Notre Sabbatique

Of course you know, this means war-m!

2011-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Enough cold. We're on our way to Costa Rica. Kari found an adventure travel package and so off we go to white water raft, climb a volcano, zip-line back down, and paddle the waves. With a little pool and beach time tossed in for good measure. No turkey, but a damn fine way to spend Thanksgiving.

Zermatt

2011-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

The word "Switzerland" brings several things to mind: time-keeping, banking, fondue, Matterhorn. The first two define the the psyche, the second pair the heart. With that in mind, we left the former to embrace the latter.

Entrance to the town of Zermatt is by train is provided a privately owned rail company. Eurail passes do not apply. (Note to self: buy ticket before boarding.) Luckily, the conductor was understanding and we did not have to pay a penalty. The sun was out and the ride up the hill was beautiful.

I booked us at the Hotel Backstage based on the recommendation of... (I can't remember--additional note to self: take better notes). It's a work in progress. Our room was stylistically modern, with accents in teak and metal. The hotel service was impeccable, the location ideal, the breakfasts expansive, and the view of the Matterhorn..., virtually non-existent. That was not the hotel's fault: you cannot really see the mountain from "downtown" Zermatt.

So be it. We sucked up the luxury and hit the town, such as it is. The town of Zermatt is to Sun Valley pretty much whatever the hamlet at the base of Sun Valley Resort is to Sun Valley. Don't know the name of that town, but at least Zermatt is known for itself. Definitely not Whistler, which is a good thing.

On the first night we rented skates and did our best Torvil and Dean impression around the public open-air skating rink. It was a lesson in ankle strength and humility to turn meager circles around the little rugrats who grew up on snow tools. Maybe we'll join the local curling group next time. They had beer and flat shoes.

The next morning we opted for sledge-redux. Our taste of the local sport at our last stop whetted our appetites for further two-railed adventures. The Gonergrat Bahn is one of several ways up the mountains from Zermatt, and offers regular stops at the bottom and top of of the sledging run. Sledging in Switzerland is nothing like a happy winter sled ride in America. They take it seriously here. The sledge run is 2km long, with turns to rival a downhill ski run. I finally got the hang of the track and sledge when I started to think of it as a Formula 1 course: you have to set up for you next corner at least two corners prior. I was on a wild machine at the mercy of only gravity, steered only by leaning and boot-dragging. I crashed a lot, always eager to get back up on the deck and hurtle downward again. Kari had the sense of the thing from the beginning. I usually started first, but she was always waiting for me at the bottom, I covered with snow from crashing, she with the glow of successful completion; together we trudged back to the train for the ride to the top. Bruised in sensitive places, I cannot wait to ride again.

And oh by the way, the view of the Matterhorn from the top of the Gonergrat in unequaled. You look across the valley directly at the mountain. It is the best view of the Matterhorn as the Matterhorn. Although the Matterhorn is not the highest peak even in the region, it stands out strikingly, and from the top of the Gonergrat Bahn you will not find a more stunning vantage.

The next day I took to the slopes for some of the local skiing. They hadn't had snow in a couple of weeks, so the conditions weren't ideal. Unless you count the perfectly blue skies and abundant sun. February is the high season in Switzerland for ski vacations, and the gondolas were full. But once you got on the slopes it was not too bad. The skiing here (and anywhere in the Alps, I'm sure) must be crazy good when there has been recent snowfall. The skiing was limited to the groomers, especially on my shorties. Anything off the groomed runs was crunchy on top, very soft under. I made do. Bummer having to ski in the sun, with no (and I mean no) wind at altitude. Maybe next time it will be fogged in and howling. Like 7th Heaven seemingly every time I've been there.

I met Kari for lunch at the top of the Klein Matterhorn, where you can almost touch the mountain. I took a long run down the Italian side to Cervinia, then back up to the top and back home to Zermatt. Over 4k vertical meters in two runs. Not bad for a guy on 99cm skiboards.

Somewhere in there we sat down to some real Käsefondue at the Cafe du Pont in Zermatt. (The link is hosed, so look it up when you get to Zermatt. It is just past the marmot fountain in the old town.) The döner kebab 25m away is a good alternative if the cafe is full.

Off to the banana belt next: Locarno. No more Schweizerdeutsch, finally Italian, a language I can at least fake.

Mürren

2011-02-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

Mürren is the perfect little Swiss mountain town, from Zurich it is: 3 trains, one cable car, one more train. It is a destination without the overwhelming resort crush to it.

We spent the first afternoon wandering around the town; one lap took about an hour. The clouds had lifted and the views were spectacular. The little Coop grocery across from out hotel supplied dinner. I was most impressed: the prices here in the middle of nowhere were the were the same as in the big city.

Friday morning was perfectly clear and sunny. We rode the cable car to the summit of the Schilthorn (famous for its part in the Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). Kari found a spot in the sun on the terrace at Birg, one stop down from the top, and I spent the day skiing in the shadow of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. There hadn't been snow in several weeks so the slopes were a bit icy. But I have never skied in a more spectacular setting. I think I spent as long gawking and taking pictures as I did skiing. This place would be as perfect as anywhere with about 10cm fresh snow. Then a sunny day.

We spent Saturday morning trying sledging (sledding to us 'Mericans), which is almost as popular as skiing around here. By the second run we kind of had it down, No steering on the sledges we had so it was pure drag turning. By the time we figured it out the Saturday crowd had invaded the slopes, and sharing the bob-run with beginner skiers and bundled rugrats became too much. We parked the sledges and hiked down to Gimmelwald, and even smaller hamlet where I'd spend a night on our world tour in 2009. The Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald is a great place to base for summer hikes.

On Sunday Kari was kind enough to let me spend the whole day skiing. She hiked down along the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren railway. I beat myself senseless on the slopes.

Zürich

2011-02-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

We took the tram into Zürich from the airport. Not the fastest way, but it gave us a chance to watch the change from the modern outskirts, through the suburbs, into the heart of the city. Out hotel, the Hotel Bristol, was a five minute walk from Zürich HB, the central train station. The hotel is extremely convenient to the old town and central shopping district, and is very clean, and inexpensive by Zürich standards.

We spent Tuesday evening on a stroll around the old town, just getting our bearings. The weather was cool but not cold: zero degrees Celsius. It felt great after 16+ hours in planes and airports. At there were no disagreements over dinner: we dove into the first döner kebab shop we saw, and it was like we'd never left. I like a good gyro as much as the next guy, but doners bring back memories of travel and far-off places.

After a tasty breakfast we got down to serious touristing. For as old as Zürich is, it doesn't have the same ancient feeling of other European cities. The city has done an exceptional job of keeping itself clean and traditional while becoming the center of banking and technology on the continent. I also experienced first-hand something which cemented its place as the richest city in the world: a dirty Bentley. And not just dusty, but rather that "it's dirty from driving around in the snow all winter, I'll just wash it in the spring" dirty. Kinda of how mine will look.

We started our tour by riding the Polybahn funicular up the hill to the lookout in front of the Zürich Technical Academy. The sun had started to burn off the fog, and it gave us a perspective of our day's route.

We wandered down to the Central Library and Prediger Kirche to start. The library is a 19th century building which as been completely modernized inside. But still has card catalogs: haven't seen those for years. Hooray for old school. We continued on the the Rathaus and Rathaus Platz. The guard stopped my excursion to the upper floors, so we were limited to the lobby.

Just south is Zürich's oldest and largest church, the Grossmünster Kirke. We made the climb up the tower and we rewarded with amazing views of the city and the lake. A stroll through the Bürkli Platz along the lake took us to the shopping district. Rodeo Drive has nothing on Banhhofstrasse and surrounds.

We had lunch at the Restaurant Zeughauskeller, local bankers and tourists alike partaking of Swiss fare. After lunch we found the Watch and Clock museum, which is in the underground floor of a watch shop. The museum is very small but has a neat collection of timepieces. The watch shop, however, was also impressive: I probably can't afford anything where they server the customers Champagne while they peruse the wares.

We jumped on the No 11 tram and took it out to the Tram Museum. It was an interesting collection of old tram cars, housed in a former service depot. The Zürich card included both transit and entry to the museum. Seattle should do something similar, if it doesn't already. Many of the cities we visited had a similar package: museums, transit, and discounts.

Back in the old town, we found the Toy Museum and a bratwurst stand for dinner. Day one in the bag. Off to Mürren and the mountains in the morning.

Morning of departure: hurry to the train station...split up to get tix and food. I go to the Coop for travel snacks; and on the way back to the station I see the final nail in the 'MOVE TO EUROPE NOW, TIM" coffin: some dude walking to the Zurich train station in SKI BOOTS, carrying his skis Not carrying his boots, walking in them, kinda like walking from the parking lot to the lift. In down-effing-town Zurich. This is good.

Back on the road again: Seattle to Zürich

2011-02-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been almost a year since we returned from our World Tour. The wanderlust was getting pretty bad. I have been to Switzerland several times, including our last swing through Europe, but Kari never has. Some leftover airline miles gave us the perfect opportunity to fill that gap: a couple of tickets in the Affaires cabin, courtesy of Air France, and away we go.

The flight from Seattle to Paris was very comfortable and smooth (and fairly empty). Transit through security upon arrival was bizarrely fast: no paperwork, no grilling at passport control, no long customs queues, nothing. Under a minute in line, a quick stamp, and "Welcome to France". (An unspoken welcome, but I knew she was thinking it.)

Both the landings in Paris and in Zürich were through very low cloud cover, so even though we arrived in daylight we didn't get to glimpse either city coming in. The Zürich airport is fairly compact which meant the bags were quick to arrive. And for the first time in my life, my bag was the first off the plane! I hope that won't be the highlight of the trip.

More as we move along.

Our Trip in Print

2010-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Just for fun, I published a couple of books about our trip. Blurb's preview is not all that great, but check them out online if you're interested.

Notre Sabbatique by Tim + Kari Dreyling | Make Your Own Book

The Flora Collection by Kari Dreyling | Make Your Own Book

Fun of Getting Lost

2010-04-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've moved my musings on hiking, orienteering, urban scrambling, and the general enjoyment of getting lost to a new blog. http://funofgettinglost.blogspot.com/

Daily WTF Recognition

2010-02-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

We have been readers of the Daily WTF for a while so during the first phase of our trip, we decided to send Alex some souvenirs and see if we made it on the site. Sure enough, he posted a photo of our trinkets and even sent us some great stickers in return.

