Nine hours to Dusseldorf and totally worth it

Wow - I've totally been making fun of Dusseldorf since I booked my plane ticket home from here because it has such a silly sounding name, but I've been wrong... it's a fantastic city! I arrived today after nine hours on the train (and if anyone has connections with the German train system, they should really let them know that splitting trains in half and sending them each in separate directions can get both confusing and annoying when you have three bags) and everything has been great. The bus directions to the place were spot on, a really cool friendly guy working at the hostel and gave me all the info I need, then went for a walk to see what this place was all about since I had no clue. I loved it! There are outdoor pubs and lovely restaurants everywhere, on the old cobblestone streets, along the river, and everyone is out having a great time. The architecture is great, all sorts, and most people here are quite attractive. Seems I've found the German utopia? In any case, I'll have enjoyed my 12 hours here before leaving. But back to the past week...

Prague. To start out, I was deathly ill. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but I was definitely not well with a case of the Hong-Kong flu, to a much milder degree. And I'm still getting rid of it; now I just feel like I have whooping cough where if I breathe I want to cough my lungs out. But I've progressed after many a Nurofen tablet and these amazing green cough drops the Czech pharmacist sold to me that numb your entire mouth. Delicious.

So we hit up the main square first, and were bombarded by a ridiculous amount of tour groups led by umbrella-carrying guides. I don't know really how to convey just how many tour groups there were in Prague. It's actually quite sad, as the old square where all the history should be has been taken over by tourists and shops filled with souvenirs, jewelry or overpriced meals. The lack of locals is quite apparent. It felt like we were in Disneyland - everything is spotlessly clean so it almost looks fake, and there are tacky tourist things like horse-drawn carriages and people drawing caricatures. But again, we trudged on and ended up enjoying ourselves, as it's a lot of fun to make fun of really poorly dressed tourists. It is! I saw a guy on the subway - short denim shorts, a short sleeved denim shirt tucked in, a fanny pack (aka bum bag) and white socks with boots. Swear to god. Aside from this pastime, we saw most of the sites of the city, Geri got her hair cut, met a sweet old Czech man and his dog who took a nap next to us after chasing chipmunks all morning, and we took a trip to Cesky Krumlov, a charming little medieval town in the countryside of the Czech Republic. Where strangely, they had a few grizzly bears fenced in in front of the castle. Random? Or is it usual to see bears in the Czech countryside?

So that's the update I think. It's been a sad morning saying goodbye to Geri, but we made it without crying (in public) and I've only been lonely about 120 times today, which can only get better, right? So I'm on my flight back to New York tomorrow! So exciting! I'll be adding one more post when I return to sort of sum things up, so stay tuned and thanks for listening to all my exaggerated stories of drama and glamour! Nah, just kidding, it's all been the truth. Or was it?

Trip Statistics - The Finale of the Trilogy

Hello there. We're currently on our last day of the adventure (if you don't count the next two days of travel on train and plane) which means that both Geri and I are sick to our stomachs and getting very quiet as we are both emotional people who think too much about depressing stuff, including the end of this trip. So to get my mind off it, I'm providing you all with the last of the trip statistics. Sad day, yes. I'll have a few more blog entries after this to let you know about our time in Prague and a sort of "wrap up" of the trip also. But on with the good stuff first... And again, credit to Geri for the input.

4 (or was it 5?) - trips made to the buffet by Mitch. Impressive, to say the least.

1 gajillion - our estimation of the number of baguettes baked in Paris on a daily basis. Really, if anyone has any idea I'd love to know. We're fascinated.

4 - number of different places we've stayed in Europe (in terms of accomodation)
3 - number of times we've been placed on the top floor of our accomodation. And there are always at least 4 stories. Yet we still are hopelessly out of shape... strange.

31 and counting - number of days mourning our time on Ko Chang. Won't ever stop.

80% - amount of time spent stressing about ending our trip and being back in this so-called "real word" with a so-called "job". What's that? I think it's something I don't want.

