Previous location: Glen Innes, New South Wales
Arrival Date: December 16, 2007
Departure Date: December 17, 2007
Current Location: Manly, New South Wales
Arrival Date: December 18, 2007
Departure Date: December 18, 2007
Next Stop: LA, California
Greetings from Manly Beach and Sydney. Today is our last day in the Northern Hemisphere. We depart for LA in less than 24 hours. Our trip has been grand and I thank you all for keeping up with my emails.
I posted more pictures to Picasa last night, feel free to check them out...or wait. I will be posting all my pictures from the last four months to Picasa when I return to the land of free unlimited wireless internet.
I will be visiting both of my homes in the next month. I will be in LA from December 19th-22nd, Tucson from the 22nd-29th, Steamboat from December 29th-January 5th and DC from January 5th on. If you see me, feel free to drill me on my adventures. There are many stories left untold.
Love,
Melissa
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Random Travel Update 14
Previous location: Brisbane, Queensland
Arrival Date: December 11, 2007
Departure Date: December 12, 2007
Current Location: Byron Bay, New South Wales
Arrival Date: December 12, 2007
Departure Date: December 16, 2007
Next Stop: Glen Innes, New South Wales
So diving the Great Barrier Reef on a four day long live-aboard was as fantastic as it sounds. We had a total of 15 dives, including one night dive and a shark-feeding! Us people were well fed too. The daily itinerary consisted of breakfast at 7am, first dive at 7:15am, second breakfast at 9:00am, second dive at 10:00am, lunch at 12:30pm, third dive at 1:15pm, snack at 2:00pm, fourth dive at 4:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm and dessert soon after. Our chef was very good about cooking Jon and I our own special vegan dishes including faux-sausage with beans; pumpkin and veggies with peanut sauce; bbq veggie skewers; and a fabulous baklava dessert rich in seeds, nuts and filo pastry.
The boat was gorgeous, and our room was very nice and equipped with its own ensuit bathroom (more luxury than many of the hostels we have been staying at on land.) The nights, when we did most of our traveling, were a bit rough. Jon and I both still felt like we were rocking though Brisbane, a good two days after reaching shore.
There are pictures, but I am not allowed to download them to these computers at the internet cafes (I left my iBook in Sydney) so everyone will have to wait another week or so for me to post everything. I know-boo. In the meantime, you can check out the pictures that I managed to transfer to Picasa before I left Sydney (check next email.) They are still missing their captions, those will come later along with hundreds of pictures from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau that are currently sitting stuck (unviewable) on Webshots.
Brisbane is a great city. Seems like a good place to live. Vegans- definitely hit up the Alibi Room if you're ever in the area: http://www.thealibiroom.com . We had The Kombie Driver's Breakfast and it was pretty much awesome. Maybe too huge, but definitely a good thing. I should have taken a picture.
We arrived in Byron Bay last night. It was raining but we went out anyway only to be bombarded by the neo-hippies. It was an interesting anthropological experience for Jon who didn't grow up with 4th Avenue in his backyard. Tomorrow we learn how to surf!
Love,
Melissa
Arrival Date: December 11, 2007
Departure Date: December 12, 2007
Current Location: Byron Bay, New South Wales
Arrival Date: December 12, 2007
Departure Date: December 16, 2007
Next Stop: Glen Innes, New South Wales
So diving the Great Barrier Reef on a four day long live-aboard was as fantastic as it sounds. We had a total of 15 dives, including one night dive and a shark-feeding! Us people were well fed too. The daily itinerary consisted of breakfast at 7am, first dive at 7:15am, second breakfast at 9:00am, second dive at 10:00am, lunch at 12:30pm, third dive at 1:15pm, snack at 2:00pm, fourth dive at 4:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm and dessert soon after. Our chef was very good about cooking Jon and I our own special vegan dishes including faux-sausage with beans; pumpkin and veggies with peanut sauce; bbq veggie skewers; and a fabulous baklava dessert rich in seeds, nuts and filo pastry.
The boat was gorgeous, and our room was very nice and equipped with its own ensuit bathroom (more luxury than many of the hostels we have been staying at on land.) The nights, when we did most of our traveling, were a bit rough. Jon and I both still felt like we were rocking though Brisbane, a good two days after reaching shore.
There are pictures, but I am not allowed to download them to these computers at the internet cafes (I left my iBook in Sydney) so everyone will have to wait another week or so for me to post everything. I know-boo. In the meantime, you can check out the pictures that I managed to transfer to Picasa before I left Sydney (check next email.) They are still missing their captions, those will come later along with hundreds of pictures from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau that are currently sitting stuck (unviewable) on Webshots.
Brisbane is a great city. Seems like a good place to live. Vegans- definitely hit up the Alibi Room if you're ever in the area: http://www.thealibiroom.com . We had The Kombie Driver's Breakfast and it was pretty much awesome. Maybe too huge, but definitely a good thing. I should have taken a picture.
We arrived in Byron Bay last night. It was raining but we went out anyway only to be bombarded by the neo-hippies. It was an interesting anthropological experience for Jon who didn't grow up with 4th Avenue in his backyard. Tomorrow we learn how to surf!
