Jen and Gil's World Adventure

Aoraki/Mt. Cook

2009-01-24T16:40:00.000-08:00

From Tekapo, we headed further inland to another wildly blue lake, Lake Pukaki. From here, we caught our first glimpse of Mt. Cook. The mountain was named after Captain James Cook, one of the early western explorers of the islands, but its original name was Aoraki, which means "Cloud Piercer" in the language of New Zealand's first people, the Maori.

Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand - all of Australasia, in fact - and seems to emerge straight up from the belly of the island. You drive along the flat roads that skirt Lake Pukaki almost straight to the base of the Southern Alps. This is one of the best things about New Zealand; everything - from the mountains to the glaciers and more - is amazingly accessible.

We were very lucky to have seen the Mt. Cook's peak, as it is very often shrouded in clouds. We went on a short hike in the morning to a viewpoint that gave us an awesome view of the mountain range and the Mueller Glacier. Gil continued trekking further up into the Hooker Valley for a couple of hours, but eventually those infamous clouds developed and he found himself hurrying back to town to escape the windy cold and beat the impending rain.

We spent the night at the cozy YHA in Mt. Cook Village and in the morning went on another hike to check out nearby Tasman Glacier, one of the largest in New Zealand. It looks a bit "dirty" because of the way it has advanced and retreated over time, but was still a spectacular sight to see. There are huge icebergs that fell off the face of the glacier floating in the terminal lake and we did not realize the scale of them until we spotted a small shape motoring around them, which we finally figure out was a rather large passanger boat!

Lake Tekapo

2009-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

We rented a car and headed south from Christchurch, quickly figuring out why everyone says the South Island is so amazing. We cruised along Highway 1, stopping in a few towns along the route in seach of some long underwear and a mattress pads for our tent, we turned off onto a windy road twisting its way up through rolling amber foothills of the islands great mountain ranges.

We arrived at Lake Tekapo at dusk and checked into one of the local hostels (begrudgingly sharing a dormroom with some fellow travelers for the first time on our trip for lack of an affordable alternative!). We headed down to the lake for a night time strole and marvelled at the southern skies that opened up above our heads. There is an observatory nearby that supposedly affords some of the best views of the heavens in the southern hemisphere and we could certainly see why.

Our amazement of this place only grew when we awoke in the morning, because when illuminated by the sun, Lake Tekapo, and many of the other lakes in the South Island, appear to be an almost unnatural color of blue. The milky turquoise hue is due to the "rock flour" suspended in the glacial melt water, which was created when glaciers moved across the land pulverizing anything in their way.

To make the scene even more picturesque, there is a tiny stone church built along the shore of the lake. A bit more unusual is the dog statue nearby, which was supposedly built as a tribute to the sheepdogs that served the hearders that settled the area. We snapped a few classic photos here before heading out of town.

Christchurch, NZ

2008-11-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

After one last day in Bangkok eating cheap pad thai and trading in our dingy t-shirts for shiny new ones, we boarded the plane for New Zealand via Melbourne. It was strange to be ending another part of our trip and getting closer to the finish line, but even stranger to be back in a western country. The biggest shock by far were the prices. The US dollar was in the tank and where just a two days ago we were paying $20 a night for a hotel room with all the amenities we could possibly need, now $20 wouldn't even get us a bunk in a hostel dorm room. This reality forced us to get a bit more resourceful, so we finally decided to take advantage of couchsurfing.com - one of the best things to ever happen to independent travelers! Generous people from all walks of life offer to host travelers in return for nothing but a sincere thank you. What a novel idea!

Our host, Tony, was a super nice guy and not only had a couch to offer us, but the luxury of a spare room. He gave us some tips for touring downtown Christchurch, helped us sort out our car rental situation and even took us to a local couchsurfing party. A perfect poster boy for all Kiwis, who tend to be a very friendly and welcoming lot.

Christchurch seems to be a very nice place. It reminds me a bit of a New England college town in that it has a few cultural highlights, a handful of bars and a decent selection of international restaurants. But, for being the South Island's biggest city, it's not a very big city at all. After a couple of days, you might find yourself fondly endeared or totally bored to tears. We probably fell somewhere between those extremes.

Between the head and tail of our loop around the island, we spent about 3 days in Christchurch, which allowed us to take in the architecturally-stunning modern art gallery, visit the Canterbury Museum, which showcases regional history, and hit the weekend market at the Arts Center. We also had plenty of time to check out a couple of matches on the giant chess board in Cathedral Square and wander around the pretty botanical gardens.

On our last day in town, we headed out to the Banks Peninsula to check out the former French settlement of Akaroa. We never actually made it though, because we left on an empty take of gas and apparently there are no gas stations between the two cities - at least on the scenic route we took! The empty tank light had been on for about 40 kilometers when we reached a windy dirt road headed across the volcanically formed mountains from the northern coast. It seemed like a pretty risky move (one local we consulted said something along the lines of "gas? out here? good luck - you'll need it"), so we finally decided to turn around and head back toward civilization. We coasted down every hill in neutral and crossed our fingers as we drove on little more than fumes around the curvy coastline and finally through what seemed like an exceedingly long tunnel from Lyttelton back into Christchurch. Amazingly, we made it to a gas station, but it was certainly not the relaxing day we had planned!

Luang Prabang

2008-11-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

The ride to Luang Prabang from Vang Vieng consisted of hour upon hour of twisty turns up the mountainside and back down, which caused many of the locals to vomit the entire way. The scenery was georgeous, but the frequent sight of smoke from fires being used to clear cut the land for agriculture was disappointing. It's tough to fault people trying to eak out a living, so hopefully with all the new initiatives aimed at fighting climate change we can figure out a way to provide some financial incentive for people to protect their native forests.

There are a few cities we've been to on this trip that seem to just ooze charm and Luang Prabang is near the top of the list. It's the cultural capital of Laos and you are surrounded by beauty every step that you take through its quaint streets. The architecture is georgeous - classic teak homes are interespersed every block or so by gilded temples. Luang Prabang is a World Heritage Site, and its setting, at the intersection of two meandering rivers, is quite fitting for such a lovely place.

Luang Prabang defintely has a more upscale and sophisticated feel compared to the bucolic south, but we happened to be there during Bpee Mai (Laos New Year), which meant the atmosphere was a bit wilder than usual. Bpee Mai lasts for 3 days in most parts of Laos, but in Luang Prabang it extends over 5 days. There are many rituals and ceremonies that take place, ranging from the banal (like house cleaning) to the kitsch (like the crowning of Miss Bpee Mai).

The festivities begion with a visit to a special holiday market where everything one needs for the celebration is available for sale, from noise makers to caged birds (which are released for good karma). Families tidy their homes so that old spirits can freely depart and then cross the Mekong to build sandcastle stupas. On the second day we saw a colorful parade down the city's main street, with women and girls made up in traditional costume, monks in bright orange robes and led by Pu No and Na No, two bizarre red-faced characters. In the days that follow there is a pilgramage to the wat that sits on top Phu Si (the hill that sits in the center of the city) and friends and families symbolically connect with one another by tying strings around each other's wrists. There is a special procession with a revered Buddha image named Pha Banga and all of the Buddha images are washed and blessed using a special naga-shaped spout.

Keeping with the spirit of "cleansing", the entire city breaks out into a huge water fight. We joined the workers at our hotel splashing passersby with water as a New Year's blessing. Young people cruise around in the back of pick-up trucks scooping buckets out of giant vats, while others return fire with water guns from the back of moterbikes. The main street is where the most intense battles take place, and you need to keep an eye out for the few people who are dishing out more malicious "blessings" like a smear of black ink on your cheek or a blast of white powder in your hair. No one escapes from the action - we saw a group of monks dousing folks from the upper ledge of one of the wats and saw more than one elderly grandmothers tossing out cups! Luckily, it takes place during the hottest time of the year, so you don't really mind that you're soaking wet. Everyone is in good spirits, and things wrap up by sundown so you can go out and enjoy a nice dinner in dry pants. It was definitely one of the funnest things we did on the whole trip.

Speaking of enjoying dinner, another highlight of Luang Prabang is its culinary riches. From the all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet on the street to some top notch traditional Lao and French restaurants, you really can't go wrong. There is also a wonderful night market with some of the best handicrafts we've seen on our long trip, including beutifully woven scraves and hand-quilted blankets. If you're anywhere in South East Asia, its worth making the journey here, especially now that you can fly directly to and from Bankgok - which is exactly what we did in order to catch our flight to New Zealand...

Vang Vieng

2008-09-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Vang Vieng is a guilty pleasure. It's the type of place that, as an enlightened traveler, you want to hate. It's overrun with tourists wearing inappropriate clothing, overindulging in booze and poor imitations of western foods, watching crappy western television and generally not giving a damn about the culture or the people surrounding them. But, it's also ridiculously fun. If you can choke it down, chances are you'll ask for a second helping.

So, what's the big draw? I'm sure that once upon a time people came here for the beauty of the river and the surrounding limestone moutains jutting skyward above an intricate system of caves. Today, the allure of the river is not its beauty, but the many make-shift bars that have been built along its banks, each with its own signature rope swing, zip line and volleyball court. You rent a tube and float along, as the proprieters pass you a reed and pull you into the shore to greetings of free shots and DJ music. If we could somehow replicate this in the States, we would be millionaires.

In town, the situation is a little less worthy of emulation. There are lines of bars playing endless loops of "Friends" reruns, with the occasional "Family Guy" or "Simpsons" thrown in for good measure. I am not sure why these places are so popular, but I am guessing it has something to do with the fact that most people are too drunk or hung over to do anything else but veg out in front of the TV.

After a couple of days on the river, we decided it was time to get out and see more of the surrounding area. We rented a minibike and went in search of the many caves throughout the region. Along the way we passed some local boys hurrying home to show off the birds they had caught. Gil climbed through one cave that extended a kilometer into the hillside and we followed a river into another deep cave by tube. We also visited a couple of more expansive caves trimmed with stalactites and stalagmites. One was the home to a Buddah figure surrounded with offerings.

Back in town, we visited our favorite restaurant one last time - an organic restaurant using ingredients from a farm they own nearby - and then went for an ice cream at the local night market. Even though it was only two blocks from the packed Friends bars, we were the only foreigners there. For shame!

Vientiane

2008-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

The overnight bus ride to Vientiane (pronounced something closer to "wiangchan" by the locals) was long, but noticeably free of the earsplitting karaoke of which we had been warned, so we can't complain. The search for a hotel was another matter (Lao New Years was fast approaching), but after a series of unsuccessful attempts, we finally found a great room a few blocks away from the river.

Vientiane is the capital of Laos and although it's relatively sleepy compared to other Asian capitals, there was enough happening to keep us busy for several days. We started by visiting the city's temples by foot and then by bike. As a whole, they are less impressive than the temples in Thailand (no thanks to the Siamese, who destroyed nearly all of them in a series of invasions), but many boast special features or histories that make them unique.

Pha That Luang, a golden stuppa of enormous proportions, is the most important national symbol and a point of pilgrimage for many Laotians. Its architectural design is meant to convey different aspects of Buddhist doctrine, with the lotus bud on top symbolizing human advancement toward enlightenment. The stuppa also represents national independence to many Lao people, since it has been rebuilt multiple times following the occupation of foreign rulers.

Another interesting temple is Wat Si Saket, the only temple to survive the Siamese invasions. Today it houses more than two thousand Buddhist images of various shapes and sizes and a couple of interesting dragon-shaped vessels that are used each year on Lao New Year to bless the Buddha images with water. Nearby sits Haw Pha Kaew, a royal temple built to house the legendary Emerald Buddha, which currently resides in Bangkok. There are many monks studying at these temples, all eager to practice their English!

Other attractions in and around Vientiane include Patuxi, an Arc de Triomphe look-alike and the Xieng Kuan Buddha Park, a collection of larger-than-life sculptures built by a priest-shaman who integrated Buddhist and Hindu teachings. The sculptures were supposedly built by amateur artists, but what they lack in meticulousness they certainly make up for in sheer size and bizarreness. It was a fun place to visit, especially since we got to wait for the bus with a couple of beers overlooking a local soccer match. Another highlight is the huge Talat Sao market, where we picked up some amazing hand-woven scarves.

One of the best things about Vientiane, however, is the proliferation of excellent, cheap restaurants - many in the tradition of the French, who ruled here for over 50 years. From quick eats by the river to a 4 course meal with wine, we did our best to take advantage of the city's fantastic culinary offerings.

Tat Lo and Pakse

2008-08-04T13:03:00.001-07:00

We picked up in Tat Lo where we left off in Si Phan Don - relaxing on the front porch of our hut overlooking the river. Except now we had traded the sweltering heat of the valley for the cool breezes of the Bolaven Plateau, and the wide, slowly meandering Mekong for a more agile network of rivers that tumble over the highlands in a series of waterfalls.

Although we were joined by a handful of travelers on the long and sweaty bus ride to Tat Lo, the place seems to have retained much of its traditional character. There are no Internet cafes or western-style restaurants - just a few local shops, a collection of huts for travelers and a small temple, which was blasting music at all hours of the day and night for a local festival while we were there.

The area is famous for two things: waterfalls and coffee. In our short time there, we got a small taste of each. There were two waterfalls within walking distance of our hut, where we could take a refreshing dip or watch the local boys slip down naturally carved water slides into swirling water below. A short hike beyond the waterfalls brought us to small tracts of farmland clear-cut from the thick forest. In addition to growing coffee, the local tribal people plant a wide range of other crops to support their small villages.

The Plateau was an incredibly pleasant detour and we wish we had more time to explore the area, but we now had a flight to New Zealand booked and not much leeway in our schedule. So, we headed back to Pakse to try to arrange transport up north. It worked out that we had an extra day in the city, so we rented a fantastic hotel room (a big splurge at $17 a night!) and took advantage of "big city" amenities, like an ATM.

There isn't too much to do in Pakse, but it's a pleasant enough place if you can find somewhere to hide from the mid-day sun. We picked a local "healing center", where we got traditional Laos-style massages laying on mattresses on the floor. It was a far cry from a spa-like setting and the masseuses kept laughing at us, but at least there was air conditioning! This riverside city also boasts a few pretty temples, a small market and, of course, a couple of excellent coffee shops. By 10 pm we were exhausted and ready to sleep the night away on our overnight bus to Vientiane.

Champasak

2008-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

The town of Champasak is on the west bank of the river, the opposite side of the paved "highway" that runs north to south along the Lao/Thai border. This means you need to board a rickety old ferry to get across the river, and then walk (or flag down a ride) another couple of kilometers south to the town. Its a bit out of the way, but your efforts are rewarded with a quiet and peaceful village and some gorgeous views over the river.

The area was once the capital of the Lao Kingdom and Wat Phu Champasak is set in kingly fashion on the side of a mountain about 5 kilometers south of town. The ruins are relatively humble in comparison to those at Angkor, but beautiful their own right.

We walked along a narrow causeway skirted by two rectangular reservoirs until we reached two crumbling pavilions and finally the stairway that leads up to the main temple. The climb to the top was brutal (April is the hottest time of the year in Laos!), but we were emboldened by the laughter of the Buddhist pilgrims who accompanied us and comforted by the shade and delicate fragrance offered by the pretty yellow and white frangipani trees lining the steps.

The temple at the top exhibited an interesting mix of Hindu and Buddhist influence and there were a couple of fascinating rock-carved sculptures in the surrounding thicket, including a table shaped like a crocodile that archaeologists suspect may have been used for human sacrifices. We dipped our hands in the spring water that emerged from a cave in the mountain, hoping to benefit from its reputed magical properties. After drinking in a few last glimpses of the golden countryside that unfolded below us, we headed back to our motorbike and enjoyed a tranquil ride home in the soft light of dusk.

Si Phan Don

2008-07-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

If you come to Si Phan Don, you had better be ready to relax. Because there isn't much else to do here among the "1,000 islands" that fringe the border between Cambodia and Laos. But, this remoteness, this detachment from the hustle and bustle of modern life, is exactly why travelers come here and why many find themselves delaying their departure day after day, until they finally run out of kip and are forced to make their way to a town with an ATM.

Like emeralds glistening in the warm sun, land masses of varying shapes and sizes emerge from the milky Mekong River (along with the occasional bathing water buffalo). During the rainy season, many of the islands disappear, but in the dry season, they appear once again, like old familiar friends. The three largest islands are inhabited, including the two we visited, Don Dhet and Don Khon. Don Dhet and Don Khon have no electricity and no cars, and when you step off the narrow long boat you've hired from the mainland, it feels like you've stepped back in time.

Our day would start when we awoke to the sounds of children playing in the Mekong River that slowly flowed beneath our hut. We'd enjoy a lazy breakfast of rice soup and fresh fruit and then watch the local men expectantly throw out their fishing nets while their wives, mothers and daughters waded out into the river to wash their families' clothes. If we felt ambitious, we'd rent bikes and ride beneath the shade of palm trees to the islands' biggest waterfall, Tat Samphamit, passing over an elegant arched railway bridge built and long abandoned by the French. We would greet each evening by taking position in our hammocks and drinking a Beer Lao as we watched the red sun dipped slowly behind horizon.

I think this is what is meant by the word "idyllic". Thanks to Chris and Lani for so highly recommending this stop over!

Kratie

2008-06-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

On our way to Laos we made a short pit stop in Kratie, a small town situated on the Mekong. It was a sleepy place to enjoy a sunset beer on the river, with a small market and a few simple restaurants and food stalls.

Kratie is famous for the flat-nosed Irrawady dolphins that spend their time just north of here, so we rented a motorbike to drive up to Kampi where you can hire a boat to see them up close. Our ride under the shade of green trees and past simple stilt huts was fantastic. We smiles and waved to the villagers as we went by, watching children transport water from the communal well while their elders gathered on their porches to chat with neighbors. We found it very interesting that they choose to orient their homes and lives toward the road, rather than the luscious views of the river behind them. It speaks strongly about the community-orientation of rural life in Cambodia in comparison to the privacy and solitude favored in our modern urban society. We passed by several wedding celebrations, and marveled at the beauty of the women in traditional make-up wearing lace blouses and colorful silk sarongs arriving on motorbikes, and were honored when we got a few shouts to stop and join in with the festivities.

We felt very lucky to see the Irrawady dolphins, as they are extremely rare and pretty much on the brink of extinction. It is estimated that there are fewer than 100 left, and although there are education and conservation campaigns underway, we were shocked and disheartened to see local fisherman casting nets (which can be responsible for drowning these air-breathing mammals) literally within a few hundred meters of the area where they are known to congregate. Unfortunately, the fate of the dolphins may be a case of too little, too late.

Siem Reap

2008-06-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Siem Riep is a very touristy town, but it has every reason to be since it’s just about as close as you can get to the temples of Angkor without a time machine. It certainly came in handy that it had one of those ubiquitous Irish pubs, since it was St. Patrick’s day and we were in serious need of some green beer. We also appreciated the profusion of air conditioning given the 100 degree heat, so we really can’t complain about these conveniences of home.

In reality, you would need weeks, maybe years, to properly explore the temples of Angkor and all of their winding caverns and passageways. We had only three days, so we hired a tuk tuk driver to make the most of our time. We started out visiting the temples around Angkor Wat and then travelled further afield.

Not surprisingly, Angkor Wat was a highlight. It is the largest religious structure in the world and represents the pinnacle of Khmer architectural design. The carved bas-relief murals that line the halls are intricate and evocative and the five central towers reaching skyward are truly magnificent, especially at dawn or dusk when they light up like shimmering gold. But, Angkor is so much more than Angkor Wat. The story that unravels as you visit different sites gives you a much greater appreciation for the complexity and resilience of the Khmers than any single structure could.

The first thing that struck us was the sheer magnitude of the ruins. Each consecutive king wanted to honor the gods anew and commissioned a state temple to be built, thus moving the center of the kingdom over and over again. Our awe for the scope and power of the civilization was compounded when we contemplated the fact that while only religious structures remain, thousands of people lived in impermanent wooden settlements radiating out from the main temples at one point in time.

The temples exhibit an amazing diversity of styles. You can see the progression through the ages of different building techniques, materials and decorative themes, with each generation bringing something innovative to the traditional design. Another transformation you notice is a shift in religious beliefs. The Khmer’s were heavily influenced by their contact with Indian traders who came through the area and originally adopted a mix of Hindu and local deities, but later were converted by Buddhist teachings. In the end, sentiments swung back to Hinduism, evidenced by the thousands of Buddah images that were defaced or altered into less controversial figures.

Some of the temples were impressive due to their size or stature, such as the pyramid-shaped “mountain temples” of Pre Rup and Ta Keo, which were intended to emulate the sacred Mount Meru. Others were notable because of the uniqueness of the decoration. Two of our favorite structures, the Bayon and Banteay Srei, were actually quite modest in size.

The Bayon was built out of a cluster of towers carved with faces on all four sides. The faces evoke a strange sense of mystery and wonder, especially when navigating the maze-like inner chambers. The Bayon also has some fine bas-relief carvings portraying great battles and other historical events, as well as more obscure images from Hindu mythology.

Twenty-some kilometers from Angkor Wat is Banteay Srei, which has the most exquisite reliefs of all the temples we visited. It was not built by a king, but rather a counselor, and appears almost miniature in scale compared to other temples. Its beauty lies in the fact that nearly all of its surfaces are carved with rich and enigmatic images – the lion god Narasimha clawing at an enemy, a multi-headed demon shaking Mount Kailasa, Krishna and his brother firing arrows to stop the rain. It is truly a creative and artistic masterpiece.

