I'll preface with this blog entry with an apology for dropping off the face of the blogging planet! After Cambodia I was in Australia for a few weeks before I headed home and completed my circumnavigation of the globe! I'm now picking up again from the trip to Egypt and Jordan with my best friend Dan!
As I write this we are on our way to Abu Simbel which is a town in southern Egypt by Lake Nasser, about 40km from the Sudanese border. We woke up bright and early at 2:30am because the only way to get access to Abu Simbel is by police convoy and the only convoy leaves at 4am! It’s actually pretty peaceful to watch the stars outside the window of the minibus, that is, if you can forget the gazillion other tour buses on the same convoy! In reading about the city, there appears to be two main highlights, both temples built by Ramses II, and then the lake of course.
Last nigh (August 27th) we had a nice ride down the Nile to a small island town. Until a few years ago, the island was uninhabited but when they built the High Dam and flooded the Nubian land, they gave the island to the Nubian people. We hiked around the island and viewed an amazing sunset from the roof of a primary school and then headed to the home of a Nubian man for dinner. The dinner was great, even if I didn’t know what half of the dishes contained! There was a dish involving potatoes in a tomatoe sauce of sorts that was delicious! I am going to have to see if I can find the recipe for that and Nubian bread somewhere.
We arrived in Aswan about 11:30am on the same day. This, after a relaxing 14 hour night train from Cairo. Other than the frigid air con and some jolts that seemed as if we’d hit a cow on the tracks, it really wasn’t too bad. I even got a few hours of uninterrupted sleep!
Still working my way backwards, we arrived in Cairo on the 25th. Our hotel was one street away from the Nile and had some amazing city views from the restaurant on the 10th floor! We did the quick tourist run through Cairo, seeing the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the Egypt Museum. Dan and I paid to go into the Great Pyramid which was pretty cool. When I say cool, I definitely don’t mean the temperature! The inside of the pyramid was warm and muggy and I was sweating by the time we finished the climb to the last chamber. It was well worth it though. The chamber had amazing acoustics and your echo seemed to go on forever. I want a room like that in my house some day!
When we first arrived at our hotel, Dan and I decided to take a walk around town. We were quickly cornered by a friendly Egyptian man. By the way, if you ever meet a man in Egypt and forget his name, there’s a good chance it’s Mohamed. This isn’t a stereotype, we have had two taxi drivers, our tour guide and this man from the street tell us the same! (They were all Mohamed!) Anyway, Mohamed did a great job of reeling us in with his schpeel and we ended up back in his shop where he and his cousin sold Papyrus scrolls with paintings on them. Who knows if they were real or fake, I took one for the team and ended with one in my hands. Hopefully I can get in back into the US!
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m going to eat my boxed breakfast and enjoy the stars!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Why I Don’t Want To Become An Expat
I had an interesting day today. I spent the first half of the day seeing the sights of Phenom Penh, the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the killing fields. What I love and hate about already about SE Asia is the bombardment of moto, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers at every corner. My moto driver, Paul (most likely just a random English name that he picked to tell tourists), was an excellent guy. The great thing about moto/tuk-tuk service is that they basically wait for your at every place you go and in the end of the day it costs you about $10. The annoying part is dealing with the other thousand drivers that want to compete for your service.
The Royal Palace was impressive. Massive, multi-roofed buildings that blot out the sun with their gold and silver leafed tiles. If it weren’t for the scorching heat, I might have stayed a little bit beyond the half an hour that is took, running from patch of shade to patch of shade within the palace grounds. Paul and I then headed out to Choeng Ek, or the killing fields. To bring you up on Cambodian history, basically this guy named Pol Pot took power with a group known as the Khmer Rogues that slaughtered anyone who was thought to be educated. It’s thought that 1.7 million people were slaughtered and the killing fields were one of the mass grave sights. It was a very chilling experience, especially the monument that holds 8,000 skulls that were excavated from some of the graves.
