First Installment Welcome to The A.P.B! I am embarking on a three month trip and hope to document the adventures in this blog. The trip focuses on Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Sept. 4
Day one of the trip. My parents drove me to NYC. We met up with my brother and had some burgers in Madison park from Shake Shack while watching the US Open. From there, I met Conor at his sister's apartment. We shared a car to JFK and flew to Amsterdam. It was a 7.5 hour flight. My seat was a little tight and Conor was quite cramped.
Sept. 5
The flight arrived in Amsterdam at about 7 AM. After going through customs we took the train to the city center. We found a hostel near the train station and got a bunk (room unseen). After dropping the bags in the hostel's storage area, we struck out into town. We went to the Anne Frank house and did a canal tour. At about 2 PM, we were extremely tired. We went to the hostel and took a nap in the bunk. It was not that clean. I was not impressed with the hostel at all. Luckily, Conor had a friend who came by to visit that evening (on business). We went out to eat with him and stayed in his hotel (expense account!). We strolled the Red Light district that night before bed, but it was seedier and not as concentrated as I envisioned it.
Sept. 6
We woke up early and took the train to the airport. Luckily, we changed our seats when we had arrived in Amsterdam. This gave us exit row seats for the 11.5 hour flight to Cape Town. It was not a bad flight because of the seats and the personal entertainment system each seat had. I was able to watch TV shows and movies in between naps. Upon arrival in Cape Town we got a cab and headed to Greenmarket Square to find a place to stay. The square was dark and deserted (not exactly the friendliest way to introduce yourself to urban Africa), but the hotel had a room. We were located just a block off the main street of bars in Cape Town, so we headed out for a couple of drinks. We landed at Stones, a bar/pool hall. Beers were $1.50 and it was a fairly nice place. After a few beers and a game of pool (I maybe the worst pool player in the world), we returned to the hotel.
Sept. 7
On our first full day in Cape Town, we first explored Greenmarket Square and its many craft stands. Then we went to the tourist center and booked a dive with Great White Sharks for the next day. After that we headed to the waterfront and got tickets to Robben's Island. The Robben's Island tours was booked for the next couple of days, so we got tickets for Sunday (9th). It was 2 in the afternoon and, upon seeing Table Mtn. in the distance, we decided to walk to the top from the waterfront. Two hours later, we were at the base. We chose a trail that when along the Camp's Bay side (west) and then cut up to the top. Little did we know it was a much longer hike than some of the others. At 6:15 we made it to the top...but the tram had stopped running at 6 (there was an ominous horn at about 5:50 indicating this fact). It was getting dark and our only way down was to hike. Luckily we ran into 2 Slovakian ski instructors who had been working in South Africa. They led us down a steep rocky trail. By 7:45 we were down. Luckily they had a car too. We shared two beers in the car as we sped back to the city. Once at the hotel we showered and treated ourselves to a steak dinner and a bottle of South Africa wine ($35 American total!).
Sept. 8
Today was the day of the dive with Great White Sharks. In the morning, we boarded a bus with 10 other from Cape Town and drove along the coast to Gans Bay. Here we took a boat just off the coast in between the beach and the islands that make up "Shark Alley" (of Discovery Channel Shark Week fame). We began to chum for sharks...and in about 45 min. we had a Great White along side the boat. We put the cage in the water. The cage held 5 people and was in the water along side the leeward side of the boat. The water was about 55-60 degrees, so we rotated in and out of the cage every 10 min. or so. We did not actually use SCUBA gear, but snorkels and only went under when the sharks were right in front of the cage. One of the deck hands had a rope with yellow fin tuna heads and through it out in from of the cage and slowing drew in towards the boat to lure the Shark...with the goal being to have the shark eat the "bait" directly infront of the cage. It worked. Over the course of the next 3-4 hours, we had 7 different sharks at the boat. Each "took the bait" multiple times. The largest was 4 meters long. It was big (and so were the teeth)! At least 5 times the sharks made contact with the cage. One really thrashed the cage with its body right in front of me. Upon getting back to Cape Town, we went out to eat (Malay cuisine) and then went to a couple of bars in with one of the guys we shark dived that day.
Sept. 9
Today we went to Robben's Island. It was where Nelson Mandela and most of the political prisoners were imprisoned during aparthide. The island about a 30 min. boat ride from Cape Town. It was pretty powerful. It was a 2.5 hour tour and was packed. We saw the prison and various places the prisoners were forced to work during their imprisonment. The conditions they suffered were extremely tough. When they worked, they worked in a lime mine that was not used...they would move dirt and then move it back. The prisoners were mostly all in solitary confinement. The cells did not have glass in the windows (and it gets cold in Cape Town). Black and other prisoners were treated differently...blacks had to wear shorts, were not issued shoes nor jackets. Talking was not allowed other then when they were working. To imagine living like this for 18 years...Nelson Mandela did and somehow, after the horrible treatmen, still was reconcillatory. After the tours we went to Avis and rented a car. It was our first time driving on the left side of the road. As I pulled out of Avis, it was weird, but not as bad as I thought. We drove down the cape to SimonsTown. It was really nice. The beachs and the coast was gorgeous. They even had penguins there. We stayed at our first hostel. It was really really nice. We had our own room with a balcony overlooking the water...and it was only $25 total.
Sept. 10
We got up and drove down to Cape Point. It was beautiful. The drive reminded me of the Big Sur in California, very vertical with great white sand beaches tucked in coves. We hiked out to the lighthouse. The weather was sunny and the views spectacular. From there we drove to Stellenbosch, the town in the center of the South African wine region. We went to 3 great wineries. The prices were very cheap for wine and the tastings. At one place we had two free tastings (5 wines) and a bottle of wine for just $3.50. As for the scenery, I must rate it as better than the Napa Valley. Vines of grapes with near vertical mountains just beyond the town. The town itself consisted of whitewashed Cape Dutch houses surrounding a university. The scenery and atmosphere were amazing...and only 45 min. from Cape Town. With the attention the area will get when the World Cup is hosted there in 2010, I hope it will not change. Conor and I both agree it has been the best place so far.
Sept. 11
I got up and went for a 40 min. run. The morning was sunny and the air crisp. It was a beautiful run and a great way to start the day. We drove up to a winery/cheesery. We had wine and cheese for breakfast. After the winery we started our drive to the Garden Route. The Garden Route is the coastal route (Indian Ocean). It rained off and on while we drove and the area had received so much rain recently that the highway went to one lane often due to road repairs. Needless to say it was a frustrating drive. One thing that stuck us as we drove was the poverty. We expected shanty towns on the outskirts of the cities, but not in the country. Unforunately towns of huts made of wood and sheet metal without doors and livestock roaming the dirt streets were all to common along this stretch of road. We stopped at the resort town of Knysna. It was situated a little bit back from the ocean along an estuary. For dinner, we ate bread, wine and cheese we had purchased at the winery. One the news that day, we saw the memorial ceremony highlights.
Sept. 12
We stayed in Knysna today. In the morning, we went for a run and then headed to the beach. It was quite spectaular. It was a sandy beach with rocks on the edges and cliffs as a backdrop. We walked the beach. The waves were about 6 ft. The beach was Brenton beach. We had brunch as the waves pounded the beach. We had gotten the food at the local supermarket. It was a great market...exceeded expectations. It had everything from a bakery to produce. Not what I would have expected. We then drove to the "Heads." The heads are the end of two rock cliffs that form the entrace to the bay/estuary. The views were good and we saw a Southern Right Whale with its flukes out of the water (close to shore). After that we grabbed a beer at a micro-brewery (rare in SA).
Sept. 13
Very long driving day. We drove for about 13 hours from Knysna to just south of Durban. We stopped at Nature Valley, a beautiful beach with at the base of a rain forest...but it was lightly raining and no one was there. We kept driving to Jeffery's Bay (J-Bay). It is home to various surfing competions and is near Cape St. Francis. The waves were not that big and I think that masked the amazing break that is so famous. We kept driving and the highway went through the country. We saw more poverty and went through some rough towns. People walked everywhere, livestock occasionally walked in the road and school children (in uniforms) were everywhere. As we drove, the lanscape changed very very quickly. From rainforest to what looked like the great plains, to arid to back to rainforest as we went back to the coast. Then it got dark. Driving was super tough (Conor did a great job). The headlights on our car were not strong and the people and cars and trucks and animals were still there. We finally got to a hostel in Port Shepstone and spent the night.
