Transdniestr

So, first things first - how did Rhona and I end up in a breakaway republic? One only recognized by two other entities – themselves breakaway republics? A ‘country’ that you’ve probably never even heard of? It started innocently enough - I was looking at my family tree.

The Voegele’s originally came from a small town in southern Germany called Nebringen (today Gaufelden). However, Russia had opened up some territories for outside settlement, and my great-great-great-grandfather Michael was one of the many who opted to try their luck elsewhere, leaving Germany in 1811. The German’s established a settlement called Gluckstal, which was home to my ancestors until my great-grandfather sailed with his family, including my grandfather, into New York in 1905. The town of Gluckstal is today known as Glinnoye, and lies on the eastern side of the Nistru (Dniestr) River. That region is sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, and is known as Transdniestr, or Transnistria, to those who call it home – and to the people of two other breakaway republics. Everyone else calls it Moldova.

So, reason number one for wanting to visit - family history in the region. (more…)

Hmmmm - where does one start when the last update they wrote was 7 1/2 months prior? I suppose it wouldn’t be as daunting if we hadn’t done much, but Rhona and I spent more than 6 of those months traveling. No, this isn’t going to be easy, which I suppose is why it’s taken me this long to find motivation. Best is to tackle it in small chunks, so these updates are going to come at you for each individual country. First up….Bulgaria. (more…)

This past break illustrated how spoiled Rhona and I are when it comes to the time we have to travel. I only had a 5-week break rather than my standard 6. I finished work on August 26, flew from Hammerfest, Norway, on the 27th, and arrived in Kashgar, China on the 28th. I flew back to work from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 29, so we had almost exactly a month to travel. And it wasn’t nearly enough. We felt rushed…forced to make decisions on what we would see and do…pressured…always under a deadline. And yes, we realize our month was at least twice as long as most Americans get in a year. It’s similar to the vacation time of most Europeans - again in a year. Yet Rhona and I have come to expect at least 4 or 5 breaks of 6-weeks each in a year. We’re spoiled, we realize it, we admit it…but we still feel we didn’t have enough time to do Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan justice. We’ll definitely be heading back to the area. (more…)

Beijing

While in the Beijing airport Rhona and I both commented that we weren’t looking forward to running the gauntlet of taxi drivers. In the past, dodgy characters would approach you and steer you to a ‘taxi’, and then charge an exorbitant rate. When you stated you were taking the bus, they’d say it wasn’t running, or that it costs as much as the taxi – anything to get you into their cab. Amazingly enough, that hassle had been cleaned up for the Olympics, and we had a stress-free walk to the bus we knew we needed.

It had been 2 ½ years, and one Olympics, since either of us had been in Beijing, so we encountered many changes. On our first full day a friend told us to take subway line 10 to get to his place. “Uh….there are only two subway lines.” Not anymore. And while getting to line 10 we turned a corner and saw a long escalator in front of us – and everyone was standing on the right-hand side in single file! Both of us let out an audible gasp and a, “Wow!” at that. We saw it while trying to buy train tickets as well. In the past, everyone would push, shove, and force their way to the front of the line. We used to sharpen our elbows to beat them back – to hold them at bay and keep our place in line. You can still see lining up is a new concept for some – they start to head to the front of the line, and then realize that’s less acceptable now, and grudgingly step to the end. We were impressed. (more…)

Busan

We left Shimonoseki on an overnight ferry to Busan, Korea. Once again we paid for the cheapest room, and it was more in line with what we expected – a room, sans beds, with space enough for 6 people to sleep on the floor. We expected the other four to pop in at any time as it was a full ferry, but as sailing time drew near nobody entered - we once again ended up with a room to ourselves. Who were we to complain? We spent the night reading, went to sleep, and awoke the following morning in a new country - South Korea.

Our first encounter with Koreans was with an extremely helpful woman at the information counter. She provided us with some maps and other brochures, pointed out areas of interest and how to reach them, and pointed us in the direction of the nearest subway station. While trying to figure out the ticket machine at the station an elderly gentleman mysteriously appeared and helped us navigate the buttons. In fact, if we were a bit slow on the buttons on subsequent trips, an elderly gentleman always seemed to appear to offer help. I never noticed them in our normal transits through stations, but dally too long at a machine and poof – there they were.

After checking into our hotel we went for a wander. We were in a great part of town with interesting side streets. We popped into a small local restaurant and ordered our first meal. Now having just arrived we weren’t exactly fluent in the language, but that’s never stopped us before. We employed that time-honored trick of traveling – we pointed at someone’s food and held up 2 fingers. Voila! Lunch is served. (more…)

When will I learn? It’s been far too long since I last updated, and I find myself now scrambling to write updates and post photos before I start the next adventure in just over a week. I’ve vowed that this time I’m going to write a little bit every few days, and set aside a few photos every time I download to my laptop. I won’t post them right away, but at least I’ll have them written and can post a bit more timely. We’ll see how I go.

For those of you who need reading material more regularly, Rhona has been pretty good at posting roughly every week. You can check out her take on our travels at http://www.fouroceans.org

For my sanity, and yours, I’ve decided to break the most recent 4 months of travel into their individual countries, so first up…Japan. (more…)

Hong Kong

My six weeks of work finished on September 24th, and I immediately caught a flight from Norway to Hong Kong. Friday morning I turned my passport into an agency to obtain a Chinese visa, but because the visa wouldn’t be ready until Monday, I had a weekend to kill in Hong Kong. The Chinese ensured I had less money for those two days, as the visa cost for Americans was an outlandish US$200 at the time. Ouch! (more…)

 Dates Traveled: July-August 2008

 Tsuruoka

After my two weeks of traveling around Norway I hopped flights for Tokyo, arriving there on the morning of July 16th. Rhona was able to finagle a couple weeks off work while I was in Japan, so we decided to take advantage of that and head out of the city. We hopped trains the following morning, headed for Tsuruoka. Early on the 18th we set out in less-than-ideal weather for a day hike - it was raining quite heavily. Still, it was a nice 7-hour hike, and the rain did ease up a bit, so it was a good way to get out and stretch the legs. And at least it was cool - much of our time away was characterized by extremely hot and humid weather. In defense we attempted to spend as much time as possible at higher elevations, but invariably had to descend into the furnace from time to time. No fun.

Mt. Fuji

We next made our way, via several trains, to Fuji Yoshida, a town at the base of Mt. Fuji. We found a great little place to stay which was right at the trailhead. Ideal location, beautiful room, laundry facilities, and the food was excellent. Perfect. The following morning we started the trudge. (more…)

Alesund

Now that I’ve gotten the bombshell out of the way in the previous entry, it’s time to go back in time and talk a bit about my quick trip in Norway.

Our boat docked in Kristiansund on the west coast of Norway on July 2, and I immediately caught a 4-hour bus to Alesund. Even from that first taste of the country I knew I was going to enjoy my two weeks of wandering - the weather was beautiful and there were many mountains, lakes, and fjords to see. There were also numerous quaint villages with red wooden houses perched on bright green hillsides. Idyllic. (more…)

On the morning of the 17th Rhona and I caught a train to Tsuruoka, where we spent the following day doing a day hike. We next proceeded to the base of Mt. Fuji, and set out hiking from the base on the morning of the 20th. After climbing for 8 1/2 hours, and 2600 meters, we spent that night at about 3400 meters. We opted to bypass being on the summit for sunrise the following morning, as it was a 3-day weekend here in Japan and there were waaaaaaay too many people on the mountain. Instead, we set out at about 5:30, and reached the summit at 6:30. In keeping with history I once again picked up something on the summit, though it was infinitely more enjoyable this time around. I strayed from tradition and the pulmonary edema, and instead opted for….a future wife! I knelt down, popped the question, and she - possibly not thinking as clearly at 3800 meters as she would be at sea level, said, “Yes”. I love it when a plan comes together…

I figured I’d better get moving since we essentially have our honeymoon already in mind - a mad gallivant around the world, performed in 6-week chunks. We’ll start next year in Japan, and then move on to Central Asia, eastern Europe, Middle East, possibly some of Africa, Baltic States, trans-Siberian train across Russia, and wherever else the wind blows us. Stay tuned…

Since Fuji we’ve hit a few smaller towns, and have been fortunate enough to see a couple of festivals. The one last night in the old post town of Tsumago was the best, as it was very intimate, with only a few non-villagers in attendance. It was great! We’re currently killing a few hours before the sumo tournament starts here in Nagoya, so I’m looking forward to that as well.

Anyway, just thought I’d actually post some news shortly after it happened - a novel concept I know.

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll update when I can.

Dates Traveled: April-May 2008

Once again it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but this entry should be comparatively short - famous last words. I did just return from a long break of almost two months, but there were no penis gourds, there was no coughing up of blood, and there were no major events which require verbose descriptions.

As the vessel where I work was going to be doing a transit to the Canary Islands for a bit of work, and then heading over to the North Sea for the next project, I ended up jumping ship on March 24th and flying back to the States. I spent just over 2 weeks there - writing a final report, doing a bit of organizing, and catching up with family. From there I hopped a flight over to Japan to spend a month with Rhona. (more…)

I was also in contact with a few friends when the uprising first started and so was able to get some information from them, though I haven’t heard anything for a few days now, which is ominous.

First, a brief history is probably in order - you can always search online for more details. March 10th is known as Tibetan Uprising Day. The year was 1959 - 8 years after delegates of the Dalai Lama were forced to sign the 17-point agreement with China, and 9 or 10 years since the Peoples Liberation Army of China had invaded Tibet to ‘liberate’ them. From whom is a gray area, since the Tibetans were living peacefully at the time.

Anyway, the 24-year-old Dalai Lama was invited to a Chinese army camp in Lhasa for a theatrical performance, but was told that he would not be allowed to bring his retinue of bodyguards. He was also asked to leave the Norbulingka (his summer palace) covertly. At that time the Dalai Lama wasn’t in the public eye as much as he’s forced to be today, so anytime he left the palace was a big event - there were throngs of worshipers lining the road. The pointed requests from the Chinese army weren’t very good at hiding their true intentions (no different to today) - they planned on doing harm, and didn’t want any witnesses (no different to today).

Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans happened to be in the capital at the time - displaced from the fighting in eastern Tibet, but also to celebrate Losar, or Tibetan New Years. When word broke of the Chinese request, over 100000 (some say as many as 300000) Tibetans formed a human barricade around the Norbulingka, to protect their young spiritual leader from kidnap - or worse. The Dalai Lama was forced to decline the invitation made by the Chinese army.

Over the years many had asked the Dalai Lama to flee Lhasa so that he would be safe. He’d always declined, believing that his place was there with those who looked to him for guidance. All that changed on March 17, 1959, when the Chinese lobbed mortars at his palace. It was decided that he would leave that night, disguised in an army uniform and carrying a gun over his shoulder. He was on his way to India.

Meanwhile, back in Lhasa over the next couple of days, carnage ensued. Tens of thousands of ill-equipped Tibetans were slaughtered by the Chinese army.

Since Chinese occupation - or ‘liberation’, depending on your view of history - the accepted numbers are roughly 1.2 million Tibetans killed, and 6000 monasteries destroyed. There are numerous online accounts of the atrocities, so I’ll spare you the gory details.

There have been a few uprisings over the past 49 years, and they generally occur around this time of year. The last major uprising in Lhasa was back in March of 1989. There was no help from the rest of the world, the Chinese army came down hard on the protesters, and there were rules implemented that Tibet is still trying to recover from. They lost even more of their freedom, and were denied the rights to celebrate certain religious festivals from that day forward. With everyone watching China this year because of the upcoming Olympics, the Tibetans believed it was once again time to bring their plight to the eyes of the world.

Having spent a lot of time in China and Tibet, I know how the ‘game’ is played by the Chinese. I know what they say, but then I also know what they do, and the two rarely correlate. I’ve had first-hand experience at their baiting techniques - trying to get me to say something incriminating, and I’ve talked to friends who have suffered more severely at their hands. I’ve watched them orchestrate grand charades - a visit by the Chinese Panchen Lama, and China forcing Tibetans to attend and celebrate a 40-year ‘anniversary’ in their honor spring to mind. Therefore, I have no illusions about what is currently happening, and can see through the official doctrine being spouted.