I spent the afternoon with some crazy expats, both named Gary. Gary #1, originally from New York, walked up to me and had to rave about my random pins on my backpack. We spent the next half an hour standing by the Mekong, while he tried to convince me that a meteor hit Cambodia and was the source of all life on earth…yep, it was amazing! We decided to mosy on over to the local pallet wetter where we met Gary #2, original from jolly old England. We had a few beers and while Gary #1 was off trying to score some dope, I found out that Gary #2 had lived in Encinitas in the 70’s. We swapped stories of the old and new days in SoCal and I got some tips that included some supposedly good Mexican food in Siem Reap! I left pretty soon after Gary #1 came back with his stash. I must say though, it was a memorable afternoon in Cambodia.
The Royal Palace was impressive. Massive, multi-roofed buildings that blot out the sun with their gold and silver leafed tiles. If it weren’t for the scorching heat, I might have stayed a little bit beyond the half an hour that is took, running from patch of shade to patch of shade within the palace grounds. Paul and I then headed out to Choeng Ek, or the killing fields. To bring you up on Cambodian history, basically this guy named Pol Pot took power with a group known as the Khmer Rogues that slaughtered anyone who was thought to be educated. It’s thought that 1.7 million people were slaughtered and the killing fields were one of the mass grave sights. It was a very chilling experience, especially the monument that holds 8,000 skulls that were excavated from some of the graves.
I spent the afternoon with some crazy expats, both named Gary. Gary #1, originally from New York, walked up to me and had to rave about my random pins on my backpack. We spent the next half an hour standing by the Mekong, while he tried to convince me that a meteor hit Cambodia and was the source of all life on earth…yep, it was amazing! We decided to mosy on over to the local pallet wetter where we met Gary #2, original from jolly old England. We had a few beers and while Gary #1 was off trying to score some dope, I found out that Gary #2 had lived in Encinitas in the 70’s. We swapped stories of the old and new days in SoCal and I got some tips that included some supposedly good Mexican food in Siem Reap! I left pretty soon after Gary #1 came back with his stash. I must say though, it was a memorable afternoon in Cambodia.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Durian…Why Would You Ever Eat Something That Smells Like Rotting Corpse?
Thailand is a feast for the senses. Not necessarily always a decadent one, but overwhelming none the less! I arrived in Phuket to a beautiful crimson sunset which I attempted to capture over the wing of the plane without much luck! The view from the air was incredible as there are so many small islands off the coast and more jungle to be seen than cityscape.
I walked out into the sticky evening air and was quickly bombarded by taxi drivers. I’m sure they work off of commission or something but I’m still amazed that twenty people, wearing the same shirt, appearing to work for the same company, can get so violent as they compete for business. In the end I closed my eyes and pointed. After a few quick stops, one to sign some paper behind dark glass and then again to pick up some oil, my taxi finally arrived at the Phuket Center Apartment and the smiling face of my friend of Alissa. She has been living in Phuket for about eight months now and is a master at charming her Thai neighborhood. She knows enough Thai to joke with the vendors and bargain down a motorbike price. Anything else just doesn’t seem necessary! We ate, talked and sweat the night away.
The thing that tourists need to know when visiting Thailand is that they shouldn’t expect anything like Europe. There are three things to do here, eat, go the beach, do nothing. There are no museums and very few historical sites worth visiting. On a rainy day, Thai people stay inside. So my time in Thailand has been that of relaxation. A place to read books, cry over spicy curries and attempt to minimize sunburned areas of skin.
After loading up on books at a local used book store, I headed to Phi Phi Island. I mentioned that Mt. Fuji was close to paradise but that’s because I hadn’t been to Ko Phi Phi. I can sum it up in five words: beach, beer, books, beauty and hammocks. Yeah, I’m bummed that hammocks ruined the alliteration too. The resort had its own private beach and I was one of about 15 guests. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, you win a free dinner in a raffle. So what if there were only 4 tickets in the bucket…I plan to go back to Phi Phi. I got back from Phi Phi just in time to spend the weekend gallivanting around Phuket Island with Alissa!