Sept. 14
When I woke, I realized the hostel was right on the beach. It was an amazing location. Sandy beach with some rocks and nice 4 foot waves. I went for a walk on the beach and then we headed up the coast to Durban. We went to downtown Durban, right to the water. It was pretty run down and raining and it looked dangerous to park the car overnight. We checked out the beach and the boardwalk and the rikshaw drivers and then headed to a hostel in a beach suburb just outside the city. It was in the Bluff neighborhood and the place we got was like a tiki area. We had a cabin and the place to ourselves. It had a pool, pool table, darts, and was close to the beach. The neighborhood was very much like Point Loma.
Sept. 15
We stayed the day in the Bluffs area. I went to the beach in the morning and the afternoon. The water was about 70 F. It was nice and the beach had shark nets. The waves were OK.
Sept. 16
We took a bus (8 hours) from Durban to Pretoria. It was full. Not the most enjoyable experience, but it got us up here. We checking into a hostel in the Hatfield neighborhood. It was nice. We had some drinks at their bar and then they had a BBQ. I ate so much. It was so good.
Sept. 17
It was a slow day. Slept in and went for a good long run by the embassies in Pretoria in the morning. The afternoon was spent in the Aparthide museum in Jo'burg. The weather was great, so the run really hit the spot. The air was a little crisp and the streets empty (Sunday). The Aparthide Museum was powerful. Very visual and very graphic. It was on the same level as the Holocast museum in Washington DC. To see the division of people, the uprisings and the violence was moving. It is amazing that system didn't go away until the late 1980's. There is still tension and crime in South Africa. Economic distribution does not seem to have changed much since aparthide. Poverty is predominately black. Barbed wire at the top of a fence is common (an almost every building in surrounded by a fence). Anywhere you park a car, you have to pay a guard. It was so bad that when we left the aparthide museum they made us turn the car off and then back on to show it was not stolen. In general, I didn't feel unsafe in South Africa...it is just that there are so many people that don't have anything to lose.
Sept. 18
Today was a huge travel day. We took a bus from Pretoria to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The bus was 2 hours late getting to Pretoria, so the day did not start out the best. It was a Greyhound, but not as nice as the one to Pretoria from Durban. There was music or a movie on constantly, and neither were very enjoyable. In total it was a 13 hour bus ride. The first adventure was changing money. The Zim government sets the exchange rate with the dollar and doesn't recognize the huge inflation...so there is a black market for money. The offical rate was 250 Zim = $1 US...but on the street it was 750 Zim = $1 US. So we exchanged money just before the border with a lady that got on the bus. It is illegal to do, but everyone does it...the prices would be so high if you don't. The border was an adventure too. We got there at night and had to get a visa (can only pay foreign currency if a foreigner) and get our bags looked at. People were bringing alot of stuff with them. Not so much on the bus, but in pickup trucks...at the time I did not know why. We got into Bulawayo at 12:30 AM...about 4 hours after we had planned and did not have a room. A guy on the bus (Mbuso) walked us to a hotel and we checked in for the night.
Sept. 19
We walked around Bulawayo all morning. Strangely enough, Mbuso was there to take us around. He took us to the train staion to get train tickets to Victoria Falls. Then we went to the art museum. It was small, but good. And cheap. You could buy the art right off the wall for pretty cheap. I got a signed print for less than $15. If you know much about African art, you could really get some amazing deals...with the black market currency rate. Conor got one too. After that we walked to the history museum, but they would not take our Zim dollars...all they wanted was US. It didn't look that good (and it was 30 time more expensive for US) so we walked back through a park and got some lunch. We bought some for Mbuso. After lunch we went back to the hotel and had some beers and waited for the train. I am not sure if Mbuso wanted money or what...I think he did, but he didn't push...and we didn't give him any. Bulawayo was a pretty town. It had wide tree lined streets and the store fronts were right out of the 60's or 70's...about when the current administration came to power. People we super poor and there were lines at the supermarkets for staples. During the day it felt safe. In the twilight we walked to the train station. On the way we saw a terrible auto accident. A police car ran a red light and was smashed by a truck...the officer had to have been killed. A huge crowd gathered and some teenagers were cheering...we got out of there quick. We had to wait alittle for the train....and when we got our cabin it was a little disheartening. There was not electricity on the car and it was not the newest...it felt a little dirty. It was an over night train. When the conductor came by he said to lock our door for safety. The train made stops all night in what felt like the middle of no where. There were people on and off the train, it was dark...it felt weird. Needless to say we did not sleep the best.
Sept. 20
When we woke, it was daylight and beautiful. The compartment was not the best, but did look better in the daylight. The landscape was similar to that of the bus ride up to Zimbabwe two days earlier. We got into Victoria Falls at about 9 AM and went straight to a booking agency called backpacker's bazaar. Here we set up 2 days lodging in Vic Falls and 2 days in Livingston. We also booked a safari to Chobe National Park and a whitewater rafting trip. We dropped our bags at the hostel and walked down to the falls. Entrance was $20 US, but when in Rome... The falls were spectacular despite being the dry season. I can just imagine what it would be like with more water. It is higher and wider than Niagra Fall. After walking around for a couple of hours, we cleaned up and went on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river. There were free drinks a great sunset and only 5 other people. The highlight was seeing 4 elephants up close get into the water. After 2 hours on the water, we came back to the hostel.
Sept. 21
Today we went to Chobe National Park in Botswana. We left the hostel at 7 AM went to the border. It was an easy crossing. In the morning we did a 3 hours game drive in the park. We were the only 2 in the truck, so it was like a private tour. We saw so much game. It is the end of the dry season, so the only water source is the Chobe river...so all of the animals are there. We saw hundreds of elephants, umpala, hippos, giraffs, buffalo, and warthogs. It was literally amazing. After the game drive we did a 2.5 hour boat cruise and saw the animals from the river. We also had a picnic lunch on the boat. Again, it was just the two of us. The weather was perfect (about 80 and not a cloud in sight). After the safari, we returned to Zimbabwe and bought water, postcards and got dinner. We had to get rid of as much Zim dollars as we could because no one will take them outside of Zimbabwe. We couldn't get rid of all of them, so if anyone wants one, just give me an email.
Sept. 22
Today we crossed the Zambezi River from Zim to Zambia. We had arranged a transfer the the Jollyboys hostel in Livingstone. They paid for the visa, two nights, and two meals for just $40 US per person. It was a great deal. We walked across the Victoria Falls bridge and met the driver for the hostel. We settled in and relaxed the rest of the day. That night, we used a meal voucher for traditional Zambian dinner. It was alot of beans and cabbage and alittle beef. The one unusual thing we consumed was a fried catapillar. It was not that good...very crunchy and tasted alittle burnt.
Sept 23
Whitewater Rafting! We did a full day trip down the Zambezi River. There were 3-4 Class V rapids and 4-5 Class IV rapids. A total of 23 rapids. It was intense. I fell in the water on the first rapid. I was paddling through and poorly distributed my weight...and then I was in the water. It was not bad. One of the Class V rapids we capsized the boat and hung on for dear life was we went down the river with the whitewater. On a seeming harmless rapid, the guide let us go in the water and ride it out. Some how, I hit a whirlpool and got sucked down...I was quickly spit out under the raft. No problems, but it was a little scary. I think the quote by the guide was "there goes a helmet under." It was a great day and the canyon was spectacular. We came back to the hostel and used our other meal voucher for a braai (african bbq). It was a good day.
Sept. 24
This morning I went for a run in town. It was a great morning and I ran past all of the people walking from the countryside to attend church. In the afternoon, Conor and I went to the Victoria Falls bridge. He wanted to do the bungi jump...I volunteered to be the photographer (firmly planted on the bridge). The bridge spans a narrow canyon and is 111 meters above the water. Quite an impressive sight. Conor enjoyed the jump and said it was more intense than skydiving. After taht we went and viewed the falls from the Zambian side of the Zambezi River. It was not as spectacular a view, but still worth a look since we were there. That afternoon we relaxed by the pool and watched Ryder Cup action and some soccer. For dinner we went to the Rite Pub. It was remarkably nice (compared to its location and exterior). We had a skew of beef and vegetables.
