The Highamss Blog on RealTravel

San Francisco Bay Area journal: Home Is Where Your Stuff Is: Around the World with Children

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:30:41 GMT

Home Is Where Your Stuff Is: Around the World with Children

So, you’re thinking that someday you’ll settle down, get married, and have children. Or maybe you’ve been there, done that. Does this mean that you’ll sit on the couch, comatose, in front of the TV late at night, longing for the days when you were free and adventurous? Do you see that goal of traveling around the world fading into oblivion?

No way! Traveling around the world with children is not only possible, it’s even more fun than reruns of Gilligan’s Island. Our family of four recently returned from a 52-week, ...

Ko Tao journal: Nipple-Nibbling Fish

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 23:42:50 GMT

It is an odd quirk of human nature that the fewer things one has to accomplish in a given space of time increases the probability that nothing gets accomplished at all -- which sets the stage for our Christmas on the island of Ko Tao.

We had been planning a lazy, beachy Christmas since before we left California. When we arrived on Ko Tao we found that when we stepped outside of our beach bungalow, sand was between our toes and it was 20 paces to the water. Fewer at high tide.

We didn't have much planned for the week, just to read books and catch up on family gossip with ...

Beijing journal: Pssst, Hey Buddy...

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 15:05:52 GMT

We arrived in Beijing, China after our two weeks in Japan. China has been, I think, more different from my preconception than any other place we have visited thus far.

Upon reflection, I am not really sure what it was that I expected. Perhaps it was people dressed in drab gray clothes, acting repressed and busy going to political party meetings.

What I didn‚t expect to find was a vibrant city like any other world-class city with wide streets, bright lights, bustling shopping centers and its citizens dressed no differently than in, say, Seattle.

Another thing that I didn't ...

Hong Kong journal: Hong Kong

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:30:41 GMT

It was time to head to Hong Kong and so we crossed the border from the People's Republic of China (PRC) into the "Hong Kong Special Administration Region." Our visas would not allow us to go back, so as we crossed the border, I couldn't help but wonder what we accidentally left behind, as we always seem to. I could only hope it wasn't something important.

We prefer the open spaces of the country more than the bright lights of the city, so Hong Kong was a perfect place for to spend a few days. A quick ferry ride or a few subway stops and one can escape the crushing pedestrian traffic ...

Shenzhen journal: Special Economic Zone

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:23:19 GMT

Upon reflection, sometimes it seems a miracle that have gotten this far. Normally, I am, well, pretty normal. September, too. But there are a few things that can cause me to become mentally unstable. And September frankly has a genetic deficiency that is manifested at utterly inappropriate times, as illustrated below.

After our frigid Yangzi River Cruise, we headed to southern China, to the city of Guilin, where we thought that surely we would find warmer weather. I believe that the planet is undergoing Global Cooling, because as we rode bicycles around the area's famous Dr. ...

Chongqing journal: The Cruise Ship of Pain

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:17:23 GMT

So we headed for Chongqing where we could take a four-day river cruise down the Yangzi River through the famous Three Gorges before the dam that is currently under construction floods the area in 2009. Best of all, with daytime temperatures in the 40's, it would be over 20 degrees warmer than the high in Beijing.

That was the plan, and it sounded good on paper. But then we were introduced to the Cruise Ship of Pain.

I should mention that the children were very excited to go on a "cruise." One of Katrina's best friends took a cruise this summer with her family around the Baltic ...

Hiroshima journal: Hiroshima, Japan

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:11:23 GMT

We visited the Peace memorial in Hiroshima, located where the atomic bomb was dropped.

Kyoto journal: We Made it to Church

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:09:41 GMT

Of course no description of Japan is complete without mentioning that the country is completely gadget crazy. The ubiquitous gadget now is the Swiss Army knife-ish cell phone/camera/text messaging thingy. Outside the Kyoto train station there is a beautiful Christmas tree at the top of a set of escalators, and when we visited, at least 50% of the people riding up the escalators were stretching their arms high in the air holding their cell phones up, snapping pictures of it. On the average subway at least 50% of the people are furiously working the keypads of their cell phones with their ...

