Absailing, Canyoning or Repelling!

Whatever you prefer to call it, we did it!

We spent the last few days in Dalat, which is a nice mountain retreat towards the middle of Vietnam. Katie thought resembled Estes Park with jungles. There are a lot of differences between Dalat and the south of Vietnam. Among other things, the temperature was much cooler than the 95 degrees we were used to in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. We even had to pull out the sweatshirts. One unique aspect of Dalat is the abundance of waterfalls and canyons that converge in the area. This provided a perfect environment for our next adventure...absailing. This was a term that I was previously unfamiliar with and for anyone else who does not know it involves canyoning and repelling down waterfalls.

The day started out early with hiking through some canyons and jungle hillsides. We soon came to a beautiful waterfall that provided a great backdrop to learn and practice our repelling skills. On a five meter rock we learned the skills we needed to safely make our way down a rock face. We would also learn a few skills that could save our lives “IF” we experienced problems on our decent.

Nex, we found ourselves hanging over the edge of a rock that was 18 meters (roughly 55 feet) high. Everything went well and so we packed up our gear and headed for our next challenge. This involved jumping into the cold mountain river and floating down stream to our next rock face. Along the way we got to slide down some rocks that formed a natural water slide. We found out later that the group behind us found leaches all over their legs after their river swim. Luckily Katie and I possess a camouflage to the likes of the leach due to our light colored skin.

After successfully completing a second repelling on dry rock we moved to the last repelling challenge on the trip. While enjoying a picnic of fresh fruit, bread and cheese by a 25 meter (75 feet) waterfall we were informed that the waterfall was our next challenge. Me being the adventurous man that I am, I suggested Katie go first to check out the ropes!!! Our first two descents went great. I had a few mishaps at the beginning but quickly overcame the slippery surface and water pounding in my face to finish the decent. Since we had some extra time we decided to do it again. This is when the problems started. On Katie’s decent she was doing superb until the end where she slipped and fell hanging in the direct flow of the waterfall. She had to negotiate the water and ropes to regain her stance to finish the decent. She recovered quickly, just as we practiced, and it provided some great pictures and video.

Once Katie was safely down, I clipped in to the safety line to hook up to the repelling ropes. As I started down the rock face I slipped and fell. This somehow crimped the emergency rope that left me unable to decend further. After I regained my stance on the rock face, I signaled to the instructor that I was stuck. I was glad we had practiced methods on how to not fall off the rock, but I did not know how to free myself from ropes that prevented me from descending. With the water pressure hitting me and fatigue setting in, I was unable to climb back up. The instructor had to come down the waterfall and try to assist me in freeing myself from the emergency ropes. If he succeeded this meant I would not have a back up rope if my primary rope failed. Luckily, we found another method. Both instructors had to secure a new rope to my harness so they could disengage the faulty rope. During this time I got to practice the "rope leg tie technique," that enabled me to free my hands during the 30 minute ordeal and support the instructor as he repelled down the rock face below me. I was sure glad that he weighed only 45 kilograms, I fear any more weight may have been uncomfortable with him supported solely on my leg. After this ordeal was over we got to jump from a 10 meter rock cliff into a beautiful emerald green lake waiting below.

Neadless to say this experience will provide some interesting stories for years to come.

Christmas on Phu Quoc Island

Katie and I spent this years Christmas on the beautiful island of Phu Quoc. Having arrived after a three day trip through the Mekong Delta, we spent our days relaxing on the beach and motor biking around the island. We soon realized that the only reason for the Christmas decorations was for the foreigners. Vietnam does not celebrate Christmas, but we were able to find a nice restaurant owned by a Malaysian women and German man. They had a Christmas Eve dinner scheduled that was small and cozy. We were glad to find this place because our other option was at a large resort that provided a Christmas party that sounded like a mixture between a booze cruise and a high school talent show. Our Christmas Eve dinner turned out to be very enjoyable. We ended the night with champagne on the beach while we exchanged Christmas gifts.

The Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is where are huge proportion of Vietnam's rice production comes from. They eat a lot of rice here in Vietnam and are still able to export an average of 3.5 million tons per year. That is a lot of rice!!! In order to see the vast area that is considered to be the Mekong Delta we signed up with a tour that promised to keep us away from other foreigners and show us a unique part of Vietnam. They kept their promise!! To start the trip we took a boat to Thoi Son or Unicorn Island where we got a taste of honey tea, banana wine and got to enjoy some traditional music. We also rode a smaller boat, paddled by a local woman, through tiny canals that were surrounded by dense vegetation and local fishermen in their own tiny canoes. From there we took a bike ride around a small village and saw rice fields, a rice factory and a coconut candy factory where we not only tasted the local specialty but got to hold a huge boa constrictor. Kenny "sort of" overcame his fear of snakes for a few seconds before he threw the thing at it's owner and ran away. I think he must have been running for some more coconut candy. We spent the night at the home of a villager in the area. We had a delicious dinner of "fish ball soup" that she and her daughters prepared for us and spent the night on wooden platform beds under a mosquito net. It was not the most comfortable night of sleep I have ever had but I think I would get used to it eventually. Then next morning we headed to the local floating market. At the market each of the boats had a long bamboo pole sticking out from the bow. On the bamboo they tie each of the items that they are selling. So, if you are looking for watermelon, pineapple, or spring onions, you simply look for the boat that has those items hanging from their bamboo. My favorite part of the market was what I called the "Floating Starbucks." It was a small wooden canoe that paddled around the water offering the strong local coffee, complete with sweetened condensed milk. It is an acquired taste but one we have come to appreciate. The rest of the day we spent fishing for and preparing our lunch. The "Elephant Ear" fish was caught and then looked as if it deep fried while it was still alive. It was served to us standing up between two poles and we were instructed to take off the scales, if we wanted, pick off a piece of fish and to wrap it along with rice noodles and vegetable in a piece of rice paper. It turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, and after taking off the scales Kenny and I devoured the entire thing which just a few minutes ago had been swimming happily in its home. We loved getting a chance to stay with a local family and get a tiny glimpse into the life of a kind and hard working woman who was widowed by the Vietnam-American War. We were welcomed into her home as if we were her children and although her means were very limited she was more than willing to share all she had.

The American War

The past two days we spent around Ho Chi Minh City seeing the sights related to the Vietnam-American War. The most fascinating part has been learning about the war through the eyes of the Vietnamese people, as well as the historical context leading up to the war. We started out by heading to the War Remnants Museum where we saw a number of U.S tanks, helicopters, jets, and artillery guns that were left in the country when the U.S. evacuated. The museum had some great displays of photographs from the war, including an exhibit on the photographers and news correspondents that lost their lives covering the war. As you can imagine all the photos were very graphic and showed the devastation that war can bring to a country for generations to come.


From there we headed to the Reunification Palace which was the previous presidential palace and the central command center for the southern government. The palace is an interesting combination of 1960's architecture and royal luxury. Little has changed since since the southern leaders surrendered to Ho Chi Minh's forces and Saigon was liberated to form a unified Vietnam. The people of Vietnam are very proud of their history and consider Uncle Ho to be the founding father of their country and a second father to its citizens. His likeness can be seen all over the city and especially on the center of alters, as the Vietnamese culture places a high importance on the worship of ancestors. We visited the Ben Douc temple, built in 1993 that is a memorial to the over 55,000 Vietnamese soldiers who lost their lives during the war. In addition to a huge statue of Uncle Ho, the name of each soldier is etched into the marble walls of the temple. It is strikingly similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C..


Our final stop on the war tour was the Cu Chi tunnels where there are over 250 km of tiny tunnels and underground living space. The tunnels were first dug during the war against the French but expanded considerably when the VC were fighting the Americans. In order for us to fit through the tunnels Kenny had to crawl and I had to bend over and scooch along. It was pitch black, hot and humid, and I can only begin to imagine what it would have been like for a Vietnamese to live down there for months at a time. They had hospitals, kitchens, and rooms for sleeping, all completely hidden from above ground. Additionally, there were three different levels, some as far as 30 meters deep, that provided escape routes, protection against bombings, and enemies that might find a tunnel entrance.


After seeing the war from the Vietnamese point of view, we were surprised that we Americans were allowed into this country, let alone treated with the kindness and friendliness that we have experienced since arriving. When I asked Flower (she did actually say, "you can call me flower if you want to!) our tour guide for the day, about this she explained that Vietnamese people have adopted a philosophy of recognizing the past as a solid foundation, but always looking forward and not dwelling in the past. This philosophy is represented by a commonly seen statue of a upward looking phoenix (representing the future), standing on top of a turtle (representing the past). Thus, she informed us that Vietnamese harbor no bad feelings towards the people of America.

All Around Ho Chi Minh City

With mixed emotions we left Cambodia yesterday and took the 12 hour bus trip from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Although we are really excited to be here and we are especially looking forward to volunteering during the month of January, we are very sad that this is the last country we will visit before heading home. Yesterday we did start thinking again about how we might be able to get Laos back on the itinerary.

After a good night sleep we got up this morning and headed out to explore via cyclo. If you can imagine, a cyclo is a sort of oversize tricycle with a large wheelchair attached to the front. If you can't picture that try this...a bicycle powered stroller for adults. Although it would have been just as fast if we had walked, we didn't have to do the work and got to admire the city as we were peddled around. It was very relaxing, despite the swarms of motos and cars that were honking at us as they swerved to miss our slow moving vehicles. It turns out that these cyclos are quite difficult to peddle and navigate as Kenny and I both got a chance to try it...in a parking lot of course!

