tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64721623919318774422024-03-14T11:39:27.287-07:00Wandering NorthWelcome to "Wandering North", where I have been chronicling my travel adventures since 2007. Enjoy.Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-32706030347393734912018-09-29T14:36:00.002-07:002018-09-29T14:36:42.675-07:00New Site<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-26756511435452737722018-05-24T08:54:00.000-07:002018-07-15T00:09:16.684-07:00Day Trip to Teotihuacan: Pyramids to Libraries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I awoke on day 3 in Mexico City early and with a plan. Although there was still so much in the city I wanted to see, I decided to take a day trip to Teotihuacan and the pyramids. My parents had visited there in the early '70s and I remember seeing polaroids of them standing on the avenue of the dead. It always looked so dusty and exotic. I had to go.<br />
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My hostel offered to arrange a tour, which was ok price-wise and would have arranged all transportation, which sounded kind of appealing, but it was also going to a bunch of other sites I wasn't interested in, so I decided to go by public transportation. I'm glad I did. It was so easy and cheap and I was able to spend as much time as I wanted.<br />
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Here's what I did:<br />
I took the metro to Terminal Central del Norte aka Autobuses del Norte on the yellow line (as previously mentioned, the metro system is great). I crossed the street and went to the bus station. It is very big and you will see it right away. Going inside, I turned left and walked to the end of the hall, to gate 8, the 2nd to last service counter where Autobuses Teotihuacan was selling tickets. The lady at the counter spoke English and I bought a round trip ticket to "Los Pyramides". It is very cheap - about $6.50 CDN round trip. From there, around the corner is the row where the buses pull up. It is not obvious which exactly which bus stall is which, but the lady had told me which number it was and so I knew it was one of two buses. I just asked people and made sure I was in the right queue and sat behind some local people who were also going to the pyramids so I could just get off when they did. The seats were not assigned. One weird thing was that both going there and coming back, the police got on the bus and took pictures of everyone on the bus. No one was able to tell me why.<br />
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The bus was comfortable and took about one hour. As we approached the pyramids the sky was dotted with hot air balloons. I bought a ticket at the gate and entered. It is enormous, spread out. I realized right away that I was glad to not be on a tour, which usually only stay for an hour. There was a lot of walking to be done.<br />
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Briefly, Teotihuacan was a city created about 100BC by some unknown people. The names given to the site came from the Aztecs, who came later. The city lasted until about the 7th or 8th century, but it seems that a lot of it was destroyed around 550AD. There are lots of theories about who built it and why it was abandoned, but you'll have to look elsewhere for that. What I am here to tell you is that it is old and it is awesome.<br />
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I met a girl from Manilla and we walked together to the first small pyramid. You couldn't climb up this particular one, but there were still lots of stairs to get close to it, which was worthwhile to see the well-preserved carvings. From there we walked down the Avenue of the Dead where I attempted to recreate my parents' polaroid.<br />
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From there, we walked to the Pyramid of the Sun. This is the big one. The third largest in the world. Climbing it seems mandatory. I wasn't thrilled about this. It is a lot of stairs. Steep ones. But it was actually fine and I stopped for a rest half way up and chatted with a couple from Toronto. I lost my companion from Manila early on, as she needed to keep a slower pace. At the top, I had a sense of satisfaction and great views of the site and the Pyramid of the Moon. Totally worth the climb.<br />
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I walked to the Pyramid of the Moon. It was getting hotter and I was pretty tired from the initial climbs, but I didn't come all this way to NOT climb the Pyramid of the Moon, so up I went. The Moon Pyramid is smaller, but was a harder climb because it was the second one. The views from there are also great.<br />
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After descending, I wandered around a bit more, but I was basically done. It was 11am. I was hot, sweaty, and slightly annoyed that there was nary an ice cream vendor in sight. I walked out of the nearest gate (the one closest to the Pyramid of the Moon) and crossed the street and within 5 minutes a bus pulled up, headed back to Mexico City. Apparently they come very frequently. Easy. I slept on the way back.<br />
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Because my trip to the Pyramids was just a morning affair, upon arriving back in the City I decided to explore some new areas. I took the metro to Chilpancingo and walked to Parque Mexico, which is a beautiful oasis. Green and flowery with people biking, running, and strolling. There are fountains and popcorn vendors. Just a lovely escape on a hot day.<br />
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From there I wandered the Condesa area and then up to the Zona Rosa area. These are really lovely areas with tree lined streets, fancier houses, and lots of inviting pubs and restaurants. I stopped for a bite to eat and then stumbled upon a crafts market, where I walked the aisles before walking to the Roma area. Everywhere I went, I kept finding arts and crafts markets. Not traditional Mexican souvenirs, but more like the sort of stuff you would see at a crafts market in Vancouver or Portland but with more tacos and tequila. There were bands playing and more charming parks with public art.<br />
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It was a great area and I could have spent more time, but the day was wearing on and I had a cigar lounge to find. I walked back towards the Parq Mexico and right by there is a building of fancy food stalls, but on the third floor is the most inviting cigar lounge, Cigar Point.<br />
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I settled in there for about an hour and half, enjoying a couple of cubans from their humidor, after which I was energized for the walk and train back to the historic centre. I spent the evening trying to stay awake. I went out for a walk to get something to eat and decided to have a couple of bean tacos that a man was selling from a bucket on the street. It was about 40 cents for two of them. Not great, but not bad. I think it was these tacos that led to what was about 12 hours of intense food poisoning. Who would have thought tacos from a bucket would be a bad idea?<br />
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This kind of killed off my plans for the next day. I wasn't feeling great, between my stomach troubles and my legs, which had seized up following all of my pyramid climbing the previous day. I had to leave for the airport at noon, but I took a brief trip by the metro to Biblioteca Vasconcelos, this massive library built in 2006. It has this interesting, open concept that makes the books look like they are floating. It is quite stunning and has interesting features like a whale skeleton art installation and outdoor patio reading rooms. It is gorgeous. I did get in trouble though for taking pictures. Weirdly, photos taken on a phone are fine, but camera photos are not. I explained that I did not have a phone, only my super cheap Canon cybershot (so it's not like I'm taking professional pictures), but the guard said no and proceeded to keep an eye on me.<br />
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The library is in kind of a lousy area but is totally worth a visit. It is a few steps from the Buena Vista metro stop on the grey line.<br />
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After that I had just enough time to pack up my stuff and take the metro to the airport. A little less than four days in Mexico City was amazing. I was able to see so much, but I am definitely going back. There is more to see, but I'll skip the bucket tacos next time.<br />
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-61456355257812874472018-05-22T07:00:00.001-07:002018-06-23T09:53:22.088-07:00Down Mexico Way: Mexico City exploration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Saturday morning, I awoke with the determination to get a lot of exploring done. It was my first full day (one of two) in Mexico City. After breakfast at the hostel, i set out. I started at the Zócalo square with the Catedral Metropolitana and from there i more or less followed a walking route through the central historico and into the Alameda area. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I won't list every sight I saw, but I took in the big ones - several cathedrals, markets, parks, and pedestrian streets of note. It was a great day for wandering. Hot and sunny but not humid, and every turn revealed something worthy of my attention. The harmonium players provided a soundtrack to the touristy areas, tempting food carts, eateries, and cantinas, people just going about their days.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">There were certainly very modern areas that looked like any big city and then, turn a corner, and it became more colourful and what I imagined as Mexico revealed itself. At no point did any area feel unsafe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I did go to the Palacio de Belles Artes, which is a gorgeous building on edge of a lovely park. I saw huge Diego Rivera murals, and various other permanent collection items, as well as a great exhibit of modern, weird art. I didn't linger, but i was glad i visited. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I went to this one food market (I think it was Gastrónomica San Juan) where they had the usual fruit and cheese but also a gruesome collection of wild game - allegedly everything from lion to capybara, with creatures laid out, torsos like cornucopias of horror. I took a bunch of pictures, but the came out blurry; i was self conscious about taking photos an was attracting too much attention as the lone "gringa". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I wandered the near endless aisles of the Centro de Artesanias, looking at all the colourful things I didn't want but liked to look at. People were certainly interested in selling, but in a very casual way that made browsing pleasant, not stressful. I did get a break out my Spanish haggling phrases, which is some of my best Spanish. I had lunch of tortilla chips, beans, and salad with avocado. Not a lot of veg options, but I was happy for the food and the rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Rounding back to the Zócalo, i walked down Regina street, which is a great pedestrian street lined with bars and restaurants and some of the best street art around. It is like a gallery...and i may have found inspiration for a new tattoo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I didn't want a bar, but found a quieter restaurant, sat outside and ordered a pizza. Too late i discovered that they did not allow smoking on the patio. (Grumble.) But i had a fine time people watching and having my dinner...until a light rain turned into a tropical style downpour, which turned into so much hail it looked like snow. I waited until it died down and then made a dash for it. The rain got worse again and turned into thunder and lightning, which left me hostel bound until almost midnight, at which time I went for another late walk and cigar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">There are police everywhere here, at least in the historic centre. There are frequently clusters of them, with riot gear at hand, sometimes 20 of them, standing around a particular corner before they hop in the back of a pickup truck and move locations. I guess it adds an air of security, but then, I'm not sure if the police are to be trusted. Either way, they spend most of their time on their phones, texting and surfing the internet, as best I could tell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Another random observation: there are so many sweets shops here selling churros, ice cream, candy, etc. Like...a lot. Plus lots of garbage fast food joints. On the plus side, there are lots of bike lanes and juice shops. I also found that for a city of 20+ million people, there are a lot of slow walkers, not the satisfying hustle I expect from a big city. If there's one thing I can't tolerate it's a slow walker. That is my only complaint though. On the whole I found the city I saw to be entirely delightful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Postscript: my impatience with the slow walkers came back to haunt me two days later when I was suffering from food poisoning and wickedly sore legs from excessive stair climbing at the pyramids. I was left walking like Frankenstein, slowly and with self loathing.</span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-13056351016313234662018-05-19T20:15:00.001-07:002018-05-24T05:46:56.668-07:00South of the Border: Luche Libres in Mexico City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I ended up with a four day long weekend and I was determined to go somewhere, but none of the near-to-Vancouver destinations appealed, so I looked for cheap flights to destinations that I could manage in a not-quite four day trip. And here I am en route to Mexico City.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I booked my ticket with about a week's lead time so I didn't do my usual months of study and preparation. I feel underprepared, but it's kind of exciting. I realized, as I hurriedly scanned my newly purchased Lonely Płanet that I don't actually know very much about Mexico. Just pop-culture stuff: Chupacabra. The Three Amigos. Frida Khalo & Diego Rivera. The Tijuana Brass. A handful of writers...not much about the history or politics, aside from the fact that there were Aztecs and Mayans, but I don't know much about them. I went to Tijuana with my mother and sister when I was 11 and that was awesome. It was the first different place I went. I remember donkeys, little girls selling chicklets, and the market where I was first introduced to the concept of bargaining - the price isn't really the price? Young mind blown. I bought a skinny leather necktie. (It was the '80s.) And I've never been back. Until now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">You won't find me at a beach or resort, but Mexico City looked like it would satisfy my travel needs. A big city with lots to explore, culture, history, inexpensive everything, and maybe a little dangerous? Great. (Actually, I think the rumours of danger are overblown, a least in comparison to other cities I've been, but who knows? As I write this preamble, I am still on the plane from Vancouver.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">[several hours later]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I arrived at my hostel, the Casa San Ildefonso, in the centre historico, by metro. The metro system here is great. It's not fancy, but it's comprehensive, fast, and cheap - a ride anywhere is 5 pesos, or about 30 cents. The thing i like best about it is that each station has its own logo. Apparently, when it was built the literacy rate was low so they gave the stations names and pictures. From the airport to my hostel this was my route in pictures: kangaroo, squirrel, water twins, water pipe, aloe, church tower, pyramid, skyscraper, shoulders man, handsome man, church, decapitated Chaplin, eagle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked across the Zocalo square, flanked by impressive buildings and easily found my lodgings. Simple, pleasant, and very cheap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I went for a walk and found the Los Vegetarianos restaurant where i finally tried mole sauce. Weird and gross at first, but then i decided i loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I got in at about 5:00 and part of me just wanted to hang out, but Friday night was my only chance to take in a uniquely Mexican event: lucha libres. (Mexican wrestling) I hopped the metro to the Arena Mexico. The area was a bit rough looking, but felt totally safe. The streets were lined with food vendors, cooking up savoury snacks, and vendors selling wrestling masks. Divey bars spilled cervesa holding patrons and live rock music onto the street. I wished i had gotten there earlier to explore, but i had a show to see. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I bought a ticket, mid range, for about $13 cad and entered a big stadium filled with people and noise and roving snack and beer sellers. The show was...crazy. Lights and smoke machines. Scantily clad, curvy girls danced to rock music as each wrestler was announced to cheers. The costumes were elaborate. Wings, capes, silver boots, spandex pants with stars and skulls, and teeny speedos.</span></div>
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The idea is this, there are good guys (Technicós) and bad guys (Rudos) and they fight one on one or in groups. It is all choreographed but is quite impressive. They are like gymnasts or acrobats. The crowd goes crazy cheering and booing and yelling rude chants. Kind of like a bizarre pantomime.<br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I stayed for about and hour and a half, but left before it was over. I got the idea and it was quite late. I took the metro back. It was packed. It took me three tries to get on and we were crammed in. It wasn't bad though; i was easily the tallest person in my end of the car and people were polite. They do have cars for women and children which are less full (and smell better). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Back in my 'hood, i went for a walk around midnight (still feeling safe) and had a cigar. It was a great first day, even if it was only about 8 hours.</span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-84625541123432798772018-04-09T12:41:00.001-07:002018-05-15T06:35:38.200-07:00Liechtenstein<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On my last full day in Zürich, I decided to go to Liechtenstein. Why? Because it is there. A friend of mine, a real opinionated smarty pants, had scoffed at my plan to go to Vaduz, Liechtenstein. He had been there, maybe 10 or 20 years prior, and said "Don't waste your time. you'll regret it. There's NOTHING there." Of course, I didn't care if there was anything there worth seeing or not; I had to go. It is a new country, a mere train ride away. I couldn't resist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">To get from Zürich to Vaduz (capital city), Liechtenstein, you take a train and a bus. I'll explain briefly, as it wasn't totally obvious. At the man train station, on the day of (or before if you're nervous) book a roundtrip ticket from Zürich HB to Vaduz, Post. You can also buy it from an agent in the kiosk. The train will take you to Sargans, just on the Swiss side of the border, and from there you take a bus. It is about 1 hour to Sargans and the scenery is stunning. At the station in Sargans, the bus loop will be obvious. Take bus 11 to Vaduz, Post. The trip will be about 30 minutes and all of the stops are listed on a monitor on the bus. It could not be easier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The journey was terrific. The scenery was magnificent. Past a shining lake and velvety green farms and gentle hills, tiny villages with castles or churches perched just above them on the highest hill, and, increasingly, snowy mountain ranges. I took pictures, as best I could, through the train window. </span></div>
