Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Seven of Seven
We’ve been very busy since we last blogged, even though we had to deal with the extremes of the Egyptian way!
After a very long and cramped bus ride overnight we arrived in the port town of Nuwieba at 7am. From here our task was simple – get over to Aqaba, Jordan, and then up to Wadi Musa where we would set up for Petra in the morrow. Sounds easy right? Well…… getting the tickets was easy, even waiting until 3pm for the ferry departure was relatively easy, the rest was not. After a long hot day sitting at a café we went to board the ferry, only to be kept waiting and waiting. And of course when we were finally able to board (45mins late) it was an absolute nightmare of tour groups and generally oblivious people! Next was the journey, despite paying for the fast boat AND being assured we were on it, the trip was not 1hr, it was 3. The pain did not even stop here! When we finally arrived at the other side we had to go through immigration, and despite being the 1st people there, this honour is reserved for the tour groups, however long it takes them…. All of them!! Of course, by this time we were seeing red and being told to “take a seat” in a room full of people where there were no seats, was not a great way to stem the flames of anger. At least from here it was just a short cab ride to town, albeit 3 ½ hours later than planned. Yet our luck had not turned and our cabbie did not intend to drop us off at ouyr hotel so we hopped out in town and here we were told where we were – but we weren’t! So a little wander led us to find a hotel and we were able to settle in for the night, FINALLY!
With no intention of staying in Aqaba, but also no intent to haul ass to Petra, we allowed ourselves to sleep in and casually grab some food before getting into a share taxi to Wadi Musa. The trip was under 2 hrs and we arrived in time to get a nice room and find some more delicious Middle Eastern food before retiring for the night. After a nice sleep, with great anticipation, we awoke at 7 for breakfast and hustled out to get to Petra for the day – and what a day it was!
We got our tickets to the site and started the trek in to the heart of it all. On the way we were given little tasters of what was to come as with carved facades and caves in the face of the sandstone rock around us. After a short time we entered ‘the siq’ a narrow gorge forged from the tectonic plates separating. At time the light was almost cut out as we ventured deeper inside and the anticipation rose as we got nearer to the end and the figure-head of Petra, The Treasury.
When we did arrive we were able to see how so many people fall in love with Petra right there. It was astonishing. The detail and the craftsmanship involved and then the natural beauty of the lined and swirled sandstone. Also, Indiana Jones connect helps! Despite the throngs of tourists we were able to enjoy our time here with smiles on our faces as we had reached our final of the 7 Wonders of the World.
From the Treasury we strolled down the ‘Street of Facades’, a narrow road with carved tomb fronts on either side. This led us out into an opening, from which we could gauge the enormity of the site. A large amphitheatre stood in front of us with carved tombs on either side, rising up the valley walls. We could also see the wide valley in front of us with more and more ruins to explore.
We continued our trek and went to explore some of the huge tombs that we could see, all ornately adorned and carved from the sandstone. As we walked to go and view them we saw that a guy that had shared in our ferry agony was sat with some local Bedouins, sipping tea at their trinket stall. We joined them and spent the next half hour sipping Bedouin tea and taking in the scenery. With brief goodbyes we started our hike to a secluded overlook of the treasury. This entailed us picking our way through crevices, climbing/scrabbling up worn out carved steps and pushing our way through bushes past the carcasses of donkeys! Not another person the entire time.
We arrived finally, feeling pretty hardcore, at the top of the cliff, with just a few minutes left until the overlook. It was here that we met some people finally, who had chosen the route we decided against. The view from the outcrop was fantastic; we sat and had our hiking snacks looking down on the Treasury and the bustling crowd below. We descended via the ‘proper’ route and decided that ours was much more fun then the hundreds of restored steps that lead us down, back to the valley floor.
We still had tons to see so we hurried on to explore the very Roman city centre, with it’s colonnades and free standing buildings. We stopped here for another rest before a long and strenuous hike up the Monastery. Although we soon found that it wasn’t as bad as people seemed to think and was a very nice, yet step-y, trek and we were once again rewarded heavily. The Monastery was as impressive as the Treasury, not as ornate, but larger, and of the same design – these guys were serious!
By the time we had returned to the valley we had only one thing left to do before the day was out – a hike recommended by our guidebook that a renowned US rambler claimed as being in his top 6. Well, as usual LP didn’t fail to provide a crappy part of the map at a vital point! We set off under my direction. We were having a lovely tie, with beautiful scenery when we happened upon a group of guys who wanted to check our map. This was when, after consulting our compass, we were on the wrong trail heading nowhere except for a 2 day hike to a village!! Needless to say, we pulled a U-y and went back the other way, forgoing our hike, my head bowed in shame! We did make it to the final destination, well I did. Jen, still fighting off a nasty cold, decided to wait at the bottom of the rock face and the staircase that lead to the top. So I left on my own, on weary legs to finish the day at the ‘High Place of Sacrifice’.
I was a rewarding hike up and, after forcing myself to quicken the pace, I was up in 20 minutes. The view was astonishing, as were the 2 obelisks, carved from the sandstone, yet being the only 2 objects on a flat topped pinnacle! With a little exploration I managed to find the 10 x 20 ft shallow pool, presumably there to catch whatever the ‘sacrifice’ ‘leaked’!
I arrived back down to find Jen, surprised to see me so quickly (Yes, I’m gloating – the book said 40mins each way, I was up and down in 45) and we took a leisurely walk back to the end of the siq, to take one final look a the Treasury before departing. We were even able to get a quick piccie with no one else in it! After a very long, hot, dust, sweaty, up & down, 9hr day we decided that we had better relax a little before going back to the hotel. So we had a nice cold beer in the Worlds oldest bar (Thank you Ranch Kids)!
