davidandalina

halloween atlantic city

2010-11-09T21:53:00.001-05:00

halloween atlantic city
Originally uploaded by david&alina

phish, boardwalk hall, little feat and some sweet disco gear... sounds like a party.

alina at gamehenge, i mean stonehenge

2010-10-27T10:41:00.002-04:00

IMG_0221.JPG
Originally uploaded by david&alina

so if any of the last three posts are going to make sense... skip down to the picture of the rabbit loin and work your way back up...
before i was in france, alina was in england getting her reiki master certification. pretty cool, i know. to make it even better she received her certification with william rand in glastenbury - near the site of stonehenge.
this is a picture of her at stonehenge the day of her final atunement.

hotel de paris

2010-10-27T10:35:00.001-04:00

hotel de paris
Originally uploaded by david&alina

now i'm going in revers chronological order... before napa i took a 10 day trip to france and monaco to visit the restaurants of my boss, alain ducasse. it was a whirlwind, seeing 2 kitchens a day, meeting lots of people and, of course, eating along the way. this is a shot from outside the hotel de paris, in monte carlo - home of the beginnings of groupe alain ducasse - le louis xv...

rabbit loin at mustard's grill

2010-10-27T10:29:00.001-04:00

rabbit loin at mustard's grill
Originally uploaded by david&alina

i know... our blog has become an afterthought. posts are becoming more and more random. i've been reduced to posting pictures from a trip we took 3 months ago... shame, shame. well, i'm going to resurrect our old friend 'davidandalina' and start to once again share the 'goings on' in our life with you (whoever you are).
this pic is from one of many great meals we had while in napa valley. mustard's grill, ad hoc, bouchon, the french laundry, the slanted door and boulevard - just to name a few.
anyways, it's linked to a few new pics i just posted on flickr. take a look if you have a chance.

louisville fillies ball 2010

2010-05-03T22:23:00.001-04:00

louisville fillies ball 2010
Originally uploaded by david&alina

alina and i headed back to louisville to attend the louisville fillies ball and thunder over louisville with our family. here is a shot taken at the ball, before the dancing got underway...

thunder over louisville 2010

2010-05-03T22:18:00.001-04:00

thunder over louisville 2010
Originally uploaded by david&alina

a view of thunder over louisville from the spirit of the jefferson on the ohio river.

dinner at impellizeri's

2010-05-03T22:15:00.001-04:00

louisville, april 2010
Originally uploaded by david&alina

after a long weekend in louisville, we dove into one of our favorites - the super deep dish at impellizeri's... a great ending to a weekend home with friends and family.

Trey Anastasio Band at 9:30 Club, Feb 2010

2010-02-22T13:07:00.001-05:00

Trey Anastasio Band at 9:30 Club, Feb 2010
Originally uploaded by david&alina

we ignored the blizzard warnings and hiked up the street to the 9:30 club to see trey and his band. this was the first time, in all of the years touring with phish, that they (at least one of them...) came to my neighborhood... alina and i had a great night - trey rocked it out for about 3 hours and then we walked home in a blizzard - again. we had really been hoping recently that we were gong to get to see phish this spring on the much rumored european tour everyone is hoping for - but as it turns out, it looks like we'll be waiting to see them again this summer - maybe merry weather, spac again???

here is the 02.09.10 trey and classic tab setlist at 9:30 club.

Set 1: Push On Till The Day, Shine, Gotta Jibboo, Mozambique, Tuesday, Money Love & Change, Tube Top Wobble, Valentine, Words to Wanda, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Night Speaks to a Woman

Set 2: Cayman Review, Simple Twist Up Dave, Drifting, Sand, Liquid Time, The Birdwatcher, Show of Life, The Way I Feel, First Tube

Encore: Magilla, Dragonfly

february 2010 blizzard in dc

2010-02-22T12:53:00.001-05:00

february 2010 blizzard in dc
Originally uploaded by david&alina

here is a shot i took of alina at thomas circle as we were walking home on the night of the first snow storm... a few hours later, we would wake up to almost 3 feet on the ground outside.

the maisonette family

2010-01-20T01:21:00.001-05:00

the maisonette family
Originally uploaded by david&alina

an oldie but a goodie... here is a shot from my earlier years cooking at the maisonette with some very good friends.

christmas treats

2009-12-28T13:59:00.001-05:00

jam cookies
Originally uploaded by david&alina

jam cookies, buckeyes, oatmeal raisin cookies, cupcakes and a german chocolate cake... alina has officially turned into a baker. here is a shot of a little of her handy work.

thomas circle and 14th street - post snow storm

2009-12-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

thomas circle and 14th street - post snow storm
Originally uploaded by david&alina

here is n street, right in front of our building. this pic was taken sunday afternoon around 2 pm still no plow action, but most everyone (including us) has already been out and about in it.

thomas circle and 14th street - post snow storm

2009-12-21T12:33:00.001-05:00

thomas circle and 14th street - post snow storm
Originally uploaded by david&alina

here is view from behind our building - right out of our studio's window. i'm not sure what the official snow fall was, but it looks like a good 18 inches from here.

all dressed up

2009-12-20T14:30:00.001-05:00

Phish at Madison Square Garden
Originally uploaded by david&alina

a self portrait from the third night with phish at madison square garden...

phish at madison square garden 12.03.09

2009-12-20T14:27:00.001-05:00

Phish at Madison Square Garden
Originally uploaded by david&alina

here's a shot from behind the stage. our tickets for the first night were fantastic - fourth row directly behind trey. it was a pretty unique view for such a big night - our first time with phish at msg...

the turkey and the damage done

2009-11-26T23:52:00.001-05:00

thanksgiving carnage
Originally uploaded by david&alina

amish turkey, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, green bean casserole, cauliflower, cranberry sauce, rolls, turkey gravy, pumpkin pie and a crisp california white wine... not bad, considering i'm the chef of the family and i didn't have to lift a finger to make it happen. further proof that alina rocks and i am a lucky, lucky man...

dc, november 22, 2009

2009-11-24T10:50:00.001-05:00

dc, november 22, 2009
Originally uploaded by david&alina

a few things were decided this weekend. the portrait gallery is the coolest place to hang out in dc. both my wife and brother have an unconditional love for chinese noodle soup. andrew is a proficient domino player. and alina and i are going to burning man next summer. unfortunately, our costumes for phish at madison square are still up in the air... maybe the super hero supply store will be able to help.

sunrise, june 23, 2008

2009-11-21T10:49:00.001-05:00

mt. sinai summit
Originally uploaded by david&alina

an arduous four hour hike in the middle of the night pays off. sunrise over the sinai peninsula is spectacular. a seemingly better place to be on this grey and rainy dc morning.

beef, pumpkin gnoochi, spaghetti squash and chantrelles

2009-10-24T10:54:00.002-04:00

beef, pumpkin gnoochi, spaghetti squash and chantrelles
Originally uploaded by david&alina

well, the fall menu has been up and running at adour for the last few weeks. we're really showing off a lot of the great produce from path valley farms - our amish extended family. after lots of visits from our family and friends in the last couple of weeks, i finally had a chance to upload pics of all of the new dishes - check it all out on our flickr account...

eat at pete's

2009-07-28T15:46:00.002-04:00

down-the-hill apizza at pete's new haven style apizza
Originally uploaded by david&alina

pete's new haven style apizza, on irving street in columbia heights, is good. the dough is perfect, making chewy and crispy pizza crust. so are the ingredients, house made italian sausage, meatballs, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions, along with wild mushrooms made up our 'down-the-hill' on a recent visit. on the heels of numerous recent awards and magazine articles, pete's packs in a crowd. the atmosphere is fun - lots of draft and bottled beers along with a reasonable wine list keeps the patrons happy. i must say that pete's now ranks on my list with impellizzeri's in louisville, geno's east in chicago and bleecker street pizza in new york city... next time your in the district, check it out.

at the game

2009-07-25T15:55:00.001-04:00

at the game
Originally uploaded by david&alina

as most of you know, chelsea fc is with out a doubt my favorite sports team. of course, as a kentucky wildcat, my blood bleeds blue - for the cats and now-a-days, the pensioners... last night, the world football challenge brought chelsea fc and ac milan together at m&t bank stadium in baltimore md. we had awesome seats - club level and mid field. it made for a great night, watching the blues take ac milan 2-1. the night was made even better seeing didier drogba, chelsea's ivorian powerhouse - blast a laser beam from about 45 yards out for chelsea's first goal in the 7th minute. ronaldinho ripped a pk off the crossbar late int he second half, but milan fell short after yuri zhirkov clinched the match with chelsea's second in the 69th minute. awesome match and a major highlight for alina and i this summer.

alina sampling the 'experimental' gingerpop from fojol bros of merlindia at eastern market

2009-07-19T17:45:00.001-04:00

alina sampling the 'experimental' gingerpop from fojol bros of merlindia at eastern market
Originally uploaded by david&alina

the fojol bros of merlindia are cool. four friends in a shiny silver wagon, dressed in character and serving good indian curries with basmati rice and tasty frozen treats. i think that they're developing a cult following - fans regularly follow them on twitter - the only way to find out where they are serving it up around the district... plus they're starting to get reviews in a few local dc magazines - a pretty impressive accomplishment, considering their business is a traveling curry wagon (all be it, one with lots of bells and whistles). they're known for their mango lassi pops, but after hanging out in front of the wagon for a while, one of the guys offered us a ginger pop. it's not on the menu yet, but maybe after our vote of approval they'll make it available to the masses...

travelphotography.net

2009-07-12T14:21:00.001-04:00

travelphotography.net
Originally uploaded by david&alina

what cool little shop in dupont circle. a really great collection of photos from around the world - documenting everyday life and making the ordinary interesting. admittedly, i'm a little jealous of this guy... maybe my new canon will help me get a little closer to being able to open my own shop one day...

http://www.travelphotography.net/

a view from the seville rooftop pool

2009-07-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

a view from the seville rooftop pool
Originally uploaded by david&alina

after 51 weeks in our apartment, i finally made it higher than our first floor studio to hang out at the pool. not a lot of frills, but it's a pretty cool spot to take a dip and catch a few rays.

five things you should know about the smithsonian national zoo

2009-07-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

smithsonian national zoo
Originally uploaded by david&alina

1. just like all of the smithsonian museums and galleries, it's free. a pretty impressive display of our tax dollars at work - i guess they set aside a few bucks before cutting the checks to the defense department...
2. you don't have to fly to chengdu to see giant pandas. however, these guys sleep more than cats, don't expect to see them in action - especially if you are there in the middle of the day.
3. pack a lunch - bottles of water are $4 and ice cream sandwiches $3 (i guess they are trying to make up for that free admission...).
4. the gorillas rule. they always seem to be having the most fun in the animal kingdom. above is a picture of a mother chillin with her new baby.
5. a day at the zoo is a good way to get some exercise. like it or not, it's set on the side of a hill and calls for a good deal of walking. maybe a way to make a few unknowing tourists burn some excess calories?

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-03T18:23:00.000-04:00

In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the Representatives of the
United states of America,
In general Congress assembled.

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the Present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People; unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

He has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

He has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.

He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Powers to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

He is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic Insurrections among us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

Nor have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress,
John Hancock, President.

Attest.
Charles Thomson, Secretary.

good noodles for cheap

2009-06-29T22:19:00.001-04:00

chinatown express
Originally uploaded by david&alina

dc's chinatown is studded with mediocre heavily touristic chinese restaurants. one notable exception, with an unlikely name, is chinatown express on the corner of 7th and h streets. my brother, andrew, turned us onto it a few months back when he stopped by dc for a day. there is always a cook in the front window stuffing pork dumplings and stretching out thick, chewy noodles - the cornerstone of their business. for $5-8, depending on the fixings, you can get a hefty bowl of soup that will fuel the tanks for an afternoon exploring the nearby smithsonian portrait gallery.

smithsonian folklife festival 2009

2009-06-29T13:13:00.001-04:00

smithsonian folklife festival 2009
Originally uploaded by david&alina

having fun with my new wide angle lens and enjoying some rockin' colombian music at the smithsonian folklife festival.

alina at home

2009-06-29T13:10:00.002-04:00

alina
Originally uploaded by david&alina

almost a year after our 'great adventure,' we've settled into our new life in dc. alina is working at BLT for chef laurent tourondel and i am working at ADOUR for chef alain ducasse. we're having fun, adjusting to life back on the mainland. it comes with lots of perks, like good restaurants, a city with a vibrant nightlife and lots to do. we've been taking in a few phish shows - the hampton reunion was one of the best i've ever seen them play... we're also taking in a few soccer games, chelsea v ac milan in baltimore and real madrid (maybe including the infamous christian ronaldo) v dc united...
and of course, after a year in one place, we getting a little restless - contemplating our next adventure. right now, we are looking at a trip that will take us from eastern europe through russia via the trans-siberian railway, then onto mongolia, china, tibet, nepal and back to the indian subcontinent for a few months. afterwards, if we have any gas left in the tanks, we'll revisit some of our favorite places in southeast asia...
we'll see. for now we're in dc - making the most of our nation's capital.

we're connected

2009-03-03T01:12:00.000-05:00

our blog is now liked to david's facebook page - cool...

more border crossings...

2008-07-20T23:25:00.000-04:00

well, we've been busy traveling... our most recent endeavors have taken us across the ohio river, from kentucky to west virginia, then through maryland and into virgina before settling in washington, dc. maybe i should back up a little bit first. a few weeks ago, i had a chance to take a phone interview with the corporate chef from groupe alain ducasse, arranged by my old chef and good friend, bertrand. it quickly led to a few more interviews and eventually to alina and i deciding to buy last minute tickets out of amman, jordan back home to louisville... can you believe that? after 9 months of methodical planning we had to make a decision to get airborn in less than 30 minutes. looking back, i am glad we did it. the job has come through - a sous chef position in alain ducasse's new kitchen at the st. regis hotel in washington, dc. it is called adour and will be opening sometime in september.
we did get to spend a few very short days in the ville before we had to take off - one of my oldest and best friends, kate, somehow managed to delay childbirth for 10 extra days just so i could be there to see her beautiful new baby - john douglas ratliff. he is awesome - we also got to spend time with a few other friends (ainsley) and family before we had to jump in a uhaul and cruise 700 miles east to the nation's capital.
right now we are living out of an extended stay hotel, driving a rental car and using a uhaul storage as our closet... things are still a little up in the air - hopefully within a couple of weeks we'll find an apartment and settle in a bit. we still can't believe that we are back in the united states, let alone in a new city getting ready to start a new job. it all happened so fast and rather opposite of how we had planned... we'll keep you posted on how it all unfolds. david

jordan, the wrap up

2008-07-10T19:14:00.000-04:00

our comments and observations of jordan:

• jordanian people are kind, warm, generous, and honest people.
• the most common greeting in jordan is "you are welcome to jordan!"
• jordanian people approach tourists to simply chat - they are not selling anything, nor getting paid a commission, nor begging for money…really quite refreshing
• compared to egypt, jordan seems to be more conservative and traditional. outside of amman and the surrounding area, the country has a somewhat "rural" feel.
• the natural landscape of jordan is stunning and beautiful. the rock, sand, and lunar landscapes seem almost other-worldly.
• jordan is lacking in public transportation systems. limited mini van transport is the most common mode of country transportation, which still gave us a fair amount of challenges.
• we slept in a tent on the roof in the capitol city…for only one night…
• jordan has delicious peaches, olives, and yoghurt…of course, not all combined
• how much hummus and felafel can we eat? loads…luckily, we love it!
• compared to egypt, english is not as widely spoken in jordan. it does seem that almost everyone knows how to say "hello and welcome!"
• jordanians are civilized drivers. they yield to pedestrians and don't honk near as much as the rest of the world.
• jordan has less beggars than the rest of the world also - during our entire stay we were only approached by a couple.
• masks aren't produced in jordan. we searched far and wide and were disappointed to be unable to add a jordanian mask to our collection.
• it's still a shisha and tea culture…just with fewer local women partaking
• things in jordan cost somewhat more than in egypt, but are still affordable to the western tourist.

what things cost in jordan:

• the ferry from egypt to jordan to cross the border $16.00
• double ensuite room at the mariam hotel in madaba $42.00
• a two day pass to petra $37.00
• admission to mt. nebo $1.40
• admission to amman beach $17.00
• a mud bath at amman beach $3.50
• a hired cab for the day in madaba $43.00
• a three-hour mini van ride from wadi musa to amman $5.60
• apple shisha $1.15
• internet usage at a café $2.25 per hour
• mint tea $0.75
• large bottled water $0.50
• large bottled water at petra $2.80
• 12 oz diet coke $0.50
• fresh squeezed orange juice $1.00
• felafel sandwich from a street vendor $0.35
• hummus $0.75
• fuul $0.75
• a casual jordanian dinner for two $9.00
• shwarma sandwich with french fries and salad $1.75
• a large chicken kabob $3.50
• one kilo of mixed fruits $1.00
• a local bedouin scarf $5.60
• silver earrings $17.00
• an evil eye ornament $4.20
• postcard $0.35
• postage to the usa $1.40

what's next?
.....???.............

mt nebo, bethany and the dead sea

2008-07-05T04:54:00.000-04:00

i guess you could consider our journey to madaba something of a religious pilgrimage. throughout the last 8 months, we've made our way around the world discovering numerous buddhist and hindu places of pilgrimage. however, we have seen relatively few christian places of importance. a couple of weeks ago we climbed mt. sinai and watched sunrise at the site where god gave moses the ten commandments... since then, we have gotten more excited about the part of the world we are in and what we can see here. that trip to sinai has even inspired us to consider visiting israel to visit jeruslaem, bethlehem and nazareth. a few days ago, though, we got to see some very important christian and jewish sites right here in jordan.
our day started with a visit to the top of mt. nebo and the moses memorial church. here, at mt. nebo, is where god showed moses the promised land and also the area where moses died at the age of 120. in addition to it's religious significance, it also provided us with an amazing view of the jordan river valley, the dead sea and, of course, israel (the promised land...). afterwards we made our way down into the jordan river valley to visit the site of john the baptist's missionary at bethany-beyond-the-jordan. bethany is most importantly known as the site of jesus' baptism, but is also considered the site where the prophet elijah ascended into heaven. it was a special place and we felt very humbled to be there. after our two religious stops, we got do something dramatically less spiritual when we went to amman beach on the shore of the dead sea. we got to float in the salt laden waters, feeling more buoyant than ever - a very awkward experience. afterwards, we covered ourselves in the mineral rich mud of the dead sea and let it work it's magic. after a few more hours lounging poolside and absorbing the unique sunlight of the area (below 400 meters sea level, the area around the dead sea receives less uv rays than anywhere on earth...) we headed back to madaba where we continued the pampering with steaming, jacuzzi, scrubbing and massage at the madaba turkish bath. all in all, the day proved to be one of the most spiritually significant and one of the most enjoyable of our 8 months of travel. david

visiting petra

2008-06-28T15:20:00.000-04:00

we're in jordan and we wasted no time making our way to the town of wadi musa, located outside of the ancient city of petra. for those of you that are indian jones fans, this is the huge temple complex that was used as the backdrop for 'the last crusade.' a few years before that, about 2000, it was the home to the nabataean empire. if you are like me and have never heard of the nabataeans, they were major middlemen in the arabic spice route and made fortunes of money in the frankincense, myrrh and indian spices - real old school, biblical stuff… as our guidebook explains, they bought all of the goods as they entered petra, sold the traders new camel caravans and then resold the spices to others who transported everything on through sinai and then to alexandria where it was loaded onto boats and headed to europe. anyways, they made a fortune in the process and in turn created some of the most amazing temples, tombs and amphitheaters with their wealth - all carved right into and out of the steep red sandstone cliffs of the valley they settled. we bought a two day pass to see the ruins spread throughout the valley. however, we were feeling rather energetic and managed to see most of the major sites today including the treasury, the main building carved right into a massive cliff, and the monastery, an even larger building carved into the mountains. they were both awesome and the 800 stairs to the top of the valley to see the monastery rewarded us with excellent views of the ancient city below.

after 8 hours of hiking, we rewarded ourselves with a few falafel sandwiches, some local yogurt and the best peaches i have ever tasted (sorry georgia). we’re resting and relaxing tonight while gearing up for another day in the valley - tomorrow a climb to the 'high place of sacrifice' - i think the name says it all…

david

egypt, the wrap up

2008-06-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

our comments and observations of egypt:

