TravelStream™ news feed for member crazystrange on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/crazystrange en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:56:57 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1177827780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1177827780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1177827780/tpod.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:56:57 -0500 Two quick months in Asia- travelling SE and a short trek in Nepal. All preceded by a few days rafting in Oregon.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

After sweltering in Vientiane, I decided to crash into Phnom Penh and live the good life. After the flight, I picked up a taxi to the city center and then convinced him to drive me a little further to a place called the Renakse Hotel. Incredible building, a nice room, AIR CONDITIONING, free breakfast, etc etc etc for $35/night. Really far too much, but it was quiet and right across the way from one of the central attractions in town, the Grand Palace. My first foray out, I decided to take a walk and see what I could see. Of course, I was stopped by the hoardes of tuk tuk drivers at the entrance to the hotel. Where you go? You go to Killing Field? I take you. You go to Museum? You go to market? Figuring "why the hell not?" I hired a tuk tuk driver and set out for the Killing Fields. For those of you that don't know, Cambodia went through a pretty rough time. Google Khmer Rouge to figure it out. Needless to say, the Killing Fields is where a whole lot of people were tortured/killed and then buried. All sorts of mass graves (i.e. dips in the ground) and a stupa full of human skulls. Interesting to see, but I was really expecting more... or something. I had a picnic. After I returned, I went for a walk. I didn't get far and another tuk tuk driver was calling me down. I told him I was walking and thus started one of my many interesting forays in Phnom Penh. The driver said that he was walking too. Okay, so he didn't walk, he drove his tuk tuk very slowly next to me while talking to me all the time. He claimed that he was some type of surveyor or contractor (construction?) and that he only rented the tuk tuk to drive around. Eventually, we came to an intersection and Wat Phnom, which I wanted to see, was across it. He volunteered to drive me across for free. Great. Okay. He then proceeded to go with me to the temple, answering the questions I had, buying a lotus fruit (which I had inquired about after seeing ladies carrying trays full of them on their heads), and was my buddy for the afternoon. He then took me to a restaurant and I ate while he had a beer (which I paid for incidently). Afterwards, he dropped me off and tried to get me to agree to meet him the following day- which I would not do. Buh bye.The next day, I got up late hoping like hell Dara (that was his name) would not be around. He wasn't, thank God, and I set out to see the markets and generally to walk around the town. This is one thing I really enjoy doing when travelling and when you have a bazillion tuk tuk and moto drivers begging you for business, it becomes very difficult. In the late afternoon, as I was resting on a park bench and reading my Lonely Planet, a tuk tuk driver came to me despite my pleas that I was only READING my guidebook. He told me that I must see this or that and said that tomorrow, he would take me. It was a hard sale, but he won. His English was good and he was a friendly guy (as so many of them are). So in the morning, we set out on his moto for Phnom Chisor and Tonle Bati. It was about 100km roundtrip and great to get out of the city. Phnom Chisor is an old (11th century I think) temple on top of a hill. The climb up those stairs proved that Nepal will kick my ass. The temple was amazing and the people on top were friendly. I found it excellent fun to have a local with me to a)fend off beggers and b)translate for me. There was an old man selling some sort of information in Cambodian that Nick (my driver) tried to fend away. But the old man instead took us inside a newer temple and told us about the paintings inside. The view from on top of the mountain, by the way, was great. After Phnom Chisor, we went to Tonle Bati, a popular picnic area on a lake. There were palm/bamboo huts that were bridge together by palm trunks jutting out to the lake. We went to the furthest out we could get and ordered a chicken with some rice and had a nice lunch. I found out a ton of information from Nick and he proved an invaluable insight into local culture. While driving back past the miniature "gas stations" (i.e. barrels and/or pepsi bottles filled with gasoline), white cows, pigs, chickens, etc, we got a flat tire. When the roadside mechanic pulled the tube out, we found it was entirely split. Oops. He replaced it for $2 and we went on our way. We arrived back at the hotel and I overpaid Nick because he didn't have change and he promised that he would pick me up the following night for dinner. No problem. The next day, I set out for the National Museum (full of statues from Angkor Wat and other such places around Cambodia) and information about the ancient history. I then hired a tuk tuk to drive me across town to do some internet and eat some good food. Upon reading my e-mail, I found that one of my buddies from the Laos trip was in Phnom Penh. After a lunch of Lok Lac, I walked back to the Grand Palace, which I had left for last on my agenda. Once it opened (2PM), I entered and began my exploration. I was entering one of the temples and low and behold- there is my friend from Laos. After thoroughly exploring the temple, we headed back for some cold drinks. He had rented a moto so getting around was much easier (for me anyway... I can't imagine trying to DRIVE there as there are few road rules and driving seems to be more about luck and prayer than anything else). It threatened rain, so we headed to his guesthouse to continue our conversation and relax. It really turns out that I spent far too much $$$ on my hotel because the Guest House atmosphere was soooo much better than my hotel AND it looked out on the lake. My buddy drove me back to the hotel and I arrived just in time to meet Nick for dinner. He drove us over the Japanese Bridge and I had a most interesting night. I now know what Cambodians do for fun. There was a HUGE restaurant there- complete with neon lights and a stage full of singers and dancers and comedians. The food (we had a goby fish and a chicken dish) was great, but the experience was unforgetable. First up- a hoarde of women holding pictures of types of beer confronts you and you either say or point at which one you want. Ordering food wasn't as demanding, but it was certainly entertaining. I didn't understand a word and it was a bit on the pricy side, but the place was PACKED full of locals. The drive back was refreshing and cool. I said my goodbyes to Nick and took off to pack my bags, despite his pleas that he would drive me around for free to see the countryside and such. I got the feeling I could have a Cambodian boyfriend if I wanted.... kind of figures. Why do small Asian men that come up to my nose like me more than others?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220851020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220851020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220851020/tpod.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:21:05 -0400 To Nowhere and Back- The long journey from Alaska to the lower 48 via the Alcan