Tokyo journal: Eat First, Ask Questions Later

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:02:52 GMT

We have been traveling for just shy of six months now. Just before we left on our trip, on a whim I downloaded 16 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle onto my palm top. Malcolm is sort of a live-action version of The Simpons and we have now seen each of these episodes on my tiny 3-inch by 2-inch screen a gazillion times.

Malcolm is clearly art imitating life, and increasingly it seems to be our life. Do the writers of the show follow us around? Are there hidden cameras that they watch us with?

We have started to communicate with each other by quoting different lines from various ...

Selcuk journal: Selçuk, Turkey

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 13:39:45 GMT

When we finally got to Turkey I didn‚t really know what to expect. I had never been in a Muslim country before. We were in a bit of a daze from our happy sojourn with the Greeks and not getting nearly enough sleep. I noticed September was in shorts, and started to worry that a lynch mob might find us because she wasn‚t wearing a burqa. How very wrong I was.

Fresh off the boat in Ceşme, Turkey, and with no local currency it was, of course, time to feed the troops. I had a hunch the corner shop by the dock would accept my Euros, but I had no idea what the exchange rate was. I just ...

Athens journal: The Highams discover they are actually Greek

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 13:39:05 GMT

Recently we found ourselves sitting on an all-night ferry leaving Athens, Greece, heading toward a Greek island near Turkey. This was my first experience with Greeks in large numbers. Sitting on the deck of the ferry, I was reminded of a scene from the movie, "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding" except we were missing the guy with the bottle of Windex. There was an elderly woman about 200 pounds overweight going up and down the aisles singing at the top of her very capable lungs. No one paid her any attention, because she seemed the most subdued person in the crowd.

As we leave Europe, we ...

Port Louis journal: Ze Doo Doo and Ze Electric Death

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 13:22:54 GMT

As we were clearing the security checkpoint for our flight out of Tanzania to the island of Mauritius, there was the customary large, clear plastic bin of items that have been confiscated over the months. I never understood what the purpose of this display is...is it a deterrent against bringing tweezers on board? By the time a passenger gets to this point, his or her luggage is checked. It is a little late to be reminding people now.

Jordan studied the objects inside the bin, fascinated by the different items that security felt obliged to confiscate. In a loud, boisterous voice ...

Arusha journal: The cats ARE really big!

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 00:26:33 GMT

From Dar es Salaam we traveled 10 hours by bus to Arusha, where we planned to book a safari. We researched our options and chose a four-day budget camping safari run by a company recommended by our guide book. Several hours into the bus ride to Arusha, the engine started to emit a noise that sounded like what my Schwinn Stingray sounded like when I put a playing card in the spokes to get the "motorcycle engine" effect. The bus driver pulled over and after a few moments with the hammer, we were happily motoring again. After that, every so often the sound would come back, but the driver ...

Lushoto journal: A bonafide predicament (Stranded by our stupidity)

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 00:18:05 GMT

We have met many fellow travelers in Tanzania, and without exception, each has a horror story about traveling in Africa. These horror stories range from being robbed at knife-point to being harassed at border crossings for bribes from officials, to being abandoned by the long-distance bus miles from nowhere after a lunch-stop.

The following is our story. Only the "horror" in our story has to do with our own stupidity. But it did help us to see the beauty of this place and get to know the locals like we never would have otherwise.

Tanzania is a very poor country with an annual ...

Milan journal: Miserable in Milan

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:47:27 GMT

Katrina is now on one crutch. The funny thing is, Jordan is on the other. Jordan is so desperate to be like his big sister that he has started to limp on one foot, and uses her now-discarded crutch to get along. They really look pathetic dragging their suitcases in one hand, and limping along with a crutch in the other. Only when Jordan falls behind does he forget that he doesn't need the crutch and he runs to catch up with his big sister. We get a lot of funny looks from people.

The landscape around campgrounds and hostels has changed in the last few weeks. All of the school-aged ...

