The New Adventures of Amy & Chris

"Kitty, where's your mommy cat?"

2009-03-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Jack's imagination seems to be blossoming these days. Recently his stuffed animals have started having regular conversations with one another, and tonight during a walk to the end of the block he attempted to strike up a conversation with a cat. He asked the cat, "Kitty, wanna walk with us?" and "Kitty, where's your mommy cat?" Too funny.

Another one of my recent faves:

"I'm SO old. I'm two." (neither of which are true)

"I looking my mommy!"

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

This morning we went to our local coffee house for bagels and, well, coffee. It was a rainy day and I'm still on crutches, so we took the car. Jack was in the back and was using a collapsed umbrella as a telescope. He pointed it toward me, spied "through" one end, and said, "I looking my mommy."

I've broken down and started getting Jack his own bagel. I had been giving him bits and pieces of mine, but I found my breakfasts getting smaller and smaller and so I decided it was time to get him his own. You'd think that one big bagel with cream cheese would be too much for a toddler. Apparently not. Today he slowly but surely made it through about 3/4 of his. Chris expressed interest in the last quarter and I motioned that it was fine to eat it. "Out of sight, out of mind" I said to Chris. Five minutes later, Jack looked at his plate and asked "What happened my bagel?"

It is amazing to me how quickly language is acquired. In my last post Jack was blowing me away with two- and three-word phrases and now I am simply in awe of his ability to express himself in complete sentences. Don't get me wrong. Most of the expressions are incomplete, jumbled phrases. But he's getting his point across --- loud and clear. And every now and again he gets everything in the right order and includes a subject and a verb. I suppose this happens to parents every day in all corners of the world. But that doesn't make it any less amazing when your kid starts doing it.

As the floodgates of language open up, so do the "Guess what Jack said" stories. I apologize if any of this is boring or if I seem to go on and on. But honestly, the primary purpose of this blog is for me to write things down so that I don't forget them. And if my readers get any enjoyment, great!

A few weeks ago I was on the computer and Jack strolled by me and said, "I'll be right back." Now this may not seem all that exciting, but when your son who rarely puts a sentence together casually proclaims his plans, you are taken aback.

Another day not long ago, Jack was settling down for his nap. He was a little rambunctious and there was a bit of a crash. I was about to go in there when I heard "Mommy, Mommy. I'm okay." :-)

Jack has never been a fan of letting anyone near his nose, especially for the exciting task of removing snot. He recently had a specimen in one nostril and I coaxed him into letting me get it out by telling him that he had a "big booger" and I needed to get it out. I went on to promise that I'd let him look at it once it had been extracted. He let me get it out and was extremely interested to investigate what had come out of his nose. For several weeks following, he would occasionally stick his finger in his nose, pull it out (usually with nothing on it), and exclaim, "I got the booger."

Anyway, these are the stories that have made me chuckle these days.

For the record, Jack is now 22 months old, 33 pounds, and nearly 35 inches tall. He eats well, and does well with utensils and a cup. However, he occasionally will revert to eating with his hands (I recently observed him holding a spoon in his left hand and scooping yogurt out of a bowl with his right.) and will almost always dump his cup out make a lake in his highchair tray ("Mommy, I splashing!"). Two steps forward, one step back.

He's also expressed interest in using the potty, so we are moving ahead with toilet learning as best we know how. With that endeavor it seems to be one step forward and two steps back.

He's sleeping fairly well. He usually sleeps from 8pm to 6am and naps for about an hour and a half during the day. Boring details perhaps, but I think I'll like to remember this someday.

I'm loving motherhood much more than I ever thought I would. I get so much joy from watching him discover, enjoy, and learn from the world around him. He's developing a keen sense of humor and is always curious. "What this thing?" is a question I answer more than a few times a day. Of course he is stubborn and throws fits like any toddler, but overall I think he's a pretty good kid. But as much of me enjoys all of this growth and discovery, there is a tiny part of me that occasionally wants to put the hourglass on its side and slow things down. Our little boy is growing up so fast. Of course that's the one thing that everyone tells you. "They grow up so fast." But you don't know how true it is until you're in it. But I am learning to live in each moment and enjoy them all to the fullest.

A funny thing happened on the way to bed

2008-11-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

So, for about, oh, 19 months now we've been giving this kid milk right before he goes to bed. That's the end of the routine. Bath -- pajamas -- milk. It's all we know. Tonight he threw us for a loop. I sat down to give him his milk and he said "No milk. Sleep. Bed." I tried again to give him his milk. "No milk. Sleep. Bed." Okay, he must be serious. I let him down off the couch and he walked right to his crib and waited for me to lift him in.

Woah.

Halloween costume --- revisited

2008-11-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

This morning when Jack saw me hanging up his turtle costume, he started pointing at it and yelling "TURTLE HALLOWEEN, TURTLE HALLOWEEN!" I put it in the closet, but he took my hand and led me back to it. He jumped up and down and pointed to it until I got it out for him. I thought he just wanted to play with it, but it turns out he wanted to put it on again --- turtle shoes, turtle hat, and all.

So he spent the morning playing in his turtle costume. :)

At last, a tear-free haircut!

2008-11-04T14:15:00.001-08:00

On Sunday we decided to try our luck with another professional haircut. We'd struck out twice before, and resorted to "haircut by mommy". I'll say that I did an okay job, but my dad said that his bangs were so short that he looked like a Roman warrior. Oh well. So with a trip to Cleveland and holiday photos in our future, we decided to try once again. But this time we went with a plan.

Chris was also in need of a haircut, so he opted to get his done at the kiddie place where we take Jack. We figured we might fare a little better if Jack observed Chris and then did it himself. And it worked! Jack watched Chris with rapt attention, even attempting to move the stylist when she obstructed his view of Chris. When it was Jack's turn, Chris held Jack in his lap, we popped in an Elmo DVD, and the stylist started trimming. He got a little antsy when she went around the ears, but overall he did a great job --- much improved, anyway, from the screamfests we'd experienced before. He even let her use the trimmers on his neck and over his ears. Woo hoo!

Halloween!!

2008-10-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of Jack (a.k.a. The Turtle) in his Halloween costume.

OOO-BAMA!

2008-10-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's no secret. Jack has endorsed Barack Obama. He's become so familiar with Obama's rising sun logo, that he shouts "OBAMA" every time he sees it.

On a walk around the block last week, Jack pointed to a yard sign and started yelling "Obama, Obama, Obama." The guy in the house soon came out and thought it was the funniest thing. "Is that his first word?" he asked. :)

Then when we were in eyeshot of our house and our yard sign, he took off sprinting toward it shouting "OBAMA" yet again.

Let's hope the kid gets his wish next Tuesday.

18-month checkup

2008-10-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Jack's almost 19 months now, but we just had his 18-month checkup. For the record, he's 31.5 pounds and about 33.5 inches tall. He generally HATES his checkups and it is quite an ordeal to get through them. He screams and kicks while the nurse attempts to get his height and weight measurements...and then continues to scream throughout the doctor's visit. A few weeks ago I bought him a toy doctor kit with the hope that playing with it would help him get more comfortable with someone looking in his ears and listening to his heart. It seemed to have some effect (he was okay with her using the stethoscope), but as soon as she wanted to look in his ears, the screaming started.

Oh well. Our next appointment is at 2 years --- let's hope he gets over this!

First three-word combo

2008-10-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today Jack put together his first three-word combo:

"Mommy go walk."

And when I did not immediately oblige,

"Daddy go walk."

:)

The Great Escape

2008-10-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today Jack successfully climbed out of his crib. He'd decided he just didn't need to take a nap! I was in the living room and heard a loud thump. I figured he'd jumped up and landed hard in his crib. As I walked to the door to go check out the situation, I saw the doorknob turning from the other side!! He wasn't crying or hurt. I had no idea how he managed to get out without hurting himself (I have since witnessed the feat and it is quite impressive).

Well, now what do I do? Toddler bed? Twin bed? How do I get him to stay in his bed if we do get a regular bed for him?

Well, since all this happened we seemed to have worked out his sleep issues and he's not protesting anymore. But I can see that we are soon going to have to move him out of his crib.

Counting and climbing

2008-09-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

These days, Jack's big accomplishments are counting and climbing. He loves to do them both. The counting is fairly harmless; the climbing, not so much.

Counting. We usually practice as we climb the stairs up to our apartment. When left to his own devices, Jack usually counts as follows: "Wan (1), tree (3), figh (5), tree, figh, two, tree," etc., or some variation --- although rarely in the correct order. I love it.

Climbing. Earlier this week our 17 1/2 month old climbed out of his crib. Holy moly. He was unhappy about the idea of taking a nap and was yelling so loudly that I went in to see what could be the matter. He had one leg up on the side of the crib rail and was lifting himself up on his elbows. There would be nothing to break the fall but the hardwood floor. He stopped when he saw me, thank goodness. I didn't get him out of the crib, but instead started untying the bumper (which he was standing on to get some extra height). As I was sitting there untying it, he again tried to climb out and was successful. I was there to catch him, thankfully. Without the bumper, he's denied the extra inch that enabled him to climb out. But give him a few months and I'm sure he'll be back at it.

He also enjoys climbing on all the furniture. Last week I turned around to find him standing on top of a side table that is about two feet off the ground. And then there's the tupperware. While working in the kitchen last week, I watched as he turned over two plastic food containers and then stood on one with each foot. He then proceeded to skate around the kitchen. Ahhh, toddlers. :)

Melting hearts

2008-09-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, when Jack catches Chris and me in a hug, he immediately runs up to us and says "Up". One of us lifts him up and he puts his arms around both of us and pushes our heads together. He giggles and seems to want nothing other than to be a part of this group hug. It is a sweet reminder that we are a family now.

Evening constitutional

2008-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yesteray we made it around the block in less than a half hour. This is quite an accomplishment. You see, Jack is a big fan of walking (and running) around our block, but he usually tires out and starts to meander before we get halfway round. Don't get me wrong --- I'm all for exploring and "stopping to smell the roses", but some nights he'll have us staring and poking at the same crack in the sidewalk forever, and he requires some encouragement to continue on.

But yesterday he was all business. Down the driveway we went, Jack running and Chris and I following close behind. He turned onto the sidewalk and away he went. He didn't even stop to inspect the neighbor's plumeria or cattails as he normally does. He turned the corner and kept on going, stopping only to close the gate at the house on the corner. (The house on the corner has a low wrought iron fence and they often leave the gate open --- Jack closes it every time he walks by.) Then it was around the next corner. On this side of the block he decided to run up the walkway of EVERY house before turning around, stopping, sprinting down the walkway, and then making a hard right to continue to the next house.

And so it went and we made it home in record time!

Get Into The Groove

2008-08-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

Jack is a dancin' fool. Are all babies like this? He hears music and immediately stops whatever he's doing and starts to dance. It's hilarious. If he decides he wants to get his groove on and there's no music to be heard, he'll go to his favorite dancing spot (in front of the coffee table) and start shouting "dance, dance" and move his shoulders up and down. Or he'll walk right up to the computer, point at the screen, and say, "song".

English as a first language

2008-08-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Chris or me: "Jack, are you fine?"
Jack: "I'M FINE." (yelling)

He seriously cracks us up with this stuff. This came out of nowhere last weekend. Chris and I laughed so hard that he kept saying it. "I'M FINE. [laughter] I'M FINE. [laughter] I'M FINE."

Favorite question: "Hot?" (He asks this before I feed him ANYTHING.)

Most used word: "NO."

First two-word combo: "Car hot" (and it was)

Second two-word combo: "More wawa" (water)

Second funniest thing he says: "High fi" ("High five" as he lunges toward you with his hand up in the air.)

And so it goes. The little guy is learning to communicate. And it dawned on me the other day that he pretty much understands most of what I say to him. It's all so mind boggling. To think that just over a hear ago this little person couldn't even roll over...

"You should really write this stuff down"

2008-08-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

This has long been my mother's mantra. She used to say this to me every time I told a funny or interesting story. I now know very well that you should ALWAYS listen to your mother. Over the years I've had bold ambitions of keeping a journal, but somehow writing things down has always gotten lost in the shuffle of life. But now that Jack is a part of our lives, I'm feeling the need to be a record keeper of sorts. I want to recall the funny stories and all of the absolutely amazing and wonderful things that he's doing. I want him to know that I was scared at first but now I cannot imagine life without him. I want him to know that makes me laugh every day and he continually amazes me with his accomplishments and understanding of the world around him. So this is for Jack and Chris and me so that we don't forget the small stories that make up everyday life. It's for our friends and family too, of course.

I'm not going to promise to write every week or every month...I'm just going to promise to write.

Jack Photos

2007-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some more Jack photos. We brought him home on Saturday, April 7th, and celebrated Easter at home.

New Adventure

2007-04-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. It's been awhile since we last wrote, but we've been busy picking up where we left off before the trip and taking on new adventures. The lastest one is parenting.

We would like to introduce Jack Andrew Miller to the world. He was born on April 6, 2007 at 12:55 am, and weighed 10 lbs. and 5 oz. He was also 22 inches long. The kid was bigger than all of the other kids in the nursery. Almost bigger than a couple of twins put together. Besides being the biggest kid around, he is doing fine. Amy did awesome. She gave birth to Jack without any drugs and without a C-section. She is feeling pretty good. We are both trying to get used to the lack of sleep we've had the last 24 hours.

We're Home!

2005-08-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

We've made it back to the United States in one piece, and are looking forward to coming home to Long Beach on August 16th. It's been an amazing trip. We promise to provide you the full details on the blog when we get home.

Reunited with Adam (an English bloke we met in South America) over London in the London Eye

2005-08-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hvar Island along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia

2005-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tour de France in Paris--The yellow jersey in the middle is Lance Armstrong.

2005-07-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Prague Castle

2005-07-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Lake Bled in the Julian Alps of Slovenia

2005-06-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Amy with the kids in Mongolia. We stayed with their family in their ger just behind Amy.

2005-06-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Along the wild section of the Great Wall near Simatai, China

2005-05-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mount Everest's North Face in Tibet

2005-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of the many pandas in the Panda Conversation Centre outside of Chengdu, China

2005-05-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong (April 14 - April 22)

2005-05-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Life in the Big City
Hong Kong is an amazing city perched on the edge of China. It offered all the modern conveniences that our travel weary souls could hope for: a nearly bilingual population (English and Cantonese)a good haircut (for me anyway...Chris's barber took a little too much off over the ears), a good cup of coffee, adequate Mexican food (let's just face it, there's nothin' quite as good as So. Cal Mexican comida), and free accommodation, laundry, and internet access (thanks, Clark!). We went from the street bars of Hanoi sitting on plastic stools and drinking 5 cent beer to a new posh bar drinking California wine overlooking Hong Kong harbor in just a couple of days. The difference was quite stark and one we were ready to have after 2 1/2 months in Southeast Asia.

This post will be quite short as we did not do too much in HK besides relax and plan the China-Mongolia-Central Europe part of our trip. It was a great little break in our big adventure...Clark took great care of us (our first night there he treated us to dinner and foot massages complete with a celebrity sighting and paparazzi)! Chris got to show off his basketball skills, and we got to experience a little home away from home for a little while before heading off to China.

Our first order of business was to head to the U.S. Consulate to get pages added to our passports. Yes folks, we actually ran out of pages. How cool is that? We are now the proud owners of big, fat passports.

We did do a few touristy things. We took a tour of the harbor on a junk boat (a traditional Chinese fishing boat), rode the cable car to the top of Victoria peak where we enjoyed a magnificent view of the city and its harbor, wandered through Hong Kong Park and its aviary, and saw the nightly light show where all the skyscrapers and office buildings are dressed in colorful blinking lights.

Before we knew it, our week was up and we were on a plane to Shanghai.

As I finish this post I am sitting in an internet cafe in Rome, Italy. Since Hong Kong we've visited China, Mongolia, Berlin and Krakow. We really want to tell you all about our adventures in those places...but in the interest of not getting too far behind, I think we'll pick up in Germany and add China and Mongolia sometime soon after our return. We get so caught up in our adventure that we find it difficult to keep this thing up-to-date!! We will post pictures to Snapfish very soon.

2005-04-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong Island Night Skyline

2005-04-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Kayaking in Ha Long Bay

2005-04-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Chris enjoying our cyclo ride through the streets of Hue, Vietnam.

Good Morning Vietnam!

2005-04-04T03:02:00.000-07:00

We are safe and sound in Vietnam, Hanoi to be exact, and were not in southern Thailand or Indonesia for the latest earthquake. Amy will be posting our Thailand travels in a couple of weeks after we get to Hong Kong. Thanks for all the concern. Amy & Chris

Northern Thailand (March 15-March 26)

2005-04-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Back in Bangkok...
Those of you who are true fans of the Chris and Amy blog will remember Amy Scott, the fellow American we met in Chile on Thanksgiving Day. Well, we kept in touch and it turned out that she was in Bangkok at the same time as us. We hooked up for some dinner and some beers and caught up on all our travel tales. It was great to see a friendly, familiar face after months of travelling. Little did we know that we'd catch up with Amy again in Vietnam.

Jim Thompson House & Museum
The last tourist attraction we visited in Bangkok was the beautiful house of Jim Thompson. He was an American architect who went to Asia during the final phases of WWII. The war ended soon after his arrival, but he fell in love with Thailand and moved permanently to Bangkok. He was very much interested in the hand weaving, coloring, and designing of silk, and devoted himself to reviving this craft. Because of his hard work, Thai silk is now know the world over for its quality and beauty.

In addition to his work in the Thai silk industry, Jim Thompson built himself a traditional Thai house built of teak. The house is an exceptional example of Thai architecture and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and fishponds. In addition, Thompson collected all sorts of Thai art --- including scupture, paintings, drawings, and woodcarvings. In 1967, Jim Thompson disappeared mysteriously in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands, but his home remains for Thais and visitors to enjoy.