--
Kari Dreyling
http://notresabbatique.blogspot.com

Adjusting to Life at Home

2010-02-22T11:51:00.001-08:00

We have been home for a couple of weeks now and it is taking some adjusting to get used to life in a single place. The hardest part has been trying to get back to a semi-normal schedule without any external reasons to do so. We have a lot to do around the house, but without jobs, it is difficult to create a daily routine. The job search is going slower than I'd hoped, but I'm optimistic that things will pick up over the next month. Until then, we are keeping ourselves busy around the house and networking as much as possible.

We're Home

2010-02-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

We made it home and now get to dig through a year's worth of mail and look for jobs.

Plain of Jars, Phonsavan

2010-02-01T06:47:00.001-08:00

We read awful things about the bus trip from Hanoi to Phonsavan, Laos, so we went ahead and booked a flight from Hanoi to Vientiane and then caught the once daily flight to Phonsavan. It turned out that the flight had been cancelled the previous few days due to weather so we felt lucky to arrive when we did. With only a few weeks left in our trip, it was worth it to fly.

Phonsavan, Laos, is completely different from anywhere we have visited in SE Asia so far. The city is a 9,022 ft ( 2,750 m ) so the afternoons are warm, but it got quite chilly in the evenings. We stayed at the Vansana Plain of Jars hotel and had a real log fire most nights to take the chill out of the room. Phonsavan is still somewhat unknown so there are not that many tourists. The city is growing and there are a lot more hotels going up, but the infrastructure for tourism is still visibly in progress. The Plain of Jars is on track to become a World Heritage Site in 2012 so I would expect tourism to pick up a bit as awareness of the region increases.

The main attraction in Phonsavan is the Plain of Jars. No one quite knows why these giant, sandstone jars were created or how they ended up where they did, but they are a beautiful mystery to ponder. Many of the existing jars were damaged or destroyed during the Vietnam War and only a handful of the 400+ sites are accessible due to unexploded ordinance (UXO) danger. It was a bitter sweet experience looking across a beautiful landscape of mountains and valleys covered in rice paddies, pine trees, and cluster of jars, that were also scarred by bomb craters and trench lines. UXO Laos or the Mines Advisory Group offices are great places to learn about the ongoing impact of the wars in Laos. In addition to clearing UXO, these groups provide education to villagers regarding the dangers that exist as well as job training and treatment for victims of mines and other hazards.

The Lao people are some of the friendliest we have met in SE Asia. This is definitely an area we would like to come back to for some trekking or possibly even a motorcycle tour.

Where you from? How long you stay?

2010-01-21T22:41:00.001-08:00

Everywhere you go, people ask you "What's your name?", "Where you from?", "How long you stay?", often in rapid fire. One tourist must have finally gotten fed up with the repetitive questions as he had a T-shirt made providing the answers.

The Vietnamese are also great salespeople. You will never hear someone ask you how they can help you or if you are looking for something in particular. Even before you get to a store, you are greeted with, "Hello, come here please." If you are already within browsing distance, it's "You buy something." Vietnamese women may be small, but they can be quite intimidating when they command you to buy something.

Another one of our favorite sayings is "same same, but different." We got this a lot when ordering shoes or asking about product comparisons.

Me: I want the boot to look just like this one you have in the window.

Cobbler: OK, no problem. I make same same, but different.

Me: Huh, what do you mean different? Different how?

Cobbler: No, no, same same...but different.

Me: Uh, OK.

You can pick up a "same same" T-shirt pretty much anywhere and look for restaurants advertising as "same same, but better."

Welcome to Hoi An - Meet your new wardrobe

2010-01-21T22:25:00.001-08:00

We went to Hoi An with the intent of purchasing a couple of suits and maybe a pair of slacks or two. Several suits, tons of slacks, jeans, jackets, a couple of winter coats, and 10 pairs of shoes later, we ended up having to buy two suitcases in addition to shipping a decent sized box just to get everything home. When youcan get a pair of jeans custom made to fit for $20, it's hard not to go overboard.

Nhan from 52 Clothes, pulled us into the fabric market shortly after we arrived and we ended up ordering a few suits, some shirts, and some jeans that day. Each day after, we did not leave a fitting without adding to our order. We actually ended up extending our stay by two days just to get a few more things made and Nhan took us out to dinner our last night to say thank you.

When getting clothes or shoes made, do keep in mind that you are getting a great deal for very quick service so the quality of every item is not going to be the same as a high end store at home. Be prepared to try things on at least twice to get a good fit and do not be afraid to tell them what you want tweaked. For the most part, Nhan and her staff had our clothes pretty much dialed in after the second fitting. Overall we are quite happy with what we got and just have to get it all home.

Second Indochina War

2010-01-15T16:28:00.001-08:00

Our visit to Ho Chi:Min City, or Saigon as they still call it in South Vietnam, provided quite a different perspective on the Vietnam War than we get in school in America. Most Vietnamese refer to the war as the American War or the Second Indochina War, not the Vietnam War. Getting your head around the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( communist ) as the good guys, and the Republic of Vietnam ( allied with the Americans ) as the bad guys takes a while.

We visited Reunification Palace, previously named Independence Palace, and were able to see meeting rooms, dining areas, living quarters, and bunkers used by the Democratic government before the North Vietnamese Army took over the palace to end the war on April 30.1975, or Liberation Day. It was strange reading captions on photos and descriptions of the war and realizing that when they talked about the allies or the enemy, you had to first determine the regime making the statement before you knew if the Americans were good or bad in that context. The photos of the North Vietnamese Army crashing through the gates and the American troops being evacuated were pretty amazing.

The War Remnants Museum was basically a memorial of the atrocities that Americans committed against the Vietnamese during the war. The display on the effects of napalm and Agent Orange on the general population was particularly gruesome. While no one asked where I was from, I had a general sense of unease touring the exhibits as if I would be held guilty by association for being an American.

For a demonstration on the ingenuity of the Vietnamese people, a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels is worth the long battle with traffic. The people who built, lived in, and fought from these tunnels are considered heroes of the war. They were able to live below ground without detection for long periods of time and build traps and weapons with materials either found in the forest or recycled from unexploded ordinances dropped by the Americans. The propaganda film you watch at the beginning of the tour is extremely negative towards Americans, but the organization that runs the tunnels is thinking of toning it down a bit as the focus is now on friendship with the West.

The opinion of Americans in South and Central Vietnam, especially in the younger generations, has been positive so far. We have been told that some of the older generations in the North may not be friendly towards Americans because their memories of the war are still fresh, but for the most part, the Vietnamese have been very friendly and eager to sell you something no matter where you come from. We've decided that if it becomes obvious Americans are not welcome, we'll be Canadian for the day.

Viva la Mexico

2010-01-11T16:22:00.001-08:00

As I have said before, throughout our travels the one thing I have really missed is Mexican food. Now, in the place I least expected it, I am surrounded by Spanish and Mexican options. I heard you could get anything you wanted in Saigon and now I believe it.

Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

2010-01-08T20:55:00.001-08:00

We had two options for traveling overland from Siem Reap to Phnom
Penh: bus or boat. They both take about five and a half hours so we
figured we would splurge and take the speedboat. Inside is very
cramped so you are better off sitting on the roof of the cabin if it
is a nice day. The views of the villages along the river are
different from what you would see from the road. I would take the bus
if I had it to do over again as it is much more comfortable and about
a third of the price. Do not even think of taking the boat on a rainy
day as you do not want to be cooped up inside.

--
Kari Dreyling
http://notresabbatique.blogspot.com

Getting to Siem Reap

2010-01-08T20:40:00.001-08:00

The adventure to Siem Reap from Bangkok began with a five hour bus
ride to Aranyaprathet. The bus was air conditioned and not too
crowded so the trip was fairly comfortable. We got off the bus and
had to walk to the border to clear Thai cuastoms. This is one of the
busier border crossings so the lines were quite long.

After officially leaving Thailand, we followed the crowd of other
confused looking tourists to Cambodia immigration. i was surprised at
how little signage or direction there was between the two checkpoints.
If you do get lost or just tired of fighting the crowds you can
always go to the casino between the borders.

Anoyher long line and we were finally officially accepted into
Cambodia. It took about two hours to walk through both checkpoints.

We knew we had a taxi waiting for us from the hotel so we resolutely
ignored all of the touts fighting for our attention. Little did we
know, in all of the confusion we walked right past our driver so he
was now at the trasnportation depot. A quick phone call and some help
from the local tour agent sorted things out and we climbed aboard the
free shuttle with everyone else and their luggage and caught up with
our driver.

After another two and a half hour taxi ride, we finally reached our
hotel. It was a long day, but I think we did it with only a small
amount of confusion.

I highly recommended the Khmer Inn Angkor as a base for visiting
Angkor Wat. The owners are very friendly and can arrange everything
for you.

--
Kari Dreyling
http://notresabbatique.blogspot.com

Floating Market

2010-01-08T20:13:00.001-08:00

We took a tour to the floating market outside Bangkok the Monday
before we left. It took an hour and a half to get there so we only
had about an hour to spend at the market itself. Hiring a boat to
paddle you around the market came highly recommend, but we soon found
out that if you were not buying, your trip was not all that
interesting. I say give the floating market a miss and go to the
regular weekend market instead.

--
Kari Dreyling
http://notresabbatique.blogspot.com

Elephant Rides

2010-01-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

We woke up at the crack of dawn this morning for our tour to the bridge over the river Kwai. The bridge is a two to three hour drive from Bangkok depending on traffic. On the way we stopped in Kanchanaburi for a visit to the Allied War Cemetery where British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war are buried who died while working on the railway. The bridge itself is somewhat rickety, but pedestrians and tourist trains still cross regularly. After the bridge, we boarded a traditional bamboo raft for a short trip down Khwae Noi to the elephant farm. Kari got to play mahout and ride on the elephant's shoulders. Lunch was provided at a local restaurant before we boarded the Iron Horse for a hot and dusty trip along a section of the original Death Railway. Another long, but air conditioned ride back to Bangkok rounded out the day. A great opportunity for a nap after all the excitement.

