tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30661525176929320692024-02-20T08:25:49.518-08:00KA-RO-551David Huerlimannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18043974342662022634noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-32404118351541462732013-03-18T06:19:00.000-07:002013-03-29T06:21:27.610-07:00Cambodia, the thief of time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It
seems to me that time in Cambodia follows its very own rules.
Sometimes it disappears before you're able to notice it and sometimes
hours stretch magically giving you the fealing each of them is longer
than any other you lived through before. The second option is quite
common on public transport. Getting to Cambodia and travelling
anywhere around it takes time. A lot of time. The roads are bad and
the buses are often only slightly better, turning each small trip
into a day long journey. Last time we tried, we have spent over 8
hours to cover a distance of 300 km. But the tickets cost nothing and
it all gives you an unique opportunity to observe local people on the
way. And trust me, there is enough to see to keep yourself occupied
even for 8 long hours.</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I
can still remember the moment we have arrived in Phnom Penh. The
first thing that hit us after getting out of our air conditioned bus
was the wave of hot air, that didn't leave us even long after the sun
went down. But before we were even able to register it, we were
forced to face the real Cambodian plague, which was sticking to us
ever since, no matter where we went: the tuk-tuk drivers. I didn't
even manage to get a breath before I was totally surrounded. “Lady
where you go”, “Lady I take you best hotel”, “ Lady come with
me”, “Please I take you to center”. It all came at me with such
an amazing speed that it took a moment before I realized what was
going on. Fortunately we had decided to stay in a hotel near to the
station, so that we could simply walk there. But the drivers all
along the way never stopped trying. They were hitting the breaks in
the middle of the street, sometimes even nearly driving us over, just
to try to convince us to take a ride instead of walking. At least we
had a chance to get used to it quickly, since we had to face it every
single day since we crossed the border. Going to the nearest
supermarket which is really just around the corner usually meant
getting at least 3 tuk-tuk offers. And they are standing on every
corner and seem to have nothing better to do than to wait for their
next victim. Don't get me wrong, they are very friendly and
fortunately, not really persistent, but still having to answer “no,
thank you, I don't need a tuk-tuk” 30 times a day can get pretty
annoying. And it's not that we haven't been offered a tuk-tuk in the
other countries neither, but trust me when I say it, the Cambodian
drivers take this experience to a whole new level. Funny enough, we
haven't used a tuk-tuk even once in this country. Maybe it was our
private protest or maybe we were just lucky enough never to need one.
</span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phnom
Penh is not really a fascinating city. It's mostly just big, dirty
and smelly, but it does have a spot or two, which makes it worth
visiting. The first thing we headed for was the palace. We were not
quite sure if we really want to spend our precious 7 dollars each on
the ticket, but the problem was solved for us before we had time to
think it through. They would simply not let me in. It was not my
first sightseeing trip and no matter what I'm wearing I am always
prepared to cover myself as I'm required to. And so I was this time
too, but that didn't seem enough. It turns out, that no scarfs are
allowed at the palace and there is only one right way to cover
yourself: buying an ugly, overpriced official t-shirt. I honestly do
try to respect all the rules in the countries we visit, but I have my
limits. Since the t-shirt would not cover any single spot that was
not already covered by my own clothes it was simply another way to
get some money out of my pocket. If it was about respect or culture,
they would simply lend me one free of charge as many other places do.
Well anyway we left the place in no time, deciding to rather invest
the money in lunch. I am convinced it was a great idea, since
Cambodian cuisine is definitely the best thing this country has to
offer. They have some magnificent ruins too, but if you try a really
well done fish or chicken amok, you will forget each single building
you've seen, only praying for the meal to last forever. And it's just
the beginning of the menu!</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gpcr_hX5m_LFJaly69LR6RgBGVBQgZhEiHPrsN3DEFTn_c4SMnG-ZBiFnAiKGtSkRV5qZuKQrC7vCyp8v-Jf_tdWWoXJluM3Tq8zvhp4J_nkkeqgpAzYlmbN2CeshIwHGYgx1t-2jhg/s1600/P1150854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gpcr_hX5m_LFJaly69LR6RgBGVBQgZhEiHPrsN3DEFTn_c4SMnG-ZBiFnAiKGtSkRV5qZuKQrC7vCyp8v-Jf_tdWWoXJluM3Tq8zvhp4J_nkkeqgpAzYlmbN2CeshIwHGYgx1t-2jhg/s200/P1150854.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPLo6hDIgMSwFqtS9dD82Owmlmho2_HM8D7wQbYOvwqIqR6gKGe8nqGoUCciFt9SQB0kRmmE8jZuIsWKXPNn2I7fgvTob8bvRbigQCkwoWFe3jTERwWCu999rc8qpw9VmkHEO1stvgL8/s1600/P1150862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPLo6hDIgMSwFqtS9dD82Owmlmho2_HM8D7wQbYOvwqIqR6gKGe8nqGoUCciFt9SQB0kRmmE8jZuIsWKXPNn2I7fgvTob8bvRbigQCkwoWFe3jTERwWCu999rc8qpw9VmkHEO1stvgL8/s200/P1150862.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wiyyBb03CH0/UTn0sN6ZUzI/AAAAAAAAKuI/GuijWrjvaPU/s1600/P1150867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wiyyBb03CH0/UTn0sN6ZUzI/AAAAAAAAKuI/GuijWrjvaPU/s200/P1150867.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
reason we really wanted to see the capital was it's history. A huge
genocide that happened not so long ago, but long after the whole
world promised never to let anything like that happen again. Well
they definitely failed in this point and many places in Cambodia are
a living proof of it. The worst thing is, many of the people
responsible for all the tortures and killings are still alive, some
even still enjoying their lives in freedom, just because it takes
forever to file a case against them. Unfortunately the museum we have
visited was only vague about the reasons for this situation, saying
there were many obstacles inside and outside the country, so we will
have to read into it a bit more to even try to understand why it can
take 30 years to punish the criminals, when there are so many proofs
of their crimes (they documented it quite detailed themselves). But
still we wanted to see one of the places where it all happened, even
if it did not really set us in happy moods. This recent history had
obviously a huge impact on Cambodia and you can not understand the
country or its people without trying to learn about it.</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Our
second stop was the famous Siem Reap, where we wanted to spend 3 days
before heading back to Thailand to use our few remaining days to
swim, relax and finally get some sun. You would not believe it, but
we hardly had any chances to unpack our swimsuits since Kyrgyzstan!
That is why we decided to have some proper holidays before heading
back home. But first we wanted to do our last real sightseeing in one
of the most famous tourist spots in the world, the temples of Angkor.
As usual in such places the first thing we did was renting a bike and
once again it turned out the best way to visit. It simply is a
perfect biking spot. The road is good and flat and the trees offer
enough shadow to keep you from overheating. Of course you may also
rent a tuk-tuk for a day, to drive you from one temple to another,
deciding for you what the next stop should be, but I don't really see
where's the fun about it then. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We
are not really huge temple lovers. We like visiting them, but we are
far from studying every single detail, so we decided we do not need a
three day ticket, as we will definitely not need so much time to see
what we wanted. And since a day entry already costs 20 USD, we
decided to make the best of it and try to do it all at once. We were
not naive, we knew it would take us time and we'd probably be dead on
our feet before evening, but we decided to try anyway. We set the
alarm clock somewhere after 5 o'clock, got on our bikes without
wasting time for breakfast and set off. The air was cool and fresh
and riding a bike felt great, just until we bought our tickets. It
this very moment the heaven decided to open and let down enough water
to organize 3 or 4 huge storms in Germany. Here it all came at once,
making us wet from top to the bottom in no time. It could have been
the moment for us to regret not taking a tuk-tuk, but one glance at
the passing tuk-tuks showed us that it was no good neither. The rain
and wind were both so strong, that nothing but a waterproof car could
stand a chance. There was no way to escape. But before you start
pitying us (if you have some pity left for people, who didn't have to
work for the last 9 months) I have to tell you all in all it was not
such a bad thing. Normally the biggest problem in this place is the
heat, which makes a whole day sightseeing a real extreme experience.
But the rain cooled everything down and the temperatures stayed low
for the rest of the day, offering us a pleasant 25 degrees instead of
the usual 40, so we were not really complaining. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MDpDZX2ZYBsZMt3Qi0hNj4QntFa4Omu7b8V0HgUo0Yxlg6BRQlgZK4tiPG4HwgCtHCjeed3mNM7PueUuFY1P1ZctZuG-RFLvF6qtMJ8qCORhD9Upb9ssv7LxC8fESXZXWI6vb0Uau9s/s1600/P1150873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MDpDZX2ZYBsZMt3Qi0hNj4QntFa4Omu7b8V0HgUo0Yxlg6BRQlgZK4tiPG4HwgCtHCjeed3mNM7PueUuFY1P1ZctZuG-RFLvF6qtMJ8qCORhD9Upb9ssv7LxC8fESXZXWI6vb0Uau9s/s200/P1150873.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3BsIwKl7JDwAdsxzvI-ZzBytOzgTdza6hVombCKfyZWls0AxilENONdWPMRAtSC3ErvSNmVQFqDO5-m6P4LkzINERm-7zxpdihhiIBEQYH1SEZeF3gvX3S8LkW50bczKLic4J88Y2PI/s1600/P1150966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3BsIwKl7JDwAdsxzvI-ZzBytOzgTdza6hVombCKfyZWls0AxilENONdWPMRAtSC3ErvSNmVQFqDO5-m6P4LkzINERm-7zxpdihhiIBEQYH1SEZeF3gvX3S8LkW50bczKLic4J88Y2PI/s200/P1150966.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G0nJUVn5jP0/UTn06-z7bcI/AAAAAAAAKvw/VNimka559Cc/s1600/P1150995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G0nJUVn5jP0/UTn06-z7bcI/AAAAAAAAKvw/VNimka559Cc/s200/P1150995.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Angkor
was just as impressive as we expected it to be, magnificent,
beautiful and surprisingly well preserved. Unfortunately also full of
tourist. I thought I have seen it all, but it turns out I was wrong.
Taking a picture without any strangers in it was close to impossible
and huge lines were building before most famous attractions. But
seeing all those magnificent temples you can not really blame
people for wanting to be there. We were definitely glad we have
included Siem Reap in our plans. Thanks to the temperatures we
managed to see all we wanted in one day, though I admit we were dog
tired when we came back to our hotel in the late evening. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH4TqqNWMBI/UTn03vh3_wI/AAAAAAAAKvo/CYaUSxm3AOI/s1600/P1150986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH4TqqNWMBI/UTn03vh3_wI/AAAAAAAAKvo/CYaUSxm3AOI/s200/P1150986.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dAOAaatstTo/UTn09zWZxYI/AAAAAAAAKwI/369VG0cYX80/s1600/P1160009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dAOAaatstTo/UTn09zWZxYI/AAAAAAAAKwI/369VG0cYX80/s200/P1160009.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfIBSvZ-WGo/UTn1DyuHKFI/AAAAAAAAKwg/NTssZQBM8KY/s1600/P1160035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfIBSvZ-WGo/UTn1DyuHKFI/AAAAAAAAKwg/NTssZQBM8KY/s200/P1160035.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgveOI3SY8o/UTn1JCotKYI/AAAAAAAAKxA/PRQrbd42b4o/s1600/P1160058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UgveOI3SY8o/UTn1JCotKYI/AAAAAAAAKxA/PRQrbd42b4o/s200/P1160058.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VW_JNY0QNMQ/UTn08GXefBI/AAAAAAAAKwA/l-cG1wNmQrQ/s1600/P1160003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VW_JNY0QNMQ/UTn08GXefBI/AAAAAAAAKwA/l-cG1wNmQrQ/s200/P1160003.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JG08H5U6_QY/UTn1K7E7fCI/AAAAAAAAKxQ/yVTfmy4-wNE/s1600/P1160064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JG08H5U6_QY/UTn1K7E7fCI/AAAAAAAAKxQ/yVTfmy4-wNE/s200/P1160064.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We
have chosen a really nice hotel to stay in. We even thought it will
be a waste, since we were planning to spend most time sightseeing,
but we decided a pretty room and a pool will be a nice place to come
back to after a tiring day. We did not yet know what a good choice it
was. Since we were done with Angkor, we spend the second day
sunbathing and swimming, enjoying the beautiful pool area of Mom's
Guesthouse. And we decided to leave for Thailand a day after.
Unfortunately, we didn't make it, since I got really sick before the
evening came. There was no way to travel anywhere. I was hardly able
to sit in bed, not to mention spending 10 hours on a Cambodian bus.
That was out of the question. It took me a few days to get better and
though we still had time to visit some Thai beach and get some
holiday at the seaside we decided against it. We liked Siem Reap. We
had a great hotel, the city was nice and we did enjoy Cambodian food
a lot. We though we have spent enough time in Thailand and it
wouldn't be fair to leave Cambodia so quickly. We were in for a long
stay and I guess we are not the only ones who ended up sending much
more time in this country than they ever planned to. That is just
what this place does to you. But we were really glad we did it, as a
day later David got some bad back ache and this time he was the one
not leaving the bed. I can say that being sick sucks no matter where
you are, but it does feel slightly better if you can handle it in
beautiful surroundings and no matter the sickness, we both had really
nice time. We might have stayed a bit longer if it wasn't for the
fact, that we had to fly back home in a few days. So ready or not, we
had to get back to Bangkok. Fortunately the ride turned out to be
quite pleasant, since although we have bought a standard bus ticket,
we were offered a taxi instead. The ride was not only much nicer, but
also quicker, so that when we changed the vehicle at the Thai side of
the border we caught up with people who left Siem Reap 3,5 hours
before us with a morning bus (they were not really happy to hear that
though). </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87-ZOr7uRUhrdXx0gkm0yqata7HghiZPbKu7ytBRpUJHId-aOerlyNSfqiLUQ4z8l4meWAs4TVPe3AES4k-w86Q20VojquiJCouLk8ARyrLclWQKzYbyVmc6PfQDP1Xxm7ReRkuViy-w/s1600/P1160143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87-ZOr7uRUhrdXx0gkm0yqata7HghiZPbKu7ytBRpUJHId-aOerlyNSfqiLUQ4z8l4meWAs4TVPe3AES4k-w86Q20VojquiJCouLk8ARyrLclWQKzYbyVmc6PfQDP1Xxm7ReRkuViy-w/s200/P1160143.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sTpJaKmwNsX3cc2vrOWYZfDtAdhQm82jdCFZeweU_JlzZL9HsJUsvTEE6jdHVkFcFThyB6ozEPxwKYmt350aBF2-L4BXP0h2fsRetgGQ6Rm2SCHHRtehL7Ft2iF4yp3FUhi3kdTPTNM/s1600/P1160145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sTpJaKmwNsX3cc2vrOWYZfDtAdhQm82jdCFZeweU_JlzZL9HsJUsvTEE6jdHVkFcFThyB6ozEPxwKYmt350aBF2-L4BXP0h2fsRetgGQ6Rm2SCHHRtehL7Ft2iF4yp3FUhi3kdTPTNM/s200/P1160145.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNicV-7hzFK0iMxPYz8TcLSn1N6cBewylZKBq-qRWbmuM8raI_faCA0dr5aXBjDEPl7lA-JGrtpm40NgWlwJnBw2zQHVxfkFpnVjzGhoTpRY_3fwmjwqQnHDJJnO1ga6GZGDi55tX1BSM/s1600/P1160141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNicV-7hzFK0iMxPYz8TcLSn1N6cBewylZKBq-qRWbmuM8raI_faCA0dr5aXBjDEPl7lA-JGrtpm40NgWlwJnBw2zQHVxfkFpnVjzGhoTpRY_3fwmjwqQnHDJJnO1ga6GZGDi55tX1BSM/s200/P1160141.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being
back in Bangkok felt good, though it was a stressful stay, since we
decided to spend it shopping. And I guess it's good we didn't have
more time, as I am not sure we could have handled it any longer.
Bangkok has the biggest markets and shopping centres I have seen in
my life. One next to another, each at least 6 or 7 floors, they are a
real labyrinth. We came back to our hotel in the evening more tired
than ever with quite a few bags in our hands, which created some
serious packing problem on the next morning. But we have managed to
squeeze it all in, hoping our precious shopping trophies would
survive the long flight back home without getting lost or damaged.</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I
was always wondering how it would feel like to be going back home
after a journey like this one. I imagined I would be sad, maybe even
crying, that something as special and beautiful was coming to an end.
That I would not be really willing to go back to my old routines, to
my well known reality. I would have never thought I would be actually
so happy and excited. I could hardly wait for our pick up to come!
Don't get me wrong, doing this journey was one of the best decisions
in our life and we never regretted it, not even for a single day.
Moreover, we enjoyed it more than we ever could have hoped to. But in
some funny way, all those experiences made us appreciate our good old
everyday life in a completely new way, making us miss home awfully.
That is why when we entered the plane in Bangkok there was not place
for tears, but a glass of red wine to celebrate the happy homecoming.</span></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-60705912083080165512013-03-01T06:25:00.000-08:002013-03-08T06:57:02.749-08:00Four thousand pieces of paradise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, I take it all back!
Lao buses are awesome! Or at least the one we got for our 14 hours
ride was. And I'm not being sarcastic here, it honestly was the best
bus I have ever seen! Instead of seats it had rows of beds, big
enough to stretch legs and high enough to seat in. I have never had
such a comfortable ride in my entire bus riding career. There were
pillows and blankets, the road was pretty much flat and we ended up
sleeping like babies, leaving the bus more relaxed than ever. And
that was only the beginning.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5etMVmuDZul52h7vxrabcuKgHOYM9Pt3XLBKV3VbTdnMNm7HSYqtqo7tU-cGeqCb-sP2oup4ZpCswcnSPkuZfyufdI-SM5YCWep0FQv152wuoeaIVxJujDSxJ9WUFtHo6AKKNDHtSQGI/s1600/P1150556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5etMVmuDZul52h7vxrabcuKgHOYM9Pt3XLBKV3VbTdnMNm7HSYqtqo7tU-cGeqCb-sP2oup4ZpCswcnSPkuZfyufdI-SM5YCWep0FQv152wuoeaIVxJujDSxJ9WUFtHo6AKKNDHtSQGI/s200/P1150556.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_e3-9DDf1QFRDZ4c8slG__RlN28Ui1NmIp4H82hcZfjKB-VXGf-hWCn7RiTi8TU5NpsTP2J6tq9LGTrJnhAbYm8Zo64pf2Rtr2k7ChV7MsiHEe6zK5n7AcTxrLfALwv5STFpxqkW87Kc/s1600/P1150558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_e3-9DDf1QFRDZ4c8slG__RlN28Ui1NmIp4H82hcZfjKB-VXGf-hWCn7RiTi8TU5NpsTP2J6tq9LGTrJnhAbYm8Zo64pf2Rtr2k7ChV7MsiHEe6zK5n7AcTxrLfALwv5STFpxqkW87Kc/s200/P1150558.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent quite some time
discussing our route. We realized pretty quickly, that 10 weeks may
not be enough to really explore 5 countries and that we had to lower
our expectations a bit if we wanted to keep it a pleasant and
relaxing trip. Especially after we lost a week in Ayutthaya. Laos was
the place where we had to make our minds up. We could leave the
country after only a few days to still get to see Vietnam and then go
back to Bangkok through Cambodia. Or we could stay and take the 14
hours bus (which back then we considered as something close to a
torture) and travel all the way south to see the famous 4.000 Islands
of the Mekong River and cross the Cambodian border there. Both
options sounded tempting, both had their disadvantages, at the end
one simple issue determined our choice: we needed a visa for Vietnam.
We could not get one on arrival, so it meant going to the embassy and
dealing with all the regular paperwork. If there was one thing we
really didn't like about traveling, it was the whole visa business,
so we decided we'd rather face the 14 hours bus ride. Vietnam will
simply have to wait. Maybe in the meantime they will adopt their visa
regulations to regional standards (no visa or visa on arrival),
making travels in their country a bit simpler.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't really know what
to expect before we got there. Obviously, I was sure we would get to
see quite a few islands, but apart from that I was not sure what's
awaiting us. People who've been there were describing it as one of
the most beautiful and relaxing spots in Southeast Asia, making it
sound like a place we would like to see ourselves, so we booked a
river-view sunrise-facing bungalow with 2 hammocks at Mama Leuah
Guesthouse and were looking forward to exploring the region.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yf9tXv3Y9gE/UTDAjOSTYNI/AAAAAAAAKrY/cDwIEFMOtHk/s1600/P1150778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yf9tXv3Y9gE/UTDAjOSTYNI/AAAAAAAAKrY/cDwIEFMOtHk/s200/P1150778.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ir7-Pl-N3Ps/UTDAVAR0isI/AAAAAAAAKqg/nKtmEzjAAy4/s1600/P1150674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ir7-Pl-N3Ps/UTDAVAR0isI/AAAAAAAAKqg/nKtmEzjAAy4/s200/P1150674.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RFlUhIuTa-w/UTDABCiSQ9I/AAAAAAAAKpo/6q_Z5hXk32I/s1600/P1150588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RFlUhIuTa-w/UTDABCiSQ9I/AAAAAAAAKpo/6q_Z5hXk32I/s200/P1150588.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We needed to take a boat
to get to our island and that first ride already took our breath
away. It was magnificent! Unlike in the northern parts of the Mekong
river, the water here was nice and blue, decorated with endless
islands in all different shapes and sizes. The view was amazing. Some
parts of the few biggest islands got a bit touristic in the last
couple of years, but fortunately our guesthouse was situated away
from the center of attention, in a nice and quiet surrounding, were
people were still doing their laundry in the river and children were
swimming right next to the water buffaloes, which were taking their
bath in the same spot every day. It was simply wonderful! We had big
plans, we wanted to rent bikes and see as much as we could, but the
moment we got there and felt the peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of the
place we couldn't help jumping into our hammocks and focusing on
enjoying the view and the delicious food our guesthouse was offering.
The memory of Mama Leuah Menu still makes my mouth water whenever I
think of it. The pepper stake, the curries, the shakes... It was as
close to paradise as you can get!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdGkiRO4H03WRpb3umYKUhzSmHygdUyry9G4NKdU_Uo8mpdjOW4fGjTUHk9LCM7QqlXHwDTEgAQgqm7aa21dut9cg0yYxlp-YtoEgznZ8GXfyfyxDiQ4JHj68wv-wNy_dkFRVp1pdVpU/s1600/P1150601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdGkiRO4H03WRpb3umYKUhzSmHygdUyry9G4NKdU_Uo8mpdjOW4fGjTUHk9LCM7QqlXHwDTEgAQgqm7aa21dut9cg0yYxlp-YtoEgznZ8GXfyfyxDiQ4JHj68wv-wNy_dkFRVp1pdVpU/s200/P1150601.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r_f-UBg2Xv5F7Z3XJAJ5a8YocgwbLnAS10yHuXiOnYmYqKtvgQK8thTEx6_7V90xI32vul7Vnn-NWzQDwUvIfcHHgYBEhV54vXa-G4NPiRrKq12SyI9yPChnfxKjWUMZN2k1KD3AUv0/s1600/P1150689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r_f-UBg2Xv5F7Z3XJAJ5a8YocgwbLnAS10yHuXiOnYmYqKtvgQK8thTEx6_7V90xI32vul7Vnn-NWzQDwUvIfcHHgYBEhV54vXa-G4NPiRrKq12SyI9yPChnfxKjWUMZN2k1KD3AUv0/s200/P1150689.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WuaG700XFI/UTDAGhBmH2I/AAAAAAAAKqA/et5Cob71DoQ/s1600/P1150640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WuaG700XFI/UTDAGhBmH2I/AAAAAAAAKqA/et5Cob71DoQ/s200/P1150640.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No worries, we did manage
to get out of the hammocks eventually, though it took some strong
will and a lot of convincing. But the region had a lot to offer and
we didn't want to miss it. Unfortunately all the bikes we have found
turned out to be way to short for us, so we decided to take a walk
instead. It was really hot and the islands were much bigger than I
expected them to be, but it was still a pleasant trip. And the view
of a huge waterfall and the possibility to bath at the nearby beach
rewarded all our efforts. But the only way to really see and
appreciate at least a part of the archipelago is a boat trip, which
we signed for without thinking. It was an awesome one. We were
fighting our ways between many smaller islands, through waves and
rocks up to the biggest waterfall in Southeast Asia. It was
magnificent. And so was the marvelous sunset we had a chance to
admire on our way back. It all made us wanna stay in this amazing
place forever, if it wasn't for the fact, that David's visa was
expiring (as Swiss he got a free 15 days stay), forcing us to say
good bye to our hammocks and book the tickets to Cambodia. </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4CGiN5OCjms/UTDAcp6ojfI/AAAAAAAAKq8/1iERghYDEsI/s1600/P1150744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4CGiN5OCjms/UTDAcp6ojfI/AAAAAAAAKq8/1iERghYDEsI/s200/P1150744.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nKDnWAKgG_k/UTDAc_4RhUI/AAAAAAAAKrA/NfLuFeo2RXw/s1600/P1150757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nKDnWAKgG_k/UTDAc_4RhUI/AAAAAAAAKrA/NfLuFeo2RXw/s200/P1150757.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwx4_a8lySwg0x7A11LuiM2LEiYX-D0HhwYwBAyNtBlBron1LAECIq_hqSj-icM-l8cT2M0EMDt7RKOKXcDTF3VcV9WnCBkqSCcKol4x5t0ql792S4OtIyweUBsAhLV0qNOmAMu7i9RQY/s1600/P1150763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwx4_a8lySwg0x7A11LuiM2LEiYX-D0HhwYwBAyNtBlBron1LAECIq_hqSj-icM-l8cT2M0EMDt7RKOKXcDTF3VcV9WnCBkqSCcKol4x5t0ql792S4OtIyweUBsAhLV0qNOmAMu7i9RQY/s200/P1150763.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-81188360064130413832013-02-25T06:59:00.000-08:002013-03-01T07:09:27.709-08:00Bumpy ride to the dead(ly) city<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It turns out that getting
to Laos is not the end of all troubles, since moving around the
country can be just as complicated. We have checked the distances
before and thought it would all be a piece of cake, until we
discovered, that an express bus needs at least 8 hours to drive the
300 km which were separating us from the capital of the country. And
we have been warned it would not be a pleasant ride. We decided we
needed an additional stop on the way, a place we could stay for a
night or two before we hit the road again. Vang Vieng seemed to be a
perfect option. Nice little town with friendly people, surrounded by
water, mountains, caves and rain forest. But the reputation of this
place was not really inviting, at least not as far as we were
concerned. The biggest party spot in Southeast Asia, full of drunken
or/and stoned foreign tourists, creating a massive chaos, which often
ended with death casualties. We were not exactly tempted. At least
until we asked a local tourist agency for advice. They told us Vang
Vieng is not the city it used to be and we needn't worry about the
stories we have heard before, as it's a different place now. A short
research in Internet confirmed the news. At the end of last year,
after over 30 people died within few months due to various accidents
(caused mostly by excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol), the
government decided to react. Many riverside bars were closed, water
activities were controlled more rigorously, drugs disappeared from
the local menus and all parties had to end no later than half past
eleven. We decided to give it a try. </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I've already said (or
wrote) before, I am a hug fan of bus rides. I know there are much
faster means of transport nowadays, but I still prefer to travel in
an old fashioned way, even if it does take long. And I normally have
absolutely no problems falling asleep as soon as I get on board, no
matter how bad the conditions are. I'm used to it and I guess I
actually like it. Or at least I did before I came to Laos. The local
buses were on a best way to become my most hated way to travel in a
shortest time. We have taken the most expensive tickets just to get a
VIP bus, which was supposed to be the most comfortable one. To be
honest I haven't really noticed the difference as it was just as
ancient as the other ones were. OK, it had a toilet, but it remained
closed and sealed with tape for the entire ride. But that was still
the smallest of the problems. The worst of it was the road itself. I
know it is a mountain region, but I still can not stop wondering how
drunk those people were, when they were actually building it. I don't
believe it ever goes straight for more than 100 meter. Instead it
keeps turning right and left without a break. This alone might have
not been such a big deal, if the bus wasn't constantly jumping up and
down at the same time. It made my stomach travel all the way through
my body the whole time and I don't believe it enjoyed the trip much.
I never have any problems with vehicles, but this time it took all my
strength not to get seriously sick and I was counting minutes till we
reached Vang Vieng at least. And I could only envy David, who was
seating next to me, concentrating on nothing but his book, totally
unimpressed by the state of the road or the bus itself.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vang Vieng was an
extraordinary place. Every building was a hotel, restaurant or a
travel agency. There seemed to be no other businesses in town. The
only problem was, they were totally empty. We haven't seen any other
guest in our hotel, though it was a nice and pretty cheap one. The
whole town actually looked kind of spooky. It was obvious it was
designed for tourist. There were hardly any local dishes on the menu,
but you had a whole list of burgers and pizzas to choose form and the
TV was playing Friends or Southpark all the time. And for sure, there
still were many tourist around, but apparently not enough to fill the
empty spaces. It was as if the entire place was working on slow
motion now. But the nature was just as wonderful as ever. We decided
to skip the overpriced trips the local agencies were offering and
once again rent a bike instead. The stony road was not an easy one,
but the big cave we have visited, surrounded by amazingly turquoise
water we could swim in was definitely worth the trouble. It was a
perfect day and we were even a bit sorry that we had already booked
our tickets to Vientiane. I guess we wouldn't mind staying there for
one more day.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CiMgutBCd2c/UTC_XZwRmNI/AAAAAAAAKoA/giiTxGuwoJY/s1600/P1150446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CiMgutBCd2c/UTC_XZwRmNI/AAAAAAAAKoA/giiTxGuwoJY/s200/P1150446.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg8mOWvB3dxMbBhyE75kp2PX_Ds8Ilw7WLEBOLXAGryPMTgZUDOkfvYJIvu-c4pdfLBMcsLhNoblIVxopKM-lgkcYpBkIoLir_b_139tjjBsQM_g7599Xa5DxFuP0NwYyXW4i0h9lFbw/s1600/P1150454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg8mOWvB3dxMbBhyE75kp2PX_Ds8Ilw7WLEBOLXAGryPMTgZUDOkfvYJIvu-c4pdfLBMcsLhNoblIVxopKM-lgkcYpBkIoLir_b_139tjjBsQM_g7599Xa5DxFuP0NwYyXW4i0h9lFbw/s200/P1150454.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OlxAC08AK5o/UTC_X01Ii6I/AAAAAAAAKoI/6dMx9WrjEIA/s1600/P1150423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OlxAC08AK5o/UTC_X01Ii6I/AAAAAAAAKoI/6dMx9WrjEIA/s200/P1150423.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVS9DjHBtfEciDzyON6sWFCZ7LtJh8olupulA3sE_gCMDNOPqJYdrTqyuJl-coAUz1YJAdZo08viyCJonFonSoWCMBv7L_L2H1mUUuhixn7eJZKtzZsiTyoAHQ7XuSmQqroh6agxmkjM/s1600/P1150466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVS9DjHBtfEciDzyON6sWFCZ7LtJh8olupulA3sE_gCMDNOPqJYdrTqyuJl-coAUz1YJAdZo08viyCJonFonSoWCMBv7L_L2H1mUUuhixn7eJZKtzZsiTyoAHQ7XuSmQqroh6agxmkjM/s200/P1150466.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48xPUxpSM9Y/UTC_rcIA03I/AAAAAAAAKow/WZ8XoqHKrfE/s1600/P1150490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48xPUxpSM9Y/UTC_rcIA03I/AAAAAAAAKow/WZ8XoqHKrfE/s200/P1150490.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-sUiY4oz5c/UTC_faTaWbI/AAAAAAAAKoY/eCbJ7huQT-o/s1600/P1150475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I-sUiY4oz5c/UTC_faTaWbI/AAAAAAAAKoY/eCbJ7huQT-o/s200/P1150475.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, the weather
got worse the next day and we didn't mind leaving that much anymore.
