Kenya (8/28-8/31)

The Wildebeest Migration!!! Every summer over 1.4 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra and gazelle, relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators, migrate from the Tanzanian Serengeti to Kenya's Masai Mara in search of rain ripened grass. And we were there to see it! Read below for amusing stories, watch incredible (and some rather graphic) videos, and see some amazing photos!

For photos, click here:

Masai Mara

Kimberly

I already explained that the concentration of wildlife in Ngorongoro made South Africa look like nothing special...well, the Masai Mara was in an even different league! We were there during the annual Wildebeest migration, which meant not only that there were lots of Wildebeest, but also many other herbivores who accompanied them on their journey (Zebra & Gazelles mostly)..not to mention the predators that follow closely looking for a tasty meal. The variety of wildlife was really just astonishing.

We had to transfer to the smaller Wilson airport for our "bush plane" flight to the Mara. We saw other planes leaving that were just tiny...so we were surprised when our plane arrived. It was a normal sized passenger jet. And we were really shocked to learn that we would be the forth stop in the Mara....meaning our giant plane took off and landed on the dirt "runway"in the middle of the Masai Mara reserve three times before we got to our stop!

On our first game drive that evening, our guide asked us what we wanted to see. I told him that we had seen everything except Cheetah, so if he could find us one, that would be great. Sure enough, in about twenty minutes he had found us, not one, but two Cheetah brothers! They were literally feet away from the safari vehicle and very undisturbed by our presence. Of all the animals we saw on our trip, I found these the most beautiful by far. There is something just so graceful about the way they walk and stand, surveying the territory. In fact, I think Dan and I both found them a little too enthralling...as, at one point, we were both unknowingly hanging out of the windows of the vehicle to get better vantage points for photos....Dan was videoing one Cheetah when, all of a sudden, he realized the other one was walking directly underneath him...yes, like within petting (or attacking) distance. Watch the video here, it's one of my favorites from the entire trip! Cheetah close encounter

We were staying at the Fig Tree Camp, which is located on the Talek river in the center of the park. Our deluxe "tent" was certainly the nicest tent I have ever stayed in. This place was nothing like the luxury safari resorts we stayed at in South Africa, but it was still quite nice. The tent is kind of like a tent built into a hotel bungalow. So there was a full bathroom attached, electricity, normal beds and closets...just a tent for a roof and a door. It was quite a nice way to experience the bush without actually camping. The hotel was fine, but nothing special. Meals were dreadful...really, just awful. The guides were O.K., but the big problem is that they just stick you in a car with a random group of people for every drive. We were told that we could go out for an extended drive and eat our breakfast or lunch in the bush (which is the only way you can get to the other parts of the park...where the wildebeest are, for example). However, they kept putting us with groups of people who were leaving that day, and thus couldn't take the extended game drive.

Finally, on our last day, we managed to put together a group so we could have breakfast in the bush. It was amazing! We sat on a log in the middle of the savannah and ate our yogurt with the chorus of nearby wildebeest in the background. Afterwards we continued on to the eastern part of the park where we found thousands of wildebeest frolicking with hundreds of other animals...at one point, we counted 12 giraffe, 30 zebra, 5 hartebeest, 6 topi, not to mention the thousands (yes, literally thousands) of wildebeest! And then came the real treat...we really lucked out...we managed to arrive at the Mara river at the same time as a herd of Wildebeest. This is the really famous crossing, where the animals hurl themselves off the cliff into the river and try to swim across before a crocodile, lion, or other predator gets to them first.

It was fascinating to watch the chaos and disorder of the whole thing. First there were a bunch of wildebeest on the far side of the river who seemed to want to cross. They came all the way down to the bank of the river to drink, but no one wanted to be the first in the water. But then, all of a sudden another herd of Wildebeest arrived from behind us and stood at the top of the cliff moaning. After about twenty minutes of the wildebeest running back and forth, probably encouraging each other to just jump in already, the wildebeest on our side of the river started plunging into the water and scrambling across to the other side. Here is a video of the crossing: Wildebeest Mara River crossing.

The other highlight of our trip was certainly the Hot Air Balloon flight we took over the Masai Mara one morning. I have never done a balloon flight before, but I think I have certainly been spoiled for life now! The view of the thousands of Wildebeest, often lined up in a single-file-line (don't ask why) moving slowly across the Mara plains...it was absolutely breathtaking. And every time our balloon pilot fired the torch, the animals would get startled and start stampeding...it was amazing! We landed the balloon only a few kilometers from the Tanzanian border, where a full champagne breakfast was waiting for us. No, I am not joking, they even had an omelet station! Here are some videos from our flight:
Hot air balloon inflating
Hot air balloon launch
Wildebeest migration from balloon
Wildebeest frolicking, view from Hot Air Balloon

The only thing that we did not see during our safari adventures was a hunt. Every time we found predators, we hoped they were hungry, because we really wanted to watch the chase. Unfortunately, no luck for us. We did manage to stumble upon a very fresh kill one afternoon though. A pack of Lions had just hunted a Wildebeest, and we were there to watch the last few moments of its life...followed by some very graphic meal-time. There was one point where one of the female lions had her head completely inside the Wildebeest's gut! If you are curious, here is some video from the meal: Lion dinner time. There was this one lion cub that was very enthusiastic about the process....he decided that he wanted to try to eat the Wildebeest's head. He started with the horn, but wasn't sure what to do with that...then he went for it's teeth and lips...he had positioned himself on top of its head, straddling its neck...and then he fell off. It was hilarious! We have a short video of the antics, Lion cub kissing wildebeest (But lots of pictures.)

If you are interested in other videos, here are some highlights from other parts of our trip.

Elephants bully Giraffe
Hyena breakfast (graphic)
Lion cub has an itch
Wildebeest playtime
Hakuna Matata, again
Masai Jumpers

Tanzania (8/25-8/27)

After relaxing in Zanzibar, we landed in mainland Tanzania for quick safari trip to Ngorongoro Crater, but not before first visiting a nearby village of Ng'iresi for a glimpse into the lifestyle of the semi-nomadic Tanzanian Maasai. It was just amazing.
For photos, click here.

Tanzania

Kimberly

For this portion of our trip, we had pre-booked everything with a safari operator. Yes, you can just show up and hope to find something...but that something may be really shoddy-and in August, there may be nothing available. And it is just a better idea to book your safari through a reputable operator. Should anyone be planning a trip to Africa, I cannot highly recommend our safari company and travel agent enough. They were both invaluable. In Tanzania, we booked with Roy's Safaris(http://www.roysafaris.com/), who provided us with a private car and driver (something we realized definitely had spoiled us when we arrived in Kenya right afterwards), took us on guided safaris and visits, and booked our lodging and food. It was certainly not cheap, but probably half the price of the "safari" packages most people book...and the quality was amazing. We booked both this safari and our Kenyan one through a travel agent in the U.S. named Susan Wood. http://www.awaytoafricasafaris.com/) She provided an incredible amount of support and guidance: from articles on the Crater and Wildebeest Migration, to tips on what to pack, to advising us on how to get our passports back from the Kenyan Embassy (who had seemed to have taken them hostage just before our trip!).