Travel Planning for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos

2009-12-30T05:35:00.001-08:00

We spent happy hour by the pool attempting to plan out the rest of our travel through Cambodia, Vietnam and Loas. Airfare can be pretty expensive so we are going to try to fly only when it makes more sense in terms of time and go overland the rest of the time. Right now it looks like we are going to take a bus, tuk tuk, and taxi to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap to visit Anghor Wat. From there it looks like a bus to Phnom Penh and then another bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. Trains look pretty regular throughout Vietnam so that looks like the way to make our way from Ho Chi Mihn City to Hanoi. Then off to the Plain of Jars in Laos via plane to Vientiane and then a long bus ride to Luang Prabang. Most likely we will take a train back to Bangkok from Vientiane and then fly on to Hong Kong for our last stop before heading home. We have quite an adventure ahead of us.

Merry Christmas from Singapore

2009-12-24T17:53:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone from Singapore. We stayed up late last night to usher in Christmas on Orchard street and are planning to spend a relaxing day at the zoo today. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Love and kisses to all of our family and warm wishes to all our friends.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Singapore in Style for Christmas

2009-12-23T18:29:00.001-08:00

Tim surprised me in Singapore by having a car waiting for us at the airport and booking a room at the St. Regis hotel for our stay through Christmas. After having coffee brought to us by our butler this morning for breakfast in bed, I'm thinking I could get used to this kind of pampering. We are just off Orchard Road and the lights and shopping bustle are amazing. There is a countdown to Christmas tonight and tomorrow, the entire street will be closed to traffic for a Christmas celebration.

We hope to get to the Singapore Zoo and spend some time on the beach at Sentosa over the next couple of days. A ferry trip across to Malaysia is also on the itinerary. Of course, there is lots of shopping and exploring the different neighborhoods as well as ample opportunities to eat ourselves silly. There is so much to see and do here I am glad we have six days to explore.

Farewell New Zealand

2009-12-14T22:15:00.001-08:00

We partied in style at the Proclaimers / B52's concert at the Villa Marie Estate winery over the weekend. The weather was beautiful and the bands were amazing. Not a bad way to wrap up this leg if you discount the massive hangover the next day ( New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc goes down way too easily ). Today was spent packing up and paring down to lighten up the load as much as possible since we will be carrying everything on our backs from here on out. Tomorrow is a day of shopping, shipping stuff home, and sightseeing in Auckland and then we are off to Melbourne for four days before heading to SE Asia for the final leg of our year long sabbatical. Hard to believe the year is almost up, but there is plenty to see and do in the next couple of months.

World Famous

2009-12-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

Mangonui Fish Shop - great fish, chips and seafood overlooking the harbor

Thank You Torqil and Marianne

2009-12-05T17:17:00.001-08:00

Thank you for letting us stay at your place and taking care of us for the last three days. If you head up to Vancouver pop by Seattle and let us repay the favor. Best of luck getting settled in Vanuatu.

Successful Crossing

2009-11-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that with all of the warnings about proper clothing and conditioning required for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, I was expecting a climb unrivaled by anything we've done so far this trip. We started out in light mist, but by the time we reached the summit, the sun had come out and the weather was beautiful. The wind was a bit strong at times and it was a good idea to stay a bit away from the edge, but all in all, I think this was one of the easier hikes we've done on our trip. Our day hikes are generally 5-6 hours in duration with some good steeps mixed in and we came in at 6 hours for Tongariro. After the three peaks in Scotland we were expecting the descent to be just as challenging as the ascent, but were pleasantly surprised to find it nicely graded with amazing views the entire way down. Overall it turned out to be a spectacular day. This is a highly recommended hike, just be prepared for crowds and some bottlenecks towards the top.

Tongariro Crossing

2009-11-27T18:14:00.001-08:00

We knew that we were going to have to pay for the 47 days of sunshine we had in Australia, but enough is enough. We have managed to have some very fine days with warm temperatures and sunshine, but so far New Zealand weather has been predominantly windy, somewhat soggy, and downright cold at times.

t seemed that everywhere we went on the South Island we were half a day ahead of the next storm and it was always windy. Heading North seemed like a reasonable thing to do as moving towards the equator is typically a good thing. Now we are getting reports of it being 35 C and fine in Otago while we're sitting in a Backpacker in Whakapapa with 10 C and rain. Go figure.

We came to Whakapapa to do the Tongariro Crossing which is supposed to be a pretty fantastic day walk in good weather. Luckily on our drive in yesterday, the sun was out so we were able to get some good pictures of Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe ( recently portrayed as Mount Doom ) with the Rangipo desert in the foreground. The forecast for tomorrow is for decreasing rain turning to fair in the afternoon so we've signed up for the shuttle and are going to give the crossing a go. Lets hope the clouds clear out so we have a chance of a view at the top.

Finding Books Abroad

2009-11-27T17:54:00.001-08:00

Tim and I are both avid readers so while packing for our trip, we struggled with how many books to take with us to keep us occupied and were not sure how to replenish that supply while abroad. It has been surprising how easy it has been to pick up new books while traveling for little or no cost.

In Europe, most of the hostels had a free book exchange and we could usually find one or two English language crime mysteries in non-English speaking countries. In the UK, caravan parks typically had a book exchange available for a donation to the gardening fund or would accept trades. The visitor centers in Australia were a great place to exchange books and often had a surprisingly decent range of titles available. There was even a small library available at our place in Vanuatu.

While we did stock up a couple of times when we came across good sales at local book stores, our primary source of books has been book exchanges were we've stayed. The selection has sometimes left something to be desired, but we have yet to run out of reading material.

Happy Thanksgiving from New Zealand

2009-11-26T16:06:00.001-08:00

Moving on Up

2009-11-20T11:01:00.001-08:00

We're making the jump from the South Island to the North Island on the 1:15 ferry today. We are currently in Nelson and have about a two hour drive ahead of us. Given our past history with ferries on this trip, we're going to give ourselves a lot of extra time to get there and get checked in. Three hours on the trip up gives us time to plan our strategy for the North Island.

The Rain Sets In

2009-11-15T11:59:00.001-08:00

We have asked ourselves several times over the last week why we had a campervan in Australia when it was hot and now have a tent when it is cold and soggy. So far the best explaination we have come up with is 8 months of travelling has left us a bit nutty. The rain finally settled in yesterday afternoon and has not let up. It is one of those cruddy Seattle rains where it is more like a wall of heavy mist that soaks everything it touches. Oh well, we are off in search of some thermal springs in Lewis Pass and hope the weather lifts by the time we get to the other side.

Diary of a Popsicle

2009-11-09T11:58:00.001-08:00

"November, you'll be getting into Spring and warmer weather," they said. "Sure, that time of year you should have no trouble tent camping," they said. Oh, and by the way, it was the coldest October on record since 1945 and November is not shaping up to be too much warmer. It's been pretty much freezing at night in the tent and the wind has made it a bit more adventurous than I'd like, but we're hanging in there. When the sun comes out during the day, you really appreciate the warmth.

We've been heading down the East side of the South Island and are now in Invercargill for a couple of days to do laundry and catch up on email before heading into the Fjordlands. The scenery has been spectacular so far and we are looking forward to some of the walks on the West coast. Since we're heading North, I'm hoping it will warm up a bit over the next few weeks. If not, there's always Singapore.

World Famous

2009-11-04T21:03:00.001-08:00

Here are some spots the guidebook has called out as world famous that we have personally checked out.

*Hororata Hotel - great pies
*Legends in Pleasant Point - custard squares to die for

We Must Be Nuts

2009-11-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

We finally got our great big tent and have started our camping adventure through New Zealand. It's currently 52 degrees outside with a wind that cuts right through you, but the stars are out and the day was absolutely beautiful. We got out of Christchurch late so we headed out to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula and drove along the rim of the crater that makes up the beautiful bays. Tomorrow we're heading inland for a visit to Mt. Hutt and the Rakaia Gorge before heading to a DoC site in Peel Forest to set up camp once again.

On Kiwi Soil

2009-10-31T13:58:00.001-07:00

We made it to Christchurch and after the warm temperatures of Vanuatu, I'm freezing. We're heading out to kit up for camping and I'm now convinced that we are crazy. At least we're in the right place to get all things woolen.

Onward

2009-10-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that it has been a month already, but it's time for us to move on from Vanuatu. All the nice weather we had in Australia caught up to us, but at least it was warm while it was raining and cloudy. Four weeks turned out to be a bit long to stay in one place, but it gave us some time to wind down and get ready to travel again.

A huge thanks to Matt and Patricia for their hospitality during out stay. We met some great people while we were here and look forward to keeping in touch. Can any of the Aussies recommend a place to stay in Melbourne?

One final day by the pool even if it isn't sunny, then a day in Port Villa before we're off to explore New Zealand.

Proof

2009-10-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

Tim and Kari doing handstands on a chair.

It was dark in the circus tent and the photos were taken with Tim's phone so they're crappy, but you can still tell it's us.

Millennium Caves

2009-10-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

We embarked on the Millennium Cave tour without a real understanding of what the tour entailed except we would be visiting a dark cave after a walk in the woods and would definitely be getting wet. People who had taken the tour prior us always came back looking exhausted so we knew we were in for a long day.

The trip started in the back of a ute ( pickup truck ) for an hour or so ride along a very potholed road deep in the jungle. We received warm smiles and waves from the locals we passed along the way. Our guide met us at the first village and took us on a trail through the jungle to a second village where we picked up torches, another guide, and got a quick briefing of the intended route. Then it was off through the jungle for an hour and twenty minute walk to the caves.

Along the walk, the guide gave us a crash course on local plants found along the side of the trail. We were introduced to wild ginger ( not edible ), pin/pine tree ( smells like cucumber ), wild kava ( not used for drinking ), red and white taro, some tree that smells like Mentholatum and is good for wounds, and several species of vine and low growing plants. He also told us some of the 101 uses for various sizes of bamboo: frame their homes, cook rice, make a type of BBQ, build bridges, etc. It definitely made me look at the jungle a little more carefully as we walked along.

When we got close to the caves, we stopped for traditional face painting to protect us from the spirits in the cave. The various symbols represented nature around the caves such as bats, waterfalls, and the river. Next it was man the torches and head into the water for a trip through the caves. Inside the caves was very dark and we walked through water that was anywhere from shin deep to chest deep on me. The bottom was covered with slippery rocks and made keeping your footing quite difficult. Close toed shoes are highly recommended, preferably something with a sticky sole like approach shoes or hybrid Tevas with a toe cap. My hiking shoes were just too slippery for me and I turned my ankle numerous times along the way. After about half an hour, we emerged from the cave and sat on the shore for our much needed lunch.