Some of what is happening right now:

• Incoming foreigners are being turned back at the airport
• Foreigners already in Lhasa are being ‘encouraged’, or forced, to leave
• Foreigners are being forcibly moved from hotels and guesthouses in the Tibetan quarter to other areas of the city
• Those hotels are often without electricity, even when surrounding buildings have electricity, such that foreigners can’t send e-mails - no communication with the outside world
• SIM cards are being removed from phones so photos can’t be taken
• Curfews are in place
• A group of Hong Kong reporters were just ‘escorted’ out of Lhasa - taken to the airport, where they were bought one-way tickets to Chengdu

Why would all these measures, and more, be implemented? To eliminate witnesses. There have already been a few chilling comments by Tibetans in news articles….”Most alarming is the fact that we haven’t seen any foreigners or foreign reporters on the streets in the last few days”. They know what that means, and it’s not good news for the Tibetan people.

Even though the Chinese imposed deadline for turning yourself in if you’re a Tibetan who participated in the recent uprising was just midnight last night, it’s said that the door-to-door beatings and arrests began a few days ago.

I read a quote by a Chinese official that news reports were false, that they hadn’t used any lethal weapons to control the protesters. Of course, it’s hard to maintain that rhetoric when photos are circulating of at least 8 people who were shot and killed in Gansu Province. You can see the photos on the aforementioned Phayul site. If those aren’t bullet holes, I don’t know what they are.

That is what has always frustrated me the most with China. Officials will say the most idiotic things - things that any sane person sees through immediately, and yet they’ll stand up there and swear that what they’re telling you is true. Or that they’re really doing something with the best of intentions. I’m sure today they’d tell you they’re moving foreigners out of the Tibetan area of Lhasa for their own protection. It has nothing to do with the fact they’re about to go in and wreak havoc….honest.

It’s one thing for the local populace to believe the rhetoric - they’ve been raised to not question, but for the rest of the world to fall in line is maddening. Everyone sees through the lies - knows what’s happening, and chooses to turn a blind eye. China is allowed to do as it pleases for one simple fact - there are 1.2 billion potential consumers waiting to snap up western goods and services. There’s money to be made, and that’s always the bottom line. If there’s nothing in it for us - land to be won, oil to amass, glory to be had, we want nothing to do with it. Look at the uprising by the monks in Burma/Myanmar last year - what came out of that? Nothing. They put their lives on the line to stand up to an oppressive regime in the hope that the rest of the world would stand beside them and help them in their struggle. And we ignored them.

Tibet is currently making that same cry for help. What will we do…….

Uganda

Once again it’s time to put fingers to keyboard to outline what I’ve been up to during my most recent six weeks of adventure. I left the vessel on January 16th and flew to Entebbe, Uganda, via a night in Dubai. I met Rhona at the airport and we proceeded to Kampala, where we spent the next 2 days simply relaxing. One night we sat outside under the stars smoking a cigar and drinking rum she’d brought with her from her recent travels in Cuba. It’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it.

We had signed up to do a three-week trip with Intrepid through Uganda and Tanzania. I’m not normally one for organized trips, but it was the easiest way to ensure we could get permits to see the mountain gorillas. On January 20th we set out on what we thought would be the easiest part of the trip - meeting the group at the designated hotel. Wrong! We drove around for over an hour, asking locals every few minutes if they knew where the place was located, only to be met with blank stares. We finally got word that they had gathered instead in a parking lot of a supermarket…as you do. It seems the meeting point hotel is new, not completely finished, nobody answered the telephone, and none of the locals knew anything about it. Aside from that it was a great place to meet!

When we arrived at the parking lot we met the leader and other passengers for the first 2-weeks of the trip. The Africa trips are different to the trips I (and Rhona) led in that they have a maximum of 21 people/trip. Our trips had a limit of 12 people. However, we found ourselves extremely lucky in that, because of the regional problems with the post-election riots in Kenya, we only had 6 passengers. Our transportation for the trip rolled up soon after we did - a large overland truck, so we jumped on and proceeded to our campsite for the night. The first night was spent getting to know everyone and learning what was expected of us. As the trip was described as ‘participatory camping’, we were expected to pitch and break down our tents, help with the cooking, clean the inside of the truck, wash dishes, and help perform any other tasks that came up. We also learned that we’d be crossing into Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas rather than seeing them in Uganda. Bonus! (more…)

February 7th is Tibetan New Years

Losar Tashi Delek

(more…)

Malaysia (State of Sabah) - Kota Kinabalu (KK)

We arrived in Kota Kinabalu (KK) around midnight, only to find that the airport transfer we’d arranged with the hostel was nowhere to be found. We eventually just grabbed a cab to the hostel, where we crashed long and hard. It had been a long day.

After a lazy start the following morning we finally ventured outside, only to find that the Sunday market was happening right outside our door. We enjoyed meandering through that for awhile before spending the rest of the day taking care of general stuff, since we were once again back in civilization. We were also lamenting the fact we were back in civilization - there were too many foreigners around! However, the good food and good vibe of KK made it worthwhile. I had been to KK 5 years earlier and enjoyed my time then as well. It’s a nice place.

We had been hoping to climb Mt. Kinabalu - at 13,435 feet/4,095 meters it’s the highest point on Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is comprised of the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the country of Brunei. Anyway, while in Papua and about 2 weeks prior to our arrival in Malaysia, we’d contacted the Kinabalu Park authorities to see if there was accommodation on the mountain. Unfortunately, there were no beds available until a week after we planned on being there, which was too late for us. I’d climbed Mt. Kinabalu back in 2002, but it became obvious that it wasn’t going to happen this time around.

The following day we spent trying to send all of our Papuan souvenirs back to our respective homes, before catching a cab out to the museum. Before actually entering the museum we took in the very good, and free, heritage village. There were representative homes from the various tribes in Malaysia, and it was an interesting, extensive, and informative glimpse into their lives and customs. When we later entered the museum we found it to be quite good as well.

Early the following morning we hopped a ferry for the trip to Brunei. Even the extensive rain couldn’t ruin the break we had in KK, but since we couldn’t climb the mountain we decided to move along fairly quickly. (more…)

Singapore

I left the vessel, and Rio, on October 24th for the loooong trip to Singapore. By the time my head hit the pillow in Singapore I’d been awake for over 60 hours, though only 42 of those were spent on flights or in the Rio, Sao Paulo, Washington DC, and Tokyo airports. Needless to say we didn’t exactly get an early start the following morning. As before, the other half of ‘we’ was Rhona - we met in the Tokyo airport on my way through and flew the last leg to Singapore together. (more…)

We’re not sure what we’re doing afterwards, but most likely we’ll be heading up to Malaysian Borneo. I spent time there in 2002 as well, but again found that I wasn’t able to get to some areas. We’ll have to see what plays out, but another hike up Mt. Kinabalu may be in order – we’ll see.

We’re basically winging it most of this trip, with the only deadline being that I have to be back in Singapore on December 3^rd so I can fly back to Rio and work.

Plans are also falling into place for my next break from mid-January until the end of February. We’ve signed up for a 3-week Intrepid trip which will spend time in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. I’m most looking forward to seeing the mountain gorillas in Uganda – something I’ve wanted to do for many years. After the trip I should have time to try to get up Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I’d also like to head to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas there. Should be another great adventure.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you from the other side of my upcoming trip with another journal entry and more photos.

Dates Traveled: September 2007

We caught a bus from Puno to Copacabana, on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. We had grand plans of doing a hike, and also visiting the Isla del Sol. However, as we had been on the go for over 3 weeks, and our time together was rapidly coming to an end, we decided to simply spend 2 days relaxing. We wiled away the hours eating good food - including chocolate fondue for breakfast, and watching movies that the guesthouse had available.

La Paz

The bus ride from Copacabana was scenic as the road wound its way along the shore of Lake Titicaca. At one point we descended a hill and entered a small village where the bus came to a stop. At first I thought we were stopping for breakfast, but then I noticed there was no road in front of the bus. We bought tickets and boarded a small boat which took us across the inlet, while the bus drove onto a rickety wooden ferry. I was happy to be off the bus as it made it’s unstable journey to the other side, where we once again boarded and continued our trip to La Paz.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around La Paz - climbing to a higher point to get an overview of the city, and visiting various plazas to watch the locals. Some of the most entertaining are the shoe-shine boys, who tend to wear gloves and ski masks - they look like thieves. The following day we set out walking again - this time exploring various markets. Several stalls in the so-called Witches Market sold shriveled llama fetuses. Evidently locals bury them under the porch of their new home to ensure good luck and fortune. Somehow I don’t believe the llama fetus will be replacing our trusty rabbits-foot anytime soon…call me crazy!

We parted ways that evening, as Rhona had to fly back to Japan for work, while I still had another week-and-a-half to travel. (more…)

Our flight had us hopping from Denver, to Dallas, to Miami, and finally to Lima, Peru. We arrived at 4:20 AM on August 15th, where we immediately caught a taxi to the bus station for our 7:00 AM departure for Nazca. The bus journey was 6 1/2 hours and passed through Pisco and Ica, before arriving in Nazca in the early afternoon. We’d been up for 29 hours but decided since we were only spending one night in Nazca, that we really couldn’t afford to sleep. That also ruled out taking showers, as while one person was showering the other would have no doubt passed out on the bed. Nope - the best plan was to simply drop our bags and go explore. Turns out maybe that wasn’t the best plan, but of course we couldn’t have known that at the time… (more…)

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

Last Saturday I headed into town with the other client rep, the party chief, and our Brazilian radio operator. We walked down to Ipanema Beach where we sat, had a beer, and watched the world go by. We then walked along the beach where we saw many people playing volleyball. Some were playing in the traditional manner, but others were playing without using their hands - it was more like soccer but over a net. Entertaining. (more…)

The mountain also provides excellent views over Rio - from the famous Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches in the south, to the football (soccer) stadium in the north, to the distinctive Sugar Loaf Mountain in the east. It was all visible from the summit, and we enjoyed hanging out up there for an hour, taking it all in.

Even though it was a quick excursion away from the vessel, it was nice to get out and see a bit of Rio. I especially enjoyed the drive through the various areas - from the rough-and-tumble port region where we’re docked, to the more affluent areas of the city. It seems like a relatively clean city - one doesn’t see much trash lying about. There is a lot of graffiti, but it was artistic and colorful, so I enjoyed that. You can often see groups of people sitting outside small shops drinking and wiling away the hours. It seems like a relaxed pace down here.

On the way back to the vessel I saw something I’d never seen before - busking at a traffic light! We stopped for the red light and a guy dressed as a clown stepped out onto the crosswalk and proceeded to juggle and entertain. He performed for most of the duration of the red light, before hurriedly passing from car to car hoping for a handout. Entertaining.

We’re still not sure how much longer we’ll be tied up here in Rio. We assumed that we’d be leaving later this week, but may have received some bad news earlier today. We’re trying to confirm things with customs, who seem to continually change their mind as to what is required in order to clear a shipment. Never a dull moment.

I’ve added a few additional photos to the Brazilian photo album.

Anyway, just a quickie in order to post a couple of photos from yesterday. And the next time someone informs you that they’ve ‘found Christ’, you can reply, “That’s not difficult - there’s a humongous statue of him overlooking Rio!”.

In the first 4 months of this year I worked 5 weeks, which of course is 5 weeks more than I worked between January 2001 and March 2005. However, I’m about to make up for it, as in the next 3 months I’ll be working….3 months….every day….about 14-hour days….but available by phone 24-hours a day….yikes! I needed to have some time off in August to - what else - travel. Unfortunately, the 6-week working/6-week off schedule would have put me back out here on the vessel in August, so to solve that I’ve opted to do a 12-week rotation. I’ve never done a hitch that long, but I have seen others after they have, and it’s not a pretty sight! Wish me luck…..

I left Helena around noon on May 6th and flew to Houston, Texas in a couple of sardine cans. The next morning I had a meeting with the company I’ll be representing out here, which was nice as it allowed me to ask some questions, as well as helping me put faces with the names. They took me to lunch and then turned me loose. Since I didn’t have to fly out until 9 that evening I thought I’d pop over to the company I used to work for and catch up with some friends. Unfortunately, I didn’t know they’d moved! It took me awhile but I finally found their new location, and then finally found people who were back from lunch, and so caught up with them - most of whom I hadn’t seen in at least 6 years. (more…)

I ended up getting off the Russian vessel on March 6 and was able to make it all the way to Montana that same day. My only thought at the time? “Good riddance to bad food!” I’ve definitely packed on a bit of weight back here in the land of edible food.

