There's no skiing in Hyderabad, or most other places...

Birr...it's cold in here!

2007-08-09T01:18:00.000-07:00

If you don't know Ethiopian currency, then you probably don't get the reference. But, I will tell you that it is not easy to get Birr in Ethiopia. I arrived on my Emirates flight and was the first one off the plane, the first through immigration (as always), and the first to get my bag. And so I immediately went to the Bureau de Change to get Birr. But, of course, no one was there. Just a window, a light on, and Birr all over the place inside, protected by what may have been bullet proof glass.

So, I walked outside and was greeted by Emanuel. Emanuel is Salem's permanent driver. Salem is Saamra's mom. Saamra is my good friend and old roommate of many years. I came to Ethiopia because Saamra was visiting at the same time, and I never pass up an opportunity to stay with a family in a foreign country. But, of course, I got there, and Saamra's flight was cancelled. So, I got to hang out with her family all by myself. But, more on that later.

I flew into Addis Ababa. The first thing I noticed was how cold it was. What a shock to come to Africa from Southeast Asia, and be shivering. Ok, shivering might be an excessive word. But, it was damn cold. Addis Ababa sits at 7000 feet above see level, roughly the same altitude as Park City, Utah. (Lesson 1: Even if you are staying with friends in other countries, at least research the weather.)

Emanuel took me to a bank straight away. But, there are no ATMs. Zero. None. So, I asked them if they could exchange travellers checks. They told me to come back at 4pm. I don't know why. So, I left. We went to Salem's house in Addis (people abbreviate Addis Ababa to just Addis.) Unfortunately, Salem was not in Ethiopia the entire time I was there. But, Zeritu was there to welcome me. Zeritu is the house caretaker and amazing cook.

No sooner than I had laid down my bags did she ask me if I was ready for lunch. I approached the table and saw 5 full bowls of food, plus a platter of injera (Ethiopian flat bread). I wondered what army was joining me for lunch, but of course, it was all just for me. I felt like I had 5 helpings of everything, and still it looked as if I had made no dent.

After lunch I ventured out of the house to get cash at another bank recommended by some family members there. It worked! Birr, at last...

That night I was picked up by Saamra's Aunt and Uncle. They took me to a dinner party with them. Once again, other cultures are just so accepting of visitors and take care of their guests so well, it is just astounding. (Especially in my case, because according to my friends, I am an embarrassment to all. These guys had no idea what they were getting themselves into.)

I sat down at a table with 6-7 other guys in the front yard. Each one warmly greeted my and introduced themselves. Every once in a while, a single guy would chat with me briefly about where I was from, what I was doing, etc... But, for the most part, the group of guys were talking as a group in Amharic. Now, you are probably assuming that I don't speak Amharic. And, that is where you are correct. Nonetheless, I can't express how much I enjoyed the dinner party. These guys were clearly old friends, and I could share in their laughter because of their tone, and it was clear when they were giving one another a hard time. In addition, the group broke out into song numerous times throughout the night. The dinner party was one of the highlights of my month long stint in Africa.

Two days later I ventured with Saamra to Lake Tana, the source of the Nile river. We went to the Blue Nile Falls and saw the largest waterfall I'd ever seen. It was also interesting just getting there considering we took a tiny prop plane from Addis. In addition, the airport was so small that their departure and arrival schedule was written on a chalk board.

The highlights of Ethiopia was most certainly the people I met, most of whom were in Saamra's family. They made me feel extraordinarily welcome in their homes. Everyone was extremely nice, intelligent, and, most of all, fun. The food was also exquisite. I looked forward to every meal in that country, and was legitimately disappointed when I ate a meal or two that were not Ethiopian cuisine. The other great sight we visited was Washa Mikael church. This church was carved out of rock (instead of being built), much like the huge Kailash temple in Ellora, India.

On the day we visited the church, we ended up running out of the forest because it started to rain, and we knew the lightning was coming. We were lucky we got out of there, because few minutes later, it started hailing. Are you joking me! It doesn't hail in Africa, does it?

Bioluminescence

2007-07-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, bioluminescence is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life, and is reason enough to become scuba certified. But, more on that shortly.

We arrived in Krabi late on the 12th, and went straight to our hotel called the Blue Village. (We booked it at Bangkok airport. A grievous error considering we got charged double.) It was low season, and there was not one other guest at our entire resort. The next morning we immediately transferred to Koh Phi Phi via a two hour ferry boat ride from Ao Nong. It turns out that all of the scuba operators in Krabi take you two hours each way out to the coral reefs just off of Koh Phi Phi anyway, so we just decided to stay there.

However, it wasn't trivial getting to the island. When we boarded the ferry, Ryan and I thought we got the best seats in the house. We were sitting right in front of the captain's room, and had a great view. Everything was smooth sailing until we got out of the bay. Suddenly, the boat starting bobbing up and down and crashing into the waves, and each time we got heavily sprayed with warm ocean water. I genuinely thought it was only going to last for one or two waves, so I chose to stick it out. Within 3 minutes, I was soaking wet, at which point, I just figured that I would chill there anyway since there was nothing else to lose. Well, after 15 minutes of getting pounded, I decided to move to the back of the boat. Of course, as soon as I did that, it started to downpour. So, we went inside the cabin of the boat, which just happened to be the most well air-conditioned room I'd been in in over a month. (I am pretty sure I was shivering for 45 minutes straight.)

Once we arrived in Koh Phi Phi though, everything was instantly better. This island is all mountains that are connected by a small isthmus not wider than 750 feet, and, at most, 1/2 mile long. It's waters are crystal clear blue water at a balmy 86 degrees. Oh, and they also have amazing Banana Shakes. In a word, paradise. So much so, that we had a bit too much to drink our first night, which we definitely paid the price for the next morning.