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Seattle, Washington, United States

It was cloudy in Cache Creek when I awoke and I took my time getting on the road, since I had plenty of time to make the drive to Seattle. I drove through an amazing river gorge- actually on top of it. The gorge was at first brown and desert-like and then turned green as I headed south, more like the temperate pacific northwest. Eventually, I wound my way out of the gorge and found myself heading through farland, over the border to the US, and then to the expressways and roadways that are more common in the lower 48. I'd forgotten how horrible traffic could be. Oh well. I made it. My car suffered some dings. It's overloaded and its resting in Sarah and Michal's garage for the coming 6 hour drive to Bend. Thanks for stopping by. Take a look at the photos. I'm not into writing this blog.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220785440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220785440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220785440/tpod.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:11:29 -0400 To Nowhere and Back- The long journey from Alaska to the lower 48 via the Alcan

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cache Creek, British Columbia, Canada

The day started with the fog. Dense, thick fog coming out of Ft. St. John. I traveled south. I hit the end of the Alcan within the hour of starting and fueled up before heading down 97 towards Vancouver. This part of the trip was far more domestic- the roads all paved and in good condition, farmhouses, livestock, the whole nine yards. I debated on stopping at a lake, but the town didn't seem that interesting, so I wound up gunning it down to Cache Creek, ariving as it was getting dark. It was clear and the sun had been out all day, so I elected to camp. I found the campground with no problem and it was run like a European one- by a German-speaker. Free pool, free showers, but $17/night. Cheaper than a hotel so I took it and settled down into a nice bed of grass, hoping that the cool dry air would dry my tent out from its earlier incident at Watson Lake. Along the way- particularly close to Cache Creek, the landscape went from farmland and green trees and mountains to a desert complete with sage brush and beautiful rolling hills. It reminded me of Oregon and it made me all the more eager to get there.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220701260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220701260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220701260/tpod.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:51:08 -0400 To Nowhere and Back- The long journey from Alaska to the lower 48 via the Alcan

