2 People + 1 World

Train rides around the Island and our flight home

2008-07-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

Train travel is luxurious in Taiwan. Starting from the northwest of Taiwan in Taijung traveling southwest were coastal plains and rice patties. The typhoon caused roads to be closed so we couldn't go to Mt. Ali to view the sunrise. Instead we hopped on another train to Kaohsiung where we took a romantic walk along Love River at night (above). Also, we hit some balls at the batting cages. Baseball is the national sport of Taiwan. For weddings, women wear orange, lime green, and red wedding dresses? I liked the pink ones above.

Next we took the train south to the tip of the island passing Kenting Beach (above) and then north up the east coast to Hua Lien. The scenery was lush with green trees covering the hills and several waterfalls. Hiking in Toroko Gorge National Park outside of Hua Lin had amazing scenery.

The aboriginal Taroko tradition was at 7 years old everyone had to be tatooed on their forehead for identification. At 14 years old a young man was tatooed on his chin after his first successful headhunting. The Taroko Gorge was formed by calcerous rock heated at high pressure causing it to metamorphose into marble. The Liwu River carved it way through the gorge forming the valleys. There were rock slides everyday and an earthquake rumbled at 3am when we were there! Check out the damage below..

We flew home on August 4th from Taipei to San Francisco to LAX where Paul's brother, John, picked us up. Our first meal back on US soil was a burrito and quesadilla. Then we went straight to the beach in sunny OC! It's good to back!

Taipei, Taiwan

2008-07-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

There are 2.8 million people in Taipei. The 101 (pictured above) was the tallest building in the world in 2004 at 504 meters. It has the world's fastest elevator at 1,010 per minute. My ears popped going up! It also has the world's largest wind damper (pictured below right) with a diameter of 5.5 meters and weighs 660 tons!

Strolling through the city, all the Taiwanese people are friendly and go out of their way to help you. They all have a huge smile. It's a more modern and wealthy Asian city than the ones we've been traveling in the past 5 months. Taipei feels like a mix between Japanese and Chinese (ex: Oolong Chinese tea and Japanese Teppan Restaurants). We did some sightseeing including the National Palace Museum (above left) and Democracy Hall (above right).

The Asian markets always bring surprises and this time, the hello kitty fish balls made me open my mouth in wonder. Also, the woman selling her fresh squid and sardines in the front of the women's clothes shop was strange. I don't know about you, but I don't like the smell of fish when I am shopping for a cute outfit. Ewwww...

Our hosts for the first few nights in Taipei, Angel and Torah, were fantastic! We couch-surfed at their apartment in Beitou and went to the hot springs (above). On Sat. night we all went shopping at the Shilin Night Market and dancing at Club Plush. Here's a shout out to Steve Lynch, the club manager, who was a friend of a guy we met in Thailand. Thank you for getting us in free, giving us VIP treatment and a free round of drinks for 4 (yes, Paul worked the "McNeil Deal" all the way across the world in Taiwan)!

Phun in the Philippines

2008-07-24T17:16:00.001-07:00

In making our way from Hanoi to Taipei for our flight home, we found that the easiest and cheapest flight option was through Manila. So we spent a week in the Philippines. Named after some king in Spain, this nation of 7,106 islands is pretty homogeneous. The jeepney (pictured above left) is a famous mode of transport, as well as the tricycle (pictured above right). Manila is not as bad as everyone says and Malate has great live music, and of course karaoke! Maurice, Paul's friend, met us in Manila and we traveled to an island together (pictured below left).

We stayed in Puerto Galera, on Mindoro Island. Our hosts Monica and Lars (in sunset photo above) are friends of Maurice and run a beach camp for street children from Manila called Stairway Foundation. Their work affects the lives of hundreds of kids daily. We stayed 5 days and had some time with a bunch of 10-year-olds fresh out of adult jails (because there is no other place for them). We did an impromptu yoga lesson and ate meals with them. Their stories are heartbreaking but, at Stairways they are just normal kids in school and going to the beach everyday. On the way back in to Manila we saw hundreds of street kids (there are 1.5m homeless kids in a total population of 86 million) and thought of the great work that Lars and Monica are doing and how lucky those kids are.

Some Phun Phacts:

Largest Export: Humans, 10 million living abroad and sending money home

Most Corrupt Government in Asia (as of last week)

Most musical nation on earth with singing and dancing everywhere

On the way back from the island to Manila, we visited the active Ta'al volcano (pictured above). It's massive! The rim is 30km with a lake in the middle.

Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

2008-07-16T06:39:00.001-07:00

The "Junk" boat cruise to the island was fabulous (pictured above) as we passed caves and floating villages. Inside the caves were stalagtites and stalagmites (pictured below) that have been there for over 1,000 years.

Hiking in Cat Ba Island National Park was fantastic and we sweated more than we ever have in our entire lives! The 3,000 islands were surrounding us. After the strenuous hike, we got magnificent massages on the beach for $4. Incredible!

Eileen's 31st Birthday in Hanoi

2008-07-16T06:01:00.001-07:00

Paul is the best husband ever and organized a fun birthday weekend for me that was full of surprises! On Friday he gave me flowers and went to Bodha Spa for a manicure, pedicure, and foot massage. Saterday night started with a romantic cyclo ride to Le Place (a French Restaurant) and then to the circus! What a surprise... from bears driving moto's (above), monkeys riding bikes, trapeze acrobats, contortionists, women twirling in the air on roller skates, elephants, clowns, and included 2 hours of amazing acts!

Then we went pub crawling in the Old Quarter to Bia Hoi street cafes serving homemade brew until they closed at midnight. Everyone sang happy birthday in the streets at midnight. Another cyclo, Mr.Suan, took us to a barge bar on the river and waited for us until 3am when we finished dancing!

On Sunday, we went shopping, had facials, and full body massages. He gave me gifts and treated us to a special 6-course dinner at Hoa Sua, a restaurant that trains street kids how to work, live, and be successful citizens in their community. The caviar with arugala salad and strawberry dressing was fabulous. What a wonderful birthday! Check out the circus videos below of the twirling rollerskate girls and then my favorite, the men acrobats...

Cafe Culture in Hanoi

2008-07-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

The cafe culture is fantastic in Hanoi! We have a traditiona cafe sua da (ice milk coffee) each morning and watch the world go by around Hoan Kiem Lake. It's great to have time to write in our journals and have conversations about life. In Hanoi, you have to visit the man Ho Chi , his embalmed corpse looks like it belongs in a Maddam Tousseau Wax Museum, and is near the Presidential Palace (above right). Ho Chi lived in the more simple House on Stilts (above left) and stayed true to his vision. We did a little sight-seeing, but Hanoi is a great place to do nothing. Pictured below are the One Pillar Pagoda (below left); Vietnamese coffee (bottom left); Paul salutes Ho Chi (below right); and our favorite Cafe 44 (bottom right).

Visiting the War Museum and Hoa Lo Prison, where John McCain lived for 5 1/2 years, were depressing (pictured below).

This is a video of the maddness at an intersection in Hanoi where it's difficult to cross the street. Eileen has to hold Paul's hand or she'd never make it!

The water puppet theatre performance was cultural and enjoyable. Listen to the Vietnamese traditional music and singing as you watch the "Fairy Dance" puppets!

In Asia, people wake up early and do their exercises in the morning! Watch them play badmitton, do thai chi, meditate, do yoga, sword ladies group, walk, fan ladies group, stretch, and more...

Ho Chi Minh Trail, Hue

2008-07-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

The DMZ tour was long, but I learned a lot about the Vietnam War. On Highway 9, the picture (top left) is of the HO Chi Minh Trail and (top right) is of Rockpile Mountain (US Troops Based here with only helicopter access). The hills were green, but many of the 20-foot high trees were destroyed by agent orange. At Khe Sanh, US Base, I viewed old planes and bunkers (pictured above). Bikes were used on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport supplies (pictured below).

On Highway 1, we crossed the Hien Long Bridge over the Ben Hai River which divided North and South Vietnam from 1965-1973. I saw where the US troops put motion sensors and button bombs to kill the North Vietnamese along this border. It seemed so peaceful today driving through farms, rice patties, and cow pastures. Visiting the longest and largest Vinh Moc Tunnels was amazing and you got a taste of how the 300 Vietnamese lived underground for over 6 years (1966 - 1972). I walked in the dark narrow tunnels hunched over (because they're so low) smelling the dirt. 17 babies were born here and there was only 1 toilet for women only, men had to go outside. Speaking of which, you were only allowed out of the tunnel once per week for a half hour or so... unbelievable! When you heard airplanes, you ran into the trenches and to the bomb shelter or tunnel as fast as you could (pictured below). Vietnamese are strong people!

On a brighter side, it's my birthday month, so we splurged tonight! A wonderful 7-course dinner inside the Citadel included dishes representative of the Hue royal court. Check out the spring rolls decorated on the pineapple peacock for starters (left) and steamed rice in lotus flower (right)...

China Beach, Danang

2008-07-04T20:15:00.003-07:00

China beach was the most American place we could find to celebrate the 4th of July. There were no hamburgers though and fireworks have been outlawed since 1995. Apparently they had had enough with things that go boom in the night. Still, we thought of Uncle Sam and Uncle Ho as buddies and you have to admit that if you took off the stove pipe hat, there is a similarity. What do you think? Uncle Sam, Uncle Ho and Colonel Sanders... separated at birth?

I cant believe we're hanging out on the famous China Beach where the US troops relaxed during the Vietnam War. A starving, unemployed 15-year old Vietnamese kid with a BIG smile sat down next to us. He was skinny and shivering as he came out of the water (even though it was a warm 80 degrees). No body fat. Being so sweet, he tried to speak English, but had a hard time carrying on a conversation. He did better when he used our Vietnamese phrase book. He asked the vendor for a cigarette and he lit it immediately. Then he fumbled around in his pockets "looking" for money. He didn't have any. We gave the vendor 2,000 Dong for his cigarettes ($.14). We shared our rice cake with him and he told us that his family were farmers and very poor. When we got up to leave, he asked us for money to buy a noodle. Paul said, "No." The boy asked, "Why? You're rich. From America." Paul didn't know what to say because the boy was right, so he gave him 5,000 dong (28 cents) for dinner and told him, "Buy food. No beer or cigarettes. Promise?" The boy was grateful, thanked us, and we rushed to meet our friend Maurice. As we walked away tears filled my eyes. He was so skinny and looked malnourished. If we didnt already have dinner plans, we would have taken this hungry teenager to an "all-you-can-eat" buffet with us. Usually we never give kids money, but this was different. It was July 4th and we were thankful that there is peace here in Vietnam.

The 5 Marble Mountains (pictured above) have ancient Buddhas carved into the natural caves. The one in the picture is Tang Chon Dong and Eileen is sitting under a female Buddha at Linh Ong Pagoda. During the Vietnam War, one of the chambers in the caverns was used by the VC as a hospital and the masonry gate has bullet holes in it. The village creates amazing marble sculptures for sale too! One of the Vietnamese vendors told Eileen that she looks Vietnamese wearing her hat, long sleeves and skirt, and an umbrella in the 90 degree heat. What do you think?

Terrific Tailors in Hoi An

2008-07-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Tailors are everywhere you turn in Hoi An. You can bring in a picture of anything and they will custom make it for you within 24 hours! Mr. Bu at "Chic", a fussy, Vietnamese guy with a queer eye for detail took great care of us and we would highly recommend him. He made Paul's suits 9 years ago and they are holding up just fine! It was an adventure trying to track him down at the market. Not surprisingly, we were lied to at "Ly Ly Tailors" who told us Mr. Bu was on vacation in Saigon and wouldn't be back for a couple weeks, so we should buy from them today. Lying Ly Ly'ers that Lie, I say... After walking around the clothing market for a while, a few sweet Vietnamese girls whispered, "Hey! Come here! We know where Mr. Bu is. He moved his shop." They gave us his new address. Mr.Bu was fantastic - check out our fashion show (above).

"Vietnam is a country of food, a country of skinny people obsessed with eating," stated Andrew Pham (Vietnamese author). We have loved the food here more than anywhere else on our trip and decided to take a cooking class (pictured below) at Red Bridge! Most of our time in Hoi An was spent in French cafes (Cargo Room was the best and Tam Tam is a close 2nd).

The beach in Hoi An was nice and forms the southern end of the 20 mile stretch of China Beach. We met our Aussie friends, Chris and Belinda, at Swiss Belhotel for a swim!

