Voyage of Discovery
In and around World
After maintaining a fast pace on the treadmill of life for many years, we have decided to take a break from commuting to high intensity jobs, shepherding the kids from activity to activity, and thinking wistfully on Sunday nights how nice it would have been to get a chance to read the newspaper that day. We're chucking it all in and going out to see the world. There's never a good time, or an easy time, to leave home for something like this, but now seemed like as good a time as any, and we're very excited about sharing the world with our kids, spending some very focused time with them, and creating a lot of spectacular memories. Our adventure begins on August 23, when we (Christina, Dan, Grayson (age 10) and Abby (age 8)) leave the San Francisco Bay Area for our first stop, Amsterdam. Over the next nine months, we plan to travel through parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, absorbing as much culture as possible, enjoying local cuisines, and hopefully touching others' lives as our own are touched as well. We hope that you will join us from the comfort of your computer, as we regularly post reports of our experiences and impressions, and share photos from the journey.
Route taken and entries written by Four Explore
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1
“I think you are unstressing”
After months of seemingly non-stop pre-departure planning, packing, and related activities, we finally made it out the door on August 23. After Grayso... Continue reading »
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2
In the Land of the Tall People
For those of you who didn’t read the news reports, the Dutch have passed the Americans as being the tallest people in the world. Walking the streets o... Continue reading »
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3
City of de-LIghts
By DanOur first 36 hours in Paris have been full of art, culture, sights, sounds, and, naturally, good eating! Our initial experience was a good... Continue reading »
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4
Nirvana in a Baby Bottle with a Flying Egg
Paris, Aug. 31By DanNote: we were a little slow in finding an internet connection, so this is late in being posted.Paris has continued to be all of th... Continue reading »
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5
Sweating it out for the Saints
It proved tougher than expected, but we did manage to get out of Paris. Having gotten very comfortable with the Metro and RER train system, we felt al... Continue reading »
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6
Sleeping with Pigeon Ghosts
By ChristinaArriving in Normandy late in the day following our journey from Paris (via Chartres), we were thrilled to discover that our “pigeon house”... Continue reading »
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7
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
September 4, 2007By ChristinaTwo points to anyone who can name the song from which the above line comes. Dan and I sang it throughout our time in Norm... Continue reading »
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8
Four Explore Feel Poor . . . and Other Notes From the Road
By DanOK, I thought that I’d do an entry that was less travelogue on what we’re seeing and doing, and more on what we’re thinking and feeling. It may... Continue reading »
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9
Out of the Mouths of Babes. . . . .
Sept. 7[NOTE: we had some trouble uploading pictures for Normandy - they are now in there.]By popular demand, and consistent with our plan all a... Continue reading »
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10
Doing the Horizontal Limbo in a Peugeot, Dordogne Style
By DanWow. A lot of ground covered since our last report. But, today, the sum total of our activity was an hour hike and a few hours frolicking in the... Continue reading »
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11
Eyes Wide Open
September 12, 2007By ChristinaThe Dordogne continues to fascinate, and just driving around is enough to fill the senses. For the past two days we have... Continue reading »
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12
Take Me to the River
September 15, 2007By: ChristinaThe past three days have been all about water. On Thursday, we drove to Domme (a hilltop village with 500-year old graf... Continue reading »
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13
Neece is Nice
September 23, 2007By DanNote: we're way behind on our entries, as the hard drive on our laptop appears to have died. As I write this, we h... Continue reading »
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14
The Two Funniest Words in Italian
September 24, 2007By DanOh, do we like Italy and Italians! No offense towards France and the French -- in fact, Grayson still thinks that France... Continue reading »
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15
The World's My Home
September 28, 2007By ChristinaItaly continues to deliver. All four of us were completely blown away by the view of the Grand Canal when we exite... Continue reading »
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16
Michelangelo, Michelangelo, Michelangelo, Bravo!
October 1, 2007By ChristinaI am writing this on our laptop which now has a new hard drive and appears to be in good working order. Hopefully, our blog... Continue reading »
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17
Hedgehogs, Wild Boar, and Owls – Oh, My!