Love,
Melissa
Random Travel Update 13
Previous location: Brisbane, Queensland
Arrival Date: December 11, 2007
Departure Date: December 12, 2007
Arrival Date: December 11, 2007
Departure Date: December 12, 2007
Current Location: Byron Bay, New South Wales
Arrival Date: December 12, 2007
Departure Date: December 16, 2007
Next Stop: Glen Innes, New South Wales
So diving the Great Barrier Reef on a four day long live-aboard was as fantastic as it sounds. We had a total of 15 dives, including one night dive and a shark-feeding! Us people were well fed too. The daily itinerary consisted of breakfast at 7am, first dive at 7:15am, second breakfast at 9:00am, second dive at 10:00am, lunch at 12:30pm, third dive at 1:15pm, snack at 2:00pm, fourth dive at 4:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm and dessert soon after. Our chef was very good about cooking Jon and I our own special vegan dishes including faux-sausage with beans; pumpkin and veggies with peanut sauce; bbq veggie skewers; and a fabulous baklava dessert rich in seeds, nuts and filo pastry.
The boat was gorgeous, and our room was very nice and equipped with its own ensuit bathroom (more luxury than many of the hostels we have been staying at on land.) The nights, when we did most of our traveling, were a bit rough. Jon and I both still felt like we were rocking though Brisbane, a good two days after reaching shore.
There are pictures, but I am not allowed to download them to these computers at the internet cafes (I left my iBook in Sydney) so everyone will have to wait another week or so for me to post everything. I know-boo. In the meantime, you can check out the pictures that I managed to transfer to Picasa before I left Sydney (check next email.) They are still missing their captions, those will come later along with hundreds of pictures from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau that are currently sitting stuck (unviewable) on Webshots.
Brisbane is a great city. Seems like a good place to live. Vegans- definitely hit up the Alibi Room if you're ever in the area: http://www.thealibiroom.com . We had The Kombie Driver's Breakfast and it was pretty much awesome. Maybe too huge, but definitely a good thing. I should have taken a picture.
We arrived in Byron Bay last night. It was raining but we went out anyway only to be bombarded by the neo-hippies. It was an interesting anthropological experience for Jon who didn't grow up with 4th Avenue in his backyard. Tomorrow we learn how to surf!
Love,
Melissa
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Random Travel Update 12
Previous location: Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Arrival Date: November 22, 2007
Departure Date: November 26, 2007
Arrival Date: November 22, 2007
Departure Date: November 26, 2007
Last Location: Hobart & Frenchman's Cap, Tasmania
Arrival Date: November 27, 2007
Departure Date: December 2, 2007
Current Location: Cairns, Queensland
Arrival Date: December 3, 2007
Departure Date: December 11, 2007
Next Stops: Great Barrier Reef!
We are keeping ourselves busy as usual here in sunny Australia. It
occurred to me while I was internet-less in the wilderness last week
that I hadn't sent out a list of our planned activities:
Our first night in Australia was spent climbing the famous Harbor
Bridge in Sydney: http://www.bridgeclimb.com
The next day we walked the city and experienced a play at the Sydney
Opera House. We spent another day in Sydney walking Bondi Beach.
We spent four beautiful days in Hunter Valley with our wonderful
hosts, Ian and Kate, who are good friends of Jon's parents before
preparing for our epic five-day trek through the Tasmanian wilderness:
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au
We spent one more day in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart before
returning briefly to Sydney to catch a flight to Cairns in Northern
Queensland.
We arrived here yesterday, napped in our hammock, rented a yellow
scooter, cruised around the promenade, received full body 40 minute
Chinese massages for $25 (together!) and sampled the local cuisine.
Today we jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet with a 60 second
freefall and parachuted to the ground. I will try to post pictures
soon.
Tomorrow, we board The Spirit of Freedom for a four day SCUBA Diving
tour of the Great Barrier Reef:
http://www.spiritoffreedom.com
both very, that is, incredibly excited about this.
We will return to Cairns on Monday, wait for the nitrogen to dissolve
from our bloodstream, and then catch a flight the next morning to
Brisbane where Jon hopes to do some rock climbing. From there we head
a few hours down the coast to Byron Beach where we will spend the next
five days surfing, relaxing and trying not to get eaten by sharks.
From Byron, the goal is to take a train back down the coast of New
South Wales to Sydney where we will spend a few more nights before
catching our final flight back to the United States (Los Angeles then
Washington, DC).
There are many stories being made but limited internet time. The
pictures, once posted, will tell more.
Love,
Melissa
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Random Travel Update 11
Last location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Arrival Date: November 19, 2007
Departure Date: November 19, 2007
Current Location: Sydney, Australia
Arrival Date: November 20, 2007
Departure Date: November 27, 2007
Next Stops: Tasmania
There was fog. My flight to Dubai from Mumbia was delayed 3.5 hours.
I missed my connecting flight to Hong Kong, thus missing my connecting
flight from Hong Kong to Sydney.
Mark was great. We left the airport after a few hours of trying to negotiate an alternate course. I spent the night in Dubai. Booked a new ticket to Sydney direct from Abu Dhabi. Arrived at the airport at 8:30am. More fog, delayed again. Flight was 14 hours but otherwise great. Less than half of
capacity. Arrived in Sydney 12 hours late.
Met up with Jon.
Sydney is wonderful. I am happy.