So there we are, we have seen all of the 7 New Wonders and what remains of the Ancients. We even managed to finish on a favourite, Petra is a beautiful blend of natural beauty in the amazingly patterned sandstone and the natural landscape, mixed with the truly magnificent feat of the civilization that once lived here in constructing such an awe inspiring city. Magical.
Nothing left to do on our trip but relax – and so we shall!
We left Jordan the next day, much more smoothly than before, although we did have to wait a few hours for the ferry to leave, and, once back on Egyptian soil, Jen haggled a VERY good price for a ride down to Dahab, where we are now. For months this has been a place we have been looking forward to, a sea-side paradise of lazy days, sheesha pipes, great food, cold beers and wonderful diving. So far it has not disappointed. We have found a nice little ocean front hotel with a great bar/dining area on the water that looks over the glassy blue waters of the Gulf of Aqaba ( the Red Sea) to Saudi Arabia. And furthermore, we have had 2 days of fantastic diving and plan to have 3 or 4 more!
Unfortunately, we can’t get these computers to load Picasa and therefore we cannot post the pictures yet…. So you will have to wait! Sorry!
Bye, time for food, beer and another sheesha before bed!
After a very long and cramped bus ride overnight we arrived in the port town of Nuwieba at 7am. From here our task was simple – get over to Aqaba, Jordan, and then up to Wadi Musa where we would set up for Petra in the morrow. Sounds easy right? Well…… getting the tickets was easy, even waiting until 3pm for the ferry departure was relatively easy, the rest was not. After a long hot day sitting at a café we went to board the ferry, only to be kept waiting and waiting. And of course when we were finally able to board (45mins late) it was an absolute nightmare of tour groups and generally oblivious people! Next was the journey, despite paying for the fast boat AND being assured we were on it, the trip was not 1hr, it was 3. The pain did not even stop here! When we finally arrived at the other side we had to go through immigration, and despite being the 1st people there, this honour is reserved for the tour groups, however long it takes them…. All of them!! Of course, by this time we were seeing red and being told to “take a seat” in a room full of people where there were no seats, was not a great way to stem the flames of anger. At least from here it was just a short cab ride to town, albeit 3 ½ hours later than planned. Yet our luck had not turned and our cabbie did not intend to drop us off at ouyr hotel so we hopped out in town and here we were told where we were – but we weren’t! So a little wander led us to find a hotel and we were able to settle in for the night, FINALLY!
With no intention of staying in Aqaba, but also no intent to haul ass to Petra, we allowed ourselves to sleep in and casually grab some food before getting into a share taxi to Wadi Musa. The trip was under 2 hrs and we arrived in time to get a nice room and find some more delicious Middle Eastern food before retiring for the night. After a nice sleep, with great anticipation, we awoke at 7 for breakfast and hustled out to get to Petra for the day – and what a day it was!
We got our tickets to the site and started the trek in to the heart of it all. On the way we were given little tasters of what was to come as with carved facades and caves in the face of the sandstone rock around us. After a short time we entered ‘the siq’ a narrow gorge forged from the tectonic plates separating. At time the light was almost cut out as we ventured deeper inside and the anticipation rose as we got nearer to the end and the figure-head of Petra, The Treasury.
When we did arrive we were able to see how so many people fall in love with Petra right there. It was astonishing. The detail and the craftsmanship involved and then the natural beauty of the lined and swirled sandstone. Also, Indiana Jones connect helps! Despite the throngs of tourists we were able to enjoy our time here with smiles on our faces as we had reached our final of the 7 Wonders of the World.
From the Treasury we strolled down the ‘Street of Facades’, a narrow road with carved tomb fronts on either side. This led us out into an opening, from which we could gauge the enormity of the site. A large amphitheatre stood in front of us with carved tombs on either side, rising up the valley walls. We could also see the wide valley in front of us with more and more ruins to explore.
We continued our trek and went to explore some of the huge tombs that we could see, all ornately adorned and carved from the sandstone. As we walked to go and view them we saw that a guy that had shared in our ferry agony was sat with some local Bedouins, sipping tea at their trinket stall. We joined them and spent the next half hour sipping Bedouin tea and taking in the scenery. With brief goodbyes we started our hike to a secluded overlook of the treasury. This entailed us picking our way through crevices, climbing/scrabbling up worn out carved steps and pushing our way through bushes past the carcasses of donkeys! Not another person the entire time.
We arrived finally, feeling pretty hardcore, at the top of the cliff, with just a few minutes left until the overlook. It was here that we met some people finally, who had chosen the route we decided against. The view from the outcrop was fantastic; we sat and had our hiking snacks looking down on the Treasury and the bustling crowd below. We descended via the ‘proper’ route and decided that ours was much more fun then the hundreds of restored steps that lead us down, back to the valley floor.
We still had tons to see so we hurried on to explore the very Roman city centre, with it’s colonnades and free standing buildings. We stopped here for another rest before a long and strenuous hike up the Monastery. Although we soon found that it wasn’t as bad as people seemed to think and was a very nice, yet step-y, trek and we were once again rewarded heavily. The Monastery was as impressive as the Treasury, not as ornate, but larger, and of the same design – these guys were serious!