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<span style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: ".sfuitext";">In Vaduz, the bus stops just steps from the man drag, which is really all there is to see. It's not much, but perfectly adequate for an afternoon. There is a church, a few different museums, cafes and restaurants, and an occupied castle looming above. Liechtenstein is some kind of "democratic monarchy", which I think is another way of saying oxymoron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I only visited one museum, the modern art museum, which i recommend, if you like that sort of thing. I took my pictures, slowly ate a raspberry tart and smoked a cigar in the warm spring sun (trying to protect my eyes from the group of men in spandex cycling attire at the table next to me. Blech.), and paid €3 to have my passport stamped at the info booth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">A few hours and I was satisfied. I think if one was keen to experience more of Liechtenstein, it might be nice to go to some other towns that look a bit more quaint, but my time was running short, and I had accomplished what I set out to do. It was a lovely day. (In your face, know-it-all friend.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Back to Zürich, I walked around more, for no particular reason, except that the weather was perfect, and all of these little neighborhood joints started to open up and they all looked so appealing. I stopped and had a bowl of soup at one, and a glass of wine and a cigar at another. I finished the evening on a pedestrian street near my air bnb, outside of an Italian restaurant which was closed, but had left their outdoor tables and chairs out. I had a cigar and watched local residents go about their Sunday evening business.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It was a great end to my trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This morning I awoke and had breakfast with my airbnb hosts, who insisted on making me breakfast: muesli with apples and yogurt, tiny cups of strong coffee and squares of dark chocolate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And then I was off to the airport. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Currently flying to Vancouver. The woman ahead of me has reclined her seat all the way and keeps stretching her fat arms over her head and reaching back and grabbing the top of the back of her chair, blocking my tv. If she keeps this up, I may lick her hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It has been a great trip: Tunisia, with a dash of Switzerland, and a pinch of France and Liechtenstein. Thoroughly satisfying. Not happy to be going home. Never happy to be going home, but at least I get to plan a new trip.</span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-73071039627972970282018-04-09T12:40:00.001-07:002018-04-18T06:23:29.145-07:00Forced Relaxation in Tunis & Zürich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Nothing much happens in this post, but sometimes that is how it goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I returned to Tunis late and awoke the next morning with the beginning of a cold. Annoying, but inevitable when traveling, I suppose. The only good things were that I really didn't have anything I needed to do in Tunis and I was staying at a fancy hotel (as has become my way; finish the trip somewhere slightly posh). I was staying at the Hotel Royal Victoria, right at the entrance to the medina, with a view of the square form my private balcony. I had a tv and my own bathroom and hot water. Luxury! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In the morning I gorged myself on their breakfast buffet (cold be dammed, I'm not missing out on a free breakfast).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And so, it being my last day, I decided to do some shopping. I find I am less and less inclined to buy things for myself. I have nowhere to keep them and even though that [insert exotic item] might look tempting when in the souk, when I get home, the gloss is gone and I realize that the item doesn't fit with my real life. But I did haggle my way through the market and pick up a few items to be gifted. It was fun, but my cold was getting worse and my energy wasn't great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Despite that, I was determined to get a good walk in, so I picked a destination - the belvedere park - it was quite a way out of the centre but a good walk through streets away from the tourist-geared cafes and shops. It just felt like a regular city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Belvedere park is a lovely green area with a zoo, as it turned out. I'm opposed to zoos generally and felt a bit conflicted about whether or not to go, but ultimately I did. I can't say that part of me isn't interested in seeing the animals, but i would rather it be under different circumstances. These were animals, exotic and otherwise, in too small cages, swimming in circles, or lying listlessly. That paints maybe too bleak a picture, but it is true. I enjoyed myself anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">(That picture of the guy and crocodile amused me, like why would anyone need a warning not to play catch with crocodiles?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked back to my hotel, went into the medina for dinner and shisha, and spent the rest of the evening watching movies on tv in my room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I woke up at 3:30am as I had an early flight, i slept for maybe an hour, owing to a fever, crushing headache, and an inability to breathe through my nose. I flew to Zurich and walked to my airbnb lodging, not far from the main train station, between there and Kreis 5. A charming apartment called home by a boyfriend-girlfriend architect couple from eastern Europe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I felt like garbage, but it was a gorgeous spring day, so i walked to and around Kreis 5, a sort of former warehouse type district now populated by art galleries, eateries catering to foodies, and, on the day that I was there, an urban bicycle festival and a neighbourhood yard sale. The area is quite nice. In fact, Zurich really grew on me in my last couple of days. The historic area is beautiful and great to see, but these other neighbourhoods felt more authentic and I was charmed by them. Zurich doesn't seem to me like an exciting city, but it is very attractive and so peaceful. Everything it quiet. There are no horns honking, no radios blaring, no loud conversations, no loud transportation. It's almost eerie, but kind of nice. There is a lot of bike riding, people having wine at cafes, and picnics. It all seems like an ideal city. It is true that i prefer my cities dirty and chaotic, but this kind of grew on me. Or maybe it was just the fever.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: ".sfuitext";">I didn't really do anything, but I walked, through that area and the into the old city. I thought about hitting a cigar lounge or going for lunch somewhere quaint, but I was feeling increasingly ill so i returned to the flat in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day and night in my room, listing to podcasts and trying to sleep through what seemed to be the flu. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Being sick at the end of vacation, which always seems to happen to me, is inconvenient but in a way it is also kind of nice to be forced to spend a day or to actually relaxing, which I would not do on my travels unless forced. And the rest was just what I needed to feel better for the next day when I would go to Liechtenstein. </span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-74200587976620296002018-04-05T15:31:00.001-07:002018-04-05T15:39:55.518-07:00Departing Djerba<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Day three on Djerba. I had (have) a 5:00 flight, so I just planned to have a relaxing day. Of course I woke up early with the first call to prayer announcing morning. I just lazed about. Had a slow breakfast. Decided to go on a walk. I was delighted to find that one of the main streets, which had been empty since I arrived had been transformed into a bustling marketplace that spilled out onto the side streets. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO1Vu4NZ6SfrJuJRflLUKTgkWp5Tog1iMJZdFbf8E0DIOowO73ucIsGuBA9mtG-ocOdsZ4x1bslMhwVjgA-0X9rIGKUVXyr4QYnGrQqHYafxYNXWLmZvb52GN22aOS38JDfNikQQ436q6/s640/blogger-image-1785214181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO1Vu4NZ6SfrJuJRflLUKTgkWp5Tog1iMJZdFbf8E0DIOowO73ucIsGuBA9mtG-ocOdsZ4x1bslMhwVjgA-0X9rIGKUVXyr4QYnGrQqHYafxYNXWLmZvb52GN22aOS38JDfNikQQ436q6/s640/blogger-image-1785214181.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv8UVvDKOfJInTa4UHKStHpjsNJ2ZUl3pr3FVteSrIpd2oY8ktz60cIctSGXOezZQMpUuEmul43dtFLPJ-xZoViWjyfgfma_rbz-cXDlJYV6WYH0Suiy59hWfMt5d7ahMbAnhPvILZEn6/s640/blogger-image--1048679420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv8UVvDKOfJInTa4UHKStHpjsNJ2ZUl3pr3FVteSrIpd2oY8ktz60cIctSGXOezZQMpUuEmul43dtFLPJ-xZoViWjyfgfma_rbz-cXDlJYV6WYH0Suiy59hWfMt5d7ahMbAnhPvILZEn6/s640/blogger-image--1048679420.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbBAGdMSyK-cl2NaPS3npgJ2gHro0qXlBqrLkeTTxgFgRhifwb1RFxnQEwIYzy4eIm4jsCHkkh4jQ2SdKAlWkbNgPOHgwiCJvD4FyFbvHPu1yX94erxK87qzVg5uRLxvT4iPJC5ml1z22/s640/blogger-image--750451343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbBAGdMSyK-cl2NaPS3npgJ2gHro0qXlBqrLkeTTxgFgRhifwb1RFxnQEwIYzy4eIm4jsCHkkh4jQ2SdKAlWkbNgPOHgwiCJvD4FyFbvHPu1yX94erxK87qzVg5uRLxvT4iPJC5ml1z22/s640/blogger-image--750451343.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxiGG-jj6X2DKIYKQwhKTR-BKO5wtWqp1XkC50hSKyw-CQMV0yqocEdhmZsxDEbfRdEtnkGDIMXnXCzb45WF34C-ldh4i9h31Be46okUaYPakIYP4ZZwYN1c77wnbH_6jFaMVl60j20Rm/s640/blogger-image-818959069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxiGG-jj6X2DKIYKQwhKTR-BKO5wtWqp1XkC50hSKyw-CQMV0yqocEdhmZsxDEbfRdEtnkGDIMXnXCzb45WF34C-ldh4i9h31Be46okUaYPakIYP4ZZwYN1c77wnbH_6jFaMVl60j20Rm/s640/blogger-image-818959069.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It wasn't a touristy market, but one for locals. Shoes, clothing, fabric, pots & pans, spices...just regular stuff but it was a lot of fun to walk through. The merchants still tried to sell me their goods, usually calling out to me in Russian to catch my attention. It was the same thing in Turkey. I really should learn Russian for how often I am mistaken for a national. (Except in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso where I was often mistaken for Japanese.) </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I talked with some locals who lamented the lack of tourists since the revolution. It is true that there are not a lot of them here, which has been lovely for me to avoid crowds, but it must be so difficult for the people who rely on tourists for income. Seriously, people should come here. It is beautiful and filled with history and culture. And it is easy to travel in. And cheap.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Back to the market. At the other end of the street was the ---- fort sitting at the edge of the sea. I walked the ramparts and looked around before heading back to the area around my hotel. I did a little shopping, had a lunch of vegetable ragout, smoked some apple shisha, and headed to the airport.</span></p>
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</p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">My flight ended up bring cancelled. And so was the next one. They arranged for a new flight but not everyone could get on. Overall, I spent 8 hours at the airport. Not agony, but far from idea. I did mean a British/American woman and her Tunisian fiancé who were trying to get to Tunis for their wedding, which ensured them a spot on the plane. We also told the airport check in people that I was a bridesmaid at the wedding, which got me on the plane as well. On the plane, I learned from a Tunisian/German man that the taxis in Tunis were on strike. This would have delayed my arrival in Tunisia by hours, but the man connected me with another Tunisian man sitting in front of me, who said his wife, who was picking him up, would drive me to my hotel. And they did. Now I am in Tunis, already forgetting about the huge airport delay and looking forward to tomorrow. </span></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-68284591686338877372018-04-05T15:25:00.001-07:002018-04-05T15:29:44.612-07:00Around Tataouine<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">My second day in Djerba I hired a driver to take me off of the Island to the desert to go To Tataouine and the surrounding area. We drive off the island (there is a bridge / a sort of a road that the Romans built apparently) onto mainland Tunisia. The landscape grew more and more deserty, with just small, dry shrubberies and clusters of palms.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Our first stop was at a salt lake that rivals the dead sea for its salt content. The shores were glimmering white, crusted salt flats.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlroSe4cBiXVZB8VR0A9VLssVaKNv8nVhSbtt4RRcH8Y8omO4MN9_z_juSElyXaHxouSn8EH8mTGG_ssyddJrr1aQ8BV3GFdyLbvv6ZEzzQgw3DD3v2Vgs1yenHHypMEVSTGcviLgfFD3/s640/blogger-image--309003617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlroSe4cBiXVZB8VR0A9VLssVaKNv8nVhSbtt4RRcH8Y8omO4MN9_z_juSElyXaHxouSn8EH8mTGG_ssyddJrr1aQ8BV3GFdyLbvv6ZEzzQgw3DD3v2Vgs1yenHHypMEVSTGcviLgfFD3/s640/blogger-image--309003617.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">From there we drove to Tataouine, after which the Star Wars Tatooine took its name. Huge chunks of the early Star Wars movies were filmed around Tataouine and on Djerba. I think one can organize a tour of just the filming sites.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZyzszEG3aLtgEnmC50R6nu6JhjIPetzbAi3vKb0sQCVMaS2wMsbcHVrgpNhT5ol5wKRkjhIGwrYLvWPErQ_s-JIh7Mt4g2MtYGzMaChR9gpT27oHvsdpM_nvn3zcH8cH-OcRzi1la_mp/s640/blogger-image-96362599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZyzszEG3aLtgEnmC50R6nu6JhjIPetzbAi3vKb0sQCVMaS2wMsbcHVrgpNhT5ol5wKRkjhIGwrYLvWPErQ_s-JIh7Mt4g2MtYGzMaChR9gpT27oHvsdpM_nvn3zcH8cH-OcRzi1la_mp/s640/blogger-image-96362599.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">One of the Star Wars sites is Ksar Ouled Soltane. (It was some slaves quarters in one of the original films - i don't know more details, but I'm sure there are a about 5000 websites with that information.) A ksar is an old fortified village. Amazingly, it was totally empty. You would think there would be an admission fee, a souvenir stand selling key ring light sabres, and a coffee shop valled 'Java the Hut'...but I had the place to myself. It was so cool to wander around and climb up the staircases, looking out over the desert. Definitely cinematic. There are many other Ksours in the area, each with their own George Lucas connection, but they all look pretty much the same, and having only one day, this was the one I picked.</span></div>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEkyjg_xYqRHn7o2N84EfWj9A1OK26ijIFLJBUnx1fG1T2FebsGmfDb13RplwVxAz9vGsCZxZ2CdNSWCEKdEHZT8xCRNoCIhLtjwEyAXpo77VzmH3oRrLKU39_6WNL7Sm4lSWSOEPPfGt/s640/blogger-image-983550795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEkyjg_xYqRHn7o2N84EfWj9A1OK26ijIFLJBUnx1fG1T2FebsGmfDb13RplwVxAz9vGsCZxZ2CdNSWCEKdEHZT8xCRNoCIhLtjwEyAXpo77VzmH3oRrLKU39_6WNL7Sm4lSWSOEPPfGt/s640/blogger-image-983550795.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fKjUd58Pf_H9QCmfN90mzdn4LxijgKhkwZ8ccfAhOmRaHdhaHBoAn0wu24aiBN32QG70DGovZ8LkM50hiaRivkdPftIqg5SIIQZ7UZLJFWcKZU-I8p6IS6EDYECKzWGdMyJfGG2kpFlK/s640/blogger-image--209050259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fKjUd58Pf_H9QCmfN90mzdn4LxijgKhkwZ8ccfAhOmRaHdhaHBoAn0wu24aiBN32QG70DGovZ8LkM50hiaRivkdPftIqg5SIIQZ7UZLJFWcKZU-I8p6IS6EDYECKzWGdMyJfGG2kpFlK/s640/blogger-image--209050259.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2Bc958zV1F_dT-OOfLPEKJGsJEqWPK_oQWW3NqG1elaoFwHjukyMSs4f5KwY5eebbJv71IOcAkk8D22zPEijZLxYUIzStQ_TkjRq2kEncALmioRjptFoXTgopIO-iWbzEpOg26FaEMCt/s640/blogger-image--267789627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2Bc958zV1F_dT-OOfLPEKJGsJEqWPK_oQWW3NqG1elaoFwHjukyMSs4f5KwY5eebbJv71IOcAkk8D22zPEijZLxYUIzStQ_TkjRq2kEncALmioRjptFoXTgopIO-iWbzEpOg26FaEMCt/s640/blogger-image--267789627.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After that we drove to an abandoned hilltop village with a white mosque. I don't know the name, but the steep climb afforded good views.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8isLlexMgU1BwTfUudlV7a3-8-KKA5_5tKbocyyr3av2KYprKhND_3JaXozFvIu7BZK3fhCB1xdotCQKdWB3DurjS4VJjfufHWO6cOa51h_g9oQYb7xgy_0OGQv-JZBCcLUndCi0DOkI1/s640/blogger-image--211975770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8isLlexMgU1BwTfUudlV7a3-8-KKA5_5tKbocyyr3av2KYprKhND_3JaXozFvIu7BZK3fhCB1xdotCQKdWB3DurjS4VJjfufHWO6cOa51h_g9oQYb7xgy_0OGQv-JZBCcLUndCi0DOkI1/s640/blogger-image--211975770.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Next the driver (Nasr) and I had lunch at a huge, soulless restaurant that obviously catered to bus tours. The atmosphere was awful (and it is, based on my experience, the only non-smoking restaurant in the country) but the food was good. Vegetable couscous with Harissa, baguettes, and olives. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_sFS8szHqLlyitFR6vwOzHD2JMGjm5YaOh3rGPP1i6eBRUCHqdqacy4Ql07pukMzGxvN5X6FyuGkxFHVwcGYOcKJ-z7h0xfKGZNRid-kWWl0Is3TxJVIosfClDMPJXXqe3OWx9UPu1Kg/s640/blogger-image-1363504560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_sFS8szHqLlyitFR6vwOzHD2JMGjm5YaOh3rGPP1i6eBRUCHqdqacy4Ql07pukMzGxvN5X6FyuGkxFHVwcGYOcKJ-z7h0xfKGZNRid-kWWl0Is3TxJVIosfClDMPJXXqe3OWx9UPu1Kg/s640/blogger-image-1363504560.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU37gRypT8g3Zm0tomjGnUt3oxs2P16xhaZi5xWSfpS4a2JyC1IyaAMiJ5VtcZ8Hf3xirdi2t2JntAzAtt87qQNpg94XfSguUmKb0hRaVidXukN9VHPRn5oLtMTvyf96cLHZsMbbzcvH8/s640/blogger-image-22061900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU37gRypT8g3Zm0tomjGnUt3oxs2P16xhaZi5xWSfpS4a2JyC1IyaAMiJ5VtcZ8Hf3xirdi2t2JntAzAtt87qQNpg94XfSguUmKb0hRaVidXukN9VHPRn5oLtMTvyf96cLHZsMbbzcvH8/s640/blogger-image-22061900.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I then connected with an English speaking young man from the ares who took me on a walk through the Berber village of Chenini. It is partly inhabited by a large Berber population, but the draw is the now abandoned villages built high into the mountain in around the 11th or 12th century. My guide, who was not at all winded by the steep climb, told me all about the history and how the structures were built to protect against invaders. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66Q9EHWHr7JPyjOX0QZXMRHDbmSQAihmBfrh8utTiHeOLLvjtGV9TcPB-SEtI6_xtZJf1PaFfeTc3V4mEa2IojZ-W4LDwyrxCLDvoOxGEb-mvamJBXgE5klQK6vr7-twnuZsUUtlUG2fo/s640/blogger-image--1513036918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66Q9EHWHr7JPyjOX0QZXMRHDbmSQAihmBfrh8utTiHeOLLvjtGV9TcPB-SEtI6_xtZJf1PaFfeTc3V4mEa2IojZ-W4LDwyrxCLDvoOxGEb-mvamJBXgE5klQK6vr7-twnuZsUUtlUG2fo/s640/blogger-image--1513036918.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">He also knew the good spots for photos. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dNQnL7hWvVQSMA3hXYCF60OGnwpvItn0sUuglmRmggqGxMflpcIGGZkHY8JMBweb0LdFuuaNl_bWz1vt9FIIXYg3wWg37KNAj1FHsxTVNNt8JG2H5fYV_Bh4oZrB25wm9MqOJa54cF4D/s640/blogger-image-1124618304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dNQnL7hWvVQSMA3hXYCF60OGnwpvItn0sUuglmRmggqGxMflpcIGGZkHY8JMBweb0LdFuuaNl_bWz1vt9FIIXYg3wWg37KNAj1FHsxTVNNt8JG2H5fYV_Bh4oZrB25wm9MqOJa54cF4D/s640/blogger-image-1124618304.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The place was pretty quiet. I saw only two other tourists.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Before falling asleep in the car I saw camels and one canine (the driver said it was a jackal). I woke up in time to take in a few more views of desert and the lake before being dropped off back in Houmt Souk. It was a long day of driving and I was exhausted. I don't know how sitting in a car most of the day makes me more tired than walking all day, but it does. So I had dinner of vegetable tagine and a cigar before going to bed early.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbC4-prxo1phQ2s2xSB32Ha-mg98vR5xxfSTT8ItM0yoi6vyAgNPoHypRJpocDAeJcqtje6P8LPWDfRlBPYQ53N18CL6do0dm-o7wgN5oY-vDf0OuVh_mq8Ju8y7W1dqX42kp0lbPopHfk/s640/blogger-image--200793169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbC4-prxo1phQ2s2xSB32Ha-mg98vR5xxfSTT8ItM0yoi6vyAgNPoHypRJpocDAeJcqtje6P8LPWDfRlBPYQ53N18CL6do0dm-o7wgN5oY-vDf0OuVh_mq8Ju8y7W1dqX42kp0lbPopHfk/s640/blogger-image--200793169.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDEVE0BV0hfEX6rDWtXhyphenhyphengewu3DmTG-MCx1qQ5wC40ERMqX2NO6zHQclzHgNsijhdTU4_fC7HlLncFtPB_vMjBpCCzN3fjUNSXjAk21G7FV37DI3K-PrO1sVwDJLzhdAUUJHvON4M7OUS/s640/blogger-image--1644739146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDEVE0BV0hfEX6rDWtXhyphenhyphengewu3DmTG-MCx1qQ5wC40ERMqX2NO6zHQclzHgNsijhdTU4_fC7HlLncFtPB_vMjBpCCzN3fjUNSXjAk21G7FV37DI3K-PrO1sVwDJLzhdAUUJHvON4M7OUS/s640/blogger-image--1644739146.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42N7ZY2P_qzIzNuR8WikRlk0Hts8KKmPF8w20DnTd_9OEx8-9Vq5PauEly8aH6__1TzemuPmgYX7XoWlsROLTCCl9SiZk3JqW-yRXvb6PigAo_bc-8O0sownjTm3YZNc8NIdTZ1Px9izD/s640/blogger-image-335469136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42N7ZY2P_qzIzNuR8WikRlk0Hts8KKmPF8w20DnTd_9OEx8-9Vq5PauEly8aH6__1TzemuPmgYX7XoWlsROLTCCl9SiZk3JqW-yRXvb6PigAo_bc-8O0sownjTm3YZNc8NIdTZ1Px9izD/s640/blogger-image-335469136.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">If i had longer, or if i had decided to spend my time differently, I would have gone on a camel trek further into the desert, which would be great, though I know from experience that doing so solo with a non-English speaking guide can be a bit too quiet for my liking. I bet the stars would have been lovely though.</span></p><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-78698660601394886902018-04-05T01:07:00.001-07:002018-04-05T01:37:49.629-07:00Djerba<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I flew from Montasir (the closest airport to Sousse) to Djerba, an island on the south west coast of Tunisia, between the Mediterranean and the gulf of Gabès. Djerba is known for its relaxed vibe, its beauty, its string of beach resorts on the east coast, and for having both Jewish and Berber populations. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I caught a taxi to the capital of Djerba, Houmt Souk and to my hotel, the Hôtel Erriadh Djerba. My hotel is perfect, an old funduq located next to the souq and bordered by appealing squares. It is covered in tiles and the rooms surround a whitewashed patio with flowering vines and singing birds.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_j_sAF4aLdrgPmvia8ODv3q2df5VNKyruWMotgVhBlhxuPPeYKGeGb29xT6BDqnzvb8O66FoE2gMWAvTelhVH1iczTMEUctKfEPhmxJTXVcizHLC8hPQK-JfEwI5qps1mbvoKT8Ad535i/s640/blogger-image--1284554828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_j_sAF4aLdrgPmvia8ODv3q2df5VNKyruWMotgVhBlhxuPPeYKGeGb29xT6BDqnzvb8O66FoE2gMWAvTelhVH1iczTMEUctKfEPhmxJTXVcizHLC8hPQK-JfEwI5qps1mbvoKT8Ad535i/s640/blogger-image--1284554828.jpg"></a></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdlEQ31L0WjJXMF4a3YDp_-7DetdLTozPB_dH7VpVRqwrW_QNS8ioxA0fqwQQkxou-lKg30hDWv-vEpvupXfMv1rDDy5MzcYKL-tPC780LAY8Zr6DzsF_8JRSILkQBlO5IuzlWYntmHBd/s640/blogger-image--143152668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdlEQ31L0WjJXMF4a3YDp_-7DetdLTozPB_dH7VpVRqwrW_QNS8ioxA0fqwQQkxou-lKg30hDWv-vEpvupXfMv1rDDy5MzcYKL-tPC780LAY8Zr6DzsF_8JRSILkQBlO5IuzlWYntmHBd/s640/blogger-image--143152668.jpg"></a></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I basically just went to bed that night, but the next day, after breakfast in the patio, i went out to explore. Houmt Souk isn't full of must see attractions. The delight is in the wandering. Market stalls, sunny squares with cafes and juice stands, colorful shops, carpet vendors, and tucked away mosques, all gleaming white in contrast to the blue sky. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIX1FJrsqXonrdSlIKmIzQN4FuQkN8rpz1SSJmvOmBJiS5NZGsDl4E9DgPSNoXuGqyBhP-Ip3BfnYny09h5NoBDsaZXsTEZ-WS0GVEqXE3-mCQKy3C_XVwdRVuEcwi8TZP-xmnjOmtvrYo/s640/blogger-image--627357504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIX1FJrsqXonrdSlIKmIzQN4FuQkN8rpz1SSJmvOmBJiS5NZGsDl4E9DgPSNoXuGqyBhP-Ip3BfnYny09h5NoBDsaZXsTEZ-WS0GVEqXE3-mCQKy3C_XVwdRVuEcwi8TZP-xmnjOmtvrYo/s640/blogger-image--627357504.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9BH-xe_-NsNsFKC5P64TzQ7RbnKuQwvAwe578AurFeWqY_kstzWgTeitWqEBN08XLKrTiFXZrYFK8RxDT1uR2hbpmJWyxPgAqKcVraPcYFE7s5__zCvUAV7eAk5MdnVsdhjYHp2DAOHB/s640/blogger-image-356214384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9BH-xe_-NsNsFKC5P64TzQ7RbnKuQwvAwe578AurFeWqY_kstzWgTeitWqEBN08XLKrTiFXZrYFK8RxDT1uR2hbpmJWyxPgAqKcVraPcYFE7s5__zCvUAV7eAk5MdnVsdhjYHp2DAOHB/s640/blogger-image-356214384.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There is no hustle here; it just feels chill and beachy, even though the beach is still a short drive away.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPIEYfMn9zBMb4VJ8Xw-QUNxotTiRgUEYaVBJRr13nYHKN3Y82fwjdnKBIwtqjAlznsv7pJ8wqzXnuPr-wxuJ1HV5QaDEKTyKcs8d2-RRtOk-wIELBkafYy5jVIjtteGaJdMNxQRumopR/s640/blogger-image-446437829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPIEYfMn9zBMb4VJ8Xw-QUNxotTiRgUEYaVBJRr13nYHKN3Y82fwjdnKBIwtqjAlznsv7pJ8wqzXnuPr-wxuJ1HV5QaDEKTyKcs8d2-RRtOk-wIELBkafYy5jVIjtteGaJdMNxQRumopR/s640/blogger-image-446437829.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobxlC1xHdwaFCW_8NoWwVkIslzW8_Ula3hZjSWaeF5kinsBo1MkE1kjE8Fak8cgrhVy15p_-hkLtl-5WiaY8Fj_QcwOblhFve9ob9RXTXrSfoAaIsoz83ka_26I2k1pFJzJ77iJvezs0g/s640/blogger-image--1211281244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobxlC1xHdwaFCW_8NoWwVkIslzW8_Ula3hZjSWaeF5kinsBo1MkE1kjE8Fak8cgrhVy15p_-hkLtl-5WiaY8Fj_QcwOblhFve9ob9RXTXrSfoAaIsoz83ka_26I2k1pFJzJ77iJvezs0g/s640/blogger-image--1211281244.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnBots7FTHq_FyVlAi8_0yplqCi4k5md4Xn6DeDsyItjQXw5wz6LhyVKCan3Di4B6If43R1ahqK34750NoXA1n77WZEhqippO6f8kjliXKrm3vB0FttIQoMK8Ga8w8u5KLsViOSdh92Mh/s640/blogger-image-339540991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnBots7FTHq_FyVlAi8_0yplqCi4k5md4Xn6DeDsyItjQXw5wz6LhyVKCan3Di4B6If43R1ahqK34750NoXA1n77WZEhqippO6f8kjliXKrm3vB0FttIQoMK8Ga8w8u5KLsViOSdh92Mh/s640/blogger-image-339540991.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfcP0YwRkpvLc9VARFTuZjgPFliLbyCnY4JUZq_7h-5SaWfjatIMNP7K_S51_UuZthLLsdtmLJb8FfK1cDektJlxAMbgG7VVjkN5t1natqZG1DRjz0_FeCFkcy_-PccvCHyTQ4t_EqTI1/s640/blogger-image--1722905124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfcP0YwRkpvLc9VARFTuZjgPFliLbyCnY4JUZq_7h-5SaWfjatIMNP7K_S51_UuZthLLsdtmLJb8FfK1cDektJlxAMbgG7VVjkN5t1natqZG1DRjz0_FeCFkcy_-PccvCHyTQ4t_EqTI1/s640/blogger-image--1722905124.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is also small, so after a few hours I had seen all of the bits I needed to see (and would see it all more, since this is where I am staying) so I took at a taxi to the town of Erriadh. The appeal there is the synagogue and a display of street art.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There is, apparently, one of the largest or last remaining Jewish communities in North Africa on Djerba and there is the El-Ghriba synagogue, the oldest in North Africa. It is the most heavily secured site I have visited on this trip, with metal detectors and machine gun guards at the entrance. The building itself is beautiful, blue and tiled, with silver plaques (sort of like those Mexican milagro charms). </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">From there I walked to the town centre. The town itself is nothing to see, but behind the main street, in the residential alleys there is a terrific display of street art. The art was created as part of a project called Djerbahood in 2014 or 2015 in which artists were given liberty to decorate the white washed streets. It was delightful. There are no signs and no map, so you basically have to wander the streets looking for paintings. It is like a treasure hunt.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvG02bDrFWKsw8M_zQjcIycCWzlgkA43IDgc7jMPYpNKYgbV30OUG_O9vE12nv0dw-f6S9GiHzMofvbIOqmpkBKsBBQl4a8ngYl613Rnt5N5ygGdJ5pHOLxwdyPuAeawHoiUwCqSxl23yy/s640/blogger-image-305435831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvG02bDrFWKsw8M_zQjcIycCWzlgkA43IDgc7jMPYpNKYgbV30OUG_O9vE12nv0dw-f6S9GiHzMofvbIOqmpkBKsBBQl4a8ngYl613Rnt5N5ygGdJ5pHOLxwdyPuAeawHoiUwCqSxl23yy/s640/blogger-image-305435831.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD4PtL5bAf9f05rU-krQ3ruR6hnq1PpZcTStOAWSQ7x7eVegce_mqwTvTNLSThjDnik1TvukALqUfqq3UwztZfM_v7ESYQccrSbRGA0C8wALtASd1OYUKmIvQBuPWOzI6Cbm3eWjaq-BA/s640/blogger-image-1611048159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD4PtL5bAf9f05rU-krQ3ruR6hnq1PpZcTStOAWSQ7x7eVegce_mqwTvTNLSThjDnik1TvukALqUfqq3UwztZfM_v7ESYQccrSbRGA0C8wALtASd1OYUKmIvQBuPWOzI6Cbm3eWjaq-BA/s640/blogger-image-1611048159.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8VL8Xrjl3hK-ihAS-jl2tLJQkwkL4fup56ojxWHC1ZVBOGU1BSZvgsUQGonr4zd_ni6c4uPbq-qP0SyVyJXGcGxapFi7VdBdb1vVLzVhYiULkTicbg2TJKHdqrcVDsoTWKfCMxvtCvFe/s640/blogger-image--1065681563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8VL8Xrjl3hK-ihAS-jl2tLJQkwkL4fup56ojxWHC1ZVBOGU1BSZvgsUQGonr4zd_ni6c4uPbq-qP0SyVyJXGcGxapFi7VdBdb1vVLzVhYiULkTicbg2TJKHdqrcVDsoTWKfCMxvtCvFe/s640/blogger-image--1065681563.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">Many of the paintings are worn, but are still worth seeing.</span></div>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6kjHG8bdK498fYDxAN3uLpdA9i2nYNRUjK2Mtyx9Hly5ZtRmt0j1qXXbqo4iLF51ON2uoGmn-JIu_gAxjypsqGsydW_-EkvLwY_iq6OzJTB-KZYL8ABGTzyUCXI1k3CJZaNtBY9aqamS/s640/blogger-image--2050565976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6kjHG8bdK498fYDxAN3uLpdA9i2nYNRUjK2Mtyx9Hly5ZtRmt0j1qXXbqo4iLF51ON2uoGmn-JIu_gAxjypsqGsydW_-EkvLwY_iq6OzJTB-KZYL8ABGTzyUCXI1k3CJZaNtBY9aqamS/s640/blogger-image--2050565976.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNulbqUnT-VXTfx5AVAdKLBv7dENzacJXpzQPNyuQr8o4iVWDAy_ExROjtprA9pMFZ95mYYP_rf1_dd5orwbgAvyH__nacsAxcdTj5vFlnAH7UEsgoiFjO29UMSsmalt5wl-dgBq9HmN7/s640/blogger-image-1281324493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNulbqUnT-VXTfx5AVAdKLBv7dENzacJXpzQPNyuQr8o4iVWDAy_ExROjtprA9pMFZ95mYYP_rf1_dd5orwbgAvyH__nacsAxcdTj5vFlnAH7UEsgoiFjO29UMSsmalt5wl-dgBq9HmN7/s640/blogger-image-1281324493.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">From there, it was still early enough, so I decided to catch a taxi to the Zone Touristique on the west side of the island, where all of the resort hotels line white sandy beaches. I don't care for the beach, but I thought maybe a drink on a terrace would be nice. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It was a long drive, which I enjoyed, but once we arrived at the zone I was disappointed. Yes, there is the beach, but the resorts are these massive, gated structures - not at all welcoming to non guests - along a stretch of highway. It isn't really walkable (at least not pleasantly) and it just all felt remote and unappealing. (If you are a resort person, they look like wonderful places, but to me they seemed like giant, land locked cruise ships. Yuck.) So I had the driver turn around and take me back to Houmt Souk. I had shisha in a square and watched a cat attack my hookah each time the water bubbled.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is so peaceful here at night after the day time tourists from the resorts have left. Quiet and almost magical.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkmKDhyyjw1vE5sfq4M1VDXWBH2DXepknBxRcf33JVeBGtlUeMgO4hU96-XGiOX_u-F-yYA0qdgTvc0YsTVNSU-INi2u5HDAQyAZdd7AbJfzzgByJnVKlDsv_QxTLcGyxxOQqWzS9aMJp/s640/blogger-image-36870205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkmKDhyyjw1vE5sfq4M1VDXWBH2DXepknBxRcf33JVeBGtlUeMgO4hU96-XGiOX_u-F-yYA0qdgTvc0YsTVNSU-INi2u5HDAQyAZdd7AbJfzzgByJnVKlDsv_QxTLcGyxxOQqWzS9aMJp/s640/blogger-image-36870205.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIz-JExex2BOSY8W5Mj4SN8DAezYDUsQLKlhcO1DyMP0nhNaODLFZBwk9vGxu4TjgWpq8P4taBIyAbU2dtjsxOGhSUv2at6OwwTWXbxC2Vme7lgWYy2om4U-H-tzKM3E-ilNU3PtktkPTx/s640/blogger-image-802440654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIz-JExex2BOSY8W5Mj4SN8DAezYDUsQLKlhcO1DyMP0nhNaODLFZBwk9vGxu4TjgWpq8P4taBIyAbU2dtjsxOGhSUv2at6OwwTWXbxC2Vme7lgWYy2om4U-H-tzKM3E-ilNU3PtktkPTx/s640/blogger-image-802440654.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD_LtFww2nrUEjU6xYM9xS5CO992lRfrBJS4HeD95fIUanTy2R54T_SXceyeWiFLb7DDYrxUFIT3PZP2Vaj7xSclRRRJR8oe7CDoHfsfqBFUX1wa9yrMTsSfqQ4DWvWkwAOM8bylCtFim/s640/blogger-image--924405704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD_LtFww2nrUEjU6xYM9xS5CO992lRfrBJS4HeD95fIUanTy2R54T_SXceyeWiFLb7DDYrxUFIT3PZP2Vaj7xSclRRRJR8oe7CDoHfsfqBFUX1wa9yrMTsSfqQ4DWvWkwAOM8bylCtFim/s640/blogger-image--924405704.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPJjV9ru1DVDIj_x8diU26M6UqFpxpTwPHBd4MUkwthyphenhyphen8GgnC7C_zS49xRaaQpFQmaGj1GwTwFwMqlX525E9nX67lkOtEsOXa7GLwTkHOjIPjo5_aiEF3s4vZaUH6ckkV0hehHKW9zlzb/s640/blogger-image--1877431101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPJjV9ru1DVDIj_x8diU26M6UqFpxpTwPHBd4MUkwthyphenhyphen8GgnC7C_zS49xRaaQpFQmaGj1GwTwFwMqlX525E9nX67lkOtEsOXa7GLwTkHOjIPjo5_aiEF3s4vZaUH6ckkV0hehHKW9zlzb/s640/blogger-image--1877431101.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-22340209824501820102018-04-03T00:23:00.001-07:002018-04-10T04:11:42.562-07:008 hours in Lyon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It makes absolutely no sense. I wanted to fly from Montasir (the airport near Sousse, Tunisia to Djerba, Tunisia. The flight should have taken an hour. Maybe. The buses were too slow and the train doesn't go to the island of Djerba, so I was set on flying and doing so today. Well, the only flight that came up in multiple searches was a flight from Montasit, to Lyon, France, and to Djerba. It seemed ludicrous...but the flight did offer an 8 hour layover in Lyon. That was appealing. I haven't been to France in years and never to Lyon. So I booked it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">When I arrived at the airport for my 6:30am flight, the guys at check in thought it was crazy. One even offered to put me on a flight that connected in Tunis, but I declined. I was already looking forward to a coffee in the old city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">An 8 hour layover doesn't mean 8 hours of walking around Lyon. It means 5 hours max. There are a few tricks to these just-long-enough-to-leave-the-airport layovers. I try to check in for both flights at the beginning and check my bag through to the end, so I'm not messing around with bag collection and checking in. That wasn't possible for this flight, so I took my bag as a carry on and left it in the luggage storage at the train station. I also study ahead of time. If you've only got a half day, there isn't time to figure out when you are there what you want to see or do. So I do my homework and determine what areas I want to visit and what I want to see and how I am going to get around. If I can (as I did in Lyon), I buy my transit tickets online ahead of time and I get foreign currency before landing so I don't have to waste time in queues. And most importantly, I study maps intently. Like I am planning a bank job. I want to know, as much as possible, what exit to take from the metro and which bridge to walk across and what street to turn left on when I get to the other side. This satisfies both my desire to make good use of my short layover and my fondness for maps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It all worked well today. I probably could have even spent another hour in the city but I didn't want to risk missing my plane.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I took the express airport train and then the metro to Vieux Lyon; the old city...and also the most touristy, but it is popular with visitors for a reason. The streets are so charming, with old buildings hung with old signs, narrow lanes lined with cheese shops and quaint cafés, patisseries, and churches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And overlooking it all is a cathedral on a hill. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked up and down the streets, stopping for a coffee and a pink praline tart - apparently Lyonnaise specialty. So good and disgustingly sweet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked down the river for a bit, photographing churches and buildings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Back on to the Rue Ste Jean, looking for number 53 or 54 and for a plain door, which would lead to one of the many traboules - hidden passages which lead between buildings to other streets and also to private residences. There are apparently 315 of them, but only a few are accessible or known to the public. According to the good book (Lonely Planet) some of them date to Roman times and the rest were in the 19th century. It was indeed a long passage, in some places providing access to apartments. Who doesn't love secret passages? If only i had to pull a candlestick to gain access.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I then took the funicular up to the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière, which is a beautiful 19th century cathedral overlooking the city. There were priests wandering around, as well as worshippers, but they were outnumbered by tourists, so I was able to take pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I then walked to Place Bellecour and took the train to Hotel de Ville to see some of the fancy buildings in that area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">At that point i headed back to the airport. I probably could have spent another hour, but I didn't want to be rushing to catch my flight. I saw what I wanted to see, had an afternoon in France, and was on my way back to Tunisia.</span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-42613296179540662102018-04-01T21:42:00.001-07:002018-04-02T05:33:26.315-07:00El Jem<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">On my second day in Sousse I decided to visit El Jem, a small city about an hour away, which is notable for its fairly well-preserved amphitheater dating to ~230. I know I just said i was over Roman ruins, but this isn't ruins per se, it's a structure, not rubble.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I had a bit of time before the train so I walked around some more and followed a small tour group of germans into the courtyard of the great mosque.