gordon.ye's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member gordon.ye on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/gordon.ye en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:11:05 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Athens, Greece — Athens, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239732480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239732480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239732480/tpod.html Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:11:05 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Athens, Greece

Classical Athens (before 355 BC) was the cradle of Western civilization, where democracy was first adopted. It became a secondary center of Greek Orthodox Christianity during the long Byzantine rule when Constantinople was the seat of the emperors and the Church. Athens continued to be secondary to Constantinople under Ottoman Turkish rule, until becoming the capital of independent Greece.

before 355 BC - capital of the leading Greek city state. 431 BC - Parthenon temple completed.
to 146 BC - Greek rule from Macedonia (near Thessalonika, Greece).
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy.
to 1204 - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
to 1458 - ruled by various Christian Crusader princes.
to 1833 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul.
1833 - became capital of independent Greece.

This was my first time in Athens. We took a guided tour of the Acropolis offered by the cruise. Although it's not difficult to take public transportation, our stopover in Athens is shorter than a full day so taking a guided tour can save time. I have known of Athens and the Acropolis from textbooks and documentary films since childhood, where the Parthenon temple had been rated as the finest ever classical building with the perfect ("golden") proportions.

The weather didn't cooperate, it was drizzling outside. We took the tour bus from the port at Piraeus, passed by several Olympic stadiums built for the 2004 Athens Olympics, then drove into downtown. Our tour guide introduced us to the notable landmarks in downtown Athens, mostly built in the 19th and 20th centuries after Greece became independent from Ottoman Turkey. By and large the city was chaotic, full of 6-story contemporary buildings that didn't resonate with the image of the city as the cradle of classical (Western) civilization. Unlike Barcelona which is also mostly built in the 19th century it seems Athens had been totally cut off from its heritage. Housing almost half of all Greeks, it is no wonder modern urbanization has overrun any charm left from the ancient times.

Our first stop was the Panathinaikos statium, built entirely of pentelic marble in Roman times but refurbished for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It is an elegant structure with a simple design. Next our bus passed by a Roman-era temple ruin with only 7 massive columns standing, and one fallen on the ground due to an earthquake in modern times. Finally we arrived at the foot of the Acropolis, supposedly only 75 steps to climb it but in fact much higher. Most of the paths on the hill are sloping ramps paved by marble, making it very very slick in rainy weather. The foot of the Acropolis was surrounded by olive groves, among which is a Roman-era amphitheatre, still almost completely intact. Looking up one gazes on the venerable Parthenon temple at the top of the hill city, or Acropolis.

Climbing up the steps we passed by the gates of the Acropolis, paved by steep rocky steps and flanked by huge marble walls and columns. It was raining harder and us younger folks tried to make sure the elderly folks don't slip and fall on the very rough and rocky terrain on top of the hill. Most of the hill top is empty except for the twin temples: Parthenon on the right and the Erechtheion on the left, both of which were built in the 6th century BC during the peak of the Athenian city-state. Most of the massive columns of the Parthenon are intact but almost all of the friezes had been taken to the British Museum in the 19th century, making it an empty shell. The Erechtheion is famous for having the six front columns sculpted as female figures. Although only this much is left, it still evokes the elegant and brilliant civilization of the ancient Greeks, the birthplace of democracy, a unique form of government that didn't have many parallels in world history.

Looking out from the high point of the Acropolis one sees the entire Attiki plain surrounded by a ring of massive hills. The whole plain is covered to the rim by uniform contemporary 6-10 story flats without high rises, a rather depressing sight. Only one corner of the city next to the north side of the Acropolis (the Plaka neighborhood) has some red tile roofs and older houses been preserved. However, the dramatic dark rain clouds made it a beautiful view over the brooding, ancient ruins.

