Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Bali
We arrived in Bali in mid-December to a warm, tropical climate. Having already absorbed our share of sunshine and cocoa butter on beaches of Thailand and the Philippines, we chose to spend our time within the interior of the island.
From the airport, we proceeded directly inland to the extraordinary town of Ubud. Known as the cultural center of Bali, though less frequented than the tourist-laden southern beaches, Ubud was a fine place to spend the bulk of our time on the island. Here we hiked and bicycled through expansive, cascading rice terraces and explored the surplus of ancient temples dotting the sculpted hillsides just outside the city.
Of particular note is the architecture in Bali. Each neighborhood is encompassed by intricate, stone walls and entered via a towering, split gateway. Every village seems a shrine, and every lawn a manicured sanctuary. Where these folks find that much stone, seed and time I’ll never know, but it makes for a photo-happy visit.
From Ubud, we took a short trip to the town of Munduk to take in its’ remote, mountainous scenery. While the town is nothing to speak of, the surrounding waterfalls, rice terraces and tropical forests made for good hiking and incredible views.
As we returned to Ubud, I was overcome by a very passionate flu bug which left me bed-ridden for our last few days on the island. My loving wife stuck with me for the first days, though ultimately escaped for some “necessary” shopping and a Balinese spa & massage treatment on our final day.
Bali is gorgeous, and its' people are as friendly as they come. We were enamored with our visit here, and we didn’t even make it to a beach. We will definitely return.
From the airport, we proceeded directly inland to the extraordinary town of Ubud. Known as the cultural center of Bali, though less frequented than the tourist-laden southern beaches, Ubud was a fine place to spend the bulk of our time on the island. Here we hiked and bicycled through expansive, cascading rice terraces and explored the surplus of ancient temples dotting the sculpted hillsides just outside the city.
Of particular note is the architecture in Bali. Each neighborhood is encompassed by intricate, stone walls and entered via a towering, split gateway. Every village seems a shrine, and every lawn a manicured sanctuary. Where these folks find that much stone, seed and time I’ll never know, but it makes for a photo-happy visit.
From Ubud, we took a short trip to the town of Munduk to take in its’ remote, mountainous scenery. While the town is nothing to speak of, the surrounding waterfalls, rice terraces and tropical forests made for good hiking and incredible views.
As we returned to Ubud, I was overcome by a very passionate flu bug which left me bed-ridden for our last few days on the island. My loving wife stuck with me for the first days, though ultimately escaped for some “necessary” shopping and a Balinese spa & massage treatment on our final day.
Bali is gorgeous, and its' people are as friendly as they come. We were enamored with our visit here, and we didn’t even make it to a beach. We will definitely return.
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| Link to Bali photos |
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Philippines
A bit of preface… Upon arriving at a given airport, we declare that we’re harboring no plant life and typically exit the customs area to a sea of unscrupulous taxi drivers and swarming hotel touts. We push through the crowd in search of a local commuter bus which will drop us off near (but never at) our destination. After an hour on the bus, we’re dumped at the city center where we begin our backpack-slugging quest for an often unnumbered building on an invariably unnamed street in order to secure lodging at a potentially undesirable hotel. If all goes as planned, it’s taxing – if not, it just sucks.
Our arrival in the Philippines was quite different; there, we were visiting friends – David & Nickie - who made arrangements for our arrival, and for our entire stay. We were met by their smiling driver who swiftly loaded us into a car and drove us past the hordes of decaying city busses as we sighed in relief. Upon our arrival at their home, we were greeted with a warm meal, good company and a proper bed. If all travel could be this easy…
Following a much needed day of poolside recuperation, the four of took a short flight to the island of Cebu, where we spent a few gleaming days at a seaside resort. From there we embarked on a windless catamaran sail and a jaw-dropping snorkeling trip. Despite the stunning aquatic life, the highlight of our snorkeling trip was watching David fend off an angry, 3’ Titan Trigger fish, determined to take a toe as toll for swimming too close to its’ nest. Fortunately, no one was harmed, though the screams from Ellen’s snorkel tube are still ringing in my head.
Before returning to Manila, we took a day trip to Bohol to see the expansive, rolling “Chocolate Hills”, famed for their picture-perfect spherical shapes. An unexpected highlight was a stop to witness native Tarsiers – the smallest primates on earth. These tiny, tree-bound creatures look to be a miniature product of a love affair between of Yoda and a Kuala bear.
Back in Manila, we had a few much-appreciated days of socializing and relaxing before taking another day trip to the incredible Pagsanjan River. Used in the filming of Apocalypse Now, the Pagsanjan flows through a lush, tropical river canyon where one might expect to find treasure-hunting expeditions or spear-toting natives. The passage of this river by a small wooden boat, paddled – as well as pushed – upstream, was an incredible experience.
After the effort involved in leaving Thailand, our visit to the Philippines was just the recharge that we needed. Our visit to the Philippines was truly a vacation from our vacation, and we really had a blast. Thanks to David and Nickie!
