Clapp Radical Sabbatical

Hanoi is the perfect location to take all sorts of trips from. Additionally, the hotels are so affordable that you can keep them even if you aren’t going to spend the night and use them as a home base so that’s exactly what we did with our next several days. We booked a tour out to Halong Bay and they picked us up early in the morning along with several other people from the old quarter then we made the four-hour trek out to Halong Bay. Upon arrival they transferred us from the van to a tinder that ferried us to our Vietnamese Junk Boat, the Flamingo. A junk boat looks like a very tiny cruise ship but with two to three sails.

Once on board the served us a massive five-course lunch which the ship made it’s way from the port out into the bay. The views were absolutely stunning from the ship however the water was littered with trash, lots of other ships and tons of jellyfish!

Finally we made our way to a secluded section where we anchored and had the opportunity to go kayaking along the beautiful islands. Andrew and I found a cool cave that we went in and an old fishing boat. Apparently the rock that the islands are made out of is so hard/rough that almost all of the islands in Halong Bay have never had people on them.

DCIM101GOPRO

DCIM101GOPRO

DCIM101GOPRO

After kayaking we made our way to another set of islands. Here we were actually able to get onto the island and hike about 450 steps up to the top where we got an awesome panoramic view of Halong Bay.

DCIM101GOPRO

DCIM101GOPRO

With the heat and humidity we felt incredibly disgusting after the hike so we took a dip in the water along with lots of other people. I am happy to report that unlike our fellow dippers we did not get bit by sea lice or stung by jellyfish!

DCIM101GOPRO

DCIM101GOPRO

We made it back to the boat just in time for some excellent sunset views, happy hour and a spring roll making class. Andrew became an expert spring roll maker so expect to enjoy some if you come visit us when we are home. Andrew also learned how to squid fish unfortunately his efforts were as successful as his lobster diving back home!

The next morning we got up early and headed to the Surprise cave. It’s name come from the fact that there are four chambers and each one is larger than the next. The caves have lots of cool rock formations and are lit up in different colors so that the caves glow.

Back on board the boat we packed up, had a four-course brunch, and got our last glimpse of Halong Bay while the boat made its way back to the harbor. Then we got on our bus and made the 4 hour trek back to Hanoi.

The next morning we left the hotel early and headed to Ninh Binh city, which used to be the capital of Vietnam before it was moved to Hanoi. Along the way we saw lots of farmers working out in the local rice fields. Our first stop was the Bai Dinh Pagoda, it is a very large pagoda and has 500 La Han statues each with a different position. Andrew started take pictures of each them and the realized how many there work and focused on a few of the more interesting ones.

The pagoda has a large bell tower in the middle that we were able to climb up and we got a great panoramic view of the entire pagoda complex. Afterward we made it to the building with the female Buddha and then the final building with the male Buddha statue, which is the largest bronze Buddha at 10 meters high and 100 tons.

After lunch we went to Trang An, which is another UNESCO World Heritage site and they call it ‘Halong Bay on land’ because the mountains are similarly carved. We got into a small paddle boat and explored this amazing area from the water. We even took the boat into the Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave and Nau Ruou Cave. Some were really long and had lights hanging from the ceilings and others were short with cool breezes. All of them revealed amazing sites as we came out of them.

When we came out of one cave we saw a pagoda standing in a large lake. When we came out of another we saw two wild pigs and another time we saw the island where part of the latest King Kong was filmed. The view was absolutely spectacular and a great way to wrap up our time in Vietnam.

On the way to Vietnam we found out that their currency is the Dong at which point Drew’s jokes didn’t cease until we left the country. We decided to stay in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, located in the North and a smaller city than Ho Chi Minh. We stayed in the old quarter of Hanoi, which allowed us to easily explore the city on foot. We arrived around 2 pm and I was starving so our first order of business was lunch. We found a Vietnamese restaurant with an excellent view of the Hoan Kiem Lake. We had an appetizer of three different type of spring roles (one was the Hanoi Spring Roll and we ended up having this a lot during our 5 night stay) and two delicious local entrees. After lunch we walked around the entire lake.

The lake itself is a major tourist site for many reasons. The first is that the Ngoc Son Temple is located on a small island in the middle of the lake and it is the most visited temple in all of Hanoi. People access the temple via a picturesque red footbridge. There’s also an old stand-alone pagoda that is lit up at night. You can see tons of locals sitting around enjoying the lake, selling food, or even doing Tai chi.

Since it was Friday, the weekend night market was open so we decided to head there for dinner. The market is huge – closing down about a half mile of street starting at 7 pm Friday – Sunday. Although closing down is a relative term since people still try to ride scooters through the market. We decided to make our dinner different street food we found at the market. We tried various different skewered meats and vegetables, a bun with vegetables and chicken on it and even a Vietnamese style street ‘pizza’. It was all delicious and SUPER cheap! My favorite by far though was the Vietnamese ice cream which is made from sweetened condensed milk and flavoring (we got blueberry). They poor it all onto a frozen metal counter, chop it until it freezes, then spread it thin and roll it up and put it in your cup.