Chiang Mai
Since Air Asia has such great value flights, we decided to skip the who-knows-how-long train ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and take a plane instead. In Chiang Mai we met up with fellow Long Beach residents Nate, Marge, and Sarah Jones. Nate and Marge are the parents of Kristie Jones, a lifelong friend of mine, and Sarah is her sister. Sarah was spending some time travelling and studying in Thailand and Nate and Marge were out visiting her. Anyway, we all met up one night and had a great time visiting. Marge and Nate treated us "kids" to a wonderful Thai meal at a beautiful riverside restaurant in Chiang Mai. Afterwards, we wandered Chiang Mai's famous Night Bazaar for some good buys. Before long, Chris and Nate had settled down for a beer while the girls shopped. Once again, it was great to see some familiar faces and it gave us a little taste of home.

The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre
The next day we headed out to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, which is located about an hour's bus ride from Chiang Mai. This center was established to provide a home and care for abused, abandoned, and injured elephants. Now that the Thais have thoroughly logged most of the country, many elephants who previously worked with the loggers are now out of work. Many owners have abandoned them or sold them to folks in Bangkok who parade them through the city as tourist attractions. The center rescues these animals and provides a home for them, and also houses an elephant hospital for elephants maimed by landmines.

When we visited the center, there were two baby elephants carousing with their moms. We bought sugar cane and bananas and had a great time feeding everyone. They are such amazing animals and it is really exciting to be so close to them. They sucked and curled the sugar cane/bananas (about eight at a time) up in their trunks (it felt like a wet vacuum cleaner), and it was gone in an instant. Then, a cool refreshing drink was in order. If the nearby hose was running, they would fill their trunks with water and then "spit" the water back into their mouths.

We also went to the elephant show, where mahouts (elephant trainers/riders) and their elephants demonstrated the amazing skills of these animals. They can pull, push, drag, and roll any size of log, and are quite steady on their "feet." In addition to these oh-so-practical skills, the elephants have learned new tricks. They play instuments and paint pictures, both of which help to support the center. For a small fee you can buy the elephant orchestra's latest CD or buy a one-of-a-kind elephant masterpiece. (An elephant creates a painting at the end of each show --- the mahout places a paintbrush in the elephant's trunk...and art is created.)

Don't tell, but Chris was as giddy as a schoolgirl about the prospect of riding an elephant. Yes, another activity at the center is elephant rides. We did our bit for elephant charity (the money goes to the hospital) and handed over a small fistful of baht for the pleasure of riding an elephant for half an hour. Turns out that half an hour was about 25 minutes too long. I felt bad for the elephant, carrying what must've been about 350 lbs. of pure Amy and Chris, plus the mahout. We started out with a dip in the nearby lake, and then headed into the woods. Up and down the hills this elephant went, stopping every fifty meters or so to catch his breath. And it wasn't much fun on top, either. We were perched on this bench-like contraption which was strapped to the elephant's back (the mahout rode up on the neck, between the ears). As the elephant walked, we swayed left and right, front and back, hanging on for dear life. (Okay, not really for dear life, but it felt like it.) When we finally reached the end of our journey, we disembarked the poor thing and his trainer hosed him down and gave hime a good swig of water. It was money well earned.

Before heading back to Chiang Mai, we got to see the elephants bathing in one of the lakes. Imagine about fifteen huge elephants sauntering into the lake, submerging themselves, and then popping back up revealing only their backs and heads. Some were ridden by their mahouts, some were trustworthy enough to go solo. I don't know who started it, but before we knew it a water fight was begun. It was mostly the mahouts getting squirted by playful elephants...so it was quite entertaining. After a quick bath (and cool down), the elephants paraded off to the afternoon show and we headed back to our hotel.

St. Patrick's Day in Thailand?
You wouldn't expect to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Thailand, now would you? Well, I certainly didn't. But lo and behold, our guidebook listed an Irish bar not far from our hotel, and so we thought, "Why not?" We didn't end up staying for dinner, but on our way out we ran across three fellas in huge green clown wigs headed for the bar. We could only imagine what all the Thais must've been thinking of Westerners at that very moment.

Cooking up a Thai Feast
No real traveller to Thailand can leave without taking a cooking class. The food in Thailand is so great that you cannot help but want to learn how to cook it. I set off on my own (apparently Chris had his fill of cooking classes in Bali) and signed up for a class at Thai Chocolate Cookery Centre. There are tons of places in Chiang Mai to take classes, but this place's menu appealed to me the most, plus all of the dishes had vegetarian alternatives. In this class, I made vegetarian spring rolls, tofu with green curry, 'chicken' with basil leaves, papaya (somtam) salad, pad thai, and for dessert....fried bananas in thick coconut toffee served with vanilla ice cream. Ahhhhh. Not only is this class hands on (you actually do all the chopping and you get your own personal cooking station), you get to eat ALL of the food you cook. Each person made enough for about two people, so let's just say I was stuffed by the end of the day....even after putting some aside to take home for Chris. Whew!!

Doi Inthanon National Park
On one of our days in Chiang Mai, we took off our "independent traveller" hats and joined up with a tour group to visit Doi Inthanon, one of Thailand's many national parks. Doi Inthanon has several waterfalls, boasts Thailand's highest peak, and sports two glitzy chedis erected in honor of the current queen and king of Thailand. First stop was Ban Pha Mon, a Karen weaving village. (The Karen people form the largest of the hilltribes that inhabit northern Thailand.) Anyway, we pulled up in our minivan and all piled out for an "authenic" experience. The driver left the van running, prompting Chris to ask, "Aren't you going to turn off the engine?" He responded quickly stating, "No, we're only going to be here for 10 or 15 minutes." Well, so much for that authentic experience....and the environment. We had a quick tour of the homes and had a chance to see some of the women at work before we were whisked off to our next destination.

Next stop: waterfall. Yup, pretty. But as is the nature of organized tours, we had only enough time to hike to the falls, snap a few pics, and go back to the van. :-) One of the most interesting stops of the day was at a place called the Royal Project. This is a center set up by the Thai government that encourages the development of "agricultural alternatives." Here, employees learn about money making alternatives to poppies (opium) and then go out into nearby local farms and encourage farmers to switch to these healthier and less illegal sorts of crops. There are endless greenhouses growing all sorts of spectacular flowers, as well as fruit trees and veggie crops galore.

Next up we visited the chedis dedicated to the queen and king of Thailand. The king's was built on his 60th birthday, and when the queen turned 60, they built one for her as well. They sit atop a hill and enjoy expansive views over the valley below (when you can see it). The gardens in the area are also impressive with an ocean of colorful snapdragons.

At 2,565 meters, the highest point in Thailand is not so high...but we indulged them and took a picture of their big, proud sign anyway. After that we were on our way back down the mountain to Chiang Mai.

Pai: Scooter Girl for a Day
Pai is a little hippy town to the northwest of Chiang Mai that has a good reputation for a laid back attitude and cool mountain air. At that point in our trip the mention of "cool mountain air" sent us running for the hills. We endured a scary minivan ride up the mountain with a driver hell bent on breaking some sort of speed record, but nevertheless we arrived in one piece. Our companions in the minivan included a few Canadians and a British fella who will figure into the story in a few paragraphs.

Well, someone lied about the cool mountain air. It was just as hot in Pai as it was in Chaing Mai, but lucky for someone it actually cooled off at night. The other part of the rumor was true --- Pai is laid back and full of expat hippies. We were also surprised to see a lot of Muslim women wearing veils --- we ate lunch at a Muslim restaurant where one woman even wore a veil that covered everything except her eyes.

There are a few waterfalls and some hot springs within a short distance of the town, but unfortunately Pai does not have a great public transportation system. Riding bicycles to these places was an option, but it was so hot that neither of us could imagine pedaling uphill in the 100 degree heat. At that point it became clear that the only way we were going to be able to get out of town and to these waterfalls was by renting a motor scooter. We were both a little apprehensive about it, but finally we decided to go for it. After a very thorough two minute instuction period, we were deemed qualified to ride a scooter in Thailand and off we went. Chris was at the helm and I rode on the back like a good biker chick. I have to admit that it was quite exhilarating, and I can now understand why people get addicted to riding motorcycles. It was so fun that it now ranks as one of our best days in Thailand! We rode out to a few waterfalls, hiked around, and watched fearless Thai kids jump into rock pools and slide down rock faces from one waterfall pool to the next. We also stopped at the local hot springs. You may be asking yourself, "Why are they going to hot springs if it's a 100 degrees outside?" Good question. We don't really know. We had the bike and wanted to ride everywhere and anywhere we could. And we also hoped that the springs included some cool pools like they've had at other springs we've been to. But no such luck. They were some of the hottest springs we've ever been to. Amazingly, there were some people who were actually soaking in them.

After the hot springs we'd decided to head back to our guesthouse...but on our way we passed the public swimming pool! At last, some cool water to soak in.

Back in town with scooter returned, we set out to have dinner at a restaurant reputed to have really good chocolate cake. Now Mom, I wasn't going to have chocolate cake for dinner...but maybe dessert??? Well, there wasn't any chocolate cake to be found, but the restaurant was great anyway. The place is so popular that when there aren't enough tables to seat everyone, they start doubling up parties. So, if you are a party of two at a table that could easily seat four.....congratulations, you now have new friends. A gal from Canada, her Santa Cruz yoga buddy, and a woman from Hawaii joined us at our table. The other thing about this restaurant is that when they get busy, things get sort of confused. The staff mixes up orders and half the time your food takes about an hour to get to you. If you get what you're ordered, you're lucky. If you didn't get what you ordered, you usually just eat what comes because you are so hungry by that point. And it's usually pretty good anyway, so you're not mad. :-)

After dinner, we ran into our Canadian and British friends from the mini van ride. We joined them for what we thought would be a few beers. Chris and I usually share a "big beer" (enough for about a glass and a half each), but this night we started out with one big beer each since we usually end up ordering two anyway. Big mistake. A half hour later someone was buying the next round and bought us each another big beer. Then another round. Another big beer. Uh oh. Well, four rounds later we were in quite a state. Let's just say that I made it down the mountain in the minivan the next morning without losing my breakfast, but it wasn't pretty. We also weren't too happy to see the same crazy driver we had on the way up.

Well, that pretty much sums up our travels in Thailand. Next up, Chris will tell our tale of two Americans in Vietnam.

2005-04-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand and Cambodia (March 7- March 15)

2005-03-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

Two nights in Bangkok (not just one)
We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, ready for some good food and excited for the next leg of our trip. We'd been told that Bangkok is a kind of "get in and get out" town, but it was much better than expected. Sure, the pollution is awful and in one day about three different people tried to scam us, but it's all part of the adventure. There were plenty of smiling, helpful Thais to make up for the few bad apples we ran across.

Khao San Road and the surrounding area is a sight to be seen...full of backpackers (the hippie and yuppie kind) all coming together in what has become the the de facto traveller crossroads in Southeast Asia. It seems that all roads lead to Bangkok, and you can find just about every kind of traveller on Khao San Road. It is lined with cheap and not-so-cheap hotels, bars, food carts, and souvenir stands. The road is open to traffic (sort of), but getting a car through there is nearly impossible. At night the street is ablaze in neon and the streets are full of people coming out to enjoy the cooler night air.

On our first night in Bangkok, we decided to take a stroll along the river (Mae Nam Cho Phraya) that runs through the city. We ended up at Santichaiprakan Park near Phra Sumen Fort and were entertained by juggling expat hippies and aerobicizing Thais. Apparently every night at 6pm in parks across the city, Thais young and old come out in droves for free aerobics classes. It was quite a sight. The classes begin, as do movies, sporting events, and all public gatherings in Thailand, with the country's national anthem.

Here a wat, there a wat
Wats (temples) can be found on just about every block in Bangkok (and all over SE Asia, really). A few of the most spectacular in Bangkok include Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho.

Wat Phra Kaew is also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (actually made of jade) and is Thailand's most sacred temple. Interestingly, it is the only temple in Thailand without resident monks. This temple complex is an overwhelming and beautiful group of colorful buildings complete with glimmering stupas and intricate mosaics. The complex even includes a minature model of Angkor Wat, the Cambodian temple. The walls that surround the temple complex are adorned with a mural in 178 panels, which tells the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana.

The Royal Palace is on the same grounds at Wat Phra Kaew. It is the former royal residence and is currently used only occasionally by the king for certain ceremonial events. The buildings have a distinct and incongruous style --- the bodies of the buildings all have a European flair, while the roofs are unmistakably Thai. Just imagine a regal European colonial white building with a glittering, intricate gold roof.

Our last stop on the tourist circuit in Bangkok was What Pho. It is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok and dates back to the 16th century. The most spectacular feature of this wat is the huge reclining Buddha, which measures in at a whopping 46 metres long and 15 metres high! The building that houses this Buddha is barely any bigger than the Buddha, and so when you are in the building you cannot help but feel overwhelmed by greatness.

The Kingdom of Cambodia
After only two nights in Bangkok, we embarked on a side trip. Our journey into Cambodia to visit Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor was short but magnificent. Travelling overland from Thailand to Cambodia was quite an experience. Armed with some advice from the LP Thorn Tree website and our sense of adventure, we were off.

Step 1: Take public bus from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet. Check.
Aranya Prathet is a small town about 6 km from the border with Cambodia. On the bus we met up with an Irish couple also on their way to Siem Reap, so we decided to team up. We'd read that the border area is looming with pickpockets and every manner of person trying to scam travellers, so we were on "full lock down" mode. This meant that daypacks are locked with luggage locks and big backpacks had absolutely nothing of monetary value in them (although I'd really like to try and see someone run off with my 14kg bag...that would be a sight).

Step 2: Take tuk-tuk from Aranya Prathet to border. Check.
The fare for this route is set at 60 baht (about $1.50 USD), so no haggling is necessary. We whizzed through the dusty streets in our faithful tuk-tuk (the best way to travel in SE Asia) and arrived at the border with no problems. Our Irish friends were right behind us.

Step 3: Exit Thailand and walk across no man's land to Cambodian entry point. Check.
There were far fewer touts and pickpockets to fend off than we had anticipated...a welcome suprise. We waited for what seemed like a very long time to get our Thai exit stamp....what were they doing up there? The four of us were finally oficially stamped out of Thailand and walking across to enter Cambodia. Immediately there were members of what is known as the "taxi mafia" trying to arrange taxi rides from the border into Siem Reap. (See Step 6 below.)

Step 5: Enter Cambodia.
Wait. What happened to Step 4, you ask? Good eyes, people. Read on.

When you walk across no man's land there is a huge sign that says "Arrivals". You'd go there, wouldn't you? We waited in the arrivals line, were handed an arrival card, and were eager to get through the border and on our way to Siem Reap. We knew we needed a visa to enter Cambodia, but they are issued on arrival and so we figured we'd pay for it and have it issued at the front of this line. The line was moving at a snail's pace, so it made sense. 30 minutes later we arrived at the front of the line. Chris walked up to the window, handed the agent the passport, the agent flipped through the passport and handed it back to Chris telling him that he needed a visa. Ugh. "Where do we get the visa?", Chris asked. "Back there," he says while pointing back toward the Thai border. Great.

Step 4: Get Cambodian visa. Check.
So, off we went back to a little, tiny cement block building with a tiny sign that said "visas on arrival". We filled out the application and paid the fees. The cost of a Cambodian travel visa is supposed to be $20 USD, or about 800 baht. The Cambodian government has conveniently rounded that UP to 1000 baht. (It's just easier for everyone that way, but mostly for the Cambodian border officials who pocket the extra baht.) Apparently you can argue with them and insist on only paying the equivalent of $20 USD, but for some reason we weren't feeling like our usual righteous selves. And even then you only have a small chance of actually convincing them that you should pay less.

Step 5: Enter Cambodia. Check.
Back at the arrivals area, the line was twice as long as the first time we waited in it. We kept our good humor about us and after a long wait we finally entered Cambodia. Whew!! Did we mention that it was 38 degrees celcius (about 100 degrees Farenheit) outside? Yeah, it was a joyous time for all.

Step 6: Hire a car to take you to Siem Reap. Check.
So far we had been lucky in ditching/ignoring members of the taxi mafia, but once we were through immigration they were on us again. The story is that these members of the taxi mafia work as unsolicited agents for the taxi drivers. They hassle the taxi drivers and insist that arriving traveller's pay 1200 baht instead of the going rate of 1000 baht...and then they take the extra 200 baht as a "fee." Since it took us so long to get through the border, there weren't many drivers around. It was 3:30 by this point and we needed to get going so as not to arrive in Siem Reap too late. I did not want to pay the extra 200 baht (just for the sake of principle) and was willing to walk a bit to find another driver, but I was outvoted by the other members of our group. As much as we ignored the taxi mafia guy and insisted on only paying 1000 baht, the driver sided with the mafia and wouldn't give us the proper rate. Well, we tried.

The road to Siem Reap was a treat. Ninety-nine percent of the taxis in Cambodia are black Toyota Camrys made for driving on the left side of the road, like they do in the UK and Thailand. Cambodians drive on the right hand side. This made for some interesting passing on roads with the biggest potholes we've ever seen. Luckliy it was the dry season, so if a bridge was out we could drive around it through one of the fields. Our driver was able to convince the local farmers whose fields we drove through that we did not have to pay the foreigners' toll. About halfway through the journey we refueled at a Cambodian roadside gas station, which consisted of a local shop with glass bottles filled with gasoline. The attendant gets out his funnel and your bottle of gas, fills up the tank, and you are soon on your way. We rolled into Siem Reap about 4 hours after the trip began, safe but definitely a little sore from all the bumps.

Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor
"The temples of Angkor are the heart and soul of the Cambodian nation, and remain a source of pride and inspiration to all Khmers as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the years of terror and trauma. Today, they are a point of pilgrimage for Cambodians and no traveller should miss their extravagant beauty when passing through the region." -- Lonely Planet, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring

We arrived at the Golden Banana Guest House in Siem Reap dusty from our taxi ride and ready for a shower and dinner. After a lovely Indian meal, we planned our three-day pilgrimage through the massive temple complex that was the capital of the Khmer Empire. In three days we climbed to the top of countless temples...too many to name here. (Don't want to bore ya!!) Instead, I'll keep it short and sweet with the highlights.

We hired a driver and his tuk tuk (a scooter with a two seated, covered bench trailer attached to it) to whisk us around the capital city of Angkor. Our first stop was Angkor Thom, the moated and walled royal city that was the last capital of the Angkorian empire. Within the city walls is the state-temple Bayon with its massive, towering carved faces and intricate bas-reliefs depicting sea battles between the Khmer and the Cham, and others depicting everyday life. Another notable feature of Angkor Thom is the Terrace of the Elephants, with giant carved elephants and garudas adorning the walls. Impressive.

Another one of our favorites was Ta Phrom, a monastic complex where mother nature has had her way. Officials decided to let nature take her course, and now huge fig and silk-cotton trees grow right out of and over towers, walls, and corridors. It is an amazing sight and it is easy to get lost exploring the many plazas and ancient buildings. For our male readers, this was where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed.

Last but not least is Angkor Wat, the jewel in the crown of the temples of Angkor. Angkor Wat was built in the mid 12th century as a massive temple mountain dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. The entire complex is surrounded by a moat and an exterior wall. Within the complex, the temple itself is an impressive mix of art and architecture, with three tiers topped by five huge towers. The highest tower is 65 metres from ground level (higher than Notre Dame in Paris) and if you brave the uneven and narrow steps that lead to the top, you'll be rewarded with an outstanding view. We took our time exploring Angkor Wat, visiting it on a few separate occasions. Our first trip was in the late afternoon. We wandered the exterior corridors admiring the many bas-reliefs and apsara carvings before settling in the interior courtyard to enjoy some shade (have me mentioned that SE Asia was friggin' hot?) and the beautiful light that the setting sun cast on the towers. We met a young monk who was also escaping the heat and who was eager to practice his English with us. He had a list of words to learn, and so we helped him with pronunciation and definitions. We also visited the temple at sunrise. Although the sunrise wasn't all that spectacular (too much haze), we took advantage of the cool morning air and climbed to the top of the highest tower.

As with all major tourist attractions in the poorer countries we've visited, we were constantly hounded by kids selling postcards, water, and every manner of souvenir. On our last visit to Angkor Wat, we had two very funny run-ins with a few of these kids.

One young boy (about 7 years old) came up to me and asked me to buy some postcards. I politely declined, but as soon as I did he asked me where I was from. I decided to indulge him and replied, "America." (We've found that many people do not understand "United States".) "I know your capital...Washington D.C." he shouted back. Hmm. Impressive. "What state are you from?" was his next inquiry. "California," I told him. "I know your captial...Sacramento!" Wow. "Very good. But do you know who our governor is?....Arnold Schwarzenegger!!!" That left him thoroughly confused, but I was impressed nonetheless.

Another young girl (about 12 years old) walked up to us later that afternoon and asked us if we wanted to buy some pants. She held them up and I just had to laugh because they were so huge. "No thanks. Too big., " I replied. "I have smaller, I have smaller. Good price." was her response. "No thanks," I said "Okay for you today they are free...because you are American." She was obviously joking about them being free, but I leaned to Chris and asked him if we had mentioned we were American. She heard me asking him and immediately explained, "I know you are American because you have good teeth!" That one made us laugh. :-)

The Temples of Angkor are now firmly rooted in the Southeast Asian tourist itinerary. As such, the nearby town of Siem Reap is growing by leaps and bounds. There are numerous luxury hotels (many more are being built) and the center of the town now has a very touristy flavor, with internet cafes, souvenir shops, and restaurants catering to Western tastebuds. As it stands, tourists can enter the Temples of Angkor unguided and there are very few (if any) restrictions on the number of people that can enter per day. In addition, there are very few temple employees on hand to make sure that bas-reliefs and other carvings are not touched and that delicate temple walls aren't climbed on. Sure, there are signs requesting all of this, but we saw countless people ignoring them. We wonder what this place will be like in 10 years. Will the Cambodian government and the private company that administers the temples realize that they need to put some more stringent restrictions in place to help safeguard this national and cultural treasure? We got the impression that the Temples of Angkor are being treated as a sort of cash cow, and worry what will happen to this amazing and beautiful place years from now. Yes, there are restoration projects underway right now, but from what we could gather, these were being run by nonprofit, foreign groups, not the Cambodian government.

All that being said, it is hopeful to see tourism taking root and providing some stable jobs and hope for a more prosperous economy. When you are in Siem Reap you cannot help but be reminded of the violent past suffered by the Cambodian people. Everywhere there are adults and children maimed by landmines who wander the streets asking for food and money. We were deeply saddened to see the effects of such a brutal period in the country's history, and also sad to see that people are still being affected by it today. Landmines are nearly everywere in Cambodia, and to this day people are being injured because of them. Yes, there are ongoing efforts to find and disarm the remaining landmines, but they are not taking care of them quickly enough. Before going to Cambodia, Chris and I both read the book First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung. It is a simple but moving story of one girl and her family's attempt to escape the brutal hand of the Khmer Rouge. For me it was particularly moving because it made me realize (again) how lucky I have been in my life. The author is just a few years older than me and to think of all that she has endured is quite eye opening. Would I have survived like she did?

Well, there wasn't much we could do about the regulations at Angkor (except rant about it), and we felt a stong need to do something to help the people of Cambodia, so we did one good deed while in Siem Reap. Each day on our way to the temples, we passed by the Jayavarman VII Hospital which sported huge banners asking for donations, both the money kind and blood kind. This hospital (and two others in Phnom Penh) is run by a Swiss fellow named Dr. Beat Richner. The hospitals meet international standards of healthcare and are run almost entirely on private donations, providing free healthcare to thousands of Cambodian children each year. Anyway, we decided that since our budget is quite tight, we'd give blood. Now before all you germaphobes start worrying, we made sure that all needles, etc., were new and that everything was safe. :-) The process was quick and relatively painless!

After a whirlwind tour of the Temples of Angkor, we retraced our steps back to Bangkok...without all the hassle we experienced on the way in.

Next up you'll hear about our adventures in Northern Thailand and about our encounters with some familiar faces. Until next time....

:-)

2005-03-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

Sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

KL to KK to KL (February 18-March 7)

2005-03-06T02:55:00.000-08:00

The colonial city of Malacca has been a major port city linking east Asia with the Indian Ocean for the last 700 years. Chinese Admiral Chen Ho came here in 1346 to establish trading rights with the local sultan. Since then, Malacca has served as a cross roads for traders from China to the Middle East. This fact was not lost on the Portuguese, who took over in the 1500s and built a large fort. Later, like several other places in Southeast Asia, control over Malacca passed into the hands of the Dutch, and then lastly to the British. The British did a pretty good job of destroying most of the old Malacca, but after a local outcry, they left some buildings standing. These buildings are what draw most of the tourists to Malacca today.

A guy from Maine that we met during the Super Bowl in Bali convinced us that Malacca is a destination worthy of a stop on our journey back to Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL). Upon arriving, we had some Peranakan food for dinner. The Peranakan people are a mix of Chinese and Malay bloodlines and have an unique culture within Malaysia. The next day, we went to the colonial part of the city. The front gate of the old Portuguese fort, Porta de Santiago, is all that remains. It is quite impressive having walls several meters thick. Right next to it is a full sized replica of the old sultan's palace, a magnificent building made out of dark wood. Built on stilts, the airy structure provided a nice break from the heat.

Above the fort ruins lies St. Paul's Church. Originally a Catholic church under the Portuguese, it was the burial place of St. Francis Xavier until his body was moved to Goa, India. After the Dutch took over, it was turned into a protestant church and then, into a munition depot by the British. Today, all that remains are the walls and headstones of the people buried inside.

After a quick tour of the remaining Dutch buildings, we headed to Chinatown to see Malaysia's oldest Chinese temple called the "Merciful Cloud Temple." The temple was full of people making their ritual prayer offerings. Down the street is Malaysia's most interesting mosque, the Masjid Kampung Kling. Built in 1748, it is interesting because of its unique blending of different styles from all over the world. For example, its minaret looks like a Chinese pagoda, and the arches inside the mosque are Greek. One of the caretakers of the mosque was kind enough to show us around and help us appreciate the beauty of this small mosque.

From Malacca, it was back to KL for a day before flying to the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. We were able to go there because of Air Asia www.airasia.com, Malaysia's new budget airline. It's very similar to Southwest with no complimentary food or drinks and no seat assignments. But, the seats are cheap and the planes are new. We've come across several older travellers in Internet cafes going onto the Internet for the first time just to buy tickets on Air Asia, so you know it's got to be cheap.

Sabah is the place to go to see wild orangutans, dive with whale sharks, climb 14,500 foot Mount Kinabalu, and watch the harvest of swiflet bird's nests from Gomantong caves for soup. It got a bad rap in 2000 when Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic terrorist group operating in the Southern Phillipines near Sabah, kidnapped 200 tourists from Pualu Sipidian, which is widely recognized as one of the best diving spots in the world. All the tourists were returned safely, but tourism hasn't been the same since. Sabah was also home to the first season of "Survivor". It was filmed on Palau Tiga just off the northern coast in the South China Sea.

We only had 7 days here so we decided to visit some islands just off the coast of the capital city, Kota Kinabalu or "KK" and go to the jungle to see the orangutans. There are about five islands off of KK which belong to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. We joined a Japanese snorkelling group at the last minute to snorkel at two of the islands. While the tour operator told us that a whale shark had been spotted the day before, we were not so lucky. We first headed to Pualu Manukan. Once we got on the dock, you could see straight down to the bottom of the 20 foot deep water. There were large schools of fish swimming next to the boats. It looked like an open aquarium with all of the fish so close to the surface. We snorkeled off the beach for a couple of hours looking at all of the fish. The coral wasn't as spectacular as Bali, and there was sea lice (microscopic organisms that cause a little sting when they hit your body --- almost like little jellyfish but not as painful, more just annoying). After that, we headed over to Pulau Gaya to a beautiful white sand beach for some sunbathing and more snorkelling.

At Pulau Gaya, we met an older woman from San Diego who was travelling by herself through Southeast Asia. She stated that all her friends at home think she is crazy, but she was having a great time nonetheless. She promised to protect our stuff from the maruading monkeys that inhabit the island so that we could do some more snorkelling. This time we saw big groups of sea urchins on the sea floor with very long black needles and blue and yellow stars on top. I also got bitten by an overzealous Sargent Major fish, and had to give it a little kick to get away from it.

When we got back to the beach, we sat amazed looking at the huge monitor lizards roaming the beach searching for food. With their tongues flicking in and out, the monitor lizards were given a very wide berth by everyone on the beach. The monkeys were out in force, too. A small crowd of us stood watching 5 or 6 monkeys descend on some poor tourist's stuff. One monkey grabbed a large plastic bottle of water, bit through it, held it up, and began drinking the water. While I watched this spectacle with the other beachgoers around me, two thoughts occurred to me. Boy, I'm glad that is not my stuff, and why doesn't anyone stop the monkeys? At that moment, a couple of Japanese guys came running up the beach to save what was left of their belongings. When one of the guys tried to retrieve the water bottle from the monkey, the cute little monkey showed its big fangs and shrieked making it very clear who now owned the water. So, that is why nobody is stopping the monkeys, I thought. Good to know, since we were off the next day to see Borneo's wild man of the forest, the largest tree dwelling mammal on earth, the orangutan.

After a short flight to Sandakan, we made preparations to attend the Uncle Tan's Jungle Camp (www.uncletan.com) located on the Kinabatangan River. This river is billed as one of the best places to see wildlife because unfortunately most of the area on both sides of the river has been logged and replaced with huge palm oil planations, which are everywhere in Sabah, leaving a relatively narrow strip of protected forest along the banks of the river. There are many birds to been seen, including colorful kingfishers, owls, and hornbills, as well as crocodiles and monitor lizards. The big attractions include the macaque monkeys, which are everywhere, the unique looking Proboscis monkeys, wild pigs, orangutans, and even elephants.

Our trip to the jungle camp began with a short visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. It is one of four rehabilitation centers for orangutans in Borneo, and the only one left that allows tourists to visit and maintains its goal to reintroduce the orangutans back into the wild. Some of the orangutans were pets keep by locals or were found near palm oil planations. Many orangutans are brought to the center when they are babies because their mothers are killed. The baby orangutans are kept in a nursery where they are nourished and get to play with the other baby orangutans. The goal of the center is to teach the orangutans how to forage for food in the jungle and to climb, skills the apes learn from their parents and are not instinctual. Once the orangutans are healthy, they are taken to the forest surrounding the center where there are feeding locations. This way the orangutans slowly adapt to the jungle while not left to starve. Then, the staff slowly cuts back on the amount of food forcing the ape to seek more food in the forest.

One of the feeding locations is open to the public. On the day we were there, a huge crowd of about 50 people waited on wooden platforms across from the feeding station waiting for the orangutans to show up. Because the orangutans are free to go where they want, there is no guarantee that any orangutans will show up. We were lucky because three orangutans came swinging in for some food. They are amazing to watch, mostly because of how human they look (they share about 96 percent of their genes with humans) and how gracefully these large animals move about the trees and ropes the center has set up. Their feet are shaped like hands, so they have no problem hanging upside down or moving from branch to branch. Watching the orangutans at the center did have the feel of a zoo, but given the important work the center is doing, it's a good trade off to see the orangutans.

After the orangutan center, it was off to the Kinabatangan River to the jungle camp. It took us about 2 hours by minivan and 1 1/2 hours travelling by boat to get to the camp. The camp lived up to its advertised claim as being rustic, with small open shelters on stilts lining a small boardwalk. Each shelter contained three thin foam mattresses with mosquito nets. We shared ours with two English couples, one living in Malaysia and the other travelling around the world like us. While most of the guides were inexperienced, the food was bad, and the accommodations were worse because of the heat, we did get to see a lot of wildlife---including several crocodiles, loads of macaque and proboscis monkeys, and even two wild orangutans, a male and a female. The male orangutan wasn't that happy we were there, and dropped branches to scare us away, which worked. The female orangutan was more accommodating, and we got to watch her eating and moving about the trees for a long time.

We even had wild boars roaming the camp, and one visited our shelter in the middle of the night causing quite a stir. The proboscis monkeys only live in Borneo and are very unique looking because the males have huge noses and big pot bellies. We weren't lucky enought to get any good pictures of them, but you can see pictures of them at this web site www.proboscis.cc.

With a thorough scrubbing and speedy recovery from our jungle adventure, we were back on a plane to KL. KL feels like an up and coming city. While not as modern and clean as Singapore, the city straddles the line between old and new Asia. Arriving in KL's new international airport, KLIA, you are quickly wisked away on the new KL express train passing through Malaysia's answer to Silicon Valley, the KL Multimedia Corridor. The train is fast, quiet, has LCD screens displaying the latest English football scores as well as Dow Jones stock market closings with classical music playing in the background. From this, we headed to Chinatown for our cheap hostel. KL's Chinatown is old, grimy, filled with merchants selling counterfeit goods, and crowded with people. It is near the bus and train stations and is located in between the colonial and the new modern areas of KL.

KL's biggest attraction is the Petronas Twin towers, the tallest towers in the world at 451 meters and 88 floors. Visitors can visit the skybridge connecting the two towers at the 41 & 42 floors. The views are even better from the nearby KL Tower, which is the fourth tallest telecommunications tower in the world. KL also boasts the tallest flagpole in the world. Yes, this country is obessed with very tall things. From the Petronas towers, we visited the Kompleks Budaya Kraf, which showcases traditional Malaysian arts and crafts. Amy was invited to play a traditional marble game called congkak with some local girls. She won several games and had to convince them repeatedly that she really had never played before. We also enjoyed KL's Islamic Arts museum with a superb collection of old Korans, beautiful textiles, and minature replicas of 20 of the world's great mosques.

To escape the heat in KL, we travelled north to the Cameron highlands. At an elevation of about 4,000 feet, the cool air rejuvinated us. We explored the local jungle walks and visited the Boh tea planation. From the Cameron highlands, it was back to KL and on to Thailand for our one night in Bangkok.

2005-03-05T03:25:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with the orangutans in Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

2005-03-05T03:19:00.000-08:00

The Petronas Towers in KL.

Singapore Sling (February 15-18)

2005-03-04T00:37:00.000-08:00

After our direct flight to Singapore was canceled, we ended up being rerouted through Kuala Lumpur (known as KL to the locals), Malaysia. We finally made it to Singapore after an exhausting trip that involved a late night flight, a few hours sleep at an airport hotel, and an early train ride. It would have been just bearable given our lack of sleep, but with two crying babies in front of us and the train breaking down, we hobbled into Singapore's train station in the early evening ready to crash.

Luckily our hotel, the New 7th Story Hotel www.nsshotel.com, was nice and within walking distance to Little India. We headed to Little India and got our first taste of Southern Indian cuisine, which is served on a banana leaf and eaten with your hands. The waiter was kind enough to help us order and guide us through the meal. It got messy, but the food was good and spicy. Afterwards, we wandered around Little India's markets with their blaring music and pungent curry smells.

Singapore is located just north of the equator and is hot year round. When we were there, the locals said it was particularly hot with temperatures ranging in the upper 90s with high humidity. The locals have learned to beat the heat by building large air conditioned indoor spaces, mostly in the form of malls. Coming from Southern California, we thought we'd seen a few malls growing up, but there are literally hundreds of malls in this tiny country, all with the latest consumer goods. For example, we went to the Funan IT Mall, which is 7 floors of computer, electronic, audio, and video stores. It is geek heaven. We strolled through it looking at the latest high definition plasma and LCD big screen TVs, as well as the new mini MP3 players and digital cameras.