• egyptians are kind, helpful, smiling, and happy people.
• egyptians are welcoming. a most common greeting is "welcome to egypt!"
• the pyramids and ancient sights of egypt are definitely some of the best we've seen on the trip. they are astounding sights that we will not soon forget.
• a huge percentage of tourists in egypt are on package tours. as independent travelers we were definitely a part of the minority.
• egyptian men are rather forward and a bit too flirtatious for my taste. even though i dressed conservatively and was accompanied by two men (one being my husband), i still received an inappropriate amount of unwanted male attention. i can only imagine the amount of headache female travelers must deal with when traveling to egypt on their own…
• i'm over the leering…
• hassles, hustles, and scams…they say egypt is full of them. we actually weren't hassled nearly as much as we expected. the worst we dealt with were obnoxious souvenir touts with their "do you know how much?" - which was actually kind of amusing at times. thankfully, we traveled the country without being hustled or scammed…of course, we didn't start traveling yesterday.
• we quickly realized that many numbers are displayed primarily in arabic and not in roman numerals. needless to say, we gave ourselves a crash course on reading arabic numbers so we could simply ride the bus or decipher signs.
• the mcarabia: lamb patties with tomatoes, cucumbers, and tahini sauce on a pita bread - another unique mcdonalds menu item.
• the food in egypt is delicious! i was thrilled to finally have so many raw fruits and vegetables readily available. prior to egypt, i was craving salad in a mean way.
• egyptians smoke as if they are exempt from lung cancer. shisha and tea seems to be a part of daily (or all day) culture. shisha = water pipe with flavored tobacco such as apple, mango, peach, lemon, or honey - actually quite nice and relaxing on occasion.
• we love the call to prayer! to us it sounds magical and beautiful.
• many egyptian buildings lack a proper roof. it appears that additional floors are a plan for the future - perhaps for new wives?
• with egyptian wages being very low, many workers depend on the baksheesh (tip) as a vital component of their income. unfortunately, it often seemed that people wanted a baksheesh for doing…nothing. rather annoying at times.
• with a lack of fixed pricing, signage, and price lists, egypt is another country that tends to "tax" foreign tourists almost constantly. a pound here, a pound there, its easy to feel that your constantly being overcharged. we learned to accept it and deal with it without letting it ruin our day. steep admission fees are the biggest expense for travelers to egypt - and even with the foreign "tax", it still remains affordable to the western traveler.

what things cost in egypt:

• a triple ensuite a/c room at the tutotel hotel in luxor $31.00
• the 9 hr. overnight tourist train from cairo to luxor $60.00
• a short ride on the cairo metro $0.20
• a 9hr. hour bus from cairo to dahab $17.00
• a city bus to the giza pyramids $0.40
• admission to the giza plateau $10.00
• photos with a camel in giza $4.00
• admission to the egyptian museum $10.00
• additional museum fee to see the royal mummies $14.00
• admission to luxor temple $8.00
• a hired cab for the day in luxor $30.00
• mt. sinai excursion $20.00
• mint tea at a local café $0.60
• shisha with apple tobacco $1.00
• turkish coffee $0.80
• a large bottled water $0.40
• a bottle of stella beer $2.25
• 12 oz diet coke $0.50
• large shwarma sandwich $1.75
• hummus dip $0.40
• felafel sandwich $0.30
• fuul in pita $0.20
• stuffed grape leaves $2.50
• a large salad with feta cheese $2.25
• half-chicken dinner with salad and rice $5.00
• a large selection of mezze for 3 people $12.00
• a nice seafood dinner for 3 in Alexandria $40.00
• a cotton scarf $2.00
• shell earrings $2.00
• the egypt mask $7.00
• postcard $0.20
• postage to the usa $0.55

what's next?

tomorrow we'll take a one hour bus to the port town of nuweiba, then a one hour ferry across the red sea to aqaba, jordan. we'll see you in the middle east!

onward!

alina

climbing mt. sinai

2008-06-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

after nearly 8 months of visiting countless buddhist and hindu religious sites we finally are pilgrims ourselves. our trip to the summit of mt. sinai, where moses received the ten commandments from god, began at 11:30pm when we left the confines of our guesthouse and set out on a two hour bus ride through the sinai peninsula to the monastery of st. catherine's at the base of the 3000 meter mountain. our group of 12 met up with a bedouin guide, whose job it was to see that we safely made it to the top of the mountain before sunrise, roughly 4 hours in our future… at that point, we should have realized that the hike to the summit would be far more difficult than the guidebooks led on. in fact, the 6-kilometer (roughly 3 mile) hike to the summit, capped off with a climb up 750 steep stone stairs, was by far the most physically challenging thing that we have done in all of our travels. the somewhat steep, gravel and rock switchbacks seemed never-ending in the middle of the night. and when we did finally reach the base of the stone stairway, we were long done wondering if the trip was worth all of the effort. however, perhaps through divine intervention, we persevered and found ourselves amid a few hundred other pilgrims at the summit of mt. sinai roughly an hour before sunrise. as we vied for a place to sit among the crowd, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. as the sky brightened, we saw just how far up 3000 meters really is. the rugged dessert mountains and the sand valleys below seemed almost unearthly from such a vantage point. shortly after sunrise, the crowds dispersed and we were left with a few moments of solitude to pray and give thanks for all of the blessings we have and for all of the experiences of our 8 months adventuring around the earth.
our descent back down the steep stairs and never-ending switchbacks was somewhat less grueling, but challenging none-the-less. we ended our hike, where it began, at the greek orthodox monastery of st. catherine's. the chapel at st. catherine's is one of the oldest surviving christian sites in the world and it is home to what is regarded as the burning bush where god spoke to moses. the beautifully maintained gardens and walkways made for a nice end to our long night of climbing. after re-boarding the bus back to dahab, our group of 12, alina and i included, quickly fell to sleep. we made it back to the jasmine guesthouse in time for breakfast, a shower and a long afternoon in the confines of our air conditioned room catching up on missed sleep and resting our tired legs. david

from alexandria to dahab

2008-06-24T11:55:00.001-04:00

after three full days of touring luxor, we took an overnight train back to cairo then another 2 hour train north to the seaside city of alexandria. founded by alexander the great, its the site of one of the ancient wonders of the world, the pharos lighthouse. we really didn't do much in the city, besides relax in the cooler temperatures, enjoy the mediterranean views, and gorge ourselves on fantastic fresh seafood - it made for a nice few days. we returned to cairo for only one night, to see jason off to the airport. bye jason…we had a blast hanging out! after jason's departure david and i boarded a 9 hour bus headed to the sinai peninsula - which is where we are now, in the resort town of dahab. we've been enjoying the relaxed vibe from our beach-front room overlooking the red sea. the rugged coastline of saudi arabia seems so near in the distance across the water. tonight we're taking an excursion, or pilgrimage we might say to mount sinai and the monastery of st catherine. we leave at 11pm…we'll keep you posted.

alina

the egypt mask

2008-06-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

king tutankhamun ruled egypt for 9 years during the 14th century bc. the tomb of the pharaoh was discovered by an english archeologist in 1922 and is known as one of the most famous tombs in the valley of the kings because of the priceless collection of pharaonic treasures that were buried with the mummy.

the original death mask, on exhibition at the cairo egyptian museum, is made of solid gold and weighs 11kg. the mask is an idealized portrait of the young pharaoh and covered the head of the mummy, where it laid inside a series of three sarcophagi. seeing the original death mask and the tutankhamun galleries at the egyptian museum was definitely a highlight during our visit. this is the mask from egypt. it is the pharaoh tutankhamun.

alina

and more eating in egypt...

2008-06-22T07:42:00.001-04:00

fiteer is often inadequately described as an 'egyptian pancake' on restaurant menus. in fact, even the best fiteer place in cairo is called the egyptian pancake house. however, fiteer is far from a pancake... thinly rolled and hand tossed dough, loaded with a wide variety of savory or sweet toppings and baked in a wood fired pizza oven - the result is a crispy, ultra thin, bubbly dough filled with your choice of ingredients. some of our favorites are a savory version stuffed with lamb kofta, tomatoes, olives and onions - another is sweet, filled with pastry cream, hazelnuts and golden raisins - then loaded with butter, sugar and milk curds after baking.

egypt has a vibrant coffee house culture. drinking super sweet mint tea, caffeine loaded turkish coffee and smoking a sheesha (water pipe) loaded with apple tobacco is a regular part of every egyptian's day. the norm is to be served a copper, brass or silver tray holding your drink order. then all you have to do is sit back and let a few hours pass by before deciding where to go eat lunch or dinner... no wonder egyptians smile and laugh so damn much.

koshari is everywhere... it is the heart and soul of egyptian quick eats and does for egyptians what biscuits and gravy do for me... koshari is a carbo load mixture of browm rice, lentils, chickpeas, tube pasta and brown vermicelli, doctored up with fried onions, cumin spiced tomato sauce, chile pepper sauce and fresh lemon/lime juice. the best comes from abu tarek in downtown cairo - a four story restaurant that serves nothing but koshari - and it is packed all day long... we ate there more than a few times, but also managed to sample other versions of it outside of the capital...

baklava comes in all shapes and sizes throughout the mediterranean and middle east. they are all basically, mixed fruit or nuts layered with phyllo dough, baked and then soaked in honey. they are sticky and super sweet - perfect served with egyptian or turkish coffee and guarantied to induce a food coma when you over indulge in them...

more egyptian eating...

2008-06-22T07:22:00.001-04:00

i love shwarma - mixed beef and lamb trimmings spit roasted and carved to order, served with grilled tomatoes and onions on a warm roll slathered with thahini - perfection... in cairo you can't make it down a city block without finding at least a few little shops like this one - and believe me, i found my way into more than a few too...

aish, or bread, is the basis of every egyptian meal. long gone are our rice eating days of asia. now alina has a different type of carbohydrate to fret over. not me though, i try to eat as much of it as possible. this is a whole wheat version, while the majority is a simpler, thinner white flour version.

moussaka, yet another eggplant variation... this one is a rich, creamy and cheesy version served bubbling hot in a crock filled with stewed eggplant, tomaotes, onions, green peppers, cumin and black pepper. we also had lighter versions, without dairy, served in more of a tomato based sauce. both are excellent. they are usually accompanied with some steamed rice mixed with a little whole wheat vermicelli noodles on the side.

greek salad, shepherd's salad, egyptian salad... this one has a variety of different names on the menu, but they are all basically the same. ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parsley, onion and some sour goat milk cheese with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper. a much welcomed relief after 2 months of fearing fresh vegetables (and the stomach problems they caused) in india...

eggplant is it's own food group in egypt. served fried, stuffed, pickled, pureed, stewed... you name it and the egyptians have managed to perfect it. this version is part of the mezze, a cold salad of fried eggplant, tomatoes and parsley served with a few lemon/lime wedges.

eating in egypt

2008-06-22T06:57:00.001-04:00

so, after two weeks in egypt, i have long forgotten our banana leaf lunch and masala dosa overload of india. instead, we have been wowed with the abundance and variety of vegetables, meats and seafood in north africa. egyptian food is based around bread, mezze and grilled proteins. in the last 14 odd days, we have had our fair share of all three. we have eaten in numerous stand-up, fast food restaurants in cairo, sampled koshari (egyptian soul food) and gorged on seafood on the mediterranean coast. i have tried to take pictures of most of it, a task that was often forgotten as the food was sat on the table in front of us. in the following few posts, i'll try to show you a few of the region favorites.

there is lots of fresh cheese in egypt. most of it is creamy and slightly fermented, giving it a nice tart, sour flavor. it is a staple of the collection of mezze, or appetizers, that is served before the main courses. most times, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, along with olive oil and cracked pepper, are served around or along side for dipping.

fuul, pronounced fowl, is a staple for breakfast, lunch and dinner in egypt. take-aways sell fuul pitas for about 10 cents and a few of them will get you through a long afternoon of sightseeing. in this version, served in a small restaurant in alexandria, the beans were covered with fried garlic and drowned in olive oil. again, great with some egyptian bread to soak it all up.

stuffed grape leaves are a staple food of the middle east and mediterranean. for the uninitiated, they are brined grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices and steamed until the rice is tender. they are great both hot and cold and are often served, rehaeted in a little vegetable broth with caramelized onions and tomatoes. the egyptian name for them is wara einab.

grilled kidneys - offal meats, organs and brains are readily available in every restaurant. fast food places serve grilled liver sandwiches and brains stuffed into pita. it is everywhere. we (actually just me, alina and jason passed... go figure) had grilled kidneys at a little place in alexandria. i was really surprised at how great they were. really tender and mild no strong flavors. they were served over watercress, just like kofta, and were delicious eaten the same way in pita with raw veggies and thahini.

kofta is minced beef or lamb, often mixed together. it is spiced and formed onto skewers before being griled. most of the time, it is served over some chopped bitter greens like watercress or arugula. it is best stuffed into some aish, egypt's version of pita. with a few cucumbers, tomatoes and some thahini, it makes for a perfect dinner - one of my favorites, for sure.

the baksheesh bandits

2008-06-19T14:02:00.001-04:00

baksheesh = tip

baksheesh bandit = one that performs a "duty" with the hopes of receiving a baksheesh

archeological remains indicate that the luxor area has been inhabited for over 6000 years. wow…now that's old. egypt's greatest attraction after the pyramids, luxor is often described as "the word's largest open-air museum" and was a must-see on our list of places in egypt to visit. aside from the 105 degree temperature, the obnoxious souvenir touts (do you know how much?), and the incessant baksheesh bandits - our three days of touring luxor proved to be nothing short of spectacular. we spend two of the days touring the east bank and visiting the incredible luxor and karnak temples. as independent tourists, we are definitely the minority as we are easily enveloped by seas of hundreds of package tourists being herded around like cattle. egyptian tour guides lead the groups around speaking in japanese, french, spanish, korean, and english. the baksheesh bandits: the numerous "unofficial" guides who gave us tidbits of information and explanations, and the armed security guards who let jason into a couple of restricted areas.

mohammed, our hired driver for the day, picks us up at 7am to begin our tour of the west bank. our first stop is the valley of the kings, an isolated rock canyon that is the final resting place for much of the egyptian royalty. in all, about 62 tombs have been excavated; the 60 LE ($12.00 usd) admission fee allows us to view three, in which we select tuthmosis III, ramses I, and ramses IV. the tombs and striking canyon area are really interesting and amazing sights to see. the baksheesh bandits: a couple of "unofficial" guides who gave explanation of hieroglyphs, the ticket taker at the ramses IV tomb that loaned me a cardboard fan, a man who shined a flashlight into the tomb of tuthmosis III so we could see some intricate carvings, and the non-smiling woman who demanded a baksheesh for me to use one of the nasty backed-up toilets with no toilet paper. unreal. following the valley of the kings, we visit the temple of hatshepsut, a partly rock-cut structure that is one of the finest monuments of ancient egypt. following some potent turkish coffee, we lastly visit the amazing medinat habu temple complex with its mud brick ruins of the surrounding medieval town. we end the tour with a 20 LE baksheesh for mohammed, who certainly deserves and needs it for his two wives and four children at home. prior to exiting his cab, mohamed recites his hopes and wishes for our futures:

1. when we return to egypt he hopes he will have a third wife - perhaps one that is nubian, because he likes black skin. he says she will live on the third floor of his home, since wife number one lives on the first floor and wife number two lives on the second floor. makes perfect sense to me…

2. when we return to egypt he hopes he will have more children - perhaps more boys so they may grow up to work in the fields of his family's land.

3. when we return to egypt he hopes that david and i have a child of our own.

4. when we return to egypt he hopes that jason will have a wife - and if not, he will assist in getting him an egyptian wife. this may actually work out rather well, because jason says he likes the headscarf "look" and he finds the sight of a woman drinking a mcdonald's milkshake under a burka quite intriguing and sexy…

alina

My arrival in Egypt

2008-06-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Ever since learning about Egypt from the early years of school, I have wanted to make the visit. Then when talking with my uncle many years ago he told me about an article that encouraged you to make a list of 100 things you wanted to do in your life. I made my list and second on my list was Egypt! However, I never figured I would find a situation that would allow me to make the Journey with others, and going into such a foreign country rattled my nerves. Then when talking with David and Alina about their trip I discovered that I now knew somebody making the same journey that I have always desired.

Soon after taking off from NY, I felt much like a child going on the worlds largest rollercoaster with every inch of ground I covered I knew I was in closer to my goal. Alina and David were very nice and meet me at the Airport, to soon find that my security pouch with all my money was already missing, after a walk around the Airport I found my pouch in the backroom of the main security room who just wanted to make sure I understood that I could get all my money back for a small price 40 US.

That night I took my first walk into the brawling city that reminded me much of New York until we walked 3 more blocks and then I realized I was in another land. I was very surprised at how kind and little hassle we all had to deal with, and despite all the information about a dirty city it was clean enough and the sights and sounds made the little problems such as missing sidewalk grates no problem.

The next day we took the trip to the Pyramids of Giza (the great Pyramids) "The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World." After getting off the bus we were met with several people who were willing to tell us a half-mile walk was over 3 miles but we knew better because of Alinas much LP reading. My camera came out and took the first of 35 pictures in a very short period of time. The Sphinx was much like meeting a TV personality in the flesh - always smaller than had been imagined but still an amazing sight when looking at the 3 Pyramids in the backdrop. We paid our fees for the Camel shot that one couldn't leave Egypt without! As well as I paid out the 100 pounds to make the journey up into the main chamber, nothing like the movie but a quick touch of the 4000-year-old wall still made ones jaw drop.

This has been the most amazing experience of any vacation trip to date! As I sit in a Coffee shop smoking Shisha and drinking tea one can not help but thank my uncle for the idea of the list so many years ago.

- Jason

india, the wrap up

2008-06-06T06:39:00.000-04:00

our thoughts and observations of india:

• indian people are friendly, engaging, and interesting people to meet. with minimal to no language barriers (many indians speak excellent english), we enjoyed meeting and conversing with numerous locals.
• indian people are curious about travelers. they love to shake your hand, pose for photos, and ask lots of questions. the most common questions are: what is your good name? what is your country? what is your job? are you married? do you have children? do you like india?
• we've met and conversed with more people (locals) in india than in all of the other countries combined. we had the most interesting and engaging conversations with people we met during long-haul train journeys.
• india is hot…best described as being in an oven. our first night in calcutta we stayed in a non a/c room and david dreamt he was baking bread.
• the head bobble…took us a while to get used to it…we finally understand it…
• we're over the spitting…again
• i'm over the squatting…again
• in india you need to make things happen. otherwise, they may not…
• the norm in many budget hotels is fans with one speed and water with one temperature.
• can a stone wall be a stone wall for the sake of being a stone wall? no - in india it must be painted with advertisement for concrete, jewelry, or wedding saris.
• in india there is no mercy for pedestrians. on our first day in new delhi, three pedestrians were killed by three different speeding city buses. while on a tour of varanasi, our cab driver side-swiped a young boy on a bicycle. i looked back to see the child laying motionless in the middle of the street. without hesitation, our driver continued speeding along to our next destination. i was absolutely horrified.
• wifi…hard to come by outside of the large major cities in india. we went for weeks unable to upload photos.
• the rubbish, pollution, and filth is like no other we have ever experienced. local attitudes regarding littering are not of the "earth-friendly" variety.
• when it comes to being loud, the indians give the chinese a run for their money.
• only in india do babies wear eyeliner…cute as can be…
• we finally got dysentery. number of days sick: 8
• often times i wondered: just how long do you need to stare at me? in my opinion, a lot of indian men have a MAJOR case of the staries. in addition to making me feel uncomfortable, i found it incredibly rude. i thought everyone knew that… unfortunately, i often felt my feelings were completely disregarded - a very disappointing aspect to deal with for the two months in the country.
• with beautiful silk saris, gold jewelry, bangles, and nose rings - indian women dress absolutely beautifully.
• we realized quickly that when you live with a billion people, there tends to be a fair amount of pushing and shoving with minimal niceties or apologies. we found ourselves in a few rather uncivilized/stampede-like situations simply walking through doorways or stepping onto escalators. again, we had size and weight on our side and i found the "straight-arm-across-the-chest" stance worked rather well in situations of guarding my chest or guarding my life. guarding my chest became standard after noticing the numerous "accidental" feel ups…another disappointing aspect about the men that was upsetting to deal with.
• the in-your-face poverty was overwhelming at moments and very saddening. we did become accustomed to dealing with the beggars. we gave to some, and didn't give to most. we never gave to child beggars.
• traveling in india presented some challenges. it definitely tested our endurance, patience, health and good humor. at moments we did feel there was a lot of effort for just a little bit of pleasure. it was almost like a love/hate relationship. it was easy to hate the same things we loved so much about the country.
• we love vegetarian food! with a largely vegetarian population, india offers some of the best vegetarian cuisine we've eaten.
• without beef on the menu, mcdonald's india offers quite a unique experience. instead of the big mac, they have the chicken maharaja mac. other items included paneer wraps, fish sandwiches, aloo tikki burgers, and my personal favorite…the mcveggie burger with cheese. yummy!
• we've received excellent service while dining in indian restaurants. we can count the "check backs" on one hand from our first five months of travel. indian waiters always check back and have provided the best service we've received on the trip thus far.
• beer and alcohol is not widely available throughout india and the majority of eating establishments to not have licensing to serve it legally. in such cases, many places serve beer "disguised" in coffee mugs or in tea pots.
• being in india for a while really makes you miss home. i listened to david carry on for days about mazzoni's rolled oysters and moby dick's fish sandwiches. one desperate moment he stated he would pay 20 usd for a chik-fil-a sandwich with waffle fries…
• 5 rupees here, 10 rupees there, 100 rupees occasionally, we were almost constantly overcharged. unfortunately, tourists are for the most part treated as human atm machines and it's easy to feel that you're constantly being ripped off. we tried our best to maintain a positive attitude and decided that it's just not worth it to get bent out of shape for what may total $50 bucks when it's all said and done. even with the jacked foreign pricing, india is still cheap and affordable to the western traveler.