Complimenting the splendor of the temples themselves are the dramatic landscapes in which they were built. Many temples were built on hills to provide sweeping views of the surrounding area, and most contained some element of water for dramatic effect, such as a moat or lake. The environment continues to shape them into the present day, with trees having invaded many of the structures, winding and wrapping their way around the stonework. While some of the temples have been restored, others have been left in this state of decay, providing a fantastical backdrop for movies like Tomb Raider.

We absolutely loved our time in Angkor and would definitely put it in our list of “must-see” places in the world.

Phnom Penh

2008-06-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh is ripe with paradox. Today it is the capital of one of the world’s poorer countries, but its museum holds the treasures of one of the most prolific civilizations in history. Tiny alleyways strewn with garbage and home to orphaned children cross avenues lined with gourmet chocolate shops and bakeries frequented by tourists and international aid workers. The recent past has been plagued by horrible violence and suffering, yet its people seem to face the days ahead with humor and a strange sense of optimism.

Just about the only thing that is consistent about this place is the confusion it generates in its visitors. Your only choice is to confront the bad and embrace the good. We started with the bad and found ourselves face to face with the legacy of a woefully misguided revolution.

The Khmer Rouge, an ultra-Maoist regime that sprung up partly in reaction to the US bombardment of the Cambodian countryside during with the Vietnam War, took over Phnom Penh in 1975. Under the direction of a tyrant named Pol Pot, anyone deemed to be educated was seen as an enemy to the regime and slated for execution in the hopes of returning the country to its agrarian roots.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek now serves as a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Set in a quiet and seemingly peaceful setting is a tall glass stupa filled with the skulls of thousands of people whose lives where ended there. More subtle reminders of the genocide are shallow indentations in the ground, mass graves where bodies were found, and random piles of decaying clothing.

Perhaps even more powerful was our visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum, a former high school that was used to imprison and torture victims prior to them being sent to execution sites like the one at Choeung Ek. The pictures of mangled, half-dead bodies that were taken when the city was liberated by the Vietnamese in 1979 would turn anyone’s stomach, and intake photos of incarcerated men, women and children posted among tiny cells converted from classrooms were absolutely heart-wrenching to look at given the knowledge that only a handful of them survived.

Many children were orphaned as a result of the murderous campaign and a variety of programs have been developed to address the ongoing challenges. A good example is a restaurant we dined at named Friends that educates and trains street children to work in the service industry. We also met a young woman involved in a variety of different projects, including teaching free classes on the traditional Apsara dance form, which was nearly lost as a result of the Khmer Rouge’s efforts to eradicate all things artistic.

Phnom Penh is clearly a very intense place, but it has positive points as well. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are glorious remnants of the Khmer kingdom before it fell into decline, while the National Museum holds thousands of archaeological treasures from Angkor. The city also has some great Art Deco architecture, like the Central Market, which thankfully survived Pol Pot’s destruction. Phnom Penh is gradually coming into its own as a modern center of commerce and culture as well, and has a busting riverfront with cafes and restaurants and some fun nightspots where you can get your groove on with a truly international crowd.

We leave with a heavy heart, but wish the city and its people well on the road to recovery.

Mekong Delta to Cambodia

2008-06-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to Sue and left Phu Quoc Island a few days later for the Mekong Delta. Since we had been flying from city to city, this was our first experience with local transport and we suddenly realized why several people we met in Thailand had warned us that “everyone in Vietnam tries to rip you off”. We were overcharged for a motorbike ride to the so-called bus station, a derelict gas station where we found two rickety old buses and several people colluding to charge us four times the local fare while our motorbike drivers waited to receive a commission. We discussed the price for about an hour when some other tourists showed up. With greater leverage we were able to get the price down to a more reasonable (albeit still inflated price) and at last were on the road to Chao Doc, the last city before reaching the Cambodian border.

The Mekong Delta is a beautiful area, with millions of people living along an intricate network of waterways. Chao Doc is a good example of the colorful local communities that have cropped up here. It has a lively market, lots of street restaurants and of course, a few requisite cafes. It also has a great vegetarian restaurant, where we got to try the veg-friendly version of several local dishes. Yum!

As you walk down the narrow alley ways toward the river, you come across small wooden shacks on stilts and then finally huts that are actually floating on the water. From the outside these places look very modest (in fact, many look like they might collapse any minute…), but you looks can be deceiving – one held an internet café, another a set of pool tables and more than one featured big screen TVs. Clearly the locals have gotten creative in order to expand this prime waterfront real estate.

We took the Mekong River up to the Cambodian border and crossed the border posts by boat. The Cambodian side of the border provided similar scenes of life in the Delta – shacks on stilts, rice paddies, and fishermen – but things looked a bit more neglected and noticeably less colorful, giving the you the sense that we were entering a country that hasn’t benefited as much as its neighbors from the recent economic growth in the region. We continued on to Phnom Penh, catching glimpses of the city’s former Khmer glory from the river as we arrived.

Phu Quoc Island

2008-06-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Oh Phu Quoc, how we love thee. Let me count the ways….

First, we love your beautiful blue waters and gently lapping waves swimming with the likes of techno-colored cuttlefish in love.

Second, we love your long sandy beaches - the ones that we can fall out of our beds onto, as well as those that are on the far reaches of the island and provide an escape from everyone and everything.

Third, we love your selection of cheap restaurants serving up delicious fresh seafood, French bread and giant fish bowls of tropical colored elixir.

Fourth, we love your massage ladies, available any time of day to rub out that last molecule of stress or anxiety (or touch up your pedicure) for a mere $4 an hour.

Fifth, we love your winding, potholed roads and the fact that you can rent a motorbike from pretty much any local you can flag down with for a pittance to explore your green mountainous interior, pass by your fragrant peppercorn fields and, of course, to reach your remote, secluded beaches.

Sixth, we love your iced coffees, delicious every time, whether served up by the ramshackle hut on the beach, the local joint furnished with lawn chairs or sitting on the veranda of the one four-star hotel on the island.

Seventh, we love that you have your own special breed of dog that boldly flaunts a mohawk along its spine. (We especially love the puppies that play in the surf!)

Eight, we love your famous fish sauce factory – or at least the fresh and delicious cuisine that you season all over the world.

Ninth, we love your lively market and the fascinating scenes that play out there every day, like the young girl laughing as she learns to end the life of a squirming fish by bashing its head with end of a large cleaver or Sue trying to navigate her motorbikes through the throngs of shoppers without hitting anyone.

Tenth, we love that you entertained us for ten full days – the longest we’ve manage to stay anywhere on this trip yet! What a perfect place to unwind and recuperate.

Ho Chi Min City (AKA Saigon)

2008-05-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

Saigon is quite a different place than its northern cousin, Hanoi. While Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam in a political sense, Saigon is undoubtedly the commercial center of the country. It’s big and modern, with cosmopolitan cafes and restaurants lining its boulevards and a busy lilt reminiscent of the western powers that held sway here for so many years. It’s also steamy and hot compared to the cool, crisp air in the north – a bit of a shock to the system.

Jen was stuck in bed nursing her knee, but Gil and Sue teamed up together to explore Saigon. We stayed in Pham Ngu Lao, the U.S. military enclave turned backpackers ghetto, which is lined with cheap eats and street side “bars” serving up beer in plastic jugs. From there, it was a short walk to the city’s best cultural and art museums, as well as a few nice parks – a welcome respite from the motorbike clogged streets.

As with Hanoi, there are many sites that are historically significant to the Vietnam War. The Reunification Palace (originally built as South Vietnam’s Presidential Palace) marks the location where the Communist tanks plied into the city on the day Saigon surrendered in 1975. It has been left exactly as it was on that day. Another reminder of the country’s troubled history is the War Remnants Museum, which documents the atrocities of the war in heartbreaking realism, including photographs of victims of the war and children born long afterward with defects as a result of Agent Orange and other chemicals used by the US military.

Sue and Gil also took a trip out to the Chu Chi tunnels, part of the infamous network of tunnels that reached all the way to the Cambodian border and allowed the communists to maintain control over the rural areas outside of Saigon. Guided by a former Viet Cong soldier who was clearly proud of the fact that he had a hand in defeating a global super power like the USA, they patiently listened to intricate (and often uncomforting) explanations of booby traps used to capture US soldiers and then filed into the passageways to experience the claustrophobia first hand. They passed on the opportunity to shoot off a machine gun though – the potential liability of a per-bullet pricing system just seemed too great…

Hoi An

2008-05-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

Vietnam is an incredibly long country. Since our buddy Sue only had a couple of weeks there, we indulged in the luxury of a few plane rides that cut trips that would normally take a two of days down to two hours. One of these flights was from Hanoi to the ancient city of Hoi An on the central coast.

Hoi An is one of those places that is so incredibly quaint you feel as if you’ve found yourself in a replica at Disney Land rather than the real thing. Having been named a Unesco World Heritage site a few years back, the local population has gone out of their way to preserve the unique architecture and beauty of this city that sits unassumingly besides the Thu Bon River.
Mingling with the Chinese and European influences seen in other parts of Vietnam, Hoi An has a strong Japanese influence, and the dark teak homes are interspersed with ornate temples, 19th century public halls and even a Japanese-style covered bridge. Many of the buildings have been converted into lovely cafes and restaurants and we spent many days enjoying French pastries, Vietnamese coffees and local delicacies, such as the “white rose” shrimp dumplings and cao lau flat noodles floating in a special broth made specially from water procured from the famous Bale Well.

One of Sue’s co-workers, Bao (who is Vietnamese) happened to be traveling in the country at the same time and he generously explained to us the finer points of Vietnamese culture, such as having a case of beer delivered to your table upon being seated! He also took us out to an amazing seafood dinner, which was one of the culinary highlights of our time in South East Asia.

Hoi An is almost as famous for its main trade as it is for its architecture. With hundreds of tailoring shops and locally crafted silk, no visit would be complete unless you walk away with at least one piece of clothing perfectly customized to your dimensions. But, cheap tailored clothes are kind of like potato chips – bet you can’t order just one! Of course, we stocked up. (Thanks, Sue, for lugging it all home!)

There are also some interesting sights nearby Hoi An, including the famous and beautiful China Beach and the jungle ruins of Mai Son. Both featured prominently in the Vietnam War, the latter when the US suspected it to be a hiding place for the Vietcong and bombed it almost into complete destruction. Unfortunately, on the way to catch the bus to Mai Son, I got hit by a truck and was slammed to the ground - hard! The egg sandwich in my hand splattered all over the windshield and I was suddenly surrounded by worried Vietnamese women petting my hair and rubbing strange smelling oils on me.

Remember that terrible fortune from a few weeks back? Apparently, running across the street without looking was not the right move… but, actually, I was pretty lucky – a sprained knee and some other scrapes and bruises were the only injuries and it could have been much worse. And now we have an excuse to spend more time lying around the beach!

Halong Bay

2008-05-04T02:46:00.000-07:00

We left Hanoi and headed east to Halong Bay for an overnight boat trip to take in this spectacular region, which has aptly been designated a Unesco World Heritage site. The drive was tiring, but it gave us the opportunity to take in the surrounding region. The rice paddies were full of farmers carefully planting individual shoots rice in what appeared to be an amazingly labor intensive process to grow this nation’s staple food source. We also passed thousands of people on motorbikes and we were constantly amazed at the cargo, be it complete families, oversized parcels or baskets full of livestock.

When we arrived to Halong City, we were pleasantly surprised by the comfort of our boat. After waiting a bit to depart, we headed out into the Gulf of Tonkin to navigate through a maze of thousands of limestone pinnacles. Legend has it that the area was created by the thumping tail of a dragon who descended from the nearby mountains and the number of secret caves and hidden grottos in the region certainly make it seem like a perfect habitat for a mythical creature.

Our first stop was one of those caves, seductively named the Surprise Cave. It was a lovely deep cave full of unspoiled stalactites and stalagmites, some of which resembled dragons, turtles and other “surprising” objects – we’ll let your imagination run wild from the picture…

Outside of the caves, floating vendors rowed from one boat to the next selling their wares to tourists. These women not only make their living on the sea, but also make their homes there, with small floating cabins and fish farms sprinkled throughout the bay.

From this aquatic village, we jumped into kayaks to explore the islands up close. At one point, we passed through a natural tunnel covered with mussels and other tiny sea creatures into an enclosed grotto lush with tropical vegetation. It really is a magical place and we were lucky that the weather cooperated and provided a warm and sunny winter day for us to experience it.

In the evening, the boat anchored and we enjoyed a few drinks on the upper deck watching the sunset and then later gazing at the stars. It was not as peaceful as we might have imagined because there were many boats docked one small area of this large national park, but it was still a worthwhile experience.

The next morning we woke and traveled through other regions of the park, mesmerized by the many different shapes and sizes of the islands. It was a very relaxing trip, with little to do other than admire the natural beauty.

Hanoi

2008-04-17T01:28:00.001-07:00

We got off the plane in Hanoi and our first impressions matched up pretty well with the dreary images of communist countries that have long been perpetuated in the western world. The airport was stark and grey, immigration officers dressed in drab informs the color of pea soup stared at us grimly as they stamped our passports and everyone was cloaked in heavy wool jackets to fight off the cold. But it didn’t take long for our impressions to change. On the taxi ride into the city, our sense of gloominess transformed into nostalgia when we observed women and men seeding rice in classic cone-shaped straw hats and young people riding their bikes to school. It seemed to be such a simple and peaceful existence that we couldn’t help but feel perplexed as to how our country could have seen this poor agrarian society as such a threat to our way of life for so many years.

When we reached the center of Hanoi, our impressions were altered yet again. We had arrived in the heart of the bustling Old Quarter and were immediately stunned by the rich cultural tapestry that unfolded before us. The narrow winding streets accented with red doors and silk lanterns suggested a strong Chinese influence, while the wide boulevards, colonial buildings and imposing St. Joseph’s Cathedral across town betrayed the country’s many years under French colonial rule. The early seeds of a growing western influence can be found as well - especially the impact of the bourgeoning tourist industry.

The smell of pho soup wafted through the air, combining with the fragrance of plum blossoms and the earthy smoke of incense to create a heady and intoxicating aroma. Our eyes were treated to sensory overload as well, especially when walking through the local markets. Beautifully adorned flowers, perfectly cut vegetables, slimy eels and skinned dogs all vied for our attention. Lest our ears be forgotten, the cacophony of hundreds of thousands of honking mini bikes and the shrill yells from cyclo conductors offering us rides kept us on constant alert.

While some parts of the city are dizzying in their intensity, there are many others that provide a tranquil respite from the chaos. The city is on the Red River and is blessed with several lovely lakes. In the early light of the rising sun, people converge on the sidewalks to undertake their daily exercise – usually a session of tai chi or a vigorous game of badminton. On Hoan Kiem lake, a picturesque red bridge leads to a pretty Buddhist temple, while across town, the Temple of Literature, an ancient university dedicated to the study of Confucism, provides peaceful courtyards for local students and tourists to gather.

The Vietnamese are fond of their drink, and Hanoi is no exception. Cafes serve up a beverage that is uniquely Viet – an oily, herbal cup of joe, brewed one at a time at your table and served with a spoonful of condensed milk. Fear not if you’re not a fan of the bean, as local families have set up make-shift bars on several street corners to dole out something stronger. They consist of nothing more than a keg and a few stools set in the gutter, but who can pass up the opportunity to enjoy the purportedly cheapest beers on earth?

Of course, the culture of Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular, is heavily influenced by its politics and so no visit is complete without a tour of its more historic sites. We visited the Hoa Lo Prison (affectionately known as the Hanoi Hilton), which was appropriated by the French as a place to imprison and torture independence fighters. In time, some of these same revolutionaries used it for similar purposes – first to punish opponents of the communist movement and then to hold prisoners of war. The most famous POW is, of course, our current presidential candidate, John McCain, whose photo and flight suit are prominently on display.

The most bizarre part of our tour was undoubtedly the visit to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. After having our cameras, bags and hats confiscated, reading a list of peculiar rules and being set up in lines of two, we were marched through a massive building into a dark cave where his embalmed body is on display in a glass tomb. It all seemed a bit burlesque for a man who humbly asked to be cremated and have his remains spread throughout the country…

We couldn’t help but wonder what Ho Chi Minh would think of the rest of the complex that surrounds his resting place either. He would certainly approve of the simple cabin where he planned out his communist utopia, strategically situated next to the former French Governer’s palace for comparative emphasis. But we’re not so sure how he’d feel about the Ho Chi Minh Museum, a wacky exercise in experimental art that tries to explain the ideals of the communist revolution through exhibits that includes a fanciful replication of the brain that you can walk through and a basket of larger-than-life fruit. It was an amusing place to visit, but try as we might, we just didn’t get it...

We really enjoyed our time in Hanoi, which was made even better by our great company. We had been planning to meet a friend from San Francisco, Sue, but when she showed up a day later than we expected (word to the wise, you lose a day when you travel west over the international dateline…), we were lucky enough to come across her brother and sister sitting in the table next to us at dinner. Tim and Victoria filled in nicely for Sue until she arrived, after which the five of us traipsed around the city together, sipping lots of coffees and wondering about the strange land we found ourselves in.

Ko Tao

2008-04-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

We flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then took a train down to Chumphon where caught a ferry to Ko Tao in the morning. Yes, the trip was as long as it sounds, and unfortunately it was made even longer by the fact that our train suffered from “engine broke” on the way there.
Ko Tao is a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand that has become a Mecca for those seeking dive instruction on the cheap. Evidence of its growing popularity, all of the accommodation on the main beach was booked when we arrived, so we headed to the south bay. We rented some basic garden bungalows and immediately got down to business. We arrived to the island around 2:00 and by 4:30 Gil was watching his first PADI dive instruction video and Jen and her parents were sharing a Chang beer in a gazebo looking out at the sea.

Gil’s PADI course was a success and he was rewarded on the final day with sightings of a whale shark! This majestic creature swam directly at him and even nudged him a bit with his tail. The visibility could have been better, but he also saw plenty of corals, brightly colored fish and, of course, tons of other freshly certified divers!

The weather was overcast and the sea was choppy, but that didn’t stop the rest of us from spending our days relaxing on the beach. Our favorite spot was Shark Bay, which luckily has been protected from the rampant overdevelopment occurring on other parts of the island. On our last day, we did a bit of snorkeling and true to its name, several reef sharks circled as soon as we reached the deeper water. Reef sharks are supposedly harmless, but it still gets your heart racing to see them a couple of meters away from you!

We also rented motorbikes, which allowed us to get around on the island’s few paved roads. We took them out to the cliffs to check out views of the small twin islands to the northeast of Ko Tao and Jen’s Dad braved the potholed dirt roads out to one of the more isolated bays in the east one morning. It was a fun way to scoot around and we only had a couple of minor mishaps…
All in all we had a wonderful time, but we sincerely hope that the island gets its act together and starts to invest some of the money its making off of the influx of tourists to construct a much needed water treatment systems. They could also use some stricter land use regulations, as the beach in the south bay has all but been swallowed up by the ever growing hotel and bungalow operations. Of course, the reefs will need better protections too, especially given the growing numbers of people diving in this relatively small area each day.

Chiang Mai

2008-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Chiang Mai is the unofficial capital of northern Thailand and the second largest city in the country, but it seems to be a world apart from the modern metropolis that is Bangkok. First off, it’s a bit medieval with a moat and stone wall surrounding its perimeter. The city is also more spiritually inclined, with literally hundreds of temples gracing its elegant streets. It’s full of history, but has not been lost to it and today Chiang Mai’s stylish cafes, vibrant nightlife and colorful markets draw just as many tourist as its more ancient elements.

We began our exploration of the city with a tour of some of the most famous temples. The temples in Chiang Mai are mostly from the Lanna period and are heavily influenced by the Burmese, so they are quite different from those in the south. They feature tiered roofs and are often decorated with intricate wood carvings and gilded nagas, lions and umbrellas. A few of the highlights for us included a graceful minimalist temple made entirely of dark teakwood and the ruins of a giant chedi adorned with massive elephant sculptures. During our meanderings, we also observed some young monks dismantling a chedi to make room for a new structure – it certainly seemed a bit incongruous to see these peaceful people wielding sledgehammers and pickaxes! To preempt temple overload, we made a vital pit stop at one of the wats offering Thai massage and reflexology.

In addition to moderating your intake of temples, one has to be careful to avoid overdosing on shopping in this town, as there are opportunities aplenty. Besides the nightly craft market aimed at tourists, there are tons of local markets all around town, including a beautiful flower market. The Sunday market was our favorite, and luckily it was right around the corner from our hotel so we didn’t have to lug our purchases far.

Chiang Mai has some decent restaurants and fun bars down by the river. Since we had long been craving some live music, we were happy to discover that Tuk, a rocking guitar player that had impressed our friends Chuck & Jane many years ago, is still busting out the classic rock favorites every weekend and even seems to have an apprentice or two.

We spent a day at the Elephant Nature Park, a home for injured and mistreated domestic elephants. It’s a very special place and we felt privileged to take part in feeding and bathing these majestic creatures. It was heart breaking to hear about the tragic histories of many of the elephants, but encouraging to learn about the new methods the Park is developing to train baby elephants using positive reinforcement. If successful, it may help to revolutionize the traditional process of “breaking”, which consists of depriving and torturing the animals until they submit.

We also rented a car and spent a day in the mountains around Chiang Mai. Our first stop was the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, one of the most important temples in the country. Legend has it that the site was selected by a divinely inspired elephant, and whether or not this is true, it does provide beautiful views over the city and countryside below. Many Thais come here to provide offerings in the hopes that they will receive good luck and positive karma. Jen’s karma must be a bit off, because she used fortune sticks there and received what must be the worst prediction ever – something along the lines of “You are terribly unlucky. No one can help you. You must watch every move you make or you will suffer.”

