The Global Goryls

Global Goryls: Trip Overview

2010-03-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

Five months passes quickly, almost unfairly so, when every day presents a new backdrop, a cultural challenge, or some sort of edible vegetable you’ve never heard of on your plate. Since touching down in Auckland to saying “adios” to Buenos Aires some 143 days and 4 continents later, we enjoyed an exciting mix of cultures and people along the way. At the risk of using such cliché, this trip was a dream come true for us, and it provided sights, sounds, smells -- oh my, the smells -- and stories that we’ll be laughing about for the rest of our lives. We’re certainly couldn’t have done it alone, and we didn’t. We thank everyone that supported this unconventional approach to our first year of marriage, including our families, friends and fellow travelers who supplied invaluable advice on everything from spreading out precious hotel points to making the most of the very limited space in our bags. Although the list of places we’d like to travel to somehow grew during the trip, we are excited about returning Home to the best country of all, the USA.

If you followed us at all during our travels, we’d love to hear from you (scott.goryl@gmail.com, kristagoryl@gmail.com). And please don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever want to give this kind of trip a whirl, or if you just want some suggestions on places we have been. We’d love to share! Thanks.

Some Global Goryl Facts and Figures:

Air Miles flown: 43,103 miles (nearly twice around the equator; 18% of the way to the moon)
Longest Flight: Los Angeles to Aukland, NZ (6,510 miles)
# of airlines flown: 16
# of flights: 25
# of accommodations booked: 60
Total # of countries visited: 16
Most time spent: Argentina
Foreign language most often spoken: Spanish (6 weeks)

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

Top Destinations (in no particular order):

South Island (New Zealand), Perth (Australia), Koh Samui (Thailand), Santorini (Greece), Patagonia (Argentina)

Out of places you visited, where could you live?

Perth, Australia. Low-key, clean and manageable city with awesome beaches, great people and the Margaret River region just a few hours away.

What foods did you miss most? And where did you enjoy the food most?

Burritos and reliable sushi. India and Thailand were hands-down the best food spots.

Where do you wish you went on this trip but weren’t able to?

Krista - South Africa, Norway/Sweden/Finland, and Costa Rica.

Scott - Ahhh, lots of places, but to name a few we were close to: Malaysia, Vietnam and Turkey. Also, we had to pull Peru (flooding) and Chile (earthquake) off the itinerary.

“Most Wanted” locations to visit next:

Alaska, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Tulum (Mexico), South Africa, and we desperately want to go back to Fiji.

Argentina and Uruguay in a Nutshell

2010-03-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Argentina and Uruguay Fun Facts:
- $1 US = 3.85 AR Pesos
- $1 US = 19.65 UR Pesos
- Argentina’s population is 40.48 million
- Uruguay’s population is 3.33 million
- Argentina is the world’s 8th largest country. It is as tall as the US is wide.
- Uruguay is about the size of North Dakota, and is South America’s second smallest country (after Suriname)
- Argentina’s independence (from Spain) was declared on July 9, 1816

Argentina and Uruguay Superlatives:

Best authentic Argentina/Uruguay experience:
Krista - Tango dancing at a Milonga in Palermo
Scott - Hiking Cerro Colorado outside San Martin de los Andes.

Best blatant tourist trap:
Krista - Iguazu Falls site (Iguazu National)
Scott - Florida Street in Buenos Aires

Favorite dish in either country:
Krista - Chocolate in Bariloche. I think I ate enough of it to be considered a meal.
Scott - I liked trying different kinds of tasty empanadas in Argentina; juicy steak at La Cabrera in Palermo

Favorite Spanish word or phrase:
Krista - Ciao Ciao!
Scott - De Nada. I over and mis-used this regularly

Biggest surprise in Argentina or Uruguay:
Krista - how much they love jamon y queso sandwiches (ham and cheese) and matte tea.
Scott - Buenos Aires grew on me, but didn’t meet my high expectations.

Most likely to never win a Tango contest: Scott

At least one helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to these countries:
Krista - Bring really good hiking shoes and try the Malbec wine.
Scott - Go with Krista - she’s a good Spanish-to-English translator!

Argentina: San Martin de los Andes (Patagonia)

2010-03-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

North some 3 or 4 hours from Bariloche is a smaller, equally pleasant town called San Martin de los Andes. Situated just miles from the Chilean border and on the shores of Lago (lake) Lacar, San Martin de los Andes is nestled in a valley between two forested mountains. A postcard-worthy kind of place, most of the town’s buildings look like ski lodges, and the mountains reflect off the lake. A popular ski town in the winter, San Martin de los Andes becomes a much sleepier destination in the summer, offering a great place to hike and canoe on the lake. With Springtime in full swing, we enjoyed a few sunny days exploring the town and the surrounding area.

On the doorstep of Parque Nacional Lanin, Argentina’s third largest national park and home to 35 lakes and an extinct volcano, the region around San Martin de los Andes offers some exceptional hiking. We enjoyed walking to some nearby lookouts over the lakes and town, but eventually asked around about a more substantial hike. With a hand-drawn (not-at-all-to-scale) map in tow, we set out enthusiastically to scale the mighty Cerro Colorado, some 13kms out of town. An intimidating 1,778 meters high, which translates to over a mile up into the clouds, the mountain’s trail is beautiful but extremely STEEP, providing a natural Stairmaster for our several hour hike. We passed only a handful of people all day long as we climbed through shaded forest, navigated around thick shrubs and eventually scrambled over dusty rocks; it felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. Alas, willed by fresh air and the stunning scenery surrounding us, we made it to the summit after a nearly 3-hour climb. With no one anywhere in the vicinity to snap our “we made it” photo, we were compelled to engage in a goofy self-timed photo shoot. Some snapshots of this session can be found below, for better or worse.

Once our shaking legs reached the bottom of mighty Cerro Colorado, our epic day of hiking continued for another 3 hours (no cabs way out there…!). We walked all the way back to town through a thickly-forested lakeside trail, which included encounters with a random assortment of animals and ran alongside a friendly, indigenous Mapuche community. Back in quaint San Martin de los Andes, we closed down an unforgettable day by stocking up on wine and groceries, knowing full well we wouldn’t be able to move our weary legs that following day.

Argentina: San Carlos de Bariloche (Patagonia)

2010-03-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

From Iguazu we flew to Buenos Aires , where we sadly said “adios” to Cousin Nicole, our savvy travel companion for the last two weeks, who was headed back to the States. The two of us then caught a flight connection onward to Bariloche, some 1,005 miles southwest of Argentina’s capital city. Set in a dramatically beautiful area of the Patagonia region, with rugged plains, snowy peaks and glistening lakes abound, Bariloche is a beautiful place. A ski town-vibe with rustic charm, Bariloche hugs the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, offering awesome opportunities to explore the nearby nature surroundings, be it hiking, biking, camping, skiing, etc.

Bariloche is our kind of place. We extended our stay twice, and found several awesome walks and hikes during out time in town, not to mention some particularly tasty chocolates. (Those of you who know Krista recognize this last particular element of town as a very big deal.) Aside from being an outdoor activities hub, Bariloche is know for its chocolate, which stems from Swiss immigrants who settled nearby and saw potential for great chocolate with all the healthy cows in the area. Interestingly enough, much of the architecture in town is also influenced by Swiss, German and English immigrants. It can at times feel like you’re somewhere in Europe. Although we could’ve stayed put in Bariloche for ages, we diligently pressed on to the north to see more of Patagonia.

Argentina: More Iguazu Falls

2010-03-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

We returned to Iguazu National Park the following day for additional gawking at the immense panarama of waterfalls. This time around, we walked the park’s mile-and-a-half Lower Circuit, which offered even better views, slightly less other tourists, and provided a significantly wetter, up-close experience. Given the scorching temperatures, the mist from the cascading water was just what the doctor ordered.

Later in the day, we found a much less-traveled 4-km Jungle Trail that led deep into the forest. It was a nice and relaxing walk until we came upon a long stretch of huge spiders in webs just above the trail. Huge. Ducking our way along the dirt path for several anxious minutes through this “Corridor of Death,“ our bravery was eventually rewarded when we came upon a beautiful natural pool with a tall waterfall. Here, we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the middle of the jungle -- definitely a highlight of our stop in Argentina’s Northeast.

On our final day in Puerto Iguazu, we joined an adventurous Iguazu Forest tour that paraded us down some of South America’s dustiest roads and deep into the elements. Upon arriving in the middle of nowhere and receiving instructions in something that resembled English, we took turns fearlessly rappelling down a waterfall’s rock face. And as if that wasn’t awesome enough, we followed this up with a dramatic zipline over the lush jungle canopy. Fortunately, we survived the day’s thrilling activities with nary a scratch, and set off to celebrate this feat with some cold, Argentinean beer and tasty empanadas.

Argentina: A Quick Stop in Palermo, Then on to Iguazu Falls

2010-03-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

After a memorable stint in Mendoza, we swung through Buenos Aires once again before moving on to further regions of Argentina. (In Argentina, no travel is direct; everything runs through Buenos Aires.) This time around, we stayed in the quieter, chic and downright lovely section of Buenos Aires called Palermo. The highlight included an epic meat-fest of a dinner at a busy restaurant in Palermo called La Cabrera, a recommended stop of the highest order for all fellow travelers to this fair city. The lowlight, however, was saying goodbye to Sister Danielle as she headed back to - what we have been referring to as - “The Real World.”

With Cousin Nicole’s vacation still in full swing, the three of us anxiously headed northward, waaaaaaay northward, to view the Iguazu Falls, one of the world’s largest and widest water falls. (Even a candidate for the New Seven Wonders of the World.) The falls dramatically mark the boundary between Argentina and Brazil, and Paraguay is just a short ways down river, also allowing access to the falls. The Iguazy waterfall system consists of 275 falls in total, which is an epic indeed. Some of these 275 falls drop 269 feet, or 82 meters for our metric-based friends. Anyway, it’s an immensely impressive sight, so as soon as we arrived in the nearby town of Puerto Iguazu, where we would spend the next several nights, we took off to get a closer look at this legendary, natural wonder. With the temperature hovering somewhere between wicked hot and sweltering, we were also hoping this waterfall would bless us with a cooling mist.

We spent our first day at Iguazu Falls checking out Devil’s Throat, the largest of the 275 falls, which, thanks to a precariously positioned platform, we felt we were right on top of, and the Upper Circuit, a walkway that offered an up-close look at the higher regions of the falls. With much more to see in Iguazu Nactional Park, and with Rangers kicking us out in not-the-kindest Spanish we‘ve heard thus far, we saved the rest of our exploration for Day 2. Details on that and the rest of our stay in Iguazu soon.

Argentina: Mendoza and The Grape Harvest Festival

2010-03-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Due to the great distances between places in Argentina and the country’s (safe but) unreliable domestic air travel, Argentineans have perfected the art of long-distance bus travel. Traveling on a “Suite Class” bus is like flying first class on a plane. The service includes 180-degree reclining leather chairs in your own private pod, plenty of food, alcoholic drinks, movies, etc. Therefore, to immerse ourselves in the Argentinean culture, our group of four boarded an overnight bus from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, the heart of Argentina’s wine country. We had a blast on the bus and all slept like babies. We arrived to the metropolis of Mendoza ready to rock, and just in time for the annual Grape Harvest Festival, also known as Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, a passionate and elaborate string of cultural activities to celebrate the end of a year’s work in the vineyards.

After getting a lay of the land in Mendoza, including a stroll around the markets in Plaza Independencia and dinner on the trendy Aristides Villanueve, we headed 15km southeast on Friday to do some wine tasting in Maipu. We rented bikes, of course (!), and navigated the sometimes-dusty, sometimes-tree-shaded and mostly-hazardous streets of Maipu to visit a variety of wineries that are spread throughout the high plains in the area. With the lovely Andes towering to the west of us, we toured several different wineries, ate lunch next to grape vines, and, needless to say, tasted the delicious goods along the way. Some of our favorite wineries included Familia Di Tomasso and Bodega Carinae.

