Independence Hall was completed in 1753 and originally was built for the colonial legislature.  Today it’s best known for being the place where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted.  Later parts of this building are where the first congress met and where George Washington and John Adams were inaugurated on March 4th, 1793 and March 4th, 1797 respectively. The 2,000 pound Liberty Bell was originally in Independence Hall until a new bell was made for the Centennial in 1876.  After that, the Liberty Bell was on display in Independence Hall, but it now has its own building across the street.  The famous crack is really a failed attempt to fix a thinner crack which happened in 1752, soon after its first arrival to Philadelphia.  The repair work was completed sometime in the early 19th century, but in 1846 it failed again when they attempted to ring the bell for George Washington’s birthday anniversary.  The original crack reappeared and also lengthened, silencing the bell forever.  Today we know that the unstable mix of metals is what made it so fragile. Betsy Ross finished her formal schooling by age 14 and then went on to apprentice at […]

Since I was on the east coast already, I had the opportunity to visit Jenn who used to work at my school.  We had some relaxing days at the beach and swimming in the pool.

I’m in New York for a reunion of the people I met on my Antarctic cruise back in January.  We chose New York because one of the guys is in a Broadway play here.  It was also extra special because it was 4th of July weekend.  It was an amazing weekend and it was so great to see everyone again.  We had such a blast together and we’re even planning the next reunion(s).             The Freedom Tower at 1776 ft and 104 stories is now the tallest building in the US. “The Sphere” was designed as a symbol of peace and stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center for three decades.  It was damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but is now part of the memorial for all the lives that were lost that day. The memorial pools are set into the footprints of the original World Trade Center buildings that were destroyed on Sept. 11th, 2001.  The parapets surrounding the pools, contain the names of each person who died that day. The Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s first suspension bridge.

Vienna was probably already an important trading post for the Celts when the Romans arrived around 15 BC.  They named it Vidobona, after the Celtic tribe Vinid.  The city changed hands multiple times and then ended up in the hands of the Hapsburg empire until the cit was besieged by the Ottoman Turks in 1529.  Vienna had problems with revolting citizens, religious bickering during the reformation and counter-reformation, and also plague at the end of the 17th century.  However, the beginning of the 18th century was a golden age for the city especially for architecture and classical music.  Things turned again and Napoleon conquered and occupied the city in 1805 and again in 1809.  Once his reign was over, the city prospered again. Schloss Schönbrunn (Beautiful Spring Castle) was purchased by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II in 1569 to be used as a hunting and recreation grounds. The Lipizzaner Stallion breed dates back to the 1520s when Ferdinand I imported the first horses from Spain for the imperial palace.  Originally they were bred and trained in Lipizza (now in Slovenia) and that is why they are called Lipizzaner Stallions.  Their shows are impressive due to the difficulty of the movements.  The […]

Piran’s name comes from the Greek word for fires (pyr) which were lit at the very tip of the peninsula to guide ships to the port of what is now Koper. The Romans settled here first and starting in the 13th century there were five centuries of Venetian rule.  Piran was important for the Venetians because it was a major salt supplier.  Today it’s on the best preserved historical old towns anywhere on the Adriatic.            

The karst cave at Postojna is one of the largest in the world.  The cave entrance was known about since the Middle Ages, but it wasn’t until April 1818 that the inner parts were explored.  A year later the first tour group was allowed in and since then 32 million people have visited the cave.  The cave is a series of caverns, halls, and passages totaling 20.6 kms/12.8 miles long and is thought to be two million years old.  Visitors get to see only about six kms/3.7 miles of the cave (about 4 km/2.5 miles on an electric train and the rest walking).    Postojna’s claim to fame is that it’s the only place in the world with the Proteus anguinus-an eyeless salamander nicknamed the human fish.  It is a neotenic animal which means that an adult keeps most of its juvenile features so that all human fish are babies that have taken on adult functions.  People used to think that they were baby dragons.  The human fish can live up to 100 years and can go a decade without food.  This is a Google image.  I saw some in the cave, but it was too dark for my pictures to come […]

Lake Bohinj is the largest lake in Slovenia and less developed than Lake Bled.  The lake is technically part of Triglav National Park named after Mt. Triglav, Slovenia’s tallest mountain (2,864 meters/9,396 feet).  The Park was established in 1924 and today it contains 4% of Slovenia’s total land area.  

Lake Bled is on the small side at only 2km (1.3 miles) by 1400 meters (4600 feet), but the main appeal is its beauty and the gorgeous alpine backdrop.  We spent the morning walking around the lake which takes about an hour at a relaxed pace.

So I made it to continent #7 and country #22.  For my Europe portion, I chose Slovenia, which might seem like an odd choice, but there were multiple reasons behind it.  First of all, I wanted to go to a country I hadn’t been to yet.  Secondly, I ended up with only a bit over a week in Europe so Slovenia was perfect because it’s so small.  Third, I had met a couple on my fourth day of my trip who offered to host if I ever made it to Slovenia.  Lastly, I had heard such good things about the country that I was excited to see it for myself.  So really it worked out perfectly and I’m glad it did.  I’m really enjoying the place.  I spent two days in Ljubljana which is the capital. I was so lucky to know someone here.  In this case it’s Ajda and Uroš who I met in Mexico back in August.  We were staying at the same hostel and we met because we all were asking the employee for directions to the same place at the same time.  We ended up going together and spending the day together.  I find this kind […]

Today we started the day by crossing into Zimbabwe.  Zimbabwe was originally called Rhodesia after its founder Cecil Rhodes.  In 1980, Zimbabwe was granted its independence from Britain and Robert Mugabe won the first presidential election on March 4th of that year.  He has been in power ever since although it’s believed that many of the elections were fraudulent.  From 2007 to 2008 the real rate of inflation was seven sixtillion percent and then the economy finally collapsed.  Today the country used the US dollar as its currency.  Besides the economy, employment is also a major issue for the Mugabe government.  It’s estimated that the unemployment rate is between 80-90%, resulting in many Zimbabweans seeking jobs in neighboring countries.  It’s estimated that 60% of the population has people sending them money working a job in another country. Our destination in Zimbabwe and the final destination on our tour was Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls was named after Queen Victoria by the first European explorer who set their sights on them, David Livingston, however up until then, and still today locally, the falls were known to be The Smoke That Thunders, “Mosi-oa-Tunya”.  One million liters of water per second down the 108 m/354 feet […]

Chobe National Park covers over 11,000 sq km/4,250 sq miles and has the highest concentration of elephants in Africa.  There are at least 50,000 elephants there although some say it’s more.  We did a game drive in the afternoon and then a river boat river on the Chobe River where we saw some hippos up close and got a great sunset.  The game drive was awesome because the animals are so used to cars coming and going that they don’t get scared and run away.  Some elephants came right up to us and were within about 2 feet of me!  Here are some videos of Elephants Playing and of Elephant getting close!  Here’s a funny video of a Giraffe Running.

The Okavango Delta is Botswana’s most popular tourist destination. Every year, more than 11 cubic kilometers/4 cubic miles of water flow from the Okavango River into the Delta, irrigating more than 15 000 square kilometers/5790 square miles of the Kalahari Desert, making it the largest inland delta in the world.  The delta is home to more than 2000 plant species, 450 bird species, 65 fish species, and an estimated 2000,000 large mammals (I’m not sure if they are including the tourist in that statistic or not).  Because the area is a basin the water comes in through the Okavango River and stays; it does not continue to the sea like most rivers. We had a great time in the Delta if for no other reason than we got to relax a bit and we didn’t have to be in the truck for hours on end.  We flew into the Delta in the morning and then went straight to our lodging which were amazing.  It was a camp with luxury tents.  The best part was that there were no other camps around.  We really enjoyed the isolated feeling.  It was also great because there were a ton of animals around.  During […]

Today we drove to Maun.  Maun is the 5th largest city in Botswana, but it’s not a very exciting city.  It was founded in 1915 and was known for cattle and hunting until the tourism industry started growing and it’s now known as the stepping off point to get to the Okavango Delta where we were headed the next day.  Some of us did a scenic flight over the Delta.   

Today was yet another long day of driving (520 km/325 m) plus a border crossing to get to Ghanzi in Botswana.  There was went on walk with the San People.  The Bushmen of Southern Africa are the oldest indigenous inhabitants of Southern Africa and have lived off the land in symbiosis for hundreds of years. The San people have inhabited large parts of Southern Africa including the regions and deserts of southern Namibia and Botswana. They are known colloquially as bushmen, this however is a broad term used to describe indigenous people of Southern Africa.  They took us on a walk into the bush and showed us how they live.  They would walk up to a plant that Westerners would probably call a weed and then dig it up.  They then explained what they would use the root for.  They used different plants to cure headaches, stomachaches, cuts and bruises, and/or soap.  Here is a video of one of the women talking.  At each different plant one of the bushmen would explain it and then the translator would tell us in English.  Here you can almost figure out what she’s saying.  It’s an interesting language.  https://youtu.be/N9flEBVP1Ek They also showed us how […]

Today we started with a short game drive to exit Etosha National Park.  We saw a cheetah and three cubs, but unfortunately I couldn’t see them.  I caught a glimpse at the last minute before she went behind some bushes again, but I didn’t get any pictures.   Then we started the long drive (450 km/280 m) to Windhoek which is the capital of Namibia.

Etosha National Park  is 20,000 sq km/7,722 sq m and contains 114 mammal species and 340 bird species.  The first Europeans arrived at Etosha in 1851, but the land wasn’t protect until the early 20th century.   At that time almost 100,000 sq km/38,610 sq m were put under reserve statues, but the park boundaries have been altered and it has been at the current size since 1970. We spent two days in Etosha National Park.  We got to see four female lions, many giraffes and elephants, and tons of the little guys like springbok, zebras, jackals, impalas, kudos.  Our lodging also had a watering hole which was a great place to watch for other animals.  We got to see more lions, elephants, and some rhinos there.