Our diving trip to Bida Nai left at 8 am...brutally early after a late night of beer drinking. Ryan was much worse off than I, and it was clear when halfway through our trip out to the reef, Ryan suddenly lost all color in his face and rushed off to the bathroom. (Personally, I would have just hurled off the side of the boat.) However, it didn't dissuade us from diving, and that morning we saw two leopard sharks and a black tipped reef shark.

Later that night, we also went for our first night dive. While it was interesting to be in the water at night (it was a new moon, so it was truly pitch black), and see barracuda's feeding all around us, nothing was as cool as bioluminescence. I'd heard about this, but couldn't quite fathom how amazing it really is. Once I discovered that I could simply wave my hand and have it light up in front of me, everything else in the dive sort of lost its luster. In fact, I'd say that I spent the next 15 minutes pretty much exclusively focused on my hand, and trying to keep my torch off as much as possible.

The following day we dived at two different sites and saw some more great marine life. We also ate extremely well. There is one restaurant called Papaya on the island that serves outstanding Thai food, including my new favorite curry, masaman curry. If you've never tried it, give it a go, you won't be disappointed. (Oh, and of course I had many more banana shakes.)

On our third day on the island, we went rock climbing with SpiderMonkey. The karst formations here are very similar to the limestone in Halong Bay. They provide fantastic climbing routes, and for some reason, the rock is softer on Phi Phi than it is in Krabi and Rai Lay. We climbed three different routes, one of which was 120 feet in a single pitch. (I didn't even know they made 80 meter ropes.) The picture of the bay is from the top of my climb.

The next day we headed back to Rai Lay beach on the mainland so that we could easily transfer to the airport for our flight, and because it is the best known place for climbing in the area. What I didn't expect was for it to also have one of the most amazing beaches I've ever seen. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to beach it up, because we were climbing very early the next morning.

We did four climbs the following morning, the tallest of which was about 100 feet. But, what made this climbing unique was that it was right on the water. And I mean, we had to move the rope and take off our shoes while being belayed so that they didn't get wet when it was high tide. You can see from the photos that we had to coil the rope on a mat while standing in 1 foot deep water. (This was one of the best climbing experiences of my life. If you are a climber, this is a destination not to be missed.)

Banana Shake

2007-07-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Oh banana shake, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways, or sheer number of shakes I consumed while in Laos, and in Thailand. We arrived in Laos mid-day, and immediately had to get our visas on arrival. If there is one thing I've learned in all my travels, it is push, shove, trample, and trip everyone else so you can get to the immigration line first. Once again, my tactics worked and we were the second ones to get our visas on arrival, while those in the back waited for almost an hour just to get their visa. What is funny is that you must pay a $30 fee, in USD only, and in cash only, to get your visa. (Canadians have to pay more, $35. I am guessing it is because their accents are just weird) However, there are no cash machines, and they don't accept American Express or travellers cheques. Luckily, Ryan and I knew this in advance, but the Aussies in front of us, were in a bit of a pickle.

It turns out that Laos, though billed as a third world country going through development, was actually much more westernized, at least in Luang Prabang, than any of the other countries we visited on our trip, as were their prices. We immediately went out on a trek throughout the small city, and took in the sights. The town is very quaint, with just two major roads situated right on the Mekong.

The following day we went on a Kayaking trip on the Nam Ou river, down to the confluence with the Mekong. On the way, we visited several villages to see the different crafts. We saw a paper manufacturer in one of the villages. It was amazing to see them take the pulp of the tree and transform it into beautiful parchment. But, what struck me most, or at least it hit me in Laos for the first time, was the incredible amount of responsibility children bear in nations such as Laos at such a young age. I remember looking at one girl who was probably 6 or 7. She was holding a knife approximately a foot in length, and was carefully cutting a cucumber (one that I've never seen before. It actually looks like a cantaloupe.) in several sections and eating it straight off the knife. It struck me because I know my parents, granted they worry more than anyone on the planet, would never have let me cut anything with a knife at that age. This girl was an expert with it.

The next morning we visited the Kuangsi Waterfalls, about 35 KM outside of Luang Prabang. We arrived there at 9:30am, and were the first Tuk Tuk to arrive in the parking lot. We basically had the entire park and waterfall to ourselves. On the hike in, we passed the bear and tiger preserves. These preserves exist to protect the last remaining species that have been killed off by poachers in this region. After watching the tiger for some time, we moved on to the waterfalls.

The falls cascade down six or seven different levels through the course of the park. At several of the levels, there are natural pools that have formed that are perfect for swimming, diving, and swinging on ropes. The water was probably around 70 degrees, and was quite chilly considering it was still quite cool in the morning.

After the waterfalls, we headed back in to Luang Prabang, where I had another two banana shakes before taking off for the airport.

Vietnam Craziness

2007-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

It has been an interesting past few days in the capital city of Hanoi. It started out with our trip to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is not to be missed during your lifetime. In fact, I can't wait to go back. It is a bay that is filled with over 3000 Karst (limestone) formations that rise straight up out of the water. As a result, it is like going through a maze of islands, and tunnels! We visited one tunnel that was over 10000 square meters, and just kept getting bigger and bigger. We were able to kayak on the bay, and I went for a swim at 5:30am in the middle of the bay while it was completely calm and the sun was rising. Simply incredible! We slept on the boat for that one night.

We returned to Hanoi later in the day on Sunday and went to the famous Water Puppet Show. It was interesting, but nothing to write home about. Then the craziness started.

We were eating dinner at 9:30pm or so when all of a sudden we heard a tremendous number of people honking and shouting, and waving the Vietnam flag. Well, that didn't stop for the following 4 hours! Vietnam beat the UAE team in the AFC Asian Cup which just happened to be played in Hanoi that night. Their victory meant that they were now able to enter international competetion freely for the first time in their history. The players lead the group of 1000s of motor bikes, and they just kept going around the central lake in the city for four hours, and there was a massive party.