We returned to Piraeus by tour bus, then I went on a hunt for internet cafes. Walking around most of Piraeus' downtown I didn't find it, but I found it in the port building. There are some pretty Greek orthodox churches in town, some in the byzantine style, whose columns were draped by Easter's purple color.
]]> Rome, Italy — Rome, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239559620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239559620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1239559620/tpod.html Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:08:23 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Rome, Italy

The Eternal City's history can be divided into two periods: Roman Empire (to 476 AD) and Catholic Rome. Among all destinations of this trip, Rome was the only place never ruled by Muslims. Most of Rome's monuments date from the latter period, especially during and after the Renaissance. The world headquarters of Roman Catholic Church is in Vatican City, an independent country located inside the city of Rome.

753 BC - Rome founded as a city-state.
to 476 AD - capital of Roman Empire, the largest empire in the history of western world.
to 751 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
to 1870 - ruled by the Catholic Christian Church headquartered in Rome.
1870 - became capital of independent Italy.

Eleven of us decided to take the train from the cruise ship port Civitavecchia to Rome, instead of the pricey tour buses offered by the cruise. Since I have been to Rome before and know my way around, I became the tour leader. At the Civitavecchia train station we purchased 9 euro tickets for each person which was good for one-day train rides to and from Rome, as well as public transportation within the city. This was a really good deal. Civitavecchia is a bit run-down but the train service was comfortable and uncrowded.

This was Easter sunday when the Pope would be delivering a mass attended by 2 million people in Vatican City. We decided to avoid the crowds by visiting other sights first. Many people in the train got off at San Pietro train station, the closest to the Vatican. Once arrived at the main train station in Rome, we changed to subway to go to the Spanish Steps.

Suddenly surrounded by elegant baroque architecture, marble sculptures of the finest artisanship, and the realization that we're in the venerated "Eternal City", everyone started snapping lots of pictures. Milling around the elegant steps, the tourist horse carriages and the designer boutiques, we followed the narrow streets and alleys of old Rome. The Renaissance beauty Trevi Fountain seemed perpetually mobbed by a big crowd. Uncle Chenghua showed off his violin skills along the way, borrowing a violin from a street artist. Gazing at the 2000 year-old Pantheon temple, the oldest and best preserved monument from antiquity, one feels the imprint of many centuries gone past. We couldn't enter the Pantheon because a mass was taking place inside, but from between the centuries-old huge bronze doors we could admire its ancient interior. As we walked all around old Rome we passed by many Roman-era ruins that had been incorporated into latter day buildings, such as these massive columns.

Public restrooms were hard to find along the way, fortunately near Trevi Fountain we were able to get permission to use the bathrooms in an office building. After stopping by a unique Gothic church (Santa Maria sopra Minerva) featuring marvelous stained glass windows, we arrived at Capitoline hill, the heart of Rome. Here one can see monumental buildings from Roman, baroque, and modern eras juxtaposed on top of each other, each one making use of older structures as its foundation. Legs worn out by too much walking, Hyacinth and Chenghua waited below the many steps to the top of the hill, while the rest of us climbed up to the glorious Campidoglio piazza, designed by the great Michelangelo. This is a text book example of brilliantly-designed public space. At the top of the hill there are the elegant capitoline museums, the Roman city hall, and glorious views of the Roman Forum ruins where massive triumphant arches, huge columns still standing, and latter day churches vied for space in the sun. Unfortunately the Colosseum is hardly visible from this vantage point, obscured by a nearby church dome.

Coming back down the capitoline hill, we had a restful lunch at a nearby cafe facing bustling Piazza Venezia, where the gargantuan Vittorio Emanuele II monument dominates the scene. Another example of latter day rulers wanting to outdo their predecessors by building ever-larger monuments in the Eternal City. From here we took the bus 64 to Vatican city, a bus well-known for pickpockets. The bus ride was crowded and not so comfortable, but nobody lost any valuables. Not having used this bus I was unsure where to get off the bus, as a result we ended up at the San Pietro train station instead of the San Pietro (St Peters) square. I was rather discouraged. We got on another No. 64 bus in the opposite direction, and Novlett helped us navigate by asking around for the right place to get off the bus. Finally we arrived at St Peters square, passing by the colorfully dressed Swiss guards. At this point most of us were exhausted, my mom and Ailing each tripped and fell once, luckily they were not hurt. The massive square surrounded by hundreds of statues of saints on top of the huge colonnaded arcs is truly the most grandiose of all Roman architecture. The square was still full of chairs left from the morning mass. Because of time constraints we didn't enter the St. Peters Cathedral, nor did we visit the Roman Colosseum.

