explored the museum, re-read the Lonely Planet section on Pokhara, spent time talking to local students, and sat in boredom for a half hour before the rain turned back into a drizzle.

We procured some old newspapers for use as umbrellas and went out to our scooters. The scooters were soaked and so were we by the time we got back to Lakeside (the area of Pokhara where we're staying) in the rain. I would, however, like to say that Matt and I are now experts on the fine art of scooting, and that for $5 each for a full day, we might start to do it all the time.

On an unrelated topic:

I was thinking, the other day, about what it is that makes mountains so ______ (gorgeous, inspiring, powerful, appealing, sexy, etc.), and I don't know the answer. The same goes for bodies of water like wild rivers or the ocean, even tiny, babbling brooks.

It's really hard to qualify what makes them so magnetic. It could be the possibility of exploring them, or the history of their creation, their size, or any number of things. I don't know. I might need to consult a philosopher for this one. Anybody have any insight to offer?

Mmmwhahaha, now that I've got your minds spinning, I'm going to go to bed and leave you all to ponder....

Vomitous

2007-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sooo, Matt and I woke up at 5:30am the morning of the 30th so that we could catch the bus to Pokhara, Nepal. He immediately ran into the bathroom and vomited. I won't describe the next half hour, suffice it to say that by the time we were supposed to walk out the door (and we were ready by that point too, showered with bags packed) it had become quite clear that we weren't leaving.

It became progressively clearer that Matt was very sick. I've never seen someone react that way to anything. He was violently sick for hours. By the time the sun came up, I was out at the pharmacy buying rehydration salts and anti-nausea medicine. I also stopped by the store for crackers and ginger ale but he didn't eat or get out of bed for at least twenty-four hours. It took two and a half days, but he finally ate a real meal for dinner tonight. And we are now in Pokhara. (I have some great landscape pics from the ride over which I will try to post tomorrow)

I would like to say that Chris Beall is a savior because he was the one who suggested it was food poisoning. I think Matt and I are a good team. And we managed to get through this no problem. If we were both sick, we could've called the hotel doctor. I think we'll be ok on this trip. More tomorrow and lots of love to everyone.

bliggity

2007-12-01T04:07:00.000-08:00

Continued from the previous post...

I neglected to explain all of the pics I put up in the last post, which were the Himalayan landscape as seen from the plane, central Bhaktapur, dyed yarn drying in the sun along Bhaktapur's backstreets, the Bodhnath Stupa, baby and mommy monkey, and the sadhus (the monkeys and sadhus were both at Pashupatinath).

This is a miscellaneous picture because I wanted to show the manner in which people move big things around here. They carry them. Whatever it is, they carry it, giant sacks of grain, big metal file cabinets and furniture.

So we got a late start then ran around like crazy to try to get to Patan. Once we got there, we checked out the museum there which was fantastic. It explained so much of the Buddhist symbolism I've seen but not understood. Now I understand the importance of the position of the Buddha's hands and the reason a stupa always has the same distinctive shape. It really helped to clarify a lot of things as well as helping me to notice additional symbolism in the art (for instance, Ganesh anyways has his trunk stuck in a bowl of sweeties.)

After the museum I got a fantastic set of ox bone prayer beads that are all carved to look like skulls, a wide ox bone bracelet, and a gorgeous ox-bone and wood necklace (they use a lot of ox bone here) all for less than $10. Sweet. Then we wandered around the main square for a while before checking out the backstreets.

Soon, it was about 4pm and we took a taxi back to Thamel where we picked up the bus tickets from the travel agent and went back to our room to change to meet Sulo (the friend of a friend I mentioned that we contacted in the last entry). After a bit of confusion, we found her driver and went over to her place.

Sulo welcomed us into her home/office with open arms and showed us all over her carpet factory. We saw women weaving massive rugs stitch by stitch. It's hard work, but they get good wages and there's day care for their kids. It was amazing to the the creative process that happens behind things that we totally take for granted (rugs). She got dinner for us and we had a fantastic time talking with her and her husband, Richie. Soon, we were all tired and Matt and I went back to the hotel and to bed.