A disgustingly high number - the amount of post-Thai tanned layers of skin we've left behind here in Europe. Peeling sucks!

1 inch - how deep of an imprint our socks made on our calves after about 18 hours on the airplane traveling from Thailand to Europe. Scary!

11am to 1pm - the time range when we justified eating lunch even if we weren't hungry. Who cares - it's lunchtime so we should be eating.

7 - minimum number of syllables for a German word to exist (or so it seemed). No need for more than one vowel in the word.

70% - the amount of English words present in Prague on a daily basis in ads, stores, music, etc.
10% - the percentage of people in Prague who can SPEAK english. And it may even be less than that.

2 - somersaults I achieved to avoid head trauma during my huge spill from my bike in Amsterdam. Embarassing.

12 to 16, and 70 to 80 - the age ranges of all tourists in Prague. And you all know how much I just LOVE teenagers.


Food Addictions:

In Paris - baguettes and mayonnaise
In Amsterdam - waffles with chocolate and sprinkles, bagels and brownies
In Berlin - falafel and beer
In Prague - instant noodles and Nurofen (I've been sick!)

Clearly we've been totally healthy and realize the importance of nutrients in our diets.


So that's Europe in a nutshell for us. I'm on a nine hour train ride to Dusseldorf tomorrow morning where I'll get my flight to New York the next day, which should be a fun two days of traveling! And depression! So let's hope Geri and I make it through our goodbyes and I'll write more when I'm bored in Dusseldorf by myself.

I'm still I'm still Mitch from the blog

Yes Mitch has been invited to do a guest entry into the world famous Krissy tour blog. Now i can finally say DAMN YOU KRISSY!!! I’ve been sitting in overcast wintry conditions for the last few months reading her stories of exotic beaches and adventures and going crazy with envy.

Anyway, Berlin what a fantastic city! The only place where small denim shorts, white socks and sandals CAN work. The only European capital city left where you're surprised to see tourists around and can live on a minimum wage (or an English teachers) and still be comfortable, where you are being ripped off if you pay more than 2.50€ for a Kebab, where beer is cheaper than water, where punks and business men live in harmony, where everyone can’t wait to leave but then can’t wait to get back to when they are away, where the scars of recent history are being patched up everyday, where saying “Sorry” or “Pardon” is seen as superficial and dishonest, where even the mayor prefers to go to parties than care about the economy, where you’ll never find a city centre, where a Kebab is more popular than Sausages, where the hungry come to feed for mine is a generation that...oh sorry wrong movie.

Anyway, this is a city that i had the privilege to show to Krissy, Anita and Geri for the last few days. Firstly as guests the 3 are A1 and I’d recommend them to anyone! Anne even said that the apartment is actually cleaner since they got here. As for the program well the girls had next to zero knowledge of Berlin making it easier for me to make up facts at random. However, with them coming off several weeks off of a low stimulation holiday, lazing on thai beaches, topped off with a trip to Amsterdam (wink wink), history and facts weren’t going to hold their attention for too long anyway.

So where history lessons failed, the German beer didn’t. Ok not just the beer, but more an intro into the typical Berlin lifestyle: Cafés, Bars, Alternative Art, People and Food. I’ll take the diary format to give you an account of what we’ve been up to:

Friday: Pick up day, short tour of Friedrichshain, cold, introduction to the German beer range at a place offering 150 different beers, Tacheles art centre (ONE of a kind, basically an old squat that’s hosts travelling artists from all over the world), on the guest list of a party, too tired to go.

Saturday: tour of Prenzlauer berg district, all of us (ok mainly me) playing like children in a park (the childrens playground facilities here can’t be
beaten, the trampolines are hilarious), Jonathan safran foer signing autographs, me playing guitar at JSF book signing, then party night afterwards, beer, walking, bad music, german music, beer, bad german music, beer, dancing, bad dancing (yes a bad idea when you are out with 3 photographers), Mcdonalds then fall into bed. We arrived at the bar to hear Hanson coming from the DJ with Krissy hardly containing her excitement.