The next day we braved the heat and walked to a site that is important to both Vietnamese and American history – Hoa Lo Prison. The prison was originally built by the French as part of a complex that included a courthouse and other government buildings. Until 1954 it was used to imprison Vietnamese citizens.  However, during the Vietnam War it was used as a POW camp where people such as John McCain were imprisoned. The museum however, primarily focuses on the atrocities that the Vietnamese suffered under the French. In fact, they only mention it was a POW camp once when they say the Americans called it the “Hanoi Hilton’ because they were treated so well they practically thought it was vacation. Wikipedia and John McCain disagree with this interpretation. Wikipedia says ‘Hanoi Hilton’ was an ironic nickname and McCain suffered torture and solitary confinement there. Either way, it was interesting to see and to pay our respects to the Vietnamese and Americans who suffered there. Also, if you were wondering, there actually is a Hilton hotel in Hanoi. Now that’s irony.

Our next stop was only slightly less depressing. We headed to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and on the way we saw the Flag Tower, which was built in 1812 and is one of the remaining structures of the Hanoi Citadel, a World Heritage site.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and museum were closed the day we went. It worked out well though because there were barely any people there so Drew got some great photos and we weren’t dressed appropriately anyway. We did get to see the changing of the guard there though and I’ve officially lost count on how many of these we’ve seen! Athens and London still take the cake for changing of the guard.

Located close the Ho Chi Minh museum is the One Pillar Pagoda, which was originally located where the Hoa Lo Prison complex was built and subsequently relocated. It is a small pagoda in the middle of a small pond filled with koi fish that stands on a single pillar as its name suggests.

On the way back to the old quarter we stumbled across Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, a 19^th century gothic Catholic cathedral. The Vietnamese are primarily Buddhist so it was interesting to see a European style cathedral in the middle of the capital but 10% of the population is Catholic. Since it’s Vietnam we absolutely had to try Pho so that’s what we did before retiring to the sanctuary of our air-conditioned hotel!

Back in Bangkok we took things easier. We walked through a local market and had lunch on the river. Since Lyle had never seen any of the Hangover movies we all watched the second one, which is set in Thailand (or Thighland as one character calls it). In it they refer to Bangkok as the city of squalor and although it most certainly has its own charm you can definitely see how the nickname emerged walking around.

It is a HUGE city, you think you’ve reached ‘downtown’ and then you just keep driving and more and more skyscrapers sprawl on. With so many skyscrapers come tons of people and with tons of people comes a lot of refuse. Additionally, Buddhists believe in kindness to animals-which I think is great, but it also manifests itself in the city being full of dogs, and all of that which wild dogs running around entails. Similar to Delhi it has some awful smells but it also has some absolutely wonderful ones and the fact that every building has small shrines outside of it is super cool.

The next day we got out early to see some of the Bangkok sites. Our first stop was the Grand Palace. This was my second time to Bangkok so I’d already seen this magnificent place, which is home to the Emerald Buddha. You are allowed to take pictures of the entire complex except the Emerald Buddha. However, some photos exist online and if you see them you will think the statue is very large but it is not because it is entirely made of jade. It is however on a giant throne of various gold objects.

Loving mosaics, Drew was in heaven with all the decorations and all of us had to mimic the different stances and facial expression of statues throughout the complex. It was even more crowded and hot than I remember from my last visit and that’s saying something!

After the Grand Palace we walked over to Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple complex, and home to the breathtaking Reclining Buddha. The statue is massive and made completely of gold. I paid 20 Baht and got a ton of coins to participate in giving offerings, at this point we will take help from any god to get our house sold.

Our last temple of the day was Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn, which is only a quick boat ride across the river from Wat Pho. The last time I was here it was being restored and it was cool to see the finished product. Instead of gray cement it was covered in glittering glazed ceramic tiles and colorful glass.

That evening we tried to go to the Sky Bar, the roof top bar from the Hangover II, but after taking an accidentally long boat ride we got caught in a torrential downpour and decided to grab a taxi back to the hotel. We attempted to visit the Sky Bar two more times the following day and failed both times. The second time it wasn’t yet open and the third time we weren’t dressed appropriately (I mean come on in 95 degree weather with 90% humidity who wants to wear pants???). I guess we will just have to wait until our next visit to Bangkok.

On our last day we took a Thai cooking class and was a TON of fun. We learned how to make 5 different dishes. The first two courses were Tom Yum soup, a spicy sour traditional soup usually made with seafood, and Pad Thai, Drew said it was the most delicious he’d had probably because he made it.

Then we learned to make two different curries, one red and one green. We even made the paste for the green curry though our teacher told us Thai people usually just buy it from 7 Eleven! Our final course was mango with coconut sticky rice. It was really good but by this point I was too full to enjoy much of it. I am hoping the cooking skills Drew acquired during this class translate back home though!

Since we failed at going to the Sky Bar we ended our time in Thailand they way we started it at the rooftop of the Millennium Hilton and again the views were spectacular, the drinks a little expensive (but we had Baht to finish) and the company excellent!

We left New Delhi relatively early but with the time change, flight, long immigration lines, and traffic in Bangkok we got to our hotel rather late. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue but our friends had already been in Bangkok for a couple of days and were eagerly awaiting our arrival. After get our luggage to the room we headed straight to the top of the Millennium Hilton 360 Lounge for some cocktails with Paola, Justin, and Lyle. The cocktails were a little expensive for Thailand but the views were priceless and the company was excellent!

The next morning we headed straight to the other Bangkok airport, Don Mueang, to fly to Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is a large island on the western side of Thailand’s mainland. It’s a huge tourist destination but still very tropically and beautiful. We selected a hotel a little off the beaten path mostly because it has a two master bedroom suite with kitchen and small living room, not to mention a private pool. We ended up being very happy with our selection especially because it was within budget!