Our arrival in the Philippines was quite different; there, we were visiting friends – David & Nickie - who made arrangements for our arrival, and for our entire stay. We were met by their smiling driver who swiftly loaded us into a car and drove us past the hordes of decaying city busses as we sighed in relief. Upon our arrival at their home, we were greeted with a warm meal, good company and a proper bed. If all travel could be this easy…
Following a much needed day of poolside recuperation, the four of took a short flight to the island of Cebu, where we spent a few gleaming days at a seaside resort. From there we embarked on a windless catamaran sail and a jaw-dropping snorkeling trip. Despite the stunning aquatic life, the highlight of our snorkeling trip was watching David fend off an angry, 3’ Titan Trigger fish, determined to take a toe as toll for swimming too close to its’ nest. Fortunately, no one was harmed, though the screams from Ellen’s snorkel tube are still ringing in my head.
Before returning to Manila, we took a day trip to Bohol to see the expansive, rolling “Chocolate Hills”, famed for their picture-perfect spherical shapes. An unexpected highlight was a stop to witness native Tarsiers – the smallest primates on earth. These tiny, tree-bound creatures look to be a miniature product of a love affair between of Yoda and a Kuala bear.
Back in Manila, we had a few much-appreciated days of socializing and relaxing before taking another day trip to the incredible Pagsanjan River. Used in the filming of Apocalypse Now, the Pagsanjan flows through a lush, tropical river canyon where one might expect to find treasure-hunting expeditions or spear-toting natives. The passage of this river by a small wooden boat, paddled – as well as pushed – upstream, was an incredible experience.
After the effort involved in leaving Thailand, our visit to the Philippines was just the recharge that we needed. Our visit to the Philippines was truly a vacation from our vacation, and we really had a blast. Thanks to David and Nickie!
 |
| Link to Phillipines photos |
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thailand
Sandy beaches, world-class snorkeling and nation-stifling political unrest – Thailand was a gas.
Having spent a few days in Bangkok on a previous trip (which is quite enough), we immediately made for the Andaman coast to enjoy a skosh of Thailand’s shoreline splendor.
The gorgeous peninsula of Krabi was our first and most enjoyable destination. We ultimately spent 10 days here - a few more than we had planned - compliments of airport-closing protests in Bangkok (more on this below…). We spent our time snorkeling, kayaking and relaxing on beautiful white-sand beaches among the vast and encompassing Karsts (big, cool rock formations) for which the Thailand coastline is famous. Turkey had beaches, but not like this…
We also took a short trip to visit the gorgeous, albeit overrun, islands of Ko Phi Phi. Made all too popular by the film “The Beach”, the splendor of the stunning bays & inlets around these islands was enough to overlook the myriad of passenger-toting speed boats and chock-a-block souvenir shops.
And now for the rest of the story… A few days into our stay, the Bangkok airport, from which we were scheduled to depart, was seized by a coalition of protestors rallying against the former Prime Minister of Thailand. The airport ultimately remained closed for 10 days (though, at the time, we had no idea when it might reopen). While we were comfortable with a few extra days in ‘paradise’, we were also eager to honor commitments on the next leg of our trip. Our scheduled departure date came and went, and so began the arduous process of negotiating our escape with our airline.
Two days of quarrelling and concession (the latter solely on our part) with the uncooperative and indifferent representatives of American Airlines laid burden on our last few days in Thailand. Ultimately, we were forced to abandon two legs of our scheduled itinerary (forgoing a much-desired visit to Hong Kong) and to purchase new flights leaving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - only 800 short overland kilometers away from our location in Thailand.
During the next 36 hours, we joined our traveling brethren in a mass exodus of Thailand, by whatever means necessary. Between a boat, a few busses and hours of huddling in tiny bus stations to take shelter from torrential rain, the zenith of our journey was undoubtedly a ride in the back of an open pick-up with 14 other passengers (yes, 16 total, with luggage – in a pick-up…) to traverse flooded roads on which our bus could not pass. We found our way into Malaysia just in time for our departing flight.
In the end, Thailand’s political woes made for an interesting experience, if not a good story, and its' reputation as a seaside playground is well deserved. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves here.
Having spent a few days in Bangkok on a previous trip (which is quite enough), we immediately made for the Andaman coast to enjoy a skosh of Thailand’s shoreline splendor.
The gorgeous peninsula of Krabi was our first and most enjoyable destination. We ultimately spent 10 days here - a few more than we had planned - compliments of airport-closing protests in Bangkok (more on this below…). We spent our time snorkeling, kayaking and relaxing on beautiful white-sand beaches among the vast and encompassing Karsts (big, cool rock formations) for which the Thailand coastline is famous. Turkey had beaches, but not like this…
We also took a short trip to visit the gorgeous, albeit overrun, islands of Ko Phi Phi. Made all too popular by the film “The Beach”, the splendor of the stunning bays & inlets around these islands was enough to overlook the myriad of passenger-toting speed boats and chock-a-block souvenir shops.
And now for the rest of the story… A few days into our stay, the Bangkok airport, from which we were scheduled to depart, was seized by a coalition of protestors rallying against the former Prime Minister of Thailand. The airport ultimately remained closed for 10 days (though, at the time, we had no idea when it might reopen). While we were comfortable with a few extra days in ‘paradise’, we were also eager to honor commitments on the next leg of our trip. Our scheduled departure date came and went, and so began the arduous process of negotiating our escape with our airline.