Love,
Melissa
Arrival Date: November 19, 2007
Departure Date: November 19, 2007
Current Location: Sydney, Australia
Arrival Date: November 20, 2007
Departure Date: November 27, 2007
Next Stops: Tasmania
There was fog. My flight to Dubai from Mumbia was delayed 3.5 hours.
I missed my connecting flight to Hong Kong, thus missing my connecting
flight from Hong Kong to Sydney.
Mark was great. We left the airport after a few hours of trying to negotiate an alternate course. I spent the night in Dubai. Booked a new ticket to Sydney direct from Abu Dhabi. Arrived at the airport at 8:30am. More fog, delayed again. Flight was 14 hours but otherwise great. Less than half of
capacity. Arrived in Sydney 12 hours late.
Met up with Jon.
Sydney is wonderful. I am happy.
Love,
Melissa
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Random Travel Update 10
Last location: Goa, India
Arrival Date: November 08, 2007
Departure Date: November 16, 2007
Current Location: Mumbai, India
Arrival Date: November 16, 2007
Departure Date: November 18, 2007
Next Stops: Sydney, Australia (via Dubai and Hong Kong international airports)
India was an adventure. The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of
dodging scams, checking in and out of hotels (12 total), inhaling fire
fumes and auto traffic exhaust, making travel plans, trying to avoid
illness and seeing a few sites along the way.
I almost managed to make it out of India unscathed. My vegan diet at
home must do wonders for my adaptation to local cuisine. I didn't
encounter a single episode of diarrhea all month. Unfortunately, Mark
and I came in contact with a bit of poison ivy on our way to and from
our eco-friendly hut in Palolem (Goa) two nights ago. Luckily,
medicine is easy to come by here and our hotel has an on-call doctor
to assist us. We should be itch-free in a few days.
I have hundreds of pictures to post. With the exception on Goa, I
would not recommend India as an ideal vacation spot for those looking
to "get away from it all". However, it is a wonderfully picturesque
country, when you get past the pollution.
I have a million stories and only a few minutes of internet time.
There was the time Mark heroically fired our driver, Chandar, for
driving drunk while taking us from Agra to Rajisthan in the middle of
the night. We had to pull over in the middle of the trip, stay at a
roadside hotel, and take a local bus the next morning.
There was the time we had a rickshaw driver drive us around for an
hour "searching" for our hotel only to introduce us to a friend of his
who just happened to have a hotel nearby. Luckily I had negotiated
two rates in advance, one hundred ruppies for a direct trip to our
hotel, 50 ruppies for getting "lost". In the end, we got a free tour
of Jaipur, made it to our hotel, and saved 50 ruppies.
There was the time we were picked up by a resort spokesperson on the
side of the road in Baga (Goa) and promised one of four great prizes
if we only agreed to be taken for a 60 minute tour of the resort down
the street. We agreed to go and I was able to negotiate the sales
woman to let us pick up our prize of "7 free nights in Goa or Bali"
before the tour began. Then we took the next free cab to the
destination of our choice.
There was the time we booked a scuba diving trip out to a local island
in Goa only to be called five minutes before our scheduled departure
to be informed that our trip had been canceled due to the fact that
some military VIP required use of the island that day. Of course, when
we went to pick up our refund, we spoke to a group of 11 divers who
had just returned from a great trip with the same dive company.
There were hundreds of good moments too. The time I convinced a group
of small children to return their starfish collection to the sea so as
to prevent them from dying. The time I went parasailing with nine
Mumbians, half of whom seemed to be horribly scared of heights. The
time I rescued a butterfly from the tide. The time we went to an
"authentic" Rajisthani village for dinner, henna and human powered
ferris wheels (think Old Tucson Rajisthani style).
Traveling with Mark has been great. The beaches of Goa are beautiful,
and the weather has been gorgeous for us the whole time. No rain. The
handful of good people we came across were truly wonderful, and we met
two new friends on our train ride from Mumbai to Goa. I have a slight
tan, and apart from my poison ivy rash, I feel wonderful.
Our flight from Mumbai to Dubai has been delayed, so we are stuck at
the Marriott for six more hours. I don't mind, though I hope I don't
miss my connecting flight to Hong Kong. If all goes well, I will be
in Sydney in less than 48 hours.
Love,
Melissa
Departure Date: November 16, 2007
Current Location: Mumbai, India
Arrival Date: November 16, 2007
Departure Date: November 18, 2007
Next Stops: Sydney, Australia (via Dubai and Hong Kong international airports)
India was an adventure. The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of
dodging scams, checking in and out of hotels (12 total), inhaling fire
fumes and auto traffic exhaust, making travel plans, trying to avoid
illness and seeing a few sites along the way.
I almost managed to make it out of India unscathed. My vegan diet at
home must do wonders for my adaptation to local cuisine. I didn't
encounter a single episode of diarrhea all month. Unfortunately, Mark
and I came in contact with a bit of poison ivy on our way to and from
our eco-friendly hut in Palolem (Goa) two nights ago. Luckily,
medicine is easy to come by here and our hotel has an on-call doctor
to assist us. We should be itch-free in a few days.
I have hundreds of pictures to post. With the exception on Goa, I
would not recommend India as an ideal vacation spot for those looking
to "get away from it all". However, it is a wonderfully picturesque
country, when you get past the pollution.
I have a million stories and only a few minutes of internet time.