We also visited the King’s summer palace, which, like his mother’s palace to the north, has a stunning garden. It also has an Olympic-sized musical fountain, a gift to the Queen for her birthday. Now we all know what to give that person who has it all!

Chiang Rai

2008-04-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

After a quick pit stop back in Bangkok to trade Gil’s mom for Jen’s parents, we flew up to Chiang Rai. We descended through luscious green mountains to land in a quiet little city that introduced us to the relaxed pace and friendliness that characterizes Northern Thailand.
Chiang Rai has a great night market with handicrafts from the local tribal communities, classic dance and music performances and stalls selling local cuisine. The food wasn’t particularly appealing to us (fried crickets, anyone?), but we did enjoy the entertainment and the cold pitchers of beer.

To learn more about the people who create the lovely goods we saw at the market, we visited the Hill Tribe Museum, which presented information about the culture of the various ethnic groups that live in the area. It was interesting to learn about the traditions of the Hmong, Karen, Akha and other tribal groups and about the challenges they face today in preserving their way of life. Most of the hill tribe people have migrated here from their native lands, as have thousands of Chinese. As it was nearing Chinese New Year’s, we got to see families presenting meals as offerings, lighting firecrackers, and undergoing other preparations for the big event.

There are some lovely temples in Chiang Rai, both ancient and modern. The most impressive one is situated about 15 kilometers south of the city. Nicknamed the White Temple, this work in progress is designed by a man who became an internationally recognized modern artist, and then returned to his local community to erect the monument. Standing tall in gleaming white and adorned with delicate embellishments, it glows like a bride on her wedding day. But this temple is not innocent and blissful, but rather presents a complex interpretation of the cosmos and the Buddhists journey toward enlightenment. On approaching the temple, you are greeted by red skulls surrounding a bottle of alcohol, warning you of the perils of not following the Buddhist precepts. You then step across a bridge spanning over ghostly arms reaching to pull you down into hell. Inside the temple, the back wall depicts a soulless science fiction future illustrated by scenes from the Matrix and an image of the Twin Towers burning, among other images. Finally, after you’ve been reminded of all the suffering that can be relieved by nirvana, you are confronted with a radiant image of the Buddha, painted in bright pastels and swirling brush strokes and reminiscent of something you might have had hung in your dorm room under a black light. It was very fresh and very different and seemed to give an ancient religion new relevance in this quickly modernizing society.

We rented a car and driver to take us to the border town of Mai Sai, where we needed to cross into Myanmar to renew our Thai visa waiver for another 30 days. We saw very little of Myanmar, but if it is representative of the rest of the country, the country consists mostly of bootleg videos, cheap cigarettes, dried mushrooms and other junk from China. Mai Sai didn’t have much more to offer, but we do get to say we’ve been the northern most point in Thailand and the Golden Triangle, the historic center of the opium trade.

Much more interesting was the countryside we passed through on the way to the Golden Triangle. We stopped at a cave temple frequented by mischievous monkeys and drove up into the mountains to visit the summer home of the King’s mother. She wanted to influence the lives of the hill tribe people by bringing them needed medical care and supporting agricultural initiatives to wean them out of the opium business. We were humbled by the relative modesty of her Swiss-style chalet, and stunned by the intricacy of her gardens, which included an orchid laboratory, rock garden and hundreds of fountains.

On the way home, our driver’s break neck speed slowed to a crawl as we tried to reach Mae Salong, a Chinese village nestled in the mountains. He yelled for us to get out, and suddenly we were running after the sputtering car. We finally reached a tea plantation, where we gave the car a rest and devised a plan to get the rest of the way to the village (two at a time). Given our troubles, we didn’t get to do much in the town other than taste some local teas (accompanied by fried bamboo worms), but it was a beautiful journey nonetheless.

Railey

2008-04-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

From Krabi we also went to Railey beach, an isolated peninsula jutting into the Andaman Sea. Arriving on the eastern shore, you have to climb out of the long tail boat and wade through mud to reach the beach, but your reward is access to one of the coolest places on earth.

Railey has three main beaches, the eastern one being the least inviting to most people, but rock climbers would disagree. The sheer cliffs, full of cracks and crevices, provide the perfect challenge for beginners and experts alike. The inspiring views from the top make the vertical scramble in the heat worth all the sweat and pain. This time around we only got to watch, but we will be back some day to take it on ourselves.

Phra Nang beach is the most breathtaking of the three, and undoubtedly one of the most spectacular in the world. The southern end of the beach is cut off by a limestone cliff with massive stalactites reaching down towards the cool blue sea like the fingers of a thirsty man grasping for a drink. There are also hundreds of caves dotting the cliffs, including one that has curiously been filled with thousands of lingam statues. The lingam is a phallic symbol sacred to Buddhists and represents power and fertility.

The beach was quite crowded, much more so than when Jen visited here six years earlier, but there was a festive air with locals selling wares on the beach and colorful long tails lined up along the shore. The monkeys were also enjoying the friendly atmosphere, jumping from limb to limb and grabbing bananas from wide eyed tourists.

Our final stop was Railey West, where we had ice cream for lunch and took a final dip in the sea. As if the place could be any more magical, it suddenly started to rain even though the sun was still burning brightly overhead. It felt like we were in a dream. On the way home, our long tail raced the storm back to Krabi. The sudden turn in the weather took us by surprise, but at least it made it a bit easier to leave such an extraordinary place.

Krabi, Ko Lanta & Around

2008-04-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

We flew from Bangkok to Krabi, and were greeted by a fabulous sunset, the first of many we’d be blessed with over the next week. Krabi town is situated on a river flowing out to the Andaman Sea, adjacent to mangrove s and encircled by large rock outcroppings blanketed in green vegetation. There is a fun night food market, and lots of cheap and tasty restaurants, but not much else to keep you occupied. Still, we were pleasantly surprised by the likability of what we expected to be just a transit stop in our journey.

After an unnecessarily time consuming ferry ride, we arrived at Ko Lanta and our quaint bungalows just steps from Klong Dao beach. The beach was a long expanse of golden sand, lapped by gentle waves, and crisscrossed by baby stroller tracks (a clear sign we were in family territory, but, hey, we were with family after all!). The landscape contained more evergreens than the palm trees you might expect in the tropics, but it was a beautiful and quiet place to relax for a day or seven.

Our days mostly consisted of swims in the turquoise water, walks on the beach at sunset, choosing a place for dinner, and watching movies (or fire dancers) after dark. When the stress of this hectic routine got to us, we would retire to air conditioned comfort for Thai massages.

To liven things up a bit, we took a cooking class, where we learned to make some spicy curries and other Thai specialties. We got to eat our creations afterward, and although we hate to brag, it just might have been the most delicious food we had in all of Thailand. We were also lucky enough to catch some thai boxing, thanks to Mom’s hotel room overlooking a temporary ring. Sipping beers on the balcony watching as bunch of sadistic guys beat the %&^# out of each other for free really made us feel like VIPs.

We also went on a few day trips to visit surrounding islands. On our first outing, we headed south for a little sunning and snorkeling. At Ko Cheauk, a swim through a cave brought us to a sandy emerald-colored cove completely enclosed by sheer cliffs. Nearby Ko Muk and Ko Kraden, we snorkeled in tons of colorful fish. On the way back, our boat passed the eastern side of Ko Lanta, where we caught a glimpse of the island in its more wild state, thanks to the protection of the rare mangroves lining the shore.

Gil also took a trip by speedboat to Ko Phi-Phi, a set of islands to the north. Whereas Lanta has rolling hills and long sandy beaches, Phi Phi is volcanic nature and is characterized by steep cliffs and sheer rock outcroppings. This hasn’t limited development though, with the isthmus connecting the two islands inundated with hotels and bungalow operations. This spot was hit the hardest by the tsunami, and although the government pledged to limit rebuilding this time around, it doesn’t look like it’s had any effect. But, if you can ignore the crowds, it’s still a little slice of paradise.

The trip also stopped on a couple of smaller islands in the area with colorful snorkeling and pristine beaches. Bamboo Island is uninhabited, except for the backpackers pitching tents for the night, and is the type of place you wouldn’t mind being shipwrecked. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Le was also beautiful – so beautiful, in fact, that they filmed the movie version of “The Beach” there.

Ayuthaya

2008-03-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

From Kanchanaburi we travelled to Ayuthaya, stepping back in time to appreciate the legacy the ancient kingdom who established their capital here for nearly 400 years. But far from being a city lost to history, Ayuthaya has evolved into a prosperous commercial center that has earned its own place in modern Thailand. Surrounded by three intersecting rivers and situated just an hour north of Bangkok, it’s a surprisingly genuine city to visit, with some authentic local markets and relaxed riverside restaurants.

We began our explorations of the city with an early morning tour of some of the major temples. There are no tuk tuks or taxi cabs in Ayuthaya – just mini pick-up trucks that you ride in the back of – so, it makes for an interesting ride. In the afternoon, we continued our explorations by long-tail boat, an equally peculiar (and noisy) mode of transport that gave us a different perspective on this water-centric locale.

The temples we visited exhibit many different influences, including those of the earlier Sukhothai and Angkor empires. They are mostly in ruins thanks to the Burmese, who destroyed the capital and forced the Thais to flee to the present day capital of Bangkok. Yet, they are still impressive – giant brick and sandstone towers reach toward the sky, as flowering trees envelop them in an attempt to draw the sites back to a more natural state.

Although many of the Buddha images have been stolen or beheaded by looters, the city retains its religious importance and many younger temples have been erected nearby or on top of the ancient ones. Hundreds of pilgrims make their way here each day to honor the giant reclining Buddha or to give alms to the monks who reside here. At Wat Phanan Choeng, we watched a group of devotees wrapping a colossal golden Buddha in sacred yellow cloth, while others outside gave offerings to the fattened catfish swimming in the river.

It’s easy to get temple overload in a place so rich in cultural treasures, so we left ready and excited to head south to the islands of the Andaman Sea for week of rest and relaxation.

Kanchanaburi

2008-03-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

We took the train to Kanchanaburi, a relaxed city spread out alongside the River Kwai. It’s a popular weekend retreat from Bangkok, which means the peace and quiet of this otherwise relaxed town is often disrupted by the noisy engines of the long-tails or the blasting sounds of karaoke barges plying up and down the river.

Kanchanaburi is an important historical site, because it is where the Japanese began building the legendary railway to Burma during World War II. The railway was a critical part of Axis’ offensive strategy, as it would forge a critical link between the Far East and India, allowing Japan to extend its strategic control in westward. The railway would be an engineering feat in its own right, as it crossed some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth – monsoon -fueled rivers, steep mountains and sweltering, mosquito-infested jungles – but, it was really the speed at which it was accomplished that made it so astonishing. Engineers estimated that it would take nearly 3 years to complete, but it was finished in closer to one.

Unfortunately, this speed had a terrible human cost. Thousands of Allied prisoners of war and a hundred times more conscripted workers from India and South East Asia died in the process from tropical diseases, malnutrition or overwork. The Allied POWs have a cemetery in town and there are a couple of memorial museums that tell this sad story. We traveled by train on a section of the original so-called “death railway” and walked across the infamous “bridge over River Kwai”.

Kanchanaburi is also known for its natural beauty, so headed out into the surrounding countryside. We started at Erawin National Park, which contains a series of 8 pretty waterfalls. Even though it’s the dry season and the falls were not at their most spectacular, there was enough water for Rita and Jen to take a quick dip into the icy waters of the 5th falls while Gil ran the rest of the way up to the top.

After lunch, we got rides from some gentle grey giants. After logging was banned in Thailand, thousands of domesticated elephants were unemployed and many have found new jobs in the tourism industry. There is vigorous debate about the proper role and treatment of domesticated elephants going forward, but it’s clear that their livelihood will continue to depend on interested tourists – whether it’s trekking, begging in the streets of Bangkok, performing in elephant shows or, preferably, just being themselves in a wildlife sanctuary. Unfortunately, there is just not enough land or money for the latter to be a realistic option at this point.

After our hot and uncomfortable rides, we took a short, but refreshing trip down the river on log rafts (or, floating alongside the raft at times). We also visited a dark and cool cave temple with a large sitting Buddha, one of many sites of worship built into the surrounding mountains.
We took a trip to the Tiger Temple, another controversial wildlife initiative. The temple began as a sanctuary for hurt or abandoned animals of all types, but the tigers are clearly the stars of the show these days. For $10 you can enter the sanctuary and have your picture taken petting the tigers as they take their afternoon “cat nap”. The money will supposedly be used to build an island on which the tigers will be released to live in a close-to-wild existence, but some people question whether this in the real goal of the monks. Admittedly, it seems a bit unnatural to get so close to these giant cats, but after talking to some of the volunteers we are hopeful that the effort to improve the situation is genuine. And, hey, we did get some pretty amazing pictures out of the whole experience!

Bangkok

2008-03-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Bangkok is a big, modern city and for the month we were in Thailand, it became our home away from home. Each time we passed through we discovered something new, and became a little more adept at navigating its many neighborhoods and dealing with the unscrupulous (or occasionally, simply clueless) taxi drivers that tried to overcharge us on our numerous transits to and from the airport.

During the first leg of our trip we stayed in Sukumvhit, one of the newer parts of the city, chock full of expats, international hotels, and lots and lots of ongoing development. It doesn’t have as much character as some other neighborhoods, but it does have all of the modern day conveniences one could ask for, like easy access to the Skytrain and Metro, world class restaurants in any flavor you desire, swanky shopping centers and $8 massage parlors on every corner.

We had a couple of days in Bangkok on our own, so we took advantage of this time to take care of some necessary business, like securing our visa for Vietnam. We also visited the seedier side of Bangkok (namely, the Patpong District) that our parents wouldn’t want to see. Patpong was once the center of Thailand’s busy sex trade, but is now is more of a circus-like atmosphere with a bustling night market and go go bars advertising ridiculous “shows” that would make your mother blush. You can’t help but feel a bit more depraved after walking around here, but it’s a sad reality in most big cities of South East Asia that this type of work provides much greater economic opportunity for women than any other.

The rest of our time in Bangkok (Thailand, really) was spent with either Gil’s mom or Jen’s parents , who lined up back to back vacations here. It was an unexpected treat to see family after all this time and we cannot even begin to express how much we appreciate them having made such a long and arduous trip to visit us! They proved to be great travel companions and made our time in this part of the world extra special. We even got to celebrate Gil’s mom’s belated birthday with a delicious seafood dinner and a mango and sticky rice complete with candle.

With family in tow, we hit up all the major tourist destinations, beginning with the classic Siam-style home of Jim Thompson, an American silk magnate who spent his life in Bangkok, and continuing on to Siam Square, the fashionable commercial center beloved by Bangkok’s hipster youth. In the small lanes that line the Square you can find hundreds of emerging local designers selling their creations for a pittance. Unfortunately, if you are taller than 5’ 6”, weigh over 120 pounds or have feet larger than a size 7 (yes to all of the above) you have a slim chance of finding something that fits. The saving grace is that a face massage at one of the trendy spas here comes in one size fits all!

We also spent time in Bangkok’s Chinatown, which, like San Francisco’s Chinatown, is known for bargain basement prices on all manner of things you don’t need and infuriating traffic jams. It’s a very lively place, packed with throngs of shoppers during the day and lit up by an endless sea of neon at night.

A few ferry stops up river from Chinatown, you reach the old city where all of the big ticket attractions are found. The Grand Palace is no longer the primary residence of the King, but its classic European-inspired buildings give you an idea of the grandeur of this historic kingdom that lives on to the present day. The importance of the royal family to the Thai people is obvious in the reverential pictures you find displayed in homes and businesses big and small, but this reverence really showed through to us when we saw hundreds of Thais dressed in black and making a pilgrimage to the palace to pay their respects to the late Princess (the sister of the King) who passed away in 2007. The mourning period will continue throughout the next year and we came across flower-draped memorials to her in nearly every town.

Within the grounds of the Grand Palace is Wat Phrakaew, one of the most ornately decorated temples in all of Thailand. Millions of tiny mirrors and gold filigree sparkle in the sun like jewels, serving as a fitting showcase for the Emerald Buddha housed inside. The Emerald Buddha (which is apparently really made of jasper) has a long history, having traveled from Chiang Rai to Laos and finally to Bangkok, and is one of the most revered images in the country. The image even has different outfits that the king personaly changes each season (he was donning both his winter and rain-weather gear when we visited).

The courtyard surrounding Wat Phrakaew is quite interesting as well. There are several other beautiful buildings, a model of Angkor Wat, and hundreds of protective or lucky figures standing guard in gilded or mosaic dress. There is also a detailed mural circling the area that depicts the Thai-version of the Ramayana, a very colorful story indeed!

Nearby Wat Pho is another treasure of Bangkok. The main temple holds the largest Buddha image in the country, reclining on his side in relaxation. The golden image is barely contained by the walls that surround it and you are truly awe struck by the size when walking its perimeter. Wat Pho also has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and some beautiful chedi that look like a little like frosting-covered wedding cakes. It is also home to a traditional massage school, evidenced by the peculiar sculptures depicting various yoga poses and massage techniques scattered amongst the temple structures.

No visit to Bangkok would be complete without spending hours upon hours shopping in the city’s many markets. From the tiny amulet market, where people go to purchase protective trinkets to ward off evil, to the Chatuchak weekend market, with over 15,000 mind-boggling stalls, there is something for everyone here – even if you just want to gape wide-jawed at the newborn parrots or freakish fish in the pet section.

We spent our final days in Bangkok at a market of a different type, the “farang” (foreigner) ghetto of Khao San Road. It’s a great place to replenish your travel wardrobe, buy a plate of pad thai for 50 cents, grab a 2 for 1 bucket cocktail at a make-shift street side bar or check out a cheesy Thai cover band. It’s not for everyone and not necessarily representative of Thai society, but it is a cultural oddity in its own right and certainly worth a peak if you want to inside scoop on the backpacker scene. We’re not sure if it scared our parents more or gave them comfort that we’re not the only crazy people trying to get out there and see the world.

Trivandrum to Chennai to Bangkok

2008-03-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

From Varkala we headed south to Trivandrum, where we caught our overnight train to Chennai. We only had a few hours to get a feel for Trivandrum, but it seemed busy – like a good state capital should be – and friendly – as any place situated the far reaches of the continent would need to be to thrive. We visited a beautiful temple with ornate sculpture near the center of the city and had yet another delicious dosa before boarding our last train in this country so defined by the tracks that cross it in every direction.

We had just one night in Chennai and were busy with last minute preparations for the next leg of the journey, so unfortunately the charms of this city – the largest in Tamil Nadu and the 5th largest in all of India – eluded us, for the most part. It’s not that the place is unpleasant, but given that it’s quite spread out and difficult to navigate on foot, it just doesn’t offer much to the short-term tourist. Still, we relished our last few moments in the embrace of Mother India. From the swirling colors of the women’s saris and the skinny legs protruding from the men’s lungi to the mounds of colorful fruits or stacks of bamboo sold street side, there are always treasures to be found here.

We reluctantly loaded our bags into a tuk tuk and departed for the airport, with our minds brimming with thoughts and our hearts bubbling over with emotions. India embodies everything that is wonderful and horrible in our world and forces you to confront those things day in and day out. You cannot hide from humanity here, cannot brush it off or turn your back to it, cannot forget or ignore. Your only option is to jump in and surrender to the currents churning around you – nearly drowning at times, but otherwise getting the ride of your life.

We leave India like you might leave a scorned lover. Exhausted, remorseful, relieved. And sitting on the Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, eating a meal at 2 AM, we were sure of one thing – we’ll be back for more.

Varkala

2008-03-07T06:03:00.000-08:00

Varkala has a couple of small and unremarkable beaches with crashing waves and a frightening undertow. But, the cliffs that silhouette the Arabian Sea here are quite spectacular and a unique feature along an otherwise flat coastline. It must be these cliffs that inspired the building of a temple to Vishnu here over 2,000 years ago, and it is undoubtedly this stunning backdrop that continues to draw pilgrims, tourists and yoga retreats to the area today.

We only had 2 short days in Varkala, but did our best to enjoy what was on offer. We sampled the fresh fruits being peddled by squat women wrapped in saris on the beach and spent hours choosing from the cornucopia of seafood on offer at the cliff-side restaurants. We relaxed on the black sand beach in the morning, moved to the shaded cafes to hide away the afternoon and then returned to the beach in the evening to get pummeled and pounded by salt water as the sky turned pink and purple.

We feel our time on the subcontinent winding down and can’t help but get nostalgic for a place we’ve grown to love. But, we suspect the friendly people and coconut curries in Southern India will provide a perfect transition to the friendly people and coconut curries of Thailand and so we balance our nostalgia with our growing anticipation of what lies ahead on the next portion of our world tour.

Allepey

2008-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Kerala has hundreds of miles of water channels winding through its coastal areas and the city of Alleppey is one doorway into this enchanting realm. The city itself is intersected by several canals, and if it weren’t for the abundant palm trees and scores of umbrella shops (essential year round thanks to both the monsoon and sun), you might be convinced you were strolling in Amsterdam. There is also a nice beach on one end of town, frequented by a mostly Indian clientele eating ice cream, flying homemade kites and braving the crashing waves in t-shirts and jeans.

From Alleppey we organized a cruise on a houseboat built to resemble the rice barges that traveled the backwaters not so long ago. Houseboats, or “kettuvallam” as they are known locally, are big business in Alleppey, with hundreds of them already plying the waterways and more being built all of the time. It was an expensive endeavor by India standards, but a steal by any other – for just $100 we got a deluxe boat with 2 beautiful bedrooms, the service of 3 crew members and a delectable Keralan-style breakfast, lunch and dinner. After roughing it in some pretty dingy rooms, it felt entirely luxurious to us, when we entered the boat and were handed coconuts (complete with straws and umbrellas) and told to sit down and relax. Heaven.