By DanWell, we’ve been living the easy life in Tuscany for two weeks now, but tomorrow we’re back on the road. One of the fun things about the trip, a... Continue reading »
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18
A Word from the Kids...
Nearly a month after their last entries, Grayson and Abby dictated the following, which have been transcribed verbatim. By GraysonIn Venice, everythin... Continue reading »
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19
The Saints are Coming
By ChristinaWe would be remiss in not mentioning here our continued fascination with the saints and religion. Even our rabidly agnostic young daughter... Continue reading »
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20
Oh No, Another Curse!
Oct. 7 By Dan If we have a theme song for this trip so far, maybe it’s David Bowie’s “Ch-ch-ch-changes”. We left our spacious s... Continue reading »
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21
La Dolce Vita
By ChristinaWe pulled into Rome and unloaded our car in the easiest transaction we have had since our departure. It was like buying a pack of gum at t... Continue reading »
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22
Greece Is The Word . . . .
By DanRemember the theme from a previous entry of ch-ch-changes? Well, it is continuing. Thursday night the 11th, we said arrividerci to Italy, hoppin... Continue reading »
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23
Island Style
By DanFriday afternoon the 12th, we made our way to Piraeus and found the Diogenes V, the boat that will be our home for the next week. It’s a little... Continue reading »
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24
Take a Look Around, See Which Way the Wind Blows
By DanEarly Sunday morning, we set off for Paros, and spent a couple of really rough hours bouncing around on heavy seas. Things were flying off shelv... Continue reading »
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25
Irini of Santorini – not wearing a bikini
Early on Wednesday morning, we heard the engines chug to life, and felt the ship pull away (finally!) from the Paros dock. About six very rough hours... Continue reading »
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26
Grayson on Greece
By GraysonGreek cuisine is actually (in my opinion) better than Italian and French food. I know you are going to say “What?” but since I love fish, th... Continue reading »
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27
Abby on Greek Fauna
By AbigailI don’t know, I haven’t decided if I liked the cruise more than Normandy. I might have, because there is always something to do. When I wasn... Continue reading »
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28
The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks (I just couldn't resist)
By ChristinaAfter bidding farewell to our boat and its crew, we headed into Athens for three days to get rid of our sea legs and do some sightseeing.... Continue reading »
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29
We’re On the Rhodes to Nowhere
By Dan(Yep, still working on the song title puns. . . .)Like everyone, Christina and I occasionally allow ourselves to be lured into a sense of compla... Continue reading »
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30
Talkin’ Turkey
By DanSince Greece and Turkey aren’t exactly the best of friends, there aren’t a lot of connections between the two countries, but we had done the res... Continue reading »
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31
The Captain of our Gulet has a Mullet
By ChristinaFor those of you who don’t know, a mullet is a groovy hairstyle (short on top, long at the back) that enjoys great popularity the world ov... Continue reading »
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32
Livin’ the Dream
By ChristinaOne of my favorite people on the gulet was an Australian guy named Phil, who was touring around Turkey with his lovely wife Sharon. I like... Continue reading »
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33
Turkish Delights
BathingBy ChristinaPart I – AntalyaLate in the afternoon of our first day in Antalya, we trundled down the street to the local hamam (Turkish bath), w... Continue reading »
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34
In Hot Water Again
By DanAfter six nights in Turkey, it felt a little weird to be striking out on our first real foray into Turkey proper. Somehow, a quick run to Fethiy... Continue reading »
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35
Dan's Letter to the Ephesians
By DanLeaving the hot water experience at Pamukkale, our next stop was Selcuk. (Turkish pronunciation and spelling results in the town being pronounce... Continue reading »
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36
On The Heels of Achilles
By DanLeaving the sleepy fishing village of Assos on November 5, we drove another 100 km. or so north and east to the town of Canakkale, which is on t... Continue reading »
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37
Fly Me to the Moon
By ChristinaWednesday the 7th of November found us on our first domestic flight in Turkey, on Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Kayseri and, other tha... Continue reading »
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38
Sultans of Swing
By GraysonWe arrived in Istanbul on the 9th of November. The next day, we started out by going to the Blue Mosque. We were going to go first to the Ay... Continue reading »
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39
The Turkey is Finished Before Thanksgiving
By DanAs a matter of convenience more than anything, we saved Istanbul for the end of our time in Turkey. I hesitate to say that it’s leaving the best... Continue reading »
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40
Talkin’ About A Revolution
By ChristinaDriving into Cairo after the relative tranquility of Istanbul was shocking to the senses. Everywhere you looked, there were people; lots a... Continue reading »
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41
Walk Like an Egyptian . . .