There was the time Mark heroically fired our driver, Chandar, for
driving drunk while taking us from Agra to Rajisthan in the middle of
the night. We had to pull over in the middle of the trip, stay at a
roadside hotel, and take a local bus the next morning.
There was the time we had a rickshaw driver drive us around for an
hour "searching" for our hotel only to introduce us to a friend of his
who just happened to have a hotel nearby. Luckily I had negotiated
two rates in advance, one hundred ruppies for a direct trip to our
hotel, 50 ruppies for getting "lost". In the end, we got a free tour
of Jaipur, made it to our hotel, and saved 50 ruppies.
There was the time we were picked up by a resort spokesperson on the
side of the road in Baga (Goa) and promised one of four great prizes
if we only agreed to be taken for a 60 minute tour of the resort down
the street. We agreed to go and I was able to negotiate the sales
woman to let us pick up our prize of "7 free nights in Goa or Bali"
before the tour began. Then we took the next free cab to the
destination of our choice.
There was the time we booked a scuba diving trip out to a local island
in Goa only to be called five minutes before our scheduled departure
to be informed that our trip had been canceled due to the fact that
some military VIP required use of the island that day. Of course, when
we went to pick up our refund, we spoke to a group of 11 divers who
had just returned from a great trip with the same dive company.
There were hundreds of good moments too. The time I convinced a group
of small children to return their starfish collection to the sea so as
to prevent them from dying. The time I went parasailing with nine
Mumbians, half of whom seemed to be horribly scared of heights. The
time I rescued a butterfly from the tide. The time we went to an
"authentic" Rajisthani village for dinner, henna and human powered
ferris wheels (think Old Tucson Rajisthani style).
Traveling with Mark has been great. The beaches of Goa are beautiful,
and the weather has been gorgeous for us the whole time. No rain. The
handful of good people we came across were truly wonderful, and we met
two new friends on our train ride from Mumbai to Goa. I have a slight
tan, and apart from my poison ivy rash, I feel wonderful.
Our flight from Mumbai to Dubai has been delayed, so we are stuck at
the Marriott for six more hours. I don't mind, though I hope I don't
miss my connecting flight to Hong Kong. If all goes well, I will be
in Sydney in less than 48 hours.
Love,
Melissa
Friday, November 2, 2007
Random Travel Update 9
Last location: Delhi, India
Arrival Date: October 31, 2007
Departure Date: November 02, 2007
Current Location: Agra, India
Arrival Date: November 02, 2007
Departure Date: November 03, 2007
Next Stops: Rajastan, India (Ranthambore, Jaipur, Pushkar)
The UAE was great. We visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Both modern, globalized, desert cities on the rise. I am a big fan of the desert. Though, as it turns out, sandboarding is not nearly as fun as it looks. Indoor snowboarding however, is a wonderfully good time. Camels are very dirty and smell horrible close up. I intend to post photos, but the connection speeds here in India are tragically slow.
Departure Date: November 02, 2007
Current Location: Agra, India
Arrival Date: November 02, 2007
Departure Date: November 03, 2007
Next Stops: Rajastan, India (Ranthambore, Jaipur, Pushkar)
The UAE was great. We visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Both modern, globalized, desert cities on the rise. I am a big fan of the desert. Though, as it turns out, sandboarding is not nearly as fun as it looks. Indoor snowboarding however, is a wonderfully good time. Camels are very dirty and smell horrible close up. I intend to post photos, but the connection speeds here in India are tragically slow.
Mark and I left Dubai late Wednesday night on a red-eye to New Delhi. India is pretty much everything anyone ever said it would be. Dirty, crowded and poor. Beggars are rampant and the pollution is sickening. Still the sites, when you get past the touts, are beautiful.
I am at an internet cafe now, fewer than 100 meters from the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is truly breathtaking, despite the thick layer of smog that surrounds the place. I have taken many photos. Hopefully, I do not lose my camera before they are all uploaded.
The food here is amazing. Better, perhaps, than anything I have ever tasted in the United States or anywhere. It is very much a vegetarian utopia with over half the restaurants serving only pure vegetarian meals. Even the McDonalds menu is over 50% vegetarian.
I am devastated that Webshots continues to hide my photos. I may have to re-upload everything to Flickr when I return to a first world nation.
Cheers,
Melissa
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Random Travel Update 8
Last location: Macau
Arrival Date: October 22, 2007
Departure Date: October 24, 2007
Current Location: Hong Kong
Arrival Date: October 24, 2007
Departure Date: October 28, 2007 (12:30am)
Next Stop: Dubai, UAE
I appologize for any further difficulties with Webshots. It keeps
hiding my albums, I hope the problem has been resolved.
I am currently traveling with Mark, a fellow GWU Alum who I met on a
ski trip to Quebec a few years back. He has spent the past year
working in Saudi Arabia as an international consultant for Bearing
Point. He is taking a break from work to explore other international
job options. We are so far, wonderfully compatible travel buddies.
Hong Kong is a fantastic city. It is large, but pretty clean with a
largly international population, most of whom speak nearly perfect
English, likely as a result of Hong Kong having been a British colony.
We leave tonight (very soon) for Dubai. I will try to post more
pictures from our hotel there.
