Notes from the road

Three weeks in Rome

ildikok — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:19:00 GMT

Our over three weeks in Rome is ending. We are off to Napoli and the Amalfi Coast and then we will see.

Over funny circumstances we found an appartment in San Lorenzo that we rented out for three weeks but because was so hard to leave we extended it a bit. We met the family that we rented the appartment from on the ferry from Greece to Italy. They pretty much adopted us!Imagine true southern hospitality!

During these 3 weeks we lived like Romans and soaked in the Italian life. It was a romantic stay alla Romana. We met quite a few people mostly through Warm Showers that introduced us to other cyclist. The people we met were so interesting, one guy Alessaandro that we ended upo hanging out pretty much every night with is a geologist and works for European Space Administration, such a cool guy, then he introduced us to his friend a cyclist who traveled with a circus through Asia for 3 1/2 years on his bike.

So we ended up doing a 5 am bike ride through the city, watching the sun rise over Rome, a bike ride through the Antic Appia road, parties and lots of get togheters. It was just great! People made it memorable!

We came to a conclusion that Rome is the emost beautiful city that we have ever seen. Many times it felt too overwhealming, just too beautiful but then I started breaking it down to neighbourhoods and discovering the little alley ways. Every where we looked it was beautiful!

Pressure is up now so I have to run to catch the train for Napoli but we should be back in the States in the middle or end of September. We miss our amazing friends and family a lot and we are looking forward to seeing you!!!

Last day in Greece

ildikok — Fri, 9 Aug 2013 18:33:00 GMT

7/30/13

Last day in Kefalonia, Greece

Ildi wanted yet another day at Mystras beach and as beautiful as it is, I needed a change so I went alone to retrieve the 2 bags we left in Argostoli. It's only 25k but with 700 meters elevation at the pass and another hot day it's a workout. Between 10 and 5 all you want to do here is rest in the shade sipping icewater and talking about all the things you would do if it wasn't so f**king hot. So it would have been a few hours workout in the morning followed by a restful afternoon back in Sami under a shade tree waiting for our 7:30 ferry to Italy. Except for ......THE SWEDISH BIKERS.

We met them outside Melisani cave and they seemed harmless at first, two couples a little older than me in good shape and biking around the island like us. But as we regaled them with stories of our biking prowess, they casually mentioned their morning climbing the 700 meter pass and continuing on to the peak another 1000 meters above. Judging from our crappy map it seemed like a steep climb. This little seed germinated for two days and as I prepared for my trip I thought maybe I would take a little detour at the pass and see how far up I could get.

So except for the usual late start (about 10:30/11) things went pretty well at first and I was at the 5 k mark before I knew it. But as the sun rose the hills got steeper and the 2 beers from the night before started working their magic and as I approached the pass I was pretty much stopping at every shady spot I could find. Then I found out the real problem. The bike wasn't shifting into low gear ! After 15 minutes of roadside repair I was rested and the bike was tuned and ready to go. The extra gear made a big difference and soon I was at the junction for the peak climb. I decided that Amercia needed to be represented at the top so I made a left and started on up.

I think at this point I had burmed off the toxins because I was feeling pretty good and enjoying the ride. The scenery was nice from desert views to views of both coasts and toward the top there is a park with a pine forrest.

I was about a half hour or so from the peak when I reached my time limit. I needed an hour amd 10 minutes to get down , get the bags and catch the bus. If I missed the bus we would miss the ferry and lose one week waiting for the next one. So with the peak so close I had to turn back and head down.

It was an exhilarating coast down all that elevation I had just pedaled up and soon I was back om the main road. I had planned on coasting the whole 20 k to Argostoli but the mountain had other plans and soon I was rolling to a stop and facing a half k uphill. At this point I started to worry about time and wore myself out trying to pedal it quickly. After some more downhill and with time running out I came to a y and chose the most direct route down into town over a bridge. The bridge turned out to be a causway and it was closed so I had to go back up and pedal 4 k around the inlet and to the hotel where the bags were at the far side of town. The heavy wind was against me for the last 2 k and I arrived at the hotel worn out and out of breath.It was 3:15 and I missed the bus. I would have been relaxing under a shade tree if it wasn't for those SWEDISH BIKERS!!

All turned out ok though due to the generosity of the hotel owner who drove me first to the bus terminal with my bike hanging out the back. (He had called ahead to ask them to wait).And then when we found the bus had gone anyway he decided to take his wife and drive the 25 k to go swimming by Sami, dropping me off on the way. So we made the ferry and are on our way....TO ITALY!

our phone number in Italy

ildikok — Mon, 5 Aug 2013 01:23:00 GMT

Is +39 3248611258 looking forward to hear you guys, we miss you!

Photos: Greece

ildikok — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 22:03:00 GMT

Journal by Ken--July 4th-July 17th

ildikok — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 21:57:00 GMT

7'/4/13
Happy 4th of July! ! I can't believe it's here already!
We're leaving the island of Sifnos where we spent the last 3 nights. It was fun but pricey and we realized we really miss our boehemian life on Milos. Camping on deserted beaches and exploring the rugged and scenic coast. We will park the bikes for a few days and rent a jeep to get us in to the undeveloped west side of the island which we only saw from the boat on our day cruise. From there we will hike in and explore the coast on foot. I want to camp in the collapsed cave we swam to from the boat. Camping on that little beach with the waves rolling throuh the cave while watching the stars through the open ceiling. It will be the perfect ending to our three weeks in the cyclades. What a trip!! We really fell in love with Greece!
Next it's back to Athens. We connected with a fellow bike trekker with a sailboat and if it works out we may go sailing around Greece for awhile. We're pretty excited about it.

7/9/13
Just leaving Athens on a ferry to egine island. We arrived 5 hours ago from Milos and took one last bike trip around the city. It was quiet and beautiful in the early morning sun.

WHAT A TIME ON WE HAD ON MILOS! !! We have eased into this totaly free existance. Camping on secluded beaches at night and exploring the island by day. Its beauty reveals itself over time and there were many treasures to discover. We did hike in and camp inside Sikia cave and being there at night alone under the stars was a surreal experience. The next morning we hiked back out and drove to some beautiful beaches we had camped near two nights before. We had a bit of a scare climbing over a bluff on some slippery rock. Ildi got caught behind me on a slope with a dropoff onto bolders below. She couldn't go back and I couldn't get down to her. There's nothing worse than that feeling of helplessness I felt watching her struggle and seeing that dropoff below her. I finally managed to anchor my upper body and lower my feet to her and she was able to climb out over me. Lessons learned we had an even greater appreciation for life that day and I will be more cautious about situations we get ourselves into.

