TravelStream™ news feed for member chris_sayward on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/chris_sayward en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:11:54 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1225733460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1225733460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1225733460/tpod.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:11:54 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Anchorage, Alaska, United States

End-of-the-Summer Recap:

May: We moved into our new place - 3412 Old Muldoon Rd. Anchorage, AK 99504

We didn't have much to start out with, except all those awesome wedding gifts from 3 years ago! We thankfully remembered everyone who stocked our kitchen cabinets and linen closets! But we still needed furniture, so naturally we hit up Craig's List. And like everyone just starting out in a new place, it's still a work in progress. The paintings and other souvenirs that we brought back from Ghana and Mali are more than mere decorations on our walls; they continue to remind us of our Peace Corps experience.

June: New jobs and 3rd Anniversary

Chris works at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) which provides water and waste water systems to native Alaskans living in remote bush communities. He describes it as Peace Corps with a pay check (and a desk, and resources, and a boss, etc...) but he still bikes to work! Chris had the opportunity to travel to a small community called Golovin (70 miles east of Nome) to do a pilot study for a new water treatment plant.

I work at Reid Middleton, a structural engineering firm that has a hand in a lot of projects in and around the Anchorage area as well as other parts of Alaska. So far I've gotten to travel to Fairbanks to assist with a bridge inspection. Most recently I went to Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, to report on the construction progress of a dock and cold storage facility that we designed.

We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary (June 11) at the same restaurant where we had our first date that wasn't a hiking trip. I know, how romantic. The waitress thought so too and brought us dessert on the house. J It's hard to believe that it's been three years already!

July: Lots of hiking! (see pictures)

August: Chris ran a Half Marathon and we went fishing on Resurrection Bay in Seward (see more pics). We also checked out the Alaska State Fair in Palmer.

September: Enjoyed the fall colors and a rainy autumn. It turned cold by the end of the month and we were surprised to see snow falling so early in the year.

October: We threw ourselves a little housewarming party and asked our friends and coworkers to bring us a cutting from their favorite house plant to help the us spruce up our house a bit.

....Now it's November, the Moose Hunter's have taken our place in the mountain valleys hoping to bag a big one and stock their freezers with fresh meat. With the leaves gone from the trees we can clearly see the mountains from our front picture window. We bought skis at a gear swap and are waiting for a few more inches of powder to try them out. Chris studded his bike tires and continues to ride to work with the mantra "Burn Calories, Not Fossil Fuels." We have been inviting friends over for dinner, pulled off a fun wine-and-cheese party last weekend, and have gotten involved in a great small group from our church, which meets weekly to go through a book called Gospel Transformation.

We are glad to be setting down roots in a place where all of these things are possible, and look forward to what the winter will bring.

Until then, peace and blessings from your friends in Alaska,

Sayward and Chris



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1213909980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1213909980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1213909980/tpod.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:53:53 -0400 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Greetings from Alaska!

After a twelve day road trip across the country (plus three provinces in Canada) we arrived in Anchorage about a month ago. Far from being a marathon journey, we enjoyed stops in the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Banff and Jasper National Parks. The snow was still packed deep on the trails on the U.S. side (although we still squeezed in a short hike) and there seemed to be no shortage of rain in Canada. Nonetheless the scenery was beautiful, especially along parts of the Alaska Highway. Along the trip there were spottings of grizzly bears, mountain goats, dall sheep, black bear, moose, bison, coyote, elk, deer, caribou and those fat little yellow-bellied marmots. Below is a re-cap.

~Alcan Road Trip Summary~

Miles: 4,800
Days: 12
States/Provinces: TN, KY, IL, MO, KS, CO, WY, MT, AB, BC, YU, AK
Highlight: Soaking in the Liard Hot Springs in British Columbia
Scariest Moment: Driving through snow on the summit of Stone Mountain Provincial Park, BC with a semi-truck on our tail
Most Expensive Gas: $5.44/gal - Watson Lake, Yukon
Best Road Trip Rule: "Eat locally, no chain-food restaurants"
Best Eats: "Johnson's Corner" near Loveland, CO -"A truck driver's dream come true!"
Tastiest Brews: Free State Brewery in Lawrence, KS
Cost: $2,580.61

We spent our first week finding a place to live and searching for inexpensive furniture to make it feel like a home. Much time has been spent browsing Craigslist, thrift-stores and garage sales. So far we've found a sofa, love seat, kitchen table, chairs and cabinet. A week ago we bought a new bed and it has been awesome sleeping on a mattress instead of the floor. The rest will have to be purchased now that we've received our reimbursement checks from our employers.

Our new address is:
3412 Old Muldoon Rd
Anchorage, AK 99504

Send us a letter, email or call, and let us know what y'all are up to. We're keeping our cell phone service with Verizon at least until our contract is up in Jan '09. Our number is 989-284-8330. Of course, if you've ever had the desire to see the great state of Alaska this is now your opportunity and official invitation to fly/drive/bike up here and visit us. We should have our house set up within a few months time and, yes, there is a guest bedroom.

Take care and have a sunny summer solstice!

