TravelStream™ news feed for member chrisandlara on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/chrisandlara en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:11:47 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1112024040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1112024040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1112024040/tpod.html Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:11:47 -0400 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Another day, another country, or so it feels...We returned to Nairobi from our safari and began immediate preparations to depart the next day for Ethiopia. It was an unexpected diversion, but our friends had highly recommended the trip, and it did not disappoint. For 7 days we were to visit the northern part of the country following what is called the historical route. In our short time there we whisked through 4 towns and were flying almost every day. If it sounds a bit exhausting it was, as almost every day we'd have to pack up and fly to a new city, however the sights were spectacular.

Ethiopia is a very religious country steeped in biblical history. There are traces of Jewish settlements predating Christ, as well as strong Orthodox Catholic and Muslim communities all living peacefully with one another. When we arrived we felt as if we had taken a time machine rather than a plane, as it was like stepping back a couple of thousand years. History isn't from a book in Ethiopia, you live it walking through the streets. People wear robes and carry staffs, mules cart goods, and homes are made of rock, mud and cow dung. Luckily our hotels were not, but they weren't that great either. Running water is viewed as a luxury item in many places, including some of our hotels.

In some towns the only sign of modernity was the Coca Cola sign welcoming us, a strange sign of commercialism in an otherwise completely non-commercial area. As per usual we wanted to keep in touch with you (and sports news) so we were excited to see a sign boasting an Internet cafe. As we approached we caught the real sense of wireless communication: there were no wires connecting the keyboard to the computer because there was no computer or keyboard! The owners looked at us sheepishly and said, "The Internet is not working", as if the Internet had something to do with a fishing net, hair net or volleyball net.

Our first stop along the historical route was the town of Gondar. Besides being a town with a name that could fit into The Lord of the Rings, it professed to have a castle that was built by King Fasil in the 1600s. Four generations of the royal family lived in the compound, each king building a more impressive structure than the last. A great thing about Ethiopia was how accessible all of the sites were. There were few barriers and we could walk throughout King Fasil's castles.

After a brief stop at a market, where we saw how primitive Ethiopian society can be, we headed to a church that was widely known as one of the most beautiful in Ethiopia. That is saying something as the northern historical route is filled with amazing churches. This one's claim to fame was its incredible painted artistry on the walls and ceiling, an Ethiopian version of the Sistine chapel. Many years ago its very first priest covered the walls with interconnected murals showing scenes of Mary and Jesus and St. George (a popular saint in Ethiopia), however the ceiling was the piece de resistance. It was filled with faces of hundreds of angels looking down "from Heaven". The style of the these paintings were simple and bright and very distinctive. Even the church's grounds have religious significance, as there are 12 pillars (representing the disciples)surrounding the church, each housing a small room for the monks to live in. Everything was vibrant and bright, even the nun's robes were fluorescent yellow! The church was special in the hearts of the Cathoics as it was said to be protected by bees who had stung invaders centuries ago.

At night we found an Ethiopian restaurant (go figure!) but the menu was limited. The Orthodox Catholics, which constituted 99% of the northern population, fast for 55 days leading up to Easter. That meant no meat, which wasn't a problem for Lara, however they even ran out of 'fasting food' in some of the places we went. Restaurants often listed 20 items on the menu, but the reality was only 3 choices were available.

Our next stop was the tiny town of Lalibela which was tucked away in the barren, northern mountains. This place was really primitive. They were celebrating their first few months with electricity. The houses were either tin shacks or round mud and stone huts hidden in the hills. Everywhere you looked people were walking, breaking their backs carrying water from the fresh streams (no running water) or huge bundles of firewood (for cooking and heat).

The jewels of Lalibela are their churches, which we visited over 2 days. They are UNESCO protected because of their construction. They were carved directly out of the hills or up from the earth, huge monoliths with different shapes. To get to them we had to walk down into the ground and some were accessible only by caves and tunnels. Each church has its own set of "treasures" which include numerous paintings of the trinity and Cathoic divinities, crosses, unique to each church, and even some books written in the old Geez (pronounced "guyEEs") language on goatskin pages. To this day these wondrous structures are being used for masses. On our last day we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their traditional three hour daily service at one of the churches built into a cave. Truly unbelievable!

It is official now that Lara has spent more time in churches than in synagogues in the last 10 years. Maybe that should read 20 years. While in Lalibela we met some Israelis who had no problem communicating in the Ethiopian local language. It seems that it is very close to Hebrew - not surprising, knowing Ethiopia's Semitic history. Lara's parents would be so proud of her as all those years in Hebrew school finally paid off when Lara was able to communicate like a local. Hah- just kidding. Actually, the only things she could say were swear words and she was able to order dishes in a deli, which was of no help to us at all.

Unfortunately at this time another illness had struck Lara. By the time we got to our next stop, the town of Axum, she retreated to the room. However, that did not stop Chris from going on an exhausting tour with the most excitable and informative guide yet...Seasi. Like all the other Ethiopians, Seasi was very proud of his country's history and treasures. He had worked with an archeologist and was an avid reader of Ethiopian folklore and was not afraid to share ALL of it with you. A little history from Seasi:...Axum was one of the pre-Christ world powers and its reign of power spread throughout all of northern Africa to areas as far as the Middle East. There were tons of buried treasures all over the city and in some cases, when erosion occurred, a burial ground would appear where the city's main road was and a team of archeologists would race in to see what was there.

So try to keep pace for these were the sights Seasi showed Chris in a VERY long afternoon:

1. The city's most popular sight: the stelae fields. These huge granite (20 metre high) towers stand above the burial sites of several Axumite kings. It felt like Chris was in Egypt as he went under ground with a torch to visit their tombs.

2.The Church of St. Mary of Zion and Monastery. Although this was the biggest and most modern church in Ethiopia, it was far from the most impressive. Across a field stood the smaller church which Ethiopians believe houses the original Arc of the Covenant, which the Son of the Queen of Sheba had taken from King Solomon in Israel under the guidance of angels. When Chris asked to see it he was informed that only one monk is permitted into the Arc's holding place as it is sacred and filled with other golden crosses and crowns. If only Indiana Jones had done some research he would not have had to fight the Nazis for the Arc.

3. Queen of Sheba's Bath. A huge pit filled with water that has stood 3000 years. Now locals use it to do their laundry.

4. King Kaleb and his son's tombs. More torch-lit visits to tombs on a hillside that overlooked the mountain range that led to the country of Eritrea.

5. Queen of Sheba's palace. Another discovery thanks to the erosion of a field. It was huge and still had some ornate pieces that have lasted the test of time.

If you are overwhelmed, just think how Chris felt. Seasi had so much knowledge that a TV crew from the capital city of Addis Ababa had flown in looking for him to give them a sound bite on some of the city sights. Seasi's father was a priest (Catholoic Orthodox priests can marry) and taught him the ancient language and songs which he unapologetically sang to Chris for 20 minutes. At the end of such a long day Chris was happy just to meet up with Lara and collapse in their room.

Unfortunately at this time the bug (which turned out to be parasites) was affecting both of us. We flew into Addis Ababa and went straight to a hotel where we both spent the day resting and attempting to recover. Our guide Solomon met us the next day and took us on an abbreviated tour of the capital city, which included a visit to the National Museum. Here we saw "Lucy" the oldest fossil human remains in the world. Unlike modern Ethiopians, she was much shorter than Lara. The busy city was too much for us to absorb in such a short amount of time, but we got a sense of it, which only renews our interest to return someday.

Our original plan was to head straight to Uganda where we were to begin our 3 weeks of volunteer work in a school in a rural area at the top of the Nile. Some confusion with our tickets took us back to Nairobi instead, and as it turns out it was for the best. Still not feeling well, we booked ourselves into a fancy hotel and planned to relax by the pool until we got better. Unfortunately we couldn't leave the room, and in our hearts we knew that the end was near. After much deliberation and a few tears we made the difficult decision to return home. Although we know now that it was the 'right' decision to make, it was nonetheless heartbreaking. We feel extremely fortunate that we saw all we did in the past eight months, and met so many great people, but a part of us can't help but still be disappointed. However, there is a silver lining as our traveling isn't done. We will be returning to Europe at the beginning of May and finishing off the last leg of our trip as originally planned.

If you are interested in contacting us we are staying in Toronto, actually Thornhill, and can be reached by phone at 905 731-9562 or by email. We will be in Canada until May 6th, when we leave for Europe, and we will return for good ( or at least long enough to plan our next trip) on May 31st. We've been relaxing and seeing several doctors, but all is well and we are recovering under the friendly gaze of Lara's parents.

