Have you ever seen someone smoke crack? I have. When we arrived at Napoli Central station we had to swich to a local train (above ground subway) to get to our final destination of Sorrento. We hopped on the subway that looked like it was taken right out of the 80's classic film "The Warriors". This thing was spray painted from front to back. I have seen some pretty good graffiti in my day but this train looked like some painted it with their left hand. That is assuming they are a righty. Anyways, we sat at the back of a bus with two guys, both of whom looked like crack heads themselves. After a few stops, a guy who could barely stand decided to join us. He found himself a seat and decided to light up. Veronika and I looked at each other and didn't know what to do. So we took the approach that one might take if they fear a bee might sting them. Stay still and eventually they will go away. Although this crackhead was sitting right in front of us, he didn't even realize we were there. He fell over a few times, took a break to throw up at one of the stops and just as fast as he came into our lives he was gone.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Timmy. Budweiser is a delicious beer. Now for those of you pucking in your mouths, hear me out. Prague is the birthplace of the original Budweiser (Budvar). It is one of the finer beers I have had on my beer tasting tour.
After one dinner in Prague that consisted of a pork knee and many Budvars, Veronika and I decided to take a walk. On this walk we discussed many things but during one of our conversations we were interrupted. The interruption came in the form of a long, hanging fart. It was long lasting, which provided us the opportunity to take a look in the direction of the disturbance. We saw and old couple sitting on a bench. One of them was balancing on their right cheek to fart in the opposite direction of their partner. I guess that's why he married her. I know some might take the side of the old lady and say, "at least she leaned the other way" and I couldn't agree more. But there comes a point in a man's life where you have to decide if this is acceptable behaviour. I have come to terms that some women may pass gas. Some. Baking brownies in the privacy of your own home is one thing but shitting your pants on a bench in a busy square is another. Ladies listen up. If you are ever in this position blame your husband right away. Hopefully you can convince him that you are disgusted with his behavior and he will, as a reflex, apologize. If this doesn't work, you will at least remain married for the next 5-10 mins.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Prague, Salzburg and Mozart
Prague - the red roof tops of Prague, the castles, parks, bridges, canals, and an ancient old city that has not been ruined by new development, makes Prague a city to visit and remember. Marc and I started the visit to Prague with a tour to the Prague castle, which calls itself the biggest castle grounds in all of Europe. We saw an underground burrial area where nobbles were burried with their armour and many really rich churches.
The biggest and most populr bridge connecting the city and the Castle is called the Charles bridge, where I decided to have my portrait done. After 20 minutes and $50 I was very dissapointed. I should have known better when bypassers came up to look at the artists work as he was painting me and no one stayed to have their portrait done. To make matters worse he didnt give me the proper carrying case so I have been lugging the portrait around from city to city and train to train.
Local food in Prague definately caught Marc's eye. One day on the train as he was sleeping I caught him smiling. I asked when he woke up what he was smiling about and he said that he the best dream about a pork knee that he had the other night which was covered in fat, spices and salt. The Checzs do a lot of potatoes, pork, sausage, dumplings and goulash (beef stew).
Marc has become a serious beer conoseour. He was asking a waiter about their beers on tap, and the waiter told Marc that this one particular beer is one the best beers in the world... Marc asked him "is this really the best beer because I have had quite a few good beers in the last few days." I would say that this is kind of an understatement. Marc has tried probably every beer on tap in each country we have been to. We actually decided to go to Belgium solely because of their reputation for beer. Lucky for the waiter, it was a very good beer.
They have a very productive train system (subway) in Europe. It runs on the honour system. Each passenger is responsible for buying his own ticket, validating it and riding the train. He does not need to wait in a line up to show his valid ticket or pass which means there are no line ups to get into the subway and there are no line up to catch the bus because all doors open and passengers enter. This again creates less waiting time and less traffic. There are conductors that pass by and check tickets. I know that some of you are thinking that there will be people that dont pay the fare. And I agree there are probably 2% of the population of train riders in Europe that manipulate the system, but why punish the other 98% who are honest and deserve to have a fast transit system?
Jewish Quarter in Prague - Prague has the oldest preserved Jewish town in Europe. It was especially left alone as per Hitler. He wanted to keep the Jewish quarters as they were left by Jews before they were deported to concentration for one purporse: if any jews in the future should come back to Prague they would see what kind of vibrant past the Jewish community has had and make an example of what their faith has become. Marc and I wondered through the quarters for two days. It was really nice to see actual old synagogues, shops, buildings and a cemetery. The cemetery is very unique, they have too many people burried in one place, so to combat this problem, they burried plot on top of plot and placed cascet on top of cascet. As a result the cemetery has one tumbsone one over the other. We saw a clock in the Old New Synagogue that was done in the Hebrew alphabet and the handles moved counterclockwise to simulate the Hebrew language. We also heard the Golem story. Rabbi Low, one of the most prominent and famous Rabbis of Prague had a problem with break ins in his town. So God advised him to make a Golem out of clay and place a shem (cloth) inside his mouth. The Rabbi followed instructions and the Golem came to life, he protected the town as he came alive each time the Rabbi placed the shem in his mouth. One day the Rabbi forgot to take the shem out and on Shabbath went to pray, the Golem up to no good destroyed everything in sight. The Rabbi took the shem and hid in in the Old New Synagogue. Till this day access to that area is forbidden.
Quest for Mozart - Our quest for Mozart began early on in Prague. I read a brochure in our hotel that there are places in Prague that Mozart stayed at. We were told to go to the state theater to find him. This theater was very well hidden and it took us quite some time (especially at our pace) to find this place. Once inside the theater we approached two ladies in uniform and said "we are looking for information about Mozart" and the lady said "Mozart is dead." I was so shocked by her response that I remained polite and restated the question. After which she informed me that if we want information about Mozart we should visit Salzburg his birth place, and so we did.
The train ride to Salzburg was very scenic, the landscape was full of mountains, farms with well fed animals running free, little wooden homes, and tall white churches. We had one full day to spend in Salzburg so we ordered two trips. One to see the city sites that focused primarily on Mozarts whereabouts, and one to see the lakes, mountains and spots from where the filming of sound of music took place. The Austrians are pretty clever, they named the museum for Mozart no other than Mozarteum. We visited the house he lived in and the place he performed. He started composing at five years old and wrote over 600 compositions during his life. Mozart was not a very wealthy man when he died. He worked for the Roman Catholic Church which at his time was very rich and powerful in Salzburg. They were the ones that build most of the city and brought in riches. Their main source of income were the salt and gold mines. Mozart also composed music for wealthy people that paid for his work. He liked to hang out with his friend Bach in England. He moved to Vienna at 27 years old, and he did it for love. He significantly improved his career when he started attending court in Vienna and impressed the dutchess with his genius. He ended up having 7 children, only 2 of whom survived. He and his wife did not belive in the public education system and they home schooled their children.
Our quest for Mozart continued on the following tour to the hometown of Mozarts mom and the place where he was born: St. Giligen. This is a typical small town on a lake with many small houses and set against the mountains. We took a boat ride to many little towns just like Mozarts and one that we particularly liked called Wolfgang. The town produces gift soap, food and a place to sleep for the flock of tourists that come to gawk at this beautiful place. Our next stop was the church from the Sound of Music, from the scene where the Baron marries the nun. Last stop was a patio on the 7th floor that overlooks a castle and Fortress at the same time back in the city. I really liked Salzburg because it has the old city with royal gardens, museums and lots of history as well as a breathtaking countryside.
Salzburg is the home to Red Bull and the owner is one of the richest man in Austria.
Today we are in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is Marcs birthday but he is still asleep. I snuck out to check out the views from our hotel and they are spectacular. We are on top of a mountain overlooking the city. We have a pool and the weather is great. So I leave you now and hope that you are having a great weekend as well.
Kissess
The biggest and most populr bridge connecting the city and the Castle is called the Charles bridge, where I decided to have my portrait done. After 20 minutes and $50 I was very dissapointed. I should have known better when bypassers came up to look at the artists work as he was painting me and no one stayed to have their portrait done. To make matters worse he didnt give me the proper carrying case so I have been lugging the portrait around from city to city and train to train.
Local food in Prague definately caught Marc's eye. One day on the train as he was sleeping I caught him smiling. I asked when he woke up what he was smiling about and he said that he the best dream about a pork knee that he had the other night which was covered in fat, spices and salt. The Checzs do a lot of potatoes, pork, sausage, dumplings and goulash (beef stew).
Marc has become a serious beer conoseour. He was asking a waiter about their beers on tap, and the waiter told Marc that this one particular beer is one the best beers in the world... Marc asked him "is this really the best beer because I have had quite a few good beers in the last few days." I would say that this is kind of an understatement. Marc has tried probably every beer on tap in each country we have been to. We actually decided to go to Belgium solely because of their reputation for beer. Lucky for the waiter, it was a very good beer.
They have a very productive train system (subway) in Europe. It runs on the honour system. Each passenger is responsible for buying his own ticket, validating it and riding the train. He does not need to wait in a line up to show his valid ticket or pass which means there are no line ups to get into the subway and there are no line up to catch the bus because all doors open and passengers enter. This again creates less waiting time and less traffic. There are conductors that pass by and check tickets. I know that some of you are thinking that there will be people that dont pay the fare. And I agree there are probably 2% of the population of train riders in Europe that manipulate the system, but why punish the other 98% who are honest and deserve to have a fast transit system?
Jewish Quarter in Prague - Prague has the oldest preserved Jewish town in Europe. It was especially left alone as per Hitler. He wanted to keep the Jewish quarters as they were left by Jews before they were deported to concentration for one purporse: if any jews in the future should come back to Prague they would see what kind of vibrant past the Jewish community has had and make an example of what their faith has become. Marc and I wondered through the quarters for two days. It was really nice to see actual old synagogues, shops, buildings and a cemetery. The cemetery is very unique, they have too many people burried in one place, so to combat this problem, they burried plot on top of plot and placed cascet on top of cascet. As a result the cemetery has one tumbsone one over the other. We saw a clock in the Old New Synagogue that was done in the Hebrew alphabet and the handles moved counterclockwise to simulate the Hebrew language. We also heard the Golem story. Rabbi Low, one of the most prominent and famous Rabbis of Prague had a problem with break ins in his town. So God advised him to make a Golem out of clay and place a shem (cloth) inside his mouth. The Rabbi followed instructions and the Golem came to life, he protected the town as he came alive each time the Rabbi placed the shem in his mouth. One day the Rabbi forgot to take the shem out and on Shabbath went to pray, the Golem up to no good destroyed everything in sight. The Rabbi took the shem and hid in in the Old New Synagogue. Till this day access to that area is forbidden.
Quest for Mozart - Our quest for Mozart began early on in Prague. I read a brochure in our hotel that there are places in Prague that Mozart stayed at. We were told to go to the state theater to find him. This theater was very well hidden and it took us quite some time (especially at our pace) to find this place. Once inside the theater we approached two ladies in uniform and said "we are looking for information about Mozart" and the lady said "Mozart is dead." I was so shocked by her response that I remained polite and restated the question. After which she informed me that if we want information about Mozart we should visit Salzburg his birth place, and so we did.
The train ride to Salzburg was very scenic, the landscape was full of mountains, farms with well fed animals running free, little wooden homes, and tall white churches. We had one full day to spend in Salzburg so we ordered two trips. One to see the city sites that focused primarily on Mozarts whereabouts, and one to see the lakes, mountains and spots from where the filming of sound of music took place. The Austrians are pretty clever, they named the museum for Mozart no other than Mozarteum. We visited the house he lived in and the place he performed. He started composing at five years old and wrote over 600 compositions during his life. Mozart was not a very wealthy man when he died. He worked for the Roman Catholic Church which at his time was very rich and powerful in Salzburg. They were the ones that build most of the city and brought in riches. Their main source of income were the salt and gold mines. Mozart also composed music for wealthy people that paid for his work. He liked to hang out with his friend Bach in England. He moved to Vienna at 27 years old, and he did it for love. He significantly improved his career when he started attending court in Vienna and impressed the dutchess with his genius. He ended up having 7 children, only 2 of whom survived. He and his wife did not belive in the public education system and they home schooled their children.
Our quest for Mozart continued on the following tour to the hometown of Mozarts mom and the place where he was born: St. Giligen. This is a typical small town on a lake with many small houses and set against the mountains. We took a boat ride to many little towns just like Mozarts and one that we particularly liked called Wolfgang. The town produces gift soap, food and a place to sleep for the flock of tourists that come to gawk at this beautiful place. Our next stop was the church from the Sound of Music, from the scene where the Baron marries the nun. Last stop was a patio on the 7th floor that overlooks a castle and Fortress at the same time back in the city. I really liked Salzburg because it has the old city with royal gardens, museums and lots of history as well as a breathtaking countryside.
Salzburg is the home to Red Bull and the owner is one of the richest man in Austria.
Today we are in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It is Marcs birthday but he is still asleep. I snuck out to check out the views from our hotel and they are spectacular. We are on top of a mountain overlooking the city. We have a pool and the weather is great. So I leave you now and hope that you are having a great weekend as well.
Kissess
Monday, June 8, 2009
Berlin and Brugge
Brugge - the postcard city. We got an amazing deal on priceline thanks to tips from our friends wink wink and stayed in the heart of the city. The first order of business was to try the Belgium waffle at a tea house and drink some local beer. The waffles were all that and more and the beer (according to Marc) was even better. The city centre was 2km x2km and each turn showed a new building that was more beautiful than the one before. There arent any contemporary buildings and the city looks as if it is 200 or more years old. Every 15 minutes the clock on the bell tower will ring reminding you just how fast the time is passing you by. One of my favourite parts of Brugge was relaxing on a bench by a little pond with hundrends of swans and ducks who did their best to pose for our pictures. As well the sun still shines at 8pm and it does not get dark until 11pm. Imagine how much more can be done with such a long day....
The official language of Brugge and the Northern Belgium is Flemmish. The funny thing is it sounds just like that (while the south speaks French). The only downsides are majority of the tourists there were 55+ and all the businesses closed at 9pm. When we showed up with our backpacks at this 4star hotel we definately stood out.
From Brugge we hopped on a train and got out in Berlin. We were given a very warm welcome. My uncle Igor and his mother Firra were very gracious hosts and they put us up in their two bedroom apartment. They took incredible care of us, making sure we have the best meals and entertainment. Igor and Marc got along well especially during dinner when Igor would teach Marc Georgian toasts and demanded Marc say one back. On our last night Marc came up with a toast that made our host very proud. Igor accompanied us through Berlin on a daily basis showing us the sights and teaching us about the city's history. Berlin is a very large city that has over 10 million people living there. The city is very modern and has very few old structures left. It is clear that the government tried really hard to remove itself from its history and even went as far as putting a car park over Hitlers bunker. However, that does not stop Neo Nazis from denying the Hollocaoust and influencing and recruiting high school students. While we were in Berlin President Obama visited a concentration camp in Dresden and we later visited the city on our way to Prague.