Unfortunately, the next day, we hit our first snafoo of the trip. We arrived at the airport to find that our flight to Laos had been cancelled due to technical difficulties. So, they put us up at a 4 star resort hotel, right on a lake, with a beautiful pool. The covered all of out meals, and handed us a $50 bill! RIDICULOUS. They treated us 10 times better than any US airline would. But, we did have to waste a day in Hanoi, and our trip to Laos has been cut down to only 48 hours. Bummer. So, we leave in one more hour to head to the airport.

Nha Trang

2007-07-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

The next two days were amazing as I did my first four scuba dives after getting my PADI certification. The diving was excellent, and the water was a cold 86 degrees.

After the two days of scuba diving and relaxing on the beach, we headed off to Hoi An on an overnight train. I slept like a champ, but Ryan did not, and he ended up catching a cold.

So, I spent the first day wandering the streets of Hoi An solo. It is a fantastic city with tons of charm. All of the streets are quite old and chill. You can get tons of clothes made there for really cheap, and they have fantastic food. They have a dish there called Cao Lau that is excellent. It is traditionally made with pork, but I went with the tofu version. (Mom, still a good jew!)

The next day Ryan felt up for wandering the city a bit. And, in the afternoon, we hit up the beach in Hoi An. It was much much better than the beach in Nha Trang. Unfortunately, in Nha Trang, they don't take care of their beaches and their is garbage all over the beach, and floating in the water, so much so that it doesn't look remotely appetizing to dive into the turquoise blue water. But, in Hoi An, it was extremely clean, and almost nobody around. In fact, there are over 30 KMs of beaches from Hoi An to Danang, including the famous China Beach.

This morning, we took a car up to Hue, and took a look at the marble mountains. There are some pretty cool natural caves. And, once we arrive in Hue, we took a tour of the city in a cyclo (a bicycle with a seat for a passenger in the front). This evening, we sat down for a beer and spring rolls on the Perfume River.

In closing, this country is outstanding. I can't say enough good things about it. Cheers!

Biking Da Lat to Nha Trang

2007-07-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

The next day we set out for Nha Trang, from Da Lat. It is approximately 130 KMs from city to city, and it takes the bus between 5-7 hours. We decided to make it much more exciting and bike from one to the other. We set out at 8am, and our driver took us 18 KMs outside of town, through some particularly bad roads. We then stopped, and got out with our guide and bikes, and set out on our way. The first 30 KMs or so was rolling hills, with some pretty solid uphills. After about just 20 minutes of biking, it started to rain. Within another 20 mins, it was a torrential downpour. I mean, every single inch of me was soaking wet, and it didn't let up for two hours. Thankfully it was in the low 70s, and I had my rain jacket.

We finally reached the summit of 5500 feet after two hours of riding. We then got a glorious downhill of 31 kms, that took us all the way down to 300 feet. It took us over an hour to get down the section because it was raining so hard, and we had to squeeze the crap out of the breaks in order to get our bikes to slow down. The greatest part was that I could feel it warming up as I descended through the mountains. By the time we reached sea level, I was half way dry, and feeling good. The last 43 KMs we rode after a hearty lunch, and it was lots of rolling hills and flats. Once again, the people drained out of their houses to say hello to us. At one point there was a line of kids asking for high fives as we rode by on our bikes. (Such a high! I can only imagine what it is like for the riders in the Tour De France.) Unfortunately, at one point, I tried to capture this on video tape, and a dog ran in front of me and I took a digger, and scraped up my right shin. Yes, I have it one video, so if you get me drunk enough, I might show it to you.

We finally reached our hotel after a grand total of 104 KMs (just over 60 miles). Ah, and then we hit our first snag in the trip. Our hotel only had us booked for one night instead of two, and they didn't have room for us the next night. So, that was a bit of a downer. We figured it out though. However, when we first got into the room, I decided to wash my torched clothes. Well, I started washing them in the sink like I normally do. (Can you see where this is going?) After washing them for 1 minute, the sink broke right off the wall (I am sure it is because I am so ripped), and I was stuck there holding it while Ryan ran downstairs and told the reception. They didn't care and were super busy. So, I just sat there in the bathroom holding a sink for a solid 15 minutes while Ryan tried to get someone to help.

Outdoor Adventures

2007-07-03T03:37:00.000-07:00

The past four days have been by far the most adventurous of the trip. After our jungle trek, we arrived in Da Lat, a very cool city with weather reminiscent of San Francisco. It was incredible refreshing to have to wear long sleeves and pants.

We were picked up very early in the morning on Friday to go canyoning. Canyoning is another word for rapelling down a river valley, often through waterfalls. During out trip, we descended about a 1000 vertical feet through six different sections. We hiked a lot through the narrow gorge. Our first rappel was probably 40 vertical feet, and we landed on solid ground.

Our second rappel was a bit more hairy in that we landed in waist deep water. It was a drop of approx 50 feet. We then continued our hike down the river valley, at various points hiking in the river and stream while holding on to our dry bags. Our next adventure was when we hit a 20 foot waterfall that flowed at about at 30 degree angle over what looked like jagged rock. We were surprised when our guide then told us that we were going to go down it like a waterslide. We took three different rides down the rock, and it was a blast. A perfect natural waterslide.

After lunch, we hit the biggest waterfall of the day, as you can see in the pic. The volume of water was so huge in this pic, that I couldn't see or hear the guide above me yelling. The best part about this one was that once you got over the edge, you were able to just let go and jump backwards. You landed on your back in a gigantic watering hole. I let go at about 15 feet about the water surface. This was actually easier than what I did next because there wasn't much time to think, and you were being pelted by massive amounts of water.

After travelling a bit more downstream, we got to another large watering hole, where our guides just told us to jump. A solid 20 foot jump! And then we headed to our last abseil of the day, into what was called the dishwasher. We did this one twice, and then hiked out of the valley.