You can walk for blocks and blocks and never leave a mall or the air conditioning, which is really nice. In addition, all the malls have food courts where everyone eats. The food ranges from Subway sandwiches to Japanese noodles to Indonesian cakes.

We did venture outside to explore Chinatown and Colonial Singapore. We saw an excellent exhibition of Russell Wong's photography at the Singapore Art Museum, and visited the Chinese Heritage Museum which details the Chinese immigrant experience in Singapore. People of Chinese decent make up about 80% of the population in Singapore, with another 11% from India, and 7% from Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the common language is English, which everyone is taught in Singapore schools. It is interesting to see how all these different people and cultures from throughout Asia live with one another. In Chinatown alone, you can visit Chinese and Hindu temples, Christian churches, and Islamic mosques all on the same block.

We spent our second evening in Singapore on Mount Faber watching the sunset and taking in the skyline while sipping overpriced Singapore Sling cocktails, which are the best cocktails ever (think cherry Kool Aid with no alcohol taste). We also enjoyed a bottle of the locally brewed Tiger beer. We rode the cable cars from the the top floor of the World Trade Center near the Singapore port up to Mount Faber, which provides excellent views of Singapore's massive harbor.

Because it was so hot during the day, we visited the world famous Singapore Zoo's Night Safari (www.nightsafari.com.sg). The night safari gives you a chance to see all of the nocturnal animals in the zoo, such as lions, bats, civets (racoon like animals), and rhinos. The highlights for us included having flying squirrels the size of small cats glide right over our heads and watching the creatures of the night show. I was volunteered by a boy in the front row to demonstrate my strength by holding a 15 foot reticulated python, which I did with no problem (the snake was a lot friendlier than I imagined it would be). We also got to see a large African cat which can jump up to ten feet in the air. It uses this skill to catch low flying birds.

We were lucky enough to be in Singapore during their month long Chinese New Year celebration. The city is decorated with banners, displays, and huge roosters, since this is the year of the rooster in the Chinese lunar calendar. There are also dancing and musical performances throughout the city, which we were able to enjoy. We were given mandarin oranges by several people as a symbol of good luck for the new year.

The biggest event is the Chingay parade, billed as Asia's grandest street and floats parade (www.chingay.org.sg). Because it is held at night, the street and all the floats are lit up as they move down Orchard Road, Singapore's posh shopping street. The parade is kind of a mix between the Disneyland electrical light parade and Carnival in Rio. The parade has dancing troupes and elaborately dressed performers who occasionally stop and put on a show for the parade watchers. It also has its share of marching bands and local celebraties riding on the floats.

After four days in Singapore, we had to leave. Singapore is a great place to visit if you can stand the heat, but it is expensive. Everything there is new and modern with clean and immaculate streets and sidewalks. The city is constantly renewing itself, which can be both good and sometimes bad, like turning a historical Anglican church into a shopping mall full of Ann Taylors and the Gap. So, after another Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ice blended mocha, we found ourselves on a bus headed north to the old colonial city of Malacca in Malaysia.

2005-03-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

The sign says it all. The food court in the IT Funan Mall in Singapore.

2005-03-03T03:15:00.000-08:00

Amy enjoying the cable car ride from the top floor of Singapore's World Trade Center to the top of Mount Faber.

Bali, Indonesia (January 30 - February 14)

2005-02-21T04:46:00.000-08:00

Hello, Bali!
After six weeks in the states, Chris and I are back on the road for Leg 2 of our 'Round The World adventure. Our first stop this time out is Bali, Indonesia...and even though it is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH hotter than South America, we are happy to be out exploring new corners (for us, anyway) of the world.

The city of Kuta was our first stop on the island of Bali. This once quiet fishing village has transformed into a very touristy town with great surf, a nice beach, and LOTS of people. It seems like the town is definitely on the rebound after a series of setbacks. If you're not familiar with the area, this is the town where in October 2002 two bombs were exploded simultaneously in two different nightclubs. We walked down the main street and saw that one of the clubs has been rebuilt, while only an empty lot remains where the other used to be. There is a white banner spanning the width of the lot. The banner is a makeshift shrine where people have left notes and prayers for those who were killed. In addition, a huge monument has been built in the city to memorialize the more than 200 people that were killed. Despite the sadness that enveloped Kuta and many of the Balinese people, two years later they are on a comeback---revitalized.

The main draw of Kuta is a beautiful white sand beach with good beginner surf, so we thought we'd ease back into life on the road with some relaxation and surfing. While Chris surfed, I was left to fend off the many massage ladies and hawkers that patrol the beach looking to make a few rupiah. Within about five minutes of stepping foot on sand, I'd been offered a massage, sarong, hair braiding, bracelets, cold drinks, a surfboard, silver rings, and temporary tatoos. Whew! They are relentless. Anything you could possibly need on the beach, they've got it. After repeating "No thank you" a few times, they usually leave you alone...for a few minutes. Because of all this, sitting on the beach in Kuta isn't necessarily a relaxing experience. However, there does seem to be an invisible line in the sand over which most of them will not cross. If you can find the line, their visits are much less frequent. The one benefit of having these hawkers line the beach is that they are responsible for keeping their area of the beach clean. A few times a day a tractor comes down the beach and they all run down to fill the scoop with trash and any debris that has washed up.

Our first cultural outing was a trip to Ulu Watu, a Hindu temple situated atop sheer cliffs that drop into the Indian Ocean. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the central temple area, so we wandered the parts that were open to visitors. A band of mischevious monkeys inhabit the temple grounds, providing endless entertainment for the many visitors. They can get aggressive (especially if you have food) and we were told to put everything away and our guide even suggested I take off my small silver hoop earrings. We didn't have any monkey run-ins, thank goodness.

After enjoying the dramatic views, we took our seats for a traditional Balinese Kecak dance, which took place on the temple grounds during sunset. This dance tells a part of the Hindu epic Ramayana. All the music is provided by a choir of about 70 men and boys who chant and sing during the entire performance. The costumes and dancing are all quite spectacular and it was the first time it really hit us that we are in Asia.

In the city of Ubud in south central Bali we stayed at a place called Nick's Hidden Cottages, which ended up being one of the nicest places we've stayed in our travels thus far. Chris skillfully negotiated our room down to 180,000 rupiah (about $20 USD). For that we got a beautiful air conditioned room overlooking a spectacular pool and lush gardens. The whole place was designed in the style of the Hindu temples that are found everywhere in Bali. Add to that a three course breakfast and we were in heaven. Our two day stop in Ubud turned into four days.

In Ubud we observed more monkeys at the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. We learned that 1) monkeys do, in fact, eat bananas (Lori, that one's for you), and 2) monkeys are quite good swimmers!!! One of the sanctuary attendants threw a banana into a pond that was below a group of monkeys perched in a tree. To our surprise, one of the monkeys jumped off the tree into the pond and did a few laps underwater before surfacing to collect his banana. A wet monkey is quite a sight. They shake themselves off just like a dog would and go about their business.

One evening in Ubud we attended a traditional Balinese shadow puppet show. One puppet master moves up to three puppets at once while simultaneously telling the story in Balinese. The puppets are extremely intricate and upon inspection after the show, very colorful. I suppose we would have gotten a little more out of it if we understood Balinese, but the story was a simple one and fairly easy to follow. Since most of the audience members were tourists, it was safe to assume that no one spoke Balinese. In light of that, the puppet master kept everyone on their toes by periodically adding some jokes in English. Everyone's favorite was "Where are you from? Do you need transport?" Now would be a good time to explain that tourists in Ubud (and everywhere in Bali) are constantly hounded by would be drivers on the streets trying to get some business. Anyway, that little joke got quite a laugh out of the audience.

At dinner that night the windows in the restaurant we were in started to rattle. Soon after the ground started to shake...and I was about ready to start running inland! But then I realized that I WAS inland and by then the shaking stopped. We read the next day that the earthquake measured about 5.5 and was centered on Lombok, the island directly east of Bali.

One of our favorite outings in Ubud was a walk through a section of the town's rice paddies. The scenery was amazing, and although it was very hot we were coaxed along by the occasional cool breeze and by a canine companion. Petey, as Chris named him, adopted us up at the beginning of the walk and stayed us all the way along. Smart dog that he is, Petey took occasional dips in the irrigation canals that lined the walking path. I wanted to join him a few times, but restrained myself.

On our last day in Ubud we treated ourselved to a Balinese cooking class. We met our instructor and immediately headed out to the town's traditional market. He showed us all sorts of interesting fruits, veggies, and grains (many of which we'd later use in our cooking) and explained how they are all used in Balinese cooking. To our delight, tofu and tempeh are staples in Balinese cuisine. Here they are much cheaper than meat and so they are used much more frequently. Back at the restaurant we donned aprons and started cooking. We cooked six dishes in total...and got to eat them all! By the end of class we were stuffed. We got to keep our aprons and a recipe book...we took lots of notes and are ready to prepare a Balinese feast upon our return.

Next we moved to the north side of the island and settled for a few days in Lovina. From there we took a snorkeling trip to Pulau Menjangan, a small island off the northwest tip of Bali. After an hour and a half in a rattling van with a rusted out hole in the floor, our group piled into a small boat that took us to the island. We snorkeled right off the beach and were treated to some of the best snorkeling we've ever done, if not the best. About 10 meters off the beach a sea wall drops off creating an amazing chance to see tons of fish, coral, and even eels. We swam around for almost two hours exploring the underwater park. To Chris's delight, we even saw Nemo!

All the Pats fans out there will be glad to know that we were able to catch the Superbowl...live. That meant watching the game during breakfast on Monday morning. We staked out probably the only place in town with ESPN and were in the restaurant before they even opened. I think they were a little unsure of what all the excitement was about, but they indulged us. We even met Paul, another New Englander (from Maine), searching for a place to watch the game. At about 10am Paul decided that it didn't matter what time of day it was...it was the Superbowl and he was gonna have a beer!! Chris joined him and also had a morning beer. We all had a great time watching the game and swapping travel tales. And it didn't hurt that the Pats were victorious.

To be honest, the rest of our time in Bali has been pretty mellow and relaxing...and without many stories to tell. We travelled to the east coast to Amed, a lovely little town that boasts great snorkeling and diving...and in general is just a great place to kick back in a hammock and enjoy a book. We did do some snorkeling, but mostly just multitasked...reading AND swinging in the hammock. We also visited a sleeping fishing village called Padangbai. The only interesting tidbits about that stop are the pretty secluded beach and the strange smell our room had. As Chris likes to say, "Every time you opened the door it was like getting slapped in the face." :-) You win some, you lose some....right?

Now we are back in Kuta and will leave for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday (2/14). Despite the heat and being constantly hassled on the streets (Do I need a sarong, transport, tatoo, accommodation, etc.) we've found Bali to be a wonderful place. The US government has imposed travel warnings advising citizens not to travel to Indonesia. This is a shame as the Balinese have been nothing but friendly and welcoming. Yes, warnings MAY be necessary for areas where civil unrest is evident or in areas devastated by the tsunami. But Bali is an extremely peaceful and beautiful place whose people depend on tourist dollars for economic survival. The lack of tourists due to 9/11, the economic crisis, and the Kuta bombings in October 2002, has made life hard for many people here. We've been lucky to meet and talk to a few Balinese people. None of them really understand why terrorists from Java decided to wreak havoc on their island. One man said, "You are Christian, I am Hindu, and my brother-in-law is a Muslim. I love you and him...we all come from the same place...we are all human. We just have different faiths and beliefs, and that is okay." I am paraphrasing, but that is the gist of what he said. It really hurt him that the rest of the world might perceive Bali as a dangerous place.

Okay, time to get off this soap box and get back to exploring....

P.S. For anyone visiting Bali, a word of advice--you should know the answers to the following six questions, which you will be asked at least 10 times a day by the locals:

1. "Where are you from?" Not very hard one to answer, but with the travel warnings and recent world events, we found ourselves being Canadians every so often.

2. "Where did you come from?" Usually means, what city did you visit last in Bali, but you can take it as an opportunity to explain your personal history, depending on the situation.

3. "Where are you going?" Now that they know we are Canadians, it was usually easier to answer this question.

4. "Where are you staying?" Ok, is this guy a stalker, or what? Don't want to give out too much info at this point, but Canadians are pretty friendly right?

5. "How long are you staying?" Definitely a stalker, maybe a potential kidnapper, but this is the ninth time someone has asked this question today and nothing has happened so far, plus no one wants to harm Canadians.

6. "Do you need transport?" Here comes the sales pitch, and I thought he was just being nice and friendly. Yes, it seems everyone has a car, scooter, or some family relative who is in the business of transporting tourists. It is amazing how many times you are asked this. It is also amazing to see a family of four on a little scooter darting into and out of traffic. Yes, welcome to Asia.

2005-02-20T03:12:00.000-08:00

Balinese macaque monkeys in the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali.

2005-02-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

Sunset Over the Indian Ocean -- Kuta Beach, Bali

2005-01-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

It was all smiles for us during the first 1 hour of our climb to the top of Volcan Villarrica outside of Pucon, Chile. Then, the weather changed with 30 mph winds and white out conditions. We made it to the top, but Chris did not get to fulfill his dream of snowboarding down the active volcano.

2005-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hiking the "W" trail in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. When the weather is good, it is one of the most beautiful places that we visited. A must see for anyone going to South America.

2005-01-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos on Isla Magdalena in the Strait of Magellan near Punta Arenas, Chile. It is home to over 100,000 Magellanic penguins, and is one of two penguin colonies that we visited. The other one on Cabo Virgenes in Argentina.

2005-01-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

The End of the Road in Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America.

2005-01-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Mount Fitz Roy outside of El Chalten, Argentina.

2005-01-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here we are freezing in Los Glaciares National Park outside of El Calafate, Argentina in Patagonia.

2005-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Iguazu Falls straddling the Argentina--Brazil border. Taller and wider than Niagara, there are over 275 individual falls making a 260 foot plunge in the tropics of South America.

Dancing in the Streets in Buenos Aires & Uruguay

2005-01-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Quick Stop in Buenos Aires

After another overnight bus from Cordoba, we arrived in Buenos Aires bright and early. With our huge backpacks, we boarded a local bus for the microcenter/downtown area to find a hotel. I was thrown on his back as the bus sped, lurched, and slammed on its brakes through the narrow streets of the Argentine capital. We ended up at the V&S Youth Hostel with a nice double room in the back. Our plan was to spend a day in Buenos Aires and then head off to Uruguay so that we could get back to Buenos Aires before the presidential elections in Uruguay and the United States.

We spent the day walking around the microcenter looking for a Lonely Planet guidebook for Argentina and Uruguay to replace the one stolen in Peru. The first place we checked was the Libreria ABC bookstore across from the Sheraton, which charged $60 U.S. for the book, plus an additional 10% charge for using a credit card. We shouted "Screw this," and headed off to the Florida pedestrian mall. The mall is a narrow street running over 10 blocks crammed with stores ranging from Versace and Ralph Lauren to cheap sourvenir shops. After wading through the leather coat salespeople on the mall, we discovered a local chain bookstore with the Lonely Planet guidebook we wanted for the list price of $25 U.S. with no charge for using a credit card. It definitely pays to shop around, and there is a lot of shopping to do in Buenos Aires. As a result of the latest economic crisis in Argentina that started in 2001, Argentina (and especially Buenos Aires), has been trumped as one of the best travel spots in South America for American and European tourists because of the high value of the dollar and euro.

Uruguay

After a day shopping in Buenos Aires, we jumped on the "fast" ferry to cross the Rio de la Plata to Colonia, Uruguay. The fast ferry trip usually only takes about an hour, so it is a perfect day trip from Buenos Aires. For us, the ferry trip took about an hour longer because high winds and bad weather prevented the ferry from docking. Colonia is an UNESCO world cultural heritage site because of its preserved 17th century Portuguese fort and town. We spent the day walking around the narrow cobblestone streets getting used to the markedly slower pace in this quaint colonial town. We stayed in Colonia that night and watched Game 3 of the World Series.

The next day, we were off to Uruguay's capital, Montevideo. We happened to be there right before the Uruguayan presidential election. For most of the 20th century, Uruguay has been ruled by a series of military dictators and plutocrats supported by the military and the United States. While Uruguay has been transitioning toward democratic rule like the other Latin American countries during the past 20 years, 2004 marked the first year that a liberal or left wing candidate actually had a chance of winning. While going out for dinner, we stumbled upon a huge rally for the socialist candidate, Tabare Vazquez. It was great walking around the capital, and seeing the excitement and passion of the supporters. We couldn't help but compare it to the American presidential election which was to take place a few days later. Following the trend in Brazil and Argentina, a left government led by Tabare ended up winning the election a few days later.

The excitement didn't just end when we went back to our room. We were able to watch Game 4 of the World Series and see the Red Sox break their 86 year curse to win the American baseball champship. We were wishing we could go back to Boston for the victory celebrations.

FYI for Montevideo visitors---Apparently, you cannot wear a hat in the National History museum. If you do question this policy, you will be followed through the museum by a museum employee. While it is a little wierd, it is a good way to get a free personal tour of the museum.

We also visited an unique museum in Montevideo located inside a school. The museum is dedicated to Jose Pedro Varela, the man who established Uruguay's public education system. The museum has an interesting exhibit on the punishment inflicted on students in the good old days. They include various paddles, dunce caps, burro ears, and a large red cloth tongue for those kids that just can't keep quiet in class. You know who you are.

