Here We Go... AROUND THE WORLD!

Whew.

2007-09-13T14:41:00.001Z

The long, strange trip continues...

After returning to London for a short (and wonderfully relaxing) time at Paul's parent's house, we headed north to Scotland for the incredible Edinburgh Festival and a bit of much-needed work, thanks to our friends Ben and Linda... Paul effortlessly pulled off a series of Master Class Pilates workshops and scored us a bit of dosh to fund our return to the UK. We also had the opportunity to catch a few fantastic shows, including the Parisian dance troupe Mambo Chicos (or is it Chicos Mambo?) and the awesome Jewish folk-funk fusion band Moishe's Bagel.

I am currently back in the States, visiting family and friends in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and Pennsylvania, but will be returning to the UK on 9 October... complete with my fresh Settlement Visa! With the help of a few amazing individuals (you know who you are), Paul and I managed to secure a Civil Partnership visa for me to re-enter the UK with the intent to settle and permanently reside... This is BIG NEWS for us and means we are finally free from endless worries about my visa status... and free to get married! I promise to keep everyone posted about dates and color schemes, but for now, we are just thankful to be able to make Sussex our permanent home without the hassle of immigration issues.

Thanks for reading my blog, posting comments, and keeping in touch. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip as much as I've enjoyed documenting it! Contact me anytime and lots of love, Jason x

The trip out of Jodhpur

2007-08-12T13:11:00.000Z

Having been to Jodhpur a few years ago, I was truly looking forward to revisiting what is (in my opinion) one of the most interesting and travel-friendly cities in India... Before leaving Jaisalmer, I contacted Manesh (the owner of the guesthouse where I had stayed during my last visit) by email and booked a room... Manesh was waiting for us on the platform when we stepped off the train at Jodhpur station, and he greeted me with a big hug and such genuine friendliness that I was a bit shocked... I guess just a bit surprised that he even remembered me at all. Since I last saw him he had been totally renovating his hotel, the Blue House, a quiet guesthouse smack in the middle of Jodhpur's old blue-painted city. Our lovely room was decked out in carved sandstone (imported from Jaisalmer) and came complete with a private balcony, cable television and even an air conditioner... finally! We were so happy to have such luxurious surroundings (and cold air blowing on us) that we spent a few afternoons just lounging around the room.

Jodhpur's main attraction is the stunning Mehrangarh fort and we were blessed with a cool, cloudy afternoon to explore the fort, relatively free from other tourists... Coming home was now feeling more like a reality and we both were honestly relieved to know that London was only a few short days away. During our stay in Jodhpur, we shopped for saris for our Moms, hung out at the corner juice bar, jockied for a place in the queue at the post office, and prepared our bags for the final journey back to Delhi.

We boarded the train Saturday night, excited to be finally on our way... Like so many times before, we hustled past the crowds on the platform, boarded the train and found our seats, only to find them occupied by a large family traveling together... After a few confusing minutes, we found a conductor who quickly glanced at our tickets, tossed them back at me, and informed us that these tickets were no longer valid: they were for last night's train. Unsure of the date, we asked another conductor on the platform and realized that we had indeed missed our train the night before, and tonight's train was completely sold out. Rather than facing yet another terrible queue at the booking counters, we headed back to Manesh's guesthouse and presented him with our problem. As it turns out, seasonal floods were raging through Rajasthan. The dark clouds and monsoonal rains had caused massive delays and cancellations on the trains due to the tracks being washed out. Not sure whether or not to actually believe what we were being told (lying to tourists is a form of sport in India), we decided to just spend another night at the Blue House and figure out what to do in the morning.

At about midnight, I left a sleeping Paul to sneak downstairs and find Manesh. He was watching television, which was broadcasting images of washed out roads, flooded villages, and trains at a standstill in several feet of water... the monsoons had truly arrived in Rajasthan with disastrous effect. Manesh informed me that the night train from Jodhpur to Delhi hadn't made even made it 100 miles outside of town and was now stuck somewhere west of Jaipur. Faced with the need to make a very quick decision, I decided to finally trust Manesh and let him try to sort out our travel troubles. He switched the television channel to "Indian Idol," which was gut-bustingly hilarious to us both, and then proceed to call around town in an attempt to find us bus tickets to Delhi for following next morning. What he discovered was that every regularly scheduled bus was now completely sold out, due to train travel being cancelled throughout most of the region. After an hour or so, he suggested instead hiring a private car to drive us the 400+ miles back to Delhi, and since I was worried sick about missing our flight home, I soon decided this was the only option... or the only option that was presenting itself sitting in the dim light of Manesh's living room at 1am.

Manesh arranged for a sleepy-eyed, pyjama-clad money changer to come to the Blue House to help me cash yet another traveler's cheque, and by 2am, it was a done deal: a car would meet us at the hotel at 5am to make the 12-hour journey to Delhi. I crept upstairs to our room and caught about 3 hours of sleep before sneaking out of the guesthouse just before dawn. A small man chewing red betel nut was waiting for us next to his rusted out white Fiat sedan. We set off towards the rising sun and just about an hour outside of town, things were starting to look up for us. We had managed to make it out of Jodhpur and the idea of possibly being scammed for a few more bucks didn't seem to make much difference to either of us anymore.

Just as we sat back to enjoy the long ride, we were forced to a stop by a huge military blockade crossing the motorway. A young man in an army uniform approached the car and had a rather heated exchange with our driver; our driver told us in broken English that the main bridge was closed, as the river had burst its banks and had flooded the highway on the other side. He told us that the only chance to make it to Delhi was to take an additional 4-hour long detour, heading much further north to cross the river at another point. He then started feverishly encouraging us to return to Jodhpur and wait until the flooding has subsided... we simply weren't having it. We were both absolutely frantic to get the hell out of India once and for all and insisted that he take us to Delhi that very minute. I told him to quit wasting time and step on the accelerator. None of us were pleased with our forced detour, least of all our driver: he decided at that moment that we were not nice people and spent the rest of the 16 hour trip trying to ignore us.

We stopped only twice during the journey, one of the longest of my life... we were both purposely drinking as little as possible to prevent the need to make additional stops along the way. Once we arrived on the outskirts of Delhi, our driver acted as though he had NO IDEA where we were going and then reluctantly admitted to us that he had never even been to Delhi before and wasn't sure how to find our hotel. Soon, we found ourselves asking pedestrians walking along the side of the road how to find the city centre, and after quite a bit of asking, a professional older man with a briefcase said that he was going that direction and offered to give us directions in exchange for a ride. After about another hour of gridlock and chaos, we finally arrived at Old Delhi train station, right across the road from our hotel in the Paraganj market. Our driver took this opportunity to become really mopey and tell us that he would have to spend the night in his car and wouldn't set off back to Jodhpur until the morning... He kept insisting that we pay him an additional 1000 rupees for his trouble and to get a room for the night (when our own room for the night was only 600 rupees). Paul and I silently exchanged looks with each other in complete agreement that he wasn't getting another damn cent out of us, and while the driver was poking around in the car looking for something, we grabbed our stuff and disappeared into the crowd.

Having made a clean escape, we checked into our hotel, repacked once again (dumping all unnecessary items no longer required once back in England) and caught another 3 or 4 hours sleep before having to leave for the airport... We were both totally exhausted by the time we boarded our flight, glad to have made it out of India and to be finally be heading home. The end of our trip around the world wasn't exactly like we had envisioned it, but then again, what is?

I think it will take a few months of being back home to fully grasp the enormity of our year long adventure and regardless of the challenges that we now face getting our lives back together, it has always seemed worth it. Our relationship is stronger than ever, adding truth to the old cliche "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

Next Entry: The Epilogue

Jaisalmer: On the Edge

2007-08-05T08:59:00.000Z

One thing in India that seems to actually work properly is the train system, generally running with surprising efficiency. Although most of the trains are completely run down and the stations a heaving mess of humanity and livestock (and the subsequent filth produced by the two living so closely together), there was a calming sense of relief for me during our overnight train journeys: a brief respite from the chaos and craziness that seemed to surround us during our every move. The uniformed cabin attendants work with dignified pride, dishing out blankets, cold beer, and bottled water while middle-class passengers sit in (relative) air-conditioned comfort. We made the uneventful overnight journey from Delhi to Jaisalmer in just under 20 hours, and managed to make a friend along the way: Miko, a Japanese guy from Yokohama who was taking a year off from his executive desk job to travel around Asia.

Having already made a reservation at the Desert Boys guest house, we were met by our driver (and joined by Miko, who hadn't booked anything in advance) and taken directly to the Jaisalmer fort, which dominates the town... This place is unlike anything I have ever seen and undoubtedly deserves it's UNESCO listing as one of India's most treasured heritage sites... The people of Jaisalmer have lived inside the fort since the mid-1400's, when it's construction was started by one of the Mughal kings of the time... Intricately carved almost entirely out of limestone, it has to be seen to be believed: like something from an Arabian fairy tale. India, and in particular Rajasthan, is littered with forts from the same era, but Jaisalmer stands out as one of the very best: it stands perched at the top of a massive hillside, looking westward towards the Pakistani border, only 80km away, over an expanse of scrubby trees and sand dunes. At sunset, the view from the top of the fort is nothing short of sheer magic. From that back of our driver's rusting Jeep, our first view of the fort was met with gasps from all three of us.

We met the super friendly owner of the guest house who immediately offered us cold bottles of Coke and fizzy water, and we retreated to the darkest, innermost rooms of the building... the coolest place to sit and chat. The temperatures outside were nearing 46C/115F degrees and just the ride from the train station to the guest house left me in sort of a daze. Our room, which we were guaranteed would be air-conditioned, was actually "air-cooled" - a term I have never heard outside India. An air-cooler is simply a metal box containing a fan and a shallow pan of water: the fan blows air across the cold water to create a cool breeze... although the water wasn't cold and the air cooler felt more like a hair dryer. The staff at the hotel rushed around in a frenzy to try and accommodate us and make us more comfortable, but the fact of the matter was that the heat wasn't going to go away and nothing short of an air-conditioner was going to change the situation. The temperature in our room was absolutely sweltering; I cannot describe exactly how hot it felt to us at that moment. This was a theme to be repeated over and over again during the next 6 days in Jaisalmer: completely drowsy from heat stroke and exhausted by the efforts of everyone around us to sell something or provide some sort of unnecessary and unwanted service.

No trip to Jaisalmer would be complete without the obligatory "camel safari," a day long or overnight trip out to the sand dunes to ride camels and visit local villages. Although challenging due to the heat, this was one of the highlights of our entire time in India. We convinced Miko to come with us for the day, and including the English couple whom we spotted eating (and complaining about the food) at the same restaurant the previous evening, there were just 5 of us. Our driver was a fat, funny man who insisted his name was "Lemon Soda;" he quickly rounded us up into his Jeep for a long ride due west, straight into the heart of the desert.

We drove off-road a few times (although the road was little more than a dirt track), across the scrub of the desert, until we arrived at a tiny Muslim village in the absolute middle of nowhere. The villagers all came out to meet us, and it was apparent that Lemon Soda knew these people well and spoke their language (which was not Hindi). They were also incredibly friendly, which is not to be said about all Indians. They apparently did not want anything from us and made no attempts to ask for money, shine our shoes, sell us CDs, or lure us into a taxi. This was one of the most satisfying (and least voyeuristic) experiences I have ever had visiting "the locals" anywhere in the world and certainly wish that we would have had more time to spend with these lovely people. Their homes were adobe-style domes, constructed of camel dung and sticks, with a fire pit in the center. I couldn't believe how welcoming they were, inviting us inside to check it out. Wonderful!

After visiting three similar villages, we met up with several guys who were leading 5 camels towards us, which I correctly assumed were for us to ride. No real problems here and I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and manageable my camel was: I had imagined a flea-bitten, aggressive camel who would spit at me and run off into the distance... but as luck would have it, we actually got along quite well. We rode for about two hours (which is plenty, believe me) and then stopped while the guys prepared some dinner over an open fire... Our little group chilled on a large rug spread across the sand, watched the sun set, and enjoyed dahl and rice with roasted black cumin seeds... delicious!

Next time: Escaping Jodhpur x more soon! Jason

Bombay to Delhi

2007-07-17T12:06:00.000Z

Maybe a better title is: "the road to hell is paved with good intentions..." like my intentions of LOVING India for the second time, and this time showing Paul all she has to offer: the Taj at sunrise, the Ganges, the Himalayas... and then finding ourselves standing on Main Street, Hell.

Although most of my memories of my last adventure through India only 2 years ago are fabulous to the extreme, what I remember most this time around are my feelings of anxiety and exhaustion, followed by heat stroke. Landing in Mumbai during the height of a muggy monsoon season set the tone for the entire Indian portion of our world trip: the entire city was practically shut down due intense rain and flash flooding. The roads didn't turn to rivers, but it was like driving through a shallow, muddy lake. We learned that the city's drainage systems are entirely clogged with rubbish and plastic shopping bags, causing us to spend our entire first evening in Bombay wading around through the filthiest knee-deep water imaginable. I did not know nor want to know what we were stepping in or on, all in search of an ATM that actually worked. Since the cash machines at the airport were shut down, a boy from the hotel led us through Colaba (the posh heart of India's financial capital) and after 6 attempts, we never found ONE that worked. The monsoon, he said. This massive city that is "poised to take over the world" doesn't seem poised to take over France by my standards. I've recently romanticized the city by reading too many travel guides, picturing grandiose Victorian architecture mixed with the wild colors and energy of India... what I did find was a dilapidated, smelly ruin from a colonial times, like a massive, wet rubbish tip dotted with grand architecture. Our hotel room facing the sea had damp, peeling wallpaper was falling apart.... all this for $60 USD a night. Bombay was an instant anti-climax and evoked a few entirely new feelings within me: complete impatience with all things Indian and an overwhelming desire to end the trip. Instead, we headed to Delhi.

We ran took the Rajdahni express overnight, and arrived at Old Delhi train station very early in the morning. I was actually looking forward the the air-conditioned train journey: the trains in India are one of the only things that seem to work or make sense. The sheer sense of pandemonium created by just being a red-headed westerner in Old Delhi station early in the morning hours has to be seen to be believed. Every move we made, from the absolute second we hit the platform, was countered by a huge range of touts, hustlers, and beggars. We couldn't shake our smelly, horribly dressed, unwanted entourage until we walked outside the main exit and now became surrounded by aggressive, shouting taxi drivers. "Where you going?" We proceeded directly through the crowds to the prepaid taxi desk, paid our 65 rupees, and then waived the coupon around for over a half an hour. Our desperate negotiations to try and find a taxi who would even take us caused arguments amongst all the drivers, presumably because we had the audacity to purchase a pre-paid ticket... I stormed in and out about 5 cabs trying to find a driver who only would accept my worthless, official-looking ticket, and then India simply got the best of me: I paid the additional 300% that is expected of me to one of the shouting men, finally released (in a whisper) the name of our hotel, and we were off.

We were desperate also to get out of Parajangh: Delhi's backpacker ghetto that is like a combination of a leper colony and a barnyard, with great outdoor shopping. Mortville, but Bollywood style. There is so much filth in the streets I left behind my shoes. Heaps of garbage, fruit peelings and cow dung standing rotting in front of every type of shop imaginable: from discount pharmacies to bridal shops; tshirt stands and greasy curry carts. The lack of hygiene isn't hidden, like in America: it's right there, in your lap. I felt queasy all the time, as if pregnant. Nothing much has changed around here in 2 years, but I felt almost guilty, as if something has changed in me... Why did I seem to hate India so much this time around?

While we were in Chiang Mai, I changed our tickets to fly Delhi-London a full month earlier than originally planned.... but it didn't take much for me to realize that I was now focusing almost entirely on the negative aspects of traveling in what is the dirtiest and most emotionally draining place I've ever been. I called British Airways and bumped our tickets back even further to return on 08 July... just 10 days time. I'll never regret making the call to "save India for later..." and honestly, I'm glad that I escaped just in time to have retained even the remotest interest in ever returning.