what things cost in india:

• double ensuite non a/c room $10.00
• double ensuite a/c room $21.00
• internet service in a café $0.75 per hour
• an 8 hour unreserved train ride $2.75 per person
• a 23 hour 2 a/c reserved train ride $45.00 per person
• a short ride on new delhi's metro $0.12
• a 45 minute pre-paid cab ride $4.00
• a short cycle-rickshaw ride in new delhi $0.50
• a 3 hour jeep ride to darjeeling $2.00
• a 5 hour tour of the backwaters of kerala $14.00 per person
• admission to the kathakali theatre in cochi $3.75
• admission to the taj mahal $18.00
• admission to a movie $5.00
• popcorn and a coke $2.00
• a full day tour of new delhi $6.00
• masala dosa $0.45
• chola poori $0.50
• vegetable samosa $0.12
• banana leaf thali lunch in the south $0.75
• order of paneer butter masala $1.50
• nan $0.50
• roti $0.17
• vegetable biriyani $1.25
• a mutton kati roll $1.25
• a fancy thali dinner $3.50
• indian dinner for 2 in a nice restaurant $10.00
• whole tandoori chicken $4.50
• mcdonald's chicken maharaja mac combo meal $2.90
• a large chicken/pineapple pizza from pizza hut $11.00
• a bengali sweet $0.12
• a cheese omelet and toast with butter $1.00
• 2 liter bottle of aquafina water $0.55
• milk tea at a local café $0.25
• cafe latte at a trendy coffee shop $1.25
• 12oz diet coke $0.50
• a large bottle of kingfisher beer $2.50
• a lassi $0.80
• a fresh lime soda $0.50
• postcard $0.12
• postage to the usa $0.20
• a shave and a haircut $0.68
• a silk scarf $7.00
• a pair of garnet earrings $4.00
• a silver tibetan necklace $18.00
• the india mask $1.50

what's next?

we're currently in mumbai (bombay). tomorrow morning we'll take an 8+ hour flight to cairo, egypt via bahrain. goodbye (finally) to asia…hello africa. we'll see you at the pyramids!

onward!

alina

the taj

2008-06-06T06:35:00.001-04:00

the taj mahal is a mausoleum built under mughal emperor, shan jahan in memory of his favorite wife, mumtaz mahal. also known as the "taj", it is considered to be the finest example of mughal architecture. in 1983 the taj became a unesco world heritage site and was cited as "the jewel of muslim art in india and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage."

we saved the best for last and visited the taj mahal during our last week in india. here are a few shots of the magnificent mausoleum…

alina

the india mask

2008-06-06T06:33:00.000-04:00

kali or kalika is the hindu goddess of time and of the transformation that is kala, or death. also known as the goddess of dissolution and destruction, she is known for destroying ignorance and negativity and she helps those who strive for knowledge of god. as the supreme feminine manifestation of compassion, she frees us from the prison of our own ego. we located the mask in the area of calcutta surrounding the kali temple, one of calcutta's holiest spots - the city is said to be named in her honor. this is the mask from india - she is kali.

alina

our delhi day tour

2008-05-28T13:35:00.001-04:00

after enjoying a few days of urban life in new delhi, alina and i took a day tour of the city, organized through the indian department of tourism. it was a low maintenance way for us to see all of the sites, without haggling with auto rickshaw drivers, tour guides and souvenir touts. we got a chance to see a couple unesco world heritage sites, including the imposing minaret at qutub minar and the old city's red fort. the bahai house of worship, an enormous white marble lotus flower shaped temple, and the rajghat, where mahatma gandhi was cremated, were also standouts for the day. here are a few photos of the sites. david.

in the clouds

2008-05-28T13:31:00.001-04:00

himalayan views, darjeeling tea and hospitable nepali and tibetian culture made darjeeling a perfect escape from the oppressive pre-monsoon heat of the north indian plains. we spent 10 days enjoying the views of mt everest and the himalayian mountain range from our rustic corner suite at the bellevue hotel at the top of darjeeling. at about 6000 ft elevation, the daytime temperature rarely exceeded 65 degrees - a nice change from the 105 degrees of varanasi only days before… here are a few pics from our room. david

tea anyone?

2008-05-20T00:27:00.000-04:00

we're in darjeeling - it’s a surprise to us too, and a complete last-minute change to our itinerary. trying to beat the heat, we left varanasi and took a northbound 12 hour overnight train that somehow turned into a 24 hour whole-day train!? following that, a three hour jeep ride up the mountains deposited us at the beautiful hill station of darjeeling. at over 6,000 feet elevation and nestled in between nepal, tibet, and bhutan, we're enjoying the 65 degree temperature (a 40 degree drop), and our lungs appreciate the fresh air. surrounded by mountains, tea estates (yes…darjeeling tea), and smiling tibetan people, its really the perfect place to recover. unfortunately, we're on the mend from the dysentery we both acquired while in varanasi. there's nothing like a good food borne illness to shave off those few unwanted pounds…luckily, we are armed with antibiotics from the travel doctor in hawaii and hopefully the nasty critter is dead. we're both feeling much better…and looking rather trim…

for (only) the second time in india, we actually have access to wifi and are able to upload photos and bring the blog up to date. check out flickr for new india pics. i've really only spent time in the room for the last three days - so i don't have much to say about darjeeling, nor do we have any photos yet… i can say that the view from our corner suite at the rustic bellevue hotel is absolutely magnificent. we're here for a few more days and do plan to get out to see some sights…so we'll keep you posted!

alina

the ghats at varanasi

2008-05-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

from bodhgaya we easily made our way to varanasi, or the city of shiva, one of the holiest cities in india. the old city of varanasi is situated along the western bank of the ganges river and is lined with many bathing ghats, or "stairs" that lead down to the river. hindu pilgrims come to varanasi to wash away a lifetime of sins or to cremate their loved ones. many priests and spiritual leaders line the ghats as well, offering their services to those in need. our private 5am boat ride allowed us to take some shots of the action…

alina

let's sit under the bodhi tree

2008-05-17T08:09:00.000-04:00

i dreamt i was sleeping on dirt…perhaps i was? we bolt out of the shit-hole-hotel as if it were on fire. after booking our next onward train leg, we make our way via rickshaw to bodhgaya, only 13km away. one of the 4 most important buddhist pilgrimage sights in the area, bodhgaya is where siddhartha guatama attained enlightenment beneath a bodhi tree and so became buddha. the highlight and spiritual center of the city is the magnificent world heritage listed mahabodi temple, located adjacent to the famous bodhi tree. the small city of 30,000 is also peppered with monasteries and temples of international buddhist communities and attract pilgrims and monks from all over the world who visit to study and meditate. we enjoyed some peaceful moments as we soaked up the ambience while sitting under the bodhi tree.

alina

kochi to kolkata and onward...barely

2008-05-17T07:59:00.002-04:00

after a 5 hour bus ride, a 25 hour train ride, and 6 cups of chai each, we finally make it to calcutta. crowded, polluted, poor, and squalid…the poverty is definitely in-your-face and very saddening. locally regarded as the cultural and intellectual capital of the nation, we did enjoy several days touring the city sights and eating delicious bengali cuisine. first we visited the magnificent victoria memorial, which so reminds us of our own u.s. capitol building. another highlight was the kali temple - calcutta's holiest spot. hundreds of worshippers swarmed the temple making flower offerings and sacrificing goats to the three-eyed kali, goddess of the temple. we found the visit to be very enjoyable, even though the touts and beggars were in full force and always seemed to be trailing us close behind. on our final day we visited mother teresa's mission to visit her tomb and see the room she slept in. she was such a tiny, remarkable woman with a huge heart. we said a prayer, made a donation to the mission, and signed the guestbook as we made our exit. we had a great time in calcutta, until the day we left…

we figured 3 hours would be enough time to get a cab to the station, buy a couple of train tickets (for a future journey), and grab some breakfast and snacks prior to our 11:45am departure to gaya. after paying the inflated 100 rupee cab fare to howrah station, we quickly learn that the tourist ticket office is located back in town, and not at the train station (where it should be). yes - it is possible to trip plan for over a year and still overlook important facts such as this. we make our way past the taxi wallahs and drivers and lug our packs to the pre-paid cab line. Our 2nd hired cab deposits us at the tourist train ticketing office, which we learn has just opened in the last few minutes. the single working ticket seller calls out "number one". we are number 21. we wait for 15 minutes…he is on number 3. we accept the fact that we do not have enough time to wait and leave the office to hire our 3rd cab. this time we are quoted the fair rate of 50 rupees - we must have a look of defeat in our eyes, or simply look pathetic. we reach back to howrah station and learn even more bad (very bad) news. we are at the WRONG station all together. our train to gaya departs from kolkata station…45 minutes away!!! we head back through the taxi wallahs and drivers - back to the pre paid cab line - we appear to be complete lunatics at this point. our 4th hired cab driver of the day is the most passive, calm, safe, and SLOWEST driver in all of calcutta. he respects pedestrians and animals in the streets and barely even honks his horn. he doesn't pull out in front of buses, nor does he cut anyone off. what is this? did he just start driving yesterday? he stops 4 times to pop the hood and pour water somewhere in the motor. he stops 4 more times to ask for directions. unreal. we tell him our train leaves in 10 minutes and that we are in a rush…he obviously speaks no english as he bobbles his head and smiles. we arrive to the station at 11:41 and think that we may just have a chance to make the train. we blast our way, running through the station like we are crazy westerners. we reach our platform and amazingly, our compartment is directly in front of us at the base of the stairs. out of breath and ready to pass out from heat exhaustion (a common feeling in india), we take our seats. the train begins to pull away less than 45 seconds later…

we are happy to have made the train and say to each other, "how much worse can the day get?" well... a lot worse. the first six hours of the journey are fine. we both settle into our individual berths for napping, reading, and chai. out of nowhere, i begin to feel really nauseous and hot. david feels my forehead and says i'm burning up with fever. i go to the toilet and puke milk tea. i go back to my berth and feel like crap. the train reaches a station then doesn't pull away for over an hour as several armed guards with huge assault rifles patrol the compartments of the train. after an hour and a half delay, the train finally continues on. i continue puking for the remainder of the journey - seems i got a hold of some spoiled milk? at one point, david comes to me and says, "i don't want to worry you, but the conductor just told me that there are bandits in the area." i think, oh great - just what i need…some bandits to complete my day. after yet more delays, we finally reach gaya almost 3 hours late. tired and without much energy, we decide to stay in gaya for the night and make the short journey to bodhgaya (our destination) on the following morning. we stay at a hotel located directly across from the train station that turns out to be a real shit hole of a hotel - the worst we've stayed in as of yet. at least the sheets are clean…enough. i hit the bed still fully clothed and begin to immediately fall asleep. i can hear the bbc news in the background of david saying that he's hungry but there are only sweet shops open this late. the day definitely got worse. this traveling business…it's not always fun and games. sometimes it's about stressful mornings, delayed trains, crappy hotels, bandits, and puking. you just can't cry over spoiled milk…

alina

a day cruising the backwaters

2008-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

kerala = land of coconuts

the indian state of kerala is nice. the people are warm and friendly, and the land is green, lush, and beautiful - i've never seen so many coconut palms in my life. yesterday we took a five hour boat tour through the backwaters, or network of waterways that fringe the coast along the state. back in the days before roads existed, the local villagers used the small canals to get from town to town. today tiny rural settlements still live in the area and use the waterways to transport coconuts, bananas, nuts, and spices.

we toured the waterways on a kettuvalam, or covered rice barge. the boat was powered by two men - one in the front and one in the back that used 25 ft long bamboo poles to move and guide the boat. we made a couple of stops along the way to see how some local products are manufactured. first we stopped to see how fertilizer, calcium
supplements, and dyes are produced from the grinding of mussel shells. next we learned how fiber for rope is produced from coir, or coconut fibers. it was all quite interesting. our last stop was at a beach front cabana where we enjoyed a delicious kerala-style banana leaf lunch - yummy!

alina

timing is everything...

2008-04-24T11:55:00.001-04:00

unreserved. it means you're not guaranteed a seat. why not just dive in head first to our first train ride in india? luckily, an incredibly kind indian man felt sorry for me and gave me his seat for the 8 hour ride. he and his wife have unreserved tickets too, as i see them moving around the carriage throughout the journey trying to locate more available seats. david ends up sitting on the floor in the open doorway of the carriage - which he actually appears to enjoy. every time i turn around he's talking to someone new, shaking someone's hand, or posing for a picture. you would think he's a rock star or something…
later that night we arrive into madurai, one of south india's oldest cities that’s history dates back to the 4th century b.c.

the highlight of madurai is its amazing sri meenakshi temple complex, a religious landmark that attracts over 10,000 pilgrims and tourists a day. the temple is an example of dravidian architecture with its 12 highly decorated gopurams (towers) of carved celestial and animal figures. unfortunately (for us), all of the gopurams are being restored and are covered with wooden scaffolding. luckily, we are still able to see some of the intricate carvings and images beyond the wooden beams. once inside the temple we realize we have visited madurai in the midst of its most important festival, the chithrai festival, a 14 day event celebrating the marriage of two hindu deities, meenakshi and sundareshwara (shiva). the temple is swarming with thousands of pilgrims and visitors that have come to madurai to worship and enjoy the festival events. the "wedding" ceremony is scheduled for the following morning and we see hundreds of women cutting the 9 vegetables that will be prepared for the luncheon that will serve 75,000 people the following day. wow. we're amazed at our unplanned "timing" and are happy to have the opportunity to participate in the festival's events and join in on the celebrations.

a few days later we opt for a 6 hour bus ride that will take us to kanyakumari, our next destination. after a rather painful journey (hot, dusty, and loud), we arrive to the southernmost point of india, also known as cape comorin. the small city is the "lands end" of the indian subcontinent and is where the bay of bengal meets the arabian sea and the indian ocean. the city has great spiritual signifigance to hindu pilgrims and is a place where people visit to fulfill their spiritual duties and bathe in the sacred waters where the ashes of mahatma gandhi were spread. kanyakumari is also known for chaitrapurnima, or april full moon day, the best time to experience sunset and moonrise over the ocean simultaneously. to our amazement, we find out the april full moon day will occur the day after our arrival. again, we can hardly believe our lucky timing. the following evening we gather with thousands of others to observe the simultaneous sunset and moon rise over the 3 seas. popcorn, cotton candy, and chai vendors make the event feel like a fair. we shake many hands, pose for many pictures, and smile and wave back to what seems like hundreds of indian people that are so interested in us. david says lately he feels like a politician…we are both truly enjoying the interactions we're having with indian people.

a couple of days ago we made our way via 7 hour train (reserved sleeper this time) to the nice city of kochi, or cochin. we're staying on an island off the coast called fort cochin, which is small, quiet, and rather peaceful. our room is at a portugese heritage home called spencer house (800 rupees or $20.00) that is 360 years old. it has no a/c, but it is incredibly atmospheric. this morning we awoke to birds chirping, rather than honking horns…nice change of pace. tomorrow we're taking a day trip to cruise the backwaters of kerala - we'll keep you posted.

alina

our first days in india

2008-04-17T05:38:00.000-04:00

arrival into chennai was painless as our pre-paid cab deposits us directly at our hotel, the thaj regency (750 rupees, or $19.00). Air conditioning doubles the rate…but it feels like a hundred degrees outside. the bathroom's a bit skanky, but at least the toilet isn't a squatter and the a/c is icy cold. additionally, the room is gigantic and is about twice the size of our usual hotel room. after checking in, we take the lift to the rooftop to observe the city and street life below. weaving rickshaws, cows and goats in the street, lots of litter, and loads of people…we ain't in singapore anymore. we hit the streets in search of some grinds and within the hour we're enjoying some delicious south indian vegetarian cuisine. after eating we take a walk around the neighborhood, visit an internet café, and end the evening with some sweets and masala tea at a nearby bakery. not bad for day one. on the following day we hire an auto rickshaw driver to take us on a short tour to some of the surrounding sights and temples. one of the churches included st. thomas, which contains the tomb of the apostle. we weren't feeling the "shopping" portion of the tour and to the surprise of our driver, we ended the tour a bit earlier than he expected.

after a couple more days of slowly acclimating to india, we board a two hour bus for a short ride south to the small city of mamallapuram (pop. 12, 000). the city is listed as a world heritage site and is a renowned center for stone carving. about 200 sculptors/shops line the streets offering their magnificent works of art for sale. we purchase three tiny pendants from the actual artists. our first day in the city we visit the park areas that contain huge images carved into large stone formations. the carvings are distinctive for the simplicity of their folk art origins and show scenes of every day life. they are so detailed and amazing. we see a huge boulder known as krishna's butterball and decide to take a rest in the shade of the "precariously" balancing ball. we quickly draw a small crowd of locals who are eager to shake our hands and pose with us for photos. a group of young, happy guys tell us it’s the tamil new year, which is why the city is so busy with many indian families touring the sights. we laugh and have fun hanging out with them before finally moving on. after we're far away they are still waving and yelling "bye" to us - incredibly friendly people.

the following day we tour the two main historical sights of mamallapuram. first we visit the five rathas, which is considered to be one of the finest examples of early pallava art. the rock cut temples resemble chariots and the life-sized elephant image is regarded as one of the most perfectly sculptured elephants in india. next we visit the shore temple, which is world heritage listed and represents the final phase of pallava art. after the temple we enjoyed some time at the beach, watching the fishermen prepare their nets for the following day.

alina

singapore, the wrap up

2008-04-08T07:30:00.001-04:00

our comments and observations of singapore:

• same as other south east asians, singaporeans are friendly people.
• singapore is clean and modern. it seems like a really nice place to live.
• same as malaysia, singapore is ethnically diverse and english is widely spoken.
• the options for shopping and eating in singapore are endless - it's easy to fill the day doing just that.
• fines, fines, fines…singapore is full of them.
• we are still occasionally seeing footprints on the toilet seats…
• we are still jaywalking…it's habit after 5 months in asia
• we love black pepper and chili crab!
• for the first time in south east asia, scooters are not parked on the sidewalks.
• hawker stalls are the best way to eat in singapore. there are abundant, clean, and the food quality is excellent.
• western fast food restaurants are everywhere. singapore has over 300 mcdonalds, which are open 24 hours a day!
• budget accommodations are far and few between in singapore. rooms are sparsely equipped and bathrooms are shared.
• singapore isn't the easiest destination for budget travelers…because it ain't cheap

what things cost in singapore:

• a/c double room with shared bath at backpackers cozy corner hostel $35.00
• laundry service $6.00 a load
• internet $2.50 per hour
• a short ride on the mrt $1.00
• a large black pepper crab $25.00
• an order of bbq stingray $7.50
• house-made noodles with minced pork and black bean sauce $3.50
• mutton murtabak $5.50
• chicken curry soup $3.50
• fresh squeezed juice $2.50
• kaya toast $0.85
• fried oyster pancake $5.00
• chinese sesame and black bean paste dessert $3.00
• a large tiger beer $7.50
• large bottled water $1.50
• 12 oz diet coke $0.90
• coffee at a local café $1.25
• milk tea $1.00
• 8 treasure chinese tea $3.00
• postcard $0.35
• postage to the usa $0.35
• a buddhist pendant $4.00
• chinese silk house slippers $4.00
• a chiropractic adjustment $75.00

what's next?

tomorrow morning we 're taking a 4 hour flight (our first flight since leaving honolulu)that will take us to chennai, india. farewell, south east asia…hello india!

onward!