On our walk through Berlin we saw the Brangady (spelling???) bridge that was errected in the 17th century to divide the city. We also visited the Hallocaust memorial that was located underground, just below 2700 metal grave like structures. I was upset to learn that Berlin only put up this memorial in 2004. Why did it take over 60 years to do this? I was also dissapointed that we didnt get to visit the Berlin wall that divided the city into East and West but Igor said that there isnt much left of it and it is full of grafettie. Marc and I also have a new love affair with Salvador Dali and we went to see his work both in Brugge and Berlin. His paintings are from the mid 1900 and are very contemporary and completely ridiculous works or art. He has many paintings that are sexual and violent in nature, but overall they are his imagination and it can take up to 5 minutes staring at a picture to understand what he meant to depict.
While in Berlin we took the train to Potsdam, a small city outside of Berlin that was the home to King Frederick and Queen Cicilia. The castles are still intact and in very good shape spread over a very large area. During our tour inside the castle Marc and I felt as if we were royalty visiting our friends the king and queen. On the way to Prague we stopped in Dresden (the city President Obama visited while in Germany). This is another old town full of castles and old money. We visited the Green Vault that holds mosts of the regions treasures from kings and queens past. The last display was a 41carat green diamond, according to the display was the biggest green diamond ever found and most expensive in the world. Marc had to pull me away from the display becuase I was sure that I got hypnotized by the sparkles. My head was literally swaying from side to side in front of the display.
I cant describe the feeling of getting off the train in a different county. Especially when all it takes is to look at a map and to look at a timetable and decide the next destination. That has to be one of the most liberating and gratifying experiences.
We are now in Prague and although staying in the industrial part of town, we are jsut a few stops from the centre at a 4 star hotel through priceline.
About questions when we will be home... We will call British Airways to change our ticket today and once we know what availablility they have we will let you know.
Until then we hope that the weather in Toronto or wherever you are reading this from is better than it is here. We miss you and will see you really soon!!!
Kissess
The official language of Brugge and the Northern Belgium is Flemmish. The funny thing is it sounds just like that (while the south speaks French). The only downsides are majority of the tourists there were 55+ and all the businesses closed at 9pm. When we showed up with our backpacks at this 4star hotel we definately stood out.
From Brugge we hopped on a train and got out in Berlin. We were given a very warm welcome. My uncle Igor and his mother Firra were very gracious hosts and they put us up in their two bedroom apartment. They took incredible care of us, making sure we have the best meals and entertainment. Igor and Marc got along well especially during dinner when Igor would teach Marc Georgian toasts and demanded Marc say one back. On our last night Marc came up with a toast that made our host very proud. Igor accompanied us through Berlin on a daily basis showing us the sights and teaching us about the city's history. Berlin is a very large city that has over 10 million people living there. The city is very modern and has very few old structures left. It is clear that the government tried really hard to remove itself from its history and even went as far as putting a car park over Hitlers bunker. However, that does not stop Neo Nazis from denying the Hollocaoust and influencing and recruiting high school students. While we were in Berlin President Obama visited a concentration camp in Dresden and we later visited the city on our way to Prague.
On our walk through Berlin we saw the Brangady (spelling???) bridge that was errected in the 17th century to divide the city. We also visited the Hallocaust memorial that was located underground, just below 2700 metal grave like structures. I was upset to learn that Berlin only put up this memorial in 2004. Why did it take over 60 years to do this? I was also dissapointed that we didnt get to visit the Berlin wall that divided the city into East and West but Igor said that there isnt much left of it and it is full of grafettie. Marc and I also have a new love affair with Salvador Dali and we went to see his work both in Brugge and Berlin. His paintings are from the mid 1900 and are very contemporary and completely ridiculous works or art. He has many paintings that are sexual and violent in nature, but overall they are his imagination and it can take up to 5 minutes staring at a picture to understand what he meant to depict.
While in Berlin we took the train to Potsdam, a small city outside of Berlin that was the home to King Frederick and Queen Cicilia. The castles are still intact and in very good shape spread over a very large area. During our tour inside the castle Marc and I felt as if we were royalty visiting our friends the king and queen. On the way to Prague we stopped in Dresden (the city President Obama visited while in Germany). This is another old town full of castles and old money. We visited the Green Vault that holds mosts of the regions treasures from kings and queens past. The last display was a 41carat green diamond, according to the display was the biggest green diamond ever found and most expensive in the world. Marc had to pull me away from the display becuase I was sure that I got hypnotized by the sparkles. My head was literally swaying from side to side in front of the display.
I cant describe the feeling of getting off the train in a different county. Especially when all it takes is to look at a map and to look at a timetable and decide the next destination. That has to be one of the most liberating and gratifying experiences.
We are now in Prague and although staying in the industrial part of town, we are jsut a few stops from the centre at a 4 star hotel through priceline.
About questions when we will be home... We will call British Airways to change our ticket today and once we know what availablility they have we will let you know.
Until then we hope that the weather in Toronto or wherever you are reading this from is better than it is here. We miss you and will see you really soon!!!
Kissess
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kiev and Brugge from Marcs Perspective
Yesterday we went shopping for beer at a grocery store in Berlin. The grocery store was massive and had two parts. One part was dedicated to the wide selection of German beer. The other part of the store was for everthing else. I filled half the shopping cart with individual bottles of beer and pushed it over to the cashier. I can't remember a time in my life when I was happier. We are staying with one of Veronika's relatives who showed us aorund Berlin and accompanied us at the grocery store. After he scanned the shopping cart he asked me, "Do you think you have too much?" My heart stopped and I found myself choked up. How could I possibly part with one of the beers I carefully selected over my 25 minute shopping extraveganza? I made it seem like it didn't bother me that much. But the truth is I wanted to throw a temper tantrum in the store or run out crying. Anyways, I drank a few bottles last night and told Veronika I would blog today. I don't remember this and like to think of myself as a man of my word, so here it is.
KIEV: On the last night of our Asian leg, I found a pimple in my ear. The damn thing was throbbing and drove me to the brink of insanity. I took a Q-Tip and poppped that son of a bitch. I took great satisfaction in my relief. But the war was far from over. We touched down in London and my ear was hurting even more then before. I weighed the pros and cons of ripping my ear off, I was in favor of ripping it off and Veronika convinced me to not.
Over the next few days my ear had gotten worse. It hurt so much that I couldn't properly hear out of it. Russians believe that if you have a sore ear you should stick a cotton ball in it to keep it warm. So not only did I have an ear that was growing more useless by the day I was walking around the city looking like an idiot. Veronika took me to a Ukrainen doctor and it is this experience that makes reading this story up to now worth while.
It is a beautiful thing when you can walk into a doctors office and see a specialist on the same day. However, a red flag goes up when you see the secretary making a chart for the doctor with a pencil and ruler. I forgot what it would be like to make a chart without using an Excel spreadsheet. The doctors desk was right beside his secretary and he invited me to have a seat next to him on a stool. The doctor was wearing green scrubs and had a black head band with a reflector on it. I had only seen this disk twice before. Once on the cover of a childrens book with Grover dressed as a doctor the other time was at Pioneer Village. Staying with the pioneer village theme, the doctor took a small metal funnel and stuck in my ear to take a look. The doctor then took a pair of tweasers and stuck a cotton ball in the sore ear. The doctor explained that when we were in London I must have gotten some wind in it that caused an infection. Can anyone possibly see this as a reasonable explaination from a doctor? After the Mickey Mouse explanation he prescribed some drugs for me and instructed to return the following day.
The next day my ear felt much better but not 100%. The secretary had left for the day and the doctor was filling in his chart when we walked in for the check up. My reason for the follow up was to make sure the ear was healing properly. The doctors invited me back with the hope that someone would explain to us that it was customary to leave the doctor a tip. The docotr skipped the foreplay with the funnel and grabbed a drill bit and decided to go to work. He told me to relax. Relax? You are sticking this giant screw in my ear and I'm expected to relax? Sure you put a cotton ball on its tip but I really didn't feel comfortable with the ancient medical training this doctor had recieved in school. After the drill bit fiasco he took a calking gun and once again told me to relax. At this point I was already willing to remove my ear so I let the doctor do his work. He proceeded to flush my ear and follow it up with another round of the drill bit. After all of this my ear is back to normal and remains intact with my head.
One more thing. Do not drink with Russians! I learned my lesson after waking up in our bath tub the next morning.
BRUGGE: A few moths before we left I watched In Brugge with Colin Ferrel. I think he's a ponce but the movie was better than expected. This is the only reason why we went to Brugge.
Old people make up 99% of tourism in Brugge. As a result, every kitchen in every restaurant closes around 9pm. We found a restaurant that would give us some pasta and had enough beer for me and the party at the table next to us. The party consisted of one old man waiting for his buddy who owns the restaurant where Colin Ferrel punched the Canadian guy. The old man's name is Roger Moore, not the actor but the self proclaimed best waiter not only in Brugge but all of Europe. When we started talking to him he was at a point where he probably shouldn't drink anymore, unless he was planning on sleeping in a bath tub. During our time at the restaurant the old man drank 7 more pints and started telling us stories. We would ask him a question and he would answer by telling us how much beer he drinks in a day or how he owned a very prominent bar in Amsterdam. Couldn't have been that prominent now that he is waiting tables.
Belgium not only has the best beer in the world their waffles are the bees knees too.
Toodles
Monday, June 1, 2009
Kiev, Amsterdam and Roesale
Thailand to London, London to Vienna, Vienna to Kiev Phew what a marathon. If you are looking to save a few bucks on flights do not do it at the expense of comfort. Marc and I ended up paying for a hotel in Vienna in Euros just to sleep for the night because we were so tired from travelling. If we got a direct flight we would have saved time and money. Live and Learn.
Kiev.... We were picked up from the airport by my Uncle Naum and his daughter Lena who I havent seen since I was 8 years old and Marc has never met. They were so nice and welcoming and they ended up giving us one of their apartments. We had our own place in the center of Kiev. They also left us a lot of food in the fridge and made dinner for us, took us out and were very wonderful. In Kiev we spend a lot of time walking through the beautiful city. It is soo green with chestnut trees blooming all over the place. We saw many museums and art centres that my parents have carefully selected. We took pictures in front of the last standing monument of Lenin. We were so happy to meet up with Helen and Andrei who were staying with their cousin and went to a Ukranina rock bar which was a lot of fun. The best thing in Kiev were definately the caves of the 900 year old monestary called Lavra. We got an English speaking guide and spend a lot of time visiting the churches, groudns and caves that were used as Monk living quarters and burial grounds.
My moms friend Lena took Marc and I to a beautiful outdoors museum that had a collection of windmills and old Ukranian houses. It was beautiful to walk around in this open park with blue skies and green trees. It was like we were transformed to the 18th century. The same couple took us to the Kiev botanical garden and dressed us up in Ukranina national costumes put us on a carriage and had us pose for pictures. We later visited my old house and saw all the neighbours who remember my parents and grandparents very well and they all said I look exactly the same 19 years later. We also broke into my old school which is now a private school and Marc and I roamed the hallways. Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I am proud that I was born there.
Following Kiev we went to Amsterdam where we met Olga, Timmy and Alana who have already been in the city for a few days. We were very happy to see them to say the least. The first two nights we shared a room with Helen and Andrei who were nice enough to put us up in their 5 star hotel room. We forgot what luxury meant. We then decided to splurge and got a nice 4 star hotel room and really enjoyed the showers and the sleep which was long overdue. It was shocking after leaving Asia how expensive everything is in Europe. We were used to paying $20 per night and here it is $100 for a 3 star hotel room, big difference.
Red Light District: it is definately a very interesting part of town. There are little streets that have women selling themselves in the windonws. A customer will choose his girl and then she opens the door and closes the curtain. When the customer leaves, she opens the curtain and is ready for business. I didnt know the rules and as walking down one of these streets I snapped a picture. To my surprise the girls behind the window freaked out they ran out and started screaming at me to erase the pictures. One of the girls went as far as saying "I dont take pictures Im not a model." I was in such schock that I just dint even reply. I was scared that some kind of pimp will come out and confescate my camera so I erased the picture, she apoligized and we parted. There are also coffeeshops on every corner where you can buy and smoke marijuana. To my surprise there was no police anywhere in sight everyone was conducting themselves very professionally and no one was fighting or acting crazy. I think that they are on to something in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a beutiful old city. It has three sets of canals around the old part of town right by the central train station where we were staying. A lot of old buildings with beautiful archetecture and churches everywhere. Timmy told me some statistics about Amsterdam that they have the highest bicycle per capita percentage in the world. Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle; women in high heels, men in suits, people with kids, people on date, everyone. They even have special bicycle lanes all over the city where cars and pedestrians are not allowed. They have significantly less cars on the roads and they dont have that reliance that we do in North America to use our car everywhere we go. Walking 7 to 10km per day is normal and highly encouraged. Think about the last time you walked for 7 km? The lifestyle in Europe is very different. People are relaxed less stressed less in a hurry, they take their time and enjoy their coffee and newspaper.
We visited the Heineken brewry and saw how they brew their beer, at the end we got three pints and were let out to the streeet. Great experience. My favourite museum so far was the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam. We first learned about his style and where it was evolved by looking at artists he learned from. We also saw paintings that he replicated in his own style by comparing the original to his. I learned that Van Gogh only painted for ten years and he started with absolutely no talent. In ten years he did some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings. Which means that he finished a painting every 3rd day. Pretty impressive. We also visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam which was ok as an experience but im very glad that it is still there and people are visiting it. Marc reread the book and I didnt finish it but it was really touching to be at her home and going through her life in captivity with seven other people in a tiny home.
Saying bye to our friends was very hard!!! I was so happy to see everyone and now we are back to two. We left everyone at the train station and for the first time used our Eurail pass to get to Belgium. Everything was easy the train was very clean and spacious (were in 1st class) nothing like Vietnam dirty train. We got to Bruge at around 9pm and it was still light outside. We had a reservation to Park Hotel. At first we didnt realize something was wrong but later when everyone was pointing us in a different direction we started getting worried. It took us many little alleys and over an house to reach out hotel (with our bags on our backs). Exhausted and happy to find the hotel I handed the hotel manager our reservation that was done earlier in the day from a coffee shop. He looked very confused and at this point I knew in my heart that something was awfully wrong. He said well thank you for making a reservation at the Park Hotel but youre in Brugge and the Park Hotel you reserved in is Roesale (a city 30km away)......
Not only did this news schock us to disbelief the hotel manager thought it would be funny to share these news with people that were walking by (who had a room) in French. I was soo sad and felt very guilty that I didnt realize what I did. We had to go all the way back to the train station find the next train to Roesale. We ended up getting to our room at 11pm, 2 hours later. We went out for dinner to the only place in town that was open. An egyptian pita place. I was charged 3 euros for two glasses of water. Welcome to Europe.
Right now we are on the way to Brugge (again) from Roesale where we are planning to spend a few days. From what we have seen it was a beautiful town with old buildings and snug alleyways.