The cyclo was a great way to start our city tour as we needed some time to learn how to cross the street. It sounds very basic but the traffic here is like nothing I have ever seen. In fact there are five million motos in this city and sometimes it feels they are all heading for you at the same time. We have now learned that one must simply start walking across the street in a slow and continuous fashion and pray that the oncoming cars and motos actually see you and slow down. If one was to wait for an opening in traffic, he or she would NEVER get across the street.

We saw many Chinese style pagodas and went to several huge markets where they sold just about anything you could possibly imagine. Kenny was almost convinced to buy some snake wine but when he learned what it was for he realized he had absolutely no need for it. We also enjoyed Pho at the same restaurant that Bill Clinton visited when he came to visit Ho Chi Minh City and it sure was yummy.

Random Sights Around Cambodia

I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell you all about some of the funny and unusual (for us)sights we see as we walk around the towns of Cambodia.

One that I wish the US would adopt is the art of wearing pajamas everywhere. It seems that pajamas are a very popular outfit throughout Cambodia. I suspect it is because they are cooler than regular clothes and are not tight so they do not stick to you in the heat. No matter the time of day you see groups of women walking around the market, riding their motos, and just hanging out in matching pajama sets. It is like there is a constant pajama party in the streets. I love it but so far Kenny has not allowed me to wear my pajamas in public.

Another funny and sometimes scary sight it the number of people and things that can be put on a moto. So far the most weighed down moto we have seen consisted of three adults, a baby, a 50 lb. bag of rice and a foam mattress. However, this load did not slow the moto in any way. It whizzed along, dodging cars like the rest of them. The motos seem to move in swarms, like a pack of bees. There are so many of them and they seem to be able to get within inches of each other without ever crashing. It is a truly a sight to see.

Lastly, the orange robbed Buddhist monks that make their rounds every morning, silently requesting food or money from the homes and restaurants. They wear bright orange toga type robes, carry an orange umbrella for protection from the sun, and an orange bag to collect their goodies. A few day ago as Kenny and I were on our way to breakfast we happened upon two monks at the entrance to a restaurant standing silently. A small child, perhaps around 18 months old, toddled up to them, put some money in the purse and then folded her hands and bowed her head in prayer. She stood their silently while the monks blessed her. When they were done she looked up and ran away as fast as she could. It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. The wee one really did only look to be about one or two, but actually could have been older because we have figured out that anytime we see a child they are generally twice as old as we think they are. Yesterday, on the beach a boy was collecting cans and I would have sworn on my life that we was no more than five years old. However, his mom told us he was actually ten. I think we westerners must seem like huge giants to the locals.

Stuck In a Longtail Boat!

Imagine putting a 40 foot boat in a body of water that can be roughly classified at a flooded cornfield. Our trip to Battambang involved such an experience. Our two transportation options for the trip were either boat or bus. The boat was advertised as a beautiful way to see the countryside. Both options were to take the same amount of time, 5 hours, so we chose the boat.


The day started out in the early morning, catching a shuttle to the boat dock at 6:00am. We arrived at the boat around 7:00am for departure. As we made our way up the river we came upon numerous small floating and fishing villages. The flora and fauna along the way provided a picturesque backdrop to enjoy our boat ride. Around 11:00am I started to get excited about getting off the boat as we had already been on the boat for 4 1/2 hours. I soon realized when we stopped for a lunch break!, that our trip was going to be a little longer than the 5 hours explained to us by the travel agent. As we left the floating restaurant I overheard we had another 4 hours to go. This is when the driver decided to take a short cut. The short cut involved heading through some channels in which the tree branches scrapped the sides of the boat, scratching many of the passengers, and tearing the tarps on the side of the boat. I had seen bigger channels on the side of the road in the United States. The path required the boat to swerve its way through an overgrown swamp. It reminded me of a flooded corn field in many parts. The only place for the boat to go was lower areas of land that the water drained into. In places the water was only a few feet deep. These small rivers provided the perfect environment for our boat to grind its bottom. Hence the reason we got stuck. Along the way we somehow broke our steering cable making the boat inoperable. After 3 hours of drifting in a small clearing we got some help from the locals who provided the rudimentary tools to temporarily fix the problem. We arrived in Battambang around 5:30pm and headed for the nearest restaurant for dinner. This was our first real meal of the day and eating it at 6:00pm, one can image the "hangry" travelers we were.

Exercising in Angkor..What?

If getting up at 4:30 in the morning and riding your your bike for several kilometers sounds like fun you should come to Cambodia, because it is amazing. We arrived in Siem Reap via boat along the Tonle Sap river with the primary purpose of visiting on of SE Asia's most famous tourists sights, the Temples of Angkor. With this in mind we rented bikes and the next morning headed out of town, under the cover of dawn, in the hopes of making in to Angkor Wat, one of the largest temple complexes, in time for the sunrise. We did make it in time, and so did several hundred other tourists with the same idea. After parking our bikes and fighting through tripods we watched the pink and orange glow of the sun on these ancient temples. It was beautiful and one that I am sure has been admired for centuries.

These amazing temples were once the capital of the Khmer empire and were built between 802 and 1177 A.D. with each king trying to outdo the previous king's construction. There are amazing carvings, towers, and gates and we spent the remainder of the day wondering around in awe. Although many of the temples are well preserved there are hundreds of them and several are being taken over by the jungle. Some of our favorite temples were those where a tree has grown on top of a building or wall and has essentially become part of the construction. Those of you who are movie buffs, or fans of Angelina Jolie, will recognize one of these temples from "Tomb Raider." The bikes were a great way to explore, and would have been even better if the temperature had been below 90 degrees. For our next two days of exploration we have hired a "touk-touk" driver to show us the rest of the sights of Angkor, as well as take us to a silk farm and land mine museum. I think it is obvious which of those two sights I chose and which one Kenny wanted.

Cambodia Today and Yesteryear

Our time in Phnom Phen has been an educational, exciting and yet somber experience. While in the capital city of we took on some of the historical sites. The Royal Palace with its Silver Pagoda and the National Museum provided an interesting look at the checkered past of this great country. Unfortunately the recent history usually takes center stage when one thinks of Cambodia. Besides these two sites we went to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sieng Museum. Both of these became famous because of the brutality experienced by the Cambodian people during Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge government.

Cambodia's past is filled with a genocide in which over two million Cambodians died via starvation, murder, and torture. Today the Killing Fields of Choeun Ek is a memorial and tourist attraction which aims to educate people about the atrocities that happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. More than 17,000 men, women and children where sent to this field of mass graves for execution. The people selected for this fate included all educated civilians and their families and anyone that was thought to oppose the current regime. It was pretty somber to walk through the excavated field that still contained forty plus untouched graves. The excavations that took place in the 90's exposed the world to the horrible truths of the Khmer Rouge. As one enters the field they are greeted by a eight story tower filled with 8,000 human skulls that were found among the 60 plus mass graves. This field was contained so many mass graves that after the years of weather and foot traffic actual clothing and human bones are visible on the walk path.

We next headed to the Tuol Sieng Museum that was another relic from the Pol Pot era. This former high school turned into a prison and torture site called S-21. Within the former classroom walls lies individual brick cells no bigger than 2 ft. X 8ft. These cells were filled with anyone that was thought by the regime to need interrogation or torture before they went to the killing fields. Pictures on the walls depicted torture techniques used and the many victims of this once secret prison. It was very reminiscent of the Nazi processing centers for the death camps during World War II.

So! After a packed history lesson on war and the horrible things that happen during it we are heading to Siem Reap for some more history. This time it will be visiting the famous Temples of Angkor.

Blessings of the Airport Gods

We have now experienced two airport miracles. The first occurred when we were flying from Kathmandu to Bangkok. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3 pm and so at 12 pm we were at our hotel, packed up and doing some email when I decided to double check the flight time. To our amazement the flight was now scheduled for 1:30 pm. We jumped into a taxi, sped to the airport, and not only did we make it with time to spare, we were also bumped up to first class. That was miracle number one. Miracle number two occurred as we were leaving Thailand to go to Cambodia. Rather than travel almost 25 hours via train and bus we opted to buy some rather cheap plane tickets from Phuket to Bangkok and from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. However, when we were booking the flights the cheapest combination only left us with one and a half hours in between. We wrongly assumed they would be able to check our baggage through to Phnom Penh and we would be okay.

When we arrived at the airport in Phuket we were informed that we needed to have three hours between flights and there was little chance for us to make our connecting flight. They recommended we queue up early to try and get a seat at the front of the plane and they would flag our baggage so it would be one of the first off the plane. However, when we arrived in Bangkok and were getting off the plane we saw a woman holding a sign with our names on it and our bags sitting next to her. She whisked us and our bags away, in our own private minibus, and dropped us off at the terminal. However, she did not give us further directions before speeding away. Since we were dropped at the A/B terminal we, again wrongly, assumed our plane must be leaving from this terminal so we ran as fast as we could, carrying our backpacks, looking for our gate. We finally found a reader board showing our flight to be leaving from the E terminal so we again ran as fast as we could in the other direction to the departures area, where we rechecked our bags and since we were in a hurry they did not even charge us for the excess weight beyond 15 kgs. Our bags currently weight 17 and 19 kgs. We then raced to passport control knowing full well this may be the stopping point for us. We overstayed our visa by one day and knew we would probably be charged for the extra day. However, we were waved through and made it to the E concourse sweaty, red-faced, breathing hard and waited for 15 minutes as our flight had suddenly become delayed.