From Montevideo, we headed to Punta del Este, which is an upscale beach resort town on the Atlantic coast. With neighborhood names like "Beverly Hills," it is one of the premier summer destinations for the wealthy of Buenos Aires. (For you "Amazing Race" fans, it was one of the first sights in one of the recent seasons.) One of the town's landmarks is the "Hand" or "El Mano" sculpture by a Chilean artist, whose name escapes me at the moment. It is a very cool statue with 10 foot high fingers and a big thumb rising out of the sand in front of the Atlantic Ocean. We had fun taking photos of the sculpture. Since it was the off season, we were able to find a nice hotel at a reasonable price, but the weather was uncooperative, and it rained off and on while we were there. We were able to go on a bike ride along the coast, and we found a resturant that actually had salad dressings and a salad bar, a rarity in South America.

Buenos Aires Part II

From there, it was back to Buenos Aires for more sightseeing and shopping. In Buenos Aires, we visited the Boca and San Telmo neighborhoods watching street tango dancers and visiting the various street markets. In Boca, we passed by the football/soccer stadium of the Boca Juniors football club who were playing that day. We also toured Argentina's "Pink House," which houses the presidential offices. Outside the Pink House is the Plaza de Mayo, where the Mothers of the Disappeared silently hold vigil every Thursday afternoon. They march around the plaza holding up signs of their family members who disappeared during Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970's.

The next day, we visited the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires' magnificent theater. The tour takes you through the theater from its lobby, which houses a small impressive collection of musical instruments and costumes, to the balconies and main hall, to the backstage to visit the rehearsal studios and production workshops. The workshops include set design, costume makers, and even cobblers with row upon row of unique shoes made specifically for each actor and production. This place is definitely a must see for all visitors to Buenos Aires.

To get to the theater from our hotel, we had to cross the Avenida de 16 de Julio, one of the widest streets in the world. It is basically a 16 lane highway running through the middle of Buenos Aires. Luckily, there are pedestrian islands and traffic lights, but it takes about 10 minutes to cross it.

From there, it was a quick walk to the Recoleta, Buenos Aires' ritzy neighborhood, to see the Cemeterio de la Recoleta, the resting place for Argentina's most important persons, including Evita Peron. We ended up in the cemetary on All Saint's Day or more commonly known as "El dia de muerta" in Latin America. Unfortunately, Argentina's celebration of this Catholic holiday is very subdued consisting of going to mass and tending the graves of their ancestors. In Recoleta's cemetary, small chapels and elaborate statues mark the graves of wealthy families. When we were there, the cemetary staff had opened several of the chapels, which open up to underground crypts. We were surprised to be able to see down into the crypts with multiple levels of coffins lining the walls. Very eerie.

Because of Argentina's economic crisis, we were disappointed to see so many public buildings, statues, and public spaces covered in graffiti and generally in a major state of disrepair. For example, Buenos Aires' subway system is the oldest in South America. Built around 1900, one line runs between Argentina's Legislative building and the presidential palace, but the car we were in, the doors were broken, and passengers had to pull them closed before the train started to move. One public area that was nicely kept was the memorial to the Argentine soldiers killed during the Falklands war in 1982 with England. Argentina still claims these remote islands in the South Atlantic, known as the Malvinas to Argentinans, and we were surprised to see war memorials of this defeat in several towns we visited throughout Argentina.

One of the main reasons we wanted to be in Buenos Aires was to watch the American election results. We voted by absentee ballot while we were in Chile and were eager to find out who would win. On election night, we stayed up til 3 am watching CNN until it was clear that Bush was going to win. To say the least, we were very disappointed by the outcome of the election, and that may have tainted our experience in Buenos Aires a bit.

Still, we enjoyed Buenos Aires. With its tango music filling the air and its wide boulevards lined with small cafes, the city has that European feeling about it, unlike Santiago, which is definitely more "American." Next stop -- Iguazu Falls in Northern Argentina.

Back in the USA

2005-01-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a short post to let everyone know that we made it back to the States for the holidays after an amazing trip through South America. Happy Holidays to all the people we met along the way, and we hope to meet up with a few of you who will be in Asia and Europe when we make our way through this spring and summer.

We got very bad at updating our blog after departing Peru. But, I assure you that we do have long drafts that are almost finished for the rest of Peru and Bolivia. The problem was that we were having too much fun and racing all over Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina to finish them. Now that we are home in Long Beach, California for a few weeks, we hope to update our blog with more stories and photos.

We just bought our plane tickets to Indonesia. We leave on January 27th. Because of our experience in South America, we finally decided not to cram in the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia at this point in our around the world adventure. It was a hard decision because we really wanted to return to these places and to visit areas we missed on previous trips and meet up with people we met in South America. Instead, we thought it best to focus on areas of the world that we haven't been to alreadly and spend more time in Asia and possibly head to Africa. We are sure that we will go back to New Zealand and Australia in the future, just not right now.

Good bye for now! Amy & Chris

2004-12-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

We are taking a much needed break back home in Long Beach, California before heading out on leg 2 of the RTW trip. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Bolivia and Northern Chile (September 26 - October 10)

2004-11-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

Part I -- Bolivia Here We Come

After a rough day in Puno, we finally got on a bus to Copacabana, Bolivia. It´s not the hottest spot north of Havanna, but it´s a pretty nice little town along the shores of Lake Titicaca. The first thing you notice when you cross the border from Peru is how cheap everything is in Bolivia. With a conversion rate of about 8 Bolivainos to a dollar, we seemed to be given a new lease on life and a good opportunity to replace our stuff that was stolen.

We stayed at the beautiful La Cupola Hotel on the hill overlooking the city and the lake. The hotel lives up to its claim to have the best showers in all of Bolivia, and the owner, Martin, was so nice to us that he singlehandedly restored our faith in the kindness of others. Martin surprised Amy with flowers, a birthday cake at dinner, and led the resturant in singing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish to Amy on her birthday. The cake was so big that we ended up sharing it with everyone in the resturant that night. The night before we drank wine glass after wine glass toasting the birth of Kathy´s niece, an Aussie traveling the world like us who we met during our trip to the Lake Titicaca islands. (A tradition we continued in Chile when our new niece, Samatha, was born in October!)

At the hotel, we did encounter something rather strange ... other Americans. It was the first time since our trip to the Ecuadorian jungle that we shared a tour with other Americans. Everyone was really cool and each declared to us that Bolivia is South America´s best kept secret for travellers. We all headed for a day tour of the Isla de Sol, the mythical birthplace of the Incas. Unfortunately, the Inca and pre-Inca structures had been destroyed long ago, and were not as spectular as the other Inca ruins that we had seen in Peru. But, there is a beautiful hike along the spine of the island with long vistas over the lake.

During our brief stay in Copacabana, we checked out the local church. During that particular day, the front of the church was blocked with several stalls selling beer, wine, flowers, and other religious relics. We watched as people drove up to the church in their cars, trucks, and buses, and then had their vehicles blessed. The vehicles were doused with the wine or beer and covered in strings of flowers. We saw a lot of cars and buses the next couple of days covered with these flowers. Some of the cars surely needed a blessing because they looked like they would break down at any moment. Given the number of crosses along the roads in Bolivia (or as Lonely Planet calls them -- Bolivian caution signs) , it seems like the blessings could use some help with traffic enforcement and safer roads.

That day, we took a walk on the small beach along the shore of the lake. However, neither of us could bring ourselves to take a dip in the freezing cold water of Lake Titicaca, the world´s highest navigable lake at about 13,000 feet.

After a few short days in Copacabana, we were off to La Paz to visit the world´s highest capital city. While we were used to the altitude by then, you could still feel it each time we had to climb the stairs to our room. The city sits in a valley with 18,000 foot snow capped mountains looming over it in the distance. We made it to La Paz in just in time to watch the first presidential debate.

After a day of running around La Paz replacing our stolen stuff, you notice several things. The first thing is the scary ass shoeshine boys donned in black ski masks. Just when you think that one of these kids is about to mug you, he asks to shine your hiking boots.

The second thing is the loud explosions and demonstrations. La Paz is a city under consant siege, mostly by striking miners who are demanding higher wages and retirement benefits. Travelling around South America, you see your share of protests and marches most of which come with people indiscriminately throwing fireworks in front or even into crowds of people. Bolivian miners have taken this concept to a whole new level by throwing sticks of dynamite (yes, dynamite -- hey, they´re miners what else are they supposed to throw) in the street as they march on the city and the presidential palace. We knew before going to La Paz that the political situation in Bolivia, especially in the Lake Titicaca area and La Paz was dicey, but we decided to go there after several people we met in Peru assured us that it was safe and worth checking out. Luckily, we missed the biggest march which occurred the day we left. Traffic was horrible in the city with the main street, the Prada, blocked off with miners and police donning riot gear taking up defensive positions around the main government buildings like the presidential palace and the legislature. Fortunately for us, the bus station was far enough outside of the city center that by the time we walked there, we had no problem getting out of the city.

The third thing you notice is the lack of any cars using their headlights at night, which is problematic on so many levels. It is pretty common in South America to see a few cars without headlights driving at night, but in La Paz, it seemed like it was every other car. When we asked one of our taxi drivers why the cars drive with no headlights, he just shrugged his shoulders and stated that the drivers were probably trying to save their batteries. The fact that car battery technology has advanced significantly in the last 50 years apparently hasn't yet made it to La Paz.

While in La Paz, we visited the Museo de la Coca ( Coca Museum) and learned all about the history of the coca leaf in South America, and it´s present day incarnations as cocaine and as the key ingridient in the world´s best selling soft drink, Coca Cola. Down the street from the Museo is the Witches´ Market where you can buy all of your herbs and dead animals you need to make offerings to the Inca gods, which still survive in most of the indigenous Andean communities in South America despite the Catholic Church's long battle to stamp them out.

Part II -- The Death Road

The other reason for going to La Paz was an opportunity to mountain bike the world´s most dangerous road. The road between La Paz to Coroico earned the title "the world´s most dangerous road" because about every two weeks another car, truck, or bus plunges off the edge of 3,000 foot cliffs that line the road. The road is only 9 feet wide, or one car wide in most places, and the road is dirt with no guard rails. The road is also constantly being worn away from the rain and the waterfalls cascading over it. It is the only place in South America where cars drive on the left hand side. Cars driving up from Coroico drive closest to the side of the mountain and have the right of way. The downhill drivers drive on the cliff side or left hand side so that the drivers can see how close to the edge they can get to allow uphill traffic to pass in the narrow turnouts. Add to this dangerous combo, a group of adernline seeking mountain bikers, and you got yourself the newest thrill ride in South America.

We went with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking because while it was more expensive, it also had the most consistent recommendation as the safest. An important qualification for the world´s most dangerous road we thought, especially after learning that in the last couple of years, not only have many cars and trucks gone over the edge, but also a few mountain bikers whose brakes didn´t work. Biking the road is fairly easy because it mostly all downhill. The tour minivan drops you off at the highest point on the road at about 14,000 feet, and you stop at the bottom of the road at about 3,300 feet.

After finally mustering up the courage to go, we hopped aboard a packed minivan at 7:30 am in downtown La Paz for a day of thrills. It turns out that the day we went had to be one of the worst days to go. Even the guides were saying they`ve only seen it that bad once or twice before. When we left La Paz, it was cloudy. But by the time we made it to the start at the top, there was a full on snow storm. The guides decided to spare us a few hundred feet at the very start because of the ice on the road. We pulled over on the side of the road and in the driving snow donned every piece of clothing we had for bike ride.

The first stretch is on asphalt where you are supposed to fly down the mountain to avoid the stray dogs and occasional pig from trying to rip you from your bike. In addition, everyone is supposed to stay together with a guide in front warning the others of upcoming traffic, and a guide in back to make sure no one fell over the edge. Of course, our group immediately split up with the group of fast riders way in the front and a group of slow riders in the back with a few spread out in the middle. We were in the middle, and because of the driving snow and the fog, we couldn`t see the front or back guides. In addition, after a few minutes of riding, our sunglasses were covered in snow and ice making it even more scary. Throw in soaking wet gloves, shoes, and pants, and we were trying to remember why we were paying for this awful experience.

After the first stretch, Amy and a few other intelligent bikers decided to ride the next leg in the minivan. Chris and the other stupid bikers continued to ride down the asphalt this time in pelting, stinging snow and freezing rain. Once we got to the beginning of the dirt portion of the road, it was pouring rain. Not only were we freezing wet, but now we had to navigate the most dangerous section of the world´s most dangerous road when it was slick and muddy. Did I mention that we paid $50 for this pleasure? Yeah, we were cursing those people in Peru who recommended doing this bike ride all the way down.

We stopped halfway down to have lunch at the memorial set up for the first mountain biker to die on the road back in 2000. She was an Israeli whose brakes failed her causing her to fall off the side. While we were eating soggy cheese sandwiches in the rain, our guides checked everyone`s brakes and changed brake pads if needed. During our descent to Coroico, we did not get a chance to see the infamous drop offs with twisted wreckage of various buses, trucks, and cars at the bottom, mainly because of the fog and storm clouds racing up the side of the mountain we were on. This turned out to be the only positive thing about the weather that day, because the next day on the trip back up the road when it was clear and sunny, we could see the bottom of those cliffs, and it was damn scary.

Everyone in our group arrived safetly at the bottom and covered in mud. It had stopped raining by then, and the hot, humid jungle started to make everyone smell really nasty. The tour company gave everyone a cold beer at the bottom and transported everyone up to the Hotel Esmeralda for a buffet lunch and showers. Instead of turning around and going back to La Paz in the same day, we decided to stay overnight at the hotel. For $30, we had the top room with a huge bed and shower overlooking a gorgeous valley.

Upon our return to La Paz, we found out that our hotel was the center of a neighborhood celebration which included a parade with different dancing troupes showing off their stuff in front of the judges´table in front of our hotel. We sat and watched the parade while eating dinner in the hotel next door. After the parade, the locals set up tables and chairs up and down the street for food and drinking. Music blarred until 5 am the next morning when the celebration finally ended. We managed a few hours of sleep that night because fortunately, our room was in the back of the hotel.

Part III -Days of Our Lives in the Bolivian Desert

Our next stop in Bolivia took us to Uyuni--the jumping off point for the Salar de Uyuni tours. Uyuni is also famous for Minuteman Pizza. A pizza place run by a guy from Amherst, Massachusetts, who met a Bolivian girl at his college pizza place and ended up in the middle of the Bolivian desert.

We got out of La Paz right before another transportation strike took place and got to Oruro via bus. In Oruro, we found a great vegetarian resturant packed with locals. The next day we paid the extra $5 for the first class train service to Uyuni. The train passes over the high plains of Bolivia and close to several lakes filled with flamingos and other migrating birds. On the train ride, we met an English chap named Adam, who we felt a special bond with because of his appreciation of the subtle humor of Naked Gun 33 1/3, which was playing on the train. We also met a girl from Brookline who was travelling in Bolivia, and discussed the ridiculousness of so many Yankees caps in South America when the Red Sox are clearly better.

As we rolled into the station at 11:30 pm, the locals swarmed the train passengers hawking everything from hotels to tours to wool hats and scarfs. We dodged everyone and headed for our hotel for a good night´s rest before looking for a tour the next morning.

We awoke early to find a tour operator to take us on a standard 3 day 4X4 tour through the Salar to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Lonely Planet specifically does not recommend any tour operator because they are all bad. The people we met along the road each confirmed this, and told us not to expect much from the tour operators, but the scenery was worth it. We met several people who were going with Tonito Tours, and decided to book with them.

In our old Toyota Land Cruiser, we crammed in with a newly engaged English couple, Adam and Lauren, and an Andorran couple, Alberto and Gemma. It turned out that we all were on around the world trips. Tonito provided us a driver named Orlando and a cook named Marlene.

We briefly visited a train graveyard on the outskirts of town, and then headed to the salar. The Salar de Uyuni is the world´s largest salt flat. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but a bright white flat surface with mountains rising up in the distant background. When it rains, a thin layer of water covers the salar. The water reflects the skylight creating the illusion of an endless sky. When dry, the salt forms giant hexagonal patches that cover the ground for miles around.

We stopped at a small local salt refinery, and got a brief explanation of how the workers mine salt from the salar. They basically scrape it off the ground where it is piled up and moved inland to dry, ground down, mixed with iodine, and bagged for sale in La Paz. At the refinery, you could buy little statutes and figurines made out of salt. We continued driving across the salar to the Salt Hotel, which is made entirely of, you guessed it, salt. If you want to sleep on a bed of salt and eat at a salt table, this is the place to go.

We, on the other hand, headed off to the Isla de Pescado for lunch. This brown rocky outcrop rises up out of the salar like any other island in the ocean, except this one you can walk/drive right up to it. All the tours stop here for lunch, and then the tourists, us included, go scrambling through the large catci to the top of the island for magnificient views.

The next day, just when we thought we'd beaten the odds and were going to have an amazingly good tour of the Salar, it started to get wierd. After stopping in a little desert town to resupply our water/snack supply, the driver Orlando, took off without the cook. Everyone thought this was quite odd, but Orlando assured us that Marlene, the cook, was staying in the town and would meet up with us later. Well, she did meet up with us an hour or so later at a military checkpoint, but in tears and extremely angry. Apparently, Orlando had left her in the town without her knowing it. To top it off, it turns out that Orlando and Marlene have three kids together. Luckily, the other tour driver, who brought Marlene to the checkpoint, did not follow through on his threat to beat Orlando up. Once everyone got back into the car, Marlene started to berate Orlando in front of us. Then, when she got no reaction from Orlando, she turned to us and began to tell us how bad Orlando treats her, and he left her because he wanted to see his new girlfriend in the next town, and on and on. Their life seemed to be one really bad Bolivian soap opera, and the six of us were now stuck in the melodrama for the rest of the trip. To say the least, it was a bit awkward for the rest of the trip, if not downright hostile.