Besides being a honeymooners paradise, Thailand appears to be somewhat of a haven for white males with the average age being over sixty. This was especially apparent at The Free Bird. Picture this if you will, a bar about the size of your average living room, open air but with a nice corrugated tin roof. The front gravel area is packed with motorbikes that surround a life size statue of a swan (breaking free I suppose). Bunches of twinkly lights hanging in globs from every available nook providing the only light except for the magenta fluorescents above the pool table. Friday nights are free potluck style meal nights so the expats are in full swarm, each drag along with Thai mamas. The food was good. The company…well the food was good.
On Saturday was made out way to a National Park and did some hiking. Rarely will you ever hear my admit to being excited to seeing multiple snakes and a spider the size of my palm. Other than rolling my ankle 3 minutes into the hike and having to limp and hobble around for the rest of the afternoon, I would call it a successful day.
I flew to Bangkok on Monday and can honest say that there doesn’t appear to be anything worth seeing here. If you are going to be in Thailand, head to Chang Mai or Phuket. Luckily, I fly to Phnom Penh in Cambodia tomorrow! The adventure continues through Siem Reap (Cambodia) and Vientiane (Lao) before I head to the land down under!
My picture taking has slowed significantly since I left Japan but I will post some new ones soon!
I walked out into the sticky evening air and was quickly bombarded by taxi drivers. I’m sure they work off of commission or something but I’m still amazed that twenty people, wearing the same shirt, appearing to work for the same company, can get so violent as they compete for business. In the end I closed my eyes and pointed. After a few quick stops, one to sign some paper behind dark glass and then again to pick up some oil, my taxi finally arrived at the Phuket Center Apartment and the smiling face of my friend of Alissa. She has been living in Phuket for about eight months now and is a master at charming her Thai neighborhood. She knows enough Thai to joke with the vendors and bargain down a motorbike price. Anything else just doesn’t seem necessary! We ate, talked and sweat the night away.
The thing that tourists need to know when visiting Thailand is that they shouldn’t expect anything like Europe. There are three things to do here, eat, go the beach, do nothing. There are no museums and very few historical sites worth visiting. On a rainy day, Thai people stay inside. So my time in Thailand has been that of relaxation. A place to read books, cry over spicy curries and attempt to minimize sunburned areas of skin.
After loading up on books at a local used book store, I headed to Phi Phi Island. I mentioned that Mt. Fuji was close to paradise but that’s because I hadn’t been to Ko Phi Phi. I can sum it up in five words: beach, beer, books, beauty and hammocks. Yeah, I’m bummed that hammocks ruined the alliteration too. The resort had its own private beach and I was one of about 15 guests. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, you win a free dinner in a raffle. So what if there were only 4 tickets in the bucket…I plan to go back to Phi Phi. I got back from Phi Phi just in time to spend the weekend gallivanting around Phuket Island with Alissa!
Besides being a honeymooners paradise, Thailand appears to be somewhat of a haven for white males with the average age being over sixty. This was especially apparent at The Free Bird. Picture this if you will, a bar about the size of your average living room, open air but with a nice corrugated tin roof. The front gravel area is packed with motorbikes that surround a life size statue of a swan (breaking free I suppose). Bunches of twinkly lights hanging in globs from every available nook providing the only light except for the magenta fluorescents above the pool table. Friday nights are free potluck style meal nights so the expats are in full swarm, each drag along with Thai mamas. The food was good. The company…well the food was good.
On Saturday was made out way to a National Park and did some hiking. Rarely will you ever hear my admit to being excited to seeing multiple snakes and a spider the size of my palm. Other than rolling my ankle 3 minutes into the hike and having to limp and hobble around for the rest of the afternoon, I would call it a successful day.
I flew to Bangkok on Monday and can honest say that there doesn’t appear to be anything worth seeing here. If you are going to be in Thailand, head to Chang Mai or Phuket. Luckily, I fly to Phnom Penh in Cambodia tomorrow! The adventure continues through Siem Reap (Cambodia) and Vientiane (Lao) before I head to the land down under!
