While in Antalya, we spent a few days at Konyaalti Beach and then five days in Kaleici. Konyaalti is sort of like Miami Beach whereas Kaleici is a Turkish Villiage dating back to 150 BC. In Konyaalti, we stayed at the Hillside Su, which felt like a movie set from a Nip-Tuck episode. Everything at the Hillside Su is colored in white and the food is very good. But while in Turkey, we decided to do as the Turkish do. So after two days we moved to a gorgeous old mansion in Kaleici that had been converted into a hotel called [View Full Entry]

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We took a day tour in the area of Antalya to view Greek and Roman ruins. Perge "In the twelfth century BC, there was a large wave of Greek migration from northern Anatolia (in modern day Turkey) to the Mediterranean coast. Many settled in the area immediately east of the area of modern-day Antalya, which came to be known as Pamphylia, meaning "land of the tribes". Four great cities eventually rose to promincence in Pamphylia: Perga, Sillyon, Aspendos and Side. Perga itself was founded in around 1000 BC and is nearly 20km inland. It was sited inland as a defensive measure [View Full Entry]

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We landed in Istanbul at 6:30 AM and our connection to New Delhi was not scheduled to board until 6:00 PM that night. Subtract the time to and from the Airport and we were left with about 9 hours to see Istanbul. We decided to first see the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. The Hagia Sophia was a Christian church for about one thousand years but was converted to a Mosque after Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453. It then served as a model for Ottoman Mosques such as the Blue Mosque erected [View Full Entry]

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We had a three day weekend so we headed to Goa which is south of Mumbai on the west coast of India. We had heard that Palolem was rated the best beach in the world so we headed south from Goa two hours to check it out on Sunday. It is clearly not the best beach in the world but it was certainly a pleasant place. http://www.bugbog.com/beaches/best_beaches.html You often hear that you can retire in various parts of the world for cheaper than you can in the USA. Here is one of your options. A hut on the beach in Palolem [View Full Entry]

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We went to our friends Saif's farm house to celebrate Holi. Last year at this time we had been here only a few weeks and were not invited to any Holi celebrations. Saif is very fun and we always enjoy his company. We met him through Sagar. We brought about 10 different colors and 2 large squirt guns, one for Kim and one for me. Everyone spent the day throwing colors at each other. The party was catered with food and beverage. The party got started around noon. Kim purchased all white clothes for us and they were completely soaked in [View Full Entry]

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We stayed in a hotel right under Prague Castle and walked everywhere. We arrived in the afternoon and walked into the city and noticed graffiti on some of the buildings. We also saw billboards pasted about advertising various events. The people of Prague clearly enjoy their music, arts, and nightlife. This city is lived in. Prague being the center of Bohemia is unlikely to be labeled sterile or Disneyland though in many respects, it is the foundation of the ornate art and architecture of fantasy. If you can only see one place in Europe, you should start in Prague. It is [View Full Entry]

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On this trip, we spent two days in Vienna, one in Salzburg and five in Prague. As I write this, I am sitting in Prague. Although we enjoyed Vienna very much, we love Prague, so I should have written this before we left Vienna since we have Prague on our minds. I awoke one morning and walked the empty streets of Vienna around our Hotel Sacher. Kim likes to sleep an hour or two more than me in the mornings. Vienna is very clean and beautiful, but honestly it felt a bit like Disneyland. When things are this perfect, I wonder [View Full Entry]

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The train ride to Salzburg from Vienna took about 2.4 hours and the countryside reminded us of the California foothills. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart and "The Sound of Music." I teased Kim for a few times that we were visiting the home of the Swiss Family Robinson from the Sound of Music. She corrected me pointing out that it was the Von Trapp family in the Sound of Music. I insisted that it was the Swiss family Robinson from the Sound of Music that traveled the world in a singing group and got stranded on a deserted island. I [View Full Entry]

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Swayambhunath is one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal. It was erected by King Mānadeva in the 5th Century. The site is Buddhist, but it is a place of worship for Buddhists and Hindus, and many Hindu kings have paid their respects at Swayambhunath. The structure consists of a solid dome supporting a cubical structure with Buddha's eyes looking in all four directions. The dome represents the world and the open eyes represent the awakening of the followers of Buddha. Thirteen pinnacles on the top represent the thirteen stages of enlightenment. Above each pair of eyes is a [View Full Entry]

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Top of the world. Heading to Nepal, we were most excited about seeing Mt. Everest. I was not aware that Kathmandu would turn out to be such a charming city. The people were very friendly, even without introduction. The mood is laid back but the people we met were worldly and intelligent. But this blog is about Mt. Everest which is 29,000 feet. Mt. Shasta which is in California where I am from is about 14,000 feet. We took a flight along the Himalayas that lasted about an hour. We flew from Kathmandu along the Himalayas until we reached Mt. Everest, [View Full Entry]

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