TravelStream™ news feed for member elizabethg on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/elizabethg en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:16:35 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1183656180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1183656180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1183656180/tpod.html Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:16:35 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Reno, Nevada, United States

well.....i'm back. it's weird...i thought that i would be relieved at not filling out this blog (sometimes it's fun - but sometimes it's not when the words don't come easily...) but I found that I was missing it. so ... I will share a bit about my return. When arrived in San Francisco from London, I was in a bit of a haze, after flying for what seemed like 43 hours. The intl airport terminal was a little crazy, and I just stood absorbing my surroundings while waiting for my friend, Rani, to pick me up (thanks girl!). Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sign for Interstate 280 and Highway 101, and then it hit me - I know where 280 runs ... and I know that 101 will (eventually) lead you to the Golden Gate bridge. It was a surreal feeling ... and so went the rest of my weekend back in San Francisco ... quietly observing and taking in my old city with fresh eyes ... a pretty rare feeling. Of course, this only lasted a few days, and soon I was down running around with my niece and nephew as if not a day had passed since I'd last seen them at Thanksgiving.

I met up with my old roommate, Timmie, and his boyfriend, Simon, and had a lovely day catching up on life. I also got to see my friend and fellow world traveler, Kevin. Back in the early stages of this trip, I told him about my plan, and the first words out of his mouth were, "Do it. Go." Everyone planning a long trip should have support like that.

Also, I tried to spend time writing in my diary, tapping into my soul and asking questions like "What have I learned from this?" and "How did this adventure change me?" but blank pages seemed to stare back at me. After a while, and a few emails to friends, I resolved that those things won't come to me in a nice powerpoint presentation inside my head .... rather they will be revealed to me in spurts, and maybe when I least expect it, and I think I am okay with that.

Right now I am in Reno, visiting my family. The other day my father, brother and I went fishing near Lake Tahoe, which was beautiful, but we caught no fish. We did, however, stop at the casino on the way home, and my father and I won some cash at the craps table.... so the day ended on a good note.

I'll be back in San Francisco for a short time before moving to New York City later this month, where I will start a whole new adventure. Thanks to those who read this blog and especially those who left me little notes or comments .... it truely made me smile hearing from you all. I will make one more posting, but that will be a posting on recommendations of places to stay/things to see/things to miss - mostly a posting for other travelers. So that's all for now ... thanks for making the journey with me.

"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it."
-Rosalia de Castro
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182532260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182532260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182532260/tpod.html Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:47:48 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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London, United Kingdom

I came back from Scotland on a Sunday afternoon, and was wisked away for a tour of Camden Market, a walk along the Thames, tea in an open garden at a local church, and a night at the movies! Each day in London has been packed with lots of activities - the way I like things - but soon I realized that I could not keep on at a pace like this. By Wednesday morning I found myself in another doctor's office after a night of little sleep due to my clogged chest. Travel insurance. never. never. never. travel without it. for 7 months it cost me about $250 .... which is less than what I paid for THIS visit to the doctor, plus medication. Sadly, my last few days in London were spent on the sofa or lying down in bed, or watching movies down at my friend Sarah's house. I was, however, able to meet up with a few of my friends I met during my cycling tour through Laos in Dec/Jan this year, and that was a hoot to see them all fresh faced, and not wearing lycra.
In the end, it was sad to say goodbye to jolly ol england, but I am excited to go home for a bit to see my family and friends ... just a short visit before moving to new york!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1181848740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1181848740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1181848740/tpod.html Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:45:02 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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London, United Kingdom

I landed in London in the afternoon, and though a bit cloudy, I was really really really happy to be greeted at the airport by my friend Sarah. Sarah is a friend from San Francisco - we studied for the California Bar Exam together and then took a trip to Alaska 2 years ago to kayak and get lost in the wilderness (the latter being the unplanned part of the trip!) - and she moved to London a few months ago to live with her boyfriend, Andy. We all met Andy and friends in Las Vegas two years ago on the dance floor at a club - he and his 10 friends were all dressed as vicars and nuns - quite a sight to behold at a las vegas club - on a stag party. Anyway - two years later they are a lovely couple living south of London in a place called Guildford (was told it was the filming location of the recent Cameron Diaz movie "Holiday"). We spent a very mellow day tending to Sarah's garden, visiting the local doctor's office (I have "acute wheezing bronchitis") a day at the horseraces (see photos) and dayS shopping!!!