My picture taking has slowed significantly since I left Japan but I will post some new ones soon!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Japanese People Say Thank You A Lot
NEW PICTURES YAY!
I miss bread. If there is one thing that I really miss from Europe is the variety of and deliciousness of bread. Japanese bread consists of white bread in the Texas toast style of being about 4 inches thick. Rice just doesn’t cut it! I think I just might survive though. Fortunately I have curry and delicious red bean paste sweets to hold me over!
Wow. Japan is amazing. It’s just what I thought it was going to like and nothing like what I thought it was going to be like. I arrived in Tokyo after two long flights on Air China, uneventful other than the hyped up security at both the Beijing and Tokyo airports to keep all of the terrorists from bringing Swine Flu into their country! When I say I arrived in Tokyo, what I actually mean is that I got to Narita Airport and then spent two hours actually getting to my couchsurfing host. The important thing in the end is that I got there, to some random suburb of Tokyo on that rainy May night.
Now let me tell you a little bit about this CS situation…it was quite a show. I think that my host must dream of owning a hippie commune or a hostel of his own someday. Unfortunately it won’t be a good one. He lived in a two room apartment the total of which was probably about the size of the average US living room. Which would have been completely fine if it weren’t for the fact that I was sharing it with, at one point, 15 other CSers. You read that last sentence correctly. We filled up every last inch of the floor from kitchen to hall and bedroom. Yes, it did smell like a freshman guys dorm room. It was an experience, I will give it that. I survived three nights of sardine style living before I booked myself a room in a hostel.
Tokyo Transportation
Tokyo is a HUGE city. You can get anywhere using public transportation if you can unravel the circuitry of the train/metro map. You can’t really be in a hurry to get anywhere when you use public transportation. At least as a novice like me. I suppose the one good thing that came out of these extended ride was the fact that I feel like I learned a lot about Japanese people that use them everyday. First and foremost, when you ride the rail at rush hour, the Japanese lose their polite and shy tendencies in order to pack as many people into each car as possible. Don’t expect the granny to wait for the next train if she can squeeze into the crack between you and corner!
Another thing that observed was the amazing ability for Japanese people to sleep while standing up, either holding a handle or not. And if they aren’t grabbing a cat nap, they are texting, or in the case of all males under the age of 30, playing on their PSP or other gaming device. I didn’t manage to do much more that listen to my Ipod and try to pay attention to the screen showing the next stop! Though by the end of the week I was proudly making trips to the city center without having to consult my map…more than once.
Tokyo Fashion
In what appears to be blatant rebellion against all that is shy and humble, the Japanese love to wear crazy clothes. It is not uncommon to see a school girl dressed up in all her anime best or a guy to be wearing his zoot suit and alligator shoes looking ready to riot. From what I can tell, gaudy clothing and karaoke are the only forms of distressing that happen in Japan. I have to work from 10-12 hours a day? Fine…but I’m going to do it wearing a neon green suit and with my hair looking like a raging campfire! Have to take grandpa on a walk in the park? Okay…but I’m wearing my sailor dress and we are stopping by Karaoke Box on the way!
I have to admit that not every man, woman and child in Japan has such a voracious appetite for plaids, short skirts and six inch heels. Shopping for expensive but rather bland brand name clothes seems to a trend for the older generations. It might be a plain with shirt but it says Gucci and I paid an arm and a leg!
More About Tokyo
While I was in Tokyo I did plenty of people watching. I also did plenty of city watching from different viewpoints around the city. The Japanese sure know how to do a skyline. Especially at night. I won’t even try to describe it though because I’d rather you looked at the pictures! It’s funny that the Japanese are know for always being at the head of the pack for new inventions while their cities are covered with replicas and copies of things from elsewhere. The French have the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo has Tokyo Tower. We have the statue of Liberty, the Japanese have one too…Disneyland…time square…the list goes on.