In the month-and-a-half since my return I’ve been mostly trying to get everything in order so I can work and travel for the remainder of 2007. That’s entailed all sorts of mundane things like getting new contacts/glasses, updating some of my travel clothes/equipment, getting a Montana drivers license, getting police clearance for a Brazilian visa, and getting my laptop repaired. I’ve also helped dad occasionally as he built a large addition to his garage, so we’ve sheet-rocked and sided that. Next up is quite a bit of concrete work.

If all goes well with visas I should be heading offshore Brazil around May 9th for my next job. They’ve had nothing but problems on the survey so far, and in 7 weeks have collected virtually no data. Right now they’re awaiting new equipment, which could take 3 weeks to clear customs, so I think my start date may be a moveable target. As is my end date. I need to have August off as I’d already planned a bit of traveling, but my current 6-weeks working followed by 6-weeks off on this project would have me back on the vessel in August. I’m still waiting to hear if they have someone else who can take my place, or whether I’ll be working 12 straight weeks in order to get the time off. Working 3 straight months, every day, and being on-call 24 hours a day in case of problems, would be tiring, but quite honestly right now I think that’s the best option. If I end up doing it, you can ask me in August if it really was the best option!

The other noteworthy thing I’ve accomplished this break is to finish my Blurb book of Tibetan photos. It’s fun to see your photos turned into an actual hard-cover book! Mine is an 8 X 10 inch, 176 page book of photos, with a few brief write-ups on some of the more important sites in Tibet. So far it’s been well received by the few who have seen it. To check out the cover and first 15 pages for yourself, to purchase the book, or to simply see what Blurb is all about, follow the link below by clicking on the book cover:

And with that, you’re up to date. I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and maybe next time I’ll be writing from a different vessel somewhere offshore Brazil. At least I’ve heard the food is better, so that’s a plus!

It took us a few days, but we finally got back out to the prospect area, deployed all the gear, and got back into production. I’ll admit that it took me a few days after that to get back to my seismic senses. Initially the dull thud of the air guns shooting every 15 seconds kept me awake, and I had to get my sea legs back as well, so I could walk down the halls without bouncing off the walls.

Something else I had to get used to on this vessel? The food! I’d been warned to bring some of my own, which I did. However, I was thinking to myself, “How bad can it be? I’ve eaten dogs, snakes, grasshoppers, ants, scorpions, fish heads, and the list goes on and on. I’ve also eaten Russian food when I worked there in 1998 & ‘99. It can’t be that bad, right?”. Wrong! First of all, we get liver. A LOT! Like at least twice a week. I don’t like liver, and it seems I’m not the only one on this boat. The cook obviously knows that, so he disguises it. Something cut up to look like the beef in beef stroganoff? Liver. A patty that looks like a hamburger? Liver. I’m starting to implement a no-dark-meat-policy, but I’m afraid the cook will figure out a way to make liver a white meat! The liver isn’t the only problem - the food in general is pretty bland, absolutely floats in grease, and is usually cold by the time it’s served. Nice.

Of the 45 people onboard, all are Russian speaking except for 1 Aussie, 1 Canadian, and 6 Americans. The crew are great, but you do have to watch them to make sure they’re not cutting corners, or trying to keep something from you. They definitely do not want any downtime for which they don’t get paid. Which was a problem this morning - it’s hard to hide the fact that the main engine on your vessel has gone out and you’re dead in the water! I’ve been out of the industry for 6 years, and even I could figure that one out! It took 4 or 5 hours but they patched something together and we’re back underway.

The lines on this survey are extremely long - the one we’re currently shooting is over 520 kms in length. Most lines are taking 2-3 days to collect, which gives me time to keep up with the quality control, databases, and report writing.

It has also given me a chance to work on creating a photo book of some of my Tibet photos. I’m hoping to have the general layout of the book, with all the photos, done by the time I get off the boat. I’ll then probably have to write up a few brief descriptions of some of the major places in Tibet, and then I’ll send it off to be printed. It will be kind of cool to have a coffee table book of my own photos. Anyone can create a book - simply visit Blurb, download the free software, and away you go. You don’t pay anything until your book is printed. If it turns out fairly well I may make mine available from this site…stay tuned.

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be onboard for this trip. Right now the rumor is that crew change will be March 1st, though we’re suspecting that may be pushed back a bit. And then everything is up in the air. I’ll probably have a bit of time off, and then possibly head down to a job offshore Brazil. Could be worse - I’ve never actually been to Brazil, so I can do some exploring during my time off.

And now that you have a brief glimpse into my life out here on the high seas (which by the way are supposed to become higher in a few days - 14 ft./4.3 m. seas are predicted for Thursday), it’s time for me to go grab dinner. Greasy cold liver, here I come!

I’m currently just hanging out and trying to get over a cold I’ve had for the past month. It looks like my first geophysical contracting job will start on February 1st. I’ll board the boat in Mobile, Alabama, and will then head out into the Gulf of Mexico for what will probably be a 5-week trip…give or take.

As it now stands my second job could be offshore Brazil, but everything with this job is going to be subject to change, so who knows where I’ll end up.

Anyway, I don’t know what type of connection I’m going to have onboard, but if I can I’ll update you on boat life while I’m out there.

Hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

I finished my last Tibet trip of the season on October 22nd in Kathmandu, Nepal. I had an enthusiastic group, and we had great views for most of the trip, so it was a nice way to end. And it truly was the end, as I’ve decided to hang up my tour-leader shoes and try my hand at some geophysical consulting work starting in 2007. I enjoyed my time with Intrepid, and it was great to be able to show others a bit of what Tibet has to offer, but it’s time to move on.

However, as you’ve probably guessed, I was unable to proceed from one phase to the next without a bit of traveling, and so I met a friend of mine in Kathmandu on October 21st and we began our 1-1/2 month excursion through Nepal and India. (more…)

Last I left you was early June and I’d just finished a 2-week trip from Shanghai to Beijing. On June 3rd I started a 3-week trip which went from Beijing to Xian, then through Gansu and Sichuan Provinces to Chengdu. We then flew to Guilin and spent time in the Yangshuo area before finishing the trip in Hong Kong. I won’t give blow-by-blow specifics, as the trip was basically the same as that covered in my May 14th entry, but…

It was a good trip with a full group - plus one extra, or 13 passengers. One variation from the previous trip of the same name was that in Tangkor we spent an evening with a local Tibetan - Yonten Gonpo. He’s an English and Music teacher at the local school, and he has also produced a few VCD’s of his music. For about 1-1/2 hours he sang and played a guitar-like traditional Tibetan instrument - the damye. He had written most of the songs himself, and it was great for people to be able to listen to some traditional singing and playing. The locals in attendance also stopped what they were doing to listen - he was that good. Ask me sometime when I’m in your neck of the woods and you can borrow the VCD. (more…)

From Shanghai it was an overnight train journey to Luoyang, where we exited the train station and immediately boarded a van for the 2-hour drive to Shaolin. Some of you may recognize Shaolin as the place where young students go to practice what is commonly referred to as Kung Fu. We arrived to our rooms in one of the largest martial arts schools in the area, ate lunch, and then wandered around to see what was happening. And what was happening? “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting. Those cats were fast as lightning. In fact it was a little bit frightening….” Sorry, but it’s impossible to wander the grounds without that song looping through your head.

We checked out Shaolin Monastery and wandered through the forest of stone pagodas, but it was the practice grounds we were lead to believe would be the most interesting. Or not. Don’t get me wrong - it’s pretty impressive to see fields of young students punching, kicking, and flipping, but it had a real circus atmosphere to it, thanks to the fact that Shaolin has become a major tourist destination. That was especially true for the ’show’ which we went to see…very touristy. However, there is always some bad with the good - the good in this case being the really young students practicing in the courtyard of the school where we stayed. Kids start as young as 6 years old, and it was these students who were asked to demonstrate their skills in front of a panel of young teachers. They performed their repertoire of kicks and flips - sometimes less than expertly, but always enthusiastically. They were definitely entertaining to watch.

Not content to watch, one of my passengers did a 3-hour lesson with a well-known Kung Fu teacher, while two other passengers opted for the 1-hour lesson. All seemed to enjoy the experience, and were only slightly bruised and battered the following day.

It was my first time to Shaolin, and I must confess that it wasn’t exactly what I’d expected, but I still enjoyed my time there - especially watching the younger students. (more…)

Xian once again had us catching a bus for the 1-hour trip out to the Terracotta Warriors. We then spent 3 hours simply wandering around to view the various pits and their treasures of Terracotta Warriors and horses. That evening we indulged in a hotpot meal, which is always fun. I tend to go to a local establishment, so it’s usually our group and a bunch of Chinese. We get a couple of large pots of boiling broth – half spicy, half less spicy. We then wander downstairs to select skewers of…well, we usually don’t know what the skewers contain – that’s part of the fun. There are the obvious options such as cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and greens. And then there are the numerous not-so-obvious options. We usually round out the menu with skewers of lamb and beef, a couple cooked fish, and some fantastic Muslim bread. The dinner is usually a highlight, as it’s more of an event than a meal. We finished the evening with some drinks in a quiet bar. (more…)

I believe I last left you in Xian. We caught the overnight train to Lanzhou, grabbed a quick breakfast, and then took a bus for the 6 1/2 hour trip to Xiahe (Labrang in Tibetan). Labrang is always a nice introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, as the monastery there is considered one of the 6 most important in the Gelugpa Sect. It’s always enjoyable to walk the kora upon our arrival, tour the monastery the following morning, and have a bit of free time to wander the street and begin our immersion into all things Tibet.

From Labrang it was back on the bus…destination Langmusi. I’ve always liked Langmusi – it’s my kind of small, interesting town. There’s only one street of note, the people are friendly, it has an outback feel to it, and there are some nice hikes and great scenery in the region. Perfect. (more…)

We were in Tibet primarily to be part of Losar, or the Tibetan New Year, which this year began on February 28th. It’s a great time to be in Tibet, as long as you can deal with the interruptions to normal service – most Tibetan shops and restaurants are closed for up to two weeks for the festivities.

The first day we simply wandered around, caught up with some local friends (and a French friend who was also in town), and scoped out what was meant to be happening during the upcoming days. The following day was the actual start of Losar, so we headed down to the Barkhor to watch the Tibetans walk the kora – out to see and be seen. We ended up sitting on the vacant shop tables amongst a throng of poor rural villagers, who themselves were accepting money from some of the more affluent Tibetans passing by. We enjoyed our time interacting with the young kids among them, until I had the bright idea of buying them a box of oranges. I thought the feeding frenzy at the Tibetan sky burials was something to behold! It had nothing on the quick little filthy hands darting into the box of oranges and grabbing as many as possible. We finally conceded that there was no way we were going to impose order, and so let them run off with as many as they could grab, safe in the knowledge that even those with a handful of oranges were probably only going to actually eat one of them and share the rest. (more…)

I finished my last trip of the season on October 16th and spent a week simply relaxing in Kathmandu. I then flew to Beijing to sort out visa issues and prepare for the upcoming trip with my dad and his wife, Laura. They arrived in Beijing the afternoon of November 1st and the adventure began.

The first night we took in the Kung Fu show, which tells the story of a young boy who becomes a monk. The lighting, martial arts, acrobatics, and story are all good, making the show well worth seeing.

The following day we hired a car and driver to take us to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. It was a great day for it - temperatures were cool, there weren’t many tourists, and the trees were changing to their fall colors. Very picturesque. The air still wasn’t as clear as I’d hope for, but I was still able to get some better photos than I had on previous visits. We spent 4 or 5 hours wandering around - snapping photos, shooting video, and climbing up and down the serpentine wall before opting for the quick descent…toboggan! Always fun. That night we took in an acrobatic show, which I always enjoy. It’s no wonder that the Chinese acrobats are heralded as some of the best in the world, as they do some amazing stuff. (more…)

After the trip I spent about a week being a bum in Kathmandu – relaxing/recovering and not doing much of anything. I then flew here to Beijing where I’ll hang out for another 5-6 days until my dad arrives, at which time we’ll do a month-long trip through China and Tibet, before finishing with a few days in both Kathmandu and Bangkok. Should be a great trip – as long as the weather in Tibet allows us to cross the passes. Stay tuned.