Despite the drama in the front seat, the six of us in the back of the car ended up having a great time with each other learning about Andorra, translating various words from the Queen's English to American English (e.g., "nipple cripple" in England = "titty twister" in the States), and taking lots of photos of some amazing scenery. We even managed to take a dip in a small hot springs on the freezing cold morning after passing the high altitude gesyers and the Dali desert, so named because it looks like a surreal landscape from one of his paintings.

Because everyone was heading out of Bolivia, Orlando and Marlene dropped us off near the Bolivian/Chilean border where we waited with other travellers. When Amy politely and very calmly asked one of the drivers in Spanish which bus was heading to Chile, the driver told Amy to calm down ("tranquilo, tranquilo") and remember that we were all on vacation, and eventually we would all be on our way to Chile. While this advice was completely unsolicited and inappropriate at the time, we did end up taking it to heart and "tranquilo" became our mantra during the rest of the trip especially when we had to confront the madness that is the burgeoning tourism industry in South America.

At the border station, we said farewell to our fellow Salar travelling companions who were off to Salta, Argentina, while we headed to San Pedro de Atacama in Northern Chile. Once we crossed into Chile, we were greeted with paved roads, good wine and food, and higher prices. San Pedro is a small adobe town located on an oasis in the middle of the Atacama desert. The Atacama is the driest place on earth. There are parts of the Atacama where there has never been any measurable rainfall. So, it makes it the perfect place for stargazing. We did a astronomy tour given by a Dutch ex-pat and saw planets, stars, and galaxies. Since we were in the southern hemisphere, constellations like Orion, which are visible in the northern hemisphere, appear upside down.

In San Pedro, we met up with Adam from the train again (see Part III, paragraph 2 --yeah, you know it's getting too long when you have to start using footnotes), and grudgingly decided to take the 24 hour bus ride from San Pedro to Santiago, the capital of Chile along the Chilean coast. The bus trip turned out to be much better than we expected with big, cushy reclining seats and good conservation with our English friend to speed the time away. We arrived in Santiago ready to conquer the big city, but that's a story for our next installment.

2004-10-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

How Amy feels about Chris after 4 months of traveling in Central and South America.

2004-10-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Kicking back in the Bolivian desert outside of Uyuni

Peru: Arequipa and Puno (September 15-26)

2004-10-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

Arequipa
As proof of the facts that 1) we are getting older, and 2) we are not quite on the "dirt cheap backpacker plan," we opted for a $44USD, 40-minute flight from Cuzco to Arequipa instead of the 12-hour bus ride. Granted, at $44 the decision wasn´t a hard one. Now, for reasons that will become clear later in this entry, I am without my trusty guidebook...and thus I cannot provide those interesting nuggets of background information that you´ve undoubtedly come to enjoy. I will therefore have to slog it out from memory, which may not be pretty.

If I´m remembering correctly, Arequipa is known as the "city of white" or somesuch, due to the fact that many of the buildings are built with a white stone known as sillar. This stone is abundant in the desert around the town. The town has a lovely Plaza de Armas (central square) and, of course, many churches and a few interesting museums. The most interesting museum we visited was one which featured an exhibit on the discovery of a 500-year-old female mummy, Juanita (also known by her much cooler name, "Ice Maiden"). She was discovered in 1996 atop Mount Ampato outside Arequipa. Studies conducted revealed that she died as part of an Incan sacrifice, and since she had been covered in snow and ice since her death, she was very well preserved. She was only discovered because an adjacent volcano erupted and emitted enough heat and ash to melt the ice/snow on Mount Ampato. Anyway, if you wanna see her, she´s in a glass freezer in Arequipa.

The most impressive place we visited in Arequipa had to be the Monasterio Santa Catalina. The name would lead you to believe that it is a monastery, but in fact it is a convent. At one time this 20,000 square meter religious complex housed nearly 450 women, but now only 30 nuns live there. The convent opened to the public in the 1970s and since then tourists have been able to enjoy these unique buildings, the architecture, beautiful grounds, and amazing art collection. Santa Catalina is closed off from the hustle and bustle of the city by tall surrounding wall. Inside are cobblestone streets, brightly painted buildings with intricate archways and refreshing patios, and an endless supply of potted geraniums. We spent a few hours wandering the tiny streets and getting lost in the maze of small rooms formerly inhabited by the nuns.

Colca Canyon
Just outside Arequipa is the Colca Canyon, the world's second deepest canyon. (It recently lost its title of "world's deepest canyon" to nearby Cotahuasi Canyon, just 163 meters deeper.) From Arequipa we hopped a tour bus to the canyon, passing through the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca. There we saw llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas (a cousin to the llama and alpaca). We spent a night in Chivay at the head of the canyon, where we visited the local hot springs (along with about a hundred other steaming tourists) and were treated to some traditional dancing at a local restaurant. Our favorite dance was the traditional "love dance" performed by a young man and woman. It was a sort of courtship dance, but the odd part was that the man dressed in women's clothing. We were all a bit perplexed until our tour guide explained it. Apparently back in the day there were houses where young girls were sent to prepare them for life in a convent. As the girls grew older they sometimes caught the fancy of the young boys in the neighborhood. In order to be able to spend any time with her, the boy would dress in women's clothing and sneak into the all-girls house....

The next morning we took an early morning bus to Cabanaconde where we met up with our trekking group. From there we hiked a steep three hours down into the canyon and by noon we were soaking our feet in the cool waters of the river. We hiked through the several small villages that dot the canyon (in one we were treated to a taste of fresh honey scraped right off the honeycomb) and finally ended up at the "oasis" hostel. Unfortunately the lovely pool we spotted from high on the canyon wall belonged to the hostel next to ours. I can't tell you how disappointed I was!!

The next morning our excursion included a stop at Cruz del Condor, a fairly reliable hangout for Andean condors. These condors are most active in the morning hours, and so in order to catch them at their peak, we had to start our hike out of the canyon at 3am. (This is one of those things that sounds semi reasonable when you are signing up for the tour...but when put into practice, you quickly realize the plan's shortcomings.) Anyway, we donned our packs and headlamps and started the strenuous ascent in the pitch black of the early morning hours. I was cursing our decision most of the way up, seeing as how rewarding views usually make strenuous hikes worthwhile. Oh well. Morning light was beginning to take over the night sky by the time we reached the canyon rim, which I will admit, was a beautiful sight.

After a quick breakfast we boarded a bus that would take us to the Cruz del Condor. The bus was packed to overflowing with backpackers and locals, including women in traditional dress toting every kind of souvenir all of us backpackers could ever need. Almost everyone was headed to the lookout and the rest were headed to one of the many villages along the canyon rim. As I mentioned, the bus was quite full. When all the seats were occupied and all the standing room was taken, I thought that those left would have to take the next bus. Not so in this corner of Peru. We began to notice people climbing up the side of the bus and disappearing onto the roof. One after another, they kept climbing up there. I was horrified after about the 20th person made his way up. Riding on the roof of a bus is dangerous enough, but add in a bumpy dirt road skirting the edge of the world's second deepest canyon, and you're in for an exciting ride. We began to make our way along the road. Whenever the sun cast a shadow on the mountainside, we could see all the little heads sticking up from the top of the bus!! Let's just say that we were glad to have our "first class" seats.

Once we did arrive at the Cruz del Condor, we were treated to a spectacular show by about 10-12 amazing condors. They soared back and forth above our heads, probably scouting the canyon walls and floor for food. Andean condors are huge birds. Full grown condors reach an average height of 4 feet, have an average wingspan of 10 feet, and weigh 20-30 pounds. At that weight it is virtually impossible for them to take flight from the canyon floor. So, they make their nests high in the canyon walls where the wind moving through the canyon can help them take flight.

Puno
Puno would be our last stop in Peru before crossing the border into Bolivia. Our main reason for visiting Puno was that it is the most convenient base for exploring the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, which sits at an altitude of nearly 13,000 feet. Lake Titicaca is South America's largest lake and is the largest lake in the world above 6,600 feet. It is over 100 miles in length and 36 miles in width.

The first stop on our two-day tour of the lake was at a unique group of islands known as the Islas Flotantes (floating islands) of the Uros people. The Uros began to live out on these islands hundreds of years ago in order to isolate themselves from the Incas. The islands are made with totora reeds that grow in the shallow sections of the lake. The reeds are dried out and then piled together until they are over several meters thick and can provide a stable base for living. As the reeds on the bottom rot away, new reeds are stacked on top. We and about 20 other tourists headed out to the islands on a traditional boat to visit a few of the many islands. Stepping onto the islands is quite strange. Your foot sinks a bit as you squish-squish-squish over the island. Get too close to the edge and you get a shoe full of water. The reeds are used to make nearly everything the island's inhabitants might need, including boats, houses, and crafts. They are also a big part of the islanders' diets. One of the more interesting things for me was that these people, as far removed from the Peruvian mainstream as they are, still had solar powered generators to provide electricity for that most important electronic device....the television.

After a ride on a reed boat and a climb up one of the island lookout towers, we were off to our next stop, Isla Amantani. This island is a traditional one, i.e., not made out of reeds. There we stayed overnight with a local family and learned about life on the island. Justa, our hostess, was 30 years old and lived with her five-year-old son Ederson, her sister, and her parents. Justa had taken several tourism classes in order to be able to take visitors into her home. We had lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day with them in their traditional adobe kitchen, and despite some language barriers (islanders speak Quechua, not Spanish) we managed to learn a little about each other. In the evening Justa took us to the local "nightclub" (an empty room with concrete walls and floor with a small band in the corner) to experience local dancing. Chris and I were encouraged to dress up in the local garb (provided by our host family), which for Chris only meant a poncho and a funny hat. I, however, had to put on three layers of skirts, a blouse, a tight belt that wrapped around me about forty times, and a heavy wool shawl. Yikes. The dancing was pretty fun...although my belt was so tight I could barely breathe sometimes.

The next day we headed back down to the port and said goodbye to our hostess. On the way down we saw many members of the village helping to bring supplies up from the port. These supplies were to be used to build the new community center. When I saw women who must've been about 70 years old slogging concrete cinder blocks uphill, I was struck at what an amazing sense of community this place has. Everyone who can, helps. They all look out for each other, help one another, and live together peacefully to preserve their local way of life.

On our way back to Puno we stopped at Isla Taquile, another island in the lake where another group of tight-knit Quechua-speaking islanders live in relative seclusion from mainland Peru. We hiked along a beautiful path with breathtaking views of the lake and ate a traditional lunch at one of the island's few cafes.

Robbery attempt #2 (successful)
On our last morning in Peru, while waiting for the bus that would take us across the border into Bolivia, we were robbed. We were sitting outside our hotel on a bright Saturday morning when two men walked toward us. I was sitting in a closed doorway with my two packs (my main pack and a small daypack) right next to me. One of the men went to my right and knocked on a door just beside me. I, of course, turned my head toward him. He waited at the door for about 20 seconds and then just left. I thought it was odd that he knocked on the door and just left before anyone answered. About two or three minutes later I realized that my daypack was nowhere in sight. I jumped up, asked Chris if he knew where it was, and then ran inside the hotel to see if I had left it in there. When it wasn't there, it began to sink in that it had been stolen. I remembered the two guys, and realized that the one must've been distracting me while the other ran away with the pack.

There was $26 cash in the pack, the rest they probably dumped in an alley somewhere. Chris took off running through the immediate area trying to look for it, seeing as how what they would have dumped what was useless to them but quite important to us: guidebooks, a few novels, my fleece, a few traveller's checks, plane tickets (yikes!), and one credit card. Oh, and our headlamps and my vaccination record. And a few other things. What a pain. Chris didn't find anything. We had to miss our bus so that we could spend the day filing a police report and canceling our checks and cards. What fun.

And so we left Peru on a somewhat sour note. Nonetheless we had a fantastic time there and despite our few troubles we'd go back in a heartbeat.

Peru: Cuzco and the Sacred Valley (August 31-September 14)

2004-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Peru (well, sort of...we´re in Argentina now)!

It's hard to imagine, but we arrived in Peru a month and a half ago. (Apparently I need to get better about writing these updates!) The time has flown by and we have enjoyed almost every minute of it. My parents, Chris, and I left Quito, Ecuador, and flew directly to Cuzco, Peru, with a one-night layover in Lima. Cuzco sits at a breathtaking altitude of nearly 11,000 feet and was once the capital of the Inca Empire. It also boasts the title of being the continent´s oldest continuously inhabited city. The Spanish conquered the city and the Incas in the mid 16th century, and nowadays it seems like the tourists have taken over. Hotels, internet cafes, tour agencies, and laundry facilities are everywhere, but the city still retains loads of charm. Everywhere you turn there are great cathedrals, amazing Inca wall foundations, and quaint cobblestone streets.

In addition to these sights, Cuzco also has its share of annoyingly persistent street vendors trying to hawk everything from postcards to cigarettes to finger puppets (yes, I said finger puppets). No tourist can say he or she has really been to Cuzco unless they've braved the tiny cobblestone street affectionately dubbed "gringo alley". If you're wearing cargo pants with zip-off legs, Tevas, and Gore Tex (or any reasonable facsimiles), you quickly become a target. People emerge to coax you into their restaurant or internet cafe, or walking street vendors saddle up beside you and beg you to buy their one-of-a-kind postcard or souvenir. It takes several firm "No thank yous" before they become discouraged enough to let you be. It got really annoying at some points...but I was able to keep my cool (and my smart-ass comments, like, "Yes, somehow I will survive another day without a friggin' finger puppet!") to myself!

The Inca Trail
We started our trip with a three-hour bus ride to the trailhead. Once there we collected our rented down sleeping bags and sleeping mats. I hired a personal porter to carry my pack for me (the best $36 I´ve ever spent!), so all I had to carry was a daypack with water and snacks. Chris opted to carry his own pack. Once we were all organized, our group set off. Recent trail regulations have set limits on the amount of people allowed on the trail at once and on the amount of weight that porters can carry. Our group of 13 hikers required a whopping 17 porters, 1 cook, and 2 guides. We were led by two great guides, Marcelo and Alejandro, and we were accompanied by eleven other hikers. To our surprise, we were the only two Americans in a lively group of Brits, Canadians, Aussies, and Irish.

Day 1 was relatively easy with just moderate ups and downs. Almost immediately after we started hiking, I noticed how different this trail was in comparison to most other treks I've done. I was surprised to find that there are small towns all along the trail (at least during the first and second days). You quickly realize that although hiking the Inca Trail is pure recreation and a holiday activity for you, it is a way of life for the people that live out there. They hike the trail on a daily basis to transport water, trade goods, farm the land, and live their lives. What must they think of the endless string of tourists with huge backpacks traipsing through their front yards?

We hiked for about two hours and passed a few archaeological sites and numerous houses before arriving at our lunch stop. Now, I fully expected to be given a PB&J, an apple, and a juice box, and expected to sit myself down on a rock and enjoy my lunch....and I would have been quite happy with that. But when we arrived at the lunch stop, a dining tent had been erected and inside was a long table with 13 stools around it. (Heaven forbid we´d have to sit on the ground on a hiking trip.) There were wash basins set up outside the tent, complete with bars of soap and fluffy cotton towels to dry our hands on. After washing up, we all sat down in the tent and were soon served a three-course meal followed by tea, coffee, and some weird Australian powdered drink called Milo. (They seem to love the stuff. But hey, they also like vegemite...so who knows!)

Inca Trail porters are amazing people. We learned that most porters are farmers and that they hike the trail as a second job to help supplement their family's income. They are wonderfully fit and cheerful, something you wouldn't expect given the amount of weight they are required to haul up and down the mountains. (Yes, as I mentioned before, there are now limits to the amount they can carry, but it's still a heck of a lot!) On more than a few occasions I heard the pitter-patter of porter footsteps quickly gaining on me. I would eventually pull over and let him go by, thinking to myself, "No problem. He does this once a week...I don't...so it's okay that I can't keep up." That was all fine and dandy until, of course, I realized that he had a camp stove, a propane tank, my backpack, and fourteen stools strapped to his back. And to top it all off, he was hiking in flip flops.

After lunch we set off toward the first night´s campsite...through a beautiful wooded area with some steep terrain. When we arrived, our tents had been set up for us and afternoon tea was ready to drink, and soon after we finished tea, dinner was ready. What will we do the next time we go camping and have to set up our own tents and cook our own food?

Our wake up call for Day 2 on the Inca Trail included tea delivered straight to our tent door. Amazing. After a hearty breakfast, we started out on what promised to be the toughest day on the trail. Chris opted to hire a porter for this day, his birthday (he would later proclaim that he must be getting wiser in his old age...as he decided that it was the smartest thing he could have done). The two to three hour climb to the top of Dead Woman´s Pass (so called b/c the pass, from far away, looks like a woman lying on her back) at over 13,000 feet was challenging, to say the least. We each took it at our own pace, and we both eventually made it to the top. For me, this required frequent stops during the last stretch to stop the burning in my legs and to catch my breath --- there just isn't a whole heck of a lot of oxygen to go around up there. The Incas did not use switchbacks, but instead went straight uphill and used stone stairs to get there. Whew! Once at the top, the porters had set up a snack and warm drinks to ward off the cold temps. The hike was all downhill for the rest of Day 2. We left the pass and headed downhill for about an hour until we arrived at campsite number 2 --- early enough for lunch. After another filling meal, everyone sacked out in their tents for a nice afternoon nap. At lunch one of our guides discovered that it was Chris's birthday and apparently passed the info along to the cook. Later that afternoon when we were all gathered for afternoon tea/snacks, our guide brought in a two-layer, frosted birthday cake with matches in lieu of candles. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we all shared the cake. We were completely amazed. Where did they come up with a cake AND frosting?