By the time we had returned to the valley we had only one thing left to do before the day was out – a hike recommended by our guidebook that a renowned US rambler claimed as being in his top 6. Well, as usual LP didn’t fail to provide a crappy part of the map at a vital point! We set off under my direction. We were having a lovely tie, with beautiful scenery when we happened upon a group of guys who wanted to check our map. This was when, after consulting our compass, we were on the wrong trail heading nowhere except for a 2 day hike to a village!! Needless to say, we pulled a U-y and went back the other way, forgoing our hike, my head bowed in shame! We did make it to the final destination, well I did. Jen, still fighting off a nasty cold, decided to wait at the bottom of the rock face and the staircase that lead to the top. So I left on my own, on weary legs to finish the day at the ‘High Place of Sacrifice’.
I was a rewarding hike up and, after forcing myself to quicken the pace, I was up in 20 minutes. The view was astonishing, as were the 2 obelisks, carved from the sandstone, yet being the only 2 objects on a flat topped pinnacle! With a little exploration I managed to find the 10 x 20 ft shallow pool, presumably there to catch whatever the ‘sacrifice’ ‘leaked’!
I arrived back down to find Jen, surprised to see me so quickly (Yes, I’m gloating – the book said 40mins each way, I was up and down in 45) and we took a leisurely walk back to the end of the siq, to take one final look a the Treasury before departing. We were even able to get a quick piccie with no one else in it! After a very long, hot, dust, sweaty, up & down, 9hr day we decided that we had better relax a little before going back to the hotel. So we had a nice cold beer in the Worlds oldest bar (Thank you Ranch Kids)!
So there we are, we have seen all of the 7 New Wonders and what remains of the Ancients. We even managed to finish on a favourite, Petra is a beautiful blend of natural beauty in the amazingly patterned sandstone and the natural landscape, mixed with the truly magnificent feat of the civilization that once lived here in constructing such an awe inspiring city. Magical.
Nothing left to do on our trip but relax – and so we shall!
We left Jordan the next day, much more smoothly than before, although we did have to wait a few hours for the ferry to leave, and, once back on Egyptian soil, Jen haggled a VERY good price for a ride down to Dahab, where we are now. For months this has been a place we have been looking forward to, a sea-side paradise of lazy days, sheesha pipes, great food, cold beers and wonderful diving. So far it has not disappointed. We have found a nice little ocean front hotel with a great bar/dining area on the water that looks over the glassy blue waters of the Gulf of Aqaba ( the Red Sea) to Saudi Arabia. And furthermore, we have had 2 days of fantastic diving and plan to have 3 or 4 more!
Unfortunately, we can’t get these computers to load Picasa and therefore we cannot post the pictures yet…. So you will have to wait! Sorry!
Bye, time for food, beer and another sheesha before bed!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
ruins and dips and friends and camels
The next day we troddled on over to the brand new Acropolis museum- mere steps from our abode in Plaka (did we mention we can see the Acropolis from basically anywhere?!)paid our 1 euro entrance, and battled the tour groups gone mad for a small bit of space. The museum was phenomenal and incredibly well done. Oli was particularly tickled by the short film, however there were no copies to be found in the gift shop. We enjoyed every second of it!!! Next up we visited the Archeological Museum- fantastic!! Then back to our hotel for another night of lounging on the balcony, avoiding the rain.
On Friday we hopped on a bus and headed out to Nafplio- a gorgeous seaside town with a lotta history. It was the first capital of the Hellenic Republic, has a massive fortress or 3, and is a very nice place to sit in a cafe over a coffee. My old friend Angelo, whom I knew back in the old days at CSUC, lives there, and we were able to meet up for a few hours. He gave us a fab tour of the town and along the water and we were immediately jealous of his living in this paradise. We climbed around the fortress a bit in the afternoon, then hopped on the bus then the metro then to the hostel then the metro to the airport to wait until our 11pm flight to Egypt!!!!!!
The flight was uneventful but when we arrived in Cairo things spiced up a bit. It was vaguely reminiscent of our landing in Chennai all those months ago. Hot chaos, people hassling, grabbing, begging for your attention so they can get your money. We hired a car from the Limo company so we wouldn't have to haggle over the price upon arrival at our hotel, and set off. The purported 20 minute ride was nothing of the sort due to our poor timing right after an accident with a flipped vehicle whose passengers they had to break out through the windshield and which caused gridlock for 90 minutes as we were on an overpass. Then off we went, zooming through the streets of Cairo only to realize that our cab driver had no clue where he was, no clue where the hotel was, and no clue how to get from point a to point b. Fabulous, especially at 2 am (3 am on our body clocks due to the time change). What was even better was that he couldn't read our map or let us direct him as he spoke no English. He had to resort to screaming out the car window at bums sleeping on cardboard boxes, reverse through many streets, and then barely believed us when we shouted that we were pulled up by the hotel. And then emerged another gem of Egypt-Baksheesh. Now, we have encountered this before, a bit of bribery here and there to make things run smoothly, but here it takes on a new level. As the average wage is 8 Egyptian pounds- less then $1.50USD, people rely on baksheesh to make ends meet. So every time someone opens the door for you, points out something (obvious as it may be) has any sort of social interaction with you, you are expected and socially required to give them baksheesh. Now this may range from a few pounds upwards to 10 or more, and they always want more. We fled from our stupid cab driver after he refused to take our measly few pounds tip, but what did he expect? The past 3 hours with him were not exactly pleasant nor did we think we would come out alive, and we had already paid him for the cab. However we did have to shell out to the bum who ran to our building and opened the elevator door for us. And so it continued.
We checked in and passed out.