alina

singapore... the end and a new beginning

2008-04-08T01:34:00.000-04:00

singapore seems more congested and crowded than when i visited a few years back. it's still the same and so…nice. the city is so modern, clean, civilized, and organized - it just doesn't feel like we're still in asia. all the same crazy laws still exist: no eating or smoking in public, no chewing gum, jaywalking, or littering…there are fines for everything. there's even a fine for transporting durian on the mrt. i don't think we'll have a problem abiding with that one. the food and shopping are still amazing as well, and david and i are enjoying our last few days of south east asian cuisine. although we've been traveling for over five months now, we feel as if our time in north and south east asia is "quickly" coming to an end. we are sad, yet happy to end this chapter and begin a new one as we make the final preparations to enter india. we can certainly say that south east asia has treated us well. for the first time, we had the flexibility we've always dreamed of having while traveling and were able to tack on about five additional weeks of travel time to our original itinerary. for the first couple of months we certainly dealt with a fair amount of challenges in terms of living out of our "comfort zone". we have learned to be more accepting, more tolerant, and more patient - not only with each other, but with everything in our day to day lives. it's taken five months of being on the road for us to finally be comfortable with being "uncomfortable". in the beginning, a lot of every day situations seemed foreign to us. now…it's just life.

some things we've become rather accustomed to after traveling in asia for five months:

walking…a lot
watching where you walk so you don't step in a big hole…
watching where you walk so you don't step in poop
watching each other's back
hording small bills and change
navigating and reading maps
language barriers…
negotiating menus that are not in english
playing charades
constantly buying water
being gigantic in lands of mini people
getting stared at…
asian men staring at your boobs…
asian girls staring at your boobs
bath slippers that don't fit
cold showers
hard beds
mini towels
using public transportation systems
beggars
jaded locals…
jaded travelers
doing currency conversions
packing and unpacking
wearing a money belt
the heat
asking, "how much?"
bargaining for almost everything
hand-washing our clothes
"going with the flow"
telling our story
eating fish sauce and chiles in almost everything..
eating unidentifiable meats…
eating soup for breakfast…
eating rice at every meal…
eating the ice…and not worrying about it
eating with the locals
squatters…
spitters…
litter
death-defying bus travel
paying to pee…
paying to wipe
our dollar losing value
blogging…
everything being the same-same…but a little bit different

as we prepare to enter india and the middle east we are expecting a new set of foreign experiences and challenges that we presume will take a few months of getting used to. just in time…we were starting to get a little bit too comfortable.

alina

malaysia, the wrap up

2008-04-04T06:51:00.000-04:00

our comments and observations of malaysia:

• we don't find malaysians to be quite as shy as other south east asians. they are actually somewhat outgoing, very helpful, and incredibly friendly.
• malaysians provide excellent customer service. professionals in service industries seem to go out of their way to do a great job.
• we didn't encounter near as many western tourists in malaysia, as in other countries of the region.
• we find the cultural diversity of malaysia to be amazing. kuala lumpur seems to have multi-ethnic cuisine options that are endless. we find the different cuisines of malaysia to be outstanding and some of the best eating in south east asia.
• kuala lumpur also has almost 52,000 street hawkers, or food stalls. being huge fans of street food, we just couldn't get enough of it.
• kuala lumpur is choke full of western-style restaurants such as mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, pizza hut, dunkin donuts, subway, and starbucks. mcdonalds is so incredibly popular that they offer 24 hour delivery with no minimum order for a 3 ringitt fee, or $1 usd. unreal
• malaysia lacks proper sidewalks.
• when david isn't nearby, they speak to me in malay…
• beer in malaysia the most expensive we've come across in south east asia, with a large bottle starting at about $4.00, and running as much as $10.00 a bottle in trendy restaurants in kuala lumpur.
• we love milk tea! we succeeded in our mission to drink it every day while in malaysia.
• malay chile peppers are actually edible and aren't nearly as "burn your face off" hot as the nearby thai chile peppers.
• malaysia is a safe country to travel. the country has some of the stiffest laws in south east asia and punishes drug trafficking with the death penalty.
• to the traveler, malaysia seems to be a bit more refined than other south east asian countries.
• malaysia is in the process of eliminating squat toilets. many toilet stalls come complete with instructions on how to sit instead of squat on the toilet seat. one set of instructions even stated, "you are not a bird". david once noticed a set of footprints on a toilet seat where the last user obviously did not read the posted instructions…
• malaysia is a wired country, with wifi being everywhere and readily available.
• english is widely spoken in malaysia - it even appears to be some malaysian's first and primarily used language.
• malaysians are rather aggressive drivers. unlike their thai neighbors, malaysians are not apt to allow pedestrians to cross.
• decent budget accommodations are difficult to come by in malaysia. a double room with a private bath costs more than $20 per night - considerably more than other countries in the region.
• things in malaysia cost a bit more than the other south east asian countries we've been to. you don't get as much bang for your ringitt, but the costs of food, touring, and transportation is still considered cheap to western travelers.

what things cost in malaysia:

• a/c double room with private bath at heeren inn in melaka $23.00
• milk tea $0.35
• large bottled water $0.60
• fresh tomato juice $0.50
• fresh brewed coffee $0.75
• lime juice with plum $0.60
• 12 oz can of diet coke $0.55
• a curry chicken samosa $0.30
• indian chicken tandoori and nan plate $2.50
• a nice seafood dinner for 2 at a chinese restaurant $12.00
• dim sum breakfast for 2 in penang $6.00
• large bottle of beer $4.00
• roti canai $0.50
• banana leaf indian set lunch $1.50
• curry mee $1.10
• fish ball soup $1.75
• chicken rice ball set $1.50
• admission to a chinese clan house $1.00
• admission to penang museum $1.00
• admission to the canopy walk on penang hill $1.50
• a five hour bus ride from penang to kuala lumpur $10.00
• a short ride on the kl monorail $0.60
• a shave and a haircut $5.00
• postcards $0.25 each
• postage to the usa $0.18
• wifi service at the guesthouse $1.50 per day
• a malay headscarf $4.00
• crystal earrings $3.00
• the malaysia mask $32.00
• a hand-made change purse $2.00

what's next?

we're currently in the city of melaka. tomorrow we'll board a 4 hour bus that will take us across the bridge (border) and into singapore - where we'll spend our last few days in south east asia. we'll be in touch…

alina

the malaysia mask

2008-04-02T06:36:00.000-04:00

iban = man or people in malaysia

the ibans were the original inhabitants of borneo island. a long time ago the ibans were a strong, warring tribe and were known for practicing headhunting. needless to say, they were a very feared tribe in borneo, malaysia. ibans believed in the tale that the natural environment was populated by spirits, which had the power to control people, animals, and crops. today the days of headhunting are long gone and the increasingly urbanized population is primarily christian and muslim. this is the mask from malaysia. it is iban in style and is believed to attract good spirits.

alina

chicken rice balls and satay action...

2008-03-31T07:39:00.000-04:00

after a painless two hour bus ride, we arrived into melaka, got checked into our perfect little guesthouse tucked down a small lane in chinatown, got cleaned up and hit the streets for some afternoon eats.
taking a recommendation we got at borneo ink in kuala lumpur, we quickly found our way to famosa chicken rice ball. crazy sounding name, right? well the food was far from it. perfect chinese roasted chicken and fluffy little compressed rice balls, not too much different than matzo balls. they were garnished with sliced cucumber, green onion, and cilantro and drizzled with a bit of sweet plum sauce. since it was a chinese restaurant, the dish was served with a small bowl of hot soup, garnished with green onions and crispy fried onions. as with the beef ball noodles we ate in kuala lumpur, these too were served with a spicy homemade sambal (chile garlic sauce). we washed the whole thing down with our new malaysian favorite, fresh limejuice with a chinese sour plum. a really great midday meal and a good start to our eating in melaka.
later, we ended up at capital satay, somewhat of a malaysian institution, with tons of photos of celebrities, government dignitaries and past miss malaysias decorating the walls. i immediately knew that the food was going to be great when i saw the heavily worn stainless steel tables with built in hotpots along with a huge self service cold case full of all kinds of skewers. they offered everything from stuffed tofu or fried tofu to chicken, beef, pork ears, prawns, squids, greens, stuffed okras and an assortment of different little sausages and fish cakes. our server, thoroughly explained the whole process to me, what everything was in the cold case, how to cook it and how much it was all going to cost (not more than $5 for both of us…). we started cooking everything up in the molten hot satay sauce, a spicy sweet mixture of ground peanuts, tamarind, garlic, onions, chiles, ginger and dried spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. it really is one of those perfect sauces that i am sure is nearly impossible to recreate at home. as we dug in, i remembered the last email i got from ainsley and thought how jealous he would be to hear about this… it was all really great, i particularly liked the fried tofu and pork stuffed tofu - both were nice and spongy and were able to soak up loads of the sauce. i was also a huge fan of the small plate of cucumbers and cubes of bread that we were served to eat over - the bread soaked up the drippings from the skewers, getting nice and soggy, while the cucumber was crispy and cold - making for a nice textural contrast. throughout the meal, i noticed the servers (all eight of them) keeping an eye on us. we got a few smiles and nods, so i think we made a good showing for the foreign contingency in addition to having a really good time.
fortunately, we are here in melaka for four more days before moving on to singapore. we'll keep eating and i'll keep you posted on what we find. david

pasar minggu

2008-03-30T11:37:00.000-04:00

last night we had dinner at the pasar minggu, or sunday market. even though it happens on saturday night, it is called the sunday market because it lasts into the wee hours of the morning... however, we didn't stick around to prove that fact. we did hang out long enough to eat a few great dishes. on our way, we stopped for some pisang goreng, basically small, half ripe bananas that have been battered and fried crispy. not too sweet, but deadly in the trans fat department.
after weaving our way through a few streets of small local restaurants, street hawkers and durian vendors, we settled on a small restaurant that served traditional malay fare.
i was excited to see a sign for olak-olak, a snack made with seasoned fish paste grilled over open coals in banana leaves. i quickly subdued the fear in the eyes of the server - a phenomenon often caused when a big white guy walks into a small local eatery... i am pretty sure that they are worried i am going to try to order a hamburger and french fries or ask for a bunch of special orders... no shrimp paste, vegetarian, not too spicy, etc, etc. however, after quickly asking for 4 of the olak-olak and an order of ayam biryani, she smiled and asked if i wanted drinks too. i figured a couple of milk teas, teh tarik, would do the trick. i sat down with alina and before i knew it, we had olak-olak hot off the grill. they were great, and quite sweet despite their red color. they almost had a char siew flavor to them. the banana leaves also added a nice smokey flavor. they worked well with the ayam biryani, loosely translated chicken and baked rice. the chicken was braised tender in a thick brown sauce, spicy with clove, nutmeg and coriander. it was very tender and really complicated in flavor. the biryani, a type of baked rice eluding to the indian influence in malaysia was perfect. biryani is a baked basmati rice dish. this one was loaded with fresh turmeric, raisins, a little saffron and cardamon, along with a few chiles, tomatoes and onions. it was perfect. garnishing the plate was a relish made with fresh cucumber, pineapple and fiery hot chiles. along side the relish was fresh made sambal, a chile garlic sauce that is everywhere in malaysia. to round out the dish in the texture department, a few crispy rice flour chips were thrown in too. i was stoked to have such a great malay meal after eating so much solid indian and chinese food here. it is good to know that all of the ethnic groups can hold their own in the food scene... yet another great meal in malaysia. i have to say, this country is quickly moving to the top of the list of my favorite asian cuisines.

dinner in kuala lumpur

2008-03-28T10:27:00.000-04:00

tonight i had frog porridge for dinner from a chinese food hawker on jalan alor in central city, only a few minutes from our hotel. it is a very simple version of congee, a traditional chinese style rice porridge. congee is popular through asia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. i understand it to be a sort of comfort food for many chinese - the same way i feel about my mom's chicken and dumplings... anyways, the frog congee, incedibly simple, had really great flavor and texture. the porridge was heated up in a pyrex type sauce pan with a little water to thin it out a bit. it was garnished with some shaved green onions and a healthy dose of dark roasted sesame oil. a few frogs were cut into three pieces each, tossed into another sauce pan with a good amount of hoisin sauce, some soy sauce and chopped green chiles. it was quickly brought to a boil on a wok burner and delivered to our table in the cooking vesel, just like the congee. although she is usually quite adventurous as a diner, alina wasn't too thrilled about my plans for dinner, so i only ordered one portion (assuring her she could stop for noodles afterwards)... however, it was more than enough for two people (for only $2.50 us), which worked out well because she ended up eating it with me after realizing how good it was. the flavors were very delicate, as the congee is pretty bland, even with the sesame oil and hoisin from the frogs. however, as the chiles continued to steep in the hoisin sauce, they got 'nuclear' hot, completely changing the dish towards the end. it was great. the flavors were interesting, the porridge was tasty and filling and the frog was cooked perfectly, tender and moist and super fresh (probably still hopping around this morning in some market in the city...). david

little india

2008-03-28T06:04:00.001-04:00

lunch in kuala lumpur's little india was quite remarkable today. while i have always thought that i loved indian food, i am quickly realizing that i know very little about it. fortunately, with malaysia's ethnic indian population, we are getting a primer on a lot of the dishes that we have never had stateside. our lunch today at sangeetha, a southern indian vegetarian restaurant, proved to be quite a learning experience. i had the quick set lunch, costing rm $7, about $2 us. here is a run down of everything included on the tray. from top left and working clockwise, first is kuruma, a spicy vegetarian stew of chickpeas, potatoes, peas, cashews, tomatoes, chiles, star anise and cloves. second is chapatti, a crispy fried flat bread made of whole-wheat flour. next is appalam, crispy crackers made of dahl flour and scented with caraway and cumin. next is a special sweet dessert from the kerala region called semiya payasam. it is a tapioca and vermicelli noodle dessert cooked in rich coconut milk, scented with cardamom and a soft sour plum (similar in size to a raisin) that i had never had before. it was great, a really nice finish to the spiciness of the other components. next is a curd rice, a type of rice pudding made with yogurt, spiked with green chiles, sesame seeds and a fried chile pepper garnish. next to that is sambar rice made with sambar powder (a curry spice mix), turmeric, tamarind, tomatoes, onions, dahl and onions. finally is a biryani rice, basmati mixed with veggies, spices, cardamom and a few vanilla pods.
i finished the meal with masala tea, a really decadent tea flavored with spices and milk. masala chai is literally 'spiced tea.' in the states, we usually refer to this type of tea as simply 'chai,' although in india, chai simply means tea… along side the masala chai alina and i had gulab jamoon, a very rich milk dough made with condensed milk and a bit of flour, seasoned with rose water and cardamom, fried and soaked in a mixture of simple syrup, honey and rose water - out of this world. a far cry from the first time i had indian food on breckinridge lane with merilyn, carl and my brothers. i remember that the server offered us desert and we accepted, not having any idea what we were about to get. then after the gulab jamoon arrived at the table, all three of us boys, in our early teens, were hysterical with laughter at the completely unusual and foreign dessert we were presented - my, what a difference 20 years makes… here i am writing about the finer points of a great dessert that at one point in my life had me laughing so hard i was seconds away from peeing my pants… it must have been those moments - eating in indian, chinese, lebanese and greek restaurants, along with the traveling our parents did with us that got me where i am today - writing about a great southern indian lunch i just had in kuala lumpur, malaysia.
along side my set lunch, alina had chapatti set which included a few wedges of the same tasty fried whole wheat flat bread i had, along with kuruma, curried dahl (lentils) and aloo matar, a dry curry of potatoes and peas.
we finished the afternoon with a walk through little india, checking out sari shops, bangles and sitting outside the masjid mosque watching kuala lumpur's indian muslim population fill into the beautiful building, hailing the call of the muezzin for the adhan, the call to prayer. it was a peaceful and serene experience, hearing the melodic chants bellowing from the minaret above. david

eating in malaysia

2008-03-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

malaysia's ethnic diversity makes for some great dining. we have sampled heavily from the food stalls and restaurants, eating south indian favorites, north indian cuisine, traditional malay and lots of chinese food. we only have about a week left in malaysia so we have our work cut out for us if we are going to try something from each of the 49,000 registered street hawkers and over 4,000 unregistered hawkers in kuala lumpur alone… here is a run down of a few of the most notable dishes so far.

tandori chicken from kapitain's in georgetown. well, their sign says that they have the best tandori in town. additionally, they were also recommended by the owner of our guesthouse. no one seems to be lying here - it is beyond awesome. of course, nothing that we have ever had in the states is even in the same league as kapitain's tandori chicken. it was heavily spiced in the traditional thick red curry paste that gives the tandori oven grilled chicken it's bright, distinctive color. it is moist and perfectly cooked on the inside and the bits of crispy, charred skin and curry paste on the outside are other-worldly. it is served with, as you might expect, the best naan we have had. we ordered buttered garlic naan and it was perfect. charred and slightly blackened from the intense heat of the walls of the tandor oven on one side and slightly steamed from the quick cooking process on the other side. served with mango chutney, cucumbers, raw onions and dahl - a light curry sauce made with lentils, for dipping. the other plus to the whole experience is that you get to put down the knife, fork, spoon and chopsticks and dig in with your hands, or hand that is (as the left is traditionally reserved for another part of the digestion process…). there are hand sinks throughout the restaurant and diners, wash up before they dig in, holding their right hands in the air like surgeons, waiting for their food to arrive.

hainan chicken and rice - a malay staple dish, served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. the chickens are served two ways, either roasted or poached. both methods are expertly executed and yield perfect results. the chicken is served cold, or room temperature (which is rarely below 30 degrees C). it's served on a small plate with dark soy sauce, raw cucumbers and a few chives. on a separate plate comes hot, steamed rice. in a bowl is a simple vegetable broth with a few lettuce leaves and lastly is house made sambal - a spicy, sour chile garlic sauce that is so good that alina asks for at least one extra every time we have it.

curry mee - served at street hawker stands throughout the country. each version is basically the same, although the thick curry ladened coconut broth varies from stall to stall. mee means noodles in malay and in this version, thick, chewy egg noodles are the right choice. curry mee is garnished with chunks of fried tofu that have simmered in the curry broth, cockles (a bivalve, similar to clams), shredded chicken, long beans (chinese green beans that grow over a foot long), a little cabbage and sometimes ladyfingers (okra). it is a full meal, rich and hearty and immensly satisfying.

samosa and curry puffs. the indian hawkers hold the market on the best of the fried foods - crispy, rich dough stuffed with curried dahl, shredded chicken, raisins and chilies - all fried up g.f.b. and perfect. if they were better for you i would try to sustain myself on them alone - although i am sure that would quickly undo all of our efforts cleansing at the sanctuary…

beef ball noodle is a staple dish in kuala lumpur. ngau kee beef ball noodles is the best in the city. their version is steamed, thick egg noodles covered with stewed minced beef and thick dark soy sauce. accompanying the noodles in a separate bowl are beef dumplings served in a clear beef broth. home made chile sauce, not unlike a good spicy salsa, rounds out the meal. we had ours with iced chinese herbal tea to wash it all down.

the best part about all of this great eating is that, supposedly, it is only a primer leading up to the famous food hawkers centers a few hundred kilometers south in singapore - i can't wait. david

touring georgetown

2008-03-24T07:51:00.000-04:00

the island of penang has a colorful, multi-ethnic society that is dominated by three major races of malay, chinese and indian people. together these 3 groups make up 90%of the state's population and with their different historical, cultural and religious backgrounds have co-existed in harmony for generations. we took an extensive walk around the colonial city of georgetown and were able to experience a little bit of each of the cultures.

we set out from our chinatown guesthouse and start the day with some traditional chinese dim sum. the ginsing chicken with bean curd and the yam and bbq pork fritters were exceptional. after breakfast we continue on to our first site, the khoo kongsi, or clan house, which is a building that is partly a temple and partly a meeting hall for chinese of the same clan or surname. the elaborate temple was quite magnificent with its wildly colorful mix of dragons, lanterns, paintings and carved columns. we were also impressed by the downstairs museum that outlined the 27 generations of the clan. as we make our way through chinatown we stop at a couple more beautiful, but not quite as impressive
chinese clan houses.

the smells and sounds of india fill the air as we approach little india. we walk past shops selling beautiful saris and colorful gold bangle bracelets. we stop at a local café for some milk tea and waters. the set banana leaf lunch looked delicious, but we weren't quite ready for lunch just yet. the bollywood musical playing on the television made for excellent entertainment while we sipped our beverages. after a quick stop at an atm machine for some malaysian ringitts, we moved on towards the colonial district of the city. first we passed fort cornwallis, a legacy of the british presence in penang. as the oldest british settlement in malaysia, many grand colonial buildings can still be found in georgetown. we pass the beautifully restored town and city halls before arriving to the penang state museum. the museum's engaging exhibits depicted the customs and traditions of penang's various ethnic groups with old photos, costumes, furniture and other displays. we learned a great deal about the malay people and their culture.

malay = one who habitually speaks malay, is a muslim, and practices malay custom, or adat.

