Wedding planning?...forget it! Not this couple. Travel planning...now that's more like it! We surprised the world with our secret wedding on May 30, 2010 and now we are embarking on a 3-month honeymoon around the world. We are excited to be able to share our adventures with family and friends. Enjoy!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Patagonia and Ushuaia

We've had an action-packed time in both the Chilean and Argentinian areas of Patagonia. Patagonia is a region in the south of South America that encompasses both Chilean and Argentinian land. Chile and Argentina finally agreed in the 1980s that if the water descends off the Andes and into the Pacific, then it's Chilean land; if the water goes to the Atlantic, then it's Argentinian land.

Our tour started in Buenos Aires where we met the other adventurous members of the group and our highly passionate and experienced tour leader. After a brief stay in the city, we flew to El Calafate, a 3 hour flight into the northern Patagonia region.

Patagonia is said to be the windiest place in the world; we were welcomed with strong winds, but nothing too bad.
The landscape in El Calafate is bare but pretty. Snow capped mountains paint the horizon and stunning blue lakes appear out of nowhere. You immediately realize the remoteness of the area.

That night we enjoyed walking around the small, quaint town and getting local delicacies for dinner: lamb stew and trout. We finished dinner around 11:15 pm and noticed that it wasn't completely dark yet.

We spent the next day at Perito Moreno Glacier at Los Glaciers National Park. The glacier is gigantic; in total, it is bigger than the city of Buenos Aires. Even though we could only see a small portion, it was an absolutely stunning and beautiful sight! The glacier has hues of blue ice walls and seems to be over 200 feet high. You can look up pictures or see videos online of glacier sections breaking off into the water.

Throughout the trip we drove through the wide open landscapes filled with huge estancias (farms) that are home to cows, horses, sheep, llamas, goats, hares, and guanacos. We saw condors, pink flamingos (who knew), and many other bird species. Glaciers and mountains continually shape the horizon.

From El Calafate, we drove to El Chalten for two intense days of hiking in the Argentinian capital of hiking and trekking. The winds that welcomed us were very fierce, but our excitement dulled the pain.

The next morning we set out for an 8 hour hike to Fitz Roy Mountain. Unfortunately we weren't able to see the peak because of bad weather (including low cloud cover). The landscape was very scenic and varied; it consisted of lush forests and we continually passed by lakes, rivers, and glaciers. It rained and snowed for long sections throughout the hike, but that did not dampen the fun at all.

About 4 hours into the hike we reached the area that is the main lookout for Fitz Roy. It consists of a 450 meter steep ascent that takes 1 hour each way up and down. The weather conditions had worsened and our guide was cautious about going, but ultimately decided to take on the challenge. At the top we were pelted with snow and winds in excess of 50 mph, which the guide said could get much worse. The winds did not let up for the rest of the hike and we were happy to get back to town; wind shelter, heat and delicious food awaited our return!

We woke up the next morning and knew that we wouldn't be able to see that day's mountain hightlight (Cerro Torre) since the weather hadn't improved, but we were excited for our hike. We started hiking and then the snow started. It must have snowed 6 inches in the first 4 hours, but the winds were not burdensome. With the snow accumulation, it was a truly magnificent hiking experience. Tara was thrilled to be walking through a fresh winter wonderland. Whenever we ran out of water, we would simply refill our bottles with fresh glacier agua from the rivers and streams. The snow eventually stopped and by the end of the 8 hour hike, the snow had completely melted. The storm had passed and condors soared in the sky under the shining sun.

The group was bummed out because we did not see two of the main mountain peaks in this area. Tara and I weren't disappointed because of all the peaks we saw in Nepal. Luckily that was the only bad weather of the trip and we have been very lucky with optimal conditions since.

After Chalten, we then headed into Chile for 4 days and 3 nights of camping in Torres del Paines National Park in Chile. We arrived to beautiful clear skies and minimal wind; we were so happy and everyone was in great spirits.

We woke up the next morning with confirmation that we would be doing the main 9-hour hike to the Towers of Torres del Paines (TdP) and back. This hike is the highlight of the area that attracts trekkers and climbers from all over the world. There are a couple of longer treks - one for 5 days (the W) and one for 7 to 10 days (the loop). It's not an easy place to get to so you get some serious trekkers.