We also went hiked back to Kleptos caves which we saw from the boat. We lost the trail and weren't sure if we could find it so it was doubly thrilling to pop up over a ridge and gaze down on this amazing place.It's an area of colorful rock formations and sea caves that were used by pirates in ancient times.. After the tour boats left we had the whole area to ourselves. I swam through the caves and explored tighter areas where even the small boats cannot go. Viewing from inside these areas the light from the opening shines thru the crystal clear water, creating the most intense blue I've ever seen. The contrast between the white sculpted rock and the blue water was stunning!
It was tough to leave but getting late so we hiked back to the car(on the trail this time )drove back to our our secluded beach (caught a spectacular sunset on the way) and had a great dinner with a beautiful swiss couple we had met camping on the next beach. They are retired teachers and traveling in a neat conversion van. We will try to visit them in Switzerland if we can.
Next day we rushed to pack the painniers and get the car back by ten am., didn't make it, so we extended the rental till 4 and continued exploring the beaches and hiking the white rock coast. We returned the car (late again) and grabbed our bikes for some more touring before our ferry to Athens at ten pm. We laid out our mats and got some much needed sleep on the boat before our 5 am arrival in Athens.

11/13
Our transition from bikers to sailers
What a crazy two days. We were originaly on our way to the peloponnese to continue our bike trek. We decided to stop in egina on our way to meet Alberto, who we met through a web portal for bike trekkers. We only planned to meet him briefly for now but as things worked out he had his boat in the water and , long story short, we are now on an open ended sailing adventure around Greece and possibly up into Croatia and France. After landing in Egina we set about finding Alberto.We asked a local about shipyards and he led us with his car across the island to where they were. We found out he had just left so it was another ride back to point a to try to find him. We finally connected in another marina and after a great conversation we decided to just sleep on the boat and head out the following morning. So yesterday we set out at 8 am for the first leg of our trip. It was a beautiful morning with strong winds and we made good time getting to our first stop. I got some time in at the tiller steering the boat and maintaining a heading, which proved useful later in the day. After calm period the winds kicked up to a force 7 (I think it's about 50 mph.). So with Alberto trimming the sails and navigating and Ildi in the back (slightly terrified)
I found myself at the tiller crashing through the waves at 7 knots while the boat tilted 45 degrees in the wind. I was standing sidways and struggleing a bit to hold the tiller all the way back to keep our bearing The cold ocean water was slashing in my face and l was having the time of my life.
Then the rope broke.

It was holding the front sail and without it the sail started fluttering wildly. This caused the rope attached to it to whip around the deck like a bullwhip. The force was enough to knock you over. We needed to roll up the sail so of course the mechanisim chose that moment to jam up. We needed someone to go up front past the bullwhip to free it so I bravely volunteered to man the tiller at the back of the boat freeing up Alberto to go play dodge the rope. He managed to free it and attach a new rope and soon we were back on our way. We ended the day ancored in a calm protected harbor . Alberto's friend had done the trip also and we had a nice dinner on his boat.We did learn from our mishap however, and we decided it would be a good idea for me to learn how to manage the boat alone. Which is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

My sailing lessons begin!

7/14/13
We had to cut our sailing adventure a little early and we are back on a ferry from athens bound for the peloponnese. While sailing has always been a dream and we were very excited about doing it in the end we just couldn't transition from from our current fast paced and unrestrained lifestyle to the slower pace and restrictions of life on a boat. We really connected with Alberto and we will keep in touch. I would like to do some more sailing in the future when I am better prepared. I learned a lot and would be much more confident handling the the boat. And we both learned a lot about life on a boat. The last night we spent in Hakida , which brought us full circle as this is where we spent our first night in Greece. It was really strange to return. The place is the same but we have been changed by all the experiences we've had and the people we've met. It seems so long ago we watched from the shore with hundreds of others as the bridge opened (only once per day) and the parade of boats passed thru. This time we were part of the parade watching the crowds watching us.. After passing thru we docked next to the local promenade. It's a row of restaurants next to the dock where people gather and walk around. It was cool sipping beer and people watching from the boat. This morning we had to pack and assemble and load the bikes and I helped Alberto fix the sail winder which had broken the previous day. This required climbing the mast to free the rig. I figured it was my turn to volunteer so after a quick lesson in tying and using safty knots., I donned the safety harness and climbed on up. At the top, with knees a-knocking as the wave action sent the mast to and fro, I held on tight and attached the rope and slid the rig down. Alberto was like a mother hen shouting instructions and was pretty relived when I made it back down safely. I think he was more nervous about the whole affair than I was.
It was sad to leave Alberto. We both really bonded with him in such a short time. With the bikes finally packed we said our goodbyes and headed out to our bus to Athens.

7/17/13
We missed our ferry stop and ended up on poros island. Kind of an upscale tourist place overlooking an endless row of luxury yachts. It was late and we couldn't find a room so we went to the nearest beach which was small and commercial. Ildi asked at a restaurant and they graciously offered to let us sleep on their beach chairs. It was ok but not ideal and in the middle of the night we had to get up and set up the tent. We were both cranky and had a spat which in the morning turned into a full scale blowout.
This lifestyle isn't all beaches and green and pressures do mount. So we ended up spending the day talking things over and trying to understand how these pressures affect each of us. It was good to air things out
So we took a ferry in the morning across to the mainland and got a hotel to get some sleep and relax. Next day we were ready for some hard pedaling in the oppressive heat up the coast and then overland to Napflio.
Another story about the generosity of the Greeks.
We stopped at a place and bought soda and tomatoes and asked to use one of her tables. When she saw us making our own salad she came out with plates, silverware and napkins. A little later we were pedaling up a long hill in the heat and two guys in a van stopped, gave us cold sodas and wished us a good journey. It warms your heart.
We didn't make good time in the hills and heat and at 6:30 we were only at epdavros with 30 k to go. Although tired, we decided to push on because we knew Napflios would be beautiful and we wanted to stay there. It was a lot o uphill at first though and we found ourselves in the mountains getting late and out of steam with 25 k still to go.and to top it off rain clouds were moving in. Luckily from there it started to level off and at the next town we learned it was mostly downhill from there on so with 20 k to go we pushed on. At dusk we put on our reflector vests and lights but soon it was dark and the drizzle turned to light rain. With 5 k to go I was just thinking about how the first rain brings up the oil in the road and was thinking how this must be worse in Greece where it rarely rains, and debating weather to stop and check the road surface when my bike suddenly whips out from under me and sends me to the pavement. Turns out the surface was like ice. It created o lot of commotion in the road with people stopping and a nice Bulgarian girl helped us by translating and giving us a ride. We flagged down a truck who took the bikes and we got dropped off in town. I got away with some scrapes and a sore shoulder. Lessons learned; we need better front tires and use only rear brakes in poor conditions or ideally just stop.

Napflios was built by the Venetians and has the feel of an Italian town. It's really beautiful with a large castle on the hill above and another in the sea. We climbed the 999 stepes to the castle to look around. The panoramic views were fantastic. We spent two nights there.
View from the castle above Naflios

Our phone number in Greece

ildikok — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 21:12:00 GMT

We got a phone card and our number is 011 30 698 6797193 if anyone wants to call us, we would be so happy to heaar from you!