Sept. 25
We took the early bus out of Livingston for Lusaka, Zambia. It was a 3 hour bus ride through the "bush." Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and a little more build up and modern than Bulawayo. It did have the wide tree lined streets and the lack of trash pickup common is the rest of eastern Africa. Once we arrived we were intensely hounded for taxi's. They drivers were actually tapping the bus windows to try to get our attention. We quickly grabbed our bags and bought a ticket for the next day to Kapriri (where we were to get a train the next day). After that we walked to the Tazara train office to get out train tickets. The office staff was at lunch, so we took lunch as well. Luckily there were 2 Uganda businessmen at the office and they gave us a ride to a group of resturants. Like any good Africans, they only recommend chain resturants when asked...and in eastern Africa there is only one chain that houses accouple different resturants (baker's inn, chicken inn, pizza inn...etc.). After lunch we got our train tickets and went to Chachacha backpackers. It was nice. Dinner was at a resturant (with an extensive menu) near the embassies. It was much fancier than the listing made it seem...but still cheap. My kabobs were actually served on a mini-charcoal spit.
Sept. 26
We traveled by bus to Kapriri. It was a 3 hour ride. It was a second bus ride in Zambia and the same result. No one would sit next to us. People would choose a much more uncomfortable seat just so they would not sit by us...not sure why. We got to the station at 8 AM, but the bus did not leave until it was full...so we didn't leave until 9:45. And they packed the bus. It seemed that half of the people were moving or had come to the city to get supplies for the next 3 months. After driving the Zambian countryside (where the per capital yearly income in $250 USD), the later is probably what the people were doing. When we got to Kapriri, we were hounded even more than in Lusaka. People actually had our bags because they were going to carry them 10 ft. to a cab. All for money. When we got to the train station we were early. About 3 hours early...and with all African transportation, "there is not hurry in Africa." We got moving at a decent hour. The car was much cleaner than the one in Zimbabwe. It had four bunks and we had a roommate, Nick. He was a little weird and smelly, but overall not to bad. We ended up living with him and eating meals with him for the next 2 days as we went through Zambia to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. For dinner, we ate with our hands and used nshima, a grit-like substance we rolled into balls and used to soak up sauce or grab the vegetable (collared greens).
Sept. 27
Full day on the train. Not to exciting. The countryside was pretty, just like the Africa you see in magazines. The houses were mud with thatched roofs. People sold bananas through the window of the train. We even saw children playing soccer with a ball made of rages and plastic bags. The meals were the same. We alternated between chicken and beef. We both read alot and just watched the scenary as the trained rolled on.
Sept. 28
For the first half of the day we were on the train. The landscape had changed over night and was now full of rolling hills and palm trees. The brown land had become green...and much more humid. At 12:30 we got to Dar es Salaam. We got a cab and the cab driver got a ticket. It was strange in that the cop just hopped in the back seat with us at a traffic light and instructed the driver to pull over. He was quite curteous, but it was strange in that he just sat in the back. Finally we got to downtown Dar. After taking out money, we booked the 3:45 ferry to Zanzibar. It was a 2 hour ferry. Upon arriving in Stonetown (main city/town on the island), we got a cab to take us to multiple guesthouses. In the end, we settled on one right by the ferry terminal. It is currently Ramadan, so you can't eat or drink outside during the day in Stonetown. The city was quite rich during the slave trade, but has now languished. The large stone buildings and narrow streets look quite weathered, but at night, the city seems much more mysterious and intriging. Also at night is the fish market food stalls. For less than a dollar a kebab, you can get anything from yellow fin tuna to shark to snapper. Lobster is alittle more. We feasted on 4 kebabs, naan and sambosas for less than $8. You pick the fish and they grill it for you. Not bad. After dinner, we arranged for transport to Nungwi, a beach town/diving spot on the northern tip of the island. We arranged it by paying half the fare to a bellboy in an alley. Seemed a little suspect, but it was a 8 AM pickup and we only put $5 down.
Sept. 29
The driver for the transport to Nungwi arrived early. We had some breakfast on the roof terrace while he picked up the rest of the passengers. By 8:30 we were off. By 10 AM we were in Nungwi. We checked into a guesthouse that consisted of multiple duplex beach bungalows by the beach. It was clean, though the bathroom did smell alittle mildew-y...can't really complain when you are on a tropical island beach and only paying $30 a night. We arranged diving for the next two days, relaxed on the beach and had a late lunch at a resturant with deck extending over to the edge of the lagoon. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the beach. The beach had fine white sand and little seaweed at places. At the northern tip, there was a dhow builder (wooden sailboats). Dhows sailed up and down the coast all day adding an interesting element to the aqua marine water. Sunset was at the beach's main bar and dinner was at another waterside resturant.
Sept. 30
Breakfast was included with the room, so we had eggs, fruit and bread on the beach. Not a bad way to start the day. At 10 AM loaded up the boat, and with a total of 4 other, we headed out to a reef. It was pretty good visibility (approx. 12 meters). Fish were everywhere. After a snack of watermellon and biscuits, we did a second dive. Quite beautiful, but not drastically different in scenery. The highlight, other than experiencing the underwater environment surrounded by teems of fish, was a large octopus. After the diving, we relaxed in the same way we did the day before...beach, sunset, dinner and drinks.
Oct. 1
Almost identical to the day before except we had two dives in a different location, Mnemba Island. This time the visibility was slightly better and the dives were alittle more varying in scenery. Fish were similar, but the first dive was more of a "wall" and the second one was a flatter reef. On the second, we saw 5 sea turtles. The boat ride for this day of diving was much longer than the previous day. It was close to 2 hours one way. Luckily the weather was fine and the water, beachs, and islands were stunning. More relaxation on the beach to close out the day.
OCT 2
After a 40 min. morning walk by the ocean, we boarded a mini-bus back to Stonetown. We then had lunch in the Old Fort (it could not be seen from the street, so it was OK). In the afternoon I explored the markets and souks of Stonetown. The were crowded, but not as crazy as Morocco. The focus was more on food than on other goods. It was interesting to see all of the different tropical fruits and spices. Spices were quite cheap. Saffron was less than $1 USD per ounce. No all of the shops were open due to Ramadan. I also checked out the fish market. Did not look the most hygenic (cats and flies), but the size and varitey of fish was amazing. In the evening we went to the fish stalls for dinner. Another amazing fish dinner for less than $5 USD. We ended the night with a beer at the bar in the African House. The bar is open air and over looks the Indian Ocean. No clouds, so lots of stars.
OCT 3
Today we took the 7 AM ferry to Dar es Salaam. We did not receive the best treatment. Foreigns definitely pay more and have to deal with more red tape. Upon arriving in Dar, we walked to the bus station to buy tickets for the 4th. Then we took a cab to our hotel, the Movenpick Royal Palm. After a month in guesthouses, it was nice to go to an actual hotel...a 4 star none the less. We had lunch and relaxed. Conor got an hour massage for $35 USD. I went to pick Tamara up at the airport. She had some trouble getting a Visa (they only take US Dollars...and it is $50), but we got the money and went back to the hotel. We ate a late dinner, had ice cream and some beers.
OCT 4
Woke up early and had a great buffet breakfast. It was included in the price of the room. Then it was the 10 hour bus ride to Arusha. It was a unique start, we left on time and the bus was half full! We made a few stops along the way, but the bus never filled up. One of the more enjoyable trips. The scenery was spectacular (Pare Mtns.). When we got to Arusha, a driver from our tour company (Good Earth) was there to meet us. He drove us to our hotel, Le Jacaranda (named after a tree with a purple flower). It was nice and clean and had a good resturant. We ate dinner there and met with our travel representative. It was early to bed because we were to start our Kili climb the next day.