Love,
Melissa
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Random Travel Update 7
Last location: Beijing, China
Arrival Date: October 18, 2007
Departure Date: October 22, 2007
Current Location: Macau
Arrival Date: October 22, 2007
Departure Date: October 24, 2007
Next Stop: Hong Kong
Photos available at http://community.webshots.com/user/lmn8co2
I am officially no longer "roughing it". Mark and I met at the Hong Kong airport on Monday and checked in to a five star hotel at the Wynn Casino in Macau. Our room is beautiful and about the size of a one bedroom apartment in DC. We have a couch, a large bathtub, full water heat and pressure, a 5 by 8 foot mirror, modern art, a mini-bar, a desk, a huge flat screen tv, a marble table and automatic curtains that conceal a full window wall when drawn.
We splurged HK$160 on an in-room broadband connection and so I was able to fix the problem with my Webshots album and add more photos. Sorry to those of you who got on only to find no pictures. There should now be five new albums with several hundred new pictures on my page.
Last night was lucky. Mark let me play a few hands for him at the poker table and I was able to win HK$450. Together, we doubled the HK$1000 Mark put down. That is officially the most amount of money I have ever seen anyone leave a casino with.
We will check into a new hotel in Hong Kong tomorrow and from there fly to Dubai on the 28th. I will try to keep up with email but internet (and time to spend online) may get harder to come by.
Love,
Melissa
Arrival Date: October 18, 2007
Departure Date: October 22, 2007
Current Location: Macau
Arrival Date: October 22, 2007
Departure Date: October 24, 2007
Next Stop: Hong Kong
Photos available at http://community.webshots.com
I am officially no longer "roughing it". Mark and I met at the Hong Kong airport on Monday and checked in to a five star hotel at the Wynn Casino in Macau. Our room is beautiful and about the size of a one bedroom apartment in DC. We have a couch, a large bathtub, full water heat and pressure, a 5 by 8 foot mirror, modern art, a mini-bar, a desk, a huge flat screen tv, a marble table and automatic curtains that conceal a full window wall when drawn.
We splurged HK$160 on an in-room broadband connection and so I was able to fix the problem with my Webshots album and add more photos. Sorry to those of you who got on only to find no pictures. There should now be five new albums with several hundred new pictures on my page.
Last night was lucky. Mark let me play a few hands for him at the poker table and I was able to win HK$450. Together, we doubled the HK$1000 Mark put down. That is officially the most amount of money I have ever seen anyone leave a casino with.
We will check into a new hotel in Hong Kong tomorrow and from there fly to Dubai on the 28th. I will try to keep up with email but internet (and time to spend online) may get harder to come by.
Love,
Melissa
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Random Travel Update 6
Last location: Seoul, South Korea
Arrival Date: September 26, 2007
Departure Date: October 18, 2007
Current Location: Beijing, China
Arrival Date: October 18, 2007
Departure Date: October 22, 2007
Next Stop: Hong Kong and Macau
Photos available at http://community.webshots.com/user/lmn8co2
It's been a beautiful month. October came to Seoul like a breath of relief from the hot and rainy September. A lot has happened in the last four weeks, more than I can possibly write about in the short moments I have to myself with my computer. The most important update is that I have finally uploaded my pictures from San Francisco, Taiwan, Seoul and Beijing with captions. Unfortunately, webshots will not load here in China so you will have to wait for the more recent photos. Please do read the captions, as they will help to convey the story of my trip in the absence of my explaining it here. Feel free to send me questions and I will answer them in the next update.
I arrived in Beijing on Monday with a cold. I knew it would happen eventually. I am treating it with Vitamin C, Echinacea, Azithromycin, Tylenol Cold & Flu, Coldeze, Airborn, Zicam, and now two forms of Chinese medicine, that I was prescribed at the hospital next door. The helpful man from the hostel who took me to the hospital assured me that the Chinese drugs are all herbal and won't kill me.
The Great Wall was glorious, everything I had dreamed it would be and more, with a toboggan ride included! Beijing is absolutely charming, the food is good, and the weather is near perfect. I leave for Hong Kong and Macau tomorrow, then off to UAE and India next week. It may get harder to find internet, but I will do my best to keep sending updates and photos.
Love,
Melissa
Arrival Date: September 26, 2007
Departure Date: October 18, 2007
Current Location: Beijing, China
Arrival Date: October 18, 2007
Departure Date: October 22, 2007
Next Stop: Hong Kong and Macau
Photos available at http://community.webshots.com/
It's been a beautiful month. October came to Seoul like a breath of relief from the hot and rainy September. A lot has happened in the last four weeks, more than I can possibly write about in the short moments I have to myself with my computer. The most important update is that I have finally uploaded my pictures from San Francisco, Taiwan, Seoul and Beijing with captions. Unfortunately, webshots will not load here in China so you will have to wait for the more recent photos. Please do read the captions, as they will help to convey the story of my trip in the absence of my explaining it here. Feel free to send me questions and I will answer them in the next update.
I arrived in Beijing on Monday with a cold. I knew it would happen eventually. I am treating it with Vitamin C, Echinacea, Azithromycin, Tylenol Cold & Flu, Coldeze, Airborn, Zicam, and now two forms of Chinese medicine, that I was prescribed at the hospital next door. The helpful man from the hostel who took me to the hospital assured me that the Chinese drugs are all herbal and won't kill me.