As for The Grape Harvest Festival, the action heated up on Friday night with “Via Blanca”, a colorful parade with spectacular floats, each presenting a beauty queen from the a nearby town. Beauty queens are an extremely big deal, and, in fact, are the main focal point of Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia. There are 17 queens in total and the competition is fierce. We bet 5 pesos each on an eventual queen, and the winner among us was required to wear a tiara (regardless of gender). Anyway, back to the parade, the floats threw out random (and sizeable) things, like melons, bunches of grapes, apples, and even steak sandwiches that were cooked ON THE FLOAT. The following morning, Saturday, another parade called “Carousel” took to the streets of Mendoza, featuring old-time carriages, musical bands and groups of “gouchos” (Argentinean cowboys). To cap of the weekend’s festivities, we made our way to a huge amphitheatre in Mendoza’s Parque General San Martin with 40,000 others to witness “Acto Central”, or the main act. This spectacular, unforgettable production reflected the history of wine in Mendoza and featured large-scale dancing, dozens of costume changes, live music and singing and a fireworks finale. Perhaps most importantly, however, (not kidding about this) The Grape Harvest National Queen is elected. Miss Santa Rosa took the coveted prize this year, making the crowd go wild and making Krista 15 pesos richer.

All-in-all, the Festival provided some great entertainment, tasty wine and plenty of memorable moments. We spent Sunday relaxing pool-side and deciding where to go next. Then, with a great four days in Mendoza, Argentina behind us, we headed back to Buenos Aires.

Argentina: More Buenos Aires

2010-03-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

After our time in Puento Del Este, we headed back to Buenos Aires via a 3-hour ferry from Montevideo, Uruguay. Saturday, a bright, sunny, summer day, we strolled through Reserva Ecologica, a large area of reclaimed green land east of the city center. Along the Rio de la Plata, Reserva Ecologica is home to wide, flat walking and biking trails and seems to be a haven for birdwatchers, mountain bikers and those out for a break from BA‘s thickly polluted air. Afterwards, we headed to the suburb La Boca, home to the one of Argentina’s most famous football teams, the Boca Juniors, and their crazy, passionate fans. The Caminito, where we spent a couple of hours wandering, watching tango performers and shopping at the small open-air market, is a small area in La Boca of brightly colored buildings on a the Riachuelo River. A tourist trap for certain, but entertaining and colorful nonetheless.

That night, we bid a sad farewell to Leslie, and began a short, two-day wait for our next visitors, Scott’s sister Danielle and cousin Nicole. We spent these two days exploring Buenos Aires further, including catching some rays in nice parks in the residential Palermo area, and strolling along the main streets of hip Palermo Hollywood.

Danielle and Nicole arrived from Boston to much fanfare on Tuesday morning, and thus began our whirlwind tour of Buenos Aires with them. Highlights include a visit to one of the city’s most famous attractions, Recoleta Cemetery, an amazing city block of huge mausoleums where some of Argentina’s most famous people rest, including the cemetery’s most visited resident, Evita Peron. Recoleta Cemetary, in a nice, quieter neighborhood in the city, is quite a site, and not nearly as creepy as it sounds. We also sipped the famous caffeinated drink of Argentina, mate, at a mate bar, and dined on delicious empanadas in a friendly restaurant in the cool Palermo Soho neighborhood.

While our touring of Buenos Aires was sunny and busy, the four of us had important matters to attend to inland, waaaaay inland. Specifically, we were off to Mendoza, the heart of Argentina’s wine country and site of the country’s biggest wine festival, Fiesta de la Vendimia. Details on that next.

All Clear from Argentina

2010-02-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hola from Buenos Aires. After the big earthquake in central Chile early this morning, we have received some worried emails, texts, etc. Thanks to all for your kind concern. We are safe and sound. We are spending the weekend in Buenos Aires and did not feel the quake. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and pray for the affected Chileans.

Uruguay: Colonia Del Sacramento and Punta Del Este

2010-02-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday, we boarded a ferry in Buenos Aires and crossed the Rio de la Plata to Uruguay, a laid-back gem of a country nestled between neighboring giants Brazil and Argentina. After peacefully replacing the military rule with democratic leadership at the turn of this century, Uruguay has been significantly impacted by the economic instability of Argentina and by a rash of agricultural foot-and-mouth disease. Despite all this, Uruguay is a safe and cheerful country boasting a nice coastline and an interior rolling with green hills and small towns.

We arrived at our first stop in Uruguay, Colonia Del Sacramento, just an hour or so after leaving Buenos Aires. Originally a seventeenth-century Portuguese smuggling port intended to disrupt trade to the Spanish trading base in Buenos Aires, Colonia is now a picturesque and charming town with an old quarter called Barrio Historico. This old quarter is like a glimpse of the past, with cobblestone streets, an old lighthouse, tiny museums and a host of outdoor cafes and restaurants. Barrio Historico is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it‘s pretty awesome for an late-afternoon stroll. After exploring this area, we waited out a rainstorm by sipping on Uruguayan wine and sampling some apps. Later, we took in a late dinner overlooking the ocean. The following day, we set out to explore the nearby beaches north of the peninsula along a long, coastal walkway, stopping for rests on the sand and also for cold beverages at a couple of sunny bars overlooking the water.

The following morning, we caught an early bus to Eastern Uruguay and the beachside, resort town of Punta Del Este, some 140 km north of Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city. Situated on a narrow peninsula, Punta Del Este is full of high rise hotels, shops and expensive restaurants dishing out seafood and steak. The peninsula is surrounded by some of Uruguay’s most famous beaches, which allow this beach town to serve as a premier South American getaway spot during the summer. It’s apparently a ghost town in winter. We spent our days in Punta Del Este relaxing on the various beaches, walking around the peninsula for exercise and drinking tasty wine on the sand before hitting the down for dinner.

Argentina: Buenos Aires

2010-02-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

From Madrid, we flew overnight to our first South American destination, Buenos Aires, the buzzing capital of Argentina. Dubbed by some as the “Paris of the South” for its eclectic mix of architecture, Buenos Aires is teeming with design, food and language influences from its heavily European immigrant population. Upon arrival to Argentina, we met up with Krista’s sister, Leslie, who flew down the same day from San Diego for a week of vacation. To fight the inevitable jet lag awaiting all of us, we set out aggressively to explore Buenos Aires from our accommodations in the heart of the city. This included a stop for coffee at the famous landmark, Café Tortoni, a stroll around Plaza de Mayo, a busy square that is overlooked by the President’s and executive branch’s offices, and a walk down Calle Florida, a pedestrian area full of shops, restaurants and endless people-watching opportunities.

To close our first day out, we went to a hip area of the city called Palermo Soho for large and tasty drinks outside. We followed this up with a stop at a milonga we had read about called La Virtua. A milonga is like a regular dance club, but offers tango lessons at the beginning of the night. (The beginning of the night in Argentina, by the way, is 11pm.) Predictably, Krista and Leslie gracefully tangoed the night away like pros, while Scott was left leaving footprints on strangers’ shoes.

Still reeling from our evening of tango, we set out the next day, Sunday, to a sprawling, open-air market in the San Telmo area. The market featured everything under the sun, from jewelry to cooked meat to street performers, and it was a great place to wander for a couple of hours. Next, we attended an exciting football match between home team RiverPlate and rival Arsenal. The crowd, as is customary for Argentinian football matches, was wild, passionate and singing chants constantly. Security was at a premium. In the end, the teams were knotted in a 1-1 tie.

On Monday, we boarded a ferry from Buenos Aires to Uruguay, where we would spend the next 5 days. More on that soon.

Mediterranean Europe (plus London) in a Nutshell

2010-02-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

Global Goryls in Europe

*Countries visited (or passed through): 9
*Most time spent: Italy (10 days)
*Least time spent: Bosnia & Herzegovina (about 60 minutes total)
*Number of accommodations: 16
*Languages spoken (attempts, anyway): 6

Europe Superlatives

Our Top Cities/Places:
Santorini, Greece; Amalfi Coast, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Florence, Italy; Seville, Spain

Best classic tourist attraction:

Krista - The Acropolis in Athens, Greece

Scott - The ocean walk in Cinque Terre (called the Blue Trail)

Favorite coastline on the Mediterranean:

Krista - the caldera in Santorini, Greece

Scott - Amalfi Coast, Italy

Most overhyped tourist attraction:

Krista - beaches in Nice, France (cement slabs and stones, but beautiful water)

Scott - Coliseum in Rome

Rudest citizens:

The French. Yep, unlike everywhere else we visited, the French still don’t like Americans, and they make it known.

Best purchase in Europe:

Krista - Blue, wool knee socks purchased at a market in Bologna, Italy on a very cold day

Scott - Every 2 euro gyro that I ate in Greece. Mmmmm.

Favorite European food:

Krista - Chicken pitas in Santorini

Scott - Meatball tapas in Seville

Biggest surprise:

Krista - Smoking is still allowed - and excessively practiced - inside bars, restaurants, hotels and most other places.

Scott - No one seems to care about the Olympics.

Best Guest Appearance:

Rich Rolfe, Scott’s 9th grade foreign exchange student

Most helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to Mediterranean Europe:

Krista - Wait until the Euro weakens so you can shop

Scott - Be sure to visit the Greek islands (we hear June and Sept is best)

View Europe in a larger map

Spain: Madrid

2010-02-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

From Seville we took a fast (250 km/hr), 3-hour train to Madrid, Spain’s capital city. Madrid is a very sprawling and cosmopolitan-feeling city and home to some 3.2 million Spaniards. We spent two days in Madrid exploring and tying up loose ends (getting extra passport pages, exchanging guidebooks, etc) before departing Europe for our next and final continent, South America. There is a lot to see and do in Madrid, a city filled with culture and fascinated with art, and we did our best to cover as much ground as we could during our time here.

Our favorite spots to people-watch included some of the city’s famous plazas, Mayor and Puerta del Sol, and the surrounding streets of both. On Friday afternoon, we spent some time gawking at Goya's paintings at the Museo Nacional Del Prado, Spain’s most cherished art museum. We also really enjoyed wandering Madrid’s sprawling garden park called Parque de El Retiro. We saw some other great sites as well, and considered Madrid an excellent send-off to our time in Europe.

Spain: Granada and Seville

2010-02-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

We flew Vueling Airlines from Barcelona to Granada, which is in Spain’s Andalucia region. This most southerly region of the country is known for offering some of the most authentic, if not typical, Spanish experiences: bullfighting, free tapas, flamenco, etc. Granada proved to be a friendly, hip and historic city, all while offering an interesting Muslim influence due to its proximity to northern Africa. Granada’s must see attraction is the famous Alhambra, a 9th century fortress that was converted into a fortress-palace complex during the 13th and 14th centuries. Now, impressive ruins remain to explore…if you’re lucky enough to get in. Tickets to visit the site are very limited, so we bought ours in advance several days earlier online. Once inside the fairy-tale like fortress, we explored the ancient palace, the former military barracks and the fantastic gardens called Generalife.

Although Alhambra is the big story in Granada, we also thoroughly enjoyed walking around the Albayzin area, the old Muslim quarter, the beautiful views from Mirador San Nicolas, an old hilltop church, and we even had fun losing miserably at Quiz Night at the lively Irish pub in town.

After a couple of days in Granada, we boarded a shiny new train to Seville, Andalucia’s picturesque and surprisingly hip capital city. We both loved Seville. It’s a beautiful mid-sized city that is rich with authenticity, history and is easily walkable. During our days here, we strolled the city’s beautiful historic district, Barrio Santa Cruz, we gawked at the massive cathedral, watched foot traffic in the plazas, wandered the botanical gardens, crossed the Bridge to Triana, sat along the riverside walkway, and…well, you get the picture. We genuinely enjoyed the sites, especially wandering around the old streets in Barrio Santa Cruz, but what took the cake in Seville was our two trips to an awesome, character-filled bodega . Here, the menu was translated by the one patron who knew English, we devoured tasty tapas, drank good red wine, and listened to the local crowd banter in Spanish.

Spain: Barcelona

2010-02-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Barcelona wins the award for the most lively city we’ve visited thus far. It seems everywhere you turn in this fair city of 1.6 million Spaniards, there lies a dramatic sculpture, a vibrant piazza or a buzzing beachside café. Boasting over two thousand years of enthralling history, Barcelona is a hip city that seems to relish mixing the varied architecture of its past with contemporary art and design. We stayed just a bit out of central Barcelona in a fun, quieter residential area called Gracia, where we found some great tapas to hold us over until dinnertime, which is very late here in Spain.