After arriving in Arusha, we met our guide, Thomas, who took us to the village of Ng'iresi for a cultural visit. Set on the slopes of Mt. Meru, near Kilimanjaro, the village is home to a group of semi-nomadic Maasi...meaning that they no longer wander the country with herds of hundreds of cattle (used for dowries) and now work primarily in agriculture. We were quite surprised at the incredibly lush landscape--it looked just like the coffee and banana plantations I had visited in Honduras...I had to keep reminding myself we were in Africa. We first met with person who runs the project, who explained how all the proceeds from the "cultural tourism" program go into the community to build schools. Robert, a village resident showed us around, first taking us to the school that was built with the first proceeds of the program. We had the opportunity to meet with a teacher and ask him about the curriculum at the school. We also talked with a few students who were studying for the big test that allows entrance to secondary school. Afterward, we visited a family's home, which was actually a circular hut with a metal roof. The mother and her three daughters all sleep in one smoky room. Her two sons that have already gone through the right/ritual of circumcision live in a brick hut next door. In many ways it felt similar to the villages we had visited in Sapa in Northern Vietnam, but somehow more peaceful and tranquil.

After a good night's sleep at the Impala Hotel, we were awoken to a lone man answering the 5am call to prayer. It was really quite beautiful, if not a bit startling of a wake-up call. We rose for an early breakfast as we had a pretty long drive ahead of us to Ngorongoro Crater. All along the road we saw different Maasai settlements and many nomadic Maasai herding their cattle. We tried to snap some photos, but at 100 km/hour it was a bit challenging.

Ngorongoro Crater is often described as one of the natural "wonders of the world"--and I have to agree. It is simply breathtaking. Much larger than I had imagined, the caldera measures 10-12 miles across and has an area of 102 miles sq. The rim, which rises a whopping 2,000 feet, is comprised of surprisingly dense forest and usually is hugged by a misty fog. As we drove into the crater and reached the floor, the fog lifted, and it was suddenly was warm and bright...and then we saw the animals: hundreds of them. Zebra, Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Grant's & Thompson's Gazelles, Warthogs, and many birds, all grazing together in an open pastures. The concentration of wildlife was just staggering. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 wildebeest and 5,000 zebra in the crater alone! Take the number of animals we photographed in Kruger, South Africa...I think there were at least 10-20 times as many animals that we did NOT photograph in Ngorongoro!

The crater floor supposedly has the densest concentration of predators in Africa...and from our experience, we can't argue with that statement! In two drives we saw three different entire prides of lions...and some of them more than once! One of the highlights was watching a pride of lions sleeping only a few meters away from our Landrover. All the adults were fast asleep, but two little cubs were up and hungry. We sat and watched them feed, going around from one lioness to another (It's apparently quite common for lionesses to nurse others' young in the same pride--they share the responsibility.) And then there was yet another pride of lions that barely woke from their afternoon nap to lazily watch an entire herd of Cape Buffalo cross their path. We kept hoping for some National Geographic-worthy footage of a lion hunt, but they had apparently feasted enough the night before.

We stayed just on the edge of the crater at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. All the hotel rooms are these enormous individual "huts" with large windows overlooking the crater. At night time we took our flashlight and shined it outside to see if we had any visitors and were surprised to find the reflection of the light on an animal's eyes not to far away. The continual crying and howling gave us the clue that our visitor was a hyena...that was enough to keep us inside!

In the morning, we took another game drive on the floor of the crater. Again, we saw hundreds of animals: lions, zebra, buffalo, jackals, hyenas eating their early morning snack.... The real treat of the day was just before we left though. It is actually rather uncommon to find entire herds of elephants in the crater, usually just a few old bull elephants live on the crater floor all alone. So it was an amazing treat to see a whole pack of elephants walking along the crater wall in a single file line. There were two baby elephants who would keep up with the rest of the group by holding onto the adults' tails with their trunks!

Our time was made even more memorable by the great rapport we developed with our guide, Thomas. He was incredibly knowledgeable about both Tanzania and all the wildlife. But more, he was wonderfully personable. On the drive back to Arusha we talked about our recent marriage on our hopes for the future. He shared with us his personal story, about how grew up in Kilimanjaro and why he had become a guide. He even told us about the hardship he faced last year when his wife suffered an eptopic pregnancy. They were planning to try again this year and hoping to start a family soon. We really hope the best for them, as Thomas was a wonderful ambassador to such a beautiful country.

Zanzibar (8/21-8/24)

Oh wow, Zanzibar! It sounds totally exotic and intriguing, right? Well it is amazing! We had only four days, but were able to explore two very different parts of this "Spice Island" in the country of Tanzania. First, the city of Stone Town, with its Arab architecture, street market, and intricately carved doors. Then, the small beach village of Pongwe on the east coast, with its isolated resort and nearby community of seaweed farmers and fishermen.
For photos, click here.

Zanzibar

Kimberly

We arrived in Zanzibar in the afternoon and headed straight for Stone Town. We had decided to split our time here so we could both see the cultural parts of the old city and spend a few days relaxing on the beach. For this reason, we selected a historic hotel in Stone Town, complete with Arab influenced architecture and furniture: The Dhow Palace Hotel. Persian traders arrived iZanzibarar in the 10th century and trade between East Africa, Arabia, and the Persian Gulf reached its height in the 12-15th centuries. The Portugese arrived in the 16th century, followed by the British, and the Omani Arabs...you can still feel the influence from all these different groups today.

It's hard to describe Stone Town, and our pictures don't do it justice. Yes, it is quite run down and dirty. But it is also incredibly beautiful. The narrow, winding alleyways (yes, we got lost many times), the intricately carved doors, the sound of Muslims praying, and the sight of women scurrying from the market--their headscarves blowing in the wind. It was simply unlike any other place I have ever visited.

In the morning before we left for our beach time, we did a short walking tour othete town. We visited the Beit al-Sahel, or Palace Museum, seeing where the sultan and his family lived until 1964, when the dynasty was overthrown. The incredible collection of authentic furniture and a fantastic view of the harbor were the highlights for me. We also saw the Beit el-Ajaib, or House of Wonders, whose entrance supposedly contains the largest carved doors in East Africa.

After spending an hour and a half driving a mere 35 kilometers (yes, the road was quite bad), we finally arrived at our little oasis, the Pongwe Beach Hotel. This place was just what we needed: somewhere to get away from it all and just relax. And that was pretty much all we could do! The hotel had no televisions, no internet, no telephones...in fact, the electricity was run by a generator which stopped at 10pm--meaning we had to take flashlights to see the toilet in the bathroom in the middle of the night! It also meant for a very relaxing three days. We generally took a walk in the morning, enjoyed a seafood lunch, spent most of the afternoon swimming or lying on the beach, and after dinner we would play board games (I kicked Dan's butt at Scrabble, but he beat me at Connect Four!). One night, the staff organized a romantic candle-lit dinner for just the two of us on the beach. They even dug out little holes in the sand and lit candles inside...as if the ambiance wasn't already amazing! As you can see, life was quite laid-back.