Taking a bus back to the main train station, we took a rest in an MacDonalds inside and ordered some refreshing milk shakes. I monitored the sign board for the platform number of the train to Civitavecchia, but it stayed blank. It was about 15 minutes before the train would depart, I was stressed out for not knowing how to find out the platform number. With Neil and my mom both helping we found out the information with only 10 minutes left. Then we found out the platform for the Civitavecchia train was located nearly half a mile from the main platforms, so all of us had to rush. This was very stressful for the older folks because they had been worn out by all the walking around Rome. We finally made it to the train, then it left the station after less than 30 seconds. It was a very close call. After arriving at Civitavecchia we again had to walk to the port, fortunately the shuttle bus to the ship waited for us. We were the last group to board the last shuttle bus to the cruise ship.
]]> Malta — Valletta, Malta http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240251180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240251180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240251180/tpod.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:27:26 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Valletta, Malta

Tiny Maltese islands have been ruled by countries on almost every shore of the Mediterranean, from Spain in the west to Greece in the east, from Italy to the north to Tunisia in the south. The lasting legacy is from the pan-European Knights of St John, who based themselves on the island of Malta, and who built the major churches and defensive works on the islands.

before 218 BC - Phoenician rule from Carthage (Tunisia), North Africa.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy.
to 870 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
to 1091 - Muslim Arab rule from Tunisia, North Africa.
to 1409 - ruled by various Christian princes from Sicily, Italy.
to 1530 - Christian Spanish rule from Zaragoza, Spain.
to 1798 - ruled by Christian Knights of St John, leased from Spain. 1565 - withstood naval siege by Ottoman Turkish Empire.
to 1800 - rule by Napoleon from Paris, France.
to 1964 - British rule from London, UK.
1964 - Independent Malta established.

Malta is the crossroads of the Mediterranean. Our tour guide looks like a young Italian lady, but her language Maltese is essentially a medieval version of Arabic, but written in latin alphabets. It has recently joined the European Union, but has long maintained friendly contacts with its culturally similar neighbors: Libya and Lebanon in the Arab world. Its official language is Maltese and English (after its long-time ally and colonial ruler), but its Latin links are deep: ever since Spain wrested the islands from the Arabs, the islands have been heavily fortified as a bulwark against the Muslim East for the collective Christian West, in the form of the Knights of St John, represented by catholics from all of western Europe at the time. The Maltese were forced to convert to Christianity and to eat pork in order to assure its loyalty, and they demonstrated extraordinary bravery fighting on the side of the British and the Allies during World War II.

It was raining this day so our scenic tour basically consisted of peeking out the bus window, with occasional photo-taking hops outside. The island is full of handsome houses built of locally quarried limestone. Huge churches and mammoth fortifications are found along every harbor passable by ships. Even between small cities surrounding the capital city Valletta there are huge walls and massive gates. A most notable church is the Dome of Mosta, built as a copy of the Pantheon in Rome. The amount of defensive construction work that created this is incredible, all made from handsome cream-colored local limestone. Beautiful shorelines and fishing boats complete our tour of the island.

