Back in the Good Ole USA

After 30 something hours of traveling we made it safe and sound to Georgia, where we will spend the next few days before traveling around for the holidays.

Favorites

Here is the list of the favorites and best things we did.

Beer - Pilsner Urquell
Hot Springs - Unnamed, but the one where we got naked.
Place to Stay - Maria's (of course!) in Warsaw
Hotel - Hotel Madhuban (Jaipur India)
Hostel - Funky Green Voyager (Roturura New Zealand)
Meal - First dinner at Auntie in Jaipur
Restaurant Meal - Union Coffee House (New Delhi)
Beach - Ko Phayam Thailand
Wildlife Viewing - Yellow Eyed Penguin
Big City- Budapest
Michael Saying-"I don't know if they're gay or just German."
Ashley Saying- "Buddha says, Spicy in-Spicy out."
Day Hike- Slovensky Raj (Slovakia)
Paid Attraction- Whale Watching
Book read- Mountains Beyond Mountains (Michael), Lonesome Dove (Ash)
Country most likely to return to - India
Favorite Country - New Zealand

This is the end......

Its hard to believe but tomorrow we leave to go home. Its been a long and crazy trip, and we have had a ton of fun. I guess its time to go home and return to the real world of jobs. Oh well, we will do this again.

Since our last update on caves and waterfalls, we have been busy. Two days ago after posting, we went back to our hostel and saw a sea lion on a nearby sand bar. We went out and were blown away to see an adult sea lion playing with a younger one. It was awesome watching them frolic. Too bad the battery on our camera was dead! We saw them again later, and got some good snaps.

Yesterday, we drove up to Oamaru and saw the blue penguins. We watched them arrive in their urban nest with several tour groups and loads of other people. It wasn't as cool as the yellow penguin sighting, but still very entertaining. Those buggers are just plain silly looking. We stayed at a nice hostel with alpacas, which we fed earlier in the day.

Today, we drove up to Christchurch and did a Maori, the semi-indigenous people, show. It was quite good......then we had several drinks at a nearby bar along with dinner.

We are both sad that we are leaving.

Caves and waterfalls

Over the last 2 days, we have seen a myriad of waterfalls along with two caves. They have all been very scenic. Yesterday, we checked out Matai and Papakanui falls, near Otawa (where we are staying). Each one is about a 20 minute walk from the road, which isn't too bad. Both were stunning but Papakanui was better of the two as it was multi-levels of waterfall.

Today we went and checked out McLean Waterfalls, near Papatauni. It was quite a hike straight uphill but was the best of the three waterfalls. From there, we went and checked out the Cathedral Caves. Its these caves on the beach which is only accessible during low tide. They were seriously cool, and Ashley got a little wet walking to them, as it wasn't quite low tide yet.

Tomorrow we are heading up the east coast to Oamaru to see some more penguins, along with doing a brewery tour in Dunedin.

PS - Ashley is obsessed with the sub compact car sitting outside the internet cafe with a 4 puppies and a baby cow in the hatchback.

Seals, Sea Lions and Penguins

We have had a wildlife viewing extravaganza over the last two day. Yesterday we arrived in Surat Bay, on the Catlin Coast in the SE part of New Zealand. We are staying in this isolated little hostel right next to a wildlife refuge. Yesterday we walked from our place to a beach where we saw 3 Hooker Sea Lions (endangered). They were just napping - Ashley was worried they were dead, but was most happy to discover that they were just taking an afternoon snooze, as that is what they do. Today, we headed over to Nugget Bay where we saw some more Sea Lions along with some Seals.

The highlight of the afternoon was seeing the Yellow Eyed Penguin. It is endangered (about 4000 left), and are one of the most ancient penguins out there. They are also unique in that they don't breed in colonies. They are very scared of people and we had to hike to a hut to view them. We ended up seeing 2, maybe 3, penguins. One came out of the water, walked up the beach and stood around. Another went into the water. The third (not sure if its the second or not), came out of the water. They were adorable!!!! Looking totally goofy walking around.

Oh, yeah, I bungee jumped yesterday. It was pretty cool and very scary. I would do it again.......

Every View is a Postcard

So what is so great about new Zealand has all the great landscape elements of America (except desert) but within a 3 hour drive. Yesterday we went from a glacier, to a stunning coast to a mountain town. Today, we tried a hike but it rained on us.....so we read. We decided to skip jet boating, and instead high tail it to this secluded coast with lots of wildlife (penguins, sea lions, dolphins, etc), we hope to see some unique creatures. This may be our last update for a while b.c the area is secluded.

Glacier Love

Yesterday, we hiked up onto the Fox Glacier on the west coast of the Southern Island. It was seriously cool. Its one of the few glaciers in the world that is growing, not shrinking. We did about a four hour hike (with a group) up to the glacier and then onto it. We have some cool pics of the glacier that we hope to get up shortly. We normally shy away from guided tours, as they cost a lot and many times aren't worth it. But this one was quite good. Our guide was knowledgeable and the hike was semi strenuous, plus it was through a temperate rain forest. What a contrast....a glacier surrounded by ferns! Strenuous enough to really wind some other participants (not us though ha, we were winded too).

The day before yesterday, we just hung out in Hokitaka on the west coast. It was a smallish seaside village. We did a nice hike and visited a stunning waterfall, along with getting caught in a road rally on a very small gravel road. It was nerve wracking with all these antique cars driving towards us at high speeds. Anyway, today we head to Wanaka, which is near Queenstown. We hope to do some jet boating there and maybe a bungy jump.

Jay and Carla

So our friends from Denver, Jay and Carla, came to visit us in New Zealand. They just left this morning and we had a grand time with them. They stopped over in Australia and then popped over to New Zealand for an adventuresome 3 days.

We picked them up last Thursday.......and headed straight to our hostel. Luckily Jay and Carla are of the hosteling type, easy to please with the accommodation. Even luckier is that we had a nice hostel not too far from the center of Christchurch. After a quick trip to the market, Jay cooked us an awesome dinner.....veggies and cream sauce over pasta. We then proceeded to get intoxicated and did some bar hopping.

On Friday in the daytime, we headed over to the Canterbury museum in Christchurch and got the low down on Maoris, Antarctica, Colonization and native animals. We then had a nasty drive up to Kaikoura. It was rainy, cold and windy. Our car battery also died along the way. But we made it. We then had a dinner at a local pub, and headed back to the hostel were we caught up with some fellow travelers. Quite a nice time.

On Saturday, we went Whale Watching. See Ashley's post for details. I will say that it was awesome. Saturday night Jay made another fab meal of coconut curry vegetables. Very yummy. We dropped them off this morning.

I have to say that it was a real treat seeing them. They are good friends, who are now much better friends. We made lots of future trip plans together......lol.

This and That

So.....we decided to sleep last night (Sunday) in Waganui before heading to stay with a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. We didn't do much there, except visit a black sands beach (see flickr) and see Borat. It feels like a sleepy little town, and a nice break from the touristy places we have been going. Today, we will work our way down the west coast of the north island to Wellington.

Thermal Pools

Saturday, we went and checked out the Wai-O-Tapui thermal area. First off we saw the lady knox geyser. We were somewhat disappointed in it as they trigger it to go off as opposed to it going off naturally. From there, we walked around the thermal pools. They were quite impressive being multi-colored and very vibrant.

After the thermal pools, we took a soak in the hot springs we went to the day before. We opted to visit the spring that had the hot and cool streams. We soaked in there until we were as wrinkly as a shairpei. The combination of the hot and cold enable you to stay a long time in the water. We had a nice chat with other visitors as they stopped by and got some suggestions for traveling.

Today our plan was to drive to Tonganero National Park and do the Tonganero Crossing. Well, the weather had different ideas. It was gloomy and overcast....so we skipped the hike and are heading to the shore. We were disappointed about missing the hike as they shot the Mordor scenes there from LOTR there. We could see it from a distance though.

Other musings....
- The hostel we stayed in was the best we have stayed in so far. Clean and very friendly. We were quite pleased with it.
- We have met many Americans in New Zealand. There were about 8 staying at our hostel. It was nice to chat with them.

First thoughts on New Zealand

So, we just arrived in New Zealand last night. It took all day to get from the blue mountains to Auckland (9am-10pm), but so far its worth it. The people are quite lovely, and it appears to much cheaper here than Australia. We are renting a car tomorrow to tour around it. After checking into our hotel, we found out that renting a car was going to be just a little more than taking the bus. We figure the extra freedom will be worth it. Ok, that's all for now. We haven't done much in Auckland today. Ash is getting her hair cut right now, and we spent the morning doing planning on new Zealand.