Peace and Love,
Chris & Sayward
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229719020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229719020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229719020/tpod.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:25:45 -0400 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Stockholm, Sweden

We landed in Sweden at three in the afternoon and the sun was already beginning to set! The weather was dramatically different from Malta. We just left an island paradise for a winter wonderland. Yet again we were compelled to visit another part of Europe because we knew someone in Sweden. Our friend Jenny, who also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, is now working on her PhD at the University of Stockholm. Jenny hosted us for a week in Stockholm and the surrounding area.

On our very first day in Stockholm we were already doing what the locals do. We went to a St. Lucia Day celebration at one of the churches in town. The church was packed with spectators waiting for St. Lucia to appear with a crown of candles in her hair. The lights were turned down low and choirs of white robed children and adults sang Swedish Christmas songs in one angelic accord. Finally the woman playing St Lucia slowly strolled down the church isle balancing her flaming crown and stood there in the middle for the remainder of the service. I guess that takes some practice because we heard that in the past some of the St. Lucia's have actually passed out because of the heat!

While Jenny was at school, Chris and I were on our own for a couple days touring around the city. We toured around Gamla Stan (the old City) and saw all the old buildings that were squeezed in between the winding cobblestone streets. We also visited a couple of noteworthy buildings: the world famous Vasa Museum and City Hall. The Vasa is famous for housing a perfectly restored shipwrecked ship from 1628. This ship sank on its maiden voyage before it even got out of the harbor and was finally resurrected in the 1950s. The museum also displays period tools and other items that could have been found on a ship in the 1600s. They even exhibited the skeletons (and their scientifically reconstructed wax bodies) of some of the people who drowned with the ship.

Stockholm's City Hall is the home of the Nobel Banquet. It hosts over 1000 guests every December 10 for the event. It's a beautiful as well as functional old building built in the 1920's. The room that the city parliament meets in is of particular interest. The ceiling of the room is painted blue with stars and a moon. Directly under the ceiling is the skeleton of a ships bottom deck. The symbolism on the ceiling is dedicated to their Viking ancestors. Vikings built their houses without windows, a narrow slit in the roof was the only way to see out or ventilate the house. The upside down ship symbolized the Vikings approach to decision making out at sea. They would all go down to the bottom deck, under the ship, to convene for major meetings. In the same way, today parliamentary meetings are also held under the ship.

Over the weekend, Jenny took us up to Gavle (pronounced Yahv-luh) in search of the gigantic Yulebocken or Christmas Goat. The 40 foot tall goat is constructed every year out of straw. Surprisingly, it has only been burned down 50% of the years that it's been constructed since the 1960s! In Gavle, we went hiking in forests that reminded us of Michigan and Minnesota north woods during the day and defrosted in a sauna at our guesthouse in the evenings. One night we treated ourselves to a Yuleboard or Christmas table. It's a smorgasbord of pickled herring in a variety of sauces, a dozen of different types of meats, hot foods, desserts, and cheeses. We ate so much food that night; it was a Swedish tradition that we truly enjoyed!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229112540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229112540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1229112540/tpod.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:25:14 -0400 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Valletta, Malta

Hi everyone,

Malta is an island destination typically visited by mainland Europeans. It's too small and remote for most Americans to even bother spending the money to get to when there's so much more of Europe that's a must see. But we had the opportunity to go to Malta to visit a professor that Chris had at Michigan Tech who was on a Fulbright scholarship there for a year. (Thanks Mary!!)

The reason many Europeans flock to Malta for a getaway is that Ryan Air has plenty of extremely cheap flights from several major European cities directly to Malta and compared to most of the EU, Malta is a relatively inexpensive vacation spot. Malta also boasts some of the most beautiful sandy beaches and THE best scuba diving in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately it was a bit too chilly for us to enjoy the water while we were there.

An intriguing site on Malta is the ancient walled city of Valleta. We took an entire day to do a self-guided walking tour of the city. We also visited the world famous St. John's Cathedral, founded by the Order of the Knight's of St. John. And for anyone familiar with the New Testament, you will remember that St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. Not surprisingly, he is commemorated all across this predominantly Catholic island. Within Valleta, St. Paul's Church of the Shipwreck boasts two relics from the martyr himself. This Church of the Shipwreck houses one of St. Paul's wrist bones and part of the column on which he was beheaded in Rome.

Other sites on Malta include the Dingli Cliffs and the Buskett Gardens. The cliffs stretch along the south shore and were once used as terrace farming and the picturesque rock walls can still be seen. The garden is the most densely wooded acreage on the entire island planted by the Knights back in the 1800s for hunting; the rest of the uninhabited land on Malta was clear cut and used for farming. The main crafts of Malta are handmade silk lace, glass blowing, and filigree silver. Each craft is beautifully and intricately made.

The island of Gozo is a 20 minute ferry ride from Malta. On a beautiful 70 degree weather day we rented bikes and took in the sites of the more rural island of Gozo. We visited old Gigantica temple ruins; enjoyed the views of the coastline with caves, cliffs and salt pans; climbed up to the Azure window (natural arch rock formation that juts out into the sea); and ate delicious seafood.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1208801340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1208801340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1208801340/tpod.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:07:08 -0400 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Houghton, Michigan, United States

Hello Everyone!