Similan Islands Diving

Katie and I just returned from a two day diving trip to the world renowned Similin Islands. We also had our first liveaboard experience and got to spend the night watching the waves and hearing the surf. We enjoyed six dives during our two days out to sea. These islands have the distinction of being one of only a few sites in the world where one can see whale sharks and huge manta rays. Although we did not get to see either creature, we did have the pleasure of seeing two white tip reef sharks, along with a sea turtle, a tuna, an octopus, crab, an emperor fish and schools and schools of the most colorful fish you can imagine. Although the big fish tend to catch the eye a bit more, the small fish are amazing too. At one point we were swimming through the water and it seemed like we were floating through a million pieces of colorful confetti. During the diving trip we also were able to get our Advanced Diving Certificate. In order to do this we had to improve on some old skills and learn some new ones. We participated in our first night dive, which I found a little scary, especially when we encountered a fairly large moray eel. The trip was a great experience and I really enjoyed staying on the dive boat, however considering most liveaboard schedules include four dives a day, for four days, one would really have to love diving to be in the water that much. Katie and I discussed maybe a modified two or three night stay on a dive trip in the future.

Lazing Around Ko Mook

It never ceases to amaze me how little one can do during the day and how quickly the day passes away. Our time in Ko Mook can be described in no other way....we did absolutely nothing and the days sped past. Ko Mook is a fishing island with one large resort and several small places that offer bungalows or tentalows. There are very few people compared to other islands and it is small enough that you can walk around the entire thing. We didn't need to walk far because we spent most of our time on the beach or on the deck of our bungalow watching the waves, reading or drinking a few cocktails with our new Irish friends.

We met George and Christina when I dragged Kenny to a restaurant a bit off the beaten path, that was having a "ladies drink free" night. George and Christina are from Ireland and while Christina reminded us of my mom, George was a squashed version of my uncle Bill, complete with curly beard and a great sense of humor. They have been coming to Ko Mook for the past nine years and are well known on the island. We had a great time chatting and getting to know all about their experiences in Thailand. The day after we met them we went with them on a longboat for a day of snorkeling and to visit Emerald Cave.

Emerald Cave may be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Along the water are some high limestone cliffs and you can barely make out a small opening at the water's edge. We donned our life vests and then set out to see what we would find. Once inside, while there is still light, the water is the most vibrant, electric turquoise you can imagine. However, it is not long before there is no longer light and we only had one small flashlight for the entire group. We swam in the pitch black cave for about five minutes until we again could see the light. Since it was high tide the water was somewhat close to the top of the cave a a few times we had to swim underwater until the next air pocket. It was a bit scary at times but well worth it because the cave opened up onto a secluded beach surrounded by high limestone cliffs and dense green foliage. The cave is the only way to get to the beach, unless one is an extremely skilled rock climber.

I think that if there had been an ATM on Ko Mook we would probably still be there, but there was not and we are not yet proficient at spear fishing so we are heading to Khao Lak where we hope to do some scuba diving before we have to leave Thailand. This is the first country we have gone to where we will use every last day on visas. We will definitely be coming back here.

Thanksgiving in Thailand

We celebrated our turkey day a little different this year. We started out renting a motorbike and cruised around the island of Ko Lanta looking for a elephant trek that would take us to a cave in the hills. Once we learned that the elephant trek was a little out of our budget we decided to head to another cave on the island that you could spelunk in. This was a very interesting experience since it involved crawling through a hole not much bigger than myself (good thing I lost some lbs. in Nepal). I even had to pass the backpack through to Katie to fit. The cave itself was very warm and humid, provoking my sweat glans into overdrive. There was a spring in the cave that was advertised as good for swimming. This I thought would be a great relief from the hot temperature in the cave. Upon arrival I found a hole no-bigger than a horse trough filled with a green murky water. Valuing my life and fear of disease I optioned out of the swimming portion, as did everyone in the group, even our high guides!!! Apparently grass is good for the caving experience.

Once we made it to daylight we went searching for a restaurant that was supposed to have a "Thanksgiving Dinner". We should have known better being in Thailand, Thanksgiving is not that popular of a holiday. We did find a wonderful restaurant called "The Red Snapper" and it provided a menu that was suitable for two hungry travelers mourning for a holiday meal. Instead of Turkey we had beef tenderloin and pork steak, and a myriad of appetisers that we tried to mimic as the ones all of you were probably enjoying. We just did it without the football on T.V. (to my disappointment). This years thanksgiving was great and I could not have imagined a better meal, with the exception of having all of you present!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Kenny and I wanted to wish all of our friends and family Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for all of your support and well wishes during our travels. We are lucky to have all of you in our lives. Our plans for the day include looking for a restaurant that might be willing to serve two Americans, aka turkeys, a dinner that resembles our traditional dishes. However, we suspect we will be having grilled seafood, curry, phad thai, and pineapple shakes.

Thai Cooking Class

Since we had such great success at the Italian cooking glass, we thought we would add to our expertise and take a Thai class. The day turned out to be a perfect day for cooking lessons since the weather was not that great for the beach. It has been raining on and off all day. The school we chose for our training was very near our bungalow and we got to enjoy a walk on the beach before it started. There were six students, with me being the only male. As a group we got to choose five dishes to prepare and eat!!! After an intense lobbying and voting session with the other students, Katie and I were able to have all five of the dishes we wanted selected by the group. The menu consisted of the following items:


1) Coconut soup with chicken or seafood (Heaven in a bowl)

2) Sweet and sour chicken

3) Massaman curry with beef or chicken

4) Seafood fried rice

5) Red curry with chicken (Too Hot to Handle!!)


Looking at the vast menu, one might think we were pigs at a feast. Well your right, after making each dish got to have a break and enjoy our culinary masterpieces. By the end of the meal we could barely finish. We ended with the red curry, I decided to make it with a full tablespoon of curry paste which kicked up the spice meter a bit. Needless to say I was unable to eat it, which turned out okay because I was so full it would have been painful to eat another bite. It was a great experience and we now have a international menu to choose from when we cook for guests on our return home.

Thai Style Birthday

This years birthday was a little different from previous years. After realizing I am now the same age as Jesus was when he died, I began to think a little more about enjoying life than participating in a celebration that tends to lead to forgetting the nights activities. Katie and I spent the day relaxing by the pool and getting a massage. The day was beautiful and hot, thankfully there was a cool ocean and pool near bye that provided the occasional relief. After a dinner at Mr. Wee's Pizzeria we walked down the beach to enjoy the sunset at a new favorite hangout. This little grass hut restaurant and bar does not yet have a name due to it being open for only three days. We like to call is the No-Name Place. We have made friends with the owners and have spent the last few meals enjoying her wonderful local fare. For the sunset we chose our current favorite a pineapple shake with rum to celebrate the big 33. While enjoying our refreshments we noticed a dark cloud coming over the island that soon turned into a fierce thunderstorm. Since we could not possibly walk back to our bungalow in the rain we decided to wait out the storm and have a few beers. A few turned into many and I found myself back in the same situation I have for the last few birthdays--slightly tipsy!!!. After the rain stopped we staggered back to our bungalow and had some pastries, that substituted a birthday cake, while taking funny pictures of each other. I can honestly say I will not forget my Thai birthday and I am still recovering today.

Encounters in the Thai Hospital

We have had our first encounter with the Thai health care system and it was as pleasant as could be expected. It all began when we were rushing to get the ferry from Koh Phi Phi to Ko Lanta. I went to put my shoes on and scraped my hand across a broken glass window valance. Although it was not a large cut it was right between my index and middle fingers, was quite deep and I immediately suspected that I might need stitches. However, we were unable to change our ferry tickets, and being the budget minded travelers we are, I grabbed a wad of towels and we headed onto the ferry.
Once we arrived in Ko Lanta we settled into our bungalows and learned that the cost of a taxi to the hospital would be 1500 bht but the cost of renting a moped for 24 hours would be 250 bht. Of course we choose the moped and my ambulance driver (Kenny) did great sound effects all along the drive. He also took a wrong turn along the way so we traveled on some dirt roads, through a rubber plantation, and saw some monkeys.
Once we got there we signed in, waited about five minutes, and then had a very professional nurse named Bee, who spoke limited English, numb me up and give me some stitches. While I was being taken care of I admired the geckos running along the ceiling and the view of palm trees and jungle through the open windows. Nurse Bee sent us on the way with pain killers, antibiotics, stitches, and a bill for the entire experience for 540 bht or about $16.30 USD. We must have been in the hospital for no more than 45 minutes. When we left the hosptial we headed out to explore the island since we got to keep our "ambulance" for 24 hours. The only bad thing is that I can't get my stitches wet for seven day and I look kind of funny in the pool and ocean holding my hand up in the air.

Heaven in it's Edible Form

I have had a glimpse of heaven...in its edible form! Last night for dessert we had fresh mango with sticky rice. I salivate as I think of it and just can't believe that I have actually lived for 30 years without this tasty delight or that we have been in Thailand for 15 days and have not yet enjoyed this extravaganza for the taste buds. I feel that there are hardly words to describe it but I will try my best. The sticky rice is warmed with sugar and coconut milk and then served with thinly sliced ripe and tangy mango. Delicious!!!

Diving in Pi ......(Pi)

Today we tried our scuba fins on and set out to see some underwater scenery. The two dives we did were called Koh Haa Yai (Twin Cathedrals) and Koh Haa Naun (The Chimney). Both of the dives started with numerous tropical fish at your fingertips and beautiful coral that vibrated with a rainbow of colors. The highlight of the dives included a swim through shaft called the chimney that was about 10 meters long. At the top you had to be careful not to surface in the wave swells as we were not ready to complete our dive. On our second dive we entered two caves that you could surface in the air bubble located inside the island. The really neat aspect of the cave was its ability to fill with mist as the pressure inside the cave decreased due to the wave action outside. Then spontaneously the mist would disappear as the wave pressure forced it of the cracks in the limestone structure. It seemed as the island was breathing and we were in its lungs. The barracuda and crocodile needle fish were the most dangerous fish we encountered although we hope to see some black tip reef sharks and leopard sharks in the next few dives.