Dodging Leeches

2007-06-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

I have another first on this trip. I got a leech during my jungle trek in Cat Tien National Park. These were not the leeches that were in "Stand by Me," they were much smaller, and they moved very fast on the ground. We got some video, so I can show you at some point.

We drove approx 3 hours to Cat Tien National Park with Long, our guide for the next four days. We crossed the large river in a boat that barely was above the water line, and then headed out on a 3.5 hour trek through the jungle. But, not before putting on out leech socks, and gobs of insect repellent. It turns out that leeches can feel your body warmth from very far away, and they make a bee line right for you. They'll actually climb up your clothing until they can find a way to get to your skin. That is what happened to me. It somehow made it all the way onto my stomach, and who knows how long it had been there before I took it off. It continued to bleed for a couple of hours because, like mosquitoes, they inject an anti-coagulant into you so that you provide a steady stream of blood.

The actual jungle trek was very interesting, and I've never seen so much life anywhere. We saw an amazing number of trees, flowers, insects, birds, and butterflies. The fauna was probably the most interesting. (Never thought I'd say that either.) The next morning we left Cat Tien early and headed up to Da Lat. On the way we stopped at Dambri and Elephant water falls. We also stopped at a silk manufacturing plant to see how silk is actually made. It is pretty incredible because entire towns are dedicated to making silk. One family will grow the mulberry plants to feel the worms. Once the worms form their cocoon, they are sold to someone else who soaks them in hot water and actually takes the silk and puts them onto spools. Another family creates the bamboo holders for all of the cocoons and finished silk. Yet another family then buys the dead worms and sells them on the open market as food. Pretty incredible.

Hello - Bye Bye

2007-06-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say that Vietnam is filled with the nicest, most smiling people I've ever met. I say that after spending the past three days in small fishing villages and in Saigon.

Two nights ago we stayed at a homestay. I gather it is something akin to a family run B&B in the US. This family had 6 or so bungalows right on the river. Ryan and I arrived there at around 4pm in the afternoon after a boat ride of 20 minutes to get up the little canal. We were the only ones staying there at that time, so we just chilled out on the porch, drank a beer, and watched the various people paddle/motor down the river.

After an hour, we decided to head into the "village." We natually assumed that there was a central village as we headed off on the 5 foot wide foot/bike path along the canal. However, we quickly realized that that was the village. Vietnam's culture along the Mekong is a river culture, and everything is based on the water. So, not much exists if it is far away from a body of water. As we walked down the path, every child ran out of their house to say "hello" to us. In most cases, their parents and grandparents came along as well. Every person gave us a huge smile, and often shooed their barking dog away from us, and laughed it off.

Along the way people tried to speak to us in English, and we were asked numerous times to participate in games they were playing along the path. We stopped at one point and played some "hackysack" with a bunch of kids in their front yard.

Just to give you a sense of how excited everyone was to say hello to us, we had kids yelling from the other side of the river at us. These 5-7 year olds proceeded to climb over the monkey bridge just to give us a high five. In fact, if you've ever wanted to know what it is like to be famous, just visit this village, and you feel like the president.

What I found most amazing that we met both men and women who were living, and most likely served, during the American War (what the Vietnamese call the Vietnam War). Not one person showed any resentment towards us despite us being from the US. Everyone welcomed us with open arms, and people have continued to do that here in Saigon. Thus far, it seems like this country has completely forgiven us for the atrocities that we carried out during the war. Today we visited the War Remnants museum for, what I gather, was a much more realistic picture of the way the war went down, and how awful our country was during that time. If you have not yet visited this country, you should. Not only for the history, but I guarantee you that you will love the people, and the country itself.

Stay tuned as we head out tomorrow for Dalat, and the next 6 days will be comprised of trekking, mountain biking, canyoning, scuba diving, and drinking.

I have no dong

2007-06-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd say that. Yet, today, it came right out of my mouth at the border crossing into Vietnam today. We left Phnom Penh this afternoon at noon on a speed boat that took us two hours down the Mekong River. On the ride we met a bunch of foreigners travelling the region as well. There were a total of 8 of us on the boat. Here is how it broke down:

Couple from Melbourne
Couple from Switzerland (The woman works on the international convention on land mines)
One guy from Bangladesh living in London
One guy from Toronto

Everybody was amazingly nice and we bonded together as a group, not on the boat, but at the border crossing. Just to give some context, we exited Cambodia at their border crossing, and it took a total of 15 minutes. We then got back on the boat and travelled another 2 minutes at which point we hit the Vietnam border crossing. We exited the boat onto a steep river bank of mud, with partially carved stairs, where we immediately had to show our passports. We were then "greeted" by children with beer, soda, and snacky type things. Nobody bought anything because we didn't know what to expect.

We went into a very colorful intermiate room for a few minutes before we were shuttled off to a small outdoor type pagoda thingy. I had no idea that we would be there for the next two hours. The eight of us talked amongst each other and with the kids. (They have phenomenally good English.) The kids taunted us to buy food and drinks from them for the entire two hours. As we were leaving the kid made one final plea to me to buy something from him, to which I replied that I had no dong. (Yes, this is childish humor I know.) Finally our boat guy conductor person showed up and said we were all approved and we were ready to move on.

We arrived at Chau Doc about an hour later. We moved on to our hotel and settled into our room before heading to dinner. Our first dinner was composed of a beef salad with cucumber and mint, some sort of pork soup, pork and rice, some sort of mollusk thing, a very salty shrimp dish, and lastly lao ga ming dai (a fish soup that was similar to Pho, except that it is prepared at your table like a hotpot). [Mom, don't worry, I didn't eat any of the pork stuff. I am still a good jew.]

Wat Wat Wat?

2007-06-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

If you don't get that title, then you don't know me all that well. You can ask me the next time I see you, and I'll be happy to explain.

