January 31, 2010 – Day 402 – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sunrise is a busy time in Siem Reap. You would be surprised at just how many crazy foreigners are up and (mostly) dressed to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. You would be even more surprised that lazy folks like us did it too.
Angkor wat by moon light
January 30, 2010 – Day 401 – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor Wat. Wow, what to say? It was spectacular, fascinating, beautiful, dusty, intriguing. It was also noisy and full of tourists and expensive. But it was worth those few irritations and (many) dollars to see such a historical jewel.
Inside the temples
January 4, 2010 – Day 375 – Ayatthaya, Thailand
The ruins of the old capital Ayatthaya are scattered across the now restored, modern city. Renting bicycles is a great way to get yourself around the city, using the extensive road system, a handy map from the rental folks, and a bit of caution when crossing the multi-lane highway that operates on the opposite side you might be used to. This is how we saw Ayatthaya’s ruins and it turned out to be a whole lot of fun.
In the ruins
June 17 2009 - Day 174 – Istanbul, Turkey
The air rose up and stung our bones with a damp chill. We switchbacked down, down, down into the Basilica Cistern on stone ramps to see what remains of Justinian’s savior of Constantinople.
Inside the cistern
June 14, 2009 – Day 171 – Goreme, Turkey
We clamoured up the hill past the stunning wildflowers of pink, purple, vibrant blue, and bursting yellow. It was our first outdoor glimpse of the countryside. In the morning light it was even more splendid and just unbelievably beautiful. Having surveyed our surroundings, we slid back down the hill and crossed the road. We traveled along a tiny stream running alongside the road lined with more wildflowers. (for more on Cappadoccia click here)
The Hill
June 2, 2009 – Day 159 – Petra, Jordan
“The Pink City” of Petra holds true to its name and its allure. Feeling like Indiana Jones (ok, sans horse) we made our way through the 80 meter high walls of the amazing Siq and marveled at the random trees and bushes growing from cracks in the rock. How they can sustain themselves in such an environment is pretty incredible!
Burro in front of the Treasury
May 24, 2009 – Day 150 – Luxor, Egypt
Egypt is all about tours. Everyone seems to have a hand in at least five or six enterpirses aimed at the tourism industry. For those who prefer sightseeing alone find it twenty times more difficult than it should be. So as it turned out, it was more economical to take a tour to the Valley of the Kings and surrounding area (a whopping $25 for guide, transport, and all tickets; each sight has its own entrance fee and taxis charge astronomical fees to take you to the area and then wait for you).
Columns amoung the ruins
May 22, 2009 – Day 148 – Abu Simbel, Egypt
There is nothing quite like leaving on a 3AM military convoy to the Egyptian border with Sudan. We were heading to Abu Simbel, the temple complex honoring Ramses II. Abu Simbel was intended to show the Sudanese coming into Egypt that Ramses II was a not merely a fierce, strong king but a god and they in turn were mere mortals. Overall it’s an interesting sight but the view of Lake Nassr is quite stunning as well. The temple complex was moved block by block in the 1960’s to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nassr and is now housed in a giant constructed mountain.
Ramses at Abu Simbel
May 18, 2009 – Day 144 – Cairo, Egypt
En route to Giza on a stuffy, sweaty minibus, a man offered us both a Kleenex to wipe the sweat dripping from our faces. It was 105 degrees Fahrenheit and we were wilting in the miserable heat. Saben chatted with the man who, within a matter of 10 minutes, kindly invited us to visit his home before we went to the Pyramids. We gratefully declined since we were running an unfortunately tight schedule today but he would hear none of it. He took us to visit his home, a lovely beautiful and very large Egyptian home, and to meet his family, who were wonderful and endlessly hospitable.
Curls by fire
May 9, 2009 – Day 135 – Delphi, Greece
The most famous ruins of Delphi (the temple of Athena), are surprisingly free! Which would have been nice know before we paid the 3 Euro entrance free to get to the lesser ruins at the top of the hill.
Ruins of Delphi
Taxi Rides = 123
Boat Rides = 35
Motorcycle Rides = 10
Plane Rides = 16
Bus Rides =330
Train Rides = 124
Rickshaw Rides = 98
Truck Bed Rides = 25
Rainy Days = 42
Current Rummy Score
Lin 10950, Saben 12435