Over the next 10 days, we never ended up finding an ATM that worked with any of our cards... but it didn't seem to matter. Another 15-hour night train swept us from Delhi and planted us in a completely different environment... the middle of the Thar desert. Next: Jaisalmer.

Welcome to Chiang Mai!

2007-06-21T17:33:00.000Z

Like any travel experience in the developing world, our time here in Chiang Mai sometimes seems to be reduced to a series of extreme highs and lows, with very little in between. We are either struggling or sailing right along beautifully. My amazing friend and fellow travel junkie Heather Mac recently sent me a hysterical email from Indonesia in which she contrasted a long list of simple daily activities in Jakarta, categorizing each of them as either easy or hard. This email somehow changed the way I've been perceiving our Chiang Mai experience and I'm now constantly adding things to my own internal list:

Things that have been super-easy in Chiang Mai: finding a delicious iced coffee or pad Thai for about US$0.30; working through daily tasks at an impossibly slow and lazy pace; chatting with people about nothing; kicking back at the English-language cinema; haggling over the price of fresh mangoes at the fruit market; finding internet access at 2am; making loads of cool friends.

Things that have been super-difficult in Chiang Mai: riding a bicycle without being run over, hit by a motorbike speeding down the wrong side of the road, bitten by a street dog, or falling in a massive pothole; walking down the street without being run over, hit by a motorbike speeding down the wrong side of the road, bitten by a street dog or falling in a massive pothole; finding a fresh salad that has been washed with purified water; avoiding mosquito bites at all times of day; not becoming angry and impatient because everyone around me seems to be moving at an excruciatingly slow pace; finding a restaurant that is open after 9pm.

The obvious negatives aside, Chiang Mai has been a really fantastic place to hang out for a month and in a short amount of time, we've managed to develop a rather tight little group of friends... Paul and I both decided to enroll in a Thai Massage certification course from the International Training Massage School and although the course itself was really interesting and inspiring, the biggest benefit of my time spent here has been getting to know the truly interesting people also enrolled on the course. We've had no shortage of companionship the past few weeks, a very welcome change from feeling a bit isolated: changing cities every few days is not very conducive to forming friendships.

Our time at ITM was a eye-opening experience and I really enjoyed learning more about Thai Massage... an art that could take a lifetime to perfect. I feel as though it will really help me in my Pilates teaching.

One major challenge during our month here has been in the form of my super nasty and annoying leg injury... While climbing off a motorcycle taxi soon after we arrived, I severely burned my calf on the scorching-hot exhaust pipe: I quite literally heard, felt, and smelt my leg burning simultaneously. The resulting wound has been an ongoing source of frustration, as it's made walking around, showering, and other everyday activities a giant pain in the ass.... well, in the leg. Now it is finally on the mend thanks to Rachel's over-the-phone nursing advice...

We are off to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) on Sunday and it's hard to believe our time here is coming to an end... We are now in the final weeks of the trip! India awaits and I am getting excited to be in this new and hyper-stimulating environment. x More soon. Jason

More photos of Laos...

2007-06-21T17:15:00.000Z

I just really liked these few additional photos from our time in Luang Prabang... So different from any other place we've experienced in Southeast Asia... and I can't wait to return!

I keep asking other western travelers in Thailand: "Have you been to Laos yet?"

x Jason

All the facts...

2007-06-04T07:04:00.000Z

Howdy from Chiang Mai! We have just solidified some new dates for our trip and it looks like we might be heading back to the UK just a bit earlier than planned!

Paul has secured some teaching work in both Edinburgh and London during the month of August, which means we'll be departing for the UK from New Delhi on Saturday, 14 July... just about a full month ahead of schedule!

We are both anxious to get home and also very excited about the opportunity to live in Edinburgh (during the amazing Edinburgh Festival) for a full month: we've decided to rent a flat in the city centre from 21 July through the end of August... although I'll be returning to Kansas on the 21st of August. Paul will be working at Holmes' Place Edinburgh through August 27th, and then departing for London to present for Body Control's summer program.

We are really enjoying our time here in Chiang Mai... photos to come! x More soon. Jason

Luang Prabang: Jewel of the Mekong

2007-05-26T14:24:00.000Z

Ask anyone who's been here: Luang Prabang, Laos is indisputably THE place to be. It's no wonder that the world is slowly starting to wake up and realize that Laos' historical center and the former capital city of French Indochina is a hot travel destination... In my opinion, there are two main reasons that L.P. has retained it's unique brand of lazy, crazy cool:

1) It's really hard to get here. Well, maybe not anymore, now that Bangkok Airways have started to operate non-stop daily flights from Thailand... but until very recently, the only way to get to Luang Prabang was either on the bus from Vang Viene (8 hours of hairpin turns... be sure to skip breakfast for this one) or on a slow boat down the Mekong from the northern Thai border (a grueling two-day experience... Paul did this trip 3 years ago and was not terribly eager to repeat the adventure). Unwilling to pursue either of these options, most two-week Western vacationers have left Luang Prabang off their Southeast Asian itineraries... helping the town to retain it's sleepy, backwater charm.

The second reason I believe this amazing city hasn't become totally played out:

2) There's no major sites, ruins, cathedrals, or other attention-grabbing landmarks. Tourists love ancient ruins and burned-out Gothic churches; iconic architectural images that photograph well for tourism posters. These types of attractions draw in huge numbers of visitors and can quickly turn an "off the beaten path" destination into a major tourist hub (ie: Siem Reap, Cambodia).

Luang's charm isn't tied specifically to one big attraction, but in the myriad tiny details around every corner. I imagine that the unbelievably well-preserved historical center looks very much the same as it did when the French begun building here about 150 years ago, and having been recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sight has helped to provide the funding to keep Luang Prabang looking immaculate. Beautiful wooden shopfronts have been converted into quaint bed and breakfasts; glittering Buddhist temples dot the city; fishermen continue to sleepily cast their nets across the muddy water; the silk and antique markets retain a flavor of old colonial France and yet are still completely Laotian.

The lack of mass tourism here has also had a distinct effect on its citizens, or maybe more of a lack of an effect: once again, I've found that there is none of the aggressive, demanding, and nasty behavior towards visitors that is so prevalent in Thailand's big tourist destinations... the Lao people continue to be gracious, humble, kind, and in a word: wonderful.

I only hope that daily flights from Bangkok don't squash the vibe here... but I can't worry about that, so I'll just continue to kick back, enjoy another sunset over the Mekong, and sip my coconut shake... More soon. x Jason

Vang Viene, Laos: Shangrila of the 20-somethings

2007-05-25T12:29:00.000Z

Who in the world would have known it: the hottest travel destination for the sexy and un-attached university student is located in the remote jungles of north-central Laos, a little slice of heaven by the name of Vang Viene. Known primarily for its amazing limestone cliffs and enviable trading position on the banks of the Mekong, Vang Viene has suddenly become the hottest adventure travel destination in South East Asia... There's not really much to do here but go tubing in the river, spend the day climbing in and around the numerous caves, and chilling in the beer bars and Lao restaurants that line the town's main road. Even though if you are over 30 you might be mistaken for someone's Dad, the laid-back atmosphere and natural beauty of this place should place it high on the list of "must-see" destinations in Asia.

We rode yet another "chicken" bus into town in the heat of the mid-afternoon and quickly realized that there is not much to Vang Viene: the single strip of simple guesthouses and restaurants is about as long as 2 city blocks. Back in Vientiane, we discovered the the local currency, the Lao Kip, is definitely preferred (unlike Cambodia, where everything is quoted in US Dollars), so we immediately went in search of a bank... 70 bucks purchased an OBNOXIOUS amount of stained and tattered Lao currency; we spread it all out on the floor like criminals in a low-rent bank heist movie!

Aside from rolling around in filthy bank notes, the real action in Vang Viene takes place just outside of town. The following afternoon, we rented two mountain bikes and cycled through some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever witnessed: amazing mountains and dramatic rock formations, covered with dense jungle foliage, separated by bucolic green pastures complete with little goats and wandering water buffaloes. We rode along the dirt road, through a few little villages... At one point, I stopped and made silly faces at the little kids playing in the river; all the boys were taking turns jumping like monkeys off the bridge into the water below, making sure I was taking their photo.

We continued on towards the Pooh Kam Caves... The park surrounding the cave entrance was like something from an Asian-inspired Walt Disney movie... thousands of butterflies filled the air; a little bamboo bridge crossed a natural swimming lagoon of impossibly blue water; flowers and plants of every imaginable shape and color. We had to just sit and take it all in for about an hour before attempting to navigate the steep rocky path towards the cave entrance... Once inside, we discovered a beautiful golden Buddha shrine and the first cool temperatures I've experienced in what feels like months... It was hard to leave!

Back in town, the road-hardened beautiful people swapped stories about their adventures while swilling down dangerously huge cocktails made from questionable Lao spirits, before not-so-discreetly hooking up and stumbling off into the night... We vicariously enjoyed this "coming of age" experience and sipped our modest light beers, reminiscing about our 20's when destinations like Mykonos were still considered to be far-flung adventure destinations.

Next Stop: Luang Prabang

More soon! x Jason

Welcome to Laos!

2007-05-21T14:03:00.000Z

Our arrival in Laos... Today has been a particularly LONG day... We have just disembarked the overnight train from Bangkok to the northeastern border with Laos, near the town of Nong Khai... Still in a bit of a transit daze, we shuffled through the absolutely baking hot sun across the Mekong river "Friendship Bridge" towards the Lao border... This was physically exhausting because of the heat and weight of our bags, but the added constant stress of being surrounded by taxi drivers, hotel touts, pushy trinket salesmen/women had us both a bit on edge. Sometimes, adventure travel is enough to drive a person INSANE!!! After a bit of a minor meltdown on my part, followed by a lovely air-conditioned iced coffee break, we finally made it to Vientiane, the 1-horse capital of Laos.

On first impression, Vientiane is a lovely town (you wouldn't really call it a city) lacking in traffic, congestion, and pollution... The people here seem to be so soft spoken and gentle in comparison to the aggressive, tourism-jaded Thais... Such a noticeable contrast from the shouts of "You come! Buy Suit! Taxi? Massage! Now, you EAT!" and the like from almost every Thai street corner.

I think we are going to love our time in Laos... Tonight, we are off to an Indochine-style French restaurant overlooking the Mekong River in a 200-yr. old colonial style house... I'm planning to suck down a bottle of cheap French wine, gaze upon the river, and try to infuse a bit of "soul" back into our trip... We've very recently hit midway doldrums but thankfully are not at each other's throats... but with the almost daily strain of moving, packing, haggling, schlepping, sweating, and sleeping on other people's nasty pillows... it can be trying at times. The unrelentingly high temperatures do not help matters and the inhumane climate is certainly a factor in my very-recent travel burnout: I am longing for cooler temperatures and not being soaked with perspiration the second I leave the comfort of a cold shower.

Next Stop: Vang Viene

More soon. x Jason

The Island Life

2007-05-15T13:34:00.000Z

Lovely, amazing little Ko Tao... Our week long stay on Turtle Island has unquestionably been one of those life experiences that I will not easily forget! Not only did this place manage to live up to my expectations (and actually exceed them), but my confidence is partially restored in the Thai's ability to simultaneously develop a tourist infrastructure and sustain the fragile ecosystem... I hope that Ko Tao can remain as it is for future generations of travelers: wild, rugged, and fabulous beyond belief.

We had a (thankfully) uneventful ferry ride from Samui to Tao, and upon arrival, could immediately tell that things here were a little bit different: the pier itself was not made of concrete or steel, but old packing crates nailed precariously together... The island's main port is nothing more than a small cluster of fishing boats and water taxis, beached at the end of Ko Tao's single shopping street, aptly named "Pier Road." Although the main town of Mae Head Beach is still pretty rustic, we managed to eat incredibly well. There is no shortage of restaurants catering to western palates, our favorite being "El Gringo," which serves up a mean frozen pina colada with fresh coconut and delicious plates of nachos. I find it so crazy that the best Mexican food I've ever had outside of Mexico is on a tiny island in the Gulf of Siam!

We thoroughly loved our week long stay at the gorgeous Sensi Paradise Resort http://www.sensiparadise.com/, a highly polished operation catering to honeymooners and upmarket 40-somethings in search of seclusion... Located just a stone's throw from the main part of town, the only noise surrounding our little wooden bungalow was that of the various birds and animals that live in the jungle. A good bit of the local fauna managed to make it inside our room: our resident gecko Bellisimo and his gigantic spider friend did their very best to consume the majority of mosquitoes in our bathroom. Being used to camping in Kansas, this was not a problem for me... but Paul made his visits to the bathroom as short as possible.

Ko Tao is known for it's amazing diving and snorkeling sites... Just off the beach at Sensi Paradise is one of the best dive sights on the island: the only shipwreck on the Ko Tao coast. Sunk over 50 years ago, this former cargo vessel came a bit too close to the rocks... it is now home to tons of tropical fish and various soft corals that have attached to its massive steel hull. I spent one afternoon swimming alone just off the beach, exploring the wreck and watching the local fishermen watch me.

Later in the week, Paul and I hired a long-tailed boat piloted by a funny young guy named Baan, who took us around the entire island for the day... We stopped and snorkeled at 5 or 6 various sites, including Shark Bay, the super-secluded Mango Bay, and the small group of islands just off the Ko Tao coast, the Nang Yuan islands. The coral here is truly FANTASTIC and largely intact: Paul and I both agreed that it is nearly of the same quality and variety as the Great Barrier Reef. I am really very proud of Paul for overcoming his fears of swimming in the open ocean and he seemed to really loosen up and enjoy himself!

We were both a bit sad to leave this wonderful place, but are getting very excited about our upcoming adventures in Laos. We have purchased overnight train tickets from Bangkok to Nong Khai, on the Thai border with Laos, on the night of Sunday, 20 May. From there, we will cross by land into Laos and continue north to Vientiane and eventually Luang Prabang. Hopefully we will be able to fly back into Thailand to begin our month-long stay in Chiang Mai, but we are still unsure about the availability of flights... Will keep you posted!

More soon. x Jason

Paradise Redeemed: Khao Sok National Park and the island of Ko Samui

2007-05-09T11:43:00.000Z

Having finally having washed the stink of Phuket out of our clothes, we are so glad to discover that a few places in Thailand have managed to actually develop a thriving tourism industry, without killing themselves in the process... Can Khao Sok National Park develop at a pace that is sustainable? Can Ko Samui survive the thousands of visitors that pack its shores? The answer to these question is: probably not. But we are certainly glad to be on Planet Thailand for the beginning of the end! We left Phuket (now dubbed "Poop-ket" and also "Puke-ket") in a very bad mood, needless to say... The bus-to-ferry combination ticket could have tried the patience of Mother Theresa herself, after being shoved around by pushy touts and forced into several unscheduled stops at restaurants, most likely owned by the bus driver's cousin. ("Now you EAT!")

Khao Sok National Park is a true diamond in the rough, and when I say "rough," I mean RUFFFFF. Located in a pristine rain forest in the mountainous center of Southern Thailand, the park has yet to be "discovered" by western tourists and remains somewhat unaffected by the fever of mass tourism... ie: no Internet. Surrounded by limestone cliffs, gorgeous waterfalls and dense jungle, contact with the outside world is very limited: most of the products and services on hand were distinctly Thai in origin. Pretty cool! We checked into the Rainforest Lodge expecting something a bit more... hmmm, lets say, enclosed. The accommodations here were perfectly suitable... for a caveman. No electricity (hence no air conditioning or fans), no hot water, and no one to hear our screams, Paul and I checked in for a rather long 2 night stay. The national park is a real treasure, and I really appreciate the experience of being in rural Thailand... but after a few days, our spoiled western asses were ready for something a bit more, ahem, civilized.