Our first full day all five of us went diving and it was a long day with 3 dive sites and an hour drive to and from our hotel to the dock but it was well worth it. The first dive was at Racha Yai where we saw an underwater scooter and actually our first wreck. We also saw a massive puffer fish for the first time!

The other two dives were at Racha Noi (one of the sites was called Banana Bay but no one knows why). Some of the highlights of these dives were two cuttlefish one of which did the cool color change they can do. We also saw some rays, massive clams and lots of tiger fish. All in all it was a great day and super awesome to finally dive with some friends!

We started our second full day in Phuket at the Elephant Sanctuary, which opened less than a year ago, but is a sister park to the very famous one in Chang Mai. The elephants live in families and most of them roam freely in the sanctuary except for the moms with very young baby elephants (this is mainly for the protection of the babies as they like to reek havoc like any other toddler). We were the first people to get there since our hotel was so close and we got some alone time with the moms and babies, one of which is called Justin Bieber because he’s a naughty boy haha.

Our first task of the day was to prepare food for the elephants. We un-bunched bananas, cut watermelon and sugar cane and then created baskets to disperse for the different elephant family groups. Then we got to feed the elephants! It was SO much fun. I even had an elephant bow to me after feeding her. It was a little scary at first but then you get over it and are just in awe of how gentle these giants are.

DCIM100GOPRO

After the elephants finished all the food – man they can eat! We went into a shallow pool with them and scrubbed mud all over them, it supposed to good for their skin and they seemed to enjoy it. They also blew water on us out of there trunks which was a little disgusting but fun. Then we went into a deeper pool where the older elephants were able to lay down and get scrubbed better (it’s too hard on their joints in the shallower water). It was pretty neat until Justin Bieber decided to ‘play’ with me and chase me through deep water! As the elephants were done they just got up and walked over to the elephant showers and we followed to give them an ‘elephant massage’ with brushes.

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

After the whole experience we also got to wash off and enjoy a delicious lunch. Then we said goodbye to the elephants and headed back to the hotel. One thing you absolutely have to take advantage of in South East Asia are the cheap massages so that was our next goal and we definitely successfully achieved it! For $15 or less (including tip) you can get the most amazing massage ever just make sure you leave the hotel and find a local spot! After our amazing massages we took advantage of our private pool and had a pool party.

The following day we did laundry and rewarded ourselves with more massages. Then we went to the hotel pool and enjoyed happy hour at the swim up bar which we all agreed was the best invention since sliced bread. After cleaning up we took a taxi to Phuket town for the Simon Ladyboy Cabaret, a must do in Thailand, and it did not disappoint. The choreography, costumes, and lip-syncing were on point. After the show I asked every member of our party what percentage of the show were ‘natural’ women I got answer ranging from 50% up and I told them that according to the website it’s 10% so clearly they did a good job!

After the show we went to the famous Patong Beach street which is known for its nightlife. I’m not sure what debauchery the men got into but I do know one of the guys ended up with a charge from ‘happy fishies’ on his credit card for $250. Paola and I got our toes painted, shopped, had some drinks and enjoyed a great cover-band. The night ended with Burger King, getting to the hotel at 3 am and no money in our pockets so clearly it was a good night!

The following day we needed to recover so we slept in, relaxed at the pool, and watched some Game of Thrones – thank you Chewie! The next morning we all left Phuket- Paola and Justin to go to the Maldives, and Lyle and us to head to Bangkok. We could have easily enjoyed a couple more days in Phuket but I think we did it right.

We departed Amman around 4 am on Etihad Airways and with a free seat in between us we were able to sleep the couple of hours until we landed in Abu Dhabi. We had a 6 hour layover in Abu Dhabi and the airport website is super helpful by suggesting different things you can do depending on the length of your layover. Additionally, if you have an onward ticket you can get fast tracked through immigration and an on arrival visa. So we ventured out into the United Arab Emirates and took a taxi to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

I knew we were going to go to the mosque so I specifically wore a long dress, sweater and brought a scarf to cover up with. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough and I still had to put on a burka so I ended up being doubly hot! Next time I’ll just wear something comfortable and plan on wearing the provided clothing.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque was definitely worth being hot! It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely rivaled the most beautiful cathedrals and synagogues we’ve seen. Outside the mosque is covered in white marble and 82 white domes while inside the white marble is decorated with green and pink marble that is cute into vines and flowers. Everything is beautiful from the doors to the massive colorful crystal chandeliers.

After our visit we headed back to the airport with plenty of time for our next flight. Drew’s only regret from our visit to the UAE was that we didn’t have time to visit Ferrari World. Our next flight was even less full than our first one and we each had a row to ourselves but instead of sleeping we enjoyed several movies and lunch before arriving in New Delhi.

It was late when we arrived so after getting to the hotel we just headed to bed. After two full weeks of being on an organized tour we were a little exhausted and had quite a bit of errands to do so that’s what we spent our first day in Delhi doing. Don’t worry though we still got lots of new experiences. Someone told us that India is an “assault on all of your senses” and now I definitely understand what they mean. You will see the most disgusting pile of trash and refuse and then the next moment the most beautifully bright colored sari with intricate stitching. Similarly you will walk by a street and smell the worst thing you’ve ever smelled and then two steps later you’ve pass a food stand with the greatest smells in the whole world coming from it.