The Blue Sorta Mountains

So, we decided to escape the craziness of the Australian cities and head to the nearby Blue Mountains for a couple of nights. It was nice to be out in nature and hiking, something we really haven't done since Slovakia. Well, after taking the train from Sydney, we arrived in Kotoomba. The first thing we noticed was that it wasn't really the mountains. More like foothills, or cliffs. There was no visible peaks to us. This isn't to say it wasn't nice, as it was quite relaxing but its a
misnomer to call them mountains.

Yesterday, we did a really nice hike through the park. We walked along a cliff edge and saw some local sights (some waterfalls, three sisters, cockatoos, echo point) check flickr for pics. We enjoyed our time here, but it pales in comparison to the American West.

It was a lovely national park and very well organized. You can walk to the park from the town, or take a shuttle bus. There was also a lot of attractions nearby.....caves, skyways, scenic railroads, etc. We opted to hike instead of ride.

Other musings....
- We head to New Zealand today. I write this from an airport lounge. We are excited about New Zealand, but recognize that it signifies the end of our trip. :-( Only 23 days left until we head home.
- We are quite excited to meet our friends Jay and Carla in New Zealand. We are going to have a blast.
- Australia was nice, but its pretty much just like America with funny accents and driving on the wrong side of the road.
- I would like to put a museum in my basement when we return to America. For some reasons, museums make me sleepy and it would nice to have a way to fall asleep when I have insomnia.
- Coopers Pale Ale is a very good beer. Not sure if its available outside of Australia, but we really enjoyed drinking it.
- Both Ash and I have that lingering cold. We would like to get well!

G'day Mates

So after a long travel day (is there any other kind?), we made it to Sydney yesterday. The travel day shouldn't have been too long but the mini-bus from the Sydney airport to our hostel took longer than the plane ride. Strange. Anyway, they actually say G'day mate in Australia. I somewhat thought it was just a catch phrase, but I have heard it said to me numerous times.

Today in Sydney we had a relatively full day of sightseeing (didn't spend a penny either until Dinner). We walked over to the Royal Botanical Gardens and looked at the harbor. Sydney is quite lovely and the weather while not perfect is much better than Melbourne. The Botanical Gardens were nice with lots of birds and plants. The birds were all quite strange looking. We thought we would see more strange birds on our trip, but outside the kingfisher we saw in Thailand, nothing too exotic. Until today that is. We saw some odd ducks (check flickr) along with a wild parrot and very large ravens.

From the botanical gardens, we headed around the bay to see the Sydney Opera House. It was just as cool as the pictures show. We wandered around the Circular Quay and watched some street performers. There were several aborigines playing the Dierado, which was pretty cool. After that, we checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was a decent museum, with one excellent exhibit on some aussie modern artist. I can't remember his name, but we both liked his stuff especially the Manta Ray and the neon rhinoceros.

Other tidbits....
- Ashley was slightly sick in Melbourne, and I have seem to have caught it. Nothing to serious, just a cold.
- We have figured out that Germany actually is deserted. They are all out traveling. Sydney is loaded with them.
- We are back to hostels for our accommodation, as my mom commented, its a steep drop from where we stayed in Thailand. But hostels are nice cause you can cook (we got sick of eating out in Thailand). Plus, the showers are relatively normal and the bathroom sinks actually have hot water.
- Australia is definitely expensive, mostly cause the dollar is weak. We are managing to stay on budget by cooking.

Wet and Cold

So, our plan before the trip was to have basically an endless summer. Start out in Europe during the summer, have India during the fall (when its not summer just feels like it), a little splash during Thailand dry season (warm again) and then finish it up with later spring early summer down under. Well that got shot down as soon as we got to Melbourne. Its downright chilly here.....and rainy. Quite annoying, hopefully Sydney (where we go tomorrow) is warmer.

We really didn't do that much today except check out two museums. The first was on Australian art. The facilities were quite nice, however outside the aboriginal art, the art was lackluster. The second was the international art museum. It had both nice facilities and art, but we lacked the time to explore it fully.

Other musings.....
- Our total travel time from our hotel in Thailand to our Hotel in Sydney was 31 1/2 hrs. It didn't feel that bad due to a combination of nice airport lounges and Xanax.
- Our budget will feel the pinch in Australia. Our accommodation willl take up over 50% of our budget, which won't leave that much money for food or sights. We handled it well in europe, and I think we can do it here. Plus, we banked up a solid reserve in Thailand.
- Its nice to hear people speak English.
- Ashley and I were looking forward to western food, but all we have had in Australia so far is Indian fare. HA!

Lady Boys

Last night, we went to a show at Simon Cabaret. The whole production is staged by Lady Boys, or Katheoy in Thai. These are Thai men/boys who have chosen to live their lives as women as opposed to men. It seems to be accepted throughout Thailand, as we have seen many women who we suspected to be men in actuality. To learn more, check out the wiki page. But its not like we are going to ask them. So anyway, we went to check out the show....essentially a drag show. It was top notch, as the performance were well rehearsed and choreographed. They danced, and lipsynched to a variety of tunes. Many of them looked exactly like women, but the shoulders on some gave them away. Overall, it was quite a hoot and a good ending to a visit to Thailand. We just wish we had brought our camera. I don't know why we always forget it!!!!

Musings.....
- We have really enjoyed Thailand. We set out to spend about 8 days here, and are actually spending 27 days. What a change. Its quite easy to travel and the locals are friendly, plus its very reasonable on the wallet.
- We spent the last two nights in Patong, which more of a touristy area. I am so glad we spent the bulk of our beach time (16 days) in less touristy areas. Not only is it cheaper, but it was cleaner, safer and way more relaxing. We liked both Ko Phayam and Ko Jum light years more than this area (or the Marriott and all of its luxury).
- I read a ton of books in Thailand. English books were widely available, if not slightly pricey. Some of my reads include - long way down by hornsby (quite good), the lincoln lawyer by michael connelley (another good one), Indigo Slam by Robert Crais, Backpacker by some unknown author, Jane Eyre by Bronte (very good!), Kim by Rudyard Kipling (god awful), Trace by Cornwell (almost terrible), a clancy novel along with a couple of others that I cannot recall. I am simultanously reading an Elizabeth George and Lonesome dove. I read Lonesome Dove about 18 years ago, and am re-reading it. Ash has first dibs on it, but I pick it up when she is snoozing.
- I listened to my ipod quite a bit.....favs included Jackie Brown soundtrack, Tool (10,000 days is a great album), and American Analog Set. For some reason, I can't remember what else I listened to.....must be something else we did a lot of in Thailand.
- I write this in the internet area at the Royal Silk Lounge in Bangkok Airport.....another perk about traveling so much for work was getting status and free access to the VIP lounges!

Ko Jum

We just got back from another deserted island. Its also on the Indian Ocean side of Thailand, but further south from Ko Phayam. It was truly delightful. The island was somewhat similar to the first one, but there were no crabs and the surf was lackluster. However, the accommodation was a little nicer (still no hot water) and the water definitely clearer. We really didn't do all that much during our visit there, except read, drink, swim and walk. But we did take another sea kayak adventure (hopefully pics to be posted later) to a nearby island and snorkeled. Before the Tsunami, the snorkeling at Ko Jum was supposedly pretty nice. However, the Tsunami destroyed much of the coral nearby and the related marine life. We still saw some cool fish but not as many as we would have a few years ago.

The bungalow we stayed at was owned by a British ex-pat, so everyone hanging around was British or Scottish. It was so nice having people to chat with in both our native tongues! Plus, they had a wide stock of English reading material. The food at the bungalow was not as good as it was at Ko Phayam, but still pretty tasty and cheap. An added bonus was satellite TV in the bar (not in our room), where we could get caught up on the elections. So glad to see that the democrats won, its time for a change in America.

We leave for Australia on Monday afternoon. So probably not many updates until Weds. It take over a day to get there from here.

Loi Krathong

On Nov 5, we did a bit of cultural voyeurism. Loi Krathong is a festival on the night of full moon in November. I have no idea what the festival celebrates. Our guidebook covers it, but only what happens not why. Nor did I see any information on it last night, but a Thai guy told me it was like Thai New Year and you make wishes. Basically, you float banana leaf boats/baskets filled with flowers, incense, a candle and a coin for good luck. People also light these paper balloons. So, last night at Ton Sai, we went out got really drunk and floated a basket along with watching others floating baskets/balloons. It was pretty cool.

