Camels, Pyramids and Bombs

Today had a little bit of everything, as we experienced first-hand both the beauty of ancient Egypt and the chaotic reality of present-day Cairo.

We spent most of the day out at the Great Pyramids of Giza, riding camels and horses around the pyramids for 4 hours. It was beautiful and we even avoided the scams that afflict most tourists. Look out for pictures tomorrow.

As great as the pyramids were, today will be looked back on and remembered for other reasons. An explosion rocked one of Cairo's main tourist areas today, when somebody threw a grenade into a crowd in the Khan El-Khalili shopping district around 7 p.m., right as we finished dinner. Luckily we were nowhere near the ar ea and are all safe. We had met up with my friend Theo after dinner, and rushed with him to the scene of the blast when he received the news. We looked on as Theo and other journalists from all over the world attempted to piece together details of the attack so that he could write a story. The area was packed with policemen, reporters and onlookers, and numerous ambulances zoomed by as we tried to figure out exactly what occurred. Reports varied as to what really happened. Those on the scene claimed that the bomb was placed under a chair in a cafe, while others said the bomb was in a parked car, and still others insisted that it was actually thrown from a window above the square.

The latter report actually seems the most reliable now, based on reports we are seeing online. A French tourist has been confirmed dea d, while numerous other foreign tourists were injured. Most of the injuries actually occurred during the chaos that ensued after the blast, as the crowd dispersed and some people were trampled. As of this posting, nobody has taken credit for the attack. Either way, our adrenaline was pumping and we were definitely luc ky that we didn't decide to go to the market today. We'll go tomorrow for sure though. In fact, it's probably the safest place in the city right now.

Phil's Gastronomic Adventure #2

February 20, 2009

Istanbul, Turkey: Lunch at Sampiyon Korokec

We didn't need much to eat, more of just a meal to kill time before a late afternoon of narghile (waterpipe) and backgammon. With that, Duruhan took us to Istanbul's equivalent of American late-night-diner food: the restaurant looked like a clash between Arby's and Mos Burger. I followed all of Duru's orders: Midye Dolma (Mussels stuffed with rice) to start, Kokorec (fried cow intestine sandwich) and Ayran (goat's milk yogurt) to wash it all down. Our waiter presented our food suspiciously quick, but I was eager to wake up the palette. The mussels tasted as you would expect, and the cow intestine somewhere in between fried sausage and caramelized onions. So, it tasted awesome. I could picture myself wandering the streets after a late night of drinking and stumbling into Sampiyon Kokorec for some beer-absorbing fare. The Ayran reminded me of a sour Lassi, and I concluded that goats and cows produce very similar-tasting milk. The meal cost around US$5. Cheaper than Arby's.

Goodbye Istanbul, Hello Cairo (and Auggie)

3 became 4 today, and our group took full shape, when Auggie flew to Cairo from Athens to meet Chris, Phil and me in Cairo when our flight arrived from Istanbul. Turkey treated us very well, much better than backpackers deserve. Our stay in Istanbul could not even really be considered backpacking, but you'll hear no complaints from us (More photos from our time in Istanbul here and here).

My friend Theo, who graduated from Middlebury last May and has worked in Cairo for the past 9 months as a freelance journalist, met us at the airport and escorted us into the city to find a hostel. We are staying in the heart of downtown, just a short walk from the Egyptian museum in a very cool neighborhood. Everything here is dirt cheap and the people so far have been great to us. While looking for a hostel, a man named Aladdin (no joke) approached us and offered to help us find a place. He walked with us down several blocks until we located one (called the Bedouin Hostel). Theo was sure he was after a tip, but when he offered him several Egyptian Pounds (about 5.5 to the U.S. Dollar) Aladdin surprisingly turned him down. Theo said that in all his time in Cairo, nobody had ever refused a tip like that.

We hung out most of the night at a local bar that Theo recommended, drinking Egyptian brandy and the local beer (called Stella). Waking up early to go see the Pyramids.

Happy Ending? Thanks, but No Thanks

A man-on-man scrubdown and bath never felt so good.

We three amigos decided to spend Thursday afternoon the same way the sultans of Istanbul used to spend their afternoons: by decompressing in a bath house (Hamam). After a quick lunch near the Hagia Sophia, we headed to the 300 year-old Cağaloğlu Hamamı. Named in the well-known 2003 travel book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," the Cagaloglu is the most famous bath house in the city and did not disappoint.

The Sultans enjoyed scrub-downs from their beautiful concubines. We went a different route. After changing out of your clothes and donning only a towel (a very small towel), visitors to the Cagalogu spend 1o minutes relaxing in a hot and huge white marble domed steam room. The goal of the first ten minutes is to sweat, which loosens up the dirt on your skin in preparation for the bath. Then a massive Turk with imposing man breasts (Phil drew the short straw and got a skinny old man) massages you, rubs you down with a Turkish-style loofah before lathering you up with soap and rinsing you off with hot water. You finish up with a 10-15 minute session in a 110-degree sauna, rinse off again and then head back to the changing room to get dressed.

It was pricey (60-80 Lira + Tips to the man-breasted man-beasts) but worth it. The three of us emerged from the bath house feeling fresh and victorious. We'd like to say we closed our eyes and tried to imagine that the hulking man-hands of the massive masseurs really belonged to a lean and pretty masseuse, but we'd be lying. It just wouldn't have been the same.

The Taj Mahal

One last picture:

India Highlights

-On Jet airways to Chennai, the stewardess spilled on me not once but TWICE, the second time was a whole cup of some indian yoghurt drink. And everything I was wearing I laboriously hand-washed in the sink the day before. I was expecting at least another 3 days in those clothes. Sigh. But I was just not in the mood to make a big deal of it, so I just did damage control in the airplane lavatory and couldn't get rid of the tart yoghurt smell until we landed. 

-Cozy Inn in the Paharganj backpackers area. (it kinda reminded me of Christiana area in Copenhagen). 7 dollars a night. The window had a wood board nailed to it, and Phil and I shared a full size bed. No mosquitoes though so we were happy. The street food on our alley was 2 feet from the public toilet "stall" which was just a cut out in the wall and a hole in the ground.  A+ for space utilization.

-Phil called me a pussy for not eating the street food (a different stall then the one by us). Phil now has double the delhi-belly count than I do. I'm okay with this.  However, the food in general was all around great and cheap!  All the butter chicken we could ever want.

-Saw all the sights in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. By far the highlight was the Taj Mahal at 7am so you could see the sunrise. Very cool. I ended up taking like 300 pictures.  Everything else that day kinda paled in comparison.

-Observatory in Jaipur. Some sultan built the biggest sundial in the world in order for it to be accurate to 2 seconds. He also built a range if fairly ridiculous instruments. We were both very impressed.  Nice to see a guy have a hobby.

-Our Tuk-tuk driver we hired for the day in Agra was the evil Fonz of tuk-tuk drivers, not only did he wear a leather jacket, he drove up to random stalls and demanded m

oney where the shopowner ends up handing over a few hundred rupees. He then slapped a