Continuing on my adventure for the day, we headed out to Angkor Wat with our driver Mr. Looen (or Mr. Fast according to him). Although, I have to say that the tuk tuk had a top speed of about 25 mph, and we were practically being passed by kids on bicycles. When we arrived at Angkor Wat, we went right by it. What's going on? Why?

Well, it turns out that everyone goes to the Wat right next to Angkor Wat because it is on a hill perched above the temple of temples. This way me and Ryan got a good look at Angkor Wat with the 1000 other people seated high up on this other wat. (I can't remember its name, so I'll just keep calling it "the other wat.") Anyway, it started storming while we were up there, including thunder and lightning. I thought it odd that hundreds of people stayed on the highest land possible while a lighting storm moved through the area. It almost seemed cultish, not to mention stupid, that people sat up there. At one point, a bolt of lightning struck the forest not more than 1 kilometer from us.

We took off and headed back into town for dinner. We hit the Khmer House in the alley behind Bar St. Once again, the mean was outstanding, and I can honestly say that I'll be looking for Khmer food actively once I am back in the states. That night we had a chicken and pumpkin curry dish that was out of this world. Unfortunately, we were both still jet lagged and were falling asleep at dinner, so we hit the bed early that night.

The next morning we set out early (7am) for Angkor Wat. We had a tour guide for the entire day, and Mr. Fast to get us everywhere as slowly as possible. I really enjoyed Angkor Wat, although I did not find it as impressive as some other awe inspiring sites such as the Taj Mahal, or the Kailash temple in Ajanta.

Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm were equally impressive temples which are situated right next to Angkor Wat. Of the three, I think Ta Prohm was my favorite because it gives me hope that the earth can take back the Earth when given time. This temple was abandoned for centuries, and the trees actually broke down the temple quite easily with their massive roots. You can see a picture of Ryan and I there, and how green all of the rocks are from the moss that has overgrown.

We finished our tour late in the afternoon. I took my second shower of the day and we headed off to dinner. (A quick side note. I've never showered so much in my life. At a minimum, I shower three times per day, and usually four or five times.) Our last night we hit the Khmer kitchen for another fantastic night of food. We walked by several bars and thought about getting a drink, but then thought better of it considering we were both beyond exhausted. (Oh, and did I mention that Khmer's love their WWF wrestling? We walked by multiple bars with Khmer's just watching the old WWF.)

No Dengue, No Dengue, No Dengue (Said quickly)

2007-06-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

We flew into Siem Reap, Cambodia very early on June 20. The air traffic is impressive in this area of the world. For example, our flight was scheduled to leave at 8am. We were in the air at 8:01am. How's that for on time departures?

We arrived in Siem Reap and went straight to our hotel. Our room was ready for us upon arrival at 9:15 am. (That would never happen in the states, even if a room was ready.) After freshening up we headed out into Siem Reap to see what the city had to offer. We walked through the various markets and spoke to countless locals. The Cambodiam people, or Khmer, are amazing friendly. They are always smiling, and have a keen interest in foreigners and practicing their English.

The markets looked, not surprisingly, like many markets I went through while living in India. At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a food market inside an extremely old building. The stench was awful, and when combined with the site of a few sliced and diced birds, we decided to make a run for the exit. Bird flu is definitely prevalent in this area of the world, so we are trying to keep our distance.

We then decided to move on to lunch, and found a restaurant named "Amok." Amok is a traditional Khmer dish that is very similar to a curry, except that it contains come type of fish paste, and is generally server in a banana leaf. We were very impressed with the dish, and we washed it down with a cold Angkor beer. If you haven't heard, Angkor Wat is the pride and joy of Cambodia, and so the national beer is even named after the historic temple.

Oh, something interesting to note is the deal with currency in Cambodia. The traditional Cambodian currency is the Riel. The current exchange rate is 4000 riel to the dollar. To give you perspective, a 2 liter bottle of filtered water costs about $.13, or 500 riel. However, what is interesting is that all prices inCambodia are listed in USD. Every menu, every hotel, even the entrance fees to Angkor Wat are listed in dollars, and you are expected to pay in USD. Dollars even come out of the ATMs in this country.

I've always thought that currency is somewhat of a source of national pride. Definitely not true in Cambdia. At one point, I went into a little supermarket to buy a bottle of water for $.25. When I offered the woman 1000 riel, she actually frowned. I never thought I'd see someone so bummed to accept their own form of currency in their own country. Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.

Lumpinee

2007-06-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today is June 22nd. Ryan and I have been in Southeast Asia for the past four days. Since this is the first chance I've had to blog, I am going to start in chronological order. We started in Bangkok for one day and managed to see a Muay Thai kickboxing fight at Lumpinee Stadium. We bought the cheapest seats available to foreigners; a wopping $30. The cheap seats are the best in my opinion, because that is where all of the locals stand.

The incredible thing about these matches is that there is an incredible amount of betting that takes place. Even more impressive is that one is able to switch their bet at anytime during the fight. So, when one fighter obtained an advantage, a flury of men, with a cigarette in one hand looked like a third base coach telling a runner to steal second with his other. It was extremely cryptic and I could not figure out for the life of me what the different types of bets were.

The next morning

Taj Mahal

2006-01-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

My dad came to visit me here in January. We proceeded to go on an amazing tour of Rajistan, the desert region/state which contains many of the most famous Indian tourist attractions.

While we did not start off at the Taj Mahal, I thought it would catch the largest number of eyes the fastest.

Regardless, here is my dad and I in fron of the Taj Mahal at 6:30 in the morning. It was freezing cold, a stark difference that what I think most people expect of India. Just days before we got there, Delhi had expeienced some of the coldest temperatures on record. It was near 32 degrees farenheit when this photo was taken.

Now, in most cases, whenever you hear how unbelievable places are, in my opinion, they almost always comes up short. And, living in India, I had heard countless stories about how amazing this tomb really is. In short, I was prepared to be let down.

Honestly, I don't think it is possible to not be awe struck by the Taj. If you haven't been, you should put it at the top of your list. And, go at sunrise.