]]> Cairo & Giza, Egypt — Cairo, Egypt http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510200/tpod.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:23:00 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Cairo, Egypt

Ancient Egypt (lasted for almost 3000 years) had an advanced civilization 2000 years before the Greco-Roman and Chinese civilizations. It became subjugated first by Greco-Roman (for 1000 years until 641 AD), then Muslim Arab language and culture (for the last 1400 years). In both of the latter periods Egypt continues to be a major source of wealth and learning.

before 2160 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from nearby Memphis. 2589 to 2472 BC - Great Pyramids were built.
to 343 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from Thebes, Egypt.
to 330 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
to 80 BC - Greek rule from Alexandria, Egypt. 140 BC - Great Pyramids included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler Antipater.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy.
to 641 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
619 to 629 AD - Persian rule from Ctesiphon (near Baghdad, Iraq).
to 868 AD - Muslim Arab rule from Baghdad, Iraq.
to 1517 - capital of various Muslim Arab dynasties. 1260 - Egypt defeats Mongolian invasion force.
to 1914 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul, Turkey.
1798 to 1801 - ruled by Napoleon from Paris, France.
to 1922 - under British protection from London, UK.
1922 - became capital of independent Egypt.

Our cruise ship gets to Alexandria by early morning and we have a 13 hour tour of Cairo and the Pyramids this day. The logistical requirements mean that we would spend 6 hours on the bus (3 hours each way) shuttling between Alexandria and Cairo. This tour also includes a lunch on a cuise boat on the Nile river in Cairo. Our tour guide is a charismatic young guy who is always joking and having fun. He's very well educated, and gave us long talks on Egypt's even longer history during the long bus rides to and from Cairo. Compared to our tour guides in Greece and Turkey, it seems this vibrant Arab man shares a lot more of American sensibilities with us.

The oldest country on Earth, a country that has weathered history's ups and downs for six millennia but essentially remained the same, the weight of this history gives Egypt a feeling of uniqueness and importance. We first arrived at the Great Pyramids of Giza. The pyramids seemed not so large in a vast backdrop of desert sand, but once we arrived close-up their huge scale became astounding. It is unbelievable that humans over 5000 years ago created this, it must have taken great confidence in man's abilities to undertake such an endeavor. Unlike pyramid temples in the Americas which attained great size after many generations of expansion, each of the Great Pyramids of Giza were built from scratch in one generation, then the architectural form of pyramids for building tombs of pharaos was abandoned forever in only a few hundred year's time. This was due to the lack of secrecy which saw the Great Pyramids being looted only a few generations after they were built. Later Egyptian pharaos opted to build their tombs in secret desert ravines. The Great Pyramids are entirely made of solid limestone blocks about 1 meter in size, however the top surfaces of the stone blocks didn't line up perfectly on each level, making it easier to refute the theory that they were constructed by space aliens. I was really impressed that they are basically indestructible, destined to last to perpetuity, which cannot be said of most of man's achievements. It is the only one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World still standing.

I was going to enter the Greate Pyramid of Khufu but after being told that there wasn't anything inside to see (no writing or art whatsoever) I decided to forego it to allow more time milling around the outside. The temperature was in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit, almost uncomfortably hot. The pushy sales tactics of the vendors around the pyramids can be pretty annoying. Since it was at the time when President Obama just got elected, Egyptian vendors frequently use "Mr Obama" or "Madame Obama" to address my Jamaican relatives. My uncle Chenghua got a short camel ride for much less money than I paid for just a picture atop a camel.

Our guide then told us that he had arranged for camel rides for the whole group for less money than the going rate. We went back into the bus and rode to an open desert area a short distance away. There was a great view of all three Great Pyramids of Giza, with the backdrop of vast golden desert and the green of Nile Valley with cultivated fields and urban areas of Cairo. Here Novlett made a spectacle of herself after climbing up a camel with her mom together, and the camel was starting to stand up, tilting the saddle severely downward. Not being used to that she got really scared, it took a few people to talk her out of wanting to get off the camel. Most of our group got on the camels and were lead into the desert for a small loop ride. Everyone was giddy riding the camels and getting their pictures taken.

Our next and last destination in Giza was the Sphinx, which was alotted just a few minutes. Sitting at the entrance of the Giza Pyramids complex like a lion, it is the oldest existing monumental sculpture in the world. Although having lost its nose and beard to its extreme old age, it continues to reveal to today's people what ancient Egyptians look like and what they consider beautiful and divine.