Sunday: the Berlin institution of Brunchen (having brunch), a tour of the freak show we call the boxhagener platz (flea)mark(e)t,Helmut Newton Museum (the short tour! The girls found out that a closing time in Germany MEANS everyone out by 6pm even being spurred on by flicking the lights on and off), Reichstag, Brandenburg gate, jewish memorial, potsdamer platz,starbucks, find krissy a bathroom (why she needed a bath in the middle of the city beats me???), krissy and geri show off their newly acquired thai cooking skills with authentic pad thai and sweet and sour, session of "shooting the shit"

Monday: Anita leaves us, tour of Kreuzberg, east side gallery, cafe bagdad=kebab, Checkpoint Charlie, yawn, pasta, cocktails, man were we cool

Tuesday: relax day, Mitch working, Anne cooked, Girly night with Chocolate and 4 episodes of “Sex and the city”.

The sun came to town just to impress the girls. Unfortunately i didn't have the opportunity to show them such famous things as our nudist neighbours, more
mullet haircut freaks, the nude park culture, the all-night night club culture, and more history. But I guess I have to leave something for them to see on their next visit.

So I left Krissy and Geri in the (hopefully) capable hands of the ride share driver extraordinaire “Christoph Heckenbücker” where they set off for Prague. The adventure continues and I wish them all the best.

Ich bin ein Berliner

Guten tag! I'm in Berlin at the moment, making horrible attempts at speaking German. So far I've mastered "Hallo" "Danke" and "Bitte". And as you may imagine, those words only get me so far. But thank goodness we have had the help of Mitch and Anne, our translators and wonderful hosts here. You will hear from Mitch when he does a guest editing post later tonight. He is kind enough to be hired free of charge. Thanks Mitch! Or rather, Danke Mitch!

Berlin has been amazing. Danke mainly to Mitch and Anne being our tour guides, and informing us of all the history and sights to see. We sort of came into the city not knowing anything (and when I say sort of, I mean completely) and they know almost every detail and every insightful story about this place. Soon they should start asking for tips. But not from us since we're poor. Anita from school came to meet us (Hi Anita!) which was such a wonderful surprise. So our troop of five had a fantastic weekend. We had a traditional German meal cooked a la Mitch, which was quite impressive as he had to accomodate for two vegetarians which are pretty much unheard of here, and in turn, Geri and I had our first experience cooking what we learned in Thailand - Pad Thai and Sweet and Sour Stir Fry. They could have been lying, but everzone seemed to enjoy it! Success.

I thought I'd also say a little bit about our bike ride to the Dutch countryside while we were in Amsterdam also here, because it was so much fun. I felt like I was in a milk commercial most of the time, and we biked for hours through little villages that just kept getting cuter and cuter. Our butts were numb for days, but totally worth it. And I only fell off my bike once!











Anyways, off to Prague tomorrow. Our last stop. I'll be home in a week, which sort of makes me want to vomit. But I'm excited to see all you New Yorkers soon!

Amsterdam - land of clogs, tulips, sex and pot

Geri and I are here in Amsterdam and it's quite an elegant city. There are beautiful canals, narrow (and precariously slanted) buildings, and lovely, if not a bit cold (hey, we're coming from Asia so it's pretty much freezing for us) weather. Then on the other hand, it's a city where most all vices are allowed and very accepted. It's funny for such a beautifully picturesque town to be populated with semi-naked ladies offering themselves in windows and constant whiffs of pot at every corner. Which makes it all the more interesting.

We've gone native and rented bikes for two days, which is actually more stressful than I thought as all the streets curve every which way and the street names all look the same (to the english-speaking idiots like me) and are too consonant-heavy that even for myself, the compass, finding our way around town is not all that easy. But it's so much fun to be in the fresh air exploring and finding new parts of the city. We went to the Foam Photography Museum today which had a James Nachtwey exhibit, which was quite fortunate timing for us and was fascinating, if not gruesome. Tomorrow we're biking out to the countryside to see some windmills and tulips, which are in their peak at the moment.