Do you like opium?

2006-01-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

It is very customary to drink opium tea whenever you visit someone's home in Rajistan. We visited the gentleman's house seated on my far left.

The tea really isn't tea at all It is actually like opium water. I wan't really sure what to expect. And, now that I've had it, I would not recommend it. It tastes extremely bitter, and there was no good "feeling" that resulted from drinking it.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that you must drink it out of your host's hand.

Dad and I in Jodhpur

2006-01-08T23:20:00.001-08:00

Here we are in a courtyard in Jodhpur.

The Blue City

2006-01-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the blueness...

2006-01-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

Jodhpur

2006-01-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

Jodhpur (sometimes pronounced Jode-poor and sometimes jawd-poor) is also known as the blue city. This was actually the first stop on our tour of Rajistan. It is known as the blue city because the Brahmin here discovered that there was a mineral here that, when combined with the paint, actually made their houses cooler and kept away the mosquitoes. But, as the paint aged, it turned the color of baby blue.

When you look out over the city from any elevated position, all you can see if blue buildings.

Below is the fort at Jodhpur. It really was something out of a fairytale book. We also took a drive out into the farm towns. There we saw our first camels of the trip. They were just hanging out next to a tree on the side of the road. They weren't doing too much.

On the way, we passed many people doing there everyday work. When I saw this woman though, I knew I had to show everyone how far people walk with crazy materials. It is not uncommon to see people moving around everything on top of their head for miles. I wonder how far this woman walked with this pile of branches.

Sula Winery

2005-11-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I've told all of you this yet, but it is really hard to find good boos in India. In particular, wine is extremely hard to come by. We have a standing order among expats that if you are visiting, or leaving the country, that when you re-enter, you must bring back two bottles of wine.

In India, there is one good winery, Sula. At least, in my opinion, the rest of them barely qualify as grape juice, let alone wine. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my good friend Ashwin in Mumbai had connections with the vineyard. And, by connections, I mean that his family owns it.

Ashwin promptly invited all of us to join him at his villa on the vineyard. It is a private estate reserved specifically for the family. Saamra, Nick, Neel, and I flew into Mumbai and drove out with the rest of the gang the next morning in two large vehicles. On the way, we passed loads of overturned trucks and bicyclists wearing crazy orange colors.

We arrived to find ourselves at a gorgeous winery that easily could have been in Napa. Here we are in front of the vineyard, right outside the villa.

Villa view

2005-11-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

The villa was at the foot of a small hill. And, in front, it was enshrouded with grape vines and large oak tress. We each had our own room, and ate together in a large common area. The private chef we had was fantastic, and prepared anything we wanted.

The actualy tasting center was just a short 5 minute walk from the villa itself.

Driving Times

2005-11-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Not sure if you all have heard, but it takes forever to get anywhere in India. Most people have a 20-25 kilometer commute. Which, is approximately 12-15 miles. However, here, that distance easily takes close to 1 hour.

But, that is in the city, so when I was told that we were going to Nashik to visit the winery, I asked how far it was I was told 190 KMs, or 120 miles. So, I figured that would take around 2 hours. Needless to say, I was wrong. It took close to 5 hours, and here are two examples of why.

A few bottles

2005-11-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

We all went on a private tour of the winery, including the storage cellars. Here, Neel and I are surrounded by 1000s of bottles of Sula champagne.

The Villa

2005-11-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

The morning after, we needed some good relaxation time. (From the hard day and night of wine tasting.) So, we hung out in the covered courtyard, and were served breakfast. From left to right: Nick, Neel, Farah, Ashwin, Zeenia, me, and Saamra.

The Electric Slide

2005-10-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

The clubs decided to close by 2am. So, we had to make due with Ashwin's place. Here we are doing the electric slide at 4 in the morning.

Singing their hearts out...

2005-10-15T04:56:00.000-07:00

Neel, Nick, and Saamra are trying their best.

Friends in Mumbai

2005-10-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

Most of you know my great friend Ryan, who I used to live in Park City with. Well, one of his best friends from Northwestern is a guy named Ashwin. (On the far right.) Well, I have started travelling every month to Mumbai to hang out with him and his friends. We've all become very close friends. In this picture, you can see Nick, Zeenia, Saamra, and Ashwin singing karaoke at Jazz by the bay.

In the picture below, we have Nick, Farah, Saamra, and Zeenia all at dinner at Indigo. The restaurants in Mumbai are every bit as good as any place you'd find in NYC. In fact, Mumbai's real estate prices are second only to NYC, and they are not far behind. The city is a melting pot of people from all over the world. I know you New Yorkers have a lot of pride, but this city is double the size, with close to 16 million people.

Dandia

2005-10-09T04:49:00.000-07:00

Real Dandia!

Tryin

2005-10-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

Trying my best!

Reg & Matt

2005-10-09T04:39:00.000-07:00

Regina and Matt chillin out. It was exhausting doing the various dances. Not to mention, it started at 8pm and went until 3am. Literally, people were dancing for 7 hours straight on a huge grass field. It was one of the most cultural events I've ever attended.

Matt was here for 6 months with me. He currently works in the Dublin office.

Dandia Dancing

2005-10-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

This was actually called the Garba. It precedes the Dandia which is the dance which involves two sticks.

Gettin Ready

2005-10-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

Aradhana and Regina are getting warmed up for the dance. I contend that Aradhana isn't really Indian. First of all, she can't handle spices at all. She is unable to ingest anything unless it tastes like bread. However, she can speak some broken Hindi...so, maybe I'll give her some props for that.

Then there is Regina. The Filipino who married a star studded Indian drummer named Rohit. He lived with us here in Hyderabad for 9 months or so. He did a tremendous amount of volunteer work for the community while he lived here.

Maya

2005-10-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

Maya has quickly become one of my best friends. She may have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. Whenever anyone enters our office, she is the first one to greet you. She will do anything for anyone to make them more comfortable in Hyderabad.