I have been to a lot of beaches all over the world, but I really have never ever seen anything quite like Pongwe Beach. It is absolutely beautiful...something about the colors of the water, the formation of the clouds, and the sight of Dhow sailboats passing along the horizon. It also does something rather phenomenal...every morning, the tide goes out for a good mile--every afternoon, it comes all the way into the shore, isolating the hotel from the nearby beaches. The village next door has taken advantage of this phenomenon by setting up seaweed farms that they cultivate during the morning low tide. Needless to say, our photos are amazing...so definitely check them out!

One afternoon, we heard a knock on our door and were surprised to find a smiling Pongwe Employee standing there with an envelope for us. She explained that her birthday was the next day, and she wanted to invite us to her birthday party. Such is how we came to celebrate Leah's 21st birthday with the entire staff and guests of the Pongwe Beach Hotel.

Everyone went all out for the party. The staff set up tables on the beach, made decorations with palm fronds, put together a makeshift Zanzibar band, and even organized a soda chugging contest for entertainment. The highlight of the evening for me was the singing of my new favorite song...the Hakuna Matata song...no, not the one from the Lion King, but the song they sing for everyone's birthday: Jambo Bwana. It's quite catchy, I warn you, but take a listen here if you're interested...and you'll get to see some fun video from the party! (Click here) And yes, they really do say "Hakuna Matata" here...I did a complete double-take the first time I heard it myself!

After three days of relaxing, we set off for the Zanzibar airport to catch our flight to Arusha, Tanzania. We waited and waited as the normal sized planes boarded and took of. Finally, this tiny plane pulls up and they call boarding for us...there were only four of us on the plane (well five if you count the pilot)! It was insane! I don't usually get scared while flying, but something about watching the pilot made this flight so much worse than normal! Needless to say, I was very relieved after our perfect landing in Arusha!

Winelands, Whale Country, & Garden Route (8/18-8/20)

East from Cape Town, we drove along the southern coast in South Africa while detouring through wine country, scenic towns, and coastal parks.
For pictures, click here.

Franschhoek & Garden Route

Daniel

We left Cape Town and spent the first couple hours driving along the scenic coastal highway on our way to South Africa's wine country. We decided to base ourselves in the little French town of Franschhoek...because we had heard the food was better there. :) And the food was quite good! We had made lunch reservations for La Petite Ferme weeks before our arrival. The food was quite good, but it was the spectacular view into the valley that made it so special.

During our stay in Franschhoek we enjoyed a couple wine tastings at Mount Rochelle and Grande Provence. Interestingly many of the South African vineyards put their top end wines in screw top bottles - in an effort to quash the rumor that only bad wines come in screw tops. The town was picturesque and the surrounding mountains highlighted the vineyards flourishing in the valley below. Our B&B - Akademie Street Guesthouse was fantastic. Run by an older couple who (with their two dogs)were extremely accommodating. They lent us a laptop during our stay - so that we could try to catch up with the blog. Obviously that wasn't quite enough to keep us up-to-date...but it was still much appreciated! The full breakfast was amazing with fresh jams and breads - not to mention all the other goodies.

After Franschhoek we set out on another long drive east, passing through Hermanus along the way for some whale watching. I managed to catch only a glimpse of a right whale (only a small part of it's back) during a stroll along the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Kimberly somehow saw two whales breach completely out of the water, and told me to turn around just in time to catch the splash as they landed. We decided to try our luck with the local fastfood chain, Steers, mainly because all the other tourist traps looked just as awful.

After many hours of driving, dealing with road construction, and watching the intermittent rain, we finally arrived in Knysna, our jumping off point to explore the Garden Route region. It's another coastal town with plenty of souvenir shops and good ocean views. During our stay there we visited a local farmer's market along the Garden Route, perused the many African craft shops, and hiked around nearby Tsitsikamma Park.

The Wild Oats farmer's market was a great mix of fresh produce and already prepared foods. We tried the fresh orange juice (we went back for seconds), bratwurst, and roti with naan. Since it pretty much rained non-stop during our stay we skipped many of the outdoor hikes and sights. We did manage some shopping and finally purchased a few souvenirs, including a woven Zulu basket traditionally used to cover large jugs of beer.

On our last day, we drove by one of world's highest bungee jump locations, Bloukrans Bridge (708ft). We were fortunate enough to catch someone jumping just as we got to the view point - we got goosebumps just watching the "lucky" jumper. The highlight was when we realized that you get almost three full recoils before the cord finally settles. Average jumps are about half the distance! After the semi-adrenaline rush we trekked around Tsitsikamma National Park, which hugs the coastline and is full of scenic views of streams and waterfalls flowing into the ocean.

Cape Town (8/14-8/17)

We landed in Cape Town one day early - and looking back very thankful that we did. Cape Town and the surrounding region is packed full of history, natural beauty, and amazing cuisine!
We finally started using the video function on our little camera, so there are tons of great videos from this part of our trip. Click on the links in the text below to see a flock of penguins, children singing, and me dancing...or trying to at least.
For pictures, click here.

Cape Town

Daniel

Food, food, and more food...Our first day in Cape Town is best described as pure gluttony. We were so overwhelmed with all our dining choices that we just had more meals (breakfast, lunch, high tea, dinner, & dessert). We had lunch at one of the best restaurants in Cape Town, the highly recommended 95 Keerom. The ostrich carpaccio was amazing, and Kimberly swears her tuna steak with a balsamic vinaigrette was the best seafood she's ever had. (I can't comment on that...although I did try a bite, and it wasn't too fishy...) After lunch, we actually went straight to Mt. Nelson Hotel for high tea. Rumor has it that they refused to accommodate President Clinton during his South African visit when the secret service security requested that they cut down the trees lining their main driveway entrance. Even after the security backed down the hotel refused to accept them as guests. And for dinner, we enjoyed a nice, albeit random, dinner at Cara Lazuli. The food was supposed to be North African/Moroccan, but other than the tagine on the menu, it didn't seem that way. At one point during the meal, they came out with all these funny hats and made all the guests wear them for the rest of the meal...

The next day we had quite the opposite experience, far less indulging in fancy food...and by far the most eye opening and culturally rich day, probably of our entire 2 1/2 month trip...and the longest: we started at around 9am and returned home after 11pm! We spent the entire day with an amazing and enlightening guide, Selwyn Davidowitz(to use just the word "guide" is an injustice) who taught us about South African culture & recent history.

Selwyn is probably the most fascinating tour guide you'll ever meet. A former engineer, who spent a considerable amount of time in Las Vegas playing the house, he decided to show people his home town after his retirement. His tours are very different from others in the area, in that half of his profits go into the township community of Kayamundi. After giving us a historical overview of South Africa, and especially apartheid and the Afrikaaners, he took us to Kayamundi to meet its residents. You can also go to a part of Selwyn's website here where you can read his posting on our tour with him. He makes a page like this for every one of his tours!