Fuji Five Lakes (Kawaguchiko)
My paradise. When it’s sunny and cloudless, this area could keep me happy for a long time. Unfortunately, I don’t think the weather works like that…
Mount Fuji is spectacular! Unfortunately the climbing season doesn’t start until July. Way too much snow! I spent a nice peaceful few days walking around this small lake town. I was happy to be able to visit the Itchiku Kubota Kimono museum! I had seen some of these amazing pieces of art in San Diego while it was touring and it was nice to be able to see the whole thing! Some of you are getting post cards with these on them!
Just an quick update since it’s been a while! I’m in Kyoto now and I’ll be heading to Hiroshima and the island of Kyushu next! I’m also getting really excited about Thailand and the rest of SE Asia!
I miss bread. If there is one thing that I really miss from Europe is the variety of and deliciousness of bread. Japanese bread consists of white bread in the Texas toast style of being about 4 inches thick. Rice just doesn’t cut it! I think I just might survive though. Fortunately I have curry and delicious red bean paste sweets to hold me over!
Wow. Japan is amazing. It’s just what I thought it was going to like and nothing like what I thought it was going to be like. I arrived in Tokyo after two long flights on Air China, uneventful other than the hyped up security at both the Beijing and Tokyo airports to keep all of the terrorists from bringing Swine Flu into their country! When I say I arrived in Tokyo, what I actually mean is that I got to Narita Airport and then spent two hours actually getting to my couchsurfing host. The important thing in the end is that I got there, to some random suburb of Tokyo on that rainy May night.
Now let me tell you a little bit about this CS situation…it was quite a show. I think that my host must dream of owning a hippie commune or a hostel of his own someday. Unfortunately it won’t be a good one. He lived in a two room apartment the total of which was probably about the size of the average US living room. Which would have been completely fine if it weren’t for the fact that I was sharing it with, at one point, 15 other CSers. You read that last sentence correctly. We filled up every last inch of the floor from kitchen to hall and bedroom. Yes, it did smell like a freshman guys dorm room. It was an experience, I will give it that. I survived three nights of sardine style living before I booked myself a room in a hostel.
Tokyo Transportation
Tokyo is a HUGE city. You can get anywhere using public transportation if you can unravel the circuitry of the train/metro map. You can’t really be in a hurry to get anywhere when you use public transportation. At least as a novice like me. I suppose the one good thing that came out of these extended ride was the fact that I feel like I learned a lot about Japanese people that use them everyday. First and foremost, when you ride the rail at rush hour, the Japanese lose their polite and shy tendencies in order to pack as many people into each car as possible. Don’t expect the granny to wait for the next train if she can squeeze into the crack between you and corner!
Another thing that observed was the amazing ability for Japanese people to sleep while standing up, either holding a handle or not. And if they aren’t grabbing a cat nap, they are texting, or in the case of all males under the age of 30, playing on their PSP or other gaming device. I didn’t manage to do much more that listen to my Ipod and try to pay attention to the screen showing the next stop! Though by the end of the week I was proudly making trips to the city center without having to consult my map…more than once.
Tokyo Fashion
In what appears to be blatant rebellion against all that is shy and humble, the Japanese love to wear crazy clothes. It is not uncommon to see a school girl dressed up in all her anime best or a guy to be wearing his zoot suit and alligator shoes looking ready to riot. From what I can tell, gaudy clothing and karaoke are the only forms of distressing that happen in Japan. I have to work from 10-12 hours a day? Fine…but I’m going to do it wearing a neon green suit and with my hair looking like a raging campfire! Have to take grandpa on a walk in the park? Okay…but I’m wearing my sailor dress and we are stopping by Karaoke Box on the way!
I have to admit that not every man, woman and child in Japan has such a voracious appetite for plaids, short skirts and six inch heels. Shopping for expensive but rather bland brand name clothes seems to a trend for the older generations. It might be a plain with shirt but it says Gucci and I paid an arm and a leg!