Paul learned how to make a bamboo circle boat and then to naviagte one! There are floods every year in Hoi An and every home has a circle boat (pictured below) so they can leave their home when necessary. The basket weave of the boat is sealed with a mixture of cow dung and oil.

Hoi An has charm and history in Old Town with several 2-story, Chinese/French-style old buildings that are now cafes, guesthouses, bars, tailors, and souvenir shops. The carpentry village we visited on Kim Bong Island is responsible for most of the building and restoration of the 17th century architecture in Old Town. Tam Tam Cafe (below right) Hoi An is Eileen's favorite town in Vietnam!

Magnificent Mud Baths, Nha Trang

2008-06-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

Central Vietnam has hot springs and mud baths to enjoy at a VIP spa facility. We soaked for 15 minutes in our own private mud bath that smelled like eukalyptus. When we got out, we sunbathed and let it dry in the sun to release toxins. After we took a hot mineral bath under a thatched palapa in a grove of eukalyptus trees. So romantic! Also, we enjoyed Vietnamese oil massages at the spa where they walk across your back! So relaxed after lunch that we fell asleep reading books poolside.

The popular, Mama Linh, snorkelling tour was a blast! We partied with Brits, Kiwi's, Czechs, Vietnamese, and Dutch and visited 3 islands off the coast of Nha Trang in a protected area. Roger, our Kiwi friend, did the Hake- New Zealand War Dance (pictured below left) with the Vietnamese boy band. Eating fresh seafood and more partying at Louisianne Brewhouse or Sailing Club is what you do at the beach in Nha Trang (pictured below right) .

Check out the video (below) of the boat crew's lunch time performance singing the "Vietnam Song." It will make you laugh!

Darling Dalat, where the Honeymooners go!

2008-06-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

With 200,000 people Dalat is still small enough to remain charming with its landscape of lakes, waterfalls, pine forests, and gardens. It's romantic with French colonial tree lined streets, chateau-style villas, and a lake in the middle of town. We liked the Valley of Love the best(pictured above) with many places to take pictures by heart sculptures, go on a 2 person swing, ride paddle boats around the lake, take a horse carriage ride, hold hands while walking on small pathways around a forest, etc. At Prem Waterfall you can ride elephants, ponies, or an ostrich, but instead we opted for the cable car ride with fantastic views of the city (or as our tour guide would say, a 10 minute escape to kiss and snuggle). Relaxing together sitting on a park bench at the Flower Garden was peaceful as we enjoyed the scenery of orchids, hydrangeas, and bonzai shaped bouganvillas. So in love!

Visiting a poor hill tribe village, Koho, outside of town where the women still carry babies on their backs in a piece of cloth, makes us appreciate all that we have. I hope I am a tough as them when we have kids. We saw a Buddhist monk make cinnamon incense by hand (below) and of course we bought some and other meditation beads too!

A new Buddhist Meditation Monastery was built by the monks and the manicured gardens were magnificent.

The Crazy House was interesting (pictured below left) with its Gaudi-esque architecture, themed rooms, caves, and mushroom garden. Dalat is a must-see on any Vietnam itinerary!

Spectacular Sand Dunes of Mui Ne

2008-06-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

On the bus to Mui Ne we pass rural villages and farms. The farmers live in small one-storey concrete houses and in general, the Vietnamese don't care too much about indoor living (probably due to lifestyle and tropical climate). In the 2 guesthouses we've stayed at, the families all sleep in 1 room, but are outside the rest of the day. For children there is no privacy, solitude, or having your own room (or space) like we have in the U.S. The computer and dining table is in a communal area and I think kids feel more support (a.k.a. not so alone) and respect their elders more. In Vietnamese Buddhism they try to reach enlightenment, but in addition worship their ancestors. You see many Vietnemese children helping their grandparents walk down the street. The Vietnamese-American author, Andrew Pham comments on Vietnamese culture stating, "His culture. Vietnamese. Honor. Obligations. Respect. I hated it all." He was beat up in 1998 when returning to Vietnam (where he was born) on vacation because he escaped and they called him "Viet-kieu." Andrew left Vietnam after the war with his family and moved to USA where he was successful. People would say to him, "You Viet-Kieu think you're better than everyone else don't you!" Thus the people who remained in Vietnam (especially those in the rural areas) called him a traitor, wouldnt speak to him, only allowed him to stay at certain hotels, and did not allow him to ride the train with a Vietnamese ticket(even though he was born in Vietnam and lived their until he was 13 years old). He wrote a good book about his journey on his bike from Saigon to Mui Ne (pictured here) and up to Nha Trang to Hoi An.

This is a true Vietnamese beach resort town with not many foreign tourists and is quiet. Mui Ne is a good place to kite surf, wind surf, and chill on the beach eating seafood at Lam Dong Restaurant. There is a fishing village (above) at the edge of town where people escaped in long-tail boats to Malaysia and Thailand after the war, including Andrew Pham. My favorite activity though was going in a jeep to the sand dunes and walking in the warm Fairy Stream (above).

Check out the nail designs (left)!!! The best manicure in the world is in Mui Ne, Vietnam!

Saigon- Organized Chaos

2008-06-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

There are 9 million people in Saigon now with 5 million motorbikes and it's the commercial center of Vietnam. On the way from the Ho Chi Minh airport we are in a sea of motobikes. The traffic was like "organized chaos" with motos on the sidewalk, bicycles in the middle of the street, cars honking, and women wearing designer D & G helmets and long gloves to keep the sun off. "In glimmering heat, the horns screeching, badgering, warring horns, persistent always. The air throbs, salty, wet with exhaust, dank with perpiration. The people, skinny, dark people suffer, enduring." As we walk along the alley to the guesthouse, nothing says welcome to Vietnam like the smell of fish sauce. As Andrew Pham, author of Catfhish and Mandala stated about Saigon, "The sandwich makers, old ladies with oily hands, dusty skin like yesterday's bread, lather soy and fish sauce onto tiny baguettes...In an alley, a mother and daughter fry dough cakes selling them wrapped in newspapers... The buildings press narrow, 10 feet wide, and every other storefront, open for business, selling, selling, selling anything, everything. Food, paper, spare parts, clothes, candies, color tv's, fake watches, cheap Chinese fabric, screwdrivers, rice dishes, Coca-Cola, cigarettes, gasoline in soda bottles, penny lottery tickets, and everything has a buyer, everyone is for sale."

It was hard to visit the War Remnants Museum looking at photos showing the horrors of war (i.e. death, kids with disabilities due to agent orange, 2 million hectares of land destroyed by toxic chemicals, moms with children trying to escape, war crimes, etc). To my surprise 3 million Vietnamese were killed during the war (2 million were civillians)! "Crippled boys lay on crude skateboards and crabbed along with sandal-covered hands, a beggin cup clamped between their brown teeth."

Reunification Palace today vs. Presidential Palace 1975 Photos

I remembered this photo above from my youth and it was eerie walking through the deserted halls in the basement of the palace.

However, the mid-century modern architecture of the Palace is fabulous with its grandeur and is tastefully decorated with Vietnamese art. The Notre Dame Cathedral's stain glass windows built by the French 1877 and Post Office (1886) built with French classical style were the last stop on our tour. Saigon is known for its restaurants and nightlife, but grandma and grandpa just stayed home after the all day city tour because Paul was sick.

The monks chanting in the temple (below) are from a 250 year-old Buddhist Monastery, one of the oldest in Saigon. Enjoy their mantra....

Celebrating 7 years together...

2008-06-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

After 9 months on the road we have been living it up in 4 & 5-Star resorts and it's hard to beat Thai hospitality at under $70US/night. We've been treating ourselves to an early anniversary celebration because we started dating 7 years ago! The Langham Place Eco Resort in Krabi (Koh Lanta Island) was amazing with activities daily like cookie making, swimming, thai massage classes, air conditioned gym, smallest movie theater in Asia where we picked out the DVD and had the whole thing to ourselves, tennis, waterfalls on site, snorkelling on our private beach, and was definitely the ultimate honeymoon destination! Watching a bright orange sunset from our balcony and ending the night with a bubble bath helps us reflect on how healthy we feel emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Next we stayed for $ FREE at a timeshare called Laguna Phuket Property where there are six 5-Star Resorts where we played golf at Banyan Tree, got massages and chilled at the Luxury Sheraton pool when it wasn't raining. At the Banyan Tree Spa they have musicians all day playing traditional thai music (photo below). Having time to meditate, cook at home, and work out everyday has been just wonderful. The ammenities were nice, but this timeshare was too secluded for us and we're ready to go to Bangkok for the weekend and get back to Thailand!

Our favorite driver in Phuket who is always smiling, Mr.Rong (pictured below left), gave us a ride to the bus station we headed to the Ranong border with Burma to extend our Thailand visas. This was an adventure on a long tail boat in stormy seas whose engine kept stopping (pictured below right) during a 40 minute ride. I thought we were going to sink a few times as the young boys scooped out water continuously and our boat kept tipping to the side as we went over big waves.

We ended our trip in Thailand by staying with Rudy and Ika in Bangkok near the Four Seasons and US Embassy (the highest rent district in BKK where all the land is owned by the King). They were lovely hosts and we enjoyed the urban life, especially the boys' day of golf at the Lakewood Country Club and girls' day with facials with body oil massages at Su Esthetic. We just love Bangkok because it is a big international city (i.e. The Earth From Above photography exhibit was going on at Central World, Galileo Chini Art Exhibition at Central Chitlom, running in Lumphini Park, visiting the Royal Elephant Museum, looking at the orchid displays in Paragon, and wandering around the Dusit Palace grounds too). Our tapeworms, parasites, and sundry illnesses were put off by all this luxury and have subsided. We go into Vietnam feeling refreshed and fit.

Siamese Siblings

2008-06-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

Paul's brother, John, and Eileen's sister, Kate, joined us in Bangkok for a weekend in the big city (pictured above). We went on a boat cruise with a monk down the Chao Praya River and visited Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) eating street food all day. Later that night we stayed energized dancing at Bed Supperclub was awesome with the help of the authentic Thai Red Bull drinks. Sunday morning started off with thai ice teas and coffees as we shopped 'til we dropped at Chatuchak, the largest open-air market in Asia with 15,000 stalls. Next we were treated as VIP guests to thai boxing with "RINGSIDE" seats at Ratchadamnoen Stadium, compliments of Elizabeth's uncle. On our way home we had some family fun on the Sky Train (below) and visited Nana Plaza. Of course we got thai massages and manicure/pedicure treatments that night, but they made us so relaxed that we went straight to bed.

Monday, Kate and John did sightseeing while Paul and Eileen stayed home at the LUXURY 5 star Sheraton. That afternoon we hung out at the Sheraton's lovely pool and took an overnight train/boat package to Koh Samui, where we got married. I can't say our bretheren/sisteren were happy about traveling "backpacker style." However, once in Samui they loved the elephant trekking, monkey show, thai food demonstration, and orchid farm tour, but I think they liked the nightlife the best. After Samui, they both opted to fly to Phuket while we stayed terrestrial on the bus. Paul and I admit, it was nice to stay in hotels where they deliver a paper every morning. John called us grandma and grandpa because we did the puzzles every day. We've been a little starved for comforts. Kate was born in the year of the Monkey and check her out below!

On Phuket Island Mr.James took us on a fabulous city tour of the Big Buddah, temples, cashew nut factory, jewelry center, pearl factory (where Kate and I bought rings), and shopping on Bangla Road. It's traveller central and even in Low Season, it's still hopping at 2 am, where both had big nights partying on the beach. John stayed an extra day and we enjoyed a snorkelling tour to Koh Phi Phi! Our siblings left us at Phuket Island where Patong Beach fromTsunami fame is the main attraction.

Hua Hin, seaside resort town of the Thai royal family

2008-05-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hua Hin is only a 2 hour drive from Bangkok and where the Thai royal family has their beach homes. It's a place where Thai's come to play golf, go to the safest beach in Thailand, eat great seafood (i.e. fried mussels, crab, lobster, shrimp, snapper), and relax. It's truely a Thai town that most tourists or expats dont visit, which is a nice change for us. We have witnessed more Thai culture here than anywhere else (i.e. we saw offerings being brought to the parents of someone getting married, went to a Thai music festival on the beach, tried new Thai food that we haven't seen in prior trips to Thailand, hung out with college-age Thai girls, etc.) and have really enjoyed our one week stay. We visited Hua Hin's historic Sofitel (built in 1920's pictured below), railroad station waiting room, and famous golden buddah on the hill. The elephant topiary was life-size!