There was a full on party atmosphere happening.....bands, raves, fire twirlers, etc. Very hippiesh but also a nice time. They celebrate every full moon with a party at many places in Thailand, but only once a year is Loi Krathong. We really enjoyed the little bit of Thainess that we saw last night.

The beach (Ton Sai) we are staying at (you can hardly call it a beach) is a backpacker hangout, specifically of the rock climbing kind. There are loads of Americans here which is a nice change as we have seen so few in recent months. The beach is basically rocks, so not much swimming going on but there are tons of other activities. At low tide, we can wade around a set of rocks to get to a real beach. From here, we head to Ko Jam, which from what I gather is even more isolated so not much updates from there. There is internet here, but its 4 Baht a minute, which is about 6-8x what we have been paying.

Best Body Surfing Ever

So for the last few days, we have been at Ko Phayam (Ash will write more about it later). It was absolutely amazing place - totally tranquil and isolated.....but no internet. We just chilled out for a few days and read - which was an absolute relaxing time. The beach was pretty nice, about 3 km long with white sand. The water was relatively clear but did have some debris and silt.

One of the best things about the beach was that it was awesome for body surfing. The first day there was no surf, but it picked up every day. Since the beach is very wide and with a gradual incline, waves break slowly. You can easily catch a wave and ride it for a long time (assuming that it was big enough). It was great fun standing out there and catching waves. I do wish there were more waves to catch, but the seas were relatively calm while we were there. Hopefully we will get pictures up soon, but no promises. Although we really didn't do anything worthy of taking photos.

Backpacker lifestyle

So.....we are loving the Marriott. It seems so plush to what we have become accustomed too. They have such nice things as washclothes! Anyway, I feel slightly out of place here. It seems to extreme of a jump to go from dread locked smelly backpackers to fat germans (the resort is loaded with them). We also have carried some backpacker lifesytle options over to the Marriott which makes it tough. No way are we eating the $15 breakfasts, so its yogurt and museli for us. $9 burgers - No Way! Its PB&J for us. We have a Tesco (british wal-mart) across the street so its easy to shop, and we have a fridge so we can store beer, jelly and yogurt in our room. But it does feel a little silly sitting on a plush bed eating a PB&J....oh well 3 more nights till we go back to our normal lifestyle.

Changing Rupees

As we were leaving India, the Thomas Cook guy said to change our Rupees in Bangkok as we would get a better rate. So today, we decided to trade them in. Well after 5 stops at banks were they wouldn't accept Rupees.....we were cursing him. It took the better part of the morning to trade them in. We did get a better rate but only marginally so.

Other than that we checked out the royal palace in Bangkok (check flickr) which was pretty cool. They have this emerald buddha, actually made of jade They dress it up for the seasons....ha! Tomorrow we head for Hua Hin and the much awaited Marriott resort.

Other tidbits on Bangkok
- The touts have nothing on the Indian touts.
- We have been traveling by ferry in Bangkok which is a nice change of pace
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Chaing Dao

So yesterday, we decided to head out of Chiang Mei and into the hills for a respite from the city. Well, we decided on Chaing Dao, which is a town about 75 kms from Chiang Mei. We took a bus, which was actually nicer than many of the buses we rode on in Europe up here. We are so glad we came up. For starters, our accommodation is very quaint. Its 6 bungalows nestled at the base of a mountain, the largest limestone mountain in Thailand. They have thatched roofs and are in a lush environment.....we are surrounded by banana trees and other flowering plants. The food at our restaurant is also some of the best we have had in Thailand.

In addition to the delightful accommodation, we also saw some nice sights. This area is famous for its caves and we got a tour of them. For the most part, the caves are completely dark, so a guide leads you through them. You have to crawl around to get to some areas, but its well worth it. The formations (all of which are named) are awe inspiring. They just look freaky (Hopefully we can upload some pics soon). After the caves, we checked out this famous monastery. It was at the top of a hill and required 500 steps to climb up to it. It was definitely worth it, but we were covered in sweat by the time we reached the top. The views from up there were beautiful and the temple itself was quite impressive. Its somewhat strange to see monks everywhere, but they seem to be just part of life here. Today, we check out a local hill tribe and some more monasteries/wats. To be honest, they are similar to churches in Europe or temples in India....and I can see them starting to blur in my mind after a while.

Thailand so far

Ok, Thailand so far has been relatively boring. Not because Thailand is boring, but because I have been sick. We arrived on Tuesday and didn't do much besides walk around due to exhaustion from travel.

On Weds, our primary goal was to arrange for a trek which we did. That took a longer part of the day, and we filled the rest in with massages along with shopping at the night bazaar. The night bazaar is a shoppers dream. It pretty much has everything you could want there, plus it is loaded with designer knockoffs. Ashley picked up a two cute Izods, I picked up a Von Dutch t-shirt. We purchased a few gifts for our fashion conscious friends and relatives.

Late Weds night, after several Changs (Thai Beer), I broke out with a fever and some stomach problems. So all day Thursday, I laid in bed hoping to get better. We ended up having to cancel our trek as I was too sick to go. Luckily we got our money back, but I was definitely disappointed. Today, we have kept it low key also, as I still feel a little shaky. We did check out another Wat (see picture) with this spectactular buddha statue. Tomorrow we head to some caves nearby.

India vs. Thailand

So, we are in Thailand and we can't stop thinking about India. We are constantly comparing and contrasting India and Thailand.....here is a summary.

Price - this is the first thing that pops into my cheap mind. The price of things in Thailand are signficantly higher. Its still cheap, but no more $2 meals.

Aroma - Thailand smells much better than India. We have yet to smell raw sewage which is nice. We miss the street cooking smells of India food.

Food - Total mixed bag here. The food so far in restuarants is inferior, no questions about that. Its good but not Indian good. However, we are not paranoid about what to eat. We got freshly made fruitsmoothies on the street today....which was a nice change. We saw them all over India but were too scared to try them.

Conditions of Streets - Thailand is much cleaner than India. Not much trash. Ashley is happy about the fewer street dogs, but they have been replaced by prostitutes (which makes me happy too).

People - The people are friendly in Thailand and always smiling, but not near as friendly or as interested in us. We are no longer celebrities. Plus there are tons of westerners.

So far we like Thailand and look forward to spending more time here. We are in North Thailand now (Chaing Mei). On Friday we head out for a trek for two nights, so today to prepare we got two massages. 1/2 hour on the feet and 1/2 hour on the back.....total cost per person - $10.

India.....Assault on the Senses

We will miss India. We truly enjoyed the experience of it all. From the lovely temples to the home stays to the incredible food, the imprint of India is burned within our psyche and will forever change us (ok, that was a little over the top but it was definitely memorable). Anyway, as we were leaving India, Ashley thought we should talk about how India is totally overwhelming on all of your senses. The most noticeable is visual, you see both crushing poverty and overwhelming beauty. The Taj Mahal was probably the single most impressive man made structure I have ever seen. It just blew me away. At the same time, seeing families sleeping on the streets in hovels, or sometimes not even hovels just a tarp, imprinted visuals I will never forget. For the audio, the most noticeable was the honking although dog barking is a close second. It was incessant and quite annoying but we got used to it. But at the same time, the Hindi music and the kids giggling, just have to make you smile. Smells were the most overwhelming of all the senses. As you walk down the street, smells intermingle. One moment you will be smelling the most wonderful street food (which we never sampled but smelled awesome) and the next you are reeling from the smell of raw sewage. It was quite intense and I will never forget the two inter-twinning.

For taste, we only have good memories. The memories of some of the best food we have ever had in our life. For Ashley, it was a vegetarian paradise. I ate vegetarian the whole time in India and I have to say it was incredible. You know you are going to have good veggie options when things are labeled - as Veg or Non-Veg. Ok, we don't really have anything for the sense of touch but we liked this theme for a post (Ashley's idea!).

We really enjoyed our time in India, but we have moved along to Thailand. While we will miss the intensity of India, we welcome a slightly easier travel experience.

Finally, the gruesome travel day(s) was not as bad as we thought. Besides getting upgraded on the train to first class, we got an earlier flight to Chaing Mei (northern Thailand) which reduced our layover. I am not keen to travel for 40+ hrs anytime soon, but it was not as bad as I imagined.

Hello

Whenever we walk around, we often get stares. Its a little odd. The kids seem to do it the most and most often after staring at us they say "Hello" really loud. When we respond with "hello" they start giggling uncontrollably. We are not sure why they do this, but we find it very cute. Usually its the younger kids who do it and for the most part its the boys, not girls that do it. The older kids will walk with us and ask us where we are from and chat with us......not just stopping at hello.