OCT 5
The first day of the climb. We ate breakfast (buffet), got our remaining gear (sleeping bags, fleece pants, headlamps,boots, etc.) and boarded a mini bus headed for the mountain. Along the way, the guide picked up his team of porters for the trip. It was 2 hour drive to the registration. Here we signed in and picked up the rest of our team. In total there 10 guys to support the three of us. There were porters, a cook, and 2 guides. They carried all of our gear (except we each kept a backpack for water, rain jacket, etc.). We then drove to our trailhead. We were to take the Rongai route. It started on the drier, northern side (Kenyan side) of the mountain. The start was on the boarder, so we did not go to Kenya. We started hiking at 3 PM and went for 3 hours to our camp (first cave). We started at an elevation of about 4800 ft. The trail and camp was not empty. There were 2 other groups, so we were never out of sight of a hiker or porter...and this was the least traveled route on the mountain. The hike started in a pine forest and then the trees got scrubbier as we went. At first there were kids asking for money or pens or anything, but they were soon passed as we went along. We camped in tents and had our own dining tent for meals. It was not roughing it, but the trail was dusty, only pit toilets and it was going to be 6 days. As soon as the sun went down we were in bed.
Oct 6 and 7
Both days were very similar. We hiked 3 hours in the morning on each day and then another 1 hour climb in the afternoon in order to "hike high, sleep low." The food was similar as was the trail. We were above the tree line now and it was scrubby trees and grasses. These decreased in density as we ascended so by the night of the 7th we were in dirt and rock. The night of the 6th was at 2nd cave campsite and the 7th was at 3rd cave. The weather was mostly sunny. One advantage to the Rongai route is that you are hiking up the whole time and you are constantly facing the mountain. The views of the summit are unobstructed with the exception of the passing clouds. Quite spectacular. Both nights we went right to bed after dinner. The moon was bright.
Oct 8
Today we ascended to the summit's base camp, Kibo hut. It is at the junction of the Marangu and Rongai trails and sits at an elevation of 15,500 ft. It was a 2.5 hour walk from 3rd cave. Tamara was having headaches due to the altitude. The terrain was lunar in appearance. Loose rock and dirt. The summit trail looked almost vertical. We had lunch and talked to others at the camp who had made summit attempts earlier. Some had made it, some had not. We all agreed that we had traveled half way around the world and we were going to make it my shear will. We went to bed after and early dinner and were briefed on the summit attempt by the guide. We were to wake at midnight and leave camp at 12:30 in order to reach the summit for sunrise.
Oct 9
Summit day. We slept OK, but not great. At midnight we had tea in bed and put on our gear. It was cold and we put on everything we had. The moon was so bright (almost a full moon), so we did not need headlamps. The ground was lit by the moon and it gave the night a eery, but spectacular look...even more lunar than before. We started quickly. We passed a couple groups on the trail. The trail was a loose mix of small rock and sand like dirt. Tamara's hands got cold and she was going slow, so we split the group about 3/4 of the way up. She went with one guide, Conor and I with another. The first major mile stone was Gilman's Point. It was on the crater rim, but not the summit of the moutain. Close to the rim, it got very rocky. Conor and I slowed considerably at this point. Conor was really affected by the cold and the altitude. I was still OK. We got to Gilman's at 4:45. We took a quick break and then started the slow walk to the summit. The lack of oxygen at this altitude was noticable. You really could not go that fast without going out of breath. One stop on the way to the summit, we looked back and saw Tamara. She had caught up and we were going to be together for the summit. The last part was not very steep...we were on the rim, but it still took 1.5 hours. As we walked, the sun was starting to come up and the sky and the glaciers reflecting the light changed from black to grey to purple to blue to red. It was neat. The summit was clear, but there were clouds a few thousand feet down. We reached the summit right at sunrise (approx. 6:15). 19,320 ft.!! No snow, just a couple of shrinking glaciers. We took pictures and looked out for 15 min. before heading down. It was really cold and there were a lot of people. Close to 20 or 30 there with us. We hiked back down. Conor was cold and went quick. I stayed back with Tamara because the altitude was affecting her and she was going slower. By 9 we were all back in camp napping. Unfortunately, we had to hike another 3 hours that afternoon to get to the night's camp. It was not bad though because we were on our way back down...away from the altitude and closer to a shower. We took the Marangu route down. It was much more crowded, the trail was wider and there were huts at the camp sites. They even sold beer and soda at the huts. Much more commercial than our route and worse views of the mountain. We were quite glad we had decided on the Rongai route and made it to the top!
Oct 10
Woke up and from the camp we could see out onto the Tanzanian plains and rainforests at the mountain's base. Quite a good view that had been covered in clouds the previous day. We had a 3.5 hour hike down to the gate. The trail started above the tree line and, as we walked, transitioned to scrubby trees, to deciduous to rainforest. Very scenic. Prettier than the first day of hiking on the Rongai. We saw some monkeys along the way too. By noon we were at the gate. We received certificates for reaching the summit and then piled into the minibus back to Arusha. It was a 2 hour drive, but it was nice to be off our feet. We tipped the guides and porters. When we got back to the hotel, we all hit the showers and tried to rinse some of the dust off of our clothes. We were so dirty. I had to wash my hair twice just to get the shampoo suds to stay the same color. After the showers we hit the bar at the hotel (same as before the climb...La Jacarenda) and had some Kilimanjaro beer. We stayed for dinner and went to bed early.
11 Oct
Today was the start of the safari. Before leaving, we set up a flight from Arusha to Zanzibar. At 9:30 we met our guide (named Good Luck...this was what we actually called hime) and our cook. We stopped off for a few supplies and hit a craft shop before heading out of Arusha in our Toyota Land Cruiser for Tarangine National Park. It was a two hour drive, so when we got to our campsite, we had lunch. By 1 PM we were in the park in search of animals. It was quite similar to Chobe (Botswana) in that there were a lot of elephants animals by a river. The river was not as big nor as marshy as in Chobe, but the concentration of game was still there. We saw lots of elephants, gazelles, zebras, giraffes etc. We also saw 3 lions and a leopard. Our first big cats of the trip. We saw buffalo as well, so we had 4 of the big 5 covered in the first day. Quite lucky. Good Luck was amazing. How he saw a leopard from a few hundred yards away was crazy. It was laying in a tree and the only way I saw it was with binoculars. It then woke up and climbed down the tree. Pretty amazing...and I am not the biggest animal fan in the world. We left the park by 6 PM and went back to camp for dinner. It was similar to the Good Earth meals on the mountain, but our cook was better this time. There was an African drum show at the camp that night. We didn't watch it, but we fell asleep to the beats.
12 Oct
Today we drove all the way to the Serengeti. It was a long dusty and bumpy ride. The scenery was very dry grass lands. Not the most memorable. It was so dusty the visiblity was not very good, so you could not see very far. It was the dry season, but I didn't know that it equated to the dust season. We didn't see any animals on the transit except for cattle being herded by the Maasi people. They were red and blue cloth as clothes and hold sticks and watch cattle all day. They live in villages of mud and thatch huts with a wall of wood or scrubby bushes to keep the animals they herd away from the predators at night. The work serengeti is maasi for endless plain...and that is what is was. An endless plain. When we got to the national park, it was not spectacular until we go towards the interier. Here there are some rivers that provide water year round. This is where we were to see lots of animals and the landscape was that seen in national geographic. The late afternoon was a game drive and it was good. We saw 5 lions and lots of gazelle giraffes, zebra, hippos and elephants by the water. Back at camp we had dinner and watch the stars come out.
13 Oct
Today was a full day safari in the Serengeti. In the morning, we went back to the river area we had been the previous evening. The game was very dense. The highlight was the amount of lions. We saw over 20 in the morning alone. We even watched lions hunt. 4 lions lined up down wind of a group of zebras and waited for them to go to the water hole. They were crouched low in the golden colored grass. After an hour of watching, the lions gave up the hunt. The number of cars watching was a zoo in or itself. There must have been 30 safari vehicles there. We blocked the access for the zebras to the water, so we may have caused the unsuccessful hunt. We also saw lots of zebra, gazelle, giraffes, and buffalo. We also saw a cheetah and a leopard. After lunch at the camp, we went out into the grasslands in search of more animals. We saw a cheetah and some giraffes. Right as we were heading back to camp, we saw the lions with a fresh kill. They were fighting for the meat. In the end, we saw them rip the gazelle in half and eat seperately (they were only 5 yds away)...quite gruesome. We drove back to camp with our hair blowing in the breeze of the open top jeep and the sun setting over the endless plains.