After a few days, I headed north to London where I stayed with my friend Kim and her husband Dan - Kim was an old roommate of mine in Boston. Their apartment is 2 doors down from Jimmy Choo's only store - the others are run by his former business partner, but here Jimmy himself sits behind the desk in the store and will make you a pair of shoes for something like 1000 pounds, which with today's exchange rate is right around US $62,453. Seriously. This place is breaking me. Anyway, their place is also around the corner from Tony Blair's new apartment he will take next week after he leaves 10 Downing Street, and a 5 minute walk from Madge's house (she wasn't home - or at least didn't respond to our renditions of her "Like a Virgin" or "Lucky Star" hits sung at the top of our lungs outside her windows...). It's smack in the middle of the action, and I've been all over London with them and my friend Theo (friend I made in Vietnam) including a Sunday afternoon on Brick Lane (loads of outdoor bars), the Tate Modern Art Museum, Primrose Hill, various parks, and of course, more shopping!!! One of the highlights was also going to a show, called "Boeing, Boeing" which was translated from French, about a man engaged to three different flight attendants, and whose life is turned upside down due to these super jumbo fast boeing jets, as the fiancees each want to/can spend more time with him. Good time!

It's been spectacular to see familiar faces and to finally really relax knowing I no longer had to hunt for accomodation, could figure my way around on public transportation, and can finally understand most conversations going on around me - though in the end, much of it is banal stuff anyway, but still, nice to be back on familiar grounds!! Uncle John, still no sightings of Rick Steves, but I am still keeping my eyes peeled ............
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182151800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182151800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1182151800/tpod.html Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:55:13 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Off to Scotland for the weekend - I was greeted at the airport by my friend Nicholas (I am starting to love this being greeted at the airport stuff!!) and his partner, Andrew. We drove 1.5 hours out to the countryside - rolling hills - greenery EVERYWHERE - hairy highland cows appeared as if on cue - until we reached a small village where they were having their civil ceremony.
I spent the weekend with Nicholas's family in this gorgeous little cottage. Nick and I have been friends for years - we lived/taught in Japan together for three years right out of university many many many years ago - and he has been to the US to visit me on a number of occasions, and I have been out to London to see him and meet his family, as well. So, it was very nice to be welcomed like family by his family!
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from an English wedding, or rather a Scottish wedding, or rather a Scottish civil ceremony - but it was brilliant!! Ladies wearing big hats, the event went on for just over 8 hours, gorgeous food and wine (have you ever heard of a sparkling shiraz?!) and a Ceilidh Band (a scottish traditional band, pronounced kaylee) who taught us various Scottish dances (think back to primary school and country dances you learned, then increase the speed two-fold, and add an accordian) which "knocked me for six" (an english saying which references cricket, means knocked me out, i think). I was wheezing and wiping sweat from my forehead after the first dance!! I felt like I had been transported into a Jane Austen novel in a big dance hall with lively music and fances dresses with people swinging their partners round and round (rima, i know you'll appreciate the stretch it is for me to conjure up an image of a dance hall from a jane austen book...). The evening ended with Nicholas and Andrew discovering where they were going on their honeymoon - as they left it to guests to vote for one of five places - and found that they are heading to New Zealand this winter!!
It was a gorgeous weekend (well - all but the weather, that is) and so happy to share Nicholas and Andrew's special day with them!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1180769040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1180769040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1180769040/tpod.html Sat, 09 Jun 2007 19:48:17 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Granada, Spain