Two days of quarrelling and concession (the latter solely on our part) with the uncooperative and indifferent representatives of American Airlines laid burden on our last few days in Thailand. Ultimately, we were forced to abandon two legs of our scheduled itinerary (forgoing a much-desired visit to Hong Kong) and to purchase new flights leaving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - only 800 short overland kilometers away from our location in Thailand.
During the next 36 hours, we joined our traveling brethren in a mass exodus of Thailand, by whatever means necessary. Between a boat, a few busses and hours of huddling in tiny bus stations to take shelter from torrential rain, the zenith of our journey was undoubtedly a ride in the back of an open pick-up with 14 other passengers (yes, 16 total, with luggage – in a pick-up…) to traverse flooded roads on which our bus could not pass. We found our way into Malaysia just in time for our departing flight.
In the end, Thailand’s political woes made for an interesting experience, if not a good story, and its' reputation as a seaside playground is well deserved. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves here.
 |
| Link to Thailand Photos |
The train trip that never was
From Turkey, we flew to Thailand. Why the sudden continent shift? In short, we were thwarted by the Russians…Our original itinerary included a 10 day journey on Trans-Siberian railway, which was to begin in Moscow and end in Beijing (yes, yes – technically the trans-Mongolian railway). Heck, who wouldn’t want to cross the frozen tundra of the world’s largest continent in a slow, smoke-filled, overland train?
Upon researching the route, however, the cost and formalities of obtaining a Russian visa, coupled with the red tape involved with scheduling the train trip itself, proved too much for our budget and our patience to bear. We ultimately chose to spend more time in both Turkey and Thailand, which made for more enjoyable travel in each.
Next time, next time…
Monday, February 9, 2009
Future traveler
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Conceived in Portugal, discovered in Italy, carried through the Middle East and viewed by an ultrasound in Turkey – our child will have traveling in its’ blood. :)Ellen is due June 9!
Turkey
Having arrived from Syria, Turkey felt a closer neighbor to Eastern Europe than the staunchly conservative Middle East. A beautiful and relatively painless country to travel, Turkey allowed us to relax and unwind a bit.
We first secured a bus to Sanli Urfa, which served as a base for our trip to the visit the fallen statues of Mt Nemrut. Walking among the 6 ft heads of these enormous statues illuminated by the setting sun was an remarkable experience.
After a short, 10 hour bus ride, we arrived in Cappadocia, which proved to be the highlight of our visit to Turkey. Home to numerous, immense and oddly phallic rock formations, Cappadocia was decidedly one of the most photogenic destination we’ve encountered. The climax of our time here was a spell binding hot air balloon ride over this extrordinary landscape.
From Cappadocia, we worked our way along the Southwest coast of Turkey, enjoying the small coastal towns of Olympos, Kas and Fethiye. The coast was gorgeous, and hiking, beach time and seafood were all too easy to come by.
Heading inland a smidge, we spent a day exploring the incredible Roman ruins of Ephesus. The site was impressive, and the “library” was just grand.
After a quick stop in Pamukkale to see its’ famed limestone terraces (which have faded from their previous glory in recent years), we pressed on to Istanbul, our final destination. Though less tranquil than smaller towns in Turkey, Istanbul is not without its’ charm – an enormous seafront city coated with a patchwork of bridges, waterways and hilltop minarets. We avoided four days of rain by wandering Istanbul’s Grand Bazarre and its’ many mosques.
In a word, Turkey was phenomenal. One of our favorite destinations yet.
We first secured a bus to Sanli Urfa, which served as a base for our trip to the visit the fallen statues of Mt Nemrut. Walking among the 6 ft heads of these enormous statues illuminated by the setting sun was an remarkable experience.
After a short, 10 hour bus ride, we arrived in Cappadocia, which proved to be the highlight of our visit to Turkey. Home to numerous, immense and oddly phallic rock formations, Cappadocia was decidedly one of the most photogenic destination we’ve encountered. The climax of our time here was a spell binding hot air balloon ride over this extrordinary landscape.
From Cappadocia, we worked our way along the Southwest coast of Turkey, enjoying the small coastal towns of Olympos, Kas and Fethiye. The coast was gorgeous, and hiking, beach time and seafood were all too easy to come by.
Heading inland a smidge, we spent a day exploring the incredible Roman ruins of Ephesus. The site was impressive, and the “library” was just grand.
After a quick stop in Pamukkale to see its’ famed limestone terraces (which have faded from their previous glory in recent years), we pressed on to Istanbul, our final destination. Though less tranquil than smaller towns in Turkey, Istanbul is not without its’ charm – an enormous seafront city coated with a patchwork of bridges, waterways and hilltop minarets. We avoided four days of rain by wandering Istanbul’s Grand Bazarre and its’ many mosques.
In a word, Turkey was phenomenal. One of our favorite destinations yet.
 |
| Link to Turkey photos |
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