Right now, we are in Kalimplong. We don't find it quite as endearing as Darjeeling. Its got better views (it might be the weather), but the town is slightly dingier and our lodging is sub par. We got here by taking a share jeep from Darjeeling. This was a total trip and a half. They crammed 12 people (11 passengers and the driver) in a mid-sized SUV. No seatbelts and not much of a roof combined with a ride with no guard rails through the mountains made for a slightly scary ride. Yeah, it was crazy scenic, but nerve wracking. After the ride, we checked out a Buddhist monastery. They were beating drums and chanting, pretty cool. We also spun some Tibetan prayer wheels. Today, we are heading to check out another monastery and the top of a mountain.

Other musings....
- We are slightly worried about our package of goodies shipped home. It was supposed to arrive Thursday, and has yet to arrive.
- I forgot to mention two other food favorites. Fresh lime sodas and Vegetable Jalfrezi. Both are new to us and both are yummy. Fresh lime soda will be easy to replicate in the states, not so sure about Vegetable Jalfrezi.
- We are thinking of adding another week in Thailand. We want more time on tropical beaches than the currently allocated one week. We are also toying with flying from Australia to Bali, but will probably just stay in Thailand for another week.
- I got to watch Mets-Cards game yesterday. A nice treat. I got up early to watch yesterday's game, but our cable was out.
- Kingfisher beer is pretty good. Its a Indian brew and quite tasty. I would strongly recommend it if you get a chance to try it.

Indian Food

As you probably can tell, we have been eating well on our trip. With the exception of two meals, every meal we have had has been at least pretty good, with most being outstanding. The home cooked meals we got at Auntie and Uncles (both of them) where by far the best we had. We also got to sample fare that we would have never tried without being in someone's home. For instance, at Auntie and Uncle in Bombay we got to try the Bombay specialties such as bhelpuri. Its was a puffed rice mixture and Ashley and I loved it. We would have never known to try it without Auntie preparing it for us.

We have got to sample some old favorites (from our frequent Indian dining in America) such as Chana Masala (Chick peas in a sauce), Palak Paneer (Cheese and spinach), Navarratan Korma (vegetables in a cream sauce), Pakoras, Samosas, Naan, Dal Makahani (lentils), Lassi's and Dosas (pancake with potato filling). But we also found some new ones to love such as Chapati (another type of bread), Paneer Tiki (Cheese cooked in a tandori oven with spices), mixed vegetables, Vegetable Kebabs (ok, we make these at home, but they are better here), masala tea, and Momos (Tibetan steamed thingies).

Also.....I would love to get some pictures posted but there is no way from Darjeeling. I would suspect you will get few posts and pictures after Saturday. On Sunday we leave for the worst travel stretch so far.....we leave Sunday afternoon from Kalimpong (our next stop) and arrive in Chang Mei Thailand on Tuesday afternoon. Ouch!!!!

Darjeeling

Yesterday after a long travel day (4am to 8pm), we arrived in Darjeeling. Its much different from the other Indian towns we have visited, as the touts and beggars bother you much less. Plus, its in the mountains, so great views abound (although its often marred with trash). This morning, we went to Happy Valley Tea Plantation for a tour. It was quite interesting to see how tea was grown and processed. We didn't see much of the processing but did see the growing. Also, we saw the picking of the tea leaves. Only women pick tea leaves and do it for 8 hours a day, the compensation is only 40rs (about $.90). Not much if you ask me.

The tea that is grown there is sold to twinnings......so we have drunk that before and will do so again. The main tea that they sell is "super fine tippy golden flowery orange piko." What a crazy name but it was quite tasty to drink. We purchased some for a true tea lover in the family (although I am pretty sure the tea lover doesn't read this blog).

Hanging with Uncle

We had a really nice day today. Uncle, Ashley and I went to Elephanta Island. Its this Island about 1 hr boat ride from central Bombay. It has these rock temples to various gods (mainly Shiva). Anyway, it was pretty cool to check out the caves and the statues. The exact history of the caves are unknown, but they date from around 500 AD. There were 5 caves with one being the main cave and a temple to Shiva, the god of destruction. The statues and carvings are very intricate and for the most part in pretty good shape. The pictures (check flickr) came out only so so due to the lack of light, but they were very impressive.

Other notables:
- Uncle got us some fresh squeezed cane juice. We have seen it all over the place but were scared to try any fresh squeezed juice (guidebook warned us). Uncle took us to a reputable place. It was quite tasty.
- We also tried these "Bombay Burgers" which are veggie burgers (fried potatoes). They were quite tasty but slightly spicy.
- We also checked out a Jain temple. We almost went to see one in Delhi, but you have to take your shoes off and the area in Delhi did not look hygienic (standing water, rats). It was good to check out the temple and Jainism is a very interesting religion.
- Uncle was a terrific guide. He is knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects, and doesn't mind Ashley and I constant questions. Plus the local touch keeps beggars and touts away.
- So you know, Uncle and Auntie are generic terms you use to describe relationships. They aren't my uncle or aunt as you think of it, but its what you call someone to show respect. I like the tradition and it came very natural.

Shopping with Auntie

Last night, we experienced true Indian shopping with Auntie in Bombay. We have been planning on buying the bulk of our souvenirs in India and then shipping them back. It will be expensive to ship it back, but how often do you get to go to India? Anyway, we knew that we were meeting with Auntie and Rebecca let us know that she was a master shopper. Rebecca was right. First stop, Auntie took us to a fixed price shop where we bought quite a few things for ourselves and a few things for other people. Fixed price shops are nice as you don't have to haggle, although I have to admit I like haggling. After that stop, we hit the mall. Ashley and I each bought a nice "ethnic" (the stores term not ours) shirt. Something that is colorful and durable to have as a lasting memory. From the mall, we did a stop at a handicraft bazaar (non fixed price). We picked up some more stuff - shirt for me, a wall hanging, and a present or two. I have noticed three things that make shopping better with Auntie over shopping alone.
1. Where to go. Auntie knows where to go to get a bargain. She knows which shops are reputable and which are not. Also, she knows where things are nicely priced.
2. Quality and Price. Its nice to have an outside opinion to comment on whether something is a good deal or not, plus the insight into the quality of the product really makes us feel better about purchases.
3. Instant Respect. We have noticed that in India there are two prices. The first is for Indians, and is much lower. The second is for foreigners and its higher. With Auntie, we get the Indian price!!!!! What a nice change. The haggling is much easier!

Other thoughts about India....
- We went on a bus tour of Bombay today. The bus was a local one, and filled with natives. It was good to interact with them. We met some really nice kids on it (hi Sam!) and saw a lot of Bombay. A very nice time.
- Bombay is hot.
- Uncle has given us some good tips on travel and insight into Hinduism. We are fascinated by Hinduism and its nice to have a guide to help us understand what is what.
- Our culinary extravaganza continues. India home cooking is the BEST. We love it.

Something yummy in my tummy in Jaipur....cooking with Auntie

Something yummy in my tummy in Jaipur....cooking with Auntie
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Cooking with Auntie

This evening we had a memorable experience.....we cooked with Auntie (who we met yesterday). Auntie offers cooking classes to young girls and women around town, so that they can learn to cook. She agreed to do the same for us. She taught us how to cook 4 dishes - Dal, Chana, mixed vegetables and paneer masala. All of them turned out awesome, and I look forward to cooking them when I get back home (if I can remember!). It truly was a delight to meet with them and get to hear about them. I learned so much from Uncle about India, its culture and its future.

Upon leaving their house, we felt a sense of welcome previously unexperienced on our trip. Here are these people who are pratical strangers who open up their home to us, feed us, teach us to cook, show us around. They treated us as members of the family - not as guests. This truly was a delight and an inspiration. It reminds me of what is truly important in life.....friends and family. You are a collection of many things, one of the most important is the people you know and the relationships you form. These interactions make up your life and shape you into who you are. Sometimes we forget this, but the hanging with Auntie and Uncle reminded me of this. Not only from their hospitality, but they way they talked, acted and showed respect. Ok, enough gushing.

We also did some shopping today along with seeing the Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort. It was the best fort we have seen but pailed in comparison to our evening.

No pictures can be uploaded today, sorry. But we will head to Bombay tomorrow to meet Ritesh's folks.