Several cold beers on the ferry ride from Surat Thani town and the beautiful scenery from the boat's deck added to the excitement of heading to Ko Samui. Upon arrival at Sumui's main port, we were glad to have NOT purchased a pre-paid taxi voucher to our hotel (one of the many "purchase suggestions" forced upon us en-route), as several others on our boat found that these vouchers were totally worthless, and the contact numbers printed on the ticket were bogus. When approached, the sleepy-eyed tourist policeman at Ko Samui's port mumbled a few things in Thai, and slowly walked away. Hmmm. Our hotel on Ko Samui, the Jungle Park Resort, is absolutely lovely. Situated smack on Lamai beach, the views from the property are stunning and the grounds themselves are perfectly landscaped with little fountains, flowering trees, a huge swimming pool, and lots and lots of greenery. Most of the other guests staying in the Jungle Park are French, and most of them seem to be absolutely miserable. We both faced our fears of two-wheeled motorized vehicles and actually rented two little motor bikes for our 4 days on the island! Today was our first day out, and we quickly gained confidence zipping along the narrow roads. We initially headed towards an elephant camp on the southern end of the island, but were put off by the exorbitant prices for a ride (800 Baht for 30 minutes!!!) and we just hung around for a while instead. It must have been good fortune that we continued up the same road, and discovered the most beautiful hilltop restaurant, where we stopped and had lunch. The views from the top were amazing: we could see beaches to both sides of us and unlimited visibility... Gorgeous!

Ko Samui does indeed have a Starbucks, loads of Internet access, and a more than a few girlie bars, but somehow manages to retain plenty of wildlife and it's unique local flavour, unlike the ruined Phuket. Next up is Ko Tao, the tiny diver's island 2 hours north from here, and I have high hopes that it will be the one of the best destinations Southern Thailand has to offer... More soon! x Jason

Paradise Lost: Thailand's Ruined Island of Phuket

2007-05-04T14:22:00.000Z

The tropical southern region of Thailand, bordered by Burma and the once coral-rich Andaman sea to the west, and the island studded Gulf of Thailand to the east, used to be a lush, paradise on Earth... before fast-food tourism took its deadly toll.

Not very long ago, the tropical islands of Phuket and Ko Phi Phi were like something from a dream: pristine beaches, abundant wildlife, and laid-back friendly locals... But like Eden, paradise ultimately fails to remain beautiful and continue to thrive under the voracious appetite and ever-increasing consumeristic demands of earth's lowest life form: budget travelers.

Long discovered by zillions of low-cost chavelers and their better-accented equivalent, middle class flashpackers, the southern Andaman-coast Thailand (in particular: Phuket) seems to have been completely and permanently ruined. This once-beautiful island is a truly miserable example of what happens to paradise when no thought whatsoever is given to developing an ecologically-based infrastructure for tourism that supports and cares for the delicate balance of nature... a (sort-of) living example of a paving over paradise.

Cheap flights to the local airport and long lines of air-conditioned tourist buses deliver thousands of pleasure seekers to Phuket and the surrounding islands every day, bringing with them a seemingly endless appetite for destruction. Around the clock, these travelers crowd Patong Beach's strip of tacky trinket shops, massage parlors, and western fast food restaurants, which cater almost exclusively to the drunk and sunburned masses... Once replaced by a fresh batch of morons a few days later, the departing tourists have left behind what amounts to (literally) tons of garbage: empty beer bottles, stray flip-flops, plastic bags, and candy wrappers litter the sand and the sidewalks. The island's drainage and sewerage systems, landfills, and local water treatment facilities, are obviously unable to cope with the huge demands placed upon them by millions of visitors. This results in mountains of waste, polluted beaches, brown water from the hotel taps, and a horrible, noxious smell throughout the city... kind of like a giant, backed-up toilet with palm trees. You get the idea.

In an attempt to escape the sickening state of Phuket, we booked a day long boat trip to three tiny, out lying islands: Khai Nui, Khai Nok, and Khai Nai, three minuscule specks on the map of the Andaman sea... Once home to millions of tropical fish and a thriving coral reef, these islands are now practically dead, with the exception of the obnoxious touts pushing cheap T-shirts and over-priced bottles of Heineken (that we wished would die). What coral hadn't been destroyed by the last decade's tourist mobs was finished off by 2006's tsunami, leaving the vast coral beds completely trashed. Piles of broken, bleached coral have washed up on the beaches, mixed with a pot-pourri of non-biodegradable plastic garbage. These once immaculate tropical islands are now simply a disgusting example of the destructive nature of tourism, and a complete failure of the Thai government to restrict tourist numbers, educate visitors, and ultimately protect it's fragile national treasures. Shame on them.

I would like to be able to put a positive spin on the situation by saying something like "it's never too late to make a change," but sadly enough, there seems to be absolutely no hope for Phuket. This place of fragile, natural beauty has been strangled to death, gasping it's last breath long before I ever arrived.

Tomorrow, we thankfully leave Phuket in search of a tranquil place to hopefully redeem our island experience... I only hope, in Thailand at least, that this place still exists.

More soon. x Jason

Holiday in Cambodia: one week at Angkor

2007-04-26T04:35:00.000Z

Ahhh, Cambodia... The name Cambodia in recent history hasn't exactly evoked images of a vacationers paradise, but there have been some big changes in Kampuchea over the past few years, resulting in a lush, travel-friendly environment that left all of us simply wanting more. I am imagining that Siem Reap (the small town outside the ruins at Angkor Wat) is just now experiencing some the rapid development that was typical in Thailand 20 years ago; the locals here are still quite friendly to travelers and seemingly haven't yet let their lives be dominated by the quest for the all-mighty tourist buck.

Our experience at the airport and the "visa on arrival" procedure was far less arduous than we had all expected; it involved no more than forking over 20 dollars and standing in front of a panel of stone-faced immigration officials... Once outside, we easily found our driver from the Golden Banana, the posh boutique hotel we had booked well in advance of our arrival... He whisked us in an air conditioned minivan to the property, one of our last encounters with aircon (outside the hotel) during the entire week. Temperatures here remained just as high as those in northern Thailand, with unrelenting sunshine through most of the day...

The Golden Banana proved to be one of the very best hotels we've experienced during this trip: super friendly staff, amazing location, and fantastic rooms all surrounding a tropical garden and huge saline swimming pool, complete with a waterfall feature... I've never been in a saline swimming pool before and let me tell you: it is so much better than a conventional chlorine pool... Not only does the saline kill bacteria, not sting the eyes, and allow one to float much easier, it also deters mosquitoes! We all spent the first 2 days just settling in at the GB, bumming around the Old Market area of Siem Reap, and catching up on our beauty sleep...

By the third day, we were ready for big, bad Angkor Wat. Johnna and I decided that the best course of action (being on the constant heat contingency plan) would be to head out at about 5am (which is the opening time of the park) and try to be back to the hotel by about 11am, before the extremely hot midday sun takes over... This turned out to in fact be our plan for the next few days. We purchased a 3-day pass to the ruins, enabling us to travel back and forth for 3 consecutive days for the same price as a standard 2-day entry. The day before, we had commissioned a good-natured tuk-tuk driver named Sopahl to be our driver for the morning; he ended up becoming our driver for most of the week! Sopahl was waiting for us when we stumbled, bleary eyed, out of the hotel at 5am: we slugged back a few cans of cold Nescafe on our 20-minute, open-air journey past rambling shanty houses, dense jungle, and finally the manicured entrance to the Angkor national park. We arrived to the front gates of Angkor Wat, the largest of the temple structures spread around the area, just as the sun was coming up.

There are no words to properly describe this type of experience. I remember the feeling that overwhelmed both me and Tre standing before the Taj Mahal during sunrise; this is the only memory to which I can compare sunrise at Angkor Wat. I had an intense feeling of stepping into another time, one in which the modern world plays no part whatsoever... there were no familiar aspects to my immediate surroundings that reminded me of life on earth as I know it... The stillness and almost eeriness of the the dark ancient stone and perfect symmetry of the architecture... There is nothing quite like it anywhere in the world... except maybe a few kilometers away at some of the other amazing ruins left behind by the Khmer empire some 1000 years ago.

We spent the next few days exploring not only Angkor Wat, but the ruins at the Bayon and Ta Phrom, as well as the walls of the Leper King and the Elephants... Truly amazing stuff. The detail of the carvings throughout Angkor (and the fact that it has all been so well preserved) is unbelievable. There is are more to see here than just a few days allows...

Paul's 45th birthday was on 21 April and we celebrated in grand style with the staff at the hotel: the Pina Coladas flowed like water and Paul seemed very pleased with his strange and funny gifts... Nat, one of the nice hotel staff, helped me to find a bakery that would create a personalized birthday cake, complete with candles, for the occasion... Riding home on the back of Nat's motorbike, swerving through traffic while balancing a huge birthday cake on my lap, was one of the highlights of my Cambodian experience...

Both our Mums and Christina have all safely arrived back at their respective homes... We are sad to see them all go, but also excited about the upcoming weeks of our trip. We are heading now to the Gulf of Thailand coast for a few weeks on the island of Ko Tao, plus a trip to the Khao Sok National Park, a preserved jungle wilderness with waterfalls, trekking, and several eco-friendly options for lodgings... Access to phone and internet in the jungle will be pretty limited, so I'll update once back in Bangkok.

More soon! x Jason

Hello, Thailand!

2007-04-25T06:36:00.000Z

Welcome to Thailand! Coming back to Southeast Asia, I remember exactly why I absolutely fell in love with Thailand back in 1999: the friendly people, gorgeous cuisine, remarkable sophistication and style amongst a backdrop of pollution and chaos... I always knew that I'd be back, and am surprised it took me 8 years to make it happen!

After our HORRIBLE experience at the Beijing airport (involving a cancelled flight and a nasty shoving match at the Cathay Pacific ticket counter) we made it to Bangkok very late at night... We came immediately to our friend Saz's apartment here in Sathorn, very close to the beautiful Lupini Park.... A very relaxing week with Saz, chilling out by the pool and eating copious amounts of noodles at the local curry house Om Yim's, before our Mums both arrived on the morning of April 03...

Rachel has been to Thailand and the far east before, so she pretty much knew what to expect when she stepped off the plane... but Johnna, on the other hand, has had very little experience traveling overseas and found Bangkok to live up to its reputation as one of the busiest, loudest, and most exciting cities in the world... "wide-eyed" doesn't even begin to describe her initial reaction to the scenes of daily life taking place outside our hotel, on Soi Wattinasin in the little neighborhood of Pratunam... Her first few days were largely spent sleeping off a massive case of jet lag in the sub-zero air conditioning, although we did manage to squeeze in a full morning of sightseeing at the Grand Palace: an absolute must for any visitor to Thailand. The weather has been consistently BOILING: Alas, this is the hot season and temperatures have not disappointed, often reaching 110F (43C) by mid-afternoon. We celebrated my 37th birthday with the staff at Om Yims, complete with pressies and and cake with candles... all thanks to Paul!

On the 7th, Paul's sister Christina arrived from Israel and early the following morning we took off for the ancient capital city of Ayutthaya... I pre-booked our accommodation at a fantastic guesthouse, the Old Palace Resort, where we soon met the owner Mr. Ott and his helper, an adorable little old Thai man that we soon dubbed "Mr. Ott's Dad." The setting was like a rain forest, the rooms impeccable, and our interactions with Mr. Ott and his "Dad" were truly hysterical and unforgettable. During our stay, we visited the ruins of the old capital, had a fantastic Thai full body massage, chowed down on Tom Yum Goong, survived a torrential thunderstorm (complete with an electrical blackout), and hired a river boat driver named Eekmarion for a cruise to an elephant camp... Johnna had never been so close to an elephant, but eventually recovered from her apprehensions enough to pet and feed a few of the big guys... She absolutely loved it.

After a few days, we headed even further north by train towards the littel provincial town of Phitsanulok and the ancient ruined cities of Sukothai and Si Sichanilai... This time around, we stayed in a massive, posh hotel complex called the La Paloma that we unanimously agreed was one of the weirdest hotel experiences of our lives!

When we checked in, the lobby and restaurant were completely deserted, and although it was mid-afternoon, there were no lights on in the hotel at all: the long hallways, bar area, cafe, and grand lobby were lit only by indirect sunlight, adding to the feeling of complete abandonment. We were assigned 3 rooms on the top floor of the hotel, and after 4 days of further inspection of the property, we concluded that this was the only floor that was even being used... The huge pool area included massive marble changing rooms that had been boarded up; the second floor was full of billiard and gaming rooms that apparently hadn't been used in years... This place is CREEPY to say the very least, like something out of a post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi movie!

Not wanting to hang around what we now called "the Shining hotel," we spent our days out exploring the area. Not many people speak English in Phitsanulok, which made for many memorable experiences attempting to order food from all-Thai language menus and trying to navigate around city and it's surroundings.... All in all, we loved it and had quite a good laugh. The ruins at Sukothai and Si Sichanilai are truly breathtaking, and although the heat got the best of us in the end, we still had a fantastic four day stay here. Highlights include: the amazing shishkebabs at the riverside food fair (we went twice); shopping for dresses with Johnna in the back-alley garment district; listening to terrible outdoor karaoke; pouring water on Buddha images outside the Wat Demichai.

On April 13th, we boarded an early morning train (5am!) for the 8-hour ride to Chiang Mai, just in time for the Thai New Year and water festival, Songkran. Songkran in Chiang Mai is a crazy and MASSIVE event, drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over Thailand and around the world. The water festival could be more accurately described as the "water-throwing"festival, as crowds of soaked and screaming revelers line the city streets chucking buckets of water at cars, motorbikes, bystanders: basically anything passing by! It all makes for a very wet and wild experience... We spent the next 3 days dodging a constant barrage of water guns, shopping the famous Night Bazaar, and lounging in the air conditioning as sizzling temperatures persisted throughout the rest of our holiday in northern Thailand. By the way, Paul and I will be heading back to Chiang Mai for a full month, starting on or about the 24th of May... I am so looking forward to having much more time explore this amazing city.

NEXT ENTRY: Holiday in Cambodia! More soon! x Jason

Beijing Part 2: The Ming Tombs and Great Wall

2007-04-03T03:52:00.000Z

Groggy from our super-early wake up call, we re-boarded the tour bus ("How'd Y'all sleep?") for the second amazing day of our whirlwind Beijing tour... We were happy to have Eileen, Will and Angela with us again for the day as we set off towards the Ming Tombs, the burial place of 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, located about 40km outside Beijing. The main buildings were pretty impressive, complete with Ming pottery and a giant bronze statue of a nameless emperor surrounded by a giant pile of money... I honestly thought some of the hungrier-looking tourists were about to make a dive for it.

The tombs were pretty cool, but we were all itching to get our first glimpse of the Great Wall, which was initially delayed by lunch and then again by a side trip to a stupid jade factory: a thinly disguised attempt to hard-sell jade trinkets to a very captive audience. I was pretty upset at the fact that a normally reliable travel agency like Trailfinders (the company in London that booked us) would sub-contract tours with vendors that force unscheduled shopping stopovers... ahem, I mean "educational visits..." to factory outlets. Oh well.

Finally, there it was: the Great Wall of China, clinging to the side of the mountainous terrain, directly beside the freeway. It seemed completely incongruous to first see this awesome and ancient thing in the same view with billboard advertisements and a roadside 7-11, but hey: this is China. We continued to follow the length of the wall for about 20 more minutes until we finally arrived at the Badaling section, our final destination. Although the Badaling section of the wall isn't the oldest, it is one of the most picturesque (and one of the most visited).

Upon arriving, our tour guide attempted to give us a brief introduction to the overall history of the place, but we were practically running towards the entry gates. Once inside, we noticed that most of the tourists were heading up the hill to our right; we instinctively headed left towards an apparently shorter and less dramatic section with far fewer people... This was without a doubt the smartest decision of the day. The moment we walked up and over the short section of wall directly in front of us, we saw a vast, empty stretch of the wall in front of us, snaking across the hillside towards the horizon... The day was again bright and clear with no haze (or crowds of people) obstructing the view of the surrounding mountains. We walked around lazily for about 2 hours, taking tons of photos and soaking up the clean, fresh air. Absolutely amazing. I had psyched myself into thinking that the Great Wall would be a disappointment, and boy, was I dead wrong. One of the most amazing travel experiences of my life.