We were a little nervous to be going into a township...we certainly hadn't heard that they were the safest places for three white folks to go for the afternoon. But for some reason, being with Selwyn and hearing about the impact he has made in the community and the relationships he has with its residents, we were both completely at ease. And it turned out to be for good reason. I'm convinced we had a view into a part of South Africa that almost no white tourist ever sees. The township was obviously disturbing in many ways: lack of running water in many houses, people living in shacks who cannot afford to build walls, an alarming number of single parent families and teenage pregnancies...but in other ways, it felt like a happier, safer place than most neighborhoods in the U.S. Kids roamed around the streets playing together. Parents watched out for each other and their families. Most of all, there was this amazing sense of community (or Ubuntu as Selwyn explained in the local language). We could really see this just from our first stop in the township. We sat with Lily, a singly mother of three daughters and heard her life story of all the hardships she has faced and triumphed over. And how her community has helped her--and how she has helped the community. Before we left, she asked if she could sing a special lullabye for us. Click here to watch!

Selwyn told us he had a surprise for us, but we weren't prepared for what would come next! We went to the community center that Selwyn built with the proceeds of his tours and watched the group of kids practice their dancing routine...after they were finished rehearsing, we videotaped their performance to send it to another dance troupe in England. The two troupes are part of a cultural exchange where they learn another culture's dance and perform for each other. To see the dance, click here. (You won't believe this, but we posted this on Google Video a few months ago and never sent anything out to anyone to look at it....now 1400 people have viewed the video and four people even rated it!) For an equally good video of the lead boy doing an impressive solo dance, click here.

Then, they started doing another dance and pulled Kimberly in to dance with them. Her former cheerleader days proved helpful, as she picked up the moves really quickly. Click here to watch. When I discovered it would be my turn next, I wasn't so excited. I didn't pick things up quite as well, but did manage to get the kick while clapping underneath my leg move down. What was funny was that the boy kept yelling, "Men don't smile! You must not smile!" So in the pictures, you can see that I'm trying really really hard not to smile... Click here for some amusing video.

After the kids were finished dancing, Selwyn gathered them around and said he had some important news to share with them. This was when he told them that next year they would be getting scholarships to attend a private school...and they could all go together. It was really amazing to see the excitement (and nervousness) on their faces when being presented with such an opportunity.

By now it was starting to get dark, but our tour was no where near over. We went to see how the progress was going on the trash collection that Selwyn sponsors in the township. He hands out plastic bags to all the kids in this neighborhood. The children who return with the bags filled with trash receive an apple each...and he buys the apples from the town shop...to ensure the money stays within the community. It seemed like he had so many little projects going on in the town, so many people knew him, he was doing so much good...so why be nervous that the sun had completely set and we were wandering around in the dark with flashlights...

And there was no reason to worry. The evening passed while we sat in Nosandile's house and watched as at least 20 children (none of which are her own) followed us into the house and made themselves comfortable in her living room. We received a surprise serenade from the kids (click here to watch) and the kids thoroughly enjoyed having us take their photos! And after that, Selwyn took us to an evening church service that was unlike anything I had ever seen. The entire service was a frenzy of singing, dancing, and waving papers in the air. Really, just watch here.

The next day, we set out for Cape Point, the southern-most part of Africa. Along the way, we stopped at Boulders Beach to see the famous colony of penguins (no Great White Shark Sightings, unfortunately). Click here to watch Kimberly's close encounter with a flock of penguins! We continued on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where we drove around the coast, saw some ostriches, spotted a whale off the coast, and avoided a baboon attack in the parking lot!

We spent the afternoon touring the infamous Robben Island where the Apartheid government imprisoned political enemies including Nelson Mandela. The story is bleak and more numbing was that our tour guide spent 13 years of his life on the isolated island. Jobs are hard to come by in South Africa for many people. After years of imprisonment, it's even harder to break back into the workforce. Our guide told us that he had agreed to return to Robben Island for work only because he must provide for his family.

For dinner we went to Africa Cafe offering a wide selection of different local foods from all over the African continent. The name is a little misleading, since it is a massive restaurant (we were on the 3rd of three floors). But the staff was all musically trained and broke into chanting and singing on multiple occasions during our meal, which was fun. Click here for some African song. At times it seems touristy, but we did get a taste of cuisine & culture all at once.

Our last day in Cape Town, the skies finally cleared so we could ride the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. The view was just spectacular. It really felt like we were on top of the world! Such a great way to end our stay in this fabulous city.

Namibia (8/11-8/13)

Bright, vivid sand dunes were the highlight of our stay in Namibia. We hope we captured at least a fraction of the colorful contrasts amid the blue skys and burnt-sienna dunes.

Pictures here.

Namibia

Daniel

We landed in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and explored the scene around town. We pretty much saw all we needed to in less than half a day. However we did have lunch at a great German restaurant, Gathemann. The Germans "colonized" Namibia (formerly known as Western South Africa) back in the 1880's, which makes for some confusing street names & unexpected European influences.

Fortunately the reason to go to Namibia - NOT to follow the trail of Brad & Angelina - is found in the desert southwest of Windhoek. So we set off for a three day camping trip just outside the Namib Desert to visit the highlight of most any trip to the country, the Sand Dunes at Sossuvlei. They are most famous for the striking colors and shadows in the early morning.

The site viewing was not as spectacular as we had hoped. However, the people we were with for the 3 days made the experience so much more. Our safari group was mostly American (surprisingly), and our travel mates had tons of insight & knowledge regarding the ongoing African fight against AIDS. Steve and Yuri were avid photographers and probably lived about a three blocks from our old apartment in Menlo Park, CA. Steve, it turned out had spent significant time working at AIDS clinics in Zambia and Ghana. Chris, from Washington DC, was currently working at USAID. He was stationed in Namibia to help the planning and funding for the clinics that help Africans cope with the AIDS epidemic. Needless to say, we spent the days and nights fully appreciating the company. We also learned a lot more about who, what, and how African countries battle with AIDS. Each night around the campfire was interesting and fun.

Our first afternoon near the Naukluft campsite, we explored the Tsauchab River which is swallowed up by the dessert as it travels eastward into the dunes. Centuries ago the it reached the Atlantic seaboard, but now it withers away in the bone dry dessert. Our "guided" hike was very scenic and tranquil. The Naukluft mountain range was highlighted with shrubs and bright golden tall grass. Our guide basically drove us to the river and let us wander freely. As the resident leopard is only seen every few years, we were most likely safe from any danger.

The next morning, we set off for the sand dunes. Much to our disappointment we learned that our camp site was well outside the park gate, which meant we wouldn't be able to enter the park before sunrise, which is the ideal time to view the dunes. We had to drive a few hours before getting into the heart of the desert where all the dunes are located. The desert climate and surroundings changed dramatically as we drove from Naukluft Park into the dune fields at Sossusvlei. As we approached the sand dunes, the landscape became more barren--the dunes made everything else seem insignificant.

We spent the early morning hiking up the ridge of one dune for some good views of the area. After a full breakfast, we ventured into the Dead Vlei - a grove of trees that are over 500 years old. The dry climate has preserved the trees in a petrified state. The clear blue sky contrasting with the bright red dunes made for a beautiful backdrop for the vlei. Afterward, we stopped by one of the more famous dunes, Dune 45, we think it received that name because it is 45 kilometers from the entrance of the park. It was also a mammoth of a dune! After we drove back out of the Sossuvlei Park, we walked the Seisrem Canyon just outside of the park.