I promise to start posting pictures and Marc promises to do a blog in the next few days (he needs to make sure he has enough material)!
I Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you.
Irene I saw your post on my wall and realized I had to do the blog now, say hello to Charlie and Yury kissess.
Marc and Veronika
Kiev.... We were picked up from the airport by my Uncle Naum and his daughter Lena who I havent seen since I was 8 years old and Marc has never met. They were so nice and welcoming and they ended up giving us one of their apartments. We had our own place in the center of Kiev. They also left us a lot of food in the fridge and made dinner for us, took us out and were very wonderful. In Kiev we spend a lot of time walking through the beautiful city. It is soo green with chestnut trees blooming all over the place. We saw many museums and art centres that my parents have carefully selected. We took pictures in front of the last standing monument of Lenin. We were so happy to meet up with Helen and Andrei who were staying with their cousin and went to a Ukranina rock bar which was a lot of fun. The best thing in Kiev were definately the caves of the 900 year old monestary called Lavra. We got an English speaking guide and spend a lot of time visiting the churches, groudns and caves that were used as Monk living quarters and burial grounds.
My moms friend Lena took Marc and I to a beautiful outdoors museum that had a collection of windmills and old Ukranian houses. It was beautiful to walk around in this open park with blue skies and green trees. It was like we were transformed to the 18th century. The same couple took us to the Kiev botanical garden and dressed us up in Ukranina national costumes put us on a carriage and had us pose for pictures. We later visited my old house and saw all the neighbours who remember my parents and grandparents very well and they all said I look exactly the same 19 years later. We also broke into my old school which is now a private school and Marc and I roamed the hallways. Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I am proud that I was born there.
Following Kiev we went to Amsterdam where we met Olga, Timmy and Alana who have already been in the city for a few days. We were very happy to see them to say the least. The first two nights we shared a room with Helen and Andrei who were nice enough to put us up in their 5 star hotel room. We forgot what luxury meant. We then decided to splurge and got a nice 4 star hotel room and really enjoyed the showers and the sleep which was long overdue. It was shocking after leaving Asia how expensive everything is in Europe. We were used to paying $20 per night and here it is $100 for a 3 star hotel room, big difference.
Red Light District: it is definately a very interesting part of town. There are little streets that have women selling themselves in the windonws. A customer will choose his girl and then she opens the door and closes the curtain. When the customer leaves, she opens the curtain and is ready for business. I didnt know the rules and as walking down one of these streets I snapped a picture. To my surprise the girls behind the window freaked out they ran out and started screaming at me to erase the pictures. One of the girls went as far as saying "I dont take pictures Im not a model." I was in such schock that I just dint even reply. I was scared that some kind of pimp will come out and confescate my camera so I erased the picture, she apoligized and we parted. There are also coffeeshops on every corner where you can buy and smoke marijuana. To my surprise there was no police anywhere in sight everyone was conducting themselves very professionally and no one was fighting or acting crazy. I think that they are on to something in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a beutiful old city. It has three sets of canals around the old part of town right by the central train station where we were staying. A lot of old buildings with beautiful archetecture and churches everywhere. Timmy told me some statistics about Amsterdam that they have the highest bicycle per capita percentage in the world. Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle; women in high heels, men in suits, people with kids, people on date, everyone. They even have special bicycle lanes all over the city where cars and pedestrians are not allowed. They have significantly less cars on the roads and they dont have that reliance that we do in North America to use our car everywhere we go. Walking 7 to 10km per day is normal and highly encouraged. Think about the last time you walked for 7 km? The lifestyle in Europe is very different. People are relaxed less stressed less in a hurry, they take their time and enjoy their coffee and newspaper.
We visited the Heineken brewry and saw how they brew their beer, at the end we got three pints and were let out to the streeet. Great experience. My favourite museum so far was the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam. We first learned about his style and where it was evolved by looking at artists he learned from. We also saw paintings that he replicated in his own style by comparing the original to his. I learned that Van Gogh only painted for ten years and he started with absolutely no talent. In ten years he did some 900 paintings and 1100 drawings. Which means that he finished a painting every 3rd day. Pretty impressive. We also visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam which was ok as an experience but im very glad that it is still there and people are visiting it. Marc reread the book and I didnt finish it but it was really touching to be at her home and going through her life in captivity with seven other people in a tiny home.
Saying bye to our friends was very hard!!! I was so happy to see everyone and now we are back to two. We left everyone at the train station and for the first time used our Eurail pass to get to Belgium. Everything was easy the train was very clean and spacious (were in 1st class) nothing like Vietnam dirty train. We got to Bruge at around 9pm and it was still light outside. We had a reservation to Park Hotel. At first we didnt realize something was wrong but later when everyone was pointing us in a different direction we started getting worried. It took us many little alleys and over an house to reach out hotel (with our bags on our backs). Exhausted and happy to find the hotel I handed the hotel manager our reservation that was done earlier in the day from a coffee shop. He looked very confused and at this point I knew in my heart that something was awfully wrong. He said well thank you for making a reservation at the Park Hotel but youre in Brugge and the Park Hotel you reserved in is Roesale (a city 30km away)......
Not only did this news schock us to disbelief the hotel manager thought it would be funny to share these news with people that were walking by (who had a room) in French. I was soo sad and felt very guilty that I didnt realize what I did. We had to go all the way back to the train station find the next train to Roesale. We ended up getting to our room at 11pm, 2 hours later. We went out for dinner to the only place in town that was open. An egyptian pita place. I was charged 3 euros for two glasses of water. Welcome to Europe.
Right now we are on the way to Brugge (again) from Roesale where we are planning to spend a few days. From what we have seen it was a beautiful town with old buildings and snug alleyways.
I promise to start posting pictures and Marc promises to do a blog in the next few days (he needs to make sure he has enough material)!
I Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you.
Irene I saw your post on my wall and realized I had to do the blog now, say hello to Charlie and Yury kissess.
Marc and Veronika
Monday, May 18, 2009
Leaving Bangkok
It is 7pm in Bangkok right now and we are done our shopping and heading for the airport. Although it will be a long flight with two major stopovers we are very excited to begin the new leg of our trip: Europe. Our itinerary for the flight is Bangkok to London arrive at 6:20 am, wait 12 hours and fly to Vienna, wait 14 hours and fly to Kiev. We should arrive in Kiev at 10:30 am on May 20th. I dont know what the internet situation will be like there and when we will be able to blog, but as soon as we have a chance we will.
Au Revoir
Au Revoir
Thursday, May 14, 2009
La Cucarocha
It's been a while I know. Pro, i have at least one good story to share with you. Con, I can't think of any. As Veronika mentioned we are back in Thailand and our first stop was Chang Mai.
The reason we chose Chang Mai is because we felt that it would be easier to cross the border from the North of Thailand. Turns out we had no idea of how long it was going to take us so we are killing the rest of our time in Thailand before Europe. Veronika mentioned that I did a good job finding us a place to stay on the first night. That is partially true. Yes I did find the area and hotel to stay at, which was surprisingly cheap in comparison to what we have become accustomed to. The problems are that we had a massive room with a tiny, piece of crap rotating fan. It was like lying down in a sauna. The other thing was that we had an issue with yet another "crazy insect".
Cockroaches are without a doubt a super bug. I'm sure they are the envy of all the insects in the world. People always talk about (at least i do) what one super power they would most like to posses. Insects would tell you that they would want to be a cockroach. They are lightning quick, gross, move best in the dark and now we have learned they could fly as well. My choice is a no brainer, to be indestructible.
The fiasco starts when Veronika went to brush her teeth and I was left in the bed completely exhausted and turned of the main light while leaving the lamp beside the bed on. With my incredible peripherals I noticed something crawling on the wall. When my eyes finally adjusted on the unwelecomed guest, I was watching the biggest cockroach int he world enjoy a jog on my wall. I was obviously freaking out but when Veronika came out of the bathroom, the cockroach flew to a new hiding place. Out of sight. It was similar to Shaggy and Scooby telling the rest of the gang they had just seen the ghost (which was always a guy in a costume). Veronika didn't believe what I told her and decided to take a shower. She will deny this. Once again I was left alone in the lions den with this man eating bastard. I don't know if they actually eat people but at this point I wouldn't be shocked at all. Veronika steps into the shower and the terrorist reappears. At this point he/she was messing with my head. Breaking me down psychologically so I tire out and then it can defecate on my forehead while I'm sleeping. I watched the roach parade on my bag, into the carry on and then into the corner at the foot of our bed. Veronika came out and I had already ran to the other side of the room to find a hiding place. I spoke in tongues when filling her in on what the situation was. The roach reappeared and one of us had to get rid of the bug while the other curls up in a ball to fight back tears on the bed. I made the choice for the both of us by nominating Veronika as the one to get rid of it. I sat there screaming like a little girl and Veronika did what most men would have done in that situation.
So yes, I found the place for a good price but we had to sleep with the lights on, it has made me completely paranoid which in turn is effecting my sleep. Also, if Veronika ever decides to break up with me I know it is because of how girly I get around bugs. She will deny it when I ask her to admit this but to her friends she will let them know I have a mangina. To an outsider that has never met me they might think that I might actually be a woman. I hate to brag but I am quite the mans man. I chop down trees, love cars, tools, hunting drinking beer out of a can and crushing it on my forehead when I am done. Last but not least I always try my best to participate in one puerto rican knife fight a month. All man!
The train from Chang Mai to Ko Lanta was supposed to be a 10 hour ride on an express train. I think the Thai's don't fully understand the concept of an express train. We stopped at every single train station with some stops lasting half an hour. To add to my displeasure I saw some baby cockroaches running around certain areas of the filthy train. The cabin we were in appeared to receive the type of cleaning you would do to your house the day your parents would come home from a weekend trip. Sweep everything underneath a carpet. The train didn't have a carpet so the trash was piled under neath our seats/beds. What the hell are we paying for? How much does it cost to hire a child to clean the trains? I know it sounds harsh but it beats them begging on the streets while their parents are sitting at a bar getting smashed while having engaging conversations with prostitutes. Needless to say I unwillingly slept for about 45 minutes on an overnight train ride that lasted 14 hours.
The bus ride from Bangkok to the pier took another eight hours and the ferry took a half an hour. Lets round the entire trip up to 24 hours of continuous travel with no sleep. I slept like a baby that night and was ready to relax on what could be the final beach we will see on the remainder of our trip. Oh wait it is time for the monsoon.
A monsoon sounds like a big deal in the same category as a hurricane or tsunami but really it is just the wet season. We are getting the opportunity to relax and eat at some restaurants we are familiar with. We did however, try a new Italian restaurant. I was starving and we all know Italians eat until there pants don't fit and the only way they can move away from the table is if someone has a wheel barrel handy. This Italian restaurant was the complete opposite. The prices were through the roof so I wanted to select a dish that will do the trick. I ordered the Crunchy Lasagna which included duck, salad, a bed of risotto and sun dried tomatoes. Whoever wrote the menu is a bloody con artist. The lasagna was two layers of pasta that were roughly the same size as half a toilet paper square. The salad was two forks of lettuce, the bed of risotto must have been the equivalent size of jimmy the crickets (of Pinocchio fame) mach box bed. The duck breast was way to small to be from an actual duck. It was closer to the size of a quail. Thankfully Veronika agreed that half of her real person sized pizza was a good trade for the three fork fulls of food I gave her. I know that there are restaurants that the chef provides quality food in small portions but in Thailand? You kidding me? The Restaurant was located in a part of the island that might be comparable to the most undesirable part of Scarborough. That is if Scarborough replaced all of the building with sheds and shacks.
Despite all of the above I have enjoyed my time in South East Asia very much. I will cook Thai food for anyone that wants and will wear an apron for show. I will do it on my own terms and not wear any clothes underneath. That's what I call dinner and a show.
Laters
The reason we chose Chang Mai is because we felt that it would be easier to cross the border from the North of Thailand. Turns out we had no idea of how long it was going to take us so we are killing the rest of our time in Thailand before Europe. Veronika mentioned that I did a good job finding us a place to stay on the first night. That is partially true. Yes I did find the area and hotel to stay at, which was surprisingly cheap in comparison to what we have become accustomed to. The problems are that we had a massive room with a tiny, piece of crap rotating fan. It was like lying down in a sauna. The other thing was that we had an issue with yet another "crazy insect".
Cockroaches are without a doubt a super bug. I'm sure they are the envy of all the insects in the world. People always talk about (at least i do) what one super power they would most like to posses. Insects would tell you that they would want to be a cockroach. They are lightning quick, gross, move best in the dark and now we have learned they could fly as well. My choice is a no brainer, to be indestructible.
The fiasco starts when Veronika went to brush her teeth and I was left in the bed completely exhausted and turned of the main light while leaving the lamp beside the bed on. With my incredible peripherals I noticed something crawling on the wall. When my eyes finally adjusted on the unwelecomed guest, I was watching the biggest cockroach int he world enjoy a jog on my wall. I was obviously freaking out but when Veronika came out of the bathroom, the cockroach flew to a new hiding place. Out of sight. It was similar to Shaggy and Scooby telling the rest of the gang they had just seen the ghost (which was always a guy in a costume). Veronika didn't believe what I told her and decided to take a shower. She will deny this. Once again I was left alone in the lions den with this man eating bastard. I don't know if they actually eat people but at this point I wouldn't be shocked at all. Veronika steps into the shower and the terrorist reappears. At this point he/she was messing with my head. Breaking me down psychologically so I tire out and then it can defecate on my forehead while I'm sleeping. I watched the roach parade on my bag, into the carry on and then into the corner at the foot of our bed. Veronika came out and I had already ran to the other side of the room to find a hiding place. I spoke in tongues when filling her in on what the situation was. The roach reappeared and one of us had to get rid of the bug while the other curls up in a ball to fight back tears on the bed. I made the choice for the both of us by nominating Veronika as the one to get rid of it. I sat there screaming like a little girl and Veronika did what most men would have done in that situation.
So yes, I found the place for a good price but we had to sleep with the lights on, it has made me completely paranoid which in turn is effecting my sleep. Also, if Veronika ever decides to break up with me I know it is because of how girly I get around bugs. She will deny it when I ask her to admit this but to her friends she will let them know I have a mangina. To an outsider that has never met me they might think that I might actually be a woman. I hate to brag but I am quite the mans man. I chop down trees, love cars, tools, hunting drinking beer out of a can and crushing it on my forehead when I am done. Last but not least I always try my best to participate in one puerto rican knife fight a month. All man!
The train from Chang Mai to Ko Lanta was supposed to be a 10 hour ride on an express train. I think the Thai's don't fully understand the concept of an express train. We stopped at every single train station with some stops lasting half an hour. To add to my displeasure I saw some baby cockroaches running around certain areas of the filthy train. The cabin we were in appeared to receive the type of cleaning you would do to your house the day your parents would come home from a weekend trip. Sweep everything underneath a carpet. The train didn't have a carpet so the trash was piled under neath our seats/beds. What the hell are we paying for? How much does it cost to hire a child to clean the trains? I know it sounds harsh but it beats them begging on the streets while their parents are sitting at a bar getting smashed while having engaging conversations with prostitutes. Needless to say I unwillingly slept for about 45 minutes on an overnight train ride that lasted 14 hours.