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada

I woke up in Watson Lake to see that my tent was no longer waterproof. What a bummer. I packed up, angry, grabbed a coffee from town, and parted ways far before the gas station opened. I camped for free. Thanks. I headed onwards towards BC. Most of the day was overcast and I came through periods of hard rain. I vowed to a)not pay $100 and b)not camp in the rain. I drove the most remote part of the road, mildly amazed, but mainly just wanting to get there. I gave up the hot springs in favor of saving money and time. I took photos from the road. There were Buffalo, lakes, caribou, and two trucks that threw rocks in my face as I was traveling over gravel. One left a dime sized crack. The other I thought was almost nothing until it spread 6 inches across the windshield. It was a day of debate- is it spreading? Am I imagining it? Was it that far before? I can't (and don't feel like) putting into words how remote this area is. As I stopped for one of the better sights, I met a couple on a vacation trip (in a Prius) from Nova Scotia. They had been traveling for 5 days already and were headed to Alaska and to Dawson City where a family member resided. I ended the day in the ENORMOUS town of Fort St. John. After you get through the winding roads of upper BC, you start to see civilization again- farmland, towns that are more than just a lodge with a few gas pumps out front, other cars on the road. I wondered through town for a hotel and found one for $69/night. I later discovered the "exotic dancers" sign on the far end of the same building, but the place was quiet, undisturbed, right on the road, cheap, and fairly nice. I even had a coffee pot, fridge, and full cable. Not that I used any of those.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220613720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220613720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220613720/tpod.html Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:27:46 -0400 To Nowhere and Back- The long journey from Alaska to the lower 48 via the Alcan

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada

The day started early with a little cup of coffee and a nutrigrain bar. I headed West. I passed through Haines Junction- which wasn't as pretty as I recalled. And of course, Kluane Lake, which was as beautiful, but also (as usual) laden with construction. I waited and followed, waited and followed and drove for over 10 hours until I hit Watson Lake. The campground in Watson Lake was towards the opposite end of town and I sought it out, but was frustrated to see that registration building was closed and referred people to the gas station, which was also closed. After much deliberation and dinner at "Archie's" I went back to the campground and set everything up. Frustrated and tired, I fell asleep before 9:30PM. I woke up at 11:50 and heard rain drops.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220536740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220536740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/6/1220536740/tpod.html Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:05:57 -0400 To Nowhere and Back- The long journey from Alaska to the lower 48 via the Alcan

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada

On Day 1, after getting the rest of my things into my overloaded Toyota Camry, I took off through Anchorage to hit the Glenn Highway. The highway was in great shape, as it was the end of the travel season and a lot of major roadwork had been completed. Some of it was even freshly paved. I hit construction after Matanuska Glacier (which seemed a lot smaller than I recall- but maybe that's in comparison to other glacier's I've seen...). At the construction, the RV in front of me got WAY behind the Pilot car and I hoped that he knew where he was going, because I certainly didn't. As I drove the north, the trees went from barely turning yellow to intense full colored yellow, which was brilliant in the sun and against the greens and blues of a gorgeous Alaskan day (one of the few). I crossed the border around 6PM and made my way through the bumpy, poorly maintained zone between Customs stations to Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek was dead. Absolutely DEAD. I inquired and searched for a campground, only to be told that the last tent campground had closed. I ended up forking over $120 (Canadian) for a dinky hotel room. The room itself was fine, but furnished with very limited cable tv, a bed, and a table. No coffee, no fridge, no microwave, nothing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1211929680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1211929680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1211929680/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:59:04 -0400 My "home" is Alaska- and this is what you'll see if you come here.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cordova, Alaska, United States