We spent several days in Barcelona canvassing the spacious city on foot, taking in the sites on Spain’s most famous boulevard, La Rambla, wandering the ancient, cobblestone streets in Barri Gotic and, of course, gawking at Gaudi’s work-in-progress, La Sagrada Familia (photo on left), a church that has been under construction since 1882. (Good news: they are projecting completion sometime around 2020!) Additionally, we really enjoyed walking along the beaches and the waterfront area, and we even managed to find our way to the old Olympic village near the hilly Montjuic district.

Luckily for us, we were in Barcelona for the city’s celebration of Carnivale, which included small (seemingly impromptu) parades around the city and a major parade down Av del Parallel on Saturday night. A crippling downpour of rain cut the impressive parade short, but it also gave us a good excuse to nestle into a café to sip tasty sangria instead.

France: Nice and Marseille

2010-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

We included Nice on the itinerary to check out the heart of the French Riviera, so we spent a couple days exploring this complex city of 350,000. Situated near Monaco and Cannes, Nice is familiar with the glitzy beach crowd and the glamorous jet-set . Needless to say, in our puffy coats and (by now) well-worn outfits, we showed the French a thing or two about glitz. But seriously, we enjoyed wandering along the spacious beachfront walkway called Promenade des Anglais, and had fun with the cliché of eating baguettes while walking through the cosmopolitan city center, which was set up for the upcoming Carnival. For a different perspective on Nice, we spent one afternoon hiking around Parc du Chateau, a beautiful hilltop park with views over this old city on the Mediterranean. As you might imagine, the cheesy “Nice view” puns were relentless.

Several tasty baguettes later, our train pulled into Marseille, a few hours west of Nice and the cultural center of Provence. According to the Marseillais, the city has undergone a dramatic comeback in recent years, and we found it to be a cool place to explore with a few pedestrian streets and a lively port area. A bit rough-and-tumble and even gritty, the city is as multicultural as they come. Influences from Northern Africa, the Far East and Europe are consistently present in they city’s stores, markets and restaurants. The wind whipped fiercely through Marseille during out stay, so that explains the frigid looks we have in the photos below.

Having both been to France before, we purposely dedicated just a few nights in the country en route to Spain, where we have El Grande plans. Next stop: Barcelona.

Italy: Cinque Terre

2010-02-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Following an afternoon of train-hopping from Venice, we arrived to Riomaggiore, Italy, one of the five small, coastal villages that make up beautiful Cinque Terre on Italy‘s northwestern coastline. The train stop at Riomaggiore is mostly inside a tunnel, so we emerged from said tunnel to find ourselves on a high bridge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and a classic pink-sky sunset -- the village sloped steeply behind us. It was outstanding, and that pretty much set the tone for our Cinque Terre visit. Staying in Riomaggiore, or any of the other villages for that matter particularly in the off-season, is like going back in time 60 years. Everybody in town knows each other, shops close whenever they want to, laundry hangs from every other window and the pace of life is slower than molasses. We fell right into step with this pace, chomping on pizza shortly after our arrival and watching the friendly locals go about their business.

The highlight of any trip to Cinque Terre is exploring Parco Nationale delle Cinque Terre (Cinque Terre National Park). There are a lot of footpaths and bike routes to explore, although most tourists check out the fantastic 9km walkway called the Blue Trail. This pathway, which can take 5 or so hours to complete and varies from easy street to steep and strenuous, connects the five villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso) and provides an awesome way to see the dramatic coastline up close and personal. We spent a full day walking along the Blue Trail and stopping at each of the 5 villages. It was a great place and an excellent close to our time in Italy before moving on to the Cote D’Azur in neighboring France.

Italy: Venice

2010-02-05T05:05:00.000-08:00

Well, you can’t win them all. After months of generally great weather for touring, it poured during the two days we spent in Venice, Italy. No matter, though, as Venice is a beautiful place rain or shine. We braved the downpours and spent an afternoon getting lost among Venice’s maze-like streets and neighborhoods, including the obligatory stop at St. Mark‘s Square. Venice’s look is distinct and full of character with seemingly endless bridges crossing gondola-filled canals. Venice’s prices, however, on everything from coffee to water taxis, are much less charming.

The rain graciously allowed us to catch up on our lagging wine consumption, which we enjoyed thoroughly during a movie night with "The Big Lebowski". To escape the wet weather, we hopped on a train westward to Italy’s other coast on our way to France. Cinque Terre, Italy is next.

Herceg Novi (Montenegro) and Zagreb (Croatia)

2010-02-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

On a hot tip from San Diego’s newest parents, the Endemann’s, who are world travelers in their own rite, we took a day out of our Dubrovnik stint to check out nearby Montenagro, a gorgeous country of 678,000 with ragged peaks, a beautiful coastline and historic old towns filled with locals drinking coffee and chatting. Montenegro only became independent in May of 2006 when it broke from its impractical union with Serbia, so tourism is a new national focus, albeit a successful one so far. We wanted to see the country’s Bay of Kotor, which is surrounded by dramatically steep mountains, so we took a bus to tiny Herceg Novi on the southern part of the bay. With a charming and ancient Old Town to explore and a sunny square to drink coffee in among the locals, we were quite taken with the place. It made for a perfect day trip.

After Dubrovnik, we changed up our plans a bit and headed inland to Croatia’s capital (and largest) city, Zagreb. The city is divided into two parts: Lower Zagreb, where most shops and restaurants are, and Upper Zagreb, home to most of the historical/cultural venues and the capital’s main square (and spellcheck nightmare) Trg Jelacica. We strolled around both for a bit, which was nice, but eventually decided to spend the afternoon at the ATP Tennis tournament we saw billboards for, the PBZ Zagreb Indoors. We watched two excellent matches, including an impressive victory by current Croatian tennis hero and current #10 in the world, 21 year-old Marin Cilic.

Later that night, to complete a random day in Zagreb and while waiting for an overnight train to Venice, we saw the documentary Gonzo - about the life and times of writer Hunter S Thompson - in a downtown theatre. Fortunately, the movie was in English with Croatian subtitles so we could follow along. Next up, we return to Italy for more pizza.

Croatia: Awesome Dubrovnik

2010-02-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

From Split we traveled 4-or-so hours south -- pausing briefly for a pit stop and snacks in Bosnia & Herzegovina -- to Dubrovnik, nestled near the southern tip of Croatia’s scenic coast. We had been looking forward to Dubrovnik and it certainly did not disappoint. It is a great Mediterranean city, home to 44,000 Croatians who seem to revel in its medieval history, maritime culture and typical blue skies. We spent three happy nights in Dubrovnik’s historic Old Town, a World Heritage site that was founded 1,300 years ago by refugees from Greece. More recently, the city was bombed heavily during The Croatian War in the early 1990s, but it has been rebuilt artfully and is one of the cooler cities we have visited thus far.

A particular highlight of our stay in Dubrovnik was walking around the city walls, a fortress-like protective veil built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The walls now enclose Old Town. There is even a draw-bridge-like entrance to Old Town, which is what we would call “medieval chic“. The impressive city walls, which we had to ourselves thanks to our off-season visit, are over 2 km around and up to 25 meters high. The walls include two round and 14 square towers, two corner fortresses and a huge, main fortress overlooking it all. As you’ll see in the photos, walking the walls offered beautiful views of the city and surrounding area.

Luckily for us, we were in town during the European Handball Championship Finals between scrappy Croatia and the heavily-favored French team. Handball is a peculiar game, kind of a mix between basketball and water polo. (Actually, it’s hard not to laugh at its awkwardness at first.) But this game was a very big deal for the 4.5 million Croats, who wanted to win badly, so we sauntered down to a smoky local pub to cheer on the good guys, who unfortunately lost. Also by chance, Dubrovnik’s premier festival happened while we were in town. The Festival of St. Blaise, which takes place annually on February 3rd, celebrates the city’s protector, also known as the saint of throat health. Croats from around the country traveled to partake in the celebration, which primarily involved historic costumes, lots of large flags, a large procession down Old Town’s main street and an outdoor mass said by important church clergy. No one goes to work on Feb 3rd so, as one might imagine, general merriment was underway after the morning mass. During the afternoon we slipped into St. Blaise’s Cathedral in the center of Old Town to have out throats blessed for good health among the locals. You know, when in Rome….

During our stay in Dubrovnik, we took a day to hop across the border to Montenegro, Croatia’s lesser-known neighbor to the south. More on that next.

Croatia: Split

2010-02-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

On the night of January 29th, we left Ancona, Italy and crossed the Adriatic Sea, a ten hour journey that delivered us to Split, Croatia. We traveled overnight by ferry, although “ferry” apparently means “sweet cruise ship“ in Croatia. Being off-season and all, we caught a nice break on the ticket price and landed a cabin with a window, bathroom, shower and washing area for a cool 20 Euro each. We pretty much had the gigantic ship to ourselves, which was awesome and creepy at the same time. After a drink in the Piano Bar, we slept like babies and woke up in Croatia.

Split is Croatia’s second largest city with a population of 188,700, and it lies roughly in the middle of the country’s long and indented coastline. It’s a traditional coastal town that’s mostly free of mass tourism, and it provided a great intro to Croatia. We didn’t expect much so were pleasantly surprised by the friendly place. The gem of Split is Diocletian’s Palace, built for the Roman emperor Diocletian between the years AD 295-305. Inside the walls of this palace -- which is essentially an open-air museum and one of the world’s most imposing Roman ruins -- shops, markets and cafes buzz with locals chatting about politics, as has been the case there for thousands of years. One of the highlights of our stay in Split was a short hike up Marjan Hill, where lookouts offered views of the town, the main promenade (called “Riva”) and Split Harbor.

[Since not as much is known about Croatia as most European countries, here’s a quick and dirty summary: Croatia is home to about 4.5 million people, who seem to like a random sport called handball quite a bit. English is widely spoken as a second language to (harsh-sounding) Croatian. Tourism has flourished here since the country’s independence was recognized by the EU nations in 1992, especially among Italians. The long coastline is flanked by more than a thousand beautiful islands that rival Greece’s. Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Croatians voted for long-desired independence in 1991, but true independence came only after a very ugly five-year war with the Yugoslav Army and Serb forces between 1991-1995. The currency is the Kuna, currently $1 US = 5.24 Kuna. It’s really a very lovely and peaceful place, and perfect for vacationers.]

Italy: Florence and Bologna

2010-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

After arriving in Florence on a train from the Amalfi Coast region, we were immediately taken by the charming, yellow Tuscan homes and the maze of narrow, cobblestone city streets. Packed to the gills with street markets and Renaissance treasures, Florence is a very walkable city situated along the Arno River. After wandering around the streets a bit, we crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, a 14th-century walking bridge lined with jewelry stores. (The bridge was flanked with butcher shops centuries ago, which were replaced when the Medici family deemed them too smelly.) After a long walk through Tuscan neighborhoods south of the city center, we found ourselves at the Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking the city’s skyline. This Piazzale also includes a replica of Michelangelo’s David statue. The original David, finished 1504, is just on the other side of the Arno river in the Galleria dell Academia museum.

Florence, or Firenze in Italian, is full of piazzas, which are excellent for people watching. One of our favorites was the famous Piazza del Duomo, home to the red, green and white marble Duomo cathedral, known as one of the largest in the world. No matter how far we stepped back, we could not fit the whole church in our photos.

We really enjoyed quaint Florence, but after just one night we headed north to Bolgona. Bologna is one of Italy’s most famous food destinations; tortellini, lasagna, and bolognese sauce (ragu) were all invented there. Despite the bitter cold and snow on the ground, we spent the day walking around the city’s main plaza, Piazza Maggiore, the street markets and escaped the cold for lunch in an Italian café complete with loud, arguing locals.

From Bologna we took a train to Ancona, Italy on the east coast. There, we caught an overnight ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Split, Croatia!

Italy: Amalfi Coast es Bellisimo

2010-01-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

As soon as we arrived in the sleepy town of Piano di Sorrento, we knew we were in for an authentic experience. EVERYTHING was closed in the afternoon for siesta, and everybody knew everybody. But we did our best to blend in with the locals, eating salami paninis with fresh mozzarella and loading up on Italian cookies from the market. Our quiet B&B kept us well-caffeinated and warm with Limoncello, the region’s specialty.