The next morning we headed off to see the famed Egyptian Museum. Housing a massive unparalleled collection, we expected the museum to impress us as well. Unfortunately, no care is taken with the artifacts- they are all dirty and jumbled together. Many things are out in the open and as we have learned, with every "don't touch" sign there are 99% of people who will immediately touch once having read said sign. We were incredibly pissed watching the guards sit around and nap while all these priceless artifacts were desecrated. There were a few rooms that had obviously been recently renovated but for the most part everything was a shambles- disappointing after $30USD entrance per person. We did see the mummies, who looked a bit raisiny and had surprisingly intact eyelashes, and viewed Tutankhamen's royal burial goodies which was sweet. We may sound a bit jaded, but after seeing as many museums as we have lately we are becoming sticklers for quality.
The afternoon was mellow, dodging touts and overly friendly men, eating fabulous falafel and dips, and going to bed early to try and kick this cold that is just not ready to quit.
This morning we were up super duper early and hopped in our hired car to head out for a day of pyramid-hopping. We couldn't imagine a day of haggling with random cabs so we decided with a private driver from our hotel- a rarely afforded luxury. First we stopped at the bus station to buy our tix to Nuieba for TONIGHT, then (drumroll please) the Great Pyramids of Giza. Plunked in the middle of urban Giza, or rather having watched with Giza encircled them, the pyramids are as impressive as you could imagine. Massive and sandy. We tried to dodge most of the touts but Oli did get attacked by a man with Arab head wraps who wouldn't take no or running away for an answer (the photo says it all). After the obligatory baksheesh, we climbed on inside the biggest pyramid. The climb inside was surprisingly short and we only passed one woman hyperventilating from the claustrophobia. The final room was smelly and dark. I guess you just do it for the novelty- its pretty cool to be under all that stone. Not much of a view inside, however. We did our lap of the 3 pyramids, posed with the Sphinx, then hopped in the car for the rest of our adventures.
We visited the Steps pyramid at the Saqqara (oldest stone monument in the world), then off to Memphis with a cool old statue of Ramses II, then to Dashur to see the red pyramid (oldest pyramid in the world) where we climbed inside, it smelled like pee, but was a bit more impressing than Giza as the ceilings were vaulted. Back to the hotel for some reading and now here we are! Time for some dinner and sheesha, then off to sleep on a bus! Less than a month left....
On Friday we hopped on a bus and headed out to Nafplio- a gorgeous seaside town with a lotta history. It was the first capital of the Hellenic Republic, has a massive fortress or 3, and is a very nice place to sit in a cafe over a coffee. My old friend Angelo, whom I knew back in the old days at CSUC, lives there, and we were able to meet up for a few hours. He gave us a fab tour of the town and along the water and we were immediately jealous of his living in this paradise. We climbed around the fortress a bit in the afternoon, then hopped on the bus then the metro then to the hostel then the metro to the airport to wait until our 11pm flight to Egypt!!!!!!
The flight was uneventful but when we arrived in Cairo things spiced up a bit. It was vaguely reminiscent of our landing in Chennai all those months ago. Hot chaos, people hassling, grabbing, begging for your attention so they can get your money. We hired a car from the Limo company so we wouldn't have to haggle over the price upon arrival at our hotel, and set off. The purported 20 minute ride was nothing of the sort due to our poor timing right after an accident with a flipped vehicle whose passengers they had to break out through the windshield and which caused gridlock for 90 minutes as we were on an overpass. Then off we went, zooming through the streets of Cairo only to realize that our cab driver had no clue where he was, no clue where the hotel was, and no clue how to get from point a to point b. Fabulous, especially at 2 am (3 am on our body clocks due to the time change). What was even better was that he couldn't read our map or let us direct him as he spoke no English. He had to resort to screaming out the car window at bums sleeping on cardboard boxes, reverse through many streets, and then barely believed us when we shouted that we were pulled up by the hotel. And then emerged another gem of Egypt-Baksheesh. Now, we have encountered this before, a bit of bribery here and there to make things run smoothly, but here it takes on a new level. As the average wage is 8 Egyptian pounds- less then $1.50USD, people rely on baksheesh to make ends meet. So every time someone opens the door for you, points out something (obvious as it may be) has any sort of social interaction with you, you are expected and socially required to give them baksheesh. Now this may range from a few pounds upwards to 10 or more, and they always want more. We fled from our stupid cab driver after he refused to take our measly few pounds tip, but what did he expect? The past 3 hours with him were not exactly pleasant nor did we think we would come out alive, and we had already paid him for the cab. However we did have to shell out to the bum who ran to our building and opened the elevator door for us. And so it continued.
We checked in and passed out.
The next morning we headed off to see the famed Egyptian Museum. Housing a massive unparalleled collection, we expected the museum to impress us as well. Unfortunately, no care is taken with the artifacts- they are all dirty and jumbled together. Many things are out in the open and as we have learned, with every "don't touch" sign there are 99% of people who will immediately touch once having read said sign. We were incredibly pissed watching the guards sit around and nap while all these priceless artifacts were desecrated. There were a few rooms that had obviously been recently renovated but for the most part everything was a shambles- disappointing after $30USD entrance per person. We did see the mummies, who looked a bit raisiny and had surprisingly intact eyelashes, and viewed Tutankhamen's royal burial goodies which was sweet. We may sound a bit jaded, but after seeing as many museums as we have lately we are becoming sticklers for quality.
The afternoon was mellow, dodging touts and overly friendly men, eating fabulous falafel and dips, and going to bed early to try and kick this cold that is just not ready to quit.