The pictures in this post are Patan's Durbar Square, a coppersmith's shop in Patan's backstreets, and busy Thamel (where we're staying).

More Kathmandu...

2007-11-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

So, the next morning we woke up to an alarm at 5:30. You might ask why, but if you refer to the previous post, you will see that Matt and I had spoken to a travel agent and arranged some exciting adventures which were not detailed on that post. The most important was a flight around THE TOPS OF THE HIMALAYAS!!!

I thought it was pretty neat. I won't bore you with the whole early morning, delayed flight boredom, but will jump straight to the experience, which you can see a piece of here. It was a standard and very short flight except for the incredible scenery and the fact that they let us look out of the cockpit and take pictures of the pilots. We flew along the whole line of the Himalayas to Everest and back. (the pictures are all a bit hazy since they're out of windows)

After our incredible morning, we came back and got another great breakfast at Helena's (grilled bananas!!) before heading back to the old part of town and wandering for a while. I must confess that I spent at least a couple hours this day shopping. We topped off the amazing day with a slideshow and talk by Chris Beal about trekking in the Annapurna region where we found out what we're missing (Nepal is well known for its scenic treks but they don't fit into our schedule) and learned about a couple nice day hikes we might be able to do out of Pokhara. Then dinner > internet > bed.

The following morning, we got up early and headed to Bhaktapur which is one of the other two (besides Kathmandu) cities in the Kathmandu Valley. The oldest part of this city is off limits to most vehicles and had retained alot of its old ways so it's a great place to spend a day.

Before we could start our walk though, we bought coffee from two English-speaking Nepali guys with whom we discussed the importance of good barristos, the 'interesting' (explicit) carvings on some of the nearby buildings, and bad American movies (I also used this occasion to get splashed by the juice of a nearby animal carcass that was being carved up).

We had a great walk around the old city before we stopped for lunch at Fire Fast Food where we were blindsided by the strength of the local liquor (Raksi) and made a young friend who taught us a little Nepali language then showed us briefly around town. The local museum was closed for the day so we headed home for our normal evening routine.

The following day, we got up early and took a taxi to Bodhnath which is a Buddhist stupa frequented by many Tibetan exiles who live in Nepal. We walked the Kora (clockwise circumabulation) around the stupa while spinning all the prayer wheels (about 500) before finding a MASSIVE prayer wheel (about 8 feet tall and probably 6 feet in diameter) which we ran around several times.

Then we set off to find the gompas (basically schools for the mini-monks) which we had quite a difficult time located and eventually postponed the search for lunch. We ate at a Tibetan place where we met an interesting American guy who has been living in Nepal and studying Tibetan language for two years now. After lunch, he set us in the direction of the gompas which we admired then walked to Pashupatinath (quite an interesting 20-minute walk through little neighborhoods) which is another temple. The first thing that struck us about Pashupati was how ancient and empty the place was as it crawled with monkeys.

This is another picture from the same area of Sadhus (or dreadlocked holy men) at the same compound. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed access to the interior of the temples since we're not Hindu, but the place was fascinating nonetheless.

The temple area was interesting to begin with, but when we stumbled across a funeral ceremony, things really got weird. I'm going to leave out the details, suffice to say that it was fairly gruesome and after watching more than we should have, we left. Normal evening procedure... eat, blog, bed.

This morning we got up and had alot on our plate. We dropped off laundry, contacted a friend of a friend, scheduled stuff with a travel agent then headed to Patan, the third of the three cities in the valley.

The internet cafe is closing and I have to go... can't blog for a couple days.
I have a bunch of pictures that I haven't put up, so please leave comments, or email me about any that you want to see. Love to everyone. -ell

I'm Going to Kathmandu!

2007-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the drive into Nepal held some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever laid eyes upon.

Imagine little rural villages in the Caribbean or Central America nestled into rolling hills. Now add in terraced crops and Indian faces. Top it off with giant, snow-capped mountains towering over it all. My picture doesn't do it justice, but you can imagine. Try to blow up the picture, maybe that will give you a better idea.