So, unless you want to hear all about what it is like being in your 30s and living in your parents or parents-in-law's basement, this concludes our travelpod. Like we said at the beginning, we set out to prove that any 2 monkeys could do a trip like this, and we think we accomplished this goal. No animals were harmed during the production of this adventure, we made it back in one piece ( although a collective 30 pounds lighter), and we have experiences that will undoubtedly enrich our lives, and bore our friends, forever. Thanks all for taking the ride with us.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1085271120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1085271120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1085271120/tpod.html Wed, 22 Jun 2005 21:20:09 -0400 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Our first adventure of a long year of travelling began in the Yukon. We rented an RV with our friends Gilly and Karen and spent two weeks touring around the beautiful territory of the Yukon, and into Alaska. This is not the best way to test a friendship but we made it through as better friends despite the long hours (and Gilly's gas problems)in close quarters.

Our route took us from Whitehorse in the Yukon, to the Chilkoot Trail and Skagway in Alaska, then Haines, Haines Junction back to Canada, Beaver Creek, Dawson, Tombstone National Park, The Dempster highway, Stewart's Crossing, Tagish, Atlin B.C. and back to Whitehorse. This is a very brief overview of our trip up north.

The scenery was spectacular. The terrain, like nothing we've ever seen before. In one drive we could pass through glaciers and snow covered mountains, rolling green hills, stretches of trees and fireweed, and believe it or not, a real desert! There were so many times when you would come across scenery for which there were no words to properly describe its natural beauty. In Carcross (Yukon)the desert is the smallest desert in the world, and definitely an unexpected and pleasant addition to the drive.

Along the way we stopped many times to hike, eat, take photos, chat with the locals, catch some live shows and soak in the scenery. One of the many highlights for us was our two day stay in Dawson City, Yukon. The town is fully functional, yet maintains much of its original splendour form the days of the Klondike Goldrush. Streets remain unpaved, buildings are either in their original form or restored to it, and many of the locals are miners and fishermen.

The four of us spent our time in Dawson touring the town and other historic sites, catching a real can-can show and making friends with some of the residents of the town. We found ourselves invited to a bar where a fantastic band played soul music every Sunday night, and we grooved to the great tunes. By the time we left the bar at 2 am the sun was just going down. That's right, at this time of year the sunlight lasts for as many as 20 hours, which meant we could drive all day, arrive somewhere at 7pm and still have 6 hours to hike, play ball, sit outside and hang out.

Another major event in Dawson was the drinking of the sourtoe cocktail by Chris and Gilly. This drink is world famous, and it contains a real petrified human toe. Legend has it that Captain Dick Stevenson began the sourtoe saga in September of 1973. The idea sprang from a human toe found by Dick when he attempted to renovate his cabin, and a conversation about an Ice Worm drink in a famous Robert Service poem. From there it gained popularity and now Gilly and Chris have joined the ranks of over 18,000 other people who have done the deed. What is it you may ask? Brave drinkers need to down a shot of Yukon hooch or Yukon Jack (whisky) with the human toe in the drink. One needs to touch the toe to his/her lips, but not swallow it, or else they are warned, they are responsible for replacing it!

Towards the end of our trip we made our way down to Atlin B.C. We were fortunate enough to be able to book ourselves a glacier flight on a float plane. For an hour we soared above the mountains and saw the glaciers up close. They were spectacular. Now we are looking forward to seeing more glaciers in New Zealand and hiking them.

After 2 weeks our trip had to end. The experience was awesome and we would recommend it for all to enjoy. The RV was an amazing way to travel. It saved us from many rainy nights, and yet we were still able to park it and camp out in the wilderness.

Tomorrow we leave for another adventure, to a very different climate and culture. Our next destination is Fiji. We hope to update you soon with tales from there. As always, we would love to hear from all our friends. Please send us an email to let us know how you're doing.

Until the next time...

C and L
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1115302380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1115302380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1115302380/tpod.html Thu, 05 May 2005 10:26:39 -0400 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Stockholm, Sweden

Just a quick update to let you know that the world is no longer a safe place, as we are back out there and ready to finish off our trip. We were given an almost clean bill of health (Amy and Annie, the friendly Ameobas have almost disappeared). So, the bags are being re-packed (with a couple of new t-shirts-no, really, it is very exciting), the camera is reloaded with fresh batteries, the guidebooks are being dusted off and we have enough Pepto to keep us going for the next 4 weeks. This time our trip will take us to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, the French Riviera, Normandy, back to Paris and home. We imagine this leg of the trip will be a little more cushy, a lot more expensive, and hopefully, equally interesting. We will however spare you the details- no travelpod this time around. Seriously, who wants to hear about our trip to the Eiffel tower, or Amsterdam's red light district. Alright, some of you may want to hear about that, but we'll put it into a powerpoint presentation, full of pics, upon our return.

We would still love to hear from you, as we hear the Internet has made its way across the waters to Europe. Please send us all the juicy, or mundane, details of your lives. We can be reached at : royetsky@yahoo.ca. We will be back in the T-dot on June 1st, preparing once again for 'real life'. House hunting, job hunting, duck hunting...

Be well all and have a great month.

Chris and Lara
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111053780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111053780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111053780/tpod.html Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:12:31 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Nairobi, Kenya

Toto, we're not in South East Asia anymore. The first thing we saw when we left the Nairobi airport was a giraffe. The lack of buzzing motorcycles and scooters was also a telltale sign, as everywhere we looked people were walking (in fields and beside the highways) to get to their destination. Given the option of taking Nairobi's main form of public transportation, derelict minivans called matatus, crammed with people, we would have chosen to walk too.

Whatever fears we had about landing in Africa, they were all laid to waste with the help of Lara's old friend from Queen's, Dagmar, and her husband Andrew. To begin with, they welcomed us into their wonderful home while we were in Nairobi. Then Dagmar had a hand in organizing our week long safari at four different parks. And if that wasn't enough, she also included us in a weekend self-drive excursion through one of the parks with her ex- pat friends.

Let us just take a minute now to talk a little bit about the kindness of friends and (what were once) strangers during this trip. Everywhere we have gone we have been treated to the most incredible warmth and hospitality by people we have not seen in years, or have just met for the first time. Since we really aren't that nice ourselves, we feel completely abashed at the treatment we have received. I guess this means that we'll have to change our bitchy ways and become nicer ourselves. That's what all of you have to look forward to upon our return. Don't worry, we'll still retain our edge, but once we have a home to live in, you are welcome to visit us- just don't expect a home-cooked meal. Trust us, we're saying that for your own good. Anyway, thanks to all of you who have hosted, supported and taken care of us on our journey, but we digress....

So...our first weekend in Kenya began with a group of Dagmar's friends meeting us at her place where we loaded their 4WD SUVs for the trip to the south end of the Aberdares National Park, which has the notoriety of having more elephants per kilometre than anywhere else in Kenya. After a two-hour ride to get there, we arrived at a fishing lodge that had more than enough room for all seven of us.We unpacked and then we hit the trails on the lookout for animals. Through treacherous trails we spotted some hyenas, a family of warthogs, Cape buffaloes and even our first elephants as the sun set and the animals came out of hiding, preparing to hunt. Unfortunately, we came to discover firsthand that dusk isn't the best time to be on park trails. As we journeyed down 'roads' that looked like they hadn't been driven on in years, we came to the realization that we were a little lost, and time was running out as the big animals were awaking for their night prowls. After much consultation with poor maps, a few steep drives into untouched territory, and some close calls with buffaloes in our way (or were we in their way?), we were able to find the main road back to our cabin. We returned to our cabin under the light of the stars to eat by the warm glow of lanterns and a fire.

On our second day we got a park ranger to accompany us on a three-hour hike to see the wonderful waterfalls in the area. This was the first time we spent any time with someone with an exposed rifle (for our protection from the animals), and although we saw many animal tracks, luckily there was no reason for him, or us, to use it. As we left the lodge and made our way back to Nairobi, we had the opportunity to drive through a stream of Kenyans returning from church in their most colourful attire. Upon our return to Dagmar's we had to pack up once again as we were to embark the next day on a week long safari.

We have been extremely lucky with several things on this trip and our safari worked out to be another one of those things. We had a van with a pop top (on safari all vehicles have sun roofs) and our driver, Michael, all to ourselves - a private safari. Our first day was a long one of driving, as we drove north from Nairobi, in the shadow of Mount Kenya, to a private game reserve called Sweetwaters. After staying in $6-10 hotels in Asia, we had a bit of a shock as we arrived at a 5-star tented resort. Tents of course, mean something different than the ones we are used to in Algonquin Park. These ones have huge double beds, electric lanterns and full ensuite bathrooms that are bigger (and cleaner) than the one in our old apartment (not difficult).