The bus ride from Bangkok to the pier took another eight hours and the ferry took a half an hour. Lets round the entire trip up to 24 hours of continuous travel with no sleep. I slept like a baby that night and was ready to relax on what could be the final beach we will see on the remainder of our trip. Oh wait it is time for the monsoon.
A monsoon sounds like a big deal in the same category as a hurricane or tsunami but really it is just the wet season. We are getting the opportunity to relax and eat at some restaurants we are familiar with. We did however, try a new Italian restaurant. I was starving and we all know Italians eat until there pants don't fit and the only way they can move away from the table is if someone has a wheel barrel handy. This Italian restaurant was the complete opposite. The prices were through the roof so I wanted to select a dish that will do the trick. I ordered the Crunchy Lasagna which included duck, salad, a bed of risotto and sun dried tomatoes. Whoever wrote the menu is a bloody con artist. The lasagna was two layers of pasta that were roughly the same size as half a toilet paper square. The salad was two forks of lettuce, the bed of risotto must have been the equivalent size of jimmy the crickets (of Pinocchio fame) mach box bed. The duck breast was way to small to be from an actual duck. It was closer to the size of a quail. Thankfully Veronika agreed that half of her real person sized pizza was a good trade for the three fork fulls of food I gave her. I know that there are restaurants that the chef provides quality food in small portions but in Thailand? You kidding me? The Restaurant was located in a part of the island that might be comparable to the most undesirable part of Scarborough. That is if Scarborough replaced all of the building with sheds and shacks.
Despite all of the above I have enjoyed my time in South East Asia very much. I will cook Thai food for anyone that wants and will wear an apron for show. I will do it on my own terms and not wear any clothes underneath. That's what I call dinner and a show.
Laters
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Back in Thailand
Yes we are back in Thailand. I know we were supposed to go to Laos to do the tubing that is highly recommended. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks we have been poor planners and even worse executioners. Hence we are riding our last few days before we leave for Ukraine in the North of Thailand.
I will begin this blog in the airport on the way from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. As we arrived in Bangkok and found the airline booths we frantically ran around to find the cheapest airfare to Laos. There was no cheap way directly so we settled for a close border connection and a city that we wanted to see often nicknamed as Bangkok's prettier twin sister, Chiang Mai. We bought a ticket with Bangkok Air since we heard about their free lounge. Unfortunately, we only had 35 minutes to check our bags and make it for our boarding time. We ran through the airport, found the lounge and raided it. They didn't have take away bags because this lounge was used for killing clock and relaxing before the flight, so we invented our own. We used tiny little popcorn bags and stuffed them with food. We grabbed cups of coffee and juice (after all this is the first time we saw free food). Needless to say the other passengers on the flight were not impressed with us. We boarded the plane, tired from all the running around that we did but not hungry, only to find out that they do serve quite a delicious meal on board (we ate that one too).
When we got to Chiang Mai, Marc did great research and found us a hostel in the center of backpackers town. What we didn't properly research is the best way to get to Laos. Although on the map Chiang Mai looked like the closest border connection with Laos, we failed to see the brown markings on the map which in fact are mountains. Unfortunately for us this is the furthest spot from Laos and if we took a bus from Bangkok we would have been there in ten hours. As we learned this information we realized that Laos was just not meant to be. We managed to make some friends with a group of English and Australian travelers. Last night we went out to a Western bar together, we exchanged interesting travel stories (now we sound quite professional at this) and had an overall great time. When we were back in the room Marc professed his disappointment at the poor drinking habits of the English. I assure him that once we are in Ukraine and meet up with Andrei he will not be disappointed.
In the last few days we have been quite active. We visited a Thai farm and learned how to make five different traditional meals. The beauty of it is that Marc and I learned 9 different meals in total and can host a traditional Thai dinner party. We first visited a local market which was an experience on its own. And then got a tour of the farm where we picked spices and vegetables for our individual meals. We met a girl from Australia (Kerry) who lives in Chiang Mai and volunteers at an orphanage. We met up with her the next day and she showed us around the orphanage. There were over 200 children living in one building. More than half the children have parents but they are either in jail or can't afford to take care of them. The section for toddlers was the saddest. They had 20 kids in one room to three women, half of the children were crying. Kerry said that the toddlers develop their motor skills much later in life than the average child because they don't leave their beds for three months at a time, not even for a stroll of fresh air. The only time they are out of their beds is to be showered or fed. We saw a deaf child and he was quite sweet. We took him out of his bed and played with him. Kerry said he really took a liking to us. When we were leaving, we made a significant donation and gave a flyer to our hotel so they can send more tourists there.
On a lighter note, we also visited the Chiang Mai zoo. We saw a lot of different animals and got to feed the Giraffes. I will post the pictures in a few days.
We have finally booked our Eurail Pass which allows us 10 travel days in 5 countries. So far we know that after we visit Ukraine we will visit Amsterdam, Brogues (Belgium), Brussels (Belgium), Frankfurt (Germany), Berlin (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), Rome (Italy), Venice (Italy) and the Amalfi Coast (Italy). We then fly to London and back home sweet home.
Kissess
Veronika
I will begin this blog in the airport on the way from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. As we arrived in Bangkok and found the airline booths we frantically ran around to find the cheapest airfare to Laos. There was no cheap way directly so we settled for a close border connection and a city that we wanted to see often nicknamed as Bangkok's prettier twin sister, Chiang Mai. We bought a ticket with Bangkok Air since we heard about their free lounge. Unfortunately, we only had 35 minutes to check our bags and make it for our boarding time. We ran through the airport, found the lounge and raided it. They didn't have take away bags because this lounge was used for killing clock and relaxing before the flight, so we invented our own. We used tiny little popcorn bags and stuffed them with food. We grabbed cups of coffee and juice (after all this is the first time we saw free food). Needless to say the other passengers on the flight were not impressed with us. We boarded the plane, tired from all the running around that we did but not hungry, only to find out that they do serve quite a delicious meal on board (we ate that one too).
When we got to Chiang Mai, Marc did great research and found us a hostel in the center of backpackers town. What we didn't properly research is the best way to get to Laos. Although on the map Chiang Mai looked like the closest border connection with Laos, we failed to see the brown markings on the map which in fact are mountains. Unfortunately for us this is the furthest spot from Laos and if we took a bus from Bangkok we would have been there in ten hours. As we learned this information we realized that Laos was just not meant to be. We managed to make some friends with a group of English and Australian travelers. Last night we went out to a Western bar together, we exchanged interesting travel stories (now we sound quite professional at this) and had an overall great time. When we were back in the room Marc professed his disappointment at the poor drinking habits of the English. I assure him that once we are in Ukraine and meet up with Andrei he will not be disappointed.
In the last few days we have been quite active. We visited a Thai farm and learned how to make five different traditional meals. The beauty of it is that Marc and I learned 9 different meals in total and can host a traditional Thai dinner party. We first visited a local market which was an experience on its own. And then got a tour of the farm where we picked spices and vegetables for our individual meals. We met a girl from Australia (Kerry) who lives in Chiang Mai and volunteers at an orphanage. We met up with her the next day and she showed us around the orphanage. There were over 200 children living in one building. More than half the children have parents but they are either in jail or can't afford to take care of them. The section for toddlers was the saddest. They had 20 kids in one room to three women, half of the children were crying. Kerry said that the toddlers develop their motor skills much later in life than the average child because they don't leave their beds for three months at a time, not even for a stroll of fresh air. The only time they are out of their beds is to be showered or fed. We saw a deaf child and he was quite sweet. We took him out of his bed and played with him. Kerry said he really took a liking to us. When we were leaving, we made a significant donation and gave a flyer to our hotel so they can send more tourists there.
On a lighter note, we also visited the Chiang Mai zoo. We saw a lot of different animals and got to feed the Giraffes. I will post the pictures in a few days.
We have finally booked our Eurail Pass which allows us 10 travel days in 5 countries. So far we know that after we visit Ukraine we will visit Amsterdam, Brogues (Belgium), Brussels (Belgium), Frankfurt (Germany), Berlin (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), Rome (Italy), Venice (Italy) and the Amalfi Coast (Italy). We then fly to London and back home sweet home.
Kissess
Veronika
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Mount Batur - Volcano Trekk
After long deliberation to go or not to on the Volcano Trek, we decided it would be a waste since we are here not to go. Everyone said the trek up the Volcano called Mount Batur will be really easy (everyone being people that were selling us the trip). The idea is you are picked up at 1am from the hotel, drive for 2.5 hours and then climb for 1.5 hours, wait for the sunrise have breakfast at the summit and climb down for 1.5 hours. It was anything but easy, and I will tell you why.
We were picked up by a driver that started to complain from the beginning that he is really tired, he has been driving for more than 24 hours. He stopped over 5 times to splash water on his face to wake himself up. He tried everything, he listened to music, opened the window, he drank water, pulled over and still he couldn't stay awake. I was so scared that I decided to forgoer my beauty rest and sleep in the car before the hike, for our safety. I talked to him occasionally and remembered what my dad told me about falling asleep behind the wheel. "Chew gum or nuts, as long as your jaw is working you will stay awake." Well I passed this wise tip to the driver in hopes that he had some gum to chew. He didn't but decided he will try anything to stay awake and found in his pocket, to my dismay a red hot chili pepper. He ate it at once and woke right up. However, he underestimated the strength of this little red pepper. He had to pull over yet again as he now couldn't drive because he was screaming in pain. At least he woke up and then I went back to sleep happy at an accomplished mission.
We arrived at the bottom of the mountain in complete darkness. Our driver was already getting ready to sleep and our guide has introduced himself. He gave us a pair of flashlights and away we went. To my asking of how long this will take and how far is the climb he said "very close and very easy." I was really happy about that. At this point it was 3:30 am in the morning to be fair I was really really regretting my decision to conquer this mountain. Who cares about the sunset, why am I here in the middle of the night with a flashlight and 3 hours of climbing ahead of me??? There was not turning back, so I looked forward and followed the guide. The walk at first was really easy. One foot after another, one after another. I kept checking my watch to gauge our progress, what felt like 30 minutes was really 10 minutes. The woods were dark and I couldn't see anything. Marc was right behind me still asleep and in his own world. I tried to talk to the guide but his English was no good and my Balinese was even worse. I checked my watch again only another 5 minutes have passed, I was getting really tired but I couldn't help notice that the road was getting steeper and we were definitely just starting our uphill climb.
When we have climbed for 30 minutes (serious uphill trekking) the guide allowed us a break. My shirt was drenched I was breathing heavy. I was really hoping that Marc was on the same page that we should just turn around and call it a night. He was fine and muttered a few words (his first in the last 30 minutes). I asked the guide again if it gets harder from here, he then pointed at the mountain and my jaw dropped. I finally saw our destination. We were walking on a flat surface and had 80%of the mountain left to climb. The mountain was 1770 high and one way climb was 5 km.
I decided to stick it out. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. We took a break every five minutes as my feet were just giving out. The guide after our break gave me his hand and dragged me up. We were climbing the mountain with rocks falling beneath our feet in the middle of the night in the dark. When we climbed for 1 hour and 20 minutes I said I was done. I did not care about anything other than stopping and getting my breath back. Marc made a good point that it is longer to go down hill. We sat for 10 minutes and then I got enough courage to finish the climb.
Forty minutes later we reached the top. I literally felt like I was on top of the world. My feet were shaking, my clothes were drenched, my chest was hyperventilating but we made it. The sun had another 1.5 hours till sunrise. We were the first to reach the top, and gathered at a restaurant. The chef was making boiled eggs and bread (not much of a choice there but you take what you can get) and we sat in the kitchen trying to get warm. Slowly other people started gathering and by the time the sun came up there were more than 50 people on the mountain. Everyone shared a secret bond through our sense of accomplishment. People were chatting, eating, trying to stay warm and waiting for the sun to come up. We ran into a Canadian group that we have travelled with previously. It was a surprising place to run into one another.
The scenery was truly breathtaking. In front of us was another mountain covered by clouds. At the bottom was a river, on top of the mountain the sun was rising and a few feet away we saw the Crater erupting with warm springs. Once the sun came out so did the monkeys. Marc fed them tomatoes that the guide has picked and we even saw some monkey business. In the end I do feel great that I did it, but in the future I need to prepare physically for such a hike.
Unfortunately, we are leaving Bali tomorrow and going to Laos. Not that we don't want to see Laos, but we really love it here. We are now researching a temple where Monks grow tigers and they run free and are very friendly (the tigers run free not the Monks, although I'm sure that they both run free and are really friendly). Marc said he will sit this one out, but I am really excited. We are not sure what the Internet situation will be like then, but as soon as we can we will blog.
Marc and I would like to wish a very happy mothers day to Mama and Charlene. We are sorry we couldn't be there in person but we love you and miss you very much. Please also wish Babushka Dina and Babushka Asya, Tetya Ala, Tetya Bella, Tetya Ira, Polina, Marina, Vika, Rita and all the mothers a very happy mothers day from us.
Kissess
Veronika
Monday, May 4, 2009
A working Day
I would like to announce that after a hard days work we are the proud owners of a new baby Canon camera!!! I cant explain how happy I am that we are able to once again take pictures and capture this trip. We have definitely missed some beautiful spots in the north and south of Lombok where we rented a scooter and explored the island. We drove by Buffalo's that were hanging out on the side of the road along beautiful mountains. Dined and wined at a seafood buffet by the ocean. Almost learned how to surf. Witnessed an Indonesian motorcycle race and saw 40 ft waves from a deserted white sand beach.
We are now back in this crazy city called Bali in our old hotel. I guess we just cant get enough. It felt like I was coming back home, a place I know and place I love. We are leaving Indonesia and going to Laos on May 7th. We are finally planning our trip to Europe and will order a Eurorail pass online to Kiev Ukraine. In a few weeks I promise to update with some pics from our new baby camera.
Till then Au revoir
We are now back in this crazy city called Bali in our old hotel. I guess we just cant get enough. It felt like I was coming back home, a place I know and place I love. We are leaving Indonesia and going to Laos on May 7th. We are finally planning our trip to Europe and will order a Eurorail pass online to Kiev Ukraine. In a few weeks I promise to update with some pics from our new baby camera.
Till then Au revoir
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Paradise Lost
As cliche as it is, all good things come to an end. Our 11 night stay on the Gilli island was absolutely incredible but the wheels started to fall off after the 9th night.