following the museum we made our way to a local indian restaurant for a late lunch of stewed mutton and curried squid - absolutely delicious! our waiter gave us a quick tutorial on some of the items on offer and some of the staple malay items like coconut rice - malaysia's "fast-food".

we met so many nice, helpful locals today and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the cultural diversities of georgetown. we've only been here for a couple of days and we can already say that we love the sights, tastes, and friendly people of malaysia!

alina

thailand, the wrap up

2008-03-21T06:12:00.000-04:00

our comments and observations of thailand:

.thai people are kind and have a peaceful, calm demeanor. they also politely maintain queues, hold open doors, and similar to hawaiians - stop moving traffic to allow pedestrians to cross.
.thai people have national pride like no other. the people love their king, who's photo is displayed everywhere. long live the king!
.thailand is colorful. flowers, wats, tuk-tuks, taxis, buses, food…everything is alive and vibrant with color.
.double decker, ornately painted with coordinating interiors, with food, beverages, karaoke and bathrooms….thai buses are "pimped out" and the best in south east asia.
.thai people are a bit more "normal" in size and aren't quite as mini as the rest of south east asians.
.we love thai food! we both agree that it's our favorite cuisine of the trip so far.
.bangkok is choke full of western-style restaurants like mcdonalds, burger king, kfc, dunkin donuts, outback, and dairy queen. 7/11 convenient stores are literally on every city block.
.thailand's temples are amazing. they are the most colorful, ornate, and "shimmery" we've ever seen.
.thailand has lots of pretty boys...that look like girls…
.wifi services were a bit harder to come by than expected. we encountered a fair amount of difficulties locating wifi to download and post photos to the sites.
.we love thai massage! being fans of massage therapy, thai massage has been some of the best we've had.
.thailand is an excellent country for a holistic retreat - yoga, meditation, massage, cleansing - the options are endless.
.they say, "you look like thai people!" i say, "thank you!"
.with excellent tourism infrastructure and organized transportation systems, thailand is an easy country to travel.
.thailand is addictive. we extended our stay by 3 weeks, for a total of 6 fabulous weeks.
.your money goes far in thailand. offering an excellent value, it's a great country for budget travel. we now understand why hippies choose to stay for so long.

what things cost in thailand:

.an a/c, double ensuite room at baan sabai guesthouse in bangkok $14.00
.a fan-cooled bungalow at andaman beach resort on ko phi phi $45.00
.an order of pad thai from a street stall $1.00
.green papaya salad $0.80
.bottled water $0.21
.a large bottle of singa beer $2.00
.fresh squeezed orange juice $0.30
.12 oz can of diet coke $0.50
.fresh brewed coffee $0.60
.fresh coconut water $0.50
.an order of fresh fruit $0.60
.a bagged thai iced tea $0.30
.noodle soup from a stall $0.60
.six jumbo grilled prawns from a vendor $1.50
.anything to eat or drink in the southern islands…100% more…
.a city bus ride in bangkok $0.21
.a ride across town via sky train in bangkok $1.15
.a ride on the water taxi $0.50
.a 7 hour train ride in a third class compartment $2.00
.a 3 hour ferry ride to kho phangnan $9.00
.admission to an ayuthaya wat $1.00
.one hour thai massage $6.00
.5 day cleansing program at the sanctuary $350.00
.yoga pants $8.50
.bamboo earrings $3.50
.the thai mask $17.00
.a hand-embroidered ornament $3.00
.a cotton woven scarf $1.50
.artistic photography postcards $0.60 each
.postage to the usa $0.39

what's next?

we're currently in southern thailand, in the city of hat yai. tomorrow morning we'll board a 4 hour bus that will take us across the border and into malasia to the city of butterworth. from there, we'll take a short ferry ride to the island of penang - where we will settle in for the next few days. we'll see you in malaysia!

onward!

alina

koh phi phi

2008-03-21T06:09:00.000-04:00

our last five days in thailand were spent in the andaman ocean on koh phi phi - truly a little slice of heaven. here are a few pictures we managed to take in-between laying at the pool and laying at the beach…

just checking in...

2008-03-11T01:21:00.000-04:00

after leaving laos, we spent the weekend in bangkok then headed a couple of hours south for 3 beach-filled days on the quiet island of ko sichang. the clear blue ocean water resembled a pool and made for perfect swimming conditions. after that, we took an overnight sleeper train south, then a ferry to the island of kho phangnan - which is where we are now. we're staying at a resort called the santuary, which is located on the remote eastern side of the island on hat thian beach. it's rather secluded and is only accessible by long tail boat or by jungle trail - so we love the peace and serenity. during our week here we're doing a fast/cleanse that consists of psyllium shakes, herbs, and daily colonics. it probably dosen't sound like much of a holiday to most, but we're excited about the positive effects it will have on our bodies. of course, we are looking forward to eating again, too!

we'll upload some photos when we are able, and we'll be in touch soon - after we are...cleansed.

alina

laos, the wrap-up

2008-02-28T08:08:00.000-05:00

our comments and observations of laos:

• the people of laos are shy, generous, and genuinely friendly. they are also modest, decent, and carry themselves in a respectful manner. with the majority of the country unaffected by tourism, we feel the lao people are some of the kindest in south east asia.
• lao people are honest. we didn't feel the need to worry as much about being grossly overcharged or scammed as we have in other south east asian countries.
• the coffee keeps getting better and better. in our opinion, lao coffee is some of the best in the world.
• a lao person will not eat in front of you without offering you some of their food.
• lao food is tasty, fresh, and absolutely delicious - it's better than we anticipated.
• there are no western fast-food restaurants in laos.
• when it comes to food, the lao are particular and critical. it's common and acceptable for a lao person to touch, poke, smell, and even taste a food item prior to selecting it to purchase.
• we have come to love the unidentifiable dried meats of laos - they are delicious!
• compared to other south east asian countries, not as much english is spoken in laos.
• with double rooms including satellite tv and hot water bathrooms in the $4 to $8 range, lao guesthouse accommodations offer some of the best value in the region.
• with a population less than 6 million, laos has one of the lowest population densities in asia. over 70% of laos is covered with forest and plateaus. the majority of the land and people share the same qualities of being rural, primitive, and untouched.
• lao children start working at a young age. we encountered numerous child waiters, cooks, and vendors. additionally, especially in rural villages, lao children care for children. it's not uncommon to see a young child caring for an infant.
• the lao people are the most laid-back of south east asia. we find their non-aggressive manner quite refreshing.

what things cost in laos:

• the mekong border boat crossing from thailand $1.00 per person
• double ensuite room at the khamking guesthouse in luangnam tha $6.50
• a one-day guided trek through ethnic villages and countryside $17.00pp
• one day scooter rental $8.00
• one liter of gas $1.10
• lao coffee with condensed milk $0.33
• bottled water $0.22
• a 12oz can of diet coke $0.55
• a large bottle of beer lao $1.15
• a fruit smoothie $0.55
• american breakfast at a café $2.20
• an order of laap $1.75
• a bowl of khao soi soup $0.70
• an order of sticky rice $0.30
• an italian-style pizza $3.50
• a chicken baguette sandwich $1.10
• a little bag of dried meat $0.50
• admission to the ti dam festival $0.50pp
• admission to the children's cultural show in luang prabang $5.00pp
• admission to a wat $0.50pp
• a five-hour bus ride from udomxai to luang prabang $5.00
• standard tuk-tuk ride from the bus station to the city center $1.00pp
• laundry service $1.10 per kilo
• postcards $0.15 each
• postage to the usa $0.95 each
• internet usage at a cafe $0.75 per hour
• the lao mask $6.00
• a cross-stitched purse from a tribal village $2.00
• silver earrings $3.00
• hand-woven scarf $5.00
• cloth ornament $0.60
• cross-stitched change purse $0.55
• hand-embroidered wall hanging $15.00

what's next?

from the southern city of pakse, laos, we'll board a 3 hour bus that will take us across the border and back into thailand. from the eastern city of ubon ratchathani, we'll take a 10 hour bus back to bangkok to hang out for the weekend. following bangkok, we'll be moving south for a couple weeks of much anticipated fun in the sun and beach relaxation in the southern islands of thailand. here we come thailand….again!

onward!

alina

the lao mask

2008-02-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

communication with the spirits has always been an important aspect in lao daily life. to this day, ritual dances continue to be performed in many parts of the country, both by ethnic lao and by many minority groups. one of the best known animistic dance rituals
still performed today is that associated with the guardian deities of luang prabang. the red mask and costume are worn at a festival that takes place every lao new year at wat wisu, in luang prabang. this is the mask from laos. it is a guardian of luang prabang named nha nheu po nheu.

alina

the road to pakse

2008-02-25T03:57:00.000-05:00

roughly a year ago, i was sitting in a cramped minibus with my wife and about 20 panamanians. the bus had only about 12 seats, as i recall. if it had shocks, they were in a very questionable condition. it most certainly did not have air conditioning. it was at least 95 degrees outside… and inside the bus for that matter. with open windows to facilitate airflow, we zoomed through the interior of panama on our way to las tables for the most spectacular carnival celebrations in the country. sitting next to an enormous, sweaty local woman, and, myself, sweating profusely - i was struck with a thought… this is great - why didn't we do it more often? somehow, as terrible as that ride was - it was fantastic. to share that experience with so many people could be called enlightening. here we were, 20 plus strangers, toughing it out on a long, bumpy, hot, dusty bus ride and i couldn't get enough of it. it was a window into a world that i had not yet known. you can learn a great deal about people, culture, language and food on a ride like that. a few smiles and greetings bonded us together when we otherwise would have never met.
it was on that very bus ride that i told myself, if possible, alina and i were going to travel - the way we had always wanted to. certainly, there had to be more bus rides like that to experience around the world. only days after, during our flight back to hawaii in fact, we took a sheet of paper and made a list - where we wanted to go, how much it would cost, how much we had to save, how much we needed to return home on, how long we needed to save and, of course, how long could we travel for. and there it was settled, first 6 months, then 12, then 10. first 22 countries, then 19, now 20 maybe.
now, twelve months later, i found us again on a bus. this time in laos, from savannakhet to pakse. although worlds away, there is much in common between laos and panama - scorching hot dry seasons, bumpy roads and rusty old buses to name a few. it is also the benevolence and warmth of the people that i draw a parallel on.
we started our journey at 12:30, leaving savannakhet in the heat of the day. with only about 30 of the 40 seats full, i thought we were in for a relatively quiet and peaceful trip. i was wrong. our driver slowly puttered through the streets of savannakhet, hammering the horn at every pedestrian he saw, looking for a few more fares… in the 15 minutes it took to get to the outskirts of town, we were pretty much full. in addition to the now 40 passengers, we carried a full cargo, five feet high, on the top of the bus. as well, we carried about 20 bags of garlic, each weighing roughly 35#. one stuffed under every seat, creating a heady aroma, akin to my days working at mad mushroom pizza back in lexington. as we headed on out of the city, i soon realized that we would not be making the journey in 4 hours, as our guidebook suggested. instead, we stopped, and stopped, and stopped. we stopped so passengers could run into stores and drop off payments of money. we stopped at every crossroads, picking up more passengers. we stopped at rural markets, where villagers sold eggs, fruits and vegetables - everyone got off to shop and eat. we stopped every time the driver saw a suitcase, duffle bag or sack of rice along the road. he honked and people came running from the shade of houses, bars and restaurants. they loaded onto the bus with their bags, baskets and smiles. we stopped when anyone had to pee. we stopped when vendors appeared from outdoor restaurants. they piled onto the bus, selling grilled chickens, sticky rice, drinks, beers, grilled eggs, corn, and delicious unidentifiable dried meats. they stood on luggage, climbed over people, and on seats offering their treats. people smiled, we all leaned on each other, our dirt, grime and sweat were common. no one seemed to mind. the bus attendant weaved her way through, over and sometimes on, the crowd, collecting new fares and positioning people in a way to allow the driver to stop for more. at one point i counted 16 people in front of me that did not have a seat - we were in the second row… there were easily 80 people on the bus. the driver continued to honk, stop and pick up more people. he balled the gas on straight-a-ways, passing cars and scooters and dodging water buffalo, cows and pigs to make up time lost stopping. i figured if we crashed that we would all be okay. there was no free space in the bus for us to fall to or fly through. our driver smiled in the rearview mirror with delight, counting the fares and calculating how many more he could fit. i was ecstatic and smiled dumbly at everyone. they all smiled back. everyone seemed to enjoy the whole experience. we stopped more. now, we were too crowded for the vendors to board the bus. instead they shoved food through the windows, yelling and smiling. alina had bamboo skewered grilled chickens pressing against her head. she smiled and laughed, it would wash out and the vendors didn't seem to notice or mind. the lady in front of us bought a few and quickly devoured them with the help of the three others in her seat. afterwards she started chewing beetle nut and spitting it out her window. the momentum of the bus carried most of it past alina's face and right into the window of the passengers behind us, splattering bright red everywhere. i looked back to see the lady behind us, leaning over, smiling and laughing. she didn't seem to mind. all part of the experience, i thought. we stopped at a provincial checkpoint. police looked into the bus and let us pass. i thought, what are they checking for? is everyone drinking beer? is the bus double capacity? does anyone need more grilled chicken?
as we approached pakse, more passengers boarded. by now, the teenage girls in the isle next to me were laughing and giggling. they sat on each other, their bags and the floor. they covered their noses, as the heat of the motor warmed the floor of the bus and, in turn, the garlic. it was like the inside of a pizza oven. alina and i laughed and snuck pictures of the scene. we smiled and laughed more. in a few minutes, we would be in the city center, climbing over our new friends and out into the cooling night air. our routine would shift, focusing again on finding a room. our attention would drift away from the events of our bus ride. we wanted to enjoy the last few minutes of it. later, we found ourselves in the only italian restaurant in southern laos. we were eating pizza and garlic bread. tired from the hours of bouncing around in the heat and dust, we didn't talk. i thought about panama and the course of events that have taken place to get us all the way to pakse. life is great and i'm enjoying every bus ride. - david

luang prabang

2008-02-17T23:12:00.000-05:00

luang prabang. at the convergence of the khan and mekong rivers sits luang prabang. encircled by green mountains, full of buddhist temples, saffron robed monks, green markets, vendors selling hill tribe handicrafts, french colonial architecture, as well as the cafes and bistros the french left behind… it is no wonder that alina and i were eager to get to this little city, a unesco world heritage listed historic site. not to mention, luang prabang is about 20 degrees (fahrenheit) warmer than the northern hill tribe areas, where we had been for the last few days.
motivated by the cold, the promise of hot water showers and the best food of laos, alina and i boarded a bus heading to luang prabang via udomxai via luang namtha via muang sing… two days later we stepped out of a tuk tuk and set out to find a room. after getting settled in we decided to take a stroll and seek out some of the highly esteemed cuisine that the city boasts. i loaded up on super strong lao coffee, french inspired salad and a crispy baguette sandwich stuffed with chicken, lettuce, cucs, tomatoes, onions, watercress and mayonaisse - my batteries were quickly recharged after a week in unseasonably cold weather.
leaving the paradise cafe we headed down the street into the town center and passed the children's culture center, an after school program set up to preserve lao culture through traditional dance, puppets, singing, music and handicrafts. they were moments away from starting their performance (held once a week) featuring epok puppets, traditional dance and music. since it was rather serendipitous that we passed by at exactly the hour of the performance, and being that we had no where to really be, decided to join them for the show. what a good decision it was. we were welcomed with something that i really wanted to be a part of while in laos, the baci ceremony.
the baci ceremony is traditionally performed in laos for special occasions, weddings, homecomings, farewells, festivals or to mark a journey. performed by monks or a village elder, chanting and prayers start the ceremony to bless the group and bring good luck, health and prosperity to the group. then white strings, symbolizing purity and meant to bring good luck, are tied onto the participants wrists. it is a really cool ceremony and it was very special to be a part of it, conducted by an older man and the lao teachers and students of the ccc. it was highlighted by a little 2 year old boy, welcoming alina with a warm "sabaidee" and with full concentration, struggling to tie strings onto her wrists. it was great.
afterwards, we were treated to some small candies, lao tea and performances of puppets, music, dance and martial arts. a pretty cool evening, especially considering it was totally unplanned…
we finished off the evening with a few bowls of khaw soi, lao noodle soup with fermented peanuts, chiles and buffalo meat, then headed back to the room for some much anticipated sleep, undisturbed by the chilly air we were escaping in the north.
we'll be here for a few more nights - with plenty of temples, markets to explore and food to sample, i am sure we'll make the most of our days here in luang prabang. more to come… david
if you want to check out some more info on the baci ceremony look at this site: http://www.laoheritagefoundation.org/ceremonies/baci.jsp

muang sing

2008-02-17T23:07:00.001-05:00

from luang nam tha, we took a two hour bus north to the small, dusty town of muang sing (pop 29,300). only about 15km from the chinese border, the area serves as a trade center for the local hill tribe groups of thai dam, akha, hmong, mien, and yunnanese. the main market in muang sing was once the biggest opium market in the golden triangle. a local tribal lady selling scarves and purses did try to sell us opium one morning while we were having breakfast, which is about the closest we came to an "opium market". our primary reason for visiting muang sing was to experience more of the ethnic hilltribe culture in he area. we did exactly that by going on another one day guided trek to the surrounding ethnic villages. this time the terrain wasn't nearly as mountainous and the trek was truly "easy" as described by the tourism office - thank god! only one river crossing and one "real" mountain to conquer made for a great experience as we visited (5) of the local ethnic villages. we had a fantastic guide, ket kau, that was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun. it was a cold day, so fires (for warmth) were burning throughout all of the villages. warming our hands by the fire gave us good, up close interactions with the locals - and our guide taught us a lot about the different tribes and their cultures.

the hmong - this group lives at some of the highest points in the mountains. they are known for their knowledge of forest, natural medicines, and expertise at raising animals. they are also very industrious and trade a variety of forest products and agricultural goods. they wear traditional dress with intricate embroidery and heavy silver jewelry.

the akha - a tibetan-burmese speaking ethnic group that have an amazing knowledge of the forest and rotation agriculture. they also live at high elevations in the mountains and are expert hunters and also grow sugar cane and rubber plants. the akha women wear distinctive costumes of black mini skirts with decorative jackets and an ornate headdresses.

the tai lu - originally from southern china, they are known for their beautiful stilted houses with long sloping roofs. they sell their traditional head scarves and blouses at markets. tai lu are buddhist and every village has a buddhist temple and monks. our guide, ket kau, is tai lu.

although the weather was cold and the conditions were rather primitive, we thoroughly enjoyed the week we spent in northern laos. we got the exact experiences we were hoping for and will always remember the hill tribe ethnic groups of laos.

alina

eating lao style

2008-02-17T04:22:00.000-05:00

the food of laos probably isn't one of the best known in the realm of world cuisine, but maybe it should be. wedged right in-between two south east asian culinary powerhouses, thailand and vietnam, laos manages to take some from both, add a few unique touches and come up with something a little better. focusing on simple, fresh flavors, lots of local produce, chiles, mint, cilantro, galangal rot, ginger, lemongrass, fish sauce, fresh water fish, local meats, game and tons of sticky rice - lao food has definitely proven to be some of the most exciting of our travels. i have developed a strong appreciation for their simple, ingredient driven, rustic dishes. it reminds me a lot of thailand, and even our days in hawaii, with loads of wetland taro, pineapple, mangoes and several varieties of bananas. here are a few of my favorites so far:
- sticky rice. even a good old kentucky boy can be changed… my days of white bread and mashed potatoes are over. instead, give me about a ½ kilo of sticky rice kept warm in a few cleverly folded banana leaves, and i am a happy man. sticky rice is the base of all lao meals. we've had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, tucked away neatly into woven bamboo baskets, wrapped in banana leaves, and even fire roasted in foot long sections of bamboo. it is usually served communally (one large serving for the table) and is eaten with the hands. after mashing it into a little patty with an indentation in one side, it makes the prefect vehicle for getting tasty sauces, curries and stir fries into your mouth.
- laap (or laarp). laap is a staple dish of the lao table. it is found ready made in the morning market and on about every menu we have seen so far. laap is a mixture of minced meat (usually chicken, pork or water buffalo) mixed with ground toasted rice, fiery hot chiles, onions, ginger, galangal, lime juice, mint and garlic. my favor versions have been mouth numbingly hot, served with lettuce, mint, pea shoots and, of course, sticky rice. it is makes for a great meal, especially side-by-side with an ice cold beer lao (the national drink, seriously!).
- som tam (or papaya salad). just like their thai neighbor's, laos has a lot of papayas. and if they are not whipping them with sugar, milk and ice into a tasty fruit shake, then they are probably shredding them by hand into green papaya salad. they mix it in the mortar and pestle with dried red chiles, garlic, peanuts and tons of fish sauce. it is a usual accompaniment to wood grilled fish or meat.
- khao sawy. khao sawy (pronounced cow soy) is a rice noodle soup made with a chile of tomatoes, fermented peanuts and ground buffalo meat. it is served with a few bean sprouts in the bowl and a huge choice of garnishes and seasonings on the side including lettuce leaves, pea shoots, mint, basil, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms, fish sauce, roasted ground chiles, dried ground chiles, chile sauce, msg, sugar and salt. the base soup is tasty, but served a little plain so each diner can make their favorite version. mine includes tons of fresh greens, fish sauce, roasted ground chiles and lime. alina's version is heavy on the dried ground chiles and usually about 10 tissues to wipe her nose afterwards…
- grilled bananas - at most of the morning and night markets a few ladies are always set up with a small charcoal grill to toast small fingerling bananas. after they are toasted all the way around, they get cut open and stuffed with fresh coconut shavings - hands down, one of the best desserts of all time - sweet but not overly sweet and still somewhat healthy for you.
- lao coffee. even stronger than their neighbor's in vietnam, the coffee of laos' bolaven plateau is considered some of the best in the world. it is filtered through a cloth strainer and served with loads of sweetened condensed milk. a few months ago i though vietnam had the best coffee i had ever had, then a few weeks ago, i though thailand's was better - now, i am sure that laos' coffee is the best in south east asia. it is best in the middle of the day, under laos' relenting sunshine, served over a heaping glass of crushed ice.

more to come... david

it's rice!

