• Home
  • About
    • Who We are
    • Affiliates
    • Disclosures & Guidelines
    • FAQs
    • Privacy Notice
  • Funding Your Travels
    • Banking on the Road
    • Credit Cards in Our Wallet
    • Spending
  • Contact
    • Media
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Partnership Opportunities

i should log off

log off and live!

  • Travel & Planning
    • Travel Reflections
      • Good, Bad & Ugly
      • Re-Entry
    • Travel Resources
      • Travel Tips
      • Travel Bloggers
    • Reviews
      • Gear
      • Operators
      • Travel Clothing
    • Travel Gear
      • Cameras
      • Danny’s Clothes
      • Electronics
      • Health & Hygiene
      • Jillian’s Clothes
      • General Gear
  • Destinations
    • Travel Guides
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Lesotho
      • Kenya
      • Malawi
      • Morocco
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
      • Sudan
      • Swaziland
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia & Oceania
      • Armenia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Georgia
      • India
      • Kazakhstan
      • Laos
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vietnam
    • Caribbean
      • Antigua
      • Cuba
      • Jamaica
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Europe
      • Armenia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Georgia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • Middle East
      • Egypt
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • Turkey
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Bolivia
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Weekend Adventures
    • Cycle
      • Pastimes
        • Beer & Wine
        • Books
        • Cooking
        • History & Culture
    • Dive & Snorkel
    • Hike
    • Trek
    • Whitewater
  • Photos
    • Photo of the Day
  • Family Travel
You are here: Home / Archives for capitals

Water Puppets, Primates and Tam Coc

November 10, 2010 By Jillian

IMGP9462Those of you that have been following along with us are probably now thinking- how did you get from Beijing to Hanoi? Well it’s a long story, but basically traveling during National Holiday in China completely screwed up our itinerary. Since we were so limited in what transportation was available, we cobbled together a strange route through China that had us end in Beijing. Unwilling to take a 3 day train to Vietnam, we bit the bullet and booked a flight, through Malaysia. Yes, from Beijing to Hanoi we spent a day in Kuala Lumpur, which frankly was awesome. Shopping capital of the world- we even found multi-grain cheerios!IMGP9411

We briefly stopped in Hanoi and instead headed to the coast and spent a few days in Nihn Bihn. An Endangered Primate Center is the biggest draw at the Cuc Phong National Park, but after spending so much time in heavily polluted China we were glad to have a day in the fresh air hiking through the jungle and took less than 15 minutes for the bugs to find Danny, reminding both of us of the many joys of the tropics. We hiked to a tree which is claimed to be over 1000 years old and even hiked into a pitch black “pre-historic” cave. No animals were spotted through any of this, outside of stickbugs and other insects, as hunting in the park has diminished animal populations so much that there are hardly any animals left in the park.

The next day I found myself sitting in a row boat watching a woman row with her feet. Yup, you read that right. Rowing with her feet. Through the caves and stone arches of Tam Coc – Bích Dong (means 3 caves) we admired the scenery as every other boat that passed stared at our boat driver rowing with her feet.IMGP9480 Sure there were other drivers using their feet, but our lady rowed that way for the full hour long trip. It was impressive, but then again, why hadn’t anyone else thought of that before? Surely these can’t be the only people in the world innovative enough to use larger muscle groups to row. I guess necessity is the mother of invention, as was the hard push we received on the boat to purchase some local embroidery.

Back in Hanoi we filled a full day sightseeing and sat through a rather amusing water puppet show. A traditional form of entertainment, the water puppet shows are traditionally performed along river banks. Now the shows are performed from pools inside auditoriums and although the story lines were a little lost on us, we enjoyed watching the puppets flip back and forth on long sticks. It was a little kitsch but cute and worth the $3 price of admission.

Plenty of other sites abound in Hanoi, we enjoyed the Ethnography museum- be sure to check out housing examples in the back, some of which were put up in the traditional way by villagers. We also stopped by the IMGP6165“Hanoi Hilton,” where John McCain’s flight suit is on display. I wonder what would have happened if he had become president?

IF YOU GO: We stayed at a great hotel in Old Hanoi called the Allura, shop around and you should be able to find something comfortable and decent without any problem. Buses to Ninh Binh run from a bus station in the south of the city very frequently and are less than $3. From Ninh Binh we were able to arrange a car to take us to the national park, but be aware that the primate center closes mid-day for lunch. A little restaurant on-site serves food until it runs out- this can be rather early, so bring snacks and water. We rented bikes in Ninh Binh to get to Tam Coc for the boat trip and took a route along the river.