The road got a bit better too and we took a mini bus this time, which
was in a slightly better condition than the last VIP bus, making the
journey a bit easier. Less than four hours later we were in the
capital of the country. Vientiane is not a very impressive place. It
is a nice town, with a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, but to be
honest, it does not really have a lot to offer. There are some nice
temples and other interesting buildings, but a day is enough to see
it all. But there is one good reason to hang around a bit longer, the
food, which as far as we were concerned was the best in Laos. We made
sure to try as much of it as we could before hitting the road again.
This time we were planning to travel down south, up to the very
southern edge of the country, facing 14 long hours of a bus ride...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gL98kyZo0j8/UTC_qboRHTI/AAAAAAAAKoo/nnNpYpHWRpo/s1600/P1150503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gL98kyZo0j8/UTC_qboRHTI/AAAAAAAAKoo/nnNpYpHWRpo/s200/P1150503.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XAcfbBW7Ig/UTC_08Lx-lI/AAAAAAAAKpI/vKqeYJJ9y3g/s1600/P1150532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XAcfbBW7Ig/UTC_08Lx-lI/AAAAAAAAKpI/vKqeYJJ9y3g/s200/P1150532.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Qb5tlchmQY_XlEEbWVkvMPSq5eJLpcnxtGTV0uNe6eSoO7G6PGdaPyC1U62B54n2hsaog5E5miVNawzkzgB0ewLIF8jo8flmu9daExJ0dmuXfmvptSHDYuHJfhn4tdWJBaA0HSGb31g/s1600/P1150543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Qb5tlchmQY_XlEEbWVkvMPSq5eJLpcnxtGTV0uNe6eSoO7G6PGdaPyC1U62B54n2hsaog5E5miVNawzkzgB0ewLIF8jo8flmu9daExJ0dmuXfmvptSHDYuHJfhn4tdWJBaA0HSGb31g/s200/P1150543.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-16555913748529746712013-02-22T06:40:00.000-08:002013-03-01T06:51:49.126-08:00Unforgettable elephants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting to Laos seemed to
be a bit more complicated than we expected. Or maybe we just got
spoiled by the efficient transport we had the chance to experience in
Thailand. We were not really that far form Luang Prabang, which we
wanted to make our next stop, but it seemed that getting there would
take us some long hours no matter which option we chose, so we
decided to take the most relaxed and (hopefully) most enjoyable one.
We were getting on a minibus to get to the border, from where we
would catch a slowboat down the Mekong River. The whole journey would
take us three days (with overnight stops). It seemed a long time, but
was still much more appealing than a bus ride, which would take us 30
uncomfortable hours.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visa formalities went
pretty quickly, since David as Swiss didn't need any and I simply got
a 30 days visa on arrival. Although I have to admit the border was a
total chaos. And so was the boat we were taking. We had seat numbers
on our tickets, but we soon found out there were no seats like ours
on that boat. The highest number we could see was 70 and the seat
numbers of our group were somewhere between 85 and 100. And the boat
was full anyway, so that we could hardly get on board, not to mention
finding an empty seat. Fortunately after a few discussions and a lot
of complaining form our side, a second boat was opened and we could
choose whatever seats we wanted. Although few moments later both
boats were filled up to the top, including additional plastic chairs
and people sitting or lying on the floor right next to the engine. I
guess their ride was far from enjoyable in the end. We could not
really complain about ours though.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The slowboat trip took us
around 7 hours on each of the two days, but although the boat was
crowded and the seats were not too comfortable it was not as bad as
we thought. A good book and lovely views from the river made the
hours pass quickly. The nice thing was, we had enough time to meet a
lot of other travelers, which we kept meeting later on everywhere we
went. It gives you the feeling you're surrounded by friends no matter
which city you head to.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luang Prabang turned out
to be a beautiful place with a really nice atmosphere. It is not
exactly big, which allowed us to do everything on foot. And there
certainly was a lot to see. The temples were again more of the shiny
type. Nevertheless, we found them quite interesting since they were a
bit different than the ones in Thailand we have seen so far. But
walking along the river side was still our favorite activity. We
decided we liked Laos a lot. The weather was nice, food was awesome
and people were friendly and easygoing. It felt nice to be there.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7cdYe6YaDx3KiOhLyCxO5cDewG4aHgciBu904K6H0eUQ1NAOEXlqJucKxV2nZMHyeFNVG6mUM1D7z988fkguvuMDUgIccFF07JuIeiI_MNMB1WaKlcpTgT_992ZYd4oGBF2IBUM3RW8/s1600/P1150148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7cdYe6YaDx3KiOhLyCxO5cDewG4aHgciBu904K6H0eUQ1NAOEXlqJucKxV2nZMHyeFNVG6mUM1D7z988fkguvuMDUgIccFF07JuIeiI_MNMB1WaKlcpTgT_992ZYd4oGBF2IBUM3RW8/s200/P1150148.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u2kS5f4dihY/US-dPQs69zI/AAAAAAAAKhw/lLRphJ0ATt8/s1600/P1150130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u2kS5f4dihY/US-dPQs69zI/AAAAAAAAKhw/lLRphJ0ATt8/s200/P1150130.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqXd5EikWyY/US-deonku2I/AAAAAAAAKiQ/xTxlymcyJIU/s1600/P1150141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqXd5EikWyY/US-deonku2I/AAAAAAAAKiQ/xTxlymcyJIU/s200/P1150141.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO56AOc4W3p0MAMLKmrNJaBDl8MPFd665K0_L7IGl-I3vNmuiz3DfhDZGQr4lZLwQLXUswSd-vnH64jbqKaUSlqM1rA5iV_-aVdeBFTQHTCxI3LeiHCAa1zMiXxvqLKTqtJfPBQg7j-g/s1600/P1150085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO56AOc4W3p0MAMLKmrNJaBDl8MPFd665K0_L7IGl-I3vNmuiz3DfhDZGQr4lZLwQLXUswSd-vnH64jbqKaUSlqM1rA5iV_-aVdeBFTQHTCxI3LeiHCAa1zMiXxvqLKTqtJfPBQg7j-g/s200/P1150085.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R98UiypbyRw/US-d2nNtRoI/AAAAAAAAKjQ/NwzNGOWKvwE/s1600/P1150200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R98UiypbyRw/US-d2nNtRoI/AAAAAAAAKjQ/NwzNGOWKvwE/s200/P1150200.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHHrpBxyycU/US-c6VmOVlI/AAAAAAAAKhI/gpXtzyeqtkg/s1600/P1150101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHHrpBxyycU/US-c6VmOVlI/AAAAAAAAKhI/gpXtzyeqtkg/s200/P1150101.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We especially enjoyed the
local night market, which was our favorite place to spent the
evenings, making our wallets slimmer an our backpacks much fuller
than they ever were. It is a great place, filled with local handmade
products and lovely souvenirs and the prices are nearly always
negotiable, especially for a trained professional like David, who was
using all the experience gathered in Central Asia to get me the
things I necessarily needed and desperately wanted (meaning very
important items like for example an elephant pillow) for a fraction
of the original price. The only thing we didn't manage to buy was a
dress I was looking for for some time now. It was a simple one,
nothing special, but I liked it a lot. I already saw it in Bangkok,
but decided to buy it later on, as I didn't want to add extra weight
to my backpack before our Myanmar trip. Unfortunately, they didn't
sell it anywhere else in Thailand, so I was happy to spot it in Luang
Prabang. However, the price they wanted for it was 5 times higher
than in Bangkok, which we were of course not willing to pay. But
every time we tried to bargain (and we did tried a few stands) they
were all starting with the same story, how it is hand made in this
very village using only local material, which makes it extremely
valuable. Sad enough it always had a huge “made in Thailand”
label on it, but they would not admit the truth even when we pointed
it out to them. They were honestly trying to explain to us, that they
put the label on purpose, as they were planning to sell those extra
valuable dresses to their neighbouring country as well. Yeah,
right... They were willing to lower the prices afterwards, but we
decided buying anything from someone who lies to us while looking us
straight in the eyes is not something we would like to do if we could
avoid it.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Already on our first day
in town we have noticed a huge poster advertising a whole day
elephant experience in a nearby village. Ever since our ride in
Chiang Mai we could not get those animals out of our heads and we
thought we have to do something about it. The trip was not exactly
cheap, but also not more expensive than it would be in Thailand and
we decided it's worth the risk. We were going to All Lao Elephant
Camp to learn all the commands and try riding elephants on our own.
We were both totally excited and could hardly wait till we get there.
The camp was set in a beautiful surroundings, right on a river in the
middle of a forest, which made it all even more amazing. Our group
consisted only of four people (including us two), all wearing very
professional elephant trainer outfits, so the atmosphere was great
from the very beginning. And the animals were as marvelous as ever.
But it was a totally different experience than the one we had before.
This time we were really going through the forest, there was no wide
flat path like the one we went through in Chiang Mai. Now we were
going up and down the hill, between the trees, through streams and
mud, which made it somehow feel a lot more real. I couldn't stop
smiling through the entire ride, or at least until the moment where
our guide suggested for me to change places with David and get on the
elephant's neck. Those of you how know me well, will be able to
imagine my panic reaction. I was totally horrified! But at the end
that was what we paid for and I knew I would have to try it sooner or
later, so I might just as well do it immediately. It was a bit hard
at the beginning, but as soon as I found the right spot to sit on and
relaxed a bit more I actually started enjoying it. In the end I
absolutely loved it!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyr8wIFWL7w/US-d9J1NELI/AAAAAAAAKjo/buiJFBHBRjc/s1600/P1150248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyr8wIFWL7w/US-d9J1NELI/AAAAAAAAKjo/buiJFBHBRjc/s200/P1150248.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7xkMzMVVjUg/US-eGgDX_dI/AAAAAAAAKkA/98k8e7YlSAo/s1600/P1150255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7xkMzMVVjUg/US-eGgDX_dI/AAAAAAAAKkA/98k8e7YlSAo/s200/P1150255.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmQxyTmR9uyFKIupWezIWF3d2Bhw-9Ol01M0W4DqX2USgcGl6LgF68pTm9s5HpUufpFxzehoxQ2MNkE1rKc23FyK4TboYjUMWU_gfg6P_07PsaKi67giPO4ypfk5BUYgQNiCxV4Jasg4/s1600/P1150350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmQxyTmR9uyFKIupWezIWF3d2Bhw-9Ol01M0W4DqX2USgcGl6LgF68pTm9s5HpUufpFxzehoxQ2MNkE1rKc23FyK4TboYjUMWU_gfg6P_07PsaKi67giPO4ypfk5BUYgQNiCxV4Jasg4/s200/P1150350.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xN5y-3KqKYM/US-eFmeTdeI/AAAAAAAAKj4/QavfMvRY_do/s1600/P1150259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xN5y-3KqKYM/US-eFmeTdeI/AAAAAAAAKj4/QavfMvRY_do/s200/P1150259.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPNYAv86oxmzAdT2CvH-ommUNLDUX-JUrcUzCgjZRDXFUZ4maDei0xuIsIr3ZG1LmcO7eAXFArl01NAELnE2dZYPyVfmjdn6EJE6HTVp3O8Nv41BIVak8ZQyrr1hoeYbLo8gPDFVImFc/s1600/P1150315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPNYAv86oxmzAdT2CvH-ommUNLDUX-JUrcUzCgjZRDXFUZ4maDei0xuIsIr3ZG1LmcO7eAXFArl01NAELnE2dZYPyVfmjdn6EJE6HTVp3O8Nv41BIVak8ZQyrr1hoeYbLo8gPDFVImFc/s200/P1150315.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dd39Jr6FjuI/US-eUZl0T4I/AAAAAAAAKkg/EzhYU3yIckg/s1600/P1150328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dd39Jr6FjuI/US-eUZl0T4I/AAAAAAAAKkg/EzhYU3yIckg/s200/P1150328.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the second part
though, which we were all waiting for. After lunch each of us got his
own elephant to ride, guide and bath. It was just as awesome as I
imagined it to be. Getting on and off the elephant was definitely the
hardest part of the task, but since I was no longer deadly scared it
all went quite smoothly. And my elephant, a fantastic girl named Ping
Pong, was simply the sweetest creature I have ever met. She was
moving so carefully and gently, that I hardly ever noticed us going
up or down. I guess she noticed she has a total coward on top of her
and decided not to make things worse for both of us. She was reacting
to my commands too, which made me as proud and happy as ever. And the
bath was the best part of it all. Going through a river on a back of
a huge creature, which splashes you with water when you least expect
it is definitely an unforgettable experience. The elephants seemed to
enjoy it too, as they were playing like little children, making
everyone wet. David's elephant decided not to waist his time on
details and simply disappeared in the river with David on his back.
Not even his trunk was sticking out, which left my husband looking as
if he was sitting on the surface of the water. As we rode back
through the jungle, all wet and smiling we felt happier than ever. We
didn't want to part from our animals at all. And I can honestly say
the trip was worth every cent we've paid for it.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGnSbZyl_GI/US-ebhhIc3I/AAAAAAAAKko/_NMMO3plCJE/s1600/P1150364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGnSbZyl_GI/US-ebhhIc3I/AAAAAAAAKko/_NMMO3plCJE/s200/P1150364.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xxf4FrGB-CI/US-eg9kBpaI/AAAAAAAAKlA/QAp_0DhdGE8/s1600/P1150376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xxf4FrGB-CI/US-eg9kBpaI/AAAAAAAAKlA/QAp_0DhdGE8/s200/P1150376.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lx1v10L5pEE/US-ejN4FjjI/AAAAAAAAKlI/gqAtn6v2MJg/s1600/P1150377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lx1v10L5pEE/US-ejN4FjjI/AAAAAAAAKlI/gqAtn6v2MJg/s200/P1150377.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lgDnfR8AbI/US-erGW_LYI/AAAAAAAAKlY/hwsEK0rplZE/s1600/P1150387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lgDnfR8AbI/US-erGW_LYI/AAAAAAAAKlY/hwsEK0rplZE/s200/P1150387.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EdbXsL5rdE8/US-e52Y7HFI/AAAAAAAAKmI/tRBb7ogLl6M/s1600/P1150403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EdbXsL5rdE8/US-e52Y7HFI/AAAAAAAAKmI/tRBb7ogLl6M/s200/P1150403.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQYXz_aLUu3_RGhTp-fE5MAZ99PB8_TJkJ7SmChcKhcCkSYWd9PpMJsz1APIWnItwX9TNlehiFUa-QV9jtZp1V2NmivjGrtt2Ea5_s9abeinrYBhj97UccQMvUDiv2z36TFbPfJIJoWI/s1600/P1150399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQYXz_aLUu3_RGhTp-fE5MAZ99PB8_TJkJ7SmChcKhcCkSYWd9PpMJsz1APIWnItwX9TNlehiFUa-QV9jtZp1V2NmivjGrtt2Ea5_s9abeinrYBhj97UccQMvUDiv2z36TFbPfJIJoWI/s200/P1150399.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-26260992914567608972013-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:002013-02-23T08:10:55.986-08:00Into the jungle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have finally made it to
Chiang Mai! A bit later than planned, but we were there and wanted to
make the most of our time. The possibilities in this city can really
give you a headache. Everywhere you look you see a tourist agency or
trekking center, all offering endless number of trips and activities,
making the choice much more complicated. Walking, biking, climbing,
elephant rides, rafting, kayaking, dancing, cooking, meditation,
yoga... The list seems to have no end. And even of you know exactly
what you want to do, there is still a whole bunch of companies to
choose from, so that making your mind up may be quite a tricky
process. But it's worth it, as many of them will do everything they
can to turn your visit in Thailand into an unforgettable experience
(one way or another).</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were lucky enough to
make a reservation at the Julie Guest House, which is famous not only
for its cozy rooms and great atmosphere, but also for the amazing
trips they organize for their guests. They took their time to
understand what we wanted and I have to say the offers they made us
where a perfect match. Before we noticed we had a whole plan worked
out and we couldn't wait for it all to start happening.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it's not only the
trips that makes this area worth visiting. The city itself has much
to offer too. It is a typical tourist location, with bars and hostels
on every corner, but it is also a lovely town, full of nice
buildings and wonderful temples. After all the stone ruins we have
seen in the last two cities we were up for gold and shiny again and
this time we have found it much more impressive than in Bangkok.
Although we could not quite understand why anybody would put a Donald
Duck in front of one of the most significant old temples in town, but
we just guessed they had their reasons. All in all we liked Chiang
Mai a lot. I especially fell in love with all the second hand
bookstores the city was filled with. They were just the way I liked
them most, huge spaces filled up to the ceiling with great books for
little money. I don't even want to know how much time I spent running
between the shelves and choosing the perfect titles, if it wasn't for
the trips we had already booked, I am not sure David would have been
able to ever drag me out of them. All I can say is that I could
hardly close my backpack afterwards and it was far above the 10 kg
weight I used to be so proud of.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQD9ytpY0pE/UST5OowSEwI/AAAAAAAAKZM/VZ8i3LK6Oxc/s1600/P1140595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQD9ytpY0pE/UST5OowSEwI/AAAAAAAAKZM/VZ8i3LK6Oxc/s200/P1140595.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EleND7YqyJg/UST5kZWqb3I/AAAAAAAAKaA/CteJAty9Q3A/s1600/P1140665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EleND7YqyJg/UST5kZWqb3I/AAAAAAAAKaA/CteJAty9Q3A/s200/P1140665.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53cMS_mZ9_Djncz9t01QB-rBNtPWvvONX8zf-400RHgLT1lpDqv5jJnFCZ-xyH1m2D6N14K5-DXytXOw8z48PQO4SRD9hKmmyHaSl3c7DbxfcfTEGTy8lfpUrx1AW5_y5sfkH5vTa1bc/s1600/P1140668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53cMS_mZ9_Djncz9t01QB-rBNtPWvvONX8zf-400RHgLT1lpDqv5jJnFCZ-xyH1m2D6N14K5-DXytXOw8z48PQO4SRD9hKmmyHaSl3c7DbxfcfTEGTy8lfpUrx1AW5_y5sfkH5vTa1bc/s200/P1140668.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first activity on our
list was the cooking class. We are both huge fans of Thai cuisine and
wanted to do it for a long time now. The decision was not easy, as
the competition in this area is huge, but we finally choose Sammy's
Organic Farm and I have to say it was a perfect choice. Although it
was not too far from the city it felt like a different world, full of
plants, flowers and animals, with a fantastic familiar atmosphere. We
felt at home at once. And cooking with Sammy was a real fun. He not
only showed us how to prepare the dishes, but also told us a lot
about Thai food and culture. And his sense of humor and brilliant
stories made it all a highly enjoyable experience. But the real
highlight was the food! Each of us could choose 5 different dishes
which we were preparing on our own, guided by Sam and his wife. And
the results definitely exceeded my expectations. I would have never
thought I can cook something as good as that! At the end of the day
we were all tired, proud and so full we could hardly move. It was a
great day!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC7b51k3JPowhAbRvuYtr1lG4UzOHDUDdOJR6eRXDbFtcDD5CzZXtMUsmdMff23Bbq7uCTZHajx9Vn6TkNKY_eq4zXdxQ-XuTHaEoIewgKkKV4qvKjfvHpWgWAYJ-TxYJywhlrdKO8yk/s1600/P1140721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC7b51k3JPowhAbRvuYtr1lG4UzOHDUDdOJR6eRXDbFtcDD5CzZXtMUsmdMff23Bbq7uCTZHajx9Vn6TkNKY_eq4zXdxQ-XuTHaEoIewgKkKV4qvKjfvHpWgWAYJ-TxYJywhlrdKO8yk/s200/P1140721.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfcGmJh0G-0/UST50tHx6-I/AAAAAAAAKao/582idLvcqfk/s1600/P1140752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfcGmJh0G-0/UST50tHx6-I/AAAAAAAAKao/582idLvcqfk/s200/P1140752.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Majee2hk_IQe1J5iWUHLNbTJHetfpomkYJhYDkonzYRVOgw11lagcbTZEDHttrIkogpbK6LwapKAkmvlT4qTY3pdhpHjrUisXM15Xt5rAe9MHPBSY3P7dLuzh1PXrZiOHYzhcZGyTOA/s1600/P1140717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Majee2hk_IQe1J5iWUHLNbTJHetfpomkYJhYDkonzYRVOgw11lagcbTZEDHttrIkogpbK6LwapKAkmvlT4qTY3pdhpHjrUisXM15Xt5rAe9MHPBSY3P7dLuzh1PXrZiOHYzhcZGyTOA/s200/P1140717.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had no time to rest as
the next day was already fully planned. We have booked a short
trekking trip through the jungle, water rafting and what was most
important, an elephant ride. I was so excited I could hardly sleep!
It was over an hour drive from the city and we were all squeezed into
a truck that was just slightly too small for this amount of people,
so that one of us was always hanging a bit outside of it, but we
managed to survive the ride without any serious injuries. On the way
we stopped at the famous orchid farm, which turned out to be just a
bigger garden with more tourist than flowers, so that it was quite
hard to take a photo without other people on it. I guess it is simply
the first stop for all the trips from Chiang Mai.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu0J-frVMYwX3TaMM5CgSRAFiPR_t_77qOmP43pYkoF0vlF_WMOKUGuESA40_CofGMqJ-ZayUpm1oJUsEWTEqOTdNOQqymyONWQ5kCZZFvGd0hPRWUqqfuQIW_CJ2hgaDk4w2exDdA18/s1600/P1140811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu0J-frVMYwX3TaMM5CgSRAFiPR_t_77qOmP43pYkoF0vlF_WMOKUGuESA40_CofGMqJ-ZayUpm1oJUsEWTEqOTdNOQqymyONWQ5kCZZFvGd0hPRWUqqfuQIW_CJ2hgaDk4w2exDdA18/s200/P1140811.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlsTQjuED_azldqHz4Z39excgYi8JOk2kRUeYxm_-wr_PWHHjC26rSYwwUvBngIFrKSa6E_MhhFj2IwzH1P-gz3jpeEsKpGXT2IzaIaS19I2vh01PxV_q44qeuY_fxAy6-v65UfUWD5c/s1600/P1140813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlsTQjuED_azldqHz4Z39excgYi8JOk2kRUeYxm_-wr_PWHHjC26rSYwwUvBngIFrKSa6E_MhhFj2IwzH1P-gz3jpeEsKpGXT2IzaIaS19I2vh01PxV_q44qeuY_fxAy6-v65UfUWD5c/s200/P1140813.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the second stop we
were all waiting for, the elephant camp. We had to wait a bit till it
was our turn to ride, which left us some time to feed and have some
fun with the elephants standing around. They truly are amazing
creatures. I will never be able to understand how something so huge
can move so elegantly, without making even the slightest noise. And
though they are dying to get the banana or sugar cane out of your
hand they are as gentle as you can only imagine. For me it was love
from first sight.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8W9KVLRyGyA/UST6gaRX7OI/AAAAAAAAKcI/vDWGa0YpkI0/s1600/P1140828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8W9KVLRyGyA/UST6gaRX7OI/AAAAAAAAKcI/vDWGa0YpkI0/s200/P1140828.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urzEV67fHu4/UST6aGdXKVI/AAAAAAAAKb4/cnmLSCps-O8/s1600/P1140821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urzEV67fHu4/UST6aGdXKVI/AAAAAAAAKb4/cnmLSCps-O8/s200/P1140821.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMhJEeYjpHSRszbvmsYFLswJO_WULbIzCbFoFlZDJGXbGwBi3iR2ZiK6qX_F8lVchFhQ26Lh6U7rQ93J5K_7R0Z_0HttDa-v5EXBCdjcOEsEjP46r8ynsxZGg3yIXIojeR-Rl6KVvo4Y/s1600/P1140832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMhJEeYjpHSRszbvmsYFLswJO_WULbIzCbFoFlZDJGXbGwBi3iR2ZiK6qX_F8lVchFhQ26Lh6U7rQ93J5K_7R0Z_0HttDa-v5EXBCdjcOEsEjP46r8ynsxZGg3yIXIojeR-Rl6KVvo4Y/s200/P1140832.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As our guide told us we
were missing an elephant and would have to create groups of three
(meaning two on the little bench and one on the neck) to make it
work, I protested without thinking. I could share an elephant with
David, but I was not having any other people on it! I was waiting far
too long for this trip and there was just no way I was going to make
any compromises, even if it left me looking like a spoiled kid. And I
guess they took my words seriously, as we got not only an elephant
for us two, but also an additional mini version. We were riding
through the jungle on a big mama, with the baby running all around
us, creating quite an impressive chaos, but making the whole trip
even more amazing. We enjoyed every minute of it and when the ride
was over, we were both sure, that was not our last meeting with those
marvelous animals. We needed more!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjFts1AVBcbevbJh-mJEMcOL9x2lUdthUcR3qUC1_IhOYMvh_9trS5a7Jz_pu4JOA_Tk_dseUwYSsGJrrCl4KR_FDHLOqf67WX3RAPzGBCPRyi1vCjMYAWGUQ7Wr8R02T514Dc3jA8N0/s1600/P1140861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjFts1AVBcbevbJh-mJEMcOL9x2lUdthUcR3qUC1_IhOYMvh_9trS5a7Jz_pu4JOA_Tk_dseUwYSsGJrrCl4KR_FDHLOqf67WX3RAPzGBCPRyi1vCjMYAWGUQ7Wr8R02T514Dc3jA8N0/s200/P1140861.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cpzin-30g2eU6JngOjv1ZlAHgRymvkeIeaHuo5pYGJDeiFiJvCZ2QpvK_Ux9ThYxs-Csa_VDTZ5hqOIOTREe6TaW-27tadyoCVGUD4wP6yZbttqWlnNFWpEzCowDb2fnQImqvLqk1gY/s1600/P1140859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cpzin-30g2eU6JngOjv1ZlAHgRymvkeIeaHuo5pYGJDeiFiJvCZ2QpvK_Ux9ThYxs-Csa_VDTZ5hqOIOTREe6TaW-27tadyoCVGUD4wP6yZbttqWlnNFWpEzCowDb2fnQImqvLqk1gY/s200/P1140859.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i83SLUn1vz0/UST6klk6eYI/AAAAAAAAKcQ/FO0B9fJxTss/s1600/P1140845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i83SLUn1vz0/UST6klk6eYI/AAAAAAAAKcQ/FO0B9fJxTss/s200/P1140845.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, we have enjoyed
the rest or our trip nearly as much as we did the elephants. The
jungle turned out to be pretty crowded with tourists, but it didn't
change the fact, that the nature in this area was simply beautiful.
Although we are traveling in the dry season the north of Thailand
seemed to be as green as ever. I really found it hard to imagine,
that it can get even greener as soon as the rainy months come. It
felt great just to be walking among banana leaves and bamboos trees.
I only hope we will be able to repeat it in a less touristic place,
even if the trek would be much harder then. We were a bit worried
that the white water rafting part would be a bit boring, as the river
was at quite at low level at that moment. We regretted not being able
to come back later this year when the rain starts. And I guess
someone up there heard us complaining, because before we even noticed
a storm started coming up. A real nice tropical storm, with drops of
cool rain coming down on us, making us wish we had something more to
wear than our swimsuits. We were all wet before we even got to our
boats and it was a bit freezing too. Well we wanted more water and we
got it... It proved to be enough for a short trip. It was not exactly
an adrenalin kick, but it was fun anyway and it gave our amazing day
a perfect ending. We came back to our hotel dead on our feet and
slept better than ever, which was good, as a day after we took a
minibus to head to another country on our list. It was time for Laos!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BY5DRCXN0dE/UST7jZtgYFI/AAAAAAAAKeI/gh0RwrdwWdA/s1600/P1150005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BY5DRCXN0dE/UST7jZtgYFI/AAAAAAAAKeI/gh0RwrdwWdA/s200/P1150005.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oi8tNuDAao/UST7a6Gwg_I/AAAAAAAAKdw/vHJb5mcXPhA/s1600/P1140970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8oi8tNuDAao/UST7a6Gwg_I/AAAAAAAAKdw/vHJb5mcXPhA/s200/P1140970.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0hARFdYReM/UST7kMAznPI/AAAAAAAAKeQ/lXmBgSapxxE/s1600/P1140982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0hARFdYReM/UST7kMAznPI/AAAAAAAAKeQ/lXmBgSapxxE/s200/P1140982.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-76211976206565996122013-02-10T09:26:00.000-08:002013-02-22T09:27:58.443-08:00The queen of cities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It felt good to be back in
Thailand. So far we have only spent a few days in the capital, but
somehow it still felt like coming back home. We decided to take a
train to Ayutthaya, an ancient city 60 km north from Bangkok.
Although</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the train wa</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s
over an hour delayed, we decided not to complain, since the tickets
were a ridiculous 25 cents each. We liked the city from the moment we
have reached it, but we were not planning to stay for long. A day or
two we thought. And that was exactly what we said when our new
bungalow-neighbour, asked us how long we wanted to stay. He told us
not to make too many plans, as we may end up spending much more time
in the queen of all cities, as he called it. Back then we had no idea
how right he was.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl08Y7QGTqZerPOeroIJ7W8uWTVDFEuKBx1AwqA0WBaOPA6DS-567MvHisWiReXUXazJTSq4EBZjzNsoLg6PsqzO0KYfktwQ6zK2xtWXco-7IArTGbGsyqqOc06xBIKm9MqA3GUcK3XQg/s1600/P1140269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl08Y7QGTqZerPOeroIJ7W8uWTVDFEuKBx1AwqA0WBaOPA6DS-567MvHisWiReXUXazJTSq4EBZjzNsoLg6PsqzO0KYfktwQ6zK2xtWXco-7IArTGbGsyqqOc06xBIKm9MqA3GUcK3XQg/s200/P1140269.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9QMoFdtKX-s/USTrLoMYdcI/AAAAAAAAKT8/-J3IHJhI9u0/s1600/P1140330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9QMoFdtKX-s/USTrLoMYdcI/AAAAAAAAKT8/-J3IHJhI9u0/s200/P1140330.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ncs2ffbc0M/USTrB9vVMDI/AAAAAAAAKTU/zOezRrQOCq8/s1600/P1140270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ncs2ffbc0M/USTrB9vVMDI/AAAAAAAAKTU/zOezRrQOCq8/s200/P1140270.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being back in Thailand had
one huge advantage, we were back to high accommodation standards for
little money, so we rented a lovely bungalow about a minute walk from
the ruins we were looking forward to explore. So far our idea of
local temples and palaces was like all the newly renovated, shiny
golden buildings we have seen in Bangkok. Now we were eager to see
the really old, stone ones. And we were not disappointed. There was
nothing new or shiny about them, which was exactly what made them so
impressive. The city seemed to be packed with magnificent stone
constructions and we were told it is only a small part of the whole
complex.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG82Dps0DHQuIuCFDuewb3XdfS2QySa0Bjodr1VlxfPGkPuy08Qdd3347ybyMkkaADizAXSuKMo72EtnrD1WSq_XVnW-nOM_zKJRBvcPoNJr193lsBy26smML0gpIku8H_hCL_7SC5k48/s1600/P1140297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG82Dps0DHQuIuCFDuewb3XdfS2QySa0Bjodr1VlxfPGkPuy08Qdd3347ybyMkkaADizAXSuKMo72EtnrD1WSq_XVnW-nOM_zKJRBvcPoNJr193lsBy26smML0gpIku8H_hCL_7SC5k48/s200/P1140297.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo9i-c8cEmwchjwF0-Dy7HWn8Yo565XeymhWopH8-J9OVjh-fH6IKWtf3MY5QWYJsxp7dL3KBGMMi_GcpqpdOmPYm22VLt5m-SrxGWu9Hf0_BKDn8ES7T_-lRB3VpRjuIWHpdPpVHuqw/s1600/P1140342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo9i-c8cEmwchjwF0-Dy7HWn8Yo565XeymhWopH8-J9OVjh-fH6IKWtf3MY5QWYJsxp7dL3KBGMMi_GcpqpdOmPYm22VLt5m-SrxGWu9Hf0_BKDn8ES7T_-lRB3VpRjuIWHpdPpVHuqw/s200/P1140342.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhAkG9n_uKg/USTrZwbmVFI/AAAAAAAAKUo/4xH9nApYd8g/s1600/P1140360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhAkG9n_uKg/USTrZwbmVFI/AAAAAAAAKUo/4xH9nApYd8g/s200/P1140360.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it was not the temples
I remembered best from our sightseeing trip. It was the elephants.