It's lunch time. We rode our bus to downtown Cairo and got onto a cruise boat on the Nile river. Cairo is a shockingly dirty town, and the visibly low standard of living was unexpected for many in our group. The Nile Cruise was escorted by several small police boats, just as our bus had a young plain clothes police officer in attendance. Neil commented that he felt completely safe with this much visible police presence. The boat cruised lazily in the wide Nile River while we ate a sumptuous buffet lunch in the Egyptian style. Then a beautiful young lady performed belly-dancing, accompanied by a small Arabian band. Dozens of fellow tourists started shooting video of her while she danced around the room, occasionally picking up novices to dance with. One of the older Arab guy in the band was especially good at belly-dancing, it was quite entertaining.

In the afternoon we headed to the Papyrus Institute which afforded a convenient place to buy souvenirs. There a young lady demonstrated making paper from Papyrus reed, found abundantly in the Nile. Ancient Egyptian style symbolic paintings on this Papyrus paper are the main souvenirs for sale here, but Neil was particularly interested in the long traditional robes (djellabas) worn by local men.

Our last destination before leaving Cairo was the Muhammad Ali Mosque (also called the Alabaster Mosque), built by a Turkish governor in the 1800's copying the style of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. This is a magnificent mosque faced with marble and surrounded by sharp minarets piercing the sky, although it's quite dirty on the outside from the desert dust. It occupies the citadel of Cairo, on a high hill near the City of the Dead (ancient cemetery), affording dramatic views of Cairo, the largest metropolis in Africa. Because Neil's mom and sister were wearing tank tops, they were given green modesty robes before being allowed to enter the mosque. We also needed to put our shoes in a plastic bag when inside the mosque. A huge chandelier hangs down from the high domes which are decorated exuberantly in gold gilded geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy. Inside the mosque the floor is carpeted with many large rugs, not quite as nice as the Blue Mosque in Istanbul which has thousands of small prayer rugs, one for each worshipper. Although touristy, many locals were also here visiting the mosque, a respite from the dusty, noisy, hustle and bustle of Cairo.

On the trip back to Alexandria our tour guide discussed Islam and argued that it's very beneficial to life. Hassan (that's his name) touted the 5 time daily cleansing required, the fasting that leads one to sympathize with the poor, the rule to donate 1/10 of income to people in need, and the discipline to not have sex outside of marriage, etc. etc. He argued that the prayer position is a good physical exercise (akin to a yoga pose). He also discussed the financial difficulties of making a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj). It was an enjoyable cultural exchange.

]]> Ephesus, Turkey — Ephesus, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240510140/tpod.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:11:15 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Ephesus, Turkey

The region around Izmir (ancient Smyrna) and Ephesus was a major center of ancient Greek civilization, whose importance continued under Roman and Byzantine rule, when Greek continued to be the spoken language. Since then the area has been supplanted with Muslim Turkish language and culture.

~1100 BC - Ancient Greek poet Homer born near Smyrna (Izmir).
~1000 BC - Ephesus founded.
to 545 BC - Greek rule by local city states.
to 340 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
to 133 BC - Greek rule from Pergamum, Turkey. 140 BC - Temple of Artemis in Ephesus included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler Antipater.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy. Ephesus is capital of Asia province.
to 1304 - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul). ~700 AD - Ephesus gradually abandoned.
to 1919 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul.
to 1922 - Izmir occupied by Greece, ruled from Athens.
1922 - modern Turkey established, with capital at Ankara.

Our family group took the group tour to Ephesus from Izmir, Turkey. I took a similar tour the last time I was here in 2004 and was very impressed. Once we got off the ship in Izmir, there were dancers in traditional clothing at the port performing a welcome dance, girls in pretty head scarves distributed evil-eye souvenirs (to ward off evil spirits) to each of us. When we got on the tour bus, we got a packet of gifts on each seat, including a clay tablet ticket that ancient Romans used to enter the theatre, Turkish evil-eye pendant, map of Turkey, and bottled water! We were impressed by these gestures of hospitality. The weather was drizzly again as our bus sped onto the expressway toward Ephesus, going past rolling hills with lush vegetation, orchards of peaches and figs.