Our first stop of the day was to a petrified forest.  Here there are trees up to 34 m/111 ft high with 6 m/20 ft circumference.  Most are thought to be about 260 million years old.  It’s pretty obvious that these trees aren’t from any recent time period since the largest tree around isn’t above 2 m/6.5 ft. Our next stop was to see a Himba Tribe.  The semi-nomadic Himba people are extremely susceptible to Western influence and have lost a large portion of their land to farmers, engineers, miners and many were displaced during the wars that raged in Angola. The dwindling number of pastoralists that still exist in their natural environment are protected as far as possible by creating a “buffer zone”, or an “educational tribe” where tourists who would like to get a better understanding of the way of the Himba, their lifestyle and their traditions, can do so without interfering with those still living in their natural environment.  The income that this specific tribe generates from the visits goes towards the education of orphaned Himba children and assists the tribe in giving them a chance to learn about their own culture and heritage. That night a […]

Before lunch we stopped at Spiztkoppe which is called the Matterhorn of Africa.  It’s 1728m/5,670 ft above flat dusty plains so you can see it for miles around.  We also got to see some ancient rock art which is up to 6000 years old.  The rest of the day was spent driving to Khoraxis.  That night a choir came by to sing for us.  Here is a video of it although it’s quite dark.  Choir Singing

We had another long day of driving (250 km/155 miles).  This time it was broken up with a pitstop in the town of Solitaire and then by a bush walk with a native to learn more about the unique desert ecosystem and how the Bushmen survived in the harsh desert conditions.  From there we also stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn and then drove to Swakopmund which was founded in 1892 as the main harbor for the imperial German Colony due to its fresh water supply and deep natural harbor.  Swakopmund is also known as the adventure capital of Namibia. The town has a permanent population of 42,000 residents so is by no means massive, but it does have a rich and fascinating history and the influence from the days of German colonization. The architecture is stunning and there are many quaint shops and nooks so it’s perfect for just roaming around.  It was so good to have a day to ourselves to just relax.  I got a massage and a pedicure and then just spent time walking around the town.

Namib-Naukluft National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world at 23,000 sq km/8,800 sq miles.  This means that it’s bigger than the country of Switzerland.  The main attraction to the park is Sussusvlei.  Sussus means “no return” and vlei means marsh.  The dunes are not very high (the highest is only 380 m/1246 ft), but since they’re sand, they are quite hard to climb.  We started the day with a climb up Dune 45 which got its name simply because it’s 45 km from the town of Sesriem.  Here’s a video of me doing a 360 on top of Dune 45 Later we went to see Dead Vlei, which is named for its numerous dead camelthorn trees, some of which are over 800 years old.

Today was all driving (520 km/323 miles).  We had a lot of ground to cover and most of the roads were unsealed so we had to go slower.

Today was a pretty chill day.  We had some relaxing time at our accommodations and then we drove to the next destination which was Fish River Canyon.  The canyon is the largest in Africa and is 160 km/525 ft long, up to 27 km/88 ft wide, and up to 550 m/1804 ft deep.  We only walked along the rim but motivated people can do a five day hike through the canyon all the way to Ai Ais. It’s over 75 km/46 mile long so it’s not for the faint of heart.  After our walk, we checked into our new accommodations which had hot springs. It was in the town of Ai-Ais which means “scalding hot” in Nama.  It was great to relax in the hot springs.

Today was a long day of driving (500 km/310 miles).  Everything is very spread out in Africa so our guide said we’ll have a few days where it’s mainly driving.  I was productive though and read an entire book on the drive.  We did get into Namibia so that was exciting.  Unfortunately we had to say good bye to someone in our group.  She had a Greek passport and didn’t realize she needed a visa for Namibia which you can only get it at the embassy, not at the border.  This caused quite a problem since our guide had to find a way to get her safely back into South Africa and help her find her way back to Cape Town.  In the end, a camping resort right near the South African border came and picked her up.  I assume she spent the night there (it was already 5:00 by the time we got to the border) and she’ll make her way to Cape Town tomorrow.  It was a sad situation, but it just goes to show the importance of investigating the visa situations before you leave your home country. Germany officially colonized Namibia in 1892, but in 1914 Britain pressured […]

For Southern Africa, I’m doing another group tour. Today was the first day so I started off the day by taking a cab to the meet up place and meeting everyone else on the tour.  There’s a maximum of 24 people, but we only have nine so we are super lucky.  There’s three guides as well.  Laban is the head guide and driver, Rimson is the cook, and Michiel helps with everything really.  Laban and Rimson are from Zimbabwe while Michiel is from South Africa.  As for the other passengers, there’s a couple from Australia, a couple from Canada, and a couple from Germany.  Then there’s a single woman from Greece, but currently living in Germany and a single man from the States who’s on a goal to visit 100 countries.  He’s actually continuing after this tour and going on to Nairobi, Kenya.  

Cape Town was originally settled by the San and Khoikhoi nomadic peoples, collectively known as Koisan.  Later the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established a base here.  The natives shunned the VOC so they imported slaves from Madagascar, India, Ceylon, Malaya, and Indonesia.  In time the slaves intermixed with the Koisan.  The offspring of these unions formed the basis of sections of today’s colored population.  The Dutch ruled for 150 years until they were defeated by the British in 1806.  An outbreak of bubonic plague in 1901 was blamed on black African workers (although it actually came on boats from Argentina) and gave the government an excuse to introduce racial segregation. District 6 was a lively neighborhood with multiple races living together in harmony.  In the 1960s the government decided it should be a white only neighborhood so they forced out over 60,000 non-whites and bulldozed the buildings.  Many white citizens were against this forced evictions and therefore didn’t want to move to District 6.  Because of this, many of the areas that were bulldozed just became empty lots for weeds to grow.  The government is trying to make amends by helping former residents get housing back in their neighborhood, but it’s an […]

La Digue is known for its tranquility.  There’s not many people and zero cars.   

Praslin is the 2nd largest island in the Seychelles.  I spent two days here although most of it was scuba diving so I don’t have very many pictures. The coco de mer is said to be world’s sexiest fruit.  It basically looks like, ahem, buttocks.  Originally the coconuts were only found floating in the sea so it was thought that they grew in a magic garden at the bottom of the sea.  It wasn’t until 1768 that they discoved the forest where they grow.  There are only two places in the world where this fruit grows and they are both in Seychelles.  One is Vallée de Mai on Praslin island and the other is Curieuse Island.   

The Seychelles was uninhabited until the 18th century.  The islands were first spotted by Portuguese explorers, but the first landing was by the British in 1609.  Later pirates and privateers used the Seychelles as a temporary base during lulls in their marauding.  The first formal exploration was in 1742 by the French and they claimed official possession 12 years later although it wasn’t until 1770 that the first batch of 21 settlers and seven slaves arrived.  In the 18th century the British took an interest and the French didn’t resist their attacks.  The Seychelles became a British dependency in 1814 although they did little to develop the islands except increase the number of slaves.  This explains why French is still the national language although they drive on the left side of the road.  In 1976, the Seychelles were granted their independence from Britain. It was quite the adventure just getting to Seychelles.  My original flight plan was Bangkok, Thailand to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then onto Seychelles.  The flight left at 1:30 AM and arrived at about 3:00 pm.  While in line for check in, it was interesting to watch all the other people in line.  Most of them had […]

Chiang Mai is much smaller than Bangkok, but it’s still one of the major tourist destinations in Thailand.  The old town is surrounded by a moat and remnants of the old city wall that was built 700 years ago to protect against Burmese invaders. In Chiang Mai, I spent quite a bit of time with the Greens who are friends from my church. Nathan volunteers at the RICD Wheelchair Project where underprivileged people can get free mobility aid.  The project was founded in 2000 and has distributed over 4,000 wheelchairs as well as other devices such as canes, crutches, walkers, and rollators.  Many of the wheelchairs are donated from overseas companies due to the fact that they may have some minor flaw.  Usually the volunteers are able to repair the chair so that it’s in working condition, although they won’t take any device that is unsafe.  For more information, go to www.wheelchairproject.com The Maesa Elephant Camp was founded in 1976 with five elephants with a concern for health care and breeding.  Today they have over seventy elephants.  

Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s premier beach destination.  It’s also a stop off point for the nearby islands.  I decided to skip the islands and just spend two days on Otres Beach relaxing and reading.  The beach is on the Gulf of Thailand so the water was very warm and pleasant.

Phnom Penh was once the pearl of Asia, but that all ended after the wars in the 70s.  The main tourist attraction at the moment is sadly The Killing Fields where over 8000 skulls (victims of the Khmer Rouges) have been found.  Fortunetly, the city is rebuilding and becoming a world class destination again with a cafe culture and world-class food scene.  The main attraction for me to go to Phnom Penh was the Schlepers.  Scott and Helen used to work at my school and it’s also where they met and fell in love.  Two kids later they decided to move to Cambodia to teach there.  It was really great to see friends from home while I was on the trip.