Kho Phi Phi-The Island of Paradise

I think we have entered paradise. It wasn't exactly paradise to get here or to find a place to stay but now that were are here and have a bed to sleep in all is well. We opted to buy a train, bus, ferry package from Bangkok to Kho Phi Phi simply because it was easier and almost the same price. The train was great. We left at 6:30 p.m. and enjoyed comfortable beds and air conditioning until 7 a.m. when we got on a rusted bus that leaked water on the heads of several passengers to drive us to the ferry port. The ferry boat was also quite rusted and had the strongest smell of moth balls that one can imagine. However, we made it safely and then spent the next two hours wandering the island looking for a place with air conditioning that was within out budget. I don't think such accommodations exist but I eventually was able to convince Kenny of the merits of a fan and we were able to find a place that even included breakfast.

The breakfast was great and included what has become one of my favorite dishes in Thailand, mixed fruit with yogurt, muesli, and honey. Yumm!! There is so much amazingly sweet and fresh fruit here. They even have jackfruit. We have also become quite fond of the pineapple juice shake and usually enjoy at least two per day. We are loving all the Thai dishes that we have tried, although a few times have gotten dishes that were even too spicy for Kenny.

We spent today lounging by the beach. We took a long boat taxi to one of the more deserted beaches which had white sand the consistency of sugar and water so clear you could see the fish swimming at the bottom. There were schools of tiger fish and several rock and coral formations . We are planning to go scuba diving tomorrow and are really excited because we have heard such great things. Also, there are huge limestone rock formations all around the island so the scenery is amazing. We love it here but think that after a few more days we may have to move on to another island and discover the other islands of paradise that Thailand has to offer.

Water Falls and Bitting Fish!

We spent the day at Erwan National Forest, northwest of Bangkok hiking and enjoying the beautiful waterfalls. Erwan has seven spectacular waterfalls that are staged along a jungle hillside. In order to get to the top waterfall we had to hike for a hour through the humid jungle, passing screeching monkeys and huge teak and palm trees. Each of the waterfalls had a unique contour through the hillside. We stopped at two to swim in the beautifully clear pools that gathered at the bottom of each. The very top falls provided a great view of the cliff where the river began it path down the hillside. We spent some time cooling off in the chilly waters and basking in the limited sunshine that was able to make it way through the thick vegetation. We soon found the numerous fish that lived in the pools also were very territorial. It was a little weird to experience attacking fish that would nip at you legs and toes as you wadded in the pools. One of the most enjoyable pools we found was one that had two huge boulders that the water cascaded over. These provided a great water slide for Katie and I to slip into the fish infested pools. My fun was cut short when I had to rescue my wife from some aggressive picture taking locals that enjoyed the way Katie looked in her swimsuit. We spent the rest of the day in one of the museums that discussed the history of Burma-Thai railroad and its significance in World War II. We ended the day enjoying a beer and watching the beautiful sunset behind the nearby mountains between Thailand and Burma.

Kanchanaburi and Bridge over the River Kwai

Today we got up quite early to catch the train to Kanchanaburi. In fact, we got up so early that the Starbucks next to our hotel was still closed and so we had to go to Dunkin Donuts for coffee and some early morning sugar instead. Of course we wanted to have a Thai breakfast but it just wouldn't travel as nicely on the train.

The train was quite old but one of the cleanest trains I have ever traveled on. In fact there were several people who continued to clean the train throughout the ride. Also, the bathroom was regularly sprinkled with lemon juice to keep it smelling nice. Thailand is definitely one of the cleaner countries we have visited. Unlike Kathmandu, the dead animals on the road disappear overnight.

Kanchanaburi is three hours northwest of Bangkok and sits right along the Mae Nam Khwae River or River Kwai where prisoners of war built the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai during WWII. Over 100,000 allied POWs died during the construction of the bridge which was built in order for the Japanese to get supplies overland through Burma. It was a somber place, but had a rather strange assortment of memorabilia in the museum. For example, there was an entire room full of an assortment of wood chips. I am guessing from every sort of tree you find in Thailand but I can't be sure since I still don't read Thai as well as I speak it. Tomorrow we are planning to take the train through HellFire Pass and to visit the seven-tiered Erwan Falls where we are hoping to take a dip in a refreshing cascade of water. However, we aren't getting our expectations too high because if there is one thing we have learned since starting our travels it is to keep the expectations low and wait to be pleasantly surprised.

Beach Bums in Ko Samet!

We had a few days to kill, due to the waiting period for our Vietnam Visa's, so we picked the closest island to Bangkok to visit, Ko Samet. Three hours by minibus and a 45 minute ferry ride and we were laying on a beautiful white sandy beach. The accomodations were pretty neat, it was a one room wooden bungalow that sat on stilts. This was important, I thought, with the 2004 tsunami still fresh in everyones minds.

The beach and island was less commercialized than any other island I had been on. I don't want you to think it was too rustic but, it was great to still have the convenience of A/C and hot showers with out a McD's or BK on the street corner. The hotels seemed to be family run and provided a quaint place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Gulf of Thailand. It was very easy to get lost in a book or spend the day swimming and watching the surf come in.

Bustling Bangkok

Well, we have been in Bangkok for three days and are enjoying the modern, rather "western" feel (or should I say food). Bangkok is very modern, very large, and has lots and lots of beautiful temples.
Our first order of business was to obtain our visas for Vietnam. However, along the way I got distracted by a beauty salon and a few hours later I emerged with a lot less hair. It was not until after this experience that I realized how popular the mullet is here in Thailand and what a risk I was taking by putting my hair in the hands of a Thai stylist. However, after the half hour head massage and hair washing I wasn't one hundred percent coherent so I feel lucky to get away with as good of a cut as I did.

Since then we have seen Wat after Wat, which have included a HUGE reclining Buddha, a happy Buddha, the black Buddha, and the emerald Buddha. The architecture is amazing with all the gold and the colored glass and around every corner is another temple or cultural site.

Bangkok also has a lot of great food. Our first day here we had opted for totally American experience and decided to have hamburgers and fries at Outback Steakhouse as well as blizzards at good ole' DQ. Since then it has been nothing but Phad Thai and Tom Yum Soup and various other unpronounceable but delicious dishes. At the recommendation of the guidebook we headed to the food court at the mall and were pleasantly surprised by how good and cheap it was. The guidebook says the mall food courts are similar to the street vendors but include air conditioning. Kenny has been a bit hesitant to eat from the throngs of street vendors but I think I have him convinced since he realized that almost every restaurant we have gone to (except for at the food courts) we have eaten inside but our food has been prepared outside on the street.

From hear we head to Ko Samet in the Gulf of Thailand where we will spend a few days before we return to Bangkok to pick up our Vietnam visas and then go to see the islands on the Indian ocean.

Our last night in on the trail.

Lukla

Heading back up to Lukla was a nice change from the constant down hill we had experienced the last few days. Once we arrived in Lukla we headed out to the airport to watch the airplanes and helicopters take off and land on such a small runway. There was some delays due to fog and we are hoping that tomorrow will we will not have any problems. We found a neat path right along the runway that gave us an up close and personal view of the planes landing. After realizing this was probably not the safest place we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed some good old fashioned DEAR time. Getting excited to get off the trail and have a hot shower in Kathmandu.

Back Where We Started

October 25, 2007
EBC Trek Day 12
Namche to Phadking


Now it really feels like we have come full circle. We are back at the Sunrise Lodge where we stayed on our very first night of the trek. It is quite empty and there are no large groups like last time. We suspect it may be because the weather has kept planes from flying into Lukla for the past few days. Hopefully it will be clear by the time we are ready to fly, and thus continue the blessings of the travel gods. The only other people staying at the teahouse right now are two South Korean women who look to be in their 50s and told us they are living in Kathmandu for a year learning the Nepali language. They are very cute.


Today we did most of the trek with Mark and Jeanne. IT was fun to hang out with them and certainly made things go quickly. We had a bit of excitement when we were all crossing one of the suspension bridges and were about a third of the way across when three yaks and their owner began to cross over from the other side. Janeen plowed on so we did too. The yaks were easy to squeeze by but each of their packs slammed us up against the wire fence railing. Scary!! I saw Mark get slammed pretty hard and though for a moment that he could go over. Of course he didn't and we all laughed about it on the other side. The guides words were, "I think that was a bad man who owned those yaks." We stopped for tea and so said goodbye to Mark and Janeen. After we left them I think our pace slowed considerably but Kenny and I got into a good discussion about careers and possible jobs.


In Phadking we had lunch and have been relaxing in our room for the past few hours. I am not sure if going down is more strenuous on the body but we seem much more worn out. Could be the almost two weeks of trekking I guess. I just find myself to be much more tired at the end of the day than when we first started out. Probably nothing that couldn't be solved with a good nights sleep and possibly a shower and some clean clothes.

Back to Namche

Stayed at the Moonlight Lodge once again it was very nice. We spent the afternoon in the market and found some patches that commemorated our treks to Kala Pattar and EBC. I found that the stairs up to our hotel equalling 159 still provided a challenge even after EBC.

During the night I apparently sweated through all my clothes (probably breaking my fever) and woke up grumpy but do not remember any of it. Katie informed me I just sat on my bed shaking not trying to improve the situation. When she gave me some suggestions I snapped at her. Still have a bad cough but am feeling a little better.