Unfortunately they did not look too happy. Don't get me wrong, as far
as I can tell their owners were taking good care of them and they did
look healthy and all, but they were still made to run up and down the
city center in some ridiculous clothes carrying tourists around. I
believe it is not a life you wish for as an elephant and it's not my
idea of a nice elephant ride neither. But I was still impressed by
the elegance and carefulness with which they moved. I expected them
to be walking heavily, making a lot of noise, but what I saw was
exactly the opposite. They were amazing! And I was sure I want to get
to know those creatures better and try riding one myself, but I
decided to put it off until we could do it in a nicer environment.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, David was
not getting better. My cold was gone and forgotten, but his seemed
only to be getting worse. It actually got so bad, that we decided to
skip all plans we had for his birthday and spend the day visiting the
local private hospital. The place was very nice and we got a good
medical advice and all the medicines we needed, but David still ended
up spending his birthday in bed with antibiotics instead of a
birthday cake. And the diagnosis was clear, we should not travel,
especially on air conditioned buses as long as he's not better again.
We ended up stuck in the queen of cities for a whole week.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being sick sucks, no
matter where you are, but Ayutthaya was not the worst city to get
stuck in. We had a nice and comfortable bungalow, our own terrace and
enough books to keep us occupied. We also had a few restaurants
around, serving absolutely amazing local dishes, which I ended up
eating for breakfast and dinner every day, not wanting to waste my
time on eggs and toasts. And we had the neighbours who knew the town
by heart and were always ready to help. They also wanted to make sure
we would try all the fresh fruits the city had to offer. And trust
me, they were delicious! All other plans were put on hold, David was
concentrating on getting better and I was dividing my time between
reading, enjoying various massages and shopping on the local market.
It was not the way we have planned it, but I believe we really needed
such rest. Our bodies had a lot to cope with for the last few months.
We were constantly changing countries and climates not really giving
them much time to reset, not even during Christmas. It was time to
sit down and relax. It was not easy, as there was still so much we
wanted to see and do, but it all had to wait.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaFpLM_-rjs/USTrwp3vwmI/AAAAAAAAKVg/n8iGtEUU7x8/s1600/P1140445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaFpLM_-rjs/USTrwp3vwmI/AAAAAAAAKVg/n8iGtEUU7x8/s200/P1140445.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-Z__ekyimc/USTrmhYJWjI/AAAAAAAAKVI/Hg7MhyISZRA/s1600/P1140407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S-Z__ekyimc/USTrmhYJWjI/AAAAAAAAKVI/Hg7MhyISZRA/s200/P1140407.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeXDjWQ3aofBE117jvCQ4662U09M2QbsclpaspVopHv2ColagmkrhnryRHN68M4omYoqsPjG119OfXn0G2uP5I7LBPLpl4p7wpLsysqA78daHlUnpvzUNfXhE5v6tHefqz6W3r0OkQ8w/s1600/P1140449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeXDjWQ3aofBE117jvCQ4662U09M2QbsclpaspVopHv2ColagmkrhnryRHN68M4omYoqsPjG119OfXn0G2uP5I7LBPLpl4p7wpLsysqA78daHlUnpvzUNfXhE5v6tHefqz6W3r0OkQ8w/s200/P1140449.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were both really happy
and relieved when David finally got better, but leaving the city was
still not an easy decision. We have never stay anywhere for so long
and I have to admit it felt nice. But we were also eager to move on.
We absolutely loved Thailand and wanted to see more of it. We were
especially looking forward to visit Chiang Mai, where we had some
serious plans, including our two new passions, Thai food and
elephants. We were even thinking about heading there immediately, but
fortunately, our neighbours advised us against it, convincing us to
make at least a short stop in Sukhothai. And I have to say I'm really
glad they did.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second of the ancient
cities was just as magnificent as we had imagined it to be. One stony
temple after another, spread all over the green hills of the area
they all made an amazing impression. Instead of taking a bicycle or a
motorbike as most tourist do we decided to go for an extra long walk.
We did enough sitting in Ayutthaya, so or bodies were ready for
action again. At the end of the long day we were dead tired, but
happy and satisfied. We were back on track again and it felt great!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ye3PlHMX4o/USTr5rN18GI/AAAAAAAAKV4/ygsLJgJzwkM/s1600/P1140461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ye3PlHMX4o/USTr5rN18GI/AAAAAAAAKV4/ygsLJgJzwkM/s200/P1140461.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrIUEfWru34/USTr85YiQSI/AAAAAAAAKWI/WvhdVL_DzWk/s1600/P1140471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrIUEfWru34/USTr85YiQSI/AAAAAAAAKWI/WvhdVL_DzWk/s200/P1140471.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBCLip0N6ho/USTsHNf143I/AAAAAAAAKWg/dt5Q40rR41g/s1600/P1140489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBCLip0N6ho/USTsHNf143I/AAAAAAAAKWg/dt5Q40rR41g/s200/P1140489.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VD9hR2ySSdU/USTssOCmw1I/AAAAAAAAKXo/pIiUkh2EQiw/s1600/P1140572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VD9hR2ySSdU/USTssOCmw1I/AAAAAAAAKXo/pIiUkh2EQiw/s200/P1140572.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLMJrLeL43fqrOdfsNkbaSvi-CFg-OmswbungK2gmu7tj3Uy1XmBBuZaIhpbBuE2CLQQdhFgP7OlvfZ78LpNzUVeWvSLMz69h7dSimWoEN-NzOPH8M-4d2t8mU0F6cOXK-HYOmBOQjtI/s1600/P1140502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLMJrLeL43fqrOdfsNkbaSvi-CFg-OmswbungK2gmu7tj3Uy1XmBBuZaIhpbBuE2CLQQdhFgP7OlvfZ78LpNzUVeWvSLMz69h7dSimWoEN-NzOPH8M-4d2t8mU0F6cOXK-HYOmBOQjtI/s200/P1140502.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPJ8993uwQs78xmo8NNhQrMvtCzEKSCNEzoyPS1UaxYM3SHoNm5ORYrUgjGZu9AVzNU8tn2QFj6tmTDncJQbMTEtyYRkblXcAZsBTo0lKGRiI82Buegjji9YFibIe5EuK5S2IBDL1V4c/s1600/P1140582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPJ8993uwQs78xmo8NNhQrMvtCzEKSCNEzoyPS1UaxYM3SHoNm5ORYrUgjGZu9AVzNU8tn2QFj6tmTDncJQbMTEtyYRkblXcAZsBTo0lKGRiI82Buegjji9YFibIe5EuK5S2IBDL1V4c/s200/P1140582.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-21528365478583455552013-02-03T09:34:00.000-08:002013-02-22T09:35:42.429-08:00Photos from Myanmar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiuPzKY7kOzJQNBgu0wx7YFGWSGHCmAduU5gjpEWXWM_gMW-EgHXtD0sEG59HRhKwg9sqcmXJVFVxy4zuM2gFDtbxxSgIA4XlPMyqC5UTEf7gnuGkdGzoxMTlkhR3bWeHrnxif0LorfI/s1600/P1130730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiuPzKY7kOzJQNBgu0wx7YFGWSGHCmAduU5gjpEWXWM_gMW-EgHXtD0sEG59HRhKwg9sqcmXJVFVxy4zuM2gFDtbxxSgIA4XlPMyqC5UTEf7gnuGkdGzoxMTlkhR3bWeHrnxif0LorfI/s200/P1130730.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kaczan.agnieszka/Myanmar23January2013">Myanmar 23 January 2013</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea8Ol3upopg/UQo6rItk1lI/AAAAAAAAKPQ/FWx9jttowfQ/s1600/P1140007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea8Ol3upopg/UQo6rItk1lI/AAAAAAAAKPQ/FWx9jttowfQ/s200/P1140007.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kaczan.agnieszka/Myanmar30Januar2013">Myanmar 30 January 2013</a></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-67507518102653280632013-02-01T09:08:00.000-08:002013-02-22T09:15:47.601-08:00Bagan, the temple city<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit that so
far Myanmar was somehow not really working well for us. We were still
not quite sure whether we liked the country or not and if it wasn't
bad enough we both got sick. At the beginning we though it would only
be a small simple cold, but it turned out to be more stubborn than we
could have expected, making us miss home more than ever before. We
have spent nearly two days in bed in Inle Lake, but we were both
still far from OK. Still we didn't want to stay there any longer than
necessary. The region was definitely not our favorite one and we were
really looking forward to our next stop, the famous Bagan. Our
expectations were high, as we never heard anything bad about this
particular place. Even people who were generally not very happy in
Myanmar agreed, that it was an absolute highlight of the trip. We
wanted to see it for ourselves.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bagan is an extraordinary
place to be sure. The city itself is quite small, but still it's home
to more than 2.000 temples in all different shapes and sizes. No
matter where you look you are likely to spot a few of them and it
truly is a magnificent view. Of course, the place is more touristic
than any other part of the country and the prices are skyrocketing at
the moment. Taking a taxi actually costs more than in Germany! But
there still seem to be more temples than people, so that you may get
a nice spot or even a few all to yourself. Your chances get better if
you rent a bike and get off the bitten track, which is exactly what
we did. And we loved it, even if biking through the sand while having
a bad cold is not the easiest things to do. But it was worth every
drop of sweat. And this time we did some serious research and checked
dozens of bike rentals until we found two bikes that were actually
big enough for us and even had some gears to change! It made the
whole experience much more enjoyable.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpdVOS9I5NqxyYH9pkCxnVywIB9oSH2ZZkcHOXSLCvtdq69gAnSpSViiNWt221bk0snfo6dfgH_8qMkY8GPvusr55_fxlADxP3g95Gg73LtN1gYdM4ZLqsT4D4twclprGENH2IyNKag8/s1600/P1130867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpdVOS9I5NqxyYH9pkCxnVywIB9oSH2ZZkcHOXSLCvtdq69gAnSpSViiNWt221bk0snfo6dfgH_8qMkY8GPvusr55_fxlADxP3g95Gg73LtN1gYdM4ZLqsT4D4twclprGENH2IyNKag8/s200/P1130867.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y78UL4GaJDg/UQo6jXo_DcI/AAAAAAAAKN0/lIHoSNI2I8w/s1600/P1130918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y78UL4GaJDg/UQo6jXo_DcI/AAAAAAAAKN0/lIHoSNI2I8w/s200/P1130918.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujG0-LASxzo/UQo6jH5ASbI/AAAAAAAAKNw/EPn4muhnOys/s1600/P1130905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujG0-LASxzo/UQo6jH5ASbI/AAAAAAAAKNw/EPn4muhnOys/s200/P1130905.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, it was mostly the
view, not the cold, that was taking our breath away all the time. It
was simply amazing. I guess I was expecting all those temples to be
pretty similar to one another, like two thousand copies spread over
the area. But it was nothing of that kind. Each of them was unique
and beautiful in its own special way, each worth a closer glance and
a short visit. But it was the way they were all gathered together at
this limited space that impressed me most. The view was
unforgettable! It was one of the most beautiful things we ha<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">ve
seen on our entire journey. It made us forget about coughing, the
skyrocketing prices and all the other things we had on our minds. We
found an abandoned temple with a terrace and just sat there enjoying
the view. We could not have enough of it. We woke up early the next
day and although our cold did not get much better and in addition we
had some sore muscle from our first ride we jumped on the bikes
without thinking and spend another lovely day visiting one temple
after another. I was afraid</span> we may find it a bit boring with
time, but the view was impressive even after hours of biking and
sightseeing. I guess you just can not get tired of it.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZo26V0SYvYFnshEgppYLjgI2vDN8HnRlhgF-dnB7esXUF4Mxg3ZZT50dhqY46SBCER5a3p4ZnPbZMifLfC4pcX1eLUoRMTs5l2Pl5cc1ZXeqi43eKzUQ3giPQuizH2WD5U_nr-ky-iWU/s1600/P1130997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZo26V0SYvYFnshEgppYLjgI2vDN8HnRlhgF-dnB7esXUF4Mxg3ZZT50dhqY46SBCER5a3p4ZnPbZMifLfC4pcX1eLUoRMTs5l2Pl5cc1ZXeqi43eKzUQ3giPQuizH2WD5U_nr-ky-iWU/s200/P1130997.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hrPG3Z3hH0/UQo6nhOQFPI/AAAAAAAAKOk/6u2z5L2q5Pc/s1600/P1130958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hrPG3Z3hH0/UQo6nhOQFPI/AAAAAAAAKOk/6u2z5L2q5Pc/s200/P1130958.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MAwh1NPD8AI/UQo6pZrxfiI/AAAAAAAAKO4/l62SPXfHPAE/s1600/P1130989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MAwh1NPD8AI/UQo6pZrxfiI/AAAAAAAAKO4/l62SPXfHPAE/s200/P1130989.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, we didn't
have the time to visit even half of the temples. There were just too
many of them and our return flight was already booked and we still
had to get to Mandalay. This time we decided against the bus, since
the night rides were pretty boring and the strong air conditioning
was not doing us much good. We went for a more expensive, but also
much more enjoyable option, the boat. It took us several long hours,
but we were rewarded with lovely views all along the way and a
magnificent sunset on Irrawaddy River.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8QBVt_Z4BLI/UQo6u95Vu8I/AAAAAAAAKQA/W00zcVz-RS8/s1600/P1140121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8QBVt_Z4BLI/UQo6u95Vu8I/AAAAAAAAKQA/W00zcVz-RS8/s200/P1140121.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Wlnsq9tO6k/UQo6wAwf0vI/AAAAAAAAKQU/iKwQNPjhn0o/s1600/P1140159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Wlnsq9tO6k/UQo6wAwf0vI/AAAAAAAAKQU/iKwQNPjhn0o/s200/P1140159.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPOV4cZ3Y9HVbU0gTmT7-zb2fzmwcYn9SF2sXYokqXWGGQNE8hoD4KL3KSDeZ5slPKUr9cEFSDR81xdx-M8RAY30B7UDPX6JxoKAYijLVPBDVbgxtsInN73zLdyytV32ZSFRMMTbDYAQ/s1600/P1140193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPOV4cZ3Y9HVbU0gTmT7-zb2fzmwcYn9SF2sXYokqXWGGQNE8hoD4KL3KSDeZ5slPKUr9cEFSDR81xdx-M8RAY30B7UDPX6JxoKAYijLVPBDVbgxtsInN73zLdyytV32ZSFRMMTbDYAQ/s200/P1140193.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our cold must have enjoyed
the ride as well as it definitely decided to stick to us for good.
Mine was at least getting better, but David had some really hard
times, so that we had to skip our plans for Mandalay and surroundings
and focus on getting better as quickly as possible. It was a pity, as
the city was quite pretty and I'm sure it had much more to offer.
Well, we will have a reason to come back here one day and maybe see
for ourselves the results of all changes that are bound to take place
in the next couple of years in Myanmar. Whatever happens I hope the
local people will still stay as open and friendly as the are now, as
they were they truly were the real highlight, no matter where we
went. </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3eUd_7h61Y/UQo6yvGgJPI/AAAAAAAAKQo/c_WnRnxdNWE/s1600/P1140228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3eUd_7h61Y/UQo6yvGgJPI/AAAAAAAAKQo/c_WnRnxdNWE/s200/P1140228.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WP-utQCX09KJxdBv9oM9HvKkP_nvuzPok_xZwed47jQ0OFRoWlrUUrOPs_paePMBDd8F8glkPLqdOq-j_K4NOW6NH2baekjEcrcAWknZxWeUs3h3wAt03pCZ0WqjYRFUw4jLbNPM4vw/s1600/P1140234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WP-utQCX09KJxdBv9oM9HvKkP_nvuzPok_xZwed47jQ0OFRoWlrUUrOPs_paePMBDd8F8glkPLqdOq-j_K4NOW6NH2baekjEcrcAWknZxWeUs3h3wAt03pCZ0WqjYRFUw4jLbNPM4vw/s200/P1140234.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-3589042936085744982013-01-23T04:17:00.000-08:002013-02-01T04:19:27.206-08:00To late for Myanmar?<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can remember when David
read the first article about Myanmar. The country, which was closed
for foreigners for quite a long time was slowly opening to tourism.
The first reports were overwhelming. “A hidden treasure”,
“untouched and authentic”, “the most beautiful and authentic
country in the region”. We wanted to see it! As soon as we knew the
second part of our journey would take us to Southeast Asia it was
obvious, we would go to Myanmar too. Moreover, we decided to make it
our first destination, just because we could hardly wait to go there.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are still some
restrictions you have to live with if you want to visit Myanmar.
Although we were already in Bangkok, we couldn't take a bus or a
train, but needed to fly into the country instead, which is not the
most (eco)logical thing to do. But we booked some Air Asia tickets to
Yangon and decided to spend the first few days in Bangkok, trying to
get the mandatory Myanmar visa. I have to admit we did worry a bit,
because we have already gathered some bad visa experiences and felt a
bit uneasy buying the tickets without having the necessary documents
ready. Fortunately, it was one of the easiest visa procedure we have
seen so far. The queue was huge, but it all went much faster than
expected and since we already bought the tickets we had the right to
ask for a same day visa, which we received without any problems. We
were ready to go in no time.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traveling through Central
Asia with Karossi, we have never really bothered to book a hotel
room. We only needed one from time to time anyway and the hotels were
hardly ever full. But since we were backpackers now and our plane was
landing in the evening, we decided to go for a safe option. I tried
making an on-line reservation somewhere in Yangon, but I never really
got an answer to any of my emails, so we decided to make a few phone
calls. We soon found out booking a hotel room in the former capital
of Myanmar is quite a challenge. The entire town seemed to be fully
booked! For weeks in advance! When we have finally reached the Cherry
Guesthouse the owner himself seemed surprised when he told us he
actually still had one more room to offer, since someone just
canceled the reservation. We took it without thinking, even though 38
USD seemed expensive compared to what our guidebook suggested. But
the room was really nice and the breakfast good, so we didn't worry
about it much.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were ignorant enough to
expect Myanmar to be similar to Thailand, but it was a different
world. It was extraordinary green. Even though Yangon is a big
industrial city, you could see trees and plants on every corner. The
temperatures were a bit lower too. But the most extraordinary thing
about Myanmar were the people. No matter if men, running around in
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">longyis</span> (men-skirts) or
women with funny yellow spots on their faces to protect them from the
sun, they were all smiling and weaving, being as friendly as one
could possibly imagine. Children were running out of their houses
just to say hello to us. It was absolutely amazing.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpvK5r_EUMY/UQj68tbywMI/AAAAAAAAKIo/HldQdurMWG4/s1600/P1130629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpvK5r_EUMY/UQj68tbywMI/AAAAAAAAKIo/HldQdurMWG4/s1600/P1130629.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RP0HV2sfAc/UQj69bBvI0I/AAAAAAAAKIs/Ndo3cTTM6Fo/s1600/P1130661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RP0HV2sfAc/UQj69bBvI0I/AAAAAAAAKIs/Ndo3cTTM6Fo/s1600/P1130661.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwPx9hKUuXg/UQj6WOBYahI/AAAAAAAAKHA/I7AVdhN650I/s1600/P1130513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwPx9hKUuXg/UQj6WOBYahI/AAAAAAAAKHA/I7AVdhN650I/s1600/P1130513.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were a bit surprised to
see the number of foreign tourists when we reached the Shwedagon
Pagoda, but then again, we were at the most famous tourist attraction
in the biggest city of the country, so we could not really hope to
have it all to ourselves. And we liked the place anyway. It was not
exactly pretty, not unless you like tones of gold and Buddhas with
bright neon lights around their heads, but it was definitely
interesting and worth visiting. And it gave us a chance to find out
that we were both born on Monday, which was apparently a very good
sign for our future.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_FJjX5WDs4/UQj6g68wwVI/AAAAAAAAKHQ/2SNcnW-O4V0/s1600/P1130548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_FJjX5WDs4/UQj6g68wwVI/AAAAAAAAKHQ/2SNcnW-O4V0/s1600/P1130548.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCkCcp37bAmZ0gcgQsgANr3hyphenhyphencSLs1dfpi85lB2cTQSyFte40lXuMU6SmuFrTdKYRc3Pv786srD0pO4dg-BddEMTQEhfcCsmwLM6xFwn1DHBjSlstrBdzan3BBiJDtFJ4_7CVozYwEeA/s1600/P1130590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCkCcp37bAmZ0gcgQsgANr3hyphenhyphencSLs1dfpi85lB2cTQSyFte40lXuMU6SmuFrTdKYRc3Pv786srD0pO4dg-BddEMTQEhfcCsmwLM6xFwn1DHBjSlstrBdzan3BBiJDtFJ4_7CVozYwEeA/s1600/P1130590.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7c8EDTAtD8/UQj6imOOPdI/AAAAAAAAKHg/xE82O2-AWkI/s1600/P1130560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7c8EDTAtD8/UQj6imOOPdI/AAAAAAAAKHg/xE82O2-AWkI/s1600/P1130560.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately times when
Myanmar was not touristic at all seem to be long gone.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Now English signs are spread all over the city and an entry fee was
being collected in every possible</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> place, including parks, even
the smallest ones, so that we soon found ourselves avoiding every
green spot on the map. We didn't want to support the local government
if we could avoid it. We thought the problem only concerned Yangon,
which is a big, pretty international city and can therefore be a bit
expensive and overcrowded. Back then we didn't know it will turn out
to be the cheapest city we would visit in Myanmar.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CQsuRCx4jmo/UQj60vMDNzI/AAAAAAAAKII/R9dO3roveX0/s1600/P1130608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CQsuRCx4jmo/UQj60vMDNzI/AAAAAAAAKII/R9dO3roveX0/s1600/P1130608.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zR6eTc_QSh0/UQj65dND4FI/AAAAAAAAKIY/GOAGwg8bJNQ/s1600/P1130610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zR6eTc_QSh0/UQj65dND4FI/AAAAAAAAKIY/GOAGwg8bJNQ/s1600/P1130610.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have booked a bus to
Inle Lake, to see a bit of a countryside. The 20 USD tickets didn't
really seem cheap, considering the fact, that we were driving an old
bus with no toilet and although we took our warmest clothes, the air
conditioning quickly turned it in into a moving fridge. Moreover, the
bus made only one single stop during 14 long hours. Trust me when I
say it (as I do have some considerable bus experience) it was not the
most pleasant drive. And if it wasn't enough we ended up coming at 4
o'clock in the morning only to find out all the hotels and
restaurants were closed, so that we had nothing else to do but to
walk around waiting for the sunrise.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
It was actually a very nice experience to see the entire village
waking up to life and the sunrise itself was worth staying awake too.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T3Zx2Vm9u0/UQj7Eev9RGI/AAAAAAAAKJA/TAmTXHme-lY/s1600/P1130725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T3Zx2Vm9u0/UQj7Eev9RGI/AAAAAAAAKJA/TAmTXHme-lY/s1600/P1130725.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiuPzKY7kOzJQNBgu0wx7YFGWSGHCmAduU5gjpEWXWM_gMW-EgHXtD0sEG59HRhKwg9sqcmXJVFVxy4zuM2gFDtbxxSgIA4XlPMyqC5UTEf7gnuGkdGzoxMTlkhR3bWeHrnxif0LorfI/s1600/P1130730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiuPzKY7kOzJQNBgu0wx7YFGWSGHCmAduU5gjpEWXWM_gMW-EgHXtD0sEG59HRhKwg9sqcmXJVFVxy4zuM2gFDtbxxSgIA4XlPMyqC5UTEf7gnuGkdGzoxMTlkhR3bWeHrnxif0LorfI/s1600/P1130730.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a reservatio</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n
in Teakwood Guesthouse, w</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hich remained the only accommodation
in Myanmar I have managed to book through an email. It seemed quite
expensive too, but since we were coming early in the morning, we
decided we would have some time to check the situation and change a
hotel if we manage to find something better. We didn't. We met some
people who had no reservations yet and they spent quite some time
looking for an available room, ending up paying over 40 USD for
places that were not even worth a quarter of this price. We were
really glad we did the booking, especially that Teakwood turned out
to be a really lovely place run by an extremely friendly family, who
made us feel at home from the very first day of our stay.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It turns out, that even
though our guidebook was published in 2012 the prices included in it
are no longer up to date. They actually doubled or in some cases even
tripled over the last twelve months. One lady actually offered us a
tiny wooden cupboard in the middle of a garage, with nothing but a
wooden bench in it and expected to get 45 USD for it. We didn't know
if we should laugh or cry. More and more tourists are coming to the
country and since there are simply not enough places to stay, the
hotels can rise their prices to a ridiculous level and still get
fully booked. At least so far, as I'm pretty sure this strategy will
not work well in long term. We were not the only ones shocked by the
local price level. How can it be that in a country where a teacher is
supposed to earn around 70 USD a month I am asked to pay 40-60 USD
for a night in a shabby room and should then pay another 10 USD for a
taxi to the nearby bus station? It just doesn't seem right. And it
gets only worse when you think what kind of standard you could get
for this price in the neighboring Thailand.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all Inle Lake
turned out to be the biggest disappointment of our trip for many
different reasons. We were hoping to get some rest in a nice
countryside, but ended up in the middle of in the touristic capital
of the region. The locals were totally outnumbered! Every second
building was a hotel and the rest was divided between restaurants and
tourist agencies, all offering the same expensive boat trips. It was
a nightmare. In our last attempt to escape this nasty place we
decided to rent a bike and get off the bitten track. I do not know if
local bikes were simply not made for people of our size or if we were
just too late and all the good bikes were gone, but we ended up
riding over 30 km on bikes, that were half the necessary size. It was
a nice experience, though a little painful one. But it did not really
allow us to see much of the countryside neither. Even when we left
the village, the road was still full of Coca Cola stands and souvenir
shops. Only the guesthouses disappeared to make place for Spa &
Welness Resorts. But the people we met on the way were as friendly as
ever. Even though they had all the right to be fed up with tourist,
they were still smiling and waving, as if we were the first
foreigners they have seen in weeks.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorq23tLaygb2jWgrVKFDMdFoHE9QE9kQM6rMbqRN3rP6fCIsdXMSlQx5B_jkuDwwE0tnomrhEtlOphTgTSvjryoGtZTFn-pb0SvMfvPw3kc8L0o9Yw_sXf3AyGufLVJabxKBJs7DjJAU/s1600/P1130806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorq23tLaygb2jWgrVKFDMdFoHE9QE9kQM6rMbqRN3rP6fCIsdXMSlQx5B_jkuDwwE0tnomrhEtlOphTgTSvjryoGtZTFn-pb0SvMfvPw3kc8L0o9Yw_sXf3AyGufLVJabxKBJs7DjJAU/s1600/P1130806.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHUpexPHg-E/UQj7pR5K9eI/AAAAAAAAKKI/o_q2UEM_Hco/s1600/P1130817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHUpexPHg-E/UQj7pR5K9eI/AAAAAAAAKKI/o_q2UEM_Hco/s1600/P1130817.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs77VL7s_wIPaG9tr4YoQ_sseHKyRLtZ-PQJrVLqWTd5zzmUqFmej7J5hExLhyphenhyphenu9Lna87sexzBbngvpe93ci1_JPSv66GxWvNYLErhJRsf0seLzgNkvaJAq97YksQVUSrietF7zuTiN8/s1600/P1130823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs77VL7s_wIPaG9tr4YoQ_sseHKyRLtZ-PQJrVLqWTd5zzmUqFmej7J5hExLhyphenhyphenu9Lna87sexzBbngvpe93ci1_JPSv66GxWvNYLErhJRsf0seLzgNkvaJAq97YksQVUSrietF7zuTiN8/s1600/P1130823.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do believe we simply
came a bit too late. We met people who visited Myanmar 2 or 3 years
before and could not recognize it. They came back to see the “hidden
treasure” but ended up shortening their trip not to ruin their
budget and previous impressions of the country. Some also claimed we
came too early. The place is only opening now and the tourist
industry is simply not ready yet to handle all the people wanting to
come here. But that is definitely going to change. The only question
is, will it really do Myanmar good? Well, the time will show, but I'm
afraid the “hidden treasure”, the way people could see it few
years ago, is irrevocably lost.</span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-30545015596635534152013-01-16T02:42:00.000-08:002013-01-30T02:44:28.873-08:00The city that never sleeps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Coming
home for Christmas was definitely a good idea. We finally had some
time for our families, but also for ourselves, a few days in an
environment that was well known and safe, without huge adventures,
but with lots of fun and extra tasty (and familiar!) food. A moment
to cool down and sort out the memories and impressions crowding
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">inside</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> our heads. It
felt good to be home. Writing the blog turned out to be a great idea
too! I was surprised how many people actually did read it regularly.