Day 3 of the hike consisted of two more passes (neither quite as challenging as the first) followed by a descent down what seemed like about a million stone steps. The vistas all along the way were amazing. The weather was a bit rainy, thus making the stone stairs slippery and the going slow. We arrived at campsite number 3 mid afternoon. This campsite was situated near a lodge, where weary hikers could purchase overpriced beers and food.

On Day 4 we awoke at 4am, had breakfast at 4:30, and lined up to leave the campsite at 5:20, as soon as the gates opened. To explain, everyone who is hiking the Inca Trail spends night three where we did. From this campsite it is about a two-hour hike to the Gate of the Sun where everyone converges to watch the sunrise. Everyone lines up at the park entrance (just outside the campsite) to be ready to leave as soon as possible. This makes quite a spectacle, and the trail to the park is crowded with hikers trying to beat the sunrise to Machu Picchu. Anyway, we made it to the Gate of the Sun with time to spare and watched the sun rise over the ruins. From this point it is still another hour hike down to the actual ruins. I was almost the last one in my group to arrive at the ruins as I was stopping every few meters to take another photo. It was really amazing. I've seen so many pictures of this place...it's strange to actually be there taking the same photos you've seen over and over in books, etc.

Once at the ruin site, our group took the requisite "We made it" photos and proceeded to tour the ruins with our guide. We spent a few hours wandering the site and then finally took the bus down to Aguas Calientes, the little town outside Machu Picchu where we would spend the next few nights.

Aguas Calientes
Unfortunately the hot springs (aguas calientes) in Aguas Calientes were closed. Damn!! We were so looking forward to a good soak after our four-day hike. Oh well...

Aguas Calientes is an extremely touristy towns that exists mostly to serve the needs of millions of visitors that come to see Machu Picchu. The streets are lined with anything and everything a tourist might need...including dozens of restaurants advertising pizza. Somewhere along the line, someone got the idea that tourists like pizza...and EVERYONE in town ran with it. Almost literally EVERY restaurant in Aguas Calientes is a pizzeria...in fact we talked to another traveler who said that when he was in AC he actually tried to find a restaurant without pizza. He was not successful.

The next day the four of us hopped a train and headed just a few kilometers into the mountains to do a short hike. We walked along a small stream and soon came to a descent sized waterfall. A light rain had started to fall, so our visit to the fall was short and sweet. Instead of taking the train back to Aguas Calientes, we walked back along the tracks, all the while hoping that the train wouldn´t come along! We made it back without incident...although we were soaked from the rain. We took refuge in a pizza place (where else?) with a huge wood-fired oven, zipped the legs off of our pants, and dried them on the oven.

The next day we decided to head back into the park to do some additional touring and picture taking. Machu Picchu is the most well-known of the various Inca sites. It was never discovered (and thus destroyed) by the Spanish conquistadores, and so it was left untouched and pretty much forgotten for hundreds of years. An American explorer, Hiram Bingham, "discovered" the ruins in 1911 and soon after started the difficult task of clearing out overgrown vegetation and mapping the site. (If you have $400 to burn, you can take the Hiram Bingham luxury train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes...visit the site...and return to Cuzco all in one day!) Many groups have done studies throughout the years and it still remains unclear what the major function of Machu Picchu was. Whether a ceremonial or agricultural center, the size and complexity of these ruins is astonishing.

In addition to exploring the ruins, my dad, Chris, and I decided to climb the steep hill called Huayna Picchu situated at the back of the ruins. (This is the hill seen in many photos of the ruins of Machu Picchu.) The hike is about 45 minutes of huffing and puffing up steep steps and rock slopes where, in some places, cables or other handholds are necessary to help you keep your balance and pull yourself up. After squeezing through a rock tunnel we reached the "peak", which is actually just a pile of boulders with no real place to relax and enjoy the view. To make matters worse, we were greeted by a swarm of wasps and some crazy naked guy getting his picture taken. (He apparently wasn´t shy, as there was no shortage of hikers on this pile of boulders.) Needless to say, we quickly headed down the hill for about five minutes and instead stopped there to enjoy the views, sans wasps and naked guy!

We arrived back in Cuzco eager to enjoy some down time and wash our stinky clothes! The day after we returned from our Machu Picchu adventure it was time to say goodbye to my parents. After nearly two and a half months on the road and an adventure that started in southern Mexico and took them south through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru, they were ready to head back to California. Imagine that!! It was great traveling with them....we wondered what life on the road would be like on our own.

Okay, time to do some serious sightseeing! We spent a few days visiting the sites in town (cathedrals, museums, cathedrals that used to be marvelous Inca sites but were destroyed and looted by the Spanish, etc.) before heading outside the city limits to see....more Inca ruins. One day we took a city bus out to Tambo Machay (Inca baths) and walked back to Cuzco, stopping at three other sites along the way. We saw Puca Pucara, Quenko, and Sacsayhuaman (loosely pronounced "sexy woman"). Sacsayhuaman was by far my favorite, partly because of its cool name, but mostly because of its amazingly huge zig zag walls, rock slides, and carefree kids flying kites!

Getting to the more remote ruins in the Sacred Valley requires taking a tour, especially if you are short on time. Chris and I normally steer clear of the ultra touristy stop-here-stop-there-for-twenty-minutes-take-some-photos-and-get-back-in-the-bus kind of tours, but we figured we´d go for it anyway since we were getting short on time and options. Well, the tour was sort of okay, but it seemed to make just as many stops at craft markets (unadvertised) as it did at the ruins. All in all we visited three sites (Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero).

Robbery attempt #1 (thwarted)
On one of our last days in Cuzco, we made our way to the Plaza de Armas (Cuzco´s central square) to discover what seemed to be ALL the inhabitants of the city. It turns out that fans had come out to welcome Cuzco´s victorious soccer team (Cienciano del Cuzco) home after winning the Recopa Sudamerica 2004. They had beaten Boca Junior from Argentina for the title a few days earlier. This was a HUGE deal...and we thought "Oh, how nice. We´ll get to experience a local event." Well, we hid out in a little bakery along the parade route for about an hour...waiting and waiting for the team to come by. When it seemed like they were never going to arrive, we decided to go about our business. This meant heading out into the madness and the crowds. Just as we did, the team started to come by in cars. Throngs of cheering kids were coming toward us, as we were heading in the opposite direction. At this moment, I thought, "Okay, this is a bad situation for us tourist types." Minutes later, Chris is shouting at me. I look over and he has got this kid who looks to be about thirteen in a sort of half nelson, and he is saying, "This kid took my wallet. This kid took my wallet." Chris had his wallet in his cargo pants pocket, zipped and velcroed (We know, we know....DUMB). He felt someone brush up against him and when he felt the pocket the wallet was gone. He turned and grabbed the kid. I then started yelling at the kid in Spanish, "Where´s the wallet? Where´s the wallet?" At this moment an older lady noticed the ruckus and came over and said that the police were close by and that we should take the kid to them. She then started yelling at the kid, "Why do you have to rob people?" All this time, the kid isn´t really saying anything at all. Just when we were about to take the kid to the cops, another kid, about seventeen, shows up and pats me on the shoulder and tells me that everything is going to be okay. A few seconds later, he points in the gutter underneath the kid and says, "Is that your wallet?" We look down, and lo and behold, there is the wallet. I picked it up and Chris then let the kid go. We think that the two kids were working together (and that the younger kid passed the wallet off to the older one) and that when the older kid realized that the younger kid had been nabbed, he came back and made the wallet appear.

And so ended our time in Cuzco. Peru, Part 2 to come very soon (I promise.)

Weeks 6-8 South of the Equator -- Notes from Ecuador

2004-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

After 5 weeks in Costa Rica, we were ready to head south with Amy´s parents for some cooler weather and new adventures. The first stop in our South American trip was Ecuador. We landed in Quito and were greeted with signs that say "Welcome to Quito. You are now at 9,200 feet. Please walk slowly."

The weather and the country did not disappoint. With a list full of places to visit and resturants to dine in from our friend, Tom, who taught English in Ecuador for a year, we were off to explore Quito. The first thing you notice getting off the plane is how dry the climate is. Think of the California high desert with catcus and huge aloe plants. Surrounded by snowcapped volcanoes and brown hills, Quito lies in a long valley divided into an old colonial city with ornate churches and narrow steep streets to the new city with its modern glass skyscrapers.

We stayed in the middle in a neighborhood known as Mariscal Sucre, that we affectionately dubbed ¨Gringolandia¨ because of all the budget hotels, laundry places, Internet cafes, and T-shirt shops, plus all the gringos walking around. Luckily for us, the protests of the Mariscal Sucre residents about the petty crime in the neighborhood had recently been addressed by Quito´s city hall. So there were plently of police on every corner during the day and night, and we were free to ignore Lonely Planet´s warning to take cabs everywhere you go in the neighborhood.

After taking a day to acclimatize to the altitude, we headed off to explore Old Town Quito. Our first stop was Quito´s unfinished Basilica. Construction of the Basilica began in 1926, and the church is mostly finished with some scaffolding adorning its upper parts. However, due to lack of funds, construction was halted in the mid 1990s. An LA Times travel article described the Bascilla as a ¨testament to Ecuador´s lack of personal injury lawsuits¨ because for $2 you can climb on the catwalks and ladders previously used by the construction workers to reach the central tower several hundred feet in the air. The payoff for putting your personal safety at risk is the amazing 360 views of Quito. The only safety precautions taken for the tourists who gingerly climb up to the tower is some flimsy chicken wire under parts of the steep ladder you climb to reach the tower. I´m glad to report that everyone in our group, even Amy´s mom, made it to the top of the tower and returned safely back to terra firma.

Next, we ate lunch at the only vegetarian resturant in Old Town run by the Hari Karnishas. I have to admit, after eating there, I was mildly interested in finding out more about signing up with the religion. It wasn´t the food, which was pretty good, but more the service. It was the first place in our 5 weeks in Latin America where the food and the bill came fast.

Afterwards, we headed to the Plaza de la Independencia, the central square in Old Town which is bounded by the cathedral and Presidential Palace on two of its sides and contains way too many shoe shine boys and "English speaking" guides who don´t take no for an answer. We ended up visiting four churches within a few blocks radius of the plaza. Each one more spectacular than the next.

Our favorite had to be the La Compania de Jesus, the Jesuit church whose interior is covered in gold leaf. The church is currently not in use because of renovation, but most of the walls are visible with one restored altarpiece newly covered with gold leaf after a fire a few years ago. Standing before this shining altarpiece, you can only imagine what a seventeenth century Indian peasant would think stepping into this church with the sunlight streaming into the church. Maybe he or she would of thought that the previous Incan temple on the same spot was better, but if they hadn´t seen the original Incan temples then they probably would have thought they´d stepped into heaven, which was the idea of the builders.

On our way out of Old Town, we stopped for some fresh made ice cream from a store that has been making it the same way for 150 years. We had the mora [blackberries] and cream, which was soo good. The waiter invited us back in the kitchen to watch the cook make the next batch in a big copper bowl set in ice.

Quito lies just a few kilometers south of the equator. So, the next day, we headed to the Mitad del Mundo [Middle of the World]. I won't lie, it´s as cheesy and touristy as it gets in Ecuador, but hey, where else can you have one foot in summer and the other in winter? We took all the cheesy photos across the big painted red line running down the middle of the park with all the other tourists. Then, we followed Lonely Planet's advice and checked out the little family run museum a few meters to the north of the big park because it promised unique experiments that can only be performed at the equator. It's a good thing we went because it turns out that this little museum has the REAL equator going right through it and their equator is measured by GPS. Not only do they have GPS confirmation, but also the experiments to prove it. They take a tub of water and place it directly on the equator, and you watch the water go straight down the drain with no swirl. Then, they refill the tub and do the experiment again in the northern and southern hemispheres with the corresponding swirling. This museum also has a little Amazonian exhibit where they show you a pickled boa constrictor and a graphic 12 step illustration on how to shrink the head of your enemy. Afterwards, Amy's mom and I donned ceremonial Amazonian headdresses and shot a blowgun at a hanging catcus target. Now we can say that we've been to the real equator not like all those dupes at the official one next door.

From Quito, we headed to the Sani Lodge located in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. We flew to Coca where we jumped on a motorized canoe for the three hour ride down the Rio Napo. The Rio Napo is one of the main rivers that form the Amazon in Northern Peru. Cruising down the river, you can see the effects of the massive oil drilling in this region of Ecuador. Since the 1960s, all the big foreign oil companies have been operating in this pristine rainforest with devastating effects on both the land and the people who live here. The Sani Lodge is owned by the Sani Indian tribe who is hoping that tourism will provide an alternative to selling out to the oil companies.

The lodge is located on a small lake just a few kilometers above the Rio Napo. Our group was mainly Americans with a couple of Brits and Italians thrown in to keep it international. Our first foray into the jungle involved paddling a small dugout canoe back into the mangrove swamp to a trail to see howler monkeys. Along the way, we saw lots of birds from parrots to kingfishers to toucans and large snailkites. Unfortunately, we did not see any monkeys while we were there unlike Costa Rica where they are all over the place. The primary reason is that the monkeys are afraid of humans in the Amazon because they have been on the menus of the local tribes until only recently. Our guide, Alfonso, three time president of the Sani Tribe, was able to scare up some conga ants. Conga ants are one of the biggest if not the biggest ants in the world measuring some 3 to 4 inches long. More importantly, they pack one of the most painful stings in the Amazon. I got to experience this firsthand as I was walking up to see what our guide was doing pounding on this pile of dirt. A monster conga ant bit right through my pants into my leg just as the guide was warning the group about how painful the conga ant´s sting is. Luckily, I survived, with the help of some plants the guide found on the way through the forest, but the sting lasted a good 3 to 4 hours.

We did get to see a baby anaconda, a small red-tailed boa constrictor, an anteater, and lots of birds during our stay. Plus, it was great getting to know everyone in our group and seeing the stars at night. Two members of our group, Julie and Kevin from Santa Barbara, were on their six week honeymoon through Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Now that is what I call a honeymoon. If we had only known about honeymoon.com three years ago.

On our last night, we went searching for caymans, which are the South American equivalent of alligators. We got in our tiny, very tipsy dugout canoe at night, and our guide searched with his flashlight along the shore looking for the red eyes of the caymans. While paddling over to the otherside of the lake, we heard a big splash which turned out to be a cayman jumping back into the water. I thought we should have gone back and gotten a bigger boat, but our little canoe went on. Eventually, we saw about 7 caymans that night. The biggest one measuring some 8 feet long. The guide was able to guess the length so accurately because he pulled the canoe within a couple of feet of this large man-eating creature much to the fright of those of us in this little, tipsy canoe. Our cayman sightings quickly dispelled whatever bravado we had when we casually dipped our hands in the water and talked about jumping into the lake for a swim during the previous days.

After returning with all our fingers and toes from the jungle, we headed south from Quito along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Riobamba. Most of the peaks range from 18,000 to over 20,000 feet, and they were mostly shrouded in clouds during our trip south. We made it down to Riobamba, which is the starting point for the famous Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) train. The train is famous because they let tourists sit on top of the train cars as the train descends down a narrow valley through a series of steep switchbacks. You have to get up at 5 am and get on the train by 5:30 am to get the best seats near the back away from the diesel engine, which we did. The ride lasts for about 6 hours and there are lots of locals who jump on and off the moving train to sell a variety of food and drinks for the tourists. The other thing you notice is all the native kids who come out of their houses at 7:00 am to wave to all the crazy tourists on the train. At first, you think oh, how cute. Then, it becomes apparent that the only reason they are out there is because the tourists throw them candy from the train. It's like Halloween every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday morning for the kids.

One of the things that strikes you visiting South America and especially the Andean highlands is how many kids there are. We later heard a figure from one of our guides that the average family in Ecuador has 6 kids with Indian families averaging 10 or more. We were also shocked to learn how high the birth and child mortality rates for these families were, considering Ecuador has socialized medicine. After Riobamba, we went to Otavalo were we took a tour of some Indian villages where they make all the textiles for the famous Saturday market in Otavalo. Our guide, a self described, old fashioned communist and advocate for the native people, showed us how the people lived in small one room adobe homes and had electricity for their television, but lacked running water or basic education or health care. He also showed us all of the unfinished homes around Otavalo, which were dependent on Ecuadorian illegal immigrants mainly in Europe for their funding and construction. When the immigrants get deported, the construction stops. Like most Latin American countries, Ecuador is heavily dependent on the money from its native sons and daughters who mitigrate to the first world for a better life.

With a new appreciation of the work and toil that went into the goods at the market in Otavalo, we went shopping. Every Saturday, the whole town of Otavalo turns into a huge street market with different areas for different goods. For example, there is an animal market where the local farmers sell their live cows, pigs, goats, and chickens. For the tourists, there is Poncho Plaza with all of the textiles and tacky curios. We picked up a few things, but it was difficult finding something unique among the hundreds of stalls selling the same stuff.

We ended our Ecuador trip back in Quito wishing we had more time to explore this country. We've definitely decided that we'll have to come back one day to visit the Galapagos Islands.

Next stop, Peru.

2004-08-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

Amy getting up on a wave.

2004-08-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

Chris sporting his new haircut in Costa Rica

2004-08-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Reason Why We Are Vegetarians -- Pet Shop next to a Butcher in Jaco

2004-08-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

Weeks 4 and 5 --- Saying adios to Costa Rica

2004-08-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Time is flying by and it is amazing that our surfing/Spanish classes are coming to an end. We leave Costa Rica on 8/16 and head south to Ecuador. Unbelievable!!