The Hua Hin beaches have soft white sand to run on at sunrise, horseback riding, palm trees to read a book under, and warm water to swim in that entertained us too. We have slowed down the sight-seeing and started vacationing again.

Miss Thailand 1940 in Huan Hin (above). Skinny Paul (below).

Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos

2008-05-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Vang Vieng is known for its outdoor recreational activities like rock climbing, kayaking, caving, and the most fun we had was leisurely floating down the river for 2 hours in innertubes. The limestone cliffs and warm emerald green water were just stunning! This city is a "Global River Nation," which means it's a city only foreign tourists go to (99% of the Laos people living there are in the tourist business), that has yummy western food (i.e. cheap baguette sandwiches, juice shakes, hamburgers, indian food); and with lots of places to party. Vang Vieng reminded me of Spring Break in Mexico where young people go to drink whiskey buckets, jump off tall rickety unsafe platforms into the river, drink magic shakes, and dance all night. We were kept awake all night by the nightclub playing loud music on the river. It was funny that every restaurant in town played the "Friends" tv show re-runs all day and all night. I guess it's part of our culture and makes people who have been travelling a while feel like home? Instead of doing that, Paul and I ate mulberry pancakes and a mulberry shake at the Organic Farm Cafe, which is an organization that raises money for children in Laos to go to school and teaches their parents skills on how to cultivate the land without hurting the environment. It costs $50 US to send a child to public school for 1 year in Laos. Check out those kids below riding their bikes to school! Below is a picture of our bunglaow, Sunset Home Guesthouse, with a river view and the owners gave us fresh green tea.

On the Mekong to Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Laos is tranquil and laid-back compared to the rest of Southeast Asia. Paul set up his hammock to relax for 2 days on the slow boat cruising down the Mekong. There were no roads in this part of Laos until recently and still consists mostly of Hmong living a traditional village life. We saw elephants working on the river bank, people fishing, farming along the emerald mountains, limestone cliffs and caves (pictured above). The boat was full of almost 80 people (mostly tourists), however at the end of the ride some locals put a couple bags of rice on, so we can all say we traveled on a rice boat. Back in the good 'ole days when Paul did this 8 years ago, he rode on a much smaller boat with 5 locals and sat on several bags of rice. Times have changed. Luang Prabang is the ancient former royal capital. When we arrived there we saw an Aisan Black bear sleeping in the tree (below).

Laos is known for its cafe scene, specialty coffee, bakeries, French-influenced cuisine, and has restored many of the french-colonial style buildings in town, including the Royal Palace shown above. This town has my favorite tree, plumeria, and we smelled the aroma everywhere as we ran along the river. 32km south of town is the Kuang Si Waterfall, one of the most impressive waterfalls we have ever seen! Swimming in the gorgeous turquoise pools was refreshing too after the hike to the top of the falls.

One day in Myanmar (Burma)...

2008-05-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

We went to 3 countries in 24 hours in the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Burma, and Laos)! It was a quick trip to Burma, where they only give you a day permit to go shopping, do a little sight seeing, and get a stamp on your passport. The border authorities are very strict right now because of the cyclone disaster last week estimating 100,000 dead. The newspapers here estimate there are over 1 million starving because the government wont allow aid into the country. So sad.

The drive to Chiang Khong was beautiful passing small villages and in the 1600's, opium was on this trade route in Thailand. The farms don't have poppies now, but in Laos and Burma they do. There was a giant gold Buddah along our drive with his head in the clouds (pictured above). We stayed the night in a bamboo tree house (pictured below) eating Mexican food and had a fabulous massage too. It was funny to overhear an Australian describing Mexican food to a British girl, for instance she said, "a quesadilla is like a sandwich with cheese." Neither had a clue of what the difference was between an enchilada, burrito, or taco.

Tigers, Tribes, and Elephants in Chiang Mai

2008-05-03T22:23:00.001-07:00

Hanging out in northern Thailand with Dave was outstanding! We stayed in the penthouse suite at Raming Lodge with fresh flowers, fruit, candy, and minibar items delivered daily. One day we hired a driver, Mr. Niwat, to take us around town. At Tiger Kingdom, we ate lunch with the tigers and Dave went in the cage with four 6-month old cubs and listened to them purrrrrr as he petted them. What beautiful animals. We could stare at them for hours! Then visiting the hill tribes, we took lots of photos and bought souveniers. The Karen tribe was from Burma and Thailand, and the unmarried women wear white. The term "spinster" came from unmarried women who spun cotton (check out that smile below).

The long neck tribe was unique because the women wore 5kg of metal coiled around their neck that press down on their collar bone, which makes their necks appear super long. It looked very uncomfortable.

At the Maesa Elephant Camp we fed the elephants bananas, touched their trunks as they bathed in the river, and they sprayed water on us with their trunks. In the show and the elephants played soccer, painted pictures, threw darts at balloons, competed in a race, danced, played the harmonica, and more! The elephants kicked a soccer ball in the goal and the goalie tried to defend it, and I melted. The Maesa Elephant Camp has high concern for their health care and breeding. Presently there are 70 happy and talented elephant artists, please check the art work in the gallery below. It was amazing to watch them paint because they were so careful and gentle with the paintbrush and you could really see them concentrating.

Check out the elephants playing soccer in the video below!

To end the day we went to the orchid farm, butterfly farm, and watched the sunset from Doi Suthep- a temple on top of the hill with a panoramic city view. The rest of our time in Chiang Mai was spent relaxing, getting massages, eating great vegetarian food at Blue Diamond Breakfast Club (cashew nut salad is the best salad on Earth, apple struedel, museli mix, mango with sweet sticky rice, etc.), shopping in the night bazaar, sleeping late, the boys playing golf, and Dave liked chilling at The Chedi Resort, probably the most expensive 5-star hotel in Thailand.
We loved spending time with you Dave and thanks so much for all the love and special treats!

She's Miss Piggy with pig tails in her pink van selling mini pork sausages at the night market!

Sukothai means Rising Happiness

2008-05-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sukothai was built by the Khmers in 13th century and 70 sites remain today in a 5km radius. What a romantic ancient city to ride bicylces around and from the many ruins that we have visited worldwide, this one had the most impressive lanscaped gardens. The Thai people are always making sure that things are BEAUTIFUL. The best ruins are pictured above, a stupa with a spire topping a square-sided structure on a 3-tiered base next to a lake. The 9m tall buddhas facing east among the broken colums pictured below were aweome and we want them in our backyard.

We ended our tour of the ruins with a thai massage overlooking the lake (pictured below right). Then back to our lovely Ban Thai Guesthouse to relax (pictured below left).

Thai Kickboxing in Bangkok

2008-05-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Just loving being in Thailand and enjoying everything, we stayed in Bangkok a week! We saw the best ever Thai kickboxing matches at Rachamadan in Bangkok with Hekio, a German college student we met on the plane. There were 3 knockouts, a good thai vs. thai fight in round 6, and an active ultimate fighter-type vs. thai boxer in round 7. Shopping at the Chatuchat weekend market was a blast and we updated our wardrobes for Thai fashion, which is very different from India where you have to be covered from head-to-toe.

Trish Neubrand, our friend's Mom and art teacher at the International School in Bangkok, hosted us for 3 days. We got a tour of this is the super eco-friendly school that is competitive academically too. At her complex, we hung out at the pool, ran around the lake, played golf, and got spa treatments. The best reflexology massage ever is at Bamboo Spa (pictured below left)! Trish took the day off and we went to the National Art Museum too (pictured below right), which was fantstic! Thanks Trish for a very relaxing time and good conversations about world travel!

The Tollygunge Club in Calcutta, Since 1895

2008-05-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

For our last 2 days in India, we treated ourselves to the famous Tollygunge Club covering 100 acres. We spent the day swimming, playing golf, ping pong, working-out at the air-conditioned gym, holding hands walking around the botanical gardens, checking out the horse stables, and enjoying fine dining. We never left the club to see Calcutta! When it was too hot to be outside, we enjoyed a spa treatments and new hair styles. Feeling like Indian royalty was a fantastic way to leave India!

In case you were wondering what Calcutta looks like, here's a view from our taxi... polluted, overpopulated, dirty, poor, dusty, extremely hot, etc.., but full of very kind people! India, the Land of Extremes.

Trekking in Nepal

2008-05-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

This was Eileen's first 4-day trek and it was tough! Starting inRimbik at 7,087 feet and hiking 19km in a little over 4 hours. The porters walked so fast carrying twice their body weigh on their backs, like this guy pictured above. There were no cars on this part of the trek, therefore only passing a few houses with prayer flags, crops, and yaks. The next day we climbed straight up to Phalut at 11,160 feet! On the way our guide saw a rare red panda eating bamboo on the mountain and we saw 2 deer. In Phalut we were freezing and stayed huddled under 5 blankets in our hut the whole time. In the early morning we saw Mt. Everest and that was an amazing feeling!

Day 3 was supposed to have the best views of the snow-capped Himalayas, but it was cloudy and we saw nothing. Oh well, we did see a newborn baby colt only 2 hours-old learning how to walk. So adorable, we couldn't help but laugh! There were many horses carrying heavy loads in these mountains along the borders of India and Nepal. So lucky to see the rhododendruns in bloom which colored the mountainsides in red, pink, white. So romantic!

The Nepalese people we met along the way at the tea houses were so sweet and kind. After 4 days of hiking 19 to 21 km per day, our feet were tired and so glad to get in the jeep back to Darjeeling!

Darjeeling, famous for its tea

2008-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

The British introduced tea to this high society hill station in the late 1800's. It became the most glamorous outpost of the Brisitsh Empire at that time and popular for trekking. We visited the exclusive clubs, shopped in the Victorian-style stores, ate yummy European pasteries, and drank the famous Darjeeling tea with milk & sugar.

We bought 2 carpets to benefit children in Darjeeling. Also, we visited the Tibetan Refugee Center, where you see the the children playing marbles below. With the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, it's a good time to reflect on China's horrific record of human rights abuses in Tibet. Read the Dali Lama's autobiography, Freedom In Excile, like we did, for more understanding of the issues.

Varanasi brings a whole new meaning to Indian BBQ

2008-04-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

After the power going out in our hotel room and it being 107 degrees, we didnt sleep much in disgustingly dusty, eye burning Varanasi (aka Varanasty). However, the romantic boat cruise at dawn on the Ganges was spiritual and we saw ceremonies performed. Hindus get a free pass to Enlightenment if you die in Varanasi. Do not pass go. After they are cremated in the burning ghats (shown above right), their ashes are sprinkled in the river. Yes, we saw 2 dead bodies that morning during our 1 hour boat ride and that was enough for me.

Later we went to Sarnath, where the Buddah preached his first sermon (pictured below) where Eileen is sitting. This bodhi tree was a descendant of the orignal tree under which the Buddah reached enlightemment and later destroyed by Muslims. A branch was brought back to this location in Sarnath where you see Paul meditating beneath it!

Dharamsala, home of His Holiness the Dali Lama

2008-04-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

We spent 10 days largely in silence at Tushita's Meditation Center at the base of the Himalayas. The area felt spiritual and was in a lovely spot in the forest at the top of the hill in McCloud Gange. A Buddhist Nun, Deike, gave lectures about Buddhism in the Mahayana Tradition and we had the occasion to think deeply about life, death, karma, and the life of the Buddha. We are considering signing up! Paul lead a yoga class each day at 11am before lunch. The meditation sessions were difficult at first, but Dana helped us learn the techniques and we have been meditating every morning! Om.......

The Taj Mahal at Dawn

2008-04-02T06:35:00.001-07:00

We will take you on a step-by-step tour of the Taj. You get the chills at first glance. The Taj was built by Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan, his name means Emperor of the World, to honor his favorite wife Mumtaz who died having his 14th child. But, he may have had other intentions... The Shah's tomb is next to hers but was never intended to be there. It's off center and not part of the original plan. I'm sure his loving son who imprisoned him might have built something grander as his final resting place. Wrong! His least favorite son, Aurangzeb, killed his brother, took the throne, imprisioned his dad in the red fort and proceeded to rule with an iron fist and a complete hard-on for all non-muslims. He killed hundreds of thousands who did not want to convert to Islam. He was no Akbar.