The real action came the following day when we boarded a bus to explore the Amalfi coast, a 50-km stretch of magnificent Mediterranean beauty. The extremely steep, incredibly narrow and admittedly terrifying road along the coast would have had our mothers clamoring for blindfolds, and rosary beads, but the scenery was epic. Throughout the day we visited three towns, all nestled tightly along the gorgeous coast: Amalfi is the laid-back main hub, Ravello is the tiny, dreamy mountaintop town overlooks the Mediterranean, and Positano is the steep and glamorous gem for the wealthy. We loved them all, and has an unforgettable day taking in the atmosphere and gawking at the homes and hotel stacked right along the steep cliffs.

Following the Amalfi Coast, our plan was to cross Southern Italy by train to catch a ferry to Croatia. Our ferry, however, was cancelled days in advance due to “bad weather“ in the Adriatic Sea. So, we hopped on a train to Florence instead and plan to catch a ferry later in the week. Arrivederci!

Italy: When in Rome

2010-01-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, Rome: Romance. Ruins. Red Wine. Pizza. (Lots of Pizza.) We arrived in Italy’s epic and expensive capital on Friday, fresh off our love affair with Santorini. We spent three days in the distinctly European Rome, seeing the sites, wandering the narrow, winding streets and milling around the many piazzas marveling at the locals’ caffeine intake. The many sites in Rome, which the Italians called Roma, are all accessible by walking, which allowed us to take in the smells and sounds (mostly very loud talking) of the busy city.

Although exact years are debatable, as is everything in Italy, apparently, Rome was founded under the first king, Romulus, in 753 BC. Given that, we set out to see some old stuff, including the crowded Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palentine Hill. Our favorite site in Rome, though, was the beautiful Pantheon, a 2000-year old temple that now serves as a church. Appropriately, we ate some pizza near the fountain in front of the Pantheon and watched the animated Italians chat the afternoon hours away. Later in the day, we threw precious Euro coins in the famous Trevi Fountain. On average 3,000 Euros are tossed each day by tourists like us! We finished the day at the Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps.

On Sunday, we hiked along the Tiber River to the Vatican across town. The huge crowd walking in the other direction indicated that we missed the Pope’s weekly Sunday blessing by mere minutes, but we hung out in busy St. Peter’s Square anyway, which was a fantastic place, ate some pizza in a café nearby and then wandered through the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Basilica.

After a busy few days in Rome, we boarded an early morning train to Naples, where transferred to a local train heading southward to the iconic Amalfi Coast.

Greece: Santorini

2010-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of the real highlights of our trip so far was the four days we spent relaxing on Santorini, arguably the most stunning Greek Island. In about 1650 BC, a huge volcanic explosion cause the center of the island to sink, producing a caldera that was then filled in by ocean water. Santorini, called “Thira” by the Greeks, is c-shaped and layers of lava are visible from the seemingly endless cliff top views that stretch across the island. Small towns are built into these cliff tops, others are nestled along the black and red sand beaches that line the coast. It is an incredibly charming island that we will undoubtedly return to at some point. Just wandering around the cliffs to take in the views was an entertaining way to pass the day. Our cameras were clicking non-stop.

The day after we arrived, we rented a small car to buzz around the island. We had fun exploring the beaches and towns from one end to the other, stopping for a sunset in the village Oia. Since it’s the off-season, the island was quiet; we occasionally felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Our Greek improved a little thanks to some friendly locals at our excellent hotel, which was in the island’s main town, Fira. We tried Greek coffee (never again) and drank plenty of wine and Ouzo. We ate ALL of our meals at a small taverna down the road. The gyros were so good we couldn’t bring ourselves to try anywhere else. We will miss them - and all of Greece - dearly.

Greece: Athens

2010-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

From London we flew to Athens, Greece, one of the world’s most historic destinations. Athens is a sprawling metropolis of 3.7 million people. We stayed right in the heart of the city in an area called Monastiraki. The majority of our time was spent wandering around Athens’ old winding streets, which are chock-full of tavernas, cafes and character. We ate gyros like they were going out of style, lazily lingered over tasty sangria and made the Greeks roll their eyes with our attempts to speak the language.

Our big tourist activity in Athens was an afternoon at Acropolis, one of the most important ancient monuments in the world. Acropolis was inhabited in Neolithic times, and the first temples on the site were built in homage to the goddess Athena during the Mycenaean era. In other words, the structures in Acropolis are wicked old. As you’ll see in the photos, some of them, including the Parthenon (completed in 438 BC!) were in the process of being restored. Wandering around Acropolis and taking in the views overlooking Athens was an awesome experience, and a great start to the Mediterranean Europe leg of our trip.

Lovely London

2010-01-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

Our flights in between Asia and Mediterranean Europe brought us to London Heathrow, so we decided to stick around for a few days. The weather had recently turned milder in England, so we walked all over the city to see some famous London icons and to visit some of Krista‘s favorite spots from her study abroad days, including: Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Kensington, Notting Hill’s Portabello Road Market, Krista’s old flat in Queensway/Bayswater, the Marble Arch, Harrods in Knightsbride, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden.

It was a busy few days! Also, we grabbed some last-minute tickets to see the musical “Wicked” at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria. And to top it all off, we had lunch and ales at a traditional London pub with Scott’s high school British exchange student, Rich, whom he had not seen for thirteen years!

London was a blast and we definitely could have spent a week here. However, the British pound beat us up a bit, so onward to Greece!

India in a Nutshell

2010-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

India Random Facts:

-$1 US = 46 Indian Rupees

-A big bottle of water is 20 Rupees

-India’s population is roughly 1.15 billion! India is poised to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation sometime around 2030

-India’s percentage of the world’s population: 17%

-Percentage of families living in a one-room home is 42%

-In 2008, India’s received 5.37 million foreign tourists

“The Golden Triangle” (New Delhi - Agra - Jaipur) Supurlatives:

Most Memorable Experience:

Krista: Seeing the majestic Taj Mahal. It was a very peaceful experience in a country of chaos.

Scott: I don’t think I’ll forget a minute of our time in India - we were always fully alert in our surroundings. But I’ll opt for the cliché answer and say seeing the Taj Mahal against a blue sky. It was one of those things I never though I’d see.

Favorite Indian Dish:

Krista: Chicken tikka and warm naan bread.

Scott: All of them! Loved the food. But I’m ready for a Big Mac.

Most Problematic Situation for Tourists:

Krista: Staring locals and begging children. The local men will stare at you (females) when you are in the car and walking down the street which is extremely unnerving. Homeless children will bang on your car window begging for money.

Scott: Tourist scams are everywhere, even in nice hotels, and are deflating. In general, the tourist infrastructure is a 1 or a 2 on a scale to 10. (But for us, it was worth it!)

Number of Americans we met in 8 days: one (from Boston!)

Favorite Form of Transportation (we took a lot of them):

Krista: Our last private car - an SUV with seat belts

Scott: Absolutely the autorickshaw. The driver told me I looked like Michael Jackson and he said Krista looked like Shakira and that he would have married her if I didn't. The ride was terrifyingly fun, too.

Biggest Surprise in India:

Krista: I was shocked by the cows, goats, camels, pigs, monkeys, and dogs roaming the streets in the traffic. Also, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the food!

Scott: I expected the intense poverty, but I was consistently memorized by its scale.

Most Helpful Advice for your Trip to The Golden Triangle:

Krista: Only stay in nice hotels and take private car service everywhere you go. Be careful who you trust and remember that even the smallest task in India can be infuriating.

Scott: You will likely need every ounce of patience you have to travel in India - from widespread scams to unreliable transportation - so bring a healthy dose of that. Don’t do the self-guided route like us - go to a good travel agent.

India (Rajasthan): Jaipur

2010-01-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

We began to hit our stride in India after reaching Jaipur, Rajasthan, the chaotic capital city of 2.63 million some 230 km west of the Taj Mahal. After our Agra train debacle, we decided to hire a driver for the bumpy 4 hour drive to Jaipur, stopping briefly at Fatehpur Sikri, one of India‘s lost cities. Known as “The Pink City,” Jaipur’s old city was painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. It’s a decidedly more dirt-colored now, but the city’s history is rich and impressive. Our stay in Jaipur, much like all of our 8 days in India, was a series inspiring highs and some frustrating lows. We saw some beautiful places and we even made some friends in Jaipur, but our patience was constantly tested and the poverty and pollution could be intimidating at times. Even more than expected, this past week has been an unforgettable adventure to say the least.

We selected just a few favorite highlights from Jaipur below:

Hawa Mahal

Known as The Palace of the Winds, Hawa Mahal was our favorite Jaipur landmark. Five stories high, the palace was constructed in 1799 by a maharaja to allow the royal women to observe life on the streets from a safe distance. We were able to climb our way up the palace’s top story to take in views of the city and observe the chaotic scene on the city below.

On a side note, we have consistently marveled at the traffic situation in India, which is a total free-for-all of every kind of vehicle and animal you can image. Not to mention the constant car horns. We took a just quick video from Hawa Mahal to give you some idea of what it‘s like to get around the streets:

City Palace

In the middle of the old city, City Palace is a walled complex of courtyards, museums and gardens. It offered a nice escape from the hectic markets and touts just outside.

Amber Fort

North of Jaipur about 20 minutes, Amber village was once the ancient capital of Jaipur state. Amber Fort was initially constructed in 1592 and is a seemingly endless maze of towers, courtyards and temples. (Krista decided it is the ultimate place for hide and go seek.) On one of the sunnier days we enjoyed while in India, we had fun wandering around the place.

In another exciting travel hiccup, our flight from Jaipur to New Delhi was inexplicably canceled. So, after a considerable amount of scrambling, we hired another driver to drive us to New Delhi at 3:30 am to make sure we made our flight from Delhi to London. Good news: we made it!

India: New Delhi and Agra

2010-01-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

Roughly halfway through our Round the World trip, nothing we’ve seen so far, nor ever before, prepared us for what we have encountered in India. Chaotic and exhausting, India has been sensory overload since we landed. The food and hospitality has been incredible, while the constant scams and widespread poverty has been unsettling. Nevertheless, we are certainly not short on stories since arriving in New Delhi from Bangkok last week.

After a quick stay in New Delhi, India’s hectic capital, where the fog was so thick we couldn’t see any sights, we boarded an early morning train to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. The New Delhi train station at 5:30am was swirling with choas (and very few other tourists). We were approached by several people telling us our train was canceled so they could sell us other tickets or book us a car to Agra instead. These scams are common and fortunately we knew about them beforehand. With our limited wardrobe, we were definitely looking the part of tourists and were of constant interest to those around us.

Our train to Agra departed 90 minutes late, and the scheduled 3-hour trip took 10 hours due to intense fog in the region. This dramatic turn of events didn’t seem to bother anybody so we

concluded that train delays are the norm in India. In fact, the train station loudspeaker regularly blared out train delays of 7, 9 and 11 hours. We spent the long day on the train reading, sleeping and chatting in our first class cabin, which we shared with a friendly English-speaking local who lived in Agra. (He is apparently quite famous here in India as people flocked to him in the Agra train station. He was kind enough to give us a lift to our hotel.) The train was moving so slowly in the fog that the wild cows, goats, donkeys and even 3-legged dogs next to the train moved briskly passed us. Looking out the train window was mesmerizing as we never knew what we’d see next: from wild animals fighting over garbage scraps to kids having rock fights to countless masses huddled around a fires along the tracks.

The following day, we hired a private car to take us to the famed Taj Mahal. Built by Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favorite Queen, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal is a World Heritage Site and a masterpiece of symmetry. It took 22 years (1630-1652) and 20,000 workers to construct. The frenzy of rickshaw drivers, touts and beggars outside was a stark contrast to the peaceful and striking memorial inside. The afternoon was a mix of sun and haze, and the Taj looked like it was painted against the sky, making for one of the most memorable sites of our trip thus far.

From negotiating rickshaw prices to haggling with tour guides to the level of spice in the curry, India has had a steep learning curve so far, but we’re getting better at it. We’ve learned our lesson about the trains (!) and hired a car to take us to our next stop in India, Jaipur, known as “The Pink City” and Rajasthan’s capital. Stay tuned.