After Portugal, I headed east to Spain. Well, I tried anyway, but learned that there are no trains or buses from Portugal to Spain (this far south) that run on Sundays. I also learned that even more so than in Spain, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g- in Portugal closes down on Sundays. But nevermind, I hopped a bus the following morning, with a general plan of heading to the southern tip of Spain and spending about 9 days in Morocco. I took the bus to Tarifa, Spain, which is on the southern tip, down near Gibraltar (but much less expensive than Gibraltar). I found a hostel and after a walk around the small surfing town - it's famous for kiteboarding and windsurfing - I met my roommate from the hostel, who relayed a harrowing story of his 48-hour trip to Morocco. He was taken for a ride ... literally .... stepping off the ferry and into a taxi, he asked the driver to take him to a place, but the driver suggested an alternative town near the beach to see "the real morocco" for only 10 euros. The guy said yes, and off they went (of course, mistake #1 agreeing to this, and mistake #2 being that he actually told the driver how much cash he had on him when the driver asked.....but on goes the story) 100 kms later the driver dumps the guy out on the street of some seedy town nowhere near the water and demands 50 euros instead of the agreed upon 10 euros. When he balked at the price, he was shown a knife. He spent the next 30 hours trying to get back to Tangier with no money.
So .... I decided to wait one more day to reconsider my trip..... and then the following day I heard of a German girl traveling on her own who returned from her 3 week trip there after only 3 days because it was too much. I took another day to consider things, and decided that a santized day-tour of Morocco may just be what I need, and if after going, I was still interested and could handle myself, I would go. The tour was .... I don't want to say awful, so I will use the word "structured". We had no time to ourselves to walk around the Kasbah or the market areas, unless you count the time that I refused to go into the spice shop to learn about spices and then be subjected to overwhelming salesman pressuring me to buy buy buy!! (I had already survived the carpet shop demonstration).... but nevertheless, the tour was fine, and I decided that though it was hardly an authentic experience, I was also okay with leaving Morocco for another time, and perhaps when I have a travel partner.
Left with 9 days to fill before heading to London, I went to Malaga, on the southern coast of Spain. It is the birthplace of Picasso, and probably has the most aesthetically beautiful people in all of Spain (I think so, anyway) who can make one feel quite dissheveled simply walking down the street. :) but I digress.... It was a nice visit, went to the Picasso museum and the beach, but it was a bit lonely, as my Spanish is awful and not a lot of people speak English -I went for days without speaking much to anyone - and tapas for one isn't that much fun. I remember thinking this before: of all of the countries I have traveled in, Spain is probably the most difficult in terms of meeting people - both locals and other travelers .... I don't know why ... perhaps I haven't found the right hostels, or perhaps this is more what travel in Europe is like, but I find that it's odd (I don't mean to say locals aren't nice, they are, it's just that they aren't overly interested in talking). However, on my last day I met a nice Greek vet who is working/studying in Malaga, who was struggling with Spanish just like me, and we hung out for the afternoon - a breath of fresh air!
Next I went to Granada, probably my favorite city in Spain. I was here 9 years ago and was so happy to come back! On the bus I met Mark, a dutch guy going to Spanish school in Grananda, and we hiked around and found a cheap hostel, walked around the town, and sampled a lot of Spanish food and went to a flamenco show ....it was amazing!! a friend I met traveling introduced me to www.couchsurfing.com which is a free website for travelers who arrive in a town/city and want to meet up someone who lives there ... either to crash on their couch, or just to meet for coffee or something. I did it, and met up for lunch with a nice Spanish guy named Daniel and his girlfriend Fatimah who directed me in the way of some interesting sights and streets in Granada. It is a great service, and I wish I would have discovered it earlier!! Anyway ..... the Alhambra was also fantastic ... and I was eventually sad to leave Granada. Off to Madrid for one day to see a friend, and then it's off to London, and I cannot wait to see my friends there!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179944580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179944580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179944580/tpod.html Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:41:15 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Albufeira, Portugal