After lunch we were issued inflatable floating rings, the kind little kids use when they are splashing around the pool, and started out for the river portion of the tour. We had to climb over, under and around some fairly large boulders to get to a point where we could enter the river. Once on the river, the only challenge was staying on top of the little ring. ( Here's a short video I found on YouTube. )

I wish we could have floated all the way back to Luganville, but instead we reluctantly climbed out of the river and up several stages of steep rock to our short hike back to the second village. A short stop for coffee and collect our bags then it was off in the rain for the hike back to the first village and the ute. All in all it was a challenging but fun adventure and nothing like we've done so far this trip.

Photo Update

2009-10-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

We just linked some photo albums from the end of our Australia trip, but have not been able to take many pictures in Vanuatu so far. Our nifty waterproof camera proved to be not so waterproof and stopped working within a couple of days of our arrival. A replacement is somewhere in customs in Vanuatu and will hopefully get to us before we leave.

Joining the Circus

2009-10-13T20:41:00.001-07:00

One of the unique features of the place we are staying in Vanuatu is the owners are associated with a circus in Western Australia. Matt runs a clinic each Saturday for the local children teaching them juggling, unicycle, tumbling and other circus related activities. Tuesday nights it is the adults turn to see if we can still touch our toes, walk on our hands, and fulfill the fantasy of running off to join the circus. Tim and I had a blast and were surprised at the tricks we were able to perform. From handstands on a kitchen chair to human pyramids that looked impossible, we managed to pull it off. We're both a bit sore the day after, but looking forward to next Tuesday to see what new tricks we can learn.

Photos to prove it coming soon.

Dive Vanuatu

2009-10-11T22:09:00.001-07:00

Tim and I have achieved our Open Water Dive Certification and are ready to add Deep Dive and Wreck Dive specialties over the next couple of weeks. We've been diving with Santo Island Dive and Fishing and have been having a blast. Vanuatu is a great place to learn to dive as the coral is amazing and there are so many different types of dives to available.

To get our open water certification we completed four dives over two days at Aore Reef where the beach entry made things really easy on us while we were getting used to all the gear. The reef itself was small, but there were a lot of fish and the coral was varied and colorful. Mal runs a great shop and Alfred and Henry were awesome instructors in the water.

Since we're here and have caught the diving bug, we've decided to go ahead and get deep and wreck diving specialties added onto our basic certification. Over the next couple of weeks we get to dive the Coolidge, Million Dollar Point, and some great island reefs. They are all dives we want to do anyway so tacking on the certs at the same time is an added bonus.

Not a bad way to spend four weeks in paradise.

Not your usual beach weather

2009-10-10T13:24:00.001-07:00

Our first week in Vanuatu has brought some interesting weather. In addition to the expected hot, humid and sunny, we've had a tsunami scare, more earthquakes than I've felt in my lifetime, and now two days of rain. Not your usual beach weather. At least we had a sunny day for day one of our SSI dive certification course. Hopefully it will clear up by tomorrow for day two so we can have good visibility and maybe get to dive the Coolidge.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2009-10-07T15:51:00.001-07:00

We had a medium sized earthquake roll through this morning, but the bay is stable and there are no tsunami warnings associated with the quake so it's back to relaxing in paradise.

UPDATE: Not too long after this post we had two additional earthquakes and had to evacuate the resort to higher ground. CNN has some good coverage of the incident. Everyone got out safely and we took a dump truck up to a local farm to await the all clear. Turns out the resulting waves were only 50 cm high so no real threat and we're all back and ready for a swim in the pool.

Made it to Vanuatu

2009-10-03T02:03:00.001-07:00

We made it to our home for the next month in Vanuatu. While getting around for basic necessities is a little more difficult than we anticipated, we're settling in and have a lot to explore.

Surviving Australia

2009-09-25T23:51:00.001-07:00

We are heading into our last week in Australia before heading off for a month in Vanuatu and wanted to get down some tips that we've learned along the way.

If touring by car, rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle - There have been numerous places that we've wanted to explore, but couldn't because the roads were only accessible by 4-wheel drive or it was just not practical to take the campervan into the area. There are all terrain tent trailers that you can easily tow behind a Land Cruiser and get into almost any place we've come across so far. Long drive days are also a lot more comfortable than in a campervan.
Buy the Camps5 guide book - We have averaged around AUD 27 per night in caravan parks and could have saved a lot of money had we known about this book earlier on in our trip. It's a very good investment considering it maps out free and low cost places to park yourself for a night.
Australia is bigger than you think - Once you get inland a little bit, it is fairly easy to drive for two or three hours without seeing a farmhouse let alone a town or bathroom. Be realistic when planning your trips and bite off a lot less than you think you can chew. Trust us, you'll be a lot less cranky getting to the pool early than having to drive for two more hours in the dust and heat.
Australia can be hot - It can be hot and humid on the coast and hot and dry inland. It's the tail end of winter, just beginning spring and we're encountering temperatures in the mid-30's C. Be prepared for both dryness and humidity, wear a hat, use sunscreen, and keep water handy. Public toilets here are top notch and almost always stocked with paper so there's no reason not to stay hydrated.
Beware School Holidays - Find out when school holidays are in the state you're visiting and avoid the coast and destination places during this time. These places often book up months in advance and you don't want to pull in just to find out that you can't find a place to stay.

While there are things we'll do differently when we come back, it's been a great trip and we're looking forward to the next leg of our journey.

Dust Storm

2009-09-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

We are currently about 500-600 km NorthWest of Brisbane right now heading South on our way to Emerald and are seeing evidence of a freak dust storm that has been working its way North from Sydney. So far it's just been a dusty drive with visibility around 700m so it has not affected us too much, just a bit eerie.

Hiking in the Bush

2009-09-22T01:35:00.001-07:00

Having driven from Sydney to Cape Tribulation along the coastal route, we have not really had a chance to experience the outback until we got to Undara National Park. The campground itself is a combination of dusty bush, kitschy pioneer relics, quirky tour guides, and modern amenities. There are several bush walks that start from the campground and they're serious about having walkers sign in and out as the conditions are true to what you would expect in the outback. This time of year it's hot and dry with no water to be found and it's easy to over exert yourself or become disoriented if you are not paying attention.

We chose to tackle the Rosella Plains trail which winds 12 km through the bush along gravel trails, over boulders, and past several panoramic view points. We loaded up on the water, applied plenty of sunscreen, and headed out by 9:30 to miss most of the heat of the day. The guide recommends allowing 6 hours to complete the circuit, but we managed to come in at 4 hours and 15 minutes. The trail was fairly easy going and the promise of a cold swim at the end kept us moving. We caught site of a couple of wallaroos and some black cockatoos, but most critters were a lot smarter than us and stayed tucked away in the shade somewhere. The scenery got a bit monotonous after kilometer 8 or so, but all in all it was a walk well worth the effort.

Points North

2009-09-22T01:15:00.001-07:00

The original plan was to make the drive up to Cooktown before heading back South to Brisbane, but we only made it as far as Cape Tribulation. The drive from Port Douglas to Cape Trib was only a couple of hours with a short, cable ferry ride along the way and the drive to Cooktown required 4-wheel drive or a 258 km trek with a fair amount of backtracking. With the weather up North turning quite hot and humid along the coast, we just weren't up for the drive. The plan is to eventually come back and rent a 4-wheel drive and an outback tent and explore the rest of Australia so we'll hit it then.

A good thing to come out of our change of plans was we were able to hit Mareeba Coffee Works on our way back down. Self service coffee, tea, chocolate, and coffee liquor tasting, what else is there to say. Pair that with a collection of coffee and tea paraphranelia and you've got and interesting side trip that will keep you jittering all the way to your next stop.

Australia -- It's Just Like Texas

2009-09-22T00:57:00.001-07:00

Everything is huge - the birds, the animals, the bugs, the roadside attractions, the country in general.
They have the strangest animals - platypus, kangaroo, cassowary ( Texas has the armadillo )
They're darned proud of themselves and not afraid to tell you.
They love to talk and are always ready to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.
They talk funny - we can understand four out of five words if we're really paying attention.
It's 87 different kinds of hot with and without humidity.

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-09-22T00:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Kari's Mom

Going Deep

2009-09-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

Intro dive lessons and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was the agenda for today. We took a tour ran by Calypso and while everything in Australia seems to be exceedingly expensive, it was a great day out on the boat and the reef was spectacular. The tour lasted about 8 1/2 hours ( slightly longer than usual due to mechanical issues with one of the boats engines ) and the weatherman served up a nice clear day with decent visibility under the water. Tim took a couple of dives with the intro to scuba set and I viewed the fish from snorkel depth. We've been trying to snorkel or even just swim in the ocean since 1770 and this was definitely the way to break the dry spell.

Campervan vs Tent Camping through New Zealand

2009-09-09T00:38:00.001-07:00

Our original plan was to rent a campervan a little larger than the one we have now in Australia for our tour across New Zealand, but are beginning to rethink that strategy. We've come across quite a lot of places in Australia that are only 4-wheel drive accessible or only allow tents overnight, especially in the National Forests. Since quite a bit of the South island is National Park land, we're concerned we may miss a lot of opportunities in a campervan.

We need advice from anyone who has traveled through New Zealand either by caravan/campervan or by tent on what you think the better approach will be. We'd especially love to hear from the Kiwi's we've met along the way so far. Thanks in advance!

Searching for the Beach

2009-09-06T16:38:00.001-07:00

We headed north into Queensland expecting to find some great snorkeling beaches along the northern coast near the Great Barrier Reef, but have been disappointed so far. Since our surfing weekend in 1770, we've pretty much struck out with sandy beaches. The reef is a lot further off the coast than we expected so it looks like we'll have to pony up for a charter to get our snorkeling fix. We have a recommendation for Calypso tours out of Port Douglas so will give that a try. For now, we're spending a couple of days by the pool in Bowen just relaxing. Soon it will be time to head inland for our trip back down to Brisbane and a lot more bushwalking ( we hope ).

Surf School 2 - Dreylings 0

2009-08-31T00:38:00.000-07:00

We had our first surfing lesson this morning and came away from it with one split lip, one bum toe, and a greater appreciation of how hard it is to actually surf. Tim at least got his feet on the board a few times, but I didn't even come close. Maybe boogie boarding is more my speed.

Ah the life...

2009-08-30T01:00:00.001-07:00

After days of searching for a campground that had "beach front" sites actually on the beach, we've hit gold in the town of 1770. Sitting in front of the camper drinking Bundys and Ginger Beer watching the sunset thinking about surf lessons in the morning. Doesn't get much better than this.