My old friend from GA, Sarah, and her husband, Michal (Mee-how... he's Polish), came up to AK to see the state and visit. They galavanted off through Denali and the Kenai Peninsula, but I went down to Seward to pick them up and from there, we embarked on a little adventure to Cordova, AK. Cordova is a small town to the Southeast of here and home of the Copper River Delta, from which yearly harvests of the infamous Copper River Salmon are made. Cordova is also home to a giant glacier, which calves into the river and a "Million Dollar Bridge" built back in the day to get to the Kennecott Mine up near McCarthy. So why not? From Seward, we left and made the hour and a half drive back up to Whittier. We got to the Whittier tunnel at 11:47, 2 minutes after it had closed. The tunnel is one way, alternating directions and cars have to compete for time with the train. It's a neat tunnel, but a pain to drive through. Also costs money, which is always a drag. But we figured getting to the tunnel an hour in advance of the ferry would be fine. It almost wasn't. The next tunnel opening for our side would be at 12:30, fiften minutes before the ferry was to leave. Sarah and Michal anxiously rocked the car and I turned up the music on my ipod, trying to get them to chill out. It was quite a bit of money that was spent on ferry tickets and it wouldn't do well to waste them on a missed boat. But at this point, there was nothing we could do. So we waited. Once given the signal (we were first) we jetted through, cruising just above the speed limit, and rushed down the terminal. Michal and Sarah rushed in while I waited in "temporary" parking. They caught the window as it was closing and told me to go ahead and leave the car there since we would only be gone one night. As soon as we walked in, they called foot passengers to board. We cruised across the Prince William Sound, admiring white mountains, blue waters, and searching for signs of wildlife. Michal swears he saw a whale's tail. The weather was warm, sunny, and we spent some time on the deck, sipping chosen alcoholic beverages. At Cordova, we disembarked and waited for our rental car to arrive. It turned out to be a minivan. We declined an offer of a "cooler" car and made our way out of town, towards the dirt road that winds through the partially dried out Copper River Delta. It's about 50 miles long and we saw a bazillion eagles along the way, not to mention the awesome scenery. The glacier was amazing, the bridge interesting, the company wonderful. But we couldn't find any fish or fishermen. Not even in the restaurant where we ate at sunset overlooking the harbor. Apparently, fishing was not open on that day. After checking the city campground and finding hoardes of campers and Mennonite children running around, we decided to go out towards the glacier again and find camp there. Not at the glacier, as everything was covered in snow there and we were ill prepared for snow camping. We camped among mossy trees in quiet woods, made a fire, and relaxed. The next morning, we piled into the van again and made off back to the ferry, where we once again cruised through sunny waters. This time, we caught sight of multiple sea otters and a pod of porpoises making their way through the sound. We had a stopover in Valdez, where we disembarked and wondered around town for thirty minutes. I slept much of the way back and was still tired when we drove back to Seward. In Seward again, I showed them Exit Glacier, where I've been before. The hike up was partially snowy, but was a great walk, though we had to avoid melting piles of moose poop. After our walk, we wondered into town again, had a dinner, and cruised back to Anchorage. My job... was done.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1175385720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1175385720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/asia_2007/1175385720/tpod.html Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:07:16 -0400 Two quick months in Asia- travelling SE and a short trek in Nepal. All preceded by a few days rafting in Oregon.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bend, Oregon, United States

Began my journey by flying south (overnight) to Bend, OR (my second home).  I met up with my buddies Gabe and Amy and we spent a few days getting ready and making up our minds on where exactly we were going to go on our multiday rafting trip.  Our original plan was for the Owyhee River... which was apparently running so low we would be carrying the raft. Then we decided to do the Rogue River... but the pass to get to it was getting a blizzard and with a trailer, it didn't sound like a good idea.  So we chose the Deschutes.  We drove a few hours to Maupin and then down stream to a put-in. We camped at the put-in on Tuesday night and began our rafting journey the next morning (or rather, afternoon... we like to get our rest). The days were semi warm- but the river was cold. Amy and I were in the back and the raft holds a little water back there so most of the day, our feet were either on the side of the raft or completely numb from the water. We made Gabe do most of the work with his oars. Camped for 3 nights along the river- gorgeous scenary, etc etc. (I'm in the mood for descriptions, right?) Canyons, old cars, railroad, herrons, raccoons, a few deer, ospreys, eagles, hawks, etc etc and the sky was blue. I think the photos do a better job than I want to do at the moment. So I'll get right on that.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/guam_2006/1146436320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/guam_2006/1146436320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/guam_2006/1146436320/tpod.html Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:03:29 -0400 A one month business trip to Guam results in fond memories and plenty of photos.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Guam, Guam