Milos island Greece

ildikok — Tue, 2 Jul 2013 04:53:00 GMT

We are leaving Milos after 6 days 7 nights. There is a longing pain to go back already! I'm sipping an expensive beer ön the ferry while we are passing Kleptikos rock formations and I feel like crying. It was such a beautiful island. On our third day we took a boat trip around the island. We tried renting out kayaks to no avail so we decided on the sailing boat. It was pricey and it felt frivolous but we decided it was the time to use my gift from my guys. I took them in spirit with us and wished they saw this wonderland!

The highlights were the cave at Sikia, the volcanic channel in the cave was created by a tunnel that caved in leaving a little island with a beach in the middle with the sun rays hitting the island. Due to the volcanic activity the rock colors vary from powder white, to red, yellow, gray and green besides the usual brown and black colors.

Kenny swam out from the boat to the island, it was pretty wild, I felt a trepidation and I took the little dinky out but on the way back I swam back with him. It was wild!! I swam with gogles and the underwater was like an underwater beach with white sand. It was stunning! Then we went to Kleptikos a white cliff region full of caves and turquoise waters. It was so beautiful my brain couldn't process it. We were standing in awe. We swam out again on land to a herd of wild goats. They were so curious about us, they kept coming back to check us out. We hang ouf there for a couple of hours and decided to make it back next day.

However we there is no fresh water on the island (all the drinking water gets shipped in in plastic bottles, there is no recycling and IT DRIVES ME CRAZY) and the hike was around 10 miles one way plus to stay there for a day we would need at least 10-12 liters of water especially with the excruciating heat. So we had to reconsider it and went to the northern part of the island on our bikes. We ended up in a a very cute fishing village, Mandrakas. We left the bikes and bags by a seafood taverna and set off to discover the beaches.

It left us in awe once again, the white rock formations washed out by the sea with the turquoise colors were a constant surprise at every step, we couldn't get enough if it and kept scrambling along. We were totally alone, what an amazing feeling! On our way back we picked the tent site on the top of a fishing shed used by the local fisherman overlooking the cliffs and went back for the bags to set up the tent so we can enjoy our dinner right above the small sea cliffs. We had delicious fresh fish and calamari, Kenny treated himself to Triple Ale beer, what a treat. It was an amazing night! The sunset setting on this amazjng scenery, eating the delicious food and sipping wine was unearthly. There was a Greek wedding that we went to see and it brought back the wonderful feelings from 14 years ago. Ahh, life is so good to us!

Next day we kept discovering more white cliffs and caves as well as brown rock formations with caves. We spent most of the day by a beautiful turquoise bay where we ended up camping for the night all alone. We had the whole beach for ourselves pretty much the whole time. We swam, played in the water did yoga and ate breakfast. It felt unreal again! So free, so happy!

In the last moment we decided to stay and rent the expensive jeep of 45 euros and go back to Kleptikos playground to have all those beaches and caves for ourselves but no jeeps were available was available except for 65 euros. We couldn't justify the high price, if we deduct 30 for lodging we can swing 15 but not 35 plus gas. More reason to go back to Milos! Which we rarely feel!

So we rushed to the ferry, once again we made it. It really feels like I will run out of luck one day with all these last minute rushings to plans, ferries, trains....

We are off to Sifnos it's our last island in the cyclades, I thouht we are ready to leave for the main land but it's hard to leave. I know Penopolese will be beautiful but theses Greek islands have a charm they get a grip of you very tightly.

Before our 2 day secluded adventures I was getting excited about a website freeshowers.org a networking site created for cyclists for free lodging given by fellow cyclists. One guy in Greece is offering a room on his sailboat something we have been wanting to do for over 13 years. There are other cyclist all over Greece, Italy, the world but the Sardegna and Corsica ones stand out. Im so excited to meet fellow cycling people, one girl did Madagascar by bike. Yay!! So all is well, my mood is returning and we are almost in Sifnos, more on the next ferry ride. When? Not sure! We always over stay...:)

Greeece, Naxos island

ildikok — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:13:00 GMT

We just left Naxos with bleeding hearts. The wind was so intense in the exposed parts that would have made it very difficult to bike up the top of the mounain.

We spent the night at the southern tip of the island in the last village. A taverna was recommended by a Swiss couple in this village, but the road ended and we had to continue on a dirt road full of sand and rocks. Ken's tires got punctured twice within minutes. He fixed it once but the second time he didn't have neither glue or a new tube. Luckliy we weren't too far.

The scenery surrounding us was surreal yet stunning. The island is very arrid and rocky mountainous but with the blue sea it creates a great contrast, and once we reached the bay it left us with a big smile.

The taverna with it's white washed walls, blue accents and tables was adorable, it overlooked the sea and we had prime seats for the sunset, we were the only ones there. The owner was a sweet lady and while she only spoke French I was shocked to see how much I remembered French and was able to talk. The food:lamb in lemon sauce baked in the oven with potatoes was succulent. The moussaka was good too. She also suprised us with a green been dish and orange pie at the end. People are so generous with us! We splurged again, and got 2 carafes of wine. You just cannot resist such beauty and peaceful athmosfere. I couldn't care about fixing the bike or setting up our tent in the cove bellow us. I just wanted to soak in the wonderful life. I'm so grateful!

We ended up taking a room from the lady. The view was stunning, the balcony opened up to the sea and even though the restaurant was blocking a little bit the view it added a beatuiful backdrop. The typical white washed buildings with stunning vibrant flowers and flowering vines framing the houses with blue accents.

We coulnd't fix the bikes, as the village was very tiny and had no shops but the owner took us in with the bycicles in his little van into Naxos (Hora) where Kenny fixed the tire and picked up the well needed bike supplies. I made delicious breakfast on the beach in the mean time. Oven fresh bread with butter and home mad apricot preserves made by my aunt and some local peaches, apricots and melons. Tehy are sooooo deliscious, all ripe and local!

Greece, an update by Ken

ildikok — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:05:00 GMT

Hey everyone !

We're on a ferry from Athens to the island of Naxos in the cyclades islands region. It's a 5 hour trip so I have time to write. Greece has been great!The warmth and generosity of the people here really stands out! They are really suffering from the austerity measures and still they are so generous and kind It was so nice to get back on our bikes and on the road.