By Dan. . . which means do an absolutely amazing, death-defying sort of limbo between passing cars, buses, taxis, and donkey carts. I knew I should ha... Continue reading »
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42
The Things We Do For Love
By ChristinaBeing the good mother that I am, I have taken a keen interest in one of Grayson’s greatest passions: war history. As you know from earlier... Continue reading »
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43
I’ve Been Through the Desert on a Bus With No Name
By DanIf you’ve had your fill of crowds, noise, pollution, and chaos, what do you do? You get away from it all. What’s one way to do that? Put yoursel... Continue reading »
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44
Midnight at the Oasis
By ChristinaGrayson recently remarked that the world was much larger than he realized and that traveling for many days resulted in very little movemen... Continue reading »
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45
Buried With a Donkey, He’s My Favorite Honky
By DanYou knew that we couldn’t go all the way through Egypt and not title one of our entries from Steve Martin’s song, right? Dear readers born too l... Continue reading »
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46
Hatshepsut’s Story
By AbigailIn ancient Egypt, there was once a queen called Hatshepsut. They knew about her first burial place, but there’s one thing they didn’t know:... Continue reading »
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47
Where It All Began
By DanHaving spent a lot of time listening to Bob Marley and his pals over the years, it felt like living one of his songs as we left Babylon and land... Continue reading »
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48
A Little Addis and A Little Addat
By DanUgh, was that too much of a stretch for a pun??Following our very late (or early?) arrival in Addis, we slept like the dead through roosters cro... Continue reading »
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49
It’s A Hard Knock Life
By ChristinaAfter boarding an early morning flight from Addis, we began our journey through Ethiopia’s “Historical Circuit” - the Northern part of the... Continue reading »
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50
Africa’s Camelot
By ChristinaPerched on the edge of the Simien Mountains (sometimes called the “Rooftop of Africa”) and sitting at an elevation of close to 8000 feet,... Continue reading »
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51
Monkeys with a Bleeding Heart
By GraysonWe started our quest for animals in the Simien Mountains. After staring at the gorgeous scenery, we hiked down a mountain trail to a cliff.... Continue reading »
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52
Sometimes You Need to Go Down To Go Up . . .