The hike did not disappoint. It had varied terrain, elevation, and scenery - it was all beautiful. The Towers are quite a site because they rise straight up and have a beautiful lagoon at the bottom. The winds were mostly calm, but we did encounter some strong bursts by the Towers.

The weather throughout the region can change in a heartbeat, especially in Torres del Paines. On all our hikes we had to bring day packs with a variety of clothing; they tell you to prepare for all 4 seasons in a day, which is spot-on advice. Our guide also said that the winds can reach up to 125 mph at TdP.

That night we ate a lamb that had been slowly roasted over an open fire for 4 hours. It was a lot of fun and very tasty.

The next day we went on a 7 hour hike to see the flora and fauna of the area, along with the wildlife. While sunny, it was a much windier day. Overall, the park was extremely clean and pristine.

Tara and I stayed up late that night to see the stars. The sky was free of clouds and light by 1 am (the sun had finally set and the moon was behind the Towers). It was a beautiful site.

About an hour later we woke up to intense winds and rain. Our tents were very high quality, but the winds made one side flex in / buckle. It was a wild ride as the winds were off and on for the next few hours. Luckily it was clear and calm again by breakfast.

We left TdP a few days ago and headed to Puerto Natales, a quaint town. The following night we stayed in the port city of Punta Arenas. We were lucky since the winds were very light in both places (very unusual for this time of year).

We left Punta Arenas for a 14 hour bus ride to Ushuaia, often called the southern tip of the world. As part of the trip, we passed through the Straits of Magellan on a small barge. We ultimately arrived at our hotel and got dinner at 11:30 - quite normal for the country even on a work night.

Yesterday was another action packed highlight day. We took a boat ride through the Beagle Channel where we saw sea lion colonies and other wildlife. We also saw the boat that was recently damaged in Antarctica due to 8 meter high waves.

In the afternoon, we took a pontoon boat to an island that is a natural penguin habitat. Those little guys are so damn cute and they are everywhere. There were two different types of penguins that inhabit the island.

The food in the Patagonia region is gourmet, hearty and pretty inexpensive; the wine is reasonable and very good as well. The food on the Chilean side consisted of great sea food and a lot of avocados.

The unofficial national drink it mate; everyone is constantly drinking and sharing it. Mate consists of chopped caffeniated tea leaves served in a communal cup with 98 degree water. The straw has a filter on the bottom to prevent drinking the leaves. We enjoyed sampling it, but found it to be a bit bitter for our taste buds.

It would be a challenge if we were doing this trip without an organized tour. It's not the easiest area to navigate; for example, international border crossings have been in the middle of nowhere on dirt roads without guide markers, bus "stations" can be in front of a random house, and there can often be 3 bus transfers to get to the next destination. That said, the buses are quite comfortable. I highly recommend coming here for some incredible outdoor adventures.

It's sad to say that our trip is coming to a close. Soon we'll be heading back to civilization in BA and on to our final destinations: Mendoza (wine region) and Santiago. Everything has been incredible and we can't wait to send out pictures.

Tivon and Tara

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

We're alive!!

Hola amigos.

We saved the best sights in India for the last few days with the pink city of Jaipur and the Taj. We'll be happy to tell stories of our time in India - just let us know whether you want the stories to be mild, spicy, or very spicy.

We enjoyed a nice flight from Delhi to Madrid. We had beautiful weather in Spain where we relaxed and enjoyed tapas, wine, paella, and cheese.

It was off to South America 3 days later. After another long flight, 14 hours, we settled into Buenos Aires. With rapid inflation in the past few years, prices have become expensive here but there are still some good deals to be uncovered.

Buenos Aires has been Tara's favorite part of the trip so far. We've enjoyed walking around all over the city, exploring the neighborhoods, architecture, parks, cafes, free concerts, spontaneous demonstrations / political rallies (even at midnight), and hunting for clothes for our Patagonian wilderness trip. Most of the citizens here are of European descent (especially Italian) as are the influences.

The food in BA has been tasty. We've been trying some all you can eat parillas. A parilla is a giant grill with all different meats being cooked. The wood smell is wonderful and the meat is juicy and savory. Meat is almost a religion in South America. They also have a big salad bar, fresh fish to cook as desired, sushi, paella, and all different kinds of pasta.