It was a chilly Sunday afternoon when I was picked up by a seemingly polite taxi driver who spoke English very well. That image was shattered 3 minutes into the 40 minute drive to the place I was staying. He asked where I was from ... and so it began. I was expecting it in certain places I have been - Vietnam, Egypt, Jordan, but not southern Portugal. Normally, I deal with little jabs about America pretty well, and anyone who knows me knows I have a critical view of our situation in the world, our current position in the middle east, and loathe to answer questions about our commander in chief (sigh). But maybe this guy hit me at the wrong time, all I can remember is saying to him after he spewed anti-American sentiment, "This is my welcome to Portugal? You are amazing. You have just stereotyped 300 million people." It just went on and on and on. After a while he started talking about the weather, but then he stopped midsentence and said, you are not even listening to me, are you? Luckily every other Portugese person I met was very warm and polite ... so strange that it got off to a rough start ... but the week was fantastic nonetheless!
My friend Daphne flew over from San Francisco, and we discovered the souterh coastal towns of Albufeira and Lagos, walking around charming little cobblestone streets and sunning ourselves on the beach. On Friday, we attended a bullfight which was amazing and graceful (and nice because in Portugal they don´t kill the bull). My friend Fiona joined us for the weekend and we ate traditional seafood and spicy chicken (piripiri) and ice cream. A lovely week!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179596220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179596220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1179596220/tpod.html Sat, 19 May 2007 14:00:49 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Datça, Turkey

I came back for a week * fleeing from the EURO (frighteningly expensive compared to where I have been thus far!) and to just hang out with my friend and his family. We went on a mothers day walk for a few hours, which ended at a beach and where half of the town turned out for dancing, music, and competitions of tug of wars and races carrying eggs on a wodden spoon. It was lovely!
We also traveled to Dalyan, a special beach where sea turtles come to bury their eggs in the sand. Once they hatch, if the little guys are smart enough, they make their way to the water and come back 20 years later to lay their own eggs in that very same beach.
On my last day there - I went to the beach and sawm and caught a rockfish (one of the ugliest fish I have ever seen) and had another barbeque ... it was great!
Turkey was def. a highlight in my trýp thus far - and now I am off to Portugal!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178632320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178632320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178632320/tpod.html Sat, 19 May 2007 13:34:22 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Rhodes, Greece

A week in heaven! A few friends met up with me on the island of Rhodes for a week and we spent the time relaxing at the pool, eating on the veranda, touring a neighboring islands, visiting Turkey, seeing ancient ruins, touring the old city, smoking Rimas first hooka, and as you may note from the pictures, imbibing girlie drinks adorned with fruits and sparklers (and beers in boots)!!! We rented a car and fearless Sarah drove us around to see Lindos, the site of the ancient Temple of Athena, and another little place called the 7 springs. The former was gorgeous and the latter was more taxing, as though we parked 50 ft from the entrance to the springs, none of us saw it and continued up a dirt farm road for approximately 35 minutes before being hot and confused and running into and English hiking club who informed us we were walking the wrong way. Naturally. When we got to the springs, the less clastrophobic 2 of us (read: rima and sarah) waded\crawled through a river tunnel of spring water

On our last day the girls and I took a hydrofoil to Turkey to Datça - probably to see if it really lived up to the hype I had given it (rima and skwash * sorry for talking incessantly about the place .... I know I did!!) and we had a great meal and swam in the ocean. Utku sped us back to the harbor to make sure the girls made their 4pm hydrofoil departure .... but when we arrived there was no hydrofoil .... seems as though the boat left at 3:30 that day instead of 4pm, which is a bit tricky because they only had a 1 day pass into Turkey and no proper visa, and the hydrofoil only runs once a week. Luckily, across the harbor, there was a large sailboat making its way to Greece, and for the small fortune, they were able to hop the sailboat (clad in tank tops and short * chilly for being on deck!) to Simi island, where they could connect to a boat back to Rhodes, and make their 11pm flight back to London. Awesome end to a fabulous week!!

Sadly my friend Kým got two ear infections the day before she was set to fly out to meet us ........ we missed her company but I am excited to see her in London in June!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178276400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178276400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1178276400/tpod.html Tue, 15 May 2007 09:32:36 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Datça, Turkey

my last day in turkey was spent on the beach ... it was fantastic - a day of swimming and sunbathing and then later fishing and cooking our catch on the beach waiting for the full moon to rise up over the sea's horizon. it was gorgeous!!! However sad I was to leave turkey, I was so excited to see my friends who were meeting me in Greece just a few kilometers from where I'd been staying in Turkey.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1177941300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1177941300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizabethg/worldtour06-07/1177941300/tpod.html Fri, 04 May 2007 06:43:04 -0400 Moving from San Francisco to New York - via Taipei, Bangkok, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and London.

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Pamukkale, Turkey

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