Joyce's Changing Environment

Now and Then

2008-04-12T12:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know I've been terrible at keeping up with my blog. At times I just want to experience where I am, without trying to cleverly capture it in a journal of any sort. Now I'm realizing that is a stupid idea. My memory is good, but not that good. At least I have Jack to help me fill in blanks.

Just a quick update for those of you who are kind enough to still read this. Are there any of you left? Jack and I spent almost two weeks with his mom, Alexandra, in Viet Nam and Bangkok beforing heading to the Middle East on March 1st. Here is the list of places we've visited since:

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 1
Bahrain, March 4
Egypt, March 6-16 (or so)
Jordan, March 16-24
Egypt, Sinai, March 24-30
Czech Republic, March 30- Today!

I have a lot of catching up to do here. I know. It is coming soon, I promise. I have to admit, I am very happy to be free of the Middle East. We have a lot of great memories, which sad to say are now just memories (we lost our camera with all of our Middle East photos on them in Prague - I think it was lost at a pub), but I am glad to be free of the men's stares. Jack was offered 300 or so camels for me at one point. He rightly said he wouldn't ever trade me. That's the spirit!

I tell you it is all wrong, all wrong. I give my friend Cate, who is now living in Cairo, major props. I don't think I could've lasted there alone, for even a day. I might have lost my cool at some point (saying this I am reminded that I sort of did at the airport to a guard who snapped his fingers at me. I snapped back. I momentarily forgot he was a police officer. He took it as a joke, but I was MAD I tell you). I will not miss that.

Other stories soon. We miss you all!

Pour un Sourire D'Enfant

2008-04-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cambodia. Ah cambodia. It has now been almost two months since we were there and I still think about Cambodia. We spent a few days in Ankor Wat, cycling around the ruins before heading to the capital, Pnom Penh.

Ankor Wat was incredible, absolutely breathtaking and spectacular. We stayed at a hostel where the owner let us borrow bikes for free to cycle to the ruins ourselves. So the first morning we set off really early, before sunrise, and made it to the top of one of the sites before the sun came up. There we saw a monkey climbing all over, toppling the trash and eating leftovers. Somehow that made it more magical.

We had the bikes for three days and although exhausting, it was possibly the best way to see the ruins. The last day we were too tired, and rented a tuk tuk to take us around Ankor Wat and drive the 30 km or so to the Landmine museum.

One of the major reasons we went to Pnom Pehn was to experience the history of the Killing Fields. I admit that I did not know much about the country, or its tragic history, before the visit, but learning it in the country it took place made it all the more horrifying and vivid. We slept in a hostel across from the S-21 Prison, an old school which the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture prison and which is now a museum. It was from here that people of all ages were sent to the Killing Fields. The hostel, although completely void of any connection to its grusome neighbor, still had a strange aura. The first night I could barely sleep, imagining screams coming from across the barbed wire fence. Then of course there was the Killing Fields themself, located about 14 km outside the capital. It is now an outdoor museum of sorts and a memorial to all those killed by the Khmer Rouge.

I think Jack and I were not expecting to be moved as much as we were. We also read a book, First They Killed My Father, which gave the people a voice and gave us more images than were possible with the museums alone. This book, combined with our talks with our Tuk Tuk driver, who referred to himself as Mr. Lucky, made me realize that every person in Cambodia is connected to what happened. They all lost family, over a fourth of their countrymen died. It was almost too much to take in.

In both Laos and Cambodia there were publications called Stay Another Day, where local NGOs or organizations which helped the local community were listed. Shops tended to contain items made by victims of landmines, orphans, or the disabled, who are discriminated against in both countries. Most restaurants either donated money or helped street kids or employed them. Our favorite organization was called Pour un Sourire D'Enfant (literally "For the Smile of a Child"), a French NGO set up to help the poor children around Pnom Pehn's garbage dump. The founders visited Pnom Penh over a decade ago and found children scrounging around the dump looking for items to reuse. The children did not go to school, barely ate, were living in filth (a lot of families set up shacks on top of the dump) and some were even crushed to death by the incoming dump trucks.

Now there is a school, training facilities, and regular food and health aid around the dump. The dump remains, we even visited it, but the conditions are so much better. We also ate at their restaurant, where all of the wait staff are former dump children. Here is their site if you'd like to visit, .

Cambodia has a much different feel than Laos. It feels poorer and a bit more dangerous. Poverty is apparent and something to be keenly aware of. The thing that touched me most though was the smiles. People, looking ragged and warn thin (like our cyclo driver in Pnom Pehn), couldn't possibly be happy, or so I thought. They might have looked older than their years, and most likely stared at us straight through, but once a smile was offered, their faces lit up! It was fantastic and never failed.

For the Smile of a Child. Try it.

Just Chewing the Fat

2008-02-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

If you did not already know, this trip around the world was planned really quickly. In preparation, which was only about a month, Jack and I picked up a spanish language book, booked some flights with STA Travel and tours with G.A.P. and that's about all. We did consult a few travel books beforehand in order to design a general route. As we go along we pick up more travel books, mainly Lonely Planet guides, which steer us in a certain direction. We rely on them for first contacts with a new place, such as a place to sleep or the recommended sites in an area. Then we go it on our own. For the most part, we've found these guides helpful, sometimes off and sometimes really spot on.

Well, one thing that was absolutely right on in the Lonely Planet of Southeast Asia was the description of travel in and around Laos. Getting to the border was relatively painless, a bit uncomfortable in a rickety old bus where our seats shook uncontrolably. Then we took a tuk tuk to the border, where we climbed into a long boat to cross the Mekong. Again a bit uncomfortable, but for the two minute crossing it was quiet and peaceful, despite the smoke coming from some European's cigarette. Next up our bus from Huay Xia on the border to Luang Nam Tha. You could say this was our real introduction to Lao travel.

Crammed into a bus, sitting knees jammed into a seat back made of metal, arm to arm with an old man who really did not want to give up any space, with my nose covered to avoid the smell of vomit coming from not one, but two, people a row behind me, I honestly thought it could not get worse. That's when it started to rain. I realized, with some horror, that our bags were on top of the bus packed between 15 motorcycles. All we could do was wait it out and hope we didn't hit any small children playing too close to the road, or chickens for that matter.

In the end, it could have been worse, they could have fallen off the bus. We just had to endure days of airing out everything from socks to photocopies of our passports. At least we got to unpack! The bus experience was bad enough though that we decided to take a van on our next journey. That is, of course, after we hit up a local tourism office in Luang Nam Tha to go on a few days hike.

Our hike started off really well. Small packs, water, a guide who barely spoke English, and some food for lunch. By the time lunch rolled around, we had passed through amazing rice paddies and headed into the mountains. Our guide took a palm leaf and turned it into a bowl, held in place by a small stick, for our spicy tomato dip. (It is now a skill I seek to acquire.) The lunch of sticky rice, aubergines, meat with spices and tomato dip was great. In fact, we thought that Laotian cooking was on par with Thai cooking at first. That was before we realized how bland it could be and the fact that every meal on the two day hike included sticky rice, breakfast too and desserts. You could say that by the end of our time in Laos we never wanted to see sticky rice again.

The best part of our hike was due mainly to the people we met, far more than the sites we saw. Although that included some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen, complete with dense forest and large palms. Basically imagine all of the Vietnam movie sceens you've seen and there you have it. We traveled through 5 different hill tribe villages on our way and stayed the night with one. Families in the village we stayed with take turns playing host to the hikers. The family who hosted us was made up of one woman and her two daughters (there was a third daughter, who lived in another camp because she was married; the woman's husband was in the army). They made us wonderful food, sticky rice included, and introduced us to Laolao. This drink, if you ever visit Laos and have occasion to drink it, is toxic! We, though, had our share before heading down to a village party for an engaged couple.

Just a side note, in Laos a couple says they are going to marry and then has a year of engagement where the girl leaves her family to live with his. In some tribes the couple live in a small house, practicing if you will, and if by the end of a year she is not pregnant, or he believes she won't get pregnant, he has the right to leave her for another engagement. I learned that my hostess had left her village 20 years before and had never been back. She had only seen her parents twice, when they made the trip to visit her. She cried telling us, and I did too.

At the party we were introduced to the chief and the engaged couple, who walked around serving more Lao lao. They do not believe in drinking an odd number of shots, they say that doing that will make you unstable and fall. Two legs, even drinks. So it seemed we could never have just one more, it always meant two! That said, we were having a nice time and making friends with the men at our table. One man, the village mute (he could not speak or hear well) was particularly kind to us. He motioned for me to eat something off of his chopsticks and I foolishly tried to take it off with my fingers. This is perhaps where I made the biggest error. Whatever it was dropped on the ground! He nicely picked up another piece from the bowl with its inoccuous substance, this time I ate it right off the sticks. I was mid-chew, speculating that it was fish of some kind, when Jack was fed a piece and informed me it was fat. FAT! I almost lost it. No one could understand what we were saying, but it took everything in my will power not to show it on my face. Apparently the fat is considered the best part and only offered to honored guests. Sweet (and oh so gross).

The next morning we woke up to the roosters before dawn, complaining of our heads and wishing we had just had a bit less lala. (At some point in the night I stopped calling in Lao lao and started saying lala instead. Needless to say, this has stuck.) We fell back asleep before having a hearty meal of sticky rice and veggies and heading out to make the longer portion of our hike. It turned into the longest day possible. At some point, I'm not sure if it was before or after we hiked up a steep incline where our guide had to get out his machete to chop away the overgrown brush, he told us it would only take two more hours. That two hours turned into about four and a half. Lesson: Do not drink too much lala in Laos. Even though it is cheaper than beer, it is their version of moonshine.

Before we set off we were able to stop by a organization called Big Brother Mouse to buy some books for local children, so as we went we gave them out and left a bunch for the village we stayed in. We enjoyed the organization so much that we found them in Luang Prabang too and hosted a book party at a nearby school. In all, I think about 150 books were donated. The organization is amazing because it helps the local Lao children read, giving them a book which can later be swapped at school for another book. Unlike at home, most Lao kids don't have books of their own, and they do not have libraries to borrow from.