In order to get these type of luxury accommodations, at non-luxury prices (although still a lot more than Asia) we had to tell a couple of white lies (sorry Pa Koretsky). First we pretended we were residents of Kenya, as they pay a 1/4 of the price of tourists. We memorized Dagmar and Andrew's address and made up a story about Lara doing training for the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi. Exactly, what does a Jewish girl from the city know about farming, but luckily no one caught on. Then we were upgraded further as it was our honeymoon. For those of you who are keeping count this is our 7th honeymoon in 3 years. By the end of the trip we were so confused as to the stories we made up, we decided it was best not to talk to anyone other than ourselves for fear of blowing our cover.

Sweetwaters is set up along a watering hole, so as the animals come to you, you just have to sit in the restaurant or on the chairs in front of your tent, sipping wine and waiting. Not exactly the way the British used to safari. Of course we aren't ones to sit around and wait, so Michael took us on our first game drive. We saw several animals, including zebras, Cape buffaloes, giraffes, warthogs and baboons before we stopped at the Jane Goodhall Chimpanzee Sanctuary. There we had a guide show us the chimps who had been brought there after being orphaned (by illegal poachers) or abused. Our guide had a limited grasp of the English language and would repeat himself often ("Welcome, my name is Francis and there are 37 chimps at the sanctuary." "How did you get the chimps?" "Welcome, my name is Francis and there are 37 chimps at the sanctuary."), but he was friendly and knew all the chimps by name.

From there we went on a ride looking for rhinos. When we couldn't find them in the wild, Michael brought us to see Morani, 'the friendly rhino'. Another wonderful guide brought us to his pen, called for him and sure enough Morani came running towards us. Now this was one of those moments you have where your brain says you're not supposed to just stand there as one of the most dangerous animals in the wild comes charging towards you. Hell, you're supposed to turn and run like hell!...but instead we stood there like dumb Canadians and waited for Morani to come right up to us. Fortunately his title was true and Morani ended up being a sweet animal, kind of like a pug (Lara's comment), although much cuter (Chris' comment). He was so used to humans after his mother was killed by poachers, that it has been impossible to reintegrate him into the wild rhino population on the reserve. He let us hug and pet him (finally a wild animal let Lara hug it) and followed us back to our van, as he didn't want to say goodbye. Our guide also took us to another pen with Carolyn, a friendly warthog. Our driver, Michael, informed us that the other warthogs and rhinos we would encounter would not let us hug or play with them, so it would be best not to try.

The next day we stopped at the Equator line and watched a scientific experiment that demonstrated how water spins in opposite directions on different sides of the equator (remember our toilet flushing experiment in New Zealand?). Our next destination was the Aberdares Country Club for lunch. Again the opulence kind of knocked us out and we're sure we were not the only ones thinking "what the hell are the 2 scruffy backpackers doing here?" We had a wonderful meal overlooking a golf course on the highlands of Kenya, where the sand hazards weren't the only things to worry about, as warthogs and baboons grazed on the green and are considered a two stroke penalty.

From here we were taken to the Ark, a 5-star resort similar to Sweetwaters, with a watering hole and a salt lick to draw the animals to you. Only this time, our lodge was a wooden building that was shaped like Noah's Ark. We could not leave the building as it was too dangerous to roam where the animals do, but we had four floors of viewing lounges where we could have a drink, relax on the sofas by a fire and watch as a herd of buffaloes and giant forest hogs (very rare animals) came in and out of our sight. During dinner we were alerted that an elephant had arrived and under the floodlights we saw him scooping up salt in his trunk.

At the Ark there is an alarm system to let you know if the animals have come through the night. In each room is a buzzer and if specific animals are spotted then you get a buzz: 1 buzz for elephants, 2 buzzes for rhinos, 3 buzzes for leopards, 4 buzzes for any rarer animals, 5 buzzes for a tourist being eaten by any of the above. At about 12:30 am we got the call that elephants had arrived. We raced to one of the viewing platforms and saw 7 elephants roaming the saline area with a little baby. The other animals spread out and gave the elephants their room. Within a few minutes 7 more elephants approached. The herd was very protective of the baby and trumpeted a blast with their trunks as a buffalo and a spotted hyena tried to approach. What an amazing sight! We still had 5 more days of our safari to go, and already we had seen so much.

Instead of overloading you with details now we will update you next time with details of the end of our safari. As it has been very difficult to upload photos, or even access the Internet in Africa, we promise that we'll show you the new pictures whenever we can. Please be patient, (something we're not).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111582800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111582800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1111582800/tpod.html Mon, 28 Mar 2005 08:55:04 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Nairobi, Kenya

Picking up where we left off on our safari...As you remember we were roughing it out in the wild with the other animals. Sleeping next to lions, stalking prey for dinner (that would be carrots in Lara's case), and bathing with the hippos.

From the Ark we drove into the valley of the Great Rift to a place called Lake Nakuru. The rift is a piece of land that dropped due to an eruption millions of years ago, and resembles a huge crater. The town of Nakuru is located in the valley and is separated from a national park by a huge lake that is home to millions of animals, but more about that later. Our accomodation, another safari lodge, was a wonderful blend of kitsch and functionality, with every room designed after an animal. Ours was the zebra room and everything was striped black and white, even the toilet seat. Classy!

During our game drives in Nakuru we saw many animals such as baboons, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, impalas, and warthogs. At one point our driver/guide/swahili teacher Michael, spotted a tree filled with vultures in the distance, which meant a predator was nearby with its kill. With binoculars we were able to see the regal mane of a male lion sitting in the tall grass, daring any of the birds to approach. Michael then got a call on his radio that a leopard had been seen, so we raced to a tree where the leopard had hung its kill, an impala (gross!!), and saw the predator resting nearby. This was indeed a rarity, as leopards are seldom seen in the wild, and we felt extremely fortunate to have spotted (groan) one so close.

As we continued our drive, our field of vision became blurred with the colour pink that rimmed the lake, as millions upon millions of flamingoes were scooping up algae on the water's edge. The incredible number of them overwhelmed the mind. By the water we also saw pelicans, and the shy rhinos in the distance, not to mention a hyena that was indulging in a fresh meal of a flamingo. After visiting our 3rd park we had already spotted the "Big Five": elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions and the elusive leopard.

Onto our next destination, Naivasha, where our lodge proved to be the most opulent of all! After a long, bumpy and dusty drive, we looked forward to relaxing in the African sun by the pool. Unfortunately our plans were thwarted by an occurence that had happened in the night. As our resort rested near a lake, hippos were known to frequent the area and graze on its grass after the sun had gone down. From the time we had arrived in Kenya we had been trying to learn Swahili. Up until this point our vocabulary consisted mainly of animals and polite requests, however that day we were to learn an invaluable phrase that we are certain can be used many times in the future:

"Kiboko ilingia ndani ya swimming pool ikaongelea halafu ikaifanya swimming pool kama choo"
Translation: During the night a hippo swam in the pool, then it used it as a toilet.

Our dreams of relaxing by the pool were dashed by tonnes of hippo feces which filled up all of 1 of the 2 pools. The resort, embarrassed, was putting up a fence to prevent such animal toilet training in the future. Hey, if your plans to suntan are going to be ruined, can you think of a better excuse?

Animal sightings are quite common in the park areas of Kenya, but not at the lodges. At this lodge one of the wait staff ran and found us after our meal to show us a hippo that was grazing at the front. As we approached Chris tried to take a photo, but it just showed black due to the darkness. 'Get closer', the staff said. So our group did...the picture was still black but we could plainly see the beast with our eyes. A security guard brought Chris closer for one last photo attempt. Still black, but this time the hippo (the most dangerous animal in Africa, the same beast that had killed an Australian tourist 2 weeks ago at a nearby lodge) turned to look at where the flashes were coming from. The guard turned and calmly said, 'The hippo is now angry. Please step back as it will charge.' (!!!!) We made it back to the lodge alright, but when we went to our room we had to be walked back by a guard to make sure there weren't any hungry hippos waiting for us.

Our last stop on the safari was the piece de resistance, the infamous Masai Mara. The Mara is famous for the migration of the wildebeest, where literally millions of them cover the grasslands as predators lurk nearby. It has been called 'The Most Amazing Show on Earth', and although we were not there at the right time to witness it, our visit there did not disappoint.

On our way into the park we ran into a slight problem. The roads are unpaved and extremely bumpy, giving one an 'African Road massage', or vomit-inducing motion sickness. No surprise that a tire blew and we were forced to pull over and change it. At the same time, Lara had to use the washroom desperately, and there was only one bush to hide behind. As she ran to it, Chris and Michael got down under the van and got to work. Thirty seconds after she was finished her business, Lara looked up to discover a couple of nomadic Masai tribesman herding their goats and cows in her direction. After further observation she also noticed a herd of giraffes standing near the broken down van observing the men at work. Never again do we think we will be stuck at the side of the road with giraffes watching us on one side, and men dressed in red robes and ornate jewellery on the other. Only in the Masai!