Siem Reap is the city near the Temples of Angkor, what most people consider to be the 8th Wonder of the World.  There is no greater concentration of of architectural riches in the world.  There are still 100s of temples surviving, but they is only a skeleton of the vast political, religious, and social center of the Khmer empire.  Angkor had a population of over 1 million while London was only at 50,000.  I was blessed to have a travel companion.  Sinead, who was on my outback tour in Australia, happened to be in Bangkok at the same time I was.  When I said I was going to Angkor Wat for a few days she decided to join me!   Angkor Wat (meaning Temple City) is only matched by other spots such as Machu Picchu and Petra.  Out of the all the temples in the Temples of Angkor, Angkor Wat is the only one that has been used continuously as a major religious center since its construction in the 12th century.  It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the deities in Hindu mythology.  Within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometers (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised […]

Kanchanaburi claim to fame is that it is the site of a Japanese-operated WWII prisoner of war camp made famous by the movie The Bridge over the River Kwai or more recently The Railway Man starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  During the war, the Japanese needed a railway to connect Burma (now Myanmar) to Thailand so that they could move supplies and manpower around.  About 60,000 Allied POWs and 200,000 Asian laborers worked on the 415 km/258 mile line.  With little else besides picks, shovels, dynamite, and pulleys, they shifted three million cubic meters/3.9 million cubic yards of rocks and built over 600 bridges totaling 14 kilometers/9 miles.  Engineers estimated that the railway would take five years, but the Japanese made the workers finish it in just 16 months.  By the time it was completed, it had earned the nickname The Death Railway.  An estimated 16,000 POWs and 100,000 Asian laborers died while working on it.  Historians say it wasn’t necessarily the forced labor that killed the men, but more the poor living conditions, lack of proper food and medical supplies, maltreatment from guards, and the diseases (mainly cholera, dysentery, and malaria) that wiped out most of the men.

I’m using Bangkok as a bit of a hub for  my time in Southeast Asia.  Originally I had planned on going to Cambodia and then into Laos and making my way through Laos to Northern Thailand and then back down to Bangkok.  I would do a big circle using mainly buses.  But now that I’m eight+ months into my trip, the thought of that many bus rides sounds like torture and doing all that would be a bit rushed.  In the end I spent a few days in Bangkok, went to Cambodia for a few weeks and then flew back to Bangkok for a day. From there I’ll fly round trip to the north of Thailand for one week.  I’ll end up skipping Laos, but it’s for the best in the end.  This way, I’ll have more time in the cities I’m choosing to and since flights are cheap it’ll be a lot less stressful than busing it. The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it consists of the royal residence and throne halls as well as a number of government offices and the renowed Temple of the Buddha.  Wat Phra Kaew is also known at the Temple […]

When I mentioned to people that I was going to Bangladesh, most people would ask why.  The answer is because I have a friend who is working there for two years.  I knew I would be in India and after that I’d be heading to Southeast Asia, so it wasn’t too far out of the way to go visit her and I’m glad I did.  It was quite an experience.  I knew I was in for a treat when I was the only woman on the entire plane.  Granted the plane wasn’t full, but there were still over 100 men on it and then there was me.  I was also the only Westerner.  Thirdly, this was the first flight for many of the men on the plane. This was obvious when they would try to store their luggage in the aisle (you can do it on trains so why not planes, right?) and they would get up and meander around during take-off.  The flight attendants seemed used to this behavior and they were quite patient in explaining why luggage had to be stowed correctly and why people had to stay in their seats.  Once in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I was walking […]

Cherai  Beach is a small town popular because it’s on the beach with the Arabian Sea as well as on the backwaters.  It was a great place to spend our last few days in India.  The beach was practically deserted.  We arrived in time for a magnificent sunset on our first night. This was us at dinner on our last night together.  We went to a nice place and it started off great, but then the electricity went out.  The restaurant was still able to make our food and it was delicious, but then Emma got a fish bone lodged in her throat.  Luckily she was able to dislodge it after a bit, but then the storm came.  It was a wild thunderstorm and we had to move tables because the rain was coming into the restaurant.  It was quite the adventure and definitely a night to remember.

No trip to the state of Kerala would be complete without a boat trip on the backwaters.  The backwaters network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of the state.  The entire network of backwaters extends over 900 km/560 miles.

After our group tour in Nothern India, Emma and I also wanted to see Southern India so we headed for the state of Kerala.

Varanasi is said to be one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities and is regarded as one of Hinduism’s seven holy cities.  Pilgrims come to the ghats (steps) lining the River Ganges to wash away a lifetime of since in the sacred waters or to cremate their loved ones.  It’s a particularly auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).  Because of this, many people who are older or sick will come live in Varanasi so that they can be cremated here. We also did a sunrise cruise on the river.  It was great to see all the activity there.  People were washing themselves in the river, women were doing laundry, and kids were out playing cricket.    We went on a tour of the silk area.  In this neighborhood, people make scarves, sarees, and other textiles. Another adventure was our trip to the post office.  Emma’s friend in Delhi had given us each a statue that is supposed to assist in our quest for a husband.  It was a great gesture, but we couldn’t carry the statue around for the rest of our trip so we wanted to post them […]

Orchha was the capital of the Bundela rajas from the 16th century to 1783.  Today it’s a mecca for tourists due to its laidback atmosphere.   

Khajuraho is famous for its temples which were built during the Chandela dynasty around AD 950 to 1050.  Originally there were 85 temples, but only 25 now remain.  The temples were eventually abandoned and fell into disrepair, but luckily, due to the isolated location, they weren’t destroyed like many other temples were when the Muslim invaded.  The temples weren’t rediscovered until 1838.  Today they are considered a highlight of India due to their intricate carving, some of which depict erotic scenes.

We got to spend another day seeing what life is like in a small village.  This time it was called Alipura and we got to stay in the former palace.  It was amazing, except that it rained quite a bit.  We had to postpone our village walk about five different times.  It was worth it once we go to go though.

Sultan Sikander Lodi established his capital in Agra in 1501, but the city fell into Mughal hands in 1526.  The city reached its magnificence between the 16th and 17th century which is when the Taj Mahal and other major mausoleums were built.  After multiple power shifts the British had control, but then they moved their administration to Allahabad.  After that, Agra developed as a center for heavy industry and it became famous for its chemicals industry and air pollution.  Now the major source of income is the Taj Mahal and the tourism that comes with it. The Red Fort-Construction on the Red Fort was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565.  It was originally built as a military structure, but later Shah Jahan transformed it into a palace. Sheros Hangout is run by survivors of acid attacks.  We got to hear the story of Ritu who was attacked with acid by her cousin over a land dispute.  She has had seven surgeries so far, but she will need to have more.  On average, survivors of acid attacks will need about 40 surgeries in their lifetime.   It was quite an emotional visit and it was hard not to cry.  It really […]

Abhaneri was originally named Abha Nagri, which means “city of brightness,” but due to mispronunciation, the name was changed. The city is now in ruins, but it attracts tourists from across the globe.  Abhaneri is prominent for ‘Baoris’, step wells which were invented by the natives to harvest rain water. These tanks were used as cool places of retreat and as water reservoirs during parched times of the year. Chand Baori is the most popular of the wells in the region, and it is one of India’s deepest and largest. There are three ways to reach the water using the steps, which are divided into 13 stories. This colossal, delicately carved well is located in front of the Harshat Mata Temple. It was a ritual to wash the hands and feet at the well before visiting the adjoining temple.

One of the benefits of doing a group tour, is that they take you to places you wouldn’t have gone to on your own.  Our tour went to the village of Tordi so we got to see how people who still live in the rural villages go about their daily lives.  Most of these pictures speak for themselves so I didn’t do individual comments.  I got some henna which is the first picture.  The rest are pictures from the village and then we went on a camel cart ride to the sand dunes to watch the sunset.

Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is named after its founder Jai Singh II.  At the time, the population was living in Amber which is about 11km from present day Jaipur, but due to population increase, Jaipur was planned and building was started in 1727.  It is Northern India’s first planned city.  In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh had the entire Old City painted pink (the color of hospitality) to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).  Today Jaipur is known as the Pink City.

For India I was traveling with my friend Emma, from Ireland, who I’d met in Vietnam many years previously.  We decided to do a group tour since it would be easier to have someone else do all the organizing for us and all we had to worry about was being on the bus on time.  Here is a map of our 15-day itinerary. Delhi has always been an important part of India due to its location on the route between western & Central Asia and Southeast Asia.  The area has been inhabitated for about 2500 years and Delhi has been the capital of India since 1911.  The city prospered after becoming the capital, but that has also led to overcrowding, pollution, traffic congestion, and extreme contrasts between rich and poor.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers/1,529 miles over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers/132,973 square miles.  It is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, is larger than the Great Wall of China, and the only living thing on earth visible from space. I went to the reef on a three day live aboard scuba diving ship.  I had booked it about two months prior and I was so looking forward to it.  It was going to be the last stop for Australia and it was going to be really amazing.  The schedule allows for 11 dives, two of which would be night dives.  Unfortunately, the day before the trip, I got a cold.  I was in denial so I still went, but I couldn’t dive.  When you scuba dive you have to equalize your ears as you descend.  It’s similar to what you do when you ascend in an airplane.  If you any sort of head congestion, you can’t equalize and that’s what happened to me.  I tried five different times on the three days, but each […]

Cairns is best known as a stepping off point to get to the Great Barrier Reef but there is actually a lot to do here other than that. I spent one day on a tour to the Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation.  I also spent three days scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef (see next listing).  I spent the rest of my time doing all kinds of last minute errands before I head off to third world countries again.

The Whitsundays are made up of 74 different islands.  The area is sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef so the waters are perfect for sailing.  One of the “must do” items when in Australia is to do sailing cruise to the Whitsundays.  My cruise was three days and two nights although I wouldn’t really call it three full days.  We left at noon on Monday and returned at 10:30 AM on Wednesday.  It was a great time though.  My boat offered scuba diving so I decided to do that and I ended up going three times.  It was great because it was just the dive master and I and we had a great time.  There were some recent cyclones so the visibility wasn’t great, but it was still beautiful.

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world at 120 km/75 miles long and 15 km/9 miles wide.  It’s also the only place on Earth where a rainforest grows on sand.  The aboriginal people called it K’Gari which meant paradise.  The European names comes from Captain James Fraser who was the captain of the Stirling Castle.  They were shipwrecked there in 1836.  He died there and she survived with the help of aboriginal people.   It’s also home to the purest form of dingo.