I think Drew’s most interesting experience on our errand day was seeing a mouse scurry through the grocery store. My favorite experience was taking a tuk tuk to the laundry in the middle of a torrential downpour (it is monsoon season) and the streets became rivers so we driving down a river.

The next day we got up really early for a 4-hour drive to Agra. Although Agra is not that far away it takes about 4 hours because of all the traffic and the fact that when cows decide to take a nap in the middle of the road everyone has to just drive around them. Drew loved this though and took photos of almost every cow we passed.

After getting to Agra our first stop was the Taj Mahal. There are several entrances but most of them require about a half a mile walk or a ride on a electric vehicle (they are trying to limit destruction to the Taj Mahal by limiting gaseous vehicles around the mausoleum). We decided to walk there and it was a great decision because we got to see tons of monkeys in the parks along the walk. Our first view of the Taj Mahal was through the gate and everything from the gate, to the park, to all the stones decorating the Taj Mahal are perfectly symmetric except for the tomb of the King (because he wasn’t originally supposed to be buried here).

In addition to teaching us all about the Taj Mahal our guide was a fantastic photographer. He took great photos of us and suggested good views for Drew – I think he was Drew’s favorite tour guide!

One of the things that makes the Taj Mahal so beautiful are the amazing flower decorations. What is even more amazing is that the white marble is was hand carved out and then precious stones such as sapphire, rubies, and emeralds were inlaid. It’s almost unbelievable but after our trip to the Taj Mahal they took us to a workshop where this method is still done so we knew it had to be true.

After lunch we went to the Red Fort, which was built before the Taj Mahal and where the Kings, Queens, and concubines lived. It was once just as beautiful as the Taj Mahal but people have looted it over the years but it was still interesting to see how royalty lived back then and it also has great view of the Taj Mahal.

Our final stop was the area where the King meant for his mausoleum to be built. Unfortunately his third born son after murdering his two older brothers became King and imprisoned his father in the Red Fort and stopped the building of the King’s mausoleum. The spot is across the river from the Taj Mahal and now a beautiful garden and viewpoint.

Originally we hadn’t planned to go to India but since New Delhi was on the way to Thailand we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check one more World Wonder off our list. Together we’ve seen all 7 World Wonders (individually we’ve each seen 6) and the only remaining Ancient World Wonder (the Pyramids of Giza). India ended up intriguing us in many ways though and I hope to go back to experience more.

We departed Sharm El Sheikh early in the morning and headed to the Israeli border. After paying numerous fees and answering lots of questions about our travels we made it across Israel and into Jordan. Our tour guide / driver was waiting for us and we started the trek to Wadi Rum. At Wadi Rum we took a 2-hour jeep ride through the desert. Wadi Rum is essentially the Jordanian equivalent of the Grand Canyon. There are lots of awesome rock formations some even with ancient carvings in them and the Martian was filmed there.

After lunch we made our way to Petra. We were there in the afternoon and since it is low season there was almost no one there! We were both surprised by how vast Petra is. The walk to the famous Treasury was about a mile from the gate and on the way you pass tombs carved into the cliff sides with both Egyptian and Greek influence and even some carvings of camels.

Our tour guide said that the Treasury is actually misnamed and that all of the buildings carved into the cliff sides are actually tombs. He said that the treasury was not, in fact, used for daily living but funeral ceremonies and burial. I’m not sure I believe this because he also pointed out two different ancient water systems throughout Petra, an aqueduct and a clay pipe system, and why would tombs need water? Regardless of the use, Petra is unbelievable and you can clearly understand why it was named a World Wonder.

After viewing the Treasury we walked further into Petra and learned more about other tombs that were previously believed to be the courthouse and jail. We also saw a Greek-Roman temple and arches. At this point our tour guide left us to explore on our own and we decided to trek the 900+ stairs to the Monastery. On our way up we saw lots of Bedouin shops, camels, and goats. There was even a donkey that looked slightly suicidal on the cliff edge.

Once we reached the top we were rewarded with a great view of not only the Monastery but also all of Petra below. After getting a Gatorade and some great photos we headed back down for the 1.5 miles hike back to the Petra exit. Our tour guide told us it would take about 5 days to see all of Petra but we were satisfied with our experience.

The next morning we again got up early to head to the Jordan-Israeli border for a day trip into Israel. The drive was a couple of hours down beautiful mountains and along the Dead Sea, but the longest part of the ordeal was getting across the border. First on the Jordanian side they ‘apparently’ exponentially increased the Jordanian exit fee that day so we argued with them for a while and then just ended up paying it (over $100) – pretty sure someone besides the Jordanian government made some money there. Then we had to wait for a bus of other tourists because we weren’t allowed to go in a bus with locals across the border – don’t ask me why, I still don’t know. Finally when we got to Israel we had to go through about 5 different security, immigration, and customs checks before we finally met our driver and tour guide on the other side. The whole ordeal took about 3 hours – the longest border crossing I’ve ever done!

With most of our day eaten up by the border crossing we drove from the West Bank to Bethlehem. Our first stop was the Church of the Nativity where it is believed that Jesus was born. There is now an alter over the spot with a Star of Bethlehem over it. Around the corner is where they believe Jesus was laid in a manager. The church built over these two historical spots is actually Greek Orthodox however the Catholic Church that does the Christmas services on TV every year is next door and the tunnels underneath lead to the same spot. We also got a chance to go through these tunnels.

