Wow! What an awesome trip.
We got back into Chicago around 5:30a this morning after flying over 18 hours and sitting in LAX for 5 hours.
It was over 90F when we left Bangkok on Sunday evening and it is cold and snowy here this morning. We are feeling a bit groggy this morning and are trying to stay up for a little while more to get some laundry started.
So, what worked and what didn't . . . The new packing method was the best idea ever. We used the Eagle Creek packing cubes and folios. We used just about everything we brought with the exception of our rain jackets and chopsticks. Hey mom, everyone loved the chopstick holder you made - I had to show it off to the group.
I lost one of my extra camera batteries. Other than that, everything worked fine.
We will be working on our photos and stories to go with them. We'll share them with you as soon as we can.
Hugs to all!
Deb & Karel
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bangkok - The final Chapter
And so, we are sitting in our hotel waiting for the taxi to the airport. This is the last update out of Asia.
Yesterday, we went on an all day tour outside of Bangkok. We went to the Bridge on the River Kwai and the war museum. Karel was able to walk across the bridge, but I chickened out because there was nothing to hold on to and there were a lot of people on the bridge. We watched the Eastern & Oriental Express train cross the bridge and back. It was an extra side trip we found out later. It appeared that the Thai were getting ready for a celebration around the bridge as they were setting up some lights and stage parts.
We then went on to the Tiger Temple. It was quite a drive. We arrived to see about a dozen tigers lounging about with their caretakers in tow. We were able to get close to take pictures and then we got the chance to walk with a tiger to the Tiger Canyon, where there were more photo opportunities. We then paid an extra fee to have our picture taken with a tiger with his head in Karel's lap and me sitting next to them. After this, we were driven back to the city. We hired a private taxi and the driver did not speak any English, so it was a quiet drive.
Updated: 11/24/08 - I forgot to tell you that as we were walking back from dinner to our hotel, we saw an elephant walking down the street. There was a guy on top of him - "driving" him and another guy on the street selling treats so that you could feed the elephant. It was a bit disconcerting because of all the traffic and this poor elephant. We didn't have our cameras with us, so we didn't get a picture of it.
Today, we took about a 2 hour private boat tour of some of the side canals in Bangkok. We got some really good pictures of houses on the waterfront. We also stopped at yet another temple for more pictures.
We ended our day with lunch at The Oriental Hotel. This was a nice end to our trip.
Next stop - Chicago - via Los Angeles.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
Yesterday, we went on an all day tour outside of Bangkok. We went to the Bridge on the River Kwai and the war museum. Karel was able to walk across the bridge, but I chickened out because there was nothing to hold on to and there were a lot of people on the bridge. We watched the Eastern & Oriental Express train cross the bridge and back. It was an extra side trip we found out later. It appeared that the Thai were getting ready for a celebration around the bridge as they were setting up some lights and stage parts.
We then went on to the Tiger Temple. It was quite a drive. We arrived to see about a dozen tigers lounging about with their caretakers in tow. We were able to get close to take pictures and then we got the chance to walk with a tiger to the Tiger Canyon, where there were more photo opportunities. We then paid an extra fee to have our picture taken with a tiger with his head in Karel's lap and me sitting next to them. After this, we were driven back to the city. We hired a private taxi and the driver did not speak any English, so it was a quiet drive.
Updated: 11/24/08 - I forgot to tell you that as we were walking back from dinner to our hotel, we saw an elephant walking down the street. There was a guy on top of him - "driving" him and another guy on the street selling treats so that you could feed the elephant. It was a bit disconcerting because of all the traffic and this poor elephant. We didn't have our cameras with us, so we didn't get a picture of it.
Today, we took about a 2 hour private boat tour of some of the side canals in Bangkok. We got some really good pictures of houses on the waterfront. We also stopped at yet another temple for more pictures.
We ended our day with lunch at The Oriental Hotel. This was a nice end to our trip.
Next stop - Chicago - via Los Angeles.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Kathmandu
Well, today is our last day in Nepal. We are headed back to Bangkok this afternoon.
Yesterday, we were in a mountain resort near Kathmandu. We had a beautiful view of the snow capped mountains at sunrise. We then had a relatively uneventful drive back into Kathmandu because there was a transportation strike going on for the whole day. Only tourist vehicles were allowed on the roads. This made for a nice quiet day.
The purpose of the strike was a protest against the Maoist extremists who had killed a couple of sports players a couple of weeks ago and they finally found the bodies. We passed one road block where they had a bunch of tires burning in the street.