The Big Pineapple

2009-08-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

We've been pushing pretty hard to get North of Brisbane so we have more time along the Great Barrier Reef and in some of the inland national parks. As a result, about the most touristy thing we've done since leaving Sydney is sit on the beach in the afternoon. Yesterday that all changed with The Big Pineapple. Once you get past the giant fiberglass pineapple in front, it is actually quite a neat place to visit. They have working pineapple and macadamia nut plantations which you can tour on the small gauge railway and Nutmobile respectively. The same guy leads both tours and keeps the cheese factor low and pack in the facts. There is also a small wild animal farm on the grounds where you can feed all manner of animals from sheep and goats to alpaca and one lonely donkey. At the koala talk, I even got to pet the koala -- but don't try it in the wild, they bite and scratch and can become very mean. The original plan was to head to the Australia Zoo, but at $54 each, the admission was a bit steep for a couple of travelers on a budget. The Big Pineapple turned out to be a much better alternative.

On to the Coral
Coast where we plan on sampling the local Bundaberg run and getting surf lessons at Agnes Waters.

Meeting Australia's Wildlife

2009-08-24T00:54:00.001-07:00

We've come across a lot more wildlife during the first week of our trip than I expected. For birds, we've seen brush turkeys, magpies, kookaburra ( which I swear sound like screeching monkeys ), lorikeets, tons of cockatoos, and have heard many more that we couldn't see. Local fauna has been bandicoots ( cute! ), kangaroos ( in the caravan park no less ), brush tailed possum, a river dragon, and river skinks. I'm excited to see what else we'll come across as we continue north.

Bush Walking in Sydney

2009-08-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

Back in Sydney for the Wallabies/All Blacks Bledisloe Cup/Tri-Nations match (Australia 18 New Zealand 19), we were stuck for a place to park the campervan, and still have decent access to the stadium. We struck it spot on with the Lane Cove River Tourist Park. It is situated in the Lane Cove National Park, fifteen minutes from the Sydney CBD. And being right in the near suburbs, there was a bus to the ANZ Stadium (Sydney Olympic Park) that stopped right out side. Two birds with one park.

We had a great little 10k bush walk around the Lane Cove River--it started out as a quick look-see and turned into a three hour affair. It is an easy trip through varied terrain and woodlands. The local fauna (at least around the caravan park) is a little on the tame side. The park offers an "Animals of the Night" tour, and it is as likely to have the critters find you as it is to have to look too hard for them. By day the birds are abundant: not obnoxious, just around.

Take a day and explore, especially if you won't be able to get out of the city into the Blue Mountains.

Caving and Wine Tasting in Australia

2009-08-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few caves in the Blue Mountain area with Jenolan
Caves being the favorite for tourist by far. We decided to pass on a
guided tour at Jenolan in favor of exploring the Borenore caves on our
own. Located about 15 km outside Orange, NSW, the Borenore caves are
a small system that you can explore on your own as long as you have
sturdy shoes and a strong torch. The picnic area makes it a nice
place to spend an afternoon. Be on the lookout for kookaburra birds
which to us sounded like monkeys in the zoo.

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Orange is also in wine
country. At the caravan park, you can pick up a long list of local
vineyards in the area and Alan, the manager, is happy to give you the
low down on where to go for tastings. We walked into town to the
Union Bank for a sampling of the Belgravia wines. The guys at Union
Bank were very knowledgeable and more than happy to let us sample
everything they had out. The Chardonnay was surprisingly good and the
wines were consistent across the board. Well worth a stop if you find
yourself in Orange.

Bushwalking through the Blue Mountains

2009-08-20T17:15:00.001-07:00

Our first night in the campervan was a chilly one at the Katoomba
Caravan Park in the Blue Mountains just West of Sydney. The park is
across the street from some great bushwalks around Katoomba Falls and
Echo Point lookout. The walks were amazing and unlike anything we
have back home. Echo Point lookout was a big dumping point for the
tour buses, but still worth the walk if you start from the Katoomba
Falls area.

Scenic World is right around the corner from the caravan park with a
cable car and railway down tot he valley as well as a skyway with a
great view of Katoomba Falls. We walked down to the valley where you
can see where the old coal mines were and then took the railway back
up to the top. At a 52 degree slope, I was not too happy, but Tim
loved the ride. The AUD 10 per person was well worth it to not have
to hike back up the steep slope to the top.

Our second bushwalk in the Blue Mountains was a loop to Wentworth
Falls. The walk started at the Conservation Hut just down the road
from the Wentworth Falls picnic area and looped out to the falls along
the cliffs via the Overcliff/Undercliff trails with some amazing
viewpoints along the way. After walking across the top of the falls,
go down a very steep, very long set of stairs tied into the side of
the cliff, then return via the National Pass trail. The return trail
was cut into the side of the cliff about halfway up from the valley
floor and you can get up close and personal with claystone and
sandstone overhangs and rock formations. After crossing another set
of falls at the other end of the loop the path heads steeply up back
to he Conservation Hut. I'd rate this walk in the top 5 of hikes I've
done so far. The unseasonably warm winter weather we've had so far
definitely has not hurt.

Three Days in Sydney

2009-08-16T01:02:00.001-07:00

Our journey to Sydney started at 4 AM in Papara, Tahiti. We thought
we'd have the road to ourselves starting that early, but it turns out
that is actually rush hour and it took us forever to drive to the
airport. We stood in line for around 45 minutes before we were told we
were actually in the wrong line for international flight checkin. By
that time, our flight was boarding but, being French Polynesia, it was
not a problem and we made it through security and to the gate just in
time to hop aboard.

The flight to Auckland was uneventful -- my favorite kind of flight.
A quick layover in the Quantas lounge and we hopped another plane to
Sydney. Total flight time was around 9 hours, but the trip seemed a
lot longer as we started at 4 AM local time in Tahiti on the 13th and
got to the hotel around 3 PM local time in Sydney on the 14th. I was
so tired that adjusting to the new time zone was not really a problem.

We're staying at the Sheraton in Sydney in the middle of the Central
Business District and it turns out to be a great location for being a
tourist. We're within a couple of blocks of two main train stations
and within walking distance to several parks, interesting
neighborhoods, and the Opera House. Would definitely recommend the
Sheraton for a nice stay in the city.

Our first full day we ran up to Chatswood to pick up a new pair of
hiking shoes for Tim and then wandered around the neighborhood near
the hotel. In the evening we took in an Aussie Rules Football game at
ANZ stadium. The Geelong Cats beat the Sydney Swans 92 to 87 which
was a much closer game than we were expecting given the team's
standings It was strange, but really fun.

Day 2 was an unseasonable 25C day ( especially considering it is still
winter here ) so we took the ferry up to Manly Beach and did some
shopping along the corso. Back in Sydney, we walked from the Opera
House back to our hotel via the Botanical Gardens, Art Gallery of New
South Wales, St Mary's Cathedral, and Hyde Park. We relaxed a bit
with our books in Hyde Park before heading upstairs for canapes and
wine in the executive lounge.

Tomorrow we get to run some errands in the morning before picking up
the caravan and heading to the Blue Mountains. We're going to spend
about a week looping through the mountains just West of Sydney before
heading back in to catch a Rugby Union game next Saturday. It's the
New Zealand All Blacks vs the Australia Wallabies so we're going to
splurge and get tickets. My rugby coach in high school was a former
All Black so I'm looking forward to the game.

After that we head North along the coast making it up as we go.

Maupiti: Stop That Train I Want To Get Off

2009-08-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

OK, I think we found paradise. I almost don't want to talk about how perfect this place is. I don't want to jinx it. We stayed at Maupiti Residence on the southwest side of the main island. Not much more I can ask for in a tropical island.

OK, one other thing: cash. There is no bank, no ATM, no way to get cash (at least that we could figure out). And no one takes plastic. But that's it. The baguettes are the same price (51 PF), the Hinano is the same price (219 PF), the people are just as nice.

I like it. I want to go back. Forever.

Huahine

2009-08-06T13:06:00.001-07:00

Huahine is made up of Huahine Nui ( the large island ) and Huahine Iti
( the small island ) joined by the July bridge. While cruise ships do
anchor in Fare, we found the tourist effect to be quite minimal.

We stayed at Randee's Shack pension just outside the main town of Fare
on Huahine Nui. Randy is from Santa Cruz, California, and has two
fares ( bungalows ) tucked back down a dirt road with access to a
lagoon from the property. He has bikes available for riding into town
for groceries or a bite to eat, but if you want to explore further, we
advise renting a proper bike with gears or a scooter. Some sort of
transportation is a must if you want to tour the islands as the sites
are too spread out to walk. The pension also has a BBQ, hammocks,
surfboard, and an outrigger canoe for guests to use. You will not get
lonely as there are plenty of chickens wandering around to keep you
company and Tiger Boy ( the pension dog ) is more than happy to hang
out with you. There are plenty of mosquitoes so be sure to use
repellent and burn the provided mosquito coils if you want to hang out
on the patio. Overall, it was a great place to hang out for a few
weeks.

The sights of Huahine are varied from the marae along the coast near
Maeva to the beautiful coastline along Huahine Iti. Don't miss sunset
dinner at the Fare snack shack along the waterfront. It was
expensive, but the food was excellent and the view amazing. Chez
Guynette ( club bed ) is another good place for lunch or a few beers
in the afternoon. We stayed close to home and relaxed mostly, but
there are a few companies on the island that offer snorkel or island
tours. Check at your hotel for what is available. We had the Moon
guide to Tahiti and her islands and found most of the information on
Huahine to be vague or out of date. Hours and offerings change at the
whim of the locals so it's always a good idea to check ahead before
heading out.

Moorea

2009-08-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

Most people visiting Moorea stay near Cook's or Opunohu Bay within
easy access to the Belvedere viewpoint and the higher end lodgings.
We stayed a little off the beaten track from tourist areas at Pension
Aute on the opposite side of the island. The pension has several
bungalows both on the lagoon and in the gardens. They also have
kayaks available for paddling around.

Patrice and Elodie are amazing hosts and the bungalow we stayed in was
right on the beach. We were able to watch the waves while eating
breakfast or dinner on our porch. Elodie brought gifts of fresh
pineapple, pineapple cake, banana cake, and poison cru on a regular
basis. Patrice cut open some fresh coconuts so we could enjoy the
coconut water. If we were ever in need of anything, they were happy
to help. We were very happy we decided to stay here instead of near
the tourist center.