14 Oct
This morning we went to a hippo pool further afield in the Serengeti. There must have been 100+ hippos crowded together in a small pool. The banks of the pool were surrounded by crocodiles. In the afternoon, we drove back to Ngorogoro Crater. The drive was dusty and bumpy again. Not very eventful. We did see some lions, but they had lost the allure. By the afternoon we were at our camp on the crater rim. After taking time to look out over the crater floor, we sat down to dinner. It was the best of the trip. The night was cold.
15 Oct
We woke up early and drove down into the crater. Ngorogoro Crater is home to the big five and the highest concentration of predators...as well as the largest crater that is not filled with water. We had seen lots of cats. All we needed was a rhino to complete the big five. All morning we drove around the crater looking for a rhino. The crater was even more densely filled with tourists than the serengeti. There were lots of wildabeasts and zebra. There is no migration in the crater like the serengeti (most of the migratory animals were in Kenya when we were in the serengeti). So many that the ground is covered with dung. We saw lions even closer than in the serengeti...but no rhinos. It was more like I envisioned a safari to be...harder to see animals...a real search. By the end of the day we hadn't see a rhino. I was disappointed, but it was still a great safari. After lunch we left the crater (it was very dry and dusty there as well). We drove back to Le Jacaranda hotel. The showers felt great after our time camping. We ate at an Ethiopian resturant across the street for dinner.
16 Oct
Woke up to the pouring rain. We relaxed all morning at the hotel and left at 1 PM to go to the airport to fly to Zanzibar. We flew Precision Air. It was only 50 min. in the air to get to Zanzibar compared to the 8 hour bus ride. We went back to the same hotel as we had previously in Stonetown. Relaxed at the African House bar for sunset and the stars and ate at our favorite fish stall. It was relaxing to be back in a place we had been before and knew where to go.
17 Oct
Took the share bus up to Ngunwi (beach) in the morning. Got a hotel at Union Bay, the hotel beside the last one we stayed at. Did some errands/chores...laundry, internet etc. We hung out at the beach until lunch. We had fish at a resturant beside the ocean and then played cards during an afternoon rain. Booked a diving trip for the next day and swam in the ocean. We watch the sunset from the beach bar and had dinner at a resturant beside the water again. A very relaxing day.
18 Oct
We woke up to the rain, but it was only a quick downpour. Luckily it did not rain the rest of the day. After breakfast, Conor and I went Scuba diving. We went to two spots close to where we had gone before. At the first, the visiblity was not as good as the last time. The second spot was really good though. Lots of colorful fish. The highlight were two crocodile fish. The afternoon was very similar to everyone we had spent at Ngunwi previously. Sunset at the beach bar and dinner at a resturant by the ocean.
19 Oct
Another wake up with the rain. This time it rained all morning. At 10 AM, we got on a share bus and headed back to Stonetown. We got a room at our hotel in Stonetown. We got ferry tickets and tried to get on the internet, but there was no power. Zanzibar was doing 4 hour a day blackouts on a rotating basis. We had lunch in the old fort (it was still Ramadan) and then booked a half day spice tour for the 20th. After that, we explored the market. We checked out all of the street vendors, fruit vendors and spice vendors in the narrow and congested market area. In the evening we headed back to the Africa House bar and the fish stands.
20 Oct
It rained again this morning. The "short" rains had started...essentially a monosoon season with daily rains lasting only a couple of hours maximum. We got picked up for our spice tour at the hotel (we were the only people on it). First stop was a historic spot, the palace of the sultan. Prior to independence in 1964, Zanzibar was ruled by arabic sultans protected militarily by the British. The mansion had been destroyed but the ruins had once held his 99 "secondary wives." After the palace, we went to a spice farm. We walked through the trees with our guide. He had us smell the leaves and sample the spice directly from the trees. They had everything from cloves to vanilla to lemon grass. We had some coconut water and lemongrass tea before hoping in the minibus for a quick driving tour of Stonetown. After lunch, we went to the ferry terminal. It was a good thing we got there early because the ferry left a half hour early. If we would have missed it, we would not have made our flight. When we got to Dar, we had dinner and hit the internet cafe. At 10 PM we got on our flight to Dubai (Emirates Air).
21 Oct
I got woken up on the plane at 1:45 AM to eat. We had to eat prior to 4 AM due to Ramadan. At 6:45 we landed in Dubai. We had a 10 hour layover, so we went out into town. Conor had a college friend who was living there, so she took us around. We went to a couple of malls, had lunch, and looked at the "sail building" from the beach. It was quite hot. The city had a slight resemblance to Las Vegas in that it was a strip of new buildings on essentially one road in the desert. The level of ongoing construction is staggering. It will be interesting to see if the real estate speculation is out of control or if the buildings will be occupied. In one area they are building the tallest building in the world at about 2 stories a week...and it is surrounded by 10 other skyscrapers that are yet to be completed. Just out of downtown they are building an area of predominately residential complexes...10 blocks simultaneously. They say 40% of the world cranes are currently in Dubai. We flew out in the afternoon for Cairo. Upon landing, we collected our bags and got into a cab. Driving is quite an experience in Cairo. Lanelines, other than the center yellow line, are ignored. Our cab was all over the place. We hit traffic and the cars just formed extra lanes...2 lanes became 3 to 4 depending on the width of the road and the width of the other cars on it. Honking was non-stop and essentially meant get out of the way I am about to hit you. So every time you passed a person or a car passed your car there was a honk. We eventually got to our guesthouse in the Zamerick neighborhood of Cairo (an island in the middle of the Nile). The neighborhood was quite nice. Lots of trees and away from the hustle and noise of the rest of the city.
22 Oct
We had breakfast at the hotel and then hailed a cab to the Egyptian Musuem. It had a warehouse feel and was packed with tour groups. The hieroglyphics, mummies, sarcophoguses, and other artifacts were amazing, but the musuem did little to explain them. You needed a fair amount of knowledge on Egypt to really appreciate everything there. Another difficulty was all of the tour groups. So many people in groups of 30 speaking different languages surrounded most of major artifacts. It was hard to get a good view at times. After a few hours, we got a cab to the train station. The train was booked, so we had to go to a travel agent to get a ticket. At the agency, we set up the rest of our transport and lodging in Egypt. We were paying the cab for the day (approx. $10 usd). He waited and then took us to a resturant for lunch. It was a buffet of Egyptian food and was quite good. After lunch it was off to the pyramids. They closed early due to Ramadan...and we got there when it closed. We were offered a camel ride to them, but instead paid an employee to let us in and we got some good pictures (paying a person to "help" is common in Egypt). We relaxed a little in the early evening and then got our train to Luxor.
23 Oct
Woke up on the train about and hour outside of Luxor. The train followed the Nile. It was so green and lush along the river, but the land a kilometer away was completely barren. We got to Luxor at 8:30 AM. We did not leave on a tour until 3 PM, so we walked the city and along the Nile. A lunch of kebabs was quite good and very inexpensive. That afternoon we got on our tour and headed to the Temple of Karnak, one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. It was large and spectacular and extremely crowded...a constant theme in Egypt. After Karnak, the sun was setting, so we opted out of the tour of the Temple of Luxor. We could see it from the balcony of our hotel room and could walk around it for free. It was dark and it was beautifully illuminated. That evening, after dinner, we had an ice cream along the Nile and strolled the markets which were quite alive.
24 Oct
Today we toured the western side of the Nile...the Valley of Kings, the Valley of Queens and the Temple of Hatchepsu (sp?). The Valley of Kings contained 63 tombs. We toured 3. All of the artifacts were removed and are in the Egyptian Museum but the hiergliphics were amazing. All color reliefs predominately predicting scenes on how to combat the evil spirits they would encounter on the way to the afterlife. The area around the tombs was less spectacular. Just rugged desert...and it was extremely hot. The Valley of the Queens was quite similar but not on the same scale as the Valley of the Kings. The Temple of Hatchepsu (sp?) was the highlight of the day. It was a 3 story temple build into the side of the cliff. All of these monuments were within 10 km of each other. The present town in the area is currently being relocated for historical reasons...there is so much in the area. Egypt is really promoting historical tourism so the town must go. That evening we transfered from Luxor to Hurghada via mini-bus. They really take tourist safety seriously (there was a bombing killing tourists in 1997). We went in a 50-70 bus caravan with tourist police escourts....they have a separate division of the police dedicated to tourists. It was not a good ride. The mini-bus was small, the driver didn't speak English and was not familar with Hurghada. Finally we made it to our hotel and our tour operator was waiting. He checked us in and we scheduled a scuba trip.