On our game drives in the Masai Mara we had access to a pride of lions, a herd of giraffes, elephants, topis, cheetahs, impalas, dik diks, hippos and much, much more. In fact, there was not a type of animal indigenious to the area that we did not see. Some of the highlights included seeing a baby elephant that was approximately 4 days old. It was so new it was still pink, and trying to find its legs to keep up with the rest of the herd. A very cute sight.

Another highlight, perhaps not quite as cute, was our repeated viewing of the mating of the lions. These animals are not shy, and we felt like voyeurs watching them go about their business. Did you know that lions mate for 8 days consistently, and for the first day they do it 80 times a day!!!? The next day they go down to 70 times a day and so on. Before you become completely impressed, or exhausted, let us tell you that the 'act' only lasts about 3 seconds. In fact, we barely had time to turn on our camera and make a video. Okay, disgusting, but if you were there you would have done it too!

Alas, our week was up, our safari had come to its end, and we were to return to the wonderful hospitality of Dagmar and Andrew with 2 cards full of photos and a repertoire of stories. We felt so privileged as we had seen all of the animals that had filled our childhood tales and imaginations. This trip surely did not disappoint.

A couple of notes on Kenya:

1. Do not come to Nairobi and expect NOT to see people with rifles. They are there for your safety and security at the banks, hotels, ATMs, malls. It is a little disconcerting as Canadians to see them everywhere, and we never got used to it.

2. Not all of the selling of products occurs in shops or at vendors stalls. While stuck in traffic people will approach your vehicle willing to sell you anything from kittens to newspapers to cell phone rechargers to satelite dishes to toys to sunglasses to bicycle inner tubes. Bargaining with them is done quickly in case the light changes.


We have finally been able to upload pictures from our last few entries. If you are interested in seeing them (and why wouldn't you be, there's more nudity!), scroll down to the table of contents at the bottom of this page and click the date of the recently updated entries. It will take you to that travelpod and the photographs.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1109652900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1109652900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1109652900/tpod.html Sun, 27 Mar 2005 12:08:01 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Bangkok, Thailand

Our apologies for this coming so late. Now that we are in Africa, Asia seems so far away-oh wait, it is. Anyway, here it is-better late than never...:

With a return to Thailand we are marking the end of our southeast Asia leg of the 'Royetsky' International Tour, otherwise known as 'Power to the Short and Curlies'. From here on in it will be wild animals and Germans in speedos. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

When we last left off we were taxi-bound to Chiang Rai Thailand with our Canadian friends Myrna and Eric. One uneventful night in the humdrum city motivated us to move onto Chiang Mai, another city in the North of Thailand. We boarded our bus and noted that something was different. The company did not pull a 'bait and switch' and drive us in a beat-up mini van with no A/C (Laos) instead of the beautiful bus in the brochure, the bus did not race with other vehicles up and down mountains, blindly passing on the hairpin curves (Vietnam), nor did it blare ridiculous karaoke videos and movies at the decibel level of a jet preparing for take-off (Cambodia). Instead we were treated to what we had paid for: comfortable seats, a smooth, air conditioned ride, with an accurate arrival time. We even had a bus attendant who handed out cordial drinks (gross, but a nice thought) and this wasn't even the VIP bus! Welcome to Thailand.

With our visit here we marked yet another favourite city in these parts. Chiang Mai is quite large, but still contains some of the charm of Luang Prabang. The city contains an old quarter, where we stayed, that is surrounded by a moat and a brick wall and gates on 4 sides. Although there are over a million people who live in Chiang Mai, you do not get the same big city feel that other large Asian cities have. It is very relaxed.

While there we visited the day market, the night bazaar and the Sunday market, which covered most of the old quarter. Following that we needed to ship home a huge box with our purchases. It's been great buying stuff for a home that we don't have and don't have a clue if it will make it through customs or even leave the post office. But it wasn't all retail therapy, we also visited a Buddhist university for Monk Chat. All of the Buddhist monks who have enrolled in the university's English program partake in the sessions where they meet with travelers three times a week. These sessions allow them to practice their conversational English and we get to learn about their lives. We were each given our own monks, young students who were on scholarship from Laos. They talked about growing up, their plans after their studies are completed, why they shave their heads, what their coloured robes mean and why meditation was so important to them. It was an absolutely facinating experience!

The north of Thailand is also known for its trekking and its elephants. Elephants are very important to them and can be found everywhere on t-shirts, posters, and postcards. With Eric and Myrna, we decided to take a local bus out of town to the Elephant Conservation Centre. Here we saw a show where they demonstrated how elephants were involved in the logging industry and could do other natural elephant things like raising flags, making music with xylophone-type instruments, and painting using their trunks. The centre also had an area where they transformed elephant dung into paper (watch out for any post cards!), a hospital for abused and injured elephants, and a training centre where you could learn to be a mahoot, an elephant trainer. We had the opportunity to feed and pet baby elephants, which were surprisingly smaller than Lara.

We decided that we would head further north to a town called Pai, known for its unique hippy culture and proximity to more trekking. We had thought about heading south for some island visits, but the logisitics were too difficult, and we had heard many great things about Pai, and Soppong, our final stop in northern Thailand before heading back to Bangkok.

Many of you have written to us asking us who writes these travelogues. We can tell you they are truly a collaboration: one of us often starts it and then the other one takes over. For the first time however we are going to break with our routine and separate the next bit. First Chris will tell you his impressions of Pai, and then Lara will tell you hers.

Chris' impression of Pai:
Pai was a quaint, sleepy little town that had a lazy river flowing through it. You could hire inner tubes, grab a couple of beers and float merrily downstream. There also seemed to be a lot of hippies there. Due to its proximity to the Burmese border some of these long haired grubby people (what's up with poeple like that?) would do the trip every 3 months to renew their visas and live life cheaply and without hassles in Pai. There were elephants camps to visit where you could ride and bathe them. Or you could relax in the sun, renting a scooter to see the nearby hills. Low key if you wanted it to be or you could party at the bars if you wanted.

Lara's impression of Pai:

My impression can pretty much be summed up in 2 words: puke and crap.

Other than our first night there, I saw nothing of the town, other than the bathroom and the hotel room. Actually, I saw 2 hotel rooms, as our first place was pretty dodgy, and not where I wanted to spend my time holed up, especially since it didn't have a flush toilet. I'll let you imagine what that was like.

Anyway, after 5 days and little improvement we decided that we had better skip our trip to Soppong and get to a hospital. A private car took us there, and fortunately Lara was treated with antibiotics. A few more days of being sick, and Chris getting sick too ( 1 bathroom, 2 sickies- another logisitcs problem) and we sadly contemplated an early end to our trip. It had been a fantastic journey so far, and although we would have been really sad to miss out on Africa and our visits with family and friends in Europe, we knew that we had been lucky to have done so much thus far. Very fortunately, with drugs and some rest we both made a full recovery and were ready to continue on with renewed spirits and 10 pounds less of flesh.

Our time in Thailand was very close to the end, and we returned to the scene where it all began months ago: Bangkok. We headed there a few days before our flight to Kenya as we had problems with our around the world tickets that needed to be straightened out right away. We won't bore you with the details, but after much hassle, and a little cash, we were able to sort them out, and then had 3 days to enjoy ourselves.

Our first order of business (a reward after settling the ticket issue) was to see a movie, as it had been a while and we had missed out on most Oscar movies. We were able to catch the Aviator on a big screen -a real treat for us. Before the movie they have the same commercials and movie previews but at one point everyone stood and removed their hats as we had a tribute to the king. Would we do so for Paul Martin?

Another sojourn to Khao San Road, backpacker hangout, and we were ready for a big change. After seeing what some of the rest of Thailand was about, the crassness of the Backpacker scene with the bars and vendors can get to you. Lucky for us, we had friends who lived in BKK, and they generously offered us a place to stay in their 'Melrose Place' compound. Lisa and Matt were incredible hosts, and after a stay with them we were tempted to change our tickets and stay even longer. We had a real blast with them, reliving old times ( Lara and Lisa went to school together) and swapping stories. Both Lisa and Matt are international teachers in Bangkok and live on a compound where the school, a pool, tennis courts, the residents, the teachers, a massage studio, grocery store, and yes, even Starbucks reside. We had incredible 2 hour massages, that cost us just $15 each, although Lara's masseuse got pretty "familiar" with her chest. Apparently, that's quite common here, although it had never happened to Lisa. Hmmmm.....