A final note: The postcard and souvenir vendors that stakeout the Great Wall are some the most aggressive and persistent that either of us have ever encountered... giving the taxi drivers in India a run for their money in the award for the world's most obnoxious touts. Anecdotes of their wild attempts to make a sale are legendary amongst all visitors to the Great Wall. The photo of the Chinese man with his hand to his face is in my opinion, one of the best photos I've ever taken: this was his exhausted expression after he initiated a long interaction with Paul, which completely revolved around his desperate attempts to sell a rather weather-beaten book of old postcards. It makes me laugh.

We are now in Bangkok, relaxing at our good friend Saz's modern condo, basking in the swelter of the sub-tropical heat... The Moms both arrive in Thailand later today, so much more to write about in the very near future.

x Jason

Chinese Lunch

2007-04-03T02:35:00.000Z

Jason eats lunch in Beijing, March 2007

Beijing Part 1: Temples, Tienanmen, and the Forbidden City

2007-03-30T05:20:00.000Z

Ah, Beijing. What to say here... There are so many things to love about China's political capital and third largest city, and yet there are so many drawbacks. How does one describe a place full of iconographic images, and yet is so vast and empty? So ancient and yet covered in concrete? Like the rest of China that I've visited on this adventure, Beijing is a place full of contrasts and contradictions, and is incredibly hard to categorize. On the surface, Beijing seems perfectly capable of handling millions of visitors from around the globe during the Olympics next year, but just beneath this veneer of organization lies a completely different creature... and it doesn't understand a word of English.

We arrived without event to be greeted at the airport by our driver, Leo, who did thankfully understand English. He whisked us through modern, empty highways towards the city centre, which upon arrival, appeared to be completely closed and dark at only 9pm. Although we were supposed to be in a "great location," there didn't seem to be anything at all going on around our hotel, and with massive city blocks twice the length of a football field, walking was pretty much out of the question.

Our hotel (formerly the Marco Polo, now part of the Grand Mercure chain) was still partially open, and we had to beg to be served dinner at a quarter to ten, as the place was all but shut for the night. After a long travel day, we were glad to settle into our posh-appearing room, which upon further inspection, didn't have air conditioning. Bizarre. Although the weather outside was quite brisk, the room itself was really stuffy; when we called the front desk to explain the situation, their solution was to "open window..." Normally, this would be acceptable (albeit a bit strange for a 4-star hotel), but with 24-hour construction going throughout most of the city (and a massive construction site just below our windows), the noise was almost unbearable... poor Paul had a total of about 5 hours sleep over the course of 3 nights.

Putting the noise and room temperature behind us, we set out the following morning for our first full day of sight seeing. In the lobby, we met the rest of our small tour group: an older couple from Dallas ("Where Y'all from?") and 3 super-cool British kids that we chummed around with for the next few days... Sisters Angela and Eileen came to the UK from Hong Kong when they were babies and grew up in London; they were traveling together around China, visiting some extended family, along with Angela's husband Will. It really added to the experience to have some fun and young-spirited tour companions, and provided for some great conversation!

We started out the day by visiting the world's largest public plaza, Tienanmen Square, which is dominated by the famous portrait of Chairman Mao. The weather was perfect, bright and crisp, as we strolled around... It surprised me when the tour guide warned us to be prepared for stares and being pointed at by locals, as many tourists from outlying areas have never seen a Westerner in person; I found this strange for a major capital city which has been open to tourism for a few decades now.

We slowly wandered through the first gates of the Forbidden City, largely built during the Ming Dynasty and home to generations of Chinese emperors until the year 1911. The palace itself is astonishingly beautiful, well maintained, and has a surreal, movie set quality to it. Dozens of buildings, courtyards, and bridges make up the compound, including a total of 9,999 bedrooms... It was obvious that the many buildings have been given a face lift for the upcoming Olympics; the entire area was spotless and the gardens pristine. We joined the crush of Chinese tourists (many of whom we were told by our guide had spent their entire lives saving for this one opportunity to visit the capital) to view the ornate palaces and gardens of the former Chinese royalty. Absolutely amazing.

After leaving the Forbidden City, we headed north of town for a visit to the Temple of Heaven... This was where the Emperor would come to pray for rain and a good harvest once a year and the massive shrine still has great cultural significance to the Chinese people... I had seen images of this temple throughout my life and have just never associated it with Beijing or even China... one of those icons with which one is familiar but just can't place. Well, now I know.

After being rushed past countless architectural treasures ("only 5 minute for photo... hurry up!") we set off for the Summer Palace, the summer residence of the royal court set high above a gorgeous man-made lake. Although the original palace was built in the 13th century, it was completely burned down by Franco-Anglo troops in the 1700's, and was rebuilt in it's entirety sometime in the early 20th century. So, the official answer to the endless tourist chant of "Is this original?" is, at least for Beijing, a resounding "No."

Back at the hotel, we wasted no time drinking several bottles of wine with our new friends, recounting the day, and then went upstairs for another early night. The following morning's wake up call was for 7:30am... Yikes!

Part 2: the Great Wall and a rather terrible day at the Beijing airport....

More soon! X Jason

24 hours is Macau

2007-03-24T14:24:00.000Z

As a last-minute side trip from our week-long visit to Hong Kong, we jumped on the jetcat ferry to Macau, the former Portuguese colony just 70km away from HK, which is fast becoming China's answer to Las Vegas...

With a European legacy that is over 300 years older than Hong Kong's, the streets of Macau are dripping in history: from the center of the gorgeous Senator Square, we kept feeling more like were in the center of Lisbon than in southern China... The only thing distinctly Chinese about Macau is the hoards of Chinese tourists from the mainland that are flocking here by the thousands to gamble at the highrise casino hotels lining the coast.

We had a great time exploring the main tourist sights, including the ruined facade of an enormous Baroque cathedral, a preserved Portuguese fort overlooking the city, and the widing back streets that make up the old quarter of the city. We spent the evening basking under the neon lights of Macau's main gambling strip, and wasted a few hours feeding the slot machines at the posh new Wynn casino and resort hotel. At one point, we were up by $120 Macau dollars! (which is only 6 pounds sterling... but it sounds like a lot, doesn't it?)

The people of Macau are friendly and seem to really enjoy life in their city. Business owners are enthusiastic to speak English and seem very eager to expand the city's growing reputation as a world-class tourist destination: after hours of people watching, we saw only a handful of westerners here, in comparision with heaps of European, Australian, and American tourists in Hong Kong. I have a strong feeling that this will rapidly change over the next few years...

We were both super impressed with this compact, historical city and appreciated the very high level of care and attention that has been given to preserving its Portuguese heritage. Let's hope Macau's gambling addiction (and corporate America) doesn't ruin its unique appeal!

More soon! X Jason

Welcome to Hong Kong!

2007-03-24T13:52:00.000Z

Hong Kong is a place that has to be seen to be believed. Absolutely nothing about this city makes a damn bit of sense, and maybe that's why it is such a fabulous and captivating place!

Full of contradictions, I'm never sure what to expect when I walk out the door, neither from the city nor from its citizens. The Cantonese people are pushy but polite, aggressive yet shy, extremely well-dressed but display deplorable table manners: lots of nose blowing, noodle slurping, and teeth picking going on at the table... Dressed to the nines, these folks are seemingly driven by shopping and consumerism, and yet the city is full of elaborate religious shrines and beautiful spirit houses that imply a deeper sense of understanding.

The city itself is tiny in land area and yet packed with huge skyscrapers... Hong Kong is both very Chinese and very western simultaneously... Buddhist monks burn incense and beg for alms underneath giant billboards advertising the latest Versace collection. Absolutely everything here is numbered: the light switches in our hotel room, the rubbish bins on the street, the urinals in the public toilets... I am not joking. This obsession with numbering is just one example of the efficiency and attention to detail that keeps Hong Kong humming 24 hours a day, seemingly never taking a rest to sit back and admire the jaw-dropping view across Victoria harbour. The British must have had a hard time relinquishing their lease on HK in '97: who in the world would want to give all this back?

The weather has been steamy and damp since we arrived, and most of the buildings on Hong Kong island have been shrouded in fog all week... From our hotel in Kowloon (the mainland side of the harbour) we've been able to explore all the major sights on foot, also by taking advantage of the great train and ferry services that connect all parts of the city. Our visit to the Botanical Gardens was like hiking through a wet sauna, but hey: the plants seem to love it!

Hong Kong highlights include: singing horrible Karaoke renditions at Green Box; forcing Paul to ice skate for the first time (he did NOT like it); slurping up delicious Vietnamese food at the ultra-posh Golden Bull restaurant at Ocean Centre; Dim Sum and beers at the hip and trendy noodle bar Sweet Dynasty in Tsim Tsha Shui; rushing to catch the Star Ferry to Central during the nightly harbour light show; admiring the view from our 14th floor room; exploring the jam-packed and super-loud Temple night market; sitting back with a cup of tea to enjoy an hour-long foot massage... Ahhhhh.

Like many great cities, 5 minutes can be too much, and a week is certainly not enough... We are off to Beijing on Monday, preparing ourselves to be herded like cattle on our 5-star, all-inclusive, whirlwind package tour of China's capital... Wish us luck! More soon X Jason

Pilates Video in Buenos Aires

2007-03-13T01:12:00.000Z

Sydney Mardi Gras 2007!

2007-03-04T05:30:00.000Z

I have one word to say: WOW! How many g-strings, sequins, and super high-volume Kylie Minogue tunes can one person take without going into complete sensory overload? We attempted find out at Sydney's world-famous Mardi Gras parade last Saturday night...

It all began innocently enough: Brian and Rob came by the flat for an early dinner and a few (hundred) glasses of wine before heading out on foot towards Hyde Park, the beginning point of the parade... This is actually where the floats line up and prepare for the parade route down Oxford Street towards and the fairgrounds... From here, we had a great close up view of the participants rehearsing their dance numbers, adjusting their minuscule costumes, and getting in some all-important, last-minute grooming... Feathers, sparkles, and other bits of costume shrapnel littered the sidewalks, as we shuffled along amongst the 300,000+ spectators, well-wishers, tourists, and the menagerie of outrageously attired revelers...

Once the parade began, we moved further down Oxford Street towards the action, but eventually, I completely succumbed to the CRUSH of the crowd: at one point, it felt as though every single drunk person in Sydney was pushing against me from all sides! Good views of the action was seriously limited due the wall of people, 5 or 6 bodies deep, standing on bar stools, milk crates, and anything else available to elevate themselves above the crowd for a better view of the parade... Even on tip toe, I could see little else but the backs of the crowd! Being the middle-aged travelers that we are, we soon headed back to the flat, quite early in the evening, avoiding the after-party bar scene... all in favor of a BBC documentary on the tele, a cuddle of the sofa, and another slice of coconut cake... How civilized!

This is one of the those experiences in life that I can proudly say: "I've Been There!" but in all honesty, would I do it again? Of course I would... in my next lifetime! x More Soon! Jason

Summertime in Sydney: Brucie, Bondi, and 2 Big Queens

2007-03-04T04:39:00.000Z

... and NO, "Two Big Queens" does NOT refer to our wonderful new friends Brian and Rob... but the two British cruise ships, the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Mary 2, silly! Both ships were docked in Sydney simultaneously last week, causing a massive traffic jam downtown as thousands of people rushed towards the harbour to catch a glimpse... Thankfully, we were able to walk from our flat to get an up close view of these truly enormous cruise liners... They are both on their way to Hong Kong, also traveling around the world... I realise that a few people are getting pretty damn sick of this tired comparison, but once again, I am reminded of life in California: I loved watching the enormous boats from my kitchen window in Hillcrest as they docked in San Diego bay...

Also very reminiscent of Southern Cali, is legendary Bondi Beach, which is just as famous for it's fantastic surfing as it is the breathtaking lifeguards! We took a city bus to Bondi from our flat downtown, an although it didn't seem to be very far on the map, it took over an hour to finally arrive... The long haul was worth it however, largely for the views but also for the extra-large glass of carrot and ginger juice that was my reward... Yum!

We've been spending more and more time with friends, which has been fantastic and filled a bit of the seemingly endless amount of time I have on my hands... We actually met our new friends Brian and Rob during our resort holiday in Queensland: they were both on our snorkeling tour of the Great Barrier Reef! We exchanged phone numbers at the time, as they live in Sydney, and we've stayed in touch since arriving here... We met once last month for drinks on Oxford Street, and just last week, they invited us over for a barbeque and a swim in their fabulous backyard pool; we ended up staying up late laughing our heads off over the Kath and Kim movie (YES, the Kath and Kim MOVIE... I didn't even know it existed!) and ended up crashing out in their guest room for the night... We made plans to hang out again for the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday... Brian is originally from Seattle and moved to Australia over 10 years ago... They are a great source of information about the immigration process for gay couples, having been through it all here!

Just this morning, we met Paul's amazing buddy Bruce for a late breakfast, as he is in town for the weekend from Melbourne... Bruce is the coolest guy and such a good friend to Paul: in an indirect way, he is a large part of the reason we decided to come to Australia in the first place!

I am getting SO EXCITED about the Asian portion of our travels to begin... leaving for Hong Kong in just over 2 weeks! I can't believe that our Australia holiday is almost over, but I am also ready to get on with the trip... so much more to see! x More soon! Jason

Welcome to Martin Place, Sydney!

2007-02-13T03:23:00.000Z

It's hard to believe that we've been traveling (please note: American spellings throughout this entry) now for over five months... The time here in Sydney has really flown by! We are keeping super busy soaking up all the city has to offer; it sounds cliche, but there's so much to see and do, we are running our tails off to pack it all in!

Sydney is a fantastic city, but in all honesty, it reminds me so much of southern California: a very similar look and feel to San Diego! Stunning beaches, 70's and 80's architecture, lots of tanned beach babes and laid back surfer-dudes types, sipping on non-fat chai lattes from Starbucks... it's a bit like life in Orange County! The pace of life in the CBD (Central Business District) is fast and furious: our apartment is on the 20th floor of the Aston Building, at the corner of Martin Place and Pitt Street, two major downtown pedestrian malls chocked with shopping, cafes, and underground retail malls... From 7am to 7pm, the place is an absolute mob scene, but after business hours, it becomes a bit of a ghost town... The energy can be fantastic though, and we have the best noodle bars, coffee shops, and little boutique shops within a two-minute walk from our front door! Despite all this, we are trying to limit the shopping and eat in as much as possible, not only to take full advantage of our decked out kitchen, but to save a few quid in the process... Trying to budget for the remainder of the year is an on-going challenge, but I feel as though we are doing great at the half-way mark.

I've certainly noticed a distinct difference in attitude between Sydneysiders and the rest of the Australians we've met across the county. In both WA and Queensland, the locals seemed so open and interested, very sincere and willing to put down what they were doing and have a chat... People in Sydney seem to be a bit more dismissive, noticeably less friendly, and are lacking some of that stereotypical Aussie "warmth." We've received a somewhat distant reception here, but in some ways I think this just has to do with being in a really big town, like trying to compare funky, folky Kansas City with a place like, for example, Los Angeles (a beautiful city that I loathe). I think that I'm starting to realize that I prefer a slightly slower, friendlier pace to life that's more common to medium-sized cities, and I'm reminded of why being in LA started to drive me insane after less than a year of living there... Sydney is certainly photogenic, but I wouldn't want to buy a house here... Queensland is another story altogether!

We've been back and forth quite a bit to the other side of Sydney Bay, to the upscale suburbs of Mossman, Neutral Bay, and Manly... Absolutely gorgeous scenery and the ride on the ferry to Circular Quay has to be one of the most visually spectacular commutes to work in the world... The water in even the busiest, most commericalized area of the bay is crystal clear... The famous tourist attraction of Darling Harbour is exactly that: touristy. We spent less than an hour there before hightailing it back to the relative safety of downtown.