We highly recommend renting a scooter or at least a good bicycle while
on Moorea. The stores and towns are fairly spread out so walking is
not always a viable option. If nothing else, it will make getting
groceries a lot easier. We rented a scooter for 24 hours and were
able to explore the island at a leisurely pace. It was a great place
to start the Polynesian leg of our travels.

HUH to MAU via BOB (or Lunch in Bora Bora)

2009-08-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

We are on our way from Huahine to Maupiti, via Bora Bora. We took the water taxi into Viatape and had a tasty lunch of Mahi Mahi and Chicken Curry + Tahiti Punch. Life is good.

Extending Your Stay in French Polynesia

2009-07-29T14:01:00.001-07:00

US citizens can travel around French Polynesia for 30 days without
obtaining a travel visa. For more than 30 days you need to obtain a
visa *before* arriving. Since we planned on staying in French
Polynesia for 35 days total, we knew we would need to do something
about our visa situation so we contacted the tourism board here and
they said no problem, just show up, get your 30 day stamp, then extend
your visa while you're here. When we got to customs on arrival we
discovered that is not the way they do it any more. Luckily we had
the instructions in writing so they let us into the country with a 30
day stamp. If your plans change and you decide to extend your stay,
you can still obtain a visa extension once you are here.

Today, we got to visit our local Gendarme in Huahini and go through
the process for getting a visa extension. While not a difficult
process, you do have a couple of hoops to jump through and speaking
French would help. If you need to extend your stay for some reason,
be sure to have your passport and a hard copy of your ticket out of
French Polynesia. First, go to the post office and purchase a "fiscal
stamp" ( 3000 CFP ) - it takes two seconds and they know exactly what
to give you. Take your passport, proof of leaving the country, and
stamp to the local Gendarme and tell them you need to extend your
visa. They will look at your documents and get you the appropriate
information stamped on your passport.

Everyone was very nice and we were sorted out without too much
trouble. We were even granted an extension a couple of days past our
expected departure just in case something goes wrong. As long as you
have all your documents square, it is a fairly painless process.

WiFi and Paradise

2009-07-29T13:45:00.001-07:00

It has been very interesting keeping up with the outside world while
in paradise. The cell network in French Polynesia does not support
data so we have been reliant on public wifi networks and internet
kiosks while exploring the islands. While this is not necessarily a
bad thing, it has made researching hotels and making onward plans
somewhat difficult.

If you do plan on exploring French Poynesia and need an internet
connection, prepare to fork over some dough. Wifi is very expensive
here and some islands do not even have a network available. We will
be completely offline in Maupiti next week. There are also a couple
of different networks that will require separate credentials so be
sure to check what is available where you are going before purchasing
a card with too many hours. Your best bet is to stay somewhere that
offers wifi or a kiosk in the common areas.

The upside to relying on the public networks is connecting on the
beach with a cold drink in hand or being forced to unplug completely.
It's a good thing to check out, enjoy the sun, and just live in the
moment now and then.

A day in the Life

2009-07-15T18:32:00.001-07:00

We are enjoying the dead of winter here in French Polynesia. It has been in the low 80s with partial clouds and a breeze off and on. We do not have a data connection in our bungalow so we are keeping in touch via a public computer when we get a chance. The usual routine consists of kayaking out for an early morning snorkel beforoe settling in with a good book for an afternoon of sunbathing. Life is hard around here. One of these days we plan to go hike around and explore the middle of the island.

Since we do not know how often we will be able to check in over the next month, here is our rough itinerary:

Moorea through 24 July
24 July to 2 Aug Huahine
2 Aug to 11 Aug Maupiti
11 and 12 Aug Tahiti
13 Aug fly to Auckland
14 Aug fly to Sydney
14 -16 Aug Sydney
17 Aug pick up caravan and start touring Australia
We fly to Vanuatu on 2 October and will be there until 31 October

If you have any tips on what to see or do in Australia, we would love to hear from you.

Made it to Paradise

2009-07-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

We made it to Tahiti, but do not have data or internet nearby so we will not be able to post for a couple of weeks. Not to mention we only have access to a funky french keyboard that takes three times as long to use.

Happy Birthday Kari

2009-07-08T08:50:00.001-07:00

Back in the USA

2009-07-03T20:59:00.001-07:00

We landed safely in LA this evening and are now pigging out on Carl's Jr for dinner. Will be heading over to Victorville tomorrow to stay with my Grandpa for a week before heading on to French Polynesia. Looking forward to good Mexican food during our stayover here.

Hiding out in Museums

2009-07-02T09:40:00.001-07:00

Since the museums in London are free, we thought hiding out in an air conditioned building all day would be a good way to take a break from the heat. The National Gallery was great and well worth the trip. We were in for a big surprise when we hit the British Museum. It is not air conditioned and with massive windows and tons of people inside, the temps were almost as bad as the tube. There are a lot of great artifacts and the museum is definitely a must see, just don't attempt it during a heat wave.

Reports are it reached 38C (100F) yesterday inside some of the tube lines. Thunderstorms are on the way tonight and tomorrow to help bring some relief from the heat - just in time for us to head out to the desert.

Heat Wave in London

2009-06-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

It has been in the mid-80's here with more of the same forecasted through the end of the week. Needless to say that's a bit warm for London. We had a couple of days of 80+ weather in Munich, but have not had this sustained heat since leaving Athens. It's a bit muggy, but still much easier to bear than New York in July.

We slept in this morning and then headed off to the London Zoo. Once you get past the sticker shock of admission, it is actually a quite nice zoo. They have a focus on conservation and breeding so you know your money is going to a good cause. The habitats are really nice all around. There is even a "Meet the Monkeys" exhibit where you get to walk through the habitat with the monkeys. I stood inches away from a Tamarind.

We finished the day with Greek Tapas along the Thames at "The Real Greek". Lovely food and great people watching. They have hard core runners here. I've never been a runner so I just don't understand the draw, but it seems to be a popular form of exercise.

Still figuring out what to do during the day tomorrow. We have tickets to "As You Like It" at the Globe Theater tomorrow evening. Should be another good day in the sun.

Timmy Loves S'mores

2009-06-29T01:23:00.000-07:00

Made it to London

2009-06-28T09:57:00.001-07:00

We made it to London where we'll finish up our grand European Tour on July 3. The flat is wonderful and has an amazing view of the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. We are on the 16th floor of the Metro Central Heights building located off Newington Causeway, right next to the Elephant and Castle tube station.

Time for a quick load of laundry and it's off to get some food. It's looking like Thai tonight. We'll try to get some more pictures up in the next couple of days.

Three Peaks in Three Weeks

2009-06-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

We made it up the highest peaks in each of Scotland - Ben Nevis, England - Scafell Pike, and Wales - Snowdon!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads. Hope you enjoy your day.

Scottish Food

2009-06-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

Since we've been camping, our culinary adventures have been somewhat limited to cold sandwiches, Beanie Weanies, and what we can heat up over a disposable BBQ or camp stove. We have managed to hit a couple of pubs on the way and sampled a couple of the local delicacies. Tim was brave and had haggis with neeps and tatties one night. We still are not sure what exactly was on the plate, but he said it was quite good. I had fish 'n' chips with mushy peas. Around here you can not get fish 'n' chips without mushy peas, but they're not half bad. Imagine very thick, cold pea soup, and that's close to mushy peas.

Our favorite food so far has been the curry. It's warm, it's spicy, and there is always a ton of it. After a week of cold sandwiches, we can always go for a round of curry. Looking forward to eating much more curry in London.

Camping Through Scotland - Part 3

2009-06-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

The weather was awful as we drove around Loch Ness so there were no sightings of Nessie, but we did get some photos of Urquhart Castle. Tim dropped me off at the campsite in Nairn while he went to look for fuel for our stove. It was the first time we set up the new tent and I had no idea what I was in for. A nice gentleman from a couple of pitches down took pity on me and helped me set it up after I struggled with it in the rain for a while. I never would have been able to set it up on my own.

A note on the people in Scotland. I think the people in Scotland are some of the friendliest we've met on our trip so far. Everyone is pleasant and always willing to help us out. Even the lady at the toll booth was nice when we showed up lost, with only Euros, and had no idea what to do. She helped us sort it out and sent us on our way with a smile. When was the last time you had that kind of service at a toll booth?

The weather was still being typically Scottish so we did not get to hike around Nairn. Instead we spent a long day driving south to Scone ( pronounced scoon ), past Balmoral Castle ( one of the Royal families' private residence ), and on to our next campsite. Since we had our spiffy new porch area, we decided to make smores over our camp stove using chocolate covered digestive biscuits and funny colored marshmallows. We got marshmallow all over, but they tasted so good.

On the drive from Scone to Motherwell, we stopped off at Scone Palace where we made quick work of the star maze. Next stop was Doune Castle which was featured in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Of course I had to torment Tim with horribly misquoted one liners from the movie for a while after that. Then on to Tullibardine distillery for another tour and a sampling of whiskey with absolutely no peat influence. It's amazing how many variations there are given everyone starts out with the same three ingredients and follows essentially the same process.

In Motherwell, we stayed with some friends for the night where we were treated with an honest to goodness bed and true Scottish hospitality. Thank you so much Fiona and Robert for everything. We will absolutely return the favor next time you are in Seattle.

We are now in Edinburgh for a couple of nights before heading back out on the road and back into the tent. Once we start camping again, I expect we may be offline for a little while. We are scheduled to arrive in London on June 28 so if you don't hear from me before then, I'll try to get a post up as soon as we arrive.

Camping Through Scotland - Part 2

2009-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our first night camping in our brand spanking new festival kit was near Loch Lomond. We had heard stories about midges, but were not too bothered by them the first evening so we did not think too much of them. Little did we know we would be attacked relentless come morning. They are as awful as the legends and then some. They are tiny, flying creatures that fly into your ears, up your nose, into your eyes, and bite, bite, bite. I suspect if you looked at one under a microscope, you would see a set of teeth with wings. I now sport a very stylish midge net over my head to keep my sanity.

The next day, we set out and climbed Ben Lomond ( 974 m ). A Monroe is any hill over 3,000 feet in Scotland. People who set out to climb them are called Munro Baggers. I felt proud bagging my first Munro our first trip out. It was a beautiful climb and had spectacular views of the Loch from the top.

A side note on hiking in Scotland. They do not call it hiking here. Unless you are using equipment on a technical climb, it is called walking. I don't care what they say, if I'm out for six hours and gaining 3,000 vertical feet, it's a hike.