Jaipur

Last night we arrived in Jaipur, and its a much nicer city than Agra. Its a lot cleaner, and there is way more to do. Also, its not quite as hot. So this morning the first thing we did was straighten out our train ticket from Darjeeling to Calcutta. Its always a chore going to the rail station, as there are tons of hassles. But from there, we did a bit of shopping. We bought ourself a nice throw for our bed, along with two silk pillowcases and a shirt for me. We also had some lunch. Ashley has grown terribly fond of fresh lime sodays (thanks Rebecca).

From shopping, we headed over to Rebecca's host family during her stay in Jaipur. Auntie and Uncle Singh along with their charming daughter Rose. Wow, what a treat. I consider it the highlight to our trip to India so far. We visited with them and had some tea (I love Indian Tea, very flavorful if not slightly sweet). Then Uncle drove us around and showed us Jaipur. He took us up into the hills near town and showed us this area with tons of monkeys. We must have seen 500 monkey (see flickr)!!!!! It was absolutely crazy. It gets even better as Uncle invited us over for dinner. What a fabulous meal! It was our best meal in India, not only for the food but also for the company.

Taj Mahal

Yesterday, we visited the Taj Mahal. It was absolutely amazing....one of the most memorable sights I have ever seen. We got up early to beat the crowds....around 6:30 am. We wanted to get up early enough to watch the sunrise, but that just was not going to happen. But we arrived at the Taj around 7:30, well before it was crowded. We walked out to see the Taj, and both Ashley and I were taken aback by the beauty of it. It really is an imposing figure, and what a testament to love. For more details on the story behind the Taj, check out the wiki page. But basically the Taj was built by an ruler of India as a testament to his wife that died giving birth to their 14th child.

Some other thoughts....
- Its intriguing that the national symbol of India (or at least what we perceive it as) was built by Islamic leader and has a mosque. Since India is majority Hindu, this just seems odd.
- Because its built on this marble base, it appears to float in the sky. It is just there.
- Agra is really hot, like absurdly hot. Plus, there are intermittent power outages. We wish we had day tripped it here, as opposed to staying two nights. Plus its really grungy.
- We had a great train ride to Agra, we sat with two lovely young people. One worked for a NGO and gave some insight into Indian life and what their challenges are in development. We also discussed American Politics, and its good to get outside perspective....but are not surprised at their comments - they dislike Bush and think he is an idiot.
- Both Ashley and I are having sinus troubles. Congested with sore throats.....Ugh!
- Our hotel in Agra had English speaking channels, so we watched a lot of TV since Agra sucks and we are sick. Even "Home Alone" is good in a pinch.
- Two sets of people have asked to take photos with us. The first time it was a little boy who dad asked us. Then it was a group of male teenagers. Strange, I guess we are a freak show.
- Finally.....photos are posted!!!! Not a lot due to our limited connection time in India, but we got some up. We had to upload them from an internet cafe.

India is Crazy, but we love it

So, we spent our second full day in India today and I have to admit that we are starting to get enchanted by it. It surprises us at every turn, and while not all surprises are good ones we are falling in love. Today, we had a great day. We started out by buying the train tickets we didn't get yesterday.....it was easier this time. During the process, we met this wonderful Brit named Jody who hung out with us all day. It was great to meet such a nice person, and have an English speaker to do things with. She had just arrived in New Delhi also....so we were on the same level when it comes to understanding India.

First off, we went to the Red Fort. On the way, we stopped and had a smart lunch at a local joint. It was more in line with the prices I expected for food compared to yesterday. Our meals ran about $.75 a piece and they were better than average. From their we trekked over to the red fort and saw the sights. Its a beautiful set of buildings, built by the same emperor who built the Taj Mahal. We spent most of the afternoon there and then headed over to see a Mosque. We think we got ripped off by some con artists, but it was only for $2 so no worries. It was a beautiful mosque, but we only had 10 minutes to see it due to afternoon prayers. From there, we headed back to the metro station through Old Delhi. Old Delhi was intense. The streets are more narrower, there are more touts (hagglers) and beggars. It was intense, but we made it to the metro station after a long walk and several wrong turns. We took the metro to near our hotel and had dinner. Nice meal...now we are home to clean socks and underwear.

Some other thoughts (there are so many going through my head!)
- Its hot. Really hot, like full body sweat hot. Its almost unbearable, but supposedly you adjust.
- At times, I can't believe I am in India.
- We are totally paranoid about cleaning our hands with hand cleaner and are extra cautious about what we eat. (totally inserted for Pickle). For some reason (I think the humidity), I feel very grimy all the time. It might take some time to get used to it, but my days at LSU should prepare me.

First Day in New Delhi

So, we did quite a bit today.....first off, we went to Connaugt Place for some shopping. Ashley bought two shirts and I bought one, all from Fab India. Rebecca, my cousin who frequents and studies India, recommended the store. They had nice stuff, but we thought the prices would be lower. We had an awesome lunch at a place near by....I had the grilled Veggie Kebobs and Ashley had Navartma Korma (sorry for the bad spellings). It was one of the best meals I have had on our trip, yeah it was spicy, but very tasty. From there, we walked around a little bit and window shopped. We also checked out Jantar Mantar, which is a observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. It was very peaceful and interesting to look at. Although it had English descriptions of what each building was, we couldn't exactly figure out why it was built in 1725, other than to study astronomy. It seemed like a lot to do to study the sky. The scenic salmon colored structure had a variety of city wildlife running around - lots of strange looking birds (and the obligatory pigeon) and tons of chipmunks.

After Jantar Mantar and a drop in at the Tourist bureau, we headed to the train station to buy our tickets to Agra. What an experience! We actually never got our tickets (we can't decide how early we want to get in), but we were hassled by 5 people trying to steer us towards their travel agency instead of the train station. Friendly people try to become your "friend" and "help" you out. They are not what they appear, and luckily our guidebook told us what to look for. But one of the con men was very good. Their travel agency was named the same thing as the official booking area, along with being on "the first floor" as our guidebook says. However, after checking it out, we quickly realized that it was not what he claimed. We went back to the train station, and went to buy a ticket but realized that we didn't have enough cash on had. So we elected to weight until tomorrow to pick it up.

After that exhausting experience, we had a nice dinner. Again Indian food, much cheaper than lunch but not as tasty (still pretty damn good though). I have a feeling Ashley and I will gain weight if we don't get sick.

Other musings:
- Poverty. We knew it would be poor, but were never sure what to expect. We have seen the odd beggar and low quality housing, but its actually a little better than I imagined.
- The smell. Besides the smog, the smells are not quite as overpowering as I was under impression they would be. Yeah, there are some stinky spots (just as their were in Rome), but not too bad.
- Wireless. We have a wireless connection in our room (crazy) but its not working right now. I get connected but it doesn't get any data. If and when I can get it work, you will get some pictures.
- Stares. Everywhere we go people stare at us. They glare at you. Rebecca said to just to think you are a super model, but its somewhat creepy.
- Friendliness. Besides the friends mentioned above, everyone is very interested in talking to you....asking where you are from, why you are here, what you will see while you are here, etc. Its quite refreshing as that didn't really happen that much the last two months.

Ok, that is a long post and I am sure boring to most. But so far, so good on India, but it has exhausted me. Thank god they speak English....yeah its hard to understand sometimes, but they speak it!

Passage to India

Yesterday morning I awoke at 5am filled with thoughts of all the things that could possibly go wrong.....such as a missed connection, lost luggage, hotel problems and the like. I couldn't get back to sleep despite knowing that I had a very long day in front of me. However, as the day wore on, the dread turned to excitement and as we left the Delhi airport customs at 1:20am, both Ashley and I were positively giddy.

To avoid delay and frustration, we arranged for a driver to pick us up from the airport and take us to the hotel. The ride into Delhi, which is quite polluted, was insane. The driver zigged, zagged, honked, flashed his lights, and drove where I didn't think there was actually a road. Ashley likened it to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney. I can only imagine what it would have been like if there had been serious traffic, and cows present.

Anyway, after a nice ambian sleep in, we enjoyed a breakfast in our courtyard. Today we are going to buy some clothing, and the like.

To India

After 64 nights, 7 countries, 6 currencies, 26 rooms, 4 airplane, 27 trains, 19 buses and a whole lot of fun, we head to India tomorrow. We are both nervous and excited about India. It will be nice to see a different culture, namely one not based on Judeo-Christian thought patterns. At the same time, India is till developing and I have heard that the poverty can be crushing to visitors.

I would expect our updates to the blog will be slightly sparser and fewer pictures, but we will try to record our thoughts as we go along.