I spent most of last week sorting out travel plans for Asia, starting at the Chinese consulate here in Sydney... We (thankfully) received our visas with no issues, and are good to go for our entry into Beijing in March... Our fabulous friend Saz, who's currently living in Bangkok, has decided to join us for our big Cambodia trip, and the two of us have been working back and forth by email to sort out all the arrangements in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)... I'm glad that everything is booked and now all we have to do is show up!!! Can't wait to see both of our Moms, who will be joining us in Thailand on 24 April.

Something Exciting: My sister and her family are moving to St. Louis! Julie's husband Byron received an amazing offer to head up his law firm's offices in St. Louis, and they've decided to make the move! I am really happy for them and think this will be a great change of scenery for the kids. I'm sure that Keller will miss her dance school in KC, but I am sure there are some great opportunities waiting for her in a new city. Kansas won't be the same without them!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and Paul has requested a lemon meringue pie as his special treat, so I am off to Woolworths to pick up the ingredients... My first attempt at lemon meringue! His Mom's recipe is amazing, so I've got some big shoes to fill... On a side note: it is so funny to me that several massive supermarket brands that are no longer big names in American retail (for example: Woolworths, IGA, Safeway) are still going strong here in Australia! Saying that I am off to do a shop at Woolworths sounds like a flash back to 1978.

For those of you that don't know the Australian TV series Kath and Kim (the incredibly foxy morons in the first photo played by Jane Turner and Gina Riley), Paul and I have both become absolutely addicted to the entire series... Our local Video Eze branch has become our source for endless entertainment, and if you haven't yet experienced Kath and Kim, it's never too late... check it out! http://www.kathandkim.com/

More soon! X Jason

Howdy from tropical Far North Queensland!

2007-01-25T09:30:00.000Z

From West Coast to East Coast! Leaving gorgeous Western Australia was certainly hard to do, but we found the perfect antidote: Queensland! I really did expect to be blown away by the jungles, beaches, and of course the barrier reef... and I was in no way disappointed! We arrived smack in the middle of a rainstorm in Cairns, which is typical for this time of year... The locals wasted no time in telling us that we had arrived during the height of cyclone season, which was actually less of a problem than it might sound, as rainfalls were low for this time of year and the actual monsoon was taking it's sweet time to arrive... We managed to get in and out again before it actually hit!

After renting our little car at the airport, we headed straight for Turtle Cove, our super-swish little resort hotel, located on an isolated private beach about 20km south of Port Douglas... From the room to the fantastic restaurant, the giant pool to the white sand beach, everything was absolutely immaculate... I can see why this place was named the worldwide gay and lesbian resort of the year in 2005! We ended up meeting a great group of Aussies at the resort and instantly found ourselves with a dozen new drinking buddies and lots of fun poolside conversation!

On our first full day in Queensland, we joined a snorkel and scuba cruise out to the far edge of the Great Barrier Reef, to a secluded reef system called Opal Cay... I was in absolute heaven with my mask and flippers, cruising around the huge and beautiful coral reefs... This was by far the best snorkeling experience I've ever had! We anchored twice during the day out along the reef, allowing us several hours at each stop to just chill out and float around in amazement... I was so proud of Paul, that despite his fears and reservations about the ocean, he ended up spending just as much time in the water as I did! We we able to spot several stingrays and even one small (and harmless) reef shark, not to mention the vast array of tropical fish in every size and color. Fantastic! The excitement I get from snorkeling in the ocean is such an adreneline rush, unlike anything else... am I becoming a fanatic?

We also had a chance to visit a great wildlife sanctuary for rescued animals, where we had another chance to feed the kangaroos, chill with the crocodiles, and do some seriously cool bird watching... Did you know that over 80% of Australia's wildlife exists only here and no where else on the planet?

The rest of our time in Queensland was just spent bumming around the gorgeous little town of Port Douglas, which is far less touristy and populated than Cairns, and hanging out poolside at the resort... 6 days was just not enough! More than a few times Paul and I made jokes with each other about how we might arrange a more permanent move to tropical Queensland... We were just having fun at the time, but who knows... many a truth is said in jest! Maybe one day...

More soon from Sydney! X Jason

Welcome to Perth!

2007-01-15T14:30:00.000Z

Hello from the glittering urban south bank of the Swan River... It is Monday evening, and Paul and I are preparing for our trip tomorrow to the opposite end of the continent... reflecting on the amazing time we've had here in Western Australia and the new friends we've made during our short visit! The past few days have been a bit of a blur: lots of running around, trying to take it all in, before stuffing our belongings back into the rucksack and boarding yet another flight...

Thanks to our amazing friend Mike in Brighton, who is originally from W.A., we've met some fantastic people here in Perth: on Thursday, our new pal Andrew drove us down to Freemantle, a trendy suburb just south of town, for curry and gelato; Saturday included alfresco dining and a bumping fashionista house party, followed by a drunken tour of Northbridge after dark, with the gorgeous Andy; Sunday night we moved into the fabulous home of our lovely host Brett (complete with a lap pool and stunning views of the city skyline) and enjoyed a 'welcome to Perth' barbeque with several of the coolest guys in the state... These Aussies certainly know how to do hospitality!!! Hopefully, we'll be able to reciprocate one day once we are back on our home turf...

Everything here in Perth has been wonderful: a few days of sunshine (finally!), great food, and such nice people... Only wish we had more time to explore! More soon from Turtle Cove in far north Queensland: I can't wait! x Jason

ps: I almost forgot to mention: we asked at the tourist info if there was anywhere we could go to see some wild kangaroos and the lady looked at us like we asked if they had running water... she told us to check out a golf course just outside of town where we should see some, so I figured one or two... not a pack of about 30!!! It was so cool: we were able to get really close to them before they would hop away... They really do look like HUGE rabbits!

The Western Australian Road Trip

2007-01-09T02:52:00.000Z

Howdy from OZ! Having a good time so far on our madcap Southwestern Road trip, despite the constant and unrelenting rain... From our arrival in Sydney to the southern most tip of the continent, the rain simply has not stopped... Our photos depict the few moments of sunshine in an otherwise very soggy 10-day trip... During the planning stages of our trip, my mind's images of WA were of sundrenched snorkeling spots and blistering temperatures, so obviously a bit disappointed with the persistent downpour! The locals, however, are ecstatic: the entire area is still suffering from a seven year drought.

The last time Paul and I toured the "southwest" by car it was in the good ol' U.S. of A., but now we are having a very similar experience, yet thousands of miles away on a different continent... The Southwest of Australia reminds me in many ways of our trip across the States: super friendly locals, wide open spaces, small towns divided by vast expanses of highway, huge trees, and finishing our journey at some of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen, albeit a bit drizzly. The overall feeling so far is very much like Southern California... But in the winter!

After a super soggy New Year's in Sydney, we took off for Perth on 02 January... We jumped right in the car and headed south to the coastal town of Busselton, home to the longest pier in the Southern Hemisphere and some of the cutest, friendliest dolphins anywhere in the world... During our first walk on the beach, we were joined by a couple of dolphins playing in the shallow surf, just a few feet away from us! The entire area is full of things for tourists: aquatic centers, cute cafes, restaurants, outdoor parks... most of which were mysteriously closed (during the height of tourist season)?

On a side note: a major political issue in WA is businesses trading hours, which are very limited at best... The head of regional government here is currently facing stiff opposition from business owners and labor unions over legislation that would deregulate trading hours, allowing businesses to stay open later and trade on Sundays... Shops here are closed by 5pm (even grocery stores!) and restaurants by 8pm!!! Our first night in Busselton, a major tourist town, we struggled to find a place to eat at 8:30pm and we ended up begging the Thai restaurant to serve us, even though the sign said they were closed! Our waitress told us that "the cook is very tired. He has been here since 6pm." I am not kidding. After Buenos Aires, the land of the lingering midnight supper, this has forced us to change our daily routine... One benefit: we are getting up earlier and going to bed by 10pm!

After leaving Busselton, we headed south through the huge forests of Pemberton to the tiny town of Walpole, home to several national parks and the super-cool Valley of the Giants (again drawing parallels to California). The amazing Tingle trees live over 400 years and grow to heights of 150-200 feet... One of the highlights of this area is the Tree Top Walk, which leads tourists across a suspended bridge at the tops of the forest... absolutely stunning! We also stopped by the Ngili Caves, which were a fun underground distraction, not dependent on nice weather.

We were blessed with a brief break in the rain during our day trip to an Alpaca farm and animal refuge, where we fed the Llamas, baby cows, goats, pigs, and kangaroos! The "roos" are so friendly and even tempered... really fun experience! Paul was overjoyed to spend so much time with the animals and didn't want to leave!

We are currently in Albany, a surf town with a laid-back vibe reminiscent of Long Beach or Laguna, California... I am trying not to become depressed and too anxious over the fact that it hasn't stopped raining since we arrived in town, and most of the attractions are outdoor/beach related... I had my heart set on doing some serious snorkeling here, which due to weather conditions, the boat cruises have all been cancelled due to cold waters and no visibility. So we are instead spending (wasting?) our time in this beautiful corner of the world reading papers in the cafes, going to the cinema (I highly recommend both Flushed Away and Happy Feet), and taking drives around the area... We leave tomorrow morning for Perth, where we will stay for 5 nights... The weather forecast is for Perth is looking up, so we may not be totally washed out afterall! Wish us luck!

More soon. x Jason

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

2006-12-31T02:23:00.000Z

Just three hours north of Punta del Este on the Uruguayan banks of the Rio del la Plata sits Colonia del Sacramento, one of the oldest established townships in all of South America… It’s fascinating history and prime location directly across the river from Buenos Aires makes it a popular day trip for city dwellers and tourists alike. After our amazing experience at the Di Tella farmstead in Maldonado, we checked into the Don Antonio Posada (www.donantonioposada.com) in Colonia for three nights and found this to be more than enough time to explore the town’s historical center and beach life.

The town itself is very small but crammed with sites of historical interest, tree lined beaches, restaurants, cafes, and tacky gift shops: everything a tourist could possibly need to stay entertained! The Portuguese and the Spanish battled over Colonia for nearly 100 years beginning in the mid 1600’s, trying to firmly establish a base for exports to Europe from the Plata river valley… During this time they managed to build, destroy, and then rebuild the city many times over…. What remains today is quaint and picturesque: ancient-looking cobbled streets winding towards the banks of the river; tree lined squares with crumbling cathedrals and timbered houses; the ruins of fortresses and convents built and abandoned. Although the overall feel of the place is very commercialized, it somehow manages to retain a bit of local Uruguayan flavour, despite the presence of large buses carting hoards of camera wielding tourists at most points of interest. We were once again lucky to be visiting in the off-season; we were told that numbers would really increase just after the new year.

One of the coolest things we did in Colonia was to rent a little golf cart, which became our sole mode of transport around town. Paul did all the driving (providing me with a much needed break from being behind the wheel) and Rachel and I were left to sit back and take in the scenery at a sedate 15 mph. We really enjoyed the beautiful Ferrando beach and state park, which lies just outside the center of town, as well as the early 20th century ruins of a bull ring and hotel build by a Russian entrepreneur (who subsequently went bankrupt and left the project to decay).

It was hard to head back to BA, knowing that we would be facing the struggle of packing up once again and saying goodbye to our new friends in South America… but also looking forward to Australia and new roads ahead! More soon from Oz! xxx Jason

La Masia: on the farm in Maldonado, Uruguay

2006-12-26T17:55:00.000Z

Only a few days after Rachel's arrival in Buenos Aires, we took off once again for the shores of Uruguay, which is quickly becoming my FAVORITE destination in all of South America... The Buquebus ferry service from Argentina to the Uruguayan coast leaves a bit to be desired, but upon arriving, Uruguay is so beautiful, friendly, and quiet in comparison to brash, deafening BA, it makes the journey well worthwhile.

When I mentioned that we might be heading back to Uruguay, our gorgeous friend Tamara offered to put us up at her family's farm in Maldonado, Uruguay... just a few short miles inland from Sara's place in Punta Del Este. Tamara told me a few times that the farm is "very simple" and that she "rescued it" from complete dilapidation... I was under the impression it would be just a place to stay, nothing really special, which does not at all accurately describe the amazingly beautiful scene at La Masia!

Each of the buildings that make up the living quarters are about 100 years old, perfectly furnished and restored... In total, there is enough room to sleep 20 or more guests without much effort... The grounds are immaculately landscaped with lovely traditional brick patios, flowering jasmine, giant bougainvillea, palm trees, and a big swimming pool... The grounds are absolutely massive and contain a working citrus farm, with 1000's of orange and lemon trees spread across the back of the estate. I've never really seen anything like it....

We arrived late on Wednesday night, and the very remote location and pitch blackness made finding the place a bit of an event, but once we found it, we were in backwater paradise! We stocked up on groceries with the help of Tamara's fun and hospitable groundskeepers Carlos and Sarita (who live on the property in a detached house) and we settled in to our large and comfy rooms... I haven't slept so well in weeks: the quiet nights, clean air, and fresh sheets made for perfect sleeping. We spent our time either lazing around the farm or walking around down at the beach; we also spent one afternoon in Punta del Este with Serita brousing around the local craft markets... Our last night on the farm, Serita and Carlos came over to the main house with their son for a big barbecue; we had a lovely evening despite our terrible Spanish (Paul is getting so great with the language; I almost wish we had more time here for him to continue to improve!).

It was truly hard to leave such a tranquil environment and I am already looking forward to our next visit to La Masia! We are forever indebted to Tamara and her family for not only being so gracious and kind to us, but for giving us the opportunity to spend a few days in such a peaceful and beautiful setting. More soon! xxx Jason

The Amazing, Incredible Iguazu Falls Weekend

2006-12-05T14:03:00.000Z

Iguazu National Park absolutely defies description... words and photos can't even begin do it justice. Jointly preserved as a national treasure by the Brazilian and Argentinian Governments in 1934, the sheer enormity of the falls is enough to impress even the most hardened traveler, but it doesn't stop there: the remote jungle location, amazing plants and wild animals, and the deafening sound of the crashing water just heightens the experience. Iguazu is, without any doubt, one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Although the "flow rate" of the falls during our visit was considered to be "average," there is nothing average about millions of gallons of water plunging into a permanent cloud of mist, eventually crashing against the rocks hundreds of feet below... and that's standing at the top of the falls! The view from the bottom is a completely different and equally unmissable experience.

We arrived last Wednesday from BA, and having pre-purchased an all-inclusive package deal, we were met by our driver as soon as we stepped off the plane. We immediately realized that we were no longer in the city when we spotted a huge black beatle the size of a mouse on the floor of the terminal. Welcome to the jungle. Most of the hotels and resorts on the Argentinian side of the falls are situated along the main road to town, Puerto Iguazu. Our hotel, the hyper-glamourous Hotel Cataratas (www.hotelcataratas.com) was set slightly off the road and from the front, looked like nothing special... but once inside, our first impression changed significantly. Besides giving us access to the fabulous pool, spa, and sport facilities, our pre-packaged deal included all our meals, available in two seperate restaurants... For those who know me well, it is needless to say that I nearly ate and drank myself into a calorie-induced coma on a daily basis... Fantasic presentation and slightly less-than-clueless service was the icing on the cake... The hotel grounds also include a huge vegetable and herb garden, providing fresh ingredients for the meals, and perfectly landscaped grounds complete with tropical flowers, banana and mango trees, and some crazy jungle plants I've never seen before. Oh, also the massive prehistoric-looking beatles, which would come out at night to chill by the pool.

Our first day was spent on the Argentinian side of the falls, as the river Iguazu itself is the land border with western Brazil. Although we had the services of a guide during the entire day, we found her to be endlessly annoying and uninformative, as her long-winded speeches were conducted primarily in Spanish, spoken so rapidly that I'm suprised that her fellow countrymen could understand what she was saying. She would give a 5 minute monologue in Espanol, followed up by a 2-sentence "translation" (in the loosest possible sense of the word)... Something to the effect of: "These are the falls and they are very beautiful." I wanted to push her over the side.