2008-02-17T03:06:00.000-05:00

well after three months of eating steamed rice, sticky rice or rice noodles at every meal, alina and i had the chance to get up close and personal with some of it. here are a few photos of the rice paddies surrounding luang nam tha, laos. - david

a gentle day's walk...

2008-02-15T05:54:00.000-05:00

after a quick stop for a couple of bagged lao coffees, we make our way to trekking office. two others have joined our trek: a french guy that manages a castle property (no joke) outside of paris, and an american guy from seattle that’s an engineer and works on airplane engines. they are both really nice. we meet our two guides as well: "paul" the english speaker that specializes in tribal culture and customs, and another guide that is the trail master. we start out by tuk-tuk and ride to the edge of a large section of out of season rice paddies. we walk through section after section of rice paddies that are connected by small wooden foot bridges. small thatch roof wooden structures on stilts are scattered throughout the rice paddies. paul tells us that they are used by the workers to rest and eat meals during the harvesting season. during the harvesting season, the community all work together to harvest one section of paddy at a time - until all the rice is harvested. with good irrigation one hectare will yield about 3 to 4 tons of rice. after a couple of miles, we reach our first bit of shade and stop to rest and drink some water. then we moved on towards the first village. we enter a flat forested area with a trail that runs along a river and a rubber plantation. much of this area of laos is used to grow rubber trees and sugar cane, both of which are transported to china for processing. about a mile later we begin to approach the nam hoy village, a hill tribe of hmong peoples that are originally from china. paul tells us there are 14 houses, 17 families, and 80 people that live in the village. they worship spirits, speak their own dialect, and have a written language that is very similar to english. the village is only 7 years old, as they have recently relocated from considerably further up the mountain. the children can now go to school, they are closer to town for needed conveniences, and most importantly - are closer to the river, their source for water. as we are entering the village a man on a scooter stops and warmly greets our guide, paul, who says the man is his friend from years ago when they met while attending drivers education classes together. the man invites us to sit on his porch and visit with his family. on the way to the man's house, we walk through the village and stop to watch some men building a new house. they allow us to take their photos. we reach the man's house and he invites us to take a look inside if we would like, and to sit on his porch. with paul translating everything, we learn that the man is one of three men in the village with a high school education. additionally, he is also trained as an auto mechanic and a professional driver. unfortunately, he is unable to find employment in either profession. for the past few years he has worked in the rubber plantations, which is considered to be a good paying job with a good future. the man is very curious to learn about all of us and asks a number of questions, such as where are we from? how many hours away by airplane is it? how long have we been in laos? how long will we be here? how long is our entire trip? what is our profession? the man says he is happy to interact with us because he likes meeting people from other countries and hearing english spoken. david asks him for permission to take his photo, which he denies. we thank him for the visit and we move on.

as we descend from the village area, we make the first of several river crossings. as we begin to enter a thick forested area, paul says, "welcome to the jungle". we immediately begin a somewhat steep ascent into a dense jungle. for the first time, i question the type of trek we are on. i remember the tourism office advertised it as "a gentle day's walk" and categorized it as "easy" on the scale of difficulty. i instantly drop to the back of the pack so i can move at my own pace as well as take a quick pee. i see the group stopping ahead to wait for me to catch up. after another descent and river crossing, we stop at a clearing to have lunch. one of the guides gather large palm fronds to place the food on. we all sit in the jungle and enjoy a tasty lunch of beef with bamboo shoots, cabbage and greens, sticky rice, and tomato dipping sauce. after a bit more of a rest, we continue on through the jungle. the second phase of the trek appears to be considerably more difficult than the first. the ascent up the next mountain takes much longer and i am completely winded when we reach the top. the vista is beautiful, but all i can focus on is breathing. everyone else seems to be out of breath too. we all rest under a thatch roof wooden structure as we gaze at the next mountain ahead of us. i keep telling myself, it's only a "gentle day's walk". i squeeze out the last bit of biofreeze from the packet and apply it to my knee. thanks, di. after a good 15 minute break, we begin the somewhat steep descent. at one point we abruptly stop and the trail master tells us there is some uncertainty about the trail. it stops. apparently, we have lost or taken the wrong trail on the descent. our only option is to cut across a 200 ft portion of steep grade mountain, basically bush-wacking our way across slashed and burned terrain. i think, "are you kidding?" not. the group begins to cut across the mountain. i fall to the back of the pack again and begin cursing under my breath. "a gentle day's walk, a gentle day's walk" i keep telling myself. i move slowly and take great caution to not bust up my already junk knee. i make it across the mountain to see that our situation only gets worse. the group is descending through a portion of dense brush that is a vertical 20 ft drop. sweet. i follow david's lead and slide down the cliff face on my bottom. after that, an immediate 20 ft climb up a rock cliff puts us back on the trail. thank god! everyone seems a bit shook up. the guides seem to feel a bit bad. i think, "a gentle day's walk", my ass.

we move on. within a few minutes we are at the base of a mountain with a long dirt trail leading to the top. completely exposed to the sun, the group begins up the mountain. i need to stop twice during the ascent to catch my breath. i keep wondering, if this is the "easy" trek, then what the hell is considered to be moderate or difficult? when i reach the top, the rest of the group is laid out under a shade tree. we rest for 15 minutes and drink water. we continue on and move through two smaller mountain ranges before the terrain flattens out and we begin to approach another village. finally!

we hear music. it sounds like a party! i feel like i could use a party at this point. we arrive to the village and find out there is a wedding. we stand at the entrance of the reception for a few minutes when our guides are warmly greeted by a couple of men. the guides tell us the men are their friends and that we are all invited to join the celebration. as we walk into the reception, everyone smiles at us and people come up to shake our hands. people speak to me in lao. i say, "sabaidee" and smile goofy as usual. we sit at a table next to the dance floor that is trashed with dirty plates and drink glasses. a lady bring us bowls of soup with unidentifiable meat. another lady starts moving around the table pouring shots of lao lao, the local rice wine whiskey. she pours one round, then two, then three. i feel like i can't drink anymore or i may puke. i would hate to puke here. a really drunk old lao man sits next to david and continues to talk him up (in lao). they are insisting that we eat, going so far as to push spoonfuls of laap into each of our mouths (fortunately, it was tasty). our guides eat some of the soup. we watch the locals do the traditional lao dance. i hope they don't think i'm lao and make me dance. i'll be so embarrassed. i wonder who the bride and groom are, but I can't find them. everyone is
dressed the same. is there a wedding cake? i don't see one. i could go for some cake. pie would be even better. i haven't had pie in forever. do they have pie is laos? a man is using a gasoline jug to fill up empty beer bottles with lao lao behind me. i take his photo. we all watch and enjoy the lao wedding celebration. after about 30 minutes, the guides suggest that we best be on our way. we shake many hands on the way out and people continue speaking to me in lao. i wave bye and say "sabaidee!". as we are exiting the village, we see that several of the village ladies have displayed about 100 scarves for us to take a look at. i feel a bit obligated since they were so kind to us and went to so much trouble, and purchase a beautiful hand-made scarf for $5.00. we exit the village and have a nice, easy walk to the next village.

after about a 15 minute walk we reach the last village, which is the location of the ti dam festival that we attended the previous day. i am amazed that the festival area is still completely covered with rubbish with no apparent clean up in progress. i wonder when or if it will be cleaned up. we see children playing amongst the rubbish. we walk through the village without stopping to visit or chat along the way. after one last river crossing, we walk across some beautiful green rice paddies and finish off the day with some great photos. as we wait for the tuk-tuk for a ride back to town, we make friends with some lovely young lao girls who pose with me for a "japanese style peace out" photo. as we ride home in the tuk-tuk we talk about the great day we had taking an easy trek with a "gentle day's walk". although we are tired and weary, we both have a sense of accomplishment and are happy we had such a great experience.

alina

a scooter, a festival and a village

2008-02-15T05:31:00.000-05:00

the bus ride into northern laos wasn't quite as bone-rattling as we expected. the newly sealed road made for a smoother and faster arrival into the small town of luangnam tha, our first destination in northern laos. we easily settled into the khamking guest house, which is run by a lovely lao family. the squeaky clean room with a hot water bathroom, satellite tv, and daily maid service qualified as our best valued room as of yet at 60,000 kip, or $6.60 per night. after a much needed meal, we decided to (quickly) walk the one road town and make a visit to the local tourism/trekking office. this is where we learned about the 3 day tai dam festival that was currently taking place only 15km outside of town. the festival is held only once every 5 years and was created to celebrate and preserve the cultural traditions of local ethnic hilltribes for future generations. we made plans to attend the festival on the following day - it's third and final day. while at the office, we also booked one of their full day guided treks to the surrounding countryside and ethnic villages. additionally, the tourism office also directed us to mrs. chin, the black market currency exchange lady that lives around the block - as there are no official currency exchanges in town and the one atm machine that we saw does not display our card logo. unreal. after a bit of neighborhood charades we located mrs. chin, a friendly, round lady that was counting huge stacks of money with no apparent fear of being robbed. we accepted her fair rate, exchanged some dollars for kip, bought some pink thread, and we were on our way. before getting back to our guesthouse, we stopped by a place that rents scooters by the day to inquire about a rental on the following day. with full bellies, a pocket full of kip, and our plans in place, we headed home for a relaxing evening and a good night's sleep.

festival day:

the man renting the scooters tried to be nice when telling us that due to our size we would require the largest and most powerful 125cc scooter. within a few minutes we were motoring along with a powerful (enough) scooter and ill-fitting helmets. our first stop was the market. we were hoping to see ethnic villagers dropping off their wares, but didn't see any. we presume you need to be there really early in the morning when the market is opening. we did see fruit and vegetable vendors, rattan items, along with lots of buffalo meat for sale. there were also about 10 vendors all selling the same soup, khao sawy - a couple of large bowls made for a satisfying breakfast. after the market we headed out to find the tai dam festival.

the festival took place in the phiengnam village, with several ethnic tribal groups from the luangnam tha province participating in the festival. we watched the large groups dressed in their traditional clothes perform their native songs and dances. they walked on stilts, played big drums, and competed while playing their traditional games. ladies sold their hand-made clothing, scarves, and headpieces. out of the couple of thousand people in attendance, we noticed only a few other tourists present. a couple of times we noticed ourselves being videotaped and photographed by the locals! we made sure to smile as big and goofy as possible. the people were so nice and welcoming.

after the festival and some dinner, we set out for a ride in the countryside. we passed many green rice paddies and beautiful mountain vistas. trying to find a remote waterfall, we stumbled upon a black hmong village. the ladies were wearing their traditional clothing and headpieces. two cute little boys ran to us yelling "sabaidee!" (hello) . we had a nice conversation with them, even though they spoke lao and we spoke english. they were happy to pose for photos and were excited to see the digital photos we took of them. as we left the village we saw many people carrying huge loads wood and water back to the village.

we completely enjoyed our day and our interactions with the ethnic peoples of the region. we are even more excited now to take our guided trek tomorrow and explore more of the surrounding area and the local people.

alina

the akha hill house

2008-02-09T03:59:00.000-05:00

three days ago we set out from chiang rai for the akha hill house. located about 25k outside of chiang rai, the hill house is the only wholey hill tribe owned and operated guesthouse in thailand. our journey began when we were picked up at about 4pm in chiang rai. our transport, a four-wheel drive sport pick-up truck, was already carrying one couple so we tossed our bags in the back and jumped in. we stopped at another guesthouse in town and picked up one more couple, making our number six - plus the driver. alina and i struck up a conversation with our new guests in the back of the truck, a swiss couple that arrived into thailand only hours earlier from the border at huay xai, laos. their account of two 10-hour days on wooden plank seats traveling the mekong river north from luang prabang sounded spine rattling. alina and i happily listened as we had already decided to forgo that same journey (in opposite direction) and instead head further north into laos, only 10 km from the chinese border to muang sing.

our pick-up journey to akha hill house took a brief detour at the pha soet hot springs to pick up 7 more travelers (with backpacks…) that were heading up to the hill house as well. now the ride got exciting, as we made the last 6k standing in the back of the truck ascending to 1200m elevation on a bumpy, unsealed dirt road. admittedly, i loved the departure our travels had quickly made as only 48 hours earlier we had been in the heavily touristed city of chiang mai. the ride gave us a chance to take in some of the crisp, fresh air and to enjoy the landscape - made up of all the tropical fruits, citrus trees, and plants that now remind us of our last home in hana. as we reached the village i had to quickly duck to avoid being decapitated by the wooden sign welcoming us. apea, the village chief, and his family efficiently dispersed the small crowd, getting us settled into our bamboo-thatched bungalows. ours, a simple room and attached bathroom, had a small window and a deck that faced north overlooking the steep terrain that surrounded the village and our new home for the next few days. after settling in we had a nice dinner of curry and rice before heading back to the bungalow for the night. our first night's sleep was a little restless, as we were not used to the cooler temperature in the mountains. however, we quickly adapted by opting to cram into one single bed to double the body heat and the amount of blankets. warmed by the morning sun, it was difficult to pry ourselves from bed at 9am, but our excitement to get out and see the area made it possible. after a quick consult with a few fellow travelers and the village's defacto guide, we headed out to see a lahu village close by before climbing down to lumnamkok national park and back to pha soet hot springs to finish with a soak in it's mineral baths. similar to the akha tribe (the largest minority group in the chiang rai region), the lahu came from yunnan, china and settled in the high mountains of the area. they are expert hunters and terrace the hillsides for farming. they worship spirits and celebrate the new year, as their roots are chinese. our hike through the mostly bamboo forest was highlighted by a brief sighting of an unidentifiable snake, olive in color with a yellow stripe down the side. fortunately, it was scared off by us stopping through its territory. as we entered the lahu village and descended to the riverbed below, we were greeted by squealing piglets, lazy, sleeping pigs, and a few smiles and greetings by the villagers. largely, though, we were left alone in peace to wander through the village on our way to the national park below. at the base of the village we paused along the banks of the nam se river and took in the stunning views of the river valley. the national park was a surprise, neatly manicured and raked, and completely deserted, sans the few grounds workers and attendants that were resting in the afternoon heat. further down the road we made a pit stop at the hot springs for a dip. the sulfur rich baths were nice, although they smelled a bit of egg salad (i love to eat it, but rarely have the desire to swim in it…). after watching several thai tourists wandering around with eggs in small bamboo baskets hanging from a pole, we began to wonder, "what the hell is with the eggs?". a few minutes of investigation uncovered people huddling around the source of the baths, a 240f degree spring. everyone was dangling the eggs in the water! i wanted to yell out, "13 minutes for hard-boiled!", but resisted my chefly urges. after hitching a ride back up the hill (yes, we were too lazy to hike it…) we spent the evening around the campfire with our fellow travelers and a couple more bowls of curry. the conversation bounced all over the place and held my attention for a few hours. it is a rare occasion to converse with a dutch sports journalist and i.t. specialist, a canadian english teacher residing in far north china, a swiss social worker and precious medal engineer for the watch industry, a new zealander and englishman (both with undisclosed professions), and us, a server turned wedding planner and a chef.

our last full day was spent hiking to nearby huai kaeo waterfall and the chinese huai kaeo village and tea plantation below our akha village. we relied on our trusty tour guide (the amiable dog that followed us for a few hours on the previous day), and the helpful pointing by a few villagers to find our way to the secluded waterfall. the views were spectacular, but matched by the trail below and tea plantation even further. this time around, however, we bit the bullet and climbed the hill on our own - rewarding but tiring. tomorrow morning we are leaving our friends here at akha hill house and heading back into chiang rai, en route to chiang khong and across the mekong river to huay xai, laos. we are planning on spending about three weeks in laos before heading back into central and southern thailand. as i mentioned earlier, once across the border, we are skipping the grueling boat ride 2 days down river to luang prabang and instead opting for a bone rattling 8 hour bus ride north to muang sing, laos to spend time in the national park and hopefully interact with a few more hill tribe villages. - david

since we left bangkok...

2008-02-03T00:48:00.001-05:00

on a mission to absorb some thai history and to view some of thailand's most impressive buddhist and hindu ruins, we traveled a couple of hours north of bangkok to the small city of ayuthaya. the ancient capitol of siam for 417 years, ayuthaya once had a population of over a million people. now a unesco world heritage site, ayuthaya's historic temple ruins are scattered throughout the once magnificent city.

unesco world heritage = a united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization that seeks to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.

we enjoyed a couple of (hot) days touring the temple sites of ayuthaya, before continuing on about 4 hours north to the nice city of phitsanoluk. the city was an excellent base for touring the nearby unesco world heritage site of the sukothai ruins - which were quite impressive with huge standing buddhas. the food markets in phitsanoluk were exceptional, as were the fabulous foot massages and our interactions with the smiling and friendly locals.

from phitsanoluk we boarded a 3rd class train for the 7 hour journey to the northern city of chiang mai. the seat was a bit hard towards the end, but we enjoyed the fresh air (no a/c, open windows) and sitting with the nice locals for the trip. chiang mai is a nice smaller city that has over 300 temples. it's set amongst the mountains and we are certainly enjoying the cooler temperatures. it's quite a touristy town and has lots of guesthouses, restaurants, and bars. it also seems like a place to hang out for a while and take lessons/schooling for a number of things - such as massage, cooking, buddhism and meditation, or yoga. no lessons for us - some relaxation, massage, and a bit of touring was on our agenda. we were here for 4 days and enjoyed 3 massages. i think we've officially acclimated to thailand… we are moving on today about 4 hours north east to the city of chiang rai. we're hoping to do some trekking and possibly visit some local hill tribes. we'll keep you posted!

alina

the thailand mask

2008-02-01T05:10:00.000-05:00

buddha = "awakened one"

thai buddha refers to a statue or form of buddha that either resides in, or was created in the country of thailand. heavily influenced by buddhism, the thai buddha image is everywhere throughout thailand. this is the mask from thailand. it is thai buddha.

alina

bagged drinks, tangerine juice and taro bubble tea

2008-02-01T04:45:00.000-05:00

i know you are asking yourself, "bagged drinks, what the hell is he talking about?" well, let me tell you - thais serve, sell and drink an endless array of beverages - and of course, the best ones are made and sold along the sidewalks and roads of every city and town we have visited so far. while some vendors do offer heavy plastic cups for a few more baht, the vast majority serve their creations over crushed ice in a clear plastic bag with handles and a colored flexi-straw. the only major exception to this would be the bubble tea vendor, but we'll get to that later…
while we know it at home as thai iced tea, chaa jiin, my personal favorite, translates to 'chinese tea.' it is usually a mixture of black tea and dried spices served with granulated palm sugar, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk - can anyone say type two diabetes??? fortunately, the serving size is never more than a few ounces poured over a ton of crushed ice - plus thailand is full of first class dentists, so some mild tooth decay is no problem.
tea vendors, marked by their two stainless steel pitchers sitting over a steam well, also sell coffee in a similar fashion - stronger and sweeter than their south east asian neighbors in cambodia and vietnam.
in most markets and along city streets, vendors also display a vividly colorful assortment of fresh fruit and vegetable juices - sweet tangerine juice is everywhere, along with young coconut juice (alina's favorite), pineapple, christathamum tea, tomato, cucumber and a rather unusual but refreshing sweetened watercress juice that tastes about as green and healthy (sans sugar) as anything that you could imagine.
there is also a huge assortment of bubble teas ranging in flavor from coconut to pineapple, milk tea, green tea and even more interest taro, pumpkin or carrot - made with large tapioca balls and slurped down with an enormous straw… even more unique are the sweetened ginger and other unidentifiable root drinks made with agar agar thickened little strips that are reminiscent of gummy worms - pretty bizzar, but worth a try for only 10 baht!
we are enjoying thailand's endless options for beating the heat - as alina said, "just their beverage selection alone is enough to make you a happy camper!" no wonder thailand is called the land of smiles. - david

we love bangkok!