After lunch we headed to Jerusalem and our first stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where it is believed Jesus was crucified and buried. Our tour guide was Palestinian and it was definitely an interesting perspective. He told us how there are 6 different churches (Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, Catholic, etc.) that have churches and lay claim to this site and that they often fight with each other so they finally had to give the key of the church to a Muslim family to open it and close it every day.

We got to touch the rock on which Jesus was crucified and the slab on which is body was washed. The tomb in which Jesus was buried is not open to visitors but there is a giant shrine and alter on top that we were able to go in and we did see. It was slightly eerie and weird that we were taking photos in essentially a murder site and graveyard but we gave into peer pressure and did it too.

We did go into the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea was finally buried. Joseph originally built the tomb in which Jesus was buried for himself but he gave it up when Jesus died and this gave us a picture of what Jesus’s tomb probably looked like back then.

After visiting several of the chapels inside the church we walked through Jerusalem and saw an Evangelical Lutheran Church which is the denomination we got married in. Then we headed toward the markets that are built on the old markets of Jerusalem. There are places where you can see the old walls and columns of the market and there are even some murals that help you picture what it looked like. Finally we made our way down to the Jewish quarter past the massive Synagogue where we got a view of the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock. After ensuring we were properly dressed we went into our separate mens and womens entrances and soaked in the experience of being at the Wailing Wall.

Our final stop of the day was just across the valley from Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives where even with the sun setting we had a spectacular view of all of Jerusalem.

The trip back to Jordan took about a third of the time but we did have to pay another massive exit tax to Israel. I’d say it was worth it but if I ever go to Israel again I’m definitely staying much longer!

We were incredibly exhausted by this point in the tour so the next day we decided to take advantage of a free day and not do any site seeing. Luckily our hotel was at the Dead Sea so it was the perfect place for relaxation. We went swimming, slid down the water slide, floated in the Dead Sea, and indulged in a mud mask. Drew even tasted a drop of the Dead Sea and his reaction was enough to make me not want to try it! It was a neat and odd sensation not being unable to sink in the water.

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

Our next stop on the tour was in the city of Amman and our first stop was in Jarash, a city of Roman ruins. At this point we’ve seen Roman cities from England to Jordan – it’s incredible to think how large their empire once was. If Jarash had frescos and mosaics still intact it would definitely rival Pompeii. The City Square and main street are almost as they once were. There is a hippodrome were people could still race chariots and a massive fountain that with a little imagination would remind you of sites in Rome today.

We climbed the steps to the Temple of Artemis, which is located in the highest point of the city and I stood in the same position the statue would have. The theatre is still in excellent condition to and they still hold professional concerts there though all we saw were some old Jordanians who use to be in the military playing the bagpipes.

Our next stop was the King Abdullah Mosque in Amman. Then men’s area is beautifully decorated inside and out. The women’s area isn’t as nice but they do have a T.V. (it’s to watch the sermons from the men’s side) but I like to think they also watch the View in there. Drew and I also got to borrow some sweet outfits to wear into the Mosque.

We went to a couple of other Roman ruins sites and a museum with historical Jordanian garb but Jarash was definitely the most interesting. Before heading back to the hotel for a couple of hours of sleep our tour guide/driver took us for a unique Jordanian dessert called Kanafeh which is kind of like a cheesecake but with a sugary syrup and pistachios on top. It was delicious but too rich for me to finish!

We departed Cairo on a late flight and arrived in Aswan in the early morning. The tour guide took us to our hotel, The Movenpick, situated on an island in the Nile where we got a couple hours of sleep before it was time to depart for a 3 hour drive through the desert to Abu Simbel. Located a couple of miles from the Sudan border, Abu Simbel, is situated on a massive reservoir called Lake Nasser and home to two absolutely amazing temples. The first is Pharaoh Ramsey’s II and the second smaller one is for his wife Nefertari (or at least his main wife because that man had over 100 kids). This was my favorite temple for two reasons; the first is that the statues and paintings are massive and for the most part in really good condition and the second is there was no one there when we visited so we got some really great photos!

Between the 6 hour round trip drive, the lack of sleep and the site seeing we were beat when we got back so we just took a trip up to the 13^th floor of the hotel to see some great views, enjoyed the pool, and went to bed early!

The next day we left our island hotel for a Nile River cruise ship. After getting situated we went with a group to the Unfinished Obelisk. It is a pink granite quarry where they say all the ancient Egyptian obelisks were carved from. The quarry still has an obelisk that had started to be chiseled out but was never finished because a crack formed in it. From this unfinished obelisk archeologists were able to determine how the ancient Egyptians manufactured these amazing pieces.

Our next stop was the High Dam of the Nile. Built in the 1960s, they considered it the most amazing modern engineering feet in Egypt and it was built with help from the Russian government.

It wouldn’t be Egypt if the day didn’t include a trip to a temple so we made our way to Philae Temple, built on an island in the middle of the Nile. Philae Temple used to be known for it’s incredibly vibrant colors and paintings but unfortunately it was submerged underwater when the dam was constructed for about 10 years. With help from UNESCO it was piece by piece documented and reassembled on higher ground so people can now visit it and it will be preserved for many more year but unfortunately it lost almost all of it’s color to the waters of the Nile.