As for the trip, we met in Beijing on September 19th. I had a full group of 12 passengers, and they came from 6 different countries. I always like it when I have a good mixture of countries represented, as it keeps the conversations interesting. The 28-day trip was one I’d lead a couple times previously this year - Mountains and Monasteries. Our first day we ventured out to the Great Wall at Mutianyu - about 1 1/2 hours from Beijing. It’s always nice to walk along the wall, admiring the structure as it snakes along the hills. At Mutianyu it’s also fun to be able to take the toboggan run off the wall. Unfortunately, I always seem to get caught behind some overly-cautious Chinese woman who rides the brake the entire way down. So much for careening out of control. Maybe next time. (more…)

It was another interesting trip, though this time it wasn’t because of passengers dropping out or buying pets along the way. This trip was interesting for the fact that some of the population were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Obviously there were a lot of changes apparent to me, as I had previous trips with which to compare. However, one didn’t have to be overly perceptive to see through the veil of deception that had been put in place. There were flags everywhere – some that looked like prayer flags, though prayer flags emblazoned with the dates “1965-2005”. Other flags hanging from homes and public buildings were of the red-with-five-yellow-stars variety. Or how about the immaculately clean uniforms for the school children who were taking part in the festivities? Trust me – Tibetan school uniforms are generally anything but clean! There were new facades on many of the buildings around the Potala, where the main festivities took place. There was also a new park unveiled across from the Potala, which I must say is a beautiful improvement over the disco and decrepit buildings that occupied the space just a few short months ago. The Potala itself had been undergoing some renovations during the preceding months, and many of those were completed when we went through this time. However, the renovations also seemed to leave behind many video cameras and motion-activated microphones.

Pervasive throughout the planning of the anniversary, and the event itself, was fear, which explains why there weren’t many foreigners around. Stricter entry guidelines were imposed such that many foreigners couldn’t even make it into Tibet during a 3-4 week period. Foreigners who were in attendance for events in previous years caused problems when they reported what they’d witnessed. Or how about the fear, such that you throw a celebration, but impose an 11PM curfew – maintained by police in full riot gear walking the streets at night, scowling at any who were still out and about (at least they only scowled at me – not sure what they did to others). (more…)

We flew into Lhasa and had a few days seeing the normal sites. Then, on day three, one of my passengers bought a dog - allegedly to save it from being eaten by a Chinese soldier, though I have my doubts. There was no way a dog was coming with us on a 9-day Landcruiser trip across Tibet, and everyone seemed to realize that - including the woman who bought the dog. Therefore, I ended up talking to a local friend of mine who has several dogs, and he agreed to keep the dog. There were many anxious moments as the woman waffled back-and-forth about what she was going to do, but in the end the rest of the group and I ‘convinced’ her that leaving the dog was in everyone’s best interest. Five minutes before we were to leave Lhasa she approached me one last time to understand the repercussions of her staying behind with her dog. I let her know that we were all on the same permit and that she’d be screwing up everyone elses trip if she were to stay. That seemed to be the final bit of convincing she needed, as she stated she didn’t want to ruin the trip for others. Wrong! (more…)

On July 3rd I finished the Tibet trip I was on, and then spent a couple more days in Kathmandu trying to wrap up the report and accounts for that trip, as well as begin to organize for my next trip. I then took a flight to Beijing, via Bangkok, to start a short 9-day China-only trip on July 7th. I just finished that trip yesterday (July 15th) in Shanghai, and am now hanging out in Kunming awaiting my next group and a 21-day Tibet trip beginning on the 19th. However, all that is getting ahead of myself, so on with the update.

I last left you in Lhasa. As always I enjoyed my time there – it always feels like going home. The next morning we jumped in our Landcruisers and drove the 4 hours to Samye Monastery. We were extremely fortunate in that a festival, Cham, was taking place at the time. I’d been able to attend the same event last year, and so was excited to see it again. However, it seemed much smaller this time around – no camping area for the Tibetans, and very few restaurant tents and gambling. It was a bit disappointing in that regard, but the actual dancing by the masked monks in bright costumes to the sounds of cymbals, horns, and drums was still fantastic.

We took in the festivities that day and wandered up Hepo Ri to get some great views down to the mandala-shaped monastic compound. That night we were all in a dorm room together, avoiding the heavy rain outside. We didn’t get much sleep as monks were blowing on their horns until about 1:30, and pilgrims were enjoying themselves until the early morning hours.

From Samye we did the drive to Gyantse, over some big passes and affording views down to one of the sacred lakes – Yamdrok Tso. We did our standard routine in Gyantse – climbed the hill to the ruined fort and chuckled at the ‘anti-British’ museum, and then wandered around the monastery and Kumbum.

From Gyantse it was on to Shigatse for a few nights where we checked out Tashilhunpo Monastery and played a lot of cards. (more…)

We left Xian via an 8-hour overnight train to Lanzhou. We ate breakfast there and then hopped in a mini-van for the 6-hour drive to Xiahe. Xiahe, or Labrang in Tibetan, is home to one of the six most important monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Upon arrival we simply walked the kora of the monastery, and observed pilgrims and monks spinning large, colorful prayer wheels.

The next morning we took a tour with a local monk through Labrang Monastery. It was pretty standard, though I did notice some differences between the monasteries in this region – known as Amdo in Tibetan, and those in the center of Tibet. It’s also interesting to actually see a few pictures of the Dalai Lama in these monasteries, considering it’s illegal to have pictures of him in what is now known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region (i.e. Lhasa and surrounding areas). We were also able to see huge, colorful sculptures made entirely of butter. These are traditionally displayed during the Tibetan New Year festivities, but again, that practice has been outlawed in Central Tibet. Nice to see that it is alive in some parts of what was traditionally Tibet. (more…)

We met in Beijing on June 6, and headed to the Great Wall the following day. This trip goes to a part of the wall at Simatai, which is a more remote section about 3 1/2 hours from Beijing. It was the ending point for the walk I did back in March from Jinshanling to Simatai. It’s a shame that I didn’t have my camera for that first walk, as this time it was extremely foggy and hard to see anything. We had a nice little 3-hour walk along the steeply inclined wall, but what should have been fantastic views of the wall snaking over the hills in the distance was shrouded in mystery. Maybe next time.

That evening some of the group went to a Kung Fu show, the others met up with friends or wandered the city, and I met up with some other leaders for all-you-can-eat Russian food, which included all-you-can-drink beer/vodka until 9 PM. We stocked up before the cut-off time, and were able to keep going until about 2 AM. Be afraid…be very afraid! (more…)

As for the first trip, the 12 passengers and I first met in Kunming on April 25th. After a group meeting and a dinner, we set out the next day by bus for Dali. Dali is touristy - mostly for Chinese tourists, but I still like it quite a bit. There’s a lot to do around the area, but we opted for a guided tour one day. I’d taken the tour when I passed through on my own a few years back and really enjoyed it. Passengers seemed to agree this time around. The guide talks about things that aren’t obvious, but doesn’t overwhelm people with information. In the morning we went to a Bai minority market, and then wandered around the small village looking at homes, and visiting a pig temple. Pigs blessed at that temple actually garner a bit higher prices in the market.

We next drove into the hills on another side of the main lake in the region - Erhai Lake. Lunch in a small Muslim restaurant was first, followed by a visit to a corn whiskey ‘factory’, and then a visit to a small, peaceful temple. We then took a short hike through the rice terraces to see some small villages of the Yi people - another of the 25 minorities here in Yunnan Province. After a 10-hour day we headed back to Dali to dine on a Tibetan feast. Virtually every dish set on the table contained yak meat - beans with yak, noodles with yak, carrots with yak, yak with yak…you get the picture. People probably received their lifetime supply of yak meat in one sitting. (more…)

While in Hong Kong I went to a Thai restaurant with some local friends. It was definitely Thai with a Chinese twist, as we had chicken feet, pig’s cheeks, and fish skin. Still excellent - amazing what Thai spices and sauces can do.

So, after Hong Kong I headed to Kunming – starting point for my first solo trip. As I was about a week early, I set out exploring the city a bit, but then also traveling to Dali and Lijiang – meeting some of the local operators, finding good restaurants, and pricing some activities. It was good to be back in Yunnan, as it’s one of my favorite provinces in China – very diverse topography, and also contains 25 of the 55 minority groups in China, so it has a great feel. Not to mention it’s cooler here, as the elevation in the cities I traveled ranged from 1900-2400 meters. Nice.

Tomorrow I start my trip, and am definitely looking forward to it. I’ll have a full group, which with this company means 12 people. It’s only a 15-day trip, but will involve seeing several different minority groups, getting to Zhongdian, which, after much ‘research’ into the subject, has been found to be the true Shangrila, and doing several days of trekking. Should be good. I finish that trip on May 9, and then start a 21-day Tibet trip on the 10th. Looking forward to that one as well.

I recently received my camera, after a couple months without, so hopefully the next journal entry will contain some photos.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you later.

We spent one night in Guilin before catching local buses to the rice terraces of the Longji region. I’d visited the area on my own before and had been duly impressed with the art and engineering of the terraces. It was probably better when I saw them last as it was around August and the paddies were green, whereas the villagers are just now beginning the planting this year. Still, it’s always fun to see the same area in different seasons.

The first day we simply did a few short walks in the rain before eating and playing drinking games that night. The next day we tried to sweat out the poisons by doing a walk from the village of Ping An to Dazai. It’s a great walk, as one leaves the environs of the Zhuang tribe and passes into the country of the Yao. If you remember my update from the last time I was in the region you’ll remember my encounter with the Yao woman and how she took her hair down to show me the additional two bundles that made up her sculptured coiffeur. You’ll also remember that she tried to drink me under the table with the local rot-gut…mijiu. Not much difference this trip, although we confined our drinking to our own little group, and back in the safe haven of our lodge in Ping An.

OK, so maybe safe is a misnomer. That night at the lodge a local woman would in turn approach each of us with a cup full of mijiu. After singing us a song we were obliged to ‘ganbei’ (bottoms up) the concoction. We didn’t drink nearly as much that night as we had the previous evening. However, I think it was a combination of the alcohol, a pretty full-on chest cold (which I’m still fighting), and sunburn and dehydration from lack of water on our hike that caught up with me the next morning. I got up and went to the toilet at 6. I remember thinking that I really needed some water, and that I needed to go back into the other room to turn on the pot to boil some. The next thing I knew I awoke and my roomie, and fellow new leader, was inches from my face and I was on the floor. Guess I needed that water more urgently than I thought! I was coherent upon awaking from my swan dive, which makes me think it was more dehydration than anything. Maybe subconciously I was simply testing Eric’s skills, as it was his turn to be ‘leader for the day’. He did well. A few hours later when I awoke I was still feeling pretty unsteady, and I had an extremely sore head for the next 5 days. Who knew bouncing your head off walls and floors wasn’t good for you. Go figure!

We made our way down to the bus stop for the short ride into town where we changed buses. Adding to my headache, I was the second of three people to not realize that the roof at the back of the bus dropped down considerably, and I smacked my head - this time pealing back a few layers of freshly sunburned skin from the top of my head. Definitely wasn’t my day.

We made our way to just outside of Yangshuo, where we stayed in a great little place for the night. The highlight that night was to attend a cooking class, and being able to eat our creations…eggplant, kung pao chicken, vegetables, stuffed tofu balls, and the local specialty - beer fish. It was a good night.

The next day we hopped on some bikes and proceeded to cycle around the region. It’s always nice to bike in the Yangshuo area, as the karst topography and rice fields are picturesque and serene. That night most of us went down to the river to take in a light and cultural show created by a famous Chinese director.

The next night we had the first group splitting-up party, as two passengers and the two of us who were trainee leaders would be leaving the group the following day, while the others would continue down to Hong Kong and the real end of the trip. Suffice it to say that we kept to form for this group - there was much alcohol consumed that night! Luckily I’ve been told that not all groups drink this heavily, as if they did I don’t think my liver would survive this job.

The next day while the group recovered and prepared for a train trip, I made my way to the airport and flew to Chengdu. The following day I wandered around a bit, and then hung out with some of the other leaders that would also be heading into Tibet for some more on-the-ground training. On April 2nd we flew into Tibet, and then caught a bus into Lhasa. It was fantastic to be back! It definitely feels like a second home to me. I spent much of my time in Lhasa trying to catch up with local friends. It was great to see them, and to be back in that environment. It was definitely cooler than Chengdu - it was spitting a few flakes of snow when we first arrived. Nice.