Well, as Chris mentioned at the end of the last entry, last week I had a pretty scary experience. We were loading up the van to leave the beach after a morning of surfing, when Anne, another student, noticed a bunch of people running down the beach. Right then we spotted a person floating in the surf and we all took off sprinting down to the water's edge. Teal, our surf instructor, got his board out of the car and was in the water faster than you can imagine. He got the guy onto his board and then some other people helped bring him to the beach. He wasn't breathing. One of the guys who helped pull him out checked his ABCs and then immediately started doing compressions on his stomach. (Wrong!) When Anne saw this she took over and started doing compressions on his chest and I did the breathing. The Red Cross ambulance finally got there and took him away. It was all such a chaotic mess of panic, Spanish, and English...I hope we did all the right things. In retrospect you think of all the things you would have/should have done differently...but hindsight is always 20/20, right? We found out later that he did start breathing again and that he was in the hospital in Puntarenas (about 1 hour from Jaco). We haven't heard anything else. It's unclear how long he was without oxygen...I just hope he's okay.

Our third weekend at the School of the World was a long one (three days) to allow us to do some more extensive traveling. On Friday morning we rented a car and headed north to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve with my parents and Liza, another student at the school. The roads are paved until you get about 40 kilometers from the park. The road then turns to a mixture of rocks and dirt...mostly rocks. It was a rough ride, but the destination definitely made the journey worthwhile. On Friday night we went on a guided night hike through Hidden Valley. We saw tarantulas, sleeping birds, lots of spiders, and even a porcupine.

On Saturday morning we got an early start to explore the cloud forest. We arrived at the park around 7:30. My parents decided to do a guided hike through a small portion of the forest, while Chris, Liza, and I did a 6km hike around the perimeter of the forest. A light rain was falling while we ambled through the misty forest, but we welcomed the cool weather after many hot, humid days in Jaco. Our hike led us to several amazing lookouts and to the continental divide. We walked along the divide for a few kilometers before heading off to see a small waterfall and then back to the park entrance.

The afternoon held more thrilling adventures. We decided to do a canopy tour through another forest reserve located in Santa Elena, just a few kilometers from Monteverde. A canopy tour involves zip lining along a cable from tree platform to tree platform. Chris, Liza, and I donned harnesses, helmets, and gloves and headed out. After a short demonstration and safety instructions, we climbed a metal staircase to a platform high in a tree. The guide connects your pulley to the cable and then connects a safety caribiner (spelling?) to the cable as well. With a push you´re off and flying through the forest canopy. Before the push, the guide tells you when and how hard to brake (you brake by applying pressure to the top of the cable with one hand). In most cases you don´t need to brake at all, or just at the very end before you reach the platform. Getting the braking right is important --- you don´t want to stop before you reach the platform because then there´s no way to get going again. You have to swivel around and pull yourself hand-over-hand to the platform. Not fun. All in all there were fifteen rides. In most cases you could see the next platform, but on the longest (480 meters) you could not. It was a pretty amazing experience --- flying through the forest like a bird. This was definitely a thrill ride and not a way to see animals or see much more than treetops. WHEEEEEEE!!!!

The folks that organized the canopy tour also offer a hanging bridges hike in the same area. The hanging bridges were amazing --- long bridges through the middle of the forest that really allowed you to spy birds and check out the canopy up close.

The next day we headed down the mountain on the same bumpy road we came in on. We took my parents to San Jose, where we would meet up with them a week later. We then headed back to Jaco to start our fourth and final week of classes.

The final week was great. The surf got much better --- weeks 2 and 3 had been stormy and therefore pretty challenging for this beginner. I had a few good rides (which simply means I stood up instead of getting crushed by the wave) and left feeling like I´ll keep surfing when I get home. My friend Becky asked if I´m ready to audition for Blue Crush 2: Over 30 and hanging 10. Not quite (unless they need some good wipeout scenes), but I´ll keep trying!!

Our last big hurrah with the School of the World was a BBQ dinner at Villa Creole. The owners cooked up some great salads, made fresh bread, had tons of marinated meat ready to BBQ and made a huge and delish vegetable lasagne for the vegetarians in the group. It was a great way to wind up the session and gave everyone a chance to hang out before people started to leave.

It may be hard to imagine, but Chris and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on August 11. It seems like it was just yesterday...but I guess that time flies when you´re having fun, right? Anyway, we kept it simple with a walk on the beach at sunset and dinner at our favorite restaurant in Jaco, Monica´s Place (Mmmm...pasta).

On Saturday we headed to San Jose and spent a few days there doing chores (laundry, burning CDs, sending postcards, writing updates for yáll) before heading south to Quito, Ecuador.

As I finish up this update I am south of the equator where it is officially winter....although Quito is known for its "eternal spring." The temps here are much more comfortable than in Central America. It´s dry and in the 80s during the day and at night it cools down enough to wear sleeves. Ahhhhhh.

Tomorrow we´re off to Mitad del Mundo (aka the equator) where I´m sure we´ll take lots of touristy shots with one foot in each hemisphere, half of your body in summer, half in winter, etc. Should be a blast.

More to come....hope you´re enjoying our trip!!

Miss you all,
Amy

2004-08-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Lake Arenal and burnt tree (still standing after eruption)

2004-08-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Chris and Amy in the lava fields below Volcan Arenal.

Week 3 --- Life in the Tropics

2004-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Due to some technical problems in Costa Rica (like the power going out--not once, but twice during my weekly update writing), this update is a few days late. Week 3 was a stormy one here in Jaco. The waves were huge (6 to 10 feet) and very choppy with lightning and thunder all around us. Despite the bad weather, there were some intervals of intense sun and humidity. Ahh, life in the tropics.

It's week #3, and time feels like it is flying by. We are getting used to hanging out with 21 year olds again. Their life mainly consists of going to class, lounging by the pool, and going out until 2 am. Amy and I are able to hang with them about once a week and then, we're recovering the rest of the week. It's been a great group of people to hang out with during our time in Costa Rica.

Our school took us on a field trip to a remote waterfall, which was amazing. After a short hike through the jungle, we came to a beautiful waterfall which had three separate deep pools that you could swim in and jump into if you were brave enough. The jumps were pretty scary at first, but everyone overcame their fears and plunged right in.

One of the students, Jeff--one of two students from Massachusetts who likes the Yankees for some bizarre reason-- introduced us to Quepos, which is a small town down the coast from our place in Jaco. It is also known as the gateway city to Manual Antonio National Park. We squeezed seven people in a SUV taxi on Saturday morning and headed to Quepos. Once in Quepos, we headed to Cafe Milagro where some great coffee and a day old New York Times awaited. After a quick breakfast, we took the bus towards Manual Antonio to find a hotel and ended up at the Banana Tree Hotel. Our room had a funky industrial smell to it, but the A/C and the access to CNN to catch the highlights from the Democratic Convention made up for it.
We lounged in the pool and watched white faced monkeys climb from tree to tree looking for food.

Eventually, we hiked down a steep hill to a secluded swimming beach. Instead of walking back up, we were able to hitch a ride with a crazy Israeli driving a SUV with a surfboard, child seat, and machete in the front seat. Luckily, it was a short ride to the top.

That evening, we joined up with our fellow students at the El Avion bar, which is an old U.S. military supply plane used during the 80´s to supply the Contras in Nicagarua. The other supply plane that Ollie North bought for the Contras was shot down and the CIA pilot was captured. The plane now houses a bar and a small dance floor and is perched on top of a hill overlooking the coast. The sunset was beautiful.

After a night of more drinking and eating sushi made by a chef from Osaka, we finally headed to Manual Antonio National Park. The park is the most visited park in Costa Rica because of its beautiful white sand beaches. To get into the park at low tide, you have to walk across the sand and walk through a small stream. At high tide, there is no sand, only a flowing river with a sign saying there are crocodiles that live here. At this point, a fleet of row boats emerges to ferry visitors back to the mainland for a small fee of course. Amy and I made the boat owners mad when we decided to walk right through the river, which was only waist deep the first time and chin deep the second time, instead of paying for the ferry as it encouraged others to do the same, although not as many the second time. Inside the park there are good trails to several beaches, a waterfall, and a gorgeous lookout, lots of aggressive monkeys who have no apprehension of going into your backpack to steal some food, and other cool animals, like sloths, iguanas, snakes, etc. Amy and I did see a sloth perched way up at the top of tree at the lookout and saw lots of monkeys, iguanas, lizards, and crabs, but no snakes.

After a day of hiking, spotting animals, and swimming, we headed back to Quepos and joined up with our fellow students and took a taxi back to Jaco where we finally met up with Amy´s parents who are also travelling this summer through Central America. They will join us for the first part of our South American trip.

Stay tuned for next week where you´ll hear a story about how Amy helped save a person´s life and our amazing trip to Monteverde--yes, the stories about the road to Monteverde are true.

Week 2 -- Notes from the road less traveled

2004-07-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! This time it's my turn to write the update. I only hope I can be as informative and as my husband.

In Costa Rica, all roads lead to San Jose. Well, not really. I just wanted to say that. After visiting Arenal we headed back to San Jose for one night before getting on a bus to our primary destination, Jaco. In San Jose we ate at another fabulous veggie-friendly restaurant called Tin Jo. It was a sort of pan-Asian establishment with lots of great and yummy vegetarian options. See people, being a vegetarian isn't as hard as you think it'll be!!

Anyhoo, the next day we were off to Jaco, a surf town on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The bus to Jaco left from the Coca Cola bus station, so named because it stands on the site of the former Coca Cola bottling plant. We had been warned that this station would be pretty sketchy and that we should watch out. Nancy, it wasn't nearly as bad as all that. :-) Sure, there were a few vagrants and various stray dogs begging, but we've definitely experienced worse (anyone been to Caracas?).

Jaco will be home for the next three weeks. It's a fairly touristy town with no shortage of surfers. There are only two paved streets, one of which runs parallel to the beach and another that connects that street to the main highway. There are lots of surf shops, restaurants, internet cafes, and bars...and not much else. The beach itself is very nice. It's crescent shaped and is surrounded by cliffs and rocky outcrops at either end. The sand is dark brown from all of the volcanic rock in this area. In fact, there are only two white sand beaches in Costa Rica. By next weekend we will have been to both!

July is our school's busiest time of year, and so about half of the students have to reside at Villa Creole, the school's "overflow" housing. When I heard we were being shipped off somewhere else, I was worried. However, it turns out that we got the better deal. Villa Creole is a cute little hotel about two blocks from the school's "campus". It's run by an expat Belgian couple, their dog Rex (a huge German Shepard) and cat Maya, and two iguanas. All the units (1 bedroom w/ AC, thank God, a kitchenette, and a bathroom) surround a central courtyard with a pool and a thatched hut bar/restaurant. Think Melrose Place, tropical style. The place is filled with students from the school, so we pretty much have the run of the place. When the owners found out that several of us were interested in the happenings of the Tour de France, they kindly gave us updates after our morning surf sessions.

My one worry about coming to the School of the World was that Chris and I would be the only students over the age of 22. Well, I've been pleasantly surprised. Granted, the majority of the students are still in college, but there are Larry and Melissa (another married couple in their early 30s) and George (a 43-year-old science teacher from Portland, OR) to help round out the crowd.

Learning to surf is serious business. If you are "surf only", meaning you are only here to take surfing, you surf twice a day. Most students are taking Spanish and surfing, and so they are on the surf-once-a-day plan. I am "surf only" and so I am in the ocean getting pounded by waves twice daily. It really wears a girl out. Whew. Try getting a 9 1/2 foot long board "outside" and you'll be napping all afternoon as well. (Rhett, did you enjoy my use of surfing lingo in that last sentence?). I think things are going well. I actually stood up last week (3rd day) and rode the board all the way into the beach. It's quite a rush...I can see why people get hooked.

"The sea was angry that day, my friends --- like an old man trying to return soup at a deli." (George Costanza, Seinfeld). I need to interject with a short update to the preceding paragraph. It's now the next day. During yesterday's afternoon surf session, the sea had its way with my and showed me who is boss. Holy mackerel. I was trying to catch a wave that was just WAY to big for a beginner and I got tossed around like a rag doll. I went down under that wave and got tossed around and around so many times I literally did not know which way was up. I was scared for a moment but then my feet finally touched bottom and I pushed my way to the top. I think I'll be riding white wash for a few days until I REALLY learn to stand up.

Chris's Spanish classes are less life-threatening. The classes are small (4-5 people) and his instructor, Diego, seems pretty good. Chris says that Diego makes him more nervous than any of his BC law professors ever did. :-) He has class 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day and then they have evening lab sessions where they go out to dinner, to the grocery store, or play games in Spanish. He seems to be picking it up relatively quickly...he just needs more "real life" practice.

Chris ended up buying an 8-foot surfboard and will sell it back at the end of our time here in Jaco. He surfs once a day in between classes and seems to be enjoying things.

Our school organizes field trips for us each Wednesday. Last Wednesday we went kayaking and snorkeling at Playa Blanca, one of the two white sand beaches in Costa Rica. We beached the kayaks at a little cove, climbed over some rocks, and right there was a beautiful, perfect beach. They lugged the snorkeling gear and then pointed out various types of fish and sea creatures to us. When we got back to the kayaks, the other guides had prepared a fresh fruit buffet for us to snack on before the rigorous journey home. Not too bad.

All of our weekends are free for traveling. Jaco is centrally located, so it's a great starting point for short trips. This past weekend we decided to head to Montezuma, a small town on the Nicoya peninsula. We took a 6 am bus to Puntarenas and then boarded a ferry to cross the Gulf of Nicoya. From the ferry terminal we took another bus to Montezuma. Montezuma is a great little town. There are no paved roads and you can walk from one end of town to another in about 5 minutes. It was founded by hippies about 25 years ago and still holds on to some of that charm. The beaches are beautiful. We were delighted to find quite a few vegetarian restaurants. One restaurant in town had nightly movies in English, and if you purchased 2000 colones (about $5) worth of food and/or drinks, the movie was free. On Saturday night we saw City of God, the Brazilian movie about life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. It was intense, but really great. (Mike Jacobs, if you haven't seen this, you should....photography plays quite a role in the film.) The second night the movie was quite a bit lighter....Along Came Polly. I had pretty low expectations, but it ended up being a lot funnier than I had anticipated.

We stayed at a place called Amor de Mar. It was a great little hotel right on the beach. They had plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs and so we spent most of Sunday morning (after a lovely brunch of homemade bread and jam, eggs, granola, and yogurt) just relaxing and reading. At brunch we met a woman named Sarah who, as it turns out, is a writer for Let's Go. She was traveling the country writing updates for the next edition of the book, due out in January (what kind of production schedule are THEY on???). The folks at HMCo will be happy to know that no matter how hard I try, I just can't get away from publishing!! Anyway, we gave Sarah our list of things that needed updating (we're using the previous ed. of Let's Go Costa Rica) and so, yes, I am still contributing to the world of publishing.

We decided to splurge and take the water taxi back to Jaco from Montezuma. That allowed us to stay in Montezuma a second night and head back early Monday morning. We left the beach in Montezuma at about 6:45 am and were on the beach in Jaco by 8am. Much better than the 5 1/2 hour bus-ferry-bus experience.

And so began week #2 here in Jaco. We'll be back soon with more updates. We miss you all. We promise to figure out how to post photos to this blog as soon as we can. We're still figuring out the new camera....so it might be a while. Be sure to write....we love emails.

Pura vida,
Amy & Chris

Week 1

2004-07-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of hectic packing, moving, and saying our good-byes, Amy and I finally boarded a red-eye flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. We felt thankful that all the frequent flyer tickets for coach were sold out as we began our trip in first class.

After arriving in San Jose, we took a cab to our hotel, a little bed and breakfast place in Barrio Otayo, which is a nice quiet neighborhood near downtown San Jose. We immediately crashed into our bed and slept the afternoon away. When we awoke, we made our way to a vegetarian resturant in San Jose, which, we were happy to see, was filled with Costa Ricans watching the Americas' Cup, the hemisphere wide soccer tournament that the US is not participating in this year.

One of the first things you notice in Costa Rica is how soon it gets dark. With no daylight savings time and being close to the equator, it gets dark in Costa Rica this time of year around 6 pm. We found that out on our way back to the hotel.

The next morning, we boarded the public bus for the 4 1/2 hour bus ride to Fortuna to see the Arenal Volcano. Luckily, we got seats because the bus was packed with people standing in the aisles as we slowly wound our way up to Fortuna. Once we got to Fortuna, we checked in to the Hotel San Bosco and jumped in the pool.

Fortuna is a cool little town at the foot of the volcano. The Arenal area is the second most visited place in Costa Rica outside of San Jose. There were lots of tourists and a lot of tour operators selling a lot of tours. In Fortuna, we hiked to a huge waterfall and went swimming. Later that day, we decided to take the guided hike to the volcano. As we walked to the lava fields, we heard and then saw howler monkeys. These cute little monkeys make the loudest, most horrible noise you've ever heard. (Lori--they weren't eating bananas, but I'm sure they would if they had them.)

Once we emerged from the jungle into the lava fields, we could see the volcano emerging from the clouds. Most people who visit Arenal, never actually see the volcano because it is usually hidden behind clouds most of the time. Not only did we see the volcano, but we also saw an amazing rainbow just off to the side of it. We took lots of pictures. That night after the hike, we went to the hot springs and soaked in the hot tubs while watching the glowing orange lava trickle down the side of Arenal. It was spectacular.

The next day, we passed up an opportunity for a float trip and decided instead to save our energy for our massages and another trip to the Tabacon hot springs. Yes, we have been definitely easing into our trip around the world. Tabacon is Costa Rica's world famous hotel and spa with beautiful gardens and natural waterfalls of hot water. It was an expensive indulgence, but definitely worth it.

The next day we headed back to San Jose. This time, we and two other Americans worked our way onto a private van with 20 British teenagers and their adult "leaders" (in name only, as we had to endure "God Save the Queen" about 20 times from the kids.)

My hour is almost up. More later.

Chris

The Journey Begins

2004-07-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Our journey begins on July 12th and ends when the money runs out. The first stop is Costa Rica. Amy will be taking surfing lessons, and I will be taking Spanish lessons at the School of the World in Jaco, Costa Rica.