Before arriving in Ephesus we stopped at a rest stop with a souvenir shop, where we were impressed by the beautiful exotic things offered at good prices. Our tour guide is a jovial older gentleman who paid special attention to Novlett, Neil's beautiful sister. He told her that Turkish people are curious about black people since they don't have any. He said not to be bothered by local people trying to approach you, touch you, etc.

When we got to the ruins of Ephesus it was a zoo of tour groups. Our tour guide didn't do a good job of showing us the sights, instead he occupied a lot of the time with talks that seemed less relevant. My mom, who had been there before with me, found the luxurious ancient Roman bathroom ruins in a side alley. She tried to get our group to go see it, but she just said "bathroom" to which others responded that they didn't need to go to the bathroom!

Still, everyone was impressed by the grandeur of the ruins, the multitude of marble sculptures, although some were not restored gracefully. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and the 4th largest city in the empire after Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. The restored Celsus Library was a stunning sight, as was the hillside theatre seating 24,000. We explored the steps of the theatre and its narrow entrances where clay tablet tickets would have been collected. In the open field next to the theatre we witnessed a performance of ancient Roman gladiator battle scene, where many actors and actresses in colorful period clothing played characters such as juggler, stone mason, Roman senator and soldiers. It was raining but not too heavily, the performance went on in the rain but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Finally we headed out of the lower gate of the historic preservation park and into a bazaar. There were exotic craft items hanging on the olive trees, and young, handsome hawkers milling about. It started raining more heavily, forcing us to retire to the bus.

At the end of the tour our tour guide took us to a carpet showroom compound where we watched a demonstration of how silk worms are raised, how silk is made from their pupae, and how carpets are woven using a traditional loom. In the carpet showroom we were served either Turkish tea, beer, wine, or raki (a strong liquor like the ouzo), while a salesman showed off their amazingly beautiful but very very expensive carpets. He was very pleasant and didn't use pressure tactics to make a sale. As we exited the compound we were led to walk through a series of stores stocked with beautiful wares from jewelry, leather goods, glass/ceramics, and textiles. It was a good opportunity to get some souvenirs. Although the place was a tourist trap it was also a fascinating culture experience for many of us. This was a nice end to a more relaxed day of touring compared to our previous few tours. Before getting on the ship, I found internet again in the port facilities. Here I found out the Turkish keyboard has two different letter i's.
]]> Alexandria, Egypt — Alexandria, Egypt http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240078320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240078320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/34/1240078320/tpod.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:35:56 -0400 Mediterranean and Egypt cruise tour
Alexandria, Egypt

before 343 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from Memphis or Thebes.
to 330 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
330 BC - Alexandria founded by Greek general Alexander the Great.
to 80 BC - capital of Greek Ptolemaic Empire. Last monarch was Queen Cleopatra. 140 BC - The Lighthouse of Alexandria included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler Antipater.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy. Alexandria is capital of Egypt province.
to 641 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
619 to 629 AD - Persian rule from Ctesiphon (near Baghdad, Iraq).
to 868 AD - Muslim Arab rule from Baghdad, Iraq.
to 1517 - ruled by various Muslim Arab dynasties from Cairo, Egypt.
to 1914 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul, Turkey.
1798 to 1801 - ruled by Napoleon from Paris, France.
to 1922 - under British protection from London, UK.
1922 - Independent Egypt established, with capital at Cairo.