The climate is incredible here. Down in the low valleys, you have bananas and oranges growing and behind them are these massive snowy mountains. The contrast is incredible. Where we are is really quite warm (especially coming from Tibet) but you can see over 8000m mountains. Ok, I clearly don't have enough variation in words to drive home my description, so I'll try to throw in a bunch of pictures.

When we reached the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley (actually composed of three cities), things began to get hectic. After coming from rural Tibet, I was a bit terrified at first. There were all shapes and sizes of vehicles driving recklessly in all directions while honking their horns. See video here. As we entered further into the city of Kathmandu, the roads began more narrow and twisty, but we never slowed down. Eventually, we came to an area with was full of appealing shops, with tourists (it was obvious) walking around. That's the area of Thamel where we are spending our nights. I was really put-off at first by the "foreigner facade" that covered everything, but I was soon to realize that it's easy to get out of that area (and it's very useful for internet cafes, laundry by the kilo, and a variety of restaurants).

That evening was spent getting used to Thamel and catching up on Tibet blogs. The following day was much more interesting. We had to change hotels then took several hours to explore the area of Kathmandu between Drubar Square and Thamel, which was loads of fun. While we walked, we were sure to check out all the statuesand temples of religious symbolism which were liberally scattered aroun the area. We spent most of the evening wandering around with grins about the excitement of the market and frequently got lost despite the constant checking of our map.

The local markets are very bustling and exciting, and I quickly became used to cars and motorcycles whipping closely by. Everything is for sale in the markets, just like at any big city. Here, some of the more interesting sights were a line of small shops selling adhesive tikas (forehead dots), several stores entirely full of gleaming copper (pots, religious figures, hardware) and a man with dozens of bamboo recorders (the instrument) stuck into a bamboo pole like a tree. That night we had a great dinner at an Indian restaurant and went to bed tired and happy.

The following day, we had a great breakfast on the 8th floor of a building. We looked out over the entire city as we drank our coffee and basked in the warm sun. After the brekky, we talked to a travel agent and scheduled some events, then hopped into a taxi that carried us to Swayambuhnath or "The Monkey Temple." Apparently, I hadn't given any thought to the name, because I was quite surprised to find the place crawling with monkeys.

It was fun to explore the place because it was up on a hill that offered great views of Kathmandu. Additionally, the monkeys are quite used to people, so they feel free to run around right near you. I'll put pics of monkeys in some later shots.

After the temple, we walked down the hill to find the National Museum. We didn't know where we were going, the vast majority of locals in the area didn't speak any English, and those who did thought we were trying to find a different museum. Eventually, we found our way to the general area of the place and then we were able to ask for directions. After about an hour of searching, we found the National Museum and it was closed for the day. Ahh!!! Luckily, there was a (free) Military Museum across the street and we had fun checking out uniforms, weapons, and inaccurate paintings for 15 minutes (I know the paintings aren't accurate because all the wars looked the same). Then we hopped a cab back to Thamel where we had dinner at The Old Tashi Deleg Restaurant (which will become one of our favorites for its cheap Tibetan food) before the internet and bed. (note: EVERYONE should get Skype with video. Do it!!)

The pictures in this post are: the view from the drive into Nepal (note Himalayas), overhead view of Kathmandu Valley, Nepali boys vying for attention from the camera, the market between Durbar Square and Thamel, and the main stupa at Swayambuhnath.

Last day in Tibet

2007-11-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

So, after seeing Everest, we went to a tiny town called Old Tingri. It was a typically quaint country town.

We checked into a hotel called the Snow Leopard equipped with no power, no heat and no running water. I foolishly tried to bathe. I know it sounds stupid and senseless, but I hadn't bathed in days and was filthy.

Anyway, after that mishap, Matt and I went to check out the town. We ended up playing cards, eating, and lounging at the Lhasa Restaurant for hours. These little restaurants have stoves (in the middle of the room for warmth) and couches, and as a result, they end up becoming popular hangouts. Eventually, we left left the restaurant and walked in the cold back to our hotel where we shivered ourselves to sleep.