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Some Good Europe Memories

There are some stories of things that have happened to us that I would like to codify for myself, so I don't forget. Here they are:
- Ashley the navigator. Normally, I do the navigation in cities but one night Ashley used her crafty ability to guide us home. It was in Eger and we had visited Valley of the Beautiful Woman (cheap wine), and we were a little tipsy. Anyway, we get near our apartment but we can't find the building I was walking around in circles trying every door, Ashley insisted we try a path, I just knew was the wrong way. Turned out to be the right way....
- In Prague, we needed to buy some mosquito repellant (additional supplies, we have plenty but just to be safe for India). Anyway, we went to a few sporting good stores and looked. We couldn't find any, so we asked the sale clerk where we could get some. He said "In Czech Republic, we have very special mosquito repellant. Its called Off."
- Ashley and I have some code names for different types of people. For instance, when anyone packs a lunch we say they must be Dutch as the Dutch are notorious for not buying anything when they visit. Whenever we see people making out, we call them Hungarians. All over Hungary, we saw people making out.....but not really anywhere else. If we see really drunk people, we call them Slovakians. As one day we saw a passed out man when we arrived in Levoca and he was still there when we left.
- We don't cram in a lot of sights when we travel, but we do wander around a look. I call this wandering aimlessly. We took this to a new level in Rome, as we were on a tight budget and the metro system sucked.
- Trying to recreate American foods. Sometimes we both wanted something familiar....so we tried to find it or recreate it. It almost always came out terrible. We have given up on some things.

I am sure there are other stories that I would like to remember.....but I can't.

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American Football

We have been in Prague for the last few days with a low key attitude. We are not forcing in a lot of sights, instead focusing on preparing for India. We have been doing a lot of shopping for India - we bought me some new shoes and some medical supplies along with a travel guide to Thailand.

One thing we did do was try to catch some American Football. On Saturday, we headed to a sports bar and watched Arkansas-Bama. It was nice to see some football (I am jonesing for LSU football)....and there were even three SEC fans in attendance. We had a lively debate on why we were rooting for the pigs over Bama and some beers. Overall a good time. Last night, we went and watched the last half of the Steelers-Bengals matchup at a different bar. The ambiance at this one was much nicer, as the were the prices for Pivo. But NFL does not draw me in like college football.....but still a nice change of pace.

This afternoon, we wandered around Prague catching Hrad Castle, Wasinlinsky Palace, and Charles Bridge. All of them were nice sights, but seriously touristy. Nonetheless Prague has a certain old world enchantment to it.

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Italia

As you may have gathered from our blog entries, both Ashley and I really like Italy. We are so glad we added it. Of particular note is the historical aspect. Everywhere you turn there is something major related to western history. Its truly astonishing that this small country could have so much to do with the way we live, act and think today. But it does. In addition, we loved the people. They have a zest for life that is infectious - and its a joy to interact with them. Finally, we also really liked the food and wine.

On the negative side, the transportation system is not the greatest. Every train we rode on was at least 10 minutes late, many over an hour late. The Rome mass transit system also seems to be in a sorry state of repair and doesn't connect the pieces efficiently (at least for a tourist). Also, the Euro wreaks havoc on budget minded travelers.

Things that only interest me
- Books I read. I polished off a Dick Francis novel along with Donna Leon's Death in a Strange Country (thanks mom).
- Music I listened to. The inefficient Italian rail system gave me plenty of time to listen to music including Camera Obscura, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, Decemberists, Busdriver, DJ Shadow, Jackie Brown Soundtrack, Built to Spill, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, and probably a few others I can't remember.

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Updated Itinerary

I wanted to provide an updated itinerary so the family will have some travel details.
- Tomorrow (Sept 22) we head back to Prague for 5 nights.
- On Sept 27th our destination is New Delhi via Frankfurt. On Oct 1, we jet to Agra to see the Taj. On Oct 3, we take off for Jaipur and then Mumbai on Oct 6. From their our schedule can take two different paths depending on what happens with us being able to change our flights on Indian Air.
- On Oct 17th, Bangkok is where our flight lands, but we will probably head to north Thailand. On the 25th, we have 5 nights at a resort in Hua Hin. We are keeping an eye on the situation in Thailand to determine whether its safe to head there. From what we have seen, we think it is; however, if violence breaks out we will change our destination.
- From there, its off to Australia on Nov 1 (arriving on the 2nd), then to New Zealand on Nov 21st.

Just wanted to provide an update as we have no idea what the internet situation in India will be like. We suspect internet access will be readily available, but are not 100% sure.

Finally, I want to say thanks to Maria....yet again. She was the one who said we HAD to go to Rome. We followed her advice and are glad to see all of this great old stuff (Ashley uses a different word, but this blog is meant for family reading).

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Roman Holiday

So far, we have enjoyed Rome quite a bit but we are on a tight budget as my mom, Ervin, Pic and Diane can attest. Since our room eats up over 70% of our budget (ouch!), we don't have a lot of walking around money. But this has not stopped us from seeing things - today we spent only 13 euros but managed to see Santa Maria della Vitterio, St Peters including the Pieta, the Pantheon, and St Ignacio - all famous (well sort of famous) things. Plus we learned a lot by snooping in on tour groups.....when in Rome.

In fact, we walked into Santa Maria unintentionally. We couldn't find the national museum of Rome (free), but we saw this and said let's walk in. Turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. The church was Michaelangelo's last architectural work which was built on the Roman Dioclesians baths (our loyal readers know how much we love baths).

You gotta love Rome.

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Florence

On Sunday, we day tripped it into Florence to catch the birthplace of the renaissance. It was quite a sight, we checked out the Douma and the Academia with the highlight being David. David truly was a sight to behold, I understand why many scholars call it the greatest sculpture ever. The Douma was just ok.

Ashley and I decided to check out some monks chanting, which Dianne's guidebook (Frommer's) indicated started at 4:30. Pic and Dianne opted for some window shopping due to the steep climb up to the church. Well, once we climbed up to the top (it was quite a climb), we discovered that it was actually at a different time. Naturally we were disappointed and it cemented the fact in our mind that Frommer's guidebooks suck. Anyway, we headed back to Lucca where we had a great dinner at a local trattoria.

Overall, all of us (including Pic and Dianne) have really loved Italy....mainly for the following reasons
- Wine. You can get quality wine at low prices (<$3.50), its better than many a $10 bottle I have drunk in Denver. Also, house wines at restaurants are very tasty.
- People. The people of Italy have quite a bit of character - we have really enjoyed interacting with them as they are friendly.
- Food. Its really good, especially the pizza and the salami.

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Drinking in Lucca

Drinking in Lucca
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Pic and Dianne in Treviso

Pic and Dianne in Treviso
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Tools of the Trade

It has come to my attention that some people are under the impression that we are just posting these blog entries from internet cafes. This is not the case.....every blog post was written on a PDA (HP Ipaq 1955) and posted to the blog via a wireless connection. We have a mini fold out keyboard that we type our blog posts on, then we walk around looking for wifi (wireless) signals in various towns. And thus this is how pictures and blog entries are loaded on the web.

We are not spending this much time in internet cafes, we normally write them on our PDA at night and then find a wifi hotspot the next day. So far we have been able to find a wife signal almost everywhere we have been.

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Treviso

On Weds after another long travel day, we arrived in Treviso and met up with the Rubes. Its a little town about 20 miles from Venice. A friend from my work is from Treviso and arranged some nice accommodation with a family friend. We day tripped it into Venice (see flickr for pics) yesterday and today we just enjoyed Treviso.....as its been raining a lot!

I have to say that its been very nice to be Italy. Its like we have been hanging out in another world in eastern Europe and to get to the west is a relief. Its nice to see a complete modern infrastructure plus western style conveniences. Yeah, Italy is old but its closer to the style of living we are accustomed to (or were???). 

Note - for some reason our uploading photos from Flickr to the blog is NOT working. Very annoying, so here it is without the picture of the rubes enjoying a glass of wine.

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Croatia......

Croatia......
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

I have to admit that both Ashley and I loved Croatia. The scenery, the people, the food and most of all the company made our visit to Croatia one of our favorites stops so far. Of notable interest was the crystal clearness of the water. Every body of water we saw was crystal clear. You could see straight to the bottom every where you looked including the lakes at Plitvice. That brings up the scenery.....every time we turned our head we saw majestic and breathtaking scenery. From the vistas over the ocean to the countless waterfalls in Plitvice, every view was a good one.

The people we met were also of notable interest. We loved our landlords across the board, and most of the tourists we met were friendly also. The food was also yummy, mostly Italian but we also had tasty pork roast.