This morning we were up super duper early and hopped in our hired car to head out for a day of pyramid-hopping. We couldn't imagine a day of haggling with random cabs so we decided with a private driver from our hotel- a rarely afforded luxury. First we stopped at the bus station to buy our tix to Nuieba for TONIGHT, then (drumroll please) the Great Pyramids of Giza. Plunked in the middle of urban Giza, or rather having watched with Giza encircled them, the pyramids are as impressive as you could imagine. Massive and sandy. We tried to dodge most of the touts but Oli did get attacked by a man with Arab head wraps who wouldn't take no or running away for an answer (the photo says it all). After the obligatory baksheesh, we climbed on inside the biggest pyramid. The climb inside was surprisingly short and we only passed one woman hyperventilating from the claustrophobia. The final room was smelly and dark. I guess you just do it for the novelty- its pretty cool to be under all that stone. Not much of a view inside, however. We did our lap of the 3 pyramids, posed with the Sphinx, then hopped in the car for the rest of our adventures.
We visited the Steps pyramid at the Saqqara (oldest stone monument in the world), then off to Memphis with a cool old statue of Ramses II, then to Dashur to see the red pyramid (oldest pyramid in the world) where we climbed inside, it smelled like pee, but was a bit more impressing than Giza as the ceilings were vaulted. Back to the hotel for some reading and now here we are! Time for some dinner and sheesha, then off to sleep on a bus! Less than a month left....
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hellenical Adventures
Another blog so soon...... unheard of! We have close to 200 pics from yesterday so we thought we'd share them with you!! We were blessed with a beautiful day and some of the photos came out wonderfully (if I do say so myself!), so please, have a gander....
Firstly, here are the remaining photos from our short time in St. Petersburg:
And just a days worth of Athens:
Off to 2 of the worlds great museums today, so they say. Strange to think that tomorrow evening we will be in Egypt!
Firstly, here are the remaining photos from our short time in St. Petersburg:
And just a days worth of Athens:
Off to 2 of the worlds great museums today, so they say. Strange to think that tomorrow evening we will be in Egypt!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Greece Bound
We have arrived in Greece!! Goodbye cold weather and somber faces, hello sunshine and pita bread! Before I get ahead of myself, lets recap the past 2 weeks, shall we?
We left Irkutsk for Tomsk in a lovely cabin on the train. We ate loads of noodles and bread, drank lots of tea, and napped. Upon arrival in Tomsk we were met by Nikita, our CS host. He drove us to his place, a very nice apartment which he shares with his wife, overlooking the city. Fabulous! We feasted on stuffed peppers (thanks Marina!), showered, laundried, and generally sorted ourselves out before heading into town with our lovely hosts for a grand tour. Tomsk is primarily a student town with gorgeous architecture overlooking the Tom river. We even went to the hill where Tomsk was founded! Lots of the buildings are adorned with wooden "lace", a characteristic of original Siberian architecture with Tomsk being having the most intact pieces. What a lovely time we had, strolling around and chatting. We went back to the apartment that evening for a dinner of solyanka, a delicious soup, and some mulled wine. We rounded out the night watching "Brother 2" a great Russian film.
The next day we continued our tour after a ridiculously great omlette brunch, and visited the campuses and parks in the southern part of town. In the afternoon we attended the annual meeting for the local branch of the Hospitality Club, an organization quite like CS. We even had to give a little speech and slideshow of our trip! The meeting was held in an awesome tiny theatre with the most fantasitc wooden puppets that move and talk to you electronically. Seriously awesome. We cooked our hosts dinner of Chili con Carne and wine, and enjoyed our last night in Siberia.
Two-point-five days on the train in 3rd class- woulda been grand had we not been plagued by this chick who decided to sit with us and talk to our neighbors all day and all night, regardless of the fact that her seat was down the cabin. Oli couldn't lay down when he wanted to and she was constantly crowding us!! ARGHHHHH.
Welcome to Moscow. Somehow, we found our way to the hostel without a hitch and found that Home from Home is not what it claims. We were met by a very confused staff, no record of our booking (a constant problem with this place, as it turns out) and then we were placed in the "dorm" in the common room- 4 saggy beds under the TV where the resident babushka sits all day watching the soaps. She also sleeps there and has a massive snoring problem, as we found out later. We headed out to grab a bite to eat (yummy blinys) and a night view of the Kremlin and St. Basil's cathedral. So picturesque!!! We rounded out the evening at a Cuban bar of all places, drinking extortionately prices drinks (thanks for the beer $ pops!!!!!) and avoiding our hellhole of a hostel.
The next day we went back to the Red Square to visit Lenin's Mauselium- creepy and sad, the past 85 years look like they were torture for the poor man. Lunch at a fab place in the famous GUM mall (Russians LOVE their buffet and cafeteria style restaurants!) and then the museum, afterwhich we were plagued with what to do until our 1am train to St. Petes. Oli decided on (what else) Tinkoff brewery! We lazed away the night having a few microbrews until our train. As we boarded our train, we realized that we had left our passports in the hostel's safe. Oh shit. Well, nothin to do but try to board the train with our photocopies and avoid the po-po at any cost! We boarded without a problem and slept the 9hrs to St. Petersburg.
Now this is a city we can dig! Immediately we loved the place, and were fortunate enough to be staying at the lovely Soul Kitchen hostel- nice! We checked in, grabbed lunch, and headed directly to the Hermitage. What a museum!!! We were there until closing, and saw every single room on both the first and second floors. It is one of the most fabulous museums we have ever been to and thats saying a lot after London, NYC, and the past year of globe trotting! Dinner at a local place where we munched on Ural dumplings and borscht.
Day two of St. Petes consisted of the Dostoyevsky museum (swoon), napping, and food at Yolki Polki- salad buffet for less than $10, a real feat in Russia, and where we found out later Obama had taken his kids to! Early night for us.