Our hotel was ridiculous. It was lacking in facilities and effort. Breakfast was included in the price of the room and consisted of an empty crepe and a hard-boiled egg. Since I don't eat eggs, I found the breakfast particularly disappointing. I know this sounds petty to whine about, but for $35, we should at least get one of the following: warmth, comfort, water, food, or power.

Anyway, after breakfast, Matt and I left with the driver to go pick up Lukdha a mile away since he had been staying with his family. We drove on the paved road to a point where a dirt road jutted off to a little village in the distance. After a phonecall and about 10 minutes of waiting, Lukdha came riding up on a horse like a real country boy.

It was great. He let Matt and I both hop on this incredibly patient and well-behaved horse and take pictures with Everest in the background before sending the horse home with a loud smack on the butt (and a little chasing, and maybe some rock throwing).

Following that amusing interlude, we hit the road and drove through mostly barren countryside until we were right up against the mountains. We reached a pass decorated with prayer flags welcoming us down into the valley of the Himalayas. We stopped to check out the pass and Lukdha pointed at a massive, snow-covered mountain. He said "Shishapangma."

It was the mountain where Alex Lowe passed away after an avalanche came down on top of his expedition party. I couldn't believe it. The mountain that killed the hero of my teenage years. I spent weeks making and selling dozens of cord necklaces to raise money for his family after the accident. And there was that massive peak in the distance un-moving, un-feeling all the pain that it has caused.

After a moment of prayer and some pretty deep thoughts, we hit the road again, driving into a deep valley. As we drove, the river that carved the valley became deeper and farther away. The ride was long and after several hours we were terribly high in the air. The road was made of dirt, under construction, and frequently punctuated with hairpin turns.

Our driver was a rather impatient man, prone to speeding. I thought I had gotten used to treacherous, third world roads in Jamaica, but this was far beyond anything I had experienced. No shoulder, no guardrails, and hundreds of feet straight down to a river. Oh, and no seatbelts (not that they would do any good at that height).

The picture I'm putting up doesn't do the road justice. Maybe if you open it, it'll give you an idea of the scale.

We continued on this road for hours until we began to see homes and businesses and wound down through a multitude of switchbacks to the border town of Zhangmo, where we stayed for our last night.

The pictures are: a typical Tibetan home (child in the doorway, teapot on the satellite dish sun heater, sheep in the yard), Mount Shishapangma, and the scary mountain road.

The reason that mountain looks so big is because it's Mount Everest

2007-11-23T04:02:00.000-08:00

We left Shigatse the morning of the 20th. All we did all day was drive. In the early evening, we reached Shegar which was amost nothing except a street with a couple shops and homes. Matt and I checked into our hotel (the toilet didn't work and though the room looked clean, it smelled like there was poo hidden everywhere) and left to explore the town.

The exploring took about fifteen minutes after which we bought a Lhasa Beer and sat in the sun. Pretty soon, there were several children surrounding us, checking out our pictures and asking for pencils and money. We all kept each other mutually entertained for quite some time after which we took some pictures together in front of their tractor then headed back to our hotel.

The smell of the room proved tolerable only because the room itself was slightly warm. Warm is a relative term. At these temperatures, bathing is out of the question.

We woke up at 5:30 the next morning to head to Everest. It was a freezing ride. When the sun came up, we could see the landscape and it was incredible. Although we couldn't see Everest until we were almost on top of it, there were plenty of other views to keep us enthralled.

We saw the wildlife around dawn, which consisted of the usual (cows, sheep, goats, and yaks) plus mini-deer and arbres. I can't tell you much about the mini-deer except that that's not what they're really called, but I will tell you about the arbres. I MUST HAVE ONE. They are they cutest, fattest little furballs ever. Imagine a cross between a guinea pig and a fatmouse (space deliberately excluded to emphasize cuteness). When they hear you coming, they bound back into their little holes with a great display of speed and hoppiness. I feel that my life will not be complete until I have one as a pet. My foolish brother insists that my dog will not live with it in utter harmony and love (as I suspect) but instead will devour it instantly.