My last full day with my campervan.  I had a long day of driving the day before so I knew the drive today would be short.  Plus I would gain an hour when I went from New South Wales into Queensland since Queensland doesn’t recognize daylight savings time.  I spent quite a few hours in the Byron Bay City Library charging my devices and using the internet to get caught up on life.  I was in Brisbane by about 3:00.  When I arrived at what I thought was a campsite, it turned out to be a regular hostel that lets campervan “camp” in their parking lot.  It wasn’t ideal, but I decided to stay since I didn’t want to have to drive to far away from the city and also I could do my laundry.  They also had a pool and it was taco night.  How could I say no?

Today was a long day of driving.  It was going to be a long day anyway (4 hours), but then I also got stuck in really bad traffic.  It was the kind of traffic where people turn off their cars and go for walks while waiting for the next time to move.  Even though I had an early start I didn’t make it to the campsite until 5:30.  I had specifically chosen this site since I really needed a shower.  My previous two nights had been at sights with only long drop toilets, so a shower was greatly needed.

My stop for the second day was Hat Head National Park which was about another 3.5 hour drive.  The drive was uneventful and I arrived at the campsite by about 3:30 or so.  After spending some time on the beach, I still had plenty of time for reading and watching a movie.  This campsite was quite interesting at night as there were lots of animals about.  On one trip to the toilet, a kangaroo hopped past me only about six feet away.  All night I could hear critters in the bushes right by my van.  It was quite interesting.

In New Zealand and throughout Australia I’ve seen people with these rental campervans and I thought that might be a good idea.  They basically have everything except for running water (so no toilet or shower).  I had a few days to spare so I decided to rent one for a week to get me from Sydney to Brisbane.  It’s a 10 hour drive (925 km/575 miles), but since I had time, I wouldn’t have to drive too much each day.  My goal was to just relax and enjoy time alone reading and relaxing.  I also wanted to stick to the beaches so that I could hear the ocean waves from my campsite.  I achieved this except for the last night in Brisbane.  My first stop was Myall Lakes which was 3.5 hours from Sydney.  The first day didn’t get off to a good start.  It was a two hour bus ride across Sydney to get from where I was staying to the campervan rental place (Greater Sydney is absolutely massive) and then the van wasn’t ready.  I had to sit for another hour or so while they finished up to make the van ready.  They did compensate me by refunding the […]

Aboriginal people have lived in New South Wales for 40,000 years, but the first Europeans arrived on April 19th, 1770 when Lieutenant (later Captain) Cook of the British Navy saw land from his ship the Endeavor.  On January 26th, 1788, the British came back for good on the “First Fleet” which had 751 convicts and children and around 250 soldiers, officials, and their wives.  January 26th is now known as Australia Day to Australians of European descent and Invasion Day to indigenous people.  Today, Sydney is home to 4.5 million people as well as three of Australia’s major icons (Harbor Bridge, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi Beach).   We spent a day at Featherdale Animal Park where they have a large collection of native Australian animals.  

Our last day was a hike in King’s Canyon and then driving to Alice Springs.  The hike was simply gorgeous with the canyon walls reaching over 100 meters/330 feet tall.  In Alice Springs we had a farewell dinner and the tour was over.  It was such a great time and I met some wonderful people!   This is a very sad day. I had to say good bye to my trust day pack. I’ve had this backpack since 2008 and it’s been all over the world and back with me.  It was getting a ton of little holes that I could ignore, but today it got a hole on the top and because of the way it carries the weight the hole tripled in size within hours.  It was time to say good bye.  🙁

One of the reasons that I was reluctant to go to the Outback was that I wasn’t excited about seeing Uluru.  Uluru is also known by the name given to it by the Europeans, Ayer’s Rock.  I always thought it was just a big, stupid rock so who cares.  Maybe you’ll actually think that when you see my pictures, but let me tell you, it’s impressive.  I think one of the problems is that the pictures don’t do its size justice.  It’s the world’s largest monolith and it’s in the middle of a completely flat area.  It’s 343 meters/1.150 feet high, 3.6 kilometers/2.2 miles long and 2.4 kilometers/1.5 miles wide.  It’s eight kilometers/five miles in circumference.  Uluru means meeting place and it’s home to many sacred Dreamtime legends.  The color of the rock appears to change throughout the day with the sunrise and sunset.  The rock is thought to be 600 years old and like an iceberg only a small fraction is visible while the rest of it is underground.  Geologists think that the roots might go down as far as 6000 meters/20,000 feet.  Needless to say my feelings about the “big, stupid rock” changed after seeing it in person.  […]

The main thing that I learned from this tour is that Australia is absolutely massive.  People say that The States are big, but Australia is much bigger.  This was really shown on day three of our tour where we had to drive from Coober Pedy to Uluru (AKA Ayer’s Rock).  This is about a nine hour drive but since we stopped for lunch, petrol, and pee breaks, it took about ten hours.

On day #2 of the tour, we went from Quorn to Coober Pedy which was another six hours on the bus.  Coober Pedy is known for its opals.  While its population is only about 3.000 people over 44 nationalities are represented as people come from all over the world to try to get rich on opals.  Because of the heat (it gets up to 50°C/122°F), people have built homes that go underground.  Seeing this, the aboriginals named the town Coober Pedy, meaning “white man’s hole.”  The underground dugouts stay at a constant 23°C/74°F so air conditioning isn’t necessary.  The underground houses are cheaper to make than above ones and it’s also cheaper in the long run since air conditioning and heating aren’t required.  Aborigines have always built above ground since they believe that only the dead should be below ground.  Also there aren’t many locations suitable for an underground dwelling so many of the newer houses are above ground.  

At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into the Outback or not, but then I met a German girl in New Zealand and we decided to do an Outback tour together and I’m so glad I did.  It was really an amazing experience.  When people say that Australia is big, that is such an understatement.  We would literally drive for hours without seeing a town.  We started our first day with a stop at the supermarket where we stocked up on alchol and snacks since everything is so expensive as we got further into the Outback.  In total we spent about six hours on the bus from Adelaide to Flinders Ranges National Park for a hike and then to Quorn where we spent the first night.  

Indigenous Australians lived here are recently as 2000 years ago and no one is sure why they left.  They think it might have something to do with the name.  They called it Karta which means “land of the dead.”  Matthew Flinders named the island after his crew feasted on some kangaroo meat back in 1802.  Today the island is still very rural and under inhabited.  Tourists come mainly for the wildlife such as kangaroo, seals, dolphins, sea lions, and koalas.  I did a two day tour that went to a honey farm, eucalyptus distillery, kayaking, seal conservation park, an animal conservatory where we saw koalas, and Flinders National Park.  Our accommodations were on a farm so we did a nocturnal walk and saw lots of kangaroos, wallabies, and possums.

The Great Ocean Road, between Melbourne and Adelaide, is one of the most popular touring routes in Australia.  The scenic route is 1000 km/620 miles so it can be done in one day or one week.  The scenery is spectacular as it goes through surfing towns as well as rainforests.  I was traveling with a friend I met in New Zealand and we decided to do it in three days although in hindsight I think four would have been better.  

To the Aboriginal people the idea of buying and selling land was quite foreign so in 1835 John Batman “bought” 2400 hectares from the Aboriginal people for only some tools, flour, and clothing.  Within five years, 10,000 Europeans lived in what is today Melbourne.  Because of the wealth from the nearby gold fields it was known as “Marvelous Melbourne.”  That only lasted until the depression at the end of the 1880s, but Melbourne continued to thrive especially after WWII when there was an influx of immigrants from all over the globe.  Today Melbourne (pop 4 million) is Australia’s second largest city and is consider the nation’s artistic hub.

Sheffield was settled in 1859, but by the 1980s it was a failing rural town. Then someone had the bright idea to paint large murals on public walls to attract tourists. Today there are over 80 murals and Sheffield has its own annual painting festival.

Tasmania’s largest National Park is Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair at 168,000 hectares.  It was one of Australia’s most glaciated areas and now contains Tasmania’s highest peak (Mt. Ossa at 1617 m/5305 ft) and Australia’s deepest natural freshwater lake (Lake St. Clair at 167 m/547ft).  Some almost look at this park as two different parks.  There’s Cradle Valley in the north and Lake St. Clair in the south.  The only direct route from one to the other is a 65km/40 mile walk.  It takes six days/five nights and is Australia’s most famous trek.  To drive from one part to the other, one has to exit the park, go all the way around it, and come back in the other side. Waldheim (meaning Forest Home in German) was built by Gustav Weindorfer in 1912.  He was born in Austria, but moved to Melbourne in 1900 to work in the Austrian Consulate.  He met his wife-to-be at the Victorian Field Naturalists’ Club and they married in 1906.  He was primarily responsible for getting Cradle Mountain made into a national park.  He wrote, “It is magnificent, and people must know about it and enjoy it.” When people think of Tasmania, I think the first […]

The entire area around Mole Creek is filled with limestone caves.  I went to Marakoopa Cave.  It was discovered in 1908 by a 13 year old boy as he was hiking around.  His family bought the land and the cave with it and used it for religious ceremonies.  The cave now belongs to the National Park system.

Launceston is Tasmania’s second largest city after Hobart.  The main attraction is Cataract Gorge.  Basalt cliffs on the edge of the South Esk River make for a beautiful swimming spot.  The chairlift, built in 1972, is the longest single span chairlift in the world at 308 m/1010 ft.

Some people think that the Bay of Fires got its name because of the red rocks.  That’s really orange lichen on the rocks.  The sand is so white due to a high quartz content.  The Bay got its name when Tobias Furneaux saw the bay in 1773 and there were many Aboriginal fires along the shore.

