http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ADJ/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ADJ en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:41:21 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:41:21 +0000 I am miserably behind in my travel updates at this point but before catching up on my two months in Israel I thought I'd conquer the more manageable task of relating a two day trip to Sinai. After all I wouldn't want to fall another few days behind The Israel National Trail the 600 mile hike that I did across Israel ends in Eilat a city on the southernmost tip of the country on the Red http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Sinai/blog-461049.html After Berlin I took a morning bus to Prague where I was meeting my father for several weeks. The most scenic part of the bus ride was passing miles of large fields of sunflowers something that I had never seen on such a scale before. As with the rest of Europe there was no border check I couldn't even tell when we passed out of Germany and obviously no new passport stamp. Interestingly w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/blog-440513.html I am a bit behind in journal entries having in fact already spent several weeks in the Czech Republic and gone from there to Israel. But before I get to all that a few brief notes on Berlin. I went to Berlin for three days on the way from Copenhagen to Prague. This time the trip was by an overnight bus that left just before midnight. Quite disconcertingly the driver woke us all at around http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-440117.html Having taken the night train from Stockholm I arrived in Copenhagen just after 7 a.m. slightly less than rested and refreshed. After waiting for the currency exchange bureau to open I took a bus over to my hostel the RestinGreen hostel where I would have a bed in a 32 person dorm room. This ended up being better than expected as the beds were set up in 4person 3sided cubicles so whil http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/blog-433322.html Hi EveryoneI have finally posted some of my pictures. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to put them on the blog but I've put them on shutterfly you may need to create an account to view them but it is free to do so. The pictures are almost all in order separated by trek or country but don't have labels you'll have to visit me for the stories I've been told by some that I tend http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-433250.html The day after meeting my mother in Stockholm I didn't have any sign with her name when I met her at the airport so instead held up a large chocolate bar its a honing device in my family we got on an overnight train to take us up to Abisko a small town in a National Park that is the start of Sweden's Kungsleden trail. On our partial day in Stockholm we walked around the old town which was i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/blog-431871.html Well Toto we're definitely not in Kansas anymore Yep Europe is fairly different from the Himalayan region. From the 7 small hot chocolate at Starbucks to the fancy cars to the unlimited water and electricity supplies it is a change. The first time I saw someone jogging here I looked around to see who was chasing them and came to realize that men stopped with their backs to the road were ta http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/blog-427653.html I have finally visited Tibet and I am happy to report that the lagtime in posting a blog update is due to me being busy as opposed to any problems that I ran into with the Chinese authorities. As many of you know I had been long looking forward to an opportunity to visit Tibet and while the scenerycountry was worth the wait the journey was the toughest bit of traveling I've done so far. Ori http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Tibet/blog-423415.html Before this trek I had finally managed to figure out how to quickly pack my hiking bag for a trek. I still have no idea how I fit everything in there originally but fortunately I can leave extra cloths shoes etc. behind when I go on these trips. However this time the trekking agency organizing the trip Ace Himalaya requested that I use their duffel bag for packing as their porters are http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-411792.html I entered Bhutan by land from the Indian border. I was a bit nervous going in as to whether it would work because everyone in India from the tour agency employees to government immigration folks insisted that I needed to meet either a travel agent or my host at the border who would bring a copy of the visa. This sounded bogus to me but it did make me wary. To cross between the countries yo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Bhutan/blog-404847.html Never forget that most generalities have exceptions. For instance the fact that summers in India are really hot does not mean there cannot be snowstorms in May in the mountains. Sadly I'm not speaking hypothetically. Of my seven days of trekking in Sikkim it snowed on four and with the wind chill factor was below freezing on five of the nights. Perfect camping weather Actually the tre http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-399976.html I'm now writing from Sikkim India I came here yesterday leaving the house at 730 and taking a cab to the airport. I packed my bags that morning I'm getting good at doing it quickly keeping all vital items in my day pack i.e. those items that cannot be replaced if loststolen these included wallet all electronics and my Red Sox baseball cap. The domestic section of the airport is re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-396710.html Its a week now since I finished the trek and since that time I've experienced a myriad of Nepalese transportation methods. As I mentioned before leaving the mountain involved a jeep ride a minibus ride and then a bus ride with the final destination of Pokhara. The minibus ride was the one with the overfriendly seatmate. At first because it was a very crowded vehicle on a bumpy dirt road http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Patan/blog-393185.html For those who want the short version of this post which is a bit heavy on trek details and recitations of daily woes the title really says it all More seriously the trek was fantastic and I made it through relatively unscathed with almost all good weather minus the day of hail great views and having met lots of interesting people. Although its not yet high season on the trail there wer http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Annapurna/blog-391523.html After almost a month staying in the village I leave tomorrow at 530 a.m. for my first trek I'm excited to be setting out for the first real hike of the trip the excitement dulls slightly when I pick up my backpack even though I'm going to miss being in Patan. While here I've enjoyed staying with Jampa's family done some great sightseeing feel like I'm really beginning to understand t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-384297.html After almost a month staying in the village I leave tomorrow at 530 a.m. for my first trek I'm excited to be setting out for the first real hike of the trip the excitement dulls slightly when I pick up my backpack even though I'm going to miss being in Patan. While here I've enjoyed staying with http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-384285.html I've learned that in many years the first several Saturdays after the Tibetan New Year are spent going on pilgrimages Saturday is the only day off in the Nepalese work week. This year one of those Saturdays fell on March 14 which in 2008 was the day that many Tibetans in Tibet were killed during demonstrationsprotests regarding China's rule of the country. I can feel my chances of getti http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Nagarkot/blog-382499.html 1 month 3 countries 4 cultures and 14.5 books. As I sat on the stairs outside the house in the Tibetan Village yesterday reading listening to folks interact and watching the occasional cows wander past it struck me that today marks a month since I left the U.S. At some times it feels like much longer particularly when I think of all I've seen already or try to recall the feel of working http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-380798.html A slight correction from my last posting about my location. I have come to learn thanks Dad that there are actually three cities in the valley and while Kathmandu is one that is not where I am staying. The camp in which I'm living is in one of the municipalities of the City of Patan. I've been into Kathmandu several times as it is not very far away. I don't think I've yet been to the the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Patan/blog-379882.html While I'm now in Nepal a brief note to anyone contemplating the Siem Reap to Bangkok trip by land. The bus ride was relatively easy and I did not find the road conditions particularly bad although there are of course unpaved sections just don't sit above the wheel well as your knees will get pretty cramped. The scenery along the way is not the most exciting but you do get to see a fair bi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/blog-378104.html