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uiu25KsqFHxEb6kffzK4y5mAX2sOoezg0paoJ-lx-uxZEUv0FKY4LPkfuBU_1VCKbKKBmEpSDxvsuHWtgLTUnUtKezB1w6dgKyYXfAl5akhOcYVXilInEU-cWymxsdWeBXHOMMa8FaYL/s640/blogger-image-2082178792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uiu25KsqFHxEb6kffzK4y5mAX2sOoezg0paoJ-lx-uxZEUv0FKY4LPkfuBU_1VCKbKKBmEpSDxvsuHWtgLTUnUtKezB1w6dgKyYXfAl5akhOcYVXilInEU-cWymxsdWeBXHOMMa8FaYL/s640/blogger-image-2082178792.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgroqcTo-n4-nz8S4MoNnK5lT0HbJz6_bxyjQrXjUn_C7RiXK_gP5Sv_dTog2vwmwJDgwlGMumDPs8hAVX9Zu8WLUzcYekYONe-_ATsfP_IjIO_VQgyo4VJql_-XnwQGSzX5wjFlxz5KQ/s640/blogger-image--1354093284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgroqcTo-n4-nz8S4MoNnK5lT0HbJz6_bxyjQrXjUn_C7RiXK_gP5Sv_dTog2vwmwJDgwlGMumDPs8hAVX9Zu8WLUzcYekYONe-_ATsfP_IjIO_VQgyo4VJql_-XnwQGSzX5wjFlxz5KQ/s640/blogger-image--1354093284.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I took the train, which was cheap and pleasant. The scenery wasn't much to look at - dry land, cacti, boxy villages, and rows upon rows of olive trees. In El Jem, it was easy to figure out where to go: walk towards the giant amphitheater.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3LxtKOHQDfXH9dLardWs1XdLgIQc3nranTOcBJR7skctQvhOe5lmP1hzCQt2zNmZCZjnd3LPlFeos0Q0aRr2icYRhyphenhyphen808UC1jg0GsLQaAZKr9q_vKAaTtade25jID_6C5-5DE1JPfgIU/s640/blogger-image-1981471014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3LxtKOHQDfXH9dLardWs1XdLgIQc3nranTOcBJR7skctQvhOe5lmP1hzCQt2zNmZCZjnd3LPlFeos0Q0aRr2icYRhyphenhyphen808UC1jg0GsLQaAZKr9q_vKAaTtade25jID_6C5-5DE1JPfgIU/s640/blogger-image-1981471014.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSIt6hyphenhyphen9nDgsYE8VogFdEpSowm_XG3scTNIakmwCjRkezIzSAMKA17ZQ5PEbhVfB8gvmNK9VdpWzPejb04ZDm0XCCybMonRK44Wrk5OS0vpMe1bxBrMsyC5zk38ShmFYcNFVwhA0wmy72/s640/blogger-image-244845026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSIt6hyphenhyphen9nDgsYE8VogFdEpSowm_XG3scTNIakmwCjRkezIzSAMKA17ZQ5PEbhVfB8gvmNK9VdpWzPejb04ZDm0XCCybMonRK44Wrk5OS0vpMe1bxBrMsyC5zk38ShmFYcNFVwhA0wmy72/s640/blogger-image-244845026.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">It really was quite impressive. It held about 30,000 spectators in its day, all there to see battle between men and beasts. It was fun to scramble around on the various levels and explore the tunnels underground where the combatants waited for their (presumably final) moments.</span></div>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT414NU8xYAyatYbUWJomok4_c-USR76iTkSZB0PftGK3Gx6AkmfG39go28M2lLXqw2_ijjXGMq-MDJaorRY1xfo7leeKs6XYJr3uUKQdrKSB2nrDnsE0leKXQDWTPdIZpGExA7aX8Z9eV/s640/blogger-image-1394720114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT414NU8xYAyatYbUWJomok4_c-USR76iTkSZB0PftGK3Gx6AkmfG39go28M2lLXqw2_ijjXGMq-MDJaorRY1xfo7leeKs6XYJr3uUKQdrKSB2nrDnsE0leKXQDWTPdIZpGExA7aX8Z9eV/s640/blogger-image-1394720114.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ85raZhqXBO_1tAhWTzIqHeb2LrW4_hH_Q_u9RNdlzuwImjNzXAl272eHKerv8QuUj161RKjUYOSM0OOAQnPl49H5y-kswde7Ye_l4yOKcwHb42i2gpH18FrVI5OSC4p1MGjVDGl8qqVv/s640/blogger-image--74242431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ85raZhqXBO_1tAhWTzIqHeb2LrW4_hH_Q_u9RNdlzuwImjNzXAl272eHKerv8QuUj161RKjUYOSM0OOAQnPl49H5y-kswde7Ye_l4yOKcwHb42i2gpH18FrVI5OSC4p1MGjVDGl8qqVv/s640/blogger-image--74242431.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv72ZY8bASKMHXaGsKKk9E31W160wzW54G5RVAZU8rWwcMA8-KI8r2xV4UcwBi0GgFZV_ysUlVKZESMXnLI23rgRpG3jaBJgFdDgFarPQ3tsmAMV8b5rMUnp9HyYknE5lVoccT7mLFRME/s640/blogger-image-2036290847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv72ZY8bASKMHXaGsKKk9E31W160wzW54G5RVAZU8rWwcMA8-KI8r2xV4UcwBi0GgFZV_ysUlVKZESMXnLI23rgRpG3jaBJgFdDgFarPQ3tsmAMV8b5rMUnp9HyYknE5lVoccT7mLFRME/s640/blogger-image-2036290847.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is very much like the colosseum in Rome, but just a bit smaller, with FAR fewer tourists, and 100% more camels.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">While there i ran into a girl I had met in Tunis, from Shanghai and traveling solo. We hung out together for a while, walking the site and having coffee.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Then it was time to return to Sousse. And that is when the misadventure began. The train was not running again until after 6pm, and even then was not going to Sousse, but to a nearby town. The main bus station was missing, as was any information about it. So we decided to take the louage - a shared minivan, lie a marshrutka - very common for locals. The girl I was with had taken it to El Jem and had not had any problems, so we walked to the station. One louage was just leaving for Sousse (full). There was no way to know when another would arrive, but there were at least 39 people waiting. The way they work is the van leaves when full, but each van only holds 8 people, so it looked like we might be there a while. I tried to convince a taxi to drive us (and was prepared to pay handsomely for it) but no one would agree. Back to the louage station and even more people were waiting to go to Sousse. We quickly realized that there was no order to the boarding of the louage. When one arrived for Sousse, people rushed at it, cramming and pushing on. It was mayhem. I realized that if i was going to get to Sousse, I was going to have to take extreme measures.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The next time a louage with the Sousse sign on it drove into the station, I and others, ran towards the vehicle, while it was driving. One guy opened the panel door and jumped in, while the vehicle drove. Then a girl and her friend. Then i grabbed on to the seat back, pulled myself in, and my temporary traveling companion followed. As we did so, other people tried to push us out of the way so they could do the same. By the time the van came to a stop, it was already full. It may not have been driving super fast, but I still felt like a low level action hero.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Once on board, a full on argument broke out between the two women sitting behind us and the driver. There was yelling in Arabic happening for like 5 minutes. The whole time, I was stressed that we were going to be kicked off for some minor infraction. One of the women was lightly slapped in the face by some man. Then things were quiet and we left, my heart beating.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Following that melee, the evening was relaxing. I had some super spicy, Tunisian vegetable dish, followed by shisha at a kind of fancy salon de thé. Then I went to bed, because the next morning I was being picked up at 3:30am for a flight to France..and then back to Tunisia.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkLo4mxlvrMf-4mfKy3S-iAw2hmOiBAJduhZgc_krGjTbRP0CadvLBEFX4UsWIThiATUU5SLpXBE4NizZ_3fp_IU9sK72aXD2X6UfA9RlpD1KHDZlzoX_XRST7beqv6isB3HB0rXMvS8n/s640/blogger-image--667366723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkLo4mxlvrMf-4mfKy3S-iAw2hmOiBAJduhZgc_krGjTbRP0CadvLBEFX4UsWIThiATUU5SLpXBE4NizZ_3fp_IU9sK72aXD2X6UfA9RlpD1KHDZlzoX_XRST7beqv6isB3HB0rXMvS8n/s640/blogger-image--667366723.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-63761373262348775192018-04-01T12:59:00.001-07:002018-04-01T13:08:39.261-07:00Sousse<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I caught a morning bus from Tunis to Sousse. An easy trip, a little more than two hours. About $4. The scenery wasn't great, but it was relaxing...well, sort of. I surrounded by a school group of children going to some pro-Palestine event. Loud singing and horseplay. Them, not me.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">In Sousse, south on the coast from Tunis, I walked from the train station ti the medina and found my hotel, the Hotel Medina, just behind the great mosque. Nothing makes me feel as capable and independent than arriving in a new city where I cannot speak the language and finding my way with a map. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">The weather was perfect and the city begged to be explored. Sousse dates back to about 9th century BCE and is centred around a walled medina just blocks away from the harbour. The medina is smaller than the one in Tunis but is no less interesting, the souq is bustling with mostly locals and the streets are filled with vendors selling nuts and sweet treats, kids playing ball, and people going about their daily lives.</span></div>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Aside from the miles of walking, it was a pretty chill day, which I finished with vegetable couscous on a patio and a cigar sitting on a step outside of the mosque. While I could always spend more time, a day in Sousse is sufficient, which is good because the next day I would be going to El Jem.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-49628145978525238122018-04-01T12:22:00.001-07:002018-09-29T10:07:02.187-07:00Tunis : Plan B<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Day three in Tunis started, as they all do, with breakfast. Breakfast at the hostel is bread heavy. Pan au chocolat, baguettes, fig jam, fig sweet rolls, cake, tiny bread doughnuts, and oranges fresh from the tree. The oranges here are excellent, as is the freshly squeezed juice which is available on every corner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I left right after my carb infusion and caught a (very inexpensive) taxi to the bus station to go to Kaiouran, a very important holy site. About 3 hours by bus, i figured it would make a good day trip and a round trip ticket was about $4. The bus was to leave at 8:00, but it was late. The bus needed repairs. I chatted with a local young man, studying to be an electrician. He told me how he wants to move to Finland or Canada but that it is very difficult. Jobs here, he said, are in short supply. By 9:00 they said the bus would leave at 11:00 and i realized my day trip was sunk. Plan B: the Bardo Museum. I caught another taxi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The museum, which I was not super keen to visit, was excellent. An extraordinary display of 2000 year old mosaics in an old palace, along with statues and some pottery and other bits and pieces .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I got there right when it opened and it was fairly empty. That soon changed. Bus loads of tourists (Italian & Chinese tourists) arrived. I watched as person after person took pictures of themselves in front of the mosaics, jumping repeatedly to get just the right shot. Comical and confounding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The museum was the site of a terrorist attack in 2015 and a number of tourists were gunned down. There is now a monument marking the event. Not that one ever expects to be shot, but it seems particularly unexpected in a museum, so quiet and organized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I left the museum, planning to get a taxi. Tonnes drove by, but none stopped. I walked to the tram and got various, conflicting instructions about which tram to take. I finally figured it out but each tram that stopped was crammed full. Back to to taxi plan. About 20 minutes of watching countless taxis drive by, full. I approached a guy who had a lonely planet and who was also trying for a cab, suggesting that we share, as the odds were so poor and we were both going back to the medina. At it turned out, he was staying at my hostel. It took us close to an hour, but we got a cab.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Back at the medina, I spent the rest of the day walking around, visiting the market, stopping for shisha and coffees, finishing up with a small vegetarian pizza (the easiest to find vegetarian meal).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Nothing quite went as planned, but it was a good day.</span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-19536879698291231312018-03-31T14:02:00.001-07:002018-03-31T22:34:20.579-07:00Carthage & Sidi Bou Said<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Day two in Tunis i took the train North to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. Having mastered the medina (well, the middle bit) I walked from my hostel to the train station and bought a 2nd class ticket for Carthage.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">A 2nd class ticket for the ~35 minute ride was less than a dollar. First class was 2 or 3 times more. The only difference between classes was the padding on the seats and how crowded 2nd class gets. It was an easy train ride; the stations were marked and the map made sense. I got off at Carthage Hannibal to see the ruins of Carthage.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJbl8SCGzrozInXY09Sw8ja4S23SQhbnF-9qKKwU57_xnNg_9hFLi3gR9x5OSYFPD0x6VtYRDZOQxprMP6McvWd8Js4JkMznGU-KD_iZd3TTe8k2ssSbkHv6pnh6fNs9w0q1cEkyyc2HX/s640/blogger-image-1027847110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJbl8SCGzrozInXY09Sw8ja4S23SQhbnF-9qKKwU57_xnNg_9hFLi3gR9x5OSYFPD0x6VtYRDZOQxprMP6McvWd8Js4JkMznGU-KD_iZd3TTe8k2ssSbkHv6pnh6fNs9w0q1cEkyyc2HX/s640/blogger-image-1027847110.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">A word of advice if you are reading this and trip planning, as the site is not at all well marked. To get to Bursa Hill and the museum and surrounding sights, walk up the hill from the train station (with your back to the water). At about the top of the hill is a road on the left heading further uphill. Take that road. If you start going downhill, you've gone too far. Do not, as I did, keep walking for another 30+ minutes only to have to turn around and go back.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">So, Carthage is an important city - in history, literature, and culture. Founded in around 815 BCE, it is ancient and many ruins remain. There was no way I was not going to go, and I'm glad I did...but I think i enjoyed the train ride and the walk more than the sights. If I had never seen Roman or Greek ruins before I might have found it fascinating, but I have and I've seen more impressive ones. I felt like kind of guilty walking around, looking at a few erect columns, the foundations of what were once great structures, and piles of stones, and being underwhelmed. I stood, at times, looking at a partial wall or bit of stone and trying to feel something akin to awe or genuine interest, but I found my mind wandering to the juice stand I had passed earlier or whether I had applied adequate sunscreen. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkXVP4WNl2ejl2DogCh-Mf6WYpLHuJvZmVJZzb7DUupPXSQwyHGCyAbWIqTLGNANMB8qa7O9mM1IRk_Vo8dRUNyYSK9SwljbVx-UXsyWsKPuTU0ARZRCCVrUqZXzAptjmBaIMhUuMSFsI/s640/blogger-image-886596421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkXVP4WNl2ejl2DogCh-Mf6WYpLHuJvZmVJZzb7DUupPXSQwyHGCyAbWIqTLGNANMB8qa7O9mM1IRk_Vo8dRUNyYSK9SwljbVx-UXsyWsKPuTU0ARZRCCVrUqZXzAptjmBaIMhUuMSFsI/s640/blogger-image-886596421.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiia2_xfLFPGvUfUZDAzSvNCyk-dIm0CGBVfRjfcY7wKFbij51LmqG4a3li59dYjQ8ngvFmPgGH9KGDGYQJP-bdx6bCP7oaiemHc8aTQzM3J2DIr8qcgQPDN-Ho52zKhOq7_aXO0jdOP4Jk/s640/blogger-image--1605322088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiia2_xfLFPGvUfUZDAzSvNCyk-dIm0CGBVfRjfcY7wKFbij51LmqG4a3li59dYjQ8ngvFmPgGH9KGDGYQJP-bdx6bCP7oaiemHc8aTQzM3J2DIr8qcgQPDN-Ho52zKhOq7_aXO0jdOP4Jk/s640/blogger-image--1605322088.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It just required a bit too much imagination. Certainly it gives the history some context, which I like, but i just can't get excited about ruins anymore unless they resemble what they were, like the colosseum or Ephesus. After about two hours I was done.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Back on the train, I went to Sidi Bou Said, an impossibly picturesque town atop a hill overlooking the sea. The whole town is whitewashed with blue shutters, doors, and accents. Purple flowering vines creep over walls and orange trees fill the air with the strong scent of their blossoms. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNtzvslL2z6hka9UqqtOhK1hvEncVJP2I6Ui4VD6XxhssAi4eJKRKAveKOy53EEKcKYWyss4JI1NVoE8RcJLUKhFFstZAjKQ7hCipUUHTNasK8MHILKnVoecTLrD8heIO0Zk3EWh8NOv-/s640/blogger-image--137831732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNtzvslL2z6hka9UqqtOhK1hvEncVJP2I6Ui4VD6XxhssAi4eJKRKAveKOy53EEKcKYWyss4JI1NVoE8RcJLUKhFFstZAjKQ7hCipUUHTNasK8MHILKnVoecTLrD8heIO0Zk3EWh8NOv-/s640/blogger-image--137831732.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi6q4FKnqib1A85o52xP3ht6gFnDyApbHrmbcmjnc8tjUkIgInht-2_SNlEZhJ4XXjoLpqAyDmQsK4xlkFWX6ZmsdQgooH0DAWWC-9EJL-FCFECjHYHCXxfBT_uVI4kJqI12n_ev53chu/s640/blogger-image-2012114073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi6q4FKnqib1A85o52xP3ht6gFnDyApbHrmbcmjnc8tjUkIgInht-2_SNlEZhJ4XXjoLpqAyDmQsK4xlkFWX6ZmsdQgooH0DAWWC-9EJL-FCFECjHYHCXxfBT_uVI4kJqI12n_ev53chu/s640/blogger-image-2012114073.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6fZwQiCaKduRvY6VPhuKJ7mbuAO7DfIrl7s_7v-dzlTPm52KBI1aSzQMMLjtrKJI4cHQfMZI4u-5NQlVoqnN5EiE4OlgAQ7W7x_P8MVPEluAxvHa8V7Euy4WQB_nUkP8RXRWEQFJX0BB/s640/blogger-image-2082032865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6fZwQiCaKduRvY6VPhuKJ7mbuAO7DfIrl7s_7v-dzlTPm52KBI1aSzQMMLjtrKJI4cHQfMZI4u-5NQlVoqnN5EiE4OlgAQ7W7x_P8MVPEluAxvHa8V7Euy4WQB_nUkP8RXRWEQFJX0BB/s640/blogger-image-2082032865.jpg"></a></div><br></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is definitely a tourist draw, but rightly so. It was a delight to walk the streets, at each turn another perfect sight. Around the edges shops sold pottery, dresses, paintings, and souvenirs. Cafés, ice cream stands, and sidewalk sweets vendors lured in the visitors. I had lunch at a curb side eatery: vegetarian couscous.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3dkv0oDGuWSxOwseNF6K7bVxS1VbTF3zW2LbgtxaLzFPpd-JHjzDxZdut7ONxG9CVxocBZVOww3RqreGIpKoxhuIFZKDkAgMxE7bXd0nhao5pDS-6YoBFcBeaTi5-cfKwU0bRmu8Cmuo/s640/blogger-image--182527362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3dkv0oDGuWSxOwseNF6K7bVxS1VbTF3zW2LbgtxaLzFPpd-JHjzDxZdut7ONxG9CVxocBZVOww3RqreGIpKoxhuIFZKDkAgMxE7bXd0nhao5pDS-6YoBFcBeaTi5-cfKwU0bRmu8Cmuo/s640/blogger-image--182527362.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6h2jfTu5JUXwQi0uOGe3IyAVDCtb_lTKsKw1JdjQ90IYcWLiC0ySYVzNStrJ5q0Z8gUERiggf5HrAPofLXM1myeaoMQcjeQgKr2vjjPUXgWa8O0pZxcifkLAY96prkROBE9QuGplhKVS/s640/blogger-image--95747582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6h2jfTu5JUXwQi0uOGe3IyAVDCtb_lTKsKw1JdjQ90IYcWLiC0ySYVzNStrJ5q0Z8gUERiggf5HrAPofLXM1myeaoMQcjeQgKr2vjjPUXgWa8O0pZxcifkLAY96prkROBE9QuGplhKVS/s640/blogger-image--95747582.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUHXahGRUHFv6tzb7h5NRA97sbsJNL2VbYWtc2UekrZJ7k9tlUroVNXv5ABhy5a76dPRcXEFIeYbknArSNosMBLlZdQrJ_nHikSYtuNwgphuxpCbN9YQ0Q4zmU4HRR-uZYeNILDJXRNUX/s640/blogger-image--1877649450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUHXahGRUHFv6tzb7h5NRA97sbsJNL2VbYWtc2UekrZJ7k9tlUroVNXv5ABhy5a76dPRcXEFIeYbknArSNosMBLlZdQrJ_nHikSYtuNwgphuxpCbN9YQ0Q4zmU4HRR-uZYeNILDJXRNUX/s640/blogger-image--1877649450.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">I trained back to Tunis, with more than enough time to nap, walk without purpose, and smoke a hookah as the sun set. I love how one day in Tunis one can walk down a street in the medina and it is just an empty passage, and the next day the same street is lined with chairs and tables, filled with people (men mostly) drinking coffee and tea and smoking shisha and cigarettes. Like pop up cafés. Very enjoyable. I had the classic combo of apple tobacco and Turkish coffee and watched people wander by.</span></div>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The fact that I was able to find my way back to my hostel in the medina in the dark without a map, was a minor victory.