Thailand in a Nutshell

2010-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Thailand Fun Facts:

-$1 US = 33.3 Thai Baht

-Thailand’s population is 63 million, 10% live in Bangkok

-There are approximately 3,912 7-Elevens in Thailand

-Thailand is the world’s number one rice exporter (over 10 million tons in 2008)

-To be especially polite in Thailand, lower your head slightly when passing between two people having a conversation or when passing a monk.

-Thailand’s literacy rate is an impressive 92.6%

-Pad Thai costs roughly 40-80 Baht, or $1.20-2.40

Thailand Superlatives:

Best Thailand experiences:

Krista - Swimming at Nui Beach (Koh Lanta), snorkeling in Maya Bay (Koh Phi Phi), and motor-scootering around Koh Samui on Christmas Day.

Scott - Dinners and drinks on the sand in Koh Samui; paying $6 US for an hour Thai message on the beach (Koh Samui)

Worst Dance Moves:

Krista - Scott's, after being called up onto stage at a random Thai Dancing Show at a restaurant on the beach in Koh Samui (see photo below for reference)

Best iconic attraction:

Krista - The Big (Golden) Budda in Koh Samui. It’s huge and randomly placed on the beach!

Scott - The clear, green and warm ocean water…everywhere!

Favorite Thai dish:

Krista - Pad Thai and I ate it almost once a day. I also liked the Nutella Thai pancakes for dessert that are made on the streets. In general, I LOVED the Thai food and we plan to eat a lot more of it when we return back to the US. Let us know if you have any Thai restaurant suggestions in San Diego!

Scott - I never got tired of trying Thai dishes. The food is awesome and deliciously cheap. I discovered some great curry dishes along the way. I guess I was just warming up my stomach for India.

Biggest surprises about Thailand:

Krista - The Thai people are very nice and helpful, although they do not appear to have much in the way of material possessions. The Thais also speak/understand English quite well which made our visit less stressful.

Scott - I was surprised that I liked Koh Samui 10 times more than Koh Phi Phi, which is so highly regarded internationally. Although prices were doubled here during the peak holiday season, I was constantly surprised by stunning deals, like $7 US for a new backpack and $8 for a 24-hour scooter rental.

Weird animal sightings: Bats, elephants, wild monkeys, and (too) many stray cats.

Best Beach:

Krista - Nui Bay Beach on Koh Lanta (Dec 30)

Scott - Chaweng Noi Beach on Koh Samui (Christmas Day)

Favorite Thai adult beverage (since we can afford them here):

Krista - Spy wine coolers. $1.35 US each :)

Scott - Chang beer. After my first tasty one, I never tried any other brand. I even bought the t-shirt.

Most helpful suggestions we can offer for YOUR trip to Thailand:

Krista - “Taxis” are usually not air-conditioned cars. They tend to be pickup-truck beds or motor scooters with side-cars. If possible, try to have your hotel pick you up and bring you back to the airport. Also, make sure to take a boat trip around the islands - they are beautiful. Make sure to pack a sarong and lots of heavy deet bug spray!

Scott - We heard great things about Northern Thailand but sadly ran out of time. I suggest getting off the beach after a bit and getting up there to explore the mountains. Also, and as soon as you land in Bangkok, get out!

View Thailand in a larger map

Thailand: Koh Phi Phi

2010-01-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

We arrived on Koh Phi Phi via a 2-hour ferry from Koh Lanta nearly 6 days ago. Koh Phi Phi, a small, scenic island off of Thailand’s Andaman Coast , became famous after the movie The Beach hit theatres several years ago and showed off the limestone cliffs shooting out of crystal clear ocean waters. We haven’t seen the movie, but it’s a bit deal here. Also, five years ago this island was the center off attention after the Boxing Day Tsunami sadly wreaked havoc on the popular international tourist paradise.

Upon arriving at Koh Phi Phi, visitors are greeted with an overwhelming maze of restaurants, bars, travel agencies and inexpensive massage parlors. At first, we wondered what the heck we’d gotten ourselves into. Beyond all the riffraff and with a little digging, however, there is a friendly island with warm, clear water, some isolated beaches off the beaten path and lots of sunshine. We had a love-hate relationship with Koh Phi Phi during our 6 days here. We’ve loved the sun, the sand, the hiking, the food and the ocean, but the holiday crowds and party took its toll at times. Nevertheless, below we’ve focused on the highlights of our time here on Koh Phi Phi, which were quite spectacular:

1) Snorkeling day trip around Koh Phi Phi Don, its sister island, Koh Phi Phi Leh and nearby Bamboo Island: The snorkeling couldn’t compete with Fiji, but we had a blast snorkeling in the Koh Phi Phi Marine National Park and jumping off our boat into some of the clearest waters we’ve ever seen.

2) Long Beach (“Hat Yao” to the locals): When the main beaches didn’t blow our beach bum socks off, we went searching for more remote beaches on the island. As it turns out, there are plenty to be found. Our favorite was a 30-minute hike from where were staying, (near Ao Lo Dalam) called Long Beach. Here, almost daily, we escaped the crowds to soak up the sun and unwind in the warm ocean water.

3) Koh Phi Phi viewpoint: This steep, sweaty 35-minute hike to the top of Koh Phi Phi was well worth it for the views, as you’ll see in the photos below. The breeze was awesome and the view of the island, which is sort of hourglass-shaped, wasn’t too shabby either.

4) The food: We. Ate. Lots. Of. Good. Cheap. Noodles!

Thailand has provided a nice, relaxing break during our travels, but we’re excited and ready to move on to India and then trounce around Europe. It’s back to Bangkok next, then we’ll check in once we settle in in India.

Thailand: Krabi and Koh Lanta

2009-12-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

From Koh Samui we flew to the Krabi Province on the Andaman Coast. When most people picture the sexy Thai islands with karst mountains and clear, green water, images of this area spring to mind. We spent just one night in the small town of Krabi, mostly using it as a jumping off point to the Andaman Coast islands. Krabi is known for its picturesque limestone mountains sitting atop the beach, so we went to check out the local scenery. After a harrowing taxi ride on the back of a pickup truck (see photo for reference), we spent the afternoon in a small fishing village to the south of Krabi where most of the population is Taoist-Confusion and Muslim, and watched the long boats come in at low tide.

The next day we took a two-hour ferry to Koh Lanta. Long and thin, Koh Lanta is the largest of the Thai islands in this region. We stayed on Khlong Dao beach, not far from the main pier, which was bustling with restaurants and bars on the sand catering to tourists like us.

Koh Lanta is relatively flat when compared to other nearby islands so we spent a good amount of time exploring the island on a motorbike. On Tuesday, we scooted along the entire western side of the island stopping at five different, secluded beaches to cool off with a swim in the ocean. It was pretty wild to have a beach to ourselves, even in the middle of peak season. A noteworthy highlight from our motorbike journey was stopping abruptly as three wild monkeys casually crossed the road.

We found Koh Lanta very laid-back, but after two days we decided to continue our island-hopping and move along to the infamous Koh Phi Phi.

Christmas on Koh Samui

2009-12-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

After a quick fifty-minute flight from Bangkok, we arrived to Koh Samui, a popular getaway island in the Gulf of Thailand. We knew we were in for a good time when even the airport looked like a lavish tropical resort. We opted to stay initially on one of the island’s quieter northern beaches, Choeng Mon Beach. Now this is was our kind of place! Within hours of arriving, we had walked the crescent beach, swam in the warm gulf water and settled in for dinner and drinks at a table on the sand.

From there, the next several days were spent exploring the local area, reading by the ocean and trying some adventurous (and very inexpensive) Thai cuisine. Christmas day was a very untraditional this year. We rented a scooter and drove around part of the island’s 100-km ring road, stopping to check out some other beaches, fill the gas tank from a stand on the roadside and visit a gigantic golden Buddha overlooking the water. We had lunch outside about halfway down the eastern side of the island before treating ourselves to Thai massages and dinner on Choeng Mon beach.

We extended our stay in Koh Samui 3 times, eventually moving east just a bit to another beach for a change of scenery. As you might imagine, it was tough for us to board a plane departing the island when the time finally came, but we did. Our next stop would be across the thin middle of Thailand to Krabi, a jumping off point for the islands in the Andaman Sea.

Happy New Year, everyone. We miss you!

A Quick Stop in Bangkok

2009-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand a few days before Christmas. We spent just one day in Bangkok since we were excited to scrap city life and rush down to Thailand’s beautiful islands. In Bangkok, home to 7.7 million people, we stayed in an area called Banglamphu and spend an afternoon visiting the city’s most famous attraction, the Grand Palace. From our accommodation, we took a short water taxi ride to the Palace. The water taxi had a section reserved for monks that we accidentally sat in!

It was a hot, humid day and, as is customary, we dressed conservatively to enter the Palace (no shorts or skirts, no open-toed shoes, no exposed shoulders for women). The place was teaming with sweaty tourists, but the compound was an impressive sight nonetheless. The palace was built in 1782 upon the order of the Thai monarch at the time, who was clearly interested in an lavish and ornate residence. The grounds encompass more than 100 buildings, including the beautiful Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Here, we removed our shoes and sat in front of the Buddha, who was perched high above the floor, careful not to point out toes in his direction, which is considered extremely disrespectful. The Grand Palace is home to over 200 years of royal history, so despite having traces of a tourist trap, it is an important destination for Buddhists and Thai nationals.

Later that day, we hopped onto a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui! More on that soon.

Hong Kong and China in a Nutshell

2009-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

HK/China Fun Facts:

$1 US = 7.75 Hong Kong Dollars
$1 US = 6.83 Chinese Yuan
China’s population is 1.3 billion
China is home to 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities (25% of California’s pollution comes from China)
Percentage of China’s population under the poverty line (>$1 US per day) in 1979 = 64%. Percentage in 2004 = 10%
China recently overook the US as the world’s largest broadband market. (Don’t ask about Facebook or Twitter, though!)

HK/China Superlatives:

Best Hong Kong/China experience:

Krista - The Symphony of Lights night laser show in Hong Kong and walking the streets of Yangshao for a traditional feel.

Scott - The Great Wall of China. Exceeded expectations. Wandering around Yangshuo is a close second.

Best iconic attraction:

Krista - absolutely the Great Wall. It was one of the most impressive structures I have ever seen. The steep hike at Mutianyu is well worth it

Scott - The Great Wall, definitely.

Favorite Chinese dish

Krista - Kung Pao Chicken. It tastes even better here - I swear! I ate it twice.

Scott - Anything on a stick. The Chinese eat everything on a stick.

Most random photo taken with complete strangers:

Biggest surprises about China:

Krista - 1) The public restrooms are porcelain holes in the ground called “squat” toliets and they do not provide toilet paper so I had to always keep tissues in my pockets. 2) Many people do not speak English, including cab drivers and waitresses which makes getting around and eating a challenge. 3) Maybe it was because of the frigid weather, but I did not notice the pollution in Beijing.

Scott - Surprised by how widely English is spoken, even in Guanxi

Hardest language ever: Mandarin Chinese

Most helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to China:

Krista - Keep tissues in your pockets at all times and make sure to have the address for where you are trying to go in Chinese to show a cab driver!

Scott - 1) Bring an appetite. The food is good and very inexpensive. 2) Sharpen your bargaining skills to save some money along the way 3) Don’t go to Beijing in the winter

View China in a larger map

Brrrrrr, Beijing

2009-12-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

Last week we flew into China’s capital, Beijing, home to 15.6 million people., Immediately we were thankful for the puffy, down jackets we’d purchased in Guilin. It was cold, cold, cold. But despite the bitter temperatures, we were excited to explore this enormous city. Beijing is similar in size to Belgium, and unlike Hong Kong, which felt compact, Beijing is spread out. We found it a bit more conservative than Hong Kong, and not quite as friendly as elsewhere in China. We stayed in an area of town called Chaoyang, just east of the Tiananmen Square and the capital’s center.

Some highlights of our stay in Beijing included strolling around ancient buildings in the Forbidden City, home to 26 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, snapping photos in Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public square, people-watching in the shopping district, and eating Beijing’s specialty dish, Peking Duck.

All of this was great, but nothing compared to the afternoon we spent exploring the Great Wall of China. On a clear and sunny day, we visited a less touristed and extremely steep part of the wall, Mutianyu, which was built during the early years of the Ming dynasty (a very long time ago). This 3-km section of the wall provided an up-close look at some of the wall’s watch towers and a nice view of the surrounding mountains. We were impressed and took a lot of photos. Some of our favorites are below.