The last stop of the day was to a Perfumery. The modern Egyptians still practice the same process of cold pressing Lotus, Papyrus and many other plants and then fermenting them to get a very fragrant oil or essence that is used as a nature perfume. They also use it for medicinal purposes – Drew’s sinuses were cleared right up after sniffing the mint in hot water!

After dinner the ship invited a local Nubian village on board to perform some traditional songs and dance. Of course we were also ‘invited’ (or forced) to join in on some of dancing and singing as well. I’m not sure how authentic it was but we ended up having a great time.

The next morning instead of going on an organized tour to the Nubian village which we heard was a tourist trap we went with a couple of other people from the ship to charter a Felucca for a two hour Nile sailing adventure. It was fun, relaxing, and about a fifth of the price of booking it through our tour guide.  And yes, Drew is actually sailing the boat!

In the afternoon we set sail from Aswan toward Luxor and before dinner we stopped in Kom Ombo where there is an ancient Egyptian temple just a few steps from the Nile docks. This temple was dedicated to the crocodile god and there are many statues and carvings of crocodiles all over it. The ancient Egyptians also kept live crocodiles to worship and when they died they mummified them and buried them in tombs. Within the museum attached to the temple you can see all sorts of mummified crocodiles.

The next morning we got up early and our boat was docked at Edfu. There were tons of horse drawn buggies waiting for tourists so we boarded one and headed to Edfu Temple. Edfu is famous for the hawk statues, which are adorned with the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. We also saw some interesting phallic shaped hieroglyphics.

As soon as we finished our tour of the temple headed back to the boat and immediately set sail. Shortly before lunch the boat docked again to let us off to head to the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings has over 200 tombs but we only went inside 4. The best one was the King Ramsey’s the 4^th – it still had a lot of the color on the wall carvings. We also went into King Tut’s tomb, which is no longer, adorned with gold but his skeleton still remains in the tomb and that was interesting to see.

Close to the Valley of the Kings is the Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple built for Queen Hatshepsut. It has been greatly restored and has probably a million columns. We walked up the stairs to the main part of the temple and walked around inside.

Our last temple of the day was the Luxor Temple one of the most unique things about it is that before the ruins were fully discovered a Christian church and a Mosque were built and are still incorporated into the ancient temple. There are several massive statues of King Ramsey’s II in this temple and the start of a huge lane lined with sphinxes with rams heads on them. The lane goes for over a mile from the Luxor Temple to the Karnak Temple which we saw the following morning before departing Luxor.

The Karnak Temple was more of a massive complex than a temple it seems to go on and on forever and even has a swimming pool that the priests used. For luck we went counter clockwise around an ancient statue but I don’t think it works because our wish wasn’t granted.

Around noon our flight departed Luxor and we had a layover in Cairo. After months on the road we actually ate at Burger King in the airport (something we’d rarely do back home) but it was a little comforting. Finally we departed for our last Egyptian destination Sharm El Sheikh – a beautiful resort town on the Red Sea.

The Read Sea is considered one of the worlds top dive sites so that’s what we did with our one full day there. Our first dive may have been the best we’ve ever had. As soon as we descended there was a white tip shark, which is incredibly rare in the Red Sea. We saw thousands upon thousands of vibrant fish and to top it off we made friends with a sea turtle right before ascending!

On the second dive the coolest thing we saw was a lionfish, which is super poisonous so being a klutz I stayed well away from it! It’s safe to say Egypt impressed and surprised us in many ways!

We departed from Athens and after less than 2 hours of flight we landed in a whole different world. Cairo is a massive city seeming to stretch on and on in the same color as the sand. Both Cairo and Alexandria are part of Lower Egypt because the Nile River flows from Lake Victoria North to the Mediterranean so Northern Egypt is on the lower part of the Nile and therefore called Lower Egypt. Due to some safety concerns around Egypt we booked a fully guided tour and our local guide, Fadar from Memphis Tours, proved his helpfulness right away by fast-tracking our visas and entry.

We arrived at our hotel and it was definitely a little surprising to see barriers, security, and a bomb sniffing dog search the car before we were given entry. Our luggage also had to go through x-ray scanners and we had to walk through metal detectors – this was something that we got very used to as every monument and museum we went to required the same. It was well worth it though because our hotel had an absolutely beautiful pool with views of the Great Pyramids from it!

After taking a dip in the pool we went to the Pyramid Sound and Light show which basically goes over the history of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx while lightening them up against the night sky.

The next morning we met our Cairo guide, Ahmed, who has a Ph.D. in Egyptian History and is a professor at Ain Shams University. He took us to the Great Pyramids of Giza and was incredibly knowledgeable on the history, building, and use of the surrounding area. Each large pyramid also had three smaller pyramids for the family of the King or Pharaoh, a temple for the preparation of the body (mummification), a causeway from the Nile, and boats that were used to transport the Pharaoh’s body.

We drove to a plateau where we saw all three Great Pyramids in one view, from far away they look small, and up close they are HUGE, and can fit any of the massive cathedrals we’ve seen inside of them! We are now extremely proficient camel riders because we took another camel ride from the plateau to the pyramids – I guess I forgot how tall camels are because it was another scary experience going up! It was our first time to gallop on a camel – one that I’d be ok not to repeat but was kinda neat.

Our last tour in the Great Pyramid complex was of the Pharoah Khafre’s mummification temple and of the Sphinx that was made with his likeness. Khafre was buried in the second largest pyramid (the only one that still has some of its beautiful casing) next to his father’s pyramid, which is the largest.