You walk barefoot on the marble floors and visit his wife's tomb where there are inscriptions from Chapter 89 of the Koran, "The Dawn" where among other hellfire and brimstone admonishing, god speaks directly to the people and says, "Join My servants and enter My paradise". Who knew that the Taj is laid out following some old Sufi text that approximates what Paradise would look like from the descriptions in the Koran. The flowing, crossing streams are all laid out in front of the tomb. Ahh, it was nice to stand at the confluence of water, wine, honey and milk! If you threw in some "high bosomed maidens" and "bashful dark-eyed virgins as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches" mentioned in the Koran, we might have stuck around a while. Like India itself, the translucent marble has many skin tones and is incredible in any light. The gemstone flower patterns carved into the marble (pictured below) were painstakingly pieced together with as many as 60 pieces per flower . Sadly enough, the Indian government raised prices to enter the Taj to improve restoration, but instead is pocketing the money. The marble has a fungus, as you can see in the photo, and they didn't even have water in the fountain leading up to the Taj.

It cost $1 million to build in 1653 and the British had the whole thing up for auction at one point! Below is a view of the river and the Red Fort behind it in the distance that you can hardly see because of all the dirt in the air.

After the Taj, we took a walk to the Red Fort where we were pestered by touts and saw shitloads of human feces and smelled piss everywhere. Agra is the dirtiest of them all. We had a yummy thali, went shopping in the bazar, hopped on a train, and didnt even spend1 night in this place!

Fatehpur Sikri - Akbar's Abandoned City

2008-04-02T05:52:00.001-07:00

On the bus ride to Fatehpur Sikri, we saw a camel caravan with about 20 camels along side of the 2 lane highway! Fatehpur Sikri was built by Moghul Emperor Akbar in 1585. Akbar was the man! He is on my Top 5 list of dead people I'd like to meet. The palace complex he had built and only lived in for 13 years before moving the capital to the Punjab. Till then, dirty, stinky, polluted Agra had been the capital. He built a grand city based on a caravan camp layout. He had a harem with over 300 wives and a 1000 women in all guarded by eunichs. The court historian said Akbar had more problems with the Harem than he did running the whole moghul empire. Anyway, he had an outdoor game board where slaves were used as pieces in a game lasting up to 3 months! He had a love for wine, women and opium and pissed off the stuffy muslim clerics who chastised him for taking more than 4 wives. They staged an uprising so he killed them all.

Pictured below, the red string is tied to the carved marble stone in the mosque by women who wish to get pregnant. The mosque is pictured below too!

We heard something spalsh and remembered seeing a murky, green pool of contaminated water at the palace. Running over there, we saw a couple boys jumping in! Paul paid them 25 cents each to dive in again for a photo, look at the dark brown spot in the middle of the photo...

Everyday in India, our jaws drop wide open. On the bus ride home, here are modes of transport you would never see on a major freeway in southern california...

Women in Rajasthan

2008-04-02T05:37:00.001-07:00

Photos: bikes in the bird park, migrating birds, Paul in dust storm, cows at school

We noticed walking around in Rajasthan that there are no women in public. The descrimiation against women in Rajasthan is widespread and common. The hotel operator treated Eileen like a low caste member due only to her sex. There is a 50% literacy rate for men and only a quarter of women can read and write. Most women are married and have babies by age 15 and then are secluded in their home, not to be seen in public. According to the newspaper, of the 75 million malnourished kids in India, 75% were girls. There is a declining sex ratio in India with less and less girls each year. There were 25 million more men than women in 1990, by 20007 that number was 50 million. Overall in India, 25% of the girls do not reach age 15. There are numerous laws to prevent selective abortion (6 million girls killed last year), sexual exploitation, domestic violence and dowry but none are implemented. There are no laws that you must send your children to school. For every year beyond 4th grade that girls go to school, family size shrinks 20%, child death drops 10%, and wages rise 20%.

2 she camels, Bharatpur fort moat is more effective now with killer algae

Jodhpur, the Blue City

2008-04-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

You can't be happy in Rajasthan, othwise you get flies and dust in your teeth! Our lips, fingernails, face, etc. are all covered in dirt within a minute of leaving our hotel room. I look like a Japanese tourist with a hankerchief covering my mouth everywhere we go! Paul has been coughing for a couple weeks now because of the pollution in India and now I am too. Its not the sandy desert I pictured, but rather a dirt desert. However, we enjoyed our stay in Jodhpur, nicknamed the blue city because the upper-caste Brahman residences are painted blue (check out the photo above). We spent most of the time at our hotel, but toured the red sandstone Mehrangarh Fort 1459 AD (pictured above) for a couple hours. In this fort, we saw the stained glass bedroom, a gallery of elephant seats, the pearl palace where political decisions were made by the men, but the women secretly listened from balconies where they could not be seen, an entertainment room for love, and more. Below is a video of the security guard wrapping up his turban, it starts out at 24- feet long!

The next day we went to one of the most opulent and largest palaces in Asia, the Umaid Bhawan Palace. It was built in the 40's as a "famine relief jobs project" and took 3,000 laborors 16 years to complete. Coincidently, it gave the rich Maharaja a fancy cream color sandstone palace with Art Decco decor. Today the royal family lives in one side and the other side is one of Leading Small Hotels of the World, the Taj Johdpur.

We really enjoyed our stay at Inn Season boutique hotel with fresh lime spritzers poolside. It was a nice way to be in Rajasthan, escaping the dirt. Being surrounded by green grass, gardens with chipmunks running around, parrots in the trees, and quality service letting us check out at 6pm with no extra charge!

Dirty, Nasty Old Dehli and Shiny, Sparkling South Dehli

2008-03-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

A very sweet couple, Phillipe (Paul's friend from France he met travelling in 1999 who is a teacher at a french school here) and his wife Shova (an artist from Bangladesh) and their beautiful daughter, Melissane, have hosted us for 6 nights at their home in South Dehli. Shova is a wonderful cook and has treated us to Indian and Bangladeshee cuisine. Shova took me shopping and I have some Indian designer clothes now. Unfortunately, we got Dehli belly with 104 degree temperature for 3 days and they took care of us. Thanks so much!

Delhi is one of the most polluted cities and you can trust the air because you can always see it! The smog is everpresent and everyone has a smoker's hack. (ex: 1,000 cars are added to the road everyday). There is trash everywhere! The people living on the streets bathe in the disgusting cesspool fountains at the Parliament House. Yes, we almost got scammed 6 times at the railway station, but were smarter than the touts and finally found the tourist bureau office 2 hours later. Undercover touts posing as helpful samaritans lied to us and sent us on wild goose chases around the station and across the street. We lost it a couple of times! Exhausted, we took a fabulous 1 hour city tour in a bike rickshaw and jumped on the metro to escape Old and New Dehli and go back to the wealthy suburb of South Dehli where we have been staying.

The only way to get through Old Delhi...

Southern Bangalore Closer to the West?

2008-03-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we celebrated Holi, the festival of colors where people have get togethers and throw bright colors over themselves, each other and everything else. Its no coincidence it corresponds with the beginning of spring.

With the preponderance of logo'd polo shirts and khaki pants, Banglore dresses more like Silicon Valley than any place we've been in India. Bangalore is known for having the most western, least oppressive lifestyle of anywhere in the country. And people are moving here in droves! College grads move here for opportunity, then their families follow shortly after. You can drink a beer here without enduring harsh, disapproving looks and its okay to be seen socializing with the opposite sex. Its quite a draw. However, there has been some backlash. Recently, in response to a trend toward "dirty dancing" copied from Bollywood films, the Bangalore City Council has simply outlawed dancing. Its "Footloose" in the new millenium! Maybe Kevin Bacon needs to come here and start a revolution... kick off those Sunday shoes!

We lucked out with another great Couchsurfing.com contact here in Bangalore, Manju's place is epic. Part library, part zen meditation center, its located in a busy central suburb but feels like a garden retreat. Manju grew up in Bangalore, knows the city, and was a great host. Thanks man!

World's largest bas-relief in Mamallapuram

2008-03-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Mamallapuram is famous for the Stone Temple and the world's largest bas-relief 27m x 9m (above). You could watch the monkeys here for hours, but you really have to watch them! This one snatched a water bottle from an unsuspecting tourist, uncrewed the cap, and proceded to have a nice long drink. No one would dare try to get it back- they have huge teeth!

Later, we met with Paul Calvert, a British ex-pat who showed us his tsunami house and how he lives eco-friendly (pictured below). He has lived in India 20 years improving the lives of fishermen and their families. Paul told us that 750,000 children die each year in India from diarrhea associated with drinking contaminated water. The #1 contaminent is human fecal matter. Therefore Paul invented a self-composting, dehydrating toilet and now sells and trains people how to use them. Technology is quite simple and the entire world should be using it!

Elephant Blessings in Pondicherry

2008-03-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we both were blessed by an elephant wearing silver anklets and gold bells outside the Ganesh Temple (Elephant God). For 10 rupees ($0.25), the elephant gently taps your head with his trunk and you are blessed! So amazing!

Pondicherry is a French colonial city on the southeast coast of India with wide leafy boulevards, colonial mansions (we stayed in one- Hotel Qualithe), spacious parks, 2km seafront promenade, and several French cafes. We enjoyed croissants, lemon crepes, cappuccino, fish provencal, filet mignon in white wine sauce, and lots of delicious French food in Pondicherry! Le Terrasse and Sastanga Restaurants are pictured below. If you know how much I love food, then you know I was in heaven here! No more Indian curry and rice for me today...

Auroville

2008-03-17T04:37:00.001-07:00

Auroville is a place where people can live in peace and harmony, while they search for their "truth" or self-realization. It was planned in the shape of our galaxy by Sri Aurobindo and a French woman mysteriously called "The Mother" as you can see pictured above. Rather than particpating in a mad race to see how quickly they can deplete world resources, the Aurovillians have an organic garden, use energy saving resources, make their own clothes, drink sun-charged water, practice yoga, and don't exchange money- only services. Everyone is encouraged to walk or ride a bicycle to help the environment. What we love the most is that since 1974 they have planted over 2 million trees! In school, the children here learn to connect with their souls through music, art, yoga, meditation, song, and dance, as well as academics. The educational concept is about being a well-rounded person. There is no religion at all and 1200 adult members (800 children) from over 100 countries participate. Auroville was an interesting place to visit where everyone has names like Harmony or Tranquility. We stayed at Tenderness Guesthouse for only one night because it was too remote (and we were ready to get back to the real world where we could waste a lot of stuff).

Madurai- one of Asia's oldest cities

2008-03-17T04:02:00.001-07:00

Madurai was a big disappointment. First, we spent an hour at the train station to find out that our train is soldout unless we pay TATKAL- twice the fare. Madurai was dirty, had congested traffic, was hard to breathe in, and had lots of flies (especially when I was trying to drink my juice). It rained all day making it muddy and hard to walk around. The Ghandi museum was closed; the Palace closed 20 minutes after we got there; the grand temple was being restored, so only parts were visible through the bamboo scaffolding; and to go inside the temple to see the ancient rituals you have to go barefoot (and there was no way I was putting my feet on this disgusting foul soup covering the ground!) To end the day, we took a 30-minute bicycle taxi through town from a skinny, coughing 80-year-old Indian man (weighing no more than 80 pounds) to the train station. I hope he spent his tip quickly because he's not going to be around much longer! I felt awful and wanted to get outta' here! Paul had an awesome idea to check into a hotel for 6 hours until our train arrived at midnight (the train was an hour late) to escape Madurai. I can't wait for this day to end!

Check out that crazy hairy bus driver above... from Munnar to Madurai it took 5 hours!

Munnar- tea growing region

2008-03-17T03:25:00.000-07:00

Munnar is the principal tea growing region in the south. These ladies walk barefoot up the steep hills and pick 16kg of tea and earn 90 Rupees (or $ 2.15) per day. Check out the video at the end of this blog! We tasted several Indian teas- chai, mint, chocolate, ginger, cardamon, lemon, vanilla, etc. and bought aromatic oils like lavender, rose, and tea tree.

There were beautiful purple jakaranda trees in bloom and wildlife too along the misty winding mountain roads! During the tea tour we passed an Indian catholic elementary school where the children were waving to us and of course, I went over to say hello!