Dar es Salaam journal: Tanzania

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:43:37 GMT

Tanzania has been both spectacular and appalling. It took some effort to find the merely wonderful, but when we did find it, it was well worth the effort.

We arrived in the largest city in the country, Dar es Salaam. We were greeted at the Dar es Salaam International Airport by Immigration Control. We knew we needed a visa to enter the country, and we also knew it would cost us about $US 50 each. Unfortunately, we were short on cash when we left the U.A.E.

I didn't want to withdraw a bunch of dirhams from the ATM in Dubai, and find out that I couldn't exchange them in Tanzania. ...

Warsaw journal: On being illiterate

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:00:01 GMT

I now know where the market for 70's Disco music went to. Polish cab drivers. I don't know where else in the world one can instantly get their fill of ABBA and the Bee Gees.

I was contemplating this fact while cruising down the road in a taxi toward the train station. My eyes were trying to take me out of the car to free me from yet another chorus of "Dancing Queen" when they caught hold of something incongruous. A sign on the door of a nondescript building announcing, in English, "Polish Secret Service."

Of course my initial reaction was that these people are not helping to lift ...

Krakow journal: Krakow, Poland

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:56:50 GMT

I thought I would give a report from Krakow. I think the last I wrote we were in Cesky Krumlov, a small town on the Vlata River in the Czech Republic. What a wonderful place to relax and enjoy nature. Highly recommend. From Cesky Krumlov we spent a few days in Prague, city of a 1000 spires and perpetual graffiti. After Prague, we came to Krakow. Many people gush about how wonderful Prague is, and we wanted to experience it for ourselves. Every city has its charms, including Prague, but overall we were glad to leave Prague behind us. Instead of listing a dozen annoyances that overall ...

Cesky Krumlov journal: Czech Republic

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:54:50 GMT

Once again we have taken the leap from what has become known and comfortable into the unknown. This time landing in Cesky Krumlov, in the Czech Republic.

Zermatt was wonderful, and I took quite a liking to living indoors again. I found myself singing dippy little songs around the apartment like "Raindrops on Roses". But, we had to get out because it was so darned expensive to live indoors there - it was already breaking our broken budget.

When we left Zermatt, we really didn't know where we were going. We had gotten a "Swiss Family Card" for the kids, which meant they could ...

Geneva journal: Switzerland

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:41:40 GMT

Everyday starts the same way - Jordan asks "How many miles are we going today?" To which I reply "We don't know, because we don't know where we are going"

One thing is for sure, we enjoyed our stay in France, and Annecy was the highlight. Paris was very nice, but I think I would like it much better if I was on a expense account.

After Annecy, we went to Evian, of bottled water fame, and then followed the coast of Lake Geneva to the Swiss border.

The road along Lake Geneva was very beautiful, and scary as anything with the heavy trucks and zero shoulder. But as soon as we ...

Zermatt journal: Zermatt

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:40:00 GMT

There is this very nice hotel across the street from our campground in Zermatt that has a Wi-Fi LAN for their guests. Nice of them to not have any security on it, so I can mooch off of them.

This will frankly be the first e-mail I have written where I haven't felt rushed, because there is a clock ticking, and I have to feed the machine another Euro (or Franc) lest I loose my work.

We are in Zermatt. We rode up the Rhone river from Lake Geneva, and it was frankly the best riding of the trip so far. For the most part, we were on the banks of the Rhone, and even though we were ...

Paris journal: 6E9 is a big number (what?)

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:05:50 GMT

A quick note to let everyone know we made it to Paris and had a great time seeing the sights. We really enjoyed Paris. We are taking the train with our bikes) to Annecy in the French Alps this afternoon.

Also, a wee bit more information on how we are all coping. Basically, we are all always together. This has forced us to get along. Of course, we always got along fqirly well, but it is one thing to be able to do this when you have a private place to go now and then, and quite another when you are all sleeping together in a four man tent. One of the big issues is that there are no ...