Going Down

October 23, 2007
EBC Trek Day 10
Periche to Pengbouche

Today was not only lazy, it was super lazy. We woke up at 7am but Kenny had been up all night was was still exhausted. I wasn't so worried about his breathing anymore but started thinking he might now be dehydrated. I should have gone into the medical profession. I went down to the dining room for breakfast around 9am and read for awhile in the sun. It feels good that the temperature is getting a little bit warmer. Kenny was still sleeping after I finished my tea, toast, and omelet so I went over to the hospital to donate the rest of our unused Diamox and they happened to have some rehydration salts that I thought might be helpful.

When I got back to the room Kenny was awake but still feeling pretty puny. However, the pipes for the shower had thawed so for the bargain price of 350 rupees (about $5.85) I got 12 minutes of a scalding wet trickle. It was a deal that I just couldn't pass up since my body had not even had a baby wipe wash since five days ago. Ripe! It was worth every last rupee for those 12 minutes of heaven. I even washed my hair twice and I think it could have used another round. Kenny was eager for his turn and once we got packed up we had lunch and were on the trail at the early hour of 1:05 pm. Thank goodness we only had two pretty easy hours on the trail before we arrived in Pengbouche. Kenny went straight to bed but Mark and Jeanne were at the same teahouse so we hung out for a bit and had a nice dinner.

All the way back to Periche 4240 meters 14,384 ft

Today we started out the day with a great hike and made it all the way to EBC (Everest Base Camp). This was a little easier than expected since we actually climbed higher yesterday to the top of Kala Pattar. It was very emotional to actually be at the foot of Everest. While we were standing around taking pictures and eating our celebratory M&M's we got to experience two avalanches. This was spectacular!!!. There was a Thai expedition at EBC which gave us the experience of seeing how a expedition camp is set up.

After about 15-20 minutes at EBC we decided to head down. We wanted to make our way down past Gorak Shep that day due to the fact all the lodges were booked up for the night. As we headed down we made some good time to Gorak Shep and stopped for lunch. Knowing we had a long day ahead of us and I still was not feeling that great we did not spend much time at enjoying lunch. As we headed down to Lobuche we were determined to find a place other than the Kala Pattar Lodge (see previous experience). Our porter actually went ahead of us to secure a room at another lodge. When we arrived we could not find him and ASSUMED we headed to the next town Dugla. I was already exhausted at this point but thought we would stop in the next village (about 1.5 hours away). We ended up heading all the way down to Periche which turned out to be an eight our day of hiking. I was feeling pretty bad at this point and hit the sack shortly after we arrived at the White Yak hotel. Katie woke me up in the middle of the night because she was worried about my breathing while I slept. She was nice enough to give me some Diamox and some dehydration salts that next morning. It turned out that the White Yak was the nicest hotel we would stay at in all of Nepal.

The Top of the World...Almost

October 21, 2007
EBC Trek Day 8
Labouche to Gorak Shep (17, 500 ft) and Kala Pattar (18, 536 ft. according to the altimeter of one member of the Everest Rocks group)

To say that we made it today can mean many things. We made it out of the Kala Pattar Lodge in Labouche alive and really no worse for the wear. We also made it to Kala Pattar which is the highest point on our trek and has the best views of Everest. We got up quite early in order to get away from the guesthouse as quickly as possible. However, to say we slept would be inaccurate. There were over 140 people sleeping in the lodge that was built to hold closer to 70 guests. When Kenny got up in the middle of the night he tripped over several people sleeping in the hallway in front of our door (the door made out of old plastic cartons went really well with the plastic tarp roof). Anyway, we were eager to get going and I was happy to trade a warm breakfast for a granola bar on the trail. Kumar started out 30 or 40 minutes before us in order to get us a room in Gorak Shep and we came along after him, very, very slowly. For the first time I could really feel the altitude when I tried to exert myself. The good thing was that I could always catch my breath if I rested for a bit so that means no AMS for me.

When we got to Gorak Shep we were pleasantly surprised to be staying at the Buddha Lodge which had real wooden walls. We had a quick lunch and were energized in order to tackle the looming "Black Rock" which is what Kala Pattar means in Hindi. It was very steep all the way to the top and just about killed us. The views the entire way were amazing and we could see Pumori and Nuptse really well. Everest slowly emerged as we got higher. The panorama was indescribable, especially since we didn't really have the breath. At the top it got extremely windy and cold. We were really glad to have our down jackets and hoods. The Everest Rocks group was on the way up to do their concert but we couldn't stick around because it was way too cold and our heads were starting to throb a bit. It is hard to believe that we finally made it. It feels good and I think we have been really lucky to feel as good as we do. So many others are really suffering because of the altitude.

Tomorrow we go to Base Camp and then will head back down. We are not sure how far down we will go since we refuse to stay in the Kala Pattar guesthouse again and don't know where there will be places to stay. It has been quite a journey to get here and the destination is surreal. It flew by at times but there have been other parts where I thought the incline would never end.

Lobuche 4930 meters / 16,200ft

10/20/07

Today was the first day my lungs started to scream. I did not experience any AMS issues (headache, nausea, loss of sleep) but I could definitely tell that the oxygen in the air was getting thin.

Lobuche was the worst place on the trail. This small village had maybe eight lodges that had to accommodate the influx of trekkers making their way up the mountain. The lodge that our guides chose for us made any tree fort that I stayed in as a young child look like a Hilton. The establishment was called the Kala Pattar Lodge. It roughly had 30 rooms that could accommodate maybe 70 people. The entire structure was made of cardboard, tarp and plywood. I did not think much of it until Katie mentioned this was far worse than any place they stayed in Africa. I remembered the description of some of these places and this made me worry a little. To add to the excitement, our room was above the kitchen and the propane burners provided us with a nice aroma to aid in our sleep. It is kinda scary to think of the carbon monoxide poison levels with 140 people crowded in every nook and cranny, even in the halls outside our room.

We woke up early the next morning and decided to skip breakfast and hit the road. We could not get out of Lobuche fast enough.

A Day to Relax

October 19, 2007
EBC Trek Day 6
Acclimatization Day in Periche

Today we set the alarm for 7:45 but it was so cozy in bed and so cold outside that we couldn't bring ourselves to get up. When we finally did we got ready really quickly since we didn't have to pack our bags and then had a leisurely breakfast of cheese omelets. I feel like I really needed the protein from the egg but was a bit hesitant about ordering something that I knew would require oil. For our day hike we headed up a ridge overlooking Periche. It was pretty steep but I didn't get too out of breath as long as we walked slowly. From the top of the ridge we could see the village of Dengbouche where we will stay on the way down. We also had great views of Lhotse and Ama Dablam. The view is surreal and amazingly beautiful. I just look around and think, "I can't believe I am standing here." For example, this morning in the courtyard of the teahouse we went out to brush our teeth and all the women were hanging out washing their hair and braiding yak wool into it. It was cool.

We finally got to hiking about 9:30 and hiked past several stupas and quite a few rock towers that had been built by locals. After about two hours we decide to head back down because Kumar said the view of Everest from the top was not that good and it was getting windy and cold. We think that we got to about 15, 000 feet.

For lunch back at the teahouse we shared a pizza and had some garlic soup. The soup is quite strange but rather tasty and Kumar tells us it will help with any high altitude ailments we may have. We had a relaxing afternoon sitting int he sun of the dining room and reading. We also got a hot bucket of water and took quick and "focused" bucket showers. It felt great to get clean. We washed some socks that I am sure will be frozen in the morning as they were already quite stiff with ice this evening. We also got steaming hot towels to wash our hands before dinner. Out here it is the little things that really delight.

Periche 4200 meters /14,035 ft

10/18/07

This village on our way up the mountain was a beautiful site. It sat along the ragging river valley and incorporated a number of luxuries including a HRA Medical Clinic. Periche was one of the larger villages we stayed in and it was funny to think that is sat as high as some of the tallest peaks in the US.

Once we reached Periche we found our accommodations and meet the lovely owners of the lodge. They were right outside our window making yak dung patties for fuel to cook our food. After a few days of this we became pretty accustomed to having our food cook with Yak excrement!..

After getting settled we attended an AMS (acute mountain sickness) clinic. The doctors stationed on the mountain were from Montana and Utah. They provide a great service for the trekkers and climbers on the mountain. The day before we arrived they had to evacuate two individuals by helicopter due to altitude sickness. We spent the rest of the night relaxing and trying to acclimatize to the altitude.

Our first glimpse of THE mountain

October 17, 2007
EBC Trek Day 4
Namche Bazaar to Tengbouche (12, 900 ft.)

Today is the day that I think we start roughing it. The bathrooms have gotten progressively more rustic since we left Namche and our current commode is an outhouse with a wood platform to squat over. We don't even get any leaves like before. But, we got to see Everest!! Thankfully, the clouds cooperated quite nicely so that we could see it when we first arrived in Tengbouche. However, for the first few hours here we were taking photos of Lhotse and thinking it was Everest, probably because Lhotse looks a lot taller. Perhaps the "mountain measurers" got it wrong because Everest certainly does not look like the giant it is supposed to be.