By Dan. . . to Heaven, that is. Continuing our tour of Ethiopia’s Historical Circuit, our next stop was Lalibela, which is perhaps the star attraction... Continue reading »
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53
Searching for the Ark of the Covenant
By ChristinaOur last stop on the northern Historical Circuit was the town of Aksum far to the North, just shy of the border with Eritrea. (As recently... Continue reading »
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54
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude
By Dan and ChristinaFollowing our completion of the Historical Circuit, we flew south from Aksum to Addis, where we spent a half-day and night with ou... Continue reading »
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55
The Turmi-nator
By DanLeaving Arba Minch (thankfully), we started another day of driving that was filled with cows, donkeys, goats, awesome scenery, and people, peopl... Continue reading »
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56
If I Had a Hamer
By DanShortly after leaving Turmi, it was time for our next visit to a traditional village. This time, it was a Hamer village. After our Arbore visit... Continue reading »
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57
Please Have Mursi
By DanAh, every man’s fantasy: to be grabbed and groped by a topless woman carrying a machine gun. . . . Got your attention, did I? Well, you’ll just... Continue reading »
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58
Gazing at Gazelles
By AbbyMammalsThe mammals that we saw when we were on safari in Ethiopia’s Nech Sar National Park were really awesome. I liked seeing the zebras a lot... Continue reading »
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59
Take the Long Way Home
By DanIt was time to start heading back towards Addis, so we rolled out of Jinka on the morning of the 17th. After about 75 km., we were back in Weyto... Continue reading »
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60
Bright Lights, Big City
By DanWe’ve always known that there are many sides to Africa, but sometimes it takes a two hour plane flight and the chance to see two countries and c... Continue reading »
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61
A Lamu Christmas
By ChristinaIt has been close to eighteen years since Dan and I were in Lamu, but this little slice of heaven really hasn’t changed that much in the e... Continue reading »
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62
Takin’ It To The Streets
By Dan. . . . or Burnin’ Down the House, if you prefer the ‘ Heads to the Doobies. We flew back to Nairobi on Friday afternoon the 28th, and weren’t q... Continue reading »
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63
I (Wish I) Had A Farm In Africa
By ChristinaAs Dan mentioned in the previous entry, I have a thing for Karen Blixen and it was her book and the subsequent movie “Out of Africa” that... Continue reading »
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64
Carrion My Wayward Son
By GraysonThe Ngorogoro Crater is packed with animals. As mom would put it, “it is a bowl of animals”. We started driving up to the rim at 8:00, the p... Continue reading »
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65
Sure as Kilimanjaro Rises Above the Serengeti (Not)
By DanI’d long had a feeling that Asia, or Christopher Cross, or whoever sang that cheesy song in the early ‘80s had never been to Tanzania, and had h... Continue reading »
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66
Who Let the (Wild) Dogs Out?
By DanSafari guides take a lot of personal responsibility in making sure that their clients see good stuff, so I think our friend Felix was feeling a... Continue reading »
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67
Malaika
By ChristinaThis was probably the easiest blog entry title we have had so far, although it is obscure enough that I’ll have to explain. . . . Miriam M... Continue reading »
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68
We’ve Got a Ticket to Ride
By DanArusha is a very pleasant town nestled against the base of Mt. Meru, which is sort of Kilimanjaro’s little sister as it rises above the Africa... Continue reading »
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69
In An Octopus’ Garden
By Christina The 16th of January was a sad day for us: we said goodbye to my mom and we left the continent of Africa. The good news was we were flying... Continue reading »
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70
Eye of the Tigers
Jan. 22By DanI thought of our time in the Maldives as a sort of vacation from our vacation. Like all vacations, it had to end, so we prepared ourselve... Continue reading »
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71
I Want Kandy
By ChristinaOur tour of Sri Lanka started off with an early departure from Colombo, as we wanted to be at the Pennewala Elephant Orphanage in time for... Continue reading »
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72
Jungle Love
By DanThe next phase of our Sri Lankan adventure was delayed a little as we tried to depart Kandy. A wedding party was arriving at our hotel, complete... Continue reading »
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73
Rolling on the River
By ChristinaAfter a brief consultation with Maxi, we decided to change our travel plans and avoid the town of Ella, where we were scheduled to spend t... Continue reading »
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74
The Long and Winding Road
By DanOur unplanned pause at Kitulgala at an end, we were back on the road south heading towards our next scheduled destination, the Sinharaja Nationa... Continue reading »
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75
Workin’ for a Livin’
By DanBy this time, we have had lots of practice leaving places we love, and Dikwella was no different. But, we’d relaxed and chilled long enough, and... Continue reading »
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76
You Must Be My Lucky Star
By DanAfter our short stop in Galle, our friend Maxi the driver arrived to take us north towards Colombo, ending our circuit of Sri Lanka. Christina h... Continue reading »
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77
Oh Backwaters, Keep on Rollin’
By DanAnother day, another stamp in the passport. Hello, India! Ninety minutes of flying brought the six of us from the craziness in Sri Lanka to Kera... Continue reading »