Wineglass Bay is located in Freycinet National Park.

The first European to chart Maria Island was Abel Tasman in 1642.  A convict settlement called Darlington was set up on the island in 1825.  It was thought that it would be a good spot since prisoners couldn’t escape easily off the island, but they just made boats out of the plentiful wood and rowed to freedom.  It was abandoned in 1832 and was then used for whaling and sealing.  Between 1842 and 1850 it was again used as a destination for convicts.  After that, the island was used for farming and a base for fishermen.  This changed under the Bernacchi period from 1884 to 1900.  Diego Bernacchi and his wife Barbe leased the island and established a wine and silk industry.  After that it was only used by farmers and fisherman until 1922 when the National Portland Cement Company used the natural limestone on the island to make cement.  This lasted until the depression in the 1930s.  The cement company closed and the island’s population began to dwindle.  Farming again became the main occupation.  In the 1960s the island was converted into a wildlife reserve and it was later made into a national park in 1972.

Mt. Field was declared a national park in 1916 making one of Tasmania’s oldest national parks.

Officially I was in Hobart for four days, but for three of those, I did day trips to Bruny Island, Tasman Peninsula, and to Mt. Field National Park.  See the other listings for those locations. Hobart is Australia’s second oldest city founded in 1803.  In the 1820s, tens of thousands of Britian’s criminals were sent to Hobart to alleviate the overcrowding in the jails.  Along with them came soldiers to watch over them as well as whalers capitalizing on the numerous whale in the nearby waters.  Mt. Wellington is 1270m (4166ft) tall.  It’s home to what’s called the most difficult half marathon in the world which starts at sea level and goes all the way to the top.  The road was closed for tree work the day I tried to drive up so this is the best view I got.  I’ve heard a couple of times that they are trying to get people to call it by its native name, Kunanyi, now instead of Mt. Wellington.  There are also talks of putting in a cable car to the top. One in four convicts brought to Tasmania was a woman and they were sent to what they called a “Female Factory.”  […]

Tasman Peninsula is known for its high cliffs reaching up to 300m high.  Port Arthur is located on this peninsula.  In 1830 Lieutenant Governor George Arthur chose the Tasman Peninsula to confine prisoners who had committed further crimes in the colony.  Since the peninsula is connected to the mainland by only a very thin strip of land called Eaglehawk Neck, he thought it made a “natural penitentiary.”  To be sure, he had ferocious guard dogs chained across the isthmus.  The area became quite an area for convict run industries such as timber milling, ship building, coal mining, shoemaking, and brick and nail production. Port Arthur started in 1830 as a timber-getting camp using convict labor.  From 1833 it was used as a punishment station for repeat offenders from all the Australian colonies.  By 1840 more than 2000 convicts, soldiers, and civil staff lived at Port Arthur.  When convict transportation ended in 1853, Port Arthur also became an institution for aging and physically and mental ill convicts.  The penal settlement finally closed in 1877 and many of its buildings were dismantled or destroyed by bushfires.  For a while the area became a town known as Carnarvon as an attempt to erase […]

Bruny Island is almost two different islands connected by an isthmus called the Neck.  The island was named after French explorer Bruny D’Entrecasteaux.  Today it’s a haven for wildlife and tourists are drawn by it’s amazing landscape.   

Queenstown is loctaed in a perfect location between the Remarkable Mountains and Lake Wakatipu.  It was actually deserted when the first white person arrived in the mid 1850s.  Sheep farmers came first, but once two shearers found gold in 1862, prospectors came in droves.  Within a year there were roads, permanent buildings, and a population of several thousands.  The New Zealand government said that it was a city “fit for a queen” hence the name Queenstown.  By 1900 the gold was gone and the population with it.  There was a mere 190 people left, but in the 1950s it became a popular tourist destination.  Today it’s known as the adventure capital of the world or the adrenaline capital of the world.  It was here that the first commercial bungee jump opened in 1988.  Everyone thought it would be a fad and that year only 28 people were willing to try it.  Of course it wasn’t a fad and today there are plethora of places to try it as well as any other extreme type of sport. I spent the first day jetboating on the Shotover river.  One the second day, I went to the Kiwi Wildlife Center and up the gondola for […]

The first Europeans to Dunedin were Scots who arrived in 1848 and it was the largest city by population until 1900.  Today its largest industry is the university. One of Dunedin’s most famous inhabitants was William Larnach.  He was born in Australia in 1833, but moved to New Zealand in 1866 to help run the Bank of Otago.  He soon became quite prosperous, gathering large amounts of money through land speculation, farming investments, and a timber business.  He started to build a mansion which he called “The Camp,” but is now known as Larnach Castle and is New Zealand’s only castle.  He committed suicide in 1898 after learning that his third wife was having an affair with his favorite son.  All the children fought over the will and the castle ended up abandoned until the Barker family bought it in 1967.

Milford Sound is known for it’s majestic peaks and and pristine landscape.  Although it’s called  sound it’s actually a fjord since it was formed by the erosive effects of a glacier.  Rudyard Kipling called it the 8th wonder of the world.  

The Tranzalpine railway is one of the world’s greatest train rides.  It goes over some amazing gorges with crystal blue water.  It was quite hard to take pictures though so I don’t have any evidence of this trip.  It was too hard to get a picture of anything without having the glare of the window.  Also by the time I got my camera ready, half the time the beautiful view was gone so I just decided to enjoy it and forget about trying to get pictures.  The train went from Christchurch to Greymouth and then I took a bus to Fox Glacier.  The plan was to hike to the glacier and see it.  Since it’s receding you can’t just walk onto it anymore.  The only way to get onto the glacier is to helicopter in at a price tag of $300.  All of this was moot, since the weather was so bad I couldn’t hike there and there were no helicopter flights.  There was really nothing to do all day.  I basically spent the whole day watching Game of Thrones.  The next day I had a bus to Queenstown.

The Banks Peninsula and its hills were formed by two giant volcanic eruptions about 8 million years ago.  The first European sighting was in 1770 by James Cook who thought it was an island.  Akaroa is the main city on the peninsula and it means long harbor in Maori.  It was the country’s first French settlement and descendants of the original settlers still reside there.  I don’t have too many pictures because it rained the second day I was there so I spent all day in the library planning out some future parts of my trip.

Christchurch (affectionately written as Chch) was first settled in 1850 and was to be a model of class structure in England as opposed to being another dodgy outpost like many other settlements in the South Pacific at the time.  At 4:35 on September 4th, 2010 a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city.  Many buildings were destroyed or damaged, but there were no deaths so the city thought they had dodged a bullet.  Unfortunately, another earthquake, registering 6.3, occurred  at 12:51 pm on February 22, 2011.  This was was much more central and deadly.  Although lower on the moment magnitude scale than the previous earthquake, the intensity and violence of the ground shaking was measured to be MM IX, among the strongest ever recorded globally in an urban area.  185 people died, 115 of which were in the Canterbury TV building where many international students at a language school were studying.  70% of the building in the CBD (Central Business District) had to be destroyed.  52% of the urban roads were destroyed as well as over 75 miles of water supply lines.  Some skateboarders decided to take advantage of the chaotic roads and their video went viral.  You can check it out here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bvozq-KK8   The […]

Because of the ocean current and continental shelf conditions, Kaikoura has some of the most wildlife in the world.  Locals include whales, dolphins, NZ fur seals, penguins, petrels, and albatross.

Abel Tasman National Park is named after the Dutch explorer who was the first  European explorer to sight New Zealand in 1642.  It became a national park 300 years later in 1942.  It’s the smallest of New Zealand’s national parks, but it is the one most heavily visited mostly likely due to it’s 3-5 day trek which is quite popular.  There are multiple huts and campsites throughout the park so people can stop often.

The first European settlers came to Wellington in 1840 and the capital moved from Auckland to “Welly” due to its central location in 1865.  Earthquakes have always been an issue in Wellington and in 1992 they closed the parliament building for three years in order to strengthen it.  They used an new technique where they separated the building from its original foundation and placed it onto over 400 rubber bearings.  The goal is to reduce the transfer of the earthquake’s force from the ground to the building itself.

I went to Taupo hoping to do a day trip to Tongariro National Park home of Mt. Ngauruhoe which is more commonly known as Mt. Doom for all the Lord of the Rings fans.  Unfortunately the national park is too far to do a day trip unless you’re doing the Tangariro Crossing which is a 12+ mile walk.  I still had a great time in Taupo though.  I did the hike to Huka Falls where New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato, goes into a narrow chasm forcing a 30 foot drop.  Europeans first came to Taupo during the East Coast Land War in 1868-72 when it was a strategic military base.  After the invention of the car, Taupo became a popular tourist destination since it was easily accessible from most points on the North Island.

Rotorua is nicknamed Sulpher City, but is the most touristed spot on New Zealand’s north island due to it’s thermal area with geyser, hot springs, and mud pools.  It’s also close to Hobbiton.  In September 1998, Peter Jackson discovered the Alexander farm during an aerial search for film sites.  He landed the helicopter on the land and asked Mr. Alexander if they could discuss possibly using his farm for a movie.  Since rugby was on, Mr. Alexander made him come back the next day, but they were able to reach and agreement.  Construction started in March 1999.  39 Hobbit holes were created with untreated timber, ply, and polystyrene.  The village was destroyed after the Lord of the Ring trilogy, but was rebuilt for The Hobbit Trilogy in 2009, but this time the structures were built out of permanent materials.

Waitomo is a Maori word.  Wai means water and tomo means hole or shaft so it basically means “water passing through a hole.”  There are 300+ mapped caves in this region but Waitomo’s claim to fame is the glowworms inside the caves.  Really they aren’t worms, but insect larvae which glows through bioluminescence.  They feed on insects and when an insect gets into the cave it will think the lights from the glowworm are stars in the sky.  Because insects instinctively try to get to the most open space, they will fly to the lights, but then will get stuck in the larvae’s webbing.