We arrived at the Everest basecamp around 11am. It was freezing and the altitude is 5200m so I couldn't catch my breath. Even walking a few steps makes you huff and puff like you ran a mile. We climbed up the mound of rocks and admired the mountain. It was a rather spiritual experience, and we decided to add a line of prayer flags to the pile.

Because of the extreme temperature, we descended quickly back to the car and went to have some instant noodles and check out the monastery. It was nice but there was almost no one there. Apparently the vast majority of the monks go to their real homes during the winter because it's so cold.

An hour later, we were bumping along in the warm car and I was wondering why we didn't stay longer at basecamp to admire the giant. It only took one bathroom stop outside the car to remember.

The pictures on this post are the arbre, a nomad campsite (there's a tent with smoke rising up and a stone corral full of sheep) and me below Mount Everest.

hello again!!

2007-11-23T03:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. I'll try to start from the beginning.

We traded our lovely home of Lhasa for a trip to Kathmandu. We left Lhasa the morning of the 18th and began our trip with a terrifying ride up a terribly winding and high road. The dropoff was probably over a thousand feet and I was rather certain we wouldn't survive the ride (this turned out to be a constant feeling). When we reached the top of the pass, there was a massive turquoise lake shining below us. After a brief spell of admiration and photo-taking, we descended back the same way we had come (no less terrifying) because the road around the lake was apparently blocked.

The road we ended up taking was gorgeous. We followed a river (I think it was the Brahmaputra) for hours taking in the scenic farmlands on the banks. Eventually, we turned off the main road onto a dirt road where we saw sand dunes, and the very rural lifestyle of the farmers. As we bumped along, we could see them tending their fields or picking brush to use in their stoves. We thought we had been taking a brief shortcut, but we didn't hit the main road again for over an hour.

The town we slept in that night was called Gyantse. We had a great dinner there and a nice walk around, but our room was FREEZING! Really. Matt and I both slept with food and water (to keep it tolerable to eat) and clothes (to keep them tolerable to wear) in our beds.

The next day, we checked out the Gyantse Monastery (where a small child briefly adopted me) then drove to Shigatse. When we arrived, we checked into our fancy hotel then had lunch and checked out another Monastery.

I'm posting video of the Shigatse market online. Check out "whiteyardy" on YouTube.

The pictures on this post are Matt, myself, and our guide, Lukdha at the Gyatse Monastery, yak dung drying on a wall (note the handprints; they stick it up to let it dry so they can then use it in their stoves as fuel), and a cute family at Shigatse Monastery who asked to have their picture taken.

more pics

2007-11-17T06:42:00.000-08:00

From: eldinneen@hotmail.com
To: laazylightning.ellie@blogger.com; eldinneen@hotmail.com
Subject: more pics
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:22:25 -0500

Well hello! These are some pics of the past few days. I don't know what order they will come up in, so I'll just describe them randomly. Part of a sand painting in the Drepung Monestary. Yak butter for sale. A mommy with a baby strapped to her back, that's how they do it here.

So tomorrow we start heading southwest towards Nepal. We've got several nights at different towns in Tibet on our way there. It should be a beautiful trip. Today we had a free day and I got a synthetic yak fur wrap that all the nomads wear like a skirt over their pants. It's super warm and very furry. I'm thrilled about it. Anyway, time for bed, sleep well everyone...

Drepung Monastery, Potala Palace, Norbulinka

2007-11-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

The pictures are me in front of the Potala Palace, pilgrims near the palace spinning prayer wheels, and the Drepung Monastery. Also check out http://youtube.com/watch?v=5lulz20gRE0 for video of the pilgrims prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple. Yes, I feel sleazy about posting intimate religious expression on the internet.

OK! So, we got up this morning and went to the Drepung Monastery. It was beautiful and ancient and very steep. It still bears the scars of destruction during the Cultural Revolution. During it's height about 6,000 monks resided there, but now there are less than 600. As usual, it was full of places for the monks to study, eat and pray as well as beautiful statues, etc.