2008-01-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

we planned on being here for only a few days, and we're already on day #8. bangkok is vibrant, alive, and fun - we don't want to leave! what have we been doing?

• eating - although we have primarily dined at street stalls, the food has been fantastic. by far, it's the best thai food we've ever had. pad thai, spicy curries, green papaya salad, whole fish, fried chicken, sticky rice, banana pancakes, and an over-abundance of fresh fruit…we are eating good! it is nearly impossible to make it down a single city block without stumbling upon another food stall. the only problem with eating so well is that eventually we get full!
• drinking - the only way to move through the city and not succumb to the relenting heat is through hydration - and the thais know how to do it right. they like their beverages loaded with sugar. milk teas are blended with palm sugar, sweetened condensed milk and then topped with evaporated milk and poured over crushed ice, into a plastic bag with a straw - we've traded in our caffeine addictions for serious thai sugar buzzes… the city is littered with vendors selling teas, coffees, water, beers, fresh orange juices, fruit juices, veggies juices, smoothies, shakes and bubble teas - it has been a culinary adventure with the beverages alone.
• shopping - bangkok is loaded with markets, shopping malls and boutiques selling just about everything that you could imagine. the options are endless with every brand name available. we have wandered the corridors of a few of the massive malls in the city center and hit the massive weekend market, boasting 15,000 vendors every saturday and sunday.
• people-watching in banglamphu - we're staying in the main traveler's centre and budget neighborhood near khao san road. the famous road is a bit too "much" for our taste - and we're glad our guesthouse (baan sabai @ 450 bhat $13.50 per night), is a few minutes walk away. we do certainly have fun though walking the pedestrian strip and watching all the freaks and craziness going on. you can completely change your image in the course of a few hours by getting dreadlocks, purple hair extensions, piercings, tattoos…we opted for some cocktails and beers and a few good laughs.
• visiting the american embassy - after 2 quick visits to the embassy, david has 20 new pages added to his passport and is ready to get stamped into the remaining 15 countries on our itinerary. funny, while in the embassy area we were approached by numerous locals offering us translating services - just in case we were interested in getting married…
• using public transport - local buses, river taxis, the metro, and the ultra-modern bts, bangkok's elevated rail line - thanks to david's keen navigational skills, we have easily managed to find our way around a city of 6 million people.
• visiting wats (temples) - bangkok's skyline is adorned with golden stupas, gleaming colored glass plastered temples and countless buddha statues that are sitting, reclining, standing - you name, we've seen it… bangkok's wats are the epicenter of buddhism in thailand and have provided magnificent backdrops to our touring of the city.

cambodia, the wrap up

2008-01-17T09:30:00.001-05:00

our comments and observations of cambodia:

• even though much of cambodia lives in extreme poverty, the people are exceptionally nice and exude a pure, sweet innocence.
• angkor wat and the temple complex is the primary reason we decided to visit cambodia. we both agree that it is the most impressive archeological site (s) we've ever seen.
• cambodian women are exceptionally beautiful.
• the cambodian sun in blazing hot. with the high humidity the temperature feels near 100 degrees…and someone said it's winter?
• cambodians are mini too!
• how many cambodians can you fit on a scooter? six! 3 adults, 1 small child, and 2 infants. we are searching hard to find the new record of 7…
• the city of phnom penh is a little "rough around the edges". we kept our wits about things and chose not to take any night time strolls.
• we also opted out on street food in phnom penh after witnessing the lack of refrigeration and sanitation at street stalls. we suspect a case of typhoid ain't no walk in the park at a cambodian clinic.
• there are no fast food western restaurants in cambodia.
• someone said i looked cambodian…yea, yea, yea…i've heard that story…
• due to the influx of 5-star hotel package tourists, siem reap has some of the most jacked restaurant pricing we've seen in south east asia. diet coke continues to cost more than regular coke and reaches the hefty price tag of $1.75 per can!
• cambodia is one of the most heavily bombed countries in the world with an estimated 4 to 6 million unexploded bombs still littering the country. over 700 victims suffer each year from mine explosions. we were very saddened to see so many disabled people with missing or no limbs.
• things in cambodia cost a little bit more than in vietnam. you don't get as much bang for your reil, but for westerners, it's still a cheap country to travel to.

what things cost in cambodia:

• coffee at a local café $0.50
• 12 oz diet coke at a tourist restaurant $1.00
• a draft angkor beer $0.80
• khmer dinner for 2 people $7.00
• an order of beef luk lok $2.50
• an order of chicken curry $3.00
• a yoghurt shake $1.00
• large bottled water $0.50
• fish amok for 2 at a fancy restaurant $16.00
• an omelet with a baguette $1.50
• postcards $0.10 each
• postage to the usa $1.00 each
• a krama, or traditional scarf used to wrap around the head $2.00
• a pair of artisan crafted silver earrings $8.00
• tourist t-shirts 2 for $5.00
• an artisan crafted ornament made from old bullets $1.25
• the cambodia mask $15.00
• 6 hour luxury (with bathroom) bus ride $10.00 per person
• double ensuite room at popular guesthouse in siem reap $13.00 per night
• a 3 day pass to the angkor temple complex $40.00
• 3 day tuk tuk hire $45.00

what's next?

tomorrow morning we leave on a 10 hour bus ride that will take us over the border of thailand and into bangkok. we'll see you there!

onward!

alina

the cambodia mask

2008-01-17T09:27:00.001-05:00

aspara = peace in cambodian

aspara is the traditional khmer dance of cambodia that dates back to the 8th century. the dance is said to honor the spirit of cambodia. at the heart of the classical form is the aspara, the joyful dancer whose images are everywhere. the graceful movements of the aspara dancer, adorned with gold headdresses and silken tunics and skirts are carved on the walls of many temples of angkor. this is the cambodian mask. she is aspara.

alina

eating in cambodia

2008-01-17T08:39:00.001-05:00

as one might expect, both the thais and vietnamese have heavily influenced khmer cuisine. spicy, chile-laden curries, fresh spring rolls and loads of rice are common at the dinner table. while we have only been in cambodia for about a week, we did have a good chance to sample a healthy array of food while here. among our favorites was a staple dish called beef luk loc. served on most menus throughout the country, it is a sautéed beef dish loaded with garlic and green onions, served over top of fresh green tomatoes, cucumber, shaved raw onions and lettuce. of course, it comes with rice on the side and a flavorful dipping sauce of limejuice, salt, pepper and a little vinegar. a lot of versions also come with a fried egg or two on the top. we also at a lot of eggplant while here. sautéed with pork and mushrooms, roasted and pureed with minced pork, chiles, lime and fish paste or grilled, mashed and served cold with tomatoes, cucumber and onions… we saw it at our table on more than one occasion and enjoyed it every time. also, just like in vietnam, banana blossoms are a favorite salad ingredient here. often times, served with cold chicken, mint, basil, lemongrass, tomatoes and limejuice. i haven't been able to get enough of it in the last few days and can only hope to see as much of it in thailand in the coming days.

angkor wat

2008-01-17T07:50:00.000-05:00

the temples of angkor, capital of cambodia's ancient khmer empire, are the heart and soul of the kingdom of cambodia. they are a source of inspiration and national pride to all khmers, and of course, is the primary reason we decided to make a short visit to the country. the hundreds of temples surviving today are only the skeleton of the vast political, religious, and social centre of an empire that once stretched from burma to vietnam. the most magnificent temple is angkor wat, which is the largest religious building in the world. angkor wat and the temple complex is by far the most signifigant archeological site we will visit in south east asia.

after a couple of "edgy" days in phnom penh, we welcomed the touristy, clean feel of siem reap - home of the famous wat, or temple. after checking into popular guest house ($13.00 per night), we arranged for a 3 day tuk-tuk tour of angkor wat and some of the surrounding temples.

the alarm went off at about 4:30am the next morning. shortly after, we were in the lobby of our guesthouse meeting our tuk tuk driver, Savoot, a nice young guy who's kind of shy and has a sweet smile. we head out into the crisp air for our first stop, the ticket office. we see some 24 hour food stalls, a couple of joggers (when else can you jog in cambodia?), and other tourists en route to ankor wat, the same as us. we arrive to the ticket office, which is buzzing with activity with about 8 ticket lines open. we pay the $40.00 per person entry fee for a 3 day pass to the complex and the high-tech system takes our photo and produces a photo id that we use to enter the sites.

by about 5:45am we arrive to the entrance of angkor wat. savoot directs us where to go and says he'll be waiting for us along with all of the other sleeping tuk tuk drivers. we start walking in the pitch black across the walkway that crosses a moat and shortly arrive to a lake that is located directly in front of the wat. we quickly realize that we are not the only ones with the bright idea to see angkor wat at sunrise, because about 50 tourists are already sitting around the lake. we are immediately approached by young boys who offer us plastic chairs and hot coffee for 75 cents each. of course, we accept because we are unable to turn down coffee with the current hard-core caffeine addictions we acquired while in vietnam. additionally, we are incredibly lazy and don't care to stand. we position ourselves behind the front row of japanese tourists that appear to be part of a tour group. within a few minutes, another japanese group moves in directly behind us. the scent of perfumed body lotion and clean hair surrounds us. they smell so good…i wonder if they can smell my bug spray. their guide provides plastic chairs for them, but no coffee. i wonder if they already had coffee and buffet breakfast at their 5-star hotel…
i bet the buffet had bacon too…

at about 6:15am the sun rises and the splendor and beauty of angkor wat is before us! after about a half an hour of much excitement and picture taking, we proceed inside the temple to get a good head start on the tour groups. after learning about angkor and anticipating the visit for so long, i am amazed and can hardly believe that we are actually inside the temple. it is magnificent and more incredible than i imagined. we peacefully tour the temple and the grounds for the next couple hours with minimal other tourists. we were lucky and got great photos with no other tourists in the shots!

after leaving angkor wat we continued the tour by visiting the bayon temple at angkor thom, phimeanakas, elephant terras, and preah phithuo. it was fantastic day - and we still have two to go…

alina

phnom penh

2008-01-14T07:18:00.001-05:00

on our first day in the capital of cambodia, phnom penh, alina and i visited the two most historically significant sites in the city. first, we visited the tuol sleng museum. tuol sleng , originally a high school, was transformed into security prison 21, the largest center of detention and torture in the country. today it stands as testament to the unthinkable horrors that occurred there. afterwards, we visited the killing fields of choeung ek, where over 17,000 men, women and children (many detainees of s-21) were massacred and buried in mass graves during the genocide of the khmer rouge regime.

after these small insights into the horrors of cambodia's recent past, i am at a loss of words on how to describe the impact it has had on us. hopefully these words, written by fellow countrymen of the dead can better explain the suffering this beautiful country experienced less than 30 years ago:

"even in this 20th century, on kampuchean soil the clique of pol pot criminals, committed a heinous genocidal act. they massacred the population with atrocity in a large scale, it was crueler than the genocidal act committed by the hitler fascists, which the world has never met.
with the commemorative stupa in front of us, we imagine that we are hearing the grievous voice of the victims who were beaten by pol pot men with canes, bamboo stumps and heads of hoes. who were stabbed with knives or swords. we seem to be looking at the horrifying scenes and the panic stricken faces of the people who were dying of starvation, forced labour or torture without mercy upon the skinny body, they died without giving the last words to their kith and kin. how hurtful those victims were when they were beaten with canes, heads of hoes and stabbed with knives and swords before their last breath went out. how bitter they were when seeing their beloved children, wives, husbands, brothers or sisters seized and tightly bound before being taken to the mass grave!

while they were waiting for their turn to come and share the same tragic lot,
the method of massacre which the clique of pol pot criminals was carried upon the innocent people of kampuchea cannot be described fully and clearly in words because the invention of this killing method was strangely cruel so it is difficult for us to determine who they are for. they have human form but their hearts are demon's hearts. they have got the khmer face, but their activities are purely reactionary. they wanted to transform kampuchean people into a group of persons without reason or a group who knew and understood nothing, who always bent their heads to carry out angkor's orders blindly. they had educated and transformed young people and the adolescent whose hearts are pure, gentle and modest into odious executioners who dared to kill the innocent and even their own parents, relatives or friends.

they had burnt the marketplace, abolished monetary systems, eliminated books of rules and principles of national culture, destroyed schools, hospitals, pagodas and beautiful monuments such as angkor watt temple, which is the source of pure national pride and bears the genius, knowledge and intelligence of our nation.

they were trying hard to get rid of khmer character and transform the soil and waters of kampuchea into a sea of blood and tears which was deprived of cultural infrastructure, civilization and national character, became a desert of great destruction that overturned the kampuchean society and drove it back into the stone age."

cambodia has a long road to recovery ahead of it and the scars of the khmer rouge regime are still everywhere. maybe, with a little help from the rest of the world, cambodia can get fully back on it's feet and create the economic, educational and social infrastructures necessary to rebuild it's culture and help it's people.

the mekong delta

2008-01-14T07:01:00.001-05:00

our last three days in vietnam were spent in the mekong delta. it was a great experience, taking in the sights of the floating markets, floating villages, fish farms and rice patties that make up the 'rice basket of vietnam.' here are few of the friendly faces and striking images we saw during our three days. for a more extensive look at the mekong delta region, take a look at our photos at www.flickr.com/photos/davidandalina.

vietnam, the wrap up

2008-01-08T08:37:00.002-05:00

our comments and observations of vietnam:

• we love vietnam!
• the vietnamese are smiling, lovely, and gentle people. we have thoroughly enjoyed our interactions with them.
• same as the chinese, the vietnamese are very hard workers.
• vietnam is an incredibly popular tourist destination and is choke full of tour groups and independent travelers.
• the food and coffee in vietnam is fresh, cheap, and fantastic.
• we fear we may have acquired a hard-core caffeine addiction, due to our over consumption of café sua da.
• how much pho soup can you eat in a month? loads - luckily, we love it!
• the vietnamese can ride motorbikes like champs.
• how many people can you fit on a motorbike? a vietnamese family of five: dad, mom, and three mini children.
• the only western fast-food restaurant we saw in vietnam is kfc, which have been sparcely located in hanoi and saigon.
• diet coke costs more than regular coke in vietnam. we presume it's because very few vietnamese are fat or on a diet.
• we continue with the norm of being giant in size. the vietnamese are super-mini and are even smaller than the chinese or koreans.
• vietnam has unbelievably cheap draft beer.
• vietnam is loud. it seems there are only a couple of quiet hours in the day - which are somewhere between 2 and 5am.
• the american dollar rules in vietnam.
• memory and remnants of the war are still everywhere.
• crossing a busy street in vietnam is an artform. after almost a month, we consider ourselves masters of the art.
• we love conical hats!
• relatively speaking, toilet conditions in vietnam are optimal and are only rarely of the squat variety. woo hoo!
• vietnamese bus travel is terrifying. we determined the best way to cope with it is when we feel near death, we simply close our eyes and think of beautiful, heavenly thoughts.
• same as china, blogs are subject to censorship and restriction in vietnam. although we have been able to upload new posts and photos to our blog, we've still been unable to view the final format online.
• disregarding the advice of guidebooks, we ate ice all throughout vietnam and never once got sick.
• also contrary to guidebook warnings, we encountered 0% pickpocket, theft, or crime of any sort directed towards us. we traveled throughout vietnam completely at ease and with absolutely no feeling of threat.
• they tell me i have a vietnamese face. funny, because in china they said i had a chinese face. wait a minute - someone once said i looked hawaiian…
• you get a lot of bang for your dong in vietnam.

what things cost in vietnam:

• the border crossing fee at customs to enter the country $0.12 per person
• draft bia hoi at an outdoor café in hanoi $0.12
• café sua da in a coffee shop $0.75
• fresh squeezed juice $0.60
• a fruit plate $1.10
• a fresh bagette $0.12
• an order of cau lau $0.70
• a doner kabob sandwich from a street stall $0.72
• american breakfast at a nice café $1.65
• a banana pancake $0.65
• pho soup at a street stall $0.60
• pho soup at a nice restaurant $2.25
• a large bottled water $0.36
• 12 oz can of diet coke in a restaurant $0.70
• 12 oz. can of tiger beer in a restaurant $0.65
• a fresh fruit smoothie $0.90
• a three course prix-fixe dinner at a casual vietnamese restaurant $3.25 per person
• a double ensuite room at than van hotel in hoi an $15.00
• hotel laundry service $0.90 per kilo.
• postcards $0.30 each
• postage to the u.s.a. $0.63 each
• a 15 hour sleeper bus ticket from ninh binh to hue $15.00
• manicure and pedicure $5.00
• a 1.5 hour tandem (4 hand) massage $8.00
• the vietnam mask $11.00
• a premium silk scarf $3.70
• a silk change purse $0.40
• a hand-made hemp i pod holder $2.25
• a pair of ceramic earrings from a market vendor $1.00
• entry to my son champa ruins $4.00
• tour + entry fee to cu chi tunnels $9.00
• entry to the war remnants museum $1.00
• david's street barber haircut $1.80
• an inclusive 3 day, 2 night tour to the mekong delta region with transfer to phnom penh, cambodia $36.00 per person

what's next?

tomorrow we're leaving saigon on a 3 day bus/boat tour that will take us to the mekong delta region then continue on to phnom penh, cambodia. also called the "rice basket" of vietnam, the delta yields enough rice to feed the entire country, and although the area is primarily rural, it is one of the most densely populated regions in vietnam. nearly every square mile is intensively farmed and the area is lush with rice paddies, fish farms, and extensive cultivation of sugarcane, fruit, coconut, and shrimp. the tour will take us by boat to visit floating markets and river villages of the mekong delta. we will stay over night in the cities of can tho and chau doc, a small city near the border of cambodia. on day three we will cross the cambodian border by boat then change to a bus for the final land transfer into phnom penh.

if we come across a decent wifi connection while in the delta, we'll be sure to upload some photos or drop a post regarding life on the river. otherwise, we'll see you in the capitol city of cambodia!

onward!

alina

cu chi tunnels

2008-01-08T08:18:00.001-05:00

okay, so it's confirmed, the banging is not our guesthouse chef smashing bones or crushing ice as i had previously theorized… indeed, it is some small scale construction going on in the alleyway snaking around behind our guesthouse.
this was realized this morning at about 6:45 am when we woke up to head out to sinh café for our organized tour to see the cu chi tunnels, the elaborate spider web of underground tunnels extending far north and all the way to the cambodian border that served as the v.c. stronghold throughout the war.
at about 8:00 am, after a quick breakfast, identical to yesterday's, we arrived at the tour office and boarded a what looked like a very nice air conditioned bus with about 30 others and set out for cu chi, a suburb of saigon about 50 kilometers from the city center.
9:30 am - small kind deviation from plan as our somewhat rambunctious bus driver got a little over excited in the morning rush hour and somehow ' broke' the bus. rendering us incapacitated on the side of the road for about an hour while another bus came to our rescue. fortunately, the group seemed to be in good spirits and most everyone was rather understanding of the situation. as we have come to learn, it is super important to approach every day with a healthy sense of humor and a willingness to go with the flow (as the flow is often times very different from the plan)
10:10 am - still waiting… after alina decided we would forgo waiting for our afternoon snack, we dug into our first chocolate croissant of the trip. it was buttery, flakey and full of bittersweet chocolate, not unlike those of a fine parisian patisserie.
10:45 am - onward! the new bus with cooler air conditioning reloaded, this time with a few irritated travelers and headed towards cu chi.
11:30 am - well, it worked out for the best as our late arrival meant that we would be on the coat tails of all of the other tour groups, giving us more room and a little more peace at the site.
3:00 pm - back on the bus and a chance to cool off and reflect on the circus that is cu chi tunnels. a bit of background, cu chi served as the stronghold for v.c. guerillas throughout the war. the area was witness to countless deaths, chemical bombings and towards the end of the war, numerous b 52 carpet bombings. the area was left completely destroyed during and after the war, bomb craters scared the rice patties and most of the population was killed, maimed or fled the area as refugees. as the vietnamese tell the story, american forces were never able to gain a foot hold in the area and v.c. guerillas used it as a stepping stone to eventually take control of saigon in april of 1975. it would be safe to assume that the tourist site would serve as a somber memorial to all of the bloodshed and suffering the area had seen throughout history. that assumption is far from reality though, as the site is now home to a disney like theme park making light of war, repeated bombings, chemical weapons and suffering. a short film before entering the jungle site of the tunnels, praises v.c. guerilla 'american killers' and is quite a heavy hitting piece of communist propaganda. throughout the jungle, we got to see the actual tunnels still intact, along with displays of homemade bombs and weapons that the v.c. used. one of the most shocking exhibits was a display of all of the bamboo booby traps that the v.c. used against the americans and the apparent enthusiasm that the park guard and the tour group showed for seeing how they worked. followed by a stop at the shooting range to try out war era ak 47s and other various machine guns we were ready to call it a day and ge the heck out of there. it was a real eye opening experience and definitely gave a perspective of the war different than what you get back home.
4:30 pm - after getting back into saigon city, we hit our now favorite noodle soup shop for another hot bowl of spicy pho bo with tender braised beef brisket. it has become my favorite of all of our travels throughout vietnam.
5:30 pm - back to miss loi's for a cool shower and a 2 hour nap, void of any construction noises, scooter horns or any of the countless other noises this city produces when you are trying to rest…
7:30 pm - we head out of the guesthouse and find dinner at a local spot with cheap beers and fresh, tasty vietnamese food. i had bun thit nuong again, which is just a great dish - pork loin grilled with loads of lemongrass and served over rice noodles with lettuce, mint, basil and toasted peanuts - all tossed with a little fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and red chiles. it is nice and fresh, light and full of flavor. i think that it is very representational of everything that is great about vietnamese food - one of those dishes that would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and also does really well in this hot, humid climate… and best of all, a serving for 1 person costs barely more than a dollar - along with a 60 cent saigon beer - you can't go wrong…

fyi... i will be putting together another post about some of the food we have had in vietnam over the last month that i have not yet had a chance to mention. hopefully, wifi willing, i will get to upload it sometime in the next few days before we head into cambodia - david

a day (or two) in the life...