Menorahs are present in all of the parks along with posters on building walls for Hanukkah (or Januka as they spell it here) and they are busy decorating for Christmas.

We journeyed to Punta del Este for a few days in between our time in BA. PDE is similar to Monaco and they call it the South Beach of South America. We arrived a couple of weeks before the high season begins so we happily enjoyed the town and beaches being quiet. We took some beach walks and I was able to do some ocean swimming. The water is very cold due to the southern location.

We arrived in Patagonia last night (El Calafate) after a 3 hour flight from BA. The scenery at the bottom of the world is majestic. Today we're off to see the Los Glacieres National Park (Perito Moreno Glacier) and a 3 hour hike. Tomorrow we have a 9 hour hike in Mt Fitz Roy in the Andes. The sun rises at 5 am and sunset is at 11 pm, although it doesn't get completely dark until 11:30 or so. In certain parts of Patagonia, winds can reach 100 miles per hour.

Tivon

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Nepal

Nepal is a wonderful country and our time here has been very enjoyable. The Nepalese people are so friendly, peaceful, and full of fun. The country is sandwiched between the two powerhouses of India and China and both seem to be jockeying for influence on this independent country.

We heard from a UK national that has lived in Pokhara, Nepal for 9 years that Nepal is one of the 10 most corrupt and poor nations. It came as a surprise as the country seems more developed than India. I guess as tourists we are shielded from the corruption. We've seen a small taste but nothing of substance.

The roads are similar to India, but the drivers seem to be on the same page with each other and use their horns substantially less than India. Similar to India, many shipping trucks are painted with colorful murals and messages of peace. In Nepal it is a frequent site to see up to 30 people riding on the roof of packed buses.

The Nepali landscape is majestic; the Himalayan mountain range is absolutely spectacular and it continues for hundreds of miles. Pictures can't do it justice.

The flight by Everest and other mountain peaks was stunning - 19 peaks over 20,000 feet, including 7 over 25,000 feet, and Everest at 29,028 feet. Pictures don't do it justice.

Our short stay in Kathmandu was enjoyable. We then spent 2 days in this cute lake town, Pokhara. There we heard a Nepalese cover band sing Sweet Home Alabama, songs from Sublime, the Doors, etc; they were pretty good and the Nepalese youth take their music very seriously. Tara and I also went paragliding. The clouds had rolled in that day so we could not see the various peaks of the Anapurna Himalayan range while airborne, but the lake and surrounding mountain landscape with its' forest and farming fields on the side of the mountain made it an exhilarating ride.

We just left Chitwan National Park where we spent the past 2 days. We went on a 2 hour elephant ride forging our way through the brush with tree branches flying all around our faces and bodies. We all ended up with spider webs on us and I got one smack in my face. We saw rhinos, crocodiles, spotted deer, and monkeys.

Sitting around the bonfire two nights ago, we talked about how much fun it would be to grill some meat. The next morning, one of the guys in our group, nicknamed Beastie (from London), secured some of the local delicacy, goat. We purchased 5 kilos of the shoulder, leg, ribs, and liver. After some negotiation, we had to pay off the manager to use the fire pit even though they told us earlier that morning that we could use it. Beastie and I spent the afternoon marinating the goat, building the fire, and slow roasting it. It smelled fantastic and 8 of the 15 people ate the feast. The meat was good but chewy.

The weather has been a surprise. Since it is mid-November, we thought it would be chilly. Just the opposite, it's been hot and their monsoon season ended only a few weeks ago. The landscape is green and lush and the Himalayans are of course covered in snow and ice.

Nepal has been one of the main highlights of the trip so far.

It's a few days away... I'm wishing a good race and good luck to Kevin, Andy, Mike, and JJ at MiamiMan.

Tivon

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Kathmandoooooo

Kathmandu is awesome. I wish we had more than 24 hours here. We have a flight around Everest in the AM. Nepal is a beautiful country.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner at Spice Route in the Imperial Hotel for Tara's birthday last night in Delhi.

Tivon

Friday, November 5, 2010

South India

I wrote this yesterday afternoon, but then lost reception. Luckily I typed it out on email so I didn't lose it all!! :)

We are coming to the end of our tour through southern India and have had an action-packed two weeks. We have been extremely fortunate to have a great group and an exceptional tour leader.