Athens and the acropolis was intense . We biked around the city soaking in the atmosphere of history and culture. Street cafes next to ancient ruins with the acropolis standing sentenial over it all. We liked it so much we spent an extra day and would like to go back for more. Maybe on our return from the islands. We would really like to catch a concert at the roman theatre at the acropolis. They were practicing for a concert when we were there and it was incredibly beautiful.Visiting the acropolis was ... (I'm running out of superlatives).. I have always been fasinated with it but to see it in person was awe inspiring. The size of it and the engineering required was impressive. It's beautifully lit up at night and it gives the entire city this sense of timelessness. We just pulled in to paros island. It's STUNNING ! The arid landscape and white buildings are a stark contrast to the azure water. The ocean is incredibly clear, which is such a difference from Indonesia.

Up date sun 6/22/13

I'm watching the sunset from a pier on thirasia . A tiny island off Santorini. We came here to escape the crowds there. To update: after a brief stop on paros we landed on Naxos and fell in love with it. We planned on a couple of days and ended up spending 5 days there. The main town, Horas has an old section with a maze of winding stone walkways with shops bars and resturants, many with views of the harbor. We found a nice place in town and did day trips biking to villages and beaches around the island. It's the kind of place people go
once and end up returning again and again. We went to Santorini expecting a lot of tourists and we weren't disappointed. Our first impression was "let's get the hell out of here !".but the views are stunning and we discovered that if you time it right you can find some quiet moments between the onslaught of tour busses and cruise ships. We got some cheers as we peddled with our packs up the steep switchbacks from the port to the town of fiora high above. We found a place and spent a night there taking in the views then yesterday morning we left our packs and headed out for a bike tour of the island. We ended up in Io which is the town younsee in all the brochures and postcardsWith the white buildings and blue domes cascading down the cliff overlooking the sea. It's truly stunning. But it gets lost in the onslaught of tour busses from Fiora. But we realized it quiets down in the evening so we found a room, raced back 7 miles to fiora, grabed our bags and found a bus back so we could spend the evening there. It was worth it! When its quiet and in the moonlight it's magical.! We had dinner and wine with a stunning view and then just strolled around till 1AM. We had to rise at 6:30 this morning to catch the ferry to this island. We biked a bit found a beach bluff and slept for 2 hours. We checked out one village with some neat dwellings carved in the cliffs then had to push the bikes up to another town for lunch with a view then took a long flight of stairs down to the port where I am now. Tomorrow it's up at 6 , back up the stairs and then a downhill ride to the other port.I'm going to soak in this view for a bit and hit the sack.While writing this the sun set and I m watching the most incredible moonrise over the city of firora 8 miles in the distance. It's a full supermoon and the sky is crystal clear and the water calm and moonlight is glistening on the water. Santorini is C shaped which creates a huge cove and we are camping on a pier on the water overlooking this.

It's a magical setting! !

Greece---paradise??

ildikok — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 20:14:00 GMT

We have been in Greece since last week Sunday, about 11 days and we have been indulging on life. We expected a the postcard picturesc villages and good food but it's something to imagine and another thing to live it. We have totally fallen in love with this country! The people are the nicest we have ever experienced anywhere in the world.

Our first experience with them was after we got off the bus by the turnpike,(we decided to check out an island before we would head into Athen) so Ken put the bikes together by the turnpike and then we rolled in to a gas station to get organized. The guys at the gas station were really curious about us and we tried to communicate a bit but was difficult.

He saw me eating an apple and a banana and he offered his dinner made by his Mom. This is how they have been showing their affection and interest. Every day has been a story where people offer us food, they are so generous and kind and honest, despite being in such economical crises. It's heart warming!!

Then the food is AMAZING, we are gaining back all the weight we lost in Nepal even though we are biking, well some :)

We spent a couple of days in Athen which we were so happy we did. People have been disadvising us to go as the crisis is mostly felt in the capital and while the outskirts of the town are run down and poluted the historical section is stunning. The acropolis was majestic, we were in awe there. You really have to be there to feel that aura and majesty surrounding you!

We have been on Naxos island since Sunday and we cannot seem to leave. The Hora, the port city is magical, it's a discovery every time we walk around.

We biked up to the mountains to the tradditional villages and they were adorable, today we are heading back on bikes to the other side of the island and will camp out in the wild. The road follows the sea for 20 kilometers or so without much development around but there are couple of tavernas where we can eat the freshest fish! Prices are so good it is not worth while cooking or even prepearing our own foods.

It's going to be very exciting!

Back to civilization!

ildikok — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:04:00 GMT

After spending a couple of days in Kathmandu we were ready to move on. We ended up in a monestery in the foothills of the mountains, Namabuddha in Diliken. It was a nice experience staying in the monastery eating with the monks and experiencing ther puja, chanting.

aftewords we headed to Bhaktapur a medieval city for sightseeing, it' a royal city full of temples and a palace from that period. It was a few steps well above Kathmandu! Fairly clean, well as clean as it can get. The water has to be shipped in, people line up the streets at the water truck on this morning (Saturday) and wait to get a couple of buckets of water. The deep wells that are spread around the city all seem dirty. How can you cook, eat and use hygene? I guess I should not expect them to have the courtyards, and streets cleaned when they don't have basic hygene. The cows, chickens, dogs on the streets don't help for sure!

We are back to civilization! We spent the day in Vienna as the tickets were much cheaper then flying into Budapest and then we spent three days in Budapest with Ibi and Valerie and of course the dentist and then by the Hungarian border at my folk's home in the countryside for a week and then Timisoara and Transylvania for some hiking and my cousin's graduation. We are still disappointed about not being able to complete it but we took away a lot of great memories and insights nonetheless!!

It's so good to be back home!!! We had a great time biking around Budapest with the whole family then Ibi lent us their bikes and rode to the dentist and afterwords we rewarded ourselves to some great food! The typical íHungarian sausage, langos and retes. I love it!!! Ibi has been feeding us like crazy, the food is soooooo good hear. All the weight we lost will come back, looking forward to the bike trip in Greece,but it feels hopeless that in the next couple of weeks we would not even be able to just plainly mantain our weight after the trek!

In Bekescsaba I got my retes that I have been dreaming off on the trek. The fantasy got me off the mountain, that and the thought of seeing my folks! As you know food is quite central to me :)) The lack of even horrible food, and filty conditions on the mountain prevented me from eating so I got my weight back from couple of years ago. At last that!