Alexandria is the second oldest city on our Mediterranean tour, after Athens in Greece. In most of the millenium after its founding by Alexander the Great, it was the second largest city in the western world if not the largest, first after Rome, then after Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) when the capital of the Roman Empire moved to Constantinople. Only after the Arab conquest did it start to decline in importance, taken over by Baghdad and Cairo further east and inland, the shipping trade through its ports losing importance to the overland caravan trade. Alexandria's ancient lighthouse was among the original Seven Wonders of the World, unfortunately it collapsed in an earthquake only a few centuries ago after standing for almost two millenia.

We have a free day since most of the older folks needed rest after a long day the previous day touring Cairo and the Pyramids. We didn't book any tours, but a few of us decided to walk into the city on our own. While Neil's mom and sister joined three Canadian ladies on a horse-buggy tour of the city and had a horrible experience, Neil and I joined a few girls we met on the ship including Claudette and Sharon and ventured into the city. The city layout is not that complicated in Arabian standards but the dirty, dilapidated streets, many dead-ends and narrow alleys, not to mention local men staring at our lightly dressed girls, gave us a seedy, dis-orienting feel. Fortunately with two guys in the group our girls felt pretty safe.

One of our girls wanted to see the souq (market), so we followed the narrow alleys past many local shops, which lead us to the water front. The water front is a glorious promenade fronted by many turn of the (20th) century hotels and apartment buildings with faded romantic charm. After a lot of searching we found a tourist information center at the corner of one of the water front squares graced by a statue of Cleopatra. Even after getting a map of the city there we still got lost in the maze of small streets, and after witnessing killing of chickens in dirty surroundings we rushed back to the ship for lunch.

In the port compound the souvenir bazaars were much more pleasant, where most of our group did their shopping. Neil's mom and sister recounted how their horse buggy took them to dirty, frightening neighborhoods and how their driver insisted on completing the agreed route, despite the women's wish to turn around. Dealing with five western women he was unreasonable and arrogant. They eventually ditched the horse buggy and took an expensive taxi back to the ship. It was a lesson in the reality of gender relations in this part of the world.

In the afternoon Neil and I went out again with just Sharon, and we did much better. This time we headed north to the tip of the peninsula, and didn't get lost. We walked the length of the water front promenade, where many locals hang out and enjoy the breeze. Fishing boats galore operated in the harbor area just beyond the sandy beach. At the end of the peninsula there was a long row of vendors catering to tourists as well as locals, where the city meets the boundless Mediterranean. Along the way we ventured into a beautiful mosque compound, but Sharon was not allowed in because of her gender. Neil and I decided to forgo entering it as well, focusing on the outside of the mosque. It is intricately covered in carved geometric patterns, a fine example of traditional Islamic architecture.

This was a very memorable day and a fitting finish to an exotic two days in Egypt.



]]> Suzhou — Suzhou, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/2/1180821180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/2/1180821180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/2/1180821180/tpod.html Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:43:10 -0400 Northern China Overland Tour
Suzhou, China

My friend Wei went with me and his wife & kids on a whirlwind tour of northern China on vacation. First stop was Shanghai, where we stayed at my aunt's house. Listening to her playing beautiful music on the piano was a rare pleasure. We took a day trip to Suzhou, the city famous for its classical gardens, the silk industry and refined culture. We visited the Tiger Hill gardens, which was very impressive: beautiful ponds, rockeries, pavilions, pagodas, hills covered with tea hedges, bamboo groves, waterfalls, canals. Formerly a buddhist temple, the top of the hill is crowned by a shady courtyard and a 1300 year old brick dagoba. The views of the surrounding lush countryside was wonderful. Then we visited the Humble Administrator's garden, the most famous. It has numerous lotus ponds with many covered walkways, courtyards, bridges of all kinds, pavilions, colorful mosaic floors, and manicured flowering shrubs. It was a bit too touristy however. We took a train back to Shanghai, and experieced excruciatingly crowded subway in Shanghai.
]]> Visiting aunt and uncle in Changsha — Changsha, Hunan, China http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/35/360271109/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/35/360271109/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/35/360271109/tpod.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:23:31 -0400 Trip to Changsha to visit aunt
Changsha, Hunan, China

