Erin and Jason

We go home tomorrow after 6 months on the road. A trip that took us to 3 continents, 18 countries, many islands, and dozens of cities. We traveled by airplane, boat, bus, train, minivan, car, bicycle, rickshaw, funicular, foot, horse carriage, and elephant. We went to countries that were Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. It was the trip of a lifetime... so far. We hope to do something similar every 4 or 5 years. Our favorite countries? That's easy, and we both agree. France and Thailand. And for very different reasons. Thailand for its incredible natural beauty, its fascinating and exotic markets and temples, and its friendly people. France for the man made beauty of its art, buildings, gardens, and the loveliest cities, towns, and villages in the world. Our least favorite countries? Lithuania (too ... read more

Singapore. The final stop on our 6 month round-the-world journey. We heard it was very modern, and indeed it is. What we weren't quite prepared for were the prices. A bit of sticker shock, after 3 months in Asia. After paying between $6 to $20 for hotel rooms, it was tough paying $80 for a small room at the YMCA. But maybe it's better to start readjusting to Western prices, before we go back home. Upon entering the country, you are shown all the things that are illegal, and the fines for possessing them. Firearms, explosives, drugs, chewing gum... Yes, chewing gum, and even possessing it is illegal in this country. Punishable by $1000 fine. Doesn't really bother me, but Erin was craving some earlier. Another thing they frown upon here is durian. Though this smelly ... read more

We've spent the past two weeks island hopping along southern Thailand's Andaman Sea. For the most part, it has been a very lazy and relaxed time. Our introduction, however, was a little more hectic. We landed in Phuket, a large island that is both the base for further excursions, as well as home to a couple cities and countless resorts, bars, and nightclubs catering to foreigners. We spent a couple nights on Patong Beach, which can best be described as Khao San Road (Bangkok's main budget tourist drag, packed with bars and drunk Westerners) meets the Vegas Strip meets Tijuana. It was loud, filled with bars and nightclubs (many of them advertising "Aussie Owned". Huh? Why leave home?); there were many drunks, lots of Thai "working girls", and an overwhelming amount of neon lights and noise. ... read more

Everything was great until we got to the border... The Thai/Cambodian border, that is. The Lonely Planet guidebook we are using (like everyone else here, it seems) warns you, in no uncertain terms to NOT NOT NOT buy a bus ticket in Bangkok to Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat, because they are scams. Instead, it encourages you to buy a bus ticket to the border, get the Cambodian Visa on arrival yourself, and buy a continuing bus ticket in Cambodia. We fell for their scams anyway. When we got to the border, we were talked into paying $65 for two Cambodia visas through the bus drivers, instead of the official $20 each. We were also told there are no buses on the Cambodian side. Lies, lies, lies, but they managed to scare us, and to ... read more

Tuesday, 25 November 2008: Slumming it, Bombay Style For our last day in India we decided it would be appropriate, since 55% of Mumbai residents live in slums, to go on a tour of the Dharavi Slum (www.realitytoursandtravel.com). We met our guide, Girish, at the Churchgate train station and rode a cramped passenger train to Dharavi, central Mumbai. A "slum" is defined in India as any residence built on government land; you could build a mansion on government land and they would classify it as a slum. There are many slums in Mumbai, and Dharavi occupies 432 acres (1.75 square km) and is home to between one and two million people (nobody knows exactly). The slum has residential neighborhoods and industrial areas, all connected by tiny pathways and alleys. They have 24 hour electricity and water ... read more

Two nights ago, in the city of Mysore, we went to see a Bollywood movie. The movie was in the local state language, Kannada, with no subtitles, but we still understood most of what was happening. The funniest part of the movie were the dance scenes. Much of the movie was filmed in Mysore, and we recognized some landmarks. But the dance scenes were filmed in Switzerland, and since we spent a day in Geneva a few months ago, we recognized some landmarks from there too. These dance scenes had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but they made it more fun. We could never have imagined that, the very next day, we would be starring in a Bollywood movie ourselves! Here's what happened: We were in the town of Ooty, visiting ... read more