Trekking journal

ildikok — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:20:00 GMT

Thirteen days in the Himalaya

Day one Tuesday April 30th

After all the planning negotiations and organizing we have finally started our journey. After 3 1/2 hours sleep we woke at 4 to finish packing. And then went to the bus depot for our 6 am start. We took the local bus which for long trips is a mistake. They fill it to capacity then add goods being shipped and luggage then keep stopping along the way for extra passengers. Getting to and from our seats meant climbing over all the boxes sacks and backpacks piled in the isle. The seats were broken and uncomfortable. And I had to hold on to keep the seatback from smashing into the knees of our guide sitting behind us.The first 4 hours were just the usual poor roads but the second half was where the fun really began the road became a single lane dirt road with switchbacks through the mountains. Getting past oncoming vehicles required some trickey manoeuvering precariously close to the edge of some steep drop-offs. Finally we arrived in Soti Khola and couldn't get off the bus fast enough. Our plan was to save time and hire a 4wheel drive to take us to Lapubesi but we couldn't find one. We did find another bus that was cheaper and decided to take that. BIG MISTAKE ! After getting loaded on we drove a couple minutes to the other end of town and then stopped for " ten minutes". Turns out the bus needed some front end work. After seeing the roads I could see why. After an hour we were finally ready to continue. By this time however it seemed like half the village was coming along too. I was naively being polite at the door until I realized I was about to loose my seat and had to be a little more assertive. They loaded the bus until it couldn't possibly hold any more ...and then managed to squeeze in a few more, and a few more on the top of the bus. We then proceeded to drive the over loaded bus over the most dangerous mountain road I've ever been on. Imagine riding on the edge of a cliff then hitting a pothole and feeling the whole bus lean towards the precipice from the vantage point of your window seat. Suddenly the people hanging on outside opposite us didn't seem so crazy after all. In fact that was the safest place on the bus. Finally after an hour and a half we had enough. We left our bags with our guide and walked the rest of the way. What a relief! We could actually walk almost as fast as the bus anyway. Despite the basic accommodations we slept pretty well that night!

Day 2 May 1st
Our trek begins
After breakfast and coffee we are eager to begin. We cross the suspension bridge at the end of town and head out. These bridges cross the rivers at various points and are strong and well built but when crossing them high above the river I can't help but think about the one we passed that had partially collapsed and was partially supported with a couple of timbers...we didn't walk on that one :-) . So you walk along the trail and the scenery gets nicer as you go. You pass small villages and outposts that are a lot like the wild west in the 1800s. The people are much more reserved than in Indonesia, it's not customary to greet people if you don't know them and this area gets a lot of western trekkers so we're not such a curiosity. I no longer feel like a rock star :-) .These trails are trade routes and we pass a lot of mule trains carrying goods through the mountains, that also means the trails stink like hell! In addition to farming, the villages accommodate the traders and now have adapted to accommodating trekkers as well. Some of it is sad. You see a lot of western goods in plastic packaging which ends up on the trail, in the river, or burned. We are carrying out trash and reusing bottles but still we know we have an impact. We stopped by a fountain and had some grapes and three little kids playing there were keeping their eye on us. When we left I looked back and sure enough they were looking in the dirt for grapes we had dropped. What do you do? They are not starving. They just can't normally afford these things. We couldn't bear it and Ildi went back and gave them some. This may have angered their parents because they called them in when we left. So we learned quickly not to eat snacks in front of kids and not leave them exposed outside our packs. You're not doing these kids any favors teaching them to beg or making them feel want. Some do beg but I haven't seen anything too aggressive.
The greeting here is namaste sometimes with a praying gesture. I've seen it before of course, but I never knew it means " I salute the god within you". I think that's beautiful.

At lunch Ildi tried taking some pills but these only made things worse. The last few miles were a tough slog which she barely had the energy to finish. Binod our guide is already overloaded so I carried her pack. I was pretty worried because we are so remote.
We finally made it to the village and I began the search for a room, preferably with a western toilet "en suite". Unfortunately this just drew blank stares and I had to settle for the standard...two rock hard single beds in a small box of a room with a shared squat toilet/shower down the hall. For the uninitiated this involves a basin set in the floor and a bucket and ladle. You squat over the basin and are supposed to use the ladle to clean up (we've learned to bring our own toilet paper).To flush you ladle water into the basin till it clears. For a guy who uses his foot to flush public toilets at home, this takes a little getting used to. As you can imagine this is a messy affair and good hygiene is still a foreign concept here so my search was just about finding the cleanest one because l knew Ildi would be spending a lot of time there. For extra fun the shower is located on the wall of this room so you get to shower in this smelly mess as well. There is little electricity here so the halls are dark at night. Thank god there was a small light in the bathroom because our new headlamps chose this time to die out on us. (Some industrious villager installed solar panels and gets $1.20 per charge.)

So anyway that was our first day trekking. We knew what to expect going in. We chose this route because it is less convenient and therefore less traveled. When we get to Tsum Valley it is even less traveled and the trails in the upper region are just trade routes going into Tibet. Geographically the region is part or Tibet and the. People are Tibetan. There are several Buddhist monastaries and convents we want to explore including one that overlooks the Tibetan border. In a beautiful little village we crossed paths with a couple of nuns and an old man who were traveling to one of them. Just the three of them on this long journey. We learned that it's possible to stay it them overnight. We will try to do that.

Day 3 May 2

Stuck in Machhakhole
After a tough night Ildi was able to clear her system but still felt weak this morning so we are relaxing here for a day before we move on. It's 2:00 pm and the clouds are rolling in already. We're getting closer to monsoon season.

Day 4 May 3

I'm in our room at a home stay in Jagat listening to Ildi in the kitchen down below teaching the wife how to cook lentil stew. She decided on the trail she wanted her homemade lentil soup and sure enough she found her way into the kitchen. Guess it's stew for dinner. Good thing too because these teahouses aren't exactly known for their culinary excellence. Prices are rising too as we go further out.
The scenery on the hike has been spectacular. We are mostly following a river that cuts through the mountains. It reminds me of the grand canyon in places.I'm starting to feel some of the euphoria I get when hiking in beautiful places.

Day 5
We had a beautiful hike. the people we saw were much friendlier once we hit Jagat. We had lunch in a smalll town where the surrounding villages bring their grain to be ground into corn meal. They use large stones driven by water power and a simple but ingenuitive mechanism to feed the grains. It was really interesting. Outside town we came upon a very old porter (in his seventies) who was trying to get up with his heavy basket load of bricks. He was having trouble trying to stand up and had fallen under his load. We helped him get up and he continued on his way up the mountain. I'ii never forget his look of gratitude.

We followed the river through along a beautiful gorge and landed in Lopka. We didn't like it. With two mule trains of tourists, it was like a circus and the flies were intolerable. After a dinner spent tring to rescue some of our meal from the flies we retired to our "suite" for a fitful nights sleep. I am coming down with the flu and Ildi is still not well.

Day six

We're both tired and a bit cranky. Most of the day was climbing steep trails into Tsum valley. We were bickering over who didn't want to hire a porter. Had a choice of trails on either side of the river and chose the steeper, more difficult route against the advice of the book. So glad we did. Instead of the tourist mule train circus we ended in an interesting Tibetan village. It's like something right out of the middle ages. Stone buildings and alleyways surrounded by farmland. We found a woman who rents rooms and we grabbed them. We would take anything because it is a long hike to the next village. Living quarters are above and the stable and small barnyard are below. I'm listening to the cows through the floorboards as I write. There is a temple room on this floor. Painted in vibrant colors and a gong and a praying wheel.