Paihia is the birthplace of New Zealand.  It was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6th, 1840.  It was signed by representatives of the British Crown and representatives of the Maori tribal groups.   On that day only 43 tribal chiefs signed the document, but eventually over 500 would sign.  The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British subjects. There are differences between the English version and the Māori translation of the Treaty, and since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds is considered one of New Zealand’s most important sites and passport holders get in for free. On my second day in Paihia, I went scuba diving.  I still don’t have an underwater camera so I have no pictures unfortunately.  The day started off great when three dolphins were swimming along side our boat.  One of them wanted to show off and he was jumping about two or three feet out of the water.  It was like something you’d see at Sea World, but it was the real […]

It is so great to be back in a country where I speak the language.  Ever since I starting planning this trip, I always thought it was great that New Zealand and Australia are right in the middle so I can have a bit of an easier time of it.  My first day in Auckland I spent doing a walking tour of the city center and also running errands.  I got a hair cut, got a pedicure, and my eyebrows waxed.  Once that was all done, I went to the movies.  I had an overnight flight to get there and I hadn’t slept much the night before that either so I didn’t have much energy for anything more. The second day I was a better tourist and I went to the Auckland Museum and the SkyTower. The third day was the best day which I spend on Waiheke Island.  It’s about a 30 minute ferry ride from Auckland but feels like a world away.  I had such an awesome day.  I spent about the first two hours hiking around one area of the island and then I came upon the main beach.  I had passed some other swimming spots along […]

I wasn’t suppossed to go to Santiago.  On January 9th, I had a flight at 7:30 pm from Buenos Aires which was to land in Santiago at 9:45 and then I had a flight at 11:30 pm to Auckland, New Zealand.  When I arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires, it was pretty clear that something was wrong.  Every window was opened in the checkin counter, but the line wasn’t moving.  Each transaction was taking forever.  There was probably only about 15 people ahead of me, but it took over an hour to finally get to the counter.  It turns out that the flight to Santiago was going to be two hours late and therefore I would miss my connection.  It was a huge plane and many people also had connections that would have to be changed which is why it was such chaos at the check in counter.  Since there is only one flight per day to Auckland there was not much they could do besides put us all in a hotel and put us on the flight for the following day.  It took another hour for her to make the changes to the Auckland flight and to print my […]

Today were sea days.  We had to head back to Argentina through the Drake Passage.  Since we were so spoiled on the way out with a smooth crossing, we were all hoping for that again, but we were not so lucky.  The crew all say it was a pretty good crossing, meaning that it was better than average.  If that was better than average, than I would hate to see what average or worse than average was because it was pretty bad as far as I was concerned.  I basically took Dramamine every eight hours and stayed in bed as much as possible.  The crew had set up barf bags in spots around the ship.  There were many lectures going on to keep people busy, but I think most people just stayed in their rooms.  It was two full days of just crossing and then we were able to get off the boat at 8:00 am on the 8th. One of the couples on my cruise made a video of the trip.  You can check it out here.  https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10100299442406896&pnref=story

In the afternoon we went to Orne Harbor.  Our luck wore out by then and we finally had some proper Antarctic weather.  I had wanted to do the landing first and then skip the zodiac cruise, but my friend forgot his sunglasses and by the time he retrieved them, all the landing spots were taken so we ended up doing the zodiac cruise first.  It was pretty miserable.  We spent the first hour just cruising around in the cold and wind, but then we saw some whales and spent the rest of the time following them.  The weather didn’t improve much once we got to land, but we braved it anyway.  There was a chinstrap penguin colony at the top of the hill so we had to see that.  It was quite a climb since the wind was so strong.  We made it up the hill and the wind was so strong it was almost blowing us over.  We saw our last bit of penguins and headed down the hill.

Today we went to Danco Island which is relatively small (1.6 km long), but it has a good hike to the top for great views of the surrounding glaciers, mountains, and icebergs.  It was charted by Adrien de Gerlache during the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-99 and named for the ship’s geophysicist Emile Danco who died in the Antarctic.  

In the afternoon we did a zodiac cruise in Pleneau Bay which is known as the iceberg graveyard.  Icebergs from as far away as the Ross Ice Shelf become run aground here.  After that excursion we had the Polar Plunge.  This was something that had been talked about for a while and everyone was very excited to do it.  Basically you put on your swimsuit and jump into the Antarctic waters.  It actually sounds worse than it was.  They tie a rope around you just in case you go into major shock and can’t get out on your own.  While the initial shock was bad, it really got the adrenaline going and it was a great fun.  I would definitely do it again!

Today we had an early wakeup call so that we could watch the ship go through the Lamaire Channel, nicknamed the Kodak Gap due to its photogenic beauty.  After breakfast we went to Petermann Island which has one of the most southernmost colonies of Gentoo penguins and also our most southerly stop of the cruise.  We also got to see a new species, the Adelie penguin.

In the afternoon we went to Goudier Island and Port Lockery which is home to the British Antarctic Survey hut, museum, and gift shop.  The hut was occupied 1944-1962 by a group of nine men who would do rotations of 2.5 years.  It was restored in 1996 and is open to visitors during the summer.  The Gentoo penguin colony at this site is part of a long-term study monitoring the impact of tourist activities on penguins.  Since Port Lockery can only accommodate a certain number of people at a time and there was no zodiac cruise, half of the passengers attended a lecture about the geological history of Antarctica by the cruise geologist (he entitled his talk “4.6 billion years in 46 minutes) while the other half went to the Port.  After 1 ½ hours the groups switched.  Port Lockery is Antarctica’s only post office so we had the ability to send postcards off.  Since it’s operated by the British all the postcards go first to the Falkland Islands and then to England. For dinner the staff moved all the dining room tables and chairs to the outside deck and we had an Antarctic BBQ outside.  They had BBQ chicken, […]

This was a pretty brutal day since I didn’t sleep much the night before due to camping outside.  The zodiacs picked us up at 6:00 am to take us back to the ship so we had a few hours to get a nap in before breakfast.  Our first outing was to Neko Harbor which was named for the floating whale factory ship, Neko, which often used this bay.  Neko operated between 1911-12 and 1923-24 in the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.  It was also here that America long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox swam nearly 2 km in 25 minutes in the freezing waters.  She spent many years training in superchilled waters, but docters also say that she is physiologically unique.

In the afternoon we went to Paradise Harbor.  It was named by whalers because it was such a protected anchorage.  Deep and glaciated, it is a favored location for zodiac cruising, particularly around the glaciers of Skontorp Cove.  The area is also home to the Argentine station Almirante Brown.  The station was partly burnt down on April 12, 1984 by the station doctor who couldn’t bear the idea of spending another winter there.  He stated that the years of jail time was preferable to an Antarctic winter.  The best part of this landing was that it was our first continental landing as opposed to landing on islands.  This was the day of our camping as well.  For only an extra $250, sixty of us chose to leave the comfort of our nice warm beds on the heated ship and we slept outside on the cold ice.  It was a miserable/wonderful experience.  You can probably imagine why it was miserable (cold, snowy, hard ground, bucket for a toilet), but it was also wonderful to sleep with the sounds of the water lapping on the land, penguins noises, and ice cracking.  I originally thought we’d get to sleep under the stars, but […]

We had another full day of outings.  The first outing was a zodiac cruise only (no landing) and we went around Wilhelmina Bay.  It was named for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who was 18 years of age at the time and reigned until 1948.  It is a large 24-km (15 mile) wide glaciated bay containing many islands.

We got to sleep in this day which was good since many of us needed it after New Year’s Eve.  After brunch, the cruise historian gave a lecture about Ernest Shakleton and his infamous voyage.  Later that day we had our first landing.  Most of the outings included a landing for 1 ½ hours and a zodiac cruise for 1 ½ hours.  They take the first half of the passengers to land first while the other half cruises and then they switch.  This outing was to Barrientos Island in the Aitcho Islands group.  These islands are part of the South Shetland Islands and were originally charted by the Discovery Investigation in 1936.  They are named after the Admiralty Hydrographic Office, commonly referred to as H.O.  These islands have about 1700 gentoo penguins and over 4000 chinstrap penguins.  We were all very excited to see penguins in their natural habitat and we got to see many baby chicks as well.

Today was a day that I had been looking forward to for over a year in that it was the day that we boarded the ship.  Since we didn’t have to board until 4:00 pm, I spent most of the day doing a tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park (see previous listing).  Once we boarded, we found our rooms and met our roommates.  I was in a three-bed room with two other woman.  I had met one of them because she was my roommate in the hotel room the night before.  She was landlord from California and the third roommate ended up being a woman from Hong Kong who spoke almost no English.  By the time I got to the room, they had both chosen their beds so I got stuck with the top bunk, but I probably would have chosen it even if I was the first to arrive.  There was a meet and great and then we had a briefing about how the boat worked.  It was pretty basic about holding on to the railings while walking around, no flip flops, safety procedures etc.  We also learned about all the extra opportunities for excursions that were available, […]

Ushuaia was originally settled by the Yaghan people who faced the brutal weather conditions almost completely naked.  They had no permanent shelter in which to keep their clothes dry and they believed that the natural oil of their skin was better protection than soaking wet animal fur.  After European contact the tribe died out due to illness and infringement.  Between 1884 and 1947 Argentina, used the area as a penal colony, similar to what England did with Australia.  Since 1950 the town has been used as a naval base and is the stepping off point for Antarctic Cruises.