So overall, Amsterdam is amazing for so many reasons - It's (not at all surprisingly) heavy on the male population, either the old, weathered types who look like they've been stoned for decades or the 20 year old frat boy types, I'm sure here for all the educational museums and unique architecture. You find classy business people and hip artists, and then turn the corner and see an old lady in a red-light window in a bra and underwear better suited for a 16 year old. Something for everybody. Who wouldn't love that?

I guess that's really it. I haven't been as exciting with everything running smoothly here in Europe (knock on wood). I'll report back soon and keep you posted on any misadventures...

Long overdue pics

Lovely clean pigeons binging on tourist bread outside the Notre Dame.






The Eiffel Tower (duh). Looking big and lovely as ever.








We're soooo tan. In case you can't recognize us, that's me on the left, Geri on the right.








The clear blue water and a taxi boat waiting to pick up passengers in Ko Phi Phi.








The beautiful sunset in Ko Phangan. We had a view from our bungalow so got to witness it every night doing something different each time.

Trip Statistics, Part Deux

It is a bit untimely as I feel like I have been gone from Thailand for so long (while in reality it has only been about four days. Factor in jet lag also.) but I have compiled the latest trip statistics from Cambodia and Thailand. Credit is due to Geri Farr - travel companion - for helping to brainstorm. Thanks Jezza.

8004 - number of mysterious smells along the way. Some we reasoned were due to non-flushing toilets and stillwater "creeks" that may have never even moved in their lifetime.

16 - number of days Geri and I have mourned the passing of our time in Ko Chang.
16 - number of days we have been away from Ko Chang.

9 - the degree of comfort we felt by the end of our Thailand trip, from 1-10 with 1 being extremely modest and 10 being completely liberated, walking around in just bathing suits which is quite strange for "the more layers the better" Krissy. Do not worry, there was no nudity. But along those lines...

196 out of 198 - number of pairs of exposed female breasts on the beach in Ko Pangan (197 and 198 being Geri and myself. AKA the prudes)

60%/30%/10% - in Thailand, the percentages of Scandinavian/Australian/Thai people inhabiting the islands, respectively.

2 - number of temporary pet dogs we accumulated who would follow us home at night and sleep on our porch. Appropriately named by us: Chewy - he had fleas, and Tripod - he was missing a leg

0-1 - number of intellectually stimulating conversations we would have per day. The rest would be discussions about food, tans, and shopping.

20 - numbers of kilos gained by all of us. Bring on the pad thai, shakes, and zero exercise. Fabulous.

New addictions:

-sweetened condensed milk. YUM. Do not laugh, it is in everything here and delicious!
-banana shakes. And for someone who does not like bananas...
-pad thai, amok fish, etc. the local staples of each country. That is all I will be eating when I return.
-Diet Coke/Sprite. I hate that I an supporting the monster evil company known as Coca Cola, but they are so thirst quenching! Really!
-eggs. Fried, even better. I have to have them every morning. Have to.
-floral dresses. Move over shorts, I now have too many flowery frocks. I am a girl again.

Most overused sentences/phrases:

This is just heaven.
Remember on Ko Chang when...
I have not stopped sweating. / I am SO hot.

Ok, that should give you an idea of our time in Thailand. Heaven it was. We are here in Paris now where it is between ten to twenty degrees (celcius) colder than in Thailand, meaning I have no clothes for this place. I have a plethora of tank tops and shorts (and floral dresses) that may need to wait a few weeks to be worn unless there is a heat wave that hits Europe.