Once we realized that we were getting back to Windhoek earlier than expected, we started planning how to catch an earlier flight. With the help of our group, we skipped lunch and sped back to Windhoek (thankfully everyone else was eager to get back to town too). Since there really wasn't much more to do or see in Windhoek (the next best option for food was Joe's Beerhouse), we scrambled to the airport & caught an earlier flight to Cape Town - back to South Africa again.

Johannesburg (8/9)

We had only a half a day to really spend in Johannesburg, so we barely scratched the surface...even though we flew through the Jburg airport several times... Contrary to what other fellow travelers had warned us about security/safety concerns and "nothing to see," we found the city to be interesting and wish we had spent more time there.

For photos, click here.

Kimberly

We had heard the typical warning from fellow travelers when referring to
Jburg...as in, "stay away if at all possible." Despite the well documented dangers, Johannesburg has a lot to offer visitors. We had only a half a day really in the city, so we had our hotel send a driver to pick us up from the airport and take us straight to the Apartheid Museum--for a whirlwind tour in the 45 minutes before it closed (our flight to Jburg had been delayed...as were all our African flights...) The museum was fascinating and chocked full of personal narratives and stories that provide a more poignant understanding of life before, during, and after the Apartheid Era. I had just finished reading a really thought-provoking book on Apartheid written from the White perspective, "My Traitor's Heart" by Rian Malan, which made visiting the museum that much more rewarding.

When you enter the museum, they have you walk through a specific aisle, depending on your racial categorization....they explain how they decided who was "black" v. "white" v. "coloured"--often decided based on things such as "sport preference" or "if a pencil would stay if stuck in your hair." I'm not joking. The museum then takes you through the roots and history of Apartheid. The majority of the exhibition is dedicated to explaining life under apartheid. One picture which I found very disturbing was of a few White men peeking in through a window of another White man's house...who they suspected was having a (illegal) relationship with a black woman. The pictures and videos of the violence in the townships and mistreatment of Blacks and Coloureds in the mines and jails were heartbreaking.

The last section of the museum is dedicated to life after Apartheid, much of which is focused on the "Reconciliation." What is so promising about the situation is that it did end in a peaceful way, the living conditions for Blacks in the country is improving, with many Blacks have now taken over positions of power in the government and elsewhere, and there is very little resentment or discussion of the past. Everyone seems eager to move forward and fulfill the promising future they know South Africa can achieve if they work together. And that is very heartwarming and uplifting. Our entire time in South Africa, we kept wondering what lessons the U.S. could learn from the race relations and reconciliation in this country.

I mentioned we had our hotel send a driver: I have to give him a plug. All he was supposed to do was drive us from the airport to the museum and then to the hotel--and then to the airport the next morning. What we got was a fabulous guide with a very interesting perspective. If anyone is planning to visit Johannesburg, I strongly recommend you call him up and book a proper tour with him, we wish we had made the time to have him take us to the township of Soweto. His name is Blythe: and his phone number is +27 (0)82 695 1987. He gave a lot of interesting commentary on the history of the country and was quite open in sharing his personal experiences as well.

After the museum, we went to our Bed & Breakfast to get settled before dinner. I should mention that anyone planning to visit South Africa should know that the hotels are very overpriced there, where as what they call Bed & Breakfasts are a wonderful deal. These places are beautiful, very well appointed, and nothing like an American B&B....and most of them are around $100-150 a night! We actually stayed in two different ones in Johannesburg during our jaunts to/from the airport and loved both of them. The Guesthouse on 65th in Melville was very modern and in a trendy neighborhood walking distance to a strip of restaurants & bars, the up & coming area. (I don't think they have a website, you can book on www.portfoliocollection.com
And our favorite was The Parkwood, an absolutely beautiful place...we wanted to move in! It is in a more upscale neighborhood, but you can't walk anywhere. It is only a five minute taxi to Rosebank, 10 minutes to Melrose Arch. www.theparkwood.com (also on portfolio collection)

Lastly, I must tell you about our experience eating at Moyo, in the Melrose Arch neighborhood (which looks a lot like those combined residential/commercial districts in southern California, where there are high rise apartments/condos with a little square with shops and restaurants in the middle of the complex.) So, Moyo. It was not just a meal, but rather an experience! When we arrived, we walked downstairs, passing people dressed in authentic tribal outfits, drumming. Soon after we sat down, a woman came over and explained she wanted to perform a traditional hand-washing ceremony. She chanted while she washed our hands at our table, pouring water from a pitcher over our hands into a bowl. Later, three young women dressed all in white came over and sang a traditional African lullaby to each table in the dining room...and we got our faces painted with tribal paint (see our photos!)....and yes, the food was outstanding. They serve African food from all over the continent (we had Ethiopian Sig Sig Wat, South African Kudu, and Moroccan Mezzes). It was a memorable evening, and the perfect end to our short stay in Johannesburg!

Victoria Falls (8/6-8/9)

Thundering waterfalls, rainbows, and beautiful scenery along the Zambezi river - Victoria Falls was a nice change of pace from the dry wilderness in Kruger.

For some shots of the falls click here.

Victoria Falls

Daniel


We hop-scotched our way into Livingstone, Zambia to spend a few relaxing days to admire the famous Victoria Falls. Kimberly worked her magic and got us a last minute booking at the Royal Livingstone. The hotel is a leisurely 10 minute walk to Victoria Falls National Park. Not to mention right smack on the Zambezi River (you can see the billowing mist from the nearby falls).

Once we sipped our welcome drink in the luxurious welcome area, we checked into our river view room. To our surprise, there were two Zebra eating the grass next to our outdoor patio! The reception desk failed to mention that they have a herd of Zebra, 2 Giraffes, and some Impala all on the grounds of the hotel. With everything in order, we set out to plan activities for the next couple days: touring the massive waterfalls, whitewater rafting (or maybe not), witnessing the lunar rainbow (it was almost a full moon), a guided river safari, and finally a tour of Livingstone Island.

We actually walked around the Victoria Falls National Park a few times to see it at different times of day - especially since it was so close to the hotel. The falls are very dramatic. Watching an entire river pour into a narrow gorge that continues almost 130 meters below is impressive. (Note: We both thought that Iguazu Falls in Brazil/Argentina are easier to appreciate for their size & power...and because you can get a better vantage point of hte falls.) That said, waterfalls of this size and nature are a wonder to watch.

We spent one afternoon on a guided river safari. The river tour was on the small side, with about five other guests. Our guide, captain, and self-proclaimed bartender navigated us along the Zambezi river to see the native wildlife in the area. Crocodiles, hippos, and elephants were some of the memorable sites. I also, tested out the local brew (Mosi). A fantastic taste to complement the natural landscape. To top off the evening, we enjoyed sundowners at the hotel river deck and watched the deep orange, red sunset. Nearby, hippos in the river grunted and honked as they popped up from the water.

The next day we woke up bright and early with the intention of going white water rafting for a half-day. What transpired is probably not very exciting to you, the reader. Basically, we did not go rafting because of never ending problems with the activities desk at the hotel. No one could tell us what level rafting was involved-- and, with another month of traveling to go, we did not want any injuries or broken bones. After a lengthy discussion with one of the hotel managers, we were comped a delicious afternoon high tea and an activity for that evening - the Lunar Rainbow Walk (during a full moon you can see rainbows during the middle of the night). We also decided to treat ourselves to a riverside massage for all the hassle we had been through earlier that day.