El Calafate is named for a berry which is supposed to guarantee that you return to Patagonia if you eat it.  It is also the closest city to Perito Moreno Glacier, one of Earth’s most dynamic and accessible glaciers.  It’s over 18 miles long, 3 miles wide, and 37 miles high.  It’s one of the fastest moving glaciers at over 6 feet per day.  While most of the world’s glaciers are receding, Perito Moreno is actually considered stable.  It does cause problems as it advances though and it’s dammed the Brazo Rico 17 times between 1917 and 2006.  

From Bariloche it is a 19 (!!!) hour bus ride to Mendoza.  I survived though, and the city is well worth it.  It’s a great walking city with tons of cafes and bars where you can rest your tired feet.  Mendoza is in the heart of the wine country so people spend at least a day touring vineyards.  I didn’t plan my trip well.  I arrived in Mendoza on a Saturday morning and was leaving on a Sunday evening, but  I didn’t realize that the wineries were all closed on Sunday until too late on Saturday afternoon so I missed out on that experience.

Bariloche, Argentina was founded in 1902 and is in the Lake District of Chile and Argentina on the coast of Hahuel Huapi Lake.  It is a popular destination as a stepping off point for all the summer and winter activities.  People spend weeks in this area doing single and/or multi day hikes.  Other options are mountain biking, fishing, rafting, kayaking, and horseback riding.

Puerto Varas is on the Chilean side of the Lake District that extends through Chile and Argentina.  It’s a popular stepping off point for many nature activities in the nearby mountains, lakes, and rivers.  The city itself is quite charming as well.  Mainly settled by German immigrants is has quite a European feel to it.

Easter Island is quite literally in the middle of nowhere, 2,300 miles east of Chile.  Experts think the first islands arrived as early as 450 AD from the Cook Islands or Pitcairn Island.  The first Europeans arrived after the island was discovered by a Dutch explorer on Easter Sunday 1722.  Today it is technically part of Chile, but it has special status in that it has greater autonomy than other parts of Chile. Easter Island is best known for its large statues numbering 887 in all.  The moai were carved out of rock between 1250 and 1500.  Almost half of the statues that have been found are still at the quarry.  These statues are unique because of their large head (3/8 the size of the whole statue).  Experts are still not sure how the islanders transported the statues.  The largest one is 10 meters (33 feet) high and weighs over 82 tons.  Almost all the statues you see today have been restored as they were torn down during clans wars in the 1700s.

Lake Titicaca is the world’s largest high-altitude lake at 3,808 m (12,493 ft).  The Inca credit the lake as the birth of their civilization.

La Paz was founded in 1548 after gold was found.  Being in a large canyon, the city was protected from harsh climate.  It was also prosperous due to its location between Potosi and Lima and much of Potosi’s silver had to pass through La Paz en route to the Pacific.  La Paz is definitely not a walking city and it’s quite hilly and is 4,058 m (13,313 ft) above sea level at its highest point. One of the attractions is San Pedro Prison.  It’s over 100 years old and was built to hold about 400 prisoners.  Today it holds over 2,500 inmates and their families in the space of one city block.  There are 15 guards proctecting the perimeter of the prison, but there are no guards inside.  Inmates are able to buy real estate inside and many invest so they can run small businesses to service other inmates such as hairdressers, mechanics, tailors, shoemakers, handicraft stalls, grocery stores owners, and restaurants.  Even Coca-Cola has done a deal with inmates and now pays them for exclusive rights to be the only soft drink sold within the prison.  Every prisoner has to pay their way.  Cells must be paid for and the […]

They say that Sucre is the heart of Bolivia.  It was here that independence was proclaimed and in the constitution, it’s recognized as the nation’s capital even though today the capital is La Paz.  Full of colonial architecture, Sucre is a perfect walking city.  It’s also home to many universities so it has quite a lively nightlife and there are plenty of cafes perfect for spending a lazy afternoon. The other main attraction in Sucre is the Dinosaur Park with over 5,000 dinosaur footprints from at least 8 different species.  It’s the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world.  68 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed this area, leaving footprints in the clay.  As the clay dried, the footprints left behind by the dinosaurs ossified into stone and eventually disappeared under layers of sediment.  Since that time, shifting plates have moved what was once a beach upward so that it is now a vertical cliff.  In 1994, the cement company that owned the land discovered the footprints and the area is now a tourist attraction.  Currently, erosion is damaging the footprints, but the park is trying to become a UNESCO World Heritage site which would help raise the $8 million […]

Potosí’s claim to fame is its Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) which was full of silver.  The city was founded in 1545.  At one point this was the largest and wealthiest city in the world.  Mining is still done today, but it’s not just silver.  Today it’s also tin and other minerals.

From San Pedro de Atacama, we spent three days driving across the Salt Flats on the southwest part of Bolivia.  Bolivia is home to the world’s largest salt flats (12,106 sq km/4,674 sq mi).  When it’s dry, it’s just an expanse of white nothinness.  They say that 40,000 years ago this was all underwater and when the water evaporated, only the salt was left.  The first day was mainly lagoons and scenic views.  On the 2nd and 3rd days we hit the actual salt flats which have to be seen to be believed.  It´s basically white as far as the eye can see.

San Pedro de Atacama at 2,440m (8,005 ft) was once a pit stop on the trading routs from the highlands to the coast.  The town itself is basically a base for seeing all the sights outside of town.  We went on a 20 km (12.4 mile) bike ride to a lagoon and then spent the afternoon sandboarding and watching the sunset.  At night we went to an observatory to watch the stars.

Salta was founded in 1582 and is the most touristed spot in northwest Arentina.  We flew in from Buenos Aires on a morning flight so we spent the afternoon sightseeing in the city.  The next day I did a day trip to Quebrada de Cafayate which is an area filled with brightly colored sandstone. In Salta we went to the Museum of High Altitude where on display is one of three sacrificed children.  The Inca used to sacrifice their children to appease their gods.  They felt that the children, who were very carefully selected, didn´t die, but were reunited with their forefathers.  After a lenghty ceremony the children would be given chicha (an alcoholic drink made from fermented maize).  When they passed out, they were taken up to the peak of the mountain and entombed in their drunken sleep, presumably never to wake again.  Three of these children were found in 1999 near Llullaillaco, a 6739m (22,109 ft) volcano.  It´s the highest archaeological site in the world.  The cold, low pressure, and lack of oxygen and bacteria helped to preserve the bodies almost perfectly.  There is only one child on display at a time and they rotate them every six […]

Cabo Polonio is one of Uruguay’s wildest areas and home to the second biggest sea lion colony.

Punte del Este is what I picture Florida to be like. It’s a beach city with lots of glamour and pizzazz.  I was  there on a Saturday so all the beaches were jam packed.

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay is only about a 2 hour boat ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This is a cute, little colonial town that’s great for strolling and sitting in cafes drinking coffee.

Buenos Aires is basically my hub city for my travels in South America.  I’ve been here before and I absolutely love this town.  It was my first stop when I flew in from Central America.  I spent one day here before moving onto Uruguay and then I had a day here after Uruguay before moving onto Northern Argentina.  I figured this would be as good as place as any to spend Christmas so I came back on the 22nd and spent the holidays here.  Lastly, I came back after the Antarctic cruise before heading over to New Zealand.  There was another person from my cruise also staying in BA that night so we went to dinner and a tango show.  

Lake Atitlan (meaning “at the water”) is Central America’s deepest lake.  There are many village surrounding the lake so visitors have a choice of where to stay.  I stayed at San Marcos the first night.  The next day, I took a boat to San Juan and then walked to San Pedro.  From there I took a boat back to San Marcos, picked up my stuff, and went to stay the night at Santa Cruz.  The second day I went scuba diving in the lake and got a massage.  On the third day, I took a boat to Panajachel and then a bus back to Antigua.  It was a great, relaxing three days on the lake. The scuba dive was quite interesting.  The water level of the lake has risen dramatically and there are multiple theories as to why, but noone knows for sure.  The result is that there are multiple buildings underwater.  On our first dive we visited Casa del Mundo which is a hotel on the lake.  It’s still functioning as a hotel, but what used to be the lower levels are now underwater.  We cruised around these lower levels and even turned on the faucet which still works. […]

Antigua was founded in 1543 and served as the colonial capital for 233 years.  The capital was moved to Guatemala City in 1776 after Antigua had a devastating earthquake.

Where in the world can you have your own private island?  In Utila, Honduras!  It’s rented out by a guy named Barry and it’s been in his family for 100 years or so.  On the island is a two bed/two bath house.  In the common room are extra mattresses so the house can sleep up to 14 total.  We had only seven people which worked out quite well.  You have to bring all your own food (including seasonings) and water so there is a bit of planning involved so that food doesn’t go to waste, but included in the price of the rent is one free delivery of supplies per day.  We rented the house for four days and three nights and we only had to request a delivery once for extra water (we went through 15 gallons of water in those four days). Having your own island is quite an amazing experience.  The best part was that we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  We could make as much, or as little noise and we desired.  We weren’t constrained to restaurant opening hours so we ate whenever we were hungry.  It was also great to be able […]

Utila is a small island off the coast of Honduras.  People come here only for scuba diving as there is really nothing else to do on the island.  It’s not very photogenic and I haven’t even taken one picture yet. I did the rescue diver course which means that I now have the knowledge to rescue people if they get into sticky situations.  The class was much harder than I thought it would be.  Basically we spent all our time proving skills and then as soon as we think we’re done someone else gets into an “emergency.”  They are constantly trying to trick/surprise us with problems.  It’s almost like a circus underwater.  As soon as I save someone from one thing someone else has another issue.  It was exhausting.  My favorite part was when I showed up on my last day and one of the instructors was drinking beers (not really, but they were trying to see if I was on the ball) and the other was about to have a panic attack because she dreamed that she was going to get stung by a sting ray like Steve Irwin.  I was so glad when it was done and I got to do the […]

Copán’s Mayan ruins are amazing, but the town is super cute as well and Macaw Mountain was a total blast.  I ended up staying here twice.  I had to stay the second time because I was going from Utila to Antigua and it’s too long to complete in one day.