Thanks to our families for sponsoring the book party with us - we had a great time! If you want to learn more about Big Brother Mouse go to

In Luang Prabang we had a wonderful time walking around the town, which still exudes remnants of its French colonial past. We bought fabulous French baguettes and I drank some of the best coffee I've ever had. (Please try the Lao coffee if you get the chance). We ate at a great restaurant, named Tamirind after the beans that help with hangovers (our hosts on the trek gave Jack some of these the morning after lala) and run by a Laotian and an Australian. It was there that we realized Lao food, no matter how fancy it looks, is not as flavorful as Thai food. We still enjoyed it though.

We witnessed monks receiving their morning meals at dawn, and were scammed by a couple of kids who took us out in their boat and guided us into a cave that should have been completely closed off to everybody! To make it short, we wanted to go to the Paku Caves, with their hundreds of Buddha statues, but we were cheap and decided to let a couple of kids take us. They said, cave, Buddha, no problem. So we went. Where we went was somewhere else, across the river, not 2 hours down it, and up a hill to a path leading to a decrepit cave. We had fun though, and still laugh about how I almost electrocuted myself by just turning a switch, to which one of the kids went, "No, uhhhhhhhhh" making a shaking action as he did so. This was my warning that I could electrocute myself. Nice.

A lot of people ask us what place we like the best. We have a few. And I know I'm leaving a lot out here, but I can honestly say that I loved Laos. I would go again in a heartbeat. I would take all of it, the bad bus, the lala, the bland food, the craziness, and most definitely the people. They are the real gems.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2008-02-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

The Good: The first place we landed in Thailand was a beautiful resort island of Koh Samui. We got an amazing deal at the airport, paying only about $35.00 for a comfortable, clean, air-conditioned and fresh looking room at a nice resort. We, having no idea how cheap things really are in Thailand, thought this was the biggest steal! We still do, although we now know that it's all pretty cheap. Our hut had everything we could ask for, plus hot water. Here it is:

Good Thing Number 2 was our amazing scuba diving experience. I have to admit, both of us were nervous. We had taken a course in Belize for one day and enjoyed it enough, but were apprehensive about going much deeper into the ocean. Jack has had problems with his ears popping properly, and I, well, I get nervous snorkeling sometimes! I mean, there is always the possibility of a shark encounter, or jelly fish sting... the list goes on. After our first day of diving, taking those precious breaths underwater and realizing you can get neutrally buoyant, you could say that we were both hooked. Underwater views were spectacular, and nothing quite beats the feeling of swimming with the fish, coral, and all the miraculous sea life. Our visibility in Koh Tao, where we took our Padi course, was about 15 meters! You can't get much better than that. We did look ridiculous in our wetsuits though.

Good Thing Number 3 was our two encounters with Buddhist Monks in Bangkok. We visited a Wat on the first day, and just so happened to get there right as the Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, arrived. Because of his visit there were members of the media and a few Monks. Jack and I, as two of only a handful of tourists, got to speaking with a Monk while we waited. He kindly offered us two bracelets made by the Monks. He struggled to get it over Jack's wrist and let Jack put mine on, as Monks are not allowed to touch woman. It was very special.

Our second encounter was at a Wat in Chiang Mai, where we sat at a "Monk Chat" to talk with two young monks. Their stories were interesting and enlightening for me; Jack unsurprisingly knew a great deal about Buddhism, and seemed to know much more than they were prepared to answer questions to, at least in English. Both, however, did not seem convinced that being a Monk was the life they were going to chose to lead, at least not in this life time, and talked of one day having a family. They said that studying as a monk was often the only way for a young boy to get a good education, and a great honor for a family.

Thai food ended up being scrumptious. Despite any hesitations I had on spiciness, I am getting much better on handling spicy foods. This leads us to Good Thing Number 4: our day learning to cook Thai food. A company called Thai Farm Cooking School, an organic farm which teaches one- three day courses, was excellent. Check out their website at http://www.thaifarmcooking.net/. We chose 6 dishes to make. Jack and I picked different things so that we can have more to make later in our kitchen. Mine were fabulous, (no boasting here) the first of which was a green curry paste, followed by a chicken curry, then a chicken in coconut milk soup, a papaya salad, spring rolls and a dessert of pumpkin in coconut milk. YUM!

Although we agreed mine were better, despite any contrary opinions to my general cooking ability (mentioning no one by name), Jack made a wonderful yellow curry paste, a chicken curry, Tom Yum soup with shrimp (not so good), chicken and cashew nuts, Pad See Ew (large noodles), and mango and sticky rice for dessert. The mango dish was the crème de la crème. If any of you choose to visit us once we get back to the states (and we welcome visitors), maybe we can whip up one of these!

Good Thing No. 5 was our day bicycling around the ruins at Sukkothai. This city is unspoilt by tourism and the ruins were beautiful, both seen from the bike and just walking off. A few highlights:

Good Thing No. 6 was a dinner we spent at a Sukkothai buffet. Raw meat labeled in Thai was a dime a dozen here. We picked out anything that looked remotely appetizing and took it over to our hot pot, a charcoal filled metal pot with a grill on top, to cook up! Jack did all the meat touching while I just played with the vegetables and noodle dishes. We also scored some pineapple. At that same dinner we saw our first elephants - babies too! Sadly, they were being used as work elephants, and we gave money, good or bad, to feed them sugar cane and take their photos.

Finally, this leads to Good Thing No. 7, our day at Lampang and the National Elephant Institute. We went on an elephant ride, watched elephants of all sizes bathing and watched an elephant show. And man are they talented! They can play musical instruments, raise a flag, walk on logs, bow, and even paint a picture! The day was packed with fun.

The Bad:
On our ferry ride to Koh Tao from Koh Samui (both small islands on the Gulf of Thailand) we experienced something I hope none of you ever have the misfortune to experience first hand. For some reason almost everyone on the boat got sea sick, and clung to their plastic baggies passed out by staff. Jack and I had seats near a window, so we avoided most of the unpleasant views, but the smell was hard to ignore. In a Christmas package from Jack's parents I received a small battery operated fan (Hello Kitty to be exact). This saved me from loosing it - literally!!!

Bad Thing Number 2 was our cab ride from the bus terminal to our hostel in Bangkok. Our driver had no idea where he was going, despite the exact address given to him, and repeatedly asked for directions from tuk tuk drivers to women on the street. We decided at some point to get out and walk.

Bad Thing Number 3 was the sign posted in the lobby of our hostel, so named Hostel Thailand. See for yourself.

Bad Thing Number 4 was a night we spent in Sukkothai. At first, the room looked fine, sparse, but fine. That night, however, we realized that the sheets were just not that clean: ants and hairs littered the lot. I was so freaked out that I slept without covers and used my blow up neck pillow. You could say that was not my best night's sleep.

Bad Thing No. 5 was the tremendous number of tourists in Chiang Mai. For some reason the sheer number of people and exhaust in the city did not sit well with us. Despite the many beautiful things the city has to offer you could say that our expectations were not met. So, we decided to ditch our planned trek and go to Lao instead. This turned into the best decision we could have made. I'll write about that in another posting.

The Ugly:
So I mentioned Hostel Thailand. Well, on our second day in Bangkok I noticed all these itchy bumps all over my body. I thought they were mosquito bites. But, you guessed it, BED BUGS! Ew. Ew. Ew. I will not share a photo of this hideous experience. I will report that they have gone away, well mostly, in the week and a half since we've left.

So now that you know the good, the bad, and the ugly of Thailand, now we're going to share the joys of Lao with you! Sorry the photos are not up, we rarely get to a computer that can support photo uploads and it takes forever. I will get back to it though, I promise.

Brunei and Malaysia

2008-01-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

My first trip to a Muslim country was interesting. Right from the start, I could feel a strange tension in the air. Mind you, not from the locals, but emanating from me. I was tense, particularly around men. You see, although everyone was extremely pleasant in Brunei, most of the men would not look me in the eye. I tried not to take it personally, but it was difficult. So after getting a cab to take us to the hostel (it was after 6 p.m. when we landed and thus extremely difficult to commandeer a taxi after sunset) we headed to the open market on the blocked off street right outside where we were staying. The only thing we bought was a head scarf for me, so I could visit the mosques. Its black, which most Muslim women wear during the daytime. Don't ask me why this is the chosen color, considering its extremely hot, while the men get to wear white, but then again it seems like women endure more discomfort than men in general. Anyway, the woman at the market was extremely nice and I had a lot of fun trying on various kinds, in the end I opted for a very easy one piece head scarf, so that I can just pull it over and not worry about it coming undone and exposing my hair.

Here it is, beautiful eh?

The next day we got up and headed to the large open air market where fruit, vegetables, and fish of all sorts were sold. The fish was by far the most fascinating item, with dried fish of all sizes, live eel, and pickled fish and many more being sold. I tried to take many pictures of all the colors, as I tried to be respectful. It was a bit difficult too to maneuver around the stands and umbrellas, particularly when they are at a height suitable for a 5 foot 2 inch populous!

We then headed to the large Mosque in town. It was under construction, but we went inside and took many photos around the moat outside. We then wondered over a bridge to a separate area of the city where homes were high on stilts. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. From one vantage point I could see the enormous golden Mosque in the background while the foreground was full of decaying and dilapidated homes. I had always heard that the King of Brunei was until recently the wealthiest man in the world, so I was disappointed to see the level of poverty in such an oil rich nation. Clearly the oil money does not reach the citizens.

I however, did benefit from the oil in an indirect way. At Immigration in the airport Jack and I were waved through as US citizens while citizens of other countries had to wait in a really long line. We figured it must be because of trade relations and oil importation. It was a refreshing outcome, considering right now Americans do not get many perks abroad (bad exchange rate, etc.).

We then took a public bus out to the Palace, so we could walk around the enormous structure and gape (at the parts we could see at least) at its grandiosity. The trip did not produce the desired affect. We ended up just talking about his harem of women inside and how all that money could be given to his people.

Anyway we wondered to a small cafeteria style place for lunch, where Jack nicely pointed out that I was the only woman, other than the servers, in the place. (So that's why there were so many men staring!) I chose not to notice, I was too engrossed in the Patriots game on the t.v. - it’s about the only one I've seen this season too, although we didn't stay for the whole thing. We left to visit a second and larger Mosque away from downtown. This Mosque was simply stunning, getting better and better as we made our way upstairs (after dutifully removing shoes and donning a black robe).