The hike today was about four and a half hours. The first half was nothing but downhill and the second half was nothing but steep, steep, uphill. I tried to keep a pretty slow pace and take plenty of the rest breaks like everyone has recommended. The trek was not terribly difficult but I am getting some bad blisters and they feel much better on the uphill portions. Also, we started taking the Diamox today, as most knowledgeable Miles suggested. Miles, who we met last night at dinner, said it would work better if it had built up in your blood before you actually needed it. We are pretty much willing to believe almost anyone who seems to know what they are talking about. Miles could have told us to hike on all fours or with our clothes on backwards and we probably would have done it. We have also have drastically increased our water consumption and I think that has made the biggest difference in how we are feeling. The only bad thing is that with the Diamox we are now having to make many more visits to the wooden platform, or go searching off the trail for the "least visible" spot.

Our arrival in Tengbouche was glorious because of the amazing views in all directions. Kumar went ahead to find us lodging at "Trekkers Guesthouse" and although our room is small, right off the dining room, and has trees growing out of the walls, it is much warmer than outside. We took a quick tour of the village and couldn't pass up a stop at the "World's Highest Bakery" for some chocolate cake and mint tea. There was also a ceremony going on at the monastery so we went to watch. All the monks were dressed in warm robes and sat on elevated benches praying and chanting. Every once in a while they would blow horns, bang drums and ring bells. It was freezing while we were watching the ceremony and after an hour decided to leave. When we came outside the clouds had closed in around the village the temperature had dropped. They said there was snow earlier today so we may be getting our down jackets our sooner than we expected. Meanwhile, we will keep on sitting around the smoky but warm dining room to wait for our "boiled" dinner. Miles told us to avoid anything fried due to reuse of rancid oil....so of course we are.

Acclimatization Day

10/16/07

Our second day in Namche Bazaar: (3440 meters or 11, 270ft) we took a day hike towards Thame (3800 meters) . This was supposed to help in our acclimatization and give us a chance to see some of the area off the beaten trail. I started off the day feeling fine. Sleeping was a little difficult but I chalked that up to the higher altitude. Our hike to Thame was cut short because I started to get a little bit of a headache and the four hour hike was looking like it would eventually turn into a seven hour ordeal. It turns out we were lucky we turned around because shortly after arriving back in Namche a huge thunder storm swept through the area. We meet Miles and nephew Noah form Hawaii and California. This was Miles fourth trip to Nepal. We gave us numerous suggestions about making our trek more enjoyable. Among them included taking our Diamox (high altitude drug), and drinking more water. The Moonlight lodge was great and the owner actually spends some of his summers in Glenwood Springs, CO working construction.

The EBC Superhighway

October 15, 2007
EBC Trek Day 2
Phakding to Namche Bazar (11,270 ft.)

Today was day two on what I now like to call "The EBC Superhighway" simply because of the massive amounts of tourists, guides, porters, Sherpas, and yaks.

We had an eventful night at our first teahouse, but perhaps it was our own fault for trying to go to bed at 8:00 pm. The teenage boys next door did not seem to realize how thin the walls were and enjoyed a loud and rambunctious poker game. Also, after everyone else has quieted down we began to hear the flapping of a huge moth against the window. Rather than leave it be, Kenny decided to challenge the moth to a fight to the death and for a bit it appeared the moth might win. I still laugh when I think of Kenny flapping and kicking around the room with some moans and shrieks thrown in for good measure. After a few breaks for resting and regrouping Kenny managed to overcome the beastly moth and kill it with not one but two of his shoes. It was quite funny.

This morning we woke up when our neighbors got up but stayed snuggled in our sleeping bags until it was time for breakfast, tea and pancakes. The much talked about trek to Namche Bazaar took us about five and a half hours but was not as bad as I expected, especially after we got by most of the crowds. We saw several snow capped peaks, crossed several suspicious looking suspension bridges and chatted with lots of friendly trekkers. We had lunch at 10:30 am because it was the last place to stop before we got to Namche. It was a good thing though because we needed the fuel to get up the steep and never ending incline into Namche. Mostly I felt bad for Mankumar because our backpack must weigh a ton but he just keeps on trudging along.

We got to Namche at about 1:45 and rested for a bit before heading up more stairs to explore the museum and village. At the museum there were some great photos of Sherpa life, as well as the history of Everest. In the village we were able to buy some chlorine drops to replace the iodine tablets that I have seemingly lost so now we can actually drink water during the next two weeks. Yippie! We also checked out the Tibetan market that was going on in the center of town. Kenny bought some long underwear that we think may have fleas but at least he will be warm. The Tibetans have very interesting hair ornamentation and were fascinated by Kenny's baldness. I was feeling a bit nauseous so we came back to the teahouse for a lovely dinner of mushroom pizza and soup. We met a really nice guy from NJ who is currently living in Bangkok and we may try to meet up with him while we are there. The big mystery of the night is whether Kumar is going to have us spend the recommended acclimatization day here in Namche or if we will keep on moving.

Day #1 Everest Base Camp Trek!

October 14, 2007

Our first day started out early in the morning at the hotel when we meet our guide and porter. Our porter Man-Kumar did not speak much English and our guide Kumar's English was limited. We soon were off to the airport that functioned similar to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We were very thankful for our local guides to help us navigate through the screening and getting us safely onto the correct 16 seat "Twin Otter" plane.

As we climbed high above the clouds I started to notice that the airplane we were riding in probably came off the assembly line some time during the early 1940's. This did not help my nerves as the turbulence rocked the plane from side to side as we navigated our way between towering peaks. Soon the small (200 yards) run way of Lukla airport came into view. From our vantage point it looked as a vertical road on the side of a mountain. In fact the runway was angled about 45 degrees to aid in the stopping and launching of planes on such a short strip.

After a quick lunch at a small lodge in Lukla we headed out on the trail. We soon came to a check point that we had to sign in at. While we did this we noticed our guide making his way from the building across the street. We later found out this was the post of the Communist Maoist Party. We had to pay a "donation" for us to use the trail. This was our only experience with the Maoist and we heard they normally don't bother the tourists because they understand it's a vital industry to the country.

As we made our way to Phakding (2800 meters) we passed numerous prayer wheels and temples. The scenery of the valley below provided us with excitement of the days to come. We realized we were in the middle of nowhere when we came to cable bridges the stretched across vast gorges and you had to either wait your turn while the yaks crossed or risk being thrown off by their massive weight causing the bridge to sway violently. The 2.5 hour hike the first day might have given us a false sense of confidence but we really enjoyed the rest and lemon tea at the Sun Rise Lodge after a long and eventful day.

Trekking to Everest

As most of you know Kenny and I just returned from 14 days of trekking to Everest Base Camp. Since we were unable to keep you updated on our progress from the trail, but want to share our experience with all of you, we have decided to post entries from our journals during the trek. Although our writing styles are quite different it will give you an overview of our past two weeks. Enjoy!!

A Family That Bathes Together Stays Together!

Spending the last week in Bodrum, thanks to my parents time share, has been filled with experiences that will be discussed at family events for years to come. Katie's parents and sister Sarah joined us in Turkey and we spent the days laying in the sun, scuba diving and exploring the Turkish specialities that the Bodrum region has to offer.


We stayed at a resort called Club Flipper. It was located on a quiet bay on the Bodrum Peninsula. It provided a home base for us to go exploring and also a relaxing sanctuary with it's five pools and two beaches. From "The Dolphin" we explored the ancient Bodrum Castle that housed an Underwater Archaeological Museum for the numerous ancient shipwrecks that scatter the local waters. The amount and quality of the artifacts that were saved after thousands of years on the ocean floor was amazing. The castle itself was a piece of history that was used throughout time to defend the port of Bodrum. As recently as the First World War it still held military significance. The French ended up destroying it in a naval battle but it was soon rebuilt and turned into the museum it is today.


This museum gave us the itch to do a little underwater exploring for ourselves, we decided to go scuba diving the following day. The day consisted of a reef and wreck dive, while Coke, Kirk and Sarah snorkeled above us. An old military ship had been sunk three months earlier for the main purpose of the diving industry. It had little sea life living amongst the wreckage but it provided us with a learning experience on how to navigate the close corridors of underwater wreckage. We learned that the waters off the coast of Turkey do not include an abundance of colorful fish but we were still able to see a large eel and numerous schools of small fish.


Having explored the treasures under the water's of Turkey we decided to see what the little towns and people had to offer around Bodrum. This is when we learned of the delight of the Turkish baths. The baths in Turkey are world famous and this was one experience we were looking forward to from the beginning stages of our planning. What I did not realize at the time was, it would become a family affair.

Let me first start the story off by explaining that Turkish Baths are not usually coed and clothing is not optional. I spent the first part of our trip getting used to the idea of spending an afternoon in a steam filled room naked with my father-in-law. After coming to terms with this and marking it up to a new experience we all headed for the oldest Turkish Bath in the area. When we arrived the boys were separated from the girls (as expected) and we were given towels to us to make our way through the common areas. So it begins!!!!

Kirk and I were quickly shown to the steam dome after changing into our unusually thin towels (think loin cloth). As we sit in the room and discuss the news of the day we start to relax and let the heat take it's effect on our tired muscles. Our conversation covered every topic except the lack of clothes we are wearing! I was content with the level of embarrassment that I had already experienced. We even joked about how funny it would be if the girls walked in and saw us sitting there as nude as the day we were born. Just then the door opened and Sarah was standing there wrapped nicely in her towel. She obviously was as surprised to see us as we were to see her. Soon, Katie and Coke came walking in the room. I can't explain the level of embarrassment that comes over one when they are sitting in a steam room with their in-laws with little more than a loin cloth to cover his pride. As we were not the only ones in the room we did our best to muffle the laughter and the redness of our faces. Once again I had to get used to the situation and chalk it up to new experiences.