Our last night in Thailand we went out for Thai food - go figure. The restaurant was fabulous, although the menus were in Thai and no one in the place spoke English. We ordered using sign language and a little Thai, and the gamble paid off.

A couple of interesting things about Thailand:

1. They love using letters and different tones in their language. We had a bit of a harder time picking up phrases here as our tongues would stumble on the consonants and when we got that right, we weren't using the correct tone. (Eg. Us: "We'd like to go to BanglamPhu, please." Taxi driver with confused look "Huh?" Us: BangLAMpoo?" Taxi driver: "???" Us: "BANGlamphU?" Taxi driver, smiling nervously "Huh?" Us: "BanGLamphu!" Taxi driver with look of sudden comprehension: " Oh, BanGLamphu.") Another example the name of the University we visited in Chiang mai for Monk Chat was Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. No joke. That's quite a mouthful and we didn't see many poeple wearing it on college sweaters.

2. The whole "ladyboy" experience. In Thailand there was a history of being androgenous. Nowadays you can never be too sure if you are speaking to a man or a woman. With all of the cheap plastic surgery it is common to see women serving you in restaurants with Adam's Apples and deep voices. They are so common that we never went a day without passing someone and wondering what gender they were. It is an accepted way of life in Thailand, but we always wondered which washroom do they use?

Finally it was time to leave our friends and Asia. 7 months and more than 10 countries later we were on our way to another continent, very different from what we had experienced so far. The journey continues next time in Kenya...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1108811520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1108811520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1108811520/tpod.html Sun, 27 Feb 2005 02:20:15 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

From one extreme to another...we left cold, wet and loud Hanoi to arrive in hot, sunny, and completely chillaxed Vientiane, Laos. Although both capital cities, the similarities end there. Here people smile at you without begging you to visit their stores/restaurants/ booths. In Laos a tuktuk driver may ask you if you need a ride. If you say no he will ask where you are going and happily give directions without expecting anything in return. We don't mean to sound cynical but you could not find two Southeast Asian cities less alike.

For those of you without an atlas nearby, Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia. It also claims to be the most bombed country in the world -what an honour! During the Vietnam War the Americans spent $7. 2 billion on bombs over ten years, all the while denying they were anywhere near Laos. Apparently now shell casings are used for plant holders and anvils in the north east of Laos. Like Cambodia, it is very poor and under a one party government, so there is no free press or vocal criticism of the government, however it has wonderful natural beauty. There isn't a lot of work for the people here so thank goodness for all of the NGO and embassies in Vientiane. They have provided jobs for all of the security guards that sit idle and bored in their creased uniforms, waiting at gates to check the traffic that never comes. There are also many bald monks in bright saffron robes (like Josh on a Saturday night) roaming the street, always a comforting feeling. With this stop we've completed our tour of the murky Mekong River as we've visited it near the top (Laos), middle (Cambodia) and bottom (Vietnam).

Vientiane is the capital and centre of all the Lao government work. Here there are long lines of officious and grand embassies and offices for NGOs, though it lacks the adventure and ruggedness of the rest of the country. We spent our time visiting the Puxtaini, their Asian Arc de Triomphe, eating at fabulous French restaurants (our first really great red wine since Australia), walking along the waterfront of a low level Mekong River at sunset with the twinkling lights of Thailand smiling at us across the river.

One of the more unique sights was the home of Laos' former prime minister Kaysone Phomvihane. Unlike the impressive and imposing Revolution Museum, with its bronze statues conveying a sense of pride once the Kaysone lead communists took over in 1975, the late prime minister's personal museum sits a couple of kilometres behind in a basic bungalow in a low-key suburb. Unlike other communist leaders of his generation (Mao, Ho Chi Minh) Kaysone actually lived what he preached, a simple life. We nervously handed over our passports to the non-english speaking guard at the gate who seemed surprised to see us. A woman who lived across the street from the former prime minister took us for a tour and gave us as much information as she could (Her: "Do you speak Lao?", Us; "No, sorry. Do you speak English?" Her: "Very little." Us: "How about French?" Her "No. I do speak Khmer." Us in our heads: "How many Cambodians come here to visit?").

It was fascinating. When the prime minister died they sealed up the rooms and encased everything in glass. Imagine if the one night you threw your dirty underwear on the floor and left a trashy magazine on your bedside table you died, then forever people would visit your personal museum and see your dirty laundry, literally. Thank goodness we are not important enough (yet) to warrant our own museums. At Prime Minsiter Kaysone's house you are permitted to see everything from the personal (his winter jackets in the closet of his bedroom used for his visits to communist Russia), political (his books on Lenin, Communist economy theories written in English, French and Russian and the gifts he received as a leader when visiting other countries) private (his yoga mat, his abs-buster - apparently even country leaders worry about the battle of the bulge), and the obscure (a favourite pen and his Tiger Beer clock - ???) affects of a communist leader.

After a couple of days, we tried to reach the beautiful city of Vang Vieng which is half way to Luang Prabang but Chris got sick on the bus ride and we had to return to Vientiane. Imagine being a Lao person minding your own business on the outskirts of town. You don't see many westerners, and suddenly watch as some long haired blond guy with a green face rushes to use your squat toilet. Chris was fine after a day of rest (we're not sure about the Laotian who "volunteered" his washroom), just a little traveller's belly but just in case we decided to fly to Luang Prabang. Flying can be a scary way to travel in Laos, as Lao Air, the only carrier in Laos, is one of the only airlines that do not publish their safety records. Of course, the bus isn't that much safer seeing as there have been a rash of bandits attacking buses leaving Vang Vieng. Pick your poison. We chose to die in a fiery air crash. Notice how we inform people (especially our parents) after we do these things, but there was nothing to worry as we had a smooth landing in Luang Prabang.

LP is the jewel of Laos. It retains the same small time vibe of the country but offers classic French architecture, many things for people to visit and do, and is listed as a UNESCO site. We spent a few days just wandering about, visiting some of the amazing golden Buddhist temples, watching our guest house's pet monkey, learning Lao phrases at our favourite bookstore/cafe, and exploring stalls at the large but no-pressure night market where they displayed silk and crafts from the local tribes. It was great to relax in the sun watching as the kids would take inner tubes and splash each other on the way down the Nam Khan river which intersected the Mekong. A couple of mornings we woke up early to watch hundreds of monks in their orange robes walk through town collecting their food. Quite a sight indeed. As a form of karmic merit Buddhists give them food every day, it is the only way that the monks can eat, as they must be offered food. It was a colourful, silent, solemn procession.

Luang Prabang is the gateway to what seems like a million small tribal villages. There you can do hikes of varying lengths, white water rafting, biking, riding elephants. We decided on a hike that brought us to three Lao villages and one Kamu (local tribe) village. Seeing as Laos is composed of a variety of ethnicities (1/3 of the country doesn't even speak Lao) it can be an adventure seeing what each village has to offer. In one village almost every woman was a weaver and had homemade looms set up under their stilted houses. They created marvelous scarves, which took a full day to weave, before bringing them to market in LP. Another village made seaweed paper (a food product) that they sold in the market or overseas.

The more remote village was the Kamu tribe who had their own customs, language and food (we saw some bbq-ed rats charred on a stick, again renewing Lara's resolve to be a vegetarian). Even our guide couldn't speak with them. We saw their school which consisted of a bamboo hut with benches and two blackboards. Being a Saturday, we had to imagine it filled with the local students and one teacher. Of course the children were so excited to see us and made us feel like rock stars, not a lot of westerners make it their way. Unlike the other villages, some of the Kamu adults seemed reticent to communicate with us.

With our time coming to an end in Laos (damn 15 day visas!) we had to decide how we would make our return to Thailand snaking along the Mekong River. Our options were:

1. cramped on a slow boat for two days crawling against stream. Boat capacity:45, number of passengers they normally place on boat:85. This deluxe trip also includes a night stay in one of the grungier guesthouses in Laos-no small feat we assure you.

2. take the speed boat (affectionately referred to as the "deathtrap")which crams 8 people in a small boat and skims the surface of the water with its loud and powerful motor. The speed boat averages 1 death a month and more accidents than you want to speak of. When you get on they issue you a life jacket and a crash helmet. Apparently earplugs aren't mandatory, but if you ever want to hear again they are recommended.

Given our choices, we ventured for a third option: take a luxury boat two days upstream, stopping at a couple of sights and villages, while being fed very well and staying in a lovely private bungalow that overlooked the Mekong River. Not exactly backpacker priced but we deserved something for ourselves after being away from home for so long! There were only a total of ten passengers on our boat including a couple of retired teachers (with whom we are still traveling) from Alberta. It was great, the river was beautiful, the food consisted of fantastic local dishes, the weather very warm. We even stopped at a Buddhist cave along the way.