Thanks to that we didn't have to try to sum up the whole story and
repeat it over and over again, but could focus on particular
questions or details, that our friends were interested in. And it
proved to me, that I am not wasting my time completely, writing it
all down :)</span><br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
all good things come to an end, to make place for new adventures. We
have made a general plan, found flight tickets that would not ruin
our budget completely and decided to spend the next 10 weeks
traveling through Southeast Asia, trying to see as much as we can
without making it all too stressful. Since the flight to Bangkok was
the cheapest one, we decided to begin our journey in Thailand, hoping
for an easy start.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
have to say I don't really like flying and try to avoid it whenever I
can. Every time I have to go to Poland I am deliberately choosing a
20 hours bus ride instead of a plane. It's not that I would be
afraid, I just don't like it and since it's not really very
ecological, I have a good excuse not to do it unless it's really
unavoidable. This time it was. The flight was few times longer than
anything I have done so far, making me feel a bit uneasy, especially
after choosing Eastern China Airlines, which we never even heard of
before. Fortunately, we had no reason to worry or complain. The
service was perfect and the plane was so nice and clean, that it felt
like a high standard hotel. Even the food was good. It wasn't full
either, so we had enough space to sleep, but we have never really
made it that far, since we were too busy watching movies on demand,
checking all the titles we have missed the last 6 months. And the
food was pretty good too. Ten hours went by before I even noticed.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
only problem was, we had a small delay. We have managed to catch the
connecting flight in Shanghai, but our bags were not as lucky, which
left us standing at the Bangkok airport with empty hands, wearing our
winter clothes, which we needed in Europe before. The good news was,
the bags were not lost, simply delayed. The bad one, they reached
Bangkok a day latter then we did. Well, I had to do my first shopping
in Thailand a bit earlier than planned. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
believe that whether you like Bangkok or not, strongly depends on
what you've seen before coming here. I'm quite sure I would have
hated it a year ago. I would probably think it's a total mess and one
huge chaos. But the last 6 months changed my point of view
completely. Compared to the capital of Mongolia most cities seem
clean and well organized. And so did Bangkok. A perfectly
synchronized machine, making a constant pleasant noise. And compared
to Iranian drivers, the ones in Bangkok are civilized and extremely
careful. All in all I liked it a lot. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kCNOBfSP_r0/UPldPH5049I/AAAAAAAAKCk/HQGffbEDUbs/s1600/P1130394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kCNOBfSP_r0/UPldPH5049I/AAAAAAAAKCk/HQGffbEDUbs/s1600/P1130394.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9HUIM0k8AA/UPldK0zkOQI/AAAAAAAAKCI/xbSGRlij-x0/s1600/P1130382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9HUIM0k8AA/UPldK0zkOQI/AAAAAAAAKCI/xbSGRlij-x0/s1600/P1130382.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--U5EF53nJWU/UPlc7G6vEYI/AAAAAAAAKAs/ZzcRl2WItnc/s1600/P1130278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--U5EF53nJWU/UPlc7G6vEYI/AAAAAAAAKAs/ZzcRl2WItnc/s1600/P1130278.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
real shock was waiting for us in the touristic center of the city,
where we went to look for a hotel. Don't get me wrong, we were not
expecting to be alone there, but still, the number of tourists took
our breath away. The whole area was full with European people, that
were by far outnumbering the locals. I thought I have seen touristic
places before, but I guess they were not even close to what we
experienced here. But it was not really the quantity that was
worrying us. Quality seemed to be a bigger problem. I try to avoid
generalization and I know for sure there are quite a few cool people
traveling through the region, but it doesn't change the fact that a
huge group of tourist seems to come here only to get drunk or stoned
until they most probably don't even know where they are anymore. You
hear them screaming and fighting every evening, you see them lying
lifeless at the breakfast tables a day after and you quickly
understand why local people do not seem to be too happy about working
in tourism industry. It was honestly disgusting. Fortunately most of
those people hardly ever moved more than 500 meters away from their
hotel or favorite bar, so we could visit the rest of the city without
having to face them too often.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd6Qv0a3vTiVio5tI0PVZUABU-vpMRx0EPs2X47WxrGnjsaidKaW4830DPLKIr_h3EOu_U9EsdMrJ7B24Ry0Jm0UZ3Gv9z6FiaXlvbpnrtKn6NJ-CUgnyjRzkhZxBusmkrnJsB-LP0a4/s1600/P1130167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd6Qv0a3vTiVio5tI0PVZUABU-vpMRx0EPs2X47WxrGnjsaidKaW4830DPLKIr_h3EOu_U9EsdMrJ7B24Ry0Jm0UZ3Gv9z6FiaXlvbpnrtKn6NJ-CUgnyjRzkhZxBusmkrnJsB-LP0a4/s1600/P1130167.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46DwUQNhdlm7xUZuiXcYEChNKggkosAqeTuySTzwjMhG6LlXhgymRDBHbgBweYWMP5Sp7vyCb3D3ByeJEeq3wxVGhz9uJw8v46sqTxOcXSHkoUMOcaZyTz6KJjUEvx6QJI6Y0Cj-oU9I/s1600/P1130174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46DwUQNhdlm7xUZuiXcYEChNKggkosAqeTuySTzwjMhG6LlXhgymRDBHbgBweYWMP5Sp7vyCb3D3ByeJEeq3wxVGhz9uJw8v46sqTxOcXSHkoUMOcaZyTz6KJjUEvx6QJI6Y0Cj-oU9I/s1600/P1130174.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiOaUTEnwII/UPlc9l7XpDI/AAAAAAAAKA4/Kk-wqOvnnMk/s1600/P1130274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiOaUTEnwII/UPlc9l7XpDI/AAAAAAAAKA4/Kk-wqOvnnMk/s1600/P1130274.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XmTjEYf9SL0/UPldPOqSnmI/AAAAAAAAKCo/k8qANGaZKq8/s1600/P1130400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XmTjEYf9SL0/UPldPOqSnmI/AAAAAAAAKCo/k8qANGaZKq8/s1600/P1130400.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfPfDAKQB2FZ5jH1PMn2o7FvQI05nMsFGRcjqofL_2BpL-20Y6YDqPf3ZqC6Dt0p8R70UZBCXUStuC_b0L9k7VkLxn0HTkiGRhZyi6mKOGvvP7a7e-QjOlhbWx_Tr3WslS_p_V0jkRj4/s1600/P1130476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfPfDAKQB2FZ5jH1PMn2o7FvQI05nMsFGRcjqofL_2BpL-20Y6YDqPf3ZqC6Dt0p8R70UZBCXUStuC_b0L9k7VkLxn0HTkiGRhZyi6mKOGvvP7a7e-QjOlhbWx_Tr3WslS_p_V0jkRj4/s1600/P1130476.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaWL2i_TAt2p_7hS4EYbfR5T5WFvPykzNfhbPoHTR-6D8wzLf2BB-sFR089YRkdxkjC-0LxFVN7eIJKjwMwB4ijVp41LfzPY0WDacB3QdE43v0EzyLYZE8EqSz2h04vnuAKFGXUNmcDc/s1600/P1130401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaWL2i_TAt2p_7hS4EYbfR5T5WFvPykzNfhbPoHTR-6D8wzLf2BB-sFR089YRkdxkjC-0LxFVN7eIJKjwMwB4ijVp41LfzPY0WDacB3QdE43v0EzyLYZE8EqSz2h04vnuAKFGXUNmcDc/s1600/P1130401.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Moving
around Bangkok is a tricky thing, as public transport is poorly
developed and traffic is huge. That is why we tried to do most
sightseeing by foot or taking the public boat for longer distances
(ticket costs less than 50 cent). It was a great idea, as in this way
we were able to get to the parts of the city not many tourists visit.
We even managed to have a whole temple to ourselves once, which I
would never consider possible, taking under account how many tourist
come here in high season. I guess we were really lucky. We took a
public boat early in the morning to see the sunrise on the river. We
got out at the Wat Arun to make a few pictures, though we knew that
the place didn't open for the next two hours or so. There was even a
big sign with official opening hours, so we didn't bother to ask. But
suddenly a guy holding a bunch of keys appeared next to us, opened
the door and pointed us to the ticket office. A minute later we were
climbing endless and really steep steps to get to the top of the
temple, all alone in one of the most popular tourist attractions in
the city. It was amazing! And I was really glad there was no one
around, cause climbing those huge steps was one thing, but getting
down again, was the harder part of the task. I managed to keep my
vertigo under control, but it took some time and would certainly be
much more difficult with hundreds of other people jumping around. But
the view from the top was certainly worth the trouble.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2aS-N4gEpn_VnjeEn1xdrhNXNXkN5pguSxYGYI1L3NuLloShD-ebbZSSoF8f12b9LhM8DGObmlzH1yzI27yk0lbLEqd58HY1HwjOBuwN0Mxde1POpK38BpYhhFANumhT0wEfsV5D2BY/s1600/P1130209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2aS-N4gEpn_VnjeEn1xdrhNXNXkN5pguSxYGYI1L3NuLloShD-ebbZSSoF8f12b9LhM8DGObmlzH1yzI27yk0lbLEqd58HY1HwjOBuwN0Mxde1POpK38BpYhhFANumhT0wEfsV5D2BY/s1600/P1130209.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh0XNXx07PA/UPldJbiiCuI/AAAAAAAAKB8/qMvU-MktFwI/s1600/P1130367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh0XNXx07PA/UPldJbiiCuI/AAAAAAAAKB8/qMvU-MktFwI/s1600/P1130367.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68jmVzigUmxcehD7omAYG1hjqNTklDvCO2U6_RBTgKRWOkjMwwD_seJkdsqGFS1P2_vw4rUwg3in7HgAhU5gjBKh-PjGLEMOOPkhyphenhyphenTUE4Amng-K4l8XIf3PFsLkC0RMgVJ7LPGIOOPuY/s1600/P1130361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68jmVzigUmxcehD7omAYG1hjqNTklDvCO2U6_RBTgKRWOkjMwwD_seJkdsqGFS1P2_vw4rUwg3in7HgAhU5gjBKh-PjGLEMOOPkhyphenhyphenTUE4Amng-K4l8XIf3PFsLkC0RMgVJ7LPGIOOPuY/s1600/P1130361.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bangkok
seems to be busy at any time of a day and the city really has an
unique atmosphere, which even thousands of tourist didn't manage to
destroy yet. And it is so totally different than anything we have
seen on our journey so far. The culture, architecture, even the food,
it's a different world, a world full of shiny gold temples and
intensive smells, where colorful tuk-tuks are fighting their way
through the streets. If the rest of Thailand is equally fascinating,
I can hardly wait to explore it! But we have to postpone it a bit.
Two weeks exactly, as we already booked plane tickets for Myanmar, a
country we wanted to visit for quite some time now. </span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-24801719389522382252012-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:002013-01-18T07:08:23.234-08:00Karossi reactivation<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
first thing we wanted to do after we got to Ankara was finding our
car. We headed to the official Volkswagen center, but unfortunately,
it wasn't there. It took some time and a few phone calls to find out,
that the truck got stuck shortly before the city, because of some
technical problems, but the car would be there tomorrow. And so it
was. Unfortunately the truck came to late and was stopped from
entering the city (they are not allowed to drive through during the
day), so we had to make a round trip to collect the car and get it to
the right place, using Gerrit's car and our towing experience again.
And the place was right indeed. I do not believe we could have put
Karossi in any better hands.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Shortly
after arrival we have met <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Eren</span>,
another member of the VW club, who not only speaks perfect English,
but also knows T3 Syncros by heart. He has repaired and rebuilt his
own car so often, that I guess he could do it in sleep now. He took
us to Mustafa, the best VW specialist in town. He is actually
specializing in Beetles, but can repair Transporters just as well,
which we were happy to witness. The garage was a simple place, no
high tech toys or expensive gadget, but a few guys who liked old cars
and had fun bringing them back to life. However, the diagnosis stayed
the same, we had to open the engine and exchange quite a few parts.
We were stuck in Ankara for at least a week.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X8rMZWZm6qk/UObjeKkXZKI/AAAAAAAAJy4/XnsTGKFL-qQ/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X8rMZWZm6qk/UObjeKkXZKI/AAAAAAAAJy4/XnsTGKFL-qQ/s200/Image00002.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ0eoCxgrZE/UObjxumhPgI/AAAAAAAAJzg/tN9E4I_58gM/s1600/Image00008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MZ0eoCxgrZE/UObjxumhPgI/AAAAAAAAJzg/tN9E4I_58gM/s200/Image00008.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7m3b7mx4FMLxfaiPy9aOc0-iiNgOZhUsX89EnyEjXhQlunZd55f9hCMhb3OMFLGoE1cjh-8us721-eXMIwFYLg6arLhyphenhyphenFZEsYZ-xnMqpZDvGN-PQZQlASiqRebltzHCLBqHzb7cbKx0/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7m3b7mx4FMLxfaiPy9aOc0-iiNgOZhUsX89EnyEjXhQlunZd55f9hCMhb3OMFLGoE1cjh-8us721-eXMIwFYLg6arLhyphenhyphenFZEsYZ-xnMqpZDvGN-PQZQlASiqRebltzHCLBqHzb7cbKx0/s200/Image00004.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
will not lie to you, we did not have the time of our lives in Ankara.
All days were pretty much the same. We were going to the garage after
breakfast and coming back in the evening to get some dinner. We had
fun and enjoyed the time we spent with Mustafa and his friends, but
we would rather have Karossi running again to get on the road and see
the rest of the country. I felt especially useless, as there was not
much I could actually do. Guys were running all over the place,
helping with parts and tools, while I was spending long hours in
Mustafa's room, writing our blog, organizing pictures and reading
books.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ankara
is quite a nice place, but it doesn't really have that much to offer
for tourists. It does have some nice restaurants and cinemas playing
movies in original tone, but apart from that it is just another big
city. But we had a friend who helped us communicate and organize
everything, a specialist, who knew how to fix our car and all the
spare parts we needed, so we had no reason to complain. And we even
had some time for sightseeing, since the garage was closed on Sunday.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bDHhU0cWXGM/UObjo4R9TQI/AAAAAAAAJzI/jAMeIl2AkzA/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bDHhU0cWXGM/UObjo4R9TQI/AAAAAAAAJzI/jAMeIl2AkzA/s200/Image00005.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5gJ_JFsU7iGE3F8s_GfpUkwFVy6NOaL_N7McQhT2I15A_ti14TPAokxN6a3AOdjQ8daYSWeva5JgBbLGJDkOdzvW79_t6R1hq5M48TKRj2zP5RmBZgtdHzW9gkeW20zP44NSS6jyYRE/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5gJ_JFsU7iGE3F8s_GfpUkwFVy6NOaL_N7McQhT2I15A_ti14TPAokxN6a3AOdjQ8daYSWeva5JgBbLGJDkOdzvW79_t6R1hq5M48TKRj2zP5RmBZgtdHzW9gkeW20zP44NSS6jyYRE/s200/Image00006.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASYJECyElMY/UObjWj-tcsI/AAAAAAAAJyo/dqJU7CV3TBU/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ASYJECyElMY/UObjWj-tcsI/AAAAAAAAJyo/dqJU7CV3TBU/s200/Image00001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Monday
was supposed to be the big day. The engine was nearly complete and
all we had to do was to get it back in the car and pray it would
work. It turned out to be quite a challenge, as the engine was not
really willing to move anywhere, especially not back to where it
belonged. But the guys didn't leave it much choice. I guess we all
stopped breathing for a moment when Mustafa turned the keys to start
the car. But Karossi responded instantly, sending huge clouds of
black and white smoke and plenty of dust into the air. And he sounded
good again. Everything seemed fine, apart from the fact, that the oil
lamp was blinking like crazy. Something was still wrong, but since it
was late, we decided to leave it till tomorrow.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were not in the best moods when we came back next day. But when we
arrived, we saw Karossi running again, no lamp blinking. Mustafa told
us he had a sleepless night and stayed awake to analyze everything
until he got to the conclusion, that everything had to be all right
and the only explanation would be, that the oil sensor got broken on
the way. It turned out he was right again. We did a test drive, then
another one and when everything seemed OK, we left for Istanbul not
to loose any additional day. You can imagine we were a bit
oversensitive on the way, checking oil and water every hundred
kilometers and listening carefully to every single noise our car
made. But everything looked fine. We were loosing a bit oil, but not
enough to start worrying seriously and Eren already organized a
garage in Istanbul, which agreed to check everything again, just to
make sure it's still fine. We were back on the road!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yMgl-LwWnOM/UObjydfh_XI/AAAAAAAAJzk/Ny4ZsLR7RS0/s1600/Image00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yMgl-LwWnOM/UObjydfh_XI/AAAAAAAAJzk/Ny4ZsLR7RS0/s200/Image00009.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qzjo7ezIN0I/UObj3p4uobI/AAAAAAAAJzw/AfHpDZ-gqMM/s1600/Image00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qzjo7ezIN0I/UObj3p4uobI/AAAAAAAAJzw/AfHpDZ-gqMM/s200/Image00010.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8aVuWpQRouM/UObj5N8PXZI/AAAAAAAAJz4/axkBTGrnm4s/s1600/Image00011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8aVuWpQRouM/UObj5N8PXZI/AAAAAAAAJz4/axkBTGrnm4s/s200/Image00011.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
have both been in Istanbul before and although we liked it a lot we
were not planning to stay for too long this time. Especially that
Christmas was getting closer and closer and we still had a long drive
home. We just wanted to have a nice walk through the city, visit the
places we liked best the last time and save the rest of time and
money for the big bazaar. We had some second thoughts about it, but
when we noticed, that the entrance fees for most sites are around 15
Euro we gave it up for good and decided, we would rather invest this
money in a nice backgammon set, since Hafez has definitely managed to
get us addicted to this game.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39pH4o5lIm4/UObkV9SUxkI/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/lQibMgtxv1I/s1600/Image00022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39pH4o5lIm4/UObkV9SUxkI/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/lQibMgtxv1I/s200/Image00022.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRtPWzjgsXc/UObkB2VAXUI/AAAAAAAAJ0Q/053PzsSrjv4/s1600/Image00014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kRtPWzjgsXc/UObkB2VAXUI/AAAAAAAAJ0Q/053PzsSrjv4/s200/Image00014.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB4hUEGv8nw/UObkDd3c98I/AAAAAAAAJ0Y/KrNaOrd1MxQ/s1600/Image00015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB4hUEGv8nw/UObkDd3c98I/AAAAAAAAJ0Y/KrNaOrd1MxQ/s200/Image00015.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
the last night in Turkey we have chosen a small city called Edirne,
which proved to be a perfect choice. Though it was just a short stop
on our journey it allowed us to see the beauty of Islamic culture
once again. Its magnificent mosques looked especially pretty during
the night and the bustling bazaar was a perfect place for the last
minute shopping. When all the last presents and souvenirs were
bought, we were ready to go back home.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOocgN0JpDOndUV0XumMH5qVkZ0YkGPqH-YYXmB0X58gg2H9-TLi7vSsfoILMj6pUfpxleXazikKi4nz7JFVGlosKMCM5g82m3j4SVSDG_VbZfO0rKO4czw976YM0vLxxajew6yNiQndE/s1600/Image00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOocgN0JpDOndUV0XumMH5qVkZ0YkGPqH-YYXmB0X58gg2H9-TLi7vSsfoILMj6pUfpxleXazikKi4nz7JFVGlosKMCM5g82m3j4SVSDG_VbZfO0rKO4czw976YM0vLxxajew6yNiQndE/s200/Image00023.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DOwhmRmYtmY/UObkWZ3ok3I/AAAAAAAAJ1c/keWlwpnkC08/s1600/Image00024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DOwhmRmYtmY/UObkWZ3ok3I/AAAAAAAAJ1c/keWlwpnkC08/s200/Image00024.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLTwDnpsew0/UObkacmUY0I/AAAAAAAAJ1o/2XmbcbGF6R8/s1600/Image00025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLTwDnpsew0/UObkacmUY0I/AAAAAAAAJ1o/2XmbcbGF6R8/s200/Image00025.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
border formalities went pretty quickly and before we noticed we were
back in EU. I would love to tell you that European part of our
journey was just as nice and adventurous as the rest of it and as
interesting, as we originally planned it to be, but I'm afraid it
would not be quite true. We tried to make the best of it, but our
time was limited, it was raining all the time and we desperately
wanted to get back home before Christmas. So we were basically
driving from one capital to another, trying to do some sightseeing in
the evening, before we would go to sleep to recover and be able to
drive another long hours the next day. It was a pity, but we decided
we will visit those countries again as soon as possible, as we are
sure they have a lot to offer, especially in sprig or summer time.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjs6eT3AGtYk3BWogGHDQcy0ackeTPi-v2ZhNaVmtZIj5oQ7QDWd2SwlfOTRDlIg9aDS-4_G7Y2fUjfA934EeSuH0rB4T5JIj9gtDH9vFMv4g9Y381XHcVfTA8CgFqBjtc4ivU6EpXco/s1600/Image00029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjs6eT3AGtYk3BWogGHDQcy0ackeTPi-v2ZhNaVmtZIj5oQ7QDWd2SwlfOTRDlIg9aDS-4_G7Y2fUjfA934EeSuH0rB4T5JIj9gtDH9vFMv4g9Y381XHcVfTA8CgFqBjtc4ivU6EpXco/s200/Image00029.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzDrr9q-Yq8-ziZnZCBd4WDyyUs4F2dX0teGZk_g-BBj-zWkUkIpNBIVwt7-EAM_jkBGpFeLKYng4hSGOYzEY9V1AcMEXNEYSFpQ7ScO644Ao4cRIE5xdh82NgzhGAQw_Kkm5WKWXKXw/s1600/Image00035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzDrr9q-Yq8-ziZnZCBd4WDyyUs4F2dX0teGZk_g-BBj-zWkUkIpNBIVwt7-EAM_jkBGpFeLKYng4hSGOYzEY9V1AcMEXNEYSFpQ7ScO644Ao4cRIE5xdh82NgzhGAQw_Kkm5WKWXKXw/s200/Image00035.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3iLmkOF0ZTU/UObkyJqdQrI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/-uneX9glXBs/s1600/Image00039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3iLmkOF0ZTU/UObkyJqdQrI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/-uneX9glXBs/s200/Image00039.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
the most important thing is, that Karossi is running well again. He
managed to get us home on time, without any troubles on the way,
driving across half of Europe. And all that with his summer tires
on...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
was not easy to leave him behind, but I'm sure he will enjoy his
rest, parked in a nice garage until we come to collect him next
spring to get him back home, to Karlsruhe. And for us the journey
continues. After a short break spent with our families we are packing
our bags again to get all the way down to South East Asia, for the
next 10 fascinating weeks. </span>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-11767552100382901982012-12-10T06:47:00.000-08:002013-01-18T06:58:04.906-08:00Back to the stone age<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Turkey
is an extraordinary land. They seem to have everything there. They
have seas and mountains, sun and snow, modern cities as well as
ancient ruins. And above all, they still have really amazing
landscape. Make a wish and simply choose the right direction and
you'll find what you're looking for. Our direction was clear, we had
to meet up with Karossi in Ankara, making the best of our route,
getting to see both, the nature and the history. It wasn't a big
challenge. Ancient sites are not exactly hard to find there, as they
seem to be spread all over the map of Turkey. And so are the most
picturesque nature spots. All we had to do is stop the car in the
right moments.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
weather was perfect. There was no sign of snow on the roads and the
days were sunny, although a bit chilly. We decided to check how it
looks like in the higher regions of the country and headed for the
Nemrut Dagi, an amazing volcanic crater. The road was pretty curvy
and bumpy, but the view from the top was definitely worth the ride.
Everything was covered with fresh snow and once again, we were the
only people around. We decided to take advantage of it by making a
round trip through all the small lakes. It was stunning.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBh6nhQH9y6G1ktX0A4ZRSx8uQuF69CIuALwgmklaQ2xYJ1fwLs1r0vGKi8a7DGSwCpqtuCMvSLBJy31n7P546NL_E8IJrQ18sG02J1zEPdNmgxKOkI_HbUwKzCaXNmLvlXM1CZViYC4/s1600/Image00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBh6nhQH9y6G1ktX0A4ZRSx8uQuF69CIuALwgmklaQ2xYJ1fwLs1r0vGKi8a7DGSwCpqtuCMvSLBJy31n7P546NL_E8IJrQ18sG02J1zEPdNmgxKOkI_HbUwKzCaXNmLvlXM1CZViYC4/s1600/Image00010.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mdTRWEATBQ/UMW6IHgcutI/AAAAAAAAJsc/ioJJoP5KENg/s1600/Image00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mdTRWEATBQ/UMW6IHgcutI/AAAAAAAAJsc/ioJJoP5KENg/s1600/Image00009.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVBapLSQrifYxNwkBBAV2djNQrKIHHnpf6ArvLXxfxVOfVpJbu0x0m388Y3mn5mFzP2F-pgiYpUFC0v8h3BIZGJbNLtUUeba-FJXn6oPAmacwERZAlBJ1BDGdYP6z5aXd8IyosNW3QzI/s1600/Image00012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVBapLSQrifYxNwkBBAV2djNQrKIHHnpf6ArvLXxfxVOfVpJbu0x0m388Y3mn5mFzP2F-pgiYpUFC0v8h3BIZGJbNLtUUeba-FJXn6oPAmacwERZAlBJ1BDGdYP6z5aXd8IyosNW3QzI/s1600/Image00012.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were not really in a hurry, so we decided to enjoy the ride and check
out all the historical places we could find on our way. We were
climbing to the temples and tombs, watching monuments and carvings,
driving through ancient bridges, which were still strong enough to
hold the car packed with 3 people and all our baggage. I have to say
I was impressed.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-glbdXznB6KM/UMW7gLMydrI/AAAAAAAAJtQ/txltwPpmYH0/s1600/Image00016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-glbdXznB6KM/UMW7gLMydrI/AAAAAAAAJtQ/txltwPpmYH0/s1600/Image00016.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1q1lTU6STIhU3KcPGzzXM2u7A11Bst7ahCECTgHTj7kBoxeI9S1MQA1f3YtFPvJOAtNM-zbQ2AaYD4UiXX2a8uyPMFEfDVddlWQuQoQzogwECIzibXnoFzS4maFl1RUMHFaxuwAnK4g/s1600/Image00019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1q1lTU6STIhU3KcPGzzXM2u7A11Bst7ahCECTgHTj7kBoxeI9S1MQA1f3YtFPvJOAtNM-zbQ2AaYD4UiXX2a8uyPMFEfDVddlWQuQoQzogwECIzibXnoFzS4maFl1RUMHFaxuwAnK4g/s1600/Image00019.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpq8tGxQM5Q/UMW730WGKiI/AAAAAAAAJtw/CO8MAbHxXDI/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpq8tGxQM5Q/UMW730WGKiI/AAAAAAAAJtw/CO8MAbHxXDI/s1600/Image00020.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since
it was getting dark pretty early, we were spending evenings in
different cities enjoying fantastic local food and very good beer. It
is hard to just go and drink a beer in Turkey. Pubs, the way we know
them are not easy to find in many places. And normally, when you
order a drink you will additionally be presented with a hole
assortment of food. You will get fresh fruits, vegetable sticks, nuts
and delicious sweets. But often you may get even more... I have
already heard a few stories about how people went to get a drink in
different places in Central Asia and ended running away from a lap
dance or even more direct offers, but I always believed they were
simply choosing the wrong places. One evening I had the chance to see
how it works myself.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
entered a nice looking restaurant, with live music and good food. It
was recommended by a friend we met earlier that day. He was a nice
guy and the place looked good too, so I was not expecting anything
unusual. Only David had his doubts. But the place was full with girls
of different ages, dressed casually and looking nothing like top
models, so I though he was a bit oversensitive. And the live music
was nice too. The lights went out, people were singing and dancing
and before we noticed we were also standing in the middle of the
place, trying to learn some traditional Turkish dances. Only then did
I notice that the nice girls, who even introduced themselves to us,
are somehow going from table to table, either being sent away or
instantly landing in the arms of a guy sitting there. Some couples
were also disappearing quickly, only to come back separately a moment
after. After a while we had no doubts, we ended up in a brothel.
Moreover, we were actually having good time there. The best moment
came together with a policeman. Suddenly someone shouted something
and the whole places turned into a chaos. We were totally surprised
and had no idea what's up until someone told us “police, no
problem”. In less than a minute all cigarettes and ashtrays were
gone (it turned out it was a non smoking place), the air was sprayed
to cover the smell and all girls changed tables, looking as if they
came there with a group of friends, totally innocent. And there we
were, sitting in a corner of a brothel, laughing so hard we could
hardly breathe.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">With
this valuable new experience and few memories we will probably never
share with anyone else we continued our journey. Kilometer by
kilometer, stone by stone we were getting closer to the expected
highlight of our trip, Cappadocia</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were told it is the most touristic place in the entire country and I
can tell you, it was not an overstatement. We were traveling way out
of season and have hardly seen any foreign tourists so far. Hotels
were nearly empty and the room prices were a real bargain. But we
quickly found out, it would be slightly different this time. We were
heading to Göreme, the most famous of all Cappadocian villages and
the closer we were getting the more huge tourist buses were passing
us by. To get to the center we had to drive next to the most popular
open air museum, where we could really understand what we're up
against. There were lines of buses trying to find a place to park,
letting hundreds of people in and out without a break. They all
looked like one huge colorful river. No wonder that the first few
hotels we tried were fully booked. But we were told not to worry, as
it was low season and there are not so many tourist in the city. If
that's not so many, then I guess I don't want to know how the place
looks during the peak season...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
true enough we managed to find a nice accommodation without much
trouble. Every second building was a hotel and the rates were
actually reasonable, so we decided to allow ourselves some real
luxury. We have booked The Flinstones Cave Hotel, which was supposed
to serve the best breakfast in the area (and it did!). But it was
actually offering much more. The room was a cave, cut into the face
of the rock. But it was far from stone age standards. We had a king
size bed and a huge bathroom with shower and jacuzzi. We felt a bit
out of place remembering the nights we spend in a lousy hostel
dormitory or crappy soviet hotel. I don't even want to know how much
a room like this would have cost in a high season or in Western
Europe. I was glad it fit our budget and enjoyed every minute we
spent there. Though, fortunately or unfortunately, Cappadocia had so
much to offer, that we spent most of the time outside. The place is
simply stunningly beautiful. It's more wonderful than I could have
ever imagined. No matter how full and touristic it gets it is
absolutely fantastic and incomparable with anything else I have seen
so far. For me it was love from first sight.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IEsCXibGOd4/UMW8VFwC-PI/AAAAAAAAJuw/sziANXL2KAg/s1600/Image00028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IEsCXibGOd4/UMW8VFwC-PI/AAAAAAAAJuw/sziANXL2KAg/s1600/Image00028.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-aw8vbRGjo/UMW-RXHcPeI/AAAAAAAAJvg/o8mymPt-NQ4/s1600/Image00032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-aw8vbRGjo/UMW-RXHcPeI/AAAAAAAAJvg/o8mymPt-NQ4/s1600/Image00032.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-plX9AlqYbOw/UMW95JBaJyI/AAAAAAAAJu8/dkErONebU9E/s1600/Image00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-plX9AlqYbOw/UMW95JBaJyI/AAAAAAAAJu8/dkErONebU9E/s1600/Image00030.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
decided to start the trip by visiting the open air museum, which is
mostly famous for the well preserved cave churches. We went there
early in the morning, hopping to avoid crowds, but it didn't really
work out. I believe this place is simply always full. So if you want
to enter any of the churches or other buildings you have to wait your
turn. But it goes pretty quickly, as there are special workers, who
make sure no group stays inside for longer than 3 minutes. It makes
you fell a bit like a small bottle on a factory line, being moved
with all the other bottles form one station to another in precisely
described periods of time. Shortly said, it was disgusting. But the
place was magnificent anyway. Only that after a while we gave up
entering the buildings and focused on the breathtaking scenery.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ErvW8oHteUs/UMW8Q8L55xI/AAAAAAAAJuo/lFST8xbXM20/s1600/Image00027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ErvW8oHteUs/UMW8Q8L55xI/AAAAAAAAJuo/lFST8xbXM20/s1600/Image00027.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2r_se865TQVlXWodvHFCojHAPvF0NfR5EHzQx1pUkroKCu6_NsOvqni_kRrc0fKEk6vy36ewK8KXLTNf0MAa9uKNMiYSuzgzYLsqalDRCgTkrwzJlZ8HTdsPt3S2-WYRUiKPikoI6EQ/s1600/Image00026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2r_se865TQVlXWodvHFCojHAPvF0NfR5EHzQx1pUkroKCu6_NsOvqni_kRrc0fKEk6vy36ewK8KXLTNf0MAa9uKNMiYSuzgzYLsqalDRCgTkrwzJlZ8HTdsPt3S2-WYRUiKPikoI6EQ/s1600/Image00026.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3pK49ApkyemSup9fZEfmRPp1SIswxAeDdKRWoXq8J5vKuxjbNYpjbtMTO_JFK_XQa4AtbkPPdXcPZr0unosmmUxyJrLSveqg1MXlvGtxn7YqtA_8ca2xJ7KVL-XeUhBrvRcTXs3v1LU/s1600/Image00037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3pK49ApkyemSup9fZEfmRPp1SIswxAeDdKRWoXq8J5vKuxjbNYpjbtMTO_JFK_XQa4AtbkPPdXcPZr0unosmmUxyJrLSveqg1MXlvGtxn7YqtA_8ca2xJ7KVL-XeUhBrvRcTXs3v1LU/s1600/Image00037.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
guess the best word to describe the Cappadocia is “impressive”.