We spent the first 3 days in Lhasa checking out some of the main sites - Jokhang, Potala, and Sera, while also visiting the hospital, a project supported by the travel company, and learning what to look for in Land Cruiser transportation. The next day we hopped in said Land Cruisers for the scenic drive to Gyantse via one of Tibet’s four holy lakes - Yamdrok Tso. In Gyantse we climbed to the fort when we arrived, and then checked out the Kumbum the following morning before embarking on the short drive to Shigatse. In the afternoon we visited Tashilhunpo Monastery. I’ve never liked Shigatse as a city, but I’ve always enjoyed visiting the monastery. However, it really has to be done in the morning when all the pilgrims visit. It was too eerie to have the place essentially to ourselves in the afternoon. Plus only a handful of the normal chapels were open to us.

On the 7th we took the 8-hour drive back to Lhasa via a route I hadn’t traveled before, and it provided us with some great views. The next day it was time to end our all-too-short training trip to Tibet, so I made my way down here to Hong Kong, while the others headed to Beijing. At least this time I left Tibet pretty sure that I’ll be able to return in 5-6 weeks time, so that’s a great feeling. I do love it there.

Here in Hong Kong I’ve simply been trying to catch up on some sleep to get over this chest cold, and have turned my passport in for a new visa. I’m hoping that all will go well with that and I’ll be able to return to China soon. In the meantime I’m trying to get everything organized for leading my first trip with Intrepid, which will start in Kunming on April 25. I’m looking forward to it.

And with that, another journal entry is completed. I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll catch you from somewhere down the road.

I did a lot of walking to check out the various sites - pagodas, museum, drum and bell tower, to name a few. I also found myself wandering around the Muslim quarter a lot to graze on all of the excellent street food. I enjoyed Xian as it has a nice feel to it, and the surrounding ancient city wall provides a sense of history. I opted to not visit some of the sites, so that I’ll have something to see when I return at a later date.

Xian is most notable as the gateway to the terracotta warriors, so we headed out there one morning via public bus. I’d previously been warned by many travelers that the warriors are disappointing, but I obviously wanted to see them for myself. They are disappointing, but mostly because of the tremendous hype surrounding them. Anytime you’re dealing with a ‘must-see’ destination, you’re bound to feel a bit let down when you actually arrive. However, when you think about the effort involved to produce 7000 life-sized warriors - each with unique facial features, you can’t help but be impressed. One really doesn’t see many of the warriors, as the process of excavating them is ongoing. Something else that I hadn’t realized is that each of the warriors had been destroyed, so excavating down to the warriors is simply the first step in the process. Next, all the broken pieces need to be found and put into their proper place to recreate each of the warriors - a painstakingly slow process. I will return to the warriors at a later date, mainly so I can get some pictures to post on my site. I would recommend your seeing them for yourself if you’re in the area, though it may be best to lower your expectations a bit before your arrival. That’s actually advice I’d offer for several of the sites in China - the boat trip on the Yangtse River through the Three Gorges springs to mind as another ‘must-see’ that disappoints many. It’s always best to rate each site on it’s own merits, and not on some preconceived notions.

After returning to Xian we simply killed an afternoon before catching the 14-hour overnight train here to Shanghai. It was one of our passengers birthday, so we had a little feast - complete with cake and copious amounts of beer and baijiu. Upon arrival here in Shanghai we had a free day, and then last night we booked a room at a restaurant for dinner and…..karaoke. It was an entertaining evening, to say the least.

Today is another free day, and then tomorrow we embark on our long train journey - 26 hours to Guilin. We’ll visit the rice terraces at Longji, where we’ll do some hiking. We’ll also spend some time in Yangshuo, where we’ll do some bike rides. I’ll end up leaving the group there, such that I can get to my Tibet training.

And with that, you’re up-to-date, so I’ll sign off for this time.

We spent the first few days in Beijing, checking out the sites there. This tour has a lot of free time for the passengers, so they can go see what they like. I took the opportunity to head out to the Summer Palace one day, and the Forbidden City on another. Nights were spent attending a Kung Fu show one evening, eating Peking Duck another, and visiting a few of the watering holes and clubs. It was great to finally see what Beijing has to offer, and I think I’ll enjoy exploring even more on subsequent trips.

We next took a bus for the 3 1/2 hour trip to the Great Wall, where we climbed up at a place called Jingshanling. We walked the roller-coaster wall for 10 kms to Simatai, and it was excellent - even better than I’d expected. We were able to see renovated sections, as well as many original sections. The best part was that we had the wall completely to ourselves - except for our shadows…locals who were attempting to sell us postcards, books, t-shirts, etc. It was an excellent day on the wall, and it’s always rewarding when something lives up to, or even exceeds, expectations. Hopefully next time I lead the Wall I’ll have my camera, and so will be able to pass along some photos to you.

After catching the bus back to Beijing we simply grabbed some food for the train trip here to Xian. Today was a free day, as is tomorrow. The following day we’ll head out to see the Terracotta Warriors, before coming back to Xian and boarding an overnight train for Shanghai.

My schedule has recently changed, which is going to keep me hopping. I’ll be leading three back-to-back trips starting on April 16, but I guess that’s why I took this job, so I better learn it and get after it. Should be good.

Well, I’m going to head out and explore, so I’ll end this here.

This Sunday I’ll be leaving for Beijing, where another new leader and I will start our trip training with an actual group of travelers. We won’t be leading the trip, but will be learning everything from a returning leader. That trip is scheduled for 3 weeks, and runs through Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, the Longji rice terraces, Yangshuo, and then to Hong Kong. However, I’ll most likely have to leave that trip early, as I’ll fly to Tibet on April 2 to do about a week of training there. After that, I’m currently scheduled to have a 2-week break, and then I’ll start leading my first solo trip on April 25. Right now that trip is going to be in Yunnan, and will cover Kunming, Dali, Zhongdian, the hike of Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang, and back to Kunming. I’ll probably then have about a week’s break before my first trip to Tibet. That trip will most likely start in Beijing, cover some of China, Tibet, end up in Nepal, and last 4 weeks. Looking forward to it.

So far I’ve been impressed with the company and their philosophy. It’s been a great group of people, and I’m excited to start the actual leading. I’ll write updates whenever I get the chance. My next opportunity will probably either be from my training trip, or possibly during or after my Tibet training.

I hope all is going well in your part of the world, and I’ll talk to you from somewhere down the road.

I’ll try to update this section with new journal entries in a timely fashion. I’ll also update the “What’s New” section to point to any new journal entries. Unfortunately, my digital camera is currently being cleaned/repaired, so these entries will be without pictures for awhile.

See you down the road.

Dates Traveled: October 2003 - August 2004
Various trips March-November 2005
Various trips February-October 2006

On October 15, after years of being near the top of my ‘must-see’ list, I was finally on my way to Tibet. The overland trip cost more than a flight, so I found myself airborne for 1 1/2 hours over some beautiful mountains and turquoise lakes. My goofy grin had been used before - flying into Kathmandu the first time, and also landing in Cuba, but this was pretty special. Unfortunately, the airport is a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Lhasa, but that simply gave me time to prepare my next grin, which was unleashed as we drove by the Potala Palace. Spectacular.

I suppose before diving into first impressions and experiences I should provide some general information on the region. It isn’t known as the ‘Roof of the World’ for nothing. The average elevation in Tibet is over 4000 m, or 13,100′, with Mt. Everest (Qomolangma to the locals) topping the world at around 8848 m/29,028′. Lhasa itself sits at 3600 m/11,800′. If Denver, Colorado is the ‘mile-high city’, I guess Lhasa is the ‘two-and-a-quarter-mile-high city’! The Tibetan Autonomous Region (T.A.R.) has about 2.7 million people, but with the historical Tibetan region, which today is incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, there are estimated to be about 6 million Tibetans. ‘Official’ numbers on ethnicity put Tibet at 92.2% Tibetan, and Lhasa at 87%. My eyes must be getting bad, as I’d drop both numbers considerably. One last comment before I get started. One really gets tired of reading things which begin with the phrase, “After the peaceful liberation of 1951…..” (more…)

The sneering bus drivers
who left with their tease?
They’re back once again
but now speaking Chinese.

(more…)

I guess the best way to start is with some generalities - which I normally hate, and cultural differences:

Hhhhhkkkkkk-ptew! Not sure how to spell that, but I certainly know the sound of somebody bringing up some phlegm, seemingly from the soles of their feet, and hocking it onto the ground. China has tried to address this problem, especially with the recent SARS outbreak, and I imagine it is performed much less frequently than in the past - especially in the cities. Still, not everybody received the memo. It wouldn’t be bad if people spit outside, but they seem content with dumping it right there on the floor of buses, public buildings, and anywhere else they please. Nice.

Table manners. Take everything you were taught by your parents as being impolite and throw it out the window, as here it’s not only socially acceptable but expected. Smacking your lips and chewing with your mouth open, bringing the bowl up to your mouth, shoveling directly from the bowl to your mouth, and dumping your bones and other refuse directly onto the table or floor. I’ve been made fun of because I leave the bowl on the table and try to eat the rice one chopstick-full at a time, rather than bringing the bowl to my mouth and using the chopsticks to flip the rice directly into my mouth. I try to go with the when-in-Rome principle, but it’s sometimes difficult to ignore 37 years of habit. The Chinese also have a word to describe the atmosphere in their restaurants - renao, which I’m told literally translates as ‘hot and noisy’. If it doesn’t translate as that, it should. You can also expect to be offered virtually everything to eat - especially in the south. They have a saying that people in the south will eat anything that flies except airplanes, and anything on the ground except cars. So far that has included pigs ears, snails, ducks, dog (let me head off the hate mail by stating that this time I didn’t order it, it was simply what the family was eating that night.), grasshoppers, chicken feet, rat, snake (which included mixing the blood into a drink and downing that), and who knows what else. (more…)

Ho Chi Minh City

I caught a bus over bone-jarring Cambodian roads to the border, where we encountered inefficiency and stupidity in all its forms. All mini-vans were timed to arrive at the border at the same time, but they only had one official checking passports…others were there, but simply sitting around watching, so we waited in the hot afternoon sun. Nice. Finally got through and jumped on a bus to travel over nice, smooth, paved roads to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) - quite a change from Cambodia. It was also apparent from the buildings and cars that Vietnam was a richer country than Cambodia. Other sight that strikes you immediately in HCMC…motorcycles! They’re everywhere, with many women donning elbow-length gloves to protect their arms and bandanas around their mouth and nose to keep out the pollutants. Unfortunately I also noticed that fewer women seemed to be wearing the traditional outfit, the ao dai, which was a shame, as I find it very elegant and beautiful. (more…)

Sihanoukville

From Koh Samet it was a relatively easy share truck, ferry, share truck, bus, bus, mini van, and motorcycle ride across the border and into the town of Koh Kong in Cambodia, followed the next day by a boat trip to Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville is an area of beaches, but since it was the beginning of the rainy season in the region I didn’t get much beach time. Mostly I hung out in beach chairs under an umbrella talking to the various vendors, and rented a motorcycle one day for exploring the region and nearby fishing village, which was full of character. Getting off the bike and wandering the various piers and narrow walkways between buildings had me feeling like a superstar - a feeling I’d maintain throughout Cambodia, with all the kids continually yelling, “Hello” and waving, or wanting to touch me. (more…)

April 2003 - Start of another trip

I flew from San Francisco to Bangkok, with a brief layover in the soon-to-be-serious-for-SARS region of Taiwan. As such, upon my arrival in Bangkok I had to run the gauntlet of white-clothed health workers at the airport who took my temperature, provided me with a mask, asked me questions regarding my health, and gave me contact information should I come down with symptoms of SARS.

I spent a week in Bangkok, readjusting to the heat and wandering around a bit, revisiting some of my favorite sites such as the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and checking out some sites I’d been too lazy to see during previous visits. From Bangkok I made my way back to the island of Koh Samet, where I spent another week simply indulging in the lazy beach routine, and attempting to get some color.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Thailand back in June of 1999. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Koh Samui, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son.

Thailand Photos

Backpacks were thrown
in a corner with glee,
not to be worn
for a day - or a week!