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-6305091587002652102018-03-29T00:46:00.001-07:002018-03-29T12:33:15.300-07:00Arrival in Tunisia<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I didn't have any particular reason for choosing Tunisia, other than that I love Islamic countries and Tunisia is small enough to be manageable in two weeks, but also has a mix of desert, sea, history, and culture.</span><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXhjVtewn5wFodd_YFWx6TpHS3yEzDDXsBWtOqY1SLPb_bmgksECnQJdihR4YxWC4FfhycV19FfQJRjrSnWytk1BhErWtoo1AaDn-lY5pyei_QoEFAw4Cql3pns4ZJoPDzuqt8nEH2bMM/s640/blogger-image--682167697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXhjVtewn5wFodd_YFWx6TpHS3yEzDDXsBWtOqY1SLPb_bmgksECnQJdihR4YxWC4FfhycV19FfQJRjrSnWytk1BhErWtoo1AaDn-lY5pyei_QoEFAw4Cql3pns4ZJoPDzuqt8nEH2bMM/s640/blogger-image--682167697.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">My flight from Zurich to Tunis was cancelled and the the new flight was delayed, so instead of arriving in the morning, I was arriving late at night. I don't like getting into a strange city at night. I'm tired, the city seems weird, info booths and money changers are closed, and public transit is not running regularly or at all. So I wasn't happy about that, but at least I had arrived. I went outside to the taxi stand and haggled them down from 40 to 20 dinars (still too much, but reasonable) and was glad to be en route to my hostel in the medina.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The car drove into the medina until the road became too narrow. The driver called the hostel and someone was going to walk down and fetch me as it is a bit of a maze. I handed the driver two 10 dinar notes and 3 dinar coins. The driver paused, did something with his hands and told me I had only given him one 10 dinar note. I was annoyed. I knew I had given him two because I looked at each of them as I took them out of my wallet as I am not familiar with the currency. I got out of the car. He got out of the car. We argue. He insisted i am trying to stiff him. I insisted he is mistaken (but I am certain he is lying). Finally, as the guy from the hostel arrived, I gave in and gave the driver another 10 - still insisting that the 'error' was not mine. I was just tired and wanted to go. I walked off with the guy from the hostel. About 3 minutes later, the driver came running up to us and gave me 10 dinars. He said he found it in the front seat. Faith in taxi drivers restored. Seriously. He didn't have to come back and give me the money. This bodes well for Tunisia.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDWRB2SYhBZoQj7UZgw690hdQXZXjC6stEGYlEW9v8I-00e3u3ml_Nob2w0l-eG_Rd4UOi2HTbufSd6-Pz2gvucfQ6afiCAdjR6jv_m_gBnUTp4nHQr2biRZnPo4R1xudtDn_OPPHbjkO/s640/blogger-image-1200813018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDWRB2SYhBZoQj7UZgw690hdQXZXjC6stEGYlEW9v8I-00e3u3ml_Nob2w0l-eG_Rd4UOi2HTbufSd6-Pz2gvucfQ6afiCAdjR6jv_m_gBnUTp4nHQr2biRZnPo4R1xudtDn_OPPHbjkO/s640/blogger-image-1200813018.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After that, it was midnight and I basically went to bed.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The next day, I was able to appreciate my accommodations. The Dar-El Hostel. Tucked away in the maze of the medina on a narrow street, behind one of Tunis' ubiquitous blue studded doors, the interior is covered in tiles and is about 200 or 300 years old. My room is enormous and cozy at the same time.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72RSxBtEPeqdp1OUR7CdUU18O-b7ZU8bDffQnoZYes2IXPJxu5pnHZ1ozrukVxtUgJxPcfEHlgiwxjIegmrhdMDfTl1yHn-CdW-PKqSBNk6KTnDzCOvchNUVCss9diSeuV1j_q1tTyJ2A/s640/blogger-image-1423283087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72RSxBtEPeqdp1OUR7CdUU18O-b7ZU8bDffQnoZYes2IXPJxu5pnHZ1ozrukVxtUgJxPcfEHlgiwxjIegmrhdMDfTl1yHn-CdW-PKqSBNk6KTnDzCOvchNUVCss9diSeuV1j_q1tTyJ2A/s640/blogger-image-1423283087.jpg"></a></div><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><p></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I had planned to spend the first day exploring the medina and the colonial section beyond. As i was leaving the hostel, the fellow from the hotel was walking two young chaps to the train station, so i tagged along for the walk and accompanied my guide back to the medina entrance, chatting along the way about life in Tunisia, about how I should be open to having a relationship, and the Fast and Furious movies. A wide ranging conversation. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Then I was on my own. I walked the length of Habib Bouguiba street, which is lined with grand, French architecture in a variety of styles and rows of sidewalk cafes. The street meant to look like Champs Elysseys, and it is, except that it is charming. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP6GVFgDLXqt4I_bMRJgIaZX4zupe9dQYRRZVYynH-0-udO0WiR9hQFr5HFrdD2Jlsgus-EBMlWBGaUx_3I4Uc9oks5apeRPUtKS23YUWBfHbnWBwdYSR4FS2SXOm6s_Y9EQRJcWeloQS/s640/blogger-image-2071060391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP6GVFgDLXqt4I_bMRJgIaZX4zupe9dQYRRZVYynH-0-udO0WiR9hQFr5HFrdD2Jlsgus-EBMlWBGaUx_3I4Uc9oks5apeRPUtKS23YUWBfHbnWBwdYSR4FS2SXOm6s_Y9EQRJcWeloQS/s640/blogger-image-2071060391.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEysY4mRJCeT04QZSyWufL9zCrah4WYMcdRNizpVip-kRl_3RL1PNerN1R6xSUbPwn9RPZdfakshV3Lhb_VyzUuNJKbyBM7x_p3OaQ6VJi1SslP0pndtvTr4zTzEJRwWS2OTebPBox93Lv/s640/blogger-image--1908942613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEysY4mRJCeT04QZSyWufL9zCrah4WYMcdRNizpVip-kRl_3RL1PNerN1R6xSUbPwn9RPZdfakshV3Lhb_VyzUuNJKbyBM7x_p3OaQ6VJi1SslP0pndtvTr4zTzEJRwWS2OTebPBox93Lv/s640/blogger-image--1908942613.jpg"></a></div></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I had an espresso at a café. The great thing here is that you can order a coffee, for like $1, and sit there for ages. I saw so many people, locals, sitting for an hour or more after they finished their coffee. It was great for people watching.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM41vGykOL0MImklSQnZSeluBjtnLF2TiFtPbe6r8Jj0J8GtqAHAEwZqgAeztW5t8zdBjzoer_-oLS8zAJ28H6d2R8snmk1VDL5JBa3dtta6rlEpgf2Dn3wGFET4P-ZHmFmSb6qduNTe6I/s640/blogger-image--688631574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM41vGykOL0MImklSQnZSeluBjtnLF2TiFtPbe6r8Jj0J8GtqAHAEwZqgAeztW5t8zdBjzoer_-oLS8zAJ28H6d2R8snmk1VDL5JBa3dtta6rlEpgf2Dn3wGFET4P-ZHmFmSb6qduNTe6I/s640/blogger-image--688631574.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I then visited the big cathedral, stopped for an obligatory touristy selfie, and headed into the medina. Medinas are basically really old walled cities and are tangled webs of streets, paths, lanes, and alleys in no discernible order. This medina dates back to the 7th century and it shows. It feels ancient. In places the stones are worn down to smooth, rounded slivers, like well-used bars of soap. The walls are high and imposing, to keep enemies out. Today the walled streets hide homes, courtyards, mosques, and restaurants. Some of the passages are quiet and with nothing to see other than doorways (exquisite though they are here); others are lined with market stalls selling touristy items, spices, hookahs, clothing, soap, herbs...et cetera. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Bfd3gEeKIgO4fVNCCidDE8pnMwHZ395rKNDTVuM_ZFQ2Eyr0FYnp2u6FiI6TkbnWdJZqUbSjdnG13NxCaE49YrMd4Omd2XTxiaCo1TXIU7BulSSI1wNqNhrfzbw5Uj6MvyIMj5ts2q2/s640/blogger-image-79741978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Bfd3gEeKIgO4fVNCCidDE8pnMwHZ395rKNDTVuM_ZFQ2Eyr0FYnp2u6FiI6TkbnWdJZqUbSjdnG13NxCaE49YrMd4Omd2XTxiaCo1TXIU7BulSSI1wNqNhrfzbw5Uj6MvyIMj5ts2q2/s640/blogger-image-79741978.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodB2t1i_IhF3w4GiKiMpYnhpehvWI2RBve4c0PBhqelR9_lM-JCmcj0zmSCyrWfctTxRRk_QWdaff7jeBCehYX3XEmz0In84qie5tKuQkXM1r7ZL3_JPSp-KZRDbdAEQf9eXRcv2u1IsD/s640/blogger-image-1020762310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodB2t1i_IhF3w4GiKiMpYnhpehvWI2RBve4c0PBhqelR9_lM-JCmcj0zmSCyrWfctTxRRk_QWdaff7jeBCehYX3XEmz0In84qie5tKuQkXM1r7ZL3_JPSp-KZRDbdAEQf9eXRcv2u1IsD/s640/blogger-image-1020762310.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7pFWVEaDk3NcXh_36ULplPstChgUq271cXsK5LTk8WxKr1sldqeGVY640iyjeQI2pNCqfu9ct6sYBB-qQATWi6VKIoK_tXl0p-rbalDsgSa77hElFDcwcwUoXDV1RlcZc-RcmhhYdycz/s640/blogger-image-1296000520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7pFWVEaDk3NcXh_36ULplPstChgUq271cXsK5LTk8WxKr1sldqeGVY640iyjeQI2pNCqfu9ct6sYBB-qQATWi6VKIoK_tXl0p-rbalDsgSa77hElFDcwcwUoXDV1RlcZc-RcmhhYdycz/s640/blogger-image-1296000520.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is all fascinating to explore. A map may be of some use, but it is better to just walk and explore without purpose. Eventually you will hit a wall or landmark from which to orientate yourself.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRFDig7ocvIA_-ca2tTLmHeiXiUtNkEJ8cIbLvfxKhDc09MO0DEEw1YQOnTgMdPwi3p9bDGROqa48UvF-UCFxaKmI9Rs5KtFbbLTvECL0g5w0ZMhyphenhyphenihmfLGsKDNAUUOhiVxo-9jJAeEoz/s640/blogger-image-626997318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRFDig7ocvIA_-ca2tTLmHeiXiUtNkEJ8cIbLvfxKhDc09MO0DEEw1YQOnTgMdPwi3p9bDGROqa48UvF-UCFxaKmI9Rs5KtFbbLTvECL0g5w0ZMhyphenhyphenihmfLGsKDNAUUOhiVxo-9jJAeEoz/s640/blogger-image-626997318.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjf5aCTCNS97AmHsEq_fyBeETl4zBxuZqQRmkrgEQ0pYUlJlydVNVZaVxSGLHSv2di9ZZDe3xDdjF5Vi8OwbUQVKoqIshQY_WD5P_3Tf8QZMuVHLgE7Gfu_IoD8MF8htYp9Mg-Bo4SH93/s640/blogger-image--1678063361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjf5aCTCNS97AmHsEq_fyBeETl4zBxuZqQRmkrgEQ0pYUlJlydVNVZaVxSGLHSv2di9ZZDe3xDdjF5Vi8OwbUQVKoqIshQY_WD5P_3Tf8QZMuVHLgE7Gfu_IoD8MF8htYp9Mg-Bo4SH93/s640/blogger-image--1678063361.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I walked for hours. Eventually i stopped at this super charming cafe (photos do not do it justice) and smoked shisha, watching people walking past. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq0AuFWqjqo21wf9_pP_Gz1wJxAlUg0g_0SUgMllj313-MRoSApyx71Es2fi32wZxMgPcmDrLChH4d8LsbNb-L2g7dj4-eTNGcOjKbooJqEebpqRjPM4w-6jqsUcAmnkM4aPmJcQO3zz0/s640/blogger-image-1493149460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq0AuFWqjqo21wf9_pP_Gz1wJxAlUg0g_0SUgMllj313-MRoSApyx71Es2fi32wZxMgPcmDrLChH4d8LsbNb-L2g7dj4-eTNGcOjKbooJqEebpqRjPM4w-6jqsUcAmnkM4aPmJcQO3zz0/s640/blogger-image-1493149460.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There are tourists here, but not a lot, which is nice. My basic French is passable, but many people also speak English, as well as Arabic. All of my clothing (both outfits) are appropriate here. Some women dress very conservatively (long, loose dress or coat and veil), but most just wear a headscarf, and some none at all. There is just no exposed arms and legs that I have seen, which suits me just fine. In fact, as long as i have my tattoos covered and my sunglasses on, I don't even stand out as a tourist, which keeps the market merchants at bay. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdMtaTYkG8izWTtly7zxWcedAT9Ck80G5V3P46QO5zaAO3bLiFWgDWd3FTlz4rIKjjm1ts5FjVtV-ibl89b9q2QEu2ZAts2_45rpZl5FVNEYuhwwHdjvaKvh631WakwK9DRR2H56F2OLX/s640/blogger-image--567427207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdMtaTYkG8izWTtly7zxWcedAT9Ck80G5V3P46QO5zaAO3bLiFWgDWd3FTlz4rIKjjm1ts5FjVtV-ibl89b9q2QEu2ZAts2_45rpZl5FVNEYuhwwHdjvaKvh631WakwK9DRR2H56F2OLX/s640/blogger-image--567427207.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I am happy to report that, after Zurich, Tunis seems like a budget paradise. Last night I had a freshly baked mini pizza for $1.50, coffee for 50c, and bought bread, cheese, an orange, and a yogurt drink from the super market for $3.00. (Those who know me know i love wandering foreign supermarkets due to a weird box of cereal I once saw in Tel Aviv. Here, I note that almost all of the boxed breakfast cereals are chocolate and there was an ENTIRE aisle at the market I visited devoted to halva.)</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After a bit of a rest, I went for a late night walk in the medina (careful not to get lost this time) and smoked a cigar on the steps of a mosque, watching cats walk the alleys looking for food. Other than that it was quiet.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I think this cheesy photo says it all.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggalj41ETxa1DECKCwYPhWLLHoPHjDCf0Luo1Dp_C22WI7fmxH1EYaIdlhAqiWhr2PGBgORqJCwEO1RnTqUU9MM4LDD9LuZXd2lS2aa5DBDHqCrh7B033kV7INLKj2oee3skF2p4zBwKIu/s640/blogger-image--367395804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggalj41ETxa1DECKCwYPhWLLHoPHjDCf0Luo1Dp_C22WI7fmxH1EYaIdlhAqiWhr2PGBgORqJCwEO1RnTqUU9MM4LDD9LuZXd2lS2aa5DBDHqCrh7B033kV7INLKj2oee3skF2p4zBwKIu/s640/blogger-image--367395804.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAoFQwgziaUBC1odPk13fq-cYVp2WOfKzfYNkeCFMSF5Z5NNu0RBeqJtZTrAlm48qrfypu1Nh9bkNu6sp2etwzI6dG8hzmbusLzAv3ma7lPyz2CFtn0L_ocDfhRYgg8DjtTUYr8oha71K/s640/blogger-image--927481326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAoFQwgziaUBC1odPk13fq-cYVp2WOfKzfYNkeCFMSF5Z5NNu0RBeqJtZTrAlm48qrfypu1Nh9bkNu6sp2etwzI6dG8hzmbusLzAv3ma7lPyz2CFtn0L_ocDfhRYgg8DjtTUYr8oha71K/s640/blogger-image--927481326.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvX3ksu6_V88WHgQRxUoRTSoNAmZuHowhyV_LHi4R4YU_7BTaSeOYAxOY7e0IVkxlyudxjx_GMhvVOIxUOmJk6V4uT9qMEylDldoOrOJ0GAIoy276CjzV863Zmb807zx_MYigPimPWETY/s640/blogger-image-88065232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvX3ksu6_V88WHgQRxUoRTSoNAmZuHowhyV_LHi4R4YU_7BTaSeOYAxOY7e0IVkxlyudxjx_GMhvVOIxUOmJk6V4uT9qMEylDldoOrOJ0GAIoy276CjzV863Zmb807zx_MYigPimPWETY/s640/blogger-image-88065232.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></span></div>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-82552215693586428962018-03-28T00:32:00.001-07:002018-03-28T00:55:01.437-07:00Lucerne<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I awoke on day two in Switzerland to grey skies. I had a coffee and picked up some breakfast from my favorite eatery in Zurich - the local supermarket. (It's preferable to spending a small fortune on coffee and breakfast.) Made a bee-line to the train station and caught a morning train to Lucerne. It was scheduled to leave at 4mins past the hour and at exactly that time, it started to roll. About 45 minutes later we arrived in Lucerne with Swiss precision. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMeakJq33MxI1gct_V0rtoA86zVIYZ_iJlLYcwVvD4vWuiG_P2gKvUUEBMHch7sQozgoNnP1wxCcjR86rFuOe8MrKEo8N0emRVlhTYPOR5QMS-8qNVkeQHk7rH6BxFTyneyjSYFQQZJ-H/s640/blogger-image-777122368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMeakJq33MxI1gct_V0rtoA86zVIYZ_iJlLYcwVvD4vWuiG_P2gKvUUEBMHch7sQozgoNnP1wxCcjR86rFuOe8MrKEo8N0emRVlhTYPOR5QMS-8qNVkeQHk7rH6BxFTyneyjSYFQQZJ-H/s640/blogger-image-777122368.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I think I did the right thing by not going to Lucerne on a weekend, when it is teeming with tourists I am told. Things weren't too busy on a Monday morning and i managed to get ahead of the one bus group I spied. To be fair to the tourists, it wasn't like i was there to do research; we were all walking around photographing the same buildings. I'm just happier doing it away from other people. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsIQKF_OH61Y3OgrbN6i_ypiWzZCRSfL9VaY2R6453Tx5lW8XI3Icu0GGFCmv6cAA8fhEyN3vDSHSQW3FmTWqVERuU0DaWBonN8Et52_63q6OJllCKIOznW3gS3jsoW7D8t_4zxhxsYjY/s640/blogger-image-1667024737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsIQKF_OH61Y3OgrbN6i_ypiWzZCRSfL9VaY2R6453Tx5lW8XI3Icu0GGFCmv6cAA8fhEyN3vDSHSQW3FmTWqVERuU0DaWBonN8Et52_63q6OJllCKIOznW3gS3jsoW7D8t_4zxhxsYjY/s640/blogger-image-1667024737.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The draw for Lucerne is that it is a charming town, easily walkable, with a number of old, decorative buildings, and a notable covered bridge. It is a perfect day trip from Zurich.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmtYr3cjffNLt4hXepizeZ7ZKsnRFXXOdYnaFsV9UjopxPyT4ko2uBswEMUEhyg4H9xN_PnW5HtDeha90vKKxXeNetfeSIewR29qVxdaIxLYPwFQN6GBqZ3Gl7LGVzq3PcKRS646XVFEP/s640/blogger-image-1526749220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmtYr3cjffNLt4hXepizeZ7ZKsnRFXXOdYnaFsV9UjopxPyT4ko2uBswEMUEhyg4H9xN_PnW5HtDeha90vKKxXeNetfeSIewR29qVxdaIxLYPwFQN6GBqZ3Gl7LGVzq3PcKRS646XVFEP/s640/blogger-image-1526749220.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89vZnlNN5X0mno1t6QfuNECmUo6GjGCmaT8KXpcY1TH65HiWZT_6HGqcPjl7U7zV7h57gapYKnSNClbWAloJG4z2N3H18AuloYkHHE4J_2CzqKt7XuGAUoTEV3104TKwroueBUagO312d/s640/blogger-image-752152083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89vZnlNN5X0mno1t6QfuNECmUo6GjGCmaT8KXpcY1TH65HiWZT_6HGqcPjl7U7zV7h57gapYKnSNClbWAloJG4z2N3H18AuloYkHHE4J_2CzqKt7XuGAUoTEV3104TKwroueBUagO312d/s640/blogger-image-752152083.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZRd9N3Zotu6NQnrIpIy8qcgxDWyjjbY1oX6T3gQFwbgM2xCc23Xd9Wgh0k2t4MMHZxyFJVXMBHkvUyAIeP16n8qD2aUED88Ql-UZQuZZwh1N64E6SV6QUMIjhVQZrrUiZaAiR9Ez_q_n/s640/blogger-image--1258737491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZRd9N3Zotu6NQnrIpIy8qcgxDWyjjbY1oX6T3gQFwbgM2xCc23Xd9Wgh0k2t4MMHZxyFJVXMBHkvUyAIeP16n8qD2aUED88Ql-UZQuZZwh1N64E6SV6QUMIjhVQZrrUiZaAiR9Ez_q_n/s640/blogger-image--1258737491.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The day started out cold and grey, but finished up cold and sunny. Regardless, I Loved wandering the town. Every turn revealed some beautifully painted building, ornate fountain, or church square. There was one church in particular that had these huge, carved, wooden doors, one of which opened slowly when i approached it...but there was no one on the other side. "(The holy) ghosts!" I thought, but i watched as a couple walked in about 5 minutes after me and the door opened for them too, so I figured it was an automatic thing, which made more sense. Still though, it's a creepy feature; like a petty miracle to convince non-believers to sign up. God saw you coming and he says, Come in.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There were no hi-jinx or misadventures; it was just lovely. I walked a million steps and then climbed up a bunch of stairs to get a better look at some ramparts (they don't merit close inspection, as it turns out, but the walk was nice). </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9fCApGT49drdJj32uFYIcd1hCqxjOi_-rnvVL7-MC5PJEa0lLRHfxaoz2K0i8RXPllSmk4I3GXxXzxjXp9YtQ-28m8m_-j15ZeBrLz4oLRySH9h7QfeRfRTY1Vnc8ZeSpifl7yDgCBOd/s640/blogger-image-1893696677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9fCApGT49drdJj32uFYIcd1hCqxjOi_-rnvVL7-MC5PJEa0lLRHfxaoz2K0i8RXPllSmk4I3GXxXzxjXp9YtQ-28m8m_-j15ZeBrLz4oLRySH9h7QfeRfRTY1Vnc8ZeSpifl7yDgCBOd/s640/blogger-image-1893696677.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I had lunch from the supermarket. (Was going to splurge on daal and rice but couldn't justify the expense). More walking until i felt like i had visited every historical sight in the city, at which point i trained back to Zurich.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I chilled at my abode for a couple hours and had coffee with my host. We discussed, amongst other things how expensive Zurich is (including its health care apparently, which surprised me) and how much we hate the current administration of the U.S. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">In the evening i went to another cigar lounge - Manuel's. it was very busy with business type men. I loved the room and the cigar selection but did't find it as friendly as the lounge from the previous night. Still, sitting in a cigar-smoking room without judgment (and, in this case, also enjoying a coffee martini) is a rare treat. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The next day i was supposed to fly to Tunis in the morning but my flight was delayed until the evening, so i had a bonus day. I really wanted to go to to this medical museum where they have wax figures showing various diseases (it looks awesome) but it is only open Wednesdays and Fridays, so i walked all the banks of the centre of town (which lies along two rivers and with a lake at the end), enjoying the sun.