Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 4

So today we woke up at 3:45 in the morning to be one of the first three groups at the gate which opens at 5:30 in the morning. While we grumbled a bit at the early morning rise in the pitch black, we were very grateful in hindsight. Matt and I ran the last part of the trek in 45 minutes which normally takes 1 – 1.5 hours to walk to get to the Sun Gate. From there we had to wait for the rest of the group to catch up so we could go to Wayna Picchu to get tickets. Only 400 people are allowed access per day to the soaring mountain which rises over Machu Picchu and gives stunning panoramic views of the ruins and valley below. This would be the one of the highlights of the trip!

We were racing against the masses of people who would be taking a slightly easier route and catching an early bus from Aquas Calientes, a neighboring town, up to Machu Picchu. They would be getting there around 7am so we were trying to get there in that timeframe so we could get one of those magical tickets. We must have looked like quite a circus show running into Machu Picchu; all harried, unshowered and unkempt with exhausted gaunt, sunken eyes bestowing the pain of waking up before the sun and carrying our bags for the last 4 days. Some of the other tourists who took the bus appeared rather refreshed and springy in their dapper sweaters resting over their shoulders and crossed in front, and glanced at us with a mixture of awe and interest. Perhaps it was more shock and disbelief. I prefer to believe that they were inspired.

So after all that running we got to the WP ticket counter and got the 392 to 400th ticket. I got the LAST ONE! It was crazy, I actually felt bad because a couple of the guys had walked through Machu Picchu and they missed out on tickets to Waynu Picchu. Wow the euphoria of getting the last ticket was like winning the lottery. Despite my calm demeanor and even keeled personality, I don’t think I would have stood up well to being number 401 in line.

Half way up Waynu Picchu, I was starting to wonder if it would have been better to be number 401. My legs were burning like I had just run a marathon with a 50lb bag on. The effects of the three day trek and waking up early were getting the best of me. I was getting light headed and had to lean heavily on the steel cables that lined the steep mountain walls. This mountain was steep, at some points only had space for one person to cross, and did not have cables in some sections. At the top, we had to crawl under a huge rock for about 20 feet on our hands and knees through some water which was only big enough for barely me to fit. I have no idea how a large unathletic person managed this natural obstacle course. We emerged on the other side of the fallen rock where after climbing up another flight of steps we arrived at the top of the mountain, which was a huge pile of enormous boulders. It was really cool to run around on top of huge rocks overlooking the valley and Machu Picchu, until you realize that there are no cables up here. That it’s raining and the rocks are slippery. And that this is probably where that tourist fell of the mountain about 9 months ago. Then it gets realistically scary rather quickly. After slowing edging our way around the precipitous boulders, we edged our way down and properly explored Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is as amazing as everybody says it is. I’m not going to bore you with superlatives which you can read by googling Machu Picchu. Just know that if you haven’t been already you should go. I would rank it on par with the Great Wall, Ankor Wat and the Forbidden City in terms of awesome man-made beauty and engineering. It should be on everybody’s bucket list.

Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 4

La Paz, Bolivia - Day 2

Today was a tour of Tiwanaku a pre Colombian archeological site that has been named a UNESCO site. It has significant importance as precursors to the Inca Empire, flourishing as the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years.

They have these stone megaphones that you could speak into that projected your voice across the archeological campus to the other side where someone listening into a similar stone piece could hear you. They built this approximately 1,500 years before Christ. I wouldn’t be able to build two stone voice projection devices right now if you paid me. Perhaps two styrofoam cups with a string, maybe a long long string.

La Paz, Bolivia - Day 2

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Day 2

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Day 2

Singapore, Singapore - Day 3

Singapore has a fantastic blend of three main cultures from China, India, and native Malay. The food is amazing – spicy, flavorful, and diverse. I could live here just for the food.

I ran into a Japanese FOOOD COURT…there were 15 upscale stalls differ styles of Japanese cooking – the usual sushi / sashimi, ramen, teriyaki, yakitori, and curries stalls, but then they also had more interesting things like Japanese pizzas, Italian takes, stews, bakery goods, and stuff that I’ve never seen before…I wanted to take pictures of all the stalls but at the time I thought that would be a bit odd…in hindsight I really wish I would have taken the pictures or at least ordered something from every stall…wow it was heavenly

Singapore, Singapore - Day 3

Vientiane, Laos - Day 2

Vientiane, Laos - Day 2

Luang Prabang, Laos - Day 1

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Luang Prabang, Laos - Day 1

Hanoi, Vietnam - Day 2

It doesn't take much to be a pop star in Vietnam. I ran into a music video shoot at the Temple of Literature with a 5'6'' guy lip singing to a boom box and dancing with a girl. Wasn't really impressed but afterwards my driver told me that he's the biggest thing in Vietnam right now.