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78
Bohemian Rhapsody
By Christina Kingfisher is a well known name around India. As the country’s leading brewery, there are ads for its various flavors of... Continue reading »
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79
Living Just Enough, Just Enough for the City
By DanI think the kids would have been happy to stay on the beach in Goa for another month or so, spending their days boogie boarding and drinking mil... Continue reading »
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80
A Love Supreme
By ChristinaJust over one hundred miles southeast of Delhi sits the greatest of all tributes to love, the Taj Mahal. This white marble palace is a tre... Continue reading »
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81
Voice Post from a Tuk Tuk
Please listen to what Grayson has to say about riding in a tuk tuk in Delhi, India.http://blog.realtravel.com/2008/02/29/from-a-tuk-tuk-in-delhi-india... Continue reading »
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82
Abby's Tabbies
By AbigailFrom Agra to Bandhavgarh we took a night train. It was probably the worst night’s sleep I have ever had. Period. I mean, there’s no question... Continue reading »
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83
Cat Scratch Fever
By DanI thought I’d also do an entry on tigers for the sake of more comprehensive coverage. And, since Abby doesn’t have the same appreciation for bad... Continue reading »
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84
I'm Too Sexy for my Temple
(Parental Discretion Advised)By DanRecognizing that we may have some younger readers, let me start with a warning that the content of this entry may r... Continue reading »
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85
Get Lifted
By ChristinaSituated on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi is arguably the holiest city in all of India. Many Indians consider it the center of t... Continue reading »
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86
Give Me Novocaine
By ChristinaSometimes the best laid plans…fall by the wayside. Such was the case with our recent quest to reach the town of Darjeeling in northern Ind... Continue reading »
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87
Can’t You Hear That Whistle Blowin’
By DanTrain travel is a quintessential part of the India experience. Supposedly, something like 15 million people ride a train in India every day, and... Continue reading »
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88
Welcome to Paradise
By: GraysonFrom Guwahati, we drove about five hours to Kaziranga National Park, famous for its one-horned rhinoceros. Mom had been managing expectatio... Continue reading »
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89
O Calcutta!
By DanWell, Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) is our final stop in India, and in some ways it feels like we have been in training for Calcutta during ou... Continue reading »
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90
A Boy Named Sue
By ChristinaA curious title, you might say, but you would be surprised at the number of “lady-boys” (the phrase used in Thailand) walking around Bangk... Continue reading »
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91
Banana Pancakes
By ChristinaAfter our experience on the overnight trains in India, I was really looking forward to the overnight train ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai... Continue reading »
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92
Rice, Rice, Baby
By DanThere’s nothing like going to sleep in a bamboo hut thatched with teak tree leaves, in the middle of rice paddies in the mountains west of Chian... Continue reading »
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93
King for a Day
By ChristinaWe blew into Chiang Rai after a three hour bus ride from Chiang Mai. We had decided to break up the journey to Laos by stopping in Chiang... Continue reading »
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94
Everybody Chiang Khong Tonight
By DanChristina and I still chuckle about the time we got in a taxi in Orange County on our way to Disneyland, and I noticed that the taxi driver’s na... Continue reading »
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95
Fly Like An Eagle
By GraysonAfter crossing the Mekong River into the town of Huay Xie, Laos, we headed on to the extraordinary Gibbon Experience. The Gibbon Experience... Continue reading »
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96
Uncomfortably Numb
By DanA little additional commentary on the Gibbon Experience, from the parental perspective. (Read Grayson’s entry, immediately prior to this, for th... Continue reading »
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97
Brothers in Alms
By ChristinaAfter two days of drifting on the Mekong River, sitting on hard wooden benches and eating salty snacks, we were definitely ready for hot s... Continue reading »
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98
Shiny, Happy People
By DanLeaving the monks and classical ambience of Luang Prabang behind, we headed south for Vang Vieng. As usual, there were a variety of transportati... Continue reading »
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99
They Call It Mellow Yellow
By DanThroughout Southeast Asia, we have been struck by how much yellow we see. Flags, shirts, signs, etc. are very frequently yellow in color, or hav... Continue reading »
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100
Crossroad Blues
By: ChristinaArriving in bustling, hustling Cambodia after mellow Laos and pristine Thailand was a big change. There are lots of people everywhere and... Continue reading »
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101
Darkness on the Edge of Town
By ChristinaThe legacy of the Khmer Rouge resonates in Cambodia to this day and is like a dark shadow lurking in the corners of Cambodian homes and sh... Continue reading »
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102
Don’t Fear the Reaper
By Dan. . . The Siem Reaper, that is, as in Siem Reap, the Cambodian city that is home to one of the world’s most amazing collections of temples. Angk... Continue reading »
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103
Wat You Want? Baby I Got It!