My cold shower taken,
the squat toilet used,
I wandered the streets
to check out the views.

(more…)

Journey to Muang Sing

Leaving Chiang Mai I caught a van for the 5-hour trip to the border town of Chiang Khong, crossed the Mekong River on a long-tail boat, and arrived in Huay Xai, Laos. The following day I started heading northeast by truck, the standard mode of transportation in Laos. Basically it’s two benches in the back of a small Toyota pickup, with a canopy overhead. As you’d expect, they pack people in beyond tight, so the driver can get the most money for the trip over the bumpy roads. The first day was 7 1/2 hours to the town of Luang Nam Tha, followed the next day by the 2-hour trip to Muang Sing. As if the lack of space isn’t bad enough, the Lao seem to be uneasy travelers - often leaning over the edge of the pickup, or out bus windows, to paint the side of the vehicle with their most recent meal. The chain reaction that this invariably sets off had 6 of the 17 people crammed in the back of this particular truck getting sick. And you thought it was all fun and games. (more…)

November, after returning from Myanmar

Again I flew Biman Bangladesh Airlines, so had an onscreen prayer to Allah, complete with views of mosques, before taking off. I also heard many sentences from the chief stewardess littered with the word, ‘Inshallah’ - essentially, “God willing”, as in, “We’ll be landing, inshallah, in Bangkok in a few minutes…” Rather than putting me at ease, those comments actually make me more tense. My mind hears it as, “This plane is about to fall apart around us, but, God willing, we’ll get this sucker on the ground.”

Sukothai

My few days back in Bangkok were all about wading through 4-weeks of e-mails, since I couldn’t check them in Myanmar. I was also able to meet up with some other travel friends to compare stories over drinks, before I hopped a train for the 6 1/2 hour train trip north to Phitsanulok, followed by the 1-hour bus to the ancient city of Sukothai. Sukothai was Thailand’s first capital - from 1257-1379, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon riding a bike among the ruins.

Loi Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai

I then proceeded by bus the 6 hours to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai offers many things to the traveler - Thai cooking classes, hill tribe treks, massage courses, meditation courses, etc., so it’s always been a traveler’s hangout, and has that feel to it. It’s a good city to wander around - the old city is surrounded on all sides by a moat, and there is a lively night market scene.

While in Chiang Mai I witnessed Loi Krathong, a major festival of the region. There were long processions of performers through the street, but the major event was to bundle flowers into a little ‘raft’, complete with candle and incense sticks. The candle was lit, and the bundle was set adrift on the river to float away one’s sins. There were also homemade hot-air balloons. These were about 4′ long by 2′ in diameter, with a candle mounted on a cross-brace at the hoop end. Once there was enough hot air created by the candle, the balloon would gently, but certainly not quietly, lift off. I say not quietly, because firecrackers were invariably attached, so it was a noisy sendoff. The balloons reached great heights (planes had been warned to be aware of the balloons in the air space), and with their candles continuing to burn, the sky looked like it had many new constellations of flame-colored stars. Walking the streets soon became the best entertainment. It was elbow-to-elbow, but young Thai’s would light firecrackers and throw them into a crowd. That certainly added a bit of excitement. At times you’d be ready to take a step and the ground in front of you would explode. It sounded like a war zone with the various firecrackers, and then you’d attempt to walk across an exposed bridge, only to have people on the banks aiming bottle rockets at you. Made you feel like you were part of one of those carnival shooting games.

I next took a bus up to the Thai border town of Chiang Khong and crossed into Laos

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Thailand back in June of 1999. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Koh Samui, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son.

Thailand Photos

Yangon

I caught the short 1-hour flight to Yangon, Myanmar. After passing through customs one is required to exchange US$200 for 200 FEC’s - Foreign Exchange Certificates. Basically it’s the military government’s way of getting hard currency, though most travelers opt to exchange less money and pay an extra US$5 as a ‘present’ to the person working the desk. That would become the major theme for my 4 weeks in country…..trying to keep the money in the hands of the locals and away from the government. The following day I wandered to a main park - Mahabandoola Gardens, where I was approached repeatedly to exchange US dollars for kyat - the local currency. Basically there are 3 currencies in use - dollars, FEC’s, and kyat. As it’s a black-market activity, one has to wander around a bit and play the ‘dealers’ off each other to obtain the best rate. One also has to take into consideration that the currency fluctuates drastically (from about 800-1100 kyat/dollar during my 4 weeks), you get better rates in Yangon than the rest of Myanmar, and the ‘official’ bank exchange rate is something ridiculous like 7 kyat/dollar. (more…)

Thailand - Koh Lanta

It was the off-season, so I had the guesthouse all to myself - cheap beachside bungalow, beautiful beach, fantastic Thai food, and gorgeous sunsets to admire while dining. Jealous? If not, then why do I do this?!?

Bangkok

The 16-hour train trip from the southern town of Trang up to Bangkok was a pleasant surprise. The last second-class sleeper train I’d been on was in India, but this Thai version was 5-star in comparison. Around 8 PM an employee came to make up the sleeper - of which there were only 2 up a wall as opposed to 3 in India. The mattress was fairly thick; there was a bed sheet, pillow and pillowcase, blanket, and curtain on the aisle. There was also a light and some hooks in the bunk. Definitely quite a bit more upscale than in India.

In Bangkok I met up with Sabine, an Austrian friend I’d shared a dog dinner with in Indonesia. We wandered around there for a few days, taking in the carnival-like atmosphere of the traveler’s hangout - Khao San Road. It has everything - street cafes/pubs; food carts for the ultimate travelers food - chocolate/banana pancakes, spring rolls, and pad Thai; souvenir shops; street vendors hawking everything…mirrored disco balls?!?; people on the street to braid your hair; street side shops to buy cheap, copied CD’s; 7-Eleven grocery stores; and restaurants that show movies at night. We also hit the Grand Palace, which I’ve always found to be an impressive compound, as well as the temple complex of Wat Po and it’s 46 meter reclining Buddha. Like Kathmandu, Bangkok is a chaotic, noisy, filthy city….but one that always brings a smile to my face. Vibrant.

Relaxing on Koh Samet

From Bangkok we took the 3 1/2 hour van ride to Ban Phe and the 45-minute boat ride out to the island of Koh Samet. We stayed on the island for 5 days….five extremely stressful days. Lazy starts; late breakfast on the fine white-sand beach; lying on the beach reading and catching some rays; traditional Thai massages on the beach; candle-light dinner on the beach…waves lapping at the shore; and a stop at the open-air pub for drinks, music, and to watch the nightly fire show - baton twirling and fire breathing. A tough life.

Pattaya

On our way back to Bangkok we decided to check out the town of Pattaya - an internationally known seat of decadence. It got to the point where, if we saw a western man without a young Thai girl at his side, we thought something was wrong. It was as if he was missing an accessory. Pretty sad.

Bangkok

Back in Bangkok we wandered to the Patpong area for shopping - brand name knock-off articles at cheap prices. Patpong is also a well-known sex center, so there were plenty of go-go bars on the street level, and guys with ‘menus’ of the acts one could witness upstairs. We actually did opt to check out one of the upstairs shows - I’ll spare you the details, but the funniest part was that the women prayed to an altar of incense and candles before going onstage. Funniest thing I saw outside was a local kid - surrounded by clubs of strippers, hookers, and performers in various states of undress, reading an article on how to make cheese. You can’t make this stuff up.

Bridge Over the River Kwai

It was time for Sabine to fly back to Austria, and I had a few days before heading to Myanmar, so I decided to check out Kanchanaburi - 2 hours from Bangkok. What’s at Kanchanaburi? The bridge over the river Kwai (actually the Khwae Yai river)…..feel free to whistle the tune - I know I did. I checked out the bridge, as well as a good WWII museum, an allied cemetery, and a museum set in a bamboo hut similar to those used by the POW’s. I liked Kanchanaburi.

After returning to Bangkok, I flew to Myanmar (Burma) for a month

Thailand Photos

Once at Nunaken, a city on the Indonesian coast of the island of Borneo (the Indonesian part is known as Kalimantan), I bought an immediate ticket for Tawau, Malaysia. That ferry took 1 hour, dumping me in the state of Sabah, which, along with Sarawak makes up Malaysian Borneo. From there I simply killed 4 1/2 hours while awaiting the departure of the overnight bus to Kota Kinabalu - KK. My first impressions of Malaysia were the obvious wealth as compared to Indonesia. Cell phones were abundant, as were nicer cars and clothes. People were extremely helpful and friendly, and in general were not out to cheat a person - if you were quoted a price in Malaysia, it was generally pretty accurate. The bus was modern, air-conditioned, clean, there was free water, an onboard toilet, and the driver would turn on lights if somebody got up to move around. Welcome to the more affluent and progressive parts of SE Asia….quite a change! (more…)

Bukittinggi on the island of Sumatra

Leaving Singapore turned out to be a long day - I caught the 7:30 AM ferry for the 45-minute trip to Batam, an Indonesian island. I immediately boarded a ferry for the 6 1/2-hour trip to mainland Sumatra and the town of Dumai. After waiting around for a bit I hopped on a mini-van for the 9 1/2-hour trip to Bukittinggi, arriving at 1:30 AM. Initial observations of the country? When we stopped the mini-van, there were actually places with toilets and we didn’t just have to use a bush or wall. Quite a change from India. What was written in huge letters across the back of the mini-van? “TALIBAN”. Looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. I’d always known that Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country, but what I didn’t know until I started reading about it was that it’s actually the 4th most populous country overall - and not that far behind the US. Wouldn’t have guessed that. Your lesson for the day.

Bukittinggi was simply about getting acquainted with a new country - wandering the streets to try strange foods, talking to locals, checking out the great market, attending traditional dance performances, etc. Many kids wanted to talk and practice English, and would often ask for my address. Women seemed very friendly and willing to talk, which was most strange after coming from India. I found out that the local traditional culture - the Minangkabau, are matrilineal, so the eldest female is head of the family and property is inherited through the female line. The homes of the Minangkabau are elevated at each end to simulate the horns of a buffalo - an animal that figures prominently in Minangkabau culture. (more…)

I took a flight from Delhi to Bangkok and then directly on to Singapore - basically from filth to sterile in two short flights. The cleanliness of Singapore was blinding! Singapore was simply a short 4-day resupply stop where I was able to meet up with a few friends over some great seafood - pepper crab was every bit as good as I remembered. Proving that everything is relative, I admit to hating Singapore the last time I was there in ‘99. I found it sterile and regimented. This time, after India? It was great! Clean, easy to get around, streets were actually signed, everything worked, and transportation ran on time…what a concept. Very easy and relaxing, though you must pay for those conveniences (except of course if you have friends in town that insist on picking up the tabs - thanks Lynn and Sharen.) If I had to paint you a picture of something typically Singaporean, I think the best I can do is the laundry poles that are extended from the high-rise buildings. There is a lack of space, so people must build up instead of out.

April, after my travels in Sri Lanka
Back to India

A short 40-minute flight back to Trivandrum in India had me asking, “Where did all these people come from? Who turned up the heat? Is all this noise necessary? And why can’t you understand that I don’t need a rickshaw?” (more…)

From Trivandrum I took a 40-minute flight across to Sri Lanka. My initial plan was to head towards the south, but I met an American couple and a Swiss couple that were trying to get others to pitch in for a taxi to Kandy - the second largest city, so I went with them. I ended up traveling with them for about 3 of my 4 weeks in Sri Lanka.