Later that afternoon, we returned to our room greeted by champagne and fruit (we think the hotel had forgotten until then that it was our honeymoon). Given the nice weather, we opened up the patio door and brought fruit outside to enjoy on our deck chairs. Seconds later, the resident Vervet monkeys deftly stole almost all the fruit. They spent the next 15 minutes staring into our room from outside the glass patio doors after we ran in. They went away after a little bit, but when Kimberly bit into one of the apples she had saved, they all came running back....we were still inside our hotel room...and they were on our patio staring in, drooling at the fruit, even placing their hands on the glass to get a better view!

The Lunar rainbow walk was really neat to see, especially for the monochrome rainbow flicker under the soft moonlight. Since we were served drinks at the falls, another guest mentioned that the rainbow gets brighter as the night goes on. Finally our evening was capped by a special outdoor dinner by the "Monkey Tree." We had our own private candlelit dinner near the river.

Finally, on our last day in Zambia we took a morning tour of Livingstone Island. A quick boat ride brought us to the edge of the very waterfalls - the site of Livingstone Island. Our guide provided us with heavy rain smocks and had us remove our shoes to hike barefoot to the waterfalls edge. The vista overlooking the Zambezi River cascading over the edge was striking. Surrounded by the fine mist and a constant thunder the visible rainbows were all the more enjoyable. After admiring the view for a little while we trudged back (our feet were horribly muddy) for a full breakfast on the island with the swirling mist still in view. It was a great way to finish our stay at Victoria Falls.

Kruger (8/2-8/4)

We've arrived in Africa!!! And headed off on our first safari. Read below for our adventures with rhinos, elephants, and lions...and what it's like to go on safari with Dallas Mavericks' coach, Avery Johnson.

For photos, click here.

Kimberly

Oh wow, our first safari! It was amazing! We were originally supposed to visit Kruger National Park on our own, just driving through the park in a rental car (think Yellowstone). We thought this would be a fun way to experience the African wildlife and is significantly less expensive than guided options. However, we managed to score a ridiculous last-minute deal to stay in one of the super-exclusive (read super, super-expensive) private game reserves just outside of Kruger Park. Normal people pay over $1000 a night to stay in the reserve at a pretty posh lodge composed of individual bungalows and go on safari. We managed to snag a deal that made this only $200 a night...so while it was certainly more than we wanted to spend, we couldn't pass it up! It does include all meals and drives, so actually the $200 price is pretty good.

So here's a typical day on safari:
-5:00am: a ranger comes by your bungalow to wake you up (and make sure there aren't any leopards, hyena, or lions outside your front door)
-5:30am: meet on the deck for coffee, tea, & croissants before your game drive
-6:00-9:00am: early morning game drive, with a stop for sunrise coffee, tea, and biscuits in the bush
-9:00am: return to the lodge for a full breakfast
-10:00am: relax for a bit or go on a walking safari with one of the rangers.
-1:00pm: lunch on the terrace
-2:00pm: more time for relaxing, perhaps get a massage or take a nap
-3:30pm: meet on the deck for afternoon tea, coffee, and cakes before your afternoon game drive
-4:00-7:00pm: afternoon/evening game drive, with a stop for sundowners in the bush
-8:00pm: enjoy dinner outside in the boma under the stars

Other than the high levels of accommodation, food, and service, there are two main other advantages to staying at a private game lodge.
1) Vehicles can drive off road: if your tracker thinks there might be a lion in the bushes to your left, he just drives in there (over bushes and trees) to see if he can find it!
2) You can drive at night: there are very few places where you can go on evening game drives. And if you want to see leopards or other nocturnal animals, this is going to give you a much higher chance of finding them. In addition, lions actually hunt mostly at night and sleep all day, so night time is better viewing too.

We arrived at the Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge just in time for lunch and some quick unpacking, to set off on our first game drive. It seemed like they grouped people together based on nationality, so we were in a Land Rover with five other Americans. Of course, we were the youngest people there, by far...and the other guests were incredibly wealthy folks wondering what the hell two kids were doing at the posh safari camp (keep in mind that Dan looks like he's 15, and I still get carded buying alcohol).

Our first game drive was really fun. We set off at 4:00pm and found a shy rhino that wouldn't come out of the bush and a small herd of impala before stopping for sundowners (drinks in the middle of the African bush). After sunset, we set out looking for a leopard. Most people come to Africa and never see a leopard, they are incredibly shy and are active only at night. We were really lucky that our tracker found one pretty quickly and we followed him around for a good thirty minutes (hoping he would be hungry and hunt something). In the beginning, he stayed on the main road, and we just followed behind him. But then our tracker wanted to get ahead of him, so he just swerved the Land Rover off the road and started driving in the middle of the bush. I kid you not, we were driving over small trees with 2-3 inch diameter trunks (the trees would spring back as the car past over them). At the very end of the drive, the leopard decided he was tired and wanted to roll around in the grass. Watching this amazingly powerful hunter playing on his back like a house cat was really funny!

Post game drive, we enjoyed a nice dinner outside in the Boma and went straight to sleep so we would be well rested for our 5:00am wake-up-call....yes, you heard that right. We did actually wake up before 7:00am many many times on this trip, which for two people who usually sleep until 12noon on the weekends is quite an accomplishment!

Our morning game drive was even more exciting. We saw two White Rhinos up really close just as soon as we left the lodge. I could have reached out and pet them, they were that close! After enjoying some coffee and biscuits in the bush, we set off looking for more animals and found a small herd of giraffes feeding. After we returned to the lodge and had a full breakfast (keep in mind that we've already had two mini breakfasts by this time), we went on a short walking safari. We only walked on a small path that basically circled the lodge, but just knowing that a lion could jump out at any point made it really exciting. Our tracker came with us (he brought his gun) and made us walk quietly in a single file line. The only big animals we saw on the walking safari were some female Kudu. (Large antelope animals that are really tasty...they had served Kudu meat at lunch the day before.)

That afternoon, after a big lunch and nice nap, we went out on our second evening game drive. Just as we turned the corner outside of the lodge, we found a herd of giraffe, with a baby, grazing on the trees. They were curious, but shy, and seemed to pose for the camera while we watched them. Our tracker told us he was taking us to try to find buffalo at the Sabi river, which is the border between the Sabi Sands reserve and Kruger National Park. While we didn't see any buffalo, just the view of the river was beautiful. We did see a bunch of Zebra and even two Klipspringers (the little goat-like animals that climb the rocks....if you've been to the Wild Animal Park, you should know what I'm talking about.)

In my opinion, the most beautiful thing about South Africa is not actually the wildlife, but rather the sunrises and sunsets. When the sun is just above the horizon, it turns everything this beautiful shade of golden red. It's hard to describe, and the pictures don't do it full justice, but look at the ones of the Zebras specifically, and you'll get a sense for what I'm trying to describe.