The Great Wall was glorious, everything I had dreamed it would be and more, with a toboggan ride included! Beijing is absolutely charming, the food is good, and the weather is near perfect. I leave for Hong Kong and Macau tomorrow, then off to UAE and India next week. It may get harder to find internet, but I will do my best to keep sending updates and photos.
Love,
Melissa
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Random Travel Update 5
Last location: Kenting & Jialeshuei, Taiwan
Arrival Date: September 23, 2007
Departure Date: September 25, 2007
Current Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Arrival Date: September 22, 2007
Departure Date: September 26, 2007
Next Stop: Seoul, South Korea
Traveling is a mix of wonder, excitement and gut-wrenching nausea. It is BBQ season here in Taiwan, which means the streets and markets are filled with a smoky, rotten, gaseous scent that makes my stomach turn and my nose twitch. Taipei and Kenting are the first cities I have encountered that go out of their way to flavor their air with noxious fumes. Aside from BBQ, the cities here are pretty clean and much better smelling than the urine-entrenched streets of Paris and (occasionally) New York. I think it helps that every metro station here comes equipped with several restrooms. Brilliant. Almost makes up for the lack of sidewalks.
On my last visit to Tucson, I met up with some long lost relatives who had just adopted a puppy. I envied the fluffy week old pup with her boundless energy and a seemingly endless passion for her every surrounding, from her little basket bed to a patch of grass outside. Today I am that puppy. I have never been so happy to sit on a bus for an hour on the way to the airport before. I can't sleep, I just stare wide-eyed out the window absorbing every detail of the world passing before me. Naivety is my greatest attribute.
I cannot write too much now, my brain is still processing the excitement of the last ten days. I can say though that everything is going marvelously. My travel buddies are great. Everything has gone according to plan. Never mind the fact that few, if any, plans were ever made.
Yesterday we took a cab from Kenting National Park in southern Taiwan to Jialeshuei (pronounced shallow shway), a fairly remote surfing beach down and around the tip of the island. We rented boards and I tried surfing for my first time. It was great fun, but I will have to invest in more secure water-wear before attempting again. We spent the rest of the day on the beach and then the five of us managed to snag a van all the way back to the high speed train station three hours north for only NRT1800 ($60). It sure beat the smaller cabs we had been squeezing into previously. We arrived at the station just in time to get the last three tickets available for the evening (getting two more required an additional effort, but it was eventually accomplished through a negotiation effort on the part of Chad and myself.)
The high-speed train is brand new and, from what I hear, one of the fastest in the world. It took us from southern Taiwan to Taipei in just over 90 minutes. Smooth ride too. We arrived back in Taipei at 9:45pm and met up with a friend of a friend who lives in the city. She (amazingly) spoke and read Chinese and took us out for the best food I have had since I arrived: sautéed spinach and thai-style tofu-plus Taiwan beer for only NRT100 ($3) per person. I was thrilled.
Today consisted of a 15 minute walk to the metro, about as much time on the metro to the bus station and then about an hour on the bus to the airport. I am here now, typing at a free internet access terminal next to our departure gate. My flight to Korea will take about two hours from the time the plane leaves the ground and then I will take another bus about an hour back to Seoul and then take a cab five minutes or so back to Adam's for about W1900 ($2) for the three of us. It is 12:15pm and my plane boards in 20 minutes, so I will be editing and sending this email from Seoul.
Cheers,
April/Melissa
Arrival Date: September 23, 2007
Departure Date: September 25, 2007
Current Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Arrival Date: September 22, 2007
Departure Date: September 26, 2007
Next Stop: Seoul, South Korea
Traveling is a mix of wonder, excitement and gut-wrenching nausea. It is BBQ season here in Taiwan, which means the streets and markets are filled with a smoky, rotten, gaseous scent that makes my stomach turn and my nose twitch. Taipei and Kenting are the first cities I have encountered that go out of their way to flavor their air with noxious fumes. Aside from BBQ, the cities here are pretty clean and much better smelling than the urine-entrenched streets of Paris and (occasionally) New York. I think it helps that every metro station here comes equipped with several restrooms. Brilliant. Almost makes up for the lack of sidewalks.
On my last visit to Tucson, I met up with some long lost relatives who had just adopted a puppy. I envied the fluffy week old pup with her boundless energy and a seemingly endless passion for her every surrounding, from her little basket bed to a patch of grass outside. Today I am that puppy. I have never been so happy to sit on a bus for an hour on the way to the airport before. I can't sleep, I just stare wide-eyed out the window absorbing every detail of the world passing before me. Naivety is my greatest attribute.
I cannot write too much now, my brain is still processing the excitement of the last ten days. I can say though that everything is going marvelously. My travel buddies are great. Everything has gone according to plan. Never mind the fact that few, if any, plans were ever made.
Yesterday we took a cab from Kenting National Park in southern Taiwan to Jialeshuei (pronounced shallow shway), a fairly remote surfing beach down and around the tip of the island. We rented boards and I tried surfing for my first time. It was great fun, but I will have to invest in more secure water-wear before attempting again. We spent the rest of the day on the beach and then the five of us managed to snag a van all the way back to the high speed train station three hours north for only NRT1800 ($60). It sure beat the smaller cabs we had been squeezing into previously. We arrived at the station just in time to get the last three tickets available for the evening (getting two more required an additional effort, but it was eventually accomplished through a negotiation effort on the part of Chad and myself.)