The trip itself was gorgeous. We were completely surrounded by lush green hills and at some points rugged grey and brown rocks. On the shore we passed several remote villages and were constantly greeted with friendly smiles and waves. We had to smile with Eric and Myrna from Alberta when we saw the speed boats/death traps zip by us on our luxury cruiser. We laughed, called them suckers (not that they could hear us) and pointed at the poor passengers, and then admitted that it might be fun to try it for half an hour or so, but not for the 7 hours. Little did we know that we'd get our wish.

When we boarded the boat in the thick mist on the second day we were told that the water level was too low for the large boat to make it all of the way. Our last forty minutes would be in the infamous speed boats. You would have thought we were being told we had to share a bed with George Bush, the other travellers were shouting and screaming -there was NO WAY they were going! We four Canadians lived up to our stereotypes, sitting back quietly watching the chaos, then thanking our crew for taking us as far as they had and donning our life jackets as we boarded 'the deathtrap' .

The ride wasn't nearly as white knuckled an experience as we had been led to believe. Our speed boats were unlike the others as seats were taken out so we weren't crammed in like sardines. We enjoyed the wind whipping across our faces as we sped up river skimming the water at an unimaginable speed (check out the video), although earplugs were a definite must for the ride. Again, not bad for 40 minutes, but 7 hours on a boat like that, with no toilet or food, would have been too much.

And that is pretty much how we said goodbye to one of our favourite countries in SE Asia. From the border in Laos to the border in Thailand was just a 5 minute ferry ride- and then we hopped in a cab with Eric and Myrna to Chiang Rai for the night. 2 more weeks in Thailand awaited us before we said goodbye to the entire continent of Asia. It's hard to belive that we are on the last third of our trip now, and still so many more adventures await us.

A couple of parting notes:

Congrats to Dave and Hils on the birth of baby Clare, and Mark and Keri on the birth of TAJ-Tyler Ardon Jarrett. Finally, a while ago we promised to give you the link to web site we would be featured in. If you want to see us 10 pounds heavier and a little less scruffy check out: http://www.bungalowbay.com.au/accommodation.htm (we're in the camping section). If you look closely we are also in the picture frolicking in the pool. Oh we do like to frolic..
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1107485340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1107485340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1107485340/tpod.html Mon, 07 Feb 2005 09:46:39 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Now that you have stopped groaning about our title...

When we last left you we teased you with the story of our bus trip from Hoi An to Hue. As previously stated the drivers in Vietnam are whack. Fortunately we had Michele and Eric with us so the Canadian embassy would have been on full alert should 4 of us have fallen off a cliff. We also met some cool Aussies, so we kept ourselves busy singing along to the 7 song soundtrack that played over, and over, and over again during the 5 hour ride. The views were incredible as we lurched and lunged up and down the cliffs north of Hoi An, while shamelessly passing vehicles. If we had fallen over the edge of the cliff at least we would have had a good view on the way down.

Upon our arrival in Hue (pronounced "Hway")we checked into our hotel and walked to dinner. On our way there we became well acquainted with the rat and cockroach population of Hue. Once again, this renewed Lara's choice to become a vegetarian. This was reinforced when we passed the dog meat restaurant. No, this is not a place where they sell meat to give to your dog. Although the food in Hue was not up to the standards set in Hoi An they did have some interesting restaurants. They have vegetarian restaurants that serves tofu that has the same texture, taste and smell as the meat dishes they were imitating. Some dishes were a little too close to the real thing for Lara, but Chris loved it.

Before being split into two countries (North and South Vietnam) Hue was the political centre of Vietnam under the rule of the emperors. We visited the Citadel, an impressive structure that contained the previous Royal palace. There was also an area called the Forbidden Purple Ciy, which was an odd name seeing as there were no buildings, the colour purple was nowhere to be seen and we were there so it was hardly forbidden. Unfortunately much of it had been destroyed during the Vietnamese war, but we were able to see some of the beauty that remained.

We also joined up with a motorcycle tour to see some of the sights. It was run by another Vietnamese character named Thu, who besides organizing the tours with her ten brothers ("Ten bananas, one coconut in my family."), ran the family's lively cafe and was a movie star in Saigon during the down season. The Vietnamese know how to multitask.

Thu's brother, Minh, led our tour of Hue and the surrounding countryside with five of his fellow bananas (brothers). We visited two of the main pagodas, (one had the singing and chanting monks -check out our video), a Japanese covered bridge that was surrounded by the lush green of the rice fields, Bunker Hill where the French had set up their armament that overlooked the beautiful Perfume River during their war with Vietnam, and finally the tomb of one of Vietnam's final emperors Tu Duc. He was well known for being married, having 103 concubines and yet had no children (our guide Minh, "Broken banana"). The tomb was created by the army over four years and was set in the country estate where the emperor had lived. It took us an hour just to walk about the complex carved out of intricate grey stone. The rides through the countryside were magical and seeing people at work in the rice fields wearing their conical hats, or bartering in the marketplaces or greeting us as we zoomed by with Thu's brothers on the motorbikes, was highly memorable.

From Hue to Hanoi was a short flight but an interesting change. The city's population is larger than that of the whole country of Laos (our next destination) and everyone must own a motorbike or scooter. We feel that we jumped the gun by describing Saigon's traffic as insane, because even walking those dangerous roads did not prepare us for the absolute chaos that Hanoi presents. Even the small narrow roads are completely filled with traffic and there are no stop signs and few lights to help the pedestrian, so we followed our rules: walk out slowly and cautiously, never look at the drivers and think of a happy place. The horns blare incessantly, regardless of the hour. Could it be that every vehicle on every street was trying to greet us at the same frickin time?! In a couple of days the city shuts down for the Chinese lunar (looney) New Year, which means Hanoi essentially shuts down (restaurants, museums, etc) and you can't get in or out as every mode of transportation is completely beyond capacity ( a 45 seat bus has 65 passengers) and the only thing to do is walk around the city looking for something that is not dog meat to eat while dodging those same honking moto drivers who are now drunk! Despite our desire to go to Sapa to trek we would have been stuck in Hanoi in this situation and decided that wouldn't be the wisest decision on our parts.

A pleasant surprise for us was bumping into some 'old friends', particularly in the craziness of a city like Hanoi. When you travel for a long period of time and get to meet other travelers it is very exciting and comforting to run into them in other parts of the country, or continent. It is also a great way to get some travel tips and avoid the pitfalls they may have encountered.

Staying in the Old Quarter of Hanoi was interesting on its own, as every street is full of stores selling the same items. Seeing as the names of the roads change regularly and for no reason, we would use the shops as indicators of where we wanted to go (eg."Yeah, we're staying on Muffler Street but we hear that the restaurants on Wine and Candy Street are overrated. For something good to eat, you should check out Gravestone Street").

Life thrives on the pavement of the crowded Hanoi streets. People don't use the sidewalks to walk (how silly). Instead, at any given time you can find people setting up to serve a five course Vietnamese meal, giving pedicures, getting close shaves and haircuts, painting tombstones, selling anything from pirated CDs to panties to live eels. It can be interesting, hilarious, a little treacherous, but ALWAYS entertaining.

The Old Quarter surrounds a lake that is said to hold a silver sword that 250 kg turtles protect. We visited a temple in the middle of the lake with a stuffed tortoise. Our 'guide' was a lovely Vietnamese guy we had met earlier that day. Huang was in his third year of studying French at the university. When he found out we were from Canada he asked if he could practice his French with us. Seeing as it has been a while since either of us conversed solely in French, it took a little adjusting, but by the end or our time together we had learned quite a lot about each other(not Chris and Lara, us and Huang) and about Hanoi. It was very good practice for the last leg of our trip in France. Unlike so many people we had met in Vietnam, Huang did not ask us for money, or try and sell us anything. He was just interested in spending some time with people who could converse with him.

That evening we went to a very interesting and eccentric (kind of like our families)puppet show. Hanoi's Water Puppet Marionettes are apparently world famous- and we could see why. The entire show took place onstage in a pool of water where the marionettes danced, fought, swam, and fished, reenacting different scenes of life and history in Vietnam.

Another highlight for us was our side trip to Halong Bay, which is about three hours north of Hanoi. We stayed over night on a Chinese Junk boat. We splurged a bit and got the best boat with the best food, etc...which was important as it was cold (not Canada or Sault Ste. Marie cold, but we were wearing pants and sweaters and jackets) and drizzly. Halong Bay is surrounded by limestone islands with soaring green cliffs. We visited a cave with huge stalactites and stalagmites, that was spectacular. Until 1999 some people actually lived in there until the government kicked them out and gave them boats to live on instead. We had only wished we could have stayed longer and that the weather had been better, nevertheless- it was a phenomenal sight to see.