Being that most people in this part of the world are Muslim, there are a few things that I found weird but don't care to talk about. I do want to comment about what they are doing to piss me off. Every day there is a loud speaker that blasts out the sound of a man singing. If this man was say, Micheal Buble I wouldn't be able to control myself. However, the voice is similar to the one heard in the Indian song that everyone seems to know and make fun of. Since all the locals on the island wake up at un-godly hour, the first song is played between 4:30 and 5:00am. What the hell do people do so early? The song does not only wake me up but also wakes up the incredibly large population of roosters. You can find these roosters all over the island but they normally like to hang out where tourists are sleeping. All the roosters on the island proceed to cock-a-doodle-do at each other for 45 minutes which should be enough to wake everyone on the island up. But it seems to only wake up babies who then cry for the next half hour. I have nothing against babies but the shrill sound of their cries at this hour in the morning reminds me of someone scratching a chalk board with a nail.
Everyone knows that Muslims are elaborate planners and have worked out a perfect plan to get under my skin. To anyone other than an expert on human behaviour (which I am) they would blame the baby or the parents for that matter. I, however, know to trace back through all the series that lead to me lying awake in my bed from 4-7am.
The morning I made this discovery, we were evicted from our beautiful room because someone made reservations a few months in advance. How anyone other than Veronika and myself know about this diamond in the rough is beyond me. So I started to think about it and came to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe we were being kicked out of the presidential suite because we hadn't paid a dime up until that morning. I have never been kicked out of a place (sober at least) and it was a tough pill to swallow first thing in the morning.
Veronika and I sat down for breakfast, which is provided by the lady who owns the bungalow. The breakfast progressively got worse as the days went on. We still got our eggs and toast but what the hell is the point of having sunny side up eggs if the yolk is cooked solid? Some would call this nit picking but I say those should keep their opinions to themselves. Anyway, the lady offered us the room across the hall for $3 less per night. Veronika wasn't having it and wanted to negotiate so we ended up getting $10 off per night. Scores!!!!!!!! The odd thing was that the lady put up no fight. When negotiating, Asians are known to fight for every 50 cents. I knew something was up.
And my hunch was right. The new room looked like it was at one point a closet and they gave their retarded nephew a bunch of materials and a whole afternoon to turn it into a profitable closet. The result was absolutely incredible. One wall was stone, which we thought was a nice touch, had a head board for our bed which was on a 45 degree angle. Half the head board was attached to the wall while the other was dangling. The 2x4's on the ceiling were crooked so I started to think that this retarded nephew might have been blind as well. The bed was partially inside the room while the part directly under the head board was resting on gravel and soil. The bathroom was a diamond shape. Only issue with this is the dimensions were completely out of whack and every time I used the toilet it felt like I was in a phone booth. The experience very much reminded me of London Pub. This room sucked but we really needed to get to the beach for our after breakfast nap. So we took it for one night.
Later that night our A/C didn't work and our room was hotter than the sun, I'm sure. We decided to play cards outside and take our towel because the only couch in the lobby was being used by an uncle who had no place to stay and used the couch as his home. Veronika grabs the towel and we head out. Then Veronika's bracelet started to move. Then she freaked out and flung her bracelet onto my shorts. Wait a minute. The bracelet was a massive cockroach. I screamed like a girl and wasn't the same for the rest of the night. I enforced the rule that we should sleep with the lights on and in the morning to find a new place to stay for our last night.
Morning came and this time the man singing on the speaker didn't wake me up. I didn't fall asleep. We started to pack and more of the roaches decided to show their face. What purpose do cockroaches serve anyway? Can someone please find out and post it in our comments section? Some big angry spiders also showed up. I have been damaged psychologically. Every time I get dressed now, I make sure to throw my pants and shirt against the wall three times before I stomp on it before I even consider putting the clothes on.
We have since left the island and now find ourselves in some hole in the ground called Sengiggi. It is a road divided into three sections: North, Central and South. I read about it in the Lonely Planet and it was literally described as a ghost town. There are plenty of buildings and shops but they are all boarded up and have long been abandoned by their owners. Veronika and I make up two of the ten travelers currently here.
While looking for a place to stay I came across some grass looking bungalows that wanted $30 per night. "What do you get for $30 per night?" I asked, and the response was "a bed and a fan." In North America that is what you would expect but in Asia there should be a lazy river and a chocolate fountain in my room. And who the hell makes buildings out of grass? Hasn't anyone here read "The 3 Little Pigs"? If the wolf from said story were to find out about Sengiggi, CNN and BBC would have to rip themselves from their 24 hour a day coverage on the global economic crises to cover this tragedy.
We wanted to book a 3 day volcano trek from Sengiggi and decided to read a few brochures about it provided at the travel agency. Normally brochures really embellish how great things are, which is a good strategy to help sales. This brochure took the opposite approach. One portion of the brochure read: " Every 3 feet we moved up we slid 1 foot back. The gravel is like walking in bean paste and the ice cold winds make it difficult to look up. When you finally make it to the volcano's summit in a frozen stiff and exhausted state you will rest for an hour and watch the sunrise."
We for some reason inquired about the price and were told that it was $200 US. Sign me up!
Needless to say we are leaving this hell hole first thing int he morning and will not look back.
Love,
Marc
P.S. I would like to apologize to all of the following, if they happen to still be reading this:
Muslims
Asians
retarded nephews
the people of Sengiggi for tipping of the wolf that will wreak havoc
Muslim roosters
babies
Being that most people in this part of the world are Muslim, there are a few things that I found weird but don't care to talk about. I do want to comment about what they are doing to piss me off. Every day there is a loud speaker that blasts out the sound of a man singing. If this man was say, Micheal Buble I wouldn't be able to control myself. However, the voice is similar to the one heard in the Indian song that everyone seems to know and make fun of. Since all the locals on the island wake up at un-godly hour, the first song is played between 4:30 and 5:00am. What the hell do people do so early? The song does not only wake me up but also wakes up the incredibly large population of roosters. You can find these roosters all over the island but they normally like to hang out where tourists are sleeping. All the roosters on the island proceed to cock-a-doodle-do at each other for 45 minutes which should be enough to wake everyone on the island up. But it seems to only wake up babies who then cry for the next half hour. I have nothing against babies but the shrill sound of their cries at this hour in the morning reminds me of someone scratching a chalk board with a nail.
Everyone knows that Muslims are elaborate planners and have worked out a perfect plan to get under my skin. To anyone other than an expert on human behaviour (which I am) they would blame the baby or the parents for that matter. I, however, know to trace back through all the series that lead to me lying awake in my bed from 4-7am.
The morning I made this discovery, we were evicted from our beautiful room because someone made reservations a few months in advance. How anyone other than Veronika and myself know about this diamond in the rough is beyond me. So I started to think about it and came to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe we were being kicked out of the presidential suite because we hadn't paid a dime up until that morning. I have never been kicked out of a place (sober at least) and it was a tough pill to swallow first thing in the morning.
Veronika and I sat down for breakfast, which is provided by the lady who owns the bungalow. The breakfast progressively got worse as the days went on. We still got our eggs and toast but what the hell is the point of having sunny side up eggs if the yolk is cooked solid? Some would call this nit picking but I say those should keep their opinions to themselves. Anyway, the lady offered us the room across the hall for $3 less per night. Veronika wasn't having it and wanted to negotiate so we ended up getting $10 off per night. Scores!!!!!!!! The odd thing was that the lady put up no fight. When negotiating, Asians are known to fight for every 50 cents. I knew something was up.
And my hunch was right. The new room looked like it was at one point a closet and they gave their retarded nephew a bunch of materials and a whole afternoon to turn it into a profitable closet. The result was absolutely incredible. One wall was stone, which we thought was a nice touch, had a head board for our bed which was on a 45 degree angle. Half the head board was attached to the wall while the other was dangling. The 2x4's on the ceiling were crooked so I started to think that this retarded nephew might have been blind as well. The bed was partially inside the room while the part directly under the head board was resting on gravel and soil. The bathroom was a diamond shape. Only issue with this is the dimensions were completely out of whack and every time I used the toilet it felt like I was in a phone booth. The experience very much reminded me of London Pub. This room sucked but we really needed to get to the beach for our after breakfast nap. So we took it for one night.
Later that night our A/C didn't work and our room was hotter than the sun, I'm sure. We decided to play cards outside and take our towel because the only couch in the lobby was being used by an uncle who had no place to stay and used the couch as his home. Veronika grabs the towel and we head out. Then Veronika's bracelet started to move. Then she freaked out and flung her bracelet onto my shorts. Wait a minute. The bracelet was a massive cockroach. I screamed like a girl and wasn't the same for the rest of the night. I enforced the rule that we should sleep with the lights on and in the morning to find a new place to stay for our last night.
Morning came and this time the man singing on the speaker didn't wake me up. I didn't fall asleep. We started to pack and more of the roaches decided to show their face. What purpose do cockroaches serve anyway? Can someone please find out and post it in our comments section? Some big angry spiders also showed up. I have been damaged psychologically. Every time I get dressed now, I make sure to throw my pants and shirt against the wall three times before I stomp on it before I even consider putting the clothes on.
We have since left the island and now find ourselves in some hole in the ground called Sengiggi. It is a road divided into three sections: North, Central and South. I read about it in the Lonely Planet and it was literally described as a ghost town. There are plenty of buildings and shops but they are all boarded up and have long been abandoned by their owners. Veronika and I make up two of the ten travelers currently here.
While looking for a place to stay I came across some grass looking bungalows that wanted $30 per night. "What do you get for $30 per night?" I asked, and the response was "a bed and a fan." In North America that is what you would expect but in Asia there should be a lazy river and a chocolate fountain in my room. And who the hell makes buildings out of grass? Hasn't anyone here read "The 3 Little Pigs"? If the wolf from said story were to find out about Sengiggi, CNN and BBC would have to rip themselves from their 24 hour a day coverage on the global economic crises to cover this tragedy.
We wanted to book a 3 day volcano trek from Sengiggi and decided to read a few brochures about it provided at the travel agency. Normally brochures really embellish how great things are, which is a good strategy to help sales. This brochure took the opposite approach. One portion of the brochure read: " Every 3 feet we moved up we slid 1 foot back. The gravel is like walking in bean paste and the ice cold winds make it difficult to look up. When you finally make it to the volcano's summit in a frozen stiff and exhausted state you will rest for an hour and watch the sunrise."
We for some reason inquired about the price and were told that it was $200 US. Sign me up!
Needless to say we are leaving this hell hole first thing int he morning and will not look back.
Love,
Marc
P.S. I would like to apologize to all of the following, if they happen to still be reading this:
Muslims
Asians
retarded nephews
the people of Sengiggi for tipping of the wolf that will wreak havoc
Muslim roosters
babies
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Some thoughts by Marc
Much to popular demand and numerous emails, I am back. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me, your emails were all touching. We are still on the Gilli island with absolutely no intention on leaving anytime soon. Our lives have become very simple. We wake up, go to the beach and sleep then we go out partying with the people we have made nice with on the island. Since it has been so long I have a few things to write about.
Yesterday we rented a boat for the day so we can go fishing and snorkeling. Veronika organized the entire thing and what started out as a fishing trip for 8 people turned into a boat party of 14 (Germany, England, Sweden, Canada, Indonesia and US). Some of the guys started fishing but we soon found it a lot more fun to jump off the top deck into the water. We caught one lousy fish and gave it to the family that works at the hotel. It was a good day and by far the best experience of the trip so far.
A couple of nights ago we had a beach party with our friends and needless to say there was a lot of drinking. It was getting late so Veronika and I decided to go get some noodles. We walked with our friend Eric and stumbled (literally) on a little cafe where a bunch of locals were watching TV. Veronika confirmed that they have noodles and we both walked in. I turned to ask Eric to join us and his eyes were wide, almost terrified to go in. At the same time he used his eyes to suggest that we shouldn't eat there either. It's too bad I couldn't translate what he was trying to say. Veronika and I sat down and I found the situation hilarious. Veronika and I walk into a cafe (where they also live) at 2am. We were covered in dirt and sweating profusely (just left the beach after looking for glow in the dark shrimp). We demanded they make us noodles and we got rice. I was absolutely disgusted and refused to eat it. Instead, I moved the rice around my plate trying to make it look like I actually ate. The locals were watching us the whole time.
Veronika mentioned the day trip we took to the coffee plantation and the volcano in Bali. I would like to say that yes the volcano was a beautiful site but if it's not erupting, isn't it just a mountain. Big deal right? I was secretly hoping that it would erupt while we ate our lunch. It would have been of no danger to us as we were several kilometres away and pretty high up in the hills. The cat that takes a dump and they make into coffee got me thinking about business opportunities when I get back. I would choose not use cats (they are reincarnated bad souls) feces. It is brilliant really. Buy a pet and you use it's feces to make coffee that you can call a delicacy and you can sell it to tourists.
On the ferry over here there was a group of people travelling with us, majority are Australian. Veronika and I both agree that Aussies behave like a bunch of rowdy Americans in Mexico during spring break. Anyway, we were a few hours into our ferry ride when a foursome of Aussies came up to our deck. The deck we chose was for the people that wanted to read and sleep. It was not the Aussie deck. The leader of the group was an intimidating guy. He was big, with a fake Mohawk. You know the ones the shave their heads on 2 different setting to make it look like a Mohawk. I'm pretty sure David Beckham made this haircut popular in the late 90's. So this guy and his stupid haircut are wandering around looking for a place for him and his "mates" to sit. He finds a table near us with only 2 chairs. There was a couple that were sleeping right beside them and happened to be using two chairs to rest their feet on. It was like watching a car wreck, I couldn't look away. This guy wakes the couple up and asks if they are using the chairs. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????????? The people were completely shocked and still half asleep so they gave the goof their chairs.
Finally he and his mates can have a seat. I really didn't want these guys on our deck but they would have kicked the crap out of me. If we weren't on a boat I would have smacked one of them with great confidence that I can out run them and hide somewhere. But on a boat, it's too risky. The leader with the faux hawk pulls out an old portable CD player while huge speakers. Not only is his haircut out of date but so are his electronics. I bet this guy has the biggest VHS collection going today.
He puts a burned CD in and presses play. Out comes Bon Jovi. Not any Bon Jovi but all of their slow jams. A group of four bad ass looking Aussies sitting around a table listening to "Bed of Roses" Three of them sat still staring at each other, the leader was playing air drums....To "Bed of Roses"!!!!!! I know that Bon Jovi has a big fan base but I always thought that it was women that were fans. More specifically women that were between the ages of 18-25 during Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet tour.
ummmm. that's it
P.S the picture is not us - we dont have a camera
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Paradise
I know it has been a very long time since we've written here. The internet connection is very slow here.
Right now we are in the Gilli islands. If there was one place that I visited that I can stay at forever, this would be it. This island is just East of Bali and it is located on the top right hand side of Lombok. If you look at the world map you cant see these three islands because the biggest one is 3km wide. All the hotels, restaurants, bars and activities are located around the island on the beach. There is one main street where everyone walks past. The town population is less than 800 people but no one really knows for sure. All the locals know each other and when there is a new face they make sure to make them feel welcome and at home. Their English is the best we heard in our travels which makes communication easy and very interesting. This island really is paradise. It is its own magical island that is not connected with the outside world. They don't have any cell phones, cars or motorbikes on this island. The only method of transportation is a Ferrari with one horse power. That is what they refer to their horse and carriage. This method of transportation is only used by very lazy tourists and to distribute goods that arrive by boat for restaurants and bars. We rented bicycles (mine had a little basket) to see the island.