We're now in the kitchen and we're making a home cooked meal. This place is right out of a museum! You have to see the picture to understand I'm just amazed that I am sitting here. I've finally had my first cup of yak butter tea.

Day seven

We leave the village in much better spirits to begin a long climb to the base camp. We will stay at a Buddhist nunnary and then do a day hike to the base camp and back. The scenery will be spectacular today so of course our camera batteries are dead. Turns out our spare was not charged and the last electric was in Jagat. The scenery becomes more beautiful as we climb up towards the glacier. Crossed some beautiful gorges cut into the mountain. It's a tough steep climb in the second half and it was discouraging to find the only place to sleep was the floor of the front porch of the temple. By now, Ildi's throat is inflamed and she's down with a fever. So, cold, sick and exhausted we rolled out our bags and took a nap. We also hadn't showered since Jagat which added to the misery.

We did meet an interesting young guy there who helped us with our battery problem. His family lives down below in Domje, he studied Buddhism in India and built a place in the mountain above where he meditates about his future. He also happens to know electronics and charged our battery by jury rigging it to a solar panel and parts from a rechargeable flashlight. It was so fascinating'

He climbed up to his Hermitage on an hour climb to do this for us just so we could get some pictures of the place. I wish we had more time to talk with him. They took pity on Ildi and found a tiny room for us out of the wind, still no door but a bit warmer at least. The place was like a postcard though, a cluster of cabins set in the hillside amidst lots of flowering rhodondreons with that amazing backdrop of snow covered peaks.

Day8

After a cold night with little sleep and with both of us sick, we decided the intended hike was not a good idea. We needed rest so we decided to return to Domnje. It was pretty disappointing. The hike would have had excellent views of several high peaks and a glacier. On the way back we stopped at a nice river and clean up. This raised our spirts a bit. At Domje we wanted to stop and rest but there were no rooms. ÍSo we decided to go back further to Rimche, get some rest for two nights and then do the Manasulu circuit, eliminating the rest of Tsum valley. It was an easy hike but tiring for us and we were glad to get back to Rimche. We made vegetable curry and Ildi made fresh noodles from scratch. This place really is like walking into several ccenturies back! It was amazing sitting in that kitchen. So filthy yet so fascinating!

Day 9

We stay in Rimche for the day. I'm feeling better but Ildi is still sick, her sinuses are still backed up and the pressure hasn't been releasing. It is still like living in medieval times but we begin to see the problems with that. Hygiene is totally nonexistent. You are surrounded by farm animals. Most of the people are so beautiful. When you smile at them there faces light up with beautiful eyes and smiles (some toothless). But they are so dirty. The kids want to touch you with those dirty hands and you don't know what to do. One poor kid has open sores on his face and I can see scars from this on other kids. Their clothes seem like have never been washed their noses are running heavily all over their faces and their hands, bodies are black from the dirt and the soot from the woodstoves.

Ildi was showing them how to wash and one kid really did and he was so proud and beautiful, we could not recogniye him afterwards! But when we returned after two days he was almost back to the same. How can you have good hygiene when you live with animals and use woodburning stoves for cooking and lighting the room?

the parents spend the day working the fields by hand and there is no education system that I can see.You wish you could take some of these kids out and give them a better life.

Just as in the middle ages one way out is through religion. We spoke with a nun at the nunnery who entered at 8 years old with her parents blessing.now at 18 it's the only life she's ever known. A cloistered life on a mountaintop. You can ask if she's happy but what could she compare it to.

Anyway all the filth and Ildi being continuosly sick is taking it's toll on Ildi and she's looking forward to getting back to Europe and regular showers. The lack of food and hach living conditions are just making things worse. I'm torn because I really want to climb the pass!

Day 10
We decided in the morning to head back to Phillum. The GI tract problems, the flu, the unsanitary conditions and now a nasty rash ( that turns out was from the liquid of a spider left on her skin) that is leaking fluid on a fairly big area on her hip could easily get infected in these conditions, have forced us into a decision to go back down to a more comfortable place and access our situation. This is a difficult but necessary decision.

Day 11

Rest day in Phillum

This place is more comfortable and we get some rest for the day and access our situation. We even get hot showers. 5 bucks but so worth it!
In the end we decide not to attempt the pass. It's tough enough when you're well and, given all the problems, it will be a miserable experience for Ildi as the sinuses are still not cleared up and she keeps coughing heavily. We feared that the fast altitude chance would create problems and we cannot afford it at that height (5160 m).

Day 11

It's heartbreaking to leave these mountains. Although once again (it has been a total agony wether we should tempt it or not) we reacess the situation but we have to accept our situation so we begin the three day journey back to Kathmandu. first day the scenery is still nice. we came upon a family who asked us for help. The grandson? was carrying on his back a sick old man back to their village another days journey away. They had brought him to a clinic and received medication but he really needed a hospita.. No one is going to medivac an old villager off the mountain so the cold reality was they were taking him home to die. They were looking to us for help but all we could offer was vitamins from seeweed. We had gone to one of the clinics for Ildi's stomach and spider bite. It was a stone hut with basic medicine and of little help. You really are on your own out here.

Second day was an uninteresting walk down the 4wheel drive road. We caught a ride on a truck for a very bumpy ride back to the town where we would catch the bus the next day. The ride was scary and rough again.

Day 13
Basically just a long uncomfortable ride to Kathmandu. 4 hours of off road with nerve wracking cliffs and a crazy driver and 4 hours of the standard roads, meanwhile we had the standard blasting traditional music to listen too. We got in exshausted in to Kathmando, into a crazy city yet so relieved to be back in "civilization".

After some dinner and rest we hired a bicycle rickshaw and took in the insanity of the city while sipping beer and relaxing in the relative safety of the buggy. It was fun and relaxing.

Although we are still processing the dissapointment of coming off from the unfinished trek it's good to have good food and being in a much cleaner environment!

Pictures uploaded on Shutterfly.com

ildikok — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:55:00 GMT

I cannot access my yahoo account or the mass e-mail addresses to alert people about the blog updates and pictures, in the mean time Kenny uploaded pictures on our shutterfly account, under Indonesia and Nepal. www.shutterfly.com the log in is ildiko242@yahoo.com and the password is ildi. This was the easiest way to share.

Love to everyone,

Ildi and Ken

Nepal, Kathmandu

ildikok — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:30:00 GMT

We made it to Kathmandu!! It has been such a long dream!

Once again the aiport is pretty tiny but it's great, we love the small airports.

When we got out from the airport as usual we got attacked by cab drivers and after settling on a price we headed to the car. We thought we were dreaming, the car must have been around 40-50 years old, just like any other surrounding car. It might have been one of the old station Dacia's from Romania. Small, dusty and beaten up. Since we were four passangers (another couple we met in the aiport and shared cost) had a few bsgs too, there was no way to fit us all in. It was so funny!