Kandy

Kandy is a great little town situated on a lake - very relaxing, with a fantastic fruit/veg market, a few good cafes, and several well-stocked stores. What more does a person need? One night we attended a Kandyan dance performance perfectly geared to western attention spans. It was only 1 hour, and there were several different dances and costume changes, a mask dance, as well as some walking on coals. Kandy also contains the ‘temple of the tooth’ which is where Buddha’s tooth is kept. It is taken out and paraded through the city on an elephant’s back once a year during a 10-day celebration that sounds like it would be quite a spectacle. We spent most mornings on our colonial balcony overlooking the lake talking and eating great fruits - rambutans, mangosteens, mangos, oranges, bananas, watermelon, etc. Tough life. (more…)

Late December, after trekking in Nepal
Darjeeling

From Pokhara it was 22 hours by various buses and a shared jeep out of Nepal and to the Indian hill station of Darjeeling…of tea fame. Darjeeling has a great setting, as it sits amid tea plantations and straddles a ridge at about 2100 m./7000 ft. It was certainly cooler here than on the plains - I could see my breath in my room, but that made for some nice views of the mountains, which included Kanchenjunga, the third highest in the world. I hit the zoo, which had some of the local animals - snow leopards, tigers, blue sheep, etc.; wandered the winding streets; spent a quiet New Years with other travelers at the lodge; walked to see some of the monasteries; checked out the Tibetan refugee self-help settlement to see them spinning yarn, weaving, doing leatherwork, etc.; and in general relaxed for a few days. (more…)

December, after seeing camel fair in India
Border Crossing

Unlike most simple border crossings, it was a 6 km rickshaw ride to the border and the Indian immigration, a 1 1/2 km walk to Nepal immigration, and another 6 km rickshaw ride to the Nepalese town of Mahendra Nagar. I was being hounded by some rickshaw drivers that wanted my business. While I was ducking under the border gate in Nepal the rickshaw driver behind me rode over my foot. He continued hounding me as if nothing had happened until I pointed to the muddy tire track across my toes, and stated that I may be strange that way, but nobody that runs me over is going to get my business…sorry. (more…)

November, after travels in Bhutan and Nepal
India - Pushkar & Camel Fair

From Pokhara, it was time to dive back into India - at least for a few weeks, as I was heading to the camel fair at Pushkar…wasn’t everybody? I began with an 8 1/2 hour bus ride towards the border town of Sunauli, a short jeep ride to the actual border, walking across the border to satisfy immigration requirements of both countries, and then walking to board the bus for the onward journey. I boarded the bus at 4:30 PM for 4:45 departure. At 5:10 I asked when the bus would be leaving, since it was full and the engine was running. I was told that the 4:45 bus had been canceled - this was the 6 o’clock bus! Welcome back to India, where nothing makes sense, what would be the obvious solution is not the one chosen, where people move and perform tasks as if they have a lifetime to complete them, and where their brand of English is difficult to understand and spewn out at a million words a minute. I believe that while it’s taking them forever to do something they must be saving up words, and then they all rush out in a torrent of incomprehensibility. (more…)

Kathmandu

The flight from Paro to Kathmandu was incredible, and I was lucky enough to fly on a crystal-clear day. We passed by the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th highest mountains in the world. Spectacular. Arriving in Kathmandu was a bit of a shock after Bhutan - as I knew it would be. Despite the dirt, noise, chaos, and the fact that you take your life in your hands every time you wander the streets, as the cars/rickshaws/motorcycles try to run you down, there is a vibrancy to Kathmandu that I’ve always enjoyed. (more…)

Phuentsholing

On the way through India to the Bhutan border I saw a sign along the road which said, “Expect the unexpected”. That could be India’s national motto! The drive towards Bhutan was very nice, as it passed through tea plantations and green hillsides. I knew I was going to like Bhutan when I asked my guide a question. He thought for a minute before confessing to not knowing the answer and said he’d look it up and get back to me. I prefer that honesty to what occurs in some countries - such as India. They are too anxious to please, so will always provide an answer - even if they have no real idea what they’re talking about. It means that you end up polling several people and going with the majority, which can be frustrating and time consuming.

The first stop in Bhutan was the border town of Phuentsholing, which is like border towns everywhere - non-descript, dirty, noisy, and a strange blend between the two countries. The following day we took the 6 1/2 hour (though only 170 km) drive to Paro. The highway is only about 1 3/4 vehicles wide, which means that you have to hang a few wheels off the road every time you pass or meet an oncoming car. There are also several cars, dogs, cows, and people on the road, and oncoming cars often stop to talk for a bit - blocking the entire road. The pavement is destroyed in places due to water runoff or rockslides, and there are several people along the road - normally women with their small children, breaking rocks into gravel with hammers to fill in the numerous potholes. Bhutan has very steep, green forested hills, with many waterfalls and rivers. Most major towns are situated in a river valley. The road continuously climbs out of one valley, winding along the various side valleys, before topping out on a prayer-flag covered pass and descending into the next valley. Going anywhere by road takes a long time, and you’re constantly thrown from one side of the vehicle to the other, as there are no straight stretches. (more…)

Delhi

So, what does one do after a good night on the town? Goes for a curry, so I headed off to India! The flight seemed to make a concerted effort to loop below Afghanistan and Pakistan…no complaints from me. I arrived in Delhi after midnight, and got a cab. Even though I told the cab driver roughly where I wanted to go, he still drove me to his ‘tourist office’ so I could book a hotel. Lonely Planet says it’s a scam and you end up talking to somebody in the next room, not the hotel, but are still told there are no rooms available. You are then advised of an alternative - much more expensive room…one where the con artists will get a cut. I didn’t bite (and wouldn’t have even without the LP advice) and so we drove off. He next told me that where I wanted to be dropped off wasn’t safe at this time - now about 1:45 AM. He finally agreed to drop me off on a particular street and I wandered about. There were people trying to get me into an auto or bicycle rickshaw, some wanted to sell me food, others wanted me to follow them to a hotel. There were people sleeping on the edge of the streets, and there were rats scurrying about. I finally found a guesthouse on my own terms around 2:00 AM. No dramas, and a good introduction to India. Basically what I expected. (more…)

After Dad and I completed our quick trip through Europe, and he flew home, I went back to Munich for Oktoberfest. When I told the woman at tourist information that I needed a hotel room for about a week, she simply looked at me as if I were stupid and said, “Have you heard of Oktoberfest?” Needless to say, I spent far too much for a hotel room for the next 8 nights. Spent my days back in Munich relaxing, wandering the streets, and trying to organize my trip to Bhutan. Also spent a lot of time in a quandary, wondering if I really wanted to go to India with the current situation in that part of the world. Spent a few of the evenings partaking in the local brew - one liter at a time, in the Oktoberfest tents. It had been 6 years since I was last at Oktoberfest, and it seemed less rowdy in 2001. That may have been due to the events in the States, as I know that attendance was well down - 800,000 people over the first two days last year, 550,000 this year. Some of those missing were Americans, while most were locals that were either worried about the bomb threats or didn’t want to brave the rainy weather. The festival isn’t just about beer - there are various kiosks of food, souvenirs, and rides. Most of the amusement rides are designed to get as much of the beer back out of your system as is possible, as they have loops, corkscrews, rolls, jerks, jumps, swings, etc.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Germany back in September of 1995. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Berchtesgaden.

Germany Photos

After catching the Eurostar train through the chunnel, the last stop with Dad on the whirlwind tour of Europe was London, and we really did that one quickly. Saw all the main sights - Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, British Museum (quick tip - don’t do the Louvre and the British Museum on back-to-back days. There is such a thing as too much culture!), Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square at dark, and Harrods department store lit up at night….all in 7 or 8 hours. Whew! London was basically just a place from where his plane departed, but I figured he better see something of the city. I don’t recommend that quick tour, but it was his last day, and so he got the grand overview.

Dad and I spent about 3 weeks touring through Europe. We tried to get a bit of everything - good museums, hikes, amazing history, scenery, and beer, chocolate, and ice cream. Obviously this isn’t enough time to know any one place in great depth, but it’s enough of an overview that one can know what is available, how everything works, and can return again at a later date and delve deeper. I had previously seen many of the places we visited, but it was fun to see them anew through his eyes - and to see how they had changed.

Previous Trip

I’d also worked and traveled the UK from May-September of 1992. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I worked in Bedford, but we had a car and traveled all over England, and into Wales.

UK Photos

After consuming as much chocolate as is humanly possible in Switzerland, we made a one-night stop in the Black Forest region of Germany before heading on to Paris. Hit the main sites - Notre Dame and it’s stained glass Rose window, Tuileries gardens, Champs Elysees, top of the Arc de Triomphe to observe the chaotic driving below as 6-8 streets try to manage the roundabout that is the Arc de Triomphe, and finished the evening by getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower and overlooking all of Paris. We also took the train out to Versaille where we wandered the ornate interior and the beautiful gardens outside. Back in Paris we checked out the Louvre - Nike of Somathrace, Venus de Milo, and Mona Lisa, among many other works of art. Bit of a convoluted place, but spectacular nevertheless. Last comment on France - they seem more eager to speak English now than they did 9 years ago.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited France back in September of 1992. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I took the boat across the English Channel to Calais, and carried on by train to Paris. After spending time in Paris, I caught the TGV to Lyon and then on into Switzerland.

France Photos

Glacier Express

From Italy we caught a few different trains and eventually ended up in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Final leg of journey from Tirano, Italy, to St. Moritz was beautiful as it wound through the mountains. St. Moritz is in a nice setting, by a lake, but is a high-class ski resort, so there wasn’t much reason for us to be there in September. In fact, there was only one - we wanted to take the Glacier Express train to Zermatt. The Glacier Express - the world’s slowest ‘express’, as it took 8 hours to cover the distance, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in views - jagged peaks, snow on the passes, picturesque villages, rivers, and lush green meadows. A nice journey.

Zermatt

Zermatt is a town near the base of the Matterhorn mountain, and has become extremely touristy. It has changed dramatically from 9 years ago when I last visited, as there are now many more shops/hotels/restaurants catering to the tourists. It’s also billed as a vehicle-free city, but there are so many small electric buses being used as taxis, hotel shuttles, and delivery vehicles that that is hardly the case. It used to be you could walk down the middle of the road and not worry, but now you’ll become a hood ornament on an electric bus. Temperatures were cool in the morning - right at freezing in Zermatt, and cloudy, but we still opted to take the cable cars to the top of Klein (little) Matterhorn - at 12,739′. As expected, the views towards the Matterhorn were obscured, and with the temperatures at that elevation hovering around 3 degrees Fahrenheit, we didn’t stick around until it cleared up. However, while on top we ducked into an ice grotto - sculptures carved inside a glacier. Pretty eerie, with the artificial lights shining through the ice. Riding the cable cars down to about 9600′ (and warming up to 23 degrees F), we disembarked and started hiking. We were back in Zermatt 4 1/2 hours later, and the Matterhorn had by then shed it’s cloud cover. One of the most beautiful and picturesque mountains in the world.

Grindelwald Area

From Zermatt we stopped for a few hours in Interlaken, wandered the streets, and then progressed to Grindelwald - another typical Swiss town in a beautiful mountain setting. We arrived on September 11, so spent most of the day like everyone else in the world - following the events in New York and D.C. World will never be the same.

Following day we took a cable car ride up a ridge and then hiked for 4 1/2 hours back to Grindelwald. Have always liked the area, as the mountains are quite impressive - the north face of the Eiger among those most visible. Switzerland has always been one of my favorite countries, with it’s quaint villages, and the contrast between the beautiful, jagged mountains and the lush green meadows.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Switzerland back in September of 1992. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Interlaken and Zermatt.

Switzerland Photos

Venice

Venice must be one of the few cities in the world where buildings, which are in such a state as to be falling into the canals, can be termed charming, but there you have it. Venice does have a certain charm to it. Always fun to wander the winding, narrow alleys. For those that need to know exactly where they are in a city and on a map, may I suggest going someplace else….Venice is not for you. You have to simply let yourself go and know that, chances are, you’ll eventually wind up at the main bridge over the Grand Canal - the Rialto, or you’ll find yourself with the thousands of pigeons in San Marcos square.

Rome

From Venice it was a 4 1/2 hour express train to Rome. I’ve never been much of a fan of big cities, but, no matter how dirty it is, it’s hard to ignore Rome with it’s historical ruins everywhere you turn. It’s impressive, from the Trevi fountain - which basically covers the entire end of a building, to the immediately recognizable Colosseum, to the many ruins of the Forum. Once you get a bit ‘ruined’, you head to Vatican City. St. Peters Basilica is immense and very ornate inside - containing Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Beautiful. Vatican museum is another must-see. It’s amazing, because you have the many works of art, but the building itself is impressive, with paintings on the walls/ceilings, and many sculptures. After winding through what can only be termed a maze of rooms - always following the arrow that points towards ‘Sistine Chapel’, and always anxiously turning the corner expecting to be in the great room, you finally arrive. The entire chapel must be one of the greatest works of art in the world. The detail is incredible, and the colors vibrant. It’s easy to sit there for quite some time - staring at the ceiling and wall, with your mouth open. Second time I’ve seen it, and still overpowering. For those that haven’t had enough of museums after the Vatican, I’d suggest the Capitolini Museum, which had many fantastic busts, sculptures, etc. What else is an absolute necessity while visiting Italy? Ice cream, and plenty of it.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Italy back in March of 1998. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Bari, Rome, Pisa, Florence, and Venice.