After the Great Pyramids we were taken to a couple of different workshops. The first was a papyrus manufacturer where they showed us how ancient Egyptians made papyrus – they were incredibly patient people! The second was a bazar where various metal, stone, and mother of pearl objects are created. The final one was one of the most interesting and it was the Egyptian rug manufacturing school. They showed us the difference between camel wool, sheep wool, Egyptian cotton and silk. The amount of effort and skill that goes into making a hand made rug is astounding and gave us a great appreciation of the art.

In the afternoon we went to Sakara where the large ‘stepped’ temple or pyramid is. There are lots of other ruins there and we learned about some interesting Pharaoh rituals and saw the largest intact causeway to a pyramid but my favorite part was venturing into a pyramid. It was a steep and small walkway down but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a burial chamber with original hieroglyphics and a tomb intact. The ceilings of the tomb are a wonder of themselves.

After making the climb back up we went into a burial temple of a non-royal ancient Egyptian and the hieroglyphics are incredibly intact. It was hard to remember that this amazing art and incredible feats of engineering are over 4,000 years old, especially given that prior to this everything we’d seen was A.D. or a couple hundred years B.C.

Our last stop of the day was at Memphis, the capital of Lower Ancient Egypt, where the second largest Sphinx was found and an astounding massive sculpture of Pharaoh Ramesses II.

The second day started with some religious history of Egypt. We saw the Hanging Church, which was built on top of a Roman fortress as retaliation for the persecution that Christians received from Romans. Next we saw the Cavern Church and we went down into the crypt where it is believed that Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were given asylum.

Next, we toured an old synagogue that was very ornately decorated in mother of pearl and was converted from a church. It is very sacred in Egypt because it is believed Moses was found in the well as a baby.

We made our way to the Citadel of Salah Al-Din, the highest point in Cairo, and saw the oldest mosque in Egypt on the way, although the only original piece of the mosque is the floor. Inside the citadel we got the opportunity to enter our first mosque, which was modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. It is very impressive and thanks to the use of marble in the building it was also nice and cool.

The Citadel was originally built as a fortress but now is primarily museums. We visited several of them. The most memorial one for us was the crime museum because it prominently featured San Diego. There was a kit of various drugs (used to help authorities identify them) and it was actually provided by San Diego – such a small world.

Our next stop was the local Cairo market. Having been to so many markets on this trip I wasn’t expecting a new experience but it was interesting in many ways. We saw vendors selling drinks from bags with straws out of them, men carrying large jugs on their stomachs and pouring other drinks from them, and the alleys were even smaller and more crowded than in Marrakech! The highlight of the trip though was that I was able to haggle a shop owner down and get a good price on a small trinket – even our tour guide was impressed!

The final stop of the day was the Egyptian museum. After going to the Louvre and the British museum and seeing all the absolutely amazing Egyptian antiquities there (the Louvre practically has the inside of a pyramid re-constructed) we were curious if there would be anything left here in Egypt but boy were we wrong! The Ancient Egyptian Museum is absolutely filled to the brim with cool artifacts. We spent hours in there so it would be to hard to explain everything we saw but there are thousands of tombs and mummies – even ones of animals! We saw mummies of cats, dogs, snakes, rams, and even giant alligators. We saw the only statue of the Pharaoh of the Giant Pyramid and with such a large pyramid you’d think his statue would be large but it is tiny! We saw lots of statues of Hatshepsut, the Egyptian queen, who ruled as pharaoh and did so by essentially saying she was the spirit of man and portraying herself as a man in statues and writing.

For the second time in our lives we saw King Tut’s (aka Tutankhamun) tomb (not pictured), sarcophagus, and jars for his organs. We saw them before on a traveling exhibit. We also saw some unique statues of King Tut’s father who completely changed ancient Egyptian religion by declaring one god and that he was the only median between people and god. To represent that he was the only median he wanted to be portrayed as half woman and half man so all the paintings and statues of him have very large or womanly hips.

You can’t help but be overwhelmed with awe by the age, largeness, and shear number of Egyptian antiquities. It was a short but amazing trip to Lower Egypt!

After the sweltering heat of Athens we were excited to get away to the islands so we hopped on a flight to Crete and landed in Chania. Our Airbnb was in the historic center of Chania, which is incredibly charming with new houses built right into ancient ruins and bougainvilleas draping over restaurants and sidewalks.

We only had two nights in Chania so we spent the first day exploring the historic town, harbor, and old wall. The next day we walked to the beach and rented two lounge chairs and an umbrella for 5 Euro! We spent the day relaxing and swimming in the clear warm water. In the evening we watched the sunset from the harbor and had a romantic dinner on the harbor.

The next day we took the bus from Chania to Herkalion. Herkalion is much larger and not as charming – it’s a large port city. However it did have a historic Venetian port (it was formerly owned by the Venetians) and the old fort was a fun place to walk around at sunset.

The following morning we left early on a ferry to Santorini. We decided to splurge a little on our hotel to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. After arriving we indulged in the hotel amenities including the indoor pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. I even got a massage and it was wonderful!

The next day we did a dive in the caldera (created thousands of years ago by the volcano that was Santorini). Although our dive skills are a little rusty we still really enjoyed it and the fish were incredibly friendly – coming right up to our masks!