We found another one, sqeezed in and headed out. THE CITY WAS NOTHING WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED! It was a mixture of Romania 25 years ago and images from Baghdad seen on TV. It was the wildest thing, totaly chaotic, dusty, dirty and all the roads were thorned up and piles of rumble and dust left on the side of the roads but still it had a hiden magic. This is our forht day and we love it.

The people are so different, they say that Nepal is the mixing bowl of Asia. A mixture of Indians, Tibetans, Chinese, Mongolians. The clothes they were range from traditional saries to western clothes. I love watching the people and they are genuinly nice despite being in the city.

The city is totallty chaotic everywhere, even in the nicest and quitetest part of the town too. We took a room in a guest house in the elite part and it was a good ease in but it was too far from the center.

Next day we went for a yoga class, it was so cool I felt energetic again and full of enthusiasm. The cool weather has done it's magic on me. In Indonesia it was so hot all the time that we didn't feel much enthusiasm to do anything. One day we took out bicycles and we were drenched and worned out after a few hours.

So, I'm all excited again and we cannot wait to hit the mountains.

We found a few travel agents (Thamel is packed with stores selling trekking items and travel agents, it's a shopping PARADISE) and we finally narrowed down a trip, we are heading into Manaslu region and Tsum valley. It's off the beaten track but with stunning mountains in the 6000 meter range and tibettan remote vilages, very few tourists. Exactly what we need. We are a bit nervous of the living conditions, trekking for three weeks with few shower opportunities,slepping in flee blankets and eating from less then hygeenic places are just just a a few our concerns but we are ready. The 7 days Andes trek was a good taste and preparation for this one.

Today we'll get all the special permits and gear, it will be a long day but I feel so content. We finally made it to an internet place and updated the blog. It's been such a pressure, we tried so many times to write, get to a place upload pictures etc. It was discouraging and frustrating, one day in Ende, Flores we spent 3 1/2 hours and I only managed to put up one paragraph and Kenny uploaded 2-3 pictures.

Kelimutu Mountain, Moni, Flores

ildikok — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:07:00 GMT

Tuesday, April 23

We had a great day! We rented a scooter and started early and got up on Kelimutu mountain. The mountain is famous for its three colored lakes. One is turquoise like the glacial lakes in the Canadian rockies, one is rusty brown and the other is dark blue/black. It's rather interesting that the blue and brown are right next to each other. it was a beautiful cool morning, clear skies and barely any people aroound it, was great to feel Kenny's presence.

We have been missing this, there are always people around which is no surprise the country is overpopulated, I believe it's the third most populated in the world.

We hiked around for a while and then we headed down on our scooter in a neutral. It was great, the scenery was just beautiful, rice paddies everywhere, tucked in the misty mountain ranges.

Got back to Moni and tried to get some fruit at the weekly market. In the whole market I counted 2 papayas, a few bananas and 5 avocados they treat the avocados as fruit. It was unbelievable, we are in a tropical country and we can barely find fruit! I ended up with a papaya and a string of bananas. We headed back to negotiate on a new scooter. Prices have doubled in the last couple of years and the locals are constantly testing the tourists, so this involves tiering negotiations. we managed to get the scooter for $6 for a few hours. The one in the morning was an old wreck but they try to make money with everything.

We left around 1pm and started riding in the mountains, it was absolutely beautiful but we wanted more so we veared off at an intersection and took a side road. People as usual were so thirled to see us. Every time they would spot us whether from the fields, their own motorbikes or home and they would yell out, hello mister, hello miss! They have been so curious about us, white people. We never experienced anything like this in any other countries! They kept coming up to us and use their few English words from their vocabulary. Kids try everything to get our attention, so adorable!

So we kept riding and soaking in the stunning views until we spotted the ocean, we got excited, maybe we can get down to a beach? Sure thing the road was leading down to the coast to a muslim fishing village. The setting was stunning, turquoise water, surf pounding on the the big pebbles and fishing boats launched on the white pebbles with the village facing the ocean. Stunning! We rode down and kids as usual ran up to us. The afternoon turned out to be a social event. The villagers were so friendly and so curious. I ended up teaching the kids English and Kenny checked out the hand made cannoes. There was a particular boy we bounded with, he was so eager to learn English. His face was so lit every time I woud call on him. His eyes said everything. We spent several hours there, I even forgot that I didn't eat all day!

In the end I got his mailing address, took about an hour but got it and we bought him an English book in Ende 2 days later and shipped it to him. I know that he neither will ever forget this day. It was so touching!

People live on a copule of dollars a day in shaks but they seem happy. Throughout the trip I felt the apreciation of what we have, it puts everyting in perspective.

Bali, notes from the road. Motorbike trip to the mountains

ildikok — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:32:00 GMT

After five days in Ubud we decided we needed a change of scenery. So we rented a motorbike loaded on two backpacks and headed to the mountains for a two day trip. It took a little getting used to riding again and driving on the left. We may have upset some locals with a few uncoordinated maneuvers on our way out of town. :-) Had a nice ride past small villages and rice paddies. We stopped in a lot to put on shirts as it got cooler and ended up on a torist tour of a coffee plantation that sells kopi luwac. You might rember it from "Bucket List". It's the expensive coffee extracted from rodent poop and sold to people with way too much money. We met the rodent, viewed the poop, and watched a woman roast a half pound of beans over an open fire and pulverize them by hand in a wooden pestle. We also saw all kinds of plants, peppercorn, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, papaya, and kinds of other fruit and spice plants. It was vry in teresting. After a tasting we ended up in the store where you could buy the end product for 9 bucks an ounce!

We drove back to beutiful Ubud. It's such a fascinating town. Despite being very touristy it has a great charm. Ther are temples and shrines at ever step. Lots of homes are used as guest houses and when you step into the courtyards, it's like stepping into a different world. There are flowers, trees and lost of shirnes where people worship their ancesters.

Offerings are being made several times a day and are left all over the streets and around buildings. They are flowers and rice.

A week later? Hard to keep track of the time. By now we are on Flores island. The flight from Bali was beautiful especially at the end. We passed mountain ranges over couple of islands, the islands are totally different. They are savanna covered instead of jungles and some of them are pretty arid. Such a change from the rest of the cuntry. Easter you go, more arrid it gets from the winds oming up from Australia.

Quite few of the islands are corral frindged with white sand beaches. They were stuning and so inviting!

We got to the Komodo airport, it was so tiny and so pretty. It was surrounded by lush hills and one gate. We got to town in a few mintes. Even though the town was a ram shackle it had a lot of charm and the setting of the town was stunning. It's surrounded by lots of beautiful little islands and with the call of prayer it was magical.