Final day in St. Petes was Hermitage time- had to finish up the 3rd floor! Hid out in a coffeeshop and then the ballet at the Mikaelovsky theatre- Giselle was on, and it was surperb. Russian ballet, can't beat it!! A bit fancy pants when you get down to it, and the men sure were proud of those tights they were wearing, but a great evening overall. Evening train to Moscow!
Final day in Russia, and it poured down with rain. We went to the armoury, where we saw a few Faberge eggs (I really don't get what the fuss is about), some awesome carriages, and a bunch of guilded things. Spent the afternoon in a coffee shop journaling and deciding on which Russian dolls to buy, then off to the airport for our 10:40pm flight to Riga, Latvia!
Slept in the Riga airport- I swear we were the only souls there. Not even anyplace to buy water, we had to suffice with sucking out of the bathroom taps. Slept surprisingly well for a few hours, had a cold pizza breakfast, and then caught our flight to ATHENS!!!
And here we are. We arrived yesterday and immediately had a beer at the rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis, then found a market to buy dips and cheeses and pitas and wine, and spent the evening on our balcony enjoying the Grecian weather.
Today has been busy! We headed to the Acropolis first, where it was tour group hell, but still breathtaking. Of course, like every other fabulous thing in the world it was under refurbishment, but still- amazing. After that we popped in at a few other ruins around the city, ate a yummo Greek pita wrap, and decided to visit Nafplio on Friday. And that brings you up to date! Just a month left on our RTW adventure (then I'm off to Australia sans Oli for 10 days or so) and then Blighty for the holidays! Love and kisses.
We left Irkutsk for Tomsk in a lovely cabin on the train. We ate loads of noodles and bread, drank lots of tea, and napped. Upon arrival in Tomsk we were met by Nikita, our CS host. He drove us to his place, a very nice apartment which he shares with his wife, overlooking the city. Fabulous! We feasted on stuffed peppers (thanks Marina!), showered, laundried, and generally sorted ourselves out before heading into town with our lovely hosts for a grand tour. Tomsk is primarily a student town with gorgeous architecture overlooking the Tom river. We even went to the hill where Tomsk was founded! Lots of the buildings are adorned with wooden "lace", a characteristic of original Siberian architecture with Tomsk being having the most intact pieces. What a lovely time we had, strolling around and chatting. We went back to the apartment that evening for a dinner of solyanka, a delicious soup, and some mulled wine. We rounded out the night watching "Brother 2" a great Russian film.
The next day we continued our tour after a ridiculously great omlette brunch, and visited the campuses and parks in the southern part of town. In the afternoon we attended the annual meeting for the local branch of the Hospitality Club, an organization quite like CS. We even had to give a little speech and slideshow of our trip! The meeting was held in an awesome tiny theatre with the most fantasitc wooden puppets that move and talk to you electronically. Seriously awesome. We cooked our hosts dinner of Chili con Carne and wine, and enjoyed our last night in Siberia.
Two-point-five days on the train in 3rd class- woulda been grand had we not been plagued by this chick who decided to sit with us and talk to our neighbors all day and all night, regardless of the fact that her seat was down the cabin. Oli couldn't lay down when he wanted to and she was constantly crowding us!! ARGHHHHH.
Welcome to Moscow. Somehow, we found our way to the hostel without a hitch and found that Home from Home is not what it claims. We were met by a very confused staff, no record of our booking (a constant problem with this place, as it turns out) and then we were placed in the "dorm" in the common room- 4 saggy beds under the TV where the resident babushka sits all day watching the soaps. She also sleeps there and has a massive snoring problem, as we found out later. We headed out to grab a bite to eat (yummy blinys) and a night view of the Kremlin and St. Basil's cathedral. So picturesque!!! We rounded out the evening at a Cuban bar of all places, drinking extortionately prices drinks (thanks for the beer $ pops!!!!!) and avoiding our hellhole of a hostel.
The next day we went back to the Red Square to visit Lenin's Mauselium- creepy and sad, the past 85 years look like they were torture for the poor man. Lunch at a fab place in the famous GUM mall (Russians LOVE their buffet and cafeteria style restaurants!) and then the museum, afterwhich we were plagued with what to do until our 1am train to St. Petes. Oli decided on (what else) Tinkoff brewery! We lazed away the night having a few microbrews until our train. As we boarded our train, we realized that we had left our passports in the hostel's safe. Oh shit. Well, nothin to do but try to board the train with our photocopies and avoid the po-po at any cost! We boarded without a problem and slept the 9hrs to St. Petersburg.
Now this is a city we can dig! Immediately we loved the place, and were fortunate enough to be staying at the lovely Soul Kitchen hostel- nice! We checked in, grabbed lunch, and headed directly to the Hermitage. What a museum!!! We were there until closing, and saw every single room on both the first and second floors. It is one of the most fabulous museums we have ever been to and thats saying a lot after London, NYC, and the past year of globe trotting! Dinner at a local place where we munched on Ural dumplings and borscht.
Day two of St. Petes consisted of the Dostoyevsky museum (swoon), napping, and food at Yolki Polki- salad buffet for less than $10, a real feat in Russia, and where we found out later Obama had taken his kids to! Early night for us.
Final day in St. Petes was Hermitage time- had to finish up the 3rd floor! Hid out in a coffeeshop and then the ballet at the Mikaelovsky theatre- Giselle was on, and it was surperb. Russian ballet, can't beat it!! A bit fancy pants when you get down to it, and the men sure were proud of those tights they were wearing, but a great evening overall. Evening train to Moscow!