Before we came there I was expecting to see a few caves and some nice
ancient buildings. But the place is enormous and full of stones
turned into palaces, churches, homes or anything else you may
imagine. There are even entire underground cities, with common
spaces, food storages and their own water supply systems. It is
absolutely unbelievable. So even if it is “a bit packed” and food
prices are way higher than anywhere else, it is still definitely
worth a visit!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUAvQ8KNsxo/UMW-O3UeBmI/AAAAAAAAJvQ/TuaylUDvGoY/s1600/Image00034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUAvQ8KNsxo/UMW-O3UeBmI/AAAAAAAAJvQ/TuaylUDvGoY/s1600/Image00034.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi267vZqnuC0NAVPFgFNJL7U5ZAPxr5U0mum9qITdkIyeUpAxPpTKsuxp4jbciXda8nUsb28qi9IWq-1dsUfRbMmCVLKaY8I1pSN3iWP8U_XyzplJXqNWn9NkNBhrFdWWGxkA_6dGUmzM0/s1600/Image00033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi267vZqnuC0NAVPFgFNJL7U5ZAPxr5U0mum9qITdkIyeUpAxPpTKsuxp4jbciXda8nUsb28qi9IWq-1dsUfRbMmCVLKaY8I1pSN3iWP8U_XyzplJXqNWn9NkNBhrFdWWGxkA_6dGUmzM0/s1600/Image00033.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V87zQpux0go/UMW-giIvTSI/AAAAAAAAJv0/pKCn_0DYTzM/s1600/Image00036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V87zQpux0go/UMW-giIvTSI/AAAAAAAAJv0/pKCn_0DYTzM/s1600/Image00036.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-53308670072424209052012-12-05T14:40:00.000-08:002013-01-07T14:43:59.811-08:00Misery loves company<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything
seemed perfect. Karossi was back on the road and Europe was getting
closer with every hour of the drive. Unfortunately, our joy didn't
last long. We haven't even made it till Van, our first goal right
after the Turkish border, when Karossi started making some really
scary noises and began to loose oil faster than we could refill it.
We were stuck again. This time on a quiet and deserted fuel station,
in the middle of the mountains, where the temperature were somewhere
below freezing. Help was on the way though! Gerrit, who seemed to be
getting experienced in saving our lives, was only one day behind us.
The situation was not hopeless yet.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately
we were in a Muslim country, where people are famous not only for
their hospitality, but also creativity. Before we noticed someone
organized tea and warm food and heating was turned on in a nearby
praying room. Such rooms can be often seen along the highway, those
are usually small spaces with a carpet on the floor and few praying
utensils lying around. But for one night, right after the evening
prayer it became a bedroom for two. Sleeping there was a bit weird to
be honest, but since the only alternative was a unheated, nearly
frozen car, we decided to go for it. But how do you behave while
sleeping in a praying room? Should you put your head direction Mecca?
Or the feet maybe? Should you keep your headscarf on? I still haven't
found the answers to all this questions, but we slept well anyway.
And the next day we took our beloved towing rope out once again and
hang it at the back of Gerrit's car, ready to be dragged for a
countless number of kilometers, trying to stay warm in the unheated
car, that was for some reason still letting the freezing winter air
in. We have gathered some significant experience in those matters,
but somehow it still wasn't my favorite way of traveling.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
were all completely run down when we reached Van, so we stayed in the
first hotel we managed to find. Tomorrow the whole car fixing
procedure would start again. We had no idea where to begin with and
we soon found out that communicating in English would not get us far.
We definitely needed help. A short internet research led us to a
site, which changed our Turkisch adventure for good. When we were
posting our question on <a href="http://www.volkswagen-t3.com/">http://www.volkswagen-t3.com</a>
we were not having any high hopes. We described our problem shortly
before going to bed, hoping that maybe someone would give us an
address or a telephone number we could try for a start. We couldn't
believe our eyes when we checked the page the next morning. There was
a whole list of new posts and T3 fans from all over Turkey were
getting involved to help us solve our problems. Altug, one of the fan
club members from Istanbul called us early in the morning and the
plan was made. After breakfast we would meet with Enver, a member
form Van, who would take us to his mechanic to see what went wrong.
And so we did.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
have to make a short pause here, as there is one small, but very
important detail, that is certainly worth some attention. The
breakfast. In Van breakfast is not just a meal. It's a piece of art!
For around 4 Euro per person your table turns into all you can eat
and drink buffet, filled with fried eggs, olives, different kinds of
cheese and meat, amazing honey dishes and vegetables of all sorts. No
matter how hard the day ahead may seem, after such a delicious start
all problems look only half as hard and scary.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0l03N7Cn3BM/UMW5SgmDiMI/AAAAAAAAJrY/uQaFJvLVX40/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0l03N7Cn3BM/UMW5SgmDiMI/AAAAAAAAJrY/uQaFJvLVX40/s200/Image00001.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgeuwm0xRuc/UMW5TroRYlI/AAAAAAAAJrc/ZFTaYnUMETs/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgeuwm0xRuc/UMW5TroRYlI/AAAAAAAAJrc/ZFTaYnUMETs/s200/Image00002.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMehDxyNZj8/UMW5TrNvmAI/AAAAAAAAJrg/dv9hTT3M2fA/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMehDxyNZj8/UMW5TrNvmAI/AAAAAAAAJrg/dv9hTT3M2fA/s200/Image00003.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately,
our problems were still pretty serious. The mechanic heard the noises
only for a few seconds before he knew, what was wrong. We would have
to take the engine out and exchange quite a few parts. However, it
made no sense to do it in Van, as we would have a lot of trouble
finding all the parts and tools we needed. Going to Ankara was the
only reasonable solution. Enver started working on this task
immediately. We needed to transport Karossi through half of Turkey,
the land with highest fuel prices in the world, without ruining our
budget. We decided to check it with ADAC, our insurer, to see if we
can count on them for any support. Unfortunately, they normally do
not cover anything more than 150km and we needed around 1000 km more.
Anyway, they told us they need an opinion from the official VW garage
to provide us with any help in the first place. We considered it a
waste of time, but decided to do it anyway, since the garage was not
far and we didn't know what kind of help may still be necessary.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once
again a few seconds were enough to clear the situation and the
previous diagnosis was confirmed. We needed parts and a T3
specialist, and Ankara was the place to go. Though they had a very
professional garage in Van, with some really good mechanics, they
were specializing in the newest models and had too little experience
with old cars like ours to risk doing the job. But they wanted to
help us anyway. Few phone calls were made, information were
exchanged, meanwhile Enver joined us again to help clarify the
matters in Turkish language and before we noticed we were presented
with a solution, better than anything we could have expected. In a
few days a truck filled with new cars would come to Van. The cars
would stay there, but the truck, nearly empty, would be driving back
to the capital, ready to transport Karossi all the way for a standard
flat rate of around 120 Euro. Knowing the fuel prices in Turkey
(reaching sometimes above 2 Euro pro liter) we knew we could hardly
leave the town for this amount of money, so we accepted it without
thinking twice. Moreover, when the garage called our insurance
company to clarify the matters ADAC agreed to cover all the costs. We
had a plan again.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only
one question remained. What would we do in a meantime. The VW garage
told us we only need to leave them the key and the copy of the car
documents and they would take care of everything else. We knew we
would most certainly get stuck in Ankara for a couple of days anyway,
so we didn't want to waste any additional time. We still wanted to
see the country and have some fun before we would get stuck in one
place again. The decision was made quickly. We packed our stuff in no
time and threw it into Gerrit's car. For the coming week we would
travel together in his Toyota. It would allow us to do some serious
sightseeing and help him reduce the exorbitant fuel prices. We took
off immediately. </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECXxHSatBhw/UMW5kEx35QI/AAAAAAAAJr4/j-37R837ZPI/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECXxHSatBhw/UMW5kEx35QI/AAAAAAAAJr4/j-37R837ZPI/s200/Image00005.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JKT0s1cdprU/UMW5WyXIPiI/AAAAAAAAJrw/0n5byhCwtyM/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JKT0s1cdprU/UMW5WyXIPiI/AAAAAAAAJrw/0n5byhCwtyM/s200/Image00004.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PpdPpf6tQ34/UMW5kBhkvuI/AAAAAAAAJr8/ISmi1klddrg/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PpdPpf6tQ34/UMW5kBhkvuI/AAAAAAAAJr8/ISmi1klddrg/s200/Image00006.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-58353884557489206472012-11-26T14:39:00.000-08:002013-01-06T14:45:25.766-08:00Kashan, the city to get stuck in<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Desert
climate suited us well. The nights were a bit chilly, but the warm
sunny days were making up for everything else. Having such wetter at
the end of November was more luck than we were hoping for. We decided
to stick to it and continue our journey towards the sandy parts of
Iran.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
have made Kashan our next stop. This small city near Qom doesn't
really look very impressive. Judging at the first glance, you could
come to a conclusion, that apart form the city walls, which are
slowly falling apart, the place has rather little to offer.
Fortunately, it's far from the truth. Hidden in the middle of the old
town, behind ordinary, unimpressive entrances are the “historical
houses”, masterpieces of Iranian architecture. Each of them
represents a slightly different style and is decorated in its own
special way. And though it's really hard to spot th<span style="font-size: small;">em
from the outside, some of them are huge, with labyrinths of rooms and
staircases, making you run up and down, trying to find all the
interesting chambers. Moreover, some of them have quite big (and
really pretty) gardens. And though I loved all of them a lot, my
personal favorite was the historical bathhouses, not only for its
style and decorations, but mostly for its extraordinary roof with a
wonderful view over the city.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtXz86TuEnU_CuhmKI_QZ8YOTqKnGJS4Ud1Wb58Jk1YaemM6UtrI2Tst5y-8Va9HZriPr8K3W-yqeickP3Ln84PKN3_cVBFfgBDDimiqgDrC1KDB8oP8_sOO_zuHGJlyaME1Q9axn7Xg/s1600/Image00024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtXz86TuEnU_CuhmKI_QZ8YOTqKnGJS4Ud1Wb58Jk1YaemM6UtrI2Tst5y-8Va9HZriPr8K3W-yqeickP3Ln84PKN3_cVBFfgBDDimiqgDrC1KDB8oP8_sOO_zuHGJlyaME1Q9axn7Xg/s200/Image00024.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gYUAKD_tQ/UL7iCNl4hpI/AAAAAAAAJlQ/lnMHBAKE2VY/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gYUAKD_tQ/UL7iCNl4hpI/AAAAAAAAJlQ/lnMHBAKE2VY/s200/Image00020.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga-40bWxQuLJraVAO40fpDKzl19UQSQbuVxo4lcCLKT_FU25ID7_v17cWnmQoX4NbDHNRwT05hOPEspdyIaBgREAp0uItZY_ZNXiSEa6SSfNIJDTqmCTdB5f2ULZbteB0x33JkLX0olM/s1600/Image00028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga-40bWxQuLJraVAO40fpDKzl19UQSQbuVxo4lcCLKT_FU25ID7_v17cWnmQoX4NbDHNRwT05hOPEspdyIaBgREAp0uItZY_ZNXiSEa6SSfNIJDTqmCTdB5f2ULZbteB0x33JkLX0olM/s200/Image00028.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qY3JO6MrK8o/UL7iL_YeFBI/AAAAAAAAJmE/9x_jS2k7LqQ/s1600/Image00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qY3JO6MrK8o/UL7iL_YeFBI/AAAAAAAAJmE/9x_jS2k7LqQ/s200/Image00030.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPyPRZzRFVc/UL7iCy1LnwI/AAAAAAAAJlU/xWlWgGrLqQ4/s1600/Image00021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QPyPRZzRFVc/UL7iCy1LnwI/AAAAAAAAJlU/xWlWgGrLqQ4/s200/Image00021.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R0dhdUTH2l0/UL7iC-DjE8I/AAAAAAAAJlY/aPBbFXnq6fo/s1600/Image00022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R0dhdUTH2l0/UL7iC-DjE8I/AAAAAAAAJlY/aPBbFXnq6fo/s200/Image00022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
liked it all so much, that when we noticed that </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US">Khan-e
Ehsan Historical Guest House</span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
is actually offering an accommodation in such a historical building,
we didn't really hesitate long. The place was absolutely amazing and
its atmosphere was even better. Back then we didn't even know how
much more the place really has to offer and what a lovely time we
will have there. But that was also the time when we still thought, we
would be occupying this magnificent room only for one day...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJSGCNLzio2YQNKqVQeCoI5VNUWvLo7hcek7viyhi_0-sFTPE1T1nCWvimccZz3_UakXvU3793Y-LWJYKST7x5DZYVYvfnFcRtbR-FF7zcfEJlB9UIdQNEZMLhBODHXByzZUb-0EZ3eM/s1600/Image00047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJSGCNLzio2YQNKqVQeCoI5VNUWvLo7hcek7viyhi_0-sFTPE1T1nCWvimccZz3_UakXvU3793Y-LWJYKST7x5DZYVYvfnFcRtbR-FF7zcfEJlB9UIdQNEZMLhBODHXByzZUb-0EZ3eM/s200/Image00047.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fE2XlssFjHi3rBObbZzhhXJiM8hNYLETMnpnvQeO3QUeHmSzT2z2OQaxDWs5CiZW3GJw1HtMdI-XF3ImkklXWFUlFKjj0I6kd49l3v4Q8qT47bcPUbTzRecKDFYLd2TS4MTrVbrFyIU/s1600/Image00042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fE2XlssFjHi3rBObbZzhhXJiM8hNYLETMnpnvQeO3QUeHmSzT2z2OQaxDWs5CiZW3GJw1HtMdI-XF3ImkklXWFUlFKjj0I6kd49l3v4Q8qT47bcPUbTzRecKDFYLd2TS4MTrVbrFyIU/s200/Image00042.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoIHrfc3-h8/UL7imGAL4UI/AAAAAAAAJoQ/UQnLllyXKv4/s1600/Image00049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoIHrfc3-h8/UL7imGAL4UI/AAAAAAAAJoQ/UQnLllyXKv4/s200/Image00049.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
plan for the next day was clear, we wanted to get to the desert.
There was a salt lake and sand dunes about 100km form the city, so we
decided to drive there early in the morning and continue our journey
west afterwards. We still had a week to spend in Iran and we wanted
to make the best of it. We got used to Iranian roads, which apart
from all the dangers awaiting you there, were in quite good
condition. But suddenly we were back to Mongolian standards, so that
getting there took us a bit more time than we thought. The place,
which according to our map and travel guide was supposed to be a
village turned out to be a lonely caravanserai with one single
inhabitant. Apart from that it seemed to be just us and the desert.
And the desert was amazing! It didn't look impressive at first, just
a few hills of sand, but the view changed dramatically as soon as we
decided to climb one of them. It was absolutely breathtaking, a huge
ocean of sand with no people or buildings in sight. It was stunningly
beautiful!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9aLQRSPG4UVVR4KbM_XgKIyPrHncHfH-qkTkGkXdL1Xae5_4b1QZTKVfmI8LMPPd-NGCBrT61NhhO4IGNYP1AWufwo1g5J-PNZW4-_IIMUseZJ5Jdzq_IAAaPX1SodzK4gHliNefg_Y/s1600/Image00031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9aLQRSPG4UVVR4KbM_XgKIyPrHncHfH-qkTkGkXdL1Xae5_4b1QZTKVfmI8LMPPd-NGCBrT61NhhO4IGNYP1AWufwo1g5J-PNZW4-_IIMUseZJ5Jdzq_IAAaPX1SodzK4gHliNefg_Y/s200/Image00031.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bhA299vnm8w/UL7iOTIS71I/AAAAAAAAJmU/2M88-S_xLGU/s1600/Image00033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bhA299vnm8w/UL7iOTIS71I/AAAAAAAAJmU/2M88-S_xLGU/s200/Image00033.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pO8frQhajkc/UL7iQVPKmpI/AAAAAAAAJmg/VCHVU0xOzgU/s1600/Image00035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pO8frQhajkc/UL7iQVPKmpI/AAAAAAAAJmg/VCHVU0xOzgU/s200/Image00035.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
we got tired of all this sand (and it did took us a while) we drove
towards the salt lake. We were told it's the best time to visit it,
but we didn't really know what to expect. Water? White surfaces? I
can tell you what we did not expect, huge areas filled with white
crystals shimmering in the sun, but that's exactly what we got. And
it looked wonderful. And the best thing was, it was just as deserted
as the desert itself. No one around, so we could finally forget about
the rules and dress code and just enjoy the day. We loved it. And
just then, we have made up our minds, we wanted to go back home
earlier than planned. Back there, in this marvelous scenery, having
the time of our lives, we decided we miss home! We knew the weather
will be getting worse the moment we start driving west and the fuel
will get extremely expensive after crossing the border, so we wanted
to take the shortest way home, seeing only the things we really
wanted to see, hoping to be back in Europe before winter really kicks
off. Unfortunately, it seemed Karossi had a different plan...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were driving back to the main road, making plans for the next few
days. Gerrit was driving ahead. We decided to part our ways for some
time, as he wanted to visit Tehran, a city we decided to skip.
Everything was perfectly fine, until suddenly our car started slowing
down till it stopped completely. We had no idea what was happening.
We checked all the possible reasons, but everything seemed fine.
Apart from the fact, that the car would not start. No noises, no
strange movements, nothing at all. Karossi simply went on strike. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were stuck in the middle of the desert. Gerrit was too far to be seen
and our mobile phone had no network access. We have seen only two
cars for the entire day, so we could not really count on a quick
rescue action. Our only hope was that Gerrit would notice that we
stayed behind, before he hits the road to the capital. But the hope
wasn't big since he already told us, he wanted to drive a bit faster
to make it before the night comes. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were standing in the middle of a deserted road, trying to find
anything wrong about our car. I had the feeling we have checked
everything we could have thought about at least 3 times, but
honestly, there was not much else we could do. We knew there was no
one around, so looking for help was as pointless as trying to get our
mobile to work. But then we heard a truck. It was close to a miracle,
as we haven't seen a single car for hours now. We shortly explain (or
rather demonstrated) what the problem was and let the driver check
all the obvious things for the fourth time. He was driving in an
opposite direction, but promised to take us with him on his way back,
if we wouldn't find any other solution till then. Waiting an hour or
two was definitely a better idea than a lonely night in a desert in a
broken car, so we gladly accepted his offer. But suddenlyy we heard a
familiar noise, a noise we were no longer hoping to hear that day.
Gerrit was coming back! He was waiting for us at the crossroad,
thinking we were just taking our time, or maybe even made a small
stop to enjoy the sunset. He already wanted to hit the road to
Tehran, but changed his mind in the last moment and decided to check
what's up. And trust me, we were glad he did. We took the tow line,
that had saved our lives a few times already and let Gerrit drag us
back to Kashan.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Driving
in Iran is an extreme experience. But absolutely nothing compares to
towing or being towed through a city center. We were extra careful
and had all the possible lights on, blinking like a christmas tree,
but that seemed only to encourage others to act like total maniacs.
Drivers were trying to drive between our two cars, pedestrians were
trying to jump over the line while we were driving, even policeman
seemed not to understand the idea of two cars joined with a rope. It
was a nightmare and I still can not believe, that we managed to
survive this circus without a scratch. But we made it!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There
was nothing else we could do, but to check in into our marvelous
hotel again an try to get the car fixed as soon as possible. We knew
it will not be an easy job, as Volkswagen is practically unknown in
this country. Finding a mechanic, who has already seen a car like
this would be a challenge, but getting the necessary parts would be
nearly impossible. But we had to give it a try anyway. For a few days
we were trying different garages, exchanging all the parts we had
with us and trying to get the car to work again. Without much
success. I believe we would be going crazy quite quickly, if it
wasn't for all the wonderful people we were surrounded with. Gerrit
decided to put off his visit in Tehran instantly, announcing that
he's going nowhere until we get Karossi back to life. Fortunately, we
were not alone with this task. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
hotel turned out to be a meeting point for many young Iranians, who
were gathering there regularly, talking, eating and playing games.
That is how we met Hafez and his friends. I have no idea what we
would have done without them, but I guess we would be getting pretty
desperate soon. Hafez and Nader were spending most of their day
trying to help us fix the car and most of their evening teaching us
how to play backgammon and savour Iranian culture. Unfortunately, at
least the first few days the second task was bringing much better
results. Karossi seemed to be perfectly well, if it wasn't for the
fact, that he just didn't want to start. We were already loosing hope
and trying to organize a car transport to Turkey when Hafez and Nader
suggested trying another garage. We already had 3 different people
checking our car, but since it didn't really cost much in Iran we
decided to give it a try. So the whole fun started from the beginning
and we were dividing our time between garage and our hotel, where we
were playing, talking and cooking together.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnxwtYOc3aw9fKTOshfhMJXDexXg2jEgw0xy19f4uMar_ayps8_iNIOk0r2vwHYt1CUc2gpsglDCKTxWn3UcmptFX5rtXjf3TWAHDq2s0NFHMQuFkAaRhyphenhyphengDTiXznQgOC97FuvPxXnGw/s1600/Image00043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnxwtYOc3aw9fKTOshfhMJXDexXg2jEgw0xy19f4uMar_ayps8_iNIOk0r2vwHYt1CUc2gpsglDCKTxWn3UcmptFX5rtXjf3TWAHDq2s0NFHMQuFkAaRhyphenhyphengDTiXznQgOC97FuvPxXnGw/s200/Image00043.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4uFFOpUOgNA/UL7ilrH_x_I/AAAAAAAAJoI/jLHJTfcB188/s1600/Image00048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4uFFOpUOgNA/UL7ilrH_x_I/AAAAAAAAJoI/jLHJTfcB188/s200/Image00048.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--E-V7uTQmlQ/UL7iivZaW5I/AAAAAAAAJnw/aQZFGiL-SfQ/s1600/Image00044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--E-V7uTQmlQ/UL7iivZaW5I/AAAAAAAAJnw/aQZFGiL-SfQ/s200/Image00044.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
atmosphere in Iran during those days was not really helping us stay
optimistic. The whole country was preparing for the coming holidays,
two days of mourning for the martyrdom and tragic death of the third
Imam. The scale of those celebrations and the preparations itself are
hard to imagine, unless you have ever experienced it yourself. Entire
cities are decorated, streets are full of black and green flags,
every wall is covered with paintings of the Imam or his death, all
people are wearing black and putting special stickers and paintings
on their cars. Moreover, the water in all city fountains is turned
dark red to imitate human blood and people are gathering together to
whip their own backs as a sign of remorse. And this all accompanied
by a mourning songs coming from all minarets for quite a few hours
every single day.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLkZt_5PYOpMM0n-vp3l-E0pc0tbqy4theNRQBC7QQ4UIohBIgdwU-mjpox2VLvZ6CJVt8FLmtQkJ264kOSmkXwEoLqZ5lFGrlVyOTFvVjrr-rEgtv2Ux-avA2BWcjAgff3IDUHOlsxU/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLkZt_5PYOpMM0n-vp3l-E0pc0tbqy4theNRQBC7QQ4UIohBIgdwU-mjpox2VLvZ6CJVt8FLmtQkJ264kOSmkXwEoLqZ5lFGrlVyOTFvVjrr-rEgtv2Ux-avA2BWcjAgff3IDUHOlsxU/s200/Image00001.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF8V9nbyHAimRy_1TeZ9RGU8S0_tgvkhgPFNdOxQnqN24Cm1ZV6oeBjLfZg6MJWLRSjnKq93TrUes1ztjDVFg7yVpQty9JKSCUqHajZTM-GruoHvG3lLPYg55Fg7BoYRVgciSjLVubhs/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF8V9nbyHAimRy_1TeZ9RGU8S0_tgvkhgPFNdOxQnqN24Cm1ZV6oeBjLfZg6MJWLRSjnKq93TrUes1ztjDVFg7yVpQty9JKSCUqHajZTM-GruoHvG3lLPYg55Fg7BoYRVgciSjLVubhs/s200/Image00003.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oLvn3qHFlT8UppbX05BVWJw-5mZYq6vpXZKp3SUyUk_yJG093z9YXMWwP0rK-P_WafMvKrgZeFk1tiT1qdnrVYX0fIJOXdyDRoMU6YNuk8UtLlqqadVoh2SICE6dyTD9Lgy25ffP7Tg/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oLvn3qHFlT8UppbX05BVWJw-5mZYq6vpXZKp3SUyUk_yJG093z9YXMWwP0rK-P_WafMvKrgZeFk1tiT1qdnrVYX0fIJOXdyDRoMU6YNuk8UtLlqqadVoh2SICE6dyTD9Lgy25ffP7Tg/s200/Image00002.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
a day before the apex of the celebrations were supposed to start,
Karossi came back to life. It turned out all the problems were caused
by a broken catalytic converter that totally stuck our exhaust
system. Once discovered, the problem was quickly removed and we were
finally able to get back on the road. There was no time for
additional sightseeing, we wanted to drive the shortest way to the
Turkish border, to cross it before our visas expire and to be back
home before Christmas.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKfQna7AEoIIfWQzQyRCQfSh0rhO3qE1V3olriClbGJkqh72nDVOHdiU0WcaXMDS0xE_VfJoH2SINdzqD2-vjCa5SrOy_Lk8ZvNUfmqn5HxtHStHrf_8Rj8AUrM94mwLfpKlUMr3B12M/s1600/Image00045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKfQna7AEoIIfWQzQyRCQfSh0rhO3qE1V3olriClbGJkqh72nDVOHdiU0WcaXMDS0xE_VfJoH2SINdzqD2-vjCa5SrOy_Lk8ZvNUfmqn5HxtHStHrf_8Rj8AUrM94mwLfpKlUMr3B12M/s200/Image00045.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-15402093793624825842012-11-21T13:13:00.000-08:002013-01-05T13:21:47.569-08:00Into the desert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a huge fan of
mud-brick cities. I find them absolutely fantastic! I just love
walking along narrow streets, surrounded by all those brown,
untreated walls. I already loved Bukhara in Uzbekistan and I found
Yazd, with its unique architecture, even more fascinating. I
especially admired the famous badgirs (wind catchers in English),
skyrocketing constructions directing the cool air-drafts from the
outside into the buildings below. They made the city look even more
amazing. But the best thing about Yazd were the inhabitants. After
our bad experiences in Shiraz everything went back to normal, once
again people were inviting us for tea, asking how we liked Iran and
if there was anything they could help us with. Traveling felt great
again.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wmNzPZ4jiJDRx3X3aqT2zwDSFPCGzJH_S24-Qr-h4iUHBrVYkqoTnPvm4vMoIklfMardDNAqQ8LVLsN5GhnedkUl5SP1yr83xrh8Y3mJypOUmYGiHn3r4W6eELOoOh1fjDrx-7EDHJk/s1600/Image00036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wmNzPZ4jiJDRx3X3aqT2zwDSFPCGzJH_S24-Qr-h4iUHBrVYkqoTnPvm4vMoIklfMardDNAqQ8LVLsN5GhnedkUl5SP1yr83xrh8Y3mJypOUmYGiHn3r4W6eELOoOh1fjDrx-7EDHJk/s200/Image00036.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9Cll7_q2eU/UKaD39p6e9I/AAAAAAAAJe8/muSMRUliQbQ/s1600/Image00043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9Cll7_q2eU/UKaD39p6e9I/AAAAAAAAJe8/muSMRUliQbQ/s200/Image00043.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2jUitKOc3S0/UKaEC1C5I0I/AAAAAAAAJfU/xSC0x6uGmSA/s1600/Image00046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2jUitKOc3S0/UKaEC1C5I0I/AAAAAAAAJfU/xSC0x6uGmSA/s200/Image00046.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moreover, we have managed
to retain our high accommodation standards by checking in at the Silk
Road Hotel, one of the nicest places we have been to so far. And we
had a chance to find out how it feels like to sleep in a real
mud-brick house. It was great! And the hotel restaurant served some
of the best Iranian dishes we have tried so far, including my new
personal favorite, the tomato-egg plant stew. Egg plant never really
was my favorite ingredient, at least not until we came to Iran. Here
we discovered how many awesome dishes can be made with this one
simple vegetable, so that I started to wonder, how we could have ever
cooked without it. But I guess it will not be the only change in our
kitchen habits after this journey. But no worries, our cooking will
remain mutton-free. For sure! I believe we had enough of mutton meat
for the rest of our lives.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're are both not really
museum freaks, but we definitely didn't want to miss the water museum
in Yazd. The building itself was one of the nicest we have seen and
the exhibition hit the top score of our entire journey (though I have
to admit the competition wasn't really overwhelming). It gave us the
chance to understand and admire the complicated underground water
systems still existing in many Iranian cities, being used not only as
a water supply, but also as food storage and chill out location
during the hot summer. The idea was simple, the goal was to transport
water from the mountains to the cities below through a network of
tunnels. However building such a system and directing water
effectively, without complicated measurements systems and high-tech
tools is a bit more complicated. Nevertheless, the method exists for
over 2000 years now and some cities still rely on it, so I guess it
has to work somehow.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpfnENp1PoQliaT6uSv2dVdro6dENvCzXNuS8skjqdXsf2zmuEJDl_mMe1JBKcAAXAZdqWLQ04MBNvre12b1BC3CukH06ALVt0GRazOXtw_6UzuGt8P5G1Cphu1UcUuFUgd3NlvtI_RA/s1600/Image00035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpfnENp1PoQliaT6uSv2dVdro6dENvCzXNuS8skjqdXsf2zmuEJDl_mMe1JBKcAAXAZdqWLQ04MBNvre12b1BC3CukH06ALVt0GRazOXtw_6UzuGt8P5G1Cphu1UcUuFUgd3NlvtI_RA/s200/Image00035.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpeRjlIAiF8/UKaDRhyoL7I/AAAAAAAAJd0/5OwHIJ9ZjRY/s1600/Image00034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpeRjlIAiF8/UKaDRhyoL7I/AAAAAAAAJd0/5OwHIJ9ZjRY/s200/Image00034.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlpY8vJ5IiyyfCjsklF-dcwoYYu4Mb1ZtsgpdNqim3wIHQ0-zje9cjPthdDzgvYDyDHNnNa0UpnhHYWr6j8V9vUPiUUmQBqgt4qJ4q8USGqIq_jaRPFqHH0EFN2TNKQVUZeI4qnTdw_Q/s1600/Image00033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlpY8vJ5IiyyfCjsklF-dcwoYYu4Mb1ZtsgpdNqim3wIHQ0-zje9cjPthdDzgvYDyDHNnNa0UpnhHYWr6j8V9vUPiUUmQBqgt4qJ4q8USGqIq_jaRPFqHH0EFN2TNKQVUZeI4qnTdw_Q/s200/Image00033.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a chance to check
it in practice in the ancient city of Kharanaq, which we decided to
visit a day after. Once again we felt like real explorers, visiting
mosques with a torchlight and climbing shaking minarets without
stairs (and they are shaking, indeed!). And we were able to walk on
the roofs too, though we were careful about it after we heard, that
one of them broke under some tourists recently. But the views were
worth the risk!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tO7Bzzyayyg/UL7htLsfn7I/AAAAAAAAJjo/UgVcrvshF84/s1600/Image00007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tO7Bzzyayyg/UL7htLsfn7I/AAAAAAAAJjo/UgVcrvshF84/s200/Image00007.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhinzEdsxbE/UL7hvdeEi8I/AAAAAAAAJj0/nnkWQNOIpvY/s1600/Image00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhinzEdsxbE/UL7hvdeEi8I/AAAAAAAAJj0/nnkWQNOIpvY/s200/Image00009.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-jJLDCwm-o1aSruqWK3RhKWNSEzTy5pGq9nc9It-_YoezY1Fu9X6O6FU2a1XmhIpioLSPRHc5jjJvWKedVA-gUJfSGbb1rXT_N0wsrwNnZtFQ2-TYYsdz7EwS1bymznfJupycMTk5f4/s1600/Image00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-jJLDCwm-o1aSruqWK3RhKWNSEzTy5pGq9nc9It-_YoezY1Fu9X6O6FU2a1XmhIpioLSPRHc5jjJvWKedVA-gUJfSGbb1rXT_N0wsrwNnZtFQ2-TYYsdz7EwS1bymznfJupycMTk5f4/s200/Image00010.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is one more thing
making Yazd a special place to visit, it is a center of Zoroastrian
culture. Though little known, it is one of the oldest religions and
you may meet a lot of its believers while traveling through Iran. And
in this specific region you may also see some examples of their
culture and architecture. We have decided to visit the towers of
silence, as well as Chak-Chak, the Zoroastrian holy site. And thanks
to the nice people we have met on our way, we managed to learn a bit
more about the traditions, beliefs and their everyday life as a
minority in the Islamic Republic. As for the last one, it does not
really seem too easy. Hardly any of them goes around boasting about
their religion, even if they are officially free to practice it. But
they still have to follow common rules and laws, which have hardly
anything to do with their own beliefs. The emotional life can get
complicated too. It is unthinkable for an Muslim to abandon his or
her religion or to marry a person of a different faith. But living
together without marriage in Iran can get you in a lot of trouble,
too. Quite a few couples are currently in this no-win situation,
leaving them few options, but to emigrate and legalize the
relationship in some other country, knowing that they may not be able
to come back home ever again... </span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmF6zGez0I-JNVBMsJOeEDEkPEgE4ie85d1yEposLikXijWF5RNPLi5GhJCxUyZTqzGiOBld2FZMDTTyBLORseLrzcPVigchQYfK9AGcGj8HwWBcPf1i89iSZXZoee3izh6bkRn54RfI/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmF6zGez0I-JNVBMsJOeEDEkPEgE4ie85d1yEposLikXijWF5RNPLi5GhJCxUyZTqzGiOBld2FZMDTTyBLORseLrzcPVigchQYfK9AGcGj8HwWBcPf1i89iSZXZoee3izh6bkRn54RfI/s200/Image00003.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-gsJIYD6jiosEm8Jt-RWvqABZ1zKiBOw0c4-H6cm3ao0MH4gcZ4PdpS0TLdD-5Mrg_OnAnDhuQpk2cdOr_iXeei7y0__FUxaziGOPoF47osRHXnU1WQgsLXI64F1rAWzw6hy1aeu8Y/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJi-gsJIYD6jiosEm8Jt-RWvqABZ1zKiBOw0c4-H6cm3ao0MH4gcZ4PdpS0TLdD-5Mrg_OnAnDhuQpk2cdOr_iXeei7y0__FUxaziGOPoF47osRHXnU1WQgsLXI64F1rAWzw6hy1aeu8Y/s200/Image00001.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-KZK1mjQ64/UL7hq7cHcpI/AAAAAAAAJjU/N1xEfW_bVok/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-KZK1mjQ64/UL7hq7cHcpI/AAAAAAAAJjU/N1xEfW_bVok/s200/Image00005.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YH5hS7b3-to/UL7h4--EhWI/AAAAAAAAJkw/-yN8WSV3kBE/s1600/Image00015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YH5hS7b3-to/UL7h4--EhWI/AAAAAAAAJkw/-yN8WSV3kBE/s200/Image00015.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihraPY10w_j8_Vnp6aB4LA2gqxcRYVKmyepnOgL-XfOVZpxr9_OGVSovlJhEM_jC8O1EIa7FBOoomM84dvGOs2ZCp-3xtEChWOidQBh7_3kaR_6P_-6MYs65iCVcR-Z01tJQUE5nbm-Y/s1600/Image00013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihraPY10w_j8_Vnp6aB4LA2gqxcRYVKmyepnOgL-XfOVZpxr9_OGVSovlJhEM_jC8O1EIa7FBOoomM84dvGOs2ZCp-3xtEChWOidQBh7_3kaR_6P_-6MYs65iCVcR-Z01tJQUE5nbm-Y/s200/Image00013.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGqDH0mPKG6dAh0uzMgWT1u5HHNYpgD2Ur6TguM5kDBYSH8HdNk70e2O1ZHWOE2gk4vkPGx_zaf6A1J6hAyDNt6Tq1cqhY7qux6e__aLLm9qb_XlvshH4cg1NdKgFyVsETDJU5eNAQzE/s1600/Image00014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGqDH0mPKG6dAh0uzMgWT1u5HHNYpgD2Ur6TguM5kDBYSH8HdNk70e2O1ZHWOE2gk4vkPGx_zaf6A1J6hAyDNt6Tq1cqhY7qux6e__aLLm9qb_XlvshH4cg1NdKgFyVsETDJU5eNAQzE/s200/Image00014.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-17248330370647606182012-11-19T03:28:00.000-08:002012-12-11T03:33:19.297-08:00Shiraz, as good as it gets?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaving
Esfahan was not an easy decision. It was one of the nicest cities we
have ever visited and we wouldn't mind staying there a bit longer.