The remainder of the bath experience was grand. It was a little easier to enjoy the experience once the message and scrubbing part of the bath started. Having another person lather, scrub and rub your worries away does a lot to help you forget that you are lying naked with your in-laws in the room. Afterwards we all had a great laugh and enjoyed the feeling our our newly exfoliated skin.

The Turkish Car Tour

Our tour of Turkey began in Kusadasi, where my parents arrived via nine hour overnight bus and Kenny, Sarah, and I arrived via one hour ferry from the beautiful Greek island of Samos. Thankfully my dad was holding up a sign with our names on it to welcome us to our next country. We had a great dinner and walk around town before putting my blurry eyed parents to bed.

In Kusadasi we rented a car and headed off to Pumakkale and Cappadocia, now two of my favorite places in the world. In Pumakkale natural spring waters have created travertine formations and pools of water that look exactly like snow. So as you look across the horizon you see green grass, dry and dusty landscape and then wham...white, smooth rocks with water flowing down them.

We arrived in Pumakkale late in the afternoon and by the time we settled into our hotel and headed to the travertine pools it was just starting to get dark. Once we got there we took off our shoes and began wading through the cool ankle deep water up the hill. The majority of people were coming down the hill at this time of the night and soon we were some of the only people left. It was an amazing sight and to explore it at night was magical. The next morning we went again and saw the ancient ruins that sit atop the hill. The entire place is unlike anything I have ever seen. The sad part is that human use of the water and the tourism industry in the area has caused a lot of the water to be diverted and many of the formations are being repaired by white painted concrete.

We headed from Pummakale to Cappadocia to see another magical and awe inspiring sight, ferry chimneys and rock formations. Again we arrived at night and although we could see silhouettes of the formations we had no idea what was in store for us. What we did get very excited about was the brand new, rather inexpensive and very nice cave hotel room that we had booked. Our hotel rooms were built into the side of a rock outcropping and each room was in a pitch back cave with rock walls.

Although we arrived later at night and were quite tired we got up at 5:00 am to be picked up for our scheduled hot air balloon ride. When we pulled up to the launch site the balloon was being filled with hot air and glowed in the early dawn darkness. The ride was incredibly smooth, except for the small incident when we ran right into one of the rock formations. We sailed over several towns where all the buildings and homes were built right into the rocks. There were several other hot air balloons in the air and we went through a good chunk of memory on our camera taking photos. It was also very cool that our balloon pilot was the only female balloon pilot in Turkey and that when it was time to land she did it in the back of a pickup truck bed. We celebrated the experience with a champagne toast.

Out of Touch!

We apologize to all of our loyal readers. We have been out of reach of the Internet for some time. Don't worry we are BACK!!!! Stay tuned, we will update date everyone on our adventures throughout Greece and Turkey.

We are currently in Istanbul (East meets West) visiting the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and all of the ancient Ottoman and Byzantine sites. We will be heading to Nepal tomorrow for our Everest trek and hope to find some time to get on the Internet in Kathmandu.

Beautiful Budapest!

Katie, Naomi (a friend and fellow volunteer we met in Romania), and I spent the past three days walking around beautiful Budapest. This city has an interesting history and one can see the influences of the past Turkish, Nazi, and Communist governments.


Visiting this city was spectacular. The architecture was amazing especially considering the city was in ruins after every major great war. We experienced a special treat one night when we took a cruise along the Danube River and saw all the major buildings, Parliament, Old Palace, Chain Bridge, St. Stephens Basilica, and Central Market, beautifully lit up. My experience with flood management could have been called into use by the local authorities, as the Danube River began to flood shortly after we arrived. At one point we were beginning to wonder if the river cruise was a safe option.


One remnant from the Turkish days was the old Turkish style baths. Once we decided to treat ourselves to a day of relaxation, it was a matter of deciding which one. Two jumped out as being especially nice, the baths at the Gellert Hotel and the City Park baths. We decided on the City Park baths partly because they were cheaper and held the honor of being the largest in Europe. This huge complex had between 5-10 pools that varied in size and temperature. In one of the pools there was a circular partition that had a current to sweep swimmers around the circle. In total the three of us must have spent at least an hour on this water merry-go-round. The fountains that surrounded the pools made it feel like we were swimming in the ancient baths of Babylon.

We had such a wonderful time in the city, Katie is considering making it her permanent home and changing her citizenship. I think she liked the delicious food and fashion of the city.

Travel (mis)Adventures

We made it out of Tecuci, despite the fact that the train station was under water and it was questionable if trains would be running to the area at all. We ended up having to take a taxi to a nearby town called Focasani. Luckily the night before we were planning to leave we met Daniel, a conservative driving, English speaking, limited smoking, taxi driver who was willing to deprive himself of sleep and return with his taxi in a few short hours to take us to Focasani. However, on the way Daniel passed a slow moving van and was immediately pulled over by a police officer. What we didn't know at the time was that if Daniel had gotten a ticket he would have lost his license, and thus his job for three months. He was able to talk his way out of the ticket and deliver us to the train station with time to spare. We were pleasantly surprised to see the next train to Bucharest was sooner than we expected and was one of the "nice" trains. We went to wait on the platform #2 as our tickets indicated. Moments later a train labeled "Bucharest" pulled up to platform #3. We grabbed our backpacks and began sprinting down the stairs, through the basement tunnels, back up the stairs (much more slowly), and hurled ourselves onto the train just as it pulled away. Unlike Italy Kenny actually made it onto this train.

Our second impression of Bucharest was better than our first. We think the daylight and six weeks of acclimatization probably helped. We were able to see the People's Palace, the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. On our way there we encountered a public rally to protest a new law dealing with football. We were just glad to see that it wasn't a protest against our dear government.

We spent the rest of the day wondering around and enjoying the sights but are really looking forward to seeing Budapest. I think it will be a nice change from Romania. We have heard that it is one of the more spectacular cities in Eastern Europe and that it is very travel friendly.

The Great Flood!

When Katie and I signed up to volunteer at the Tanner Christian Mission we did not realize that we would be actually experiencing popular stories from the Bible. The last week has definitely been the most exciting and memorable.


The weather started to get weird Wednesday afternoon around lunch time. Wednesday was the day that all the volunteers meet at Casa Hannah for Katie's goodbye lunch. This meant I had to walk 10 minutes through what was affectionately labeled "raining buckets" and "hail stones the size of marbles," by another volunteer. At one point we had to stop and take cover because the hail and rivers on the streets we so strong we were worried about our safety. The cars and trucks driving by that showered us with a tidal wave of mud and water. All we could do was laugh and keep trudging on.


After a quick change into dry clothes we all sat down at Casa Hannah for a masa (lunch) favorite, pizza. Just as we got started the phone rang. One of the other houses, Casa Elizabetha, was taking on water. There had been so much rain that the ground was saturated and water was pouring into the basement. At that point it was ankle deep. As we arrived in one of the volunteer`s rental car we noticed that one of the house moms parked on a hill far from the house (foreshadowing). Not thinking two much of this, the three of us drove up to the house and began bailing water. We were making some head way when one of the girls started screaming, "too much water, too much water, no good." We thought she was just getting frustrated because all the stuff in the basement was getting wet. Then we realized that she was pointing out to the front yard. I should mention that Casa Elizabetha sits in a valley. The small stream that normally lies about 200 yard away from the house was now a huge wave heading toward the house. This wave about two feet deep and 200 yards wide quickly increased in volume to four feet deep. Realizing why the house mother`s car was parked down the road, we ran to see the rental car actually floating away. We were only able to save it by chaining it to a concrete pillar. Which took four of us to hold in in place in the four foot rushing flood river. By this time the water level had reached the stairs of the house. Our losing battle of bailing the water out of the basement was abandoned and the decision was made to evacuate the five girls still in the house. On our way out we noticed hey piles and huts floating down the river. Our evacuation route was through a corn field with knee deep mud. As you can image it was a very scary time for the girls.

When all we returned to the house the next morning for clean up, we found one foot thick mud everywhere and four feet of water in the basement. The rental car was actually sitting on top of the neighbor`s dog house. He made a point to stop and blame us for stealing his dog house. When we left Nicoresti two days later the car was still on the dog house, mud covered most of the property, and the girls were still cleaning all the carpets and the lower floors of the house.

The flood made national news and five people died while there are still others missing. The town of Nicoresti and Tecuci will be affected by this for months.

Only Two Weeks Left?

Kenny and I have just realized that we have two more weeks left working with the kids before we leave Romania. It will be sad to leave them because we have grown quite fond of their little faces and funny quirks (on most days). It is incredible how quickly the time has passed and we are looking forward to enjoying every moment with the kids before we leave. I think it will be a jam packed two weeks. We are taking the girls house on a picnic in the woods, making cookies, Kenny and the boys are planning a "Mom's day off" and we will celebrate a few of the kid's birthdays before we leave too. The most striking thing we have noticed about the kids is how well behaved they are and that they really never "want" anything but love and attention. They never ask for toys, electronics or games. They simply want you to pay attention to them and play with them.

It has been surprising how quickly we have come become accustomed to the shower every three days and now often don't even feel that we "need" a shower on that third day. Of course we usually take it anyway. We have also easily reverted back to our college days of roommates. We now have water jugs and other food items with our names on them in the refrigerator and ask if anyone needs the bathroom before we go to use it, and take turns doing chores.

The area around the village where we live and most of the country we have seen is a strange mix of poverty and wealth. In our small village there are huge beautiful homes with nice cars in the driveway, right next door to a mud hut with a horse and wagon in the yard. There is beautiful farmland as far as the eye can see when you get outside the cities, mostly corn and sunflowers that are now brown and dried. However, the cities are some of the ugliest I have ever laid eyes on. Tall, concrete blocks of apartments sprout from the side of roads and it is quite obvious that no maintenance has been done since the building was built. We really did not know what to expect when we came here but we really have enjoyed what we have experienced this far and are planning to enjoy the next two weeks to the fullest!!