We had a great experience our last night in Vietnam at a restaurant in Hanoi. There are a couple of restaurants there that are set up to train homeless street kids for a career in the hospitality industry. We frequented one such place for breakfast and it was amazing food, very relaxing amidst the chaos of the city, and the staff were great. For our final meal we went to the other restaurant called KOTO, which stands for: Know One, Teach One. The meal was of gourmet quality and the staff were so earnest and lovely. Our waiter told us how he had come to Hanoi a couple of years ago and had to live on the street. He tried to shine shoes and sell post cards to tourists to support his parents in the countryside. He said it was a terrible life, but then he was accepted into this program. He will graduate in March after 18 months. He has learned all the skills necessary for waitering, bartending, hosting, concierge, etc. He has also learned English (he was quite good) and a number of other 'life skills'. The program feeds and shelters these kids and they have a 100% employment rate in the five star hotel/restaurant industry upon graduation. There was even a picture of Bill Clinton with a bunch of the kids. He didn't seem to be touching any of them inappropriately, but he did have a huge smile on his face.

Alas, it was time to bid adieu to the chaos of Hanoi and our eighth country since August. We are moving on to Laos, a country that has been described to us as similar to Cambodia in many ways: relaxed.

Some final observations on Vietnam:

Vietnam is the least 'communist' country we have visited, at least in an economic sense. Free enterprise is alive and well here. Almost everyone we encountered was out to make a buck.

You need to bargain for EVERYTHING in this country: your hotel, a taxi, a piece of clothing, a cd, a banana, even items that have fixed prices...

The washroom is referred to as "the Happy Room", or "stopping for happy feeling".

Vietnamese movie dubbing is the most absurd and entertaining form of entertainment we found. They have 1 woman do all the characters of 'Hollywood' movies, without expression or change in intonation. We caught a bit of "Grumpier Old Men" and the Veitnamese woman did the voices for Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau, Dyan Cannon,and Rue McClanahan. It was very entertaining. We also saw her 'voice' John Travolta and Halle Berry.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1106892120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1106892120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1106892120/tpod.html Sun, 30 Jan 2005 04:13:24 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Hue, Vietnam

Over the course of the last 5 months we have read a tremendous deal on Vietnam and about the Vietnamese war. Now we were finally able to see the places we had heard so much about and soak up the history and atmosphere first-hand.

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh city, or Saigon, we were instantly assailed by the touts ("No your hotel doesn't exist anymore, I'll show you a place"), posters of Ho Chi Minh, crowds and motorbikes. Everything you've heard about crossing the street in Vietnam is true. It is a more extreme sport than anything available in New Zealand. The key is to just step out into the street, despite the 100 motorbikes driving straight AT YOU, or AROUND YOU (you hope), or BESIDE YOU and just walk. DO NOT change your speed of pace, DO NOT look the drivers in the eye, and most of all, pray you make it to the other side. Kiss the ground when you do, and prepare yourself for your next road crossing. Why did the chicken cross the road in Saigon? He didn't...you can't be chicken, you have to be brave!

We managed to cross the road quite a few times and make it to several sites in the city. Yes, we did our requisite tour of the market, but did not buy anything, although the exotic beverages did entice us. Popular Vietnamese drinks include wine with cobras, or scorpions, or cobras eating scorpions. The medicinal effects of said beverage include cures for rheumatism, and heightened virility, but we didn't need to improve either. The coffee in Vietnam, with its faint hint of Chocolate, is amongst the best in the world, although the finest quality is literally from a rat's ass. The rodents ingest the coffee bean, and well...you can figure out the rest.

Anyway...We also visited the War Remnants Museum, a very one-sided depiction of the atrocities of the Vietnam War, and the Reunification Hall that hasn't had its furniture changed since the country reunified in 1975. Our final day in Saigon we hopped aboard a boat and cruised along the Mekong Delta. We stopped at a candy factory, a snakewine shop and a brick factory among other places. Chris regaled the Vietnamese brick workers with his famous 'brick joke'. They loved it- it must be a cultural thing, or maybe it's funny when you don't understand English.

We had enough of big city life, which involved risking our lives regularly, so we headed north to the beautiful beach community of Mui Ne, best known for the beach, the sun and the wind. Many peeps from all over the world come here for kite surfing. Never heard of it before? Picture this: you take a parachute and a wake board and fly along the top of the water at 12+ knots (not Don Knots). When the wind catches you, you take off into the air doing all sorts of flips and turns like you were catching air off a half pipe or like you were a part of the Matrix. Although we didn't engage in that particular sport we did take our turn at sand sledding. Think snow sledding, just on very large sand dunes in the blazing sun and heat. Mui Ne is closely situated to dunes of windswept red, white and yellow sand. We awoke at 4:30 am to meet our driver who took us out to the dunes for sunrise. The sleds were brought to us by children at the dunes who showed us the proper Vietnamese sledding technique. We also visited a fishing village and walked through a canyon of red rock. It was spectacular.

It was a tough life there, spending our days on the beach entertained by the kite surfers, but we had to move on, so we made our way to the laid back town of Hoi An. A 3 hour bus ride, which turned out to be 5 (maybe it's the exchange: 3 Canadian hours is 5 Vietnamese hours), took us to the train station for an overnight train. We expected to be put in a sleeper car with a family of 10, the kids fighting, the parents smoking, and us cowering in the corner crying. Instead, we were placed with another nice Canadian couple. We think it was segregation, which we took advantage of to discuss Canadian things (the lack of Hockey and maple syrup). Nevertheless, we made it in one piece, with a couple hours of sleep, and a new Canadian travel posse.

Hoi An is a beautiful town in the middle of Vietnam. The pace is quite laid back there, with the exception of the constant sound of shopkeepers inviting you into their stores. " Lady, Mister- you buy from me?" The town has over 200 tailors who hand make clothes for you within 24 hours. We felt a little drunk with power and dong (Vietnamese cash), and subsequently bought enough to fill 2 boxes for shipping home. You cannot believe what it feels like to wear clothes made of wonderful fabrics, tailored for your specific dimensions. This was the first place Lara went where she could actually fit into the clothes. The Vietnamese people feel quite akin to her because of her size, and often hug her in the streets, or point and laugh at her. Not that different from home really.

Hoi An also boasts some beautiful old buildings and fantastic food. The town has the distinction of having not been bombed to smithereens or defoliated during the American War. We often spent our days with Hong, our tailor and new best buddy, in her shop and then we'd wander the historic streets looking at some of quaint old buildings that reflected some of its Japanese and Chinese roots. Evenings consisted of meeting Eric and Michele for the New Canadian Supper Club, where we chowed down on the finest local foods, including white rose, fried wantons and the noodle dish Cao lao. One evening we even treated ourselves (shopping and sight seeing can be SO taxing) to a spectacular 5 course, 5-star meal, with the local personality Mr. Kim (former cook for the South Vietnamese army, world renown chef, tennis pro, personal friend of Michael Caine, artist -quite a modest man)...all for $6.50 per person. Our mouths are watering now just thinking about it!

While Chris lay by the pool, Lara even went so far as to take a cooking course in Hoi An. Honest. After a couple of hours in the market, where they taught her how to pick fresh produce and showed her pigs freshly slaughtered (terrific for a vegetarian), they whisked her away by boat to a cooking school on the banks of the river. She, Eric and Michele spent the next few hours learning the fine art of Vietnamese cooking. She loved it, and plans to cook when we return. Ha, ha- just kidding. She does plan on calling out for good Vietnamese takeout however.

A little frazzled from all of our retail therapy, we decided that we could not live on clothing and fine Vietnamese food alone (says who?) and made our way to Northern Vietnam via the most terrifying bus trip we've taken so far. More about that next time.

Finally, we would like to conclude with some observations we've made on life in Vietnam, and how it differs from home. For example, it's not everyday you see a guy pull bills out of his ass to pay for his gas. No, not a back pocket, actually pulling them from underneath his pants. Other observations:

1. It is not unusual, nor that unsanitary apparently, to be eating dinner and have cockroaches or rats wander past your table.

2. When using the toilet in a Vietnamese retsuarant to find the bathroom, you often need to walk through the kitchen (best not to look if you ever want to eat again), by someone sleeping on a bed or on the floor, sewing machines, animals, kids playing, you name it, then when you finally find the bathroom, all the while watching your step, being carefull not to step on fish guts on the ground, or big bugs, the toilet is sometimes a gross hole in the ground with no toilet paper...(Thanks Michele T.)