We started our journey in Fort Cochin, our first taste of real India, as Tivon mentioned in his last post. Cochin is home of India's largest Jewish synagogue and Jewish quarter. We took a cooking class there, which introduced us to southern cooking and properly eating with our hands (the standard way to eat every meal).

Next we made our way by boat to the backwaters of Kerala. We stayed with a local family and had a room overlooking the river. It was a beautiful and a peaceful setting, minus the mosquitoes buzzing around! We walked around the village, chatted with the locals, took a sunset boat ride home, and had a homemade meal awaiting our return!

We spent a couple days in Periyar National Park, a place known for Ayurvedic therapy, aka Indian-style massages. We each had what seemed like a gallon of Indian-smelling yellowish oil rubbed on our bodies. It took me days to get rid of the aroma in my hair. Needless to say, it was our first and last!

We spent the next several days exploring temples, shrines, museums (Ghandi), palaces, markets and ashrams. Most of the sights revolved around Hinduism and the various forms of the gods and goddesses. I'm glad I only have to focus on one!! :)

The highlight of our trip has definitely been the jungle retreat. We took jeeps through the jungle, spotting wild animals and learning about the elephant refuge camp. Mostly we relaxed and enjoyed the pollution-free cool air.

Our last stop was in the mountains of the Nilgiri hills. The weather was quite cool and good preparation for our upcoming trip to Nepal.

We are now making our way back to Fort Cochin for our farewell dinner. Tomorrow we fly to Delhi and on Saturday Tivon's parents arrive. Early Sunday morning we will be flying high above the Himalayas and starting our next tour: Nepal and Northern India.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Some observations from the road

Some observations from the road

The local food has been quite remarkable everywhere along the way. A 1 liter bottle of Aquafina in India costs the equivalent of $0.33.

Japan and India do not have garbage cans anywhere in public, but for very different reasons. Everyone in Japan holds onto their trash and disposes it at home (they generally do not accumulate garbage during their day as they are so efficient). India has no waste management system or recycling. Sadly, garbage is everywhere along the roads and rivers. There is a tremendous opportunity and we're surprised that the government or an entrepreneur hasn't capitalized on waste management.

Our guide in India lived in an Ashram for 3.5 years. At one point, he went without speaking for 10 days. He also opened up a few Equifax offices in India. He is an excellent tour leader.

I think most people know this item but nearly everyone in India speaks fluent English in addition to their native tongue and possibly other languages. There is something like 20 official languages here.

Jet Airways (Indian airline) has the best coach class either one of us has flown.

Poverty is rampant in India but there is an excellent grade, middle, and high school educations provided to all citizens.

Malaria pills have had no side effects (oh well for psychedelic dreams).

The roads in India are pure pandemonium (and that's putting it nicely).

Mattresses in Japan, China, and India are very thin with no coils and no box spring.

The mosquitoes have had a field day with us in India, but we are in a rain forest.

After 3 days of cold water showers, we're looking forward to getting to a place that has substantial hot water (and a shower where the spigot is more than a trickle of water).

So far we've traveled by plane, train, boat, ferry, gondola, high speed hydrofoil, subway, bullet train, magnetic levitation train, rickshaw, bootleg taxi, official taxi, walking, and bus.

Tivon

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Getting ready for India and Supertyphoon Megi

We've had a relaxing couple of days back in Hong Kong. Thanks to spg points we've been enjoying our stay at the W Hong Kong. The facilities and staff are so nice, we've barely left the building. We've also met a variety of friendly and interesting expats. We've been enjoying the luxury here because we know it's going to be a completely different experience in India.

Hong Kong citizens and the hotel staff are busy preparing for Supertyphoon Megi. We just came back from the roof deck jacuzzi and pool (on the 73rd floor). They had removed or tied down the furniture. In talking with the staff, they say it should hit Hong Kong Saturday or Friday night and will be a very powerful storm (although there is nothing on the news). Fortunately our flight is Thursday evening and the Hong Kong airport has stayed open during past typhoons. We hope for the people here that it ends up being a minor storm.

We fly into Delhi tomorrow night and take another flight the next morning to Kochi where we begin a 2 week tour of southerrn India.

Far east Asia has treated us well and we bid it adieu.

Tivon (typing on Tara's phone)