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I went to the museum, which is small enough to be manageable and has some good exhibits, but is terribly organized. I had to ask for directions multiple times after the second floor completely disappeared.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Finally i had a cigar on the Bahnofstrasse in the sun and people watched until it was time for my train to the airport. (Again, i didn't want to spend $30 on a sandwich and coffee.) I was particularly baffled how the people in Zurich really don't dress any differently from the people in Vancouver, but they look so much better. Better jeans? Nicer sneakers? Or maybe it is because they are all thin - probably because they can't afford to eat much. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">On to Tunis.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE1-OLzb8IKVXCzZivwOwn-9DN05jMM84kIg7rF3AuXHCYzwZASfj4yhnZ7IADwudQltkNepW6vkBrDGfOvocAnPUk8BMXRwLve8cVRM6qYgDt9MSGBrs25CkoFMrC6JnGdyCOIWV-luP/s640/blogger-image--67719253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE1-OLzb8IKVXCzZivwOwn-9DN05jMM84kIg7rF3AuXHCYzwZASfj4yhnZ7IADwudQltkNepW6vkBrDGfOvocAnPUk8BMXRwLve8cVRM6qYgDt9MSGBrs25CkoFMrC6JnGdyCOIWV-luP/s640/blogger-image--67719253.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-1287333027608286372018-03-26T12:43:00.001-07:002018-03-27T01:09:20.232-07:00Zurich<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Zürich is one of those places that I never had any interest in. Or it's not that I was disinterested; I just didn't give it much thought. I figured Switzerland would be lovely but not life-changing. It seemed like a perfect place to spend a couple of days enroute to Tunsia. A couple days of charming Cobble-stoned streets, pan au chocolat, and ornate churches before the real vacation begins. Plus, it's a chance to go somewhere new. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">As I write this I am in a smokey cigar room in Zürich (Manuel's) smoking an H.Upmann magnum 50 and surrounded by men smoking, drinking, and conversing in German. I know it is an unpopular opinion, but I find German to be a very...appealing sounding language. I am happy. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I arrived yesterday morning. Early. Having flown from Vancouver I slept only a couple hours on the plane and only a couple the night before. I was somewhat delirious, but delighted. Zürich was -is- lovely. Pretty, decorative buildings, cute storefronts, calm squares, and rows of enticing cafés. The sun was out. I had taken the train from the airport and emerged in the light at the end of the Bahnhofstrasse - the main thoroughfare through the old town. My first sight was a Davidoff cigar store and lounge. I had chosen my destination wisely. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The hotels and even the hostels were all too expensive, so I opted for an Airbnb, at an apartment shared with its owner in the middle of the old town. I met my host by accident on the street near his building. A nice fellow, he showed me my accommodations, which were more that adequate. Certain friends of mine were certain he would murder me, as his airbnb listing had no reviews and after i booked it he deleted the listing. Nearly 48 hours later and i am still alive. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After getting settled, i set off to explore the old city. It is exactly what one would expect. Very pretty and great for walking. The wide streets give way to winding pedestrian alleys, lined with antique shops, clothiers, watch shops. Eventually one inevitably finds their way to the river (the Limmet ) which winds through the city, various narrow bridges linking the sides, swans gliding underneath. The sun was shining and , although the city was extremely quiet, there were people out strolling and riding bikes, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes along the banks. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I walked for hours, stopping for the odd coffee, stopping to visit churches and squares. Finally, i stopped for lunch at Haus Hitl, apparently the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world. (Very good, but too many choices for me.) </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I then walked back across the river to visit the Kunsthaus, an art museum. It was good. I recommend it. The problem was, at that point I was severely exhausted. I refuse to nap when arriving half way around the world. It is important to commit to the local schedule to combat lingering jet lag. But i was suffering. I had, about an hour, earlier nodded off over a coffee at the Café Voltaire. At the Kunsthaus I literally started to fall asleep on my feet several times and then dozed on a bench while gazing at a Kandinsky. It was rough. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I revived myself at the Hotel Storchen, where they have a perfect cigar lounge. Cozy, well stocked and staffed, with medieval stained glass windows and jazz music. I smoked a Bolivar and chatted with a man formerly of Canada, now a citizen of the world. I walked back to my abode in the dark and collapsed with exhaustion.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">A couple of observations. Zurich is small and quiet. A day or two would be sufficient to take in its sights. Stores (ALL stores) close on Sunday by law. No supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores...nothing. Just bars, cafes, restaurants, and churches are open. Prostitution is legal. I haven't seen a single beggar or homeless person (i assume they exist, but i haven't seen any). Much more German is spoken than French. And it is super expensive. A coffee in a not fancy café averages $7, more for a cappuccino. A lentil curry at a shabby Indian restaurant is about $30. My round trip train ticket to Lucerne (45 minutes each way, in the cheap class) was $75. Other than my lunch at Haus Hitl, all my meals have been from supermarkets. An apple, piece of cheese and pretzel was $13. I'm thankful i brought some coffee and cliff bars with me. Cigars, thankfully, are the only reasonably priced item i have found. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The other saving grace is that the water here is drinkable and the city is filled with these stunning fountains from which you can fill your water bottle. So i'm hydrated, but a bit hungry. Tunisia will be a serious bargain by comparison. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF-ZmXaBf9mFnOEcliP3gLyP8c4ro-_kbkUv8ustXs6L6T6daU6dtF3r7PZIPXfk3R1Lb-go913FllHu70piSg3Zmjb6N_icKObWZBfyDKqMwrFveVf1EfupGYNZfklkdewIINiw1j4mD/s640/blogger-image-356045535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF-ZmXaBf9mFnOEcliP3gLyP8c4ro-_kbkUv8ustXs6L6T6daU6dtF3r7PZIPXfk3R1Lb-go913FllHu70piSg3Zmjb6N_icKObWZBfyDKqMwrFveVf1EfupGYNZfklkdewIINiw1j4mD/s640/blogger-image-356045535.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-87707406813485698112017-11-16T22:05:00.001-08:002018-02-26T06:56:03.623-08:00Denpasar on Purpose & Kuta by Accident<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Ubud is lovely. Nearly a paradise. When i arrived i thought i never wanted to leave, but by day four, i was ready to move on. The centre is sort of phoney in a perfect sort of way. Inviting restaurants and bars and shops for tourists, english speaking staff, abundant taxis, juice and gelato stands, walkable, clean, easy ... and after a day, a bit dull.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I flew to Denpasar for one day and night and realized only then how happy i was to be in a new city. A real city. Dirty, crowded, busy. With a momentum of its own that did not centre around me, the visitor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The airport is in Denpasar, so if you are going anywhere in Bali you will likely pass through, but most people don't stay. I would have skipped it myself but i didn't want to be in a rush to get through traffic from Bali to make a flight. So i took an uber from Ubud (a complete rip off compared to a regular taxi, as it turned out) to Denpasar and checked in at my accommodations: the Nakula Familiar Inn. The rooms felt like your Grandma's neglected basement spare room, but there was AC, private balconies, and a nice courtyard with places to hang out. And it was about $20 a night and walking distance to most sites. Plus, the manager was great and gave me a map and meticulously marked the best walking routes and stops along the way, after she applied magical healing oil to my finger that i had just slammed in the car door. So A+ for service.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked through the flower market, which was busy all day (i walked past it again in the evening) with women selling flowers and petals for use in the little palm frond offerings that are placed at least once a day at every temple and altar, on the sidewalks in front of shops, and on the dashboards of cars. Women set these out, add some food item to the flowers (a candy or cracker) and sprinkle it with some holy water or oil. When they are stepped on or ravaged by monkeys, they are replaced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">From there it was a short walk to the main market, Pasar Badung. It did have a floor of gifty items, but was otherwise a proper market with fruit and vegetables, seafood, textiles, and housewares. It smelled very bad in places, as good markets often do. I browsed around but didn't buy anything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I walked to the bird market. Hundreds. Thousands? Of birds in cages for sale. Some common, like chickens and pigeons, most exotic and colorful. I mentioned in a previous post that people hang bird cages everywhere, along the streets even, usually with one bird to a cage. Apparently there are bird song competitions, and also pigeon training, and cockfights. I don't like seeing all the birds in cages but it was interesting to walk through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Worse than the birds though were the other animals. Tiny puppies, kittens, and rabbits in cages in the hot sun, lizards piled upon each other, monkeys chained to cages. It was a real downer, to say the least.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On the plus side, i saw this urban turkey, hanging out in an alleyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">From there i visited the Pura Jagatnatha (temple) and the museum, which were both nice, but at this point in the trip everything is starting to look the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It was then my plan to walk about 2 km to the Bajra Sandi monument. I waved off the offers of taxis. I was content to walk. And, at first, i was. I walked through residential streets. I found a nice vegan restaurant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But then i realized i was lost. I had gone too far to backtrack, but i couldn't find my way and no one spoke English or understood my attempts at Indonesian. I would have paid anything for a taxi. It was hot and i was exhausted. I ended up walking 20 km that day. But there were no taxis. Finally, nearly in tears, i went into a bank and found a teller who spoke a little English and who drew me the most detailed and accurate map that got me to the monument. I would send him a thank you card if i knew his name, or that of the bank, or what street i was on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I arrived at the Bajra Sandi monument completely wasted, but it was beautiful in an imposing and evil sort of way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I explored its nooks and crannies, then managed to get a taxi. I gave the taxi driver a business card for my hotel which had the address, phone number, and a map. He said he knew where it was. I had no idea how long the drive should take, i had gotten so twisted in my walk, but it seemed to be taking a long time. He said it was the traffic. I then noticed that the area looked more rural that i had seen. He said it was a better road. I then noticed a lot of fancy shops and restaurants and wondered why i hadn't see them earlier. Finally, he pulled up on the correctly named street at the correct number...but it was not my hotel. Only then did i discover...he had driven to the right address in the wrong city. We were in Kuta, not Denpasar. I don't know why it happened, why he didn't see that the business card clearly said "Denpasar", but there we were. It took another hour in heavy traffic to get back to Denpasar. At least i saw another city, i guess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">But that basically took up my evening. I just had a cigar and went to bed. I am currently at the airport in Jakarta, awaiting a flight to Taipei. And so ends my trip to Indonesia. It has been a good one. I could see myself returning some day to the country, but to visit other islands. Right now though, i am happy to move on. </span></div>
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Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-34115316328616194812017-11-16T19:48:00.001-08:002017-11-19T01:03:43.495-08:00No Elephants or Menstruation at the Elephant Temple<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">On my third day in Ubud i hired a driver to take me to some of the far flung sites. It was nice to drive through the countryside, seeing villages and suburbs, with people going on with daily life, all with the picturesque scenery. We stopped to gawk at more rice terraces, which i really cannot get enough of.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7vyJ-Itb-ObYZ6zCYma3qGlUFtbg2qVC2Puc9QFahnU6cLzLO6OUXj2IeHMcAY9dukNK2riRtmugxGVWSGF9fUeEFCc4AWvHAwnU-94CPiGWnkLVCrF4C2qMNH7UvBJjlvmWcuCp3u_Y/s640/blogger-image--1752353470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7vyJ-Itb-ObYZ6zCYma3qGlUFtbg2qVC2Puc9QFahnU6cLzLO6OUXj2IeHMcAY9dukNK2riRtmugxGVWSGF9fUeEFCc4AWvHAwnU-94CPiGWnkLVCrF4C2qMNH7UvBJjlvmWcuCp3u_Y/s640/blogger-image--1752353470.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I went to the Goa Gajah temple/cave, also known as the elephant cave or temple, which is odd, as there is nothing elephant-like about it. It is just an 11th C temple with a cool cave you enter through the mouth of a carved demon head. There are also pools with sacred water, but the nicest part was the walk up and down stairs in the lush forest to visit a Buddhist temple and lily covered pond. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZTw4apytVOo-_G15r5wK0r9_puijiGgodom-vD1XqVI3ubXf5_c_BizKkPHTRrxjsiaDA3HtoEwO1Pe9hLas8yEI9q_zq7BkIZMTQrUzWJv7Fc-kUkqpUW4Z2xxIUxsJZ4_cQvFSlZ2C/s640/blogger-image--1991833378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZTw4apytVOo-_G15r5wK0r9_puijiGgodom-vD1XqVI3ubXf5_c_BizKkPHTRrxjsiaDA3HtoEwO1Pe9hLas8yEI9q_zq7BkIZMTQrUzWJv7Fc-kUkqpUW4Z2xxIUxsJZ4_cQvFSlZ2C/s640/blogger-image--1991833378.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xU5fMGMHYREjFXHMkmVdqkNSQDYgLG0C0sPzRYs47nlqkt7QtyWWbyjnn5I3EP_LC-VIiCbj6vgGU7iiWjZqm2hcnEOrvWC_pU2Vq_U5sdfNQaAQ3FaWYYIs6zmmNEfpUp1qDDPe_Vn-/s640/blogger-image-325678306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xU5fMGMHYREjFXHMkmVdqkNSQDYgLG0C0sPzRYs47nlqkt7QtyWWbyjnn5I3EP_LC-VIiCbj6vgGU7iiWjZqm2hcnEOrvWC_pU2Vq_U5sdfNQaAQ3FaWYYIs6zmmNEfpUp1qDDPe_Vn-/s640/blogger-image-325678306.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mFlIlqaTPFdR2su8FWJZv7XUYmuL5rtmnknaZ9tZ39ATel2KtciTBt9pe38j_vjlwNON927Tbjw4ChmYZXhfNB2EUwUkAWaf7unWRAdap_iV6bopMMLH0xR7u1DewsoyShihjI_xTmiK/s640/blogger-image--1599438026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mFlIlqaTPFdR2su8FWJZv7XUYmuL5rtmnknaZ9tZ39ATel2KtciTBt9pe38j_vjlwNON927Tbjw4ChmYZXhfNB2EUwUkAWaf7unWRAdap_iV6bopMMLH0xR7u1DewsoyShihjI_xTmiK/s640/blogger-image--1599438026.jpg"></a></div></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I also visited Gunung Kawi which is one of the oldest temples/monuments in the country (so sayeth Lonely Planet). This one forces you up and down hundreds of stairs to descend into a valley to see ruins and temples, then forces you to hike up and down to visit other temples that are less impressive than their jungle settings. I was exhausted and sweaty, but the walking was beautiful. Plus, how could i complain when i wasn't walking those same stairs with a giant sack of wood or plants on my head like some i saw. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">That night, after dinner, i went to a traditional dance show in Ubud. (They are happing nightly as far as i could tell.) i'm not a big fan of dance, but thought this would be worth taking in. It was. It isn't dance in a traditional, western way; it's more like theatre/mask work and movement. There was a large live percussion (+ one flute) band and each vignette featured one or more dancers with elaborate costumes and masks. It was beautiful. What was not beautiful was the crowd who were the rudest bunch of douchbags. They took photos through the whole show - with flashes - standing up, walking around, taking videos...and did i mention the photos with flash? They also reviewed and edited their pictures during the show. I wanted to slay them all, but i didn't. I just say there silently hating them and trying not to let that hatred ruin the show. When the cast came out for the curtain call, one of them said that NOW we could take photos. Here's mine:</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">But the show was great and very good value.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The next day in Ubud, my final full day there, i started out in great spirits and went to the market after breakfast to do my shopping. I always save my shopping for the final day, once i know how much money i still have and how much things cost. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There wasn't much i wanted for myself - a pair of earrings, some coffee beans, and maybe some tiny trinket - but i had things for others to get. The market is great fun for browsing and haggling. (Prices seem to be about s third of the first price asked.)</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Lots of clothing, carved wooden things, paintings, tea and spices, art, baskets, and the usual tacky stuff. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLyg89qiVhZf1HJOfl6x_lN6DREvh8Nv06ptFeK3oofsPAqTtgvttlLC03aplIALn76ODwg0FUBDOlJKAoeYp97TaSJUl1zsALRqGxh4x0ykf95AizZapZSOO6H5shXrNuItQt0-lbsyE/s640/blogger-image--1372173994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLyg89qiVhZf1HJOfl6x_lN6DREvh8Nv06ptFeK3oofsPAqTtgvttlLC03aplIALn76ODwg0FUBDOlJKAoeYp97TaSJUl1zsALRqGxh4x0ykf95AizZapZSOO6H5shXrNuItQt0-lbsyE/s640/blogger-image--1372173994.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I finished by shopping just as the daily downpour started. I got caught outside for two minutes max, and i was soaked through. I spent the rest of the day hiding out in cafes and smoking cigars on my covered hotel balcony. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">When the rain did let up i returned to the monkey forest for a bit more monkey action.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0v2kR3oBuH7-90jYLzDhcd3wp8fCWMPs_A4fz6yCAHCRJ9wHMoPvPcd6XyorLsqcHivoXWT8wVdN1UMB2IL3HA1_6vNGyovC4aVdm5jPduOjcaCgiPAJ7-tAksvyposbm10Xn7VgMfSSV/s640/blogger-image--341261442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0v2kR3oBuH7-90jYLzDhcd3wp8fCWMPs_A4fz6yCAHCRJ9wHMoPvPcd6XyorLsqcHivoXWT8wVdN1UMB2IL3HA1_6vNGyovC4aVdm5jPduOjcaCgiPAJ7-tAksvyposbm10Xn7VgMfSSV/s640/blogger-image--341261442.