Filed Under: Asia & Oceania, Headline, History & Culture, Vietnam Tagged With: capitals, cultures, rivers, transportation

Mummies, Pyramids and Margarita’s

June 3, 2010 By Jillian

Arriving in Cairo after two long days in the car, we were excited to check into our hotel and grab a drink. A long time ago a fellow blogger told us there was a Chili’s in Cairo and frankly we’ve been dreaming of nothing but a big serving of chips and salsa and an almost-the-size-of-your-head margarita ever since then. It was a schlep into Cairo but the whole time we kept saying, margarita’s tonight! Sitting down to order we looked at the drink menu: slushies, not margarita’s. We were devastated. No margarita’s at Chili’s? Consoling ourselves in fajitas and copious amounts of salsa, the four of us celebrated our arrive to Cairo with some “Jani Water: Red Lion” rum, which as you can imagine was rather unpleasant.

We’ve seen tons of pyramids and temples, but truly the pyramids of Giza are spectacular. As with nearly everything in Egypt, the sheer size of the pyramids is what is most amazing. Although we got to the pyramids early, they were packed with tours so we took the requisite pictures and went straight to the back. Fortunately most tourists stay between the first two pyramids so we had the third all to ourselves. We didn’t pay the extra fee to go climbing in the pyramids, having been advised against it by several travelers, so I can’t tell you what its like to be inside a pyramid, but from the outside I would imagine its rather claustrophobic! Near to the pyramids is the famous sphinx, which sits almost guarding the towering sites. Since it was early though, we passed on the trip to the Pizza Hut across the street where the views of the Sphinx are the best available.

We spent hours at the rather ill designed and laid out Egyptian museum scoping out the treasures of Tutankhamen and more sarcophagus’ than you can shake a stick at. The museum feels more like a cultural warehouse, the hundreds of thousands of artifacts are jammed on shelves mostly without description or explanation. A fascinating exhibit on stolen treasures and destroyed archaeological sites, some destroyed as late as 2004, made us appreciate the problem of conservation and protection. Just an hour in the museum made us realize how Egyptology can be its own discipline.

Cairo itself is chaotic and vibrant and surprisingly hopping late at night. Crossing the street is a bit like playing frogger- you move quickly from lane to lane waiting for a brief break in traffic before jumpingto the next one! Until well after midnight families roam the streets enjoying coffee, ice cream and plenty of window shopping. Lit up like Las Vegas, the main streets are incredibly loud, but we loved being in the city again. Wandering the Khan al Kalili market and getting past the tourist area, we loved the constant commerce around us. Vendors selling spices, jewelry, clothing, shoes, fabrics, no one yelling at us as tourists, rather just shouting at the crowd of customers. Thousands of shops and stalls sold everything from accessories to spices and toys. Being a Muslim country, you can imagine our surprise at the numerous risqué lingerie shops that also lined the streets of central Cairo. Makes you wonder what’s under that chador!

We loved Cairo and would be happy to return to its chaos and color someday. Ultimately Cairo was a sad experience for us as we had to say goodbye to Ali and Campbell who continued on to Alexandria for a ferry to Italy while we continued East to the Sinai. Traveling with them continuously since Nairobi, it was hard to say goodbye to them and be on our own again. We’ll miss Campbell’s comments, Ali’s TIA logic and the trials and tribulations of taking Kaspuurr through the desert or up a mountain. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we travel together!

IF YOU GO: Cairo is a chaotic, amazing, vibrant city, in fact the largest in Africa.  Do see the Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids of Giza, but also explore the markets and neighborhoods, which are very rewarding. We went to the pyramids first thing in the morning and took an inexpensive taxi straight there. The Khan al Kalili market is enormous, we went in the evening and snagged some great deals from the vendors.  Remember to keep a sense of humor when negotiating and  don’t feel obligated to buy even if you are invited for tea. Remember that the price if always negotiable especially with a smile and some basic arabic.  Negotiating is part of the game.  Street food in Cairo is plentiful and delicious though be weary of tourists prices and refuse to pay them.