Hanoi, Vietnam - Day 2

Hue, Vietnam - Day 1

Hue, Vietnam - Day 1

Hoi An, Vietnam - Day 2

Today I rented a motorcycle and drove out to My Son (prounounced Mee Sun), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I got extremely lost on my way there and a 25 minute trip turned into a 2 hour trip. I had to stop multiple times to ask in pointing sign language to figure out how to get to this national monument. While it wasn't fun to be lost in the middle of never ending rice fields and villages in the scorching sun, in hindsight, the experience was a rewarding one as I enjoyed the open road and time on the bike. I eventually got to my destination and wow what a let down. I had just come from Cambodia where the temples of Siem Reap were awe inspiring. My Son was about half the size of the smallest temple in Siem Reap and in much worse condition. It was also very architecturally similar so it was rather disappointing.

The rest of the day included a trip to Denang about an hour away to visit the Marble Mountains, a really cool mountain full of temples and nooks and crannies to explore.

Hoi An, Vietnam - Day 2

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 5

Today I took a tour of the Cao Dai Temples where they combine Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism into one religion. Services at the temple, held daily at noon, 6 pm, midnight and 6 am, offer another glimpse of this East-meets-West eclecticism. An orchestra of 10 musicians and a choir of 20 youths lead the congregation in prayer. The hymns are much closer to Christian spirituals than traditional Buddhist or Taoist chanting, but the music is unmistakably Vietnamese. The mix, neither wholly Vietnamese nor wholly Western, is both very exotic and incredibly spiritual. During the forty-minute prayer session, a Cao Dai follower explains, the presence of God comes into the chapel and gazes out at the congregation through the Divine Eye.

Worshippers are separated by gender - men on the right and women on the left. In contrast to the vivid colors of the temple, lay followers and women wear pure white. Men with the rank of priest and higher are robed in solid colors depending on their spiritual allegiance within Caodaism: yellow (symbolizing Buddhism and virtue), blue (Taoism and pacifism) or red (Confucianism and authority). Bishops and cardinals also have an eye emblazoned on their headpieces.

I also went to the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Vietnamese fought the Americans during the war using a complicated system of tunnels and traps. I got to climb down into one of the original tunnel entrances and I got stuck - shoulders were too wide to fit through the hole. I also went 60 ft underground through the tunnels. I’ve never felt claustrophobic before…but those tunnels are tiny – in certain parts of the tunnels you had to crawl and are really hot - I was drenched with sweat by the time I was done.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 5

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 3

So today I took a city tour consisting of: two temples, the presidential palace (extremely 70’s and rather dilapidated for a palace), the Vietnam War museum, market place (amazing foods and spices), Notre Dame Cathedral, and the post office.

The most interesting stop on the tour was the war museum…which wasn’t referred to as the “Vietnam” war museum but the “American” war museum. It’s interesting to see Vietnam’s perspective on the American war. The pictures and videos of the bombing, torturing, and murdering that went on by the American army was horrific and ghastly. You could easily identify the Americans in the museum by their somber demeanor and saucer-wide eyes. I guess the atrocities of war are never fun to discuss but just like so many other countries that have wronged another (Germans and the Nazis, Chinese and Tiananmen Sq, and Japanese and Nanjing) the history is often glossed over in school and in the history books…until you see and talk to the affected parties…and then a whole different story comes out…

On a more positive note…I almost got ripped off…again…by a girl…who couldn’t have been more than 11 years old. I saw a girl selling miniature grilled rice cakes on the side of the road and figured that they would be between 4,000 and 8,000 dong (25-50 cents) or perhaps 16,000 dong (1 dollar) at the most. When I asked her the price, she said 200,000 dong (12 dollars). My jaw dropped when I realized she had marked it up nearly 25x the going rate. I thought perhaps I heard her wrong; maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt. So I pulled two 100,000 dong bills out of my wallet and confirmed the price with her…she just smiled and nodded…wow…well I guess to a budding entrepreneur its better to sell one rice cake for 200,000 dong to a sucker than 25 rice cakes at 8,000 dong apiece. If she sells two of them, she can probably close down shop and head home for the day. But wow, tourists pricing is taken to a whole new level here.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 3

Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Day 6

On my last day in Sihanoukville, I rented a motorbike and biked around the town to venture off the proverbial beaten path. I went up to Wat Leu, a temple on the top of the only hill in sihanoukville, and went around a bit. I’ve seen quite a few temples going through southeast Asia central but this one had statues of old men leaning on canes that didn’t appear in any of the other temples that I visited.

On the way down the hill I took a different path down the hill. I stopped to take a picture of a statue and this adorable little girl came running out of a house at me. I guess she doesn’t see too many foreigners on bikes. After standing in front of me for about 2 minutes and smiling, she runs over to the statue that I was taking a picture of and poses in front of the statue for a couple minutes while also trying to get her brothers attention to come over from the door step of their house, which was about the size of a large shack. When her brother finally came over, she wrestled him to the ground and then made him stand up and pose for more pictures. She’s in the running for the cutest kid award on my travels although she’s going to have plenty of competition.