The backwaters are spectacular. Emerald green rice paddies butt up against rows of towering palms that cast undulating shadows onto the dark canals below as the sun dips toward the horizon. Children ride their bikes down the narrow stretch of land that connects them to their neighbors, excited to splash and play in the water with friends. Men propel themselves along in carved wooden canoes with paddles or a long pole, casting out finishing nets and waiting patiently. Women beat clothes clean with rocks or carve the flesh out of coconuts in preparation for the next meal. Kingfishers perch on telephone wires to stalk prey from above, while herons and egrets dip their long necks into the brackish water in search of fish.

The wetlands are a truly magical place – and an ecosystem in danger around the world. We feel lucky to have experienced the Kerala backwaters in this way, but hope that the local government will keep the desire to grow tourism in check with the need for strong environmental protections.

Fort Kochi

2008-02-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

Having gotten our fill of the party life, we headed down to Kerala, Goa’s tamer and more pious younger sister. Gone were the liquor stores on every corner, and back were the days of illicit beers served in tea pots that we had first come across in Rajasthan. But, change is good and Fort Kochi – a beautiful coastal city with lots of character - welcomed us to the state with open arms.

Cochin was another Portuguese colony and the old town retains a lot of its historic charm, with a handful of attractive Cathedrals, including the oldest in India. But the Portuguese were not the only foreigners to leave their marks on the city – there is a Dutch cemetery, fishing nets borrowed from the Chinese, and even a handsome synagogue in the area know as Jew Town. Today the city also has a thriving Muslim community, and of course, lots of tourists from the far corners of the world.

Although Fort Kochi’s biggest industry these days is tourism, it is still a working fishing town, with a series of large Chinese fishing nets strewn along the shore. It takes 5 people to work these devices and while the catch looks pretty meager, they are still in operation at daybreak and sunset. The fishermen who take to the sea on boats seem to have better luck hauling in a substantial load of squid, fish and crab, and auction it off to the highest bidder immediately upon arriving at the shore. Fishmongers also line the sidewalk nearby, selling seafood by the kilo that you can bring to any of the local restaurants to have grilled for a small fee. Delicious.

Jew Town today is little more than a relic from history, as nearly all of the decedents of the original refugees who were welcomed here by the Kerala Maharajas a thousand years ago have returned to Israel. But the neighborhood has reinvented itself, with antique dealers and local artisans selling reminders of Southern India’s glorious past, such as intricately carved wooden doors and silver-plated swinging chairs. Alongside the antique shops are several art galleries showcasing a much more contemporary vision of India. As a burgeoning center for modern art, Fort Kochi is home to many talented young painters, sculptors and photographers.

A more ancient art form – Kathakali theater – is also practiced today in Fort Kochi. Events from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are acted out by incredibly costumed characters who use animated facial and hand expressions, rather than words, to tell stories through dance. On sacred occasions the storytelling goes on all night, and actors must study for nearly a decade to become proficient.

Fort Kochi’s modern day cousin, Ernakulam resides across the bay and is a modern city in India’s most progressive state. Kerala is run by the Communist party and boasts the highest literacy rate of any area in the developing world. But, its politics have also hindered outside investment and economic growth has lagged behind some other parts of India. Fortunately, the tourism industry – catering to both newly moneyed Indians and foreigners – is helping to bring some much needed opportunity to an educated populace that has historically had little career potential. While there appear to be both benefits and drawbacks to a highly socialized state, there continues to be strong ongoing support for the current political leanings, with red banners and posters saturating the towns we passed on our bus ride south.

Arambol

2008-02-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

We felt it only proper to celebrate New Years on the beach, so we left Panaji for Arambol, one of the northern most beaches in the State. Goa is the stuff of legends, with the hippies first discovering its pleasures in the 60s and the ravers reinventing it as “Disco Valley” in the 80s and 90s. Some of that legend has turned to dust, with hotels catering to packaged tourists buying up the prime real estate and the government imposing a ban on loud music after 10 pm. But, it still seems to draw in the crowds around the holidays and Arambol, at least, still retains much of the relaxed vibe that attracted new agers long ago.

We rented a simple bungalow near the cliffs and spent our days wandering the beach with the resident cows. Every five feet we came across aging hippies building sand castles with their naked flower children, dreaded college drop outs practicing poi, yogis doing handstands or loners listening to Ipods and dancing with themselves in the surf. And then there were the groups of young Indian guys, dressed in jeans and loafers, who were clearly using their lunch break to scope out western women in bikinis. It was humanity its quirkiest and it provided near constant entertainment.

We took a small break from the time warp to join the 21st century for the Sunburn Electronic Music Festival on Calangute beach, followed by the BLive party at the Sinquerim helipad later that night. Even though Carl Cox was the headliner, the crowds consisted of many more Indians than vacationing Brits. It was fascinating to watch the juxtaposition of traditional and emerging culture, with some of the young Indians clearly feeling excited, but also a little awkward to be taking part in something so far removed from their everyday lives for the holiday weekend.

On New Year’s Eve we had a great dinner and then hit a few hilarious dance parties along the beach front. At midnight, we went for a dip in the ocean, taking in the fireworks shows on both ends of what seemed to be an endless stretch of sand. It was pretty epic, if I do say so myself.

Panaji

2008-02-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

We took an overnight bus ride from Hampi to the coastal state of Goa. It was jam packed with travelers headed to the beach for the holidays and offered little rest thanks to a group of raucous Israelis singing, playing guitar and coughing loudly in the back of the bus.

Our first stop was Panaji, a charming Portuguese port town that left us utterly confused on arrival. Where were the cows (and accompanying cow patties) clogging every city artery? And what happened to the noisy tuk tuks belching choking smoke from their exhausts? And wait – what is this? An honest to goodness, bona fide sidewalk? One with enough room to actually walk on? And how about the pictures of Jesus tacked onto every other pastel colored building? Had our bus taken a mysterious detour to another country, say somewhere in the Mediterranean? This was a new side of India that was a far cry from the one we had gotten to know in the North.

Although we relished the thrill of being somewhere exotic and ancient and dreamlike that we got from being in Varanasi, Rajasthan or Hampi, it was a nice treat to be somewhere that seemed just a teeny bit more familiar. We went to the movies. We hid from the seething sun, drinking lattes in the air conditioned comfort of the Café Coffee Day. We ate delicious seafood dinners – not just Indian, but Thai, Chinese and Portuguese too. We read the Economist. We bought tickets for a late night music festival.

Panaji proved to be a great place to unwind and recharge for a spell, and the perfect place to spend Christmas. It’s home to a beautiful white cathedral, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, perched high on a hill, and its steps were often crowded with various Santa Clause imposters tossing out candy and posing for pictures with children. The homes and guest houses were decorated with lights and paper stars, and carols piped through the feeble sound systems of stores and restaurants.

A few kilometers from Panaji is Old Goa, the original seat of the Portuguese empire in India. It’s now a World Heritage Site and home to a collection of old churches, some in pristine condition and others in ruins. The real draw for the faithful is the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which houses the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa. St. Francis Xavier is credited with spreading Catholicism to the East, but his true claim to fame may be that upon his death on an island near China his body appeared to be impervious to the decay that afflicts most human corpses. It was deemed a miracle and his remains (or at least what is left of them today) are on display in the church. Indians crowded toward the coffin to gawk and say a prayer.

Panaji is not without its Hindu roots as well, as evidenced by the beautiful temple on the east side of the hill that splits the city down the middle. But, standing proudly in a light salmon colored sheath, it too could not escape the influence of the Mediterranean people who once called this place home. Another great example of the great diversity of influence that makes India such a fascinating place to visit.

Hampi

2008-01-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

Hampi is a strange and wondrous place. It was the seat of the Vijayanagara Empire, a collaboration of Hindu communities propelled into partnership by the threat of the advancing Muslim Sultanates. Although the empire eventually fell to the aggressors, the legacy of Vijayanagara shines bright today in the thousands of temples, statues and palaces that remain scattered throughout the region.

Even more intriguing than the ruins is the landscape that contains them. Millions of giant granite boulders of every imaginable shape and size sit in the baking sun, watching in silence as tourists roll by on rusting bicycles or puttering motorbikes. Although the boulders are the result of thousands of years of erosion, it looks more as if they simply dropped out of the sky.

A cool blue river lazily snakes through the valley, fringed by lush green palm trees that provide shade for the Hindus who come to this holy place of pilgrimage. Rather than using much more practical rowboats or canoes, pilgrims and tourists alike barrel across the river in large bowls made of bamboo. It seemed as if we’d just arrived at Disney World to find that the tea cup ride had been upgraded to accommodate an ever expanding clientele.

The town of Hampi Bazaar is a sleepy one, with most of the activity centered on the intricately carved Virupaksha Temple. The temple is home to a sweet elephant named Laxmi, who leads daily parades of the devoted through the main street, which, as the town’s name suggests, was a bustling marketplace in centuries past. School children from around the state, and perhaps the country, pile off of buses and line up to exchange a rupee for a kiss from Laxmi. Gil and I also received a kiss, which was more of a blessing of sorts, with the elephant gently lowering her trunk onto our foreheads after we placed rupees in her slimy snout.

We opted for a motorbike to explore the surrounding countryside. It was fascinating to see how the Vijayanagara transformed the amorphous boulders into objects and places of worship. Just beyond Hampi Bazaar, huge carved monoliths of the Hindu animal gods Ganesha and Narasimha stared out at us from inside of decaying structures. Driving a bit further we came across the Royal Grounds, which is full of curious structures like the brilliant stepped tank and the elephant corral. The dome of each elephant stable was carved in different fashion to keep their revered occupants protected from the elements, giving us and the Indian tourist groups who drank coconuts in the shade a glimpse at the brilliant whimsy from which their country was eventually born.

But Hampi’s most impressive remains can be found near the river within the walls of the Vittala Temple. Thin, delicately carved colonnades that resonate with sound when you tap them battle against gravity to hold up heavy stone roofs. Carved images of gods performing various acts of song, dance or acrobatics adorn the walls and the center of the courtyard showcases a chariot carved out of a single piece of stone.

While we relished exploring the ruins and boulders up close, the magic of the area is really best experienced from above at sunset. We climbed up the tallest hill near town to discover yet another temple and join a family of monkeys and a few yoga-loving hippies watch the sun dip below the horizon. Definitely a must-see for anyone visiting India.

Bijapur

2008-01-05T01:55:00.000-08:00

From Mumbai we headed south to the state of Karnataka. Our first stop was Bijapur, a small town with very few foreigners, but lots of interesting remains of from the sultan dynasties that once ruled here.

Like Agra, there are several beautiful mausoleums in Bijapur (the Muslims certainly take the cake for glorifying their dearly departed). The Golgumbaz is an imposing monument, with the second largest dome in the world (after St. Peters in Rome) and perhaps the loudest acoustics of any place on the planet. You climb up into the dome to enter the so-called "whispering gallery", where you can supposedly here the whisper of someone sitting on the opposite side. However, we happened to be there when hundreds of students were visiting on school trips, which meant that the whispers were replaced by amplified screams and our ears were ringing when we left. It also meant we had to shake scores of hands, pose for several pictures and answer countless questions about our names and "native place".

Other mausoleums we visited were the Ibrahum Rouza, a delicately decorated pair of dome-topped structures set in a beautifully manicured garden, and the Bara Kaman, a structure that originally mirrored the Golgumbaz in design, but is now little more than a series of interlocking arches. Other fascinating sites around town were the Malik-e-Maidan, a 3 ton cannon shaped like a lion with an elephant in its mouth (representing Islam conquering Hinduism), and the sprawling ruins of the citadel complex.

The town also has a very colorful flower and vegetable market (we have never seen so many chili peppers in one place before!) and really friendly people. It was great to be off the foreign tourist trail for a while, although the limited English spoken here did pose a few challenges for us in trying to figure out how to get to our next planned destination - the Badami caves. In the end, we opted to get on a bus headed straight to Hampi instead to save us from some logistical headaches....

Mumbai

2007-12-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

We took a short bus ride from Bundi to Kota and caught the overnight train to Mumbai (AKA Bombay). Mumbai is a huge city - one of the world's largest - and quite a drastic change from the quaint towns and cities we'd been visiting in Rajasthan. Mumbai is vibrant and modern, complete with skyscrapers and air-conditioned boutiques, but has just as many old colonial and art deco buildings giving a sense of nostalgia for the faded glory of the past. It also has it's fair share of temples, mosques, and churches, and a dizzying array of chaotic markets. It's everything you expect and everything you don't - a strange concoction of flavors that shocks your tongue into submission when you drink it in.

Mumbai is technically an island and therefore has several waterfront promenades that make for some great people-watching. Chowpatty Beach on the northern end of Back Bay is an especially good place to take in the local scene. Children carry pinwheels and men receive head massages, while fawning couples share bhelpuri (a local snack) or ice cream purchased from vendors who set up temporary stalls on the sand. We sat and watched the sun being eaten by the smog that lay low on the horizon, mesmerized by all of the activity around us.

Mumbai also has lots of parks, or "azids", where Indians gather to partake in the country's favorite past time, cricket. Just as our beloved baseball often remains a mystery to those not raised on it, we have tried hard to understand this allusive game, but have yet to discover its allure. Still, it was fun to stop for a while to watch men dressed in their whitest of whites and capped with a floppy hat taunt one another as they took turns with the bat.

Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the city one afternoon, we took a ferry to visit Elephanta Island. The ferry departed from the Gateway of India, a huge monument built to commemorate the visit of King George V, and took us past several oil tankers and a refinery, reminding us once again of this country's long and sordid history and its present efforts to propel itself into the 21st century.

The island is home to a series of impressive cave temples, supported by huge carved pillars and decorated with enormous statues of gods. The main temple was dedicated to Shiva, and portrayed him in several different manifestations, including one elegant sculpture showing his three faces - the creator, the destroyer, and the preserver. We also hiked to the highest point of the island to see several canons, relics from its later life as a British military outpost.

The rest of our time in Mumbai was spent wandering the markets, enjoying the cafe scene, and sampling deserts at our favorite sweet shop. We also enjoyed a few delicious beers, which were -the first since traveling to the mostly dry northern states. We'll always remember the city for what could have been, beacuse on our last day we were asked to be extras in a film - I am sure we could have been the next big Bollywood stars if we only had a little more time....

Bundi

2007-12-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

Rudyard Kipling moved to Bundi to write and it's easy to understand why. It's relaxed, friendly and beautiful, a perfect combination for inspiration. We only had a day here, but gladly would have stayed for more.

Bundi's major sights are situated on a hillside overlooking the town below. Two stone elephants and the smell of guano greeted us as we entered the crumbling Bundi Palace. It has an air of neglect, but is actually a work in progress, with several rooms of the abandoned building being opened to the public a few years back. Beautiful murals don the walls, their colors faded, but still revealing hints of the kingdom's former glory. The paintings in the Chittrasala room are particularly well preserved and their beauty is accentuated by the lovely garden at you must pass through on entry.

A cautious hike further up the hillside past some fiercely intimidating red-faced monkeys brought us to the Taragarh or "Star Fort". The Fort is chock full of decaying stone buildings, battlements and baoris (step wells) slowly being smothered by encroaching weeds and vines. We had full run of the place to explore each dark and spooky passageway or decrepit staircase we came across, or to walk along the top of the fort walls peering down at the lake cradled in the valley below. We also spent a while observing a group of docile black-faced monkeys playing and grooming one another near an old canon, curiosity gradually emboldening the younger ones to involve us in their games as time passed.
Bundi also has some lively markets and hundreds of beautiful temples and baoris scattered throughout town, making it a nice place to leisurely stroll around. It was the perfect location to savor all of sights, sounds and smells that make Rajasthan so captivating one last time before heading south.

Chittorgarh

2007-12-23T03:58:00.000-08:00

We made a quick stop in Chittorgarh to visit - you guessed it - another fort. Chittorgarh was once the capital of the Mewar kingdom before it was moved to Udaipur and enjoys near-legendary status due to the many battles waged here. One the of the more interesting ones took place in defence of the kingdom against Sultan Ala ud din Khilji after he tried to kidnap Rani Padmini, rumoured to be the most beautiful woman in the land. The men of the fort fought the advancing army until death, while the women also chose death over dishonour by throwing themselves into a fire in an act of mass suicide.

The ruins here are fairly well preserved since repopulation of the fort has been limited. You enter through a series of gates, after which you reach a crumbling palace and its more modern successor, which now houses a small museum. Scattered over several kilometers in the surrounding area are various other palatial buildings, two intricately carved towers and some interesting step wells. We were impressed by the ornate decoration on even the simplest of structures.

There are also hundreds of temples throughout the sprawling fort, including an interesting Jain Digambar temple. Digambar means "sky-clad" and monks in this sect of Jainism reject clothing, as they do other material possessions. The photos of spiritual leaders adorning the temple made us blush, but luckily for us, the attendant on duty was not quite so ascetic.

Udaipur

2007-12-23T02:14:00.000-08:00

Udaipur is another one of those fairy-tale places full of beautiful vistas and elegant palaces, including a few that fantastically sit in the middle of Lake Pichola. It's far from undiscovered and shops and restaurants go out of their way to cater to western tastes, but we were happy to wile away a few days enjoying some much missed comforts of home in this so-called "Venice of the East".

We rented a paddle boat to get a better look at the lake palaces. The marble Jag Niwas palace is now a luxury hotel, which some of you may remember from the Bond film, Octopussey (we reacquainted ourselves with this classic at one of the many nightly screenings held on roof-top restaurants around town). Security wouldn't let us get within 100 meters of the place, but we got close enough to confirm that the hotel's transport boats are paddled by a couple of small Indian men, not 12 hot blonds as the film suggests. Security shoed us away when we tried to approach the lovely Jag Mandir palace as well, which led us to vow our return to this city to do it up in style if we someday win the lottery.

We also visited the City Palace on the lake's western shore. It is largest palace in Rajasthan, but we were disappointed to find out that you can only explore a small part of the monstrous structure since most of it has been repurposed for 2 more upscale hotels. At least we were able to pretend to have the luxury of being guests at the former royal quarters by having a beer (served in crystal!) at the sunset bar.

From miniature painting workshops to sitar courses to palm readings, there are plenty of activities on offer in Udaipur. I attended a cooking class to learn the basics of cooking fragrant North Indian cuisine at home. Gil also treated me to an Ayurvedic massage and Shirodhara treatment as a belated birthday gift. Shirodhara consists of warm oil being dropped on the forehead for 30 minutes - it's supposed to cure you of all sorts of mental ailments, but I am as scattered as always, so I think I'll stick with the massage next time around.

While I was getting pampered, Gil was trekking all over Udaipur's hills with his camera trying to capture the beauty of this place to share with you. He also put in several tough hours taste-testing pastries and searching for the best pot of chai in town.

We also took in a classical Indian dance performance, which showcased traditional dances from all over Rajasthan. There was the peacock dance (with fabulous costumes, of course) and a one that involved clicking together metal instruments fastened to various body parts, but our favorite had to be the one where a woman danced with ceramic water pots stacked on her head. For the finale, the pots were stacked 8, maybe 10 pots high, after which she proceeded to dance on broken glass. That was a dance even Gil could love.

After nearly a week of kicking back and treating ourselves, we were just about ready to return to our normal regimen of bag-packing and sleeper trains...

Jodhpur

2007-12-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

Jodhpur is known as the Blue City, as many homes in the old city are washed with indigo. Originally, this treatment signified that the home belonged to a Brahmin, the highest Hindu caste responsible for priestly duties and teaching, but the custom soon spread to others as the blue tinge supposedly helps keep the home cool and repel mosquitoes.

If you haven't figured it out by now, the main themes in Rajasthan are forts and palaces, and Jodhpur is no different. But, the Mehrangarh Fort here is unique in that it is exceptionally well restored and the admission price includes a fascinating audio tour that really brings the place alive.

After climbing the hill on which the fort stands, you enter through a series of gates surfaced with spikes to thwart attacking elephants. Near the last gates you find the hand prints of the thirty-some wives who ceremoniously committed sati, a act of ritual mass suicide, following the death of their maharajah husband. That's some kind of love!

The exterior of the palace is decorated with ornate carvings, while the inner rooms are filled with intricate paintings and mirror work. On display are fantastic collections of weapons, palanquins and elephant howdahs (forms of royal transport), miniature paintings and even opium pipes. The ramparts house many of the original canons used to defend the fort, a task they apparently performed well, as the Mehrangarh was never taken by force.

Jodhpur is also home to some lovely temples and lively market, and we regretted that we had to spend so many hours trying to sort out train tickets for the latter part of our journey rather than simply wandering around to take it all in. Just when you think you have the system all figured out, another obstacle rears its ugly head...

Jaisalmer & Thar Desert

2007-12-14T02:37:00.000-08:00

Jaisalmer is one of those fairy tale towns you conjured up in your imagination as a child when you heard stories involving a prince who rides in on his white horses to save the day. Except, in Jaisalmer the prince is a Maharajah and the horse is a camel.

Set atop a natural hill in the Great Thar Desert, Jaisalmer Fort is a golden vision in sandstone. Rather than imposing fear, it's curvaceous bastions seem welcome you inside where you immediately fall under the spell of the delicately carved palace, temples and havelis that hide behind the fortress' walls. The intricate designs that embellish the crumbling edifices remind you of lace, or maybe honeycomb, and give the impression that a strong wind might crumple them to the ground.