Exploring Guangxi: Guilin and Yangshuo

2009-12-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Seeking a break from the busy streets of Hong Kong, we took an hour or so flight to the Guangxi Province, which borders Vietnam, to explore the lush green landscape and limestone mountains around Guilin and Yangshuo. Our first stop, Guilin, a town of 740,000 on the west bank of the massive Li River, is a popular destination for Chinese nationals. Since it is the low season (and getting cold - we bought jackets), we found it relatively sleepy and fun to explore. We spent most of our time wandering around the Li River and Guilin’s pedestrian shopping area, taking in the interesting sites, people-watching, and, ahem, Scott waiting patiently while Krista explored many shops.

Our next destination was Yangshuo, a beautiful smaller town of 310,000 surrounded by stunning topography and skyrocketing limestone mountains. We really enjoyed this place and stayed for a few days. Beyond its natural beauty, which you’ll notice in the photos, the village area was teeming with shops, great noodle restaurants and cafes. Although we were asked if we wanted a ride on a bamboo raft thousands of times by the local “entrepreneurs“, we found the area very charming. We liked the prices, too, paying just $9 US for a night in our hotel, $8 for a delicious authentic meal with drinks, and $.87 for a large beer. We definitely stuck out like sore thumbs here. In fact, Krista kept saying that she felt like we were in a Social Studies video.

Following Yangshuo, we flew back to Hong Kong for a night, where we stayed on Lantau Island. Next, we’re off to Beijing.

It's Still on in Hong Kong

2009-12-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

There are 234 islands total around Hong Kong, but only four are home to a substantial residential communities with easy ferry access. On Saturday, we caught a ferry to Lamma Island, one of these four inhabited outlying islands. The island offers a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city; there are no cars, some quiet beaches and a decidedly laid back atmosphere. That afternoon we enjoyed the nice “family walkway” between two of the main villages on the island, Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, before catching the ferry back to Hong Kong Island for dinner.

The south coast of Hong Kong Island is totally different than the north coast. Much less developed and seemingly home to the wealthier HK citizens, the south coast is dotted with beaches and recreational opportunities. On Sunday morning, we took a bus to Stanley, one of the beach towns on the south coast and wandered around the area, grabbing lunch on the water overlooking the beach. Nearby Stanley Market is a covered market filled with cheap clothing and what not. Again, Krista’s bargaining prowess was on display.

We returned to Hong Kong airport that evening. Next, we are flying north to Guilin in the Guangxi Province to check out mainland China.

It's on in Hong Kong

2009-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

Eight hours on a Cathay Pacific plane got us from Perth to Hong Kong, the first stop on the Asian leg of our trip. Hong Kong has an interesting set up, since it is a Special Administrative Region and not technically part of China. (To make a long story short, when Britain ceded Hong Kong in the 1980s, after claiming it initially by military action in 1841, it demanded that Hong Kong remain a free market economy.) As such, Hong Kong boasts its own currency, US citizens do not need visas to enter, and web sites like this one (Blogger) aren’t blocked there like they are in China. (Hence the delay in China posts!)

Hong Kong’s 1103 sq km of territory is divided into four main areas: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Our accommodations were on Hong Kong Island, but the city is very easy to get around, so we spent our days here exploring all over the place.

Our first day was spend in the Central area of Hong Kong Island, on the northern and more urban jungle side of the island. Central is the main business district and home to some pretty incredible shopping. Although, there seems to be shopping everywhere in Hong Kong. Krista tested her bargaining skills on Li Yuen Street, a narrow alley crammed with shops selling everything under the sun on the cheap. To orient ourselves in this huge city, we took an elevator to the Bank of China Tower’s Observation Deck. That night, we ventured out into the Fortress Hill area and ate at an authentic local restaurant (with mixed results!).

On Friday, like every HK tourist worth his/her salt, we found our way to the Victoria Peak Tram. One of Hong Kong’s most memorable attractions, the tram rises steeply up Victoria Peak and ends at a Peak Tower, home to breath-taking views overlooking the city and some very touristy places to eat and shop. Afterwards, we walked through the bustling Lan Kwai Fong bar/restaurant area and then hopped on a 20-minute ferry across the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon.

Kowloon is the peninsula pointing south toward Hong Kong Island, and has an interesting dynamic with high-end hotels and shopping mixed in with some low-end buildings and sleaze. We were approached constantly about whether we were interested in a tailor, Rolex or a variety of designer handbags. Admittedly, we stand out a bit here with the height and all. We checked out some of the posh hotels like the Peninsula and the Intercontinental and wandered around the main shopping streets of Kowloon. After crossing back over the harbor via a cheap and fun ferry, we walked to Wan Chai’s waterfront and watched the world’s largest laser lights show, a nightly spectacle in Hong Kong that displays choreographed lights on top of buildings all around the city and sets the whole thing to music.

Australia in a Nutshell

2009-12-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Australia Fun Facts:

$1 USD = 1.08 AUD
Australia’s coastline is 25,800 km long and boasts more than 7,000 beaches
Australia exports around 793 million litres of wine per year. Although our visit caused them to lose out on a few litres…
In New South Wales and South Australia, a large glass of beer is called a “schooner.”
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth
Western Australia, the continent’s biggest state, is roughly the size of Western Europe

Australia Superlatives:

Favorite Australian Slang

Krista - “how ya going?” = how are you doing?

Scott - “little ripper” = extremely good thing

Admittedly, we have both adapted “sunnies” for sunglasses

Best city/town:

Krista - Perth - I loved the west coast beaches!

Scott - Sorry Sydney, Perth gets the nod this trip.

Best beach:

Krista - Manly Beach, Sydney. The main drag (the Corso) of shops and cafes was adorable and the homes on the Manly Scenic Walk reminded me of Windansea.

Scott - Cottesloe Beach in Perth. Great swimming and low-key.

Best Australian attractions or activities:

Krista - Free tastings at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory, driving the Great Ocean Road, Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, and Darling Harbor in Sydney.

Scott - Visiting the Margaret River area in Western Australia and attending the Melbourne Victory soccer match at Etihad Stadium

Most overhyped attraction:

Krista - Scott’s old dorm in Sydney - it had been turned into a hotel!

Scott - What’s the big deal about the Opera House again?

Favorite Australian Wine:

Krista - Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc

Scott - Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon

Best decision made in Australia:

Krista - To rent a car and drive to Margaret River - free wine tastings at all 50+ wineries

Scott - Seeking out my old stomping grounds at the Australian Hotel in Sydney for Happy Hour. $3.50 AUD or beers, wine, wings and fries. We went twice.

Most interesting fashion trend

Both - we found quite a few people don’t wear shoes, even in the cities.

Biggest surprises about Australia:

Krista - Kangaroos have very little hands and arms, which I found extremely creepy, especially when I got an up-close and personal look at the one that jumped in front of our rental car.

Scott - I’m surprised more people don’t live in Perth. It’s awesome. (Some might say “Perth-fect”)

Most helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to Australia:

Krista - take the trip to Western Australia - don’t just visit Sydney. The West coast is unreal.

Scott - Talk to the Australians - they are so nice. Also, plan for a long visit; the distances are HUGE.

*Please note that due to mainland China's censored access to Blogger.com, our China posts are a bit behind. (We're back in Hong Kong briefly, where access to Blogger.com is allowed.)

Margaret River - Western Australia Wine Country

2009-12-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

Although it was tough to leave Perth after a just few awesome days exploring and basking in the sun, we “hired” a car and headed 3 hours South to the Margaret River region, one of Australia‘s most scenic wine regions and home to some of the country’s most famous surfing beaches. En route to the wineries, we stopped at several beaches and bays to get a feel for the isolated coast. The beaches are everywhere and are easily accessible, and in many cases, we had them to ourselves. One after another, these were stunning beaches! In particular, we snapped some photos at Eagle Bay, Yallingup, Smith’s Beach and Redgate Beach.

Although the entire region is called Margaret River, we stayed a few nights in the Margaret River township, a small village “in the bush,” but just a dozen or so kilometers from the beach. Forty years ago, Margaret River was a quiet countryside and home to a few diary farms, but after someone discovered the region’s climate was similar to Bordeaux in France, the first wineries were planted here just inland from the beach. Now, more than 100 wineries are scattered within a relatively small area, and many crank out some of Australia‘s finest wines. Needless to say, we spent several days in Margaret River sampling the goods. The wineries vary in size and often in personality, and most offer awesome free tastings. Down dirt roads and through the countryside, we visited too many to list, but some of our favorites included Vasse Felix, the Cullens Winery, Voyager and Xanadu. The wineries are mixed in with other craftspeople offering free tastings, too, including chocolate, olive oil, cheese and fudge. And to mix things up a bit, a few breweries are also scattered along the dusty roads.

Next, we’re heading to Hong Kong!

Perth, Western Australia

2009-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, we took a 6am Qantas flight from Melbourne, Victoria to the world’s most remote capital city, Perth, Western Australia. Perth’s warm weather, beautiful white sand beaches and laid-back pace is just our style. The central business district and surrounding suburbs lack the large-city hustle and bustle we felt in both Sydney and Melbourne. Isolated on the opposite coast from most of the Australian population , Perth almost seems like a well-kept secret with some of the nicest beaches we’ve ever seen, the massive Swan River running through the city, and a huge public park overlooking it all. As Scott cleverly keeps saying, (much to Krista’s dismay) it is “perth-fect” here.

Our Perth friends, Allison and Kevin, whom we met while we were in Sydney, are the most gracious hosts imaginable and gave us a thorough tour of the city and its beautiful beaches. On Friday, we visited Fremantle (“Freo” to the locals), which is an artsy town on the beach with a European feel. We explored the Fremantle Markets, ate lunch outside, and enjoyed a beer tasting at the Little Creatures Brewery on the edge of Swan River. Tasty grog!

Perth’s beaches reminded us of Fiji with the clean white sand and bright, aqua green ocean. There are seemingly endless beaches along the coast, each with a different personality. The ocean water here is some of the cleanest in Australia, and the locals take advantage of it by swimming, snorkeling, windsurfing, and sailing. The beaches we visited were Cottesloe, North Fremantle, Brighton and Scarborough. To cap off our excellent touring day, we had a picnic of fish and chips and watched the sunset at quiet Floreat Beach.

On Saturday, we returned to Cottesloe Beach and spent the afternoon swimming and sun-bathing among the locals. It was the first time either of us had dunked in the Indian Ocean. The water was perfect.

After the beach we headed back to the city to visit Kings Park & Botanic Garden. The park is approximately 4 square kilometers and is on a hilltop overlooking the Perth skyline and Swan River. We enjoyed the awesome view of the city from several different vantage points, including a foot-bridge built high in the tree-tops.

Geelong, Victoria and the Great Ocean Road

2009-12-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

Just an hour by train from Melbourne is Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, although you’d never know it by its small-town feel. Geelong boomed during the gold rush as a gateway city to goldfields, and recent beautification efforts spawned nice parks along the water, and plenty of bayside cafes. Low-key and nestled on the huge Corio Bay, Geelong, most importantly, is home to our good Australian friends, Tony and Joan, whom we met in Fiji last April. Ever the gracious hosts, we met up with Tony and Joan shortly after arriving in Geelong and were whisked away for a tour around the beautiful coastal area, stopping at a seaside vineyard and nice beaches along the way.

The following day, we were honored by Tony and Joan’s invitation to a traditional Australian “tea” at their home. Over lamb, grilled pumpkin, fresh veggies and an unworldly chocolate cake for dessert, we chatted with Tony, Joan and Tony‘s son and daughter-in-law, Adrian and Anita, about funny Aussie stereotypes, LA traffic and some classic US slang. Their hospitality was extremely warm and generous, and the home-cooked meal was very, very good for our souls and our stomachs!

On Tuesday morning, we rented a small Nissan Tiida and headed southwest along the coast of the Southern Ocean (just 3300 km from Antarctica!). The beautiful and windy drive is called the Great Ocean Road, and it was hand-built by Australians after returning from WWII. The Great Ocean Road provides stunning views of the ocean and coastline, with several interesting, scenic and historic stops along the way. But enough with trying to describe it, here are some photos:

We drove about 200km along the Great Ocean Road, bringing us to the famous Twelve Apostles, which are lonely rock formations out to sea that have been created over the years by erosion. Since erosion is stopping anytime soon, the Twelve Apostles are changing - some collapsing and some new ones forming. Nevertheless, it’s a stunning sight.