This was a train trip with my brother from Beijing to visit aunt Aiyua and uncle Chenghua in Changsha. We took piano lessons from my aunt, who is an orchestra conductor. We also walked around town, saw the Yuelu mountain on the west side of the Xiang River, and the beautiful Orange Island in the river full of orange trees. It was a nice holiday (children's holiday, June 1st) trip. This was the first time me and my brother took a long train trip on our own. On the train my brother lit some fireworks in the lavatory, which got us lectures on safety from the train conductors.
]]> Salvador — Salvador, Brazil http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/8/991176960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/8/991176960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/8/991176960/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 17:48:50 -0400 Tropical Brazil I
Salvador, Brazil

I came to Brazil because of capoeira, a martial art invented by African slaves in Brazil. I had been learning capoeira for 3 years from Mestre Marcelo Pereira of Capoeira Mandinga school in Berkeley, California, and fell in love with everything about it. Capoeira calls Salvador its birthplace, we played capoeira with the musical rhythms of capoeira songs, many had sentimental lyrics about Salvador and Bahia. This trip took a lot of courage to plan and to make. I tried to learn portuguese for the last few months but I was just scratching the surface. Several months before the trip was to take place I met a young Afro-Brazilian guy living in Salvador online, and we quickly became good friends. His name is Fernando and lives in Salvador, and he helped make this a great trip with fond memories for me.

My portuguese served me well during the trip. First, the plane stopped at Sao Paulo before arriving in Rio de Janeiro. At Rio Airport I was to take a plane to Salvador. I tried to call Fernando about my arrival but I wasn't able to purchase the right phone card. A lady who spoke English came up to help me. The 2nd plane was delayed for about 2 hours, then I got on and it took off. It went back to Sao Paulo, then to Brasilia before to Salvador. I was served several dinners after taking off from each different city. The food was heavy and not great though. Once I arrived in Salvador, a young Brazilian guy from the same plane asked me in portuguese how to get to baggage claim! I was impressed that I didn't look like a foreigner here.

I took a bus that cost R2.5, which I mistook for R12.5. The driver first gave me the correct change, then he smiled slyly. Soon I came to the downtown stop. Following directions in my guidebook I walked several blocks to the hostel where Fernando worked, and found him (after talking to the guard in portuguese). It was a nice feeling I was able to get around in Brazil for the first time.

Salvador is a tropical city. Even though it was June (winter in Southern Hemisphere), it had a grimy and humid feel. The city center is extremely old, most buildings date back to 18th century or earlier, many in a state of advanced decay. My hotel room there had no glass in the windows. When I showered humongous large ants would crawl about. After the first night Fernando put me into a different hotel with more modern amenities. I loved the ancient architecture of the old town however, each house had very tall but very narrow doors opening onto the sloping cobbled streets.

The following few days I was treated to beautiful sea views, great beaches, and great looking people. I enjoyed the Bahian vegetarian foods, and the portuguese fish dishes. Usually one dinner order in a restaurant serves two, that was very good value too.
]]> Miami — Miami, Florida, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/14/1146267480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/14/1146267480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gordon.ye/14/1146267480/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 17:37:43 -0400 South Florida Business Trip
Miami, Florida, United States

Neil flew to Tampa to join me for the weekend after the conference. We drove 4 hours to Miami and stayed in a grand hotel in Coral Gables, a garden suburb with beautiful beaux arts architecture style. We met up with a coworker's old friend who is Cuban-American, toured downtown and Miami Beach. South Beach was definitely a place for stylish "beautiful people" to show off, but it's not the scene we're into.

The Vizcaya property on the south Biscayne Bay however, is gracious and full of beautiful architecture and antique interior finishes. It claims to be the inspiration of California's Heast Castle. Although it was quite hot and sunny, the cool harbor at the Vizcaya estate was a great place to be. We also drove to the Key Biscayne island, a luxurious residential area with great views of downtown skyline.
]]>