We began by taking a little train to the top of the "Devil's Throat," the largest of the falls... The view from the top is nothing short of stunning; the heavy spray and constant roaring noise coming from the the falls left us drenched and somewhat giddy as we walked back to the train... From there, the tour continued with a crazy boat ride on the Iguazu river at the bottom of the falls called "The Gran Aventura," which was one of the most exhilerating and frightening things I've ever experienced... Picture this: 20 semi-sunburned tourists strapped in a speed boat, hurtling down the river at breakneck speed, banking sharply around white-water rapids, before finally arriving at the frothing, churning, deafening bottom of the falls... The driver of the boat (who was obviously highly experienced) would steer us dangerously close to the full impact of the water, drenching us with spray that felt as powerful as a firehose... We were completely drenched and breathless... Unbelieveably, there was a cameraman on board, filming the entire experience... I am not sure how he managed to keep standing and not drown himself in his attempts to film us... After we came off the boat, soaked and a bit shaky, the cameraman was there taking names of those interested in purchasing a DVD copy of the film he just shot... I couldn't get my name down quickly enough. I felt like I was in a trance during the long, winding hike back to the top of the falls to exit the park... We spent the evening relaxing by the pool and consuming huge amounts of grilled steak and red wine at the Parilla-style restaurant before crashing out... I slept like a rock that night, worn-out and totally satisfied.

The following day was spent on the Brazilian side of the falls, which after the previous day's excitement, was somewhat more relaxing and sedate. A large part of the morning was taken up by the tedious and overly-complicated border-crossing procedure, during which I was singled out by the Brazilian authorities and made to complete additional forms, simply for being only one on the tour bus holding a United States passport. During the course of the day, I was twice teased by the French and Italian members of our tour group for the long hold up at immigration, humor which I believe was thinly disguising their general disgust with Americans and the USA.

The Brazilan side of Iguazu is undoubtedly a stunning sight, as the large majority (over 80%) of the falls are on the Argentinian side, making for fabulous views from across the river and endless photo opportunities. The temperatures on Friday were remarkably high: the intense sun combined with high humidity was pretty exhausting. One the day's real highlights was spotting a pack of cute Coatis (which resemble a cross between an anteater and a brown, long tailed racoon), a rather large monkey, and two brightly colored toucans, one of which was feeding her young in their treetop home. We were somewhat relieved to be back to the comfort of our airconditioned hotel at the end of the day, and enjoyed a lazy, relaxing repeat of the previous evening.

Coming back to Buenos Aires felt a bit like "coming home." We've spent the past two days getting back to our routine, doing laundry, looking through the photos, and remembering our priceless experience... Paul is working hard today on his workshop material, and we are finalizing a few details before Rachel's arrival on the 13th of December. More soon! xxx Jason

Punta del Este, Uruguay

2006-11-26T22:25:00.000Z

There is simply so much to say about our wonderful, amazing week in Punta del Este visiting Paul's fabulous friend Sara and her lovely family... I wasn't really sure what to expect, as I had never even met Sara and I knew almost nothing about her, other than the fact that she had moved with her husband Thomas and their three kids to Uruguay from London about 9 months ago... Paul kept joking that she would be probably be living in some castle by the sea and guess what??? Sara lives in a massive castle by the sea, overlooking a pristine beach on the southern most shores of the Rio de la Plata, where the river empties into the Atlantic ocean... our room overlooked an almost deserted white sand beach; we fell asleep each night listening to the sound of waves softly breaking right outside the windows... The rest and relaxation was exactly what we both needed, an quick and easy escape from the endless noise and pollution of Buenos Aires... Punta has a mellow, relaxed, beach-town feel, far from the hectic, pushiness of the city... it kept reminding me of La Jolla for some reason... The town itself is best known as a posh vacation resort for rich Argentines, practically doubling in size during the summer high-season months of January and February... Visiting in November was ideal: perfect weather, empty beaches, quiet restaurants, and lots and lots of breathing room. The "castle" is located just outside of the center of town, on a long stretch of beach that is just now seeing mass development... Gorgeous new houses are going up at a furious rate; the empty plot of land next to Sara's place is sure to be home to a few hundred time-share units or condos within a few years time. (although the family won't be there for long, as they have just signed on a new house closer to the center of town... They'll be moving in a month or so...) We spent our days lounging around on the beach, playing with the kids and the cute dog Maxie, and hanging around with the constant rotation of visitors from around the world: during our short visit, I ate and drank around the kitchen table with new friends from Uruguay, Canada, Ecuador, France, and Brooklyn, NY... such a fantastic mix of creative and interesting people. Sara's kids are getting such great exposure to a wide variety of characters, lifestyles, and cultures; the older two boys effortlessly switch between French, English, and Spanish without hesitation. Amazing. Both Sara and her husband were fantastic hosts, the right mix of helpful without hovering, but I can imagine that they are becoming a bit weary of the endless stream of house guests wanting to take full advantage of the huge house and idealic location... I would certainly be. We spent some time at the Pilates studio where Sara is working part time, and I even had the chance to teach one of her clients! It was really nice to teach again after such a long break from working in the studio... Paul gave me and Sara a great class on the Cadillac wall-unit and I learned some new stuff... always good. Returning to BA on the ferry last Wednesday, I was a bit sad to leave such a bucolic beachside setting... Here's hoping we can return one day! xxx Jason

La Recoleta: Posh Digs for the Dead and Famous

2006-11-17T15:07:00.000Z

Yesterday afternoon, we spent a few hours strolling around La Recoleta, the notorious cemetery for which our neighborhood was named... First opened as a public burial ground for former slaves and victims of the notorious yellow fever plague, it slowly evolved over the past 150 years into the final resting place of Argentina’s most famous figures in entertainment, politics, and high society. It is said that per square foot, La Recoleta is BY FAR the most expensive real estate in all of Argentina. Space for the massive ornate mausoleums are no longer sold, but the plots are passed down through families over generations. When a space is rarely vacated, it is said that competition is so fierce that families pay huge bribes are paid to public officials in order to secure it. (not that there is any hint of corruption in Buenos Aires... ahem...) Not even Juan Peron himself was good enough to be buried in La Recoleta; he was dismissed to another cemetery somewhere outside of town in favor of his more charismatic wife. Today, it has the feel of an independent city, the mausoleums laid out on a grid system complete with little avenues, intersections, fountains, and small plazas. The crumbling architecture is morbidly stunning, ranging in style from high Gothic and frilly Baroque, to strange 60´s modern cubes that resemble miniature Bauhaus style bank vaults. Many of the doors have open windows that allow visitors to easily view the elaborate caskets and dusty memorials to people who’s children have long since died themselves. One casket, we noticed, was leaking some sort of dark fluid that had pooled up like a black oil slick on the marble floor of the tomb... Barf! The tourists swam like flies around the Duarte family’s vault in order to line up for a photo with Evita’s grave... We waited around behind a group of Japanese tourists in order to get our own obligatory shot... What trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without it? Sorry I can't post it, but Blogger's inability to upload all my photos is preventing you from enjoying that specific image... you'll just have to wait for our return! More soon. Xxx Jason

Sunday in San Telmo

2006-11-15T00:28:00.000Z

Since we arrived, we’ve been meaning to visit the outdoor markets of San Telmo on a Sunday afternoon, as this has consistently been recommended to us as one of the coolest things to in Buenos Aires... Something has always prevented us from going, mainly crappy weather... but last Sunday, the sun was shining bright and we gathered up our sense of adventure and headed to BA’s oldest neighborhood... it certainly didn’t disappoint! We called our friend Claudio from yoga class and asked him to meet us for lunch and a walk around the markets... Claudio is a producer for one of the local radio stations (called “The Millennium,” which plays new age acoustical and power ballads), but also a working actor, doing some film and TV work in the past (he played a reporter on a famous “TeleNovela,” making him the second soap opera actor we’ve met in BA.). San Telmo was the birthplace of what is now the city of Buenos Aires; this area contains the city’s oldest buildings and original cobblestone streets... San Telmo has recently had a renaissance of sorts, being reborn as a shopping and nightlife district after a long period of neglect during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tourists and locals alike absolutely pack the streets every Sunday, sifting though an immeasurable amount of various treasures offered up at the indoor and outdoor markets... The 50-or-so gorgeous antique shop fronts make up the largest antiques district in all of South America, now filled with the chandeliers and valuable heirlooms regretfully sold by prestigious families during the recent financial crash. How heartbreaking it is to see these fantastic relics of a stately past being dismissively pawed by the fat fingers of camera wielding tourists from Germany. We pondered this tragedy over a fabulous lunch in converted house dating to the 18th century, now a family-style restaurant with amazing handmade pastas and gigantic desserts... We managed to put away a full three courses and a bottle of Malbec before returning to browse the market stalls, the vendors sharing the narrow lanes with street performers doing the tango, stand up comedy, puppet shows, and mime. The crowds can become a bit claustrophobic and we soon retired to a cute coffee shop for further libation and the rare pleasure of flipping through English and American fashion magazines! (a year old, but who’s counting...) The highlight of the day came just as sunset was approaching, when we became caught up in the center of a massive drumming parade, marching down the main boulevard... A huge crowd of dancers and drummers seemingly in a trance-like state, pounding out distinctly Brazilian samba and African beats from a variety of percussion instruments... Loud, frenetic, and very exciting! We returned home, weary from the sun, having bought nothing but homemade toy of cardboard and string resembling a little hen, that when coaxed properly, does a startlingly realistic impression of a chicken squawking... We intended to give it to Paul’s nephew Luke, but on second thought, decided to keep it for ourselves! More soon. Xxx Jason

the Tamara Di Tella Experience

2006-11-05T16:30:00.000Z

This entire entry is dedicated to our new friend, Tamara Di Tella, Latin America´s undisputed Queen of Pilates. When Paul showed up at one of her studios with a resume last week, neither of us could have possibly imagined just how quickly things would progress... That very evening, Tamara herself called Paul at our flat, speaking perfect English and rambling on about how glad she is that we have decided to come to Argentina and how much she is looking forward to collaborating with us on some kind of project while we are here... As it turns out, she studied at both Oxford and Stanford Universities, and when she started her first studio just 6 years ago, she owned just one Reformer and a tiny space in Recoleta... Today, Tamara owns over 50 studios spread across Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia, Guatamala, Peru, Chile, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Mexico, absolutely cornering the market for Pilates in South and Central America... this is the largest chain of Pilates studios in the world! (for much, much more about Tamara, see www.tamaraditella.com) Her latest concept is something called Tangolates, (check out www.tangolates.com)
which combines the principles of Pilates with classical Tango, set to music... Two days later, we find ourselves invited to her home in the posh neighborhood of Palermo, a palacial flat decorated with silk rugs, huge oil paintings, and endless shelves of books stretching to ceiling... The elevator from the marble lobby opens directly on to her living room, where we were greeted by the butler (yes, the butler) who led to a sitting room... Tamara appeared with no makeup, dressed in sweatpants, carrying a big plate of empanadas and a bottle of red wine... We stayed until well after midnight, swapping our life stories, having a sit down dinner with her son and husband (who we later found out is the Minister of Culture of Argentina), and later watching clips from her numerous promotional videos. As it turns out, Tamara wanted us to present a short demonstration for her entire teaching staff of some classical Pilates exercises for the trapeze table, and to also choreograph a short dance piece in the style of Tangolates. We were happy to oblige! The presentation was last night (Saturday), and was attended by about 30 Pilates teachers, some of her staff coming from as far as San Salvador to attend! Tamara brought her videographer to record the entire event, and has promised to present us with an edited DVD, complete with titles and music, next week. The event was, in all seriousness, a huge success! We absolutely WOWED them with some difficult, complex sequences on the trap table, followed by a funny, fast-paced Tangolates routine... Paul's amazing abilities with choreography pulled it all together... Afterwards, Tamara asked us to come back and present AGAIN in December (on Saturday the 9th to be exact), this time doing choreographed sequences for the Reformer... It has been a crazy, exciting week working towards last night's performance, and I'm still shocked that I actually danced in front of a crowd! I feel like we have suddenly developed a very solid working relationship with one of the world's biggest names in Pilates, and also made a fabulous new friend! I have the feeling that we'll be working together again in the future; Tamara is talking about doing a TOUR of all her studios in Latin America??? Of course, nothing can happen until we've finished our trip in 2007, but having goals for the future hasn't seemed to hurt us yet! More soon, xxx Jason

Don't cry for me, Recoleta...

2006-10-24T02:51:00.001Z

We finally spent the day yesterday being proper tourists, and decided to see some of the major sights on offer here in big, bad BA... There are a collection of neighborhoods that make up Buenos Aires, and where we are staying in Recoleta, wasn't really even part of the city until the mid 1800's... The original part of old BA is further south from us, branching out from the giant obelisk that stands at the intersection of Avenida 9 de Julio (the world's widest boulevard)and Avenida 5 de Mayo... This area of town has some of the most fabulous architecture and has such a different flavor to Recoleta: a bit more run down, but certainly no less grand. We walked the length of 5 de Mayo, through the gorgeous plazas and little sidewalk markets filled with vendors selling handmade jewelry, leather belts, CDs, and bits of antique junk from their basements... We stopped and had coffee at a funky, musty cafe where the bow-tied waiter served us from glass soda bottles and bone china serviceware... Our sandwiches and soft drinks cost less than two pounds sterling. We past the famous Hotel Castelar http://www.castelarhotel.com.ar/ where the rich and famous of BA used to play 100 years ago... the website has some really cool old black and white photos from it's heyday... Finally, we arrived at the Casa Rosada, the former presidential palace and the scene of many infamous moments in Argentina's history... It's from this balcony that Eva and Juan Peron gave their speeches to the working-class masses that supported them throughout their reign... The square in front of Casa Rosada does have a feel of historical importance, that this is an important place in the hearts and minds of Argentines... The costumed armed guards standing at attention in the doorways certainly adds to the ambiance. When we left, we realized that we'd spent over 6 hours just walking around, soaking up the sights, having totally lost track of time... We took a taxi back to Recoleta, exhausted from the sun and ever-present air pollution... but we finally spent the day acting like proper tourists! I'm rather proud of us. xxx Jason

Iguazu Bound...

2006-10-19T15:54:00.000Z

Ok, so we haven't actually been to Iguazu Falls yet, but I've spent the past 2 days trying to organize a trip to the falls, so now I'm getting very, very excited about going... I've learned all sorts of new vocabulary, like flow rate and Guarani, terms that are important to understanding the "big picture" of a visit to the falls (or so I'm told by the online experts on the subject). Neither of us realized that bookings must be made months in advance, so we've encountered our first scramble for availability so far on our trip around the world... thankfully, we've discovered a great travel agent (other than myself) who is helping us sort it all out... Miriam has been great, and above all, speaks near-perfect English to help explain the details. As it turns out, most of the flights and hotels are completely full during the length of the time that we'll be in Buenos Aires, somthing we didn't anticipate. This has simply confirmed my belief that I LOVE A CHALLENGE and has really driven my desire to go... I've found the flights myself through Lan airlines website, but getting the hotel we want has proven to be even more difficult... We have our sights on the 5-star Cataratas resort hotel http://www.hotelcataratas.com.ar/ in on the Argentinian side of the falls... After cruising the website and a glowing testimonial from Miriam, we are dead set on staying here... combined with the fact that the entire stay, including all meals, will set us back about 70 pounds sterling a night... (To put that amount into perspective, Paul and I spent 60 pounds a night to stay in a musty converted barn outside Kendall in the English lake district. Converted barn VS. 5-star tropical paradise? You do the math...) I'm heading down to Miriam's office in about 2 hours to see if she's made any progress... A good travel agent can do wonders with making available rooms suddenly appear! Otherwise, things here in BA are going great: Paul is keeping very busy with Spanish lessons, swimming at Megatron, checking out ballet schools (I think he found one yesterday at the Galleria Pacifica arts center that looks extremely promising)... Speaking of ballet schools, Paul has asked me a few times to join him on his quest for the right studio... The other day, we walked just north of us to a place that was recommended as possibly being suitable for classes on his level... The scene we walked into will be burned into my fragile mind forever... A blackened, unmarked door followed by narrow and dimly-lit staircase, leading to a reception area that resembled a tomb more than a dance school: dusty fake roses and yellowed ballet posters covered the walls; a dark velvet sofa sat in the corner, on which was deposited an obese woman in a pantsuit, blowing cigarette smoke into the windowless room... Behind the desk sat the Argentine-version of Baby Jane Hudson: a heavily-faded former ballerina with rouge circles on her cheeks, who was eager to discribe the high-level of instruction at her school... Paul was extremely polite and asked a few questions before we bolted for the door... Once back on the street, we burst into laughter! Very bizarre, but also hysterical, experience. I only wish I had her photo to post on the blog! Baby Jane Peron. The most popular song here at the moment is last-year's most popular song in England, James Blunt's Beautiful, a song that I never really liked in the first place, and now I am subjected to around 3 times a day... he's getting more airplay than the Beatles! I am really enjoying Nelly Furtado's LP Loose, which is about as close to hip hop as I see myself enjoying... http://www.nellyfurtado.com/ Tonight: water the plants and then head to 2 for 1 night at the Recoleta Village Cinema, which has become our weekly ritual... Tomorrow: Lourdes the chatty housekeeper is coming to clean and change the linens at around 1pm, followed by the electrician, who needs to replace some wiring that has caused the overhead track lighting to short circuit... then yoga class at 7:15pm, followed by dinner out? Saturday: We see the Opera Boris Godunov at the Teatro Colon... All you could ever want to know (and more) about this opera can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Godunov_%28opera%29 After the show, we are off to meet Franco and Juan to hear a singer at a little nightclub in Palermo... I am simultaneously experiencing both domestic and cultural bliss. Fantastic! More soon. xxx Jason

Argentina nights...