2008-01-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

yesterday we took a rather extensive walking tour of central saigon after moving into our quaint guesthouse, miss loi's, hidden down a very narrow alleyway. our tour took us north to the jade emperor pagoda in the da kao neighborhood of saigon. jade emperor is a taoist pagoda dedicated to the taoist supreme god… you guessed it, the emperor of jade. it was very special to be in a place where worship and meditation were being pursued, unlike many other well toured temples and pagodas. we quietly observed a monk that was at least 100 years old while he sat on the floor and meditated. he was amazing. afterwards our walk took us through a bustling neighborhood market, far off the tourist trail, where we bought a few tiny mandarin oranges and some ruby red mountain apples, more brilliant in color than any i have seen in hawaii (although not quite as sweet). we made our way to the binh soup shop for a bowl of pho bo. binh is historically significant as it was the former headquarters of the northern vietnam (vc) spies during the war. it is said that much of the plans for the tet offensive in 1968 were conceived right there as spies swirled around posing as waiters, serving u.s. soldiers the same noodle soup nearly 40 years ago. we also made our way to a popular local hangout that serves banh xeo, egg pancakes, cooked crisp over wok burners and filled with pork loin, prawns and bean sprouts. to eat, you tear off a small piece of the pancake and stuff it into a lettuce (bibb) leaf with mint, basil and shiso, then dip it into fish sauce with pickled carrot, radish and baby leeks - awesome, fresh flavors and alina's proclaimed "hands down favorite" food of our now 2 month journey… after a nice cool shower to slow the effects of saigon's stifling humidity, we made it into our air conditioned and ceiling fanned bedroom for a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep… until we awoke to one of the typical vietnamese 'alarm clocks.' instead of roosters (hana) or car/scooter horns (hanoi), we woke up to hammering. alina was convinced that it was the little old lady that cooks at the guesthouse, although i am sure that if she was trying to make that much noise in a kitchen she would have been trying to smash cow bones with a sledge hammer.
9:10 am - we made it down stairs to find the cook quietly peeling onions and enjoy our breakfast of pineapple, watermelon and tiny finger sized bananas with a baguette, homemade strawberry preserves, emmenthal cheese and a café sua da (coffee with condensed milk).
11:00 am - we stopped at the 'barber shop' at the end of our alley to get me a proper haircut. i must say that it was one of the best of my life. i guess barbers at home are scared of the straight razor these days. however, for my friendly vietnamese barber, the art of the straight razor has not been lost. he detailed all the way around my head, including the peach fuzz on my ears - yes peach fuzz - while i am sure that it will one day be gnarly old man ear hair - i am still only 30 years old and it is still just peach fuzz… needless to say, it was a good experience - the haircut, the moto drivers hanging around to watch, the neighborhood guy behind me sharpening the barb for the claw of his cock fighting bird in the bamboo cage just next to me and alina sitting there taking pictures and talkin' story with the small curious crowd that seems to often form around us theses days.
12:00 noon - stop at café zoom for more café sua da (iced) and a quick reprieve from the humidity and a chance to sit and watch the seemingly endless scooter parade, including a special appearance by a rare 5 passenger scooter, before heading to the ben than market, central saigon's liveliest and most colorful place for one stop shopping.
1:30 to 3:30 pm - during the afternoon we visited a couple important sites in saigon. first, a stop at the reunification palace gave us a firsthand look at what the palace was like only days before it was surrendered to vc troops in 1975. afterwards we walked a few blocks west to the war remnants museum - a vivid and rather gruesome depiction of the cultural, economical and physical void that the war left on the country. through photographs taken by 11 journalists that lost their lives documenting the war, we saw images of the death, destruction and mutilation inflicted on everyone involved. it was graphic and telling - one of those experiences that you don't want to have but somehow feel better because of seeing it.
4:00 pm - finally, lunch and something less serious to focus on. we decided to stop at an up market noodle shop serving (and named) bun bo hue. my version with vietnamese beef, hue style pork sausage and pig trotter was fantastic - garnished with shredded banana blossoms, limes, chiles and basil and seasoned with fish sauce and red chile paste - washed down with yet another café sua da (number three for the day) - it hit the spot. we also had a few small fresh spring rolls filled with rice noodles, greens and ground dried hue shrimp - dipped in more fish sauce and chiles, it made for a good starter and a nice departure from some of the flavors that have become familiar to use over the last three weeks in vietnam.
5:00 pm - on the way back to miss loi's we took a walk through he backpacker's quarter and stopped to buy some provisions (a bar of soap, a tomato-yoghurt facial mask and some tiger beers) before getting back to shower and relax for a while before heading back out in the evening for some more adventures.
8:00 pm - after a quick dinner of gui cuon (fresh spring rolls) and bun thit nuong (grilled marinated pork loin with rice noodles and lettuce) we headed to the cafe zozo for our last cafe sua da of the day, swearing that we will not allow a hardcore caffeine addiction to set in before we leave coffee country... maybe just one more tomorrow. -david

it ain't hamoa, but we're at the beach...

2008-01-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

it's about 82 degrees, the sky is overcast, and we are officially in the south. we arrived nha trang yesterday morning at about 7am after a 10 hour overnight bus trip. vietnamese bus travel doesn't seem nearly as death-defying when you sleep through the ride. nha trang is on of the more popular beach destinations in vietnam and we felt it would suit us perfectly to ring in the new year. it ain't hamoa beach, but we realize we're somewhat spoiled after living in hana, maui for the last 3 years. nonetheless, it's still quite beautiful and relaxing - which is exactly what we plan to do over the next few days. although far from exciting, here's a recap of our last day of 2007:

7am - arrival and checked in to an hoa hotel @ 176,000 dong ($11.00) per night - complete with wifi, satellite tv with the cartoon channel, and an ocean view from the balcony.
7am to noon - sleep
noon to 2pm - relaxed in a cafe with fruit smoothies and a lunch of fried calamari, grilled eggplant, steamed rice, and fruit.
2pm to 4pm - leisure walk and chilled out along the beach front.
4pm to 5pm - searched to find a mini-mart then bought shampoo, toothpaste, deoderant, yoghurt, pringles, orangina, and tiger beer.
5pm to 7pm - relaxed and read in the room.
7pm to 8:30pm - had a 1.5 hour tandem (4 hand) vietnamese massage - fantastic!
8:30pm to 10:30pm - had a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant and ate excellent soft-shell blue crabs
10:30pm to midnight - relocated to an even fancier beach-front club for coffee and dessert @ $12.00 USD - outrageously expensive for vietnam. rang in the new year...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

alina and david

the vietnam mask

2007-12-29T07:14:00.000-05:00

this is the mask from vietnam. it is inspired by the famous buddha named "di lac", who is very popular with the vietnamese. he represents joy, prosperity, and tolerance.

alina

eating in vietnam

2007-12-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

since our arrival into vietnam nearly two weeks ago, alina and i have been able to sample a dizzying array of vietnamese food. from pho soup to spicy snails, cau lau and che, every city and town has provided us with another mind boggling culinary revelation. the food has been as colorful and refreshing as the people that have been preparing and serving it. every bowl of noodle soup, plate of spring rolls and baguette sandwich has been served with a huge smile that exudes the pride that went into making the food. as a fellow practitioner of the culinary arts, i can appreciate the feeling of seeing happy and excited diners anxiously watching you prepare food for them. i think that the sense of satisfaction is mutual between the vendor and customer here in vietnam.
here is a brief run down on a few of the dishes that have given us such great satisfaction in the last few weeks:
• pho bo (10000 vnd, about 60 cents) is probably the best-known vietnamese food outside the country, and for good reason as it is very much the staple food of the people here. in vietnamese, pho is the word used to describe noodle soup and bo is beef. so essentially what you have is a very simple beef broth with flat rice noodles and sliced lean beef. it is usually garnished with some green onion and cilantro with limes and fresh chiles on the side. of course, around every corner is a different variation of pho, utilizing braised beef, gelatinous beef tendon, beef meatballs and grilled flank. there is also pho ga - ga is chicken in vietnamese. in ninh binh, there is pho de - de being goat meat. from vendor to vendor, you can find the addition of fish sauce, chile paste, bean sprouts or shaved onions. i am sure that it sounds like we have tried it all, but after only two weeks, we have barely scratched the surface. street vendors seem to have their own territory, setting up shop in the same place everyday. there are also different vendors in the same spot throughout the day, one selling pho for breakfast in the morning then packing up in the afternoon to make way for a vendor selling something completely different for lunch or dinner. after a few days in one place, we start to get a feel for who sells what, where and when… but back to pho, it is much simpler than i had ever imagined before coming to vietnam. i think that it is perhaps too simple to be served in its true form in america, as most vietnamese restaurants in the states seem to over complicate it or try to 'spruce it up' for the american palate. i have really been enamored with the straightforward simplicity of the 'real thing' here in vietnam.
• bun bo hue (10000 vnd, about 60 cents) is another type of rice noodle soup. while its components do not differ much from it's cousin pho, to me it is infinitely more complicated. bun bo hue is a heavy beef broth loaded with fish sauce and stained red from chile paste. it is best when served with a few fried fish cakes, braised beef tendon and lean beef and drizzled with tons of fresh lime juice. at a stop over/day trip in hue, the ancient capital of vietnam, we had, by far, our favorite version of this soup for breakfast one morning. as usual, when least expected, we are treated to the best tastes and flavors… it must have something to do with the lack of expectations or anticipation. it was our first day officially out of the north and we were treated to some sunlight and our first taste of humidity since leaving hawaii so many weeks ago. on our way to the ancient citadel of hue we stumbled upon a small street front shop selling café sua, vietnamese drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk, and bun bo hue and stopped to have a bowl. as is often the case, alina let me order first. after seeing the steaming bowl of soup, she quickly asked the cook, sitting at her station next to our table for another bowl. she cracked a huge, warm smile and nodded as if to say, "yeah, i knew you would want one too…"
• che (pronounced gaa) is a cheap (5000 vnd, about 30 cents) sweet treat served on just about every street corner in vietnam. it is a chilled sweet tea made of simple syrup and varying types of beans, including white, black, soy and limas. it is served in a tall glass and topped with fresh, young 'spoon meat' coconut and fresh coconut milk. of course, going against what the guidebooks tell you not to do, we have ours the way the locals do, served over shaved ice. it makes for a very sweet, refreshing little mid-day snack. it is also a good way to take a load off after touring around for a while and is a good chance to sit down with the locals and make conversation. there is a unique culture that comes along with squatting on a small plastic stool on the sidewalk right next to a road full of scooters, carts, bikes and pedestrians. for some reason, once you take the step to sit down people seem to let down their guard a bit and let you into their world. after answering the standard, what is you name, where are you from, how long have you been in vietnam… you are rewarded with a chance to be right in the mix of things, watching them work, interacting with other locals and always a collection of friendly smiles…
• the baguette sandwich - east meets west or the french legacy… however you want to describe it, street vendors and cafes are toasting up warm epi baguettes and stuffing them full of pate, roasted pork belly, pork loin, chicken, smoked fish, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, lettuces, chile sauce, emmental cheese, donner kebab chicken and lamb or spicy chipped beef. for anywhere from about 30 to 75 cents you can grab one of these little snacks for a quick lunch or late night snack (or as i did after going to the fish market this morning, for breakfast…).
• grilled fish. here in hoi an, we stopped for lunch in a small café two days ago and were treated to a tasty little grilled fish dish that is popular throughout central and southern vietnam. small fillets or fingers of fish are covered with rough minced fresh turmeric root, wrapped tightly in fresh banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. the results are perfect, moist fish, infused with the tartness of the turmeric and aroma of the charred banana leaves. served with a little steamed rice on the side and a dipping sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and cracked black pepper - awesome… this would have made for a perfect entrée back at hotel hana maui, with all of the fresh snappers and groupers from the lind family…
• cau lau, a staple dish in hoi an, is yet another vietnamese style noodle dish. thick, chewy, fresh egg noodles are served with a few small slices of lean, roasted pork loin, fresh bibb lettuce, bean sprouts, cilantro and crispy fried rice noodle pieces and then dressed with a little bit of a rich pork broth and drizzled with lime juice. in hoi an, cau lau replaces pho as the most popular/served anywhere dish of the city… up market restaurants, road side stalls and everything in-between serves this dish. my favorite has been from a small street vendor right on the waterfront across from the boat dock, catering to both locals and adventurous tourists. like most, a family affair, with the wife cooking, husband taking orders and son clearing tables… here you can have a small bowl, enough to make a lunch, for 10000 vnd or 60 cents. i have forgotten to mention one interesting thing about paying and pricing. all prices are quoted simultaneously in dong (vnd) and dollars. it is funny to see. this phenomenon is not just reserved for americans or even tourists for that matter. i saw japanese people paying for a tour to my son, champa ruins outside of hoi an, yesterday with american dollars. even at the post office last night, when making a shipment back to the states, we where given a price list where everything was listed in dollars, while all of the text was in vietnamese and french… go figure. without a calculator and some quick division skills you could find yourself lost trying to figure out how much things cost.
well, i guess that is a good start in describing a few of the tastes of vietnam. i am sure there will be more to come. we have also added quite a few food pics to our account on flickr if you want to see more… david

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T06:50:00.000-05:00

to all of our friends and family, we wish you a merry christmas. we are enjoying the christmas holiday here in ninh binh, vietnam. although we are a world away, you are all in our thoughts. hope everyone is healthy, happy and enjoying the holiday. love alina & david.

the bay

2007-12-22T05:07:00.001-05:00

yesterday we took our first organized tour of the trip. a jam-packed 3.5 hour bus ride deposited us at the port of halong bay - an unesco world heritage site and one of the top attractions in northern vietnam. the huge boat was for our intimate group seven: three american guys on break from college in korea, two lovely austrian ladies, plus david and myself.

we cruised the spectacular halong bay, had a delicious lunch on the boat, and visited yet another beautiful cave. the bay has over 3,000 limestone islands peppered with caves and beaches rising from the waters. the sights were mysterious, majestic, and absolutely breathtaking. the cruise ended perfectly as we were treated to a stunning sunset over the stone islands of halong bay. - alina

hanoi

2007-12-22T04:56:00.001-05:00

we are officially millionaires. a couple hundred bucks = millions of vietnam dong.

uncle ho's mausoleum
motorbikes
pho soup
scooters
ca phe sua da (coffee with condensed milk)
mopeds
smiling faces
motos
$0.15 bia hoi (fresh beer)
motorcycles
honking horns

did i mention there are lots of motorbikes?

we are in hanoi!

hello vietnam!

alina

china, the wrap up

2007-12-17T03:47:00.001-05:00

our comments and observations of china:

. "hello" is the most common greeting in china. although the vast majority of the population does not speak english, many people are happy to smile and say "hello" to western tourists.
. same as korea - we are giant in size. david is challenged by doorways, short beds, low ceilings, and small-sized house slippers. even though i've lost a few, i still have a good 40 pounds on most women.
. cross-walks are non-existant in china. you may cross the street wherever and whenever you want. order is enforced only with police or patrol presence.
. china has a case of the "staries". of course, we don't blame anyone for staring - we know we're kind of funny looking.
. chinese people are all about selling things - which comes in handy, because you can always find whatever you need pretty easily.
. chinese people don't like to queue. pushing to the front and "cutting" line is the norm and is completely acceptable. luckily, we have size and weight on our side.
. food is cheap in china - especially if you eat in the non-touristy places along with the locals.
. because diapers are very expensive, many chinese babies don't wear them. they wear pants with a slit in the bottom, then do their business by squatting when necessary.
. mcdonald's, kfc, and pizza hut restaurants are all over china. kfc is promoted as, "the food of kentucky"
. we are over the spitting...
. i am over the squat toilets...
. rule #1 in china: never leave home without tp
. rule #2 in china: never leave home without hand sanitizer and wipes
. chinese full-body massage is performed with every stitch of clothing on - even socks. it's quite bizarre, especially after being in korea - the land where everyone is completely comfortable being naked.
. for the most part, chinese people are smiling, nice people
. you can smoke wherever you want in china - even under "no smoking" signs
. clothing for sale in china is mini in size. it took us 2 weeks to find size extra large boxers for david - which he says are barely a u.s.a. size large. the packaging called the boxers "fat older guy boxers". david wasn't humored as much as i was.
. canned pabst blue ribbon beer is readily available in most convenient stores - we presume it's a popular and well-liked beer in china.
. china is considerably cheaper than korea.

what things cost in china:

. a 20 minute cab ride to the city center of beijing at 1am $7.00
. beijing subway ride $0.27
. a bean sprout burrito $0.65
. an apple snack on a stick $0.27
. an order of fried rice $1.10
. spicy noodle soup from a street vendor $0.90
. a nice hotpot dinner for 2 people $10.00
. large bottled water $0.39
. american breakfast at a hostel $2.45
. 20oz. tsingtao beer at a hostel $0.68
. double ensuite room at qian men hostel in beijing $22.00
. fresh brewed coffee at a coffee shop $1.75
. a local telephone call $0.13
. a pair of "thinsulate" gloves from the market $3.37
. postcards $0.08 each
. postage to the u.s.a $0.62 each
. a pair of black pearl earrings from the pearl market in beijing $7.50
. 2 pc fleece lined thermal underwear $8.00
. premium peking duck dinner for 2 people $20.00
. a 10-hour hard sleeper train ticket $26.00
. instant ramen noodle soup $0.45
. a steamed bun from a street vendor $0.12
. a 12oz. can of diet coke $0.32
. admission to the great wall $5.50 per person
. a city bus to the great wall $1.95 per person, each way
. 1/2 kilo high quality jasmine tea $8.50
. admission to the army of terracotta warriors $9.50 per person
. a big-mac value meal $2.35
. 1 hour full body massage treatment $5.00
. admission to sichuan opera with guide and interpretation $15.00 per person
. the china mask $20.00
. a 12 inch stuffed crust pizza from pizza hut $13.00
. a chartered boat for a li river cruise $20.00

what's next?

we're currently in the southern city of nanning, which is our last stop prior to crossing into vietnam. the people are very nice (as are most folks from the southern part of anywhere), and are all about yelling out a "hello!". we need a couple of days to basically do nothing except re-group, re-fresh, and re-charge. rather than staying in a hostel, we decided to secure a room at an actual hotel - which is a comforting change of pace. the room comes complete with a computer with internet, television with an english channel, and the softest bed we've had in china. needless to say, we are enjoying our first bit of television entertainment in over a month.

hanoi, vietnam is about 8 hours away by bus. we'll see you there soon...

ps. happy anniversary madre y padre sizemore! love, su hija

onward!

alina

the china mask

2007-12-17T03:37:00.000-05:00

tangu = a mask that is hung on the wall to prevent evil spirits and wish longevity.

this is the mask from china. it is a resemblance of buddha. - alina