After Drepung, we headed to the Potala which was the full-time residence of almost all the Dalai Lamas. It's 13 stories tall and was constructed in the 700's. Quite a feat of engineering. We saw many tombs of various Dalai Lamas and beloved abbots. The tombs are interesting though since they hold very little of the actual bodies. Buddhists here have "sky burials," which consist of a designated person chopping up the entire body and leaving it out for vultures to consume. When the bones are picked clean, they dice them up and mix them with tsampa (barley flour) and yak butter and serve that to the vultures again out of the skull. Mostly, all you will find in the tomb is a bit of hair and/or some teeth. I know it might sound like a strange way to dispose of a body, but it is spiritual and sustainable.

Following the Potala, we had some lunch and headed to the Norbulinka, or Summer Palace of the 7th and 14th Dalai Lamas. It was pretty but unremarkable. The tour even showed the 14th Dalai Lama's bathroom, and I don't need to see that. However, there were bunnies hopping around the property which I enjoyed.

It was another great day in Lhasa. Tomorrow we have a free day (no tour guide) and I have a cold, so I'm planning to sleep in late and buy some warm clothes for Nepal (think yak fur). Love to everyone. -ell

pics

2007-11-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

These are of the view of Lhasa from the top of the Potala Palace as well as a shot of the Brkhor Market outside of Jokhang Temple.

LHASA!!!! cont'd

2007-11-16T03:53:00.001-08:00

Where was I? Somewhere inside the Jokhang Temple, right? I think so.

So we wandered around the temple. There were monks and pilgrims everywhere. Everyone was murmuring their prayers and touching all the sacred relics. In addition to the monetary and yak butter offerings (which they pour into lamps) there were also offerings of barley, food, and chang, which is a fermented barley beer which is very popular in Tibet. There was a group of female pilgrims standing outside one of the rooms chanting, singing, and drinking the barley beer and one of the women gave me her cup to try. Fermented sweetness with a taste of citrus. Not bad.

After Jokhang, we wandered around the market and got some lunch (yak meat is delicious but chewy). When we met up again with Luta, it was time to go to the Sera Monastery. More pilgrims, more statues, more praying (not that it wasn't fascinating, just tryin to save time). Some fascinating parts were the monk printing the prayer books by hand with ink, a roller, and wooden letter blocks, as well as the monks debating. Apparently, the monks debate daily. They quiz each other on aspects of the religion or discuss the meaning of the scriptures they read earlier in the day. Picture over a hundred monks in a courtyard all in red robes. They split up into pairs and while one monk stands and poses questions, the partner monk sits and tries to answer as best he can. When wrong answers are given, the standing monk responds by winding up his right arm like a softball pitcher and bringing his hand down to smack against the left in a loud burst. The courtyard was echoing with claps and excited dialogue as we watched. It was great fun to look on.

Notes to make:
1. Since I can only send emails to post on the blog, I can't edit typos or retract anything.
2. Everyone should download Skype. It's free and incredibly useful. (Read: I'm lonely)

LHASA!!!!

2007-11-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hey crew!! So I forgot the explain those pics on the train post. One of them is nomads hearding yaks, and the other is the largest/highest freshwater lake in the world.

The new pics are mini-monks (my own moniker, aren't they young?!) at Sera Monastery goofing around and Barkhor Square in front of Jokhang Temple (please note the Himalayas and Potala Palace ((the big white building to the top right)) in the background).

So, this place is FASCINATING. There's the whole Forbidden City, Roof of the World thing, which just makes the place sound amazing and mysterious without knowing anything else. Then you've got the whole Tibetan lifestyle; nomadic, yak-hearding Buddhists, I mean, how far away from suburban America can you get? And on top of that there's the Chinese power-play, cultural suppression thing. Wow. (If I can be more blocked than I already am, it's certainly going to happen now)

So, we woke up this morning and had a FREEZING breakfast on the roof of our hotel. Then we went out to find some mittens before our guide arrived and we got totally turned around in the market. We got back ok, and it's kind of fun to be lost when you're in a neat place. The guide then took us around the corner to the Jokhang Temple which is 1,300 years old. There were Buddhists out front prostrating themselves. They had mats and handguards and they're out there for who knows how long throwing themselves on the ground and then getting up again repeatedly while praying. The strength of this faith is incredible.