2006-10-12T22:48:00.000Z

Howdy from big beautiful BA! This is the strangest internet cafe, but I have come to really like it: it's right across the street from our flat, and run by this eccentric family with two pitbull mix dogs, who lie around and growl at people when they walk in... Has no one told them that this might be slightly bad for business? I know it sounds really horrible, but you just have to see it, because the owners are so nice and relaxed, and now that I've been coming in here almost everyday, the dogs don't growl at me anymore... Although it was SUPER off-putting the first time I came in here, now I find it really funny in a sick way when the dogs growl at uninitiated customers... Twisted! Just yesterday, one of the dogs grabbed this girl's purse and started chewing on it... she tried to grab it back and ended up in a tug of war for her handbag with a growling dog! The old man behind the counter just sat there, chuckling... I'm finding myself settling in well to regular pattern here in BA, although we are having some issues trying to sleep... the location of our flat is fantastic in the sense that it is right in the heart of things, but this also comes with the constant noise of traffic speeding by at all hours... the buses here run 24 hours a day up and down Las Heras Blvd., and are extremely noisy and old... Paul keeps waking up from the noise, also the fact that we are both 6 feet tall and trying to squash into a double-sized bed... these two factors are making for difficult slumber sessions and beginning to effect our entirely positive impression of the flat... We've been weighing the options, and have decided against trying to move flats, but instead to possibly invest in a different mattress for the next 10 weeks, and buying some earplugs... Hopefully this will solve the sleeping issue. Otherwise, spending my days at the gym, grocery shopping, looking for deals on fresh flowers for the flat, cleaning up, making dinner for Paul... I have discovered that I actually love being domestic and spending my time puttering around the flat cooking and cleaning is quite enjoyable for me... The people here in BA continue to surprise and confuse. My limited Spanish isn't helping me to assimilate, but I still mangage to get by fairly well. The weather has been alternating between sunny and warm, perfect for spending time on the terrace, and pouring rain. The poor plants are getting over-watered from the bouts of torrential rain. Tomorrow night, we are going to try out a new yoga class, and then on Saturday, we have reservations at a little French restaurant called L'Ecole... we had a fantastic meal there the other night and are looking forward to going back... weather permitting, we'll eat outdoors on the patio... if there's no rain, it should be absolutely lovely! I am fighting the urge to buy heaps of beautiful clothes, shoes, leather jackets, belts, accessories... all dirt cheap and of the best possible craftsmanship... I just can't justify buying things right now, being on the move, and how in the world will I carry them with me? I just bought Johnna's ticket online to visit us in Thailand... getting very excited about seeing her and spending time together in Asia... She will love it, I'm absolutely sure... She'll arrive on 03 April and stay for 3 weeks... During this time, the plan is to travel around the central plains, visit some ruins, then possibly head south for some beach time... then flying to Siam Reap in Cambodia and doing about a week at Angkor... Still seems so far away, and yet advanced planning is a must! Glad that the ticket is purchased and the dates are set... xxx more soon. xxx Jason

Uriburu and Las Heras

2006-10-06T23:11:00.000Z

The photos are all from our little flat at the corner of Uriburu and Las Heras Blvd. here in Recoleta, Buenos Aires... We are OVERJOYED with the city and thrilled with our first week in Buenos Aires. We are both loving it so far, this city has made a near perfect first impression on both of us, and we are just basking in the glow of urban life once again after departing from sleepy Santiago, Chile... We did really enjoy Chile, and had some fantastic times there, especially in Valparaiso, but in reality is it pretty boring and conservative in comparison with this place... BA is so alive, electric, and fabulous: the stores, the people, the architecture, the food and wine... we are still just soaking up the fact that we'll be here for almost 3 months... It really feels like Paris in many ways... I know this is a stretch, and Paris is one of those cities that everyone loves to compare with other places, but there is a distinct urbane flair, glamour and "chic" to this place that reminds us of Paris. The streets of Recoleta are lined with boutiques, bakeries, green grocers, tiny cafes and intimate restaurants... We've spent the week day-dreaming about moving here, buying a flat, and living the South American highlife... Prices are SO CHEAP and since we are largely spending British Pounds, it is like a "more than half price" sale... The peso is almost 6 to 1 to the pound... a real bargain for sure!

Our little apartment is ideally located, one block from Recoleta cemetery, on Las Heras Blvd, one of the major thoroughfares of the city... We less than a week, we've moved in, joined the gym, signed up for home delivery of all our groceries and water, found a little place to do our laundry... Just as an example of prices, we took 2 HUGE LOADS of laundry to this place, and to have it washed, dried, folded, and delivered to our door cost us 7 pesos total... Just over 2 US dollars! The kid that brought it to us was shocked when I tipped him 2 pesos... He looked like he'd never been tipped in his life!!!! We arrived just 6 days ago and I already am able to navigate myself really easily around the area: it helps that the city is planned on a grid network of one-way streets, which makes it much easier to locate addresses and get from point A to point B. I keep using the advective "little" to describe out flat, as it is tiny, but charming: maybe 700 square feet in total??? but split over two levels, with a beautiful terrace filled with plants... and the location simply can't be beat.

Our new gym is so funny: it's kinda fancy, but also kinda run down, in that unique way that Buenos Aires seems to do so well: simultaneously posh and rickety... We took another ABSOLUTELY AWFUL Pilates class this morning that had us both almost laughing, and then later, a bit pissed off... Not quite up to our standards!!! I don't think the woman was even trained to teach, and kept making us do the strangest, most awkward movements! We were laughing to eachother and almost got up and walked out, but we were right up front and didn't want to be rude, so we stayed and toughed it out. Yikes!

Tonight is Friday, so we are going out to party a bit, check out a few bars, and get our groove on... We did go out one night in Santiago, to the city's biggest gay disco, which was like stepping back in time!!! Way, way back in time... It was so tame and downright cringe-worthy: we both had to make an effort to muzzle our bitchy mouths and fight the urge to criticize everything around us... Which believe me, was hard to do! Lots of dated music, bottled beer, acrylic knit jumpers and tight jeans... I felt like I was in Wichita! I mean really, who wears a jumper to a DISCO??? I slammed about 6 cocktails and then forced myself to get out and dance... They were all gawking at us like we were from another planet!!!! Yeah, planet London... Thankfully, Buenos Aires is a bit more, shall we say, cosmopolitan.

A strange thing happened this morning: a city bus crashed into our building!!! When we came downstairs today, the entire corner of Uriburu and Las Heras was blocked off by police, and the rear end of a city bus was sticking out of the little bridal shop located on the ground floor of our apartment building... Unbelievable! Our flat is on the top floor, and faces the other side of the building, but still it is hard to believe that we didn't hear a thing! A light post was flattened to the ground, and there was glass and debris everywhere... Crazy. We returned within just a few hours, and it was largely cleaned up.

More soon! xxx Jason

Welcome to Buenos Aires!

2006-10-05T02:58:00.000Z

SO, here we are in Buenos Aires... It has been a wonderful, crazy, intense, tiring, lovely past month of non-stop travel and we are both so relieved and relaxed to be settling in to one place... We checked into our fantastic little apartment here at the corner of Uriburu and Las Heras just two days ago, and sitting here now, it seems like over a week... Brazil was such a fantastic, sun-soaked experience and Chile was strange, communist-feeling, and somewhat annoying, but moving around so quickly and covering so much in a relatively short period of time will naturally take it's toll on the spirit and the body, for sure... We both have been so looking forward to dropping our backpacks and "spreading out" a bit in our new flat, which has certainly NOT disappointed in the least...

We showed up on Monday at 12pm for our check-in and no one was there to meet us... after about 10 minutes of waiting around in front of the building, a short little blonde in high heels comes running manically towards us shouting "Oh My God, I'm SOOO late!!!" in this unmistakeable east-coast American accent, juggling a huge stack of papers and notebooks... This was our first impression of Vicky, our new landlady, who was kissy and huggy with us straight away... Born in Maryland, but raised in Buenos Aires, she's renting us her two-story "maisonette" and living in a smaller flat on a lower floor of the same building, both of which she owns... The apartment is crammed with beautiful oil paintings (Vicky's a painter), neglected but not yet dead houseplants, and the most gorgeous hardwood floors and bannisters... (You can check out photos of the apartment at www.4rentargentina.com and search for "Uriburu and Las Heras" in the "Recoleta" neighborhood...) We have a beautiful and huge outdoor terrace overlooking the city, and the location of this place simply cannot be beat: dead center in the most fashionable district of the city... we are walking distance to absolutely everything: countless shops, boutiques, cinemas, sights, and the final resting place of Evita, which is a block away in the Recoleta cemetary... The past two days have been somewhat of a daze, getting to know the city, stocking up on groceries, unpacking, settling in, getting a "feel" for the area... Buenos Aires in going to be an amazing experience and this city has so much to offer... we are both barely able to contain our excitement about being here!

We spent the day today running little errands and hanging out at our new gym, called Megatlon (pronounced Meg-At-Lone, which we have dubbed "Mega-tron.") This place is the un-rivaled high-tech playground of BA's fashion and grooming set, catering to gorgeous gay urban professionals and overweight upper class business men trying to delay another heart bypass... The swimming pool is amazing, but the Pilates instruction is pretty luke-warm... Paul and I attended our first Pilates mat class today that was, ummmm, let's say "creative," but was actually bordering on dangerous... Afterwards, Paul approached the teacher, who is a nice-enough guy, and asked him a few questions about his training and technique... Without being prompted, he asked Paul if the two of us are Pilates teachers, after watching us work in the class... hehehe! I think that we both have REALLY high standards for the classical Pilates work and it's made mediochre technique very easy to spot... If my Spanish were better... watch out BA!

Tonight, I think we are going to go out a check out a bit of the nightlife... the one problem being that they don't get started until after I am usually in bed!!! I've had a couple coffees, so I think I'm up for it... but after the age of 35, I often find myself standing in the latest, white-hot nightspot of the moment stifiling a YAWN! Let's hope I can pull it together and stay up long enough to see why this city has knocked Rio out of top-spot for South America's gay nightlife capital... We plan on starting at a club called "Titanic" which has a 1920's cruise-ship theme and is only about 4 blocks from our place... but they don't even open until 1am, and won't get bumping until around 3 or so!!! Wish us luck...

More soon! xxx Jason PS: Still having issues uploading photos... will keep trying!

Santiago, Continued...

2006-09-29T19:12:00.000Z

Having a VERY frustrating experience with technology here in the internet cafe, as I seem to no longer be able to post photos to this blog!!! which I've just spent about an hour trying to resolve, with no joy at all... what a bummer. I think that the setting on this computer is not allowing the photos to upload, and trying to reconfigure the browser settings in Spanish is more than I can get my head around... What a pain. Anyway, I think I will feel better after having a bit of lunch, as those who know me well are aware of my tendency to become a bit hyperglycemic when I haven't eaten all morning...

We are getting very excited about heading to Argentina tomorrow, and just running around Santiago today getting prepared, picking up last minute items (like candy bars for Nicolo)... The wonderful little market where we spotted the $10US Alpaca sweaters has now completely vanished, leading us believe that when we see something that we really want, don't hesitate, but just buy it... It may not be there a week later!

A true highlight of the trip so far was meeting Daniella and her kids, Matias and Valentina... Daniella is the sister of Paul's (ex) brother-in-law Tristan, who grew up here in Santiago... Two nights ago, we joined them for dinner and ended up really hitting it off, drinking a couple bottles of wine, and talking until after midnight... so much fun, and such lovely people! Daneilla is super interesting, and has so many similar interests to my Mom (native spirituality, astrology, herbal remedies, etc...) that I couldn't help but think how well they would get along... we talked for a while about Bach flower remedies and how much they really help me with my anxiety when flying... The next day, there was a phone call from the front desk of the hotel letting me know that Daniella was in the lobby! She had come downtown with Valentina just to bring me a little bottle of Bach flower remedy... such a lovely thing to do. I hope that we keep in touch with their family in the future, and that we get to reciprocate in England sometime.

More soon from B.A... much more to say about Chile (of course), but getting tired of staring at this screen! Photos are worth a thousand words, so at the moment, I am speechless. xxx Jason

A second impression of Santiago...

2006-09-27T00:35:00.000Z

Constantly giggling at all the crazy things here in Chile's capital city, which feels to me like it's just awakened from a long, long slumber... The people are absolutely great, super friendly and far from aggressive, the salt of the earth, but for a world capital, DIO MIO it is more than just a wee bit behind the times! Chile's largest metropolis is understated, to say the least: the cultural offerings seem very restrained and formal, women of all ages wear high-necked collars and sensible shoes, primarily clad in black and grey... On second impression, a religious and conservative culture... Everything is comparatively slow and such a drastic change from colourful, crazy Brazil! Valparaiso has much more of an artistic, bohemian flair... There was of course a military dictatorship here in Chile (see: Pinochet) until the early 1990's, so I think that this fact has had a major effect on the nation as a whole: maybe a lack of exposure to the outside world, trends in cuisine, fashion, and what is currently "in vogue." The cinemas are all showing the same films and 30 year old women are dressed like grandmothers.

Still, that being said, we are really enjoying our time here... The Hotel Fundador is seriously like a relic from the past: we are staying in an absolutely gorgeous suite (with thread-bare sheets and worn carpets) and the hotel has a beautiful hardwood lobby, but the facilities are like something out of 1970's Moscow: old trimline telephones, creeky lifts, dusty dying plants, and the breakfast tastes like un-salted, school cafeteria food: plastic croissants and tasteless cheese. Paul and I keep joking that we feel like we are staying in a very posh old-folks home! Most of the other guests are business men in poly-blend suits and middle-class families visiting the capital on holiday... very strange indeed. Despite everything, Santiago has many positive things going for it: the fabulous location at the foot of the Andes, which loom overhead as a permanent backdrop; the fantastic people, who smile without hesitation; and the amazing selection of great wines in every supermarket... can´t beat that.

Tonight, we are going on a desperate search for something EXCITING in Santiago, to the neighborhood of Bellavista, where the majority of the restaurants, bars, and nightclubs are located... I really hope that "exciting" doesn't translate into "dangerous." It is Tuesday, however, so I feel as though we are setting ourselves up for a bit of a disappointment. I'll let you know how it goes. xxx Jason

A sleepy day in Valparaiso...