On our drive back to the lodge from the river, we had a bit of a surprise experience. We were driving along on the road, when all of a sudden the tracker slammed on the breaks and starts shining the flashlight around. He could tell something wasn't right, but wasn't quite sure exactly what it was. The spotter took his light and moves it from left to right and back again, all of a sudden stopping on a tree. Then, we noticed the extremely large bull elephant behind the tree...trying to knock it over with its trunk and tusks. The tracker scrambled to get the car into 1st gear and swerved out of the way, just in time for the tree to fall over right where we had been! We had heard that the elephants like to knock over the trees to eat the roots, but we didn't think we'd be seeing it first hand...and almost in the pathway!

The next morning, on our last game drive at the Bush Lodge, we saw animals galore! First we found yet another pair of rhinos...this time a mother and a baby. The mom rhino did not seem too pleased with our presence (and especially with the loud American man who was in our car and wouldn't stop yapping). At one point, she even fake charged the vehicle, stomping her feet on the ground and waving her horn around. Luckily, it was an empty threat, and she just turned around and went into the bush.

Our tracker and spotter were determined to find us lions this morning, so they kept getting out of the car to follow the fresh lion tracks into the bush. Unfortunately, we never found the lions, but we did stumble across a huge family of elephants. There were at least ten elephants, and three of them were babies. Watching them eat (and the babies play) was one of the highlights of our time here.

After two nights at the Bush Lodge, we moved to the nearby Earth Lodge--a smaller hotel on the same game reserve with a more exclusive feel. The entire lodge is built into the earth, with decor and accessories to match the theme. For instance, much of the furniture was made of giant trees that had been washed out of a river bank. (See the picture of the lobby). The hotel also had very different level of service--everything was much more posh posh and individualized--and the food was amazing! Even the snacks before our afternoon game drive were out of this world!

So after a relaxing afternoon by the pool and a wonderful lunch, we met with our new tracker for our afternoon game drive. He mentioned something about how we were waiting on another party, and asked us if we knew who Avery Johnson was. (We did not.) He explained that he is some famous basketball coach from the US and he/his family were the other group on our safari. Sure enough, we later found out that Avery Johnson is a very famous basketball coach, like 2006 NBA Coach of the Year of the Dallas Mavericks! Needless to say, it was a really interesting safari! Avery was there with his wife and two children, who were the nicest, most grounded celebrities I've ever met. His wife started this conversation about how she had given up her career as a nurse because she had to keep moving around because of Avery's career; we talked about their family and how Avery working in Dallas (they live in Houston) has been manageable, but has put stress on things... It was really quite a nice evening. There were a few moments when we were reminded that these people do not lead normal lives (like when they were talking about spending vacation time with "Dirk" (Nowitzki), or about how their photographer was meeting them in Paris to shoot their Christmas card), but the obvious extravagance of their lifestyle juxtaposed with their down-to-earth personalities and family interactions made it all that more refreshing.

The highlight of our evening game drive (other than being with Avery Johnson and family) was that we finally found the pride of lions we had been searching for that morning. We found them right at sunset, when they were just waking up from a nap. It was so amazing to be so close to these majestic animals! There were seven lions, all only a few feet from our safari vehicles. One of them was sleeping on his back, with his paws in the air...just like our dog sleeps sometimes, so we nicknamed him the "Zookie lion." It was clear the lions had recently feasted on a rather large kill, as their bellies were very full, and they were quite sleepy. When they woke up, they kept yawning and licking their lips...allowing us rather explicit views of their sharp teeth--and great photos!

The next morning, Avery and his family opted not to wake up for the early morning safari...which meant we got the tracker and spotter all to ourselves! It was such a treat to decide where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. Our tracker asked if we had seen a buffalo yet, which we had not. So he was insistent we try to find a buffalo, so we would have seen all of the Big Five. The Big Five are the five animals considered most dangerous to hunt on foot...kind of random, I know, but it's from the Hemingway era of safari hunting in Africa. They are Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Lion, and Buffalo. So, by this point in our trip, we had seen all but the buffalo...so buffalo it was...and buffalo we found! We were driving along, when all of a sudden our spotter waved his hands in the air, and the tracker stopped the vehicle. Just in front of our car, but behind a bush, was a large male buffalo--an "old bachelor" is what they called him. The explained that it is these lone males who are the most dangerous because they feel extra threatened, as they are all alone in the wild. We watched him as he ate his breakfast, grateful that he had not decided to charge our vehicle with his large horns!

Our last treat at the Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge was a walking safari with a different ranger. We were lucky to see several different animals on this walking safari, but our favorite were the adorable Dwarf Mongeese who were curiously looking at us with their heads popped out of a termite mound. Our tracker also kindly explained how you can tell the difference between Elephant and Buffalo dung...and how to tell if a termite mound is being inhabited by a warthog...again, by identifying its dung...

Our safari really was an amazing experience...it gave us a different appreciation for nature and the animals we thought we knew so well from all our trips to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. And the landscape of South Africa is very striking. It's actually quite funny...it looks a lot like California. The part where we were on safari looked exactly like eastern San Diego...now I know why they put the Wild Animal Park in Escondido! But the African sunrises and sunsets are unlike anything I've ever seen before...simply stunning.

I should tell you that we did have our one and only scary South African experience on our drive just outside of the gates to the park. We were leaving the private game reserve, when we noticed a group of boys playing in the street, dressed in traditional warrior clothing (grass skirts and white paint). They were jumping up and down in the street...and I thought, "ooh, great photo opp!!" Well, I think that's exactly what they were hoping for, because just as I pulled out the camera, they swarmed around our car and started banging on the windows with their hands out. We didn't know what to do, but we certainly were not about to roll down our windows for fear of what might happen to us...but we couldn't go anywhere because the children were all around and in front of the car. Dan put the car in neutral and revved the engine a few times, which didn't seem to have much of an effect...finally he just started moving the car forward slowly, and the kids backed away...and we sped off towards Johannesburg (where we never had any safety issues, by the way).

Bangkok (7/29-8/1)

Read below for fun tidbits of our 3 days in Bangkok: markets, tailors, and a "Touchy Feely" heart-to-heart with one of my dad's Taiwanese business partners.

For photos, click here.

Arriving in Bangkok was a huge culture shock for us, and we weren't expecting it! We hadn't realized how acclimated we had become to the third world conditions of the other countries we had been traveling. When we first arrived at the hotel (the beautiful Sofitel Silom), we both stared at the high-rise building in awe....it was like when small town little kids visit New York City for the first time! The service is on a level like you wouldn't believe: people rush to open all the doors for you. We couldn't even press the elevator button ourselves; there was a man whose job it was to specifically do that!

Other than the wonders of high speed elevators and tall buildings, the other thing we noticed very quickly were the large numbers of people wearing these yellow polo shirts. At first we thought they were part of some company picnic in the park, or maybe a group that was traveling together (in Japan, they wear matching jog-suits). Then, we saw a store selling the shirts and discovered that they are all to honor King Bhumibol's 60th anniversary on the throne. Apparently many people have been wearing different variations of these shirts every day, all year. Others only break out the yellow shirt on Mondays, which are special "we love the king" days. It was quite a sight to weave through a sea of yellow "we love the king" tshirt everywhere we visited.