When we went in to the temple there were offerings of money and yak butter (for lamps and eating) everywhere. It's strange to see monetary bills littering the floor and instead of taking them, people are just throwing more on the pile. I mean, thousands of people and no one is taking a penny because it's an offering. So, we walked around inside while Luta (our guide) told us about his religion and the significance of the different statues and symbols. Will write more soon, have to switch computers w Matt........

Train Ride to Lhasa

2007-11-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Well hello. It's been a while. First of all, I'm in Tibet. Second of all, I've never done the email-to-blog post, but I hope it works (Blogger is blocked). Third of all, I'm back in the photo game again and I hope the pictures I attached come through.

Ok, so we're in Lhasa! Got in late last night and our tour guide picked us up at the train station. Those pictures are both shots out the window from the train. It was an amazing ride. 47 hours in a train. We spent most of our time between the dining car, where we frequently got kicked out for not eating and playing cards, and the "room," which was six tiny bunks crammed together in a 6' by 7' rectangle with three bunk stacked vertically on either side lengthwise. Our roomates seemed nice although they spoke Chinese, so we couldn't understand them. I really didn't mind the train ride, but I could have done without the overflowing toilets.

The train reaches altitudes over 5000 meters above sea level, so they pump oxygen into it at points which is very helpful to acclimatise. I've never been this high up before and it's interesting how easily one can get dizzy and winded. It was nice to be lazy for a while and I had fun reading "Seven Years in Tibet," which gave me an interesting point of view coming into the country.

I'm going to stop writing for now in case this doesn't post. Perhaps I'll add more later if it does. Otherwise, I'm pretty excited to post about Lhasa. Hugs to everyone. Feel free to email me comments as well as posting them. -Ell

Thoughts on Communicating

2007-11-09T17:09:00.003-08:00

So, I feel like I'm trying to convey thoughts to other people in terms of Pictionary and charades. I can't understand a word anyone says to me and I can't read anything that's written. I can't order anything off a menu unless it's a picture menu. It's kind of entertaining, but it can be pretty inconvenient too. We're actually getting along pretty well with limited words and made-up sign language.

Lazy Day

2007-11-09T17:09:00.002-08:00

Yesterday, we spent the whole morning laying around. It was fantastic because we've been on our feet so continuously. When we finally got up and out, we went to lunch with Tom Villalon! So good to see that kid. He's been in China for several years and really seems to know his way around the culture. We had alot of fun hanging out for several hours over plates of Chinese food. After we chatted for ages, we said goodbye to Tom and met Danny and some friends. After they had dinner, we all went out to this Dewars free whiskey tasting (I know, I'm really immersing myself culturally...) and met a ton of cool expats while we consumed free cocktails. After that, everyone headed over to Vic's which was a big, loud and fun nightclub. I was having a great time until a reggae song came on and I stopped dancing because the lyrics were saying chi chi man fi bun. Everybody else continued to dance because nobody else understood the lyrics. It's a shame that Jamaica's biggest export has to be infused with words about killing gay people.

Other Stuff

2007-11-09T17:09:00.001-08:00

So, I can't see my own blog. I can publish posts, but I can't see the blog itself because I believe it's being censored from me much like BBC news which I'm unable to access on the web. So, that's not fun but there's nothing I can do about it. But I wanted to mention some other things that I've seen lately. We went to the Silk Market which was an incredible place. It was basically a multi-storey department store full of genuine-looking goods. The best knock-offs included. Nokia phones, ipods, D&G zip hoodies, Ray Ban shades, Polo button-downs, Breitling watches, Arc'Teryx jackets, etc. I've never seen anything remotely similar to it.

That same day we also saw the Lama Temple which was a sequence of buildings similar in layout to the Forbidden City but smaller. Every building was filled with incredibly ornate Buddhist sculptures, statues, and ornaments including an 18m tall Buddha! Everyone there was praying and burning incense. It was beautiful.