We spent the night along the Great Ocean Road in a quiet, small seaside town called Apollo Bay. On our drive back there from the Twelve Apostles, we stopped to check out a lighthouse lookout in Great Otway National Park. There, we saw koalas in the wild, and even running along the side of the road!

Next, we say goodbye to Victoria and fly to Perth in Western Australia ("WA" to the locals), an isolated city in the vast expanse of WA that is often labeled Australia’s last frontier.

Melbourne, Victoria

2009-11-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

After a fun-filled week in Sydney, we took an hour flight (on Virgin Blue) south-east to Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Approximately 4 million people live in sprawling Melbourne and the Yarra River runs through the picturesque city, which is home to immigrants from all over the globe yet has a distinctly European vibe. We spent 3 days exploring Melbourne on foot and, thanks to some hot tips from longtime friend Josh Lent, who spent several months here, we caught many of the city’s awesome sights along the way.

Our accommodation was located a block away from the Queen Victoria Market, which is the largest open-air market in the southern hemisphere. The market has been running for over 125 years and there are 600 traders pushing everything from fake UGG boots to digeridoos to live baby ducklings (see photo). It took us about two hours to walk the entire market.

Later in the weekend, we walked along the Yarra River and caught a crew race in action. Along the South side of the river we walked through the South Bank, an area that boasts many nice restaurants and shops, along with the fancy Crown Plaza Casino and Entertainment Complex.

On Saturday, we headed to the beautifully designed Royal Botanical Gardens, also nestled beside the Yarra River. The gardens are the finest in Australia with an abundance of plant species, an herb garden and an Australian rainforest.

That afternoon, we walked around the city centre, including Collins Street, which is often compared to Paris for its designer shopping, nice cafes and and elegant architecture. To celebrate Thanksgiving (which is oddly not a hot topic here) we went to the No35 restaurant on the 35th floor of the Sofitel Hotel for a cocktail overlooking the city of Melbourne. The view was incredible, and the drinks were tasty too!

To finish up our weekend in Melbourne, we took in an Aussie A-League soccer match at Etihad Stadium, which is situated right on the waterfront in a newer area of town called The Docklands. The A-League is Australia’s national soccer league, and while soccer isn’t as wildly popular as rugby Down Under, it still has a serious following, especially in sports-crazed Melbourne. The game between the Melbourne Victory and the Gold Coast United was fast and scrappy, and a lot of fun. To the delight of the locals, Melbourne won 4-0.

More Sydney: Manly Beach

2009-11-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sydney’s weather was back to its beautiful summer self on Wednesday, so we packed up beach bags and took a 30-minute ferry across Sydney Harbor to Manly Beach to soak up the sun. Manly is a laid back area north of Sydney that clings to a narrow isthmus between ocean and harbor beaches. It is awesome and we didn‘t want to leave!

A short and busy boardwalk called The Corso connects the beach and the ferry terminal, and is filled with burger joints, shops and bars. It was a perfect beach day so we spent several hours on the sand before setting off on the Manly Scenic Walk, a nice 10k walkway that snakes around the area’s coast.

We returned to Sydney in time for our favorite Happy Hour at The Australian Hotel in The Rocks. We’re leaving Sydney tomorrow to fly to Melbourne, explore that area and check out The Great Ocean Road.

Happy Thanksgiving!

More Sydney: The Blue Mountains

2009-11-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

To escape the heat wave that gripped Sydney over the weekend, which peaked at a suffocating 106 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, we took a 2 hour train ride out to a small town called Katoomba on Tuesday. Katoomba is the main jumping off point for The Blue Mountains, a vast foothills area 65 kms outside of Sydney. The Blue Mountains encompass three national parks and is a great place for “bushwalking” (or hiking in Australian) and scenery. Think of the Grand Canyon but full of trees and blue haze. The bluish haze that gives the foothills their name comes from a fine mist of oil given off by eucalyptus trees.

Unfortunately, Tuesday brought a thick mist to The Blue Mountains, which is common, so we weren’t able to take in the epic views from Katoomba’s many platforms. We mostly just saw huge white walls of mist. However, with lots of bushwalking trails in the area that are good in any weather, we headed into the bush to check out the rainforest and Katooomba Falls.

Coogee and Bondi Beaches

2009-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

After a full day in the city heat, Saturday we decided to travel to Coogee beach (see left) for a relaxing day. The first thing we noticed (well, Krista noticed) was that women are allowed to sunbathe topless, which we were shocked to see. Very European! The water at Coogee was clear and bright with fun waves to play in. Despite the chilly water temp, we saw lots of swimmers, snorkelers and body surfers.

In the late afternoon we took a 5km coast walk from Coogee to Bondi beach. The walk was very scenic and closely followed the coast line with several great beaches and parks along the way. We passed a few small beach towns, all of them reminding us of La Jolla with the rocky coast and the beautiful homes. Check out the pictures!

Sydney, Australia

2009-11-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

We arrived safely to Sydney, Australia the evening of November 19th, and even though the sun was setting, we decided to check out the centre city. It is strange to think that more people live in Sydney than in the entire country of New Zealand, and it definitely felt cosmopolitan after the rural South Island. Sydney is Australia's oldest, biggest, and most diverse city.

The first thing we noticed when we got off the plane was the change in weather from New Zealand. It was 33 degrees Celsius in Sydney, which we soon figured out was over 91 degrees Fairenheit. Sydney was in the middle of a heat wave which is uncharacteristic given it's so early in the summer.

We explored the city at dusk and took a few shots of Circular Quay in Sydney Harbor, and the iconic Opera House and Harbor Bridge. It's a great place to people watch, so we returned the next morning to see it in sunlight too!

The roof of the Opera House is 67 meters high and made of over one million Swedish tiles. There are approximately 2,400 events held per year at the Opera house including dance, concerts, opera, theatre and private events. We walked around outside the entire Opera House and outside the main entrance, crew-hands were setting up an elaborate outdoor stage for the Australian Idol finals this weekend.

We admired the Harbour Bridge from the Opera House, across Sydney Harbour. Even though this bridge was built in 1932, it took the city of Sydney 60 years to pay for it ($20 million). This bridge leads to North Sydney, the business district.

Next, we headed to Darling Harbour to see the Sydney Aquarium and walk around the cafes and shops. We had to take multiple breaks from the heat and humidity for ice cream and to watch the Sydneysiders on lunch break.

After checking out Chinatown and one of the city's busy main streets, George Street, we walked back to a historic area of Sydney called "The Rocks". This is the first area of the city to be built by the convicts when they arrived on these shores in 1788. On Friday nights in the summer (it is summer now) there is an outdoor market on the streets. We walked through the shops and stopped by one of Scott's old Sydney haunts, The Lowenbrau Keller, for happy hour. Conveniently, the well-known Australia winery Yellow Tail happened to be offering a tasting in The Rocks, so we stopped by and tried their new varietal Bubbling Rose, a sparkling wine.

New Zealand in a Nutshell

2009-11-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

New Zealand Fun Facts:

- There are 4.2 million people and 40 million sheep in New Zealand.

- There are 3,100 glaciers over 100 meters long in New Zealand.

- Current exchange rate is something like $1 USD = $1.32 NZD.

- New Zealand is 268,680 square kilometers, roughly the same area as Colorado.

- Throughout our 10 days with a rental car, which we named The Silver Fox, we drove 2,208 kilometers (approximately 1,368 miles). Krista only got us lost twice.

New Zealand Superlatives:

Best city/town:

Krista - Queenstown. Even though I would never take part in the adventure sports, I loved the walks and shops in this town.

Scott - Queenstown. I would like to visit in the winter - loved Christchurch too.

Best attractions or activities:

Krista - Botanical Gardens in Christchurch and hiking Mt. Iron in Wanaka

Scott - Rugby finals game in Christchurch and Milford Sound

Most overhyped attraction:

Krista - The West coast glaciers

Scott - Geothermal springs in Rotorua

Best decision made in New Zealand:

Krista - To stay in Wanaka for an extra day to catch the All Whites soccer game. Also, selling back our New Zealand Lonely Planet to a used book store in exchange for the Australia Lonely Planet.

Scott - NOT searching high and low to watch the Pats/Colts game at a pub with satellite

Best purchase made in New Zealand:

Krista - Khahi dri-fit pants that zip off just above the knee and become shorts. Apparently these are called "convertible pants" by the savvy travelers. Now Scott and I have matching pants - we have always been so stylish.

Scott - 3 liter box of red wine (portable!) for $17.99 NZD

Biggest surprises about New Zealand:

Krista - Very rural - the “highways” are one-lane roads through mountain ranges and farms. The population of New Zealand is far less that I expected. Lastly, I simply cannot get over how many sheep and cows are in this country.

Scott - Colder than expected for springtime; sparse and expensive Internet; not as cheap as 2001!

Most helpful suggestion we can offer for YOUR trip to New Zealand:

Krista - Get recommendations from the locals - some of our best adventures in New Zealand came out of chatting up the Kiwis.

Scott - Concentrate the majority of your time on the South Island, rent a vehicle and stay as long as you can get away with it.

View New Zealand in a larger map

The Sleepy Banks Peninsula

2009-11-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

After a road trip across the South Island back to the East coast, we passed by Christchurch and headed for Banks Peninsula on a tip from some nice local folks we met along the way. The Banks Peninsula was formed by two big volcanic eruptions, and it’s home to a bunch of small bays and harbors that make for low-key summer and weekend retreats. The main town is called Akaroa, 83 kilometers from Christchurch. It’s a historic place with a heavy French village influence, since it was the first and only French settlement in New Zealand. Like many places here in NZ, it’s postcard worthy scenery everywhere, with rolling hills sloping into greenish ocean. The big thing to do here is swim with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphins, Hector’s Dolphins, but we decided to leave that - and the cold ocean water - to the experts.

We read about a nice place to stay in the remote area of Okains Bay, not too far from Akaroa. In the middle of nowhere but walking distance to the beach, we spent two very quiet and peaceful days here. And by nowhere, we mean dial-up Internet and a single general store that sells jelly and ice cream and not much more. We did a lot of walking around the beach and caught up on some reading. It was completely relaxing and a nice recharge before heading off to Australia.

New Zealand's West Coast Glaciers

2009-11-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we drove through Mount Aspiring National Park on our way to the two main glaciers along the west coast, Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier. The area had been dumped with rain the previous night, so there were a lot of gushing waterfalls along the mountainous roads as we drove through the park. We reached the glaciers in the afternoon -- they’re only about 20 minutes apart from each other.

This part of New Zealand is extremely remote with less than 1% of the population living here. Along the coastal route we drove, the towns are very tiny and mostly isolated. We visited the Fox Glacier first, the smaller of the two, and then made our way to the more imposing and popular Franz Joseph Glacier. Some 15,000 - 20,000 years ago, both of these glaciers reached the Tasman Sea, but over time, they have gone through various periods of advancement and retreat. Interestingly enough, the Franz Joseph Glacier has actually advanced an average of 70cm each day since 1985. We got a little wet as we learned these fun facts about the glaciers, but they were quite a sight nevertheless.

We stopped by Hokitika for lunch and ate facing the Tasman Sea. Scott had a VIP seat!

Weekend in Wanaka, New Zealand

2009-11-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Reeling from our time at beautiful Milford Sound, we packed up the Corolla and drove northward, heading in the direction of the glaciers along the south island’s west coast. We’ve done quite a bit of driving here in New Zealand, but they let you drive pretty fast and the scenery is very entertaining so we’ve enjoyed the journey as well as the destinations. We’ve posted a photo from along the roadside (see right) to give you an idea of why we‘re OK with receiving radio reception only 5% of the time.

To break up the drive, we stopped at a small resort town called Wanaka, north of Queenstown. Wanaka is a lakeside ski town in the winter and aboating and beach hang out in the summer. Since it is spring, we found it somewhat sleepy and totally charming. After settling in, we walked to the nearby Mount Iron and hiked to the summit for an awesome view of the area. Then, we wandered around town and enjoyed some happy hour beverages outside in the blazing sun.

