Floating Market

admin April 4, 2023 0 Comments

Today we hired a van to take us out of Bangkok and out into the rural countryside to visit the some unique markets.

The first was the railroad market.  The market is literally set up on the train tracks.  Vendors are on each side, and several times a day when the train comes through the vendors all pull back their products and awnings just enough to let the train come by, then it all goes back out and the market continues.  Pretty cool!

The second market was a floating market.  There are miles of waterways and vendors set up along the side of the canals, or in some cases sell their products or food right from the boats.  We hired a long boat to take us around and along the way did some shopping and had some pad thai noodles prepared from one of the boats.  Another really unique experience!

Other highlights today included visiting a budist temple, trying spicy lobster flavored pringles (not recommended), and having dinner delivered by a robotic waiter.

Bangkok!

admin April 3, 2023 0 Comments

After another long day of travel, we made our way from Bangladesh to Thailand. We got in late and spent the next day checking out some markets and seeing the town, but it was a pretty relaxed day as we got used to a new timezone.

The tuk tuk rides were an adventure, street food everywhere (grubs, worms, and all sorts of creepy crawlies are on the menu if you’re into that kind of thing), and the shopping and malls are endless.

Our hotel was right on the river, and a water taxi takes you from the hotel to a central transportation hub where you can catch other ferries, the metro, tuk tuk, or whatever other transportation you need to get around this huge town!

A long night in Bangladesh

admin April 1, 2023 0 Comments

Getting to Bangkok involved a long overnight layover in Dacca, Bangladesh. If ever you have the opportunity to spend a night in the Bangladesh International Airport…go ahead and pass.

We had made a reservation at an airport hotel hoping to go and get a little rest there while we waited for our next flight. But for reasons we still don’t totally understand, we were not allowed to leave the airport in spite of them having transit visas available. I think Jodi just looked too suspicious for the border guards to allow us through. So instead we ended up setting up camp in a corner of the airport lounge for the night.

It was all pretty confusing trying to figure out luggage transfers, getting new boarding passes, and just understanding how the process works in this unique airport. But in spite of the fact that neither Jodi or I speak a bit of Bengali, everyone here was very helpful and took good care of us making sure we made it along to our next stop. And in the end, our luggage even made it too!

Next stop – Bangkok!

Istanbul, day two

admin March 29, 2023 0 Comments

Our second day in Istanbul was as good as the first. Today started with shopping at the Grand Bazaar, a market that has been going since 1461. It was absolutely massive, and impossible to keep track of where you were or where you’d been. Turkish rugs, beautiful lamps, and on and on. Then the Spice Market, and lots of streetside markets in between the two. We picked up some amazing Turkish souveniers (so much for traveling light with just backpacks)…

In the afternoon we did a traditional Turkish Bath. Think spa treatment and massage…but with a large and aggressive Turkish man scrubbing you with a lufa and beating you to within an inch of your life. I can’t say it was a relaxing experience, but it was an experience. Jodi said she loved it. The setting was amazing though, this bath opened in 1741 and has operated continuously ever since.

At night we walked along the popular tourist street, had dinner, and headed to bed. Tomorrow is a travel day. Off to Dacca, Bangladesh for a long layover and then on to Bangkok!

Istanbul!

admin March 29, 2023 0 Comments

After spending the day traveling from Switzerland to Turkey, we got a good night sleep and had our first full day in Istanbul.  We covered a lot of ground in one day including seeing the Sultan’s Palace, a massive unergtound cistern, several mosques, and just getting lost wandering around the city streets.

And the stray dogs and cats. But what is so unusual here is that they are so well cared for. The shop owners provide food and water, and are happy to have them. We even passed one that had its own Instagram account.  We definitely got the feeling the animals are a higher priority than people are, for example a cat that was sprawled out blocking the entrance to a coffee shop and had no intention of moving. Nor did the owner have any intention of moving it. Really nice to see see them so well taken care of.

It’s really interesting being in such a dramatically different culture. It’s predominantly muslim here, and hearing the call to prayer over the loud speakers across the city regularly is unique.  I also managed a rare sighting of Jodi in her hajab (required for women to enter some religious sites here).

We finished the day with great Turkish food and Turkish delight (candy).

Day 11 – Monkeys!!!

admin September 3, 2022 0 Comments

Day 11 we took the train about an hour east of Amsterdam to see more of the Netherlands. Our goal…”Apenheul”! Apenheul is a primate park but there are no fences in the park so all of the monkeys are free to roam around you. When you enter, you have to put all of your bags into a “Monkey Proof” bag so they don’t get your stuff. From there you enter and they are all around you. Kenzie and I love monkeys and had a blast. Jodi has to deal with Kenzie and I all day, so she’s already used to being around monkeys…

Day 10 – Headed to Amsterdam

admin August 31, 2022 0 Comments

Day 10 we left Brugge and got back on the train and started to make our way to Amsterdam. We decided to use it as our home base as we explored some of the Netherlands. Nothing too exciting today, just a relaxing ride on the train for a few hours followed by getting settled into a hotel and wandering the canals of Amsterdam. The train station had a pretty neat exercise bike though. If you wanted to charge your phone, you plugged it in and then had to pedal to make the power to charge it up!

Day 9 – Brugge

admin August 18, 2022 0 Comments

So it turns out that Brugge is AWESOME! We liked it so much that we changed our plans and decided to stay another day. We started the day with a boat tour through the canals (they want to be known as the Venice of the North) and a little walk around town. Since we were in Belgium, we tried the Belgian waffles covered in Belgian chocolate (yum!), and later, the Flemish fries – so good!

As we were wandering the little back streets of the town, we stumbled upon some construction that looked out of place so we stopped to look. It was across from the old hospital (1000 years old), and it turned out to be an archeological dig in progress. We watched as they unearthed 2 skulls and their bones. We were guessing that being across from the hospital, maybe it was the old graveyard. Europe has such amazing history, and it was so cool to see this happen right in front of our eyes. Definitely a highlight of the trip. We’ve had great luck on trips just wandering without a plan, and this reinforced why we like doing that so much. Amazing!!

We finished the day with some museums, shopping, and a carriage ride around the old parts of the town.

Day 8 – Travel Day

admin August 17, 2022 0 Comments

Starting on day 8, we had no reservations and no set plans. From here on it’s just looking at the map and wandering wherever looks exciting. We settled on Brugge, Belgium. We packed up our room in Paris and headed to the train station with our Eurorail passes in hand. It was a loooong, difficult travel day (turns out that getting a seat on the train in the height of summer tourist season is more difficult than we’ve experienced in the off-season, should have seen that coming…), but we made it to our hotel in Bruge around 8:30pm and had one of our best meals at a local restaurant!

Day 7 – last day in Paris

admin August 16, 2022 0 Comments

Brad started the day with a tour of the catacombs while Kenzie, Grace, and I had breakfast at a local cafe bistro. More walking and a boat tour down the Seine river, then past Notre Dame before it started to pour again! We’re ready to head to the train station in the morning and get to our next destination!