After exploring, we settled in at the High Range Club where Paul played golf and we drank tea like civilized British club members. We enjoyed 4-course meals for $4.50 per person with 5-star service! The club feels like we took a step back in time of the Raj. There was a tiger hunting "trophy" (rotting head of an endangered or extinct dead animal) in the men's only bar and photos of when the British first arrived in India and called tigers "man-eaters" so they could shoot them with a clear conscience.

Please check out the video below of the women picking tea leaves!

Lakshadweep Islands

2008-03-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

After 20 hours at sea, we arrive in Kadmat Island (southwest India) and are greeted with a coconut and matching t-shirts. This package tour included activites of snorkelling, kayaking, glass bottom boat (pictured above), volleyball, and village tours. The white coral sand was so soft between your toes and it felt like a second honeymoon (or 22nd)! We visited a coconut factory and saw the women spinning the coir palm fiber to make rope and chopping the coconuts.

The men and women are always separate in India (e.g. bus seats, train station waiting rooms, standing in line, the workplace, train cars, literally everywhere). The women seem to be doing most of the hard labor, while the men sit around talking, gambling, or drinking chai. On the last night, the island's martial arts group (all men) performed with swords and sticks. Sometimes they looked like they were square-dancing as they switched partners and tapped one anothers' sticks! We couldn't understand what they were singing, but were told later the songs were about how they are better that the other surrounding islands and for good fortune in fishing. Kadmat Island had no tv, phone, internet, weapons, or alcohol and I think it's one of the only peaceful places left on earth. We loved it!

Cooking class in Varkala

2008-03-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

Our 2-hour cooking class by chef, Faisal, was amazing. We made 5 dishes- an appetizer called pakura (fried dumpling chickpea flour): vegetable kurma; chapatti (like a tortilla); chicken tikka masala, and coconut rice. With our love of Indian food, this was definitely some of our best money spent on this trip and we can't wait to make these recipes back home! The sunset below is the view from our hotel room. The fish is so fresh here and our favorite entree at Funky Art Cafe is the butterfish is baked in spicy green curry wrapped in a banana leaf.

These old beautiful Maxwell cars are all over India!

Yoga and Ayurvedic massages in Varkala, Kerala

2008-03-01T22:43:00.001-08:00

Varkala is a beach destination with a clifftop row of guesthouses and cafes. The town is known for it's healing Ayurvedic treatments (Ayur means life and Veda means science of knowledge). We got invigorating oil massages to improve muscle tone and blood circulation (see greased-up Paul above) that ended with them washing you. It was an interesting experience and not relaxing. Also, we have been doing yoga everyday here and Paul got a private lesson to teach him how to get in the Lotus position. Doing hatha yoga really puts your mind in a state of peacefullness. "Mastery of the body and breath are an undoubted aid to those concerned with their spiritual evolution. For by having full control over the physical condition, the body becomes calm, allowing the mind to be directed more easily in perfect tranquility, to achieve a higher spiritual level," Hata Yoga Pradipika.

On our morning run we saw the fishermen rowing their boats ashore and pulling in the fishing nets. "Heave-ho!" Notice the white guy in the crowd? Next on our run we went by a 2,000 year-old temple and saw devotee medicine men give blessings to people on Sat. morning.

Boat journey on the backwaters from Alappuzha to Kollam

2008-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Leaving at 10:30am we take a lazy 8-hour boat trip on the backwaters of Kerala seeing lagoons, canals, coconut groves, rice paddies, churches, mosques, and villages. Rice boats float along as you look at bright blue kingfisher birds perched in the trees. Most of the view is dense tropical greenery and we are truely relaxed in the deep south of India. Families here live the simple life (e.g. bathing and washing clothes in the river alongside their buffalo). All the logging is done manually and transport is by boat.

In the afternoon we stopped at female guru Shri Amaritanandamayi Devi's (also known as Mama Hug's) ashram- the pink highrise building pictured below. She wasn't there and we were so bummed because we had hoped for one of her life-affirming "hugs." For the past 35 years Amma has dedicated her life to the uplifting of suffering humanity through the simplest of gestures – an embrace. In this intimate manner Amma had blessed and consoled more than 25 million people throughout the world! She said, " An unbroken stream of Love flows from me towards all beings in the cosmos. That is my inborn nature." Once a press reporter asked Amma how was it possible for her to embrace each and every one in the same loving way, even if they were diseased or unpleasant. Amma replied, "When a bee hovers over a garden of varied flowers, what it beholds is not the difference between the flowers but the honey within them." Similarly Amma sees the same Supreme Self in each and every one. http://www.ammachi.org/index.html India is a very spiritual and peaceful place. Paul and I feel it everywhere we go.

These smiling kids take ferry canoes to go to school across the river. Education is very important in Kerala with nearly 100% literacy rate and almost everyone speaks 3 languages.

Kerala's Fort Cochin and Kathakali Performance

2008-02-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

Kerala stretches for 55o km down India's southwest coast and our first stop is Fort Cochin which is full of history. We visited the Jewish quarter (pictured above) which has been there since 1100 BC !!! Strolling along, we came to the original site of the East India Company smelling of spices, teas, and oils (alongside antique shops). Still today, we saw large burlap bags of tea being transported around town and for exportation worldwide. At sunset we looked at the ancient chinese fishing nets that take 4 men to control (pictured above) which line the northern shore. The mode of transport here is by ferry. We stayed in the charming artist's part of old town- Fort Cochin.

At night we saw a traditional Kathakali dance drama, one of India's 4 major classical performances. Kathakali means "story-play"in indigenous folk ritual and became more theatrical in 17th century. The play depicts gods and demons where both male and female roles are played by men. The villain takes hours to apply his face make-up in red (symbolizing aggression and passion) and black (symbolizing darkness and negativity). The actors also put seeds in their eyes for 2 minutes that makes their eyes turn red for the show!

We Cumma We Goa... hittin' the beach

2008-02-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

Oh, India... an overnight train on tiny bunk beds with cobwebs above, 6 others in our cabin for 12 hours, and no air-conditioning. Look at Paul (above) cramped in his bunk! Then arriving in Margao and getting on a slow public bus where we were sweating and getting dust in our face for 2 hours to go 38km. Unscrupulous taxi drivers that will cheat you out of a dollar in a heartbeat at the station.

Finally we arrive in Patnem, Goa, a small beach town in the south lined with 1km of palm trees and people doing serious yoga on the sand. It reminds us of where we got married in Thailand. Ahh.. Today waking up in our hut on the sand under a mosquito net, sleeping in, going on a HOT run to town for our workout, and not having breakfast until11:30am. (Our total cost for breakfast was 36 rupees or $ 0.90 cents.) In the afternoon we layed out, splashed around in the sea, read books, and got a 2-hour full body massage and facials ending with an oily Indian head massage (whew, a tingling greasy scalp for atleast an hour). This feels like a McNeil vacation. Tuk-tuks and moto's are the mode of transport here. Very tranquillo (relaxing). Just another GLOBAL BEACH NATION http://www.rolfpotts.com/ .

Goa is known for its' beach dance parties on the sand. We went to Pallolem Beach on Sat. night to check out the scene and found a "slient noise party." There is a noise ordinance, where all music must stop by 11pm, so then everyone is given headphones and the dj's keep playing. It's funny to watch people when you can't hear the music. Check out the photos above where everyone is wearing their headphones and look at all the dust that is picked up when you dance in the sand! Now we're off to Kochin on another overnight train ride...

India... now we're traveling!!!

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Gateway to India & boat cruise to Elephanta Island

Mumbai (Bombay), India. It's frenetic; has manic traffic where seemingly imminent crashes are avoided by inches; has indescribably horrid smells; extreme poverty and beggars on each corner; fabulous street food for under $1 (yes, we have tried lots of it), too many people; unbelievable public transit where crowded train stations serve millions each day; unsafe drinking water; malaria; really nice people; and a lot of charm! We visited Elephanta Island by boat too and noticed that the brown water was very dirty and men were seen scrubbing the bottom of the boat shown above. The Taj Palace 5 star hotel was right next door to our Seashore Hotel (pictured above with the horse statues). Mumbai has all you would expect from India and more. Paul got over 200 bed-bug bites from our first night's stay. They became huge itchy puss-filled sores later (and we got a free upgrade for his suffering). Nothing says welcome to India like bed-bugs, check them out on Paul's back...

However, on a religious note, cows are sacred in India and they are everywhere (even in the big cities and lying out on the beach eating trash). The women here are all covered up in beautiful bright colored saris. I had to go shopping because my attire was whore of Babylon where a nun's habit would be more appropriate. Check me out in the next blog's photos coming soon... Paul and I love bustling cities like Mumbai and the food has been amazingly delicious (e.g. spicy curry, masala chai tea, tandoori chicken, roti barti, masala dosa, pakora, etc).

We want to give a BIG THANK YOU to Pradeep's uncle, Mr. Venkat Chury(pictured above in front of the VT train station), for taking the time to show us his city. He grew up in Bombay and was the former Chief Commissioner (City Manager) of Bombay for 3 years and oversaw a workforce of 130,000. He speaks atleast 8 languages, has a MBA and Law Degree, was a Profesor at the University for a few years, etc. etc.. his resume is incredible! We enjoyed Chowpatty Beach with the locals and then a skyline view of the Quenn's Necklace from Malabar Hill (pictured above). The city tour ended with him treating us to a lovely dinner at CCI, the very exclusive Cricket Club of India.

Flora Fountain and street food on Elephanta Island are pictured above. We read a fabulous book called Shantaram about Mumbai and it was great to finally be here to walk in the same footsteps as the author. This town is bustling and watch the video below of the train station so you can feel the energy too!

Lesotho shepherds in Bokong Reserve

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The adolescent shepherd boys pictured here were walking along playing their lekolulo (flute) and check out those outfits which are traditional clothing! The Basotho green wool blanket represents many things (e.g. shows symbol and status; provides insulation from hot/cold; boys get a blanket at circumcision as a symbol of boyhood to manhood; solid lines worn vertically to promote growth, wealth, and development). The shepherd young men don't finish school because they would rather be farmers. It's more common that females have higher education than men in Lesotho. The scenery of the Maluti and Drakensburg Mountains was breathtaking.

The Bokong Reserve was at 9,000 feet and super cold! Letuka, our guide, showed us to our rondavel (the hut pictured above), a 20-minute hike towards a waterfall and stunning vista over over Lepaqoa Valley. He is shown here weaving grass to make rope. How rustic it was to stay in a rondavel without electricity and read by a kerosene lamp huddled in 3 wool blankets. We were the only ones staying in the reserve that night and there was no sight of anyone for miles.

Lesotho village

2008-02-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

At the top of the mountain we visited a village where young girls ages 15 to 20 years old were ending their "initiation" into womanhood and will now be ready for marriage. The initiation program starts in October and ends in late February. Not all Lesotho girls do it. Only if they want to and would rather learn to weave baskets, braid straw to make mats, grind mealie meal in a mud hut, and learn everything it takes to be a good wife. More boys do the inititiation program now than girls. The majority of girls would rather go to secondary school and university. We were lucky enough to see 4 girls do a cow dance for us in their cow hide painted red, necklaces made of seeds, princess tiaras, and naked bodies painted in red (from a mixture of fat and soil). Being painted red only lasts 1 week. Each part of the 6 month long inititation is celebrated by having to perform a song and dance for the village and wearing clothing that they have just made. Later we saw how the grandmother grinds mealie meal, makes pap, and drank the porrige. Please press the play button below to see the video of them dancing!

Lesotho horseback ride through the Maluti Mountains

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Horseback tour (left) and Bushmen paintings(right)

View from our rondavel (left) Inside our rondavel (right)

Lesotho has a chill, relaxed attitude that began at the border. As we handed our passports to the official, before he looked at them he asked us how we were doing with a big smile. This is a very poor country and reminded me of Central America (i.e. donkeys along the highway, corn and sorgum fields along the hillsides, people dressed in wool blankets, etc.) 30% of the population has AIDS. There are several small children and only a few senior citizens. The unemployment rate is 45%. Arriving in the Liphofung Cave Historical Site down a dirt road where we stayed in a rondavel (pictured above). No electricity. The san bushmen paintings are up to 8,000 years old (pictured above). The next day we went on an amazing 4 hour horseback ride with our guide, Mohau. He grew up in this village and his father was a sheepherder. Many people smiled and waved at us. Some asked our guide if we could come closer just to look at us. They all seemed so peaceful, content, and happy. It didn't seem to matter that they are so poor (i.e. washing their clothes in the river, no toilet, no electricity, limited diet, etc). Just sitting here thinking that the children only get a free education up to primary school. However, the government provides a free education for orphans through high school. The money comes from diamond mines and water export to South Africa. This is such a lovely place to travel.