25 Oct
After breakfast at the hotel, we headed off for our Scuba trip. We drove down the coast to Black Shark Diving. It was part of a mega resort. As we learned, Hurghada is a major Russian and eastern European resort. There is about 30 km of resorts lining the coast. Lots and lots of construction...a lot of money from Russian if you catch my drift. The boat was very nice, if a bit old. We got out to the first dive spot by about 10 AM. There were some other boats there, but the water was like nothing I had seen before. The color and clarity was amazing. You could see the bottom from the boat...about 60 ft of water. Underwater, it was much like an aquarium. The fish were bright and the coral colorful...the great visiblity obviously helped. After lunch we did a second dive and headed back to shore watching kite surfers practice (major wind/kite surfing area). It was probably the best diving I would ever experience. That night we ate at a small resturant and had a couple of Egyptian beers.
26 Oct
Today was an all day travel day. We had a 6 hour bus from Hurghada to Cairo. Then it was night flight from Cairo to Bangkok. The drive along the Red Sea up to Cairo was quite scenic...better than expected. The water was so blue and the hilly desert landscape was a great contrast. Once in Cairo, we went back to the Zamerick neighborhood. A coffee shop attendant recommended a resturant around the corner so we went in for dinner. It had great interior and the food was the best we had had in Egypt. After that we relaxed in a nearby coffee shop and read the international version of the NY Times. The cab to the airport was actually crazier than the one into the city...hard to believe. He drove the same way, but could not speak English. We had to use a translate to negotiate the price initially and use had signals to get to the correct terminal. After we got to the airport, it was smooth sailing.
27 Oct
We arrived in Bangkok. It was a brand new airport and quite impressive. After getting information at the TAT office (Thailand Authority for Tourism), we took the bus downtown. It was about a 1.5 hour bus ride. We got off at Khao San Road. It is the backpacker’s area of the city. It was full of cheap hotels (though clean), street food, and knockoff clothes. We spent the rest of the day exploring the area, eating dinner (pad thai on the street for about 50 cents), and having a few drinks. It was nice to get to Bangkok. It was much cleaner than Africa and not as much hassle.
28 Oct
Today we headed downtown to start to book our travels in SE Asia. We took a cab to (what we thought) was a TAT office. As we found out later, it was a travel agent calling themselves TAT. We used representative to book transportation and lodging throughout Thailand for approx. the next 15 days. It was under budget, so we took the package. After that we went to a tailor to get suits made. We went to Golden Wool, a reputable tailor…not one that advertised $90 suits. I got one suit, Tamara 2, and Conor 3. We selected fabrics and got measured. The fabrics were quite nice. Armani label fabric was the low end. I went upstairs and checked out the working conditions. They were a little rough by US standards. Lots of people working in a close area and no AC. We took the river ferry back to the Khao San area and had a relaxing area. The ferry went by multiple temples along the river.
29 Oct
We hit the tourist spots in full force today. First we went to the Grand Palace/Emerald Budda. It was really ornate with lots of gold and vibrant colors. After that we went to the Reclining Budda. The last Wat (temple) of the day was across the river. That was enough Wat’s. They are quite amazing, but I did not know enough to fully appreciate them. Next stop was Chinatown for lunch. I had some mushroom soup on the street. It was quite good. In the evening, we attended Muy Thai (thai kick boxing). It was pretty exciting. We walked through the red light district on the way back to the hotel. It was quite sad.
30 Oct
Before we got on the night train to Chang Mai, we attended our suit fitting. Mine fit quite well. We had lunch, shopped and picked up our train tickets. It was a slow day. In the evening we got on our train. We were in a 2nd class sleeper car. They served dinner. It was quite comfortable. It was the best train so far.
31 Oct
When we woke up, we were just outside of Chang Mai. It was a country landscape and quite green. Very different from he modern Bangkok. Upon arrival, we checked into our hostel. We walked into town and found a northern Thai/Burmese restaurant. It was good and different. A different flavor set than thai food in the west and even in Bangkok. We explored the town and the Wat’s for the rest of the day. The highlight was a Wat on the top of a local hill/mountain. We took a truck up to it and then climbed over 300 steps. It was very ornate and had great views of the city and surrounding valley. I used the internet and for the first (but definitely not the last) used the internet side by side monks. I was uneducated on monks, but many are teenagers there for a few years of schooling and use technology like everyone else. Chang Mai is a nice city surrounded by a moat. After dinner, Conor and I got massages ($8 USN per hour).
01 Nov
Today we started out “trek” to the hill tribes. We drove out to a national park and picked up supplies. We also registered with the authorities. First on the trek was an elephant ride. We went in pairs on the back of an elephant through the local jungle. It was a short 45 min. ride highlighted with a section in a river. I am not certain the elephants were treated perfectly, but it was a unique experience. After lunch, we started hiking. After about 2 hours we got to a waterfall and went for a swim. An hour later we got to the village we were going to spend the night. The village was wooded houses on stilts on a hill. Livestock and dogs were in the dirt streets. The town was not that large, but there was a school. It seemed the school taught subjects and other skills. Each student had his/her cup and toothbrush on hooks on the wall. We slept on blankets on the floor of a house for tourists…a little touristy and not as much interaction with the people as I expected, but still an insight into life. Not as poor as rural Africa, but still not the best.
02 Nov
After breakfast we walked down off the hill for 3 hours. We then took a truck to a location to take a bamboo raft down a creek. After poling down the creek for an hour, we headed back to Chang Mai on a truck. Once in Chang Mai, we checked on our transportation north to the Laos border. It was not correct and had us arriving a day later in Laos than planned. We contacted the travel agent and got it set up for a private driver to take us up north that night. We got a quick dinner at a nice restaurant in town (very upscale, but still less than $10 USD per person) and then boarded a four door lowered truck. The driver was very fast…almost scary. We ran over a mattress at one point and he didn’t notice that he dragged it for miles. All in all, we made it safe and sound to Chang Kong.
03 Nov
Today was the entry into Laos. We crossed the Mekong to Laos, went through customs and then by noon we were on the “slow boat” heading into central Laos. The slow boat was a flat bottom boat (the river is quite shallow in some places) with wooden bench seats. The seats sat 2 people and were as close together as school bus seats. Not the most comfortable. Once underway, a breeze came through the boat and it took on a party like atmosphere. It was a good mix of people: 50 yr. old runners, hippies and various travelers from around the world. With $1 USD 640 mL beers flowing freely and a 6 hour boat ride in cramped seats ahead of us, everyone started moving around and socializing. It was a lot of fun. In the late afternoon we arrived at the half way point and stopped for the night. We got a $6 USD hotel room (split 3 ways!) and had some dinner (equally cheap). We learned Laos has few rules…the waiters sell everything from food to opium and are not afraid to offer. We didn’t partake in the later. We had dinner with 2 girls from NYC that sat behind us on the boat. The power went out at 9 PM, so we went to bed.
04 Nov
The second day on the slow boat was not as festive as the first, but still a lot of fun. The scenery is quite pretty on the Mekong and we were traveling through areas not seen to often by tourists. We got to Luang Prabang, our final destination, in the early evening as the sun was setting over the mountains. It was beautiful. We checked into a hotel for the next 3 nights. It had all the western amenities and fairly inexpensive. That night we went out to eat and walked the town.
05 Nov
One of the biggest tourist attractions in Luang Prabang is the “saffron procession.” In the early morning, all of the monks from the temples do a loop through the town and are given food for the day from the people. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO site because it has the highest concentration of Buddhist temples in SE Asia and thought to be the best preserved French colonial city in SE Asia too. Tamara and I got up at 5:30, but the procession was not until 6:30. We did get to see the sunrise and the procession. The procession was neat. About 300 monks of all ages quickly walk the loop and take offerings. Later that day we got spa treatments…3 hours for about $10-12 USD. The town was very pretty. The mixture of temples and French builds was great. Food was of extremely high quality and cheap. Lao food is really good (a mix of thai and Vietnamese) and so is the French. That night, we went to a festival at a temple, had dinner along the Mekong and went to bed.