The high-speed train is brand new and, from what I hear, one of the fastest in the world. It took us from southern Taiwan to Taipei in just over 90 minutes. Smooth ride too. We arrived back in Taipei at 9:45pm and met up with a friend of a friend who lives in the city. She (amazingly) spoke and read Chinese and took us out for the best food I have had since I arrived: sautéed spinach and thai-style tofu-plus Taiwan beer for only NRT100 ($3) per person. I was thrilled.
Today consisted of a 15 minute walk to the metro, about as much time on the metro to the bus station and then about an hour on the bus to the airport. I am here now, typing at a free internet access terminal next to our departure gate. My flight to Korea will take about two hours from the time the plane leaves the ground and then I will take another bus about an hour back to Seoul and then take a cab five minutes or so back to Adam's for about W1900 ($2) for the three of us. It is 12:15pm and my plane boards in 20 minutes, so I will be editing and sending this email from Seoul.
Cheers,
April/Melissa
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Random Travel Update 4
| Last location: San Francisco, California |
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Random Travel Update 3
Previous Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Arrival Date: September 7, 2007
Departure Date: September 8, 2007
Last location: Tucson, Arizona
Arrival Date: September 8, 2007
Departure Date: September 12, 2007
Current Location: San Francisco, California
Arrival Date: September 12, 2007
Departure Date: September 16, 2007
Next Stop: Seoul, South Korea
Quick update:
I just arrived in San Francisco. I am in the process of convincing my parents to take me out to Millennium Friday night, but am otherwise overwhelmed by the 41 vegetarian listings brought up by Happy Cow. Are there any other Bay Area restaurant musts? My goal is to check out at least four.
Also, pictures of Mexico are currently loading online at http://community.webshots.com/user/lmn8co2 . It is taking awhile, being that the hotel internet connection keeps failing. I am going to take a nap while they load and try to have them all posted shortly after I wake up.
Regards,
Melissa/April
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Random Travel Update 2
Last location: San Carlos, Mexico
Arrival Date: August 31, 2007
Departure Date: September 3, 2007
Current location: Tucson, Arizona
Arrival Date: September 4, 2007
Departure Date: September 12, 2007
Next Stop: San Francisco, California
Photos available (soon) at http://community.webshots.com/user/lmn8co2
This morning ended a near ten-hour drive from San Carlos, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona. The distance is about 325 miles and should only take five hours going at Mexican speed, which is about 30-50 miles over the posted speed limit at any given time once you cross the border. But it was Labor Day and we got stuck at the border for an unfortunate three and a half hours and at a checkpoint for near an hour, essentially doubling our return time.
It was well worth it. The trip was exceptional, one of the best in my life. I left with that glowing feeling that you imagine when you look at an Abercrombie print ad or a Sandals beach commercial.
The weekend consisted of three boat diving trips with two dives each and a day of rest which we used to learn how to jet ski. I love boats, especially fast boats. Our boat was fast for its size and the breeze made the 100-degree temps seem pleasant. We saw dolphins, whales, sea lions, eels, sea turtles, a funny underwater spider that was actually a crab, and a lot of pretty (and a few not-as-pretty) fish.
I met amazing people on the trip. My carpool driver Eric brought an underwater camera, so do check Webshots in a few days for pictures. My diving buddy, Elizabeth, was wonderful and taught me how to dive (as in high-dive not SCUBA dive) on my first day out on the boat, though I apparently forgot this skill by the third day when I tried to dive off the top deck of the boat (see video to be posted soon on Webshots).
My best friend Sara from Washington, DC flew into Guaymas on Saturday and met me at the hotel in San Carlos right as I was eating lunch with Eric and his dive buddy, April. Everyone was friendly and relaxed. There wasn't a single moment of stress or anxiety the entire weekend. I highly recommend Ocean Sports/Desert Divers for those of you in the Southwest thinking about getting SCUBA certified. Their staff is impressively friendly and their trips are very well organized. Besides, the boys on staff are all very cute ;)
Tucson is great, wonderfully warm as usual. Sara is here now for five days and I am making it my obligation to show her Arizona in between the many errands I have to run before I depart Tucson next week. I am starting to compile a packing list for my three-month journey abroad. If you have ever traveled before, please take a moment to look at my itinerary below and make suggestions regarding what I should bring with me.
I have all of my vaccines now as well as my anti-malaria, anti-diarrhea, anti-pain, and anti-biotic prescriptions, so those are covered. Tips on additional medications, toiletries and items that may not be available abroad are most welcome. Also, I am buying a camera this week. It needs to be tiny and user-friendly. I am thinking the Canon Elph SD600. Any suggestions?