But since our visas were only valid for 30 days and we have suddenly
noticed, that Christmas is no longer as far away as we thought, we
decided to hit the road again. Especially that our next stop was
supposed to be the famous Shiraz. The city is known for its beautiful
gardens, perfectly educated doctors and most of all, the hospitality
of its people, which exceeds the already high Iranian standards. It
sounded promising.</span><br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
first surprise was the weather. It was no longer warm and sunny, it
was hot and burning, making me appreciate Iranian dress code even
less than before. But it also made all the gardens in the city look
absolutely amazing, with plants and flowers blooming everywhere we
looked. The city itself was a small disappointment though, as it
looked more like a soviet built area rather than “</span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="en-US">one
of the oldest provinces of ancient Persia“. Just another big,
modern city, with a few old buildings hidden in different parts of a
town. But as far as we're concerned, those buildings were definitely
worth looking for. And as big as the city was, all tourist were
heading in the same direction anyway, so we soon saw some familiar
faces. We joined forces with two German friends we have already met
in Baku and decided to explore the city together.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ukozA8U3hGY/UKaA8QYbYRI/AAAAAAAAJY0/8sWQvC6t5rw/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ukozA8U3hGY/UKaA8QYbYRI/AAAAAAAAJY0/8sWQvC6t5rw/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WScqbx3smZQ/UKaBnfIXn6I/AAAAAAAAJZ8/Af3gcaichvE/s1600/Image00011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WScqbx3smZQ/UKaBnfIXn6I/AAAAAAAAJZ8/Af3gcaichvE/s1600/Image00011.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xws5wzrFS2g/UKaBYzyvF4I/AAAAAAAAJZo/mGC7UrtMtOY/s1600/Image00008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xws5wzrFS2g/UKaBYzyvF4I/AAAAAAAAJZo/mGC7UrtMtOY/s1600/Image00008.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although
the weather was great and we were walking in a nice company, somehow
we did not enjoy it as much as we usually do. The city was missing an
atmosphere, that much was certain, but the people were different too.
For nearly two weeks everybody told us, Shiraz is the nicest and most
friendly city in Iran, but although we were trying hard, we could not
really share this opinion. The main street was full of people
hurrying in all directions, wanting to get to their destination as
quickly as possible, without paying much attention to other people in
their way. I was pushed and shoved every few minutes and I quickly
got the feeling, that some men were actually using the situation to
get way too close to me. Fortunately, things got better when we left
the main street, so that I even though I was just being a bit
oversensitive. And then we decided to visit a mosque. I had to use a
different entrance than the guys to borrow a chador (huge piece of
fabric, mostly black) to cover myself completely and though you can
borrow one at every holy place, for some reason I was refused one
this time. The women at the entrance didn't even bother to tell me
why. I was in no mood to argue, so I decided to wait outside, in the
middle of the covered bazaar. It felt like the main street all over
again, only even more rude, maybe because this time I was alone,
without any male protection. And the place wasn't even crowded. I
just wanted to run away as fast as possible and was more relieved
than ever when the guys finally came out of the mosque. I have made
up my mind, Shiraz is not a city for me. Maybe it wasn't fair, maybe
I was overreacting, but I just wanted to leave. There was so much we
could do and see in Iran, that it made no sense to stay in a city I
could not feel comfortable in. We discussed it briefly and decided to
leave early in the morning.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">It
didn't work out though. We woke up the next morning only to find out,
that someone broke into Gerrit's car, which was parked in front of
the hotel. They smashed a window to open the door and went through
all his belongings. They took his navigation and some of his tools,
but they also took his shoes, glasses, books and maps. Some of the
stuff would prove totally worthless for the thieves, but was very
valuable to Gerrit, which made it all even more frustrating. We have
called the police, but it took them forever to come and they didn't
really do much. They left after few minutes, without even writing a
report. There is a special tourist police in Iran, with
English-speaking officers, who are supposed to help foreigners with
all their problems. They are quite active in Esfahan, where they
actually came to introduce themselves and told us they would be happy
to help us with any issues, even if it's just calling a taxi. There
was such an office in Shiraz too, but it was closed the whole time we
were there. But then again we didn't really believe they could have
done much anyway. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Shiraz
was definitely not a fortunate city for us. Don't get me wrong, we
did meet some wonderful people there too and the city certainly has a
lot to offer, but I believe we just had no luck there. Fortunately,
it was the only unpleasant situation for us, not only in Iran, but on
our entire journey, so it remains a small exception, only confirming
the general rule, that people (and especially Iranians) are
absolutely awesome.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_9L1JG-Q8QM/UKaBWth5-0I/AAAAAAAAJZY/-JWAOUwe55w/s1600/Image00007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_9L1JG-Q8QM/UKaBWth5-0I/AAAAAAAAJZY/-JWAOUwe55w/s1600/Image00007.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIlah3wmuAU/UKaBWjSys5I/AAAAAAAAJZc/By_Dka9Y9SM/s1600/Image00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WIlah3wmuAU/UKaBWjSys5I/AAAAAAAAJZc/By_Dka9Y9SM/s1600/Image00009.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcLccK5hS4s/UKaB3FvTCRI/AAAAAAAAJaY/PXeee13mJDw/s1600/Image00013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcLccK5hS4s/UKaB3FvTCRI/AAAAAAAAJaY/PXeee13mJDw/s1600/Image00013.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But
one way or another, a trip to Iran would not be complete without
visiting the city and it's neighborhood, especially the ancient
Persepolis. I have to admit it really does make a huge impression,
even when you have to climb it in a burning sun, fighting with the
head scarf and dealing with a bad mood caused by previous events. The
site is terrific! And it is all astonishingly well preserved. I have
no idea how they manage to keep it this way and where they get the
money from, since the entrance fee was as nearly always in Iran, at
the level of 10 cents. I guess we have never invested our money
better than there. It certainly is the best place to understand what
a magnificent country ancient Persia used to be. At first we wanted
to make Persepolis our only stop, since we wanted to drive directly
to Yazd, but we loved it so much, that we decided to see all the
other ruins in the area too. I can tell you it was a good decision!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQ9sn0JkDlg/UKaCE2xQ8PI/AAAAAAAAJaw/tf55s8XTsXA/s1600/Image00017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQ9sn0JkDlg/UKaCE2xQ8PI/AAAAAAAAJaw/tf55s8XTsXA/s1600/Image00017.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5O1bFUyLCA/UKaCFsDtLgI/AAAAAAAAJa0/mo6hxlVd0T0/s1600/Image00016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5O1bFUyLCA/UKaCFsDtLgI/AAAAAAAAJa0/mo6hxlVd0T0/s1600/Image00016.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-64c89VQHyHE/UKaCcN5guAI/AAAAAAAAJb8/kWAVUEv_Lnw/s1600/Image00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-64c89VQHyHE/UKaCcN5guAI/AAAAAAAAJb8/kWAVUEv_Lnw/s1600/Image00023.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmQVphHuj3o/UKaCVCEFV3I/AAAAAAAAJbg/pBFlzJgqLes/s1600/Image00021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmQVphHuj3o/UKaCVCEFV3I/AAAAAAAAJbg/pBFlzJgqLes/s1600/Image00021.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DrwNGcD0hng/UKaCltVT6TI/AAAAAAAAJcI/jFsJvnTJOlM/s1600/Image00024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DrwNGcD0hng/UKaCltVT6TI/AAAAAAAAJcI/jFsJvnTJOlM/s1600/Image00024.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NT9AdBBSu0/UKaC2d9GI3I/AAAAAAAAJcw/K_bor5R-Vgs/s1600/Image00028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NT9AdBBSu0/UKaC2d9GI3I/AAAAAAAAJcw/K_bor5R-Vgs/s1600/Image00028.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-52474079394499122782012-11-16T01:30:00.000-08:002012-12-10T01:51:24.240-08:00Esfahan, my kind of town<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was really looking
forward to visit Esfahan, the most famous of all Iranian cities, the
center of Persian culture and architecture, but also the most
touristic place in the country. Our timing was quite lucky. First of
all, we were traveling out of season, which helped us avoid the mass
of tourists (both foreign and local) that are visiting this place
every year. But there was another coincidence, that turned out to be
even more fortunate. The exchange rate for dollars was higher than
ever, making our Iranian holidays extremely cheap. We especially
loved the fuel prices, which are ridiculously low in Iran, even
without a strong dollar. It really feels great to fill up your car,
paying 20 cent pro liter. Moreover, we could suddenly afford staying
in mid-range hotels, instead of always choosing the low-budget
options, allowing ourselves all the luxuries we were missing the last
few months. And the Hasht Behesht Hotel we found in Esfahan was the
top of our list. It was not even a room, but an entire apartment with
two rooms, a kitchen and a modern bathroom. And it was just a short
walk from the main square. And this all for 10 dollars a person, so
our moods were better than ever.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It didn't take us long to
fall in love with Esfahan. The city is simply marvelous. Magnificent
mosques, beautiful palaces with gardens, that were still blooming in
November and covered bazaar with all possible kinds of hand made
arts. It all looked amazing. We quickly decided we will need at least
three days to really see it all. The city definitely had a lot to
offer. However sightseeing in Iran is not an easy thing and it often
requires some serious logistic activities. Especially if you want to
visit a mosque. You have to consider the praying times, lunch breaks
(which may take up to 3 hours) and weekends (Thursday afternoon until
Friday evening). But the beauty of the buildings and the fact that
entrance fee is around 10 cents makes it all worth the trouble.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JH6EcUcSEL8/UKZ9_eyCEhI/AAAAAAAAJXU/AIbEm-ZCw6c/s1600/Image00039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JH6EcUcSEL8/UKZ9_eyCEhI/AAAAAAAAJXU/AIbEm-ZCw6c/s200/Image00039.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rJok1Hnl5_I/UKZ9V-06QaI/AAAAAAAAJW8/tlbnKYClE6c/s1600/Image00038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rJok1Hnl5_I/UKZ9V-06QaI/AAAAAAAAJW8/tlbnKYClE6c/s200/Image00038.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LNpzOeZZ0c/UKZ-DfpH0eI/AAAAAAAAJXc/ADOL3ZKM_P0/s1600/Image00041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6LNpzOeZZ0c/UKZ-DfpH0eI/AAAAAAAAJXc/ADOL3ZKM_P0/s200/Image00041.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there is one thing
that makes enjoying the city a bit harder, the carpet sellers.
Traveling out of season means the places are less crowded, but
unfortunately, it also means that all carpet sellers from the area
have nothing better to do than to focus all their efforts and
attention on you. And they know how to do their business. We could
hardly walk 10 meters around the main square without someone trying
to sell us a carpet. The only problem was, we did not really need or
want one, but that didn't seem to bother them at all. And the worst
thing was, none of them looked like a carpet seller at first. They
would all start a simple conversation, just wanting to know where
you're from and how you like Iran. They may give you some tips about
the city, recommend a restaurant, talk about politics and when the
ice is broken, they'll do what they can to drag you to their shop.
And they won't hesitate to play on your feelings, while staying as
nice and friendly as you can only imagine. The biggest problem is,
there are still quite a lot of people on the square, who really do
just want to have a small chat, exchange their views or practice
their language skills. And telling one from another is very hard if
not impossible. So you either risk a long discussion with a carpet
seller or missing an interesting conversation or even an invitation
from a friendly Iranian, with no bad intentions in his minds. We
decided we'd rather take the first risk and I have to admit it was a
fascinating experience. But we stayed hard and managed to leave the
city without any carpet, bag or other artifacts, especially because
the prices were twice as high as anywhere else in Iran.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXISMaQkBEw/UKZ7vJSr-eI/AAAAAAAAJVM/Ih3SvkkmNho/s1600/Image00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXISMaQkBEw/UKZ7vJSr-eI/AAAAAAAAJVM/Ih3SvkkmNho/s200/Image00023.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn8FQ9-Dpds/UKZ7hlVu7YI/AAAAAAAAJU8/UeiEeUgj5Xo/s1600/Image00022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn8FQ9-Dpds/UKZ7hlVu7YI/AAAAAAAAJU8/UeiEeUgj5Xo/s200/Image00022.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i7hEdRhI75WEsyEq8DyjX2vLW7KKdzZVSyR2Xc6-ZqRvWem1marLJeuRy8NL46oXg6YZy7i39p0ljJf7K7g6YXyEuvU3ILzOcVwsLOFRHSz-mfdQ6EuZpKX_kbwe-cWpsnJRsNFzsE4/s1600/Image00034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i7hEdRhI75WEsyEq8DyjX2vLW7KKdzZVSyR2Xc6-ZqRvWem1marLJeuRy8NL46oXg6YZy7i39p0ljJf7K7g6YXyEuvU3ILzOcVwsLOFRHSz-mfdQ6EuZpKX_kbwe-cWpsnJRsNFzsE4/s200/Image00034.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18Yku-K2rZs/UKZ7f8c94rI/AAAAAAAAJU0/OMS7TZu6Jeg/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18Yku-K2rZs/UKZ7f8c94rI/AAAAAAAAJU0/OMS7TZu6Jeg/s200/Image00020.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq75-VpVgkRD8CWzkyBluqU8N6TjL-oSToprJvyvTE7HQIHJ0dBtXgDMLMYMRKddd1I4hAEZo_pGpFHt2X7mOSDqxu6lM94f04gA-6KYR6CbavdPZmQmLfVR0jMBHsPieTpidfJI_d0k0/s1600/Image00031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq75-VpVgkRD8CWzkyBluqU8N6TjL-oSToprJvyvTE7HQIHJ0dBtXgDMLMYMRKddd1I4hAEZo_pGpFHt2X7mOSDqxu6lM94f04gA-6KYR6CbavdPZmQmLfVR0jMBHsPieTpidfJI_d0k0/s200/Image00031.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcxpvpw_ZZMxPSlgpf70uqLtb1kZX1E_zTZrCn9zTB5FG6JMtf61D5xTvNpHLJK74Ia3IldCMGQKK-ZTc-AqStP0LejmRqSbQG7H8ajZu-fEZoC5tk17CEGMs3Pb0ubHpmRacABC0Fr0/s1600/Image00019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcxpvpw_ZZMxPSlgpf70uqLtb1kZX1E_zTZrCn9zTB5FG6JMtf61D5xTvNpHLJK74Ia3IldCMGQKK-ZTc-AqStP0LejmRqSbQG7H8ajZu-fEZoC5tk17CEGMs3Pb0ubHpmRacABC0Fr0/s200/Image00019.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only place where you
can really walk free of carpet sellers are the mosques and museums.
But be aware, as you will most certainly come across the second of
Esfahan's most dangerous creatures, tourist guides. You can meet
them everywhere. They go around hunting for tourists that are not
attached to any group or bus. They're as stubborn as the carpet
sellers, but easier to recognize, so if the first question you hear
is: ”are you here with any group”, you know who stands in front of you. But that does not make getting rid of such a person any easier.
You may try to explain that you never visit any city with a guide and
that you really do not need one, but this has never really worked for
us. They just followed us without stopping to talk “But mister, do
you know in which year this paintings were done, do you know where
they got the colors from, do you know what all the symbols mean”.
Honestly, we did not know, but we didn't really care much neither.
The thing about big travels like ours is, that you nearly always see
much more than you can actually remember. After few months you are no
longer sure which cities you have been to and you keep mixing up the
names of most places you have visited. So at least in our case, we
were sure, that even if someone would tell us everything about each
and every single painting or building, we would forget most of it
even before leaving the city. And that's fine with us, as we are no
art experts. We just want to see the buildings and paintings and
judge ourselves whether we like them or not. We do not have to know
the history of every place. We'd rather check how it looks at sunset
and talk with people we meet there. Even if they turn out to be
carpet sellers.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz4iOlYitZQ/UKZ8Vx4ocHI/AAAAAAAAJV8/flXbcsgGHDI/s1600/Image00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz4iOlYitZQ/UKZ8Vx4ocHI/AAAAAAAAJV8/flXbcsgGHDI/s200/Image00030.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_aS6-KNPNYvSi4L65etaLHduN64cZS1MRSsObY_WNUqS-psgWiEQp1KdjJdkp_pMcZmdaC30YLtZ5r3lPOrhE1yHODuiyS96FszuJ0OMlgRtRat-ZsXm7etE6gGSvQmv4ixuYdv0ojM/s1600/Image00035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_aS6-KNPNYvSi4L65etaLHduN64cZS1MRSsObY_WNUqS-psgWiEQp1KdjJdkp_pMcZmdaC30YLtZ5r3lPOrhE1yHODuiyS96FszuJ0OMlgRtRat-ZsXm7etE6gGSvQmv4ixuYdv0ojM/s200/Image00035.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ry4QBs0Iadk/UKZ9e8IOFdI/AAAAAAAAJXE/15vuyZn7D9U/s1600/Image00037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ry4QBs0Iadk/UKZ9e8IOFdI/AAAAAAAAJXE/15vuyZn7D9U/s200/Image00037.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-9702198444738488642012-11-14T00:42:00.000-08:002012-12-10T12:26:01.008-08:00The girl in the blue scarf – a short story about fashion<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit, I have
underestimated Iranian fashion and weather in all possible ways.
Since we were planning to enter the country in November, I was
actually worried that it was going to be quite cold. But on the other
side I though it would make wearing a headscarf and all the baggy
clothes a bit easier. I even had a long sweater prepared just for
this occasion. So I thought I was on the safe side. At least until we
got to the border.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though we entered from the
north and were traveling through a mountain region, we soon noticed,
that it was much warmer than we expected. And I soon realized, that
the clothes I considered baggy, were way to short and tight for
Iranian standards. So (as most of you have probably noticed on the
photos) I have spent the first few days going around in the biggest
shirt I could find in David's closet. And it made me feel really bad,
next to all the dressed up Iranian girls. Because if you imagine
Iranian girls to be all covered in black from top to bottom, you
could not be more mistaken. Iranian streets are a live fashion show.
Only that the fashion is a bit different to what we are used to in
Europe. But it's there to be sure. Most Iranian girls are very
elegant and it seems that even the smallest detail of their outfit is
thought through quite carefully.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing was certain, I
was in desperate need of some new, Iran-compliant clothes. Luckily,
our new friends from Fuman were more than willing to help me solve
all fashion issues. And the clothes themselves were extremely cheap.
Unfortunately, I had to accept one fact quite quickly, I am a bit
taller than a standard Iranian girl and that put the most fashionable<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
manteaus (light overcoats)</span> out of the question. They were just
too short to cover what is (by law) required to be covered. And they
did made me look quite ridiculous. The goal was to hide my back and
all the curves, that we so much like to expose in Europe and to cover
as much of my arms as a standard Iranian size would allow. And that
all without making me sweat too much in the Iranian sun. Trust me, it
was not an easy task.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end I had a few
pieces which would help me survive (and not get arrested) during the
next few weeks. It was just enough for a tourist to avoid troubles. I
was told, that if I tried to enter university in such clothes, I
would be surely sent back home to change into something more
appropriate. Well, I was not going to try. I was just happy to get
rid of Davids old shirt and to have more than one piece of clothing
to choose from in the morning. And as David put it: “in worst case
you can use it as pregnancy clothes later on.”
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mandatory headscarf is
a separate story. Fortunately, I bought enough of them in Uzbekistan,
so that I could choose from all possible forms and materials. But it
didn't really make wearing one much easier. I would have never though
that it would be such a big fight to keep it on my head. It looks
quite easy when you watch Iranian girls in all their colorful
scarves, mostly hanging only at the very back of their heads, showing
more hair than they are actually covering. But it gets a bit more
complicated when you try to wear one yourself. For the first few days
I kept loosing mine all the time, especially while doing any kind of
physical activities. But even sitting calmly would not make the scarf
stay were it was supposed to. It does take some practice! And even
then it only works when the wind is not too strong. In trickier
situations I had to go for a good safe “grandma style”.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another challenge was to
actually remember to wear a scarf in the first place. I was always
trying to hang mine somewhere near the door, just to keep it in mind.
Though leaving my room without it once was quite a funny experience
too. I only got as far as the hotel lobby, but that was enough to
create a small chaos. It was really interesting to see people's
different reactions to the whole situation. I was totally unaware
that something was missing, David and Gerrit didn't notice neither.
But the hotel staff did and they were torn apart between not wanting
to offend me and make me cover my hear, without drawing too much
attention from other guests. The other guests were pretty cool about
it though. Only one person seemed to consider my behavior outrageous,
but he quickly disappeared between all the friendly smiles. For most
of them I was just another poor tourist, struggling with Iranian laws
and traditions, which are not easy to follow after all.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But all in all I have to
say, I do not like Iranian dress code much. I was missing my normal
clothes a lot and I started to hate the headscarf pretty quickly. And
I was really getting angry when people tried to tell me that it was
all for my own protection and that a woman could only benefit from
dressing modestly. Well I don't think I really did. I also found it
quite hard to feel very female in all those baggy shapeless clothes.
And I simply couldn't look at all the young girls in their school
uniforms, as it just made me sad. At this age they should be wearing
pink dresses and Hello Kitty T-shirts,
not some shapeless and colorless potato sacks. People may argue about
the pros and cons of hijab <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">(Islamic
dress code)</span>, but I believe every woman should have the right
to decide such things for herself. And I have no doubts about what I
would choose. Especially when the temperatures reach 30 degrees in
November. I don't even want to imagine how nice it has to be to
travel with a public bus in August, wearing a thick black manteau and
a headscarf... Especially when all the guys are walking around
wearing thin, tight T-shirts...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqc3RfyDKR9AAjbzXIw-Ny0Uw637C2lIN7HaR-oiV1WWZyhVHoOIJbJQkXoCxXiMiBH7AMBuNLIrA9knBUmRNi6-tLBS2OUZa0D29MwKmwvcbX8yrBHwbCQSNGWrhBXj2BBrwvYs9nSvk/s1600/Image00039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqc3RfyDKR9AAjbzXIw-Ny0Uw637C2lIN7HaR-oiV1WWZyhVHoOIJbJQkXoCxXiMiBH7AMBuNLIrA9knBUmRNi6-tLBS2OUZa0D29MwKmwvcbX8yrBHwbCQSNGWrhBXj2BBrwvYs9nSvk/s200/Image00039.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z0HzUW6BxDQ/UJwDjFstP3I/AAAAAAAAJMc/jfPI23N4l4A/s1600/Image00021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z0HzUW6BxDQ/UJwDjFstP3I/AAAAAAAAJMc/jfPI23N4l4A/s200/Image00021.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-omnFlhPDqDM/UJwC3ykPCiI/AAAAAAAAJKU/h0fw0APqKAs/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-omnFlhPDqDM/UJwC3ykPCiI/AAAAAAAAJKU/h0fw0APqKAs/s200/Image00004.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-91149614144124569342012-11-10T14:59:00.000-08:002012-12-03T15:04:48.135-08:00Iran is sooooooo beautiful<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a perfectly planned
route through Iran, but it was back when we still believed we will be
able to enter from Turkmenistan. Entering the country from a totally
different side turned our plans upside down a bit. So far the
question we asked ourselves in every land was: where can we find
something worth seeing, but in Iran the question is rather: which one
out of all those amazing things can we still squeeze into our plan.
The country is packed with tourist attractions and you would need at
least a year to really see it all, so the choice was not an easy one.
We decided to do it step by step and see where it would lead us. And
the first step was Masuleh, described by many as Iran's most
beautiful village. It sounded promising.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The road leading there was
already worth the ride, as the views were truly amazing. And the
village itself was supposed to be even better. Small houses in the
mountains, one built on the roof of the other, all as colorful and
picturesque as you could only imagine. We wanted to take a long walk
to explore all its narrow streets and then camp somewhere outside the
village. Well, we didn't really get too far... We have only managed
to take a few steps and a few photos before our attention was drawn
by a group of young laughing people, who were definitely having a
good time. They were trying to take a group photo, so we offered our
help. And once again before we even noticed we were sitting together,
drinking tea, smoking water pipe and discussing our plans for the
next day. Masuleh, as pretty as it was, was left behind and we drove
with our new Iranian friends back to their hometown Fuman.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is one thing that
most Iranians never understand and that is our willingness to sleep
in our cars. We think about Karossi as our home now and we'd rather
sleep there than anywhere else, but we never managed to properly
explain it to our Iranian hosts. They always insist on us taking one
of their rooms and don't even want to hear about any cars. But the
thing is, staying in a car is simply more convenient for us, as we
have all our stuff there, so we don't have to waste any time packing
and unpacking it. And we really feel at home there. Maybe it would be
easier to explain if our cars were not in such a mess as they are
now. We still didn't manage to wash them after our terrible drive to
Aktau and the inside is fully packed with all the souvenirs we bought
so far, so for an untrained eye it may look like a total chaos. As
our friend Soheil put it: “So you say this is like a house for you?