Additionally, Maya and her husband Satish have ana amazing apartment in Hyderabad with a large terrace. Many of my Friday or Saturday nights are spent on their rooftop hanging out and talking. It turns out both of them were philosophy majors as well. In fact, Satish is a Philosophy professor at Osmania University. Needless to say, we have a lot to talk about.

Dandia Entrance

2005-10-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

Nick, Neel, John, and I headed off to the Dandia festival. This is a large festival that happens yearly in October in the state of Gujarat. However, Gujaratis all over the country celebrate it wherever they reside. So, we went to the one in Hyderabad.

Sri Lankan Sunset

2005-10-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

Sunset swim

2005-10-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

Salim and I decided that it was amazing to be in the ocean at sunset. So, we made it tradition to swim every night at this time of the day. Heather did a fantastic job of capturing this all on film.

The one great thing about this beach was there was no wildlife. For me, that was great news because I am terrified of sharks, or any wildlife that might eat me. The locals told us that the Tsunami crushed all of the dwellings for the smaller fish, so there was not really a reason for sharks to be nearby.

View from the deck

2005-10-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the view from the pool deck of the beach. The weather was in the 80's the entire time we were there. There was slight cloud cover as well. It could not have been better. We went with a large group that included:

Neel
Arod
Heather
Salim (Big Bald guy)
Nick

Pool in Sri Lanka

2005-10-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the Taj Exotica Resort in Bentota. This resort was hit by the Tsunami in December of 2004. The hotel's top floors escaped unharmed. In addition, the beach is south facing so it did not get hit head-on. Nonetheless, on the way to the resort, we say boats 40 feet long inland at least 200 to 300 yards.

Here, Neel (my roommate) is hanging out in the pool. The swimup bar was one of the main attractions.

Infinity pool

2005-09-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

This resort had a beautiful infinity pool where we spent the majority of our time. It was very hot, but it was amazing tohang out and do nothing all day.

Sunset on Lake Kumarokom

2005-09-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

Nick and I chillin out on our own private boat (with Jessie and Margaret) wathcing the sunset.

Day on the Cricket Field

2005-09-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, cricket is the favorite past time in India. At any you can find children and adults playing cricket in the fields, the streets, parking lots, and parks.

So, I decided to should try out this sport that consumes every male and female in this country. We had a cricket outing for everyone in our office. As you can see, I had a little bit of trouble making contact with the ball.

And, in true American style, when I did finally connect, I through the bat to run back and forth. If you don't follow cricket, then you won't know that you are supposed to run with your bat between two bases. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.

Hanuman's Temple

2005-09-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is Hanuman's temple, and is one of the main reasons that I will be definitely returning to Hampi, along with the amazing rock climbing that is there.

Hanuman is a Hindu god that takes the form of a monkey. According to the Ramayana, he was born atop this mountain. People now make pilgrammages and climb the 600+ steps to reach this holy temple.

Pool Side!

2005-09-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Think your swimming pool is deep. Imagine how deep this was when it was full. Also, notice the old diving board. According to our tour guide, this king could pull off a triple lux with a half twist.

Ancient Water Structure

2005-09-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is the grounds for the kings palace in Hampi. He was clearly loaded! This guy had an amazing swimming pool that was fed by this very elaborate stone work used to carry water.

Watchtowers

2005-09-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Remember in Lord of the Rings when they light fires on all the watchtowers on the mountains to warn of attacks. Well, it turns out those really exist. Here is one ancient watchtower that is still standing on the top of a large rock outcropping. We were able to see 10-20 of these throughout our trip. They are strategically placed all over the city, and outside the city as you travel away.

Along the watchtower

2005-09-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Salim and I on top of the watchtower. We couldn't go up initially because of the scary dog that was sleeping on the stairs.

Do you like elephants?

2005-09-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

This queen clearly did. Just outside the queen's house, which by the way men (including her husband) were not allowed to visit without explicit permission from her, sits the elephant stables. There are 9 stalls for each of her elephants. They are each 30-40 feet tall, and must be at least 100 square feet.

Little Mountain Oasis

2005-09-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

After hiking up a few hundred feet, you come to a small hill station that no one seems to inhabit for some reason. However, you can see the ancient water system they had set up to get water up to this level.

Hampi Temple

2005-09-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Hampi was absolutely amazing. It has many ruins from the 14th century. The town is built on a huge plateau that is surrounded by millions and millions of gigantic boulders. If you'd like to read more about the town, you can at:
http://hinduism.about.com/cs/history/a/aa112303a.htm

River Town

2005-09-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a typical small village on the side of a small creek or river. People are going about their daily routine of washing clothes, bathing, and bringing water to their homes.

Train Trip

2005-09-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Amazing! On the train, they leave the doors wide open even while travelling at speeds of up to 50 MPH. You could literally walk right out the door at any time. It was glorious to be able to soak in the fresh air on the long 12 hour train ride.

Small village on the way to Hampi

2005-09-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

We took a train to a small city called Hampi. On the way, we passes through hundreds of small little villages. Even far from any city, you will see people all the time working in fields and with livestock.

Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi

2005-09-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Jessie, Margaret, and I standing beside the Chinese fishing nets at sunset in Cochin.

Speedboat Taxi?

2005-09-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

Nick and I on the speedboat Taxi that took us from our hotel, The Taj Resort, in Kochi to the Kumarokom Lake Resort.

2005-09-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Grafton street, the major market place in Dublin, is busy on my first Saturday morning.

2005-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here is Sathy and I visiting the Brazen Head pub. We posted a 10 Rupee note with our names on it along with everyone else.

2005-09-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sathy is currently living in Dublin and we spent an entire day exploring the city. Here we are visiting the Jameson factory.

2005-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Trinity college is one of the oldest Universities, and contains the oldest book in the world called the Book of Kells.