Clarens in the Free State

2008-02-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Clarens is the cutest little town in the Free State. It's full of art galleries, limestone homes, good restaurants, a golf estate course, and trout fishing. Prince Harry and Brad Pitt both stayed here. We bought watermellon from a local fruit stand and picked apples from the tree at our hotel. The climate is like Washington and we ended our morning run with a mocha cappuccino. We drove through the Golden Gate National Forest there and saw springbok, zebra, blesbok, and wildabeest pictured below.

Blyde River Canyon

2008-01-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

Blyde River Canyon and the 3 rondavels pictured above left. This is the 3rd largest canyon in the world! The tufa waterfall behind us is quite rare and made of calcium build up from the water. We went on an 11km hike too through indigenous forest up and down the canyon! We camped at a nice resort where we played miniature golf, swam, and had a lovely time. Mpumalanga area here has the world's largest artificial forests and tree farms with logging trucks tearing up all the roads.

Starting from the northern part of south africa in Limpopo and drove south to Mpumalanga and then the Free State. 600km and 9 hours in the car. Stopping for gas one time. It gets very rural and poor away from tourist towns.

Durban has the highest population of Indians outside of India

2008-01-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Durban is a city of 3 million people and cosmopolitan mix..... Durban has the highest population of Indians outside of India. The Indian cuisine was fabulous including the famous "bunny chow," a curry and rice dish served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. Also, we met Junior- a young black Zulu musician. He and Sindy nicknamed us with Zulu names of Thabani for Paul and Mbali for me. We listened to poetry while another person was singing and playing drums in the background. Very hip! The northern beaches were the best, in Umhlanga and Sun Coast Casino. We found ourselves blending into the SA culture by going to the malls (to hang out, for entertainment, nice restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping). It's safe there. Below is one of our Indian friends we met here at Moyo Restaurant. Moyo is a loose translation for the Swahili word soul. The other pictures are of the face painting there we received on Valentine's Day and our waiter, Maurice, from Zimbabwe.

The Sun Coast Casino had the best beaches and restaurants. We had fun at the Ushaka Marine World (Sea World and Wild Rivers combined) where we ran from ride to ride like children. While at the waterpark we saw a Zulu performance by a teenage dance group. They had so much energy and were doing high kicks to the sky! Here are some photos of the Zulu beaded jewlery as well.

Port Elizabeth- the friendly people city

2008-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Tony, Liz, Paul, and Eileen in Port Elizabeth (above)

A bbq (or braai) and a party at Fiona's house (below)

Waterfront and St. George's Park- Cricket Stadium & Public Swimming Pool

The South Africans love rugby, cricket, and soccer.

Exploring Port Elizabeth has been fun! On Friday night we went to the waterfront (pictured above), strolled to the end of the pier, ate ice cream on the boardwalk, and explored the casino across the street. The next day we visited the Donkin Reserve, a protected coastal area including Sardinia Beach (pictured above) and had tea & scones at Schoenie's Sacramento Cafe. Today we'll take the dog there. On a rainy day we went to the Nelson Mandela Art Museum and walked around St. George's Park (pictured above). Ready to get dry, we headed to the mall for lunch where all the other South Africans go because it feels safe. Every house in SA has an electric fence, gate, and/or wall around it so they feel safe. Liz and Tony's house (pictured below) has been broken into twice! Reading the "Sunday Crimes" newspaper (a spoof on the Sunday Times) is depressing in SA and even the locals only read it once a week.

We met Liz and Tony's children- Fiona and Rachel- at a pork roast braai. After dinner Rachel's daughter, Becky, played a few songs on her saxaphone and was just awesome! Regarding education in SA, the children get electives in elementary school like music and physical education everday. The sad news is that only 65% passed high school last year. There is a 20,000 teacher shortage and the ones they do have are inexperienced. After Apartheid, the government gave severance packages to many of the experienced white teachers who promised they would not return to the profession, thus opening up jobs for non-whites. How they are needed now! Expectations were high when the government changed hands here. Most thought change would take place immediately (many were promised that). That is why teachers were sacked immediately. There is a lot of disilluionment now. Perhaps they could take a page out of China's playbook - gradual change with low expectations. Eileen visited a school for children with autism and learned a lot. Can't wait to share with my colleagues when I get home. What a wonderful experience we had with Liz and Tony! Thanks so much! HAPPIE CHAPPIES (as Liz would say)!

A day trip to Grahamstown, Bathurst, Port Alfred, and Kenton On Sea

2008-01-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

Grahamstown was founded in 1812 as a military fort. In 1820 about 4,000 settlers came from Europe (mostly British artisans and craftsman). Similar to US settlers in Oklahoma & Kansas, the settlers were a hearty bunch. They were mostly unprepared for the life they were about to undertake. They were overdressed, inspired by god and riches and managed to overcome hardships to impose their will on the land and the indigenous people until history was made. After all, they had little choice, they could not go home. The quote on the Settlers Museum wall says it best, "We must take root and grow or die where we stand." Grahamstown is also known for its excellent boarding schools (children ages 7 - 18) and Rhodes University. Theo and Tony both attended Kingston Boarding School (pictured below is their dorm and library). It was an all-boys school and they would sneak over to the girls school in the drainage ditches. In the Observatory Museum, we looked at the city through a camera obscura. In 1882 the camera obscura was built by a jeweler and watchmaker. The device used a mirror, lense and turret providing a 360-degree reflected image of the town on a viewing table in the tower. Before telephones and tv, the camera obscura was used to find people on the streets below. Check it out below...

In Bathurst, the Pig and Whistle Pub and Hotel is a national monument and is the longest contiuously operated pub in the country. They opened in 1832 and it still has old-fashioned, country charm.

Next we visited Summerville Farm which has the world's biggest pineapple at 16.7 meters high.

Of course pineapples were originally discovered in the Brazilian Amazon in the late 1400's. In Europe, pineapples were reserved for the wealthy and only served to the royal court and those in power. The photo below (left) is of rondavels- typical african houses. Along our drive, there were several dairy farms scattered along the rolling hills. The region smells like the midwest!

The Kowie River runs through Port Alfred. We stopped for a quick look at the river and the multi-million rand houses. It was quite windy. Then it was off to the pleasant Kenton-On-Sea where families have owned houses since the 1930's. Bushman's River runs to the west and provides a boating and save swimming holes.

Addo Elephant National Park

2008-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Elephants are such amazing animals!! If you really want a great read about them, try Elephantoms by Lyall Watson (thanks Ruben!). As children they learn from their family. When adolescent age, elephants need to learn apprpriate elephant behaviors from their older siblings and family members. When removed from their families by humans they get defiant and act out. Mmm, sounds like the troubled middle-schoolers I work with at home. Elephants are intelligent and can get bored, so they draw. Yes, they have been observed in the wild drawing pictures with stones held in their trunk. Elephants can communicate for many miles miles through sensors in thier feet feeling the vibrations of others within the vicinity. We watched them bathe and cool-off at the watering hole on this hot sunny day. What do we pay for a mudbath again?

We also saw warthog, burchell's zebra, birds, kudu, tortoise, and more on our drive outside the park on our way home, like wildabeest, kudu and zebra. There were orange groves, low scrub brush, hard soil, and thorny plants near Addo. This type of vegetation is sometimes called elephant bush.

Harpoor was the last of the great Addo Elephants, killed by the evil Colonel Pretorious in 1931 after he decided to take a stroll outside the park's cable and railroad tie fence. He was a truly a mammoth and the picture does not do him justice. We touched his tusks to remember what a specimen he was and put some scale into the photo. The next photo is of an elephant skull and where Paul's finger is touching is where elephants get their sixth sense. Elephants (and all animals including humans) can feel fear and emotion through a gland sometimes called Jacobsen's Organ. In humans this little party trick has been largely lost through disuse. Elephants cry over the death of loved ones and actually produce tears as they visit graves of their ancestors. You really should read Elephantoms!

St. Francis Bay with Liz and Tony Smith

2008-01-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

We also met Liz and Tony Smith on the now infamous Croatia Cruise and these kind and hospitable British South Africans invited us to their home in Port Elizabeth. They picked us up at Jefferey's Bay- where we played beach volleyball, saw dolphins, and world class surfers- and went to their family's beach house in St. Francis Bay. St. Francis has strict building codes for the 2 neighborhoods that make up the community. You must either build thatched dutch colonial on the east side or tuscan with tiles on the west. No other styles are allowed and it makes for a very cohesive vacation resort. Knysna, on the other hand has no apparent codes and has lost a lot of its former charm as strip malls and a mish-mash of unique buildings dominate the town. St. Francis is very upscale and is home to The Links at St. Francis - another course that Paul would not dare play without at least 12 spare balls. We had a fantastic lunch at Le Camilleon in Humansdorp (a most unlikely location, it was a former auto repair turned chic garden/boutique/cafe). We love wine a t lunch time!

Traveling in-style to Plettenberg Bay

2008-01-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

We travelled to Plettenberg Bay with Dirk and Karen, Lorraine's Nephew and Niece-in-law in a sweet new BMW then ran around in Giselle's mercedes convertible. Needless to say, we felt like rockstars! Plett is known as the "Jewel of the Garden Route" and famous for being a top holiday destination in SA. We hiked from one side to the other and watched the kite surfers pictured below in the Indian Ocean. We ran along the Piesang River, Beacon Isle, and back to Central Beach. Plett is so charming and beautiful with the Tsitsikamma Mountains as a backdrop to these beaches. Lunch at Cornuti was a delicious way to end our 5-star trip and as we set off on a bus to Jefferey's Bay- a world famous surfspot (SuperTubes Break).

Buffalo Bay with Theo and Lorraine Lombard

2008-01-14T09:32:00.001-08:00

Oma and Opa Lombard- our temporary Afrikaans parents invited us to stay at their 3 storey beach house in Buffalo Bay for 3 nights (above is the view from our room). Originally, we met Theo & Lorraine on the cruise in Croatia and kept in touch. Upon arrival we met her son, daughter, nephews, and their families. Their house staff gave us tea and homemade scones hot out of the oven- a proper colonial breakfast and the table was set for 10 people with the fine china. Lorraine is a Baroness and one royal tip she taught me is that when you pour the tea out of the teapot and it's not strong enough, then you turn the entire pot. Interesting huh? Theo is a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford and played rugby professionally for South Africa too. Their families have been in South Africa for hundreds of years and they told us stories of past history (e.g. Boer Wars and Land Claims where rights and land have been taken away from the Afrikaans people). We learned a lot and have a better understanding of current politics now as well. For instance, Theo explained that in Africa, the Chief is the leader and he can do anything he wants because he is the "CHIEF." This explains the behaviors of the current ANC President and likely next SA president, Jacob Zuma, who raped an HIV-infected woman, lied about it and when confronted witht he fact that the woman was HIV Positve he said he was not worried about it because he had taken a shower after. He has 4 wives and 2 in the pipeline. He has been indicted in taking bribes in an illegal arms deal. He accepted over4 million Rand (about $600k) of bribes from one person, his financial advisor. Its ok, because he is the chief...

The beach at Buffels Baai (Afrikaans word) is 7km long and ends at Brenton on Sea. We walked there and back one morning as the tide came in and were lucky to make it back before the beach was swallowed by the tide. There are 2 tides every day here. We saw jellyfish bigger than basketballs. The bay has little or no wind so the water stays calm and safe for swimming. Buffalo Bay in general is a kid-friendly beach and the safest town in SA. People leave their house doors open or unlocked and kids play freely in the streets. It's a wonderful feeling to walk around and not see huge electric fences and walls around homes like every other neighborhood we've stayed in. On the other side of the bay we hiked a nature preserve at sunset. In contrast to the bayside, it's always windy and sometimes has decent surfing waves. Everyday we said a prayer of thanks before eating and Lorraine always asked for God to keep us safe. On our last day, Lorraine read from the Bible a verse that basically says... enjoy your youth, but remember that God is there.