And you'd rather sleep here than in my room? Then please, clean your
house!” :) But at the end he turned in and allowed us to stay in
our beloved chaos.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the next day was a
holiday we all decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and
visit the nearby castle. The day was sunny and bright and we had a
few hundred or maybe thousand steps to get to the top. It was a long
climb and the scarf on my head did not really make things easier. But
since we were climbing in an excellent company, the time went by
faster then we could expect. And I have to say the view on the top of
the hill was worth every minute of the climb. The ruins looked
absolutely amazing. And what was even better, our Iranian friends
prepared a surprise picnic! Iranians are famous for their picnic
culture. On a nice sunny day you see families eating everywhere you
look. And it's not just a sandwich or a few fruits. There are salads,
cold dishes, tea, water pipes and we saw a few people doing some
serious outdoor cooking, too. We absolutely loved it! Being a part of
an Iranian picnic was my little dream since we have entered the
country, so I was happier than ever. We were all sure, that was the
best day of our entire trip! But when we said that, we didn't know,
that the best part of the day was yet to come...</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsuiwtzlvG8/UJwDWHMQ25I/AAAAAAAAJL8/wd9UjKrSTjo/s1600/Image00017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsuiwtzlvG8/UJwDWHMQ25I/AAAAAAAAJL8/wd9UjKrSTjo/s1600/Image00017.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmF49_-b_C4/UJwDb0LMj8I/AAAAAAAAJME/kYNBsVH2JDw/s1600/Image00018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmF49_-b_C4/UJwDb0LMj8I/AAAAAAAAJME/kYNBsVH2JDw/s1600/Image00018.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfHrhoPiiM/UJwDdV4RpgI/AAAAAAAAJMM/on3-O1QipYg/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfHrhoPiiM/UJwDdV4RpgI/AAAAAAAAJMM/on3-O1QipYg/s1600/Image00020.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YtaZxr2B3nfBdYMZrAz9O4ny0q04IW0Non9N87IINFf-dAOjMUdKYxNgchSKawux5NJWK-8tmhGd921zMueE28Y4Nfo4xMAesxXn8Qn6uau3-ongF_5aNJcYqCmMKcdmx93vF0yySwc/s1600/Image00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YtaZxr2B3nfBdYMZrAz9O4ny0q04IW0Non9N87IINFf-dAOjMUdKYxNgchSKawux5NJWK-8tmhGd921zMueE28Y4Nfo4xMAesxXn8Qn6uau3-ongF_5aNJcYqCmMKcdmx93vF0yySwc/s1600/Image00023.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbnuIwWujgQ/UJwD8KE0lSI/AAAAAAAAJNw/LFXYO4fti5M/s1600/Image00031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbnuIwWujgQ/UJwD8KE0lSI/AAAAAAAAJNw/LFXYO4fti5M/s1600/Image00031.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xnrero4LamZs2ZgNWGYBOv8T9OZPrijzAuxHeyoHCrepmQe1K3_3CqzfgvieTAPaJF-DYiUaFWO4gYLEDjY_Q5damovSu3bffosMkZPP0s0TyzgMEjtQaH1vUOHSush6iANTYn01epY/s1600/Image00032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xnrero4LamZs2ZgNWGYBOv8T9OZPrijzAuxHeyoHCrepmQe1K3_3CqzfgvieTAPaJF-DYiUaFWO4gYLEDjY_Q5damovSu3bffosMkZPP0s0TyzgMEjtQaH1vUOHSush6iANTYn01epY/s1600/Image00032.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The moment we decided to
climb down again the weather started getting worse, so our plan to
visit a nearby lake was soon forgotten. But we were not really sad,
as we got invited for a dinner instead! As you already know I love
visiting Iranian homes. Especially I like the moment when everyone
enters the house. Head scarfs are falling down instantly and you can
finally see the girls hiding behind all those long clothes. Sonbol
always said “Iranian girls are sooooooo beautiful” and I have to
say, after all we have seen, we could not argue with that! And if you
ever see them dancing, you will quickly understand why dancing in
public is so strictly prohibited in this country. Those girls would
make Shakira blush within few seconds!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also have my second
favorite moment, the time when food is served! You just seat on a
nice Persian carpet and see all those exotic dishes appearing right
in front of you. And this wonderful smell... Sometimes I feel like I
could just sit like that and watch it all for hours. But that would
be an awful waste, since those dishes taste even better then they
look. And on that evening we had a real feast with many dishes,
including olive paste, an amazing egg plant stew and a dish that has
become one of my personal favorites ever since, the fesenjan, chicken
with walnuts and pomegranate sauce. What can I say, Sonbol was right
again, “Iranian food is just sooooooo good”.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShKyYfaBrflyiC7rIgcgYUaaOPsFunm9U5N5vRRVTBE90C_bMhcQkmr_75-5RxEs5mPwLUTsdKzWZGOAqdFG414fRAljH8_N_xf8JFowhjUtHGqoqCSTSHR8CNp5QM88JeLbVB247C7Q/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShKyYfaBrflyiC7rIgcgYUaaOPsFunm9U5N5vRRVTBE90C_bMhcQkmr_75-5RxEs5mPwLUTsdKzWZGOAqdFG414fRAljH8_N_xf8JFowhjUtHGqoqCSTSHR8CNp5QM88JeLbVB247C7Q/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8OxPxf9MVij3oM7IXhRPBHSoXxJ2So9z-Q9nsM8XhSxCgA-0mFMGroWBX4WjTPz8CxfuCDgkBj1KnMC6KeCiDSvgIVh7lcjYscVYhUaVSeUa6Ux78B61u7LHfX5QaXNvuc2tznAA2ws/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8OxPxf9MVij3oM7IXhRPBHSoXxJ2So9z-Q9nsM8XhSxCgA-0mFMGroWBX4WjTPz8CxfuCDgkBj1KnMC6KeCiDSvgIVh7lcjYscVYhUaVSeUa6Ux78B61u7LHfX5QaXNvuc2tznAA2ws/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUCQ_dzOdG1uOIttMa2NsqftuvyVCxFIrEOaTE7fLMxjDFjh4CdodEfVekcskegqsp-W6pVHoqtVnIfWtvCKntes-qvhZ4_jeA1OsUadZUx1_qVM93E03jiSpBl9bosNK4lAcim5MXT0/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUCQ_dzOdG1uOIttMa2NsqftuvyVCxFIrEOaTE7fLMxjDFjh4CdodEfVekcskegqsp-W6pVHoqtVnIfWtvCKntes-qvhZ4_jeA1OsUadZUx1_qVM93E03jiSpBl9bosNK4lAcim5MXT0/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't felt like
leaving Fuman at all. But we already spent nearly a week of our
precious visa time in Iran, without really getting far from the
border, so we decided it's time for some heavy driving. We wanted to
drive to Esfahan, ready to see the biggest architectural attractions
of the country.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But first we wanted to
visit the famous Iranian caves. Lonely planet didn't really sound too
optimistic about them, but we learned not to trust them long ago. And
once again it was a great decision, as both caves proved to be
awesome! We headed for Katalekhor first and we were the only people
around. The cave was great and since we were alone the guide offered
to take us through a less traveled path. He did not prevent us that
it will be totally dark and slippery and that we will have to balance
between all the stalagmites and stalactites in order not to destroy
them, but it was fun. And before we reached the end we were sure we
want to see the other cave too. Alisadr cave is supposed to be the
biggest water cave in the world and from what we heard it attracts
quite a lot of touristsTp . But we haven't seen any crowds, just two
Iranian families and us. Most of the trip is done with a boat and we
found it absolutely amazing. As far as we are concerned it was
definitely worth a detour, no matter what our beloved/despised
guidebook says.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6O5l1iJR-rs/UKZ5vy26gaI/AAAAAAAAJSg/9SNEO5i2iQE/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6O5l1iJR-rs/UKZ5vy26gaI/AAAAAAAAJSg/9SNEO5i2iQE/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q72V_4X4rbQ/UKZ5siGcctI/AAAAAAAAJSY/uzwJTGbtrnk/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q72V_4X4rbQ/UKZ5siGcctI/AAAAAAAAJSY/uzwJTGbtrnk/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx6NkKFehmg1VjpO3mNEyE8aeToGBpy42zYKlZl6sRNHKd5Fhl7knLDjG9rp6iMQXB_Ucn4ELwms8cSWVw8grzuOX0-Ivng8b9JQUjJpqXmy5be942hyYyf9Jw7v1OtWKV9glPsdylXg/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwx6NkKFehmg1VjpO3mNEyE8aeToGBpy42zYKlZl6sRNHKd5Fhl7knLDjG9rp6iMQXB_Ucn4ELwms8cSWVw8grzuOX0-Ivng8b9JQUjJpqXmy5be942hyYyf9Jw7v1OtWKV9glPsdylXg/s1600/Image00004.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-39313122745581800762012-11-06T08:16:00.000-08:002012-11-23T08:16:47.877-08:00Photos from Iran<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfHrhoPiiM/UJwDdV4RpgI/AAAAAAAAJMM/on3-O1QipYg/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfHrhoPiiM/UJwDdV4RpgI/AAAAAAAAJMM/on3-O1QipYg/s200/Image00020.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kaczan.agnieszka/Iran5November2012">Iran 5 November 2012</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz4iOlYitZQ/UKZ8Vx4ocHI/AAAAAAAAJV8/flXbcsgGHDI/s1600/Image00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uz4iOlYitZQ/UKZ8Vx4ocHI/AAAAAAAAJV8/flXbcsgGHDI/s200/Image00030.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kaczan.agnieszka/Iran12November2012">Iran 12 November 2012</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKCOeagYNmc/UKaCRR2PXWI/AAAAAAAAJbU/J_duGlcVXU4/s1600/Image00019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fKCOeagYNmc/UKaCRR2PXWI/AAAAAAAAJbU/J_duGlcVXU4/s200/Image00019.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kaczan.agnieszka/Iran15November2012">Iran 15 November 2012</a></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-29750946447339860142012-11-05T08:02:00.000-08:002012-11-23T08:08:09.335-08:00Welcome to Iran<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">„Hello, welcome to
Iran“. We hear this sentence everywhere we go, several times a day,
sometimes even several times an hour. We hear it from kids, teenagers
and older people. It seems everyone knows it, even if they don't know
any other single word in English. And it's not just a slogan they
keep repeating. When they say it, you feel they really mean it.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We knew little about Iran
before we came here. Back in our flat in Karlsruhe, when we were
looking at the map of Asia trying to choose the nicest route, I
didn't even want to consider visiting this country. With my head
filled with western news about atomic bombs and war with terrorism, I
wanted to stay as far away from Iran as it was only possible. At
least until we started reading blogs and reports from other
travelers, people, who have actually been there and seen the country
with their own eyes. You could ignore one or two opinions, but if
twenty or thirty different people write Iran is the nicest and most
welcoming country they have ever been to, it kind of makes you want
to go and check yourself.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iranians are perfectly
aware of the opinion their country has in our part of the world and
they don't really blame us for thinking like that either. That makes
them appreciate foreign tourists even more. They are simply glad that
there are people who still want to meet them and see their country,
no matter what they hear in TV. And trust me, once you're here, they
will do what they can to show you, how wrong the western media are.
And many of them will stop you at the street just to ask if you are
having a good time in Iran and whether you still think they are all
terrorists here :) As someone told us on our first day “ Mister,
not afraid, Iran no bomb, no war. Iran good people, no problem”. As
far as we can tell, he was right!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have written a lot about
hospitality in Central Asia. I have praised it so much, that some of
you even suggested I was exaggerating. I wasn't! But if you have any
doubts I can only recommend you to come and see yourself. Those
people are more friendly and open than a normal European person could
ever imagine. But still, Iranians manage to take it all to a
completely new level. Sometimes we really didn’t know how to react
to all their hospitality and helpfulness, as it was more than we have
ever faced before. Those people really are fantastic! And you don't
need to wait too long to see it.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The border formalities
went pretty quickly. It was a first country where we needed our
“Carnet de passages”, so we wanted to get it right. We had to
leave 5.000 Euro with ADAC to get this document and missing one stamp
may mean we're not getting this money back, so we'd rather be extra
careful with it. Fortunately there are enough people at the border
who speak English and help you sort all the paperwork out in no time
for a few dollars.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Driving into Iran was a
great feeling. We didn't know what to expect and it felt like jumping
into the unknown waters, wondering what will meet us there. But
already in the first city people at the streets were smiling and
waving, shouting “welcome to Iran” all the time. And we didn't
have to wait long for our first local experience. We stopped at a
grill bar in a small town, as we were getting pretty hungry, but
before we even managed to order anything someone gave us a mobile
phone. The person on the other side of the line was Farshid, the
local English teacher. He said he will be with us in 5 minutes and we
should just stay and wait for him. Before we even noticed we were
invited to our first Iranian home. And we loved it!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XekO9WdtCvA/UJwC1oTKRXI/AAAAAAAAJKA/SdUHyllGNjg/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XekO9WdtCvA/UJwC1oTKRXI/AAAAAAAAJKA/SdUHyllGNjg/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3QS4Y5Lr4R0/UJwC2PuHoaI/AAAAAAAAJKE/CIU1MQF2khM/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3QS4Y5Lr4R0/UJwC2PuHoaI/AAAAAAAAJKE/CIU1MQF2khM/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2NVZbkxX0pQ37UtytCnIIsE6oKU-Q4PWi6iWsLQBOqQq2wvLCpCbA6QKrPmA7qvlNRyclfhOk7vjde72ZO4axsz8ZhXrhuF6ZO16gAz-ht1QKXyY7qffMMHLJrZyshAIRXgDohqaw7c/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2NVZbkxX0pQ37UtytCnIIsE6oKU-Q4PWi6iWsLQBOqQq2wvLCpCbA6QKrPmA7qvlNRyclfhOk7vjde72ZO4axsz8ZhXrhuF6ZO16gAz-ht1QKXyY7qffMMHLJrZyshAIRXgDohqaw7c/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being invited to an
Iranian house is a wonderful experience. There you can really see how
the everyday life really looks like. And most important, you can try
home-made food! Iranian cuisine is simply splendid! After weeks of
eating mutton and mutton we fell in love with it instantly. And
Farshid's mother proved to be an excellent cook. It felt like a whole
new world, with a huge variety of different tastes and spices. It is
a pity that in most restaurants you will be served only some basic
dishes, including a few versions of kebab. The real cooking takes
place at home.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Farshid not only provid us
with food and shelter, but also showed us around, allowing us to
fully appreciate the beauty of northern Iran. I always imagined the
country to be more or less a big desert, so that I was surprised to
find out how green and full of life this region was. Some parts of it
was a real jungle. He took us to see the local fisherman at work,
too. And the evenings were spent drinking hectoliters of tee and
smoking water pipe. But most importantly we were able to take part in
some of Farshid's English lessons, meeting a lot of young, English
speaking Iranians from the area.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iXnWDCktzMg9gzBF-u2gtKUyQXc2Yw443EuqjOkFeoEFpkxKEQiBxLJQApbqxbQD7ZmsqZDT_0GQKHODkhAjSUgAPl_HlU7Qhldke7stnoWxnetWpXAu-IyKEA9JzxBOrqYxfQIxPFM/s1600/Image00012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iXnWDCktzMg9gzBF-u2gtKUyQXc2Yw443EuqjOkFeoEFpkxKEQiBxLJQApbqxbQD7ZmsqZDT_0GQKHODkhAjSUgAPl_HlU7Qhldke7stnoWxnetWpXAu-IyKEA9JzxBOrqYxfQIxPFM/s1600/Image00012.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MnhZBczIuG4/UJwDOAH_L1I/AAAAAAAAJLQ/qggUh3x18dg/s1600/Image00011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MnhZBczIuG4/UJwDOAH_L1I/AAAAAAAAJLQ/qggUh3x18dg/s1600/Image00011.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG8ELhVidu0/UJwC8IgHEqI/AAAAAAAAJKk/jHOnwqQIvZU/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG8ELhVidu0/UJwC8IgHEqI/AAAAAAAAJKk/jHOnwqQIvZU/s1600/Image00006.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fp_QPF5WIBE/UJwC5kuD9-I/AAAAAAAAJKc/Ctf0Tdq8VvI/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fp_QPF5WIBE/UJwC5kuD9-I/AAAAAAAAJKc/Ctf0Tdq8VvI/s1600/Image00005.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHILALjT5SE/UJwDE_FO2TI/AAAAAAAAJK0/xnKGR1IGpw8/s1600/Image00008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHILALjT5SE/UJwDE_FO2TI/AAAAAAAAJK0/xnKGR1IGpw8/s1600/Image00008.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI__CpdUx4iR_W5G-TVEueYZpuISpxN8uaYAHjCHrkDgb7H-B6qS8YNiB2u1wCtzjfhoka5BmC1pCrhkheyB1Nr4p2u0TZ8gFQF4yLUd-DznjmcF43lRAnhLi04WvldWIw9vYGC6PuKdI/s1600/Image00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI__CpdUx4iR_W5G-TVEueYZpuISpxN8uaYAHjCHrkDgb7H-B6qS8YNiB2u1wCtzjfhoka5BmC1pCrhkheyB1Nr4p2u0TZ8gFQF4yLUd-DznjmcF43lRAnhLi04WvldWIw9vYGC6PuKdI/s1600/Image00010.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We really felt sorry when
the time came for us to leave, but we knew there is still much to see
and explore. We got a few kilos of home-grown kiwis and were ready to
meet the rest of the country. Only one problem remained, our car
insurance. It was already late when we were crossing the border, so
we didn't manage to buy it back then. We thought we will be able to
buy it in the next big city, but it turns out things are a bit more
complicated. There are insurance companies all over the country, but
only some have license to sell insurance to tourist nowadays. And
they are mostly situated in the border cities or international
harbors. We tried a few others, but at the end they all told us to
drive back to the border and buy the insurance there, as we're not
getting it anywhere else. Normally it would not have been a big deal,
as it was only around 100km, but driving such distance in Iran,
without a valid insurance, is a real game of nerves.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will tell it straight,
Iranians are the most crazy drivers we have ever seen! And I say it
after driving through Central Asia and Mongolia. They drive as
chaotic as people in Kyrgyzstan, but the problem is, they have much
more cars and people here, and the roads are better, allowing them to
drive much faster. They seem to believe that breaks and blinkers are
highly overrated, so they prefer to accelerate in most cases. I have
seen more crashes since we're here, than I ever did before. I have
read that Iran has one of the highest number of death casualties in
road accidents. Well I have to say, I am not surprised. If you see
people driving through a village in the middle of the night, with
100km/h and that without even turning their lights on or fastening
their seatbelts, you no longer wonder why the rate is so high.
Especially if you see all those pedestrians, dressed mostly in black,
jumping on the streets without warning. But the worst of it all are
the motorbikes. All the time you see a four-person family squeezing
on a tiny motorbike, that would be considered too small for two
people in Europe. The father is holding the steering wheel in one
hand and baby in the other. The woman has to divide her hands between
holding on to her husband or the bike, grabbing the second kid and
pulling her chador together, which normally flies behind the bike
like a parachute. I guess I don't have to tell you that neither of
them has a helmet of any kind, not to mention lights or mirrors...
But no one seems to care. The police, who could cause you quite a lot
of trouble for dressing inappropriately, don't seem to mind speeding
or careless behavior on the streets. And as one of our new friends
told us, that makes driving one of the very few areas of life where
Iranians feel free to do what they want. And they take advantage of
it.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some security
systems on the roads, but we never managed to understand how they
work. Or maybe the person constructing them never really understood
how they were supposed to work. Cause there are a lot of traffic
lights, but they are either completely off or they are simply
blinking. Some of them actually seem to be warning you about some
obstacles or changes on the road, but some seem to be not more than a
colorful decoration. And you hardly ever see them at crossings where
you could really need them. But speed bumps are even more
fascinating. They have quite a lot of them, mostly unmarked. And
sometimes you meet them in places, where you would not expect them at
all. Like while driving out of the city. Or on a highway, next to a
sign that says you should slow down to 90km/h. Well I guess I would
not like to know how it feels like to drive over one of them with
such speed...
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all there has to be
some method in this madness, as it works better then you'd expect it
to. So I guess as a tourist all you can't do is to embrace this chaos
and pray to get out of it without any damage. </span></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-10790698532144320532012-10-27T09:04:00.000-07:002012-11-14T12:30:33.419-08:00Aktau Baku ferry - lesson of patience and bribing<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: always;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aktau
is not an attractive city. It has oil, gas and a lot of expats
working for oil companies. And it has the Aktau-Baku ferry. But
there's hardly anything to do there and the accommodation options are
pretty poor too. There are many top end hotels, but unfortunately
they were way out of our budget, so that we were left with the low
cost options... I will spare you the details, let's just say it was
nearly as bad as the road we just drove. We were praying we wouldn't
have to stay in the city for too long.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: always;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: always;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzCMTofNpjg/UIzB87PII_I/AAAAAAAAJDg/6kOzI0SBbig/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzCMTofNpjg/UIzB87PII_I/AAAAAAAAJDg/6kOzI0SBbig/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AA348jIwz9Y/UIzB88bWjFI/AAAAAAAAJDY/KOYOVmNZk14/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AA348jIwz9Y/UIzB88bWjFI/AAAAAAAAJDY/KOYOVmNZk14/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LJ8mNbtmv0/UIzCBeD6hcI/AAAAAAAAJD8/w6h6ShKeY9U/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LJ8mNbtmv0/UIzCBeD6hcI/AAAAAAAAJD8/w6h6ShKeY9U/s1600/Image00006.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqndx4BV_hjiou5vQd-y5hTzO0wk13LeOiQ-mNRJLGlyCUuC7EEBpY2mzdc0LIFV5KrAP7z68_pGwxPo9F1QsN63ioSryjEaZSnQROc2HQwqE35bKM1ODU_M_TuvVcJqQOaR-GCRVNnc/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqndx4BV_hjiou5vQd-y5hTzO0wk13LeOiQ-mNRJLGlyCUuC7EEBpY2mzdc0LIFV5KrAP7z68_pGwxPo9F1QsN63ioSryjEaZSnQROc2HQwqE35bKM1ODU_M_TuvVcJqQOaR-GCRVNnc/s1600/Image00004.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSfbj7w9-QYW-wHYj9ceEoDYDMrxMIyTTj5Aw_48CYT5wO4shQMwNWw4BqhOrou1bE721EO36IOXwZhf82mGdQNPAehB5MzLp_5_wlOJLRxZjZmt1vyBpLGS3nZASq-dCA7C0JZMVn-E/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSfbj7w9-QYW-wHYj9ceEoDYDMrxMIyTTj5Aw_48CYT5wO4shQMwNWw4BqhOrou1bE721EO36IOXwZhf82mGdQNPAehB5MzLp_5_wlOJLRxZjZmt1vyBpLGS3nZASq-dCA7C0JZMVn-E/s1600/Image00005.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxalJdmnZt9dijZrPn7xw31Xp-pNzUFbZDJMxjUaeTiWUFn7OsEXMjQUbX6ho6Q5CbqEzitLudOQuSHm5Xz3QlOkc7g5jHjAjPz85Exvf6sOXW_IAQPcb_1Y_DhcwU66xmKum61PldgM/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxalJdmnZt9dijZrPn7xw31Xp-pNzUFbZDJMxjUaeTiWUFn7OsEXMjQUbX6ho6Q5CbqEzitLudOQuSHm5Xz3QlOkc7g5jHjAjPz85Exvf6sOXW_IAQPcb_1Y_DhcwU66xmKum61PldgM/s1600/Image00006.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We
went directly to the harbor to check for the ferry. Only one person
spoke some English and the information he gave us was not a happy
one. The ferry has just left yesterday and no one knows when the next
one would be ready to leave, but we should come back tomorrow. We
already heard about tourists, who were asked to come back tomorrow
for two weeks, so we were not in the best moods. We even considered
making a small trip around Aktau and skipping the appointment, but we
finally decided against it and went to the harbor as we were told to.
For the first half an hour everybody simply ignored us. They were
speaking to each other, pointing in our direction from time to time,
but no one seemed to want to talk to us. And when they finally did,
all we heard was “OK, tomorrow morning 6 o'clock you go”. We were
shocked! We were not expecting that, so we had to go back to the
hotel to grab the money and all the papers do deal with the customs.
It wasn't an easy job, I can tell you that. The harbor workers were
not much help either. We got some ferry declarations on which we had
to collect 5 or 6 stamps and some signatures, but everyone seemed to
know only his part of the job, so finding out where to get the next
stamp was quite a challenge (especially that the documents were
mostly in Russian). And some of the workers after finishing their
part told us everything was OK now and we could go home, though we
were still missing some signatures. All in all it was one big chaos
and we really had to breathe deeply and try hard not to explode. But
the thought of leaving Aktau and our hotel was helping us get through
it all. And we finally knew the cost as well. The price was nearly
100 USD per person, and for the car 80 USD per meter of length. We
had to pay around 50 USD of harbor fee as well. Fortunately it was
still in our budget. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We
woke up early the next day and came to the harbor at 6, just to find
out we can not enter before 9 o'clock anyway. So we parked our cars
and went simply back to sleep. At 9 we turned up at the gate again
just to be told that we should have come earlier and that we have to
park quickly and run back to the passport control immediately. We did
it just to discovered that the passport office would not open for the
next 20 minutes anyway, so that we started wondering why the hell
they told us to come at 6 o'clock in the morning in the first place.
We had even more time to wonder about it after we went through, as it
took a few hours before we could actually drive onto the ferry. In
the end we left the harbor at 8 o'clock in the evening, slowly
swimming in the direction of Baku.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nN8tg3P5lf0/UIzCLBrwApI/AAAAAAAAJE8/f4S7tJ5c9KE/s1600/Image00014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nN8tg3P5lf0/UIzCLBrwApI/AAAAAAAAJE8/f4S7tJ5c9KE/s1600/Image00014.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MwI3au-NDk/UIzCLjmQtcI/AAAAAAAAJFE/_Zpx4EMFZe4/s1600/Image00015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MwI3au-NDk/UIzCLjmQtcI/AAAAAAAAJFE/_Zpx4EMFZe4/s1600/Image00015.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqajb0-m3r-p-XRcwp4StRzYYSIV5F7luOnmhaITxFllSEmdUN4NZeXh70vfajV3svA48mcRlhoO_eK-PpPqzW8eTfv8bkfuuMGugdzDPa3w0zkk-fkg46yH7V1TBfJHkECk8i_FjzjY/s1600/Image00011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqajb0-m3r-p-XRcwp4StRzYYSIV5F7luOnmhaITxFllSEmdUN4NZeXh70vfajV3svA48mcRlhoO_eK-PpPqzW8eTfv8bkfuuMGugdzDPa3w0zkk-fkg46yH7V1TBfJHkECk8i_FjzjY/s1600/Image00011.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kW8GIHRN3Y/UIzCLwiDWfI/AAAAAAAAJFM/1wPJQZ-xcw4/s1600/Image00016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kW8GIHRN3Y/UIzCLwiDWfI/AAAAAAAAJFM/1wPJQZ-xcw4/s1600/Image00016.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUzYwQFiF2U/UIzCPVs8ztI/AAAAAAAAJFk/Tie4LkcFPiI/s1600/Image00019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUzYwQFiF2U/UIzCPVs8ztI/AAAAAAAAJFk/Tie4LkcFPiI/s1600/Image00019.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8tVfAn4HhiI/UIzCM93zDqI/AAAAAAAAJFU/_FayxmjQc2E/s1600/Image00017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8tVfAn4HhiI/UIzCM93zDqI/AAAAAAAAJFU/_FayxmjQc2E/s1600/Image00017.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
ferry was nothing like the ones we've seen so far. It was made to
transport railway wagons and heavy goods and definitely not tourists.
Our cars were the only ones they took. There where only three other
passengers on board, all coming from the region, traveling for
business reasons. At the beginning they wanted us to sleep on the
chairs in the waiting room, but since the tickets were not exactly
cheap, we argued till we got a room. And it was quite a nice one,
comfortable enough to spend a nice day in it. If it wasn't for all
the unwanted guests... We heard Azerbaijan had some serious problems
with corruption and we experienced it shortly after getting on board.
A few of the workers offered to testify that our cars were shorter
than they actually are, if we paid them 50 USD. Already at the
beginning of our journey we decided not to pay any bribes if we can
only avoid it, even if it means wasting some of our precious
traveling time or our money. We have sticked to this rule so far and
were not willing to break it now. And to be honest the deal wasn't
good anyway. They wanted 50 USD to help us save 10 or 15, so we
weren't even tempted. We told them we didn't approve of bribing and
want to pay the correct price. That was more than they could
understand. One after another they were knocking on our door telling
us that we didn't get it and that we would actually save money, so it
is not a bad thing to pay them. We tried to stay polite, repeating
that we understood everything perfectly, but were not willing to do
it anyway. Finally we lost our tempers and told them to get out and
leave us alone, as they're not getting any money and it's final. They
left smashing the doors, so that we were a bit scared they may try to
make our day on the ferry as hard as possible, but it was not the
case. And surprisingly, from that moment the rest of the crew and the
other passengers started showing us a lot more sympathy.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCV_s3XVYvg/UIzCUYHchoI/AAAAAAAAJGI/l1_Em5SDQZo/s1600/Image00024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCV_s3XVYvg/UIzCUYHchoI/AAAAAAAAJGI/l1_Em5SDQZo/s1600/Image00024.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tPy8JehI5k/UIzCSwd2rHI/AAAAAAAAJGA/TdNlawqtqTM/s1600/Image00022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0tPy8JehI5k/UIzCSwd2rHI/AAAAAAAAJGA/TdNlawqtqTM/s1600/Image00022.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFgCO9aHzbo/UIzCaSUe6rI/AAAAAAAAJG4/uUKmorPbl4U/s1600/Image00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFgCO9aHzbo/UIzCaSUe6rI/AAAAAAAAJG4/uUKmorPbl4U/s1600/Image00030.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span id="goog_1581584226"></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
ride took around 20 hours and we spend most of it reading and
talking. We also got quite a nice food, which was included in the
price. I have never been on a ferry for such a long time, so I was
excited like a kid before Christmas, enjoying every minute of it. But
we were still happy when we finally reached Baku, especially that we
were able to see it by sunset. The view was splendid. It still took
some time before we could drive out, since the wagons had to leave
first, but it went quicker than we thought. We were supposed to pay
for the cars when we leave the boat and to our surprise the guy who
sold the tickets was not relying on any papers he got from the crew,
but came to check the length of our cars himself. And he actually
insisted they are both 5 meters long, so that we had to measure them
to prove him wrong. He was not in his best mood either, as it was
already late and I guess he wanted to be done with us and go home.
And here we stand insisting upon measuring the cars and getting a
receipt before we pay him any money at all. He wasn't happy about it.