With love,
April/Melissa
__________________________________________________
Travel Itinerary 2007
San Francisco, California
September 12, 2007
September 16, 2007
Seoul, South Korea
September 16, 2007
September 22, 2007
Remote Beach, Taiwan
September 22, 2007
September 26, 2007
Seoul, South Korea
September 26, 2007
October 16, 2007 (tentative)
Beijing, China & The Great Wall
(tentative)
Hong Kong, China
October 21, 2007 (tentative)
October 24, 2007 (tentative)
Multiple Destinations, India
October 24, 2007 (tentative)
November 18, 2007
Hong Kong, China
November 18, 2007
Multiple Destinations, Australia
November 19, 2007
December 19, 2007
Los Angeles, California
December 19, 2007
December 22, 2007
Washington, DC
December 22, 2007
Arrival Date: August 31, 2007
Departure Date: September 3, 2007
Current location: Tucson, Arizona
Arrival Date: September 4, 2007
Departure Date: September 12, 2007
Next Stop: San Francisco, California
Photos available (soon) at http://community.webshots.com/user/lmn8co2
This morning ended a near ten-hour drive from San Carlos, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona. The distance is about 325 miles and should only take five hours going at Mexican speed, which is about 30-50 miles over the posted speed limit at any given time once you cross the border. But it was Labor Day and we got stuck at the border for an unfortunate three and a half hours and at a checkpoint for near an hour, essentially doubling our return time.
It was well worth it. The trip was exceptional, one of the best in my life. I left with that glowing feeling that you imagine when you look at an Abercrombie print ad or a Sandals beach commercial.
The weekend consisted of three boat diving trips with two dives each and a day of rest which we used to learn how to jet ski. I love boats, especially fast boats. Our boat was fast for its size and the breeze made the 100-degree temps seem pleasant. We saw dolphins, whales, sea lions, eels, sea turtles, a funny underwater spider that was actually a crab, and a lot of pretty (and a few not-as-pretty) fish.
I met amazing people on the trip. My carpool driver Eric brought an underwater camera, so do check Webshots in a few days for pictures. My diving buddy, Elizabeth, was wonderful and taught me how to dive (as in high-dive not SCUBA dive) on my first day out on the boat, though I apparently forgot this skill by the third day when I tried to dive off the top deck of the boat (see video to be posted soon on Webshots).
My best friend Sara from Washington, DC flew into Guaymas on Saturday and met me at the hotel in San Carlos right as I was eating lunch with Eric and his dive buddy, April. Everyone was friendly and relaxed. There wasn't a single moment of stress or anxiety the entire weekend. I highly recommend Ocean Sports/Desert Divers for those of you in the Southwest thinking about getting SCUBA certified. Their staff is impressively friendly and their trips are very well organized. Besides, the boys on staff are all very cute ;)
Tucson is great, wonderfully warm as usual. Sara is here now for five days and I am making it my obligation to show her Arizona in between the many errands I have to run before I depart Tucson next week. I am starting to compile a packing list for my three-month journey abroad. If you have ever traveled before, please take a moment to look at my itinerary below and make suggestions regarding what I should bring with me.
I have all of my vaccines now as well as my anti-malaria, anti-diarrhea, anti-pain, and anti-biotic prescriptions, so those are covered. Tips on additional medications, toiletries and items that may not be available abroad are most welcome. Also, I am buying a camera this week. It needs to be tiny and user-friendly. I am thinking the Canon Elph SD600. Any suggestions?
With love,
April/Melissa
__________________________________________________
Travel Itinerary 2007
San Francisco, California
September 12, 2007
September 16, 2007
Seoul, South Korea
September 16, 2007
September 22, 2007
Remote Beach, Taiwan
September 22, 2007
September 26, 2007
Seoul, South Korea
September 26, 2007
October 16, 2007 (tentative)
Beijing, China & The Great Wall
(tentative)
Hong Kong, China
October 21, 2007 (tentative)
October 24, 2007 (tentative)
Multiple Destinations, India
October 24, 2007 (tentative)
November 18, 2007
Hong Kong, China
November 18, 2007
Multiple Destinations, Australia
November 19, 2007
December 19, 2007
Los Angeles, California
December 19, 2007
December 22, 2007
Washington, DC
December 22, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Random Travel Update 1
Original location: Washington , DC
Arrival Date: August 2003
Departure Date: August 2007
Last location:
Arrival Date:
Departure Date:
Current location:
Arrival Date:
Departure Date:
Next Stop:
Photos available at http://community.webshots.com
This will be the guinea pig letter to use an animal-unfriendly metaphor. Please let me know if you would like to be removed from the random-travel-update list or, alternatively, if you know of someone who should be added. Also, confirm that this is the email address to which you would like updates sent.
Thank you to those of you who came to my going away dinner, who sent very nice departure notes, who stayed up all night to help me pack, who let me borrow their car and didn't get upset when it was rear-ended in the U-Haul parking lot while I was off moving boxes to Fedex, and who woke up at 4:15am to patiently wait for me and then equally patiently drive me to the Regan National Airport in the nick of time to catch my 6am flight Wednesday morning. You guys are the best.
To those of you who wrote emails to which I never responded, my apologies, it has been a hectic week and a half. But I did read them all and appreciated all of your advice, goodbyes and random notes.
If you ever get a chance to leave DCA around
Has anyone heard of Ronald's Doughnuts? I got lucky and found this place on Happy Cow http://www.happycow.net/ right before leaving
Next stop was
Please send me your full home address when you get a chance in case I get around to writing the occasional postcard. I don't know how much postcard-writing time I will have, but it is always best to have addresses up front rather than having to track them down while on the road. Don't forget to reply to any emails I send with the name of the email in the subject line. For example, all emails responding to this one should read, "Re: Random Travel Update 1 August 10, 2007". This way I can find them when I go to respond to several emails at once.
Love,
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