More About Tokyo
While I was in Tokyo I did plenty of people watching. I also did plenty of city watching from different viewpoints around the city. The Japanese sure know how to do a skyline. Especially at night. I won’t even try to describe it though because I’d rather you looked at the pictures! It’s funny that the Japanese are know for always being at the head of the pack for new inventions while their cities are covered with replicas and copies of things from elsewhere. The French have the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo has Tokyo Tower. We have the statue of Liberty, the Japanese have one too…Disneyland…time square…the list goes on.
Fuji Five Lakes (Kawaguchiko)
My paradise. When it’s sunny and cloudless, this area could keep me happy for a long time. Unfortunately, I don’t think the weather works like that…
Mount Fuji is spectacular! Unfortunately the climbing season doesn’t start until July. Way too much snow! I spent a nice peaceful few days walking around this small lake town. I was happy to be able to visit the Itchiku Kubota Kimono museum! I had seen some of these amazing pieces of art in San Diego while it was touring and it was nice to be able to see the whole thing! Some of you are getting post cards with these on them!
Just an quick update since it’s been a while! I’m in Kyoto now and I’ll be heading to Hiroshima and the island of Kyushu next! I’m also getting really excited about Thailand and the rest of SE Asia!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Europe, the Last Days and Final Thoughts
As I write I’m sitting on the train from Vienna to Frankfurt. This is my last taste of the European railway system as in 24 hours I will be flying enroute to Tokyo. Before I offer up any closing remarks about my overall time in Europe though, I suppose I better get you caught up on my past ten days or so on the road.
I left Brasov, Romania on a rainy night and took my first and last night train. I won’t go into details but let’s just say I’d rather not know about the stains on my sheets or why we were two and half hours late getting into our final destination, Budapest. I’d like to say that great things about Budapest as it seems to enjoy a mystical quality whenever people talk about Europe these days. Unfortunately for me, and for Budapest, it appears to be a city of second bests. Although there are plenty of enjoyable churches, museums and theatres, every place I visited seemed like I had been there before. I did enjoy a night with the Budapest Philharmonic. It will forever stick in my mind as an orchestra made up of familiar faces as there appeared to be look-alikes of not only Kern Holoman and my Genetics academic advisor but also celebrity figures such as Hurley from the TV show lost (he happened to be the violin soloist) and Martha Stewart. As I walked through a mall on a rainy afternoon I also got a laugh at a “Niagra Falls”-esque waterfall built as a millennial gift from our northern neighbors to the Hungarian people…way to go Canada.
I stopped in Vienna for a night on my way to Prague. Eva was a great host as always! I then made my way to Prague, the new capital of culture in Europe these days it seems. Prague is a city that I would love to go back to. I was there for four days and saw only a piece of what the city had to offer. The palace and old town are incredible and there is no end to the impressive architecture. Unfortunately Prague was the first place that I really experienced my worst enemy. Prague was packed wall to wall with tourists. I hate them. I realize that technically I’m one of them but I like to think that I’m slightly more conscientious and slightly less stupid. I’ve decided on a rule of thumb. If it takes me more than 20 minutes just to cross the main square, I leave and come back another day. But, like I was saying before, Prague seems like a great city and I would love to go back at a different time of year.
I had a slight change in plans after leaving Prague. Initially I had intended to go north to Dresden in Germany and then head to Frankfurt. Excitingly though, Nick, the cousin who has given me such great contacts throughout Europe, was in Vienna! He got a job and he was there for a few days meeting his coworkers. I hadn’t seen Nick in about ten years and needless to say, we both had changed slightly. Although we only had about 24 hours to hang out, it was great to catch up and I already can’t wait to go back to visit him in my favorite Austrian city!
One of the questions I’m asked frequently now by my hosts is my favorite place visited. I’m notoriously bad at choosing a favorite anything though. Some of the highlights have been Berlin, Austria, Croatia and Greece. Even as I write that, I feel a pang of regret at all of the other amazing places that I left out. The one common denominator of all the places though is the people. You can only really get to know a city through the people that live there. The excitement of an individual for their home can do wonders, especially to a lone traveler. I also find that these places acted like a temporary home for me. If any of my hosts are reading this, I appreciate every conversation!