Guam is a very nifty place if you've got the money to get there. Having been to Hawaii as well in the past year, I thought Guam was much more friendly and much better for "out of the way" travelers like myself. I don't like tourism that much and Hawaii was built for them. Guam, on the other hand, still has an enormous amount of local culture, despite the gigantic kmart they've built in Tumon and the strip (which caters to Japanese tourists primarily). Let's start with the water:The coast is littered with reefs and plenty of fish to go along with them. Among the highlights of my snorkeling experience were a bright blue starfish, a 2 foot in diameter MOUND of bright purple coral, little sea dragon/sea horse looking thingys (oh so technical here... I'm a very experienced fish identifier), black spiny sea urchins, big black spiny sea cucumbers, tons of trigger fish, parrot fish, bright blue little fishys, and the intimidating barricuda/pointy nosed fishy that stared me down and was practically stalking me. The water was pretty clear (until divers or snorkelers stirred it up) and sea life was abundant. My favorite place was a little private beach near Ipan Beach Resort on the East Coast. The bay is tiny and the reef is very easily accessible. The water is smooth and shallow and there were plenty of cool fish (where I saw the sea dragony things and the urchins). Another cool place is Fisheye, which is on the opposite coast. Fisheye is proiminant because of the pier that juts out. You have to pay to get on the pier- but you don't have to pay for wading out. It seemed like a big tourist destination judging by the buses that pulled up. And it was also innundated with divers. Fisheye has live coral and live fish and I wish I had had a few things to explore it more: a) booties- you have to walk out about 50 yards before you can start swimming and the reef is sharp and has unpredictable footing. b)Nerve- I got nervous in the deeper water- mostly because nearby divers had clouded up the water and a barricuda or similarly pointy-toothed fish was stalking me (keep in mind, I had just cut my toe on the reef while walking out) c)a better mask- I bought my mask/snorkel for $10 and got what I paid for. Fisheye definitely had more live coral than the private beach, but it is much more difficult to access and provides a more challenging experience. If I had had time, diving would have definitely been the way to go. Then let's move to the hills:I didn't do much hiking in Guam. I regret that. Apparently, there are some good spots to go. Sadly, I was lazy and interested more in the beach. I did go out to Talofofo falls, which I believe to be a severe rip off. I had heard that the falls were nice and I ALSO thought that you could HIKE to the falls. Apparently, this is no longer the case. You have to pay $20 to ride a cable car down to the falls. The falls are nice, but $20???? Oh well, you only live once, right? I also ended up meeting some people out there that ended up fulfilling my social quota for a few days. The People:People of Guam are primarily Pacific Islanders. Lots of Filipinos, Chinese, Palau, Pohnpei (am I spelling that right?), Guamnanian, etc. I found the locals there to be extremely friendly. I was a single white female, travelling alone, and whenever I went somewhere, I was nearly always approached by a local who spoke to me, asked me if I liked Guam, and then introduced themselves. On Easter weekend, this type of interaction actually led to an afternoon spent at a family barbeque, where I was treated to local red rice and barbequed meats. Yummy! They actually seemed to want people to visit Guam- I suppose their economy needs it. But at the same time, I would hate for it to become Hawaii. Guam actually reminded me a bit of Mallorca, Spain in the off season- the small strip of touristy places in the one town, surrounded fields and roads. I suppose that Guam is to the Japanese what Mallorca is to the Germans- a playground. I did notice that the Japanese people there are very relaxed. Whenever I see Japanese tourists, they are usually moving moving moving with their digital cameras and their knapsacks. Japanese tourists on Guam were mellow. The Terrain and the Beaches:Guam varies in terrain from cliffs jutting into the ocean to white sandy beaches and calm bays. There are low profiled light green rolling mountains and dense jungle. The breaks occur more than 100 yards out from most beaches and I've heard that they are very dangerous- hence almost no surfing on Guam. I was warned about riptides and strong undertows right away. Apparently, the reef goes from 3 feet to 60 and the resulting crash can be very damaging if you get caught in it. I chose not to risk it. The History:Okay, I'm not a whiz and I'm not going to lecture here- but Guam was taken over by the Spanish back in the day. They "converted" the native people (in a not so nice way) and settled. The language of Guam has some spanish thrown in for good measure apparently. Someone spoke it to me once and I couldn't make out anything he was saying. There are a lot of leftover remnants of the Spanish colonialization- old bridges, forts, guns, churches. Guam was also (I guess) relatively important in WWII. Among the remants you can see of this are War in the Pacific National Park (was it a park or preserve? Don't know- it was free entry though)- which was basically a beach with some torpedos out front, a walking trail, lots of bbq pits, and a monument to the armed forces. Apparently, there was a pretty big battle there where lots of troops came to shore (and probably died). There is a bay in Inarajan that has a sunken Japanese ship in it. It's a dive spot. At Talofofo falls, there was a Japanese soldier who lived in a cave for numerous years- not knowing the war was over. They called him a hero. And today, there are numerous navy and air force installations, but the military presence is not overwhelming like it is in Hawaii. I would definitely say that the natives outnumber the military. With all that said,I'll turn now to uploading photos. Enjoy!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1186908780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1186908780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/crazystrange/random_alaska/1186908780/tpod.html Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:00:14 -0400 My "home" is Alaska- and this is what you'll see if you come here.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Fishin' Time. This is smack dab in the middle of Anchorage. Funny isn't it? I don't know how they don't get their lines tangled. Look at the pics instead of at me.
]]>