We went to a medieval portion of the city which had several pagodas and royal baths and palace. We weren't allowed into the palace as it was for Hindu people only. We then went to another area of the city where they perform public cremations along a holy river and then push the burnt remains into the river. There were several cremations going on when we were there. It was a bit disturbing for me and a couple of the other people in our group.
Unfortunately, I don't have my guide book here so I can't tell you the name of these places. I will update this post when I have more info.
We are staying in the Dwarika Hotel which is very nice and calming. There is an inner courtyard with a pool and places to sit outside and enjoy the gardens.
Last night, we had a nine course Nepalese dinner and we surprised Mike for his birthday. The hotel made a big production out of it so it was a lot of fun. The food was good.
We'll try to post again tomorrow evening after our tour to the Tiger Temple and the museum at The Bridge on the River Kwai. We will be quite busy tomorrow and hopefully there won't be any protests going on as they were on Thursday near our hotel.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
Yesterday, we were in a mountain resort near Kathmandu. We had a beautiful view of the snow capped mountains at sunrise. We then had a relatively uneventful drive back into Kathmandu because there was a transportation strike going on for the whole day. Only tourist vehicles were allowed on the roads. This made for a nice quiet day.
The purpose of the strike was a protest against the Maoist extremists who had killed a couple of sports players a couple of weeks ago and they finally found the bodies. We passed one road block where they had a bunch of tires burning in the street.
We went to a medieval portion of the city which had several pagodas and royal baths and palace. We weren't allowed into the palace as it was for Hindu people only. We then went to another area of the city where they perform public cremations along a holy river and then push the burnt remains into the river. There were several cremations going on when we were there. It was a bit disturbing for me and a couple of the other people in our group.
Unfortunately, I don't have my guide book here so I can't tell you the name of these places. I will update this post when I have more info.
We are staying in the Dwarika Hotel which is very nice and calming. There is an inner courtyard with a pool and places to sit outside and enjoy the gardens.
Last night, we had a nine course Nepalese dinner and we surprised Mike for his birthday. The hotel made a big production out of it so it was a lot of fun. The food was good.
We'll try to post again tomorrow evening after our tour to the Tiger Temple and the museum at The Bridge on the River Kwai. We will be quite busy tomorrow and hopefully there won't be any protests going on as they were on Thursday near our hotel.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where Tigers Fly
We had an early start today. We are in the city of Paro and we drove west to a bit outside the city where we had a breathtaking view of a snow capped mountain (can't remember the name right now), it is the second highest mountain in Bhutan - over 22,000 feet. The sky was clear blue so the contrast was striking.
We then drove to the most famous temple - Tigers Nest. We started at an altitude of 8,500 feet and some of the group made it to the temple which was over 10,500 feet. I barely made it to the tea house where myself and 2 other ladies sat for the rest of the morning while the rest of the group continued up higher. The tea house was at 9,600 feet.
The temple is precariously perched on the side of a vertical cliff. Karel, Sally, Mike and our guide made it all the way to the temple which required descending into a gorge and then ascending up to the temple via over 1,600 steps with a steep drop off over the side. The steps were about 4 feet wide without any railing and they were unevenly placed.
Tomorrow morning we will spend a little time in the city doing some shopping before we leave the country in the early afternoon. We fly back to Nepal tomorrow where we will spend 2 more days at two different locations.
Unfortunately, the Internet connections are a bit slow, so we are unable to upload any pictures to this site. As soon as we get home and get them sorted out, we will share them with you all.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
We then drove to the most famous temple - Tigers Nest. We started at an altitude of 8,500 feet and some of the group made it to the temple which was over 10,500 feet. I barely made it to the tea house where myself and 2 other ladies sat for the rest of the morning while the rest of the group continued up higher. The tea house was at 9,600 feet.
The temple is precariously perched on the side of a vertical cliff. Karel, Sally, Mike and our guide made it all the way to the temple which required descending into a gorge and then ascending up to the temple via over 1,600 steps with a steep drop off over the side. The steps were about 4 feet wide without any railing and they were unevenly placed.
Tomorrow morning we will spend a little time in the city doing some shopping before we leave the country in the early afternoon. We fly back to Nepal tomorrow where we will spend 2 more days at two different locations.
Unfortunately, the Internet connections are a bit slow, so we are unable to upload any pictures to this site. As soon as we get home and get them sorted out, we will share them with you all.