It is gorgeous.

Then, just as prayers were about to begin, which we had to leave for, we realized we probably missed our only bus back. You see it was 6:00 and things just don't run past then. So we booked it to an intersection where we waited and waited, then caught sight of the magnificent sunset before running again for the small purple bus we saw coming from the other side of the road. It was madness.

The next day we were off for Kuala Lumpur and another Muslim country, but by then I was excited and my nerves had gone. Brunei and Bandar Seri Begawan turned out to be one of my favorite spots.

Kuala Lumpur, however, turned out to be my least favorite. Right from the start our trip was dirty, smoggy and hectic. We booked the cheapest option from the airport to the city, a bus called the Star Shuttle, direct to Chinatown. We were dropped off just as it was starting to pour! With my rain coat safely in the hotel in Darwin, I broke out the poncho. We had a run for it, but ended up sitting in a dingy restaurant, happily eating some curry and rice, waiting for the rain to stop.

We checked into Westover Lodge (sounds Western doesn't it? Ha-ha.) and cursing at the fact that the air-con rooms were really only air-con in the hallway from 10 pm until 8 am., mind our room did come with a tiny hole in the upper wall where a fan, conspicuously placed, blew any cool air into it, we headed out to buy a phone card. You could say that this is where our troubles began.

We bought a phone card for 10 ringgits and tried to use it on the payphones. There were about 50 payphones in the mile or two around our hotel, and I could swear we tried them all. But the problem was that the phones required some change to work, and when they didn't, and they all didn't, they took our change. We then realized the phone card had been eaten up by one of the pay phones and decided to buy another. Another 10 ringgits. Here's where we got genius. We went to a 7/11 (they are all over the place there, sort of like a third world Starbucks) and tried to use the free phone for calling cards. This worked, at first. Then the phone system wouldn't unregister our card, so that any number of calls made on that phone would take credit off our card! I was upset. This is where genius turned into true idiocy. I argued with the people in 7/11 for an hour, a whole hour!, before Jack mentioned that we were arguing about 3.50 USD. Wow. So this is what being stingy really means. Yikes!

We sadly left the 7/11, feeling really embarrassed and got food in the Chinatown market. I was tired and really really hungry. My food of some sort of vegetables, rice and unappetizing meat did not make me feel much better. But the atmosphere did. I was happy to be there, sipping my watermelon smoothie and taking in the crowd. As we walked back to the hostel and took photos of the mosque a block away I was optimistic.

The next day we headed to the National Mosque, where we could not go in because it was prayer time, and really happy not to don the black headpiece, we took a short jaunt up the hill to the Museum of Islamic Art. The building was impressive alone, not to mention the array of the Qura'an and script work. Islamic writing is striking, especially when placed on golden pages with meticulous care and craft. Beyond the Qura'an, jewels and cloth displayed was a room with models of famous Islamic buildings. It made me excited for the day when we can visit Damascus and Uzbekistan, not to mention the Taj Mahal. The buildings are certainly impressive, and it made me wonder if they are a sort of idol themselves, like great Catholic Cathedrals or Buddhist Wats. I left thinking that it’s such a shame most Muslims and Christian and Jews do not have more respect for one another. In the end we are all suppose to live in similar manners when you cut out all the cultural traditions. The lessons in the Qura'an, the Bible and the Torah are similar. Peace. Love. Respect. Humility.

Our discovery after a long walk up a further hill that the National Planetarium was closed was disappointing, so we explored the Orchid and Hibiscus Garden instead. Quaint is the word I'm looking for here to describe it. Because it was hot, extremely hot, we sat in the garden and talked about the roses and lavender at our wedding while we planned a garden in our heads (well I did most of the planning) for the future. It was relaxing. Then a popsicle and a large bottle of water later, we headed back to the city for a night of madness attempting to find an internet cafe.

The next day we traipsed around the city, taking photos of their Twin Towers and gawking at the masses of high-end stores. I was really unimpressed with the city, it seemed crowded, loud and really dirty. Combine this with all the hair wrenching, nail biting traffic scenarios, mainly because of what Jack and I deemed the biker mafia (everyone there seemed to ride either that or a scooter), and the fact that I really hadn't slept because of bugs in the bed, and I just wanted to go home. Or at least to a clean hotel.

But alas, that was not in the cards. Instead we wondered around a street looking for the Laos Embassy. They had moved locations, apparently without informing anyone or updating their website. We did have word that they had stayed on the same street, so we wandered in the rain, after a taxi driver ripped us off, before we discovered it was closed. The street became our haunt the next morning before our flight out in the afternoon.

The highlight of the day, and indeed our time in Kuala Lumpur, was seeing Jack's former roommate Anthony. He's from Kuala Lumpur and was able to show us around a bit that night. It really was a shame he was out of town for the first few days of our visit. We ate some funky, puckery, horribly smelly, yet oddly yummy fruit and another type that was smaller, more delicate and delicious, named the King Fruit and Queen Fruit respectively. We caught up on all of our travels and left marveling about all the wonders that lay in Borneo. When we go back to Malaysia, who knows when that will be, scuba diving will most certainly take precedence on our list of activities.

Our trip the next morning to both the US Embassy and Lao Embassy went smoothly, geeze was it nice to be in US territory again for about a second, and we finally made it to the small airport which would take us to Koh Samui in Thailand after a subway, train, and taxi ride - oh the wonders of travel. We were thrilled to leave.

Next up: Thailand!

Changing Plans in Southeast Asia

2008-01-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

I just want to inform you all that our plans are changing a bit. We are now in Malaysia, after spending a few days in Brunei. Our plan had initially been to travel over land to Thailand and up towards Bangkok, stopping along the way to scuba dive. However, recent developments in southern Thailand, including the murder of 8 Thai soldiers a few days ago by rebels and the recent bombing in the Yala provice (right where we would have crossed into Thailand) have made us change our plans. If you want to read about it, visit the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7188654.stm

We now plan, I think, to fly. Although a lot more expensive, we seem to have fewer options now. It just goes to show that you can never be too safe or set plans in stone on these kinds of trips.

We will be in southeast asia for the next six weeks, hopefully visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before heading to the middle east. We'll try to keep everyone posted.

Meeting Boghans - Traveling Aussie style

2008-01-14T03:21:00.000-08:00

So our huge Maui Camper van turned into a home of sorts for at least 10 days. We were able to put our clothes away in the cubby holes and cook our own meals. Plus we had a great time just traveling the way Aussies do on summer vacation. We left Sydney on the 26th and spent that first night in a rest stop on the side of the road. It was an interesting experience, we were attempting to do what all the posters on the side of the roads say and "not sleep and drive." Odd? Yes, but effective. We got to Jack's other first cousin's house that morning and geared up for a day of sight-seeing in Lake Cathie (pronounced cat high). We drove down Ghost Rode, named so because of the white trees, and up to a lookout on the highest mountain, or hill, in the area. We had some fine fish and chips while we chatted with his cousin Fiona before heading back to her place and napping before dinner.

Dinner that night was wonderful. We ate lobster and prawns again (seems like a true Aussie summer meal) and pulled crackers to celebrate (my first time pulling real cracker with a present inside). What we were celebrating I do not know - but it was close to the new year and I think they were left over. It was great to meet his family, especially his great aunt Joan, who shared some wonderful photos of Jack's grandfather as a boy.

The next few days were spent walking on the beach, fishing in a lake system in a small metal boat (Jack did the fishing, I just watched really), and visiting a zoo of sorts called Billabong Sanctuary, where we walked with kangaroos and petted koalas. We also saw wombats and cassowaries (small versions of Ostriches really). It was a lot of fun, but seeing them all in the wild was much better. On Ghost Road the night before we saw a a whole bunch of wild kangaroos - jumping really high and fast to get clear of the lights from the car, it was crazy.

We then headed up the coast towards Lenox Head and Byron Bay which were packed with tourists! We stopped at other places along the way in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, just as a storm was headed our way.
Here is a break in the clouds!

We made it to just north of Brisbane for New Years, where we spent an incredibly rainy night in our camper van. We pulled to the side of the road, near where fireworks were supposed to go off, to cook our Indian dinner and open our beers. The rain was pouring down and the fireworks were cancelled. So we headed back to the camp site for the night and spent an absolutely lovely evening drinking Champagne and playing games. It was so much fun, and the perfect was to celebrate an anniversary for us - we've known one another for four years, having met New Year's Eve 2003.

We then spent the next few days traveling up the coast, avoiding the rain when possible and attempting to site see. We made it to an Aboriginal Cultural Center near Rockhampton called Dreamtime. Although mentioned as one of the best in the country, we were a bit disappointed with the lack of overall information on Aborigines. Despite that, we had our share of didgeridoo playing and boomerang throwing - I was quite good :)

Before we got to Townsville, where we met up with our friend Josh again, we headed out to the Whitsundays for a couple of days. It was gorgeous there, and no rain. We took a boat out to the reef for an afternoon and went snorkeling. Although Jack and I expected much more color in the coral, the fish were fantastic. Plus it got us riled up for our scuba diving lessons in Thailand. We've decided that when we go back to Australia, it will be to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef.

We then spent a few days with Josh in Townsville and got to see the school where my friend Jackie teaches and their new home. It was splendid. I have to admit, there is no way I could live in Townsville, being in the tropics and extremely hot all year, but it was great to see their home there and the life they have together. We also got to experience Josh's fabulous cooking and share our experience with the Boghans!

So in Melbourne Jackie told me all about Boghans. Which, as she described it, were simply sketchy people who tended to have rat tails or mullets. I didn't really understand what she meant - that is, until I saw some for myself. It was in one of the many camp sites we stayed at along the way. This particular one was perfectly nice, with a pool, Internet, laundry and an outdoor grill. I first noticed the family because of the cute kids (I'm a sucker for cute kids) who happened to all have shaved heads except for the tuft of hair at the bottom (i.e. mullets). Then there was mom and dad: mom held a baby of about 18 months and dad was wearing boots, cutoffs and a flannel shirt (also cut off). I was suspicious. Then, without warning the mom got into the pool and started breastfeeding her 18 month old! Right there! I was convinced - these were the infamous Boghans. Josh agreed they must. So there it is folks.