By DanOh, yeah, there are some temple things near Siem Reap, right? Angkor Wat, etc.? That’s why we went there, right? Yep, and they were very cool. O... Continue reading »
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104
Take It Easy
By DanLeaving the temples of Cambodia behind us, we hopped on a plane bound for the island beaches of southern Thailand. While the pace of our travels... Continue reading »
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105
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
By: ChristinaAfter our days of luxury and leisure in Koh Samui, we were due for a bit of time roughing it. We got that in spades when we traveled from... Continue reading »
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106
On The Road Again
By: ChristinaWe had decided to try a no-frills, economy carrier, AirAsia, for our flight from Thailand to Malaysia. The tickets were priced right and... Continue reading »
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107
Oh, Oh, That Smell. Can’t You Smell That Smell?
By DanWell, that blog title would have been appropriate for many of the places we have visited on our journey. Jakarta, a city of over ten million and... Continue reading »
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108
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
By: ChristinaYogyakarta (pronounced “Jogjakarta” or “Jogja” by those in the know) is a sweet city with a small town feel in the center of the island o... Continue reading »
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109
Smoke on the Water, Fire in the Sky
By DanOK, so truth be told, we didn’t see either smoke on water or fire in sky, but we saw a whole lot of smoke in sky, and since that’s such an aweso... Continue reading »
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110
One Night Only
By DanHaving seen what we could of Bromo and environs, it was time to head back down the mountain to Hot and Steamy Land. The ride down gave us the ch... Continue reading »
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111
Ninety-Six Degrees in the Shade
By: ChristinaAnother day, another island. With more than 17,000 in Indonesia (6,000+ are uninhabited), we could spend the rest of the year visiting a... Continue reading »
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112
Give Me Shelter
By DanOur last morning on Gili T saw us reluctantly packing up after our six delightful nights at Marta’s Bungalows, and preparing for departure. For... Continue reading »
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113
We're Off to See the Lizard
By DanVaranus komodiensis, that is. The lizard of all lizards. The king of the lizards. The Komodo dragon. In 1995, Christina and I had managed to get... Continue reading »
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114
Puff the Magic Komodo Dragon
By: AbbyKomodo Dragons are the world’s biggest lizards. They grow to be anywhere from 9 to 10 ½ feet long from nose to tail. When they are born, thoug... Continue reading »
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115
Surfin’ Safari
By: ChristinaWith four straight days of surfing under our belts, the title for this entry was a no-brainer. Surfing has played a prominent role in our... Continue reading »
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116
Endless Summer
By: GraysonOn the first day of surfing Dad, Abby and I had lessons. I had not done any surfing before, and I was just starting. My teacher was an Indo... Continue reading »
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117
Funky Chinatown
By DanPacking our things in Bali was sort of surreal. We culled ruthlessly, leaving behind clothes that had been beat up by too many dhobi-wallas and... Continue reading »
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118
California Dreaming
By DanOne more morning in a hotel room. One more taxi to a train station. One more trip through an airport. One more (very long) plane flight. And the... Continue reading »
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119
Coming Home
By: ChristinaOne of my favorite John Legend songs is “Coming Home.” During our trip, I found myself singing it from time to time, and since our return... Continue reading »
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