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I felt kind of melancholy that day. I think it was one day too long in Ubud. It is lovely, but i like to be a bit busier or maybe it was just that my trip is wrapping up, but i felt down. All that went away the next morning when i left Ubud for Denpasar. When in doubt, move on.</span></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-35241070541500970842017-11-14T22:18:00.001-08:002017-11-15T00:37:06.661-08:00Ubud on Foot<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">My first full day in Ubud was spent exploring the city on foot. I visited about six super cool cafés and had an espresso at each. I visited various temples, including the main two. Before i came here i looked at maps and read my guide book strategizing so i would be sure to see the Balinese Hindu temple architecture and carvings. I needn't have worried because every building here has a small temple and it seems like every second building is a religious site with statues, intricately carved doors, and altars or spirit houses. I took way too many photos.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtEP9dWWO8qJnMFo-Oic88oHEg2AxqBm5Vfdj2OWOel2DS8_3mPZbVuGYaPji67TJq_oAVCJKBbifdhpIY31-UpvjXjlleSZ_iPxEQax13YzwhChU5-CpuH4ucLOO2QjzjEDr5TW-h8_F/s640/blogger-image-1795135014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtEP9dWWO8qJnMFo-Oic88oHEg2AxqBm5Vfdj2OWOel2DS8_3mPZbVuGYaPji67TJq_oAVCJKBbifdhpIY31-UpvjXjlleSZ_iPxEQax13YzwhChU5-CpuH4ucLOO2QjzjEDr5TW-h8_F/s640/blogger-image-1795135014.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAcXRdEN2Bpml_bStwEWO7ZhekaXmT-vjdKgbfyXG0DhfWCzCJjcEqEmZecqN_18V0Mp0eCEg-W2qmw7-KxIrH8EfvQeg-T70TUgb4Ad_NDtwrSKngyGUMKQBjkxDNiWnzbDIYI2UGsWl/s640/blogger-image-1412127910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAcXRdEN2Bpml_bStwEWO7ZhekaXmT-vjdKgbfyXG0DhfWCzCJjcEqEmZecqN_18V0Mp0eCEg-W2qmw7-KxIrH8EfvQeg-T70TUgb4Ad_NDtwrSKngyGUMKQBjkxDNiWnzbDIYI2UGsWl/s640/blogger-image-1412127910.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcufAP7zqTyQE3l9gk0s1oLvGrCVG5Ja9vXPlAWJlcCm9TQ4CNGQWW5A0-UqLLQ8SlnZYCgXQARZWroB-7BUSADoQrSiKVxHW3jPJp2qyGy4peJnggT7q8KxcO1ecroluzig-WtuZ0Ao1P/s640/blogger-image-282691626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcufAP7zqTyQE3l9gk0s1oLvGrCVG5Ja9vXPlAWJlcCm9TQ4CNGQWW5A0-UqLLQ8SlnZYCgXQARZWroB-7BUSADoQrSiKVxHW3jPJp2qyGy4peJnggT7q8KxcO1ecroluzig-WtuZ0Ao1P/s640/blogger-image-282691626.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: '.SFUIText';">I Knew there were rice fields one could walk into from Ubud so i found the path and set off. It was completely pastoral aside from a temple complex at the beginning of the journey and the odd sign promising cold coconuts at the end.</span></div></div>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jyFh3SHXCysU9Tj5DpNHJZvZ_baPUV45Ab30vFwPquVY4e_wwZE6spafqOuEc9haDts5BTBOQB75ruAP0Z3KV2IIo4pYMHqgTFBlvo0SJ6butN8ejctZRjwcXG_SgsytBFl3lKYLMv10/s640/blogger-image-1001489318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jyFh3SHXCysU9Tj5DpNHJZvZ_baPUV45Ab30vFwPquVY4e_wwZE6spafqOuEc9haDts5BTBOQB75ruAP0Z3KV2IIo4pYMHqgTFBlvo0SJ6butN8ejctZRjwcXG_SgsytBFl3lKYLMv10/s640/blogger-image-1001489318.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It was a stunning path through the most verdant of landscapes...palm tress, vines, grasses, and fields of rice.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1w2BVTvEeLsias2qrXOi5enHwF0cjF1Aq94yzAb9WdxATERaKDO1kZKhKC-YaebVi0lStcMYKWPjFepUnhKTKcGpk1lNN9_6s5GpxiaXrm9aTkqpE8LkiwSWI6Jja517Y18D2Xl62IoLR/s640/blogger-image-462952361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1w2BVTvEeLsias2qrXOi5enHwF0cjF1Aq94yzAb9WdxATERaKDO1kZKhKC-YaebVi0lStcMYKWPjFepUnhKTKcGpk1lNN9_6s5GpxiaXrm9aTkqpE8LkiwSWI6Jja517Y18D2Xl62IoLR/s640/blogger-image-462952361.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60b8HPt_hxClaD-udJvA9vbv2myNYx5j2hYKBYCaTFvPQ69G6BX58xC3cNgd8Dmmxpw3-G1KrKeBMYTzXMufeIU0mpo1SYDVBruXIUbICbzpfWJDHQ0u4VZ4XT6-q84EMGrEqbVpH94-y/s640/blogger-image--1069105502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60b8HPt_hxClaD-udJvA9vbv2myNYx5j2hYKBYCaTFvPQ69G6BX58xC3cNgd8Dmmxpw3-G1KrKeBMYTzXMufeIU0mpo1SYDVBruXIUbICbzpfWJDHQ0u4VZ4XT6-q84EMGrEqbVpH94-y/s640/blogger-image--1069105502.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">There was even a picturesque bamboo swing that swung out over the valley.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnBNPy9XwPseqeMzEMMcuLplwIcFY1kejjGEV0hUJSvKErNX-fWerZAfi1TT6DLMjCdb32CQDewl_aBWEndgkIOMk2lOeWoTdNnnSl2M9kWTPsrzdlXEPp-btZNhMpT3rZCcGFQTlEfXm/s640/blogger-image--1541226622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnBNPy9XwPseqeMzEMMcuLplwIcFY1kejjGEV0hUJSvKErNX-fWerZAfi1TT6DLMjCdb32CQDewl_aBWEndgkIOMk2lOeWoTdNnnSl2M9kWTPsrzdlXEPp-btZNhMpT3rZCcGFQTlEfXm/s640/blogger-image--1541226622.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I didn't see much in the way of wildlife; lizards, dragonflies, centipedes, and butterflies - the latter of which i could have done without. (I hate their unpredictable flight patterns.)</span></p><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It was beautiful but hot, shadeless, and humid, by the time i reached the top i was red faced and sweating so much i was nearly blind. Even my Kat Von D waterproof eyeliner didn't survive. I did find a perfect oasis though. Outdoors with fresh pineapple juice and a view of a lily-covered pond and the fields. </span><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Restored, i made my way back, watching people toiling in the rice fields. Seriously. I don't think about it often enough but rice is planted and harvested (and here anyway) processed BY HAND. That is just incredible for a food product so cheap and abundant. And to think we throw it around at weddings like jerks.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMhthyphenhyphendxXRGNd11kInO3TvdbJCxM8IOfefTUYpbySg2AMVHGRnDGrKUsVFabeWKTLgChwuOBwcWKDrcPnLeef-hYGV8unUjSCWo1xS-8PWDKxPh7CL4S04zx3zao93CVuEDB4_oepmLgZ/s640/blogger-image-484048087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMhthyphenhyphendxXRGNd11kInO3TvdbJCxM8IOfefTUYpbySg2AMVHGRnDGrKUsVFabeWKTLgChwuOBwcWKDrcPnLeef-hYGV8unUjSCWo1xS-8PWDKxPh7CL4S04zx3zao93CVuEDB4_oepmLgZ/s640/blogger-image-484048087.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I don't know what i did the rest of that day but i think i went like this: walk, coffee, walk, juice, walk, dinner, cigar, walk, bed. A thoroughly delightful day. Ubud is very touristy, and in a way i wish it wasn't, but i must admit to enjoying the ease of it all.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TO98dnYnt5T2OlZSBvtsj9vBvLDHflfbXmI_Zari5jQo6gUd_Asmhdsy7bTE06tFGnQNGp4Yu3s-zf2yDjl-SSEDzn5FFxiwLvYcj6Wf5Ttz4y3uQOh3QltkVeFREVDHqCOT3Eg3Fmqp/s640/blogger-image--173221159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TO98dnYnt5T2OlZSBvtsj9vBvLDHflfbXmI_Zari5jQo6gUd_Asmhdsy7bTE06tFGnQNGp4Yu3s-zf2yDjl-SSEDzn5FFxiwLvYcj6Wf5Ttz4y3uQOh3QltkVeFREVDHqCOT3Eg3Fmqp/s640/blogger-image--173221159.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-88251561135552557482017-11-13T03:54:00.001-08:002017-11-13T04:08:01.562-08:00The Monkeys of Ubud<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I arrived in Denpasar mid morning and caught a taxi to Ubud. The ride can take an hour and a half, but mine took longer as we got stuck in interminable traffic. I didn't mind too much though as the scenery was great. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">So Bali is predominantly Hindu, unlike Java which is Muslim. So gone are the calls to prayer and here are countless statues of deities and offerings of flowers. The island - or what i saw of it on this first day - is green. Every conceivable shade of green, dotted with flowering vines, orchids, magnolias, lilies...it is stunning.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRKpAVynA6rLDGUI5jehFQJXo_YN1_N3U0CRuBO8HBKIIfuyUOIWDWTZEPRnBSkt-CQMMTQRK2iqnc6wv3_RJV2E0CpgloaA6qDLYX2ZvO15hPK3PfpAkHNewufTipeC-txtkB529isxP/s640/blogger-image--699164060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRKpAVynA6rLDGUI5jehFQJXo_YN1_N3U0CRuBO8HBKIIfuyUOIWDWTZEPRnBSkt-CQMMTQRK2iqnc6wv3_RJV2E0CpgloaA6qDLYX2ZvO15hPK3PfpAkHNewufTipeC-txtkB529isxP/s640/blogger-image--699164060.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OvBPoSHgu7WxRfd6Z7UfTVoh3-V4lAOmv1qKseXfXZ9cIOerNTchM-pCIb3JhIapdqAkWSCjosr8VZSRdlbeo-NgXygKrxXPpFz65HOb8VUwAllbC5Iu2_hBfmTJPRlWpiLKkYdiquWG/s640/blogger-image-765303630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OvBPoSHgu7WxRfd6Z7UfTVoh3-V4lAOmv1qKseXfXZ9cIOerNTchM-pCIb3JhIapdqAkWSCjosr8VZSRdlbeo-NgXygKrxXPpFz65HOb8VUwAllbC5Iu2_hBfmTJPRlWpiLKkYdiquWG/s640/blogger-image-765303630.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFkQfBxtGYdyclJnDfN8PxS63bUCrbELqbr_bKSGfMUTIuQBjgRj4zHWLXzt52T08glXq6guLjiL3RHgHaWd3O8MQ-fGsP9m3ykcjCB2G-5Vw6LAtY92rm1KlsDdfUNmzn5r0C90wYsbf/s640/blogger-image-1618386148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFkQfBxtGYdyclJnDfN8PxS63bUCrbELqbr_bKSGfMUTIuQBjgRj4zHWLXzt52T08glXq6guLjiL3RHgHaWd3O8MQ-fGsP9m3ykcjCB2G-5Vw6LAtY92rm1KlsDdfUNmzn5r0C90wYsbf/s640/blogger-image-1618386148.jpg"></a></div></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It is also very touristy. Ubud is a tourist town. Restaurants catering to foreigners, margaritas, pizza, gelato, tour touts, tacky souvenir shops, spas, and bad tattoo studios. The streets are crawling with tourists, most sporting some combination of tie-dyed harem pants, Ganesha tank tops, tattoos, beards, beads, and dresses they would never wear at home. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It just means that the place has a less than authentic gloss, and also that it is a terribly easy place to visit.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">My first day i didn't have time for my customary get-my-bearings wander; i had plans to meet up with a mother/daughter travel duo from the States whom i had met at Goa Jamblang. We had lunch and hung out poolside at a Miami Beach-esque restaurant, waiting out the afternoon rain (which i have since discovered is a daily occurrence). </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After that we went to the Monkey Forest: an expanse of impossibly green jungly terrain dotted with temples, statues, bridges, and twisting walkways.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After that, gelato, and then i parted ways with my companions, and continued to walk. Had dinner at a beautiful outdoor restaurant where, although smoking is allowed, i annoyed all the other patrons with my cigar smoke (unintentionally).</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Back to my hotel and to bed. ... wait! Have i neglected to mention my hotel? Hotel Okawati. On a charming side street off Monkey Forest Road (note: ALL side streets here are charming), it is a small complex of tropical plants around a turquoise pool next to rice fields from which frogs and birds fill the air with their chatter. It is lovely. More lovely than i am accustomed to, but i'll tough it out.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFURRVbjzYSlHpCYQhBCABgeqkoalD3C76lrRvkLy0ulCY6OZ_2S9jSmA1zgH-zstI_Jj73pZ0DzEsZ7XY6FJjTLOKc0y5QCnqWeaWzb2I_hG8snYcnKH6__AlCQZ5VrteGjSJR8vhY-C/s640/blogger-image-1126174354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFURRVbjzYSlHpCYQhBCABgeqkoalD3C76lrRvkLy0ulCY6OZ_2S9jSmA1zgH-zstI_Jj73pZ0DzEsZ7XY6FJjTLOKc0y5QCnqWeaWzb2I_hG8snYcnKH6__AlCQZ5VrteGjSJR8vhY-C/s640/blogger-image-1126174354.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-49752879546055777582017-11-13T03:41:00.001-08:002017-11-13T03:53:14.335-08:00Yogyakarta: final day<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">On my final day in Yogyakarta i had planned to go to the cigar factory as it had closed at 2:00 pm the day before and i missed it...but as it turns out it is also closed Saturday and Sunday. Dammit. So i had the day at leisure. Honestly there isn't much to report. I hung out at this cool hipster cafe for a couple of hours where i had a jackfruit burger, which was a revelation. So good. And some excellent coffee.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I then walked to find a cigar store i read about...only to find it had closed. Fuck. But the walk was interesting and i passed markets, paintings, and had fresh soursop juice.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgPRZIs71F3Se7V8999eMrg_giaSPQigksWFHrgGQe2Xdbn6XmopfRRZznN_B2bjibePDZSotpDmzGw6fFTTG4VjsDObLy__trLNt8nFaL8HHtGggKSq0L-AYSE6B4GnOE6rnEZwQ4HL5/s640/blogger-image--129808028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgPRZIs71F3Se7V8999eMrg_giaSPQigksWFHrgGQe2Xdbn6XmopfRRZznN_B2bjibePDZSotpDmzGw6fFTTG4VjsDObLy__trLNt8nFaL8HHtGggKSq0L-AYSE6B4GnOE6rnEZwQ4HL5/s640/blogger-image--129808028.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzDzNfliNYaX875wEhzg5O7onRSqbCiH3lbYPEpUHcEClKNQBDOmhLm3yIsSK1DPPVKwzlmKyv6YuRF49_G8y8l0W4pdYlt011LAGBQUWOSYxeH_nfNxrtrFEm8FeC2NAVgfhcshJBAW7/s640/blogger-image--639226412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzDzNfliNYaX875wEhzg5O7onRSqbCiH3lbYPEpUHcEClKNQBDOmhLm3yIsSK1DPPVKwzlmKyv6YuRF49_G8y8l0W4pdYlt011LAGBQUWOSYxeH_nfNxrtrFEm8FeC2NAVgfhcshJBAW7/s640/blogger-image--639226412.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrqG9UyNqWTeg7MWKahAZF8tpLdj_VPDDLlrqgzKHMXYdBTxrO3aEIiNc7q18gG5Gevx1JvX8Ao157idvKigkVgCCJ_z19khm6C2ZCQGA8IEUkwNn-9EwwJtRFEvbEl9hl3wZVb10z5FW/s640/blogger-image-1668044179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrqG9UyNqWTeg7MWKahAZF8tpLdj_VPDDLlrqgzKHMXYdBTxrO3aEIiNc7q18gG5Gevx1JvX8Ao157idvKigkVgCCJ_z19khm6C2ZCQGA8IEUkwNn-9EwwJtRFEvbEl9hl3wZVb10z5FW/s640/blogger-image-1668044179.jpg"></a></div></div></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">After that i decided to walk out of the downtown area to this other area i had seen when i drove in from the airport where there was a ton of street art and some public sculpture. The walk wasn't too long but in the heat and humidity it felt like a grand trek. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8n9pjrVbcENSOllQkmRi7MuNWjAPkeZx_7cynts9gwdm9hJAsKAd1pP2Lvh2ZdyeW-bZmPst3dHXQYtNiqj0HNbeKUxmQiPrsOT2lW3_2ylZzzM_pgzRihOJzuFx1zJ1Dh5wSXDN-Kkz/s640/blogger-image--415631348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8n9pjrVbcENSOllQkmRi7MuNWjAPkeZx_7cynts9gwdm9hJAsKAd1pP2Lvh2ZdyeW-bZmPst3dHXQYtNiqj0HNbeKUxmQiPrsOT2lW3_2ylZzzM_pgzRihOJzuFx1zJ1Dh5wSXDN-Kkz/s640/blogger-image--415631348.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It didn't disappoint. There was an array of murals, from the great to the sucky, but all were enjoyable to look at. There has been such an impressive amount of street art here, and one artist in particular whose works i started to seek out: multicoloured figures often with heads replaced with flowers or birds. Cool stuff.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">So that was my day. It was good and fairly relaxing and totally unstructured. The next day i was flying to Bali.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1F6zq_3FsfWVS_HheusIj-GNAeXDQvHcj5X1CcGdY_Ts8W1Ko2QRuh46d9bhqz1DmNjU5G2648wc9eqa7xX6_gQwUoMUlnO4a9SE08kalWPvZ96_aZQ-kCg7B_kbrA7nFZaYmVGuy-LO/s640/blogger-image--934865414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1F6zq_3FsfWVS_HheusIj-GNAeXDQvHcj5X1CcGdY_Ts8W1Ko2QRuh46d9bhqz1DmNjU5G2648wc9eqa7xX6_gQwUoMUlnO4a9SE08kalWPvZ96_aZQ-kCg7B_kbrA7nFZaYmVGuy-LO/s640/blogger-image--934865414.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-48656991877839149732017-11-11T01:18:00.001-08:002017-11-11T01:30:07.235-08:00The Descent: Goa Jamblang<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Yesterday i hired a car to take me from my hotel in Yogyakarta to Goa Jamblang, a cave about a two hour drive from the city. The cave wasn't listed in my guide book (that's a failure of Lonely Planet, in my opinion, but once it is listed it is sure to get a lot busier) but i had seen pictures of a magical cave on the internet and that was good enough for me.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The ticket was 450,000 rupiah, which was more than reasonable, and but they only allow 25-35 people in per day, so it is important to get there early. I was #5.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">We were walked over to the entrance to the cave: a large hole in the ground created by a sink hole, with perfectly vertical sides descending about 60 meters (200 feet ish) to a verdant bottom. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRsZ7_y8gogmy6FuWHtce3Ik7kIaCasp2nYb6k8OrhpvHJaBpGM2l8fp6T48_67D-k11XQavp6OWSI8a8iblgCEqFN2g4Y4hCJCmbMi4Hrz7yKQwNiFa7scAF3n3CrxYFRRl2AI1UdQNf/s640/blogger-image-376561367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRsZ7_y8gogmy6FuWHtce3Ik7kIaCasp2nYb6k8OrhpvHJaBpGM2l8fp6T48_67D-k11XQavp6OWSI8a8iblgCEqFN2g4Y4hCJCmbMi4Hrz7yKQwNiFa7scAF3n3CrxYFRRl2AI1UdQNf/s640/blogger-image-376561367.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Klp0Jb79h-E1t82BTtRfN85MonL2de8Ak6mBijHf9AKwA61nE3tlvqtuCUCmXO4wHZBZlx9_ao0M5xM09OQy8UBw2P8UbGk4IeTWsiGKDfzy2azVtDEuIBPi-YVavQye7mO0rsQnRnqu/s640/blogger-image--953154750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Klp0Jb79h-E1t82BTtRfN85MonL2de8Ak6mBijHf9AKwA61nE3tlvqtuCUCmXO4wHZBZlx9_ao0M5xM09OQy8UBw2P8UbGk4IeTWsiGKDfzy2azVtDEuIBPi-YVavQye7mO0rsQnRnqu/s640/blogger-image--953154750.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Our way down? Being lowered on ropes held by a group of slight men in flip flops. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7RsgXNCwcY7TuqwRTpx7z646yz0indeArBxqxT6mS111anM10mbo-oJASZLxHTbyKhrmOVJEqESnkFzUzbYJXJB1qJDfG6a7LaQhMyjqvPxLL-lMEjeHwAL98ISJLP4AtY-y56oExFIz/s640/blogger-image-1759306508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7RsgXNCwcY7TuqwRTpx7z646yz0indeArBxqxT6mS111anM10mbo-oJASZLxHTbyKhrmOVJEqESnkFzUzbYJXJB1qJDfG6a7LaQhMyjqvPxLL-lMEjeHwAL98ISJLP4AtY-y56oExFIz/s640/blogger-image-1759306508.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Not exactly comfort inducing, but i figured it was safe, or at least no more dangerous than some of my previous travel exploits. They outfitted each of us in helmets and well worn harnesses. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapGs2O-IVKBd1KrYZ7icl4MGfS4nB2KHkHApwrCi-FejU1cp6HGgcOUvADU9zym6WZN4qaje6GoQlHaHNkMKLYvPARvcdwyNF2-ZFU6FmmuTfQDhZqERuqmsoF0aDdovMWd1HxL2Xu-pA/s640/blogger-image--216619490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapGs2O-IVKBd1KrYZ7icl4MGfS4nB2KHkHApwrCi-FejU1cp6HGgcOUvADU9zym6WZN4qaje6GoQlHaHNkMKLYvPARvcdwyNF2-ZFU6FmmuTfQDhZqERuqmsoF0aDdovMWd1HxL2Xu-pA/s640/blogger-image--216619490.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I was a bit nervous but happy that i wasn't going first. "Number 5!" They called out. "Huh, i guess we aren't going numerically"' i thought. I made my way to the edge of the cliff and they clipped my harness to a single, knotted rope. Stepping off the edge took a moment of courage but once i was free and not plummeting to the ground, it was wonderful and exhilarating. I was slowly lowered to the ground taking in the greenery and the height.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUg7aXakb3JXhCSHEI5SyCwXgM0JRUzFJTQyPGXvSk3yJcTxZfxkHLto0JTgL5-qMB-B7bK96oRidD01R69u_fRTGYMD7wRS77Uqm11nWdD6iqJVYo30HOlq4Hi8W0KmoVWi409a_HJ74/s640/blogger-image--1142747542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUg7aXakb3JXhCSHEI5SyCwXgM0JRUzFJTQyPGXvSk3yJcTxZfxkHLto0JTgL5-qMB-B7bK96oRidD01R69u_fRTGYMD7wRS77Uqm11nWdD6iqJVYo30HOlq4Hi8W0KmoVWi409a_HJ74/s640/blogger-image--1142747542.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Once everyone was at the bottom we made our way into the cave, which was dark and slippery but only a short walk to a grand opening filled with light from a natural opening above.