After our trip to Townsville we flew to Darwin for a few days, where we tried to relax, take long walks, and went to see some Crocs!

In between we took in a movie and stocked up on items we would not be able to find in south east Asia. I think we were both ready to move on and travel by bus, plane, and boat again!

Now onto our 7 weeks traveling in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.

Opera and the Harbor

2008-01-10T02:26:00.001-08:00

Perhaps because it was the holiday season, I was missing home more than usual. Although I've wanted to go to Sydney since a couple friends of mine in college studied there, I couldn't get too excited about it. The first day in town we walked all over George Street, Circular Quay and The Rocks, went to a lovely dinner. But I couldn't get over the fact that Christmas was supposed to be cold, with snow and everyone bundled up going Christmas shopping. That was until Jack took me to the Sydney Opera House!

The Opera House is more than you can imagine. Its gorgeous. Not only is the story of its construction amazing, but the structure itself is phenomenal. I tried to take as many pictures of the curved roofs and slanted walkways as possible. [enter photos here]

Jack, knowing how much I like Christmas carols, bought us tickets to the opera house holiday show. It was fantastic and I was blown away by the acoustics. The singers and musicians don't use microphones, the sound bounces off the wood in such a way that they don't have to. However, because the sounds takes a few seconds to come back to them, they placed plastic rings above the musicians which capture 40% of the sound and directs it back to the players in real time, so that they can hear what they are playing. What an interesting idea. Plus, the music was fun and you all know how I love to sing. Even though they made jokes about the Christmas barbeques and sang a few bizarre carols, it immediately made me get more into the Christmas spirit.

After the show we ran, literally, for the harbor and our ferry to Watson's Bay where we were meeting Jack's family (Jane, his first cousin-once-removed, and her family). Watson's Bay was stunning. On the way over we got to see amazing views of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House, plus all the boats in the bay. Then once there we took a walk along the water and beach and saw a beautiful little fishing spot taken up by some Asian families which just happened to be alongside a nude beach (really Jane described it to me as a couple of older men who were always fishing naked). Strange combo, but interesting nonetheless. Then we went out to dinner with them to a pizza parlor close to Bondhi Beach. It was such a pleasure spending time with them that we readily agreed to visit again for Christmas.

Christmas Eve we left our Y Hotel (YWCA hostel) to spend a wonderful two nights in the Sheraton on the Park. We decided to celebrate with a warm, comfy bed and a huge shower! Then we went to Chinatown and the Anglican Cathedral. If you don't know, my family has a strange, but lovely, Christmas Eve tradition based on the movie "A Christmas Story" in which a family's Christmas dinner is ruined when neighbors dogs eat it. So, they all go out for an nontraditional meal where they are sung "Deck the Halls" with a fa ra ra instead of fa la la. Funny stuff. Since about 15 years ago, my family has always gone to eat Japanese food in celebration. So, because or token Japanese restaurant ended up being closed, Jack and I went to a Chinese restaurant before going to the Cathedral for service. The service was splendid, complete with a boys gospel choir. Growing up Catholic, I found the service refreshing, void of the more formal sermon and readings. Plus, something about church has always made me really happy and relaxed, the perfect way to celebrate giving and the holiday spirit, whatever your personal beliefs might be.

A few days before we had spent a rainy afternoon in Darling Harbor and gone shopping on George street for stocking stuffers, so we had ample ammo for our Christmas morning surprises. I got Jack the typical goodies: a Toblerone, some games and small toys, a kangaroo boxing pen, bursting jelly babies (starburst flavor), etc., and he got me the most important chocolate items, including mints, and a toothbrush! Without the decorated stockings we improvised with some of Jack's socks, and yes they were clean. We then opened our two gifts: mine a hat/scarf combo made of possum and cashmere; his a pair of binoculars that he wanted, before heading to our family's for Christmas.

Christmas with the Rothschild/Dickson gang was interesting. I have never eaten shrimp with their heads still on before, but I braved it all in the name of an Aussie Christmas, and boldly ate my lobster and prawns. I don't know if Jack or Jane, Nigel and Simon would agree it was that bold, but I thought so. At least they all kept major chuckles to themselves. We had a lovely day, again taking a walk and enjoying their company. Simon just got into Penn, so we hope to see more of him at the family Thanksgivings over the next four years.

Our Sydney adventure ended as Jack and I picked up our enormous camper van on Boxing Day, the 26th! We headed out to start our road trip, traveling like the locals in the summer heat.

Pictures coming!

Melbourne and Melvin

2008-01-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

On December 15th Jack and flew from New Zealand, where the temperature was cool and balmy at times, to Melbourne, where the Australian summer hit us like a ton of bricks as we stepped off the plane. We were there for a few reasons but our main one was to see our friends Jackie (nee Melvin) and Josh. I had gone to school with Jackie in Boston and, as she's now married to an Aussie and lives here with him, I rarely see her.

Our plan was to meet them in Melbourne on the 16th and stay for a few days before heading to Sydney for Christmas. Although they live in Townsville, they were headed to Josh's family in Tasmania for the holidays, so Melbourne was the perfect spot to meet. We took a really late flight into Melbourne, got in a cab and headed to the hostel I booked online for the first night when just Jack and I were there. The "plan" which quickly turned into a failed plan!

We got to the hostel around 1 am. Drunken 20-somethings packed the streets on their way out to clubs and bars to find soul mates, or maybe just a mate for the night. Among the crowded street was the hostel, completely postered up and geered for the young, hip crowd. We were just looking foward to sleep. But that was not in the cards. We finally managed our way inside when the night attendant told us that our room had been double-booked and proceeded to give us $10 for a cab to another, far away, hotel. We tiredly walked outside, made our way with our large backpacks and travel ware to the corner, hailed a cab just to be told that it was only a few blocks away and we could walk. Not what you want to do at 1:30 am. But we did it anyway, until I was tooo tired to face the 20 some-odd blocks it turned out to be! So we finally got into a cab and made it to our new hotel. Whew. The rest of the trip was far more enjoyable than our early morning stroll amongst the puke and hussy filled streets.

We met up with Jackie and Josh the next afternoon and headed out in search of a belt for Jack and a dress for me. Obviously with so little packing room we had not planned for a nice night out with friends. That night we were going to a fancy dinner on a train that toured the city, called "Meals on Wheels." Our attire of fast drying clothes and Keen sandals would not have done. So we went to Target! I couldn't believe they had Targets here, but thanks to globalization, they did. After a successful shopping trip, we headed to the Melbourne Gaol (that's Jail in the USA).

The gaol was fascinating. I learned about Ned Kelley and all the unfortunate people who had to spend time there, any amount of time. Unfortunately none of the four of us remembered to bring a camera; so as they treated us all like convicts, making us form lines and putting us in the holding cells that they used until the 1990s, we have no proof of it. In the beginning however, the police officer looked at us all and picked a person to role play who looked like he/she would never be in a jail. That person was me. I just look that innocent. (Don't laugh.) We each got a card with our crime on it, mine was larson with the intent to kill, Jack's was indecent exposure! It was all in good fun.

That night we got all dressed up and headed to dinner. And although my shoes garnered a "nice 'fancy' shoes Joyce" from Jackie, they had to do. It was great to spend time with Jackie and Josh, getting to know him better especially as the night wore on. We went to the casino afterwards, just to drink and watch the ridiculous Christmas show. It was a good night.

We got up fairly early the next morning. Thanks to Josh and Jackie, who went to pick up the rental car, we got to sleep in later. Then we all headed to the Great Ocean Road. We saw beautiful passages, like Route 1 in California, and the 12 Apostles, but most importantly we saw koalas in the eucalyptus trees. They were adorable. And its completely true that you want to hug them on site, but the ones that don't grow up in petting zoos really aren't friendly.

The next two days were spent visiting all the Melbourne sites: the skytower, the museum, the aquarium, an Anglican cathedral and walked all over. It was a lot of fun. On the 19th we said our goodbyes and were off to Sydney.

In retrospect, I think I liked Melbourne most out of our Aussie city adventures. It certainly was nice, with milder temps than the rest. Even though the Great Ocean Road was a fly haven (flies literally swarmed us as we got out of the car to see the sites) the city was quaint. I think Jackie and Josh's decision to move from the tropics down that way is a great one! Hopefully you'll get lots of visitors in a couple of years, Jacks.

New Zealand and the Lord of the Rings - Part II

2007-12-26T22:02:00.001-08:00

So after our time in Wellington, we took a ferry ride across Cook Strait to the South Island. The boat ride, although rough at times, was rather pleasant. Plus, once we got into the Marlborough Sounds, the ride calmed. The Sounds are inlets dotted with little bungalows and summer homes, only accessable via boat. The Sounds are made up of finger like streches of land reaching out into the ocean where three major bodies of water join. It looks like what parts of Maine must have looked like 50 or more years ago. If the day had seen clearer skies, I may have convinced Jack to hang out and try kayaking, but as it was a huge storm was brewing and we needed to head south.

We got to Kaikoura later in the evening, with enough time to check into a motel and run the grocery to cook dinner. It was a lovely evening of relaxing while snacking on fresh fruit and a good wine. The next morning we headed out to swim with dolphins. I'm not talking about swimming with a dolfin or two in captivity, where they perform a few tricks and you hang on their dorsal fin. These dolphins were wild. We went with a company called Dolphin Encounter, where they took us out into the ocean and had us join a pod of about 350 dolphins. They swam around us, circling us occassionally, checking us out while we dove down and made all sorts of funny noises in the name of entertaining them, despterately trying to keep their attention. It was the most amazing experience. At first I was hesitant, I mean, I was in a full body suit in freezing temperatures, getting ready to plunge into an ocean with wild animals. But after the first group of 5 or even 10 came swimming right at me, and I got to play with them a bit, I was hooked. I had taken the head piece off (I found it too restricting) and as the rush hit, I could barely feel the cold.