The first few nights camping were not too bad so we decided to make it a habit and became Temporary Overseas Members of the Camping and Caravaning Club. With our membership, camping is generally around 13 pounds per night and we have access to free showers, laundry facilities, and there are sites all over the UK. They even have coin op hair dryers for when it gets really nasty outside.

After Loch Lomond, we spent two nights in Glen Coe near the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way. We bagged our second Munro by climbing up Ben Nevis ( 1343 m ), which happens to be Britain's highest mountain. It was a punishing hike up steep slopes covered with rocks of all sizes, and snow at the top. Luckily the clouds cleared out enough for us to catch a glimpse of the view and look around the remains of the old observatory before heading back down. On the way down, we had front row seats to a RAF rescue of a woman who had fallen on the trail and hit her head. She was sitting up and did not look too badly hurt, but you can not take chances with head injuries. We managed to make it down the mountain ahead of the rain and in one piece.

From Glen Coe, we drove up to the Isle of Skye, stopping off at the Talisker Distillery on the way to the campground. We had a tour of the distillery and sampled an example of very peaty whiskey. Unfortunately, the water level was too low for them to produce spirit while we were there so we did not get to see the distillery in action, but the tour was still well worth the 5 pounds.

Our hike in Skye was completely different from anything we've done before. We started off on a dirt road, then followed a path through a pasture with sheep and cows grazing right next to us. Tim got a great picture of the beware of bull sign posted at the trail head. Our hike took us past some ruins and to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean before heading up and over a peat covered hill. We got to blaze our own trail through the peat and tall grass. The views from the top of the point were amazing.

The second night we stayed in Skye, a storm blew in with strong wings and heavy rain all night long and through the morning. Weathering the storm in our poor little festival tent was not all that fun. After that night we were not looking forward to another week or so of camping. Fortunately, on a stop in Inverness we found a store with camping equipment on clearance and picked up a proper tent for cheap. It is a three man tent and is vast compared to what we're used to sleeping in. We even have a separate porch area outside the sleeping tent that we can sit in and cook out of the weather. It's so much nicer now.

Camping Through Scotland - Part 1

2009-06-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

We have not had an internet connection for a while so I will post what we have been up to in several parts.

It has been quite an adventure since we landed in the UK The ferry ride from Amsterdam was a bit stormy, but did not bother us too much. Unfortunately, in our rush to leave the ship, we left our jackets in the stateroom. Four hours, one phone call, and one appeal in person later, we recovered Tim's jacket, but my jacket was never "turned in" by the staff. Someone on the DFDS Seaways crew has a a brand new Patagonia rain coat to enjoy. While we were waiting for the ship to get back to us about our jackets, we found an outlet mall nearby so I was able to buy a cheap replacement. With the wind and rain we've encountered lately, I sure do miss my nice coat. Needless to say, the crappy customer service from DFDS did not start us off on the right foot here in the UK.

Our first night, we stayed in South Shields. Our room turned out to be located above a pub and was actually quite cute. More importantly, we discovered Asda next door. It is part of the WalMart family and has become our new best friend. Whenever we need supplies, we look for an Asda.

From South Shields, we drove west and found a 7 mile long hike along Hadrian's Wall. It was our first experience hiking through pastures with sheep right next to us We learned how to follow trail markers through open fields, climb over fences in the approved manner, and not to worry the sheep. The visitor center in Once Brewed has tons of info on the area, Scotland, and the UK in general.

We spent two nights in Glasgow where, as true idiots from the Pacific Northwest, we decided it would be neat to camp our way through Scotland. The weather had been in the upper 50's, raining occasionally, and windy as often as not so why not? We loaded up at Tiso (Scotland's version of REI right down to the ice ax door handles) with the "festival package" camping set and have been augmenting our gear ever since.

Life in a Caravan

2009-06-04T11:41:00.001-07:00

Here we are in Lucky Lake, The Netherlands, hanging out in a caravan. Yes, you read that correctly, we are in a genuine caravan; one of many in a neat little row. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating with us in Lucky Lake and it has been alternating pouring down rain with blustery winds. The only constant today has been the temperature -- cold. Hopefully the weather drys out enough for us to explore the lake in the next couple of days. Fortunately, there are a lot of museums in Amsterdam for us to hide out in while the weather gets this out of its system.

Munich to Bremen

2009-06-02T13:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Dan and Pam, we were able to get caught up on laundry and enjoy some down time in Munich before getting back into travel mode. Tim took a quick trip to Switzerland while I stayed home and took a bike tour around the city.

Some highlights from Munich:

final Bayern Munich of the season - Tim had a blast,
hanging out at Westbad - awesome outdoor pool with all the massaging jets you could ever want,
wandering around the Olympic Park - beautiful landscaping and interesting archeticture,
Legoland Deutchland - who doesn't love legos, and
a solemn visit to Dachau - the first prison camp in use and the only camp in use the entire duration of the war.

After Munich, we spend two nights in Berlin. Bike rental is the way to go if you want to see more of the city. It's relatively flat and the bike trail system is very well put together. We found a place right down the street from Checkpoint Charlie that rented them for only 10 Euros for 24 hours. After wandering around old cities with Baroque or Gothic architecture, the ultra modern skyline of Berlin was a bit of a shock.

We arrived in Bremen this afternoon and did the prerequisite walking tour starting at the famous statue of the Musicians of Bremen. Tomorrow we plan on exploring Hannover or Hamelin depending on whether we feel like a walking tour or more storytelling.

Next stop is a hostel created with caravans just outside Amsterdam and then we hop a ferry to Newcastle where we pick up a car for the remainder of the European leg of our odessey.

We keep bumping into people from Seattle on our travels. My tour leader in Munich was from the Central District and we ran into a guy from Bothell in a sporting goods store in Bremen. We've also met many people from Vancouver and other places in the Northwest. It's funny how far we've traveled to meet people from home.

Tirol in the Spring

2009-05-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

A little sun, a little rain, some leftover snow.... We experienced all of it in Innsbruck and surrounds. The city's Nordpark system encourages you to get our of the city and hit the slopes--winter and summer. The funicular/cable car system takes you from downtown to the top at Hafelekarspitze (2334m) in about 35 minutes. In fact, Kari came up with a new slogan for Innsbruck: "It's like Utah without the Mormons, and better beer."

The tourist portion of Innsbruck itself is rather small and is already starting to receive the first wave of fair weather tourists. We stayed on the outskirts in a youth hostel/student housing building. It wasn't much on personality, but did keep us away from the crowds. It was just off the river Inn, right on Innsbruck's well developed biking/jogging trail system. A trail system that would have led us right to the old town--if Tim hadn't followed the Sill River instead of the Inn into town.

Stop eight on the Zoo Tour brought us to the Innsbruck Alpenzoo. The zoo is very compact, with well designed enclosures and ample viewing areas. It has several very interesting aquariums populated with local fresh water fish species. The diversity among the species was incredible. The color, however, was not: grey is the color of choice for the alpine fish. The collection proved much more interesting and informative the having jsut another room of tropical fish. Much praise in general to the Innsbruck zoo and its designers and management.

Continuing up the mountainside from the zoo, we rode all the way too the top of Hafelekarspitze on the cable cars. It is a fantastic view to the other side of the valley, encompasing the city of Innsbruck, the Bergisel Stadium ski jump, and Patscherkofel. Spring has sprung in the Alps. The trek down led us through flowered meadows and snowfield, sun and rain. About all you can ask for in a hike.

Towers, Saltmines, Bobsleigh, and Jennerbahn

2009-05-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

We've picked up the pace a little ( not that I thought that was possible ) and in the last ten days have been through Vienna, Bratislava, Brno, Prague, Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, and are now in Innsbruck. So much to see and it is all starting to blur.

Vienna was great if you ignore that we didn't have hot water four out of the five days we were there. It is a huge city and well worth a week or two to take in all the sights and day trips that are easily accessible.

Bratislava is a funky little day trip out of Vienna where you can walk through the old shopping district and see a UFO all in the same day. It's cute for a day, but not much more than that.

The rumors about Prague are true. It's become overrun with tourists and is fairly pricey these days. That said, we did manage to climb six towers over two days and a whole ton of stairs getting up to the mini-Eiffel tower and the castle. We're calling it our Prague Tower Tour.

We kicked off Berchtesgaden with a tour of the local salt mines where we got to dress up in miner's overalls and slide down the miner's slides. The tour was a lot of fun and quite informative. Did you know it takes 30 years to mine one salt deposit? After the mines it was up to Konigsee, which is a beautiful lake town up in the mountains. It's just a quick trip up the Jennerbahn to a ton of hiking trails above the lake. I'd love to go back and spend more time at the lake exploring and relaxing. Unfortunately, visitors can only try out the bobsled track during the winter, but we did get some good pictures of us standing on the medal podium.

We took a quick tour through Salzburg and are now in Innsbruck for two days. Tomorrow we're heading up to the Alpenzoo and then to the summit for some more hiking. The day after will be old town Innsbruck and then heading back to Munich.

Tim's working on the pictures and we hope to have new albums posted this weekend.

Places to Visit Again

2009-05-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

We're around six weeks into our trip and here are the places we'd like to visit again and would recommend.

Giardini Naxos - Sicily was great all around and Giardini Naxos was the perfect place to take a little break from traveling. We definitely want to explore more of the coast and the interior of the island.

Islands of Greece - We managed to do Athens in three days so next time it's island hopping time.

Slovenia - We loved Ljubljana and our day trip out to Bled. The area is beautiful and would be a great place to come back to for hiking, camping, etc. The people were very nice and we really felt like that was a highlight of our trip so far.

Budapest - This city is much larger than we expected. We only budgeted two days to see the sights and missed so much. If you go, spend at least a week so you have time to walk around the Castle Hill, take in an opera, hit the museums, and just soak in the city.

We're heading into Germany, Switzerland, and more of Austria for the rest of May then on to Amsterdam and Belgium before heading into the UK. If you have recommendations in those areas, we'd love to hear them.

Baden Means Bath

2009-05-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

We rented a great apartment in Vienna just outside the city center, but unfortunately something went wrong with the gas lines in the building two days ago so we've been without hot water. Ironically, we decided to skip a day trip to Baden, Austria, in favor of a spa day in Baden, Switzerland, in a couple of weeks. Ice cold showers two days running has been refreshing if not as cleansing as is optimal when traveling. The apartment does have a bathtub so we're going to try heating some water on the stove to take a bath this evening.

