tjandjessika

Several days into our Honeymoon Adventure, and we have made it South to Puerto Varas. Santiago is a fascinating city, with so much history and culture. The architecture is stunning, with very obsious European influences. Being 92 degrees, we were ready to head South toward Patagonia just as soon as we landed. We had to take a couple of days to orient ourselves to being in the southern hemisphere, in the heat. . . .and also we were not able to leave until last night as the trains and buses were all booked. At least we were able to wander the city, go to one of the oldest Cathedrals in Santiago, and went to the Muesum of Art Precolumbia. No words can describe the incredible art that indeginous people created, some thousands and thousands of years ... read more

Namaste, Nepal. You have been in my dreams every day and every night since we last departed. I missed you so, and a huge void feels filled having returned. Being here evokes so many emotions. It's humbling and puts everything into perspective. Many things feel like a gentle slap in the face. Reminders of who we are - just little specks of dust, really, - and all the contrasts in this world. It's a beautiful thing. Nepal is remarkable. There is the perfect articulation of the dychotomy in the world in Kathmandu. And unlike many places it doesn't try to hide the intense contrasts. The poor in the shanti shacks held up by tarps, found pieces of wood, and scraps of metal, and the rich in the new concrete, stucco, colorful painted 3 story buildings living ... read more

Jessika and I took a very nice walk to Ao Son today. It is the next beach down from Ao Molae that has a restaurant as well as camping and basic lodging, 4 km further down the coastline. We got an early start at around 7:15 to beat the heat of the day, which never truly showed up, due to a light cloud cover that hung around through the day. It was nice to be able to move around and be active without dripping in sweat. We heard many birds and insects along the walk through the jungle, and spotted some crab eating macaques and a few spectacled langurs leaping about in the lush canopy overhead. The beach was a long strip of beautiful white sand squeezed from either side by thick green jungle and clear, ... read more

Were sitting at a restaurant across the street from the Arcade bust station in Chiang Mai, waiting for our 1:15PM bus to Chiang Rai. "Clean food! Good Taste!" . . . I hope so. Dirty food never sits right with me. One of the restaurants we ate at while here in Chiang Mai had a sign in or near their bathroom that said it was a 500 baht fine for vomitting in the bathroom..... This tells me this must have happened before........ More than once. Maybe its just me, but that seems like something you wouldn't want to be advertising in your restaurant.... read more