After the exhilerating start to the day, we decided to take another ride and on a whim booked a helicopter tour. We had heard from one of the boaters that two blue whales had been spotted in the vacinity. Jack and I both couldn't miss that. Our half hour helicopter ride turned into the best spot decision we have made on this trip. We got to see a female and her calf and hovered over them for about 10 minutes. They are so big, almost unreal. I was amazed at their size, and felt truly lucky to see them in the wild. Then, as they dove, our pilot took us to see a sperm whale that had surfaced. Again, a crazy site. This time the whale was located by a whale watching vessel, so we could compare the sizes. They are enormous mammals. Absolutely astonishing. I now have a better insight into the gravity of whaling. Maybe the next step is to join Greenpeace and go on anti-whaling trips. They just had a huge victory as the Japanese decided to hold off on humpback whaling, so maybe now is the time to step up! Hmmm. Or maybe I'll just whole heartedly support the cause for now.

After Kaikoura, we headed to Christchurch to stay with family friends. This time we stayed with Alex McKinnon and his lovely girlfriend, Rhianon. They were kind enough to host us for two nights and show us around a bit. We had some wonderful Thai food the first night, a warm welcome from the more traditional English fare in New Zealand, and were introduced to the pasty the next day at a farmer's market. The pasty is extremely popular all over England and apparently New Zealand as well. Although I tend to be against meat pies of any kind, the pasty was surprisingly good, even cold. Jack did eat most of it though.

Christchurch is famous for its gardens, so we did some walking around the city to take them in a bit, as well as to explore the Cathedral with its windy bell tower, Christ College, and the new modern art museum. I'm not really a fan of modern art, but the building's architecture was great. Plus, its always nice to check out local artists. Then we went to see Into the Wild, a movie by Sean Penn about a young man who donates all of his inheritance to OXFAM to live a life in the wild. Without giving the moving away, what I'll say is that Jack read the book and has always been intregued by the idea of trying to live off the land, without worldly possessions. Now that we're married, it puts a wrinkle in any attempt to shed all attachment to society and live in the wild, but I understand the basic idea. Some people may say that we're coming pretty close to it now, living for 9 and 1/2 months out of a backpack, but really we have it pretty good. We don't have many clothes, or extra shoes or jewelry or little stuff, but we don't miss it too much. What we miss most is having a permanent place to put everything. Moving every few days gets exhausting. Anyway, in the movie, the main character comes to some sort of revelation that happiness is only happiness when shared. Honestly, it started out well but in the end I just kept thinking, "what an idiot."

On our way from Christchurch we did something I've never done before, we picked up hitchhikers. Americans wouldn't really dream of doing that now-a-days, but the movie inspired us to do it. Plus, we were in New Zealand, where they mention one car crash, or one rape, etc. on the national news. Suffice it to say that we were safe. They two kids were college age and headed south for Christmas break. It was a nice change in conversation for a bit and made us feel good for aboout two seconds before the conversation ended. Mom, how did you do this so much in the 70s?

We went to Lake Tekapo for the night before heading to Mount Cook (New Zealand's largest mountain) and Tasman glacier. The area is gorgeous and well worth a visit. We hiked a bit up to the glaciers - what a fantastic site. We actually saw melting glaciers and the formed glacier lake. If I had been more able, we would have gone kayaking in it, or atleast hiked for longer. But we ended up just heading south again the next day, towards the Otago Penninsula.

On the Otago Peninsula we stayed in a new hostel, Old Bones, sortof out of the way, but extremely nice. It is great to finally find a place where there aren't spiders on your pillow (the night before in Lake Takapo I had a huge black spider crawling right by my head on the pillow as I woke up) and clean and safe enough to do laundry. While there we went to see yellow eyed and blue penquins! The blue penguins were really interesting. We found out that they spend most of their time at sea and only come ashore to mate and molt. The couple needs both the male and female to raise an offspring, so if one dies at sea, then all is lost. They are also the smallest of the penguins and currently in danger.

We also went to a beautiful little restaurant, called Fleur's Place in a nearby town of Moeraki. It's completely made up of wood that used to be in other buildings. For instance, the stairs came from an old house, the floorboards came from another building, etc. I thought it was such a cool idea. And the food was fantastic.

We then went to Dunedin, where we visited the Cadbury chocolate factory (Amazing!) and the only Castle in New Zealand before catching a flight back to Auckland and on to Australia.

Pictures coming!

New Zealand and the Lord of the Rings - Part I

2007-12-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We flew into New Zealand, Auckland to be precise, from Fiji. I had just had the accident and was trying to walk, so our adventures were fairly minimal. We spent a few days there, stayed in a really creepy hostel and visited the hospital, where they confirmed my cuts were healing nicely with no infections, before heading out to see the landscape. We did have some amazing experiences while there though, we not only visited the best ice cream shop I've ever been too (Bill Clinton even stopped here on a visit in 1999), by the name of The Chocolate Boutique, but we went to the top of the Sky tower as well.

By far, in our few days in the city, Jack's driving was the scariest thing we did. We rented a car (the public transportation in New Zealand would have taken way too long, plus I was in no condition to sit on a bus for hours on end). He did an excellent job too! We did have a few instances where he drove on the wrong side of the road (over here its on the Left), but luckily no cars were coming. We then headed north to Sheep World where we saw a shy sheep shorn (say that 10 times) and learned about the natural environment before English settlers cleared the land for sheep grazing. We also learned how good possum fur is for the environment, they are a pest here and not native to the land. Possum fur is the only fur that is deemed good by the World Wildlife Fund (if you're going to buy fur, buy possum fur - its really soft too). Jack bought a pair of slippers and I'm a bit jealous.

Something you may want to consider if you visit New Zealand is that outside of major cities you will not find many hostels, hotels or B&Bs open late. We discovered this at a very inopportune time, as we were headed down the major two lane highway at 9 pm. Everywhere we stopped was closed for the night. We almost had to sleep in the car, but were saved by a very nice old woman who opened her B&B for a ridiculous rate to save us from driving off the road due to sleep deprivation. We learned our lesson!

We then headed to the Coromandel Peninsula to Thames for a night. We stayed a B&B run by a really interesting couple. They grew all of their own fruit and vegetables organically and the husband also had a wood shop (something I also dream of doing one day). Jack and I have discussed ways in which we could grow our own food as well, so it was such a great experience to see it in practice.

After our day in the car, driving around the peninsula, we found our way to Rotorua, a town with a high volume of volcanic activity. We went on a fabulous breakfast boat ride in the morning, after a night at a very good and sparse youth hostel, where we were the only passengers. Usually, they assured us, there were about 100 guests, but we were happy and lucky enough to have our own private tour. The crew gave us great pointers on where to go on the cheep, so instead of paying a bunch of money to see the boilers (like in Yellowstone) we just walked around the city to see the boiling water and mud. It was great! We also visited the Buried Village, the site of a - well you guessed it - buried village from a volcanic explosion over a 100 years ago. Although nothing like Pompeii, it was quite a site to see.

Our days drive from Coromandel Peninsula took us past Tongariro National Park, a World Heritage area. It may be most well known of late as the home of "Mount Doom" in the Lord of the Rings. "Mount Doom" is really Ngauruhoe mountain and is in the middle of two other magnificent mountains. All I can say is that the landscape is one film makers dream of. It was remarkable.

Our next stop was Waitomo, a place known for its caving and glow worms. We again stayed at a really fascinating B&B, this time it was an ostrich farm! The B&B was average, but the owners were hilarious. They were convinced by their entrepreneur son to go in on a scheme to raise ostriches years ago, so they moved to Waitomo and started the farm. We got the tour after breakfast. The eggs alone can feed 18 people! They way a ton, well really about two kilos - or about 5 pounds. You can also use their skin, feathers, and meat. Talk about a useful bird. I may not attempt eating an ostrich, but it sure makes it hard to argue not to. Jack tried an egg, he liked it well enough. I just stuck to my yogurt. We also learned that they could gut you in one kick of their leg - ouch. They really look and act a lot like dinosaurs up close (I assume of course).

After our visit at the Big Bird Inn, and our night hike to see the glow worms, we traveled south to the capital, Wellington. The drive, like all of New Zealand, was simply breathtaking.

Wellington was extremely nice, mostly due to the fact that we stayed with Peters' family friends, the McKinnon's. Although Jack and I love to backpack, and really enjoy our adventures, it was was relaxing and refreshing to stay with friends. It was a treat to have a room for more than two nights and a place where we didn't have to lock up our stuff when we left for the day. It was the perfect time too, as I was starting to miss the comforts of home.

While in Wellington, we visited Parliament at John's suggestion and witnessed a heated debate, as can only happen in the Westminster system. Not unlike the House of Commons. We also just walked around the city, took in the botanic gardens, rode the tramcar, visited the Treaty of Waitomo (the treaty signed by the British settlers and the Maori chiefs), saw an exhibition about Whales at the Wellington museum, and enjoyed home cooked meals by Avenal. It was extremely nice.

Pictures and more to come.

Dare Devil Joyce

2007-11-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

So the day before Thanksgiving, Jack and I were in Tuvalu. We decided to head out after breakfast and explore the extremely small island of Funafuti. Well, we had hear the best way to do this was to rent a motor scooter. We rented one at the front desk, but when it arrived we realized it was an actual motorcycle.

Jack tried to ride first, but stalled. I then hopped on. I started the bike without problem, and started to go... but couldn't stop. I went too fast, uncontrollably, and hit a car. A government car. It was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me.

I didn't scream, but it felt like it. I was stuck between the car and the ground for a moment or two - it seemed like forever - until Jack, the mechanic and a few other men came rushing over.

They helped me up; and hobbling, I went to sit down. I had some rather nasty cuts on my knee, a huge lump on my leg, some other cuts and scraps and some swollen fingers. The worst part was right after the accident, when it all went a bit fuzzy and slightly black for a few seconds.

I ended up going to the Tuvalu hospital, which was an adventure. The hotel van took me there, after the cop asked for ID. It was all rather nonchalant. The hospital was hot and full of ants, but the desk attendant was nice and sent us to the Pediatric Exam room. Weird. I went in after a few minutes and had the doctor look at me. He seemed rather unconcerned, but impressed with our first aid kit, which Jack brought. It doesn't bode well for the rest of the third world countries we're visiting.

I was sent back to the hotel.

