http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/markenvoyage/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from markenvoyage en-us Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:35:30 BST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:35:30 BST While the first half of my trek Jiri to Namche was all about the Nepali mostly Sherpa people that I met along the way this second part deals mainly with Nepalrsquos rockier residents. From Namche Bazaar 3450 m 11320 ft I initially headed northeast towards Everest. This is when I saw the dramatic thumblike Ama Dablam and caught my first glimpse of Everest since its fleeting apparit http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Namche/blog-151690.html Montreal and Kathmandu are a world apart. Excluding stopovers 6 hours to Los Angeles 17 hours to Bangkok then 4 hours to Kathmandu adds up to 27 hours worth of leg cramp and not much sleep. It would actually have been slightly shorter but more expensive to fly the other way around the world. But before I can start trekking there's a 10hour public bus ride to survive switchbacking for h http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Nepal/Jiri/blog-148116.html Inspired by Fileas Fogg I've maintained my hectic pace through Turkey and Greece changing cities every day or two and often sleeping on trains busses or boats so that I can see more during my precious days. Other travelers sometimes shake their heads when they hear my itinerary but their objectives may be different. For me this is not really a vacation. I am applying as much energy and effort http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Turkey/blog-17357.html Four countries in 2 weeks make a lot of material for this update. On April 14th after 51 days of rice I finally left Asia for Egypt but not before relaxing for 4 days in the South of Thailand and making my way via Malaysia to Singapore.Watch my ThailandMalaysiaSingapore VideoBlog A FEW DAYS OF ISLAND RRI chose Koh Lanta a relatively little known island just across from Kho Phi Phi where http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/blog-17016.html It has been a busy 2 weeks since my last update. Using a combination of train bus boat and songthaew bench in the box of pickup truck I did a huge loop from Bangkok to Sukhothai Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand then in to Laos southward from Huay Xai through Pakbeng Luang Prabang Vang Vieng to Vientiane and finally back to Bangkok. If that sounds like alot well it is NORTH http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Laos/blog-16903.html Two more weeks and here I am in Thailand. It's hard to believe that I've been traveling for 1 month already. Since my last update I've tasted the glory of an ancient empire and the horror of more recent decades. But there is more than history to see here and I was able to enjoy the sun too. SOUTHERN VIETNAMWatch my Southern Vietnam VideoBlog I was in Nha Trang when I sent my last message an http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/blog-16857.html Welcome to the first update of my aroundtheworld Odyssey this time from Nha Trang Vietnam. I have included some small format photos to give a flavour of what I've seen. In the two weeks since leaving Canada I've adapted pretty well to the traveling lifestyle learned enough Vietnamese words to eat sleep and move around met some interesting and crazy people ate things that surprised me and http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/blog-16311.html Let's Call it ShangriLaI was confused. I had bought an airline ticket from Lhasa to a city called Zhongdian but as I stepped off the plane onto the rainy tarmac the sign over the terminal building clearly read ShangriLa. Well it seems that the Chinese government has decreed that Zhongdian is the reallife paradise that inspired the famous novel. It is no problem at all that there is little co http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Yunnan/blog-16070.html If you were discouraged about the state of Tibetan culture in Lhasa while reading my last Postcard I am happy to report that rural Tibet remains distinctly Tibetan for now. To see rural Tibet in fact to just leave the two largest cities Lhasa or Shigatse requires an Alien Travel Permit in addition to the Alien Entry Permit required to come to Lhasa and a way to get around since public trans http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Tibet/blog-14871.html The first thing that I notice getting off the plane from Chengdu to Lhasa is that the air is cleaner cooler and dryer here. The second thing is that at 3600m above sea level there is a lot less of it. I had better get used to it because this is the lowest elevation place that I will visit in Tibet.A Bit of RantingThe third thing I noticed as the airport bus arrived in Lhasa is how much it res http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Tibet/Lhasa/blog-14144.html Xi'anThe term underground warfare takes on a new meaning in Xi'an China's former and ancient capital. You may remember from my the story of Emperor Qin Shihuang or First Emperor who lent his name to the Qin Dynasty and to China itself. Qin was incredibly successful as an ironfisted ruler in the 3rd Century BC but failed miserably in his quest for immortality. Xi'an is the place where farmers d http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi--an/blog-13267.html I admit feeling somewhat apprehensive in the hours before leaving Montreal as I have immediately prior to my other backpacking trips. But as soon as I left the arrivals area at Beijing airport and was confronted with a throng of shouting and jostling Chinese many offering me deals in a strange currency on a taxi to a strange city I felt a smile creep across my face. This is a feeling I know. http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/blog-13262.html One of the things that I've learned in my past travels is the importance of having some basic knowledge of the history and politics of a country before even setting foot there. Without this context it is too easy to be overwhelmed by cultural differences as they wash over you without at all soaking in. The trick it seems is to do one's homework. This problogue may serve as a useful primer for re http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/blog-13071.html