06 Nov
We got up early to see the monks and to go for a run. Afterwards, Tamara and I went to a cooking school. Jamie Oliver (naked chef) had attended previously. It was a great class. First we went to the market. You could by anything from vegetables, to meat, to rice. All the crazy items were there too: dog head, fried chicken feet, fried insects, and jelled buffalo blood. We then cooked 6 dishes. All were quite good. We bought the cookbook. After school, we went to the royal palace. Before communism, Luang Prabang was a royal city. The palace was amazing. In the evening, we went to the night market. They had lots of clothes and souvenir type items. We were full from the cooking class, so we had a drink with some people from the slow boat (a nice part of the slow boat is you arrive in the town with a whole group of friends).
07 Nov
I got up to watch the monks in the morning. I had talked to a monk the night before and I talked to him that morning. He didn’t speak much English (but he was trying to learn) and I asked questions about their daily life and ages of the monks. In our short conversation I learned they only eat twice a day, they aren’t monks for life (most just for a year or two of religious schooling), and are as young as 12. Plus, the kids are only monks in training and not full monks even though they where the robe, have the shaved head and don’t wear shoes. It may sound ignorant, but I didn’t know. In the afternoon, we flew out of Luang Prabang and went to Krabi in southern Thailand. Laos was much better than expected. Once we arrived in Krabi, the hostel/hotel was not exactly what we thought we had booked. We got a kayak tour for the next day and looked at moving to an island the day after.
08 Nov
The kayaking around the mangrove swamps and limestone spires was fun and beautiful. Lots of small lagoons to explore and even some monkeys to play with. After the kayaking, we went to a fresh water swimming hole. In the evening, we went out to dinner, looked at the town’s shops and packed in preparation for the next day’s transit to Ko Phi Phi.
09 Nov
We got a ride to the ferry that would take us from Ao Nang to Ko Phi Phi via Ralway. The ferry was out in the harbor, so we took a long tail boat out to it. Once onboard, I sat on the sundeck and took in the scenery (and got some rays!) It was very pretty going past the islands and just looking out at the clear blue waters. We arrived in Ko Phi Phi in the early afternoon. It was completely destroyed by the tsunami in 2004 but was almost 100% rebuilt and was nice. I called the travel agent to get them to change the hotel (we hadn’t told them of our transfer to the island). After some haggling, we got a place far superior to the one in Krabi, not far off the beach. It had AC and everything. Conor and I then set up 2 dives for the next day with a company recommended by a former employee I had met during the cooking school in Laos. After hitting the beach and waiting out a thunderstorm, we went out to eat at the Green Papaya restaurant (also recommended by the former dive instructor). It was cheap and amazing. I got so much food (and it was so spicy) I had to get a second order of rice.
10 Nov
Conor and I went Scuba diving today. We went to two spots. They were essentially wall dives. The visibility was good, but not amazing. The corals were very colorful. After the dive we hit the beach. Later we met the dive guide for dinner at Green Papaya. Later we got some beers and watched some fire dancing at a bar on the waterfront. It was quite good.
11 Nov
We woke up early and chartered a long tail boat to Ko Phi Phi Ley. It is the smaller of the two islands that compose Ko Phi Phi. It is where the movie “the beach” was filmed. It is an undeveloped national park and the beaches are really nice, but get really full of tourists. That is why we went early…just after sunrise and no people. We then went to a blue lagoon in another location on the island. No people, it was nice. That afternoon, we went to the beach and hit a beachside bar. Dinner was again at Green Papaya (it was that good!).
12 Nov
After the beach in the AM, we took the ferry back to Krabi. We stayed at the same place we stayed when we were in Krabi the last time. We got dinner and did some shopping. When we got back, we received our bus itinerary. After that, the travel agent in Bangkok called and told us he required money for the changes. We knew they had ripped us off and had our tickets, so I played hard ball. In the end, we didn’t pay anything for the amendments to our trip.
13 Nov
We got up early and headed to Singapore via Malaysia. We took a van to a town near the border and then got on a coach bus. It had more room than any bus I had even been on. Other than the border crossings we all slept a good deal. The bus was faster than advertised and instead of getting to Singapore in the morning of the 14th, we arrived at about 2 AM. So we went to the hotel we had reservations at for the next day and checked in a night early.
14 Nov
All of us had been to Singapore before and there weren’t a whole lot of things were we looking to do. We did some walking around and shopping. That night we went to the Swissotel for a drink, and Raffles for a sling, and then got some seafood at a large restaurant area just outside of downtown. We had chili crab and black pepper shrimp.
15 Nov
Another day in Singapore. More of the same. That night we flew out for Cairns.
16 Nov
By the time we got to Cairns, it was early afternoon and we were tired from the flight. We got a hotel, set up Scuba diving, and went to dinner. Cairns is expensive…its only reason for popularity is its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. For dinner I had an Australian sampler, alligator, kangaroo, emu, and barundi.
17 Nov
Today, I went for a day of Scuba Diving, Conor went on a live aboard, and Tamara went snorkeling. My dives were on the Great Barrier Reef and were good. I saw a couple of turtles and a reef shark. The sea was rough on the way back to shore. I met a guy from PA who was living in Seattle. Tamara and I met him for drinks after we had dinner. We also met some Australians and they showed us a few bars.
18 Nov
Conor was still on the live aboard Scuba dive boat, so Tamara and I rented a car and drove up the coast to Cape Tribulation. The drive was very pretty along the coast and the beaches were wild and empty. On the way back we went to a park and took a hike.
19 Nov
We still had the car and with Conor back we toured the Atherton tablelands. The highlights were the waterfalls and a cheese factory. There was a loop of 3 waterfalls. One of which we swam under. At the cheese factory we had a great lunch and sampled some cheeses. That night we had dinner and went to bed early.
20 Nov
We flew from Cairns to Sydney. Once in Sydney we took the bus to Bondi Beach to look for a hostel. It was packed, but we found a place to stay across the street from the beach. The location was great. That night we went downtown and met up with a guy and his cousin that Conor had met on the flight. We went to the Trafalgar Brewery. It was good.
21 Nov
We went for a run along the beach that morning. They have a trail that follows the beach that goes south from Bondi past other great beaches. The best looking beach was Tamarama. That afternoon, we hit the beach. The weather and waves were good, so I rented a surfboard (9 ft.). I was rusty, but it was fun getting a few waves. Bondi Beach was a great city beach. Much cleaner than the SD and LA beaches I have been to.
22 Nov
After another morning run, we took the bus downtown to hit the tourist spots. We took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. Then we went to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We finished the day going on a cross harbor ferry. After all of that we headed back to Bondi for dinner. They had happy hour specials (cheap pizzas and $10 steaks) to make the beach side dining more affordable.
23 Nov
We had to get up early to get the bus to the airport for our AM flight to New Zealand. We go into Christchurch in the early afternoon and rented a car. Quickly we were on the road driving north in the south island to the Marlbourgh wine region. For dinner we stopped in Kaikora, a whale watching town. The drive along the coast was spectacular. We found a hostel in Renwick in the heart of the wine region. It was a great hostel, mature and a discount for bike rentals. It was a great place.
24 Nov
It was a gorgeous day, so we rented some bikes. Luckily the hostel had 30 wineries within a 10 km radius…and most didn’t have a tasting fee. The scenery was spectacular. Riding bikes through the vineyards while taking in some mountain views. One place had beer tasting too. The wind kicked up later in the day that inhibited some of the riding, but it was still a good day. We bought 5 bottles of wine. After stopping by a local pub for some grub we went back and had one of the bottles on the hostel’s deck.
25 Nov
We got up early and drove to Abel Tasman National Park. We found a kayak/hiking tour. We entered the park and did a 10 km hike in the morning and were met on the beach with kayaks to kayak back to the park’s parking lot. The weather was good and so was the guide. I even went for a swim in the Tasman Sea…it was a little colder than it looked. We saw lots of birds and great scenery. The trail was extremely we maintained. The NP was worth the early morning drive. We stayed down south in Nelson at a very family oriented hostel.