Our last days in the town of George

2008-01-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

George is full of history and still has its charm. Today it has become the capitol of the Garden Route and is known for having some of the best golf courses in the world. Exhausted after throwing the stick for Ella, Paul takes a snooze on Wilderness Beach. When Ella is in the car and knows we are getting close to Wilderness her bottom jaw starts to tremble; it's her place to play. Being a pitbull, she is very communicative and expressive. She would go up to people and drop her stick and look up, as if asking them to please throw her stick. She is such an intelligent and loving dog. She prefers water in her bowl with mint leaves... yes she's spoiled! On their last day together, Paul and Wayne play one last round of golf at Kysna Golf Course. Paul shoots his best one yet! Giselle and I walked the course laughing and had a great time (until the mosquitoes attacked us at holes 17 & 18). Too much rain in this area in the past few weeks and a perfect breeding ground for mozzies. We enjoyed our time with Wayne and Giselle and thank then for all their generosity and South African hospitality.

Noetzie Castles and Paddle Cruiser Tour- Knysna

2008-01-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Paddle Cruiser took us on a lunch cruise to the Knysna Heads. The Headland was divided as through millions of years of erosion where the river comes out and meets the Indian Ocean. Many ships have wrecked on the heavy seas of the cape. The day started out overcast, but the sun soon came out. At sunset, we hiked around Kysna and ate dinner at Paquitas- named after a Portuguese shipwreck. We posed for a head-butt at the Kysna Heads.

In the afternoon, we drove the 4x4 Land Rover off-roading to Noetizie. A beautiful drive through the forest and to a beach where several castles- now rented out for the summer- have been built. Eileen brought her flag to conquer this one!

A Jolly 2008 Jol!

2008-01-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

Jol - vb. To indulge ones mind, body and spirit in copious amounts of alcohol and become a proper South African until your blood alcohol content resumes normal

Braai - vb. What you do before a Jol, also known as a BBQ
Bru - n. A close friend or unrelated brother as in, "I promise you, Bru!" (think Blood Diamond)

Lekker - adj. Cool as the other side of the pillow. (pronounced Lekkuh)

Just Now - In a little while

Just Now Now - Right now

Bru's, just now now, we hope you all had a right, lekker jol to bring in the new year and we will see you just now at our homecoming Braai...

We missed you all over the holidays. Much love from George, South Africa.

Golf, golf, golf...

2007-12-31T02:03:00.000-08:00

The Fancourt Golf and Country Club Estate pictured above was rated top one of the top ten golf courses in the world in 2004! The grounds are just gorgeous and I love just walking around and having lunch there. Golf is a very popular sport in this part of Africa and since Wayne is a scratch golfer, Paul has been playing golf on every possible sunny day. He has been to Kingswood, Fancourt (Bramble Hill), George, and Oubaii golf courses in and around the George area. Oubaii is a course along the Garden Route where you play on the cliffs of the sea and the countryside. Oubaii is pictured below and we had a nice lunch by the pool. Everybody knows, one of the best golfers in the world is Ernie Els and he is from South Africa. Our friend, Brett, was a caddy for him for a year and said he's an entertaining guy who likes to drink. He has a wife and 2 kids and a house in Herold's Bay, just a few miles from where we're staying. We saw his Dad last Friday at the beach party!

Oubaii Golf Estate (left) and a picture of Ernie Elle's Beach House (right)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-31T01:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! We celebrated by opening presents and had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at Wayne & Giselle's house. Wayne made his "AWARD WINNING" bouillibase which is a seafood soup in a tomato sauce and was fantastic! After opening presents we sang christmas carols that drove Wayne nuts. Thanks to our ipod, we had 76 xmas songs to enjoy. For gifts, Paul and I gave each other spa treatments at Fancourt Country Club Estate which we enjoyed on Dec.26th. We both had wonderful sweedish massaages and hung out at the pool all day. We hope all of our friends and family had a merry little christmas too!

Afrikaans Live Theatre Concert

2007-12-31T01:36:00.001-08:00

Jannie, the famous Afrikaans singer pictured above performed at a restaurant in the country called Lela's Arms on Sat. night. This restaurant is a "sustainable" house made of cob (mud house made of straw) and all the fruit and veggies served are from her organic garden too. Wayne, Giselle, Paul, and I enjoyed a 3-course country meal (springbok and spinach appetizer; chicken curry with salad and rice; and strawberry and hazelnut ice cream for dessert). Jannie sang songs for an hour in Afrikaans (a dying language comprised primarily of Dutch and spoken commonly in South Africa especially by countryfolk) and we couldn't understand a word but were culturally entertained. The view from her back patio was divine where we sat under the stars.

Drive through the Montagu Pass to the Herold Winery

2007-12-31T01:19:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 22 Wayne drove us along the famous Montagu Pass, a 200 year-old dirt road that is still in use today. It was a route used for the farmers to transport their goods to cities by the sea. We saw a monkey along the way and baboons too! About 45 minutes from George on this hot day in the Land Rover, we finally arrived at the Herold Winery (pictured below behind the cows) and had a picnic in their wine cellar. We met with the owners and tasted some wine. My favorite is Gertrude- a light red with lots of residual sugar and another good one is the 2006 sav. blanc.

Wilderness National Park in the Garden Route

2007-12-22T01:49:00.000-08:00

Wilderness National Park has rivers, estuaries, lakes, 230 bird species, and 18 km of coastline. We hiked the most popular King Fisher Trail and it was just lovely. We thought of all the elephants that used to walk around here and the bushmen who ate rusk (a hard sweet cracker with nuts/seeds that south africans still eat today for breakfast with their rooibos tea) while hiking these trails. There were so many different species of plants and trees. The rainbow color of the stream and fabulous views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking.

Below is the rewarding view from the end of our hike looking out at Wilderness beach of the Indian Ocean and down at the kayakers on the river. For lunch we ate the traditional Dutch "potje" which is a meal cooked in a cast iron pot and we chose the seafood one (shrimp, calamari, fish, and mussels in a creamy garlic, mushroom, and lemongrass broth). Scrumptious!

The town of George in the Garden Route

2007-12-21T05:08:00.000-08:00

Our new friends, Wayne and Giselle, offered to let us stay with them in their newly remodeled 5- bedroom house in an exclusive neighborhood in George (pictured above). Wayne is a fabulous chef and cooked a mouthwatering filet mignon in the braai (pictured above). They are so much fun and we are so thankful for their generosity to us couch surfers. We met them through friends in Cape Town. Pictured below is the four of us hiking along a stream to a beautiful waterfall in George out in the country.

Victoria Bay (bottom left photo) is a our favorite beach near George and has a good surf break too. We travelled up the Garden Route to Knysna where we stopped and let Ella, their pitbull, out for a swim. Also we sampled the famous oysters at the Knysna Oyster Company and a bottle of champagne. Then it was off to Plettenburg Bay for lunch at Cornutti with a view of the sea and sipped on a bottle of our favorite savignon blanc, Brampton, because on the label it states that it is to be "enjoyed by good-looking people." Now Wayne has given us the nick-name "The Bramptons." As you can see we have been having a great time and the Garden Route is a beautiful part of South Africa due to the several lakes, rivers, green hills, and oceans all on the same road.

The Knysna estuary where the 2 heads meet and Oyster Tavern

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

2007-12-21T05:06:00.000-08:00

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is rated one of the top 8 most magnificent botanical gardens in the world. On Sundays they hold summer concerts in the park and we packed a picnic with 4,000 Capetonians and saw "Love Jones" perform. The music was great and afterwards we went to The Docks in Hout Bay where we met Steve Jones, the guitar player in the band. They are touring the US from Feb to April 2008 and would like to meet any of our friends (they play at the Viper Room on Sunset Blvd in LA).

Ostrich Show Farm in Oudtshoorn

2007-12-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

Eileen rides an ostrich (see above) and what a thrilling experience! We visited the Safari Ostrich Show Farm and learn that ostriches have been on the earth for 7 million years and Oudtsdoorn is the world's foremost supplier of ostrich products. Ladies, the ostrich purses are awesome! Check out Paul below standing with both feet on top of an ostrich egg and it doesn't break... fascinating I know.

Route 62 and Montagu

2007-12-21T04:45:00.000-08:00

The drive on the historic Route 62 in Klein Karoo was gorgeous and a 2 hour drive from Cape Town out into the countryside. Route 62 is the world's longest wine route and there are rivers and lakes throughout. The small farm town of Montagu is known for fruit trees (apricots and peaches) and great hikes. We stayed in a barn (pictured below) on a pecan farm with chickens and horses. The horses live in the barn in the winter and it's a guesthouse in the summer.

Hot Springs The Barn

Julian from San Francisco comes to visit!

2007-12-18T03:24:00.003-08:00

Julian, Paul's friend fromUCSD, came to visit and we toured the city on the red Hop On-Hop Off Bus and went dancing downtown. On Friday we went lawn bowling at a private club and Eileen won! Lion's Head is in the background of that photo and we hiked that last week. Great views of the city from up there! We celebrated Eileen's win with a sundowner in Camps Bay where a street performer walked on a tight-rope strung between 2 palm trees... amazing! (see below)

We spent some time at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (near Green Point where Julian was staying) and went on a catamaran harbor cruise too. The Kingklip is the best fish here and it just melts in your mouth. The calamari is best in Hout Bay.

Russ and Yolande come to visit!

2007-12-18T03:24:00.001-08:00

Four hundred year-old Dutch wine estates in Stellenbosch

Best beaches of Cape Town- Clifton and Camps Bay

Russ and Yo came to visit for 10 days and we had a blast! We went wine tasting in Stellenbosch and Franchouk; on a safari where we saw the big 5; took pictures with cheetahs; saw whales come into the bay in Hermanus from our penthouse suite's balcony; penguins on Boulders Beach; hiked Table Mountain in record time; hit all the best beaches of course; and had a few sundowners (cocktails at sunset) in Camps Bay.

Aquila Game Lodge in Little Karoo- more photos to come in an ofoto album!

View of whales from our penthouse suite in Hermanus and the boys playing chess and smoking cigars by the pool. Five-Star living is quite lovely!

Penguins at Boulders Beach & Hiking Table Mountain 3,000 ft

Cape Town is just divine with our couch surfer friends!

2007-12-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

We stayed with Louise and Brett in Haut Bay area of Cape Town from Nov 19th and just left Dec. 11. They are a couple we met online at a website called couch surfers. The idea is to meet travellers and give them information about your home town. You can choose to have people stay on your couch or just meet for coffee. Since we got along so well with Brett and Louise they invited us to stay at their beautiful 4 bedroom house in one of their spare bedrooms. We have enjoyed sundowners (wine at sunset) with a view of Table Mountain from their deck and playing with their dog Cola. They have been so generous and fun; taking us all over town and introducing us to their friends! Haut Bay is kind of like Laguna Beach with small restaurants/cafes, boutiques, a fishermans wharf, art galleries, and dog beach. We walk everywhere and go hiking too. Camps Bay and Clifton are like Newport Beach and HB which are the next beaches down about 10km away. Downtown Cape Town is not our scene, so its really nice to be able to stay out in Haut Bay. We ended our stay with a shrimp braai (bbq) at their house and then left for the Garden Route along the coast heading northeast.

Thanksgiving Dinner!

2007-12-04T01:49:00.000-08:00

We are loving Cape Town and "it's just stunning" (as they would say here). Being the party planners that we are, Paul and I organized a Thanksgiving dinner at our San Diego friend, Jo Wade's house and 10 people came. Searching for pumpkin pie was impossible and when you asked someone they looked at you like you were crazy. No pumpkin pie, but we had pecan instead. Paul cooked his first turkey ever and it was pretty good. We missed Mom's gravy though. Take care over the holidays. Below are some photos of downtown Cape Town.

Return to İstanbul 4 weeks later...

2007-11-13T05:32:00.001-08:00

We returned to İstanbul and Paul's brother, Ross, joined us for the weekend. Our last hoorah in Turkey. On our second trip back, İstanbul feels like home. We bought our last turkish delights today- a gummy sugar candy with nuts that tastes great with a hot cup of Turkish tea. The locals are so accommodating largely without exception even when they know we are Americans. We feel safe and at home eventhough we can't speak more than a few words in Turkish! Cruising the Boshorus, visiting the Dolmabaçe Palace, looking at thousand year old mosaics in the Aya Sofia, drinking rakı, and doing some last minute shopping at the Grand Bazaar is how we spent our last days here. It's been a Turkish Delight!

