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September 14, 2004

The Stuff that Didn't Fit In Anywhere Else

Everyone loves a list and we have all sorts of little wonderful nuggets of humor to share so why not make an entry of random thoughts? Here are some of the highs and lows of our trip and things that just made us laugh (or cry) along the way.

Continue reading "The Stuff that Didn't Fit In Anywhere Else"

Posted by kobb at 12:15 PM
View/Add Comments (1) | Category: Post-trip

September 13, 2004

Divine Providence

Our trip is at an end, at least for now, but that doesn't mean the adventure has stopped. After driving up and down the eastern coast of America, fleeing hurricanes and tornadoes we eventually ended up in Providence, Rhode Island.

At that is where we're settling down. For now.

Continue reading "Divine Providence"

Posted by kobb at 02:15 PM
View/Add Comments (4) | Category: U.S.A.

September 03, 2004

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hurricane

Every state in this great nation of ours is blessed with its own form of bad weather to complain about. The Midwest gets swept away by tornadoes. The West has wildfires to keep things sizzling. New England has blizzards.

We were fortunate enough to get to experience the Southeast's little slice of disaster.

Continue reading "Stuck Between a Rock and a Hurricane"

Posted by kobb at 12:41 PM
View/Add Comments (4) | Category: U.S.A.

August 27, 2004

D.C. to Duke

We're in America. Ahh.

Everything is so easy here compared to the rest of the world. It may not seem so when you're waiting in line at the DMV or dealing with an incompetent McDonald's employee, but just wait until you try to deal with that same employee in Turkish or have to deal with Sally.

Continue reading "D.C. to Duke"

Posted by kobb at 11:15 AM
View/Add Comments (4) | Category: U.S.A.

August 23, 2004

Turkish Delights

We are back in Istanbul after a few nights in Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. Antalya was beautiful, but hot with an impressive old town of winding cobblestone streets and endless little guest houses. We succeeded in getting a boat on to the turquise waters, but it didn't happen exactly as we had planned.

What a surprise.

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Posted by kobb at 04:45 AM
View/Add Comments (4) | Category: Turkey

August 18, 2004

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

What a change a few thousand miles makes. Istanbul has managed to jump to the top of both of our lists for favorite city in the world (passing Paris.) Even a few days of rain couldnīt diminish our enthusiasm for this beautiful city that manages to blend Europe and the Middle East through a mix of good food, wonderful architecture and lively street life.

Continue reading "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"

Posted by kobb at 02:12 AM
View/Add Comments (5) | Category: Turkey

August 14, 2004

And Now For Something Completely Different

Well, I think we have tortured our friends and family long enough. My mother has probably called half of the embassies on the planet now trying to figure out where we disappeared too. It's time to reveal the grand secret.

Since I last wrote from the Bangkok airport we have traveled thousands of miles, touched ground in three continents and visited two new countries. We decided to totally mix up our plans and try something completely different for a while. No more Asia, no more noodles and chili sauce, no more wats and pagodas, no more cockfights outside our hotel windows, no more geckos crawling across our walls. What better way to transition between the exotic East and the old West than the city that straddles both worlds. A city that has stood as a division between the continents for thousands of years. A place where cobblestone streets and streetside cafes mingle with the sounds of the call to prayer.

Welcome to Istanbul. Welcome to Turkey.

Oh...did I mention we swung by the Pyramids, King Tut's mask and the Sphinx on the way?

Continue reading "And Now For Something Completely Different"

Posted by kobb at 07:16 AM
View/Add Comments (2) | Category: Turkey

August 11, 2004

Myanmar: The Land of the Lost

We have escaped Myanmar and are now once again in touch with the rest of the world. Escaped probably isn't the right word to use, rather let's just say that we left.

Poorer than Laos, more oppressed than China at its worst and more confusing than the rest of Asia put together. Myanmar stands out in so many ways. It now stands out in another way, our favorite destination so far in Asia.

Continue reading "Myanmar: The Land of the Lost"

Posted by kobb at 06:11 AM
View/Add Comments (3) | Category: Myanmar (Burma)

July 21, 2004

Heading Off the Beaten Path

We're in Bangkok once again after our short respite on the island of Ko Chang. I can't quite claim that we had our fill of beaches, but we decided we should move on before we get completely sucked into the lifestyle of the beach bum.

A long standing problem on our trip is that some of it has felt a bit too planned, too thought out. In an effort to shake things up a little bit we decided to scrap what we had planned to do for the rest of our time in Thailand and head on over to Myanmar...

Continue reading "Heading Off the Beaten Path"

Posted by kobb at 11:01 PM
View/Add Comments (7) | Category: Myanmar (Burma)

July 15, 2004

Disaster Averted and Paradise Found

We were probably due for something bad to happen to us. What better place than when we finally arrive at Thailand's famous beautiful beaches? After a five hour bus ride and 45 minute boat ride, we arrived at Ko Chang, Thailand's second largest island, but only lightly developed compared to the more southern beaches.

We jumped on board a pickup along with about a dozen other travelers. As the back was full we were told to sit in the cab and our packs were thrown on top with everyone else's. We were heading to the truck's last stop on the far end of the island. The trip, besides being uncomfortable, went well enough with stops every so often to drop people off at their chosen beaches. When we finally reached the end of the line we paid our driver and I told him we needed to grab our bags. He stared at us blankly. I motioned to the roof of the vehicle and said, "our bags are up there." He stared a second longer and shook his head.

Continue reading "Disaster Averted and Paradise Found"

Posted by kobb at 09:26 PM
View/Add Comments (8) | Category: Thailand
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