My next message will be another third of the way around the globe! Auf Wiedersehen to Europe and Konnichiwa to Japan!
I left Brasov, Romania on a rainy night and took my first and last night train. I won’t go into details but let’s just say I’d rather not know about the stains on my sheets or why we were two and half hours late getting into our final destination, Budapest. I’d like to say that great things about Budapest as it seems to enjoy a mystical quality whenever people talk about Europe these days. Unfortunately for me, and for Budapest, it appears to be a city of second bests. Although there are plenty of enjoyable churches, museums and theatres, every place I visited seemed like I had been there before. I did enjoy a night with the Budapest Philharmonic. It will forever stick in my mind as an orchestra made up of familiar faces as there appeared to be look-alikes of not only Kern Holoman and my Genetics academic advisor but also celebrity figures such as Hurley from the TV show lost (he happened to be the violin soloist) and Martha Stewart. As I walked through a mall on a rainy afternoon I also got a laugh at a “Niagra Falls”-esque waterfall built as a millennial gift from our northern neighbors to the Hungarian people…way to go Canada.
I stopped in Vienna for a night on my way to Prague. Eva was a great host as always! I then made my way to Prague, the new capital of culture in Europe these days it seems. Prague is a city that I would love to go back to. I was there for four days and saw only a piece of what the city had to offer. The palace and old town are incredible and there is no end to the impressive architecture. Unfortunately Prague was the first place that I really experienced my worst enemy. Prague was packed wall to wall with tourists. I hate them. I realize that technically I’m one of them but I like to think that I’m slightly more conscientious and slightly less stupid. I’ve decided on a rule of thumb. If it takes me more than 20 minutes just to cross the main square, I leave and come back another day. But, like I was saying before, Prague seems like a great city and I would love to go back at a different time of year.
I had a slight change in plans after leaving Prague. Initially I had intended to go north to Dresden in Germany and then head to Frankfurt. Excitingly though, Nick, the cousin who has given me such great contacts throughout Europe, was in Vienna! He got a job and he was there for a few days meeting his coworkers. I hadn’t seen Nick in about ten years and needless to say, we both had changed slightly. Although we only had about 24 hours to hang out, it was great to catch up and I already can’t wait to go back to visit him in my favorite Austrian city!
One of the questions I’m asked frequently now by my hosts is my favorite place visited. I’m notoriously bad at choosing a favorite anything though. Some of the highlights have been Berlin, Austria, Croatia and Greece. Even as I write that, I feel a pang of regret at all of the other amazing places that I left out. The one common denominator of all the places though is the people. You can only really get to know a city through the people that live there. The excitement of an individual for their home can do wonders, especially to a lone traveler. I also find that these places acted like a temporary home for me. If any of my hosts are reading this, I appreciate every conversation!
My next message will be another third of the way around the globe! Auf Wiedersehen to Europe and Konnichiwa to Japan!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Dracula Did Not Live In A White-Washed House…
Picture endless streets of communist era apartment blocks. Now picture these apartments covered in humungous advertisements that leave only the bottom windows unobstructed. This is Bucharest, Romania. I wish I could say something more about this Eastern European capitol city but there isn’t much to it. I had more fun with my hosts, an apartment full of fabulous French people, than seeing much of city! In quick summary, I visited a village museum full of houses picked up from all around Romania and reassembled in a park in the middle of the city and I attempted to tour the parliament building which was closed. Romania, or so I’ve been told, is not very interested in entertaining it’s tourists at this time. You’ll find just enough English signs to get by, and nothing more. Unless, that is, you happen to walk into an Indian restaurant. Yep, I had Indian food in Romania. I also enjoyed some good Chinese food…and of course, a night of food and dance at a local Romanian restaurant. (No, it wasn’t me dancing!)
Speaking of Romanian food, can I get some salt please??! Traditional Romanian food is peasant food which means two things: it is packed with as many carbs as possible because you’re supposed to be working out in the fields all day, and it lack an seasoning whatsoever. An example, and a meal that I could probably only eat once a year is called mamaliga cu branza si smantana. Basically, corn porridge, or polenta, that is then smothered in sour cream and cheese. That’s it. And the polenta is sort of a side note. Can you had your heart-attack today??