Italy Photos

Salzburg was next, and we spent our time wandering the narrow streets, listening to the street performers play classics (Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart), touring the imposing fortress on the hill above the city, enjoying the walk along the river, and visiting Mirabell Gardens. For those Sound of Music fans out there, the gardens were as far as we went - we didn’t take the entire tour…..not interested, thank you very much!

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Austria back in October of 1995. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Vienna.

Austria Photos

I left ‘home’ August 27 bound for Europe. Heard the song Freebird on the flight over, “….I must be traveling on now. Cuz there’s too many places I’ve got to see.” How true. Arrived in Munich and killed an evening while awaiting my Dad’s arrival the following day. We spent a few days exploring Munich on foot. I’ve always liked the city, as it seems to have a good atmosphere, a good mix of people, and there just happens to be some great beer and beer gardens. Does it get any better than that?!? We headed out to the former concentration camp at Dachau one day, which is a very sobering experience. Seeing the photos in the museum and the short film really drives home the atrocities that were carried out at Dachau and similar camps. We also took the train to Fussen one day and wandered up the hill to the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein - ‘Mad King Ludwig’s’ masterpiece and the castle that Disneyland used as a model. Pretty impressive, and a great location. Remaining in Germany, we took the train from Munich down to Berchtesgaden, which was the area where Hitler and his top men had homes, bunkers, etc. Most homes have since been destroyed, but we were able to wander through a few of the bunkers. It’s a beautiful part of Germany, with some spectacular mountains. Berchtesgaden - being very close to Salzburg in Austria, also has a salt mine, so we spent a morning underground experiencing the mining techniques. Interesting.

Previous TripI’d also visited Germany back in September of 1995. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Berchtesgaden.

Germany Photos

The Road from Perth

We left Perth on March 5. The other half of ‘we’ is Harriet - an English woman who also quit her job and wanted to see Oz. We decided to pool our resources - she had a car, and I had the ability to drive a left-hand-drive car on the right side of the road, which isn’t of much use when Australians drive right-hand-drive cars on the left side of the road. Doh! In short, I once again brought nothing of value to the table. However, I have become frighteningly adequate at driving over here. For those of you back in the States I suggest you lock yourself in your homes when I return, as the streets could be mayhem with some idiot doing 110 m.p.h. (as opposed to k.p.h.) down the wrong side of the road! (more…)

Havana Good Time

Actually, I suppose that should read ‘Had a Good Time’, but that would require changing the name of the Cuban capital, and that could get ugly. (more…)

Boquete

From Golfito it was a 2 hour bus ride to the Panamanian border, a 1 hour shuttle bus ride to David, and a 1 hour bus ride to the mountain village of Boquete. Very quaint setting, as it reminded me of a small Swiss village, complete with small, cloudy river, and lots of colorful flowers. Enjoyed my few days in the region, and did a lot of hiking in the cool mountain air. Evidently the coffee plantations in the area are profitable, as I saw several nice cars, trucks, and SUV’s.

Bocas del Toro

From Boquete I took the 1 hour bus back to David, and then caught a shuttle for the 3 1/2 hour ride north to Almirante. The drive was quite spectacular, again reminding me of Switzerland. I promptly caught a water taxi out to the island of Bocas del Toro, which only took about 45 minutes. Rather than stay in the main town, also known as Bocas del Toro, I decided to stay on the opposite, more isolated side of the island, so simply hitched a ride in the back of someone’s truck. The place where I stayed, Bocas del Drago, consisted of only a few buildings, one restaurant/bar, and one place to stay….very peaceful. For the 3 nights I stayed on the island I essentially had the place to myself, and enjoyed the water, beach, fresh fish dinners (complete with head/eyes), and hammocks. (more…)

Santa Elena

I had decided to try and get to Costa Rica for Semana Santa (Easter) rather than hanging out in Nicaragua, so I left at 3:45 in the morning. Had to catch a bus to the other side of the island, a 1 hour boat ride to a small town, and another couple of buses to the border. Exiting Nicaragua was easy, but I should have known it was going to be a long day when I had to show my passport 4 different times between the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican border posts. Many countries state that you can’t enter unless you have an onward ticket or sufficient funds, but that stipulation is rarely enforced….Costa Rica decided to enforce it that day. I was forced to buy a bus ticket back to Managua (cheapest I could get, and one which I had no intention of using) before immigration would allow me to enter the country. With the huge line of people and the additional hassle, it took over 2 hours to get through the border. From there it was a 2 hour bus ride to Canas, a half hour bus ride to Tilaran, and because there were no more buses that day going to Monteverde/Santa Elena, I ended up hitchhiking the last leg. Ride was beautiful, and view out to the coast was spectacular. Santa Elena itself was a very small town, and quite touristy, but centrally located in the mountains (considerably cooler) with a lot to do in the area - a good place to be holed up for 6 days. Spent most days taking hikes through the cloud forests, seeing many birds, monkeys, etc., though one day was spent on a different type of tour. Sky Trek was a 2 hour tour through the cloud forest, but most of the distance was covered via ‘zip’ lines - cables stretched from one platform to another. A climbing harness was attached to a pulley, which was placed on the cable, allowing a person to ride through the treetops. There were about 11 different lines, with the longest being about 1/4 mile in length and 35 stories off the ground. It was a lot of fun and offered a different perspective on the forest. (more…)

Matagalpa

From Tegucigalpa I took an 8 1/2 hour - 5 bus journey across the border at Las Manos and into Nicaragua, spending the first night in Esteli. Met up with an English guy on the bus, so we grabbed a room and then wandered around town a bit that night and the following morning. First impression was pretty good of Nicaragua - people were nice, food was better and portions were big, buses had racks on top for large packs, etc. Locals seemed to have more of a European look to them than that of an indigenous people. From Esteli we took a bus to the highland town of Matagalpa, which was nestled in the mountains. Believe we received a ‘demo’ room, as we had a sink…but it didn’t work, we had a fan…but it didn’t work, and we had a toilet…but we had to fill the bowl with water via buckets in order to flush. (more…)

Ruins of Copan

The following day I bid El Salvador adieu. Didn’t spend much time there, so probably didn’t do it justice at all, but I was more interested in moving on to Honduras. First place I popped into in Honduras was the town of Copan Ruinas, near the ruins known as…Copan (how do people come up with these names?!? Genius!) Copan Ruinas was a small town but had a great feel. The following day I walked the 10-15 minutes out to the ruins and wandered around there for a few hours. Not nearly as impressive as other ruins I’d seen previously, though Copan is known more for it’s stellae - carved stone tablets, than the buildings themselves. It was in a nice setting, but didn’t hold my interest as long as other’s had. While leaving the grounds I ran into a Swedish guy I’d met in Guatemala and again briefly in El Salvador. Met a Swiss guy at the same time, so we agreed to meet up that night for drinks, and subsequently ended up traveling together for several days to/in the north of Honduras. (more…)

From Antigua I caught the bus to Guatemala City and then across the border into El Salvador. Decided to stay initially in Santa Ana, as it sounded like a better place than San Salvador. Santa Ana seemed like another world from Guatemala…. dirtier, hotter, not really set up for visitors, with more people simply standing around doing nothing - the kind of nothing that, to a foreigner, makes one feel as if they’re being sized up for what they’re carrying in the way of valuables and money. Call it an uneasy peace of mind while I was in El Salvador - heightened by the fact that I saw very few other travelers. It was as if they all knew something I didn’t. Obviously that wasn’t true, but strange things run through your mind when you first hit the unfamiliarity of a new country. The central park area and requisite cathedral bordering the park were beautiful, but in sharp contrast to the rest of Santa Ana, which was dominated by tin-roofed ’shops’ seemingly along every road. Best thing I did during my short stay in El Salvador was to catch a bus out to a park known as Cerro Verde, which is an inactive volcano. At the base of the volcano is Lago de Coatepeque, which is a lake within the crater of a different volcano. There are a few other volcanoes in the area, one of which - Izalco, I was interested in climbing. I was told it was unsafe to do on my own as there had been some robberies. Looked as if I was going to have to chance it since it was mid-week and there was nobody else around, when one of the park security officers said he’d go with me, so I had a little 3 hour hike to the top and back with my own personal, armed, man in uniform. It was a nice hike, and there was steam and heat from several vents on top.

From Santa Ana I was planning on spending a few days in San Salvador, but decided there really wasn’t anything there to hold my interest. Many of the Central American capitals are like capitals all over the world - chaotic, noisy, dirty, and more hassle than they’re worth at times. Therefore I simply changed buses in San Salvador and headed east to the small town of La Palma, near the Honduran border. Being the only gringo in a small town guarantees one to be the object of a lot of curiosity, and this was no exception. There is a ‘famous’ type of art that is done in La Palma. Hard to explain, but basically vivid colors used to depict very basic items - fruits, houses, people, etc. This art covers everything from plaques, to napkin holders, etc., and was overwhelming throughout La Palma……and now you know.

I didn’t find much of interest in El Salvador, so I decided to keep moving, and headed into Honduras.

We caught a bus to the Guatemalan border and were immediately accosted by people wanting to shuttle-bus us to someplace in Guatemala. Normal buses are definitely cheaper, but they don’t run as frequently from the border, so we rounded up 7 other travelers and watched as the driver tried to cram 9 gringos - complete with backpacks, into a van. It was cramped and we all became friends immediately - out of necessity! We were headed for Flores, which actually sits in the middle of Lake Peten-Itza and is connected to the shore (and the town of Santa Elena) by a single road. The road was under construction, so we all piled into a small boat to make the crossing. Nice way to arrive. (more…)

To enter Belize, I took a bus down to Chetumal on the Mexican coast, and was immediately whisked onto a bus heading for Belize City.

While waiting in line to officially exit Mexico I was talking to an English woman, Natalie. It turns out she had just left the people she had been traveling with and so was on her own as well, so we decided to travel together for awhile. Ended up spending about 10 days together. Was nice to share the cost of rooms, meals, etc., and to have somebody to talk to. Definitely the best part about traveling, as it’s always easy to hook up with other individuals/groups for awhile. Even if you don’t choose to travel together, the same people tend to keep popping up in various cities/countries.

Anyway, we got into Belize City just before dark, which evidently isn’t a good time to be out in the city due to the crime. We walked to a small restaurant where she decided to try the gibnut. This is a rodent about the size of a rabbit, but is termed ‘the royal rat’ after Queen Elizabeth ate it during one of her visits. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken…..more like pork.

Belize City

The next morning we wandered around Belize City. Strange to be in an English-speaking country in Central America, and after my time in Mexico. Language has a creole accent to it, and actually sounds more like the islands, mon. Belize City is the former capital of Belize, but the capital was moved to Belmopan due to an abundance of tropical storms. Most people use B.C. as a staging point for the offshore islands (Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye), as Belize claims the second largest barrier reef after the Great Barrier Reef in the land of Oz. Evidently the diving is spectacular. However, since I’m not a diver, and had just spent time on the beach in Playa del Carmen in Mexico, I decided to move through Belize.

San Ignacio

We spent the next couple of nights in San Ignacio, which is near the border with Guatemala. It is a good point for tours of surrounding caves, waterfalls, jungle, ruins, etc. Many of the tours were a bit expensive, and I figured I’d actually have better opportunities later in the trip for some of the same types of trips. I did check out some ruins near the border, but then decided to cut short my time in Belize and headed for the border.

Nothing much of note so far - first day started with a 22 hour bus ride…yeehaw! Caught the bus from Denver to El Paso, TX., then crossed the border to Juarez and hopped a new bus headed for Chihuahua. Had some bus problems along this leg of the journey so had to wait alongside the road until another bus from the same company came along. We then all piled on that bus to complete our journey. Only spent one night in Chihuahua - was simply looking to break the trip a bit so I wasn’t on the go for too many hours at once. From Chihuahua I caught a bus to Creel, which is near Copper Canyon. Excitement of this ride was being stopped and asked by the military - all the men were, to exit the bus and do the spread-eagle on the bus. Seems there had been some robberies in the area recently and they were looking for guns. (more…)