Namaste,
Deb & Karel
Monday, November 17, 2008
Back from the Jakar "Base Camp"
Since we last posted, we took a drive further east to Ura where we took a long mountain hike at over 11,000 feet. We ended up in the village of Ura where we were invited into a Bhutanese farmhouse. It was interesting to see how the people live, sparse and dark, but they had TV!!
We then had a picnic in a field and were almost overrun by a herd of sheep coming down the mountain. Our guide quickly shooed them away, but they were then followed by a couple of dogs, crows and myna birds who enjoyed the remnants of our lunch.
Back at the hotel we learned to appreciate having a real bed and hot water, but shortly after that we learned to appreciate having water as the boiler gave out and the water intake from the mountain was blocked.
On the morning of the last day, the temperature outside had fallen to 20F and inside our room it was 48F. Thank you mom for the hand and foot warmer packets last Christmas!!! Our departure was delayed as the coach had difficulties starting in the cold weather.
Yesterday was another long day driving back to Punahka (10 hours) of winding roads over two mountain passes well over 10,000 feet.
This morning we travelled to Paro, the final leg of our Bhutan journey. Today we saw an archery tournament (which is the national sport like football is to the US). It is quite amazing that they can hit the small target 150 yards away.
The hotel is close to the airport, but our guide tells us not to worry as there are only two flights a day and we already saw them land.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We will drive to the most famous dzong or temple - Tiger's Nest. It is built on the side of a cliff at 10,000 feet. We have a 2.5 hour trek to the top and you guessed it - 2.5 hours back down. There is a stop about 1/3 of the way where there is a tea shop. Then about 1/2 way there is a lookout point. The rest of the way are steep steps that zig zag up and down without railing along the edge of the cliff. We'll let you know how far we get!
We leave Bhutan on Wednesday back to Nepal. Since we are at the hotel right now, I think we can give you an update tomorrow afternoon about our trek.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!!
Deb & Karel
We then had a picnic in a field and were almost overrun by a herd of sheep coming down the mountain. Our guide quickly shooed them away, but they were then followed by a couple of dogs, crows and myna birds who enjoyed the remnants of our lunch.
Back at the hotel we learned to appreciate having a real bed and hot water, but shortly after that we learned to appreciate having water as the boiler gave out and the water intake from the mountain was blocked.
On the morning of the last day, the temperature outside had fallen to 20F and inside our room it was 48F. Thank you mom for the hand and foot warmer packets last Christmas!!! Our departure was delayed as the coach had difficulties starting in the cold weather.
Yesterday was another long day driving back to Punahka (10 hours) of winding roads over two mountain passes well over 10,000 feet.
This morning we travelled to Paro, the final leg of our Bhutan journey. Today we saw an archery tournament (which is the national sport like football is to the US). It is quite amazing that they can hit the small target 150 yards away.
The hotel is close to the airport, but our guide tells us not to worry as there are only two flights a day and we already saw them land.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We will drive to the most famous dzong or temple - Tiger's Nest. It is built on the side of a cliff at 10,000 feet. We have a 2.5 hour trek to the top and you guessed it - 2.5 hours back down. There is a stop about 1/3 of the way where there is a tea shop. Then about 1/2 way there is a lookout point. The rest of the way are steep steps that zig zag up and down without railing along the edge of the cliff. We'll let you know how far we get!
We leave Bhutan on Wednesday back to Nepal. Since we are at the hotel right now, I think we can give you an update tomorrow afternoon about our trek.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!!
Deb & Karel
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Center of Bhutan
Ah, we've found Internet access in the center of Bhutan. And Karel's cell phone works better here than in the States, go figure.
We have been travelling for the past couple of days. During this time we received notice of Karel's mom passing peacefully in her sleep. She passed away on Tuesday, November 11th at 10:45p. We have been putting up prayer flags to honor her passing so that they face the Himalayas.
We travelled all day yesterday to get to Bumthang, the cultural heart of Bhutan. The scenery was breath taking as were the narrow roads hugging the sides of the mountains. The main highway to this region is 10 feet wide and everyone has to use it including all the big trucks.
The night before, when we were in Punahka, we went to the main temple for the majority of the monks in the country. It was very beautiful. We also went to the fertility Temple via walking through the rice patties and farm land.
Today, we went to a special religious festival where there were special dances. It has become a tourist event as well as the locals festival. Unfortunately, the tourists were too pushy and rude so the group opted to leave after about an hour and explore the local temple and town. After lunch we took a walk to the original royal palace, no longer being used as a palace, but being kept up by the local monks.