DCIM100GOPRO

In the evening we drove over to Oia, the most picturesque area of Santorini, though it is a little commercial. All the buildings are white except for the blue domes of the churches and Drew had a blast taking TONS of photos! We even got to see the donkeys come up for the evening and the sun setting over the castle ruins.

To make the evening even more enjoyable and romantic Andrew made reservations at a wonderful restaurant with a fantastic view! We also got to sit in these sweet chairs!

On our last day in Santorini we went and found the Three Bells of Thira (a photo Drew HAD to have) and then we went to Santo Winery. They grow the grapes on the ground like ice plant but we did a 12 taste wine flight and all but 3 were pretty darn good!

The next day we hopped aboard another ferry and headed to Mykonos. Our Airbnb was located near the New Port but high up on the hill and it had a great view!

In the afternoon we took a bus to the Old Port and explored the super cute town. Drew got some awesome photos of the town, old windmills, and the sun setting. We stayed out pretty late but with all the people out eating dinner and walking around you would have thought it was a lot earlier! I guess that’s why Mykonos is known as a party island.

On a tangent, Greece is known for having a lot of cats. Drew managed to get some good photos of these cats that he wanted to share.

Our final island day we again spent at the beach enjoying the sun and water. Drew tweaked his neck so he got a massage and we just took it easy and prepared to leave Europe for our next adventure!

Our flight and luggage were greatly delayed so we ended up not getting to our hotel until almost midnight our first day in Athens so we went straight to bed and tried to get up early the next day. I say try because we were really tired and we didn’t end up getting out of the hotel until 9:30 am at which point it was already sweltering outside. We started our climb up to the Acropolis staying in the shade as much as possible.

Entrance into the Acropolis is 20 Euro however you can buy a combined ticket for 30 Euro which gets you into the other famous ancient ruins around Athens so that’s what we did. Since the ticket itself was fairly expensive we skipped a paid tour and decided to use the Rick Steves app to guide us along. The first ancient ruin you see when entering the Acropolis is the Odeon of Herod the Atticus, a half circular theatre built over 2000 years ago that is still used for concerts today. We heard a sound check and the acoustics are absolutely astounding. It was originally built to commemorate the wife of a magistrate who had passed away.

Next we would our way up the steps of the great Propylaea, or gateway, to the Acropolis and gazed upon the important structures flanking it. One of which is the Temple of Athena Nika, built in the Ionic style to symbolize Athens or Athena’s victory in many battles. The other is the Monument of Agrippa, a tall column, which has stood above Athens since 27 B.C. but has been adorned by various statues depending on who was occupying the city – the Romans, Ottomans, etc.

Finally we made it to the jewel of the Acropolis – the Parthenon – the largest temple but more than a temple it also housed the treasury of ancient Greece. The reconstruction and preservation of the temple is still going on but it is remarkable even partially restored. It is important to note that large pieces of the façade are actually located in the British museum – a fact that is particularly frustrating to Greeks.

One of the most unique monuments is the Erechtheion. Instead of the typical columns you see on the Parthenon or other monuments in the Acropolis it has the figures of 6 women holding up the roof. Of course the statues are replicas and the originals are in the museum.

Our last stop before leaving the Acropolis was the lookout post that holds the Greek flag. Apparently when the Nazi’s occupied Athens they ordered a Greek soldier to take down the Greek flag and raise the Nazi flag – he solemnly lowered the flag wrapped his body in it and jumped off the cliff. A couple of weeks later two teenagers climbed up the cliff and rose the Greek flag once again. It’s a great viewpoint high on the cliff and you can see the flag from every point in Athens.

As we walked down the hill we passed more ruins of old Athens underneath the hill of the Acropolis including the Theatre of Dionysus, the god of plays and wine. It is believed to be the first stone theatre and was built about 100 B.C.

At the bottom of the hill we went into the Acropolis Museum and reveled in the air conditioning. The museum is full of carvings and statues excavated from the Acropolis and the final floor has a wonderful view of the Parthenon and is constructed similarly to show all the carvings in the way they were oriented on the Parthenon itself.

After reluctantly leaving the air conditioning we hiked up to Mars Hill, the location where the Apostle Paul spoke to the Athenian people in Acts. It has a great view of Athens but it slightly slippery and scary.

The next day we got up earlier to beat the heat and see the Ancient Agora. The Acropolis was for rituals and rich or important Greeks but the Agora, or city center, was where every day life was lived. This was where the markets, streets, wells, temples, and theatres were that Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle strolled through and ‘corrupted the youth’.

We went into the museum located in the Stoa of Attalos (a reconstructed market) and saw ancient Greek jury duty machines, coins, and all sorts of propaganda and pottery. We also saw the Temple of Hephaestus, the most well preserved Greek temple, because it was made a Christian church.

Before heading back to cool down in the hotel we went to the Roman Agora where the Tower of the Winds is located – an ancient weather tower. Finally we saw Hadrian’s Library. Hadrian was a Roman who was slightly obsessed with the Greeks and built many wonderful structures in Athens.

In the evening we went on a free walking tour where we saw Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple to Zeus that he built. We also saw the original Olympic stadium and the most entertaining changing of the guards we’ve seen yet (the guards march like horses and have horse shoes on the soles of their shoes!)

After strolling through the cute neighborhoods of Plaka and Monastiraki the tour ended and we headed to a roof top restaurant to enjoy the beautiful sight of the Parthenon lit up at night.