2006-09-24T16:25:00.000Z

Sunday afternoon, and we are both enjoying a relaxing day of not doing much... the sun is shining on Valparaiso bay, and Paul has taken a walk to La Sebastiania, one of the many homes of Chilean poet Pablo Naruda, which is now a museum dedicated to his works... I have decided to stay behind and help the staff here at the Ultramar switch our room from number 7 to number 18: there was a mix-up with the bookings, and they have moved us to a much nicer suite on the top floor of the hotel, in order to accommodate a guest who is checking into number 7 this evening... no worries, as we are getting a bigger room for a greatly reduced price! So we like this.... We have decided to spend our savings on getting remedial massage: an Australian massage therapist is coming to the hotel this afternoon to work on us both for an hour each: Paul has been suffering with a sore shoulder since we arrived, and I decided to go ahead and splurge for a massage as well... it has been over a year since my last one! Yesterday was really enjoyable, despite the fact that I was once again feeling pretty nauseous: the past few days, my stomach has decided to become irritable, which I think comes from accidentally brushing my teeth with the tap water back in Santiago... a major concern. We caught the bus yesterday to the near-by town of Viña del Mar, directly north of Valparaiso about 6 miles... It is actually more of an upscale beach suburb, complete with a dilapidated Brighton-style pier and seaside alfresco restaurants. We wandered around, bought a few postcards, laughed over a horrible Mexican lunch (if one could call that luke-warm mess Mexican food), and then headed back to Valpo... We spent the evening at Cafe Ocho y Medio (8 and a half), which has become our favorite little evening haunt: they show art films every evening in the tiny downstairs cinema (last night we watched The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover, and the cute cafe upstairs serves tapas and drinks until 2am... We have befriended the manager Marco, who recommends the best food choices, with one notable exception: the "8 Leaves" cake, which tasted something like a combination of bland custard and salty white fish... That one plate aside, we have really enjoyed hanging out there and soaking up the artsy, "film student" vibe, which seems to predominate the town's social scene... The night before last, we were told by Marco about a showing of one of my favorite films, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, which was taking place downtown at the Cinema Insomnia... We searched the ultra-busy Avenida Correll to located the address, only to realize that the venue was actually a porno cinema, which during normal operating hours, shows only skin flicks... The owners seem to have decided to ride the wave of Valpo's indepedent cinema scene, and have started showing foreign art films every Friday night... The place itself was straight out of a David Lynch film: located in a cavernous basement, with dim red lights and an old-fashioned bar and popcorn machine from the 1950's... The bizarre, deadpan, elderly couple running the place were dressed in vintage formalwear and never once cracked a smile; they both stood there robotically serving glass bottles of orange Fanta and cheap beer to the packed house of goth kids and nerdy student types... What a freak show! Needless to say, we really enjoyed the weirdness of it all. Valpo continues to impress and we are getting used to schleping ourselves up the steep hills and avoiding the packs of stray dogs that roam the streets at night... something we won't miss to much. Going back to Santiago on Wednesday, and have booked into a different, nicer hotel: www.hotelfundador.cl We'll be there for 3 nights, then off to BA on Monday! So looking forward to arriving in Argentina... More soon! xxx Jason

Welcome to Chile!

2006-09-22T00:46:00.000Z

Wow! What a crazy couple of days... We are really glad to be settled for a week or so, and especialy in such a cool place...

We left Brazil on Monday and arrived in Santiago that evening... Upon landing, we were informed that it was Chilean Independence Day and everything in the city would be closed for the next two days!!! So funny that we managed to hit both Brazil and Chile during a major national holiday when all banks, museums, post offices, and major attractions were closed... We headed directly from the airport to our super-strange lodgings: the east Indian-themed Majestic Hotel, home to Santiago´s only Hindu restaurant... Despite good Expedia reviews, the hotel itself is really run down and is located in the strangest area: right on the very edge of downtown next to a busy highway, amoungst burned-out office buildings and boarded-up warehouses... Thankfully (and bizarrely enough) the Hindu restaurant was both open and absolutely spectacular!!! and we both agreed that it gave our favorite Indian restaurant back in Hove (the Ashoka) a real run for it´s money. We acutally ended up eating there twice! We spent the entire day Tuesday just wandering around Santiago´s empty center, checking out the beautiful plazas (Plaza las Armas and Bella Artes were the standouts) and ended up discovering a really fun open-air market, where we spotted gorgeous Alpaca wool sweaters for about $10 US each... what a steal! (I think we´ll have to buy a few when we head back through town in a week or so...) Most of the businesses in the city were shut down for the holiday, but we did end up scoring movie tickets and went to see The Lady in the Water, which we both liked. We left Santiago on Wednesday morning by bus for Valparaiso, about 60 miles north-west of the capitol on the Pacific coast. It hasn´t taken us long to realize that this is a magical and paradoxical place, stuck in the past and yet simultaneously far, far ahead of the game. There is a distinct feeling here that things haven´t changed in 100 years: the strange, slanted houses, steep cobbled streets, and creaky iron elevators that connect the upper and lower parts of town... and yet the people seem to be incredibly hip and progessive: trendy cafes playing scratchy Billie Holiday LP´s on antique phonographs, art-house cinemas showing Japanese films, and cute boutique hotels like the one where we are staying: Hotel Ultramar, a refurbished warehouse decked out in chrome fixtures, ultra-modern furnishings, and a service staff dressed in classic black and white French maid uniforms! Plus, our room has the most fabulous view of Valpariso bay. www.hotelultramar.cl Today, we had lunch in this little restaurant that was sort-of a combination junk shop-record store-cafe, serving a fixed lunch menu of chai-tea seared salmon on a bed of wild mushroom risotto... Unbelievable! Our cute waitress was speaking the worst-sounding Spanish ever, until she broke down and asked in a thick Australian twang "Do ya mind if I just speak English?" We´ve firmly decided to stay in Valparaiso for at least a week, which I have a very strong feeling will not be nearly long enough. xxx Jason

Petropolis: HELL on earth!

2006-09-18T02:07:00.000Z

The past few days back in Rio have been fantastic, after our first nasty experience in Brazil... After leaving the beachside paradise that is Paraty, we headed to the north of Rio de Janeiro state to the little college town of Petropolis, which Lonely Planet describes as having the feel of a "European mountain resort" with pristine colonial architecture and tiny bridges spanning a network of little canals... Well, in reality, Petropolis was a complete shit hole, and felt nothing like Europe, nor anything resembling a mountain retreat! The town's only nice architecture is limited to a very small part of the city, and is surrounded by non-stop traffic... The grandest buildings are largely chained-off to pedestrians and set far back from the road... Petropolis' main street that runs through town turned out to be a congested nightmare of rusting old city buses belching fumes, seedy one-star flop houses with names like "Hotel Haiti" that post rates not by the night, but by the hour, and filthy taxi cabs beeping their horns... and the "canals" actually seem to be open sewers, clogged with rubbish and smelling like a squat toilet... After taking an eye-opening grand tour of town, we immediately set about finding a way to leave... We booked a hotel for the following night back in Rio, slept off the day's events, and caught the first bus out of town the next morning... So glad to be back in Copacabana! We have had 4 more wonderful days here in the city, and now taking off tomorrow for Chile... Not sure what to expect, but have been doing a bit of research, and think that it should be a wonderful contrast to tropical, beachy Brazil... We shall see! Just glad to have made it out of Petropolis, which Paul has since dubbed "Barfopolis." xxx Jason

Trindade: Paradise!

2006-09-13T01:41:00.000Z

More from the world´s most beautiful places... well, at least the most beautiful places we´ve seen in a long, long time... Spent the day yesterday about 20 miles south of Paraty in the tiny beach town of Trindade (which I´ve been mispronouncing and misspelling as `Trinidade´) which is virually untouched by human hands... The scenery is absolutely breathtaking: rainforest spilling down towards white sand beaches; fresh water streams running through the sand towards the ocean; massive, crashing waves and natural pools filled with tropical fish... we hiked through the jungle (on marked paths, of course) to some of the most gorgeous, secluded beaches either of us have even seen... Spent the entire day swimming, lazing around, and drinking beer under an umbrella... pure satisfaction! We are really enjoying our new digs at the Pousada, and having fun getting to know the owners and their families. Tomorrow, we head off to Petropolis on an early morning bus... should be a delightful change, but we´ll certainly miss our time in Paraty! Have had an amazing time here and would love to come back in the future. More soon! xx Jason

Paraty, Brazil

2006-09-11T00:38:00.000Z

First, a bit of history on Paraty: when the Portuguese first occupied Brazil, they discovered masses of gold buried in the hills of Minas Gerias, the state neighboring the state of Rio de Janeiro... they decided to move this gold back to Lisbon via the port of Paraty, just 4 hours south of Rio on what is called Brazil´s ¨costa verde¨(or ¨green coast¨) due to the fact that the bay of Paraty is naturally protected from the rough Atlantic seas by over 200 little islands... A hugely wealthy colonial settlement developed, and by the mid-1600´s, was one of the largest population centers in Brazil... the historical center of Paraty is so well preserved that most of the original buildings still remain, but today house cute boutiques, coffee shops, internet cafes, and amazing seafood restaurants... Paraty is, miraculously, still somewhat off the radar with most American and European backpackers, but according to me and Paul, is set to become the next big thing. The amazing beaches, colonial architecture, art galleries galore, and super-friendly locals make this a perfect destination to chill out under a palm tree and listen to live bossa nova flowing out of dozens of music venues... We planned on staying for 3 days, and now a week seems like far too short of a time... Paraty is one of those places that immediately inspires one to dream of staying for a few years, not just a few days... We arrived in the middle of a huge local festival, honoring Nossa Senora dos Remidios (our Lady of the Cure, roughly), which has provided a lively street scene, booths of vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to chocolate cookies, and tons of day trippers from Sao Paulo... We are staying a lovely hotel on the hillside overlooking the ocean, complete with eccentric, helpful owners and a garden containing 320 species of orchids (according to Paulo, our host)... Having an amazing time, but must move on soon... Leaving on Wednesday for Petropolis, just 65 km north of Rio, high in the mountains... should be a total different experience, in contrast with Paraty´s chilled-out, beach town vibe... More soon! xx Jason

Welcome to Rio De Janeiro!

2006-09-06T23:43:00.000Z

Wow! So the trip has finally begun, and is off to a roaring start... The trans-Atlantic flight was absolutely no problems, with the exception of Iberia's dismissive service and attempts to ignore us into a state of dehydration... Overall, not enough to really complain about, I mean really: the Spanish have never been known for great customer service anyway, so we should have know what we were getting into. Arriving in Rio was a breeze: straight to the hotel, which has proved to be lovely: the Martinique Copacabana, located just 1/2 a block from the beach, and thanks to the nice guy at check-in, we have an ocean view... It's been raining constantly up until today, and finally a bit of sunshine... but the rain hasn't stopped us from exploring quite a bit, in between 12 hour naps and loads of long involved conversations over dinner... Yesterday, we took the last remaining tram in the city to the district of Santa Tereza, a run down colonial relic from another time: felt like what I imagine Havana to be like, complete with crumbling pastel coloured mansions and overgrown tropical gardens... we stopped and had a drink in the most beautiful antique bar that has been in operation for 200 years... Today, with the clear skies and sunshine, we spent the day on Copacabana beach, and then off to the top of Sugarloaf mountain (Pao de Acuzar) for fantastic views of the city and lots of fresh air... I am struggling with the pollution from the traffic at street level and have had a bit of a sore throat due to the extreme exhaust fumes... The city itself seems to have undergone a bit of a transformation since the last time I was here: visibly cleaned up and a distinct police presence on the streets... I feel much safer walking around Rio now on my second visit, and I'm not sure how much of this is due to my travel "experience" and how much is due to a real effort to make the city safer for tourists... The Cariocas (citizens of Rio) are some of the friendliest people either of us have ever encountered during our world travels: constantly smiling, friendly, easy going, and fun... they seem to love their city and enjoy meeting people from other places... We are both admiring the open, gracious and relaxed attitude of the Brazilians.... and the food has been absolutely amazing so far: we are really enjoying the exotic fruit, delicious cakes, fantastic fresh juices (today I had a huge glass of fresh cherry juice), and the famous Brazilian barbeque... we've really taken to Lopé's lunch counter, a flash back from the '50's that serves huge plates of Brazilian comfort food for about 3-4 quid... Tomorrow we leave for the southern coastal town of Paraty (pronounced Para-chi) for a break from the madness of the city... more from there! xxx Jason

avoiding airport terror chaos...

2006-08-11T21:43:00.000Z

...but by only a day! The recent alleged terror plot against US bound flight from the UK has made me a bit tense... but having JUST read the most recent headlines, I'm feeling a bit relieved. Things seem to be returning to normal at both US and UK airports and since Paul's flight is from Gatwick and not from Heathrow which was closed down for a day. I'm fairly confident that things will be pretty slow through security, but at least moving. Paul isn't too excited about having to fly through Dallas; at least he doesn't have to leave the airport! What a bleak city. He'll be arriving much more fabulous Kansas City on 12 August at 5:30 pm, where he will be whisked off to the Westin Crown Center (not Centre) for one night: hopefully having dinner at Pierpont's at Union Station, then to the top of the Hyatt Regency for a cocktail at the revolving bar overlooking the city... I'm hoping the city will make a nice second impression on Paul.
The community center's dance venue is reserved for the day after: I have no idea why we are working him so hard! The man needs at least one day off: 10 privates on Thursday, neal's yard workshops on Friday, flying across the Atlantic on Saturday, and then choreography work on Sunday!!! Yikes. I will be finally glad when he can relax and not have any work the following morning... that's when the year off truly begins!

killing time in Kansas City

2006-07-29T06:36:00.000Z

Enjoying time here in KC, but now counting the days until Paul arrives on 12 August... I can't wait to see him! The time away from each other is quickly becoming tedious and I have no response for friends and family who ask "Why are you spending so much time apart this summer?" We are quite scared to see the final phone bill.

The heat here in the midwest USA has been absolutely oppressive for most of the summer and I'm finding it impossible to be outside during the height of the afternoon. The national news reports are stating that this is the hottest summer on record for many parts of the country and it's not hard to believe, as temperatures here have reached 105F/40C many times over the past few weeks.

All is booked for Paul's dance workshops here: check out the website by clicking the link for "Paul Anthony Dance" under the links section on the right-hand sidebar of this page. Yesterday, I spent some time running posters to local dance studios trying to promote the event... let's hope for a sellout!

our trip map!

2006-05-22T14:13:00.000Z

The Final Itinerary...

2006-05-21T20:00:00.000Z

After much work with Trailfinders, we were finally able to book some concrete dates for a few outstanding flights... it's unbelieveable to me that availability on some routes is so low that we must book over 9 months in advance! Case in point: We've just now been able to confirm New Year's in Sydney as a reality, booking space on a departure from South America to Australia on 27 December, arriving early on the 29th... Paul's good friend Dominique found a great apartment for us in the city centre: it belongs to a friend and will be empty over the holidays, so much celebrating to be had!

Jason's off to the states on the 26th of May, and Paul arrives in Kansas August 12th... then it's back to London on August 22 with just a few weeks to go before our flight to Rio! Getting closer to departure time...

Pricey, Pricey...

2006-03-16T19:19:00.000Z

Wow! Hotels in Rio are proving to be the hardest to book: so many hotels don't have websites directly to the property, but use consolidators like Priceline or Orbitz... I have my good friend Andre from Rio working on it for me... a little bit of Portuguese can go a long way! Otherwise, things are coming along fine. Can't wait until 03 September! We've still got the whole spring and summer to get through first... Jason is in Kansas from 01 June to about 20 August, while Paul will be summering here in the UK... getting rid of the current studio location on Church Road, and getting the flat ready to be rented for the year off. Now, off to try and figure out how to upload our photo to this blog! more soon.

Getting ready for the trip...

2006-03-12T12:56:00.000Z

it is now only mid-March, but we are already searching for loads of hotel nights, as our itinerary is pretty much fixed. We need to find a flat in Sydney for the months of January and February, but we've secured the Buenos Aires place, so that's awesome. More soon! Paul and Jason