We met a lot of people here and we see them daily. Its like a small high school where everyone has seen each other around and knows their whereabouts. I even met a lot of young adults traveling alone from Moscow. One girl is a dive instructor here. Marc has set up daily poker tournaments at 4pm and he won the first one, which is nice that he is bringing in some income. Every night there is a different bar that is having a party, and people are really friendly and get to know one another during the night. Last night we went to a ladies night which means that girls get free drinks. We saw one guy at the bar wearing a dress and I had to find out why. He said that it is ladies night and he came for free drinks. He couldn't walk at the end of the night and all for free. Apparently this wasn't his first time.
We are staying in a local Indonesian house. The owners have only four rooms to let out. This family like many others here are very welcoming. We spend a lot of time talking to them and relating on many fronts. Their way of life may seem so beautiful and worry free while in reality it is very bitter sweet. I find it very sad that more than half the kids are not it school and they have to start work as early as five years old. Its also really sad that medical services must be paid from their pocket and they don't have any insurance. Most of the people on the island have two jobs, they work every single day with no exception. Still they cannot afford to buy or rent a house and end up sleeping on the floor or a couch at a hotel. In return for having a place to sleep, as a third job they help the owners of the hotel by bringing tourists that don't have reservations. I like this one family so much that I have offered to help to add them to a popular booking web site to generate more revenue for their hotel.
At Gilli there is one power generator. The power goes out daily sometimes for 3 hours sometimes 12. I didn't mind this to be such a big deal until we were watching a very interesting movie in our room and just as the movie reached its climax the power went out. I will have to wait to see what happens.
Before we got to the Gilli islands Marc and I did a day tour of Bali. We saw a local temple built for a king, went to a silver making factory, Monkey forest, coffee plantation, and a mountain top to see a volcano.
Silver Factory: it was odd because they walked us through the factory and we literally watched over peoples shoulder while they were working. I felt really uncomfortable by this and the people were pretty upset to be disturbed from their work. However, we later went to their showroom and bought two pairs of earrings. I already lost one of the earing and have one wearable pair left. This always happens to me where i lose one earring so I figured the next pair I get will be glued to my ear, this way I can't lose it.
Monkey Forest: very beautiful forest with more than 1000 monkeys. The monkeys were trained hustlers. They climbed on your shirt and grabbed over priced bananas right out of your hand. I tried to give the bananas to the baby monkeys but the older ones were quite quick and aggressive and let me know that I was in the wrong. Marc also had an interesting experience with a monkey. As he was trying to hide the bananas in his backpack the monkey jumped on his back and grabbed the stack right out of his hands.
Coffee Plantation: was a hoax. The tour of the coffee grounds and plantation consisted of one man that was frying the beans in a pot while right next to it was a coffee bean bag of ready coffee. If you have any questions you should visit the gift shop they said to buy the coffee and try it at home. Nevertheless we were quite intrigued by one of the coffees that they had. There is a small cat like animal that lurks in the bushes of this plantation. It eats the coffee leafs and when it craps (excuse the language) the workers pick it up, process it in their pot and sell it. This coffee is very expensive, because the animal is very small therefore its waste is small as well. Marc and I didn't try this coffee but I did see a lot of Russians buying this coffee and referring to it as an Indonesian delicatessen to bring back home.
Mountain Top: this was a very beautiful place. It overlooked a volcano, a river and popular temple. Unfortunately our camera broke and we couldn't take any pictures. We did find out that they have a trek atop the actual volcano that starts at 1am to watch the sunrise. Once we go back to Bali we will do the trek and take a lot of pictures.
Our plan right now is to avoid flying back to Thailand due to the situation there and we are trying to change our ticket for direct flight from Bali to London with stopover in Bangkok (only airport). In the mean time we are staying here and have no plans to return to Thailand.
P.S Marc had a very funny idea that I must share. The public bathrooms here smell very bad. The idea was to capture this smell in an air freshner and sell it to the homesick Asian community in Toronto. I don't know, but there might be something to it.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Bali - Indonesia
Wow Bali, what a change from Vietnam. The airport is located on a beach. It was a very good thing that our pilot knew what he was doing because an inch off and we would have landed in the water. Bali is very beautiful: its sunny, rich with colorful architecture, exotic trees and flowers, people are smiling, the sand is white and the water is crystal clear. Most of the tourists are from Australia and Netherlands. There are very few Canadians in this area (its very far from Canada). We are staying a short walk from the beach and our hotel has a very nice pool. Including breakfast we are paying $25 per night, we were very happy with this deal. Our plan is too see a few more islands, a volcano, wild animals, a few temples, the mountains and maybe maybe try surfing.
Last night we had sushi for dinner. We were both really craving it, there are very few sushi restaurants that we have seen so far. Our dinner cost us three times what we paid for one nights accommodation and it was mediocre. When I get home from the airport I already have a plan. I will stop at country style for coffee and a bagel with cream cheese (I have not seen one bagel or cream cheese here) and then I'm going to a sushi restaurant. After this trip I have definitely come to the conclusion that Toronto has the best food and fairly close to authentic cuisine from abroad.
We want to wish everyone who is celebrating a happy Easter and a happy Passover. Were sad to miss the Casimiri Easter celebration. I'm sure Charlene and Vanessa cooked a very delicious and hearty meal (I hope without any explosions this time :) ) Let us know how it went. I'm also very sad to miss my family celebration dinner. I miss home cooking and my family very much.
P.S - After rereading this blog I realized how much of it was concentrated around food and I realized that its dinner time!!! I will leave you now and hope to hear from you soon!
Last night we had sushi for dinner. We were both really craving it, there are very few sushi restaurants that we have seen so far. Our dinner cost us three times what we paid for one nights accommodation and it was mediocre. When I get home from the airport I already have a plan. I will stop at country style for coffee and a bagel with cream cheese (I have not seen one bagel or cream cheese here) and then I'm going to a sushi restaurant. After this trip I have definitely come to the conclusion that Toronto has the best food and fairly close to authentic cuisine from abroad.
We want to wish everyone who is celebrating a happy Easter and a happy Passover. Were sad to miss the Casimiri Easter celebration. I'm sure Charlene and Vanessa cooked a very delicious and hearty meal (I hope without any explosions this time :) ) Let us know how it went. I'm also very sad to miss my family celebration dinner. I miss home cooking and my family very much.
P.S - After rereading this blog I realized how much of it was concentrated around food and I realized that its dinner time!!! I will leave you now and hope to hear from you soon!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Malaysia - Toronto?
Marc and I have safely landed in Kuola Lumpar, capitol of Malaysia. We are staying in china town. This city is very similar to Toronto. The buildings are tall and the people are from everywhere in the world. They have people from the phillipines, all over asia, arabic, india, pakistan, and so on and so forth. We saw the sites yesterday and even ran into a group of sailors from Pakistans, the pictures are amazing and im looking for a place i can put them up quickly. Tomorrow we leave for Bali and will update with a better blog once we are there.
Kissess
Kissess
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Just an update
Were back in Hanoi from out travels up north. Wow Sapa the mountains were beautiful and we took an overnight train there and back and slept on bunk beds. It was really fun and very interesting to learn about the culture of the Coh Lao people. They are a tribe of 400 people who have lived in the mountains, farming their own food and totally separate from any civilization. They wear traditional costumes. They marry each other based on the year they were born in for example I'm 1981 year of the buffalo. I would need to marry someone who matches my year if I lived in that tribe. Very bizarre. They don't go to the hospital but rather use traditional medicines to heal one another. More than half the kids dont attend school, its their parents choice and often they choose to have their kids help them sell and beg. They walk 12 km to Sapa daily to sell their bags and other useless stuff they make. The interesting thing is that women are the ones who are breadwinners while stay at home to raise the children and farm the land. We noticed that they have a lot of cute puppies running around but very few older dogs. We inquired and wished we didn't. When the dog reaches around 1 years old... yes they eat them.
We then came back Halong Bay. We were on a boat overnight and sailed to an island called Cabata. There we hiked through a few caves that were thousands of years old. We kayaked into a lagoon, and ate a lot of seafood. The trip was really fun except the weather was rainy. Vietnam is a beautiful country but like we mentioned earlier the people are getting to us. So we are happy to leave.
We changed out itinerary because we didn't want to go to Laos, it was difficult to get there from Hanoi and a lot of people had not the best things to say about it. We did hear great things about Bali Indonesia instead. After careful research and budged examination we decided that we can squeeze it in. We booked our tickets to Bali and we are leaving tomorrow. We will have a stop over in Malaysia for a few days in the capitol city Kaula Lampur. We are very excited about these plans and cant wait to get out of here.
Marc and I definately cought the traveling bug. We love it and now just want to go to every country in the world (not on this trip). We met so many people and we learn so much from each person we met. On the boat there was a couple from Poland, they were our age and the girl spoke Russian. She worked in Ukraine and Moscow and told me so much about these countries. I got to speak Russian for the first time on this trip which was amazing and to my surprise I'm still pretty good. We were having a conversation about Poland joining the European union in 2004 and how a lot of Polls (polish people) left the country to work in the United Kingdom. I actually knew from speaking with Irish people we met previously that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and I was so proud to have such knowledge. I already feel that I have learned so much and grown as an individual on this trip. Besides now we have many places to stay around the world for example: Poland, Denver Colorado, England, and Amsterdam.
We read your emails and we are so happy to hear from you. Please keep them coming. We miss you all terribly and cant wait to come back to the best country in the world!!!
We then came back Halong Bay. We were on a boat overnight and sailed to an island called Cabata. There we hiked through a few caves that were thousands of years old. We kayaked into a lagoon, and ate a lot of seafood. The trip was really fun except the weather was rainy. Vietnam is a beautiful country but like we mentioned earlier the people are getting to us. So we are happy to leave.
We changed out itinerary because we didn't want to go to Laos, it was difficult to get there from Hanoi and a lot of people had not the best things to say about it. We did hear great things about Bali Indonesia instead. After careful research and budged examination we decided that we can squeeze it in. We booked our tickets to Bali and we are leaving tomorrow. We will have a stop over in Malaysia for a few days in the capitol city Kaula Lampur. We are very excited about these plans and cant wait to get out of here.
Marc and I definately cought the traveling bug. We love it and now just want to go to every country in the world (not on this trip). We met so many people and we learn so much from each person we met. On the boat there was a couple from Poland, they were our age and the girl spoke Russian. She worked in Ukraine and Moscow and told me so much about these countries. I got to speak Russian for the first time on this trip which was amazing and to my surprise I'm still pretty good. We were having a conversation about Poland joining the European union in 2004 and how a lot of Polls (polish people) left the country to work in the United Kingdom. I actually knew from speaking with Irish people we met previously that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and I was so proud to have such knowledge. I already feel that I have learned so much and grown as an individual on this trip. Besides now we have many places to stay around the world for example: Poland, Denver Colorado, England, and Amsterdam.
We read your emails and we are so happy to hear from you. Please keep them coming. We miss you all terribly and cant wait to come back to the best country in the world!!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Restless in Vietnam (Hanoi)
After getting of the phone with my family and friends I was pretty emotional. I kept talking about what my family said and how Irene, Olga and Timmy are doing. The day was doomed, I was homesick. Everyone kept asking me how is Vietnam? I kept saying to imagine China town but bigger. I've been thinking about that question all day and decided that it was not a fair answer. We are staying in the Old Quarter, a touristy area in Hanoi. The city is very beautiful with rich history left by the French (churches, bridges, opera house, rivers) intermingled with new industry and malls. I find myself annoyed by the people and their behaviour towards tourists; the smell, the constant noise and endless scooters flying by.
There are endless tourists traps and we have identified many of them throughout our travels, but the odassity of people here is untolerable. The majority of people in Hanoi are rude and lack manners. It feels as though when they are looking at us, all they see are disposable dollar bills.
For example I went to buy soap and asked the clerk how much it costs. He showed 60 dong on his fingers (yes their money is called crap). I quickly translated it to canadian and realized that he's proposing that I pay $5 for a 200 ml bottle of Dove. I immediately said it was too much, then he proceeded to ask how much I am willing to pay. He handed me a pen and a newspaper and we started the negotiation. I decided to turn the bottle over and make sure that it was in fact soap that I was buying. To my surprise I found a white sticker with a printed price that said 35 dong. I took the pen and wrote 35. The clerk looked surprised; how was it that I was able to guess the exact price, of which he would have sold to a local. He started bargaining with me and I was so upset that I left the store. He ran after me and made a grand gesture that he was doing me some big favor and losing his pants to sell this soap for a local price. He got into a huge screaming match as I was leaving with his son (who probably put the sticker on the bottle in the first place).
We went to a temple yesterday, got thirsty and decided on a coke and fanta. The sign read: coca - 8, joy - 5. I figured coca to be coca cola and joy, well I wasn't sure why fanta was joy but figured my purchase should amount to no more than 13 crap. Out of habit before handing the lady my money I asked how much, she said 20. I looked at her and then at the sign and explained to her my rationale about 8+5 =13. She got really mad and handed me 4 dong change. It turned out that joy is water but they ran out. I thought to advise her that if she is going to rip of tourists she should find a more conspicous way rather than posting the prices on top of the fridge. My better judgment got me and I decided against it. Who am I to teach her how to run her business.
In Hue, the last city we stayed in, we ran into a traditional hotel scam. We saw a hotel we liked on trip advisor (a website were using), we called and made a reservation for two nights. When we got there they only had one night available but they paid for our cab to their sister hotel. The manager of our first hotel knew how much we were willing to pay and told their sister hotel our price. The sister hotel was more like a dirty uncle hotel and worth a lot less. Marc went to look at the room and I decided to look through their brochures. I found the price of the rooms glued to the counter. Marc came down and said the room was ok, not as nice as the other hotel, but it will do for two nights . He said our room number is 204. The manager quickly grabbed my bag and started carrying it to our room. I explained that we need to know the price before he takes my stuff up to the room (negotiation tip #1 always establish the price before you take the room, or enter the restaurant or put on the shoes). The manager quoted the price we were willing to pay for the nicer hotel (I wonder how he knew). I pointed to the sign that I dug up and pointed to room 204. The price was exactly half. To make a long story short he discounted the room just a bit and said if I wanted the price on the paper that I would have to go somewhere else. I wasn't willing to go anywhere else, it was hot and we just got off the overnight bus.