Bayeux journal: Cycling around France

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:55:47 GMT

Thank you to all who write me. I am sorry if I do not respond personally, but I am frankly overwhelmed with e-mail. Please know that I do very much appreciate your e-mails. Today we are leaving Bayeux, and making our way to Caen, and then on to Paris. Yesterday we spent the day on a tour of the D-Day beaches. I have to say it was a moving experience. The French have certainly paid a great price suffering from, 2 world wars fought on their soil. I can't help but believe that that gives them a perspective on war that we American's simply do not have. I will refrain further from my ...

Dubai journal: Dubai: A Dangerous Place to be a Chicken

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:53:26 GMT

I am frankly glad to get some distance between myself and Turkey. I enjoyed our visit, and the children thoroughly enjoyed feeding the thousands of stray cats, but I don't think I can stand listening to the theme song from Flashdance (which seemed to play in every restaurant and business) one more time. When I got into the taxi at the Dubai airport the radio was playing "Bad to the Bone." YES! I knew four days wouldn't be enough time here.

Our flight to Dubai took much of the night, and we reached our hostel just before 2:00 a.m. We asked what the hours for breakfast were, and the ...

Venice journal: Venice

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:34:34 GMT

It was still raining when we reached Venice 5 hours later. I was starting to think I had done something to offend the Roman gods and thought we would be doomed to rain for the rest of the trip.

But by morning, the clouds had parted. We were staying at a campground that was on the mainland, but only a 20-minute boat ride from Venice. We took the boat to the city to see what it was all about.

We found that being in Venice means being lost. Which isn't a bad thing. I had no idea that the streets would be narrower than the hallway in my house, and that they go every which way. ...

Visby journal: Visby, Sweden

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:19:51 GMT

We are now in Visby, Sweden, which is on Gotland Island. It is very nice here. I think I'll settle down here and run a bicycle taxi to shuttle the tourists to and fro.

Munich journal: Mrs. Happy and Mr. Helpful

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:56:39 GMT

We rented a car Munich, Germany. We had flown in from Copenhagen and by the time we got to Munich it was dark. We had made reservations at some obscure campground and tried to find our way there by using the map given to us by the car rental agency. When I am King of the World, I will decree that all writing shall be in at least 16 point font. These maps must be made 21-year-olds. The next day I went out and purchased my first set of reading glasses.

Anyhow, the map given to us by the car rental agency was utterly useless because it was written in 0.5 font. Unfortunately, the ...

Lauterbrunnen journal: Touch it, wimp!

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:51:23 GMT

With Katrina having a broken leg and getting all the press, I thought I'd give you a glimpse as to what Jordan is up to. We have spent the last few days playing a game that HE made up. It involves electric fences and is called, "Touch it, wimp!"

What Jordan doesn't understand is that I grew up around electric fences. I can guess with about 90% accuracy the conditions under which a farmer actually turns the fence on. So, Jordan doesn't stand a chance. I'll tell him. Eventually.

We have been planning this "World-the-Round Trip" since before the kids were born. In the last ...

Copenhagen journal: The Smelly Train Disaster

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:42:10 GMT

It has been a while since we last checked in. I think we were in Sweden and I was complaining that the aroma from Katrina's cast had taken on its own personality.

Just after I had broadcasted the fact that the cast smelled to high heaven we found ourselves on a train from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Jordan ate a chocolate candy bar (or two or three) and then mysteriously and uncharacteristically got motion sickness and promptly threw up on poor Katrina and her cast, with a significant portion of the throw-up flowing down her leg and INSIDE the cast.

The smell was horrid. And since ...

Gdansk journal: Gdansk

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:16:05 GMT

Budget travel has its drawbacks. Who would have thought that budget travel meant a free show of large and hairy dock workers in their underwear?

We thought we were well traveled, and had "been there and done that." But nothing could prepare us for the Hostel Baltic Ocean in Gdansk. We even made up a song about it, to the tune of Hotel California.

There is nothing I would like more than to go back to, say Paris and stay in a plush hotel with someone else's money. But when it is my money, we put the "basement" in "bargain basement." Which is more or less the way we found the ...

The World journal: World-The-Round Trip

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 10:40:26 GMT

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