Bodrum, Turkey

2007-11-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Bodrum is the St Tropez of Turkey! Robi and David adopted us for a few days at their beautiful seaside home in Turgutreis on the west of the peninsula. We layed around like cats on a sunny day, exploring the coast and the crusader castle in Bodrum Bay. Major props for Robi and David for taking in 2 weary travelers and showing us a fantastic time. It's great to arrive as guests and leave as friends!

Selçuk, Turkey

2007-11-05T10:49:00.001-08:00

The above are pictures of St.Johns Basilica where the Apostle John came with the Virgin Mary to write his gospel of the New Testament. This is also where Paul wrote his 1st letter to the Corinthians in the Bible. What a cool feeling to be here since we both grew up learning about their teachings at church. Below is Paul at the tomb of John and to the right is a carving of Artemis 1st AD* first called Cybele* goddess of fertility. Then she was renamed Artemis during Hellenistic times and Romans later called her Diana. We also visited the Temple of Artemis trying to get some good luck with fertility for next year!

Ephesus, Turkey

2007-11-05T10:39:00.001-08:00

Founded in 600 BC, Ephesus (Efes, like the Turkish beer) is the best preserved ancient city in Turkey. This theater (AD 41) was built so the acoustics improved by having the seats gets steeper and building a wall on the front side and much more! Gladiators once faught here as well. Below, the library (bottom left) held 12,000 scrolls and books were hidden between the 1 meter walls for protection. Walking on the Sacred Way (bottom right) you could see the chariot ruts in the marble paving stones. I learned that they always had the bath houses at the entrance to the city because they wouldnt let travellers in until they were clean. Next was the bank (ATM) and the market (to buy food or trade for slaves) . Salt was the most valuable item. After they were permitted to walk along the marble pathways to the boutiques, churches, and private houses. So civilized!

Pamukkale, Turkey

2007-11-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Pamukkale is a village and age-old spa town established in 190BC by Eumenes II, the Roman King of Pergamum. The calcium-carbonate pools and waterfalls delivered warm healing water to weary soldiers for the Roman army and tourists alike. We hiked all over this cotton-colored mountain barefoot! Then, for 2 days we chilled at the our 4 star resorts pool, jacuzzi, and sauna where breakfast & dinner were included! Paul got an oil massage too.

We are so happy and just loving being married and enjoying the time we have together!

Fethiye- a yachting town in the Mediterranean

2007-11-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

We went on an island boat tour in Fethiye and Paul couldnt wait to get in the turqouise green water. This town was founded in 5 BC and called Telmessos until 80 years ago when the president, Ataturk renamed it after a fighter pilot... thats just wrong! Rome could be called DiMateo-ville in a few years... Check out the ancient Lycian Rock Tomb below (which is carved into a steep hillside) where there is someone waiting to be embalmed outside.

Patara Beach, Turkey

2007-11-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Patara is the birthplace of Saint Nicholas- yes good ole Santa Claus (except there are only muslims here, so there is no Santas workshop and Mr. and Mrs. Claus are curiously absent). Paul is standing in an ancient amphitheatre and check out the carved stone below him that looks like a gladiator sword). You feel inspired when walking through this open air museum. İts a 2.5km walk through pine forests to the beach. Patara Beach is the longest beach in Turkey and stretches over 20km! The sand felt and looked just like Ocean Beach, reminding us of home.

Kaş and Kekova İsland

2007-11-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sea kayaking in the crystal clear bay for an hour and then resting at Kekova İsland was fun! There were goats, donkeys, and ruins... however the most amazing thing was the underwater city. There was an earthquake in 280 AD and the ancient city of Simena sunk 6 meters below and we could see the Byzantine ruins (ex: city wall, staircases, foundations of buildings, etc.). Very cool! After an hour more of kayaking, İ was tired, so Paul took over and got us in. He says he was paddling for the Queen of Sheba. For dinner we shared 'mezes' which are like tapas style. Peppers, hummus, fish, veggie casserole, garlic yoghurt, calamari, etc... and of course a bottle of rakı- licorice flavored Turkish liquor made from grapes.

İndependence Day in Turkey Oct. 29

2007-11-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

İt was a big celebration with school kids parading in costumes, adults dancing, live music, fireworks, flags being waved everywhere, and lots of traditional Turkish food in the town square. Just like our July 4th! We had a fabulous time and joined in the fun with a Turkish couple- Ali Morat and Ayse. Just some insight on politics here...the turks are especially patriotic right now because of the situation with the İraq war and US. 20 Turkish soldiers were killed by the PKK (kurds) last week near the İraq border. The president is upset and most every person here says they hate Bush.

Side- Western Mediterranean of Turkey

2007-11-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is 'us' at the Manavgat Waterfall. Later in Side we layed out at the beach, played volleyball, and watched the sunset over the Temples of Athena and Apollo. These were built in 600 BC and there are ruins all over the place. Many were rebuilt and added onto from the Greek pirates and slaves. That night we sat on our balcony and tried the nargileh- traditional turkish water pipe filled with apple flavored tobacco. At 11pm we went dancing with the locals. So much fun! Side was perfect- a small village on the beach with ruins, and 5 star service at our Cicek Pansion from Ali Baba and Aron.

Alanya- Eastern Mediterranean of Turkey

2007-11-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Alanya is a large, beautiful seaside resort town full of german and scandinavian tourists. One day we hiked down the Seljuk Fortress hill on a trail that has been there since 4AD (passing mosques, cisterns, churches, and Ottaman style houses). You can see the Red Tower in the left photo and we are on Cleopatra Beach. After we went for a sunset walk and encountered a camel! The Turkish guy said he wanted to trade his camel for me!!! Paul said, 'Only for 3 camels...'

Kizkilesi- Eastern Mediterranean of Turkey

2007-10-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

There are castles in the Mediterranean that appear to be floating in the sea. Eileen is happy to finally be in a quiet beach town with lots of sunshine. We have been chilling and reading books and relaxing and doing no sightseeing in 3 days... it feels like vacation. Everyone here knows us by first name now and are super friendly. Ancient ruins line this limestone coast as we head west. Maybe tomorrow we will start exploring in Apostle Paul's footsteps since he was born not far from here.

Capadoccia, Turkey

2007-10-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

Volcanoes formed these structures called fairy chimneys and in 4AD humans began living in these caves. Check out that caveman above dragging his woman into his cave! Goreme, where we stayed in a cave hotel, was like Disneyland with cute shops and restaurants (we loved it). The next day after exploring we were hitchhiking and Mustafa (a local that was born in a cave there) picked us up and took us to his vineyard. He was so kind and giving. Just an amazing person who likes to show tourists a good time. Mustafa gave us Turkish tea and local wine as we watched the sunset over the valley. Then he made a spicy eggplant dinner and lastly danced to Turkish music before driving us to our hotel. Check out his place in the photo below.

Ankara, Turkey (capital city)

2007-10-22T11:30:00.001-07:00

Ankara is the capital city of Turkey because in 1920 Ataturk, their past president whom they still love, moved it from Istanbul to the middle of the country. It is a crowded city with 4.3 million people (it reminded us of Tijuana) and full of shanty towns, pollution, poor Muslims on one side and the other has rich politicians, high-end shops, and expensive restaurants. Of course we stayed in Ulus- the poor part of town- where its so hectic that you cant cross the street. Too many cars, buses, taxis, and people drive like idiots. The one positive thing about Ankara is that I took my first Turkish bath and it was invigorating! I relaxed in the sauna and then the woman scrubbed me, gave me the roughest massage ever, and lastly washed my hair with a bar of soap. Interesting experience, but I dont need another one for a while. Here is a picture below of Ataturk and Paul- side by side.

İstanbul, Turkey

2007-10-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Chilly and raining upon arrival in the Sultanahmet area, we walked around Tokapi Palace where the Sultans and their harem lived for hundreds of years. We were there during Ramadan so people fast all day and eat dinner at night, so that night the pedestrian walking street in Beyoglu was lively. The picture above is the Ayasofya- originally an orthodox church and now a mosque. The next day was sunny and we went running along the Bosphorus. Eileen had to visit the Grand Bazaar to shop and we loved the fresh lokum (typical soft candy, my favorite is with nuts on the inside and coconut on the outside) and Turkish tea from the Spice Bazaar. Istanbul is very western. Pictured below is the Blue Mosque at night (right) and during the day (left).

Cielo Nightclub in Sofia, Bulgaria

2007-10-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

The grand opening for Cielo Nightclub was amazing! There were 3 dj's spinning and the top one, Ultra Nate, from Baltimore is pictured below. We danced from midnight until 4am! This club is super swanky and had beautiful Eastern European go-go dancers.

Sofia, Bulgaria

2007-10-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sofia is a bustling capital city where all the women dress up in high heels or knee-high boots with the purse and jacket to match. There is evidence of communism by the monuments in the parks and design of the buildings. Paul and I did a some shopping here. Check out those boots! After shopping all day, we were ready for a night on the town... (check out our next blog for the photos)

Belgrade, Serbia

2007-10-12T23:56:00.000-07:00

In Serbia we arrived at 6am after an uncomfortable overnight bus ride and started walking around the pedestrian street full of boutiques and cafes where we had a traditional Serbian coffee to warm up. Then it was off to the fortress (pictured above) and we went to the military museum where we discovered this country has been at war for thousands of years. After taking nap in the park we loved the Bohemian part of the city, where all the artists, writers, and musicians hang out. Nikola (below) talked with us about Serbia for a while and we didnt want to leave. At 8:30pm we left the bar and RAN across town to catch our 9:00pm train. We made in with 3 minutes to spare!

Sarajevo, Bosnia

2007-10-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sarajevo is the saddest place we have ever been. Bullet holes in all the buildings, kids cant be in playgrounds because there could be a land mine, nobody smiles, there is a look of hurt and depression in many peoples eyes, mafias control small businesses, and graveyards everywhere. Walking through the city you are constantly reminded of war. The most obvious signs are the Sarajevo Roses - mortar blast holes in the pavement filled with red cement. Its certainly not the place we all saw in the 1984 Olympics. I think PTSD is rampant here and they need more psychological services.

That being said, the scenery is fall-like with the leaves changing color and emerald green rivers are sparkling. This is a place of churches and mosques where east meets west with caution, fear, and respect. We met with a couple from the US State Dept that have been in the Balkans for years and their perspectives awakened us to the reality of life on the streets in Bosnia. We leave for Belgrade, Serbia tonight and then off to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

2007-10-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

Right now, Paul and I are on a 7 day sailing trip on a small yacht that includes breakfast and lunch. The boat is similar to the one in the photo to your left. Each day we stop in a different island and have had perfect sunny weather. Each day we get to snorkel and Paul enjoys jumping off the boat. We started in Split * where you see the old woman below at a market serving up fresh kraut. We saw Diocletians Palace in Split and the castle in Dubrovnik. The nightlife in Dubrovnik was fun too. Check out Dubrovnik Old Town at night bottom left photo. Awesome!

Today we are on day 4 of the sailling trip on Korcula Island, which has lots of vineyards and olive trees in the countryside. The Korcula town is a small midevil town with city walls all around it, lots of winding cobblestone streets, warm Mediterranean climate, good seafood, and are known for their white wine, Posip and Grk. Reminds us of Cinqueterra in Italy. Very romantic and we just love it. Weve met lots of nice Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, and South Africans on the yacht too. This coastline is amazing.

Opatija, Croatia

2007-09-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

Finally in Croatia, which I have been longing for.... It's truely more beatiful than I or Paul could have imagined. We arrived in Opatija, a health resort town on the Adriatic Sea developed in the late 1800s. It is popular due to its great climate, being sheltered form the wind, and the forest relfects into the water making it a sparkling green color. We played beach volleyball, went running admiring the colonial style mansions, and then on a walk along the waterfront finding secluded coves to lay out at. At the end of the day we boarded the cruise ship in Rijeka where we had a 1st class cabin with a sea view. We drank a bottle of Croatian white wine as we watched the sunset. Tomorrow at noon we will arrive in the Island Korcula.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

2007-09-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

Ljubljana is one of the most romantic mountain towns we have been. Cobblestone streets along the Sava River lined with hip cafes and lounges. Roman city walls surround the town and the buildings are Art Nouveau with lots of art galleries. On Sat we ran around the forested park, hiked to a castle where numeous wedding parties were having champagne toasts, we had a picinic lunch inside the castle, and lastly walked around a street market tasting wine, cheese, olives, and salami. What a nice day! Our favorite Slovenian food is the BUREK, which is pizza inside a buttery pastry croissant and favorite beer is Crni Baron.