Then I biked to the Kbal Chhay waterfalls about 20km away. Apparently it’s a popular weekend picnic and relaxation spot for the locals but I found it rather lacking. Not much of a waterfall although the hammocks looked rather comfy.

Finally, I drove around the rest of the islands and checked out the other beaches that were further from my hotel before meeting up with some Estonian friends for dinner. We went to a local popular Cambodian seafood restaurant where we were the only foreigners amongst a ton of locals. I was a little wary as the menu didn’t have any prices which was a prime opportunity to get charged foreigner prices, but we ordered a ton of food and it came out to be about 4 dollars each. We were hanging out at the guesthouse, which ironically is partially owned by an Estonian, and he went and got some local Cambodian specialties for us to try – a chicken egg with a developing chicken inside. It was two eggs with some lime and pepper but when you peel away the egg shell there’s a definite skeleton structure of a baby chicken with a head and the normal egg whites around it. It was like a soft boiled egg with tender bones in it – tasted like chicken. I wouldn’t order it at a restaurant but it was a peculiar delicacy to try once in your life.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Day 6

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Amazing, Stunning, one of the Highlights of my trip. If you haven't been, GO!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

I had a buddy Jason fly down from Korea to go temple climbing with me at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 2

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 2

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 1

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 1

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 3

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 3

Japan Day 3

I’m starting to get writers block so I’ll just list out our itinerary for the day and let you look through the pictures….

1) Ate at a restaurant close to the hostel for breakfast. I noticed that a lot of people had the fermented soybeans so I decided to give it a try - they were probably one of the grossest things I’ve ever eaten…they were slimy and rotten smelling and tasting…they gave you some mustard and soy sauce to put on them but that barely masked any of the taste…

2) Went to Ueno which has some nice historical sites. I believe it’s also the old capital of Tokyo

3) Walked around the Ameyoko open market. Watched this weird plinko game where players had buckets of sliver beads that they fed into machines.

4) Walked around Ueno park which had a lake in the middle

5) Went to the Benten Hall temple in the center of the lake

Japan Day 3

6) Had snack of noodles at the roadside

7) Went to the Shitamachi Museum which provides a charming example of what life was like in 19th century Edo / Tokyo

Japan Day 3 - Part 2 (Shitamachi Museum)

8) Walked towards the Tokyo national museum

9) Watched a street performer entertain large crowd

10)We happened upon a large group of people sitting in a perfect square hunched over in front of a platform and microphone. We thought that it was a group of middle aged people waiting for a concert or to do some outdoor exercise – much to our surprise it was a group of homeless people who were patiently waiting for their curry and rice. It was pleasantly orderly and calm in the middle of a park in front of the largest museum in Tokyo. Another example of Japanese structure, order, and politeness shining through.

11)Walked through the Kanei-ji temple. It was listed as a really nice temple but it was closed and not so interesting.

12)Then we took the subway 2 stops to Asakusa – also another historical section of Tokyo

13)There is a huge temple called the Senso-ji temple which is the center of Asakusa. Two large gates lead up to the temple and in between the two large gates is a very long corridor of stalls selling foods and trinkets. On the outskirt of the hallway of shops and leading up to the second gate and the temple are stalls after stalls of every Japanese street food possible. Possibly one of the largest street food markets that I’ve seen in a long time.

14)There was a festival going on where about 20 people carried a shrine atop two long poles and bounced up and down while chanting. They slowly walked around the area for a good part of the afternoon and into early evening.

15)We walked down the main strip and shopped; ate some street foods – grilled chicken, noodles, and a huge vegetable pancake.

16)Took pictures at the huge Senso-ji temple, Kaminarimom (Thunder Gate) and Asakusa shrine which is a 5 story pagoda

17)Walked further north and there was more food, a handicraft museum, and a drum show.

Japan Day 3 - Part 3 (Asakusa)

Video of Asakusa shrine dance:



Video of some kind of dessert bun creation:

Hong Kong - Second Day

So for our second day in Hong Kong we were a little jet lagged, woke up early, and walked around in the “Central” area where there are a number of sights to see. We went to the high end IFC mall in the financial district right by the ferry and the wharf. There are a lot of banks and expats in that area. We walked around an open market, through the Soho district (an upscale area of restaurants and shops), to the Man Mo Temple (which is one of the first traditional style temples built during the colonial era), and through the Dr. Sun Yet Sun Museum. Then we rode up the mid level escalator which is the longest escalator in the world up to the top. There are a lot of expensive old money houses in the mid level section and a lot of expats live here. At the top we walked about half a mile down to a botanical garden where we saw some interesting primates. Then we met up with my cousin and went to the roof top of the IFC mall where there is spectacular view of the Kowloon side. We rode a ferry across to the Kowloon side and then had dinner with my uncle and cousins. We finished off the night with some traditional Chinese deserts of almond jelly and milk pudding.


Pictures of HK - Day 2

Hong Kong - Day 2