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3mW13IsMLenseSihPZ69ko1udz5xy2_DyZr_BhcU9AiW8hyLn2_xQVzPbCpMx9jpm69FEqtHiOXVyp2R8TdTBSPrUMESFd08J81hrQdChOHtPrYDUQeSza6AIn2sPFQtLypx1tDmMxc-/s640/blogger-image--434825522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3mW13IsMLenseSihPZ69ko1udz5xy2_DyZr_BhcU9AiW8hyLn2_xQVzPbCpMx9jpm69FEqtHiOXVyp2R8TdTBSPrUMESFd08J81hrQdChOHtPrYDUQeSza6AIn2sPFQtLypx1tDmMxc-/s640/blogger-image--434825522.jpg"></a></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbER-PEeCBItR0O6qWJR9P1ULFBqATXmp_uug9I7_8YhHV1U0GBMLJUJIe1GOtRZZZ1gHe3P-NsjaAqvWqZHEtLr_zRGugmV3n_FhzchGuzH74DyLUwfuaqXo9Dgts8oMVgFdi1Ci_RE3/s640/blogger-image--2027544801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbER-PEeCBItR0O6qWJR9P1ULFBqATXmp_uug9I7_8YhHV1U0GBMLJUJIe1GOtRZZZ1gHe3P-NsjaAqvWqZHEtLr_zRGugmV3n_FhzchGuzH74DyLUwfuaqXo9Dgts8oMVgFdi1Ci_RE3/s640/blogger-image--2027544801.jpg"></a></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQnrgmmpDBPx5fZTh-hzv0zFFG2jeyyethyZKCIq32ROWfK9VjrEAEqOlHSo7UY7vrqQYw4GBsE_PsHhU_YG9cQzYQ5XB9f3YMGz8X3IJRipTXS0M5GhUuRQp0iQFMJA2cjs7etkNP7hP/s640/blogger-image--97318382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQnrgmmpDBPx5fZTh-hzv0zFFG2jeyyethyZKCIq32ROWfK9VjrEAEqOlHSo7UY7vrqQYw4GBsE_PsHhU_YG9cQzYQ5XB9f3YMGz8X3IJRipTXS0M5GhUuRQp0iQFMJA2cjs7etkNP7hP/s640/blogger-image--97318382.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The sun, filtered through the leaves high above, made for a cascade of beams of light that was either heavenly, magical, or simply amazing, depending on your world view.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Far below us still was another drop off and water flowing. Water dripped from above making for other worldly rock formations. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7X4AZVVf3KfbDjVgLlEWxxM1VFYCnsQ3WfGWFnAKNdU9Nt9fOavsD1Y-6RxR6IPZhWxa-fULUF5zLR7K9f5EWx2yGvsqo0oiDNgpHCYO8bGFdPu8f5JP_2dUdwVcBiHtLHnSMAgT6DTR/s640/blogger-image-1555333521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7X4AZVVf3KfbDjVgLlEWxxM1VFYCnsQ3WfGWFnAKNdU9Nt9fOavsD1Y-6RxR6IPZhWxa-fULUF5zLR7K9f5EWx2yGvsqo0oiDNgpHCYO8bGFdPu8f5JP_2dUdwVcBiHtLHnSMAgT6DTR/s640/blogger-image-1555333521.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">It was all just incredible. I felt like an adventurer, an explorer, and, at times, a character at the beginning of a horror movie.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK59Qh67L0AQvkR9ApBBM94nmme2MlQJLhzmXj3sKruRE0Tb493SwyTSsyhHrskRwNKTNi8sTwBodB7GFHK-cMJQC5NCHa5JVaPAoLHOmBV5aRROula9IHD2PgoH-IKZI1gCCh73UQXSXc/s640/blogger-image-1111416298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK59Qh67L0AQvkR9ApBBM94nmme2MlQJLhzmXj3sKruRE0Tb493SwyTSsyhHrskRwNKTNi8sTwBodB7GFHK-cMJQC5NCHa5JVaPAoLHOmBV5aRROula9IHD2PgoH-IKZI1gCCh73UQXSXc/s640/blogger-image-1111416298.jpg"></a></div></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">We spent about an hour or two down there and then we were lifted back to the surface. This next photo is me being lifted and looking down from part way up. The red things below are the helmets of the others.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ARCrBoBgN97-8-cSXwIr_ah-1SgCe0_e3Ox-EX9wIQ3DilLqFbyrlaC5UlixVHU6MvtxqA21wnn8DdDu2p0Y9ub_41HmxOw9gGeBeHykQ9NGSwLUPlv7vdgD-eJacFhuMJXvz327RkTK/s640/blogger-image-1893946703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ARCrBoBgN97-8-cSXwIr_ah-1SgCe0_e3Ox-EX9wIQ3DilLqFbyrlaC5UlixVHU6MvtxqA21wnn8DdDu2p0Y9ub_41HmxOw9gGeBeHykQ9NGSwLUPlv7vdgD-eJacFhuMJXvz327RkTK/s640/blogger-image-1893946703.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">We all shared a lunch (included in the price), united in our conquering of the cave. And that was that. Done by 1pm, satisfied and exhausted and muddy, i went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day just hanging out at various cafés and enjoying a cigar with my curry.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpOBgv2eRNgS1QEfOOSiAHpUfwr2WwG7917LWra_71i1yQ50DW1YzUH3z-0riHgekhK5QVSPmsLipHIes50CJO1QOdovUlbMWxYFeJHRZrXMnafdGqe-fjF0bsb8WwC_8oehdju-_anFI/s640/blogger-image--1590349437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpOBgv2eRNgS1QEfOOSiAHpUfwr2WwG7917LWra_71i1yQ50DW1YzUH3z-0riHgekhK5QVSPmsLipHIes50CJO1QOdovUlbMWxYFeJHRZrXMnafdGqe-fjF0bsb8WwC_8oehdju-_anFI/s640/blogger-image--1590349437.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I highly recommend this experience and suspect it may be the best thing about this trip.</span></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-66345578162077965732017-11-11T00:23:00.001-08:002017-11-11T00:40:31.473-08:00A Day in Yogyakarta<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The day before yesterday, after a slow breakfast and morning cigar on my hotel's balcony (which i only discovered after 2 days), i went to the Kraton - the sultan's former palace. I had walked there the other day so i knew it was only about a 30 minute walk from my hotel but i really wanted to try out the local transport: the ojek. Basically it is a rickshaw but powered by a motorbike instead of a bicycle. Unlike a tuk tuk in that you sit at the front, out in the open. It is a great way to see the city and the breeze is marvellous but you are sitting at the front of a motorized vehicle. No helmet. No seatbelt. It's like riding around on the front bumper of a car, except you ARE the bumper. It was great.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMiKqYbYH2MiyCrHKpxBMh-n1QfCDEJye0NUyMl274a8rS7qF5QQwj5QjYNqzm2w8FKk0ri4X4FoaGREJGVjaZOXyWwO5sY65WudeOFQL8UqQ-6D9GKCLga8HewPShR0tVv1OEKD9Qr37/s640/blogger-image-476319335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMiKqYbYH2MiyCrHKpxBMh-n1QfCDEJye0NUyMl274a8rS7qF5QQwj5QjYNqzm2w8FKk0ri4X4FoaGREJGVjaZOXyWwO5sY65WudeOFQL8UqQ-6D9GKCLga8HewPShR0tVv1OEKD9Qr37/s640/blogger-image-476319335.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The Kraton was nice. It was pleasant to stroll around the grounds and see some of the buildings, but the museum displays of the sultan's suits and epaulettes weren't very interesting. The best parts though were the men in traditional dress displaying Indonesian puppets and a concert of serene percussion-based music.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfI6HXzQ5Vbt0u3Dd5sEsJiQOw5CinrPBf3wWbGX6Rhf-P1icRmjKmKR7I3zXTiiqxC9AQtqTa-D3L2Ub1JeulYTi9NJbOeMJ2QGUuGNV7PlGH7sGka8boVmf2GQSV1Ll38BbXS_SSMZZ/s640/blogger-image-146925253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfI6HXzQ5Vbt0u3Dd5sEsJiQOw5CinrPBf3wWbGX6Rhf-P1icRmjKmKR7I3zXTiiqxC9AQtqTa-D3L2Ub1JeulYTi9NJbOeMJ2QGUuGNV7PlGH7sGka8boVmf2GQSV1Ll38BbXS_SSMZZ/s640/blogger-image-146925253.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">From the Kraton i took a bicycle rickshaw to the Water Palace, which was small but pretty and i got to see batik and puppets being made.</span></div></div>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc8SKxuTC3dvSvLEcTwIuMoDor1g4bfAqFlSMrJu80b2_A8PcX09uuoLbvOZo9xWrh3v71sbsk4m7eoNZ69TJn3KIPrRxLlRbhfGfQC6HpHLkN3vXPwkqLWRQ6VLelsx7GDdn7tgmUEzC/s640/blogger-image-744466695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc8SKxuTC3dvSvLEcTwIuMoDor1g4bfAqFlSMrJu80b2_A8PcX09uuoLbvOZo9xWrh3v71sbsk4m7eoNZ69TJn3KIPrRxLlRbhfGfQC6HpHLkN3vXPwkqLWRQ6VLelsx7GDdn7tgmUEzC/s640/blogger-image-744466695.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL8z7e9JahPY4uFHo98-ykEOS0iqTqVvDC7X2D7T4mdLsV35ci2cZhmRQKdvzm-gmADvWYNSROLLpBtVl7o1kyc09QYhjltfs3OZPn0Pb3ZvkBXEyCjRilbSzoUyVkultTJOUzxw6mKOo/s640/blogger-image-995464908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL8z7e9JahPY4uFHo98-ykEOS0iqTqVvDC7X2D7T4mdLsV35ci2cZhmRQKdvzm-gmADvWYNSROLLpBtVl7o1kyc09QYhjltfs3OZPn0Pb3ZvkBXEyCjRilbSzoUyVkultTJOUzxw6mKOo/s640/blogger-image-995464908.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcwezR0Pzi8yQDCU7pWAOzPksrZBL4uVP1EfiR87eYCqbghNUA109ZlS0cEh8wDe-kN7hvmjKTau72PnyLFenISZLtdw-7kA1PAy7Apwg2nh88g1jEJhkNUxPdNYDJQTqIco7xJlcbi6f/s640/blogger-image--82464043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcwezR0Pzi8yQDCU7pWAOzPksrZBL4uVP1EfiR87eYCqbghNUA109ZlS0cEh8wDe-kN7hvmjKTau72PnyLFenISZLtdw-7kA1PAy7Apwg2nh88g1jEJhkNUxPdNYDJQTqIco7xJlcbi6f/s640/blogger-image--82464043.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3bnziimF-D8Ct6wZ3uaf5h9YX86WBQuAvgh2OEiEyxW7y-mXFvkCFiKxHdlh3tAaqwH3LtfaUAmeCThRNd9nOdkOqm9iB9pof_rGzwqpHintlfJlG8k2fBOmOYEC9yy072jRcIXNKuJO/s640/blogger-image-846148203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3bnziimF-D8Ct6wZ3uaf5h9YX86WBQuAvgh2OEiEyxW7y-mXFvkCFiKxHdlh3tAaqwH3LtfaUAmeCThRNd9nOdkOqm9iB9pof_rGzwqpHintlfJlG8k2fBOmOYEC9yy072jRcIXNKuJO/s640/blogger-image-846148203.jpg"></a></div><br></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">From there i wandering around a lovely neighbourhood of narrow streets, small houses, and flowering vines. One thing that is odd about most of the narrow streets is that they are frequently hung with bird cages with a small song bird or two in each. It makes for a lot of lovely birdsong, but seems like a sad life for the birds. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2xnv_rG3SP41PoJcLclfe9mAsZcvsJuSHdXFrbYeNk06wWQPYidFO4NGYZag2riyU31tzTpb7Lh8K-raucc9A87o5sL09-aTyH2csLkXekRpYMRloecJBWQgCM-Os8Vi58I94sJDBl39/s640/blogger-image--2102209596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2xnv_rG3SP41PoJcLclfe9mAsZcvsJuSHdXFrbYeNk06wWQPYidFO4NGYZag2riyU31tzTpb7Lh8K-raucc9A87o5sL09-aTyH2csLkXekRpYMRloecJBWQgCM-Os8Vi58I94sJDBl39/s640/blogger-image--2102209596.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG3SRVIi2ibc08FGpj6fN_dQHQzeX-ymC7Y_gTrIS2VBZqQobMPeHOBuG0Bu3kQAiFf45QGF9ByZe0vSVMVmfuQukwSKSLxe6UzeTAKPzsBjj7IrznCpCiF1flHt3_DRGq7bM0H9ZgL97/s640/blogger-image--976650998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG3SRVIi2ibc08FGpj6fN_dQHQzeX-ymC7Y_gTrIS2VBZqQobMPeHOBuG0Bu3kQAiFf45QGF9ByZe0vSVMVmfuQukwSKSLxe6UzeTAKPzsBjj7IrznCpCiF1flHt3_DRGq7bM0H9ZgL97/s640/blogger-image--976650998.jpg"></a></div></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I visited an underground mosque and then, tired and sweaty, found myself at a pleasant cafe where i decided it was time to try the kopi luwak: the famous civet excrement coffee. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm6VzS_CV1LzAoq15035gAE7k1JBd8UHWsKC_SHdfCGKbpjO3MuZv9Dnqc1Fgt0n9UqVzIxSN0dED8vsHTqo6FzdJm925SgnEVMkgqSjVMlYgO5NCZp9SUR7tc6_2bewnlKCLnOVlhdme/s640/blogger-image-403442961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm6VzS_CV1LzAoq15035gAE7k1JBd8UHWsKC_SHdfCGKbpjO3MuZv9Dnqc1Fgt0n9UqVzIxSN0dED8vsHTqo6FzdJm925SgnEVMkgqSjVMlYgO5NCZp9SUR7tc6_2bewnlKCLnOVlhdme/s640/blogger-image-403442961.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">The coffee here is excellent - luwak aside - but i couldn't pass up an opportunity to try the world's most expensive coffee. They prepared me two cups, one with an Italian stovetop maker and one with a Vietnamese maker. Both cups were excellent, but was it really $12 Cdn good? I'm glad i tried it and it was good but at that price once is probably enough. </span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I did have a relaxing time chatting with the proprietor and watching his pet civet, which spent its time napping and being extraordinarily fat. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUNoxkHt8HygIBdH4rw8UmBTlhnOvDqH0KddPePSMuwPkoK_rJkrbiMRv4yj9Wc7rKNvQjh5GBuikNkB4H2CqgXtTWsGSLgEmCfIOzu2lrMUM81VuTzCmqFUvvf3rw5ewe2RtvqODBbEp/s640/blogger-image--1492157479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUNoxkHt8HygIBdH4rw8UmBTlhnOvDqH0KddPePSMuwPkoK_rJkrbiMRv4yj9Wc7rKNvQjh5GBuikNkB4H2CqgXtTWsGSLgEmCfIOzu2lrMUM81VuTzCmqFUvvf3rw5ewe2RtvqODBbEp/s640/blogger-image--1492157479.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Next i decided to go looking for the bird market. I thought i had a handle on it and people kept telling me i was heading in the right direction, but hours passed and i couldn't find it. I however see a lot of hardware and automotive repair shops. At one point, to escape the heat, i took refuge in a supermarket, enjoying the AC and their selection of sugary cereals. After walking a bit more i broke down and took an ojek back to my hotel.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I didn't do too much after that...walking, smoking, reading...i think i was asleep by 8:00.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"><br></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">(More super cool street art seen on my walks...)</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZQv6tg862MsuYbRhyphenhyphenQbGED2LD5astRuxyJ8rK8vy6cj7Cfr93W23YA1BDqRKFua8S8viGE-UJuuG_0o0_HqCajDcARSnm6Sq6T9MOw_QDCJTbgjqJzGObjz3z7HQddDTc88SRYkIA24u/s640/blogger-image--1418411914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZQv6tg862MsuYbRhyphenhyphenQbGED2LD5astRuxyJ8rK8vy6cj7Cfr93W23YA1BDqRKFua8S8viGE-UJuuG_0o0_HqCajDcARSnm6Sq6T9MOw_QDCJTbgjqJzGObjz3z7HQddDTc88SRYkIA24u/s640/blogger-image--1418411914.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLjRSR02o4hqDOl4drjBkqgK77TeLVjr_OlUkod3G_7Th8BFCIPbVkfyFj8pGIHdc4vihLRlPX6uX7BmSm0wxrlsdOQX7rVdcJshGHylB4yM89_TWmuIekUsY8dmgN_d8HGyWovvgPzu6/s640/blogger-image-641896195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLjRSR02o4hqDOl4drjBkqgK77TeLVjr_OlUkod3G_7Th8BFCIPbVkfyFj8pGIHdc4vihLRlPX6uX7BmSm0wxrlsdOQX7rVdcJshGHylB4yM89_TWmuIekUsY8dmgN_d8HGyWovvgPzu6/s640/blogger-image-641896195.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rskRVHIAuaVkdJ2N0c-Cj_KtwpxottpOy5mNAf13ZkncvICzE9qM22B8mx3s5mNpAgA4zJTXsyb4Oyv2abujTUJlAWoW_tKKu8c-nkqRtUvWMWpRjCVs3nCRHGhi60ANHjxcDYHXJFTL/s640/blogger-image--1115175688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rskRVHIAuaVkdJ2N0c-Cj_KtwpxottpOy5mNAf13ZkncvICzE9qM22B8mx3s5mNpAgA4zJTXsyb4Oyv2abujTUJlAWoW_tKKu8c-nkqRtUvWMWpRjCVs3nCRHGhi60ANHjxcDYHXJFTL/s640/blogger-image--1115175688.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjdcaZY4g5MkbdZtS0MKpnpRDtDe7Boro0JCDcaXSXo4ixTq9F3kpYuXu6RXpnx6cyFOfGo9kyDACP9FtEFlMCJUYL9B06PtXeDheTOVF0jOeTQZg2-l3d8zUzXGNSNfHnXJjB8vLvk1P/s640/blogger-image-1829946160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjdcaZY4g5MkbdZtS0MKpnpRDtDe7Boro0JCDcaXSXo4ixTq9F3kpYuXu6RXpnx6cyFOfGo9kyDACP9FtEFlMCJUYL9B06PtXeDheTOVF0jOeTQZg2-l3d8zUzXGNSNfHnXJjB8vLvk1P/s640/blogger-image-1829946160.jpg"></a></div></div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472162391931877442.post-49918823399545205672017-11-08T18:02:00.001-08:002017-11-08T18:09:07.937-08:00The Chicken Church on Java<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I had booked a driver to take me to Borobudur and Prambanan, but the night before i found on a random 2010 blog post info about a church shaped like a giant chicken in the jungle, not far from Yogyakarta. The story is that in 2009 a guy in Jakarta had a vision from god, who told him to go to the forest and build a non-denominational church shaped like a giant dove. He did, but it ended up looking like a giant chicken, which is why it is commonly known as the chicken church. (It is formally known as either Gereja Ayam or Bukit Rhema.) Obviously i had to go. Why had i not heard about this? Why wasn't it in the Lonely Planet? Why isn't everyone talking about this?</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">I didn't have any luck communicating my desire to my driver due to our insurmountable language barrier, so i drew a picture, which he understood, i think you'll agree it is spot on.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2wsvU7Ppn-okg4PQaSE6P69e_WN-EZ6e6WvVpvFQDORGAfv5tha2An_zNqNhB_-7vY4cOXnO9bhoEh8EZBvUQCA2gK_sY59is5Pt20YiC8ZZ4iSQEDWCL21XRCO1Q5XN2hOf53MjN6Jp/s640/blogger-image--1446173258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2wsvU7Ppn-okg4PQaSE6P69e_WN-EZ6e6WvVpvFQDORGAfv5tha2An_zNqNhB_-7vY4cOXnO9bhoEh8EZBvUQCA2gK_sY59is5Pt20YiC8ZZ4iSQEDWCL21XRCO1Q5XN2hOf53MjN6Jp/s640/blogger-image--1446173258.jpg"></a></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">We drove through some lovely rural areas, past some pretty little houses, past people working in the fields, to the bottom of a steep hill. And at the top, surrounded by lush green forest, was the structure. It did not disappoint.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKILcHCpxmM25n3QXoortHYnTwVBU52EGdJeDohfG8uTsWCZUGOq_8jGJ_UPa3XKjwmckCCdufiOLzxJhltja-Q58_Lb_QKTaRAKAvQdVdewaK_G4gPmuy6ORRVEOz4fRXfXiEGVc7TxTG/s640/blogger-image--2062847137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKILcHCpxmM25n3QXoortHYnTwVBU52EGdJeDohfG8uTsWCZUGOq_8jGJ_UPa3XKjwmckCCdufiOLzxJhltja-Q58_Lb_QKTaRAKAvQdVdewaK_G4gPmuy6ORRVEOz4fRXfXiEGVc7TxTG/s640/blogger-image--2062847137.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqGJkZ2Zr78LymskrqLxWJtdTJfPyp-o9yOOD7373tMns6L5OjMxw_tgG47NTj2nQHmZMKUWSNggCPF7VMhjdoZLEsN8CGJ3EUIlUEZ7hQWA9bY5U-ntltUSS5BFXBIlbfO3RpSK5OBf8/s640/blogger-image--196968220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqGJkZ2Zr78LymskrqLxWJtdTJfPyp-o9yOOD7373tMns6L5OjMxw_tgG47NTj2nQHmZMKUWSNggCPF7VMhjdoZLEsN8CGJ3EUIlUEZ7hQWA9bY5U-ntltUSS5BFXBIlbfO3RpSK5OBf8/s640/blogger-image--196968220.jpg"></a></div><br></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Apparently it was unfinished and abandoned for several years, but is now a legit attraction. The inside of the head and neck is painted with cartoony pictures warning of ever day sins like sex and smoking and drugs. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHG9ScB9NcsD0FdXfw7TMZU2s7Up1qN-r8Fs9MY2SKVHcjgoCNnno8DCsGLU1sVMEqvb3oPrPYoCfsAFWj0MG3UKJzMBu-tgOz-Yswd8RS79ZdmvxPFco7w0rNSTlBoyXPZy8aopRUeF66/s640/blogger-image--524193819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHG9ScB9NcsD0FdXfw7TMZU2s7Up1qN-r8Fs9MY2SKVHcjgoCNnno8DCsGLU1sVMEqvb3oPrPYoCfsAFWj0MG3UKJzMBu-tgOz-Yswd8RS79ZdmvxPFco7w0rNSTlBoyXPZy8aopRUeF66/s640/blogger-image--524193819.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';">Under it is a small network of carved tunnels and private prayer rooms. And best of all, you can climb stairs to look out of the bird's beak and then up to a platform atop the crown on its head for some terrific views.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_0KETeOz5Jj7ywLXbVUDiF98AZg0Wdy3hegZVB35QTI8Bca_4tgnWYg11tWgbFXWw5M7D_2Ie8g853eBn3w6-_374KtZTohK_TshSgYWMUv29cD5I56nwTo_-KXdnZ_QL6mujxuB5HwU/s640/blogger-image-1847040397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_0KETeOz5Jj7ywLXbVUDiF98AZg0Wdy3hegZVB35QTI8Bca_4tgnWYg11tWgbFXWw5M7D_2Ie8g853eBn3w6-_374KtZTohK_TshSgYWMUv29cD5I56nwTo_-KXdnZ_QL6mujxuB5HwU/s640/blogger-image-1847040397.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);">Amazing. Most people i spoke to either didn't know about it or said it wasn't worth visiting. Oh how wrong they were.</span></div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><span style="font-family: '.SFUIText';"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsrpLgDwOOaS1CY-99H0aBt3XHwqPCs9VivC36Foiea9BQ6VCXbaAmEXSH4sYQqpuEgqtLUgBHZbxyUN3kUmC2rwMgNpeRO4LOZAtVsWDUHz_fxqlVfsK6Crcp_TwjyCenVOx6owiU_pQ/s640/blogger-image-1010424598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsrpLgDwOOaS1CY-99H0aBt3XHwqPCs9VivC36Foiea9BQ6VCXbaAmEXSH4sYQqpuEgqtLUgBHZbxyUN3kUmC2rwMgNpeRO4LOZAtVsWDUHz_fxqlVfsK6Crcp_TwjyCenVOx6owiU_pQ/s640/blogger-image-1010424598.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Al_rSOdczR9sv2UXzR8U3t5-VIj4qaRpdyyLTC9on0YFVWRWmuktQwI-afCmXVCKA8IYRx31AlKgJ17RWvijs5LIijSAGNxxvFEZtX8yLUKn9dYvDKVrTjO7-1Nca86HbGjfHezrtbJR/s640/blogger-image-1190805063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Al_rSOdczR9sv2UXzR8U3t5-VIj4qaRpdyyLTC9on0YFVWRWmuktQwI-afCmXVCKA8IYRx31AlKgJ17RWvijs5LIijSAGNxxvFEZtX8yLUKn9dYvDKVrTjO7-1Nca86HbGjfHezrtbJR/s640/blogger-image-1190805063.jpg"></a></div></div></div><p></p>Wandering Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18291620415791468039noreply@blogger.com3