We liked Wanaka a lot so we decided to stick around for another day, figuring the glaciers would probably still be there. We were glad we extended our stay in Wanaka because we enjoyed a local farmer’s market in the morning, saw a recreational cricket match in the town’s main park and then bellied up to the bar to watch the All Whites, New Zealand’s national football team, defeat the favored Bahrain squad in a World Cup Qualifying match. This is a very big deal here -- the kiwis are going to the World Cup in South Africa next year. This also marks the first time we’ve ever watch a full soccer game…!

Te Anau and Milford Sound, New Zealand

2009-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

After Queenstown, we drove to Te Anau – a tiny lakeside town a couple of hours drive from Milford Sound. Lake Te Anau, seen from virtually anywhere in Te Anau, is one of New Zealand’s largest lakes. Our accommodations in Te Anau was particularly scenic, as we were perched on a hill that overlooked rolling green hills and pastured with snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Milford Sound is a spectacular fiord that was formed by glaciers cutting through mountains thousands of years ago. (Interestingly enough, Milford Sound was incorrectly named a sound by the Welshmen that discovered it. It is technically a fiord, which is a glacially sculpted canyon. A sound, on the other hand, is sculpted by a river.) The rocky cliffs surrounding the fiord were 1,600 meters high and covered with trees, greenery, and many waterfalls.

We took a nature cruise around Milford Sound that lasted a little over two hours. The ship was brand new and offered heaters as well as a café and full bar. The ship was small enough that it could sail underneath waterfalls and right up to the cliffs. We saw fur seals and many friendly, bottle-nosed dolphin. Milford Sound is a wildly natural and beautiful place, and we definitely think it’s a Must Do for anyone visiting the New Zealand. Check out the photos for evidence!

Queenstown, New Zealand

2009-11-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Queenstown and walked around the very small city. It reminds us a lot of Lake Tahoe with towering mountains surrounding a picturesque lake, along with high-end shops and restaurants and an overall relaxed atmosphere. Queenstown is the self-proclaimed the “Global Adventure Capital” where we found many adrenaline junkies sky-diving, bunging jumping, canyoning and white water rafting. We somehow managed to abstain all of the extreme sports J. We spent a lot of time window-shopping, walking around the Queenstown Gardens, and hiking along the lake on the Frankton Walkway.

For the first time on our trip, we had free wifi in Queenstown. We have noticed that the New Zealanders do not use wifi much and it is expensive and hard to find. Free wifi was a welcomed change and allowed us to catch up on email and NFL scores!

Lake Tekapo en route to Queenstown, New Zealand

2009-11-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we rented a car (Toyota Corolla) to get from Christchurch to Queenstown, known widely as "the Adventure Capital of the world." (And yes, we drove on the wrong side of the road the whole way!) The drive to Queenstown is about 7 1/2 hours so we split the drive in half by staying overnight in a tiny vacation town called Lake Tekapo (teek-ka-poo).

Lake Tekapo is a beautiful and remote place, with a turquoise lake overshadowed by rolling hills and the Southern Alps mountains. The lake is turquoise as a result of "rock flour" (sediment) in the water's basin, which originated from a stony-bottomed glacier way back when. It's a photographer's paradise.

After a morning hike up nearby Mt John to scope the view and the famous observatory, passing lots of sheep along the way, we hopped back in the trusty Corolla and drove the remaining few hours to Queenstown. Queenstown is one of New Zealand's premier tourist spots, and, by checking our these photos (below), it's easy to see why. We'll be here for the next few days soaking it up.

Christchurch, New Zealand

2009-11-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic couple of days in Christchurch wandering around the small city. Christchurch is the most English of the New Zealand cities, with Euro influence reflected in many of the buildings' Gothic architecture, and we even saw the occasional old school red phone booth. Another English touch is the river that runs through the city is named the Avon. Along the Avon river there were gondola boats giving rides to tourists -- the Kiwis call these "punt boats".

Our first stop was the Christ Church Cathedral which is at the center of the city. (see photo above) After the church, we spent a couple hours exploring and people-watching in the Botanical Gardens. The gardens seemed never-ending and each part was more beautiful than the next.

That night, going on a hot tip from a local, we went to the Air New Zealand Cup rugby finals match- Canterbury vs. Wellington at the stadium. The game was very exciting, the local fans were enthusiastic and the home team (Canterbury) won. We made friends with some locals sitting in front of us and they helped us understand the

rules of the game (see photos).

The bubbling town of Rotorua, then on to Christchurch, New Zealand

2009-11-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

On our final day in Auckland, we walked down to the harbor and took a short ferryride over to Devonport , a small village on the North Shore that is home to New Zealand’s Navy. We explored for a bit, including on North Head, where these photos were snapped, ate lunch at a café and headed back to Mt. Eden.

On Wednesday, we hopped an early bus south four hours to Rotorua, New Zealand’s most famous tourist town. Rotorua is known for its geothermal hot springs, bubbling mud polls and geysers. However, what we didn’t know was the sulfurous gases put out by the springs make the town smell like rotten eggs. We spent the afternoon and evening at a spa, dipping in various geothermal pools that were good for our muscles, joints, and skin.

Thursday was drizzly, but we walked around the town of Rotorua anyway, including the Kuirau volcanic park. We listened to a cover band at a pub called the Pig & Whistle and enjoyed our first adult beverages of the trip.

Friday we traveled to Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand. We took a beautiful three hour ferrry ride from the North Island (the city Wellington) to the South Island (the small village Picton) and then an awesome train ride down the rugged northeast coast of the island to Christchurch (see photos from ferry and train). We look forward to exploring Christchurch next!

Auckland, New Zealand

2009-11-02T13:14:00.001-08:00

After 13 hours on a smooth flight from LAX, we arrived safely to Auckland, New Zealand. We've spent the past couple of days getting settled in, exploring New Zealand's largest city by foot, checking out Maori treasures at Auckland Museum, adjusting to no iPhone data plan(!), and wandering around the awesome neighborhood we are staying in, Mt. Eden, which includes a lookout from atop an old volcano (see photo on left). Auckland is home to about 1 million New Zealanders, and its volcano punctured land is surrounded by two harbors. The weather has been changing constantly from nice and warm to windy and chilly.

Today is our final day here in Auckland and we plan to take a ferry around the harbor. Tomorrow we'll head to Rotorua, home to natural geothermal spas.

Our Round-The-World Itinerary

2009-10-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for our adventure and thanks to all of our family and friends for the unconditional love and support.

Our ticket will allow for us to change the date/time of the flights as long as we follow the same path. Our initial itinerary is shown below and might change a bit as we are traveling.

ROUND-THE-WORLD ITINERARY

Flight: San Diego, CA to Aukland, New Zealand
New Zealand’s North and South Islands, Oct 30 – Nov 19

Flight: Christchurch, New Zealand (South Island) to Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and points in between, Nov 19 – Dec 10

Flight: Perth, Australia to Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong, Guilin, Yangshou, back to Hong Hong, Dec 10 – 17

Flight: Hong Kong to Beijing, China
Beijing, Dec 17 – Dec 22

Flight: Beijing, China to Bangkok, Thailand
All over Thailand, Dec 22 – January 7

Flight: Bangkok, Thailand to New Delhi, India
New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, January 7 - 14

Flight: New Delhi, India to London, England
We needed to connect in London anyway, so just three nights here, Jan 14 - 17

Flight: London, England to Athens, Greece
Greece, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco (Africa), Jan 17 – Feb 20

Flight: Madrid, Spain to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil (pending Brazillian visas!), Feb 20 – March 9

Flight: Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile
We’ve heard mixed reviews on Chile, but we were in the neighborhood, so…, March 9 – 13

Fligth: Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru
Finishing up with Machu Picchu! March 13 - 21

Flight: Lima, Peru to Los Angeles, CA
March 21 - Back in the USA, home!

Global Goryls FAQ

2009-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

As we’ve told people about what we have planned for the next five months, naturally, several questions have arisen, some more frequently than others. So, as a way to kick of our blog, we’ve created this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) post.

Why are you traveling around the world?

We both love to travel. We have traveled internationally independently, but certainly never to this extent, and now we can do it together. We do not have mortgage payments or kids (yet), so we have saved enough money to travel comfortably and to the places we would like to visit. Lastly, life is short so we wanted to follow our dream!

How did you decide where to go?

We each made a list of the places we would like to go on this trip. There was a lot of cross-over, which made it easier to try to accommodate both of our “dream destinations” lists into the itinerary. In terms of must-see places for each of us, we were able to include almost all of them. And we feel like we’re hitting a lot of really outstanding places along the way.

Are there places you wish you could have included but didn’t?

Looking at a world map and trying to decide where to go given a fairly open timeframe is really tough. In particular, Scott would have liked to have visited Scandanavia, but it will be extremely cold and dark when we’re in the area (Jan/Feb). Krista would have liked to have included Prague, but we decided to stick to the very southern part of Europe since it’ll be winter then. And we both wish we could have fit in South Africa and the surrounding area, but we had to leave something for our next big adventure!

Are you traveling in the US at all?

Before leaving for New Zealand, we took two weeks to complete a nice East Coast swing from North Carolina to New Hampshire. We saw lots of friends, family and some great places along the way, including both of our alma maters (Wake Forest and Boston University) and both of our hometowns (Potomac, Maryland and Hampton, New Hampshire). We love the USA!

How do your flights work? Are you buying them as you go along?

Outside of leaving great jobs in the middle of a recession, dealing with air travel is probably the most difficult part of the trip. After researching a variety of options, we determined the best way for us to fly from place to place was with a Global Explorer Pass from the One World Alliance. This offered us the ability to fly everywhere we wanted to go, have flexible dates in case we wanted to stay or leave somewhere, fly on reputable airlines, and earn American Airlines miles! Since One World offers a flat rate based on how many continents you fly to, and since we (technically) began and ended our itinerary in New Zealand, the average price of each flight works out to less than $300.

Where will you be staying?

We will be traveling somewhat modestly, staying in private rooms in hostels, mid-range hotels, short-term apartments, etc., all depending on where we are in the world. We also have a host of hotel points from international chains, especially Starwood (thank you, Amex!), so we’ll use these points every couple of weeks to treat ourselves to a very nice accommodation and maybe even catch some American TV!

How planned out are your stays in each country? Each city?

To be honest, our stays are not very planned out at all. We both have ideas in our heads about what we’ll probably do in certain places, but not much of it is written in stone since we will: a) have plenty of time to plan on the road, b) want to gather suggestions from fellow travelers, and c) want to remain flexible and free during our travels. For more “exotic” places, however, like Guilin, China or India, we might hire a guide or otherwise have a plan for what we will do to fill our days there since they are more difficult to navigate than most other places.

What are you packing for 5 months of travel?

Packing for this kind of trip was incredibly difficult, but we’ve gotten some great advice from fellow worldwide travelers (thanks Eryn and Kevin!) and we’ll be bringing clothes that can layer easily and do well in all weather. Think conversion pants, dry-fit everything and awesome socks. As for technology, we each have a point-and-shoot camera, iPhones, and we bought an Asus netbook for the trip specifically.

Krista is wielding a 24” Victorinox backpack with wheels and Scott is taking a 26” Victorinox backpack with wheels. We also have small day-backpacks that attach to our larger rolling backpacks.

Do you need visas for any of these places?

Surprisingly, only a few countries required visas for entry (for US citizens anyway). Australia has an easy electronic visitor’s pass that was completed in seconds online. We sent away for Chinese and Indian visas a month or so before our departure, and we are hoping to get Brazilian visas while we’re on the road.

Won’t you get sick of each other?

Five months is a long time to be attached at the hip with anyone, but we’re excited for the ups and expect the downs and we know we are building the foundation for an awesome life together.

What places are you looking forward to visiting most?

Scott: Buenes Aires (Argentina), Guilin (China), Perth (Australia), and returning to the South Island, New Zealand

Krista: Mykonos (Greece), Amalfi Coast (Italy), New Zealand, Machu Picchu (Peru)

How will you keep in touch?

We will be in touch through this blog, email, phone, and Skype. Please email us at scott.goryl@gmail.com and kristagoryl@gmail.com. You can also reach us on Skype at sqgoryl and knicegoryl.