Things that only interest me....

- Music I listened to. Did a lot of jamming on the bus rides including Tad, Sugar, Wolf Parade, Guided by Voices, and the Microphones.

- Books I read. Not much reading this time around....but I did read a chunk of the India guide book, along with some short stories.



Finally, we met up with the Pic and Dianne today, good to see more family.

Sobe in Zivogosce

Sobe in Zivogosce
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Aches and Pains

Aches and Pains
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Throughout our journey we have gotten a few aches and pains here and there. For instance, I hurt my back in Hungary. Nothing serious as the pain went away pretty quickly, but it still hurt. We have both gotten our fair share of bruises, which is surprising since I hardly ever bruise.

Anyway, right now we are suffering from our two most serious injuries. Ashley slipped and fell on some algae by the coast and banged up her butt. It was quite amusing to watch it happen, but I can tell it really hurts. As you can see from the picture, I have been bitten by something on the arch of my right foot. We think it was a sea urchin, but we are not really sure. It hurts to walk but appears to be getting better.

Cruising through Croatia

Cruising through Croatia
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

On Tuesday after a long travel day (2 trains, 1 bus and 1 long hike up hill), we met up with my mother and Ervin. I can't tell you how nice it was to see a familiar face! It was so relaxing to see a loved one. We had a nice dinner on a patio overlooking the gulf of kavarnar in Croatia. It was truly scenic.

We got up in the morning and rented a car and drove down to the Makarska Riveria getting a room in Zivogosce ( you're guess is as good as mine in how to pronounce it). Ashley utilized her crackerjack German skills to secure our lodging, a nice room in a private home with balconies overlooking the Adriatic Sea.......very relaxing. Today we went swimming in the Adriatic, and although it was very rocky (no sand on the beach) and chilly, we truly enjoyed the experience. Our bathing spot was right near the nude beach, so we had some nice views. Tomorrow we go to Dubrovnik.

Musings on Hungary

Musings on Hungary
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Both Ashley and I really enjoyed Hungaria (as Ashley and I often mistakenly call it). It was a nice change of pace from the Slavic countries, and felt more like Western Europe than any other place we have visited. From the sights to the architecture to the cosmopolitaness of the people, Hungary is more like Germany or France than Czech Republic or Poland.



We particularly loved Budapest. What a beautiful city. The architecture was amazing, and the sights offered a view into Hungarian life, history and art. Plus, for the most part they were either dirt cheap or free. And while it was tough utilizing the maps offered by our guidebooks to get around, the mass transit system is very efficient and expansive. We also truly enjoyed the food.



The only problems we had in Hungary was the language. Hungarian is quite foreign and we had a difficult time pronouncing and understanding it. We are not quite sure how they make those sounds from the letters. Luckily Ashley speaks some German (which is spoken heavily in every country we have visited) plus many Hungarians speak English. I guess they know Hungarian is too hard for foreigners to learn???



Things that will only interest me

- Music listened to. I did a lot of listening of music in Hungary including Tool, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Architecture in Helsinki, and Olivia Tremor Control.

- Books I read. Just finished the biography and am starting on a collection of short stories.

Hévíz

For the last couple of days, we have been in the Lake Balaton region. At first when we were traveling by train to the region, we almost skipped it. The train was packed with a younger crowd and it just did not look like fun. That afternoon, our impressions were deepened as we saw a slightly sleepy little town with not much going on and severely limited food choices. However, we decided to try the thermal lake nearby, its in Hévíz. Suddenly we were quite impressed. Its a rather smallish lake by lake standards, but its thermal. It was about 85 degrees inside the waters. We just laid in the waters all afternoon and relaxed on rented swimming belts (inner tubes). We enjoyed it so much we are going back today.

Again we are staying in a rented room in someone's house. This is our fourth experience with such accommodation, and so far the reviews are mixed. In Krakow we hated it as the owner was snooping. In Poprad we loved it as the owner was very generous, it was cheap, comfortable and convenient. We tried it in Eger, and while the owner could not have been nicer, the accommodation was just ok. We definitely like this one, as the owner does our dishes. Plus it has cable TV, with CNN International, Sport 1, Sport 2 and Eursport. Yesterday we watched Andre Agassi lose. Ok it was in Hungarian but sports and home videos are watchable in a foreign language.

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Saint Right Hand

Saint Right Hand
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

On Thursday, we headed to the Bazilika, or St. Stephens Church. Its the largest church in Hungary and one of the most impressive we have ever seen. The highlight was seeing St. Stephen's preserved right hand. This is quite a bizarre holy relic. We also checked out the contemporary art museum and the museum on the history of war, which gave us more insight into Hungary's role in WWII.

The Baths

So we are in Budapest and we decided to go to the baths, since that is a Budapest tradition. The Szechenyi bath was near our hotel, reviewed favorably by our travel guide, and most of all recommended as the best bath in Budapest by Gábor (more on Gabor later by the female corespondent). Well, we read in our book that the baths are nude and segregated. But we decide to bring our swimsuits just in case. Well, I forgot mine and it turned out to be a tragic mistake. You had to have a bathing suit to enter the bath, but luckily they rented some. A vintage 1989 bathing suite laden with lots of bright colors was what I ended up wearing. You should have seen the look on Ashley's face when she saw me, she could not stop laughing at me.....she has a mean streak almost as wide as mine.

Anyway, the baths were awesome. The water was slightly cooler than the baths that we have visited in the states (but warmer than Karlov Vary!). They had several different baths to choose from with different types of water and temperatures, it was very relaxing. They also had this awesome steam room that was extra hot. So hot Ashley had to leave right after entering, but I loved it.

After the baths we visited the Nemzeti Museum and got an excellent overview of Hungarian history. Its always great to learn about the region you are visiting, and this was especially nice as the museum was free (as in beer) and with loads of English.

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The Pantry

So after experiences a couple unpleasant travel days due to hunger and no access to places to eat, we decided to start carting food around to make sure that we eat. We have a gallon ziploc bag that we use for this, and we call it the pantry. We also recently obtained a plastic Tupperware like container we call the cupboard. Right now the contents of the pantry and cupboard include......some terrible tasting crackers, two tomatoes, one loaf of bread, a few peanuts, raisans, and some chocolate crème cookies.

BTW - we are in Budapest now. We had a nice time in Eger, except that everything was closed on Monday. Ashley will write a post about Eger shortly.

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My thoughts on Slovakia

My thoughts on Slovakia
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

I really liked Slovakia. It had what Ashley and I enjoy most - outdoor activities. We had two really nice hikes in wildly different locations. We could have easily had 10 or 15 more enjoyable hikes based on the input we got from various people we met. That brings me to the other plus, we really liked all the people we met. Marcella indicated to us that Slovakia is keen to develop tourism and as such people go out of their way to be friendly to tourists.

Slovakia does have a long way to go catch up with its neighbors in terms of economic development. Its readily apparent that its a much poorer country than Poland or Czech Republic. It also appears as there is not much industry. Slovakia is going to have to invest in their infrastructure to catch up to its neighbors.

Now, I am sure how both Ashley and I have raved about Slovakia has made our readers think maybe they should visit. I would definitely say its worthy of a visit if you like outdoor activities. If you want to hike, then I can't really think of a better spot outside of Southern Utah for it. However, if you want museums, art, cultural artifacts, then maybe its not the best spot.

Things that will only interest me

- Music I listened to. I have listened to almost nothing. I am digging on Apples in Stereo as I write this as we leave Slovakia, but that is about it We were too busy hiking to listen to music.

- Books I read. I am about halfway through a biography.

We are heading to Eger, Hungary for a couple of nights, then Budapest for 4 nights, then Lake Balaton Hungary for 2-3 nights, then we meet my mother and Ervin in Croatia.

Paradise?

Paradise?
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Today we went to Slovensky Raj, or Slovakian Paradise. It was definitely worthy of such a lofty name. It was gorgeous. Its a national park, south of the high tatras with a special breed of hiking, where you have to use ladders, bridges and lots of balance (see flickr for pics). Its densely wooded with plenty of streams and waterfalls.

We did a nice hike, but not as long as we wanted as the train station is about 2 miles from the park.....oh well we loved and it was most of the unique hiking experiences we have ever had.

The Slovak People

The Slovak People
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

All throughout our travels, we have met nice people but for some reason everyone we have talked to (and granted its not that many) in Slovakia are very nice. From our waiter today at a vegetarian restaurant in Levoca to the owner of the house we are staying in, everyone has been friendly. For instance, the owner gave us some yummy cake last night and tonight she gave us a plate of Slovakian food including sausage, sweet pickles, bread and boiled eggs (see flickr for pics). She wanted us to experience Slovakian food, this is coming from the translation of another nice resident (Polish though). It really warms your heart when something like this happens.