But it is not the wind that poses a risk to this exotic sand castle in the desert, it is water. Because of overpopulation and drainage challenges, the fort is on the brink of collapse. We can only hope that immediate steps are taken to address the problem before it is too late, as this city is truly a magical place. Fellow tourists can help by avoiding hotels and restaurants inside the Fort in favor of those spread out in the town below.

We took a camel safari from Jaisalmer into the desert that reaches northwest towards Pakistan. We spent 3 days exploring sandy terrain, sleeping on the dunes under the expansive, star-filled sky. We stopped in several villages along the way, and were welcomed in by laughing children and women who were appreciative for the break from the near-constant work necessary to survive in such an inhospitable place. Our camels were stubborn and rarely responded to our kicks and pleas, but the camel drivers had better luck directing them. Our simple meals were cooked over open fires, sometimes accompanied by coffee or chai made with fresh goat milk collected by one of the camel drivers as we passed a grazing herd. It was a peaceful adventure that we thoroughly enjoyed - although our butts longed for the comfort of a soft cushion and our appetites craved a little variety in our diet by the end!

Bikaner

2007-12-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

We took a bumpy night train to Bikaner, a dusty desert town in Northern Rajastan. While not unknown to foreigners, it is somewhat off the main tourist trail, and the locals were absolutely fascinated by us. Walking around the old city we were bombarded with cries of "Hello!", inquiries regarding "Which country?" and requests for "One photo?". In Africa we had developed a strong suspicion of anyone who was overly friendly, but in India we have come across countless people who are genuinely curious about the strangers in their midst and it is a real pleasure to share a short conversation (or, when words fail, a game of charades) with those we meet.

Bikaner has an ancient fort, the Junagarh, and our tour around its lovely palace evoked a good sense of the majestic lives led by the Mughal emperors and Maharajahs who ruled here. Several rooms were preserved with as they had been at the time the palace was inhabited, decorated colorful paintings and ornately carved furniture, while others showcased collections of weaponry, costumes and jewellery. We were most impressed by the facial hair of the Maharajahs, with their bushy, up-turned mustaches and woolly side burns. They even used a special spoon to avoid dirtying their coiffed whiskers when slurping soup!

There are also some beautiful Jain temples in Bikaner, including one that was reputedly built with thousands of tons of ghee in the foundation. We cannot confirm the ghee, but the temple does have some colorful paintings, including a series depicting the punishments that be expected if one does not follow the so-called 12 vows. Live a chaste life, or you may be thrown naked into a swimming hole filled with serpents in the afterlife...

Gil also took a trip to Deshnok to see the Karni MataTemple, one of the more unusual temples in all of India. According to legend the rats at this temple are reincarnated story tellers from the 14th century. And, the place is indeed full of rats! This is not for the sqeemish. The rats are fed and cared for, and can be seen running all over the place, often near your bare feet (shoes must be removed at the temple entrance). Its also a very popular pilgrimage site. There was a line of devotees stretching out the door, waiting for their chance to enter the inner chamber, and be blessed among the many rats.

Jaipur

2007-12-13T23:44:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Jaipur on Thanksgiving and decided to treat ourselves to an "expensive" (meaning over $10...) dinner out. We picked the most obscure place we could find, a revolving restaurant on the top floor of the tallest - and ugliest - building in town. I had a cold and had taken some medication in the hopes of being able to taste our meal, but it didn't mix well with spinning, so Gil was stuck finishing the many creamy and buttery dishes we had ordered on his own. Needless to say, both of us found ourselves in a proper post-Thanksgiving dinner comatose that evening.

Jaipur provides a pleasant mix of old and new India. Modern cafe chains and mobile phone centers happily share the city with classical palaces and timeworn bazaars. A walk through the old city, painted cotton-candy pink, brought us past stone carvers and bangle makers, sari sellers and tea wallas. It also brought us past several architectural wonders, like the Isawri Minar Swarga Sal minaret, which we climbed to the top of for 360 degree views. We also visited the intricately carved Hawa Mahal, which was built for the royal ladies so that they could watch the goings-on of the city below while being carefully shielded from reciprocal glances in accordance with purdah, a custom adopted by the Rajputs of Rajasthan from their Muslim brothers.

A highlight of our time in Jaipur was our visit to Jantar Mantar, the largest of the five observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The observatory contains scores of antiquated instruments used for measuring time down to the second and meticulously tracking the course of celestial objects through the sky. It was a fascinating place to explore.

The rest of our time in Jaipur was spent trying to secure a SIM card for our mobile phone, an activity that involved an unimaginable amount of red tape (and a little begging). If you give us a call, we'll know it was worth all of the hassle. UPDATE: New number in Thailand - 011 66 853646741

Agra

2007-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Gil and I are officially ready for reality TV after our trip from Varanasi to Agra.

We took a rickshaw from our hotel to the train station and soon found ourselves stuck in stand-still traffic. Having no clue how far we were from the station - but knowing we had very little time to get there - we jumped out and ran the next 2 kilometers, wielding our packs around cars, bikes, and cows with fearless determination. We were already late, but held on to the slim chance that we'd find our train in similar condition.

We made our way towards the platform (the one furthest from the entrance, of course) and frantically asked anyone and everyone who crossed our path if they knew about the train. One man shouted, "Agra? It's that one!" and animated toward the opposite track. The train was already moving and starting to pick up speed. As the last car passed in front of us, I resigned myself to staying a few more days in captivating Varanasi. But Gil would not give up so easily. He ran to catch up with the train, grabbed hold of the caboose and pulled himself through the doorway. I knew I had to follow his lead and managed to hoist myself up as well, encouraged by the cheers of onlookers. We have matching scabs on our elbows to prove it.

We found ourselves in an empty (and dark) luggage cart. I leaned around the corner to ask a man in the next car up if this was the Marauder Express and was informed, "no, it's the Jaipur Express". I immediately burst into tears. Our adrenalin was working overtime from stress and physical exertion, and now we were stuck on the wrong train!

Further down the tracks, the train came to a stop and a shot-gun brandishing police officer came to retrieve us. I wondered what sort of trouble we might be in for, first, leaping onto a moving train and, second, not having a ticket. But, the officer was very kind and, as we were actually on the correct train, simply showed us to our car and said goodnight. Such is India where the biggest stunt of our trip seems to be an everyday occurrence.

We arrived in Agra to a chorus of shouts from touts, for the home of Taj Mahal is probably on of the the most tourist-filled cities in India. But our first glimpse of the Taj from the roof of our hotel reminded us what all of the fuss is about. It certainly is a vision of grace.

Described as the "ultimate tribute to love", the mausoleum was built by a 17th century Mughal emperor named Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is made of white marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Yet it's beauty does not lie in its decoration, but rather in its architectural symmetry. The four sides of the mausoleum are identical, and the structures and reflecting pools that surround it are designed to provide further balance and harmony to the complex. It undoubtedly deserves its reputation as the 8th wonder of the world.

The Taj, however, is not the only reason to visit Agra. There are several other mausuleums that are stunning architectural works in their own right, including the tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (often called the "baby Taj") and the tomb of Akbar, Shah Jahan's grandfather. The imposing Agra Fort is also an important monument, with it's labrinth of palaces and courtyards laid out across the river from the Taj. Shah Jahan was imprisoned here until his death by his son, Aurangzeb, but at least he could spend his days gazing out at his life's most magnificant work.

Varanasi & Sarnath

2007-12-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Varanasi is one of the oldest cities on the planet. It is also one of the world's great religious and cultural centers Set upon the banks of the revered Ganga (Ganges) river, a holy place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It also has important ties to Buddhism and Jainism and is home to the largest residential university in Asia, Benares Hindu University.

Like Jerusalem, you can feel a certain energy in the air as you walk down by the ghats (stairways) that line the Ganga. But it's not just faith that resonates, it is the breath of life itself -the life-giving force flowing through the currents of the river. Along with those performing puja (prayers and offerings), you find people going about their daily activities - bathing, washing clothes, refreshing their cattle. There is no doubt that the people and culture of Varanasi are inextricably linked to the Ganga.

We were very lucky to be in Varanasi during a beautiful and moving Hindu holiday observed by married women. Wives fast for three days to pray for the long-lives of their husbands and children. One man we spoke to explained the importance of the festival to us in this way - "We have arranged marriages in India and for the first couple of years you do not know your wife and cannot really love her. But then she fasts for you, and slowly, you fall in love."

During the fast women come to the Ganga to make offerings of food and prayers. Typical of the Hindu religion, which encourages people to determine their own personal approach to worship, the ceremonies we observed varied from family to family. Some women painted the soles of their feet red and showed respect to their mothers and aunts by touching their feet and then their own hearts. Others crawled down the Ghats on their bellies, systematically pressing their foreheads to each step after being turned in a circle by their loved ones.

The fast is broken at dawn following the third day and women and their families wait patiently at the Ganga for the sun to rise over the opposite river bank. We took a boat ride to experience the ceremony up close and were amazed at the sea of colorful saris (traditional Indian dress) that filled each ghat. When the sun finally burned through the smog, it was greeted by whoops and hollers of praise. Women again presented a basket of fruits, vegetables and flowers and poured milk from a brass pitcher into the Ganga. They then returned to their homes with their families to eat!

Such displays of faith are not just evident during festival times. There is a nightly puja ceremony performed with much pomp, and more humble prayers are being offered nearly every second of the day. It is one of the most auspicious places a Hindu can die and so many people make the sojourn here at the end of their lives in the hopes of ending the cycle of birth and death. There are several ghats that are used exclusively for cremation and you can view the fires burning throughout day and night. It's not uncommon to see bodies draped with vibrant cloth being carried through the twisted streets of the old city, or to come across a husband or son who has shaved his head in mourning.

According to tradition, some people may not be cremated and so their bodies are simply placed in the Ganga to decay. We saw one of those bodies float past us on our boat trip. It was disturbing, but it was all part of the fascinating glimpse we were given into this culture's attitude toward death - one that is characterized by much less fear and a lot more acceptance than ours typically is.

We also took a trip to Sarnath, a town a few kilometers outside of the city. Sarnath is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon, and so it is a holy pilgrimage site for Buddhists. There are some ancient Buddhist remains, a small museum and a green park, as well as several modern temples. It was particularly interesting to compare the different temple styles used by the Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Tibetan Buddhists.

We filled the rest of our time in Varanasi visiting temples, trying to find an ATM that would give us money and sending a package back to the States. India can be a frustrating place at times, but it's certainly never boring....

Kathmandu

2007-12-09T07:08:00.001-08:00

We arrived back to an illuminated Kathmandu, with homes and businesses strung with flower garlands and lights for Laxmi Puja, the third day of the Tihar festival. The puja, or prayer, involves placing a trail of red mud (along with flowers, fruits and candles) at the entrance way of the home to invite the Goddess in. Because Laxmi is the Goddess of Wealth, many businesses also perform puja in hopes for a successful upcoming year and nearly every store front in Thamel (the tourist area of Kathmandu) was decorated.

The fourth day of Tihar involve more door-to-door singing in exchange for gifts of money. It was adorable, for the most part, but possibly bordered on begging (or extortion...) when it involved 40-year-old men rather than children. The last couple of days also involved lots and lots of illegal Chinese firework. We felt like we were in a war zone, and if it weren't for the holiday joy enveloping us, we might well have gone mad from all the noise.

The final day of Tihar is very endearing, and involves sisters and brothers giving tikas and gifts to one another and praying for the long life of their siblings. What a nice idea.

I wasn't feeling well, so we spent a few extra days in Kathmandu relaxing and recovering. This gave us the chance to visit a few sites around the city as well, like the palaces and temples of Durbar Square and the lovely Swayambhunath Stupa pearched on a hill at the western edge of the city. The latter is also referred the Monkey Temple because of the thousands of monkeys that dart up and down the stairways and swing from the trees. We could sit and watch those comedic creatures all day.

After one last western meal (pizza), we were finally ready to leave this travelers' haven to face the mysteries of India. If our bus trip to the border - enlivened with thousands of chirping chicks and a cadre of bearded sadhus (ascetic holy men) - is any indication, we are in for one heck of a ride....

Pokhara

2007-12-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

Pokhara is a very laid back city on a lovely lake surrounded by green mountains and the snowy white Himalayas beyond. It was a great place to relax after our trip and we took a couple of days off to do just that.

It happened to be the beginning of Tihar, a very colorful 5-day Hindu festival. The first couple of days are devoted to the worship of various animals - crows are worshiped on the first day, the second day is for the dogs and cows get special treatment on the third day. People set out special food, place flower garlands around the animals' necks or paint red tikas on their foreheads for long life. There is a temple in the middle of the lake that we went to by boat, and there were many Hindus visiting it to make offerings to the birds and fish that surround it.

On the third day Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is also worshiped, making this one of the most important days of the festival. Young people sing songs and dance from house to house giving blessings in exchange for gifts or money. This was the day we happened to leave Pokhara for Kathmandu, and we quickly discovered that the young people in the villages along the route have developed a much more profitable version of this age-old custom - these days, they drape a rope across the road and don't let your vehicle pass until you've made a requisite donation to the singing and dancing hordes! It was a very funny sight to see, but a bit frightening at times to see speeding trucks and buses play "chicken" with a bunch of money-crazed teens.

Annapurna

2007-12-06T04:45:00.000-08:00

In Dharapani we said 'goodbye' to the Manaslu Trail and 'hello' to the Annapurna Circuit. It was liberating to shed our tents and porters to become a slimmer and more nimble party, and after camping so many days, the tea houses we stayed in felt surprisingly comfortable. Many had electricity, hot showers, real beds, and a varied menu. Sure enough most of them offered apple pie (or pye, phi, pii), none of which were quite as good as mom used to make. You could also get a beer that somebody carried up the trail for several days on their head, but at about $3 it was by far the most expensive thing on the menu.

But, this so-called "apple-pie trekking" was a mixed blessing, as the trail was quite crowded and the traditional ways of life we saw in Manaslu have long been transformed or supplanted by the lure of the tourist industry. It's hard to begrudge the modern-day improvements this influx of money has allowed, but I fear that it may lead to an eventual downfall in the end - the government is currently building a road along the trail and I can't imagine that many foreigners will want to spend weeks trekking through small villages that they can drive to. But, perhaps the road will simply mark another transition, because on foot or by car, the Annapurnas undoubtedly contains some of the most magnificent scenery in the world.

One of our favorite parts of the trail was a side trip that took us through Upper Pisang to Ghyaru, an small village perched high on the mountainside. The village is reachable only after a long slog up a series of steep switchbacks, which meant that we got to explore its intricately carved buildings and spin its prayer wheels undisturbed by the masses. It was definitely worth the climb just to take in the spectacular sunrise views of Annapurna II and IV, a vision that truly made us marvel at the awe-inspiring beauty in this world.

Although the Thorong La pass is nearly 500 meters higher than the Larkya La, it proved much easier for us to ply our way to the top. The snow was well packed and we were much better acclimatized - Oren pretty much danced up and down the mountain, he was so relieved not to have AMS! A bit of a party ensued at the top of the pass, with everyone celebrating the pinnacle of their long and difficult journey. The descent was steep and punishing on the knees, but delivered us to Muktinath, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Hindus and the original purpose of the Annapurna trail. An entire complex of temples (Hindu and Buddhist) have been built around a natural flame that emerges from the ground and people travel from all of the world to pray in this very special place.

Two days later, we reached Jomson, the ending point of our 23 day trip. We were tired and proud, and a bit sad to see our trek come to an end . We flew in a small 15-seater plane to Pokhara, which made me feel as if we were in a toy plane, soaring over a toy model of the earth below, complete with miniature mountains, rice terraces and evergreen trees. It was a surreal experience and a fitting conclusion to our time in Shangri-La.

Around Manaslu

2007-11-19T03:33:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Kathmandu to meet up with our buddy, Oren, from SF and had a hectic 2 days preparing for our trek around Mount Manaslu and the Annapurnas. At just over 8,100 meters, Manaslu is the the 8th highest peak in the world, and although we wouldn't be getting anywhere near that height, we would be crossing the two passes over 5,000 meters, so we definitely needed cold weather gear.

The trip started in Gorkha, the home of the famous Gurkha warriors and a beautiful temple palace on the hillside. Many animals are sacrificed at the temple for the Goddess Durga during the Dashain holiday, which began a few days into our trip. Dashain is the biggest holiday in Nepal and lasts 10 days, and although it was great to see the local villagers celebrating with their friends and family, it also presented many headaches for us because most porters were either 1) unavailable, 2) more expensive, or 3) less reliable (aka, drunk all day).

Unfortunately, we caught the tail end of the monsoon season, which meant we spent my 30th birthday hiding from the rain in a dirty town just outside of Gorkha. But, Oren and Gil bought me some fun gifts, our cook whipped up a passable cake and the local kids taught us how to make a kite, so it wasn't all bad. Plus, because our tents were leaking, we got to spend the night in the Principal's office at the nearby school. How cool is that?

After traveling through the tropical low lands for several days we reached the Buri Gandaki river, which we would follow all the way to the Himalayas. Walking through the river valley, it felt like we'd discovered a real-life Shangri-La. A rainbow of butterflies and hundreds of cascading waterfalls fed our eyes daily, and smiling faces greeted us with "Namaste" wherever we went. The Dashain holiday made it all the more special, with children playing on the towering swings that had been built for the occasion and the local men happily divvying up the offerings of goat, water buffalo and chickens among their families.

But, as it was harvest season, it was not all fun and games - men and women were hard at work scything magenta amaranth in the terraced fields, threshing buckwheat, spinning cloth or splitting wood in preparation for the approaching winter months. It was an eye opening experience to view this subsistence lifestyle up close, and to consider that we were a good week-long walk away from the modern day amenities we all take for granted. There was a certain nostalgia to it - the simplicity of working the land and taking comfort in your family and spirituality - but it was also apparent that it's a tough life. For example, we were approached by many people with injuries in the hopes that one of us might be able to provide some much needed medical attention. In talking with the younger people, it is clear that they face a tough decision between eking out an existence in the mountains like their parents before or moving to Kathmandu and struggling to start their life anew in a strange land with its own problems.

As we made our way north, the terrain changed from tropical to dry Himalayan highlands. A cultural transition followed this change in environment, with Hindi temples giving way to Buddhist stupas and prayer wheels. We visited several gompas and monasteries, and even passed by one of the "hidden valleys" that Guru Rinpoche identified as a safe refuge for devout Buddhists in times of trouble.

At one point, Tibet was a mere 5 kilometers away, and Buddhism wasn't the only evidence of its influence in Nepal. We came across several yak caravans loaded with timber and other goods for trade heading for the border. It was a very curious sight, but also somewhat bitter, as we saw first-hand that forests are being clear-cut at alarming rates in large part to support the Chinese population growth across the border.

Crossing over the Larkay La pass was by far the longest and most challenging day of our trek. We started before sunrise, but the near-full moon provided plenty of light to guide us and the stark contrasts created by the moonlight gave us distinct feeling that we had been plunged into an Ansel Adam photograph. The path through the snow (which was thigh-deep in places) was not well worn and we were trudged forward slowly. Unfortunately, Oren was also battling a case of AMS (Accute Mountain Sickness), which is seriously debilitating and dangerous. We were relieved when we finally saw the prayer flags adorning the pass in front of us, but soon discovered that going down in the now slushy snow would be much more difficult than going up! But, with the support of our wonderful guide, Bhola, (and a few versus of "Eye of the Tiger") we all made it safely to the next camp.

We felt right at home during our final few days on the Mansalu circuit, as the path meandered easily along a glacial river and through beautiful pine forests reminiscent of the Sierras. It was a great transition from the rawness of Manaslu to the (relative) comforts of the much more developed Annapurna circuit, which we joined for the final leg of the trek.

Cape Town to Kathmandu via Delhi

2007-11-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

We left Cape Town a bit sad that another part of our trip was over, but when we transferred to the Etihad plane in Jo'berg, we were comforted by the many luxuries presented to us, like a virtually empty cabin, tasty meals delivered to our seats, and our choice of movies and games. After traveling on buses in Africa, this was pure heaven! (Thank you, Matty, for hooking us up!)

The flight had a stop over in Abu Dhabi, so we got a hotel in the city for the night. We didn't see much of the United Arab Emirates, but everything we did see left us with the impression that this is going to be THE place to be in the next few decades. Everything is new, new, new and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are being designed from the bottom up to satisfy the pickiest of urbanites - from film festivals to fashion week and indoor ski resorts to Formula 1 racing, they've got it all. No wonder expats make up over 80% of the country's population (and growing)...

From Abu Dhabi, we flew to Delhi. Before we even left the airport, we got a taste for the madness that is India when we had to fight our way in line to try to purchase onward train tickets. We discovered we would have an unplanned 3 day layover in Delhi, as all the trains (and planes) to Nepal were completely booked.

We made the best of it and took in a few of the sites this crazy city has on offer. At first we tried walking places, but learned early on that it is worth a few rupees for a rickshaw - between the traffic, wandering cows and twisted tangle of streets, you are doomed to frustration. The open public urinals don't add to the experience either...

We visited the sandstone Red Fort, an old palace-cum-military fortress that gave us a glimpse into the history of this 5,000 year old city. Afterwards, we visited the Jama Masjid Mosque, a wonderful example of the old city's Mughal architecture. From the old city, we headed to the newer area of Connaught Place, where we enjoyed modern India's offerings, including a proper coffee house.

A few delicious meals later (India is a vegetarian paradise!) and we were on the train headed to Gorhakpur to make our connection to Nepal.

Around Cape Town

2007-11-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

Nearby Cape Town are some really lovely places that make for a great escape from the city. To take advantage of them, we rented a car and headed out on a little adventure.