2005-09-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

Street view near our amazing hotel, the Merrion.

2005-09-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd see Budweiser out shine a Guinness.

2005-09-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ian and I heard so much about the sport of Hurling, so we decided to attend the Kilkenny Vs Galway semi-final match. This is the most brutal sport I've ever seen. Men literally run around with oversized hockey sticks hitting a baseball down the field. While, at the same time, anything goes including full tackles.

2005-09-09T11:10:00.001-07:00

A few shots of the match.

2005-09-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

After the amazing win of Galway, everyone decided to rush the field.

2005-09-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Why not, everyone else is doing it.

2005-09-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

O'Connell Street. This is where the famous uprising happened at the post office. In this picture, you can also see the high flying spire, which apparently no one in Dublin really likes.

2005-09-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

The first glimpse of the Mecca

2005-09-09T11:03:00.001-07:00

Enough said...

2005-09-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

There is an entire section dedicated to barrell making at the brewery and was by far one of the most interesting exhibits.

2005-09-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

A view from the top of the Guinness Storehouse of the Dublin Skyline. It is stippled with cranes as it is one of the fastest growing cities, and will be the most expensive city inthe world within a few words.

2005-09-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Leaving the holy grail.

2005-09-09T10:59:00.001-07:00

A traditional irish band at the Porterhouse Brewery in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. I bought the CD from this band they were so good.

2005-09-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Merrion Square is a beautiful park right outside of our hotel.

Thailand

2005-09-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

See, I am making a concerted effort to be a better blogger. The photos below represent the trip Saamra, Shadie, Kirit, and I took to Thailand. We spent 5 days between the two islands of Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan. The photos below are in chronological order more of less starting at the bottom. So, please start looking through and work your way back up to this paragraph.

We started out in Koh Samui on Aug 12. We spent our first two full days on that island relaxing, spending time in the spa, and on the beach. We decided to take it easy because we had all been working long hours prior to the trip. But, once we arrive in Koh Pha Ngan, we decided to go all out. This beach of Haad Rin didn't even get started until midnight. We stayed out till at least 3am every night, and some nights till 5. We then slept in every morning and explored the city, hung out on the beach, and went shopping.

My only complaint was that it was too short. Thailand is amazing and I suggest everyone visit. The food was amazing as well. We ate phenomenal Thai dishes as well as great seafood, such as soft shell crab.

2005-09-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Taking an auto rickshaw through Bangkok. Let me tell you about pollution. Nothing in the US even comes close.

2005-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Gotta love American Food whenever you can get it.

2005-09-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our beach at out resort in Koh Samui. This is a shot from in the water. You can see how shallow and clear it was as we were standing a few hundred yards out.

2005-09-09T10:17:00.001-07:00

Sunset at our hotel.

2005-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

This was an important stop on our weekend adventure. :)

2005-09-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Shadie and I hanging out on the beach on Koh Pha Ngan

2005-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

So hungry!

2005-09-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Gotta roll on the ferry over to Koh Pha Ngan

2005-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at a beach bar in Koh Samui. All the bars are right on the beach and have tables and lounges available just a few feet from the water.

2005-09-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Saamra, me, Shadie, and Kirti... Here we were making the most of Happy Hour at the hotel bar. They made the most amazing banana coladas I've ever had. The bananas have a distinctly different flavor than the ones we eat in the states and in India.

2005-09-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the pool that was resting right on the beach.

2005-09-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

We stayed at a 4 star luxury spa for our first night. Saamra proceeded to get 2 massages in the first 24 hours we were there.

2005-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

A view from our private balcony of our private beach.

2005-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

First glimpse of island paradise...Koh Samui

2005-09-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the first two were fun because we had time to kill. But, in ton our twin plane prop withis case, it was a close call. Our flight into Bangkok was delayed by almost an hour. And, we only had an hour and a half before the delay to make our flight to Koh Samui. So, we literally ran from terminal to terminal, purchased our tickets, and made it with 10 minutes to spare. Needless to say, the three girls I was travelling with were not that excited that I wanted to stop and pose with this cardboard cutie.

2005-09-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Livin large!

2005-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the Hi-Tech check-in counters at the largest airport in India and most technically advanced.

2005-09-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Saamra reveling in the exquisite Italian food.

2005-09-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kirti and I lounging at the phat Hyatt Regency Hotel on our layover. Mom, they had GREAT gnocchi!

2005-09-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

The smallest taxi ever in Mumbai. Seriously, couldn't fit our four back packs in the trunk, so I had to hold mine. Not to mention that I had to lean over so my head wasn't gleening the sweat off of the ceiling from the cabbies last fare.

2005-09-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

It turns out King Fisher (the biggest beer producer in India) also has an airline. How would you like to fly on Budweiser Air?

2005-09-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

The security at the Indian airports in by far the most technical I have ever seen. In this picture they are inspecting the Connect 4 game Saamra was carrying. (who plays that game anyway) If you ever come and visit, you will find that if you don't have at least 10 stamps on your ticket, boarding pass, and luggage, you will not make it on the plane. If anyone wants to go into the stamp making business, India is your place.

Golconda Fort

2005-09-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Golconda fort is an old fort within the city limits of Hyderabad. It is one of the coolest ruins in the surrounding region. I visited it with two friends from work, Chetan and Ashok. It rests on a small hill 400-500 feet high. Take a look at the pictures and feel free to shoot me any emails with questions.

2005-06-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

A first of many roadblocks posed by the unpredictable rural areas on our way to Sri Sailam. These water buffalo are a major source of milk to these villages.

2005-06-11T01:28:00.000-07:00

Locals look on as we pass through.

2005-06-11T01:27:00.001-07:00

A pic in the middle of nowhere. Our driver thought it was a perfect opportunity. Cmon, have you ever seen such a beautiful picture of desolate desert.

2005-06-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

Regina and Lauren contributing to the local economy.