On our first night, we were really excited to see our good friends from Stanford? Ed & Eugine, who just happened to be passing through Bangkok on their own round-the-world adventure. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and had a great time comparing stories of our travels and catching up.

We specifically timed our visit so that we would be in Bangkok during the weekend to visit the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. !This has to be the most amazing market in the world: there are over 9000 different stores, selling everything from clothing to art to furniture to animals. We saw so many things that we wanted to buy, but couldn't bring ourselves to deal with shipping things home by sea in a container. The antique furniture and art that they had was simply amazing: from Burmese puppets to Thai carved doors to Khemer statues; we want to plan another trip to come back here just to decorate our house one day. Our other favorite part of the market was where all the animals and pets were for sale. You could buy a puppy, a snake, a goldfish, and even a hamster to feed to your snake. It was just crazy to watch.

We did do some traditional sightseeing to appreciate the beauty of Thailand's capital city. We visited Wat Po, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which is famous for just that--an enormous Buddha, measuring 151 feet long by 53 feet high. The statue is actually made of brick, but completely covered in gold leaf. The most interesting parts are its feet, covered with mother-of-pearl illustrations of 108 inauspicious laksanas (charateristics) of the Buddha.

Nearby, we went to the Grand Palace, built by Rama I when he moved the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok in the 1780s, served as the official residence of the kings until 1946. Today, the palace is used only for royal ceremonies, which must be spectacular. We couldn't see much of the Palace itself, but we did get to explore the beautiful Wat Phra Kaeo on its grounds. When Rama I built the palace, he included this temple with its famed Emerald Buddha. The Buddha is 2 feet tall and made of green jasper, sitting atop a towering gold altar.The statue actually wears a different costume for each of the three seasons of Thailand, which are changed by the king himself. Note that because the image can be lowered for no one, the king actually climbs up the tower to change its clothes (something which will be rather difficult for its next costume change, given the King's recent operation.)

Two other interesting facts about the Buddha. First, it was actually hidden inside a plaster Buddha image until 1434, when it was accidentally dropped and people discovered the beautiful gem inside. Second, the Buddha was taken off to Laos by a king from Luang Prabang...the statue then moved to Vientiane when the capital of the country was changed. There are two stories for how the Buddha was returned to Thailand. 1) Rama I recaptured the statue during a successful invasion of Laos. 2) It was deemed bad luck for both the Emerald Buddha and the other famous Buddha to be in the same city. Now that the Emerald Buddha had been brought to Vientiane, it was bringing the king of Laos bad luck...so he let Rama I take it.You decide which version of the story is more believable.

For those of you familiar with Bangkok, you are probably wondering if we spent any time at Patpong...well, of course! It wouldn't be right not visit and not see the "racy" side of the city. We did not take in any of the famous "ping pong ball shows" (I'll leave that to your imagination for those of you unfamiliar), but we did walk around the famous red-light district at night time and watched several sketchy old Caucasian men running off with Thai women young enough to be their daughters. After much deliberation, we even decided to go into one of the strip clubs to check out the scene. Having never been to a strip club in the US, I can't really make any comparison, but I really hope it's more exciting than what we saw. There were 30 or so Thai women all wearing red bathing suits and vinyl boots just standing on the bar. Few of them were making any effort at dancing, and most of them looked so bored they just wanted to go home and go to sleep. It was not at all what I was expecting. On the plus side, we met a nice Israeli couple (who was also curiously checking out the scene) and spent a little while discussing the situation in Lebanon (this was the day that the Israelis bombed a town in Lebanon with a high number of civilian casualties). I also managed to successfully negotiate down the price of two rather posh looking purses at the Patpong Night market: a Gucci and a Tod's....most deinitely knock-offs, but very high quality ones.

There were two restaurants we ate at in Bangkok that were just phenomenal. At Baan Kanitha we enjoyed a very affordable, but quite upscale dinner with the best yellow chicken curry either of us has ever had. (The Mango with sticky rice was pretty amazing too!)

Our favorite part of our stay, undoubtedly, was meeting up with my Dad's business partners who run an export business in Asia. As we had collected quite a bit of stuff over the past month, we had been looking for the most efficient way to ship things home to the US. My dad suggested we get in touch with Peter, the Bangkok representative of a company my Dad has worked with for years. I emailed Peter to see what he suggested, and to my surprise, he offered to take care of everything for us and wanted to take us to dinner. Given our inability to successfully explain that we don't like spicy food in Thai, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine with a Bangkok resident. When we returned back to the hotel after our first day of sightseeing, we discovered an enormous fruit basket in our room. We assumed that it was a present from the Sofitel, congratulating us on our marriage--but no, it was a welcome gift from Peter and the people at Test-Rite. Now this kind of hospitality, I could get used to! As we searched through the fruit basket, it seemed to never end, apples on top of bananas on kiwis on mangoes....I finally took everything out of the basket and counted: there were 52 pieces of fruit in the basket. I am not exaggerating: 52 pieces of fruit. It was crazy!

The next day, we went out to dinner with Peter and his two assistants at a nice Thai restaurant. I got to ask lots of questions and now finally understand what this company does and how my Dad got involved with them many years ago getting them a contract exporting goods to Home Depot in the US. When we first arrived at dinner, Peter was really excited because by random chance, the head of the company (and my Dad's close friend) Tony, was visiting and had just arrived that night. Apparently Tony hadn't been to Bangkok in years, so our timing was incredibly lucky. Tony wasn't able to come to our wedding (his daughter Robin did make it), so he was eager to see us and congratulate us on our marriage. I haven't seen Tony since I was probably 5 years old, so really, this was quite funny luck.

So after dinner, we went over to the Peninsula to have a drink with Tony and say hello. Now, I am not always quick to pick up on things, so it wasn't until half way through our conversation that I even started to suspect that Tony was a little intoxicated. He was telling all sorts of great stories about my dad and how I need to sit him down and ask him to tell me all his business wisdom, about how he isn't always very talkative, but if I ask the right questions, he'll teach me a lot, and about how proud he is of me and how Tony has been hearing about everything I've done for the past 15 years. However when Tony started giving very passionate marital advice I began to suspect that he may not have been completely sober. The highlight was when he waxed on and on about how communication is very important, and we should learn to say things like "when you do this, it makes me feel like this"....it was literally a lecture that Dan and I had both heard from our "Touchy Feely" professors earlier this year....but instead it was coming from a middle-aged Taiwanese businessman in broken English....who says that Asian men don't know how to communicate their feelings?! Oh, and he was also adamant that we keep things exciting in our intimate life so we don't get bored with each other....good advice!

Lastly, it wouldn't be fair to leave you without telling you about our wonderful experience with Kevin at the Majestic Tailor. One of my colleagues at Bain had used him when he lived in Bangkok and highly recommended him to us. The clothes that Dan had made are just beautiful...and were a steal! (600 USD for a cashmere suit, 2 pairs of slacks, and 6 dress shirts) Should any of you be visiting Bangkok, definitely pay him a visit: 110-110/1 Sukhumvit Road (Between Soi 4-6), South Nana
Bangkok 10110, Thailand Phone: +66 (0) 2656 8220 Email:majestic@loxinfo.co.th