The next day, Thanksgiving, I didn't leave the room. My leg had swollen to the size of a softball and I could barely move. That didn't stop me from getting extremely sick - I couldn't hold down food. But, I've survived and am doing much better.

I am now in New Zealand, and despite an infection scare, am fine. The hospital here was awesome and I was reassured that everything was healing well.

I have to say, although I don't gush about my husband often, he's the best man in the world. He's been amazing, even renting this ridiculous bike to get around Tuvalu faster so he could get back to taking care of me as fast as he could.

I think that's the last of my motorcycle days.

Coastal Defenses in Tonga and Tuvalu

2007-11-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit the Kingdom of Tonga was because of climate change. For the past few years I've been studying security in general and the way in which environmental change could lead to conflict, known as environmental security. Although a small field, it interests me because it allows me to look at both the environment and security studies. It also allows me to delve into climate change and its affects worldwide.

That primarily is what brought us to Tonga and later Tuvalu. As a large small island state, Tonga has a rather influential position within the region. It is also one of the bigger countries involved in the UN group representing small island countries. As a group they are largely concerned with rising sea levels and the affect this could have on their countries, especially if the polar ice caps melt as predicted. Tonga also has one of the more advanced countries, in terms of protective measures taken to guard against destruction due to sea rise. I wanted to see for myself what that entailed.

Tongan lagoon -

When we arrived in Tonga, both my husband and I were surprised at the laid back attitude of the islanders. This went way beyond a laissez-faire approach to work. Instead it meant that when we asked directions, for instance, we often got blank stares and quizzical looks. Everyone wanted to help, but seemed not to know the answers. Even when asking location questions, no one seemed to know directions. When asked about this, one local explained that it was most likely because Tongans generally do not know much about the world outside of their country. But we persisted and attempted to ask a few people about climate change. Locals seemed unaware of the topic, until we mentioned coastal erosion. Then they were happy to discuss their concerns.

On our island tour we were shown the defenses, which consist of about a meter high coral wall around only about a third of the main island Tongatapu.

From what I could gather, the best defenses were on the island of 'Eua, which rises about 20 meters from the ocean.

This gave me concern for the rest of the region. If Tonga only had a coral wall, what were the rest of the countries likely to have?

Nothing. Probably.

This is exactly what I found in Tuvalu. Although a personal accident kept me from visiting the lagoon at a closer range, I was able to see that there are no defenses. No disaster planning or preparation either, which leaves the country in a dire state if seas were to rise. At least Tonga has a contingency plan to move its people to Australia. I don't know if there is such a plan on Tuvalu. We attempted to speak to government officials while there; but as parliament was in session all members were meeting in the tent outside the airport. We did get a peak inside the Ministry of the Environment, which was strewn with pamphlets from the UN regarding climate change.

Although beautiful, there is no protection for Funafuti, Tuvalu:

In contrast to Tonga, Tuvalu is an extremely small nation, with only about 8,000 citizens. With so few people, and a small government, its no wonder they have nothing to protect their land.

As far as our trip went, I was able to take back with me a concern for the region and a better understanding of general malaise surrounding the issue. Hopefully I'll be able to do something in a future career regarding disaster planning. Perhaps create something better than a meter high sea wall.

Chilly Chile

2007-11-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Jack and I got to Santiago on Halloween. Although marked by children in costumes and the passing out of candy in the USA, in Chile we found little evidence of this. Maybe it was the fact that we were in the city, or the fact that we spent the evening drinking margaritas in a Mexican restaurant, but it did not have the same festive feel. I fear that this will be our experience with most holidays oversees.

Despite the lack of celebration, our Chilean holiday was not without entertainment. On our third day we rented a car and drove to Valparaiso. Its a city located on the coast, among the hills of the Andes. It also was once home to Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet. We visited his house, bizarre, beautiful and amazing all at once. It has fabulous view of the harbor, with interesting touches everywhere. He used old portholes as windows in the stairwell and doors from old buildings all over. It gave me some ideas for decorating, as well as recycling efforts when building a home.

Our second destination was a small town in Rancagua where a well-know spa is located called Termas de Cauquenes. Although once probably a grand spa resort, the building looked like it hadn't been renovated since the 1930s. The hotel is most known for its restaurant, which we thought was five-star. However on our first night, we were one of three customers. The food was spectacular though. Even though the trip was less than expected, it was an experience. I feel as though Hollywood has missed a great opportunity here to film in a relic.

We then headed further south to the wine region around Santa Cruz. This area was gorgeous and boasts some of the best wine in the world. We visited Vina Santa Cruz on our second day. We would have stayed longer, but we had to get back to Santiago to head to the south pacific.

I found Chile pleasant and welcoming. Besides the fact that the highway was not well marked, making it an interesting place to drive, it was very developed, a step ahead of the rest of the South America we explored. Its very diverse, so we felt as though we could have stayed much longer and been amazed the whole time. Every aspect of it was beautiful, from the coast to the mountains. On our drive back to Santiago I took in such a fantastic site: the mountains looked as though they were floating in the sky. A blue patch separated the foothills from the high peaks, giving it a sense of suspension in the air - breathtaking!

Because Chile has a large number of biomes and ecosystems, from the desert in the north to Patagonia in the south, this is a place I want to come back to.

Here we are on a "date" to a nice dinner in Santa Cruz. This is one of the only days I've been able to dry my hair with a blow dryer. Exciting stuff!

Beautiful Air and gibberish

2007-11-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

So onward to Buenos Aires.

Jack and I went to Buenos Aires in late October. It was a rollercoaster of a few days, mainly walking the streets for hours on end. The city is gorgeous. It is no wonder it's name means 'beautiful air.' There were parks galore. One of the major attractions for us was the nature preserve located on the Rio de la Plata. It had miles of walking trails, all closed to vehicles and reserved strictly for bikers, walkers, or rollerbladers. It was also full of birds and other wildlife; in general, it was spectacular.

I broke down on the second day and just had to go see a movie. It didn't matter what exactly, just as long as it was in English. You see, at this point I was having difficulties. My spanish is non-existant, and Jack, well, if you know Jack, you know that he's beyond gifted with languages. It's annoying at times. He never claimed to know spanish very well, "Just a few phrases to get by," he claimed. Yeah right. We're in Costa Rica for a few days, and he just picks it up! Although this is fabulous overall, it meant that in South America I was glued to Jack's side. I couldn't wander because if I got lost, I couldn't ask for directions. I couldn't read menus, which meant Jack was ordering for me. And in general, I was mute in conversation. It was frustrating.

This leads us to the movie. We went to see, of all things, Invasores, or the Nicole Kidman flick based on "the Bodysnatchers" or something. It would not be my first choice by any means, but options were limited in English. That was the low point.

We were only in Buenos Aires for a few days, but as luck would have it we happened to be there during the Presidential elections. It was interesting to walk the streets and read the signs (well, Jack read them) that were mainly about communism or abstaining from voting in order to prove a point. What point is that? I've never understood those who abstain from voting. Plus, its a bit ironic that they'd call for non-voting when voicing a rejection is permitted in a democracy. Communist countries don't generally allow you to do that. The very thing they abhor is what allows them to voice objection in the first place. Oh well.

We also got to see my friend Antonio. I worked with him at the UN for a few months last winter. It was great to see him and catch up. Although Brazilian, he's working in Argentina and was able to give us a bit of an insiders perspective. He took us to this great restaurant, full of meat! Really Argentina is known for its beef, so it was nice to enjoy a steak for a change. Vegetarians beware!

Here are photos:

I've been taking photos of recycling around the world as we've traveled. These, by far, are the largest recycling bins to date (right outside of the Pink House, Argentin'a White House):

Cool Cuzco

2007-11-26T20:31:00.001-08:00

Before I move onto our trip to Buenos Aires and Santiago, I thought I would write a bit about Cuzco, Peru. Up until now, this city has been my favorite. Cuzco is located high in the Andes at about 12,000 ft. which makes for a very cool climate. Its a bustling cultural center among the ancient ruins of the Incan empire and the historical sites of the Spanish conquistadors. Cathedrals are built with Incan stones, and an Incan temple's ruins can be seen as the foundation for the Dominican monestary.

The city also boasts a European feel, no doubt of Spanish influence. The streets remain cobblestone in the center and most buildings have terraces. The views are also spectacular because of the hills. From our hostel window we could see little children practicing cultural dance in a square below; and the music from wind instruments carried up to our window as well.

Of course, along with the hagglers and nagging sellers of post-cards and finger puppets came many fabulous locals who sold tapestries and works of art. Many women carried bundles on their backs and wore local dress. Hats depict various areas of Peru, and although we never were able to tell which was which, it was interesting to note.

We spent a few days there in October, both before and after our hiking trips in the Andes and the Amazon. There was a lot to do and see, and I would certainly go back if I could. We spent some time in the artisan market, tasting the local dishes and finding great meals, the best one was only 12 soles for 2, which is equal to about $4, and visiting the Cathedrals. Just walking up the streets was a challenge at times because of altitude and the sheer fact that they were so steep.

Here are some photos for you:

Before I left for the trip, my dad asked me if I'd look out for evidence of large companies taking over business or negatively affecting locals' lives. Of course, this was due to his recent reading of Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Regardless of reason, and partially due to the fact that I'm interested in organic farming and the use of pesticides, I thought it was interesting that one of the only factories in Cuzco is a pesticide plant. Most of the other industries have left, and the existence of the pesticide company means that most of the local farmers use them. We noticed a large number of ads for them around the city. I couldn't resist mentioning this because it contrasts with the way of farming used by the Incas themselves, who were really good at using the climate and landscape to their advantage. (They obviously didn't have pesticides and used terrace farming, in circular patterns when possible. One theory for this is to help with irrigation.)
Anyway, it was an intersting sidenote. One for you, dad!

Peruvian Amazon

2007-11-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

Many things have shocked me on our travels, but our trip to the Amazon was stunning, for a few reasons. First, we had just come from Cuzco and Machu Picchu, where the climate was cool and crisp. So the heat of the jungle was shocking at first. I'm not one to do very well in hot weather. My crew coach in college once gasped at how I had sweated through a sweater on a run, to give you an idea.