We started our trip in Stellenbosch, the unofficial capital of South Africa's wine country. The scenery is beautiful, the estates are elegant, and the wine is delicious and cheap (at least by Napa standards...). There were even cheetahs and eagles to play with at one of the wineries! What's not to love? The historic wineries, most of which were founded in the 1700s, gave us proper perspective on the relative youth of our own beloved Northern California wine industry. The town of Stellenbosch itself was also a delight- charming tree-lined streets lined with quaint shops and restaurants, and just a hint of hipness thanks to the local university students.

From Stellenbosch we headed east over the Helshoogte Pass. The Franschhoek Valley is a bit smaller and friendlier than Stellenbosch, and as it sits in the shadows of some really glorious mountains, it may also be just a bit more beautiful. We also got to visit a really excellent car museum at one of the wineries. And the wine wasn't half bad either!

After some gelato in the town of Franschhoek, we continued southeast towards the coast to Hermanus, a town famous for whale watching. We arrived at dusk with enough time to catch a few right-back whales playing in the bay before heading to dinner at local seafood restaurant to celebrate Gil's 33rd birthday. The food was imaginative and inspiring (my first time trying abalone...) and the wine we had stocked up in the previous days was put to good use well into the night. Good times.

The next morning we saw even more whales, including a mother and a calve swimming no more than 15 feet from the shore. We headed back toward the city, taking in the coastal views and the colorful fynbos plants indigenous to the area. We stopped for a while at Betty's Bay to be entertained by the comical penguin colony and then continued on to Simon's Town for the night.

The following day was spent hiking around Cape of Good Hope, which contains Cape Point, the southwestern most point of the continent. From the cliffs we could see more whales swimming around, as well as seals diving in and out of the waves crashing on the rocks below. We also caught some ostriches playing on the beach and several baby ostriches on the western side of the peninsula - so cute!

From there, we headed back to the city, stopping in Hout's Bay (Cape Town's version of Fisherman's Wharf...) for some fish and chips, followed by sunset cocktails at Camp's Beach. Icing on the cake. We love Cape Town!!!!!

Cape Town

2007-11-13T04:11:00.000-08:00

Cape Town is just like San Francisco - except it's on the opposite side of the world, and even more beautiful. Ok, perhaps that's an oversimplification, but they do have some remarkable similarities and we felt right at home.

We stayed in the "City Bowl", an area that sits right in the shadow of Table Mountain, a strangely flat mountain that towers over the city and anchors your view no matter where you are in the city. It was very central and gave us access to lots of fun neighborhoods, like trendy Tamberskloof, tranquil Gardens and funky Long Street. After 2 months in culinary hell (sorry, dear Africa, but you will not be remembered for your food), we were ecstatic to be back in a city with a wonderful selection of world-class restaurants - all at a fraction of the price you'd pay in SF, NY or London. There were also tons of fun bars where we could enjoy live music or catch the American's embarassing defeat in the Rugby World Cup playoffs. We've actually become fans of rugby - the game is quite nasty fun when you get into it.

From the City Bowl, we could walk to the base of Table Mountain, where we started our ascent to the top. We took the "non-recommended" route up, which was seriously tough and involved some real climbing at points. The mountain was shrouded in clouds that day, and we constantly thought we were closer to the top than we really were. (It is bigger than it looks!) After 3-4 hours of hard slogging, we finally made it to the top and were rewarded with breathtaking views of... thick, white clouds. Fortunately, after a coffee and sandwich break, the clouds cleared up enough to give us a few fleeting glimpses of the "twelve apostle" mountains standing guard to the east and the Atlantic seaboard kneeling down below us. In a city of "buenas vistas", this one takes the cake.

We also ventured out to visit those same coastal neighborhoods we peered at from Table Mountain. Beach life is something that Cape Town far exceeds SF in. While spring was just beginning to gain a foothold when we were there, you could tell that places like Camp's Beach and Clifton really heat up in the summer time. With beautiful views of the coast and the mountain from pretty much everywhere, we were honestly tempted to cancel our trip and start looking for a condo...

However, as with all cities, Cape Town has it's darker side. While it's safer than the likes of Johannesburg, there is a terrible crime problem that any local will be happy to frighten you with their first hand accounts of. The electric fences and security system advertisements everywhere will quickly confirm the stories you've heard. We were actually targeted in an ATM scam, but had already been warned by some fellow travelers and saw the signs early enough to avoid any problems.

The crime problems are no doubt rooted in the country's history of racial division, which lives on in the economic divide that still persists today. East of the peninsula lie the Cape Flats and Townships, where thousands of people in this first world country live in third world conditions. Driving by on the highway you can't help but be shocked by the sea of tiny shacks with corrugated tin roofs piled on top of each other, all sharing electricity from a single pole.

Despite the social problems the country and city will need to face going forward, Cape Town is a very special place that we'll look forward to visiting again in the future. 2010 Soccer World Cup, anyone?

Namibia

2007-10-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Being in Namibia almost feels like being in a western country. There are convenience stores and gourmet supermarkets, and everything seems to be functioning efficiently. But, then your bus hits a springbok on the highway and it takes 10 hours for the bus company to resolve the problem and transport you the final 150 km of your journey, and you think to yourself, nah, "TIA" (This Is Africa).

Still, it's an easy place to visit. The capital city of Windhoek is clean and orderly and has a nice selection of restaurants and markets. We were able to rent a car, buy groceries and pull together camping gear in just a few hours and were headed off to the desert the morning after we arrived. Only a few of the main highways in the country are paved, but since you are driving by some absolutely georgeous mountains and desert landscapes, I supposed its nice to have an excuse to drive slowly anyway.

Our destination was Sesriem, the gateway to the Namib Desert and some of the most spectacular natural beauty we have ever experienced. It's the oldest desert in the world and has truly been aged to perfection! The undulating red sand dunes appear to dance as the sun moves across the sky and are a shocking contrast against the cloudless blue sky. From atop of a dune, you can hear nothing but silence, or maybe the wind blowing sand grains to fill in the tracks you had just made. The colors in the desert are so vivid - purples and yellows and reds and whites - but at the same time, the landscape melds effortlessly together, as if there is no end or beginning to anything.

Each dune or vlei (which is a dry valley) we visited seemed even more spectacular than the last. While Sussesvlei is the most famous, we found the Dead Vlei to be even more amazing. Towering dunes surround a dry riverbed covered with chalky white mud that has dried into a million puzzle pieces. The dead trees emerging from the still white sea are black and horrifically twisted, creating a sense that something tragic (or magical) could happen at any moment.

Luckily, the most tragic thing that happened is that we got some sand in the camera trying to slide down the dunes. Or, maybe it was Gil losing his race against an ostrich when driving out of the park (ok, I made him throw in the towel). The most magical thing that happened was us actually making it back to Windhoek in time to purchase our bus ticket down to Cape Town, despite an empty gas tank and a check post police officer who had a hard time believing that Americans write their dates with month first...

In sum, awesome trip and one of our favorite places to date. Thanks to Nathan for being such a fun traveling partner - have a blast in South America!

The Smoke That Thunders

2007-10-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am sure you are all sick of hearing of our transportation horror stories, but they just keep coming. We took a packed matatu to the town closest to the Malawi/Zambia border and then packed into a tiny car with 9 other people (the driver was literally sitting on someone's lap) to the immigration office. But, those trips were short and pleasurable in comparison to the next. We piled onto a bus at 7 am and 5 hours later it departed. There were 5 seats to a row, which meant at least 2 people needed to lean forward at all times. We were the lucky ones though, because at least 15 other people were standing or sitting in the isle for the entire 12 hour journey. This is highly illegal, so the bus company hired a taxi to take these people past where they thought the police check point was. Ironically, about 500 meters after they let the folks back onto the bus, we came across the actual police check point. Another 2 hours and several fines (or bribes?) later, we again departed and finally arrived in Lusaka at 10 pm, 8 hours late.

Fortunately, the rest of our journey to Livingstone was lovely, and Livingstone itself is also a pleasant town. The city has a long history as the former capital of the region, but has now been updated to cater to tourists, with plenty of places to get a proper cappucino.

Victoria Falls is a few kilometers from Lilongwe and straddles the border betwee Zambia and Zimbabwe. It's the dry season, which means that we experienced only 4% of the water that descends over its edge at its highest capacity. The falls that you could see from the Zambia side were quite tame - not the massive rush of water that inspired its Zambia name Mosi-oa-Tunya (which is roughly translated as "the smoke that thunders"), but rather a few elegent cascades of water that fell daintly into the deep, dark casm below. But, because river flow is low we got the chance to walk across the top of the falls and right up the edge, which was a pretty cool experience. And, we got a much better look at the narrow canyon that this powerhouse has cut into the rock, which is really quite magestic in its own right.

The second day we ventured over to the Zimbabwe side. It was a costly excursion because of the visa fee, but definitely worthwhile because it gave us a look at an entirely different part of the falls. The main falls are much bigger than those you can see from the Zambia and you could really hear the rush of the water crashing onto the rocks below and feel the spray in the air. From this vantage point, you got a much better sense of Victoria's awesome power, as well as her spectacular beauty, as seen in the many playful rainbows that appear in her mist.

We were not sure what to expect when we crossed over to Zimbabwe, because the country is decending into total economic chaos with inflation approaching 8,000%! We found that the town of Victoria Falls is safe and trying very hard to maintain its status as a tourist destination, but the effects are visable everywhere you look. We stopped at a cafe for lunch, but less than half of the menu was available due to food shortages. I can't imagine how bad it is further in the interior of the country, because at least these people have the opportunity to go over to Zambia to buy bread and other essentials (which we saw them carrying back by the armload). The markets were pretty depressing as well, with hundreds of men trying to sell crafts and no more than a handful of tourists browsing. We heard a lot of desperate pleas for us to make a purchase or, preferably, trade them something of use, like a pen or our shoes! Still, the spirit of the people remained strong and they continue to do what they can to earn a buck, be it performing traditional dances in costume to playing in a murrumba band. We can only hope that the situation resolves itself quickly and peacefully.

Lilongwe

2007-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

We headed to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, to sort out onward transport to Zambia and try to figure out a way around the ridiculously high $100 visa fee for US citizens. Thanks to the wonderful owners at Mabuya lodge we found a hotel that would arrange a tourist waiver for us, but it meant we needed to hang around a few extra days.

Lilongwe is much smaller than any of the other Africa capitals we'd been to, and as one of the poorest nations in the world, seriously lacking in important luxuries like cheap internet and good restaurants. But, it was a friendly enough place and easy to navigate. We loved exploring its many markets, where you could by everything from auto parts to fried baby chickens. We also enjoyed the "jug" band that sprung up nearby the craft stalls one afternoon. How many of you can turn an old gas can into a bass guitar?

The layover also gave us to the chance to go to the US Embassy for additional passport pages. With the idiotic smiles of George, Dick and Condi welcoming us in and the representative looking up from picking his fantasy football team to help us, we almost forgot we were in the middle of Africa. It was so clean, so efficient - and the toilet paper was so soft!

Lake Malawi

2007-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

After Zanzibar, we spent a couple more days in Dar es Salaam taking care of some business (yes, vagabonds have business to take care of too!) and arranging the next portion of our journey. We were heading southwest to Lake Malawi, which ended up being an exhausting 40 hour traverse by bus, minibus, matatu, taxi, minibus, taxi and another taxi. The scenery we passed was breathtaking, but at times difficult to appreciate - like the times when someone is sitting in your lap nursing their newborn and your arm is faling asleep because it's been pinned behind you for 3 hours.

When we finally made it to Nkhata Bay on Lake Malawi, we were ecstatic and the crew at Big Blue made use feel right at home by offering us beers and entertaining us with hilarious stories of their escapades over the past month. Two Brits and a South African recently took over management of the place and are working to fix it up, along with a team of 20+ Malawians. It seemed like a huge task to us, but they appeared to be loving every minute of it - especially the daily beers with the police chief and local politicians to ensure things ran smoothly...

Lake Malawi has some of the most amazing fresh water marine life found anywhere in the world. Swimming around feels like being inside a giant aquarium. It's very relaxing, as is just sitting on the porch of your hut overlooking the lake, reading a book or watching the locals paddle by in their dugout canoes. The people are ultra-friendly in Malawi and, for a landlocked country, it oddly has a bit of a Jamaican feel. It was nice to be able to let our guard down after East Africa, where you sort of have to be on the look out for people trying to rip you off at all times.

We wished we had more time on the Lake, but decided to continue overland to South Africa, and so the push was on!

Nungwi, Zanzibar

2007-10-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

From Stone Town we took a dala dala to the northern beach town of Nungwi. A dala dala is a small pick-up truck that has a roof and benches added to the bed. It was even more ridiculous than the matatu we took from Sipi Falls in Uganda, because at one point there were 33 people jam packed into the back and hanging off of the bumper, and at least 4 more in the front cab. As uncomfortable and odoriferous as it can sometimes be, we never regret traveling like the locals do (for short trips, at least) because it gives you great insight into the culture. One thing we've observed repeatedly is how quiet and content the babies and children in Africa are, no matter how hectic the atmosphere is. We are trying to figure out the secret to pass along to all of you new or expecting parents...

Nungwi is supposed to be the "party" town in Zanzibar, and although there were some really fun beach bars, there were plenty of opportunities for relaxing as well. The powdery white sand beaches and aqua blue sea are definitely post card perfect, especially when the horizon is lined with hundreds of wooden sailing boats called dhows. Another beautiful sight was watching the colorful local women trawling the shoreline with fishing nets at sundown.

We took a dhow to a private island where you could enjoy the surrounding reef and amazing multi-colored fishes. On the way back we stopped at a secluded beach for a fish BBQ. We also enjoyed walking up the shore at low tide to the the next town over, Kendwa, which had an amazing broad beach backed up against some beautiful woodlands. Heaven.

Dar es Salaam and Stone Town

2007-09-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

We spent a requisite night in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, before catching the ferry to Stone Town, Zanzibar. Like most other African capitals, Dar is a large, unattractive and seemingly soulless city, but at least Gil had the good fortune of winning a ticket to the upcoming Nation's Cup qualifying match between the Tanzania and Mozambique national teams from Serengeti Lager while we were there (to the displeasure of the locals, of course).

For being so close in proximity, Zanzibar seems much more vibrant than Dar. The unique Swahili culture that originated in this and other nearby islands still holds strong. It's had a lasting impact on the rest of East Africa as well, from providing a unifying regional language to initiating the spread of the Islamic religion.

Stone Town's narrow, winding streets are lined with white coral buildings that shuffle back and forth between Arabian, African, Indian and European architectural influences. Although decaying from years of neglect (the local museum placed the blame on Tanzania's experiment with socialism when most private property was seized for common public use), their cracked and blackened exteriors only seem to add to the beauty and exoticism of the city.

The people reflect a similar amalgamation of cultures, from their many different skin colors to the etymology of the words that compose the Swahili language they speak. Other evidence of this melting pot of societies include the Islamic dress of the Zanzibarian women, whose brightly colored head scarves and embroidered dresses are a far cry from the traditional black-as-night attire worn by the women in Egypt and Middle Eastern countries.

While Zanzibar has a thriving tourist industry, Stone Town retains much of its traditional charm through features such as the local fish market. In how many other places can you see a 100 lb. swordfish and buckets of sardines being auctioned off to the highest bidder? There are also many artisans in residence in there, continuing the crafts of the wood carvers and "tinga tinga" painters who came before them. We even got to enjoy a concert of local students learning to play traditional Zanzibarian instruments and music.

Perhaps less authentic, but certainly as enjoyable, is the nightly queue of vendors serving up grilled seafood to hungry tourists. From barracuda to shark, you can get pretty much anything you desire for dirt cheap (no, unfortunately they haven't caught on to the idea of sustainable fishing yet). After enjoying a sunset beer and having some fresh grilled seafood we watched the local boys try to out do each other diving from the docks and performing acrobatics on the beach.

Moshi

2007-09-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

We weren't able to get a seat on the bus from Arusha direct to Dar es Salaam, so we ended up stopping in Moshi on the way. Moshi is a bustling little town at the base of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. It's home to the local Chagga people, but also has a strong Asian influence, as evidenced by the Hindu temple and many mosques in the center of town. The streets are filled with men and women sitting behind antique sewing machines crafting brightly patterned cloth into dresses and suits and there is a colorful market in the town center. It was a nice place to pass the day, and although we didn't climb Kili, we did enjoy its name-sake beer at sunset within its view. Close enough.

Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater

2007-09-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

We made the journey to from Nairobi to Arusha by bus, crossing over the Tanzania border mid-day. It was a lovely trip through the golden countryside, passing by rounded hills covered in Masaai huts and steep snow-topped mountains. When we reached Arusha, a small, tourist city set at the base of Mt. Meru, we arranged up a 2-day safari to Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater. We picked Tarangire because of its large elephant population and baobab trees and the Crater because we had repeatedly heard "there is no other place like it on earth!"

Our day in Tarangire was a real treat. We had the safari van to ourselves (thanks, Jackpot Safaris!) and were able to take our time enjoying the wildlife and baobab-studded landscape at our own pace. We watched several families of elephants playing in the mud or munching on the last of the green foliage that had not yet succumbed to the heat of the dry season. It was particularly enjoyable to see several baby elephants up close, drinking milk as their mothers eyed the van with suspicion.

We had lunch by the bend in the dwindling river that feeds Lake Manyara , which gave us the opportunity to watch many animals (zebra, wildebeest, waterbucks, giraffes and more) refresh themselves in the mid-day heat. It also gave Gil the opportunity to get up close and personal with nature when a band of hungry baboons attacked our table and tried to steal his lunch box. He fought with the leader and punched him in the face getting back all but his yogurt and a bag of peanuts!

The Ngoronogoro Crater also held up to its reputation as one of the world's most amazing places. We skirted along the crater highlands - which consists of alternating rain forest and Maasai grazing land - for several kilometers before descending down a steep, windy road to the crater floor. The crater has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife anywhere in the world, owing in part to the wide variety of habitats found in the 20 km area, including swamps, forests, lakes and savanna. We saw many of the same animals we had seen on our previous safaris, but they seemed even more spectacular than before against the backdrop of the steep crater walls. Highlights included seeing a female lion stalk a warthog drinking by the river, watching several hyenas feeding after a kill, enjoying lunch by a hippo-filled lake and practically touching an old, male elephant that crossed by our van.

Safaris in Tanzania aren't cheap, but they are certainly worth it.

Mt. Kenya

2007-09-28T03:10:00.000-07:00

In an effort to do something a little more active than sit in a minivan, we decided to hike Mt. Kenya. After a short stop in Nairobi to stock up on ramen noodles and tuna fish and to exchange our very cheap tent for a slightly upgraded cheap tent, we headed to Nanyuki, the closest town to the Sirimon trail head.

Together with a nice Italian chap, David, whom we had met on one of the many legs of our Masai Mara safari, we hired a guide and headed out for the first stretch of the journey. We made it to our first camp (Old Moses, 3,300 meters) just as it started to rain, and were feeling pretty positive about the hike ahead of us until we met up with several groups on their way back down from the mountain who were making comments along the lines of "hardest thing I've ever done in my life" and "I cried on the final hike to the summit". They all had porters and cooks and were staying in beds in the huts, whereas we were carrying our own packs and food and sleeping in tents, so it made us a little apprehensive about what we had gotten ourselves into. Still, the sky cleared up and the sunset over the valley was glorious, so we had faith the views would be worth all of the hard work.

The next day we trekked over the first pass to the Liki Valley (3,900 meters). The trail cut through some beautiful alpine landscapes, and although it was a bit wet, we made good time and arrived early enough to set up camp before the afternoon rains started. Unfortunately, we discovered that our slightly upgraded cheap tent was not as waterproof as the package had promised, for we soon had a several rivers flowing through it. We took refuge in the tiny hut by the river, a box no larger than 6 feet by 10 feet with missing floor boards and several furry and feathered friends calling it home. For the next 8 hours we sat in the hut and stared out at the rain, rejoicing when it eventually turned to hail with the hope that our tent might fair better against solid precipitation. It finally cleared up around sunset, which gave us a little time to take in the beauty of the glacial valley. It was a very special place, made even more memorable by the fact that we were the only hikers at the camp - in perfect seclusion from the rest of the world.

We spent the night huddled together inside the little hut, desperately praying for the below freezing night to pass quickly. The next morning we got off to a bit of a slow start, as it took time to thaw out our frozen bodies, as well as our hiking boots, which had turned into icy rocks. In the cloudless early morning hours, we got our first views of snow-covered Pt. Lenana, our final destination and the third highest peak on Mt. Kenya. It looked down upon us ominously and we climbed excitedly to the top of the next pass to get a better view.

The landscape we passed that morning was magical - an icy wonderland of still waterfalls and crystalized rocks gave way to a scene straight our of a Dr. Seuss book, full of cartoon-like plants and furry trees. The altitude was wearing on us and the last push up to Shipton's Camp (4,200 meters) was tough, but on arrival we were rewarded with clear skies and amazing views of the highest peaks. We treated ourselves to a warm bed in the hut and our guide, Charles, scavenged a hot meal for us from the other groups, so we were able to rest well that night for the summit and long return back down to Old Moses the following day.

Awakening before 5 am, we started our ascent to Pt. Lenana (4,900 meters) in the dark. The trail was steep and relentless and it took all of our the remaining energy to push to the top. The 360 degree views from Pt. Lenana were truly inspirational - certainly ranking high on our list of the most beautiful sights we've ever seen. We could see Mt. Kilimanjaro to the south and the last remnants of an ancient glacier spilling down the mountainside. Glossy, blue-green lakes and deep, dark gorges infiltrated the expanses below us. It seemed that we were millions of miles away from civilization- exploring an undiscovered land or visiting a far away planet. That was, until the phone rang. Our guide got a from his cell phone right at the summit! Oh, technology... I love you, I hate you.