Final day in Russia, and it poured down with rain. We went to the armoury, where we saw a few Faberge eggs (I really don't get what the fuss is about), some awesome carriages, and a bunch of guilded things. Spent the afternoon in a coffee shop journaling and deciding on which Russian dolls to buy, then off to the airport for our 10:40pm flight to Riga, Latvia!
Slept in the Riga airport- I swear we were the only souls there. Not even anyplace to buy water, we had to suffice with sucking out of the bathroom taps. Slept surprisingly well for a few hours, had a cold pizza breakfast, and then caught our flight to ATHENS!!!
And here we are. We arrived yesterday and immediately had a beer at the rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis, then found a market to buy dips and cheeses and pitas and wine, and spent the evening on our balcony enjoying the Grecian weather.
Today has been busy! We headed to the Acropolis first, where it was tour group hell, but still breathtaking. Of course, like every other fabulous thing in the world it was under refurbishment, but still- amazing. After that we popped in at a few other ruins around the city, ate a yummo Greek pita wrap, and decided to visit Nafplio on Friday. And that brings you up to date! Just a month left on our RTW adventure (then I'm off to Australia sans Oli for 10 days or so) and then Blighty for the holidays! Love and kisses.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Happy Anniversary to us!!!!
Well, it has now been one year since we flew to Mexico City from NYC and now we are in Russia - weird! It is also weird to think that in 2 weeks we will be in Cairo, after travelling the remaining few thousand Km of the Trans-Siberian, a brief stop in Latvia AND going to Athens!
Anyway, a lot has happened since the end of the last update, for this we have to go all the way back to Beijing..... but to the best part...
Catherine arrived!! We made our way over to the Hilton to meet her and we were greeted with big hugs and a ridiculous room!! We snuck ourselves in and went out to explore the city, now as a threesome. We went 1st to the Temple of Heaven Park, we had a lovely wander around the grounds and even got to witness a large group of locals having a nice Sunday afternoon dance! From here we went to go for a quick drink and to the Duck Restaurant that had been recommended to us.
We arrived and were greeted with something everyone can appreciate.... free wine! A good start so far. We were all hungry and ready to experience Peking Duck in Peking. Unfortunatly the free wine was the best bit! Despite being delicious, the duck was disappointing as, despite ordering a whole duck, we all only had 3 limply filled pancakes - no good. It was so shocking thas
t we even complained and the girl donned some rubber gloves and started tearing at the duck. "Extra Lean" duck my ass! Anyway, it was delicious and we did not let it taint our night. We went to find a drink and before we knew it we were witnessing a pole-off! That's right people, a guy one one pole, a girl on the other and them both going at it HARD! Genius. Suffice to say, we had a good night!
We awoke in our (thx Cat!) still wonderful room and ventured out to The Forbidden City. When we arrived we were suprised to find a Cartier exhibit (Catherine works in the antique jewellery business) and it was one of the most enjoyable exhibits that we have been privy too, particularly as we had a cute little walking jewellery encyclopedia with us!! We left this to view the rest of the beautiful City before heading across Tian'amen Square to wander around the old network of streets on the other sides. From here we went for a really fun hotpot, cook your own, restaurant before heading back to the Hilton for the evening.
After leaving the Hilton and sadly saying goodbye to Catherine, ouк new fave travel buddy, we went over to our hostel for our last night in China before starting the Trans-Mongolian Railway trip. We left from here the following morning and bee-lined for the train station where we settled into a vitually empty train, meaning we had our own cabin. Yay!! The train trip was really something else, exciting and visually beautiful, seeing the landscape change from the green, limestone mountains of China, to the rock Gobi desert and then to the undulating hills surrounding Ulaanbaatar. Particularly memorable was Jen's puchase of Jack Daniel's at the border... only to find it was Jack Daniei's, a "very convincing" fake - she was not happy!
Arriving at our hostel, and for the 1st time for a while private room, we finally conceeded to machine washing our clothes, much needed after China, and went to explore the city a little. Finally we were really cold and we relished the opportunity to don our new coats and jeans! The next day we explored UB more visiting the very interesting and extensive National History Museum and then onto the Natural History Museum - more of a taxidermists wet dream than a museum - We went for a few local brews (thanks Kev & Arya) before heading back and packing up for our 2 nights stay with a nomadic family in a tradition ger in the Terelj National Park.
After a few hours in the car we arrived at our new family's place in the beautiful National Park. We were greeted with not only amazing landscape but warm mare's milk, and homemade bread & butter! We were left to our own devices till lunch and we went for a very visually rewarding hike up the peak next to the encampment. It was an amazing sight and at this time of year the trees were all an amazing bronze colour. We returned from our hike for lunch and (I) enjoyed freshly cooked (& killed) mutton with potatoes, rice and pickles. We vegged and enjoyed the countryside for the rest of the day before settling in with Anna and Peter, our new Portuguese buddies, and a bottle of vodka in our wood-fire heated ger.
Our 2nd day was greeted with new people coming to stay and more warm mare's milk! Today was our day to go horse-riding, for 4 hours, my 1st time..... it was harrowing! Actually, after nearly falling off in the 1st 5 mins, I got the hang of it and we had a great time trotting to 'Turtle Rock' - you guessed it, it looks like a turtle! With a sore arse we returned and had another relaxing evening, it was only after reviewing the photos from the horse-riding that we realised just how reeeeeeeeediculous I looked on the tiny horse!
We returned to UB after a 2nd night in the countryside and went to get our tickets for the next leg of the train. We rewarded ourselves at the Chinngis Beer Co. and went to stock up on provisions for the ensuing journey.