Second, the days before we reached the Amazon, we were immersed in Peruvian culture. From the Larres Trek, where we met local people living on the mountainside, to Cuzco, where we saw many Incan and Spanish sites, to Macchu Picchu, one of the best preserved Incan villages. Peru had thus been an educational experience. I will be the first to admit that before going, I had little interest in Incan history. So, going to the Amazon, I expected to be an extension of our Incan learning. How wrong was I?

Third, I just didn't realize what we would encounter.

We flew from Cuzco to Puerto Maldanado where we met our tour group and traveled by bus to the boat. We had to travel 3 hours down the Rio Tambopata to our destination.

Here is the river and the boat we traveled on:

We walked through parts of the jungle before reaching the lodge around dusk. Both Jack and I were excited to stay there, because it was an eco-friendly lodge, basically that meant no hot water or electricity most of the time. For me, this brought another surprise though, as our room didn't have either an actual door, or windows. Instead it opened up to the jungle. This meant that bugs of all sorts visited us. They did provide us with mosquito nets however. We were warned not to leave anything with a scent out, because opossums frequented the rooms.

On the first night, on my way to dinner, I spotted a really bizarre animal outside the room. It looked like a opossum in the face, but was bright yellow and had spikes all over its body, making it a porcupine or something. I called for Jack, and he came out too. So there was a witness! But our guide, Diego and the others claimed they had no idea what it was when I described it and said they had never heard of such an animal. Who knows, maybe I discovered a rare Amazonian species?

The second day, it rained; so our activities consisted of an afternoon walk. The jungle alone was simply breathtaking. We were suppose to go to a huge salt lick, where tons and tons of macaws go in the mornings, but it rained. We went to a lookout tower which was awesome, and high. We were swarmed by bees and wasps at the very top, but no stings. Instead we saw tropical birds, Macaws, and other weird birds. Again, I'm not big into birds.

Here is the view from the top of the lookout tower and the canopy view:

That night, we took a boat ride in the river to see the Caymans. They are related to alligators and crocks, but much much smaller. They live all along the river. It was very cool.

On the third day we got an early start and went for the whole morning to some small lakes. The walk there was about an hour long, then we got in a long canoe and headed across the lake. The sun was blistering hot. Once we crossed, we walked a ways and got into another canoe. This one had issues. You see, it did not have a paddle. Our guide said some local must have stolen it. Our group consisted of about 12 people, all in one canoe, so we desperately needed a paddle. One of the people, Smit as we called him, got out a pocket knife and handed it to the guides. They then proceeded to cut down a small tree to use as a paddle to cross the lake. Two men, at either end of the boat, used these stick like things to move all of us along the lake. I thought we were crossing it, but after a few hours of apparent bird watching, I realized that it was not the case. We went up a part of the lake and got stuck, where our guide pointed out the grass growing all around us to show that it was nature's way of making new paths for the water and filling in the rest with swampy marshes. I thought an explanation would have sufficed, but whatever. We then backtracked, all of us grabbing the grass to pull us out, and finally reached the shore. Meanwhile, the whole time, the guy in front of me had noticed a leak in the canoe when we first started. He was hauling water out with a small bucket the entire time!

So, we were in a canoe with no oars, with a leak, in water where piranhas live! It was quite the experience. We survived though.

Here is Jack fishing for pirahnas:

That afternoon, we went to an organic farm. The owner was taught to farm organically by a NGO, ProNatura (www.pronatura.org). Although only one of four farmers in the region to take part in the program, Don Manuel is the only one that profited from the change. The farm was small, but well organized. One of the main crops, that will be profitable in many years, are mahogany trees. Apparently mahogany was over cut, and is now is extremely short supply. So the NGO showed Don Manuel how to intersperse the trees among the crops. Besides growing fruit, such as starfruit, bananas, papayas, mangoes, hybrid fruit etc. he had coffee, sugarcane, chicken, and much more.
It was really fascinating to see.

The whole trip was fantastic. We agreed we would go back if we could later in life. The Amazon is certainly stunning. And hot. If you want more information on the group we took the tours with, Rainforest Expeditions (amazing because of how eco-conscious they are) go to www.perunature.com

Beautiful Peruvian Trek

2007-11-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

Jack and I went treking for three days in the Andes in mid-October. Here´s how our trip went. Let me break this down for you. We got up around 5:45 am so that we could be picked up at 6:20 am to meet our guide and the rest of the group. Then we got on a bus and drove through some mountains in the Andes to our destination point, from where we started hiking. Anticipating that I may have some trouble with rocky areas, steep drop-offs and the high altitude (we were at around 12,100 feet high at the start) I hired two walking sticks. I soon found out that I would definitely have problems with the altitude. I sounded like a woman doing lamase while hiking up the steep parts - which was quite often, considering we were hiking for about 5-9 hours a day. But I did it, and was surprisingly not too sore either.

The hike was absolutely amazing. The area was gorgeous, like nothing I´ve ever seen before. We hiked a total of 3 days for perhaps 19 hours total. The highest campsite was 4,400 meters (about 13,000 feet or so). We hiked past glacier lakes, llamas and alpacas grazing, small villages where children often tended the animals. Most of the trip was extremely rocky, with steep drop-offs. I was frightened to be sure. But most of the time I was too busy trying to breathe to worry about the cliffs and rocks. I do have a new found respect for those people who climbed the Alps to get to freedom.

Here is a picture of a glacier in the background:

We were really taken by the local people, who only speak Quechua, and live in small huts.

Children would come out to great us on the path, and ask for candy. We had bought some small gifts for them, hair bands for girls and combs for boys, in a market before setting out the first morning, and they took them with the biggest smiles on their faces. Another hiker had bread, or ¨tanta¨ in their language, and they absolutely loved that! One little two year old, who could barely walk up the steep hill from his hut to the path, only took the tanta and literally rejected all other gifts- clearly its food that mattered most to him.

The striking thing about these children, was that they all seemed so happy, even though they were extremely dirty and work nothing more than sandals on their feet (it was freezing at times). They also had burns on their cheeks, from both sunburns and frostbite. It was heartwarming to witness how they live and to know that in order to get to school, the majority of them travel a few hours a day. Some take a bus, but most walk to school. And the walk is not an easy one.

On our second night, three women came to sell tapestries to us at the campsite. One woman carried a huge bundle on her back, plus a three month old baby. And she totally put us to shame walking up the steep hills - she was incredibly fast. That night it started to snow - we literally woke up on the third day to a few inches of snow around us.

On the fourth day we made it to Machu Picchu. We woke up very early again to take the bus up and see the ancient Inca site as the sun rose. It was amazing. Although we were sore and tired, the ruins were stimulating.

We ended our hike by returning to Cuzco and preparing for our trip to the Amazon. I would highly recommend this to anyone who's willing.

Pictures of Past Events

2007-11-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

So here are some photos I have neglected to post.

After so many meals in Costa Rica, consisting of fried plantains and rice, this was my favorite meal. I have to admit, it did sustain us for quite a few days - we even ate the bread and peanut butter for breakfast. Yum!

Here I am in the Costa Rican canopy, going upside down! Crazy moments I tell you. If you can't figure it out from the photo - I'm absolutely screaming at this point. It was so much fun.

And here Jack and I are, going together on the zip line. Cute, I know.

This picture sums up our terrible night in Puerto Viejo. The hostel looked like something from a horror movie. Quite honestly, between the ants crawling on the wall, the lizards and Jack's terrible rash, it was my idea of a nightmare. Really, that's an overstatement.

Ok, I hope you've enjoyed some of these. More will come, I promise!

Lonesome George

2007-10-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Jack and I went to the Galapagos Islands off of Ecuador on October 11th. We arrived in Quito and immediately welcomed the cool weather. We actually had to wear jackets and I put on my down vest. From Quito we traveled to Baltra in the Galapagos Archipeligo. Jack and I were so tired that we fell asleep for most of the plane rides (yes rides) and were completely disoriented, not to mention hungry, when we landed. Because we were so tired from our trip from Costa Rica and the 12 hour delay in the Panama airport, we missed most of the free food on the plane. I have to give this to Ecuadorian airlines - they certainly know how to feed people. The worst part was that I kept dreaming about them serving food, but was too tired to wake up to get any. So when I did wake up, taking off my eye mask, the loud and loquacious man from Philly behind us told us straight off how wonderful the food service was and all about the delicious little sandwhiches. We, however, had to settle for plantain chips and a coke in the airport.

We soon discovered that our adventure was going to make us intimate with our boat, GAP III, some of the wildlife and the eight other passengers onboard.

We traveled to four of the 13 large islands. The first day we went to a very small island to see sea lions. The docks of San Francisco Bay are nothing compared to the beaches in the Galapagos. We were so close that we were stepping over them to walk along the beach. Most were harmless, but watch out for the male sea lions! Get this - they only have control over the harem of females for four months before they duke it out with the other males again. I guess its natures way of making sure they´re not too inbred. I think we know more than we´d ever want to about sea lion mating.

Anyway, our second activity, snorkling, took us to frigid waters where we both almost died, not from the cold per se, but from the extreme waves. Brrr! I´m cold and tired just thinking of it. At some point, my senses came to me and I decided to hoist myself back in the boat. I felt a bit like a huge fish wrigling on the boat deck - and then there came Jack, an even bigger fish! I think his lips were actually blue. So much for him always being about 10 degrees hotter than me.

Our hiking adventures and subsequent snorkling activities were much more successful. We saw some turtles, sting rays, sharks (they were asleep than goodness!), and penquins in the water. Fish included of course. On land we saw the famous finches, land, marine and hybrid iguanas, hugh albatrose birds, pink flamingos, blue-footed boobies, and so many more birds. The hikes were my favorite. That´s where we got to see the most wildlife, plus the waters were cold and almost too cloudy to see anything.

One of my favorite hikes took us to Floreana, or Charles Island, where Charles Darwin spent 5 weeks studying the finches. I don´t care much for birds, so that didn´t interest me too much, but I was fascinated by the landscape. Everything was dry and it all looked barren. We learned that when El Nino that hit the island and made the flamingo population drop from the thousands to only a few hundred. Our guide explained that although hte plant life can survive for long periods without rain, the animal populations are extremely vulnerable. This makes it difficult for the islands, becuase they continue to move closer to Ecuador each year. Combined with the four different wind currents and the increasing tourism, the Galapagos are threatened in multiple ways - tourism and invasive species being the most dangerous. If you want to know more about convervation efforts, visit www.galapagos.org.