Having Fun in the Sun on Sports Day

One of the most exciting days the kids look forward to, is their annual Sports Day. It is a time when all the children and volunteers can get together and participate in games and contests. With 30 children between the three homes it is a big affair. This year is seems Sports Day was scheduled for the hottest day of the year. The temperature was in the upper 90's F or according to our Aussie and Kiwi volunteers in the 30's C.

This years event included games such as the ever popular wheel barrel race. This I found was was very interesting selection, when some of the kids are in wheel chairs or have a difficult time walking on their own. I found this required me to carry or act as the wheel barrel for few of the contestants. I figure a little sweat and pain is worth the laughs I received for my efforts.

Some of the other games we participated in included an obstacle race, water relay and an European favorite called " Toss the Boot"! Let me put your mind to rest before you think we involved the children in some sort of drinking game. This game actually involves tossing a rubber boot as far as possible. The individual with the longest distance wins.

We concluded this fun and exhausting day with a picnic lunch and a surprise water fight that provided a much needed cool down.

Captian Armpit Shaver

Up until this week I have been working at Casa Hannah, the home for seven of the most severely disabled kids at the Tanner Mission. However, this week I have been able to work at Casa Hannah in the morning and then head over to Casa Elizabeth in the afternoons. At Casa Elizabeth there are nine girls who range in age from 24 to 14 and they continually crack me up and keep me highly entertained all afternoon. We have been doing some coloring, swinging, and playing balls. Also, they all love to sing and I have had to dig deep into the recesses of my memory for songs to teach them. The girls are on a rotating shower schedule and yesterday I got to be the official armpit shaver. It was a job that I have never considered but with my educational and employment background I felt that I really had the right skill set. I seemed to excel and am hoping to hone my skills even more in the coming weeks. I also got to help some of the girls with weeding. This may seem like an innocent enough job until the weeds turn out to be wacky weed. Yes, it seems to grow everywhere here. Of course, after stopping to stare for a few minutes and asking myself if that really was what I thought it was, I pulled them too and put them the pile with all the other nondescript weeds. There are a ton more plants on the roadside if needed. Tomorrow is sports day and the kids are all really excited. We are also planning some picnic lunches that I think they will enjoy.

Week #1 in Nicorest- Tanner Mission style

After our first full week of volunteer work in Nicoresti, I found that I learned more from the children of Tanner Mission than I was able to teach them. It is amazing how children with so little are so proud and have such a positive outlook on life. Every morning I am reminded of this by the excited little faces that meet me at the door when I arrive at the group home. They take great pleasure in the littlest of tasks. Happiness is really not a factor of wealth, as these children prove on a daily basis.

This week my main task at Casa Rachel (boys group home), was to cut and stack the fire wood that the house would require for heat during the very cold winters in Romania. This sounds like a small task but we have already filled two sheds full of wood that a normal American family would not go through in three years. This is there only source of heat and every room has a ceramic fire place. The fires have to keep burning 24/7 from Nov. to March. With 11 boys living in this house and 14 rooms you can image the amount of wood required. Next week will be a little of the same but the wood will be for Casa Hannah which is the group home where Katie is working.

When I am not working on the wood, I spent time with the boys helping them with school work. Many have not had formal education but they are all eager to learn. A few of the boys attend school and range from 4th to 6th grade. It brings back memories of my teaching days helping them with their work. The kids are more than happy to help me learn Romanian while I help them with English. Often times I am wondering what they are really saying about me in their Romanian tongue. I have figured out that my baldness is a source of great entertainment. So far this has been a great experience and I am looking forward to learning more about the Romanian cultures and hopefully offering something positive in return.

Arrival in Romania

We have made it to Romania. I think at this point we are most excited about laundry facilities, unpacking our bags, and staying in one place for more than a few days. Our plane arrived in Bucharest at 11:30 pm and we were tired and eager to get to our hotel. First, none of the ATM machines in the airport would give us cash and second, we could not for the life of us find a taxi driver who was not trying to rip us off. Apparently, the "correct" price from the airport to the city center is about 20 lei. Almost everyone was trying to get us to pay 70 lei and when we finally negotiated down to 50 lei we decided to just go for it. We didn't have many other choices at 12:30 in the morning, and we couldn't find another way to get to the city center. It is just so irritating when you know that you are getting ripped off and can't do anything about it.

Thankfully we were able to sleep in the next day and then headed out to the train station for another travel adventure. We needed to use our credit card to buy a train ticket, since we only had a small amount of cash and that is a rather complicated procedure here in Romania. You must wait in one line to find out the price of the ticket, go to another line to have the credit card charged, then go to a third line to show them you have paid the correct amount and get you ticket. The only problem for us was that once we went through this process the train we wanted to take was long gone and the price of the next train was completely different. Talk about complicated!!!! When we did eventually get on the train we met a very nice Romania girl who has been going to school in Provo, Utah and she gave us some good insights. Also, Bruce and Sandie, the couple who run the group homes, were at the train station to meet us and take us to our village, Nicoresti.

I think it is going to me an interesting, exciting and challenging six weeks. Tomorrow Sandi will take us around to meet the kids and see the different homes. There is Casa Elisabeth, where 9 girls live, Casa Rachael where 11 boys live and Casa Hannah where 3 girls and 4 boys live. The kids at Casa Hannah have the most severe disabilities and are primarily confined to wheelchairs. This is the home that I will be working at, while Kenny will be at Casa Rachael. We will live in a volunteer apartment with 4 other volunteers. Fortunately we are going to be able to have our own room, but the shower will still only be every three days. We will keep you posted now that we have more regular internet access.

Look Right and Turn Tight Then Kiss the Blarney Stone!

The hazards of driving on the left side of the road!

One the southern portion of the visiting Ireland we had many new experiences. Among them was learning to drive all over again. It is amazing how you can verbally(whispering to yourself as to not alarm the other passengers) tell yourself to stay on the left side of the road and your brain will take over forcing the car into oncoming traffic. There is also the problem with the left side of the cars in Ireland, it likes to rub up again the vegetation and rock walls found everywhere along the county side. I will have to write Renault and tell them they have a defect in the design of their cars. Actually, I got the hang of driving as was able to help out driving on some of our longer drives. That was after a long learning curve (no pun intended). My experiences included having to back up down a small one lane road about a quarter of a mile because the tractor heading for us was bigger!!. I decided the rubbing is racing theory did not work so well with a tractor. The other experience involved two cars a road about the size of a side walk and me trying to get out of the way by pulling in the closest turn off which so happened to be on the right side of the road, my brain took over and I went for it. Obviously the guy heading towards me, that I just drove in front of, thought it was a good idea because he gave me a long honk (I have determined that meant good job in Irish) !!!! It was not only my car driving that involved excitement, as the bikes in Ireland I feel have the same affinity to thorn bushes as the left side of cars. Luckily this only involved myself getting snugly with a rock wall covered in thorn bushes on our bike ride around the Dingle Peninsula.

After training my brain to ignore itself and drive on the correct side of the road, I was able to enjoy some sights. The Blarney castle was a popular tourist spot and we stopped to kiss the old stone. Actually there was some concern because we heard that the locals like to use the stone as a urinal. Once we confirmed it was safe we set up the spiral staircase to the top of the castle to kiss the famous stone that is said to give you the gift of eloquent speech. I am still waiting for the affect (I think Katie is hoping there will not be any side affects involving increases in volume levels or quantity)! Actually I did not realize we had to lay on our backs hanging our head outside the castle wall to reach the stone. There was plenty of disinfectant going around after the kiss just to be careful.

Southern Ireland

Southern Ireland has been quite a different experience from the bus tour, although no less exciting. Kenny and I, along with Phil, Deedie and Caroline Hering (Deedie is my dad's cousin) and my Mom, Dad, and Laura decided to start our tour on the Dingle peninsula. It was a quaint village with narrow roads and beautiful sights. The Caufield's decided we would risk our lives and test our current physical condition by doing a bike tour. Let just say that it is pretty funny to watch five people diving for the side of the road every time a bus comes by because there in only room for one vehicle at a time. There was many sheep along the way, some on the road, some ancient beehive caves and vast cliffs.

From Dingle we went on the Bere Island where my mom's ancestors are from. Apparently my mom's ancestors did not have tourism on their mind because we may have been the only tourists on the island. There was one restaurant and one guesthouse, Lawrence Cove Lodge, where Edel was extremely welcoming and friendly. We also loved her for her washing machine since we were eager for some clean clothes. Although it rained a lot while we were on the island we did have a nice hike along the coast, out to one of the lighthouses, again accompanied by sheep most of the way.

We also were able to spend a few nights in Kinsale, once we found accommodations (mind you the accommodations that we did find had Laura sleeping on the floor) and in Kilkenny. From there we went to Waterford for a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory. This would have been an interesting but benign tour, however, when we got to the gift shop things got interesting. I was casually talking with my mom and Laura when Laura picked up a $50 wine glass, looked at in and then went to put in back in the box. However, rather than putting in back in the box she accidentally hit in against one of the shelves and yes, broke a piece of Waterford crystal. My mom and I busted up laughing while Laura started to hyperventilate and sweat. She eventually got up the nerve to take the wineglass to the front desk and the workers couldn't have cared less. They said it happened all the time. Needless to say Kenny decided to keep his hands in his pockets for the rest of the time in the store.