The trip back down the mountain was less enjoyable than the journey up - we covered almost 30 km the day we summited and it was cold and raining for much of it. On our 5th day we finished up the final 9 km and headed back to Nanyuki for a much needed hot shower and some deep, deep sleep.

Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru Safari

2007-09-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

We headed back to Nairobi and lined up a 4 day safari to Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. Our trip got off to a bit of a rocky start when we were supposed to be on the road at 9:00, but instead found ourselves sitting in our tour operator's office listening to yet another promise that we'd be leaving "soon, soon" at noon. After a hair-raising ride through the beautiful Rift Valley, we made it to our campsite and then on to the park gate just in time for an incredible downpour that turned our first game drive into a very brief affair. Luckily, we were able to see a cheetah devouring a very unlucky wildebeest in that short time period. Also unlucky that evening was our driver, who was fined for driving off the road to give us a closer view. It's was a difficult lesson, but probably for the best - the park is in pretty rough shape from overuse and the following day the drivers seemed to be showing a little more respect for the rules.

Our trip appeared to be continuing down the same bumpy path the next morning when our driver told us that his minivan was having electrical problems and we'd need to join another group for our safari. Fortunately, our surrogate guide was a genial fellow and the group of Germans we imposed upon were very welcoming. We got to see an abundance of wildlife, from countless wildebeest and zebra that had recently migrated from the Serengeti in Tanzania to several lions, including a male and female lion away from the pride on "honeymoon" and a young male that decided to lay in the cool shade of our van to escape the mid-day sun. Alas, fate threw us another curve ball when our van got stuck in the mud, requiring us to push it out - but, I suppose that just added to the experience of being in the "bush".

While the animals are amazing to view, perhaps even more interesting to watch are the Maasai people who live nearby. The Maasai are only one of East Africa's many tribal groups, but are known the world over for being one of the last tribes to hold on to their traditional customs and pastoral way of life. You notice the Maasai immediately, as the men are draped in plaid cloth of reds and purple and the women wear beautifully patterned dresses - both of which stand out vividly against the burnt yellow savanna. Adding further color, they adorn themselves with beaded necklaces and shiny silver earrings that hang from their stretch their earlobes, and sometimes even stain their skin or hair with the bright red earth. It was fascinating to watch the young boys tending to the cattle with their warrior spears or the women repairing the roofs of their mud huts. But, it is clear that this way of life is under serious threat. Both tourism and the competition for land are impacting the Maasai's ability to continue with their traditional way of life unaltered.

After several unexpected vehicle changes, we continued our safari at Lake Nakuru, one of the many lakes formed by volcanic activity in the great Rift Valley. The park is relatively small and, because it's a sanctuary for the endangered black and white rhinos, is surrounded by an electric fence. This means there are plenty of animals congregating down by the lake at all times, including thousands of flamingos that frost the edges of the lake in pink. It made for a stunning and somewhat surreal backdrop, particular when viewing the rhinos, which are quite strange and wondrous creatures in their own right!

Despite the logistical problems we encountered, we had a great time on safari and wish you all could have been there to experience it with us!

Murchison Falls

2007-08-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

From Kampala we organized a 3 day trip to Murchison Falls National Park in the northwestern part of the country. Murchison Falls is the location where the mighty Nile River squeezes itself through a tiny gorge just 6 meters wide, and is surrounded by forests and grasslands replete with wildlife.

The drive to Murchison was long, made almost intolerably long by our driver-guide, who's driving speed might well convince you he were 95 years old. When we finally arrived at the Kaniyo Pabidi Forest just inside the park entrance, we were itching to move our legs. After a short hike, we came across the forest's healthy chimpanzee population. We got to view several males in the trees above, munching away at branches and occasionally calling out to one another. As the afternoon wore on, the chimps got more active and at one point were jumping from limb to limb, throwing fruit down at us below. Clearly they were tired of being gawked at for the day, so we moved on to view some black and white colobus monkeys playing in the tree tops far above. It was amazing to spend time with these creatures not so unlike ourselves and it made for a great start to our safari.

The next day we took a ferry across the Victoria Nile and went on a wildlife drive on the north shore. Our viewing expectations were pretty low since the wildlife population was drastically reduced during the chaos of the Iman years - hungry soldiers from both Uganda and Tanzania relied on the game meat for sustenance - but we were pleasantly surprised. The first animals to greet us were a family of baboons on the river bank, putting on all sorts of antics. As we got further into the grasslands, we came across huge herds of grazing animals - hartebeast, Ugandan cobs, gazelles, dik diks and African buffalo. We also saw several giraffe, a herd of elephants and many amazing birds of all shapes and colors.

Later that day we took a boat ride along the Nile up to the falls, which allowed us to see hundreds of hippos floating in the water, with just their nostrils and eyes protruding above the surface. We also saw several crocodiles basking in the sun, and other animals coming to the water to drink.

The captain dropped us at the base of the falls and we hiked up to the top where we got a chance to experience up close the awesome fierceness of the world's most powerful waterfall. It was breathtaking and just a little bit frightening.

On the way back to Masindi where we stayed the night, our driver agreed to take a detour to Lake Albert. We stopped at the point where the Albert Nile emerges from the lake in the sleepy fishing town of Wanseko. We also got to experience some late night wildlife, like the honey badger that ran in front of our van! Randomly, we spent the night at a restaurants listening to an expat open-mic night featuring American folk songs, Irish jigs and Cuban sonatas.

It was a great trip. I'd recommend our tour operator, Mamaland Safaris, and our driver, Tony to anyone looking for a budget trip to Murchison.

Kampala

2007-08-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, and as far as African captial cities go, it's a pretty mellow place. It's much smaller and more approachable than Nairobi, and we decided to take a few days to slow down and relax there.

There is a huge Indian influence in Uganda, and Kampala is no exception. Despite the important role they played in developing the country commercially, all Asians were forced to leave the country by Idi Amin. (Rent "The Last King of Scotland" ASAP if you haven't seen it yet to learn about the other crazy things this dictator did.) They have since been asked by the goverment to return with the promise that confiscated property would be given back. Although I am sure many have stayed away given the trauma they experienced being terrorized and kicked out of their homes with nothing, there seemed to us to be somewhat of a reemergence of the Indian population and culture.

I mention this because it seems like the majority of our time in Kampala was spent enjoying the plentiful Indian restaurants around the city. Somehow we passed day after day just wandering around, reading the paper or talking with locals in the coffee houses, catching up on the blog, and of course, eating lots of dosas and samosas.

Kampala is known for it's night life, and although we didn't hit any of the big clubs, we did enjoy a night out at the Musicians Club 1989, a weekly event in which local musicians get together to play. I can't say it entirely quenched our thirst for live music, but at least it wet it!

We also got to catch the Simpsons Movie, which was playing at the local mall. We almost forgot we were half way around the world that afternoon...

Ok, we didn't slack the whole time. We did take in one cultural activity with a visit to the former home and tomb of the Buganda kings. Buganda is the largest tribe in Uganda and the king was restored as a figurehead in the early 1990's. We were fascinated to learn that our guide to Murchasin Falls, Tony, actually comes from the royal Buganda line, although this isn't exactly a rarity given that the king traditionally had from 500 - 900 wives! we wondered how he had time to rule the kingdom.

"Probably the best white water rafting on earth"

2007-08-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

We saw this quote on one of the rafting guide's shirts, and after tackling the series of class 4 and 5 rapids at the base of the Nile, we'd have to agree! The rapids in Jinja are huge swirling masses of water, something like a gigantic washing machine powered by a jet engine. Unlike rapids we'd experienced before in California or Costa Rica, this is a high-volume waterway so you are not likely to get pounded against the rocks below, but if you do happen to get trapped in one of the massive holes, you had better hope the safety kayaks get to you quickly!

Our raft contained the two of us, 5 ridiculously silly guys from Basque and our guide, Paulo, a beefy Ugandan on the national Olympic kayaking team. They were a fun crew - maybe not the powerhouse of paddlers that we had been hoping for, but going over the rapids was pretty much a game of chance anyways. If you happen to hit the waves at the wrong time, the raft was flipping over no matter what you did! We flipped on more than half of the 12 major rapids we attempted. It was definitely a bit scary being hurled into the air and landing underwater, but it was also exhilarating!

We didn't actually realize how insane the rapids were until we watched the video that had been taken of the trip later that evening. People were being hurled like rag dolls out of their boats and into the raging waters below. One older gentleman got trapped under an 6 foot waterfall and we watched in horror as he struggled to get his head above water and catch a breath until the safety kayaks could get to him. Amazingly he climbed right back into the raft and finished the rest of the trip. I am not sure I would have been as brave!

Jinja is right at the base of Lake Victoria, and is considered to be the location of the source of the Nile River. It's a beautiful area, with lush plant life and many different types of birds. Even if you're not the rafting type, its worth spending a few days here to enjoy the scenery.

Sipi Falls

2007-08-19T05:05:00.001-07:00

From Mbale we took a matatu (a shared taxi minibus) to Sipi Falls, about an hours drive north. Sipi Falls is situated at the base of Mount Elgon, the second higest peak in Africa. We never actually got to see Elgon because it was shrouded in clouds the entire time we were there, but we did get to enjoy breathtaking views of the rushing waterfalls fed by its daily downpours and the lush green valley that lies beneath its shadow.

Sipi Falls is made up of a series of three tall waterfalls. We had a beautiful view of all three falls from our cabin at the Crow's Nest, but it was not until we took a hike to them that we could really appreciate their power and beauty.

The first waterfall we reached is the tallest and because the rainy season had started early, the water was surging through it. We tried to hike down to its base, but could only make it part of the way before the mist was too strong to continue. Soaking wet, we continued on to a cave filled with crystals and bats and headed up to the second fall. It cascaded down in a series of drops from the green pastures above, and you could walk behind the largest span into a man-made cave. The third waterfall was equally impressive - it was situated highest up on the mountainside and offered sweeping views of the valley below.

The hike took us through both rainforest and countryside, and gave us a glimpse into the lives of the local people who farm the slopes of the mountain. We got to see the mud huts in which they live, taste the ground nuts they were cultivating on the slopes, and even were able to watch a couple of young boys making banana beer. On the way back through town, we passed the local school, which was hosting a colorful music and dance contest. Everyone we met was very friendly, smiling and laughing when we greeted them in their local language. Even thought Sipi is clealry a poor rural area, it seems as if the people there have developed a locally sustainable existence that offers a sense of dignity and joy.

It was a wet and muddy adventure, and even though all of our clothes were stained with the bright red African earth, it was well worth it to experience this beautiful and magical place. A special thanks to Martin, our local guide on the hike.

On the way back to Mbale we experienced a record-setting matatu ride, with 22 humans and 3 chickens squeezed into what should have been a 14 passenger van. The chickens were shoved under the seat near my feet and one kept pecking at my ankle. I am not sure what was the most terrifying aspect of the ride!

Abayudaya Community

2007-08-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

From Mbale, we made our way to a small village a few kilometers away called Nabagoye, where we looking forward to meeting Danielle. Nabagoye and several other nearby villages are home to the Abayudaya people, a community of African Jews. Danielle works for a Jewish research organization in San Francisco that has been involved with the community for several years and was visiting to to help with several joint projects that are underway.

The Abayudaya people were originally converted to Christianity, but upon studying the bible began to practice a form of Judaism based on the Old Testament instead. In time, they learned more and more traditional Jewish practices, and we felt very lucky to experience this unique blend of African and Jewish influences during the local Shabbat services. It was also rewarding to be able to experience Ugandan village life first hand, from the simple, but tasty meals to the songs and laughter of the local children.

Gil and I volunteered to help out with the opening of an internet cafe in Nabagoye, one of the projects the Community is working. The internet cafe will hopefully generate revenue to support other local projects, such as building a medical and dental clinic and bringing running water to more families in the area.

It was certainly strange to be in a village in Africa working on the internet. While more and more Africans get access to new technologies like cell phones and the internet, many still do not have access to basic necessities, like water and electricity. In fact, while Nabagoye was looking forward to soon being on the world wide web, they at the same time celebrating the opening of a new well and water pump system that had recently been installed. And in great contrast to this technological progress, we were constantly reminded of the challenges that these communities face in simply staying alive and well - several people we had met were suffering from or recovering from Malaria, which made this deadly disease very real to us. Until the very basic needs of food, clean water, and access to basic healthcare are addressed, we're afraid that any progress made otherwise is not sustainable.

The internet cafe was up and running when we left, but there were many problems that had yet to be ironed out, the biggest being the fact that the electricity in Uganda goes off without warning - sometimes for hours, and sometimes for days at a time. The Abayudaya Community is lucky enough to have a partner organization that is committed to working with them for years to come, and also has access to a relatively consistent supply of skilled volunteers, so I am hopeful the project will be successful in time. Still, we could see how easily misguided aid organizations can pump money into local communities without proper consideration of the cultural and economic realities of the situation, not to mention the necessary training and change management support to make the investment truly beneficial over the long-term.

Spending time with the community members and other volunteers was a memorable and enlightening experience and we'd like to extend a big thanks to Danielle and all of the Abayudaya people for organizing the visit for us. It was also wonderful to see a familiar face and hear tales from home - one we'd be overjoyed to repeat, so how about making some travel plans, folks?

And, a big congratulations to Danielle and Gregg on tying the knot!

Africa!

2007-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Although our first destination in Africa was Uganda, all of the flights to Kampala were booked, and so we had to fly into Nairobi. Our flight arrived at 4 am, not the safest time to be wandering the streets of Nairobi with all of your worldly possessions, so we passed a few restless hours in the Nairobi Airport before catching a taxi to our hotel.

Nairobi is a relatively new city and downtown is full of shiny office buildings and shopping centers. Downtown is surrounded by less desireable areas, and you need to be careful walking the streets because there is a relatively high crime rate. After catching up on our sleep, we passed our time there talking with safari operators and looking for camping gear - boring, but necessary preparation for the rest of our trip.

We were meeting our friend from San Francisco, Danielle, at a village in Uganda couple of days later, so we took an overnight bus to Mbale. We had heard travel in Africa would be long and uncomfortable, and the continent took no time breaking us in. The roads are terrible - made of nothing more than dirt outside of the major cities. The bus shakes and rattles incessantly as it navigates the potholes, tossing you up and down in your seat, and sometimes even out of your seat.

Somewhere between Nairobi and the Uganda border we were forced to a stop - where we stayed for the next 6 hours. It had rained, and the rutted dirt road turned to slippery mud that caused a truck to jack knife. The road was positioned on a steep cliff, making it impossible to move the truck in the darkness, so the traffic in both directions backed up for miles until the sun came up. After slowly creeping past the accident and onward toward Uganda, we finally reached the border.

Unlike the other borders we had crossed during the journey so far, the Kenya/Uganda border seemed rather amorphous. There were no fences or heavily patrolled gates, just a stretch of land with a series of run down wooden buildings where you had to fill out some forms and pay money in order to get the right stamps to continue on. There were hundreds of people milling about, selling bananas or wristwatches, offering rides on the back of their bicycle, or trying to exchange your Kenyan Shillings for Ugandan ones.

We had to leave the bus to navigate this chaos on foot and then wait for it again on the other side. In the hour or so that passed, the fear that we'd never see our belongings again definitely crossed our minds more than once. But, the bus finally arrived and we were on our way to Mbale, a rambling town (or the 3rd largest city in Uganda, depending on how you look at it...) nestled in a valley and surrounded by lush green mountains. Mbale has nothing special going for it, but after having to watch our backs every second in Nairobi, we enjoyed just being able to mill about among the people in the busy streets, none of whom looked anything like us. Yes, we had finally arrived!

I'm building you a pyramid...

2007-08-08T02:31:00.000-07:00

While the city of Cairo didn't exist during the time of the Pharaohs, Memphis (about 20 km south) was once the capital of ancient Egypt. Because of this, there are many pyramids and other ruins from the Old Kingdom nearby.

We began our pilgrimage by first heading south to see the older pyramids at Saqqara and Dahshur, which provide a nice chronicle of the architectural advancements that led to the perfection of this ambitious design. The Step Pyramid at Saqqara is the earliest stone monument in existence and represents the first experimentation with the pyramidal structure. It's surrounded by a complex of funerary buildings and is within view of several other pyramids that now just look like mounds of rubble.

One of the buildings at Saqqara exhibits some of the oldest known graffiti, dating back to the the time of Ramses II in 13th century BC. This was the first of many signatures and drawings tacked on to the Egyptian works - from Roman soldiers to the early Christians to the first western tourists, it seemed that no one could resist leaving their mark (or trying to damage) these enduring structures.

We also visited the Tomb of Mereruka, the highest official during the reign of Teti. Whereas the Pharaohs' tombs primarily depicted the great accomplishments of their lifetime or images of them joining the gods in afterlife, the decorations in this tomb were focused on everyday activities such as men fishing and dancing, women combing their hair and playing instruments, and children playing games. Although the myraid of pyramids and tombs built by the Egyptians suggest a preoccupation with death, it's clear from this art that they actually relished living and simply spared no expense to ensure that their enjoyment carried on in the afterlife.

At Dahshur we visited several other pyramids, the most impressive being the Red Pyramid, the oldest true pyramid in the world. We descended down its steep and suffocating passage to the inner chambers where we could get a look at the construction from the inside. It was bare, but stunning nonetheless to see the huge limestone blocks stacked on top of one another with a precision we expect would be difficult to replicate today. The other pyramids here reflect earlier attempts at perfecting the design, including the Bent Pyramid, which starts at one angle and finishes near the top at another, and the crumbling Black Pyramid.

On the way back from Saqqara, we stopped in Memphis. Little remains of this once powerful city, but there is a small open-air museum. The most impressive piece is a gargantuan statue of Ramses II, one of many ostentatious remnants left by this Pharaoh.

A few days after this "warm up" circuit, we made our way to Giza to visit the biggest and most famous site in Egypt, if not the entire world. Not surprisingly, we got hassled along the way and so were not in the best moods when we arrived (I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say we ended up getting dropped off at a camel stable about a mile from the actual entrance after appealing to someone for help with logistics...). But, upon seeing the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu framing it in the background, all of our anger was suffused with a sense of awe and wonderment. I've heard some people say the pyramids are smaller in person than they had expected, but staring up at their pointed tops piercing the cloudless sky, I would beg to differ. The pyramids are massive, and even if it is cliche, you can't help but mutter to yourself "How the heck did they build those things?"

After conducting a requisite photo shoot (some travellers we had met a week earlier warned us to wear presentable clothes since we would likely be showing these photos to others for the rest of our lives...), Gil and I decided to maximizing our expenditures on admission fees by dividing and conquering. Gil descended into the inner chambers of the Pyramid of Khafre, the second largest pyramid. They were similar to those at Dahshur, but larger and more complex. Meanwhile, I went to the Solar Barque museum, which houses 1 of 5 wooden boats that was buried with Khufu so that he would have transportation in the afterlife. The boat, which was reconstructed from over 150,000 pieces of wood, was gigantic and seemed incredibly advanced given that it is the oldest boat in existence.

I guess there is not much else to say, except "wow".

Crazy Cairo

2007-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I know I said Cappadocia was crazy, but that was in more of a "strange and wondrous" sort of way. Cairo is crazy in a "need to be checked into an insane asylum" sort of way.

We took the overnight train from Luxor, which arrived early in the morning. After haggling for a reasonable cab fare, we were dropped at Midan Talaat Harb, one of the main intersections downtown. Its a traffic circle where six streets meet, but nobody uses the circle, the just drive straight across however they can. Immediately we found ourselves with several new "friends" all of whom wanted to help us find a place to stay. We figured we were being set up for some sort of hard sell or at least would be asked for baksheesh, so we tried our best to blow them off. But, after we realized none of the hotels would let us check in until noon, we broke down and had a cup of coffee with a couple of them at a nearby cafe (aka, some tables and chairs set up in a back alley).

These guys ended up being pretty harmless (and in fact, we'd met Ali at that same cafe nearly every day we were in Cairo...), but for every genuinely helpful person you meet, it seems as if there are several with ulterior motives waiting in the wings - and usually there is a very fine line between the two. It's a very different mentality from the West, and somewhat difficult to get used to, but at least Cairo is a safe city - if you can avoid being overcharged, convinced to buy something you don't want, or hassled into giving baksheesh for no reason, you really don't have to worry about someone stealing you wallet.

Downtown Cairo is bustling - lots of people and lots of traffic. Crossing the street is a nightmare.Remember the game Frogger? If you hesitate for even a second, you can expect to get squashed. Oh, and nobody uses headlights either. We heard its because people think leaving them on wastes the cars battery. So, people use their horn and headlights, or if they are really about to hit you they will flash the lights on if you are lucky. The technique we adopted was to have at least one local between us and the oncoming cars at all times...

The Egyptian Museum, which houses most of the nation's archaeological treasures, was located a few blocks from our hotel. It's huge and overflowing with artifacts - many that appear to be haphazardly placed in the building without regard to reason. The collection has many highlights, including the treasures found in King Tutankhamen's tomb. While we've all seen pictures of his sarcophagus and funerary mask, it's really amazing to view it in person where you can really appreciate the ornate decoration and flawless craftsmanship. As with the temples in Luxor, we had to keep reminding ourselves that this stuff was thousands of years old because most of it was in impeccable shape.