We ended up going on a 2 day tour to Komodo island and Rinca island, both famous for the Komodo dragon. It's a reptile that looks like a huge lizzard. The boat was very basic and it was a total adventure. I wish we took pictures of the bathroom and the back of the boat. You have to be in a real advetnure mode to get a kick out of it and enjoy it but the scenery was magical. There were tons of islands, some coral frindged, and fishing villages. Rinca was beautiful, we took an hour hike with a guide and saw two dragons in the wild, it was pretty cool but the hike was much more beautiful. It was so different from anything we have seen, savanna covered with some palm trees and the bays and ocean was stunning from the top.

Another highlight of the boat trip was the snorkelling, I persuaded the boat captain to stop at 2 deserted islands on the way as the official snorkelling spots are very dirty and crowded from all the tourist boats. The boats let the affluant water into the ocean. Plastic bottles are thrown into the water!

So we stoped at a couple of deserted islands. It was what you can picture from the movies, pink sand beaches with lots of corral and lots of fish. The water was delicious! We swam out to the islands and found out why it's called pink sand beaches. The red corals washed out on the beach get pounded into tiny particles and get mixed with the white sand.

After the snorkeling we stopped at Manta Point. Every tourist office claims that there are lots of mantas but in reality when you talk to people they are only seen seldom but the captain made a great effort to look for them with the result. However I was very eager to get into the water, after the snorkeling I was all pumped up. So I jump in and within seconds the manta ray come. Oh my God, it was so AMAZING! I jump out of the water and start screeming, there is a manta, a manta! Everyone thought I went crazy but I have never seen such beautiful graceful creature. He was huge and was flyng on the bottom of the ocean, I was histerical, Kenny and the other guy on the boat jumped in too. The manta hand out for a while, he might have felt all the energy above him when he was leaving I swam and kept up the pace above him, it was such an amazing feeling!

Tuesday, April 23

We had a great day. Started early and got up on Kelimutu mountain. The mountain is famous for its three colored lakes. One is turquoise like the glacial lakes in the Canadian rockies, one is rusty brown and the other is dark blue/black. Its rather interesting that the blue and brown are right next to each h other. it was a beautiful cool warning, clear skies and barely any people around.it was great to feel Kenny's presence. We have been missing this, there are always people around which is no surprise the country is overpopulated, i believe it's the third most populated in the world.
We hiked around for a while and then we headed down on our scooter in a neutral mode. It was great, the scenery was just beautiful, rice paddies everywhere, tucked in the misty mountain ranges.
Got back to Moni and tried to get some fruit at the weekly market. In the whole market I counted 2 papayas, a few bananas and 5 avocados they treat the avocados as fruit. It was unbelievable, we are in a tropical country and we can barely find fruit! I ended up with on epapaya and a string of bananas. We headed back to negotiate on a new scooter. Prices have doubled in the last couple of years and the locals are constantly testing the tourist market, so this involves tIering Negotiations. we managed to get the scooter for 6 $ for a few hours. The one in the morning was an old wreck but they try to make money with everything.
We left around 1pm and started riding in the mountains, it was absolutely beautiful but we wanted more so we veared off at an intersection and took a side road. People as usual was so thirled to see us. Every time they would spot us whether from the fields, their own motorbikes or home and would yell out, hello mister, hello miss! They have been so curious about us, white people. We never experienced anything like this in any other countries. They keep coming up to us and use their few English words from their vocabulary. Kids try everything to get our attention, so adorable!
So we kept riding and soaking in the stunning views until we spotted the ocean, we got excited, maybe we can get down to a beach? Sure thing the rode was leading down to the coast to a musslim fishing village. The setting was stunning, turquoise water, surf pounding on the the big pebbles and fishing boats launched on the white pebbles with the village facing the ocean. Stunning! We rode down and t

Still on the first day in the airport

ildikok — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:01:00 GMT

People are boarding, we are still in the lounge, hard to leave. Kenny as usual is pestering me, we have to go we have too many carry ons plus the two bike wheels in a big black garbage bag. In my mind it's a waste of time, we have plenty of time. let the line decrease.

He's insisting so I make a deal with him: you take one bag I'll watch you from the lounge upstairs and once you get close I'll cone down with the rest of the bags, 4 total. He takes 2 so I follow him with the cumbersome bags and the weels. They are heavy but I can do it. I get to the gate, no passport, I'm the last to board. I start to panick but I can't show it. All I can think of, not another mashed potato story, please!! Kenny is gonna have to come off the plane to bring my passport, he will so pissed, he'll forget the lounge I persuaded him to go in and all the agile things I did tonight. But the stewardess walks me up and takes my wheels. Good thing because with all the panniers, cumbersome backpack and the wheels I wouldn't even be able to pass one single row!

We get to his seat after the 3 small beers he's all chilled, no dirty looks but no passport either. Total panick, I had three drinks my face is burning the whole plane is watching.

I cannot remember what I did with my passport, we are gonna miss the flight again, they are going to kick me off the plane. At least the dentist and the hairdresser doesn't know when we are getting there, I wouldn't be able to live through another cancellation!

I find the passpoert, it was is in my note book and by now I'm all sobbered up, but cannot find the google tablet. Ohhhh and I thought it became an easy flight. Found the tablet and we were able to put all the bags in the bagagge compartment even the wheels! The flight is not full and I even have two seats by the window, good to fly in March, off seasoneven though we are heading into a cold Europe.

We got to Budapest. Soooo good to be here, we saw my sweet Ibi and her sweet family.

Got an appointment with the hairdresser. Called him up and asked him if he can squeeze me in next day, he says maybe, but early. Im already terrified. no sleep the night before, even though I had two seats on the plane and I know that we'll up till very late chatting with Ibi. So he continues, really early, I'm shriveling. 7:30 am, i shriveled up like a raisin. shit, that mean leaving the apartment at 6:30. Getting up @5:30 and we have to be all packed to go to the airport. In the mean time no news from the dentist.

Just got out from the hairdresser, it was worth every single moment of stress! He is great and Kenny is happy too, he didn't do a crew cut. on the way there the dentist called, we can go. Once again everything is working out!

The city is under snow and continues to snow but it makes it even more beautiful. We are taking mass transit and we love it. We are starting to feel alive again. We are waking up. It is starting to sink. Kenny is asking me if I'm still sad about the house. It's fading away!

First day

ildikok — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:07:00 GMT

We made it to the airport, second shot or should I say third shot?! but we made it! Late as usual or just in time but flight is late and it turned out the United lounge is right by the gate overlooking it so we are on our second drink. Now we feel that we made it!! On the way to the aiport we stopped by by the container to get Kenny's boots which turned out to be in the bike box in the car and when Kenny opened the container I thought I was dreaming. It was jammed packed and I feared of getting crushed under a falling box or bicycle! We made it through that then we had to sell the car, the buyer up turned out to live by the airport we just had to find the address in Elizabeth. We made it through that too, cash in our pockets and a free ride to the airport. So far so good, after a good night sleep finally and a drink, life is good again!