So yesterday, we checked out the Summer Palace which was stunning. Acres and acres of beautifully landscaped park dotted with gorgeous buildings and walkways. The lake in the center was massive and had an island in the middle with a bridge out to it. There was also a large hill dominated by the "Fragrance of the Buddha Temple." It was stunning.

I'm not going to put up a picture of that because they're not my pics, but hopefully soon, I'll have up some more. Also, Matt and I picked up a cellphone at the Silk Market and we managed to get it working yesterday. So now if you have an international phonecard, you can call us. As we travel to other countries, we'll keep getting sim cards and we should be able to take this phone with us around the world.

Catching Up

2007-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Well hello everyone. So the most amazing thing happened the other day. Our friend Ali got us a taxi to the Great Wall and when we got there we were confronted by this gorgeous mountain with the wall at the peak. We hauled ourselves up the mountain which was a beautiful two and a half hour climb. The last bit was more or less vertical with a wooden ladder at the very end. Eventually, we reached the wall, clambered up the side and ran up to a high point. It was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in my whole life.

Standing at a high point on the wall and watching it stretch as far as you can see behind and in front of you. You could see it meandering over mountain tops for miles all around. The view was so amazing I can't even describe it. Unfortunately I lost my camera so I can't show you the shots I took. (Don't tell Matt, they're better than his :) Going to try to pick up a new camera today.

Ponderings

2007-11-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

These are a few cultural differences between here and home that I've been noticing:

- Outdoor public exercise equipment (picture a playground for adults)
- Butt-less baby pants (kids are bundled up and wearing jackets but somehow there's a conspicuous lack of anything to cover up their heinies)
- People squating to rest their legs or have a conversation
- Incredibly inexpensive knock-off clothes, electronics, sunglasses, golf clubs, watches, anything
- Amusing Chinglish translations (protect the relics, protect the railings)
- Hole-in-the-floor toilets
- Identical buildings constructed right next to each other
- Smog that some days limits visibility to a block and a half

I'll continue to add to this list...

I'm really here!!

2007-11-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

So, we got into Beijing the night of the 5th and somehow managed to successfully get a taxi to Matt's friend, Gabe's apartment. It was great. He and his girlfriend Ali are super-welcoming and kind. It's nice to be in a home since we're so far away from ours. They took us out for dinner with another American friend, Danny, and we all had a great time. The food is amazing.

The following day, Matt and I navigated the subway system and arrived at the Forbidden City which we spent several hours exploring. The scale of the place is enormous. It's a giant walled in maze of impressive buildings made for previous Emperors. Then we checked out Tiananmen Square and went out a misguided hunt for "Wangfujing Snack Street" which found found out later is only open at night. After that failed detour (my idea), we took the subway to Temple of Heaven which is a series of temples surrounded by a beautiful park. We practically ran through the thing because it was getting dark.

Then we took the subway home and met up with Ali and Gabe and all went out to dinner with a bunch of their friends. It was quite fun except by the end of the meal, my jetlag was catching up with me and I was falling asleep at the table. Somehow, Mattie has miraculously escaped any sign of jetlag.

It's great here and the city of Beijing is fascinating. You can't see far because of the smog but it's amazing anyway. I'll write more soon and I send my love to everyone. Hugs. -Ell

P.S. Sorry guys, you're just going to have to turn sideways if you want to look at the picture. I'll try to post them upright from now on :)

Day Before

2007-11-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

So we're leaving tomorrow. I'm trying to get all my stuff together and make sure that I've got my whole To-Do List polished off. Do we have enough Immodium? Are the clothes I'm bringing going to be sufficient? I don't know. I'm ready to just go and not worry about anything else. A little panicky about leaving everyone and everything with no safety net except my little brother. Help! I figured it out, it's like I'm about to take a test. Because if I'm missing any THINGS, I can get them in other countries, but if there's something I'm not aware of that could pose a problem, I'm in trouble. So instead of studying, I'm writing on the blog. Typical, huh? Better get to work...

Tripod at Lime Cay

2007-11-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

2007-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be my blog. Hope to update it maybe once a week. Feel free to comment whenever, I'd love to hear from everybody. I'm going to miss you guys. XOXO