3. We've told you about the driving in Saigon, well the transportation on the highways isn't much better. Road rules are: Bigger vehicles have right of way over smaller- which caused a bit of a problem when one tourist bus was trying to pass a transport truck and our tourist bus was coming head-on for it; it doesn't matter which side of the road you're on; speed limits are merely recommendations - a vehicle can drive way under the limit or way over. If you have any questions about these rules solve them by laying on your horn, everything will work itself out. And it does!

4. Pajamas are not just for sleeping anymore. It is considered fashionable, or at the very least acceptable, for people to wear their pajamas all day long as they head about town and do their business.

5. Bicycles or motorbikes are regularly packed with TONS of stuff. Sometimes it is a family of 4, or 4 pigs ( dead or alive), a bunch of chickens or geese (again, dead or alive), or an entire living room set.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1105691400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1105691400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chrisandlara/globe_trotting/1105691400/tpod.html Fri, 14 Jan 2005 05:53:48 -0500 This just proves any two idiots can travel around the world and make it relatively scar-free. Read on...

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia is a country that has affected us like no other. It is the most unlike home, and full of extreme contrasts; extreme poverty and extreme beauty. The thousand year-old history of Khmer architecture overwhelms the senses and the imagination. The people, despite their troubles, are very friendly and welcoming. This is the beauty. Yet one of the reasons for their current economic and social problems has been its history of political unrest and the destruction that the Khmer Rouge brought under Brother Number One, Pol Pot (The Beast). When his four year regime of extreme agrarian communism was brought down in the 80s, nearly one quarter of the population (2 million people) had been killed through torture or malnutrition. After meeting some of the Khmer people, it is incomprehensible the torture and death they brought upon one another.

Our foray away from the large Asian cities (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong) and into Cambodia led us to the smallish city of Siem Reap in Cambodia. As opposed to the hint of incense in the air in KL, or the smell of commerce we found in Hong Kong, or the scent of smog and exhaust we got in Bangkok, Siem Reap carried the distinct smell of garbage. As we wandered through the streets we felt a tangle of emotions- grateful, awed, sad. The children of Cambodia were often the ones that brought our emotions to a new height. They were truly amazing, and sadly many of them needed to sell little chachkes or beg so their families could eat. Despite that, they are like all other children, and once we broke through their facades we found them to be smiling, laughing kids who just wanted to play. Yet, so many of them have responsibilities that we could not imagine. We saw many kids taking care of kids; 6 year-olds feeding babies bottles. It is so sad, and yet so unbelievable how strong and resilient these people are.

One of the other extremes we had to prepare ourselves for were the amount of people begging on the streets and the number of people (of all ages) missing limbs due to the proliferation of land mines. It is shocking at first to see. As much as your heart aches for these people we also saw something equally disturbing: we actually saw a well-dressed man send out dirty kids holding babies to prey on our guilt.

Anyway onto a lighter topic: the wonderful temples of Angkor Wat! Siem Reap, the town closest to the temples, is going through a major development. The open borders have also opened the floodgates for huge chain hotels. We were glad to be there before it gets Disneyfied. All of this was set up for people to see the nearby temples. There is a lot of hype about Angkor Wat, and it is well deserved, as they are amongst the most
magnificent things on earth, a true testimony to artistry. Each temple is spectacular and awe inspiring in their own way and, with good reason, the pride of Cambodia. The temples are a tribute to The oldest ones were over 1000 years old and they each had different aspect of architecture that were more unbelievable than the next. In the main temple of Angkor Wat, there are the five pinnacles to climb (carefully!) and the wonderful bas relief sketchings displaying a Hindu story that is interlinked together and runs the length of the 850 metre long wall. At the Bayon temple there are over 216 faces etched in stone watching over you. The Elephant Terrace has a platform that is supported by columns and etching of elephants that run at least a 3/4 of a km. The temple of Ta Prohm looks like something out of an Indiana Jones movie with its crumbling structure being held together by the roots and trunks of 500 year old trees. Truly unbelievable! We spent 3 days exploring these temples and still could have gone back for more.

Another sight we saw was the Landmine museum. It was created and run by a 30ish year-old Cambodian man named Aki Ra who is a "de-miner". At a young age he lost both his parents to the Khmer Rouge, and then those same people recruited (forced) him to plant landmines
throughout the country. He was later forced by the Vietnamese army to do the same. For the last 10 years he has dedicated his life to disarm as many landmines as possible (he estimates that he has removed over 20,000 explosives) and to help the people that have been affected by them. He has adopted orphaned children (their parents have died from landmines)and children who have lost limbs due to landmines, and with a team of volunteers educates them and helps them live normal lives. His museum is shocking but powerful, as you can read the stories of different people who have been affected by the blight of hidden explosives and see many of the different types of disarmed devices.

At the temples we met a couple of Canadians in line. We can always tell each other by our Lululemon and Roots clothes and MEC paraphernalia. Becci and Chad soon became our travel companions throughout much of Cambodia, and with the addition of one more person we started our Cambodian Supper Club. In the realm of 'hard to imagine' we were exploring the main temple of Angkor Wat when Lara heard her name being called. To our surprise it was a friend, Paul, from Lara's former employer Alias! Lara won the bet we had about who would run into someone they knew. In a country of 13 million, at a temple that covers over 2 square kilometres, during a crowded day - what are the odds of running into someone we know? We decided to stay out of lightning storms and buy a lottery ticket that day as well (Cambodia jackpot $20 US).

The rest of our stay in Siem Reap we spent tooling around in our tuk tuk, driven by a wonderful Khmer boy who had left school to support his family, but was teaching himself English between pickups. When he found out that Chris was a teacher he asked him to help out with his studies, and Chris would do mini-lessons with him between temple visits. We regularly ate lunch with Teer and learned a lot more about the plight the Khmer people have faced over the last few decades.

From SR we made our way to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Like Siem Reap, it was very dirty and impoverished, yet much, much bigger. During our bus ride there we were 'entertained' by Cambodian karaoke videos and bad, BAD, movies. Becci and Chad endured this with us, but Paul took the $6 bus, so he rode in style. Of course, no Asian city tour is complete without a stop to the market, so we popped by the Russian Market for a douse of bargaining. It has everything from silk goods, to art, to books, to CDs, to DVDs, to clothing, to bags, to footwear, to power tools! We still haven't figured out the Russian part, as most things looked Cambodian to us, except for the pirated software.

Our evenings consisted of meeting up with the CSC (Canadian Supper Club) at the original FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) for a PDD (pre-dinner drink). The bar oozes history and atmosphere- a throwback to the good old days of gin-swilling newspaper correspondents trying to forget about the world as they watch the sunset over the National Museum. From there we headed out to one of the many restaurants the city had to offer before retiring to our guesthouse.

While in PP we spent a day learning about the legacy of the Khmer Rouge by visiting the S-21 museum and wandering through the Killing Fields. S-21 was one of many torture 'camps'
Pol Pot and his comrades used to imprison and interrogate people. It was located at an old high school in town. As we walked through the standing jail cells and rooms used for torture we were struck by how much they still resembled classrooms. There were pictures of some of the 17,000 people who were marched through S-21, and it was haunting looking into the faces of those who suffered so much. These people were of all ages, from 1 year-olds to the elderly. Truly devastating!

The Killing Fields was 15 km from town, although it took a while to get there as the roads are unpaved and unsteady. The first thing one sees upon arrival is a beautiful monument, but when you get closer you notice that the 17-storey building is holding more than 8,000 skulls that had been unearthed in the field behind it. A chill ran through our bodies as we saw the depressions in the ground where people found the mass graves. The atrocities are too much to go into to detail here, but PLEASE NOTE- we have included a disturbing image from our trip to the Killing Fields and have labelled it appropriately. DO NOT open this picture if you do not wish to see it. We did however think it was important for us to include it amongst our photos as it is a true depiction of the horrors that took place in Cambodia, and should not be forgotten.

Needing a break from the devastation, we returned to the city to visit the Royal Palace. It is the residence of the king and had several impressive structures covered in gold leaf as well as a silver pagoda. That evening as we walked along the waterfront, Lara and Becci were picked up by young Buddhist monks. They can be so cheeky. Actually, they stopped them to practice their English. This is common practice amongst the Cambodians, especially the Monks who often ask to exchange email addresses. It is quite an odd but pleasurable experience.

Still feeling the effects of our Day of Depression, we escaped the big city and made for the coast. There was no better place to decompress than on a perfect white sand beach watching the sunset from our balcony. We rested and recovered in Sihanookville before departing for Vietnam.

We were sad to leave Cambodia and would have liked to stay longer but we had our Veitnam visas to worry about. Our time there was truly memorable, an unbelievable experience that was moving and educational. Once you have been there you want to go back, and we hope we will someday.
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