He got even more angry when the border officials told him we have to
deal with customs before we can go to his office. He started yelling
and threatening that he would go home and leave us at the border and
we wouldn't be able to leave until morning, but we told him we didn't
care and could sleep in the car if necessary. That made him really
furious, but David showed him we can yell too if we need to and
suddenly the whole border personnel was there trying to calm us all
down, telling the guy to leave us alone and wait for his turn. And so
he did. We went to his office as soon as we could, got the bill for
the money we paid and he even actually apologized for everything,
telling us he simply lost his temper as it was late and he was
working the hole day already and still had to go to another harbor.
Finally we were free to go!</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ABH3BZ_QZQ/UIzCX3nHlFI/AAAAAAAAJGY/_9mgLolSrZY/s1600/Image00027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ABH3BZ_QZQ/UIzCX3nHlFI/AAAAAAAAJGY/_9mgLolSrZY/s1600/Image00027.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4tTKdYvghpa7WeD1AWf-J5jo9XHZbR5eWyn6WOFyVQu6wkszZxclpa8R_437-Prf0F1HHrBUqJ4EsP4pXz5aDOv3lAAM0YPp-pq2Na3ndhfNH6_BZmIKerqUOCJO9QivNjS5uCwZKMc/s1600/Image00028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4tTKdYvghpa7WeD1AWf-J5jo9XHZbR5eWyn6WOFyVQu6wkszZxclpa8R_437-Prf0F1HHrBUqJ4EsP4pXz5aDOv3lAAM0YPp-pq2Na3ndhfNH6_BZmIKerqUOCJO9QivNjS5uCwZKMc/s1600/Image00028.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4c_SBj3ZTg/UIzCaP2jS9I/AAAAAAAAJG0/UNpG2JlCPhk/s1600/Image00029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4c_SBj3ZTg/UIzCaP2jS9I/AAAAAAAAJG0/UNpG2JlCPhk/s1600/Image00029.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baku
felt like being back in Europe. They had street lights, roads without
holes and although it was late there was actually some life on the
streets. There was even quite a lot of it. And there was a McDonald’s
too! We haven't seen one for months, so we couldn't miss such a
chance! The city itself was quite impressive. We got the feeling they
have way to much money there and are running out of ideas on how to
spend it. Splendid buildings and decorations are one thing, but
marble sidewalks and subways seem a bit too much. Especially compared
to the standards of living in the country. We didn't have much time
to explore it, but one thing is sure, the people are extra friendly.
Though they try to be as European as they can, they know how to show
real Asian friendliness and hospitality too. We didn't really
understood the political situation though. It is supposed to be a
democratic republic, but when I mentioned it to the locals they
started laughing so badly they could hardly breathe and told me I
should try living there if I really believed that. And I have to say
I found it suspicious that they had photos and quotations of the
president and his father all over the country, in every office, most
shops and even on big billboards around the highways, which is not a
typical thing for a democratic country. It looked pretty scary to me,
but I guess you need to spend some more time there to be able to
judge it. But I would leave it to others as we were anxious to get to
our next stop, Iran, the expected highlight of our trip, where the
political system was certainly even more complex then what we have
seen so far. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnZ0gP1wtH0mTMqiw2tIn1oRzvKXgFnwsQSpatvAUsxjkKR2GP0PcZUG7dZqvt2UytUzP6pn18j6KhIBira3GM3BHqfMNSBRiX8bE3BwnDxjO0BklbE_5F2xQhSxvHulCAXJq5PfAj4Y/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnZ0gP1wtH0mTMqiw2tIn1oRzvKXgFnwsQSpatvAUsxjkKR2GP0PcZUG7dZqvt2UytUzP6pn18j6KhIBira3GM3BHqfMNSBRiX8bE3BwnDxjO0BklbE_5F2xQhSxvHulCAXJq5PfAj4Y/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNpf_dSihUQ/UJv3WbTTrtI/AAAAAAAAJJc/eKh0Gb_-C7k/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNpf_dSihUQ/UJv3WbTTrtI/AAAAAAAAJJc/eKh0Gb_-C7k/s1600/Image00005.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HN0AKr8NBgI/UJv3VRk6K7I/AAAAAAAAJJU/4QrGFJoV5Cs/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HN0AKr8NBgI/UJv3VRk6K7I/AAAAAAAAJJU/4QrGFJoV5Cs/s1600/Image00004.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaD3Rqxbjg/UJv3OZ0thHI/AAAAAAAAJJA/yFqNYMJgU-U/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaD3Rqxbjg/UJv3OZ0thHI/AAAAAAAAJJA/yFqNYMJgU-U/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NAHkM4itQps/UJv3YU-TIpI/AAAAAAAAJJk/EuvdWLVmzts/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NAHkM4itQps/UJv3YU-TIpI/AAAAAAAAJJk/EuvdWLVmzts/s1600/Image00006.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJwv2E783ekcqfOIhKBmPmx66zWJNxvFyrPJDnndnVkR5ig5kqKr3QceepDnEqvVmJ9NW3VjQkuG_qnZ7hfSJc5JUUBVA8xn81VEpCQ52lx61RrYAvf3GC0QMzBRlV2yy4w_OGLbpoV0/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJwv2E783ekcqfOIhKBmPmx66zWJNxvFyrPJDnndnVkR5ig5kqKr3QceepDnEqvVmJ9NW3VjQkuG_qnZ7hfSJc5JUUBVA8xn81VEpCQ52lx61RrYAvf3GC0QMzBRlV2yy4w_OGLbpoV0/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-81402775267253223802012-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:002012-11-14T08:29:28.423-08:00The road from hell<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
decision was made. If Turkmenistan doesn't want to see us in October
they would not see us at all. Well, to be totally honest we don't
really know if they wanted to see us or not, as we never gave them
the chance to officially express their feelings. After talking with a
few tourists and confirming the information with visa agencies we
decided not to apply for the Turkmenistan visa at all. We could have
applied, but we would have to wait for at least 3 weeks and from what
we were told the chances of getting the visa were close to none, so
we decided not to waste our precious time. We want to go to Iran as
soon as possible and we want to be home for Christmas, so there's no
time to waste.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting
a visa for Kazakhstan in Bishkek was not a problem, but we had to
wait three days for it to be ready. The visa for Azerbaijan started
badly, as the guy at the embassy told us he's not doing any transit
visa for the ferry. He could give us a tourist one, but only if we
had a letter of invitation and it would take 3 days, unless we want
to pay 50% extra. It took a little time and a lot of negotiation, but
at the end we paid the normal price and got the visa in one day,
without any additional formalities.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Aktau-Baku ferry was a bit more complicated. The only thing that's sure is that
there is a ferry. And that would be about it. It goes when it's
ready. Sometimes it means twice a week and sometimes once a month. So
you never know how long you'd have to wait. Costs were not clear
neither. But well, we have made up our minds and decided not to
question this decision anymore. We'd go to Aktau and check it
ourselves! We would make it work somehow!</span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">It
turned out that getting to Aktau was the hardest part of the plan. It
seemed easy enough, until we crossed the border. People were warning
us that the road is not the best one, but we thought that after
driving for a month through Mongolia and crossing Kyrgyzstan and
Kazakhstan before, we would be fine. But we didn't know that the road
we were facing was worse than anything we have seen so far. It was
actually worse than anything we could have ever imagined. I can't
even tell you how bad it was, as it's something you would have to
experience yourself (but you rather shouldn't if there is any way to
avoid it!). It was a nightmare! And the worst thing about it was,
that it went forever! </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">After
an hour of driving we wanted to turn around and go back, but
unfortunately it was not an option. We only had a single entry visa
for Uzbekistan, so there was no coming back. Getting ahead was not
easy either. We never had any problems buying fuel in Kazakhstan, so
we were hoping to tank directly after the border. We lost our hope
when we reached Beyneu, the first big city. “Sorry, no fuel” we
heard. It wouldn't surprise us in Uzbekistan, but here in our beloved
Kazakhstan we could hardly believe it! At least until we saw how the
road looks like. After that we no longer wondered why no fuel trucks
were getting to this part of the country. We wouldn't be willing to
drive it again either. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Fortunately
one of the stations still had some 95 octane fuel left. Of course
only unofficially and the price was three times higher than usual,
but we could take 20 liters and mix it up with 80 octane which would
be enough to get us to the next gas station. By the way, we keep
complaining about buying fuel on the black market and paying two or
three times the price and some of you started worrying about our
budget. No worries, the highest black market rates are around one
Euro pro liter, so we are still way below what we are paying in
Europe. Unless the prices went down significantly since we left, but
somehow I don't believe that's the case. </span>
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
we had fuel. And we had the road before us. And trust me when I say
it, it was the worst road experience of our entire journey. The car
was shaking so badly, that we though it would fall into pieces. We
though we would fall to pieces too. The vibrations were going through
our bones, cells and brains, certainly leaving some irreversible
damage. And the huge holes were making our stomach jump up to our
ears every few minutes. But the worst part of it was the dust. There
were tons of it, so that we had to drive with our windows closed,
though it was quite a hot day. But even that didn’t really help and
we soon had dust absolutely everywhere. It gets under the bed,
between the teeth and in the ears too. What can I say, the road was a
nightmare and it went for miles and miles, so that we though it would
never ever end. But it did. It ended around Shetpe, where they had
both fuel and asphalt and we managed to get to Aktau after all. You
can't believe how happy we were.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Rov3Xym8oa9pXVR8w7GFDx2kFzKZgHoN-hsatSooG-Lyl8NgVod_NiTV2BrMJlLZXWwqoEFTmnG0AzzMGaEl2jbf-05zKyYyzHa2t-O6INeuw7S5d6K6qbyv4tVVBEOod2dy-cS_HIc/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Rov3Xym8oa9pXVR8w7GFDx2kFzKZgHoN-hsatSooG-Lyl8NgVod_NiTV2BrMJlLZXWwqoEFTmnG0AzzMGaEl2jbf-05zKyYyzHa2t-O6INeuw7S5d6K6qbyv4tVVBEOod2dy-cS_HIc/s1600/Image00001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLffb-AXmSiIDyocHcyufHLyCyOkf_ao1kb18jRFLSQL0qKYCphy3IHnrQ4NK_iokX7JMf-7LOf7XBkrSGL8waVtpiP6Yjtx6eUFxW9RkEJ65m9pncfNROXGt6QQX1SWw3362B0wsxWf4/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLffb-AXmSiIDyocHcyufHLyCyOkf_ao1kb18jRFLSQL0qKYCphy3IHnrQ4NK_iokX7JMf-7LOf7XBkrSGL8waVtpiP6Yjtx6eUFxW9RkEJ65m9pncfNROXGt6QQX1SWw3362B0wsxWf4/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8r_kcI51OTyuZe4r_9k79NciyxFeSGzAjaJcV_FMrWd0aB0-t4cJifrHjWXYO3OxXlgAf4iSn79ZyZG6hw8R14YFxDhELh-XGhcM7dVbb954AH2uXOdow9Nq5zUiGpB-zvrEleGXEn78/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8r_kcI51OTyuZe4r_9k79NciyxFeSGzAjaJcV_FMrWd0aB0-t4cJifrHjWXYO3OxXlgAf4iSn79ZyZG6hw8R14YFxDhELh-XGhcM7dVbb954AH2uXOdow9Nq5zUiGpB-zvrEleGXEn78/s1600/Image00003.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-50010348742564414292012-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:002012-11-07T11:45:30.250-08:00The magic of the silk road<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Silk Road. The magical
words that made us travel through half of Asia. We wanted to see its
cities with all their magnificent buildings and feel the atmosphere
of the old trade routes. We were traveling along it for some time
now, but we knew the best was yet to come and we were expecting to
see it in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The names alone are enough to
make the travelers blood run faster.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Armed with newly bought
fuel we headed towards Samarkand. We decided to drive directly, as
there was not much to see on the way. Driving through Uzbekistan is
not really thrilling, it's either one village after another or just
one big desert, with not as much as a house to see for hours, so we
decided we won't be missing much. The roads are always a bit of a
surprise, you can get anything from proper highway to earth roads
full of holes in all sizes. The only thing you can be sure of are the
police checkpoints. You can hardly drive for half an hour without
seeing one. Normally you just have to slow down and drive through,
but from time to time without an obvious reason you may be asked to
stop and register (you could be a terrorist after all!). Registration
means that some officer will take your passport and write your data
down in his copybook. He will not always get the data right, but I
guess it's all the same, the important thing is he managed to fill
another line in his precious book.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was already dark when
we were getting to Samarkand. And we were really lucky, as shortly
before entering the city we managed to find a gas station that was
open and yet with only a few cars waiting around. And they actually
had 91 octane fuel! The wanted us to pay the price for 98 though, but
we agreed without hesitation, as the difference was not that big. Our
full jerrycans remained untouched. We also didn't have to worry about
finding a place to stay. It is common in Uzbekistan that the hostel
you're staying in recommends you another one in the city you are
heading to, booking a room for you if you wish. It worked perfectly
for us.
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best word to describe
Samarkand is “impressive”. It is packed with magnificent, richly
decorated buildings. You can choose between countless mosques,<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
madrasas (traditional Islamic schools) or mausoleums and the entrance
prices are reasonable too, though as a foreigner you are often
expected to pay up to 5 time more than the locals. But at least in</span>
Samarkand we have found the tickets worth paying for, as the atrium
and the insides were often even more splendid than the buildings
themselves. The only drawback was, that they were all a bit too well
renovated. Some of them were really looking brand new, so that we
found it hard to imagine, that they have really been there for
hundreds of years now. The modern soviet streets between them were
not making things easier. But we still liked it a lot. Unfortunately
we didn't have much luck with the weather. It started raining on our
second day in town and we were told it won't stop for at least
another day, so we decided to head to Bukhara.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYew716lNtA/UIFqdJaC5PI/AAAAAAAAIyw/Tpi_OaK1inA/s1600/Image00037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYew716lNtA/UIFqdJaC5PI/AAAAAAAAIyw/Tpi_OaK1inA/s1600/Image00037.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heyT8aNy2dA/UIFq06FXOBI/AAAAAAAAIzw/69IUYWkgaGA/s1600/Image00043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-heyT8aNy2dA/UIFq06FXOBI/AAAAAAAAIzw/69IUYWkgaGA/s1600/Image00043.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HBLlEJ-S4Uw/UIFrDjJ0ZgI/AAAAAAAAI0U/hsAS9iVylHI/s1600/Image00047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HBLlEJ-S4Uw/UIFrDjJ0ZgI/AAAAAAAAI0U/hsAS9iVylHI/s1600/Image00047.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fLVczPfZU1Q/UIFrgE5K9SI/AAAAAAAAI1o/hNSJAmv6UC0/s1600/Image00058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fLVczPfZU1Q/UIFrgE5K9SI/AAAAAAAAI1o/hNSJAmv6UC0/s1600/Image00058.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qtf8I-xcDEU/UIFrkVmWAYI/AAAAAAAAI14/_EhXnoekseE/s1600/Image00060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qtf8I-xcDEU/UIFrkVmWAYI/AAAAAAAAI14/_EhXnoekseE/s1600/Image00060.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FVGnL4CvwBs/UIFrtSSAQPI/AAAAAAAAI2Y/2IXv6M-UuCs/s1600/Image00064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FVGnL4CvwBs/UIFrtSSAQPI/AAAAAAAAI2Y/2IXv6M-UuCs/s1600/Image00064.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We fell in love with
Bukhara instantly. The buildings were as magnificent as the ones in
Samarkand, but instead of wide modern streets we found narrow
downtown passages and covered bazaars. The right atmosphere was
definitely there. The place just seemed real and it seemed old. It
was exactly what we were looking for. We instantly decided to spend a
few more days there. When we found a restaurant offering a perfect
view on the main square we knew we are at the right place.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dr0IveIGHg/UIvEHrEY-xI/AAAAAAAAI5w/bwmRuYiwCdY/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Dr0IveIGHg/UIvEHrEY-xI/AAAAAAAAI5w/bwmRuYiwCdY/s1600/Image00002.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKfcdYD2DwwemSLc__J8OYuirXalzhKsMuwZeczC-CdNnlHIPVsRBbBHa4uNV8YBkc9NedAvKqd5LE1TeenZ9UCdcLfZkUVfk4eGDFVCx9QhILbpr-DvVAeAhbF4Us4ZPSr6tPSDcGnU/s1600/Image00007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKfcdYD2DwwemSLc__J8OYuirXalzhKsMuwZeczC-CdNnlHIPVsRBbBHa4uNV8YBkc9NedAvKqd5LE1TeenZ9UCdcLfZkUVfk4eGDFVCx9QhILbpr-DvVAeAhbF4Us4ZPSr6tPSDcGnU/s1600/Image00007.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax7Q8NVg-O4/UIvESwRCJkI/AAAAAAAAI6s/RJN0cLBJXsY/s1600/Image00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax7Q8NVg-O4/UIvESwRCJkI/AAAAAAAAI6s/RJN0cLBJXsY/s1600/Image00009.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ecGOF7_mUI/UIvESvwOsYI/AAAAAAAAI6o/DqHJuPcWiEs/s1600/Image00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ecGOF7_mUI/UIvESvwOsYI/AAAAAAAAI6o/DqHJuPcWiEs/s1600/Image00010.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6iaqUl1Y_tM/UIvEWWCGbVI/AAAAAAAAI7E/Acu8-GXV2ck/s1600/Image00013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6iaqUl1Y_tM/UIvEWWCGbVI/AAAAAAAAI7E/Acu8-GXV2ck/s1600/Image00013.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvOkbFNtI914njK_g-1ouQCi6MN59-3bGB_2ZO4D-BOmm0SHPxHkOXdpUp0SIMdwoY5V-oUD6YXAFU51EwJYNKHJtRe9McpZRKD57H67jBc2xtWTYw2pRu6mSt4GLKalO9Ob0bMzDfdQ/s1600/Image00019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvOkbFNtI914njK_g-1ouQCi6MN59-3bGB_2ZO4D-BOmm0SHPxHkOXdpUp0SIMdwoY5V-oUD6YXAFU51EwJYNKHJtRe9McpZRKD57H67jBc2xtWTYw2pRu6mSt4GLKalO9Ob0bMzDfdQ/s1600/Image00019.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bukhara is packed with
tourists, but it's a common problem in most Uzbek cities. No matter
where you go or which restaurant you choose you can be sure some bus
full of French or German tourists got there before you. But then
again, seeing all those places you can not really blame other
tourists for wanting to visit them too. But for us it was still a bit
of a shock and something we had to get used to first. Especially that
we were hearing German everywhere we went. The only really bad thing
was, that all those tourists were spoiling the prices! We were
planning to buy some more souvenirs and a few presents, but we soon
discovered it would have been a better idea to buy it all in Tashkent
or Fergana or even Samarkand, where the prices were far more
reasonable. In Bukhara we had to fight hard to get down to a price
that was somewhere near to what we paid before. But it's no wonder if
you see that two minutes later some other tourists takes the same
thing without even complaining about the price, paying 20 EUR for a
thing that is not even worth 5. But then again, one of the things I
managed to learn at my university was, that the real value is not
important, a thing is worth as much as you're ready to pay. And we
were definitely not ready to pay 20 EUR.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With so many tourists
around somehow Bukhara still didn't manage to develop proper
restaurants. In most places the food costs a fortune and we never
really found it live up to the price. And some places, like the
restaurant near the small lake in the city center have menu in
English too, only that somehow magically the prices are 3-4 times
higher than in the Russian one! So I guess Lonely Planet was right
when they wrote “ you don't go to Bukhara for food”. Unless you
like to pay a fortune for cold overcooked rice and meat without much
spices.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For food and few other
things too you can definitely go to Khiva. The city is tiny, but full
of wonderful buildings and monuments. Surely, it is very touristic,
but it still has a nice atmosphere. It feels great to walk inside the
old town or on the top of the city walls. But most buildings are
really not worth getting into. As lovely as they are from the
outside, there is hardly anything they can offer once you enter. We
made a mistake of buying the entrance ticket, but it was a biggest
waste of money we did so far. They promise you entrance to all the
buildings and 20 museums for 2 days, but you will soon notice it's
all a waste of time. The insides are very plain and often falling
apart and the famous “museums” display water jugs from... late XX
century!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxJeJGqBoA8/UIvFDcr02xI/AAAAAAAAI_g/S_GKnmB51W0/s1600/Image00047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxJeJGqBoA8/UIvFDcr02xI/AAAAAAAAI_g/S_GKnmB51W0/s1600/Image00047.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioD3t0K09nL1J7VyR4T5dCvt88atJZRuX6viOCbJTmJHSyPHHNX__bUmvfvYzypwFRCzwrc7NdFWGo6csnGFgJCJmVrH_VEBqKs11ZhCgbblnSfq3KeWQiK6a5-bEZBIeKBu-UtVY6xc/s1600/Image00045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioD3t0K09nL1J7VyR4T5dCvt88atJZRuX6viOCbJTmJHSyPHHNX__bUmvfvYzypwFRCzwrc7NdFWGo6csnGFgJCJmVrH_VEBqKs11ZhCgbblnSfq3KeWQiK6a5-bEZBIeKBu-UtVY6xc/s1600/Image00045.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFDLccs3XhXPJ9o7ykLpd9aXWnIIum8S-708W4NUvPyAJ2f4RvLWo0rVZqKaZWN_YVi5cZo9M4xllh59N2Zy7mKp3XYeTnqxhO9lx38QooH_-wEQWuEBnEZVoRLQiyJOEppJGsp7WtVU/s1600/Image00031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFDLccs3XhXPJ9o7ykLpd9aXWnIIum8S-708W4NUvPyAJ2f4RvLWo0rVZqKaZWN_YVi5cZo9M4xllh59N2Zy7mKp3XYeTnqxhO9lx38QooH_-wEQWuEBnEZVoRLQiyJOEppJGsp7WtVU/s1600/Image00031.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5nLkGkhsE3s/UIvExZka8eI/AAAAAAAAI9s/xxmdhtua85E/s1600/Image00033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5nLkGkhsE3s/UIvExZka8eI/AAAAAAAAI9s/xxmdhtua85E/s1600/Image00033.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWrDHKrUetE/UIvE6wR6d0I/AAAAAAAAI-k/3ea6J808VnU/s1600/Image00040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWrDHKrUetE/UIvE6wR6d0I/AAAAAAAAI-k/3ea6J808VnU/s1600/Image00040.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hIo6PF7ZZMeaCGf1sqgcF1MwiuvXwE4WsOPEV0amVOQEkVHjPhxmX8nxr78DygNZrZ9xayIFXk0KaPgnMc7ypNDDJSLxYXRPTazPeHMRrQcKoVOwIL72KP-ZpFAqDzI8XyRKXsgVn6g/s1600/Image00042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hIo6PF7ZZMeaCGf1sqgcF1MwiuvXwE4WsOPEV0amVOQEkVHjPhxmX8nxr78DygNZrZ9xayIFXk0KaPgnMc7ypNDDJSLxYXRPTazPeHMRrQcKoVOwIL72KP-ZpFAqDzI8XyRKXsgVn6g/s1600/Image00042.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all we liked
Uzbekistan a lot! We didn't need long to come to this conclusion. It
may not be a country we'd like to live in, but it's definitely worth
visiting. It is famous for its magnificent cities and architecture,
but what we liked most were the people. They are incredibly friendly
and open, trying to help foreigners whenever they can. When they
speak to you they address you as “brother” or “sister”,
treating you as the most welcomed guest. It all makes the trip even
more enjoyable. But local people are sometimes hard to find. Tashkent
proved not to be the only deserted city and after dark there is
hardly anyone on the streets, no matter how touristic the place is.
Most restaurants close pretty early too. But the best place to catch
a glimpse of a local life is always the bazaar. It's a place full of
life and colours, that I guess hasn't changed much since the silk
road times. They sell the best and cheapest food too. So the best
thing to do is to seat, eat and watch all the people passing by,
going around their business. Local fashion is worth observing too. We
were surprised to find that most women in the country where dressed
in what we in Europe would describe as a bathrobe, with matching
slippers and obligatory socks. Some of them wear local silk too,
which is anything but what we understand as silk in Europe. The
material is pretty thick and warm, painted in all colours of the
rainbow, making the narrow bazaar streets look even more lively.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQaUvtAI-eg/UIFpw4nWhJI/AAAAAAAAIwY/Gl-ukzHTOUM/s1600/Image00021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQaUvtAI-eg/UIFpw4nWhJI/AAAAAAAAIwY/Gl-ukzHTOUM/s1600/Image00021.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enN8lOMhapY/UIFp51ZzS0I/AAAAAAAAIw8/nAjy2FOAHJA/s1600/Image00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enN8lOMhapY/UIFp51ZzS0I/AAAAAAAAIw8/nAjy2FOAHJA/s1600/Image00023.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwNDf8zDylY/UIFpxe0TddI/AAAAAAAAIwg/Ca3Utmgz_nY/s1600/Image00020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xwNDf8zDylY/UIFpxe0TddI/AAAAAAAAIwg/Ca3Utmgz_nY/s1600/Image00020.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our biggest problem
remained the shortage of the fuel. At the end we have always managed
to get some, it was just the question of price and time you have to
invest in finding it. But even the most expensive 95 octane we bought
in Nukus (from plastic cans in some guy's backyard) was still much
cheaper than what we regularly pay in Europe.</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finding a proper toilet
was a harder job. It's not a problem in hostels that are used to
European tourists, but in most restaurants and even private houses
you will only find a small wooden shack outside the house with a hole
in the floor and no toilet paper. But you get used to that as well.
Though it does make you appreciate all the comforts of everyday life
in Europe a bit more...</span></div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3066152517692932069.post-44674812296003442152012-10-18T07:07:00.000-07:002012-10-27T07:09:14.597-07:00No fuel no problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uzbekistan has no problem
with fuel. At least that seems to be the official version. First we
were just wondering why so many gas stations looked totally deserted.
We have seen quite a lot of them on our way to Tashkent, but for 10 stations
9 were closed and the one that seemed open was surrounded by dozens
of cars. We got a bit suspicious... Fortunately our cars were full,
so we got to the capital without problems. The problems begun when we
wanted to leave the city, trying to buy some fuel first. We have been
sent from one gas station to another for nearly an hour before we
found one, that actually still had some 91 octane fuel left (the
other ones didn't even have 80). Seeing how hard it is to get fuel in
the capital, we didn't want to risk getting stuck without it
somewhere in the middle of the desert, so we planed to fill our
jerrycans as well. But we soon found out that (as usual in a land
that has absolutely no problem with fuel) such practices were
strictly forbidden. We asked if we will be able to get some gas on a
way, but the station workers only shook their heads and advised us to
drive to the next parking place, fill the cans by sucking the fuel
out of the car and then get back to buy some fuel again. First I
though they were joking, as I can't remember seeing anyone doing
things like that since I was a kid. But they were deadly serious. And
the guys who borrowed us the right tube to do the job didn't really
seemed surprised neither. And there we were, sucking fuel out of our
cars, like I heard people used to do in old communistic times. And
David can confirm that neither the leftover cooling fluid in the tube
nor the gas itself is anywhere close to tasty. First we thought we
may be overreacting and acting stupid, but the further we drove the
happier we were that we filled those cans in the first place!</span></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoqNUDrQ6h65DZ_z3dm9Fdt6VrgcSKEqg1RDoct1v8bqKugk9_4r9ZsTU_AGkGjiln7s8fToH6pQiLo8zZDbIz_rD_9LUiGTWlpz2exj55CrJUaWHRetPD6A5UvE35imol39-ffFLa8I/s1600/Image00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoqNUDrQ6h65DZ_z3dm9Fdt6VrgcSKEqg1RDoct1v8bqKugk9_4r9ZsTU_AGkGjiln7s8fToH6pQiLo8zZDbIz_rD_9LUiGTWlpz2exj55CrJUaWHRetPD6A5UvE35imol39-ffFLa8I/s200/Image00001.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQsIoJU7cTcwQuQyE8BWFPw2ZgiIdnDSyQT30Wa4vb3tGHFIXC0XwU6q-sEOG9_jwINpErq18hnt9vdK8GBnfp79a6GTpG6Rje50WWcjtm2J1fNElaFAqyVkkqMjW2WbWPBH0u_iooCY/s1600/Image00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQsIoJU7cTcwQuQyE8BWFPw2ZgiIdnDSyQT30Wa4vb3tGHFIXC0XwU6q-sEOG9_jwINpErq18hnt9vdK8GBnfp79a6GTpG6Rje50WWcjtm2J1fNElaFAqyVkkqMjW2WbWPBH0u_iooCY/s200/Image00002.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV2Abx0ZOnzKSrVdJlB7vgs1HWM7tbqmiaTricSWUUaqi7vi2OZuMomON_MQfnxF7M5pwFUrKnrsXipTOVLjJDoWCJ7izPwsdqRB2pN8s-d0V0I8CB8gHH-1Mr_JN9C7dN0SFV-0dQqM/s1600/Image00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV2Abx0ZOnzKSrVdJlB7vgs1HWM7tbqmiaTricSWUUaqi7vi2OZuMomON_MQfnxF7M5pwFUrKnrsXipTOVLjJDoWCJ7izPwsdqRB2pN8s-d0V0I8CB8gHH-1Mr_JN9C7dN0SFV-0dQqM/s200/Image00003.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3iW-nS9YNCtyLOLnEUlrTecrnVtZm36NIKNLhf9ifABzQRWnJIPKWBEVLhzgQbJ128obtbREpNiMdYsl8zSn-_u-0dn7AhpR4B6jz2LIf_vDDI72mMf1EgqwMypNijNAG0Fs15B6hbo/s1600/Image00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3iW-nS9YNCtyLOLnEUlrTecrnVtZm36NIKNLhf9ifABzQRWnJIPKWBEVLhzgQbJ128obtbREpNiMdYsl8zSn-_u-0dn7AhpR4B6jz2LIf_vDDI72mMf1EgqwMypNijNAG0Fs15B6hbo/s200/Image00004.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30-MJSaSAq5IGICeyt6VsumanSZsmvKCQs2gtlIP6n6P0wjrNeq488lZ2hIOCtrDKfp1UBhTyQnFHs6n-mf82AQlXqgU5rWLDP0B9fODFu5bI5w8g2GDPG2Iddb4dgl5QmjfnqauhWpU/s1600/Image00005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30-MJSaSAq5IGICeyt6VsumanSZsmvKCQs2gtlIP6n6P0wjrNeq488lZ2hIOCtrDKfp1UBhTyQnFHs6n-mf82AQlXqgU5rWLDP0B9fODFu5bI5w8g2GDPG2Iddb4dgl5QmjfnqauhWpU/s200/Image00005.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FgWxAd5Nc0gA2qeo9KZ59Qw-nmTEwx_1VS7hB_GRqwkQn9AfKhv8sB2jBowtpOd0slyqA6_GV9sRpZr3JqcEeetJ-sdGWdLUkaYEwAVnZFOmSe6pB7jzDudvt9Rx9BtaAbbbgFswzBM/s1600/Image00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FgWxAd5Nc0gA2qeo9KZ59Qw-nmTEwx_1VS7hB_GRqwkQn9AfKhv8sB2jBowtpOd0slyqA6_GV9sRpZr3JqcEeetJ-sdGWdLUkaYEwAVnZFOmSe6pB7jzDudvt9Rx9BtaAbbbgFswzBM/s200/Image00006.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
Agnieszka Kaczanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300871400417643981noreply@blogger.com1