It is gorgeous here, just like I remember it, so I am having my usual what-can-I-do-to-live-here thoughts and dreams, so if anyone knows of any Paris-based job openings (non-French speaking) please pass them along. The only hard thing is that we have been in countries where the average meal is about two dollars and we have paid roughly five to ten dollars a night for hotels, so being here with all of its croissants and baguettes and 5 dollar coffee is too tempting when you are on a budget. The only other hard things are these strange french computer keyboards which will explain the lack of apostrophes in this entry since I am too lazy to figure out where it is. So all is good.

On Sunday we leave for Amsterdam. And since many of you have been out this way before please let me know of any suggestions for places to see there, or in Prague and Berlin where we will be going after.

Au revoir my friends!

Au revoir Asia

Unfortunately the photo link isn't working so you won't get to see a photo of yet another sunset here in Thailand. I imagine you may be getting sick of them anyway, but they are just spectacular. I was also going to put up a picture of us kids as tan as we are, but since I can't you'll just have to imagine for now. Think very very dark brown and you'll have an idea.

So anyways, sad news to report - we are leaving Thailand the day after tomorrow. It's an emotional farewell (but then again, when do I ever NOT have emotional farewells) because it means no more Asia and that I'm closer to having to find a job when I get home. But let's not talk about that.

We're currently in Ko Phi Phi and it's absolutely stunning. We've managed to organize the best for last, so we're leaving in style. It's just gorgeous here. It's a small island, I think about 1.5 miles at it's widest, and there are no paved roads, so you have to walk and hike everywhere, with most paths leading to a beautiful unspoiled beach. The water is crystal clear or bright turquoise, and the island also has dramatic limestone cliffs that make for amazing scenery everywhere you look. It's heaven. There is still a lot of new construction and clean-up going on post-tsunami, since this was one of the heaviest hit islands, but the place is running well with wonderful people and scenery.

We've still been tanning everyday, but we've added a bit of spice to our routine by doing a snorkelling trip to the other island that is a short boat ride away. It's actually the location where they filmed The Beach, with good old Leo DiCaprio. And if you've seen the movie, you know just how gorgeous it is. You can just sit in the water and feel like you're in the best place in the world. Really. Otherwise, we've been hiking around, visiting the beaches, the usual.

The only bad thing about all this relaxation is that we are all a bit under-stimulated when it comes to intellectual thought, but as long as all of us say dumb things it's ok. I'll have to practice saying complete sentences and asking questions that make sense before heading off to Paris or else I will be in trouble.

That's all from my end. Just trying to make time stop before our flight on Monday. Any help with that would be appreciated.

Tanning like it's my job

If you get a sense from the title of this posting, there isn't too much really to report except that I believe that I am the tannest (most tan?) I've ever been in my life. That is the good news. The bad news is that when you are as tan as I have become, that means it is like you are existing in a constant warm blanket - seriously, my skin feels like an electric blanket. Which is not the best thing when it's over 30 degrees and intense heat. But I'm definitely not complaining. It's great here. We're on Koh Pangan, an island off the east side of the mainland. It's a beautiful place, but tourism has close to taken over and you can sense that the town and it's people have seen their days of rude, drunken tourists and are quite jaded. And I thought I was cynical. Not everyone is like that of course, but I've had quite a few locals be so unfriendly and rude after I just say hello. But then you have to sympathize because the island is full of western holiday-makers here for the Full Moon Party. For those who don't know, it's a party that happens once a month on this island, on the full moon (duh), where there is a huge party on the beach, and there can be more than 8,000 people going all night. That will be happening tomorrow, and should be quite interesting. Thankfully we are staying on the quieter beach just next door, so we won't be up all night listening to rave music. We'll be able to experience it and then silently head home.

Really though, all I've been doing is tanning and making my way from one meal to the next. After breakfast, the next thing on our mind is, what's for lunch? And I don't move around much anymore (just between pool and beach) so my clothes are starting to not fit. Bummer. I would exercise but it's just too hot (excuses excuses).

I'm thoroughly enjoying this mindless living, as I know soon enough I will be back at the grind and having to think again. So until then, I'll be heading off to my next meal...