Maybe you thought we were finished with our travels or that we had just fallen off the face of the earth, since you had not heard from us in a while. But the truth is that we have been hiding out in one of our favorite places in the world - the U.P. After spending the holidays with our families we ventured back up North to the land of perpetual winter while Chris wrote his thesis and I worked on a journal article and a quilt from my Ghana dresses.

If you remember reading about us installing over 50 BioSand Filters in Sibi Hilltop, then you will know a bit about Chris' research. He will be making a presentation and defending his work on Friday at 9AM in DOW 875 (for those in the Houghton area). For anyone who may be interested in some technical reading the Final Draft is available as a pdf document at www.cee.mtu.edu/~ctfehrma/public/. It's actually really interesting - about purifying water with a media of sand and stones - especially if you ever find yourself in a developing country or in a remote native community in Alaska.

Speaking of Alaska, that is our next and perhaps permanent destination. At least for a while. We are planning to relocate there in May. We have had our hearts set on getting back to Alaska since we met there five years ago and now both of us have great job opportunities in Anchorage. Chris will be working for a non-profit organization called the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) where he will be on a design team that does most of the small town water and wastewater systems for native communities in the state. I will work at a small structural engineering firm called Reid Middleton, where they are currently working on expanding the International Airport in Anchorage. Of all their expertise in structures, I'm most excited about getting the opportunity to learn and work under their bridge engineer.

Although we'll be entering the "real" workforce with 9-5 schedules, we'll still be able get out and explore the wilderness that will be just outside our back door. And once we get settled in we'd love to have visitors. Like they say in Ghana, "You're invited."

We hope that you all are well! In case you feel like catching up as we make our way south, we plan on being in Saginaw from April 29 to May 1 and Crossville from May 4 to 10. If everything goes as planned we'll have all of our things boxed and shipped, and be on the road on May 11. It will take us a few weeks to drive from TN to AK but knowing us we'll be making some stops along the way. We've always wanted to see Banf and Jasper National Parks in Canada and this is a great excuse.

Take care and keep in touch!

Sayward & Chris
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1196621640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1196621640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1196621640/tpod.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:29:37 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Mainz, Germany

Hey Everyone,

We're still sending updates... This one will be short and with pictures too! We met up with our friend, Bill who is living in Switzerland. But instead of spending any time there, we headed straight for Bavaria, Bill's favorite place in Germany. It was quite a whirlwind tour covering at least two cities a day by train, so we'll just share the highlights.

Just when we thought that we would have nothing to do during the off-season in Germany, we found the Christmas markets in every city were in full swing. We had a lot of fun mingling with the locals, sipping gluhwein (hot wine) to keep warm, sampling the holiday sweets like apple strudel, and checking out all the Christmas crafts on display. If you're into collecting anything for Christmas, German Weinnachtmarkt (Christmas market) is the place to go. Now we know where they got Frankenmuth, Michigan's own little Bavaria from. And it's just as cheesy in Germany!

Most of the cities we went to were just to roam around for a few hours marveling at the old architecture. The rest of the time we were on the train heading toward the next city. And the train routes took us through some breath-taking countryside, along winding rivers, sheep dotted pastures, and the towering snowcapped Bavarian Alps.

Ulm: Climbed up into the tallest tower of any cathedral in the world.
Fussen: Saw the Nueschwanstein Castle.
Munich: Sampled the local brew at the Hauptbrauhaus
Salzburg: Toured the Munster Cathedral and Fortress, took in awesome views, and listened to a quintet sing The Little Drummer Boy in German.
Nurnberg: Walking tour of the old city and fortress and ate the best brats in Bavaria!
Bamberg: Toured the old city, cathedral and residence of archbishops, and had the most delicious lunch at the Klosterhaus washed down with a local brew.
Speyer: Searched for the local dish of saumagan (pig stomach stuffed with meat and potatoes) but the only restaurants serving it were so popular with the locals you had to make reservations! So no pig stomach for us, thank goodness!
Mainz: Checked out St Steven's cathedral where Marc Chagall's famous stain glass depicts Christian and Jewish solidarity. Pretty amazing for a German cathedral to have commissioned a Jewish artist. Ate dinner at a cathedral-cum-restaurant called the Heiligheist (Holy Ghost).

That's all for now. Enjoy!

Peace,
Sayward & Chris
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1163708400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1163708400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1163708400/tpod.html Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:22:59 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Ougadougou, Burkina Faso

Map pin entry.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1197231480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1197231480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1197231480/tpod.html Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:20:24 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162761240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162761240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162761240/tpod.html Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:16:30 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162757280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162757280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chris_sayward/ghana_2005-08/1162757280/tpod.html Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:12:50 -0500 The Longest Honeymoon Ever: A Chronicle of Chris and Sayward's Adventures & Experiences as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana, West Africa.

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Ougadougou, Burkina Faso

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