Vienna has been very nice so far. We shopped, dropped in on a festival in the park, day tripped out to Bratislava, and plan on hitting the museums tomorrow. It's off to Olomouc, Czech Republic, on Friday, then Prague to round out the weekend.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T23:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day from Vienna. I hope the weather was nice and your day was relaxing wherever you are. The weather is sunny and in the mid 70's here again today so we're off to explore the city before the weather turns south tomorrow.

What's Going on in Vienna?

2009-05-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

We're planning to stay in Vienna, Austria, for five nights May 10-15, but are having a heck of a time finding a hostel or apartment that is in our price range and not already booked. I searched the events calendar and noted the Vienna festival is the same week, but can't imagine that's the cause for everything being booked. We'll keep trying.

Split Sports Weekend

2009-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Split, Croatia, 03 May 09.

Three days in Split, two matches, one more city down. On Saturday we got to see Croatia defeat Sweden 23-13 in a Rugby World Cup qualifier/European Nations Cup match. Sunday proved rougher for the home 11 as HNK Hajduk Split was beaten 0-1 by NK Varteks.

Recent Stops

2009-04-27T01:33:00.000-07:00

We have not had a good internet connection since we took off from Giardini Naxos so here's a quick recap of where we've been recently.

From Giardini Naxos, we took a train to Naples where we stopped for the night. Then it was on to Bari where we hopped a ferry to Patras, then another train to Kiato, and one final train into Athens where we spent three nights at the Hotel Intercontinental courtesy of a lucky Priceline bid.

After Athens we headed into the Western Balkans. We stayed two nights in Skopje, Macedonia, one night in Beograd, Serbia, and two nights in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzgovinia.

Now we're heading to Dubrovnik, Croatia where we'll spend four nights in the old city before hopping a ferry to Split, Croatia, for a couple of days where we hope to catch the Croatia v Sweeden Rugby World Cup qualifying game.

After Croatia, we're heading north towards Zagreb, and Ljubljana, Slovenia, before turning west towards Switzerland and Germany. More pictures to come once we find a decent upload connection.

Relaxing Sicilian Style

2009-04-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

The last week in Giardini Naxos has been a great opportunity for us to relax, recharge, and get ready for the next leg of our trip.

We started the week off with a trip up to Taormina where we walked up the stair pathway to the top of Castelmola, wandered through the botanical gardens, perused the shops with the other tourists, and were chased home by a pretty impressive thunderstorm.

A visit to nearby Catania proved to be a little disasppointing. The Duomo di Sant'Agata was impressive, but many of the other sights and museaums were closed either for renovation or for Easter Monday. Even the botanical gardens were closed for the day.

The sun came out so we headed for the beach just down the block from our hostel, Gianni House. The water was still too cold to swim, but there were a handful of brave souls plunging in anyway.

The original plan was to get up early and visit Mt. Etna this morning, but our alarm did not go off so we missed the only bus of the day. Looks like we're in for another beach day.

Tomorrow we head to Naples for a night and then over to Bari where we'll catch a ferry to Patras, Greece. From there its a couple of trains to Athens where we'll spend 3 or 4 nights before heading north.

Storm Shutters Required

2009-04-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

We took a bus from our neighborhood of Giardini Naxos on the beach up to Taormina on the hillside today and hiked up to the top of the hill where we beheld amazing panoramic views of ... clouds. It's been kinda rainy all day and now the massive storm that caused us to miss our boat in Tunis seems to have caught up with us here. Lightning, thunder, sideways rain, flickering lights, and strong winds - we have them all. Looks like the plan for the rest of the day is to sip Lemoncello under the blanket until it's time for dinner or the lights go out. We've extended our stay in Giardini Naxos through Friday so hopefully we'll have some nice days on the beach later in the week.

Happy Easter.

The Tunisian Adventure

2009-04-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

Tunis turned out to be a bit more of an adventure than we were expecting. As a blond hair, blue eyed woman, I stood out quite a bit and attracted more stares than I really wanted. Tim enjoyed wandering through the Souks and exploring the neighboorhood around Carthage. It rained so hard in Tunis the night we were supposed to head back to Palermo that the streets flooded and we ended up missing our ferry crossing. Since the next ferry is not until Saturday, we're hopping a plane to Palermo this morning and then heading to Taormina by train. I will be happy to get back into Italy.

UPDATE:
We made it to Taormina and after only one bus trip in the wrong direction, managed to find our hostel. Gianni at Gianni House is very friendly and we would definitely recommend this place if you find yourself in the area. Today is laundry day, the sun is out, and it's great to be back in Italy.

Gelato and Pizza and Cannoli - Oh My

2009-04-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Happy belated birthday to Tim on April 1!

After a magnificient day touring the hills around Nice, we made a quick trip to Pisa, and then headed off to Rome for a week. Well, it was actually about an hour outside of Rome in the ancient city of Ostia Antica, but we did get to stay in a B&B overlooking a castle. The highlights in Rome were lots of ruins, the Vatican, a wines of Italy tour ( yum! ), more ruins, beautiful churches, and some ruins to round things out.

Now we are in Palermo, Sicily for three days before we head over to Tunis. I have not had a giant canoli yet, but they are definitely on my list of things to eat while we're here. Today we visited the Capucini Catacombs, walked along the open air markets, and sampled arancine di riso which are little balls of deep fried risotto heaven. Tomorrow we plan to explore the waterfront and then take in a football match on Sunday.

Next stop is Tunis where we'll be for three nights and then three nights in Taormina, Sicily, where we plan to hike up part of Mt. Etna. I have a lot of new pictures queued up so I'll post them as soon as we find a decent internet connection.

Nice and the Côte d'Azur

2009-03-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

I would definately recommend a trip to the Côte d'Azur if you get the opportunity. We spent two nights at the Villa Saint Exupery hostel in Nice. It was absolutely great. Ask for room 313, 314, or 315 if you can get one of them. They open onto a shared vernanda that has an unobstructed view of the city and the Mediterranean. The food is great, the beer is cheap, and the hostel is beautiful. It had a nice mix of older and younger travelers, and very cool activities: you can ski the Alps for ~€36 including transportation, lift ticket, and equipment rental.

Nice itself was pretty and the locals were very friendly. That may change during July-August, but they were still smiling in the early Spring. We missed the Matisse and Chagall museums when the bus ate Tim's day pass--no big loss. The former fortifications on the east end of the waterfront are well worth the trek up the stairs. You have amazing views of the coast; all the way to Saint-Tropez.

We spent part of one day at Eze-Village, about 30 minutes east of Nice. It is a little touristy-cutesy with all the shops. However, the garden at the top of the town was well worth the €3 entry.

Then it was off to Monte Carlo. Not much to say that you don't already know: the Casino, the Bentleys and Ferraris, the mega-yachts in the harbor: yep, it's all there. At least it was a very nice Mecca-trip for me: I got to stand at the hairpin of the Monaco Gran Prix. You can keep your damn Mona Lisa, the GP is what it's all about.

New Pictures Posted

2009-03-25T00:35:00.001-07:00

We finally got a decent internet connection so there are tons of new pictures posted. Around 300 more from Paris and new collections from Carcassonne and Nice.

Cité de Carcassonne

2009-03-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe Cité de Carcassonne is a little bit on the cheesey side; it's still very beautiful. The castle is well worth the €8 entry. You get to walk around about half the city on the ramparts. The basilica is simple but pretty, but the rest of the old city is mostly tourist shops and restaurants.

Interesting note: the tour details when the different sections of the walls were built, and notes that one of the last sections was constructed to protect the holding from the local peasentry. That should tell you a bit about medieval France.

Now it's on to Nice and the Villa Saint Exupery, the "...Best Hostel in France." Woo-hoo. Spring Break!

Paris in the Spring

2009-03-23T03:10:00.000-07:00

We were really in Paris in the Spring (by two whole days). The weather was beautiful the entire week we were there. (We did, however, pick the only semi-foggy day to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Oh well.) Now it's on to Carcassonne.

We had the whirlwind tour--as much as we could consume of museums, baugettes, and wine in five days' time. Most importantly, we hit the big three: The Eiffel Tower, The Mona Lisa, and Jim Morrison's grave.

Enough has been written about Paris, so it's not really necessary to give you all the details. I came away with several major impressions. The place really is as beautiful as everyone says. It will be ablolutely amazing in about 6 weeks when everything is in bloom. The Metro/regional train system is fantastic. Metro trains run every 2 minutes during the week, every 4 on Saturdays and every 5-6 on Sundays. Something tells me the SLUT(s) will never be as regular. The city is awash in tourists. Americans, French, Germans, Italians, you name it, they were everywhere. I cannot imagine it in High Season. The French will speak to you in English if you stand there and look dumb enough. They don't like it, but they'll do it.

Kari was a trooper. She came down with a bad cold and soldiered through. She was also nice enough to pass it on to me. I'll have to keep up my side and power through it as well. Rumor has it we actually beat Art's one week record for pictures taken. We'll have them up in a few days when we have something faster and more reliable than my cell.

It's Almost April in Paris

2009-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

We do not have wireless at our flat so we finally found a bistro down the street with "wistro" wi-fi. It only took Kari two days in Paris to catch her first cold of the trip. Trying to keep it at bay with Sudafed and Vitamin C supplements. A couple of glasses of red wine do not hurt either.

The first day we walked to Gare de Lyon train station and learned that the blocks are a lot longer than they appear on the map. There we picked up our museum passes and checked out the tourism office. After that we visited the Pere Lachaise cemetary. It is a beautiful cemetary with some amazing monuments. We spent about two hours looking for the grave of Jim Morrison only to find out that we misread the map and were looking in the wrong place. We'll try to head back there Sunday and look in the correct place this time.

Day 2 included the Musee d'Orsay, which used to be a train station, the Catacombes de Paris, and half the Louvre. The architecture in d'Orsay was beautiful and they were running a Rodin exhibit. We were surprised at the vastness of the catacombs. I knew there were millions of people down there, but it is hard to fathom until you see the bones piled for miles. Since I was sick and we'd saved the Louvre for the last half of the day, we only made it about halfway through. We are planning to head back on Friday evening to see the rest of the exhibits. Highlights: Mona Lisa, smaller than expected; musum in general, HUGE.

Tomorrow we're off to Versaille and maybe the Notre Dame if we get back into Paris in time.