26 Nov
After a run, we went down to a pub to watch the first half of an All Blacks (national rugby team…and said to be the best in the world) game. They were playing Ireland in Ireland. I had a huge breakfast, fitting for a rugby game. Then we drove down to Christchurch. It was a little dreary, so we got some food and relaxed at the hostel.
27 Nov
I got up early and took the GMAT. Conor and Tamara went for a run and toured the botanical garden. After the test, I went to the botanical garden too. It was an amazing city park complete with canal and rose garden. I may have been the best free botanical park I have ever been to (not that I have been to too many). After we drove over Auther’s Pass. At the top of the pass it was snowing pretty hard and starting to stick to the road, but we made it over to the west coast. Then we went down the coast to Franz Joseph. While in the grocery store, I ran into a friend and his wife from the Stennis, Andrew Jackson. We went out to eat and swapped some stories.
28 Nov
When we got up in the morning the weather was poor and the tours to walk on the glaciers were booked. It was raining and cold, so we did the 30 min. walks to the glacier faces of Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers. You don’t see a glacier everyday, so it was worth the trip. We drove towards Queenstown and on the way we stopped along the road to take some pictures of the scenery. Once over the mountains, the rain stopped and the weather was good in Queenstown.
29 Nov
In the morning, we got up and went for a run along the lake. When we got back, we booked out trip to Milford Sound. Then it started to rain. It rained all day. Conor went to the movies and Tamara and I read. Andrew got to Queenstown, so we met up for dinner and then went to an ice bar. Everything was made of ice: the bar, the seats, and glasses. They outfitted you in a winter coat and gloves. It was a neat experience. We then went to another bar with a fireplace to warm up.
30 Nov
The weather still was rainy. Conor went for a bungy jump and Tamara and I got coffee and breakfast. At noon we headed to Milford Sound. The drive was nice and we had to stay on the move to get to our cruise. We had an overnight cruise in the fjords. When we got there the weather cleared up, which was lucky because we had all of the waterfalls in full flow into the fjord and the sun. It was a great cruise. We had a good dinner and we went kayaking. It is a small fjord, so you see everything in the evening.
01 Dec
In the morning, we had breakfast and cruised the sound a second time. By noon we were off the boat. We drove a little and took a hike. The hike was pretty. It was in a rainforest (cold) setting. Initially the trail was quite good, but then deteriorated after 1.5 hours of hiking. We turned back. We drove back to Queenstown and found a place to stay.
02 Dec
First thing in the morning, we went for a run and then set up some activities. Tamara organized paragliding and we all got a canyoning trip for the next day. Her “flight” was for 11, but they forgot to pick her up, so you went at noon. I went for two hikes. The second hike I did with Tamara and was to the top of a hill/mountain that over looked the town. We took the gondola back down and had some dinner.
03 Dec
Canyoning was one, if not the best, activity of the trip. In the morning, we took a drive to Wanaka, a town north of Queenstown. Here we met our guide. We got our wetsuits and harnesses on site and hiked up to enter the canyon. It was a narrow canyon and the water was at the max. level for the trip. We practiced some absailing on land and then hopped into the river. We started with a 20m absail (rappel) beside a waterfall. Then we absailed down waterfalls, jumped off cliffs (one was 12m), and slid down the canyon’s stream. It was so much fun. The guide said we were 2 or 4 people this year to do the 12m jump off the waterfall, so we did every jump the guides do…some were pretty intense. Once we got done, we had lunch and then went back to Queenstown.
04 Dec
We started to head up to Christchurch via Mt. Cook. We got lucky with the weather and had unobstructed views of the mountain. It really stood out. As did the glacier lake at the entrance to the park. Once there, we went for a hike to a glacier at the mountain’s base. Round trip, it took about 3 hours. Then we continued on towards Christchurch. We stayed just outside the city in a quiet little town.
05 Dec
Once again we headed up the coast to the town of Picton. It is where you get the ferry to the north island. It was a 4 hour drive in the rain. Not the best. Once we got to Picton we checked into a hostel and walked around the town. Not much going on at all. We had Indian food and went to bed early…we had the first ferry in the AM.
06 Dec
The ferry was at 5:45 AM, so we were up by 5 AM to return our car and get our tickets. The rental company allowed us to drop the car off at the ferry and get a new one on the north island so we wouldn’t have to pay for the car fee. Once in Wellington (the city on the north island where the ferry lands), we got a hostel downtown. We then did the walking tour which included the national museum. Wellington is the capital city, so it has a lot of parks and museums and it is quite nice. The museum was great and the parks were pretty. It was a nice little city.
07 Dec
We got up early and drove to National Park (name of the town) to meet Andrew to do the Tongariro Crossing, a 17 km hike through a volcanic area. The hike went up to an old caldera. We stopped there and decided to climb a cinder cone that looked impressive. It was an extremely difficult hike. We slide backwards almost as often as we made forward progress. Once on the top, we saw a steam vent and had great views. We slide down some snow and then made our way down…with a few slips along the way. We kept moving because we were behind schedule for our ride (Andrew’s wife). We still took time to take in the scenery. That night, we had dinner and drinks with Andrew and Nicole at the local pub.
08 Dec
In the morning we drove north through the geothermal areas to Rotarua. We stopped at a park that had mud pots and lots of multicolored steaming pools. When we got to Rotarua, we checked in to our hostel and proceeded to the hot springs for a soak. They were pools filled by hot water springs in the area. After the soak, we went out to eat.
09 Dec
We drove to Waitomo Caves for a cave tour. Tamara did a walk through a cave, and Conor and I did an adventure tour. The tour included a zipline in the cave, a 30m absail, and going through an underwater river (walking and tubing). The main attraction was the glow worms. The lined the ceiling of the cave and looked like stars in the darkness. After the caving, we had some soup and had a bottle of the wine we had purchased when we arrived in NZ.
10 Dec
The next day was a travel day. We drove up north to Whangrai, a town north of Auckland. The coast north of Auckland was quite nice. We booked a dive for the next day and got a hostel and a bite to eat.
11 Dec
Conor and I went diving at Poor Knights Islands off the coast. They are special because a tropical current from Australia hits them (the water is still pretty cold) so there are tropical fish in cold water. There were a bunch of fish and kelp and some caves to explore. We did two dives. After the diving we went back and met Tamara and drove into Auckland.
12 Dec
We spent the day in Auckland. It is a nice city. I did a walking tour and took a ferry to a neighboring town. In the evening, I went out to eat some of the green lipped mussels NZ is famous for. I did lots and lots of walking….downtown, and all the surrounding neighborhoods.
13 Dec/12 Dec
We dropped the car off after breakfast and headed to the airport. It was dreary day, so a good day to fly to Tahiti. We got to Tahiti after dark and found a hostel near the airport. During the flight we crossed the international date line, so we gained a day.
13 Dec
We took the ferry from the island of Tahiti to the island of Moorea (30 min. ferry). It was a gorgeous island surrounded by a coral reef and lagoon with vertical mountains in the center. We stayed on the southwest side of the island just off the water (but no beach there) in a bungalow. It was in a garden setting and had a kitchenette. Tahiti is not cheap, so everything was expensive compared to the US. We got some groceries for dinner and rented some bikes. We biked to a beach and swam in the lagoon and worked on our tans. We then rode back and cooked dinner.
14 Dec
Conor and I went Scuba diving just outside the lagoon. The reef was nice. There were lots of sharks. Mostly black tip sharks, but some lemon sharks as well. They don’t go after people…which is good because they liked to check us out. Sometimes you could see 10 sharks at a time. It was neat. The views of the island from the water were great. The water in the lagoon was so clear. Almost as clear as the Red Sea. Quite spectacular. After the diving, we went back to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was another cooked meal back at our bungalow.
15 Dec
We rented a car and drove around the island. We started by going to a viewpoint over looking the ocean and the mountains. Then we saw some ruins from Polynesian cultures of the past. Next we went to a juice factory. Lunch and the afternoon was spent on the beach by the airport. It was a public beach and quite nice. For dinner, we went out to a restaurant along the water and watched the sunset.
16 Dec
Our last day. We went to the beach in the morning for the last time. We turned the car in and headed back to Tahiti. We spent the day in Papeete walking around. At 10 PM we got on the plane and headed back to the US
17 Dec
We landed at JFK NYC at 3 PM and were picked up by our families.