Bargaining Skills: As I previosly mentioned when we got to Thailand I was really good at bargaining. Something happened, Marc perfected the skill and I got weak. In Hanoi there is a really lovely shoe market. We promised Vanessa to bring back a pair of Nike shoes in black - size 8. My friend Shay who has been to Thailand three years ago said I can get them for $10. Well this is not the case anymore. We have been to many shoe markets and real Nike stores and we cant find any nice ones (but were still looking). I found these fake Puma shoes and fell in love. The first store we went to the Puma on the left was twice the size the Puma on the right. The second store we went to they were ripped and in the third store the slipper fit. I put the shoes on and started bargaining (remember the negotiation tip, this is a mistake). She said 350 I said 150 she said 250 I said 200. I looked and Marc and said "she wants 250 I dont know what to do". Marc said "the first store was willing to give them for 165 take off the shoes and lets go there". I looked at him and said, "but those shoes were bad and these are perfect". Marc looked at me in disbelief, shook his head and left the store. I ended up getting the shoes for 200 but after 15 minutes of making puppy faces. Outside I was all smiles wearing my new slippers, Marc looked at me and asked, "what happened, you used to be so good at this."
Vietnamese Massage: The day we were leaving Hue we got a Vietnamese massage. It wasn't a far stretch to assume that if the Thai massage is so popular, that these neighbours would learn the craft, steal shamlessly (like they thought us at Cintas). Apparantly the Viatnamese are to good for that and they invented their own massage. First things first, I know that we went to a proper massage place - no funny business. My girl was 16 and Marcs was maybe a few months older. They were both wearing mini skirts. The massage started with her pating my back wihout applying any pressure for about 30 minutes. She sat on top on the bed (in her mini skirt). It was really awkward. In the middle of the massage the lights went out, so they dissapeared for about 10 minutes to get the candles. During the black our next door neighbour fell asleep and started snoring. The rooms were divided by paper thin walls so the sound effects were clear. I felt that I could also feel the breeze from his snoring. So much for a relaxing experience. When the girl returned she countinued to pat my arms and legs. In about 15 minutes the massage was over. She handed me a feedback form which had two questions. Rate the massage good or bad and how much is the tip. The length of the massage including the black out was 45 minutes and we paid for 60 minutes. We saw two rats running by as we were leaving and they forgot to give us our mineral water. I would not recommend Viatnamese massage.
Street Hustlers: There are many people who offer to take tourists on the back of their scooters and carriages. They are at every corner huddled in bundles. They all have one line-- one hour very cheap. There aren't that many tourists during the day so when we are spotted walking down the street they all run towards us together. I dont even bother any more because they are so rude; however, to this day, Marc continues to say no thanks politely the first three times and then not so politely the next few times. Today he snapped. He got into an argument with a local. Marc and I were standing and trying to figure out where to go next. The large map in my hands may have been a giveaway. One local came up and said, "one hour very cheap" to which Marc said no thanks. They went back and forth about five times. Then another one came up, clearly the first one wasn't too convincing so the second one would try. Marc got so upset he shouted, "cant you see that we are having a conversation and you are interrupting." I dont think they understood but the fact that such a response came forth I knew Marc has had enough. As did I. The locals just laughed.
I dont want to give you a really bad impression of Hanoi, we did get to do a lot of really touristy stuff. Yesterday we saw a water pupper show in a traditional Vietnamese theater. It was about the rice fields, legends of the dragons and the sword accompanied by traditional music and singing. We also visited several temples, a church (left by the French), museums and went to the Cinema to see Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslet and Leo Dicaprio. Tomorrow we are going to Sapa, supposed to be the jewel of Vietnam. We booked the trip with our hotel so everything is taken care off. Overnight train, hotels, hikking, and overnight stay in the village. When we get back we are doing Halong Bay, also a tour booked with the hotel. In one week we will be off to Laos for ten days.
The best part of the trip is sitting in a coffe shop and opening our book, looking at the map and pointing to our next destination, then plotting the most efficient way to get there. I dont know if we will have access to the internet in the next 4-5 days because we will be away from civilization in the mountains. As soon as we are back, Marc or myself will blog.
I also wanted to mention that I got Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and I am really excited about reading it. It's a russian classic and I'm embarassed to say that I still haven't read it. Marc said that he would it read after me.
Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for following our adventures!! we miss you.
Kissess
There are endless tourists traps and we have identified many of them throughout our travels, but the odassity of people here is untolerable. The majority of people in Hanoi are rude and lack manners. It feels as though when they are looking at us, all they see are disposable dollar bills.
For example I went to buy soap and asked the clerk how much it costs. He showed 60 dong on his fingers (yes their money is called crap). I quickly translated it to canadian and realized that he's proposing that I pay $5 for a 200 ml bottle of Dove. I immediately said it was too much, then he proceeded to ask how much I am willing to pay. He handed me a pen and a newspaper and we started the negotiation. I decided to turn the bottle over and make sure that it was in fact soap that I was buying. To my surprise I found a white sticker with a printed price that said 35 dong. I took the pen and wrote 35. The clerk looked surprised; how was it that I was able to guess the exact price, of which he would have sold to a local. He started bargaining with me and I was so upset that I left the store. He ran after me and made a grand gesture that he was doing me some big favor and losing his pants to sell this soap for a local price. He got into a huge screaming match as I was leaving with his son (who probably put the sticker on the bottle in the first place).
We went to a temple yesterday, got thirsty and decided on a coke and fanta. The sign read: coca - 8, joy - 5. I figured coca to be coca cola and joy, well I wasn't sure why fanta was joy but figured my purchase should amount to no more than 13 crap. Out of habit before handing the lady my money I asked how much, she said 20. I looked at her and then at the sign and explained to her my rationale about 8+5 =13. She got really mad and handed me 4 dong change. It turned out that joy is water but they ran out. I thought to advise her that if she is going to rip of tourists she should find a more conspicous way rather than posting the prices on top of the fridge. My better judgment got me and I decided against it. Who am I to teach her how to run her business.
In Hue, the last city we stayed in, we ran into a traditional hotel scam. We saw a hotel we liked on trip advisor (a website were using), we called and made a reservation for two nights. When we got there they only had one night available but they paid for our cab to their sister hotel. The manager of our first hotel knew how much we were willing to pay and told their sister hotel our price. The sister hotel was more like a dirty uncle hotel and worth a lot less. Marc went to look at the room and I decided to look through their brochures. I found the price of the rooms glued to the counter. Marc came down and said the room was ok, not as nice as the other hotel, but it will do for two nights . He said our room number is 204. The manager quickly grabbed my bag and started carrying it to our room. I explained that we need to know the price before he takes my stuff up to the room (negotiation tip #1 always establish the price before you take the room, or enter the restaurant or put on the shoes). The manager quoted the price we were willing to pay for the nicer hotel (I wonder how he knew). I pointed to the sign that I dug up and pointed to room 204. The price was exactly half. To make a long story short he discounted the room just a bit and said if I wanted the price on the paper that I would have to go somewhere else. I wasn't willing to go anywhere else, it was hot and we just got off the overnight bus.
Bargaining Skills: As I previosly mentioned when we got to Thailand I was really good at bargaining. Something happened, Marc perfected the skill and I got weak. In Hanoi there is a really lovely shoe market. We promised Vanessa to bring back a pair of Nike shoes in black - size 8. My friend Shay who has been to Thailand three years ago said I can get them for $10. Well this is not the case anymore. We have been to many shoe markets and real Nike stores and we cant find any nice ones (but were still looking). I found these fake Puma shoes and fell in love. The first store we went to the Puma on the left was twice the size the Puma on the right. The second store we went to they were ripped and in the third store the slipper fit. I put the shoes on and started bargaining (remember the negotiation tip, this is a mistake). She said 350 I said 150 she said 250 I said 200. I looked and Marc and said "she wants 250 I dont know what to do". Marc said "the first store was willing to give them for 165 take off the shoes and lets go there". I looked at him and said, "but those shoes were bad and these are perfect". Marc looked at me in disbelief, shook his head and left the store. I ended up getting the shoes for 200 but after 15 minutes of making puppy faces. Outside I was all smiles wearing my new slippers, Marc looked at me and asked, "what happened, you used to be so good at this."
Vietnamese Massage: The day we were leaving Hue we got a Vietnamese massage. It wasn't a far stretch to assume that if the Thai massage is so popular, that these neighbours would learn the craft, steal shamlessly (like they thought us at Cintas). Apparantly the Viatnamese are to good for that and they invented their own massage. First things first, I know that we went to a proper massage place - no funny business. My girl was 16 and Marcs was maybe a few months older. They were both wearing mini skirts. The massage started with her pating my back wihout applying any pressure for about 30 minutes. She sat on top on the bed (in her mini skirt). It was really awkward. In the middle of the massage the lights went out, so they dissapeared for about 10 minutes to get the candles. During the black our next door neighbour fell asleep and started snoring. The rooms were divided by paper thin walls so the sound effects were clear. I felt that I could also feel the breeze from his snoring. So much for a relaxing experience. When the girl returned she countinued to pat my arms and legs. In about 15 minutes the massage was over. She handed me a feedback form which had two questions. Rate the massage good or bad and how much is the tip. The length of the massage including the black out was 45 minutes and we paid for 60 minutes. We saw two rats running by as we were leaving and they forgot to give us our mineral water. I would not recommend Viatnamese massage.
Street Hustlers: There are many people who offer to take tourists on the back of their scooters and carriages. They are at every corner huddled in bundles. They all have one line-- one hour very cheap. There aren't that many tourists during the day so when we are spotted walking down the street they all run towards us together. I dont even bother any more because they are so rude; however, to this day, Marc continues to say no thanks politely the first three times and then not so politely the next few times. Today he snapped. He got into an argument with a local. Marc and I were standing and trying to figure out where to go next. The large map in my hands may have been a giveaway. One local came up and said, "one hour very cheap" to which Marc said no thanks. They went back and forth about five times. Then another one came up, clearly the first one wasn't too convincing so the second one would try. Marc got so upset he shouted, "cant you see that we are having a conversation and you are interrupting." I dont think they understood but the fact that such a response came forth I knew Marc has had enough. As did I. The locals just laughed.
I dont want to give you a really bad impression of Hanoi, we did get to do a lot of really touristy stuff. Yesterday we saw a water pupper show in a traditional Vietnamese theater. It was about the rice fields, legends of the dragons and the sword accompanied by traditional music and singing. We also visited several temples, a church (left by the French), museums and went to the Cinema to see Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslet and Leo Dicaprio. Tomorrow we are going to Sapa, supposed to be the jewel of Vietnam. We booked the trip with our hotel so everything is taken care off. Overnight train, hotels, hikking, and overnight stay in the village. When we get back we are doing Halong Bay, also a tour booked with the hotel. In one week we will be off to Laos for ten days.
The best part of the trip is sitting in a coffe shop and opening our book, looking at the map and pointing to our next destination, then plotting the most efficient way to get there. I dont know if we will have access to the internet in the next 4-5 days because we will be away from civilization in the mountains. As soon as we are back, Marc or myself will blog.
I also wanted to mention that I got Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and I am really excited about reading it. It's a russian classic and I'm embarassed to say that I still haven't read it. Marc said that he would it read after me.
Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for following our adventures!! we miss you.
Kissess
Monday, March 23, 2009
From the Pen of Marc
There are a few things that I would like to share with our fans. I know Veronika had touched upon some but I will add to those events. I will start with our day today.
We had booked a tour to see some royal grounds in Hue city. This place is called the Citadel or the forbidden purple city. We were to be picked up by no later than 12:30pm for the buffet lunch. We were supposed to go first thing in the morning but I was supposed to draft my fantasy baseball team. The draft didn't happen so we spent the morning drinking coffee. Literally we had 3 or 4 coffees each waiting for the bus. Needless to say, the bus didn't pick us up and when we called the travel agency they decided to send a waitress from the restaurant we were to have lunch at. We kept asking the tour operators as to why they didn't pick us up but they were convinced that a waitress walking us to the restaurant instead of the bus is just as good.
We finished lunch and made it to the purple city. This site was once home to the royal families and is now in some areas a place of worship. Once again there was a diferent line and price for locals and foreigners. It was incredibly hot today and combined with all the coffee Veronika and I drank, we weren't exactley the best people to take on a tour. We found out that the grounds were built like 200 years ago. "Big deal" Veronika said to me. She made a good point though, after visiting Angkor Wat (900 plus years ago) anything less shouldn't wow us. The tour started and the guide explained something about the dragon representing the king and went on about unicorns and the phoenix and other mythological creatures. I could have given this tour and made a bunch of garbage up about Ligers and Bigfoot too. So Veronika asks the guide the first question of the tour, "Does the king actually believe that dragons exist?" I obviously couldn't stop laughing and at that point we decided that we couldn't listen to the guide anymore. We kept our distance from the rest of the group and took some pictures. The heat had made us delerious so most of the pics were of us doing kung fu moves. Veronika will post these picks on facebook so stay tuned.
Next stop: Pagoda. I always thought that pagoda was a bench by a pool, at least that is what the controls for the light in my backyard says. A pagoda is a place where the Vietnamese pray and monks study. We saw these monks picking their noses and shouted for them not to clean house in public. Good thing they don't understand English. It was at this last stop we were supposed to hop on a boat to take us across the river with the rest of our group. Veronika and I ducked out of this tour early as well. Actually, we didin't participate in this one at all and we waited on the steps in front of the boat.
"There is our boat 357, it just got here" I told Veronika.
"It looks like it's leaving" she says.
"No they wouldn't leave without us". Immediately after I said that I remembered the way we behaved and it only made sense that they would leave us behind. Good move guys. So Veronika and I hired a couple of scooter drivers that took us throughout the city and back to our hotel. At the end of it all I have no hard feelings about the worst tour I will ever take.
Veronika mentioned the sleeping bus we were on but left out some details. The bus has three rows from the back to the front and there is the top bunk and the bottom bunk. My seat was the middle row so I had Veronika to my left and a gross person to my left (as always). This guy was coughing in his sleep and kept snorting. Not dry snorting either. You know when someone is sick and they are really congested? Yeah, he consistently sounding like this. Since we were the second last row to the back I had probably the grossest feet (other than my own) beside my face the whole night. Whoever designed these buses could not fathom that there are people over 5'9". The best part is that this is a sleeping bus and you have to pay more. My question is why should we pay more when the bus driver slams on his breaks every 100 metres and is leaning on his horn for 10 minute intervals. Not even two gravol pills could gaurentee me a good nights rest. The over night travel wasn't very peachy.
The morning made it all worth while when majority of the travellers got off the bus and new travelers got on. I was half asleep when I heard the two loudest Vietnamese guys ever enter the bus. Guess where they sat. Right beside me. At first, I was annoyed but then I heard a familiar voice. I thought I was still dreaming but when I was fully awake I got confirmation. One of the guys sounded exactley like the Cookie Monster. I was obviously amused and found myself eavesdropping on the conversation. Then Cookie Monster started talking and ended his sentence with the words "gobble gobble." I almost pissed myself. That guy made the uncomfortable trip absolutely priceless for me.