Even more amazing were the mummy rooms. After seeing the incredible structures they built and the gigantic statues that had been built to depict them, it was very strange to look upon the very human bodies of these powerful Pharaohs. Somehow they seemed too small. It felt both grotesque and fascinating to see their hair, their fingernails, and even the expressions on their faces. The museum also housed a collection of mummified animals. People often gave these as gifts to the gods, but also pets were also mummified so that they could join their owners in the afterlife. Our favorites were the gigantic crocodile and Nile perch mummies.

While downtown is bustling, Islamic Cairo is absolutely bursting at the seams! This is the oldest area of the city, and so the streets are very narrow and impossibly busy. One street we walked down was barely passable by two cars, and yet seemed to be the main thoroughfare for the area. There were many times when we, along with the delivery trucks, donkey carts, and tea sellers, just had to wait patiently for a jam to clear up until you could even budge an inch.

The busy streets of Islamic Cairo are lined with buildings that ooze the type of character that only comes after years of use and abuse. There are many mosques in the area, including the 1,000 year old Al Azhar and its accompanying university, the oldest surviving educational institution in the world. We also visited a traditional family mansion built during the Mamaluk period - from the outside it was unassuming, but inside there were beautiful courtyards and colorful living areas filled with rich carpets and pillows and capped by engraved wooden ceilings.

The Khan Al-Khalili market is found in Islamic Cairo as well, and although we didn't buy much, we enjoyed looking through the many tiny shops piled on top of each other and overflowing into back alleyways. We also enjoyed a coffee and sheesha pipe at Fishawi's Coffeehouse, which has been operating for the last 200 years in the same spot and is still packed day and night.

While Cairo is definitely not one the world's "beautiful" cities, if you cross the Nile at sunset, you can almost pretend that it is. It also has several beautiful parks that allow you to escape the hustle and bustle, like the Al Azhar overlooking the city and the Al-Zuhreya gardens that line the Nile. Unfortunately, you have to pay to enter them, so I am not sure how many of the local Egyptians get to enjoy these lovely refuges.

No description of Cairo would be complete without mentioning the delicious cheap eats. There was one sweet shop that we frequented daily, sometimes more than once. The mango, strawberry, melon and chocolate ice cream they served was to delicious and less than 25 cents for a two scoop cone! At one point when we were enjoying a cone, Gil asked me if I would consider moving to Cairo....

Luxor

2007-08-07T04:09:00.001-07:00

Our bus ride from Hurgada to Luxor was a long, sweaty and uncomfortable journey through the punishing desert and we couldn't help but be overjoyed at our first sighting of towering date palms and other lush greenery nurtured by the Nile. Like all major population centers in Egypt, the Nile runs straight through the center of Luxor, dividing the city in two. The East Bank is affectionately known as the city of the dead and was once the necropolis of ancient Thebes. The West Bank is home to today's modern city, as well as several temples used to worship the many Egyptian gods, and is thus called the city of the living.

Visiting Luxor is like stepping back in time some 4,000 years. We had some hesitation about visiting yet more ruins after getting our fill in Greece, Turkey and Israel, but whereas you really have to use your imagination to appreciate the Greek and Roman ruins, the Egyptian ruins come to life without much effort on your part.

As you head away from the Nile and toward the desert mountains of the West Bank, you are greeted by the Colossi of Memnon, a pair of massive statues that once adorned what is thought to have been the largest complex in the area. Their size is imposing and you immediately feel awe and respect for the incredible accomplishments of the Egyptian people.

Leaving the flood plains, you reach the mountains where you come across literally hundreds of tombs that have weathered the test of time, if not the repeated intrusions of tomb raiders. Archaeologists believe that there are many others still buried under the sand, and the government is even trying to relocate the current inhabitants (for the locals have built homes in and around the tombs) from the area so that further field work can be conducted.

We visited several tombs in both the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where the Pharaohs and their queens and royal children were laid to rest. Building the tombs of the Pharaohs began when they took power and work continued on the underground tunnels until their death, so that the depth of the tomb generally signifies the length of time the Pharaoh ruled. The tomb walls are adorned with hieroglyphs and images, some of which are so well preserved that it looks as if they were created years, rather than millenia ago. The colors of the tomb of Prince Amanherkhepshet, in particular, were so extraordinarily vivid that we couldn't help but think that we were visiting a "reproduction" rather than the real thing. Even where the natural dye paint had faded, you get a good sense of the scenes being portrayed because each image is not only painted, but also carved into the facade. No pictures are allowed inside the tombs to protect the colors, and there isnt realy much to see from the outside, so you will have to take our word for it.

We also visited the temple of Hatshepsut, one of the few and most powerful female Pharaohs. The sole purpose of the temple was to prepare her body for burial - a long and highly technical process of mummification. While the temple was in remarkably good shape, all of her images had been defaced (literally) by her step son and successor, Tuthmosis III, who tried to destroy her legacy.

The temples in the East Bank are huge and elaborate structures that were built over centuries. The Temple of Luxor is right in the center of the modern city and could be seen from our hotel balcony (which we rarely used because it was so oppressively hot that sitting outside was unthinkable!). Approaching the temple was an avenue lined with hundreds of sphinxes that once extended 3 km to the temples at Karnak and the entryway was adorned with a soaring obelisk. The match to the pair can now be found in Paris, as it was gifted to the French by Mohammad Ali - ask any Egyptian about it and they will tell you what a bum deal they got since the clock tower that was given in exchange has never even worked properly!

We visited the temple in the afternoon so that we could appreciate the ornate reliefs along the inner walls (including one colorful scene of the god of fertility ejaculating into the cup of Alexander the Great...), but stayed until the sun set. The temple was gradually lit up and a cast of eerie shadows descended upon the ruins, making for quite a stunning sight.

Karnak is the other major site in the East Bank. It is a massive complex of buildings exhibiting different architectural styles, since nearly every major Pharaoh contributed something to the place in his or her time. It is said to be the largest open air museum in the world, and since we spent the better part of the day there, we certainly can't refute the claim!

Soon after entering the main temple you arrive at the great hypostyle hall, a forest of gigantic pillars adorned with papyrus-shaped capitals painted red and green. Gazing up at the towering columns you feel very, very small. You also feel miniature when looking up at the Obelisk of Hatshepsut in the next court, the largest obelisk in the world. As with Hatshepsut's other monuments, Themosis III tried to hide its grandeur by surrounding it with walls, but it was clearly a futile effort.

One of the most interesting sites was the Temple of Ptah. After entering through a series of 5 doors, you reach two of the temple's original statues, the headless figure of Ptah and his goddess wife, Sekhmet, the Spreader of Terror. The Sekhmet statue was in fact a little terrifying, as it looked like an alien or some strange mythical beast and was housed in a dark chamber filled with smokey incense and two heavily-breathing tourists who seemed to be in a bit of a trance. Freaky.

In sum, if you can handle the touts and the crowds (which we didn't find to be half as bad as we had been warned), Luxor really is an archaeological treasure that should not be missed.

Sharm El-Sheik and Hurgada

2007-08-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

If Dahab is the Kho Phi Phi of the Red Sea, then Sharm El-Sheik is the Las Vegas. While it's home to some of the most impressive reefs in the world, the land surrounding city seems more like an imaginary playland for the rich. Huge hotels cover every stretch of the beach, which means that if want to access the water, you pay dearly (or sneak in... our preferred approach). As there is virtually no budget accomodation in Sharm, we stayed at the Youth Hostel. It wasn't terrible, except for the utterly disgusting free breakfast, reminicent of (but much, much worse than) school lunch.

Along with the megahotels and shopping malls, Sharm was dotted here and there with various amusement-like attractions - a giant water park, life-size replicas of dinosaurs, a huge complex of pastel-colored buildings straight out of Disney's Aladin. When walking around Sharm Old Market, we came across a stucco oasis, complete with waterfalls and palm trees, where we enjoyed some overpriced ice cream and a free magic show. As ridiculous as the place was, it was a fun diversion for a night and if you are a serious diver or snorkeller, I am sure you'd be willing to sacrafice some authenticity to enjoy the spectacular ecosystem of Ras Mohammed National Park.

And, if Sharm El-Sheik is the Vegas of the Red Sea, then Hurgada is the Reno. We only stopped here for a night in transit to Luxor, but it was enough time to get a sense for the place. While this was once THE destination on the Red Sea, it's now well past it's prime and overrun with packaged tourists from Russia and Poland. Still, we preferred it's seedier atmosphere to the fairytale land that is Sharm and probably would have stayed and snorkelled another day if we had the time.

Dahab - Sinai, Egypt

2007-07-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhhhhh, Daaahhhhhaaaabbbbb.

Five days of relaxing by the Red Sea. Not much to do but snorkel and smoke sheesha (don't worry mom and dad, that's just flavored tobacco!), and of course relax. The people are friendly, everything is dirt cheap, and the sea is clear and teeming with life. If I hadn't just taken a bus from the Israel/Egypt border, I might think I was back in Southeast Asia again.

Actually, while I was relaxing, Gil must have been working hard, because he somehow managed to learn how to swim while we were in Dahab. Like a fish! Nothing like the beautiful reefs and some puffer and lion fish to inspire an aquatic breakthrough.

While the coast is beautiful, we wish the Egyptians would take a cue from the Israeli's and go to greater length protecting the reefs - in the short 30 - 40 years this has been a diving destination, the corals have suffered extensive damage, and it doesn't look to us like much has changed to prevent further harm.

From Dahab we also took a midnight hike up to the top of beautiful and eerie Mount Sinai, where God delivered the 10 commandments to Moses. The stars were spectacular, and the sunrise was even better. At the base of the undulating mountain is St. Katherine's Monastery, the oldest continually functioning monastery in the world. The monastery houses the Burning Bush (well, a decedent of the bush) and the Well of Moses, a natural spring that is supposed to give marital bliss to anyone who drinks from it. Unfortunately, the day we visited, the monastery was closed for a special celebration, so I am not sure if that bodes well for us....

The ride back from Mt. Sinai was hot and sweaty, but we passed the time staring out at the endless burnt desert. Every now and then we would pass a Bedouin tent and wonder about these nomadic people who have chosen to make such a seemingly inhospitable place their home. I am sure they wonder about us as well, and what we mean for their future, since the tourist industry has been slowly encroaching on their land and impacting their livelihood for decades now. Hopefully they will find equilibrium.

Jordan & Petra

2007-07-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

We were not originally planning to go to Jordan, but had heard from several people that it would be a crime to miss out on Petra given that we were so close. So, we decided to make a day trip of it and although it was a bit of an investment with exit fees and such, we were not sorry we did!

We crossed the border into Jordan and looked for a taxi to take us to Jordan. We found a legitimate-looking cab straight away for the same price that was quoted in our guide book, so we figured we were golden. That was, until about 2 kilometers from the border when the cab driver pulled over to the side of the road and told us to get out and get into the pick up truck next to us. He must have seen the concern on our face, and assured us that the truck was a 4x4 and would be better. So, we reluctantly switched vehicles and headed off. Our new driver seemed nice enough, but a few minutes later he told us we'd be going to pick someone else up because his friend's cab had broken down and he wanted to help him out by picking up his fare to Petra. At this point we definitely thought we were getting the run around, but we did in fact come to a broken down cab, with a nice Canadian chap stranded along the side of the highway.

When we got into Wadi Musa, the town near the Petra entrance, we were taken to a hotel where we again changed drivers. On the way home, we also changed vehicles twice. At that point it was almost laughable, as this is apparently just the way things go there. For all of our skepticism, the Jordinians were extremely nice and hospitable - you just need to go with the flow.

Petra itself was absolutely amazing. Nicknamed the "Rose-red City", it was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabateans, who commanded the spice trade route in the area. They built palaces, temples and tombs into the rocky cliffs, and the site today has over 800 sites. But even without the ruins, the place would be worth a visit just to see the colorful sandstone, with its swirling colors and patterns that seem to grow more intense as the sun sets.

Our visit started by walking through the Siq, a 1.2 kilometer walk way that was created from a gorge that the Nabateans rerouted the river away from. The Siq led to the Treasury, one of Petra's most impressive tombs, which many of you may recognize from Indian Jones & the Last Crusade.

A trail up 800 steps took us to some sweeping views of the desert mountains and another towering tomb called the Monastery, so named because it wasused as a church in later years by the Byzantines. We also visited several other rock-carved tombs, an amphitheatre, and the Qasr al-Bint temple, one of the only free standing structures to survive the many earthquakes that forced the Nabatians to abandon the city.

We picked a particularly interesting time to visit Petra because the winner of an international contest to name the next "Wonder of the World" was to be announced that evening, and of course, Petra was in the running. There was a stage set up near the Treasury for a sunset party that the entire town appeared to be attending, and rumor had it that even the President of Jordan would be there. Judging by the news crews, we guessed this rumor may have had some validity! Unfortunately, we could not stay to celebrate, as we had already paid for our place in Eliat for the night and arranged with our cab driver for the round trip. If anyone knows the results of the contest, please post a comment

Eliat

2007-07-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Eliat is a resort town wedged directly between Jordan and Egypt. Being that the city was only built in the 1950s, there aren't any historical sights to visit, but there are many beaches to lounge on and lots of people-watching to be had.

Eliat also sports some nice reefs for snorkeling, with hundreds of different species of fish to spy on. We spent a day at the Coral Beach Nature Reserve and appreciated that although it is a popular place, they've gone to great lenghts to protect the reef by marking underwater trails to follow and diligently patrolling for people kicking, standing on, or otherwise abusing the coral.

We were able to rent a flat in Eliat as well (same price as a hostel, go figure) which made it a nice base for a couple of days.

Mitzpe Ramon

2007-07-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

The car company forced us to rent the car for 3 days ("it's too many kilometers to Eliat to drive in less than 3 days" was the excuse - at only 320 km, this tiny country is clearly not of the same mindset as those of us who will make the trek to Tahoe and back in a snow storm in less than 12 hours...). But, it ended up being a blessing because we got to take more time to enjoy the beauty of the Negev desert on our way south.

We spent the night in Mitpze Ramon, a small desert town perched above the Maktesh Ramon crater - the largest crater in the world. (We also drove through the world's second largest crater, the Maktesh HaGadol, but were too scared to stop and take a picture when we heard the Israeli military doing bombing exercises.) The crater was breathtaking with it's many different colored sands and rock formations. We also got to pretend we were normal people again because we ended up having to rent a real apartment when we discovered the hostel was closed, and even got to have a home cooked meal and watch some movies (ok, so we cooked dinner in the microwave).

We hiked around the rim of the crater, which took us through a desert sculpture park. The sculptures were interactive with various gongs and bells, and once again, we could almost pretend we were back at Black Rock City. If the Israelis haven't yet discovered Burning Man they certainly are poised to.

After the hike we headed out for the final stretch to Eliat. Even though the distance wasn't that far, there are no gas stations the entire way, so we'd recommend filling up before you head out. Otherwise, you may find yourself driving in 100+ degree heat with the aircon off and your fingers crossed like we did....

Masada

2007-07-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Masada is situated on a desert mesa high above the Dead Sea. It is accessible by two paths: the steep Snake Path which winds its way up from the Sea, and the gentler Roman Ramp, which is accessible by driving around to the other side of the plateau through Erad. So, while the car break-in resulted in an unexpected trip to the Erad police station, at least it saved us a grueling hike in the desert heat by putting us only 20 minutes away from the easier entrance!

Masada was built by the paranoid Herod the Great as a protective fortress against a potential Jewish revolt or other invasions. Despite its natural defenses, it was captured by the Jews several years after Herod's death during the First Revolt against the Romans. After the Roman's cracked down on the uprising, it became a haven for Jews fleeing from Jerusalem. Despite holding out against the Romans for months, the Romans eventually were able to build an earthen ramp up to the fortress walls (today's "Roman Ramp" entrance) to lay siege on the defenders. But, before being captured, nearly all of the Zealots committed mass suicide, marking the end of the Jewish presence in Palestine. The site was later occupied by Byzantine monks.

It's a beautiful spot, particularly at sunrise, but it's Masada's legendary status in Jewish history makes it a must-see for any trip to Israel.

The Dead Sea & Ein Gedi

2007-07-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

We rented a car in Jerusalem and headed toward the Dead Sea. After a brief stop at Quamran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, we headed to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. The reserve is situated in the around an oasis in the desert mountains, and has several waterfalls that you can hike, with pools to swim in. It was so refreshing to take a dip in the fresh spring water after a hike through the 100+ degree heat! We also had our first sighting of the plentiful ibex that inhabit the area, and visited an ancient synagogue situated in the reserve as well.

From Ein Gedi we headed straight to the Dead Sea for dip in the water - if you can even call it that. Consisting of over 30% solid material, the sea has a very strange, almost oily consistency. It's also hot. Because we went in during the evening, the surface of the water was actually cooler than its depths. And, you definitely float in it - in fact, it is almost impossible to push yourself beneath the surface. If you stand straight up in it, you don't sink much past your nipples. Also, become acutely aware of any minor cuts or scrapes you might have in the salty water. It was a fun experience, but I am not sure I would want to spend much more than the 20 minutes in it!

Coming back from our float in the Dead Sea, we made the unpleasant discovery that our car had been robbed. They somehow forced open the passenger side door and took Gil's camera and all of the cash from his wallet. Since literally all of our belongings were in the car, we consider ourselves lucky that they didn't take anything else.

We wanted to report the robbery to the police (the locals we spoke to say this happens daily), so we embarked for the town of Arad where we spent the night getting over it.

The pictures in this posting represent things we did, but were not taken by us.

Jerusalem

2007-07-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem is a fascinating city. We had heard there is a special energy that you feel instantly upon arrival and you definitely get the sense right away that it's a sacred place to many people, with a long and emotional history.

We found a room nearby the Jaffa Gate in the oldest hotel in Jerusalem. It's famous patrons include Mark Twain, who wrote his impressions of the Holy Land in "The Innocents Abroad". Like the city itself, the hotel definitely shows its age, but some of our favorite moments were sitting on our balcony and watching the many people and costumes parade in and out of the old city. Whether it was Orthodox Jews hurrying to the Western Wall to pray, young Americans dressed to impress heading out to the city center for a night on the town, a Priest leading a group of Italian Pilgrims toward the Via Dolorosa, or a group of Arab-Israelis taking advantage of Shabbot to throw an impromptu dance party, we were constantly entertained right out our window.

Our first couple of days we spent taking in the sites of the old city. We visited the Western Wall several times, the most memorable being for the start of Shabbot on Friday evening when the area was filled with families and groups of visitors praying and singing. We also took a very interesting tour of the underground tunnels near the Wall. It gave us a better sense Jerusalem's varied past, because each meter we descended down below the present-day surface represented another era in the city's history. It's amazing how many different structures (and the cultures they represent) have been destroyed, buried, and (for the lucky ones) rebuilt again.

We also visited St. Anne Church, which is situated next to the ancient ruins of the Pool of Bethesda, and walked along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows), stopping at the 14 stations that trace the route Jesus carried his cross. The last stations are in the Church of Holy Sepulchre, which which is interesting not only because it is supposedly the site of Jesus' crucifixion, but because it is shared by several different Christian faiths, and therefore is dissected into separate parts and adorned in a wide variety of styles.

After getting the visiting hours wrong a few times, we finally made it to the Temple Mount as well, which encompasses the Dome of the Rock, a (used to be real) gold plated mosque that covers a slab of stone sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The Muslims believe this is where Mohommed travelled in his night journey to heaven to join Allah, and it is the third most sacred place after Mecca and Medina. The Jewish faith believes it is the foundation stone of the world, where God gathered the earth to form Adam and also where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac. As such, it was the site of the First and Second Temples built by the Jewish people, which were later destroyed. The Western Wall is sacred to the Jewish faith today because it is the closest part of the Second Temple to the "holiest of holy" that remains today. Gil and I were disappointed that non-Muslims are no longer allowed into the Dome of the Rock, but it's a pretty good mirror of how divided the religious groups seem to be in Israel overall.

We also visited the Citadel or "Tower of David", which was responsible for protecting the city from invasion, and too has been reshaped by many different groups over time. There was a really cool art and music installation (very Burning Man-esque!) set up in the courtyard.

We also spent a lot of time outside of the old city, first visiting the churches and various ruins on Mt. Olive (which was pretty much the only thing we could do on Shabbot since the whole city shuts down for 24 hours!). One of our favorite parts was the Garden of Gethsemane, an olive grove that is over 2,000 years old. In some ways this was more spiritual than the old city, because it seems history has been rewritten so many times that no one is really sure where sacred events occurred, but these ancient gnaraled trees have certainly witnessed it all.

We also spent time in the city center experiencing "modern" Jerusalem. This primarily meant eating gelato and watching the various music and dance performances happening on Ben Yehuda Street (from traditional Jewish "rapping" to drum circles to break dancing...). It also gave us a better sense of Israeli security efforts - we thought 19-year-old kids carrying automatic rifles made us feel safe until we actually got locked inside of the restaurant we were eating at in the German Colony for our own protection (hello, fire codes?).

Our most emotional experience was visiting Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum. The very well designed exhibits tell the story of one of the more inhumane and horrific events in history in a very humane way - through news and video clips, interviews with survivors, and the personal items of a select few of the millions men, women and children thoughtlessly murdered in such a short period of time. It could elicit no other response other than a sickening remorse for the past and anger that we as a society continue to allow genocide to occur in the world today.

On that positive note, we are sad to report we have no pictures from Jerusalem (these pictures are all stolen from the internet, but are very similar to ones we took), as Gil's camera was stolen from our rental car the day after we left. It was a blow, but the thieves were kind enough to leave behind our passports and credit/ATM cards, so it could have been much, much worse.