Filed Under: Africa, Egypt, Headline, History & Culture, Middle East Tagged With: capitals, drinking, museums, ruins

Khartoum

May 17, 2010 By Jillian

At the convergence of the Blue and White Niles, Khartoum seems to straddle an invisible line separating sub-saharan Africa from Arabia. Geographically it may not be so, but there is a certain cultural divide that comes together with the Niles. White robed men linger in the souk with their brightly dressed East African brothers while women from the west and the south- their faces scared by ritual cuttings sell delicious tea (chai) on the side of the road. Khartoum is in many ways a reflection of Sudan’s place in Africa, it is the largest country with perhaps the most visible regional diversity on the continent.

Mosque in Khartoum

Khartoum was lovely. We spent nearly a week camping by the banks of the Blue Nile, walking the length of the city several times over, exploring the Omdurman (Arab section of town) souk courtesy of a local couchsurfer, drinking gallons of fresh juice and even enjoying an ice cream or two where we could find it. From the wonderful couchsurfers we met up with to the market stall owner who invited us in for tea, and the men who invited us to lunch at the sailing club (which was delicious!), we were constantly meet with gracious hospitality and genuine interest.

Our wonderful CS “family” in Khartoum

Walking back from the Sudan National Museum, Danny and I were stopped on the street by a local family. Introducing himself to us, and then in turn his two boys and his veiled wife, the man welcomed us to Sudan and wished us a pleasant stay. This scene was to be repeated time and time again in Khartoum. Instead of taxi drivers following us down the street honking and yelling: “Taxi! Good price!” the drivers in Khartoum waved at us out their window and yelled, Welcome! It was a delightful change of pace.

Standing at the Whirling Dervish (sufi dance) ritual at sunset on Friday, we were fascinated not only by what was in front of us, but enchanted (thats really the only way to put it), by the people of Sudan.

Filed Under: Africa, Headline, Sudan Tagged With: capitals, cities, rivers

Addis Ababa

April 26, 2010 By Danny

This is probably the most African city in Africa. It is big and loud. Sidewalks run incomplete into beautiful buildings. It is among the 5 largest cities on the continent yet there is a donkey that eats grass out of the road median near our hotel and today we had to walk around a flock of sheep being herded the opposite direction. It is where the Africa of old meets the Africa of new.

Addis is unique in Africa for the same reason Ethiopia is unique in Africa. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been conquered or colonized. Every other country we’ve been to on this trip, including our own USA, is a country born from colonization. This lack of European influence (save Mussolini’s occupation during World War II) has yielded a country that can say it is wholly African. As a result, Addis Ababa, the capital city, is the only one on the continent free of European history and thus serves as a beacon for the rest of the continent, as the center of African diplomacy.

This role as the diplomatic center of Africa gives Addis Ababa its modern edge. It is the reason Addis is home to one hotel (a Sheraton) rumored to be one of the nicest in the world, with a night in a villa starting at $12,000. It is the reason every country we’ve ever heard of has an embassy here. It is the reason I was just able to enjoy good ice cream with chocolate cake for the first time months.

We’ve had a lot of time to pass here in Addis, waiting for visas to Egypt and then to Sudan so that we can complete the remainder of our trip. It is the first time, in over a year of travel, that we’ve set foot inside a US Embassy (to get additional passport pages) and I can honestly say I was never so happy to see a photo of Hilary Clinton in my life. We saw a copy of the famous ‘Lucy’ skeleton, ate a lot of Ethiopian food, and even watching Ethiopian dancing. This is a nice city, a real city, but it still doesn’t make me want to spend more time on the continent.

Filed Under: Africa, Ethiopia, Headline Tagged With: capitals, cities

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Featured Posts

Our Bucket List
How We Travel For Free
$ Travel Tips

Recent Comments

  • Barbara on Kayaking Kauai’s Na Pali Coast
  • Lori Hubbard on Review: Eneloop Batteries and Charger
  • TK on The Trouble with Philadelphia

Banking on the Road

It can be very hard to keep track of your finances while you're on the road long-term. Be sure to check out how we took care of our finances while traveling and feel free to email us any questions you have.

Adventure Guides

Torres Del Paine
China Adventure
Uzbekistan Overland
Egyptian Odyssey
Malaria
Argentina Adventure
DIY African Safari
South Africa Guide
Bolivia by Bus
How-To African Visas

Copyright 2008-2015 · All Rights Reserved · Contact I Should Log Off · RSS · Partner With Us · Privacy