Veronika has also posted some pics of my new haircut. I originally went to the salon and asked them to shave my head. Obviously the lady could care less and cut my hair like Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Veronika and her convinced me that it looked good. I know that next time I will offer the person cutting my hair double the price if they can shave my head in under one minute. Give me a chance to chicken out and I will 10 out of 10 times. Angelo, I might consider flying you to wherever I am to give me a proper haircut next time.
Another thing about South East Asia, no matter where yo are every 3 kilmoetres it smells like farts. I share your amazement. The reason for it is still unclear to me but I will find out and report back to you as soon as I uncover the truth.
Over and Out
P.S. If you haven't seen a funny movie in a while watch Hot Rod. You will thank me later.
We had booked a tour to see some royal grounds in Hue city. This place is called the Citadel or the forbidden purple city. We were to be picked up by no later than 12:30pm for the buffet lunch. We were supposed to go first thing in the morning but I was supposed to draft my fantasy baseball team. The draft didn't happen so we spent the morning drinking coffee. Literally we had 3 or 4 coffees each waiting for the bus. Needless to say, the bus didn't pick us up and when we called the travel agency they decided to send a waitress from the restaurant we were to have lunch at. We kept asking the tour operators as to why they didn't pick us up but they were convinced that a waitress walking us to the restaurant instead of the bus is just as good.
We finished lunch and made it to the purple city. This site was once home to the royal families and is now in some areas a place of worship. Once again there was a diferent line and price for locals and foreigners. It was incredibly hot today and combined with all the coffee Veronika and I drank, we weren't exactley the best people to take on a tour. We found out that the grounds were built like 200 years ago. "Big deal" Veronika said to me. She made a good point though, after visiting Angkor Wat (900 plus years ago) anything less shouldn't wow us. The tour started and the guide explained something about the dragon representing the king and went on about unicorns and the phoenix and other mythological creatures. I could have given this tour and made a bunch of garbage up about Ligers and Bigfoot too. So Veronika asks the guide the first question of the tour, "Does the king actually believe that dragons exist?" I obviously couldn't stop laughing and at that point we decided that we couldn't listen to the guide anymore. We kept our distance from the rest of the group and took some pictures. The heat had made us delerious so most of the pics were of us doing kung fu moves. Veronika will post these picks on facebook so stay tuned.
Next stop: Pagoda. I always thought that pagoda was a bench by a pool, at least that is what the controls for the light in my backyard says. A pagoda is a place where the Vietnamese pray and monks study. We saw these monks picking their noses and shouted for them not to clean house in public. Good thing they don't understand English. It was at this last stop we were supposed to hop on a boat to take us across the river with the rest of our group. Veronika and I ducked out of this tour early as well. Actually, we didin't participate in this one at all and we waited on the steps in front of the boat.
"There is our boat 357, it just got here" I told Veronika.
"It looks like it's leaving" she says.
"No they wouldn't leave without us". Immediately after I said that I remembered the way we behaved and it only made sense that they would leave us behind. Good move guys. So Veronika and I hired a couple of scooter drivers that took us throughout the city and back to our hotel. At the end of it all I have no hard feelings about the worst tour I will ever take.
Veronika mentioned the sleeping bus we were on but left out some details. The bus has three rows from the back to the front and there is the top bunk and the bottom bunk. My seat was the middle row so I had Veronika to my left and a gross person to my left (as always). This guy was coughing in his sleep and kept snorting. Not dry snorting either. You know when someone is sick and they are really congested? Yeah, he consistently sounding like this. Since we were the second last row to the back I had probably the grossest feet (other than my own) beside my face the whole night. Whoever designed these buses could not fathom that there are people over 5'9". The best part is that this is a sleeping bus and you have to pay more. My question is why should we pay more when the bus driver slams on his breaks every 100 metres and is leaning on his horn for 10 minute intervals. Not even two gravol pills could gaurentee me a good nights rest. The over night travel wasn't very peachy.
The morning made it all worth while when majority of the travellers got off the bus and new travelers got on. I was half asleep when I heard the two loudest Vietnamese guys ever enter the bus. Guess where they sat. Right beside me. At first, I was annoyed but then I heard a familiar voice. I thought I was still dreaming but when I was fully awake I got confirmation. One of the guys sounded exactley like the Cookie Monster. I was obviously amused and found myself eavesdropping on the conversation. Then Cookie Monster started talking and ended his sentence with the words "gobble gobble." I almost pissed myself. That guy made the uncomfortable trip absolutely priceless for me.
Veronika has also posted some pics of my new haircut. I originally went to the salon and asked them to shave my head. Obviously the lady could care less and cut my hair like Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. Veronika and her convinced me that it looked good. I know that next time I will offer the person cutting my hair double the price if they can shave my head in under one minute. Give me a chance to chicken out and I will 10 out of 10 times. Angelo, I might consider flying you to wherever I am to give me a proper haircut next time.
Another thing about South East Asia, no matter where yo are every 3 kilmoetres it smells like farts. I share your amazement. The reason for it is still unclear to me but I will find out and report back to you as soon as I uncover the truth.
Over and Out
P.S. If you haven't seen a funny movie in a while watch Hot Rod. You will thank me later.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Nha Trang & Hue - Vietnam
Our last two days in Nha Trang were so much fun. We ended up visiting a wonderland type of park called Vinpearl Land. We spend the whole day in a water park going down slides, we soaked on the beach, went to underwater world where we saw sharks and turtles, saw an animal circus show with monkeys and dogs, saw a magic show, and played indoor video games (pics on facebook). The park was huge but really diserted so we really had it all to ourselves. On the last day we went to do a mud bath and soaked in mineral water pools and tubs. We then took an overnight bus to Hue. The bus had actual bunk beds and was really comfortable to sleep in. Yesterday we got to Hue. This city has a lot of interesting sight to see and today we are going on a bus tour around the city. Yesterday we had a wonderful seafood dinner on a floating restaurant on the river. Olga and Timmy - update on Pho. We tried it but not at a specialty Pho place just at a regular restaurant and so far the verdict is that Toronto Pho is sooo much better. We have another week or so in Vietnam so we will try it again but at a specialized Pho place and we will report back.
Marc went to a hairdresser to shave his head. The lady acted like she understood everything and was going to shave it, but at the end she just gave him a very nice haircut. She said that she cant shave his hair because its so nice. Marc said he would give it a few days and we even had a vote on facebook and everyone said to shave it.
Mama and Papa thanks for calling Shmurak he emailed me and offered to be our tour guide all over Kiev. I am so excited to see Kiev and Shmurak, I actually remember him from when we lived there.
Marc went to a hairdresser to shave his head. The lady acted like she understood everything and was going to shave it, but at the end she just gave him a very nice haircut. She said that she cant shave his hair because its so nice. Marc said he would give it a few days and we even had a vote on facebook and everyone said to shave it.
Mama and Papa thanks for calling Shmurak he emailed me and offered to be our tour guide all over Kiev. I am so excited to see Kiev and Shmurak, I actually remember him from when we lived there.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Vietnam, Ooops, Vietnamese Hospitality, War and Kiev
We are staying in a very lovely city called Nha Trang at a hotel owned by a French Canadian family. The hospitality has been the best we have received on this trip so far. It's true Canadians are the best people in the world (I really miss Canada). The city has a lot of things to do and today we are going to a remote beach via scooter and tomorrow we are going on a day trip to get mud baths and to learn how to make straw hats and rice. Remember pictures of Vietnam where women and men wear straw hats, its true they really do that here. They also have some bad habbits. They cough without covering their mouth. They touch their feet while eating. They pick their nose in public. They scream at each other very loud.
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I will tell you in detail exactly what I did. It was time for me to get a manicure/pedicure. Marc gave me the bank card to take out money (it was the first time I took out money on our trip). At the bank machine I took out 4 million vnd (Vietnamese dong) its equal to $317 and as I was counting all the money I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it. I wrapped the money with the receipt and away I went. I got a beautiful manicure/pedicure for $5 (Vietnamese are the true masters in this craft) bought a really nice top and went back to the hotel all smiles. When I got back Marc took the money and examined my purchases. Everything good so far. He then asked me where the bank card was to which I replied I think I left it in the machine. I checked all my pockets and bags and yes I left the card inside the machine without logging out of the ATM. I had the worst thoughts as the realization of what I did hit me. At first I thought that someone just took our card, then I thought that whoever got the card also emptied out our entire account for the trip. Needless to say I was really worried. Marc was a gentlemen as he always is and went to retrieve the card by himself (it was really hot at this point). I didn't do that good of a job explaining where the bank machine was and he didn't find it. He was gone for about 40 minutes and I was thinking the worst.
First, I thought he came to the machine found someone took all our money and started a fight with that person and was arrested by the police. The second scenario was that he didn't find the card and went to the Internet cafe to check our balance and realized that it was emptied out and he was postponing telling me the news. When he came back he explained that he couldn't find the machine. At this point I was a total mess. I was sure that all our money was gone. When we got to the machine our card as you imagine was missing. The next idea I had was to check the online account for the balance. However, without the card you cant login in to do online banking. So we decided to use skype at our hotel to call the bank. All the numbers for TD online are 1800 numbers and you cant call those from skype. Marc wanted to call his dear friend Massimo who is also his banker but it was 3am Toronto time. Sometime later we ended up finding a 416 number and called it using skype. The headphones in our hotel were not working properly so we had to find another Internet cafe with skype and call the bank not having the card number. In the end, miraculously all our money was there. No one took our money just the card. Before we left Canada we made another card and kept it in a separate bag just in case this one got lost or stolen (or in case i just left it inside the machine without logging out). We cancelled the old card and activated the new one, thanks TD.
When events of such magnitude happen, all the little things that I started taking for granted on this trip take on new meaning. As soon as we realised everything was fine we went for ice cream and to buy new books. I bought a book about the war in Vietnam and now I'm learning about the history of this country and the involvement of the US in the war. We also went to a private pool bar located on the beach called Louisiana's. The pool is free with a purchase from the bar or menu. At this point we had very little money with us (the 4 million I took out was at the hotel), just enough for one beer and coconut. The waiter took his time before he approached us and when he did he let us know that we don't have to stay at this particularly expensive place, we can go outside to find a cheaper bar. I can imagine that from the side, Marc and I looked like poor tourists, we had to count our money and cross reference the menu price to make sure we had enough. No wonder they advised us to go elsewhere. Viatnamese hospitality I guess!!!
While at this pool bar we ended up playing a game of War. The last time we played it was a pretty bad conclusion. I was tired of the game it was over 40 minutes long with no end in sight and forfeited the game. Well ladies and gentlemen second time is the charm. I won at War, fair and square. Although Marc came up with a bunch of theories as to why I won, and how he will win next time, I won.
Some exciting news..... drum roll.... we booked our tickets for KIEV!!! We will be travelling there on May 19-May 27. We will be staying with my family and Helen and Andrei will join us. I cant wait to see the city where I have such beautiful memories from and where I spend the first 8 years of my life. Marc is really excited as well. He is half Ukrainian and will get an opportunity to see where his roots are from, who knows maybe we will find some of his distant relatives in a phone book. May 27 we will fly to London and then to Amsterdam where we will meet Olga, Timmy and Alana. Im so excited about seeing all of you I cant wait. Till then enjoy the weather in Toronto and let us know how you are doing!!!
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I will tell you in detail exactly what I did. It was time for me to get a manicure/pedicure. Marc gave me the bank card to take out money (it was the first time I took out money on our trip). At the bank machine I took out 4 million vnd (Vietnamese dong) its equal to $317 and as I was counting all the money I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it. I wrapped the money with the receipt and away I went. I got a beautiful manicure/pedicure for $5 (Vietnamese are the true masters in this craft) bought a really nice top and went back to the hotel all smiles. When I got back Marc took the money and examined my purchases. Everything good so far. He then asked me where the bank card was to which I replied I think I left it in the machine. I checked all my pockets and bags and yes I left the card inside the machine without logging out of the ATM. I had the worst thoughts as the realization of what I did hit me. At first I thought that someone just took our card, then I thought that whoever got the card also emptied out our entire account for the trip. Needless to say I was really worried. Marc was a gentlemen as he always is and went to retrieve the card by himself (it was really hot at this point). I didn't do that good of a job explaining where the bank machine was and he didn't find it. He was gone for about 40 minutes and I was thinking the worst.
First, I thought he came to the machine found someone took all our money and started a fight with that person and was arrested by the police. The second scenario was that he didn't find the card and went to the Internet cafe to check our balance and realized that it was emptied out and he was postponing telling me the news. When he came back he explained that he couldn't find the machine. At this point I was a total mess. I was sure that all our money was gone. When we got to the machine our card as you imagine was missing. The next idea I had was to check the online account for the balance. However, without the card you cant login in to do online banking. So we decided to use skype at our hotel to call the bank. All the numbers for TD online are 1800 numbers and you cant call those from skype. Marc wanted to call his dear friend Massimo who is also his banker but it was 3am Toronto time. Sometime later we ended up finding a 416 number and called it using skype. The headphones in our hotel were not working properly so we had to find another Internet cafe with skype and call the bank not having the card number. In the end, miraculously all our money was there. No one took our money just the card. Before we left Canada we made another card and kept it in a separate bag just in case this one got lost or stolen (or in case i just left it inside the machine without logging out). We cancelled the old card and activated the new one, thanks TD.
When events of such magnitude happen, all the little things that I started taking for granted on this trip take on new meaning. As soon as we realised everything was fine we went for ice cream and to buy new books. I bought a book about the war in Vietnam and now I'm learning about the history of this country and the involvement of the US in the war. We also went to a private pool bar located on the beach called Louisiana's. The pool is free with a purchase from the bar or menu. At this point we had very little money with us (the 4 million I took out was at the hotel), just enough for one beer and coconut. The waiter took his time before he approached us and when he did he let us know that we don't have to stay at this particularly expensive place, we can go outside to find a cheaper bar. I can imagine that from the side, Marc and I looked like poor tourists, we had to count our money and cross reference the menu price to make sure we had enough. No wonder they advised us to go elsewhere. Viatnamese hospitality I guess!!!
While at this pool bar we ended up playing a game of War. The last time we played it was a pretty bad conclusion. I was tired of the game it was over 40 minutes long with no end in sight and forfeited the game. Well ladies and gentlemen second time is the charm. I won at War, fair and square. Although Marc came up with a bunch of theories as to why I won, and how he will win next time, I won.
Some exciting news..... drum roll.... we booked our tickets for KIEV!!! We will be travelling there on May 19-May 27. We will be staying with my family and Helen and Andrei will join us. I cant wait to see the city where I have such beautiful memories from and where I spend the first 8 years of my life. Marc is really excited as well. He is half Ukrainian and will get an opportunity to see where his roots are from, who knows maybe we will find some of his distant relatives in a phone book. May 27 we will fly to London and then to Amsterdam where we will meet Olga, Timmy and Alana. Im so excited about seeing all of you I cant wait. Till then enjoy the weather in Toronto and let us know how you are doing!!!
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