Tomorrow, we will be taking a day tour of several other temples and historic sites.
Overall, the group that we are with are very nice and get along really well. Also we have been blessed with excellent weather.
Deb & Karel
We have been travelling for the past couple of days. During this time we received notice of Karel's mom passing peacefully in her sleep. She passed away on Tuesday, November 11th at 10:45p. We have been putting up prayer flags to honor her passing so that they face the Himalayas.
We travelled all day yesterday to get to Bumthang, the cultural heart of Bhutan. The scenery was breath taking as were the narrow roads hugging the sides of the mountains. The main highway to this region is 10 feet wide and everyone has to use it including all the big trucks.
The night before, when we were in Punahka, we went to the main temple for the majority of the monks in the country. It was very beautiful. We also went to the fertility Temple via walking through the rice patties and farm land.
Today, we went to a special religious festival where there were special dances. It has become a tourist event as well as the locals festival. Unfortunately, the tourists were too pushy and rude so the group opted to leave after about an hour and explore the local temple and town. After lunch we took a walk to the original royal palace, no longer being used as a palace, but being kept up by the local monks.
Tomorrow, we will be taking a day tour of several other temples and historic sites.
Overall, the group that we are with are very nice and get along really well. Also we have been blessed with excellent weather.
Deb & Karel
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Gross National Happiness
We arrived into Bhutan yesterday afternoon. The minute we deplaned, we were in awe of this country. We arrived into Paro Airport. We have never seen a more beautiful airport with their architecture and cultural ornamentation.
We drove for 1.5 hours along twisting, winding roads towards the capital of the country, Thimphu. The country is like a Buddhist Switzerland. Karel says that even the unique Bhutan architecture is very Swiss with intricate woodwork.
Today, we had our first day trip around the city. Everything is still decorated for the 5th King's coronation which took place on November 6th. This King is only 29 years old. Everything has bright colored flags and banners and today was a holiday for the 4th King's birthday. Everything is very festive.
We visited government buildings and the coronation site which was one of the few venues open today. The coronation site is the main temple in the city which houses over 500 monks. We got to see and touch the King's throne and see the large Buddha. Unfortunately, we are not able to take picture when we enter the insides of temples.
Tomorrow we have a long drive ahead of us. We will be heading into the center of the country. We will be making several stops along the way to see some of the other famous temples and sites.
We will be reaching 13,000 feet within 2 days. We learned today that there will be a big festival in the town we are heading towards.
We learned that the 4 pillars of Gross National Happiness are 1) Preserve Culture/Architecture, 2) Health, 3) Environment, 4) Education. The unmentioned 5th one is that there are no lawyers allowed!!!
The Bhutanese value Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product and it shows. Most of their income comes from selling hydro energy from their rivers and wind and from tourism.
All the best, we'll see how far the Internet stretches beyond this point. We have had great success with cell phone service and have been in almost daily contact with Karel's sister.
Deb & Karel
We drove for 1.5 hours along twisting, winding roads towards the capital of the country, Thimphu. The country is like a Buddhist Switzerland. Karel says that even the unique Bhutan architecture is very Swiss with intricate woodwork.
Today, we had our first day trip around the city. Everything is still decorated for the 5th King's coronation which took place on November 6th. This King is only 29 years old. Everything has bright colored flags and banners and today was a holiday for the 4th King's birthday. Everything is very festive.
We visited government buildings and the coronation site which was one of the few venues open today. The coronation site is the main temple in the city which houses over 500 monks. We got to see and touch the King's throne and see the large Buddha. Unfortunately, we are not able to take picture when we enter the insides of temples.
Tomorrow we have a long drive ahead of us. We will be heading into the center of the country. We will be making several stops along the way to see some of the other famous temples and sites.
We will be reaching 13,000 feet within 2 days. We learned today that there will be a big festival in the town we are heading towards.
We learned that the 4 pillars of Gross National Happiness are 1) Preserve Culture/Architecture, 2) Health, 3) Environment, 4) Education. The unmentioned 5th one is that there are no lawyers allowed!!!
The Bhutanese value Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product and it shows. Most of their income comes from selling hydro energy from their rivers and wind and from tourism.
All the best, we'll see how far the Internet stretches beyond this point. We have had great success with cell phone service and have been in almost daily contact with Karel's sister.
Deb & Karel
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