The next part of the train was just as beautiful, but a little more painful as there was the border crossing at 1am that took close to 6 hours with Mongolians asking us to help them smuggle coats across by claiming that they were ours! Yay. But we did make it into Russia. We arrived in Irkutsk yesterday after several hours skirting Lake Baikal, the World's deepest lake and largest deposit of unfrozen fresh water, to our 1st Russian Couch Surfing host. We hung out with the hairless cats till Spike got home at 1030pm. We hit it off and at 4am, after a bottle of vodka, we finally retired to bed.
Today we were late getting up thanks to the vodka but still made it to Lake Baikal to dip both feet in and gain 5 years of extra life per foot. Take that smoking!
We leave in the morning for Tomsk and more Russian fun!
Anyway, a lot has happened since the end of the last update, for this we have to go all the way back to Beijing..... but to the best part...
Catherine arrived!! We made our way over to the Hilton to meet her and we were greeted with big hugs and a ridiculous room!! We snuck ourselves in and went out to explore the city, now as a threesome. We went 1st to the Temple of Heaven Park, we had a lovely wander around the grounds and even got to witness a large group of locals having a nice Sunday afternoon dance! From here we went to go for a quick drink and to the Duck Restaurant that had been recommended to us.
We arrived and were greeted with something everyone can appreciate.... free wine! A good start so far. We were all hungry and ready to experience Peking Duck in Peking. Unfortunatly the free wine was the best bit! Despite being delicious, the duck was disappointing as, despite ordering a whole duck, we all only had 3 limply filled pancakes - no good. It was so shocking thas
t we even complained and the girl donned some rubber gloves and started tearing at the duck. "Extra Lean" duck my ass! Anyway, it was delicious and we did not let it taint our night. We went to find a drink and before we knew it we were witnessing a pole-off! That's right people, a guy one one pole, a girl on the other and them both going at it HARD! Genius. Suffice to say, we had a good night!
We awoke in our (thx Cat!) still wonderful room and ventured out to The Forbidden City. When we arrived we were suprised to find a Cartier exhibit (Catherine works in the antique jewellery business) and it was one of the most enjoyable exhibits that we have been privy too, particularly as we had a cute little walking jewellery encyclopedia with us!! We left this to view the rest of the beautiful City before heading across Tian'amen Square to wander around the old network of streets on the other sides. From here we went for a really fun hotpot, cook your own, restaurant before heading back to the Hilton for the evening.
After leaving the Hilton and sadly saying goodbye to Catherine, ouк new fave travel buddy, we went over to our hostel for our last night in China before starting the Trans-Mongolian Railway trip. We left from here the following morning and bee-lined for the train station where we settled into a vitually empty train, meaning we had our own cabin. Yay!! The train trip was really something else, exciting and visually beautiful, seeing the landscape change from the green, limestone mountains of China, to the rock Gobi desert and then to the undulating hills surrounding Ulaanbaatar. Particularly memorable was Jen's puchase of Jack Daniel's at the border... only to find it was Jack Daniei's, a "very convincing" fake - she was not happy!
Arriving at our hostel, and for the 1st time for a while private room, we finally conceeded to machine washing our clothes, much needed after China, and went to explore the city a little. Finally we were really cold and we relished the opportunity to don our new coats and jeans! The next day we explored UB more visiting the very interesting and extensive National History Museum and then onto the Natural History Museum - more of a taxidermists wet dream than a museum - We went for a few local brews (thanks Kev & Arya) before heading back and packing up for our 2 nights stay with a nomadic family in a tradition ger in the Terelj National Park.
After a few hours in the car we arrived at our new family's place in the beautiful National Park. We were greeted with not only amazing landscape but warm mare's milk, and homemade bread & butter! We were left to our own devices till lunch and we went for a very visually rewarding hike up the peak next to the encampment. It was an amazing sight and at this time of year the trees were all an amazing bronze colour. We returned from our hike for lunch and (I) enjoyed freshly cooked (& killed) mutton with potatoes, rice and pickles. We vegged and enjoyed the countryside for the rest of the day before settling in with Anna and Peter, our new Portuguese buddies, and a bottle of vodka in our wood-fire heated ger.
Our 2nd day was greeted with new people coming to stay and more warm mare's milk! Today was our day to go horse-riding, for 4 hours, my 1st time..... it was harrowing! Actually, after nearly falling off in the 1st 5 mins, I got the hang of it and we had a great time trotting to 'Turtle Rock' - you guessed it, it looks like a turtle! With a sore arse we returned and had another relaxing evening, it was only after reviewing the photos from the horse-riding that we realised just how reeeeeeeeediculous I looked on the tiny horse!
We returned to UB after a 2nd night in the countryside and went to get our tickets for the next leg of the train. We rewarded ourselves at the Chinngis Beer Co. and went to stock up on provisions for the ensuing journey.
The next part of the train was just as beautiful, but a little more painful as there was the border crossing at 1am that took close to 6 hours with Mongolians asking us to help them smuggle coats across by claiming that they were ours! Yay. But we did make it into Russia. We arrived in Irkutsk yesterday after several hours skirting Lake Baikal, the World's deepest lake and largest deposit of unfrozen fresh water, to our 1st Russian Couch Surfing host. We hung out with the hairless cats till Spike got home at 1030pm. We hit it off and at 4am, after a bottle of vodka, we finally retired to bed.
Today we were late getting up thanks to the vodka but still made it to Lake Baikal to dip both feet in and gain 5 years of extra life per foot. Take that smoking!
We leave in the morning for Tomsk and more Russian fun!
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