The nicest experience was earlier today. At a bus station in Levoca, we met Marcella ( a Slovakian woman) who used to live in Canada. We met and talked to her on the bus, and she offered to give us a brief tour of Poprad, specifically walking us over to Spissky Sobota to show us the historic town square. It was a nice square 10 minutes from our lodging but we had no clue it was there. Of course, we bombarded her with questions the whole time we were walking. She gave us insight into the region, the culture, and what its like to be Slovakian. A true treat. Marcella is pictured with Ashley above.

My thoughts on Poland

We left Poland today, earlier than scheduled and here are my thoughts on Poland. First off, let's start on the positive side. I really liked the Poles friendliness, we only encountered one or two grouchy people in our week there. Everyone was friendly and eager to please. They also really seemed to like Americans. I also truly enjoyed the cuisine we had in Poland. Periogis were awesome, and pretty much every where we ate was above average. The best spots were the vegetarian eateries in Krakow, one of which we ate at 3 times. The sites were also nice......from the salt mine, to the film about Warsaw to the scenery of Zakopane, everything we saw was memorable. And of course, we really enjoyed our visit with Maria!

Now to the negative side.......First off, there is a complete and utter lack of signage. Literally there are almost no signs, no street signs, no signs pointing to Centrum, and the signage at the transportation system was pathetic. This segueways into my other complaint nicely. The transportation system is sub-par, the roads are in horrible condition and deciphering schedules was daunting. Its never easy to do in foreign language but for some reason it was much more challenging. Also, outside of our visit with Maria, nothing seemed to go our way whether this was bad luck or just poor planning, I don't know. But it seemed everything we tried to do, something stopped us from accomplishing it as simply as it should have been. Due to all of this we left Poland early. We are now in Poprad Slovakia (which does not have the signage problem), where we will see the Slovak side of the High Tatras.

Things that will only interest me:
- I didn't read as much in Poland, partly due to the poor conditions of the roads, but I did finish Great Expectations.
- I didn't listen to near as much music either, mainly due to my ipod battery being dead on one train ride, and on one train ride our compartment mates seemed slightly sketchy at first. But I did manage to listen to Architecture in Helsinki, Cibo Matto, Minus the Bear, Madlib, Jackie Brown Soundtrack, Camera Obscura and My Morning Jacket.

Zakopane

Zakopane
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

The wilderness that surrounds Zakopane is absolutely breath taking. It has a myriad of outdoor activities to chose from.....hiking, skiing (winter), rafting, biking and much more. However, its absolutely packed with tourists and the main drag is reminiscent of Gatlinburg, TN. We will be leaving tomorrow, although we planned to stay four nights, its just too many people around for it to be enjoyable.



We did take a really nice hike today. We hiked up a mountain (check Flickr for more photos) and had some gorgeous views. It was a strenuous hike and we are tuckered out this evening. The trail was packed and I have to admire the Polish sturdiness. We saw everyone from children to grandparents hiking, most making it to the top of the mountain (about 1500 ft ascent). You would never see that in America.

A Relaxing Weekend at Maria's

A Relaxing Weekend at Maria's
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

We had the nicest weekend. We arrived in Warsaw Friday afternoon from Krakow and headed to Maria's. She had arranged some lovely cocktails with her lovely ex-pat neighbors (Caroline and Damien).....truly nice to have a cocktail with ice.



On Saturday, we checked out a museum and a intriguing movie (more from our female correspondent later).....and had a enjoyable dinner party with those same charming neighbors, the Canadian Ambassador to Poland and his wife. What a scrumptious meal, it was nice to have a full home cooked meal along with delightful conversation (in English of course) and a large amount of wine. We also had a nice relaxing day on Sunday, ended with another set of cocktails.



I have to say that everyone was absolutely wonderful. It was nice change of pace to stay in a home with a solid shower and comfortable bed along with home cooked meals, and of course conversation in English. Our hostess was the most gracious one, catering to our every need and just generally being a wonderful person. It was so great spending time with Maria, she is delightful. Thanks again. We are recharged and off to Zakopane and the mountains of Poland.

Thanks for the comments

Thanks for the comments
Originally uploaded by Flightplan.

Thank you so much for the comments......its good to know that others are reading about our travels. To address some of the questions in the comments:

1. I brought the books from home and also did some trade ins at hostels. I just sold a bunch for next to nothing before heading to Warsaw.

2. We have eaten very little true polish food here. In Krakow there is a ton of vegetarian restaurants, and we figure to eat there while we can. I did hit a milk bar for dinner last nigh. It was good and cheap, although slightly difficult to decipher the menu.

3. Polish beer is tasty and cheap, but neither as cheap or as tasty as Czech beer.



We are leaving Krakow and heading to Warsaw where we will be staying with Maria, a relative of a good friend in Denver (Carissa). We are excited about staying with her as it will be a nice change of pace. Yesterday we visited Auschwitz, which was (surprise) depressing. Ash has said she will write more about it.



PS - if you see this post with a picture I finally got this email posting working.

Salt Mines

Yesterday after changing accommodations again (drunk south American boys having a belching contest outside our door is not conducive to sleep) and a long hot bus ride with sweaty German boy scouts, we checked out Poland's number one tourist destination....the Wielicka Mine. It was pricey but definitely worth it.

We took a two hour tour through the mine (in English). Basically the mine is 14 million year old salt deposit from some sea that used to be in this area. They started mining it in the the 13th century and its been active since. Apparently until the 19th century salt was a precious commodity in Europe and could be bartered for just about anything. While its still nominally active, the main thing they do there is tours. They have all these statues carved out of salt (see Flickr pictures) including a recent addition of Pope John Paul II. The mine was also loaded with statues of gnomes carved out of salt, which thrilled Ashley. They have 35 chapels and a very large cathedral down there, I guess being a miner you need to pray a lot.

We had a great time and would recommend that tour to anyone visiting Krakow...we would also recommend Moma for lunch, the best vegetarian restaurant in Poland. Yummmy!

First Thoughts on Poland

So far Poland has been more trying than the Czech Republic. For some reason, we have either had a string of bad luck or poor planning. This would not be too problematic if it wasn't way more expensive than CZ.

We have had much more trouble with transportation here. The buses and trains feel more run down, and the schedules are less detailed and not as easy to find. This made yesterday a particularly long day, it should have not been hard but it was. Oh well, different countries are different ways. On the positive side, the people are very friendly. We have not really been yelled at by anyone (a daily occurrence in CZ), and every Pole we have talked to has been helpful and very courteous....a nice treat.

My thoughts on the Czech Republic

I really loved the Czech Republic......it was probably my favorite country I have ever visited. The beer, the people, the food, everything about it was awesome. I particularly liked the beer, cheap and tasty.

My favorite city was Teplice, I loved our location, our pension and the hiking. On Sunday we took the most awesome hike there....through the woods and a swamp. It had lots of scrambling over tree stumps, bogs, puddle, rivers, broken bridges and the like. It was one of my favorite hikes ever.

Things I know will only interest me:
- Music listened to - Busdriver, Deltron 3030, Bauhaus, Islands, Unicorns, Tool, Wedding Present, Yo La Tengo
- Books I read - Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (decidedly ok), Franny and Zoeey by JD Salinger (great one been too long since I read it), Meditations on everyday insanity by Bukowski (I love me some Bukowski) and half of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (surprisingly amusing).

See Rock City

This morning (Saturday), I am mentioning the days as we are in the boonies and its doubtful you will see a post until Tuesday, we took the train to Teplice. Teplice is a little town near Poland in the Czech mountains. Its very tranquil up here. Anyway, the reason we came is to hike in the woods and to see these rock formations. Well, they call the rock formations - Rock City, and while its similar to Rock City,TN, its more natury and no costumed characters. We hiked around and saw the formations about 4 miles round trip. It was truly beautiful, it reminded us of Bryce Canyon hoodoos, but not quite as alien looking.

Then we walked into town to buy groceries....we forgot that in CZ groceries stores close at 11am on Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays. Well, Ashley started to think that she would be eating peanut butter and raisins for dinner, as that is all we have food wise and the restaurant nearby will only serve meat. Luckily we found a little mini mart and picked up some basic staples. We will eat, but it will be flavorless. We are staying in a lovely pensions inside the Rock City area. We can hear a babbling brook from our room, very quaint.