I’m currently in a town called Brasov. Some of you may have heard of Brasov for it’s close vicinity to Bran Castle, better known as Dra-Vlad-cula’s Castle. When you first arrive in the town of Bran, it looks like a Halloween town. Dracula, swords, skeletons, wigs, capes, you name it, you can buy it. The only problem is, and I hate to kill anybody’s spirit but, there is no factual evidence that Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) was ever aware of the castle. Unfortunate as well is the fact that Vlad the Impaler never lived here either. It was until recently a museum of furniture collected by the Queen of something or other.
Basically what I’m trying to say is, don’t worry about getting here any time soon. In fact, the castle is now empty or the aforementioned furniture because next month it is being given back to the original owners and being used as a house once again. Bye-bye bloodsucker fans!
Tonight I’m leaving on a night train to Budapest, perhaps is will fill my Hungar for some seasoning. Yes, I just did just go there.
Speaking of Romanian food, can I get some salt please??! Traditional Romanian food is peasant food which means two things: it is packed with as many carbs as possible because you’re supposed to be working out in the fields all day, and it lack an seasoning whatsoever. An example, and a meal that I could probably only eat once a year is called mamaliga cu branza si smantana. Basically, corn porridge, or polenta, that is then smothered in sour cream and cheese. That’s it. And the polenta is sort of a side note. Can you had your heart-attack today??
I’m currently in a town called Brasov. Some of you may have heard of Brasov for it’s close vicinity to Bran Castle, better known as Dra-Vlad-cula’s Castle. When you first arrive in the town of Bran, it looks like a Halloween town. Dracula, swords, skeletons, wigs, capes, you name it, you can buy it. The only problem is, and I hate to kill anybody’s spirit but, there is no factual evidence that Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) was ever aware of the castle. Unfortunate as well is the fact that Vlad the Impaler never lived here either. It was until recently a museum of furniture collected by the Queen of something or other.
Basically what I’m trying to say is, don’t worry about getting here any time soon. In fact, the castle is now empty or the aforementioned furniture because next month it is being given back to the original owners and being used as a house once again. Bye-bye bloodsucker fans!
Tonight I’m leaving on a night train to Budapest, perhaps is will fill my Hungar for some seasoning. Yes, I just did just go there.
I Would Walk 500 miles and I Would Walk 500 More, Just To Be the Man Who Walked 1,000 miles…
As I was nursing my blistered feet after a long day’s walk I got to thinking about all the walking that I’ve done so far. I’m slightly obsessed with calculations when it comes to exercise and nutrition so of course I brought a pedometer with me. I haven’t written it down or anything but I’ve been averaging about 10 miles a day just walking around towns. Did you know that the average American walks less than a mile a day and stands for less than an hour? At first I laughed these statistics off but then I got to thinking about what the average American does with their day. They get up, get ready, hop in the car, walk into the building, sit at a desk all day, drive home, sit and watch TV, go to bed.
I’ve been gone for 92 days up to this point. That means I’ve walked around 920 miles. About that equivalent of me walking from Davis to San Diego and back or from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. Now for the nutritionist in me. If you consider that you burn an average of 100 calories per mile, that’s 92,000 calories and if you consider that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, I’ve burned off about 26lbs just from walking. If only it actually worked like that…the traveler’s diet will be discussed by in another entry perhaps. Maybe then I’ll be able to explain that extra 10lbs!
I’ve been gone for 92 days up to this point. That means I’ve walked around 920 miles. About that equivalent of me walking from Davis to San Diego and back or from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. Now for the nutritionist in me. If you consider that you burn an average of 100 calories per mile, that’s 92,000 calories and if you consider that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, I’ve burned off about 26lbs just from walking. If only it actually worked like that…the traveler’s diet will be discussed by in another entry perhaps. Maybe then I’ll be able to explain that extra 10lbs!
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