Another great trip was to the tortoise conservation center. There were met George. He´s the last of his species left and he refuses to mate. I would too if I were over 100 years old. Anyway, Lonesome George was amazing to see.

Everything was amazing to see. I do have to warn any future visitor though that the stay on the boat is not too much fun. First, although our group was really nice, you have to spend so much time with other passengers, so beware beforehand. Second, I, lover of all boats, got extremely sea-sick! Our cabin smelled of diesel and mildue, and everything stayed wet the whole trip. It took 2 days for me to feel steady again, just in time for my hike through the Andes. In short, we´re glad we went, and we´re glad to be off the boat!

Pictures Anyone?

2007-10-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

So, I know I´ve promised pictures of our travels. There are a few glitches in our plan to provide you with the proof of our adventures: one, we are not always have good internet access; two, we do not always have the time necessary to download them; and three, most importantly, we are a bit lazy. So we apologize. I do promise that we are indeed traveling and not in some CIA training facility in Cuba. Have you heard that´s why they don´t allow Americans to go there? Yes folks, its because that´s where we really rule the world from. Can you tell I´m tired?

The pictures will come. Have faith. They will come.

Costa Rican Travel

2007-10-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

There is something striking about Costa Rican roads. About a week ago, my husband and I were in the small Central American country, with no real agenda. All we wanted to do was relax and see some of the diverse landscape. So we made arrangements to travel to a small coastal town, a city with an active volcano and a cloud forest. To get there, however, we traversed some of the worst roads I´ve come across in my life. I first noticed the roads when we took a bus to Manzanillo from San Jose. Most of the road was well paved. Then came the bumpy, thrilling ride from the coastal town of Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo. Happily asleep for most of it, I was jerked awake as the road turned cavernous. Every ride out of the town and back, made perhaps five times total, became a stomach-turning adventure. I´d hold on to the seat in front of me and pray until it was over. If the weren´t for the extremely large potholes, the ride might have been like any other in Costa Rica: a jolty, noisy, exhaust-filled, regular ride. Walkers and bikers beware. However, this it was not.

I found out from one of our guides that the road was paved about eight years ago. The government, although praised by the US for its commitment to democracy, and indeed a ¨poster child¨ of sorts in the region for its stability, is still corrupt. The roads, as we learned, are evidence of this. Because the road was only paved with concrete a few inches thick, it quickly broke down. When I asked why the government didn´t fix it, I actually got a scoff in reply. Apparently I´m way too naive. Its too expensive for the contractors to fix, when they were the ones who overcharged and underworked in the first place.

As we continued our trip, the roads became a fascination for me. I avidly took photos and knew I had convinced Jack it was something to concern oneself with when he pointed out men working on the roads! It was amazing. They were walking down the street, not with a huge truck dumping concrete out the back while men put out orange cones to warn passers-by of the danger. Oh no! They were cranking the concrete machine themselves and hesitantly walking beside it. We had rented a car for the day, which I drove because it was a manual, so I swerved to the side of the road while Jack whipped out the camera. (You could say we were oddly fixated, yes.)

We continued to notice the streets, maybe me more so than Jack. But, goodness, I was driving on them! Not an easy task, especially when the car won´t go uphill without some coaxing, in pooring rain, and when the not-so-occasional pothole continued to make me shout profanities. (Ok, so I cuss like a sailor anyway when I drive, but this was outrageous!) Suffice it to say we were both happy to return the rental car and leave the streets of Costa Rica behind.

The Refuge

2007-10-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my husband and I were in Manzanillo, Costa Rica, a quaint little costal town. We scheduled a trip to go kayaking in Gondoca Lagoon nearby, which is part of a national refuge of around 9500 hectares. So, we woke up around 4:45 in the morning, reminding me of my crew days in college, and headed to the meeting spot. Around 6:30 am, the time we were supposed to be there (thanks to a little mistake our alarm was set an hour early), a man, who later introduced himself as Omar, rode up on a bicycle and said we should head to the beach.

After arriving on the beach, we took a boat ride to a nearby organic farm, only accessible by boat, horseback, hiking or kayak to pick up our kayaks for the morning. Our guide, Omar, said the organic farm, Punta Mona (meaning Monkey Point), grows over 600 varieties of fruits and vegetables, perhaps some other crops as well. The farm is well-known in the area, and accepts volunteers to learn sustainable farming year round. Organic farming has been practiced in the region by the Bribri for hundreds of years. It makes sense then that the region should continue this practice. If you want more information on the organic farm, go to www.puntamona.org

After picking up our kayaks, we went to the lagoon, which is a part of the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge, housing the organic farm, portions of Gandoca and Manzanillo and the lagoon. It is also the location where leatherback turtles lay their eggs every year - it is such a shame we missed this, as the high season is January to April. The lagoon, we discoved after getting our feet wet (and pretty much everything else), has amazing mangroves. Mangroves, if you are unaware, are unique in that they grow in areas where fresh water meets salt water. Because they are so delicate and cannot grow around other trees well, they adapted to suit these environments. They have become integral to costal areas, by acting as natural barriers to erosion. For that reason, many places, Florida in particular comes to mind, have discovered that eradicating the Mangroves can mean disaster for the natural ecosystem.

We then kayaked up the lagoon and viewed a variety of birds (sorry to say that I am not that knowledgable in this area and only remember the Osprey sighting). Omar mentioned that the area is home to 400 types of birds year round; however, as the rainforest is cut down, increasingly every year, more birds migrate to the lagoon. He says that somewhere around 800 birds can now be seen in the area!

As we continued along, and the hours passed, it now being somewhere around 8:00, my hopes of seeing monkeys deminished. However, Omar spotted some spidermonkeys in the trees, literally trying to pull branches over to make bridges. It was an amazing sight. We also got to see white-faced monkeys and we heard the howler monkeys. Luckily for us our one upshot of the excessively early morning was that we got to see a howler monkey crossing the road around 5:30 am; so the fact we missed them in the lagoon was not disappointing.

All in all, the trip was a phenomenal success. My arms ached liked they used to, a soreness I had forgotten, but relish; and we got to learn more about the area.
If you want to check out more about the refuge, go to http://www.moon.com/planner/costa_rica/mustsee/gandoca.html

Varities of Costa Rica

2007-10-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Experiencing Costa Rica avec un backpack is quite an experience. I guess visiting anywhere with about a 40 lb. sack is interesting (and mine´s on the lighter side, Jack´s is about 70 lbs.). After our four and a half hour plane ride, $18 taxi ride through San Jose at lightning speed, and our 5 or so hour bus to the quaint seaside town of Manzanillo, we found ourselves stranded with our packs. With nothing to do but walk, we ventured to the nearest hostel/ hotel possible. It is at the Cabinas Manzanillo that we have enjoyed the bare essentials. Indeed, for $25 a night we have a bed, two sheets and running water (some even heated, when its not half electricuting Jack, that is). I also discoved that my feet had swollen to about twice their size. Since we arrived they have gone down, so I´m attributing it to the stress of travel and not to any sort of insect bite or other sort of misfortune.

I have to say, thus far we are both lucky. As we learned from an Englishman and his Japanese wife who recently came from Nicaragua, the experience here is much more delightful. He had to endure a sickness while in Nicaragua during a major drought where no running water was available from 10 am until 3 pm. Imagine having the stomach flu and not being able to wash your hands or flush the toilet. I had no idea how good I had it!

The experience in Manzanillo is much like a drawn out Victorian novel: we sit, we wait, and we do a lot of scheming. Scheming on how to spend less, move less (its extremely hot) and scuba dive more. Scuba lessons have proven difficult to come by, not because they do not exist, but because we did such poor planning. We have however secured a place to learn on Sunday, in hopes of continuing the lessons for open water dives later in our travels. In the morning tomorrow we´ll go kayaking in a lagoon to see the monkeys and sloths before we go zip-lining in the evening. One site in Costa Rica I do not want to miss is the canopy. As we traveled by bus, we got an amazing view of men working on treacherous hillsides and mist filled valleys of lush forests. So I am particularly excited about the canopy.

We will then leave the eastern coast and head to the cloud forest. I look forward to sharing more with you. As we get to a better internet connection, I will try to post photos and write better entries. For now, we´re safe and enjoying our time.

Wedding Photos

2007-10-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

To everyone who wants to remember the day, please go to www.adeleredingphotography.com and type in the password: joycejackpeters under "view proofs". You can also view a short slideshow - really wonderful - by going to
http://bigshow.bigfolio.com/?s=000007174&t=47feba571354f6ac79cb04a306dc0a0d We hope you enjoy!!!

Thus, with this, we're off. We're still packing, but we leave in just a few short hours. After moving out of our apartment in Denver on Friday night, this is just one more night this week without sleep. Why, oh why did I give up coffee?

An Excitement We Hope Never Dies

2007-09-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

After getting married, about 26 days ago now, I woke up and looked around at a world which was familiar, comfortable and warm. Jack was the same, I was the same, but there was a feeling of newness, of something we couldn't quite take in. We couldn't feel it with any sense we knew, but we both had this strange excitment to our "good mornings" and every once in awhile one of us would burst out, "We're married!"

Perhaps this feeling is par for the course for newlyweds. (Hopefully that is the case.) Whatever it is, our excitment continues. We're packing up our Denver apartment (I having graduated in June and he having taken the year off from teaching, perhaps in persuit of another career) to travel for nine and a half months, all over the globe, in search of a bit of everything. The most of which, I hope, is perspective.

This blog is both my attempt to keep my family and friends informed of my travels and as a way to document my encounters with our changing environment. As I studied environmental security in graduate school, I'm fascinated with climate change and the ways in which our lives could be threatened, or at the very least, altered by it. I'm looking forward to the many people and places we'll visit this year, and I hope I can share some of those encounters with you.

So off we go, in just 5 days. Maybe, somewhere along the way we'll find something to represent this excitement we feel, something concrete, something we can grasp between our fingers, taste or smell or see.