Rio Dulce used to be just a port town, but now it’s becoming very popular with yachties.  The US Coast Guard stated that it’s the safest place on the western Caribbean for boats during hurricane season.  

People come to Flores to see Tikal which was settled by the Mayans in around 700 BC.

Unfortunately, my uncle died so the Incredible Journey had to be put on pause for a week.

The six other people that I was hanging out with in Caye Caulker decided to stick together.  We’re calling ourselves Siete Secreto.

Caye Caulker is an island off the coast of Belize.  We took a boat here from Chetumal, Mexico so crossing the boarder was pretty easy.  I had been traveling with a girl from England for the past five days or so.  We met up with five other people on the boat and the seven of spent most of our time together at Caye Caulker and would also continue on to San Ignacio together.  The first day we just spent on the beach and the second day we did a snorkeling trip.  Here’s a video of our time in Caye Caulker and San Ignacio as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9jAPpD9H4kw This place is basically paradise…

Bacalar is a small town set on a beautiful lake.  Many people stop over here on the way to or from Belize.  It’s a great way to break up the trip.  Tomorrow I’ll be taking the ferry to Caye Caulker, Belize.

So I made it to Tulum today which I’d heard a lot of good things about.  I’m traveling with an English girl who I met in my hostel in Merida.  We were looking forward to a relaxing day, but that didn’t seem to happen.  This morning we attempted to get her picture taken for her scuba certification, but we couldn’t find anywhere to make the random size that PADI (dive certification association) wanted.  So after walking for ages in the rain, we had to give up.  Then we had to walk to the bus stop (also in the rain) to get the bus to Tulum.  We were worried that it would still be raining in Tulum, but the clouds cleared and we had a great day.  We rented bikes and rode out to the ruins and the beach.

I don’t have too much to say about Playa del Carmen.  I had heard it was a total party town, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought.  It’s totally built around American/European tourism.  There’s multiple Starbucks on the same street and loads of restaurants and bars as well as massage spas.  I didn’t do much here except for a scuba dive.  When I was in Merida I had met a girl in my hostel room and later that night we met a guy who owned a scuba shop in Playa del Carmen.  She ended up getting her scuba certification through him so I met up with her for her last few dives.  Here’s the video.

So I’m another island, but this one is completely different than Holbox.  In Holbox the streets were made of sand and the vehicles were all golf carts.  Here’s it’s all pavement and proper cars.  It’s more of a party atmosphere here where as Holbox was more relaxing.  I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the type of traveler as I get closer to Cancun.  In my first few weeks, I was meeting a lot more long term travelers, meaning people traveling for 6+ months.   Here on the Yucatan Peninsula there’s WAY more Americans who are here on holiday for just a week or two.

The word Holbox mean black hole in Yucatec Maya.  The island is  about 25 miles long, but less than a mile wide.  Some people skip the island of Holbox since it’s not the easiest to get to.  From Merida I had to do an overnight bus to a small town called Chiquila and then catch the ferry to Holbox.  The bus left Merida at 11:30 pm and arrived in Chiquila at 5:45 am.  I knew there was a 6:00 am ferry and the next one wasn’t until 8:00.  Luckily, the bus station is right by the ferry so we made the 6:00.  It’s a small little town with a definite beach, island vibe.  The people are very relaxed here.  

Chichén Itzá is a quick day tour from Merida, but I almost didn’t go.  I had heard from some friends that it was very commercialized and it was also quite expensive.  Later someone pointed out that it’s one of the new “Wonders of the World” so I decided I’d better not miss out on this opportunity.  After Chichén Itzá, I’ve seen 6 out of the 7 (watch out Taj Mahal, I’m coming for you) so I should make the effort to go.  I actually enjoyed the day there.  I think since I knew ahead of time how commercialized it is, I wasn’t as surprised by it as other people. The Maya name “Chichén Itzá” means At the mouth of the well of the Itzá (the name of an ethnic-lineage group).  The city is about 15 square miles and had up to 90,000 inhabitants at its height.

Mérida was a cute little town, but the main sites are outside of town.  I met three other girls in the hostel so we decided to rent a car and see some of these sites.  I’m so glad we did as well.  It would have been difficult to fit all this into one day if we were relying on buses.  The roads in Mexico are quite good, but my main frustration (yes, as always, I was nominated as the driver) was with the speed bumps.  Their way to control people’s speed is to put random speed bumps in the road.  Sometime they sign them so that you can see it coming and slow down, other times not…Anyway, glad it’s a rental and not my car.  A great day overall and we only got lost 2-3 times.  🙂

I had a pretty relaxing day here in Campeche.  It’s a smaller town and it’s off the tourist trail so it’s a bit relaxed.

No tourist would ever go to the town of Palenque if it weren’t for the Mayan ruins.  The city has nothing to offer.  That being said, the ruins are amazing.  I actually found a tour that left San Cristobal de las Casas at 5:00 AM (yes, AM) and went to two other sights with beautiful waterfalls and then continued on to the ruins.  Technically the tour went back to San Cristobal, but since I was heading east anyway, I just had them drop me off at the bus station in Palenque instead of going all the way back.  Some of the other people on the tour did the same thing.  Most of them were doing overnight buses to continue on to the beaches as soon as possible.  My next stop was only five hours away (too short for an overnight bus) so I had to stay the night in Palenque and take the 8:00 AM bus the next morning.

The Aztec settlement was called Huaxyacac which means Nose of the Squash and it’s where the name Oaxaca comes from.  Today it’s known for it’s handicrafts, much of which is made by the indigenous population.  There are 15 different groups each with it’s own language, customs, and style of dress.  I’ve had a great three days here.  I did day trips to sights outside the city for the first two days and then spent the third day seeing the city.

I had an amazing day today at the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan.  It was once Mesoamerica’s greatest city.  The main attractions are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.  The Pyramid of the Sun is the world’s 3rd largest pyramid with a base of over 700 feet and a height of over 200 feet.  It was built in about AD100 from three millions tons of stone and without the use of metal tools, animals, or the wheel. At an altitude of 7,500 feet, I was feeling really tired and I didn’t think I’d climb either of the towers.  I was spending the day with a Slovenian couple and I even said to them that I wouldn’t climb the pyramids.   It’s a long walk just from the bus stop and along the walk we had to climb a multitude of flights of stairs.  When I got to the pyramid, however, I decided to try it and I ended up making it to the top.  I was pretty proud of myself for making the attempt and then being successful.  It made me think that this is what this trip is about.  It’s about trying new things and whether I’m […]

I had heard a lot about Puebla and the Chilean woman in my hostel room asked if I wanted to go with her, so we decided to make a day trip out of it.  It was a nice town.  It’s about two hours from Mexico City so it ends up being quite a bit of time on the bus, but I think it was worth it.  It’s known for it’s colonial architecture and beautiful park.  We walked around a bit and then she did a bus tour while I just sat in the park reading my book.  Then we had a great lunch, did some shopping, and headed home. We had an interesting experience in the taxi ride back to the bus stations.  Taxi drivers are known for driving a bit chaotically, but I actually thought our guy was doing ok.  Well, he ended up getting pulled over.  We’re still not really sure why.  The police made him get out of the car and they talked for quite a while.  Eventually he came over to us and said we had to get out and find another taxi.  This proved a tad problematic since we weren’t on a major street anymore, […]

Wednesday was my first full day in Mexico City.  I had been so busy getting my house packed up and getting packed for my trip that I hadn’t opened my guide book at all.  I literally hadn’t looked at a map of Mexico City or read anything about it.  I had no idea what the major attractions were or anything.  On that morning, my roommates (Teresa from Vienna and Ana from Santiago) asked me if I wanted to go to Xocimilco.  Of course I said yes even though I didn’t know a thing about it.  They said it was like a “little Venice.”  Sounds good to me, I thought.  It was a good place to go although we ended up spending more time on the metro and regional train than at the actual site.  Basically there’s all these boats and you can go on a ride through the canals.  Of course the guy tries to sell you the longest ride available, but we just did one hour.  There’s various boats along the way that will play you a song for some money or sell you some drinks.  We kept it simple though.  It was a relaxing day and a great […]

I debated about where to start and end the Central American leg of my journey.  In the end, I started in Mexico City in mid August and I’ll end in Guatemala City in mid November.  I’ve now been in DF (short for Mexico Distrito Federal) for three weeks.  The first week was sightseeing and getting to know the city.  For the second two weeks I’ve been doing a Spanish language course and a homestay. It’s been a great time here in DF.  I did a couple of day trips (zoom in on the map to see the other spots) and I’ve done quite a bit of sightseeing around the city as well.  

I wanted to go to Mexico City and with Alaska Airlines it is considerably cheaper to have an overnight stay in Los Angeles.  This actually works out well since I have a few friends in that area, namely one of my best friends, Becca.  I had such a great time on my last night in the States.  I went horseback riding with Helene and then met up with Becca and lots of other friends for dinner.

Except for two years at UC Davis and 6 months in Europe, I’ve lived in San Jose for my whole life.  I love to travel and I try to do a major trip at least once a year.  While I get a lot of vacation time as a teacher, the dates aren’t flexible.  By this I mean that I can’t take time off during our winter to visit the southern hemisphere during their summer.  Because of this, I’ve always had the idea to take a semester off or even a whole year off.  Now that I’m 40, I’ve decided this is the year.  I’m going to hit all seven continents in a year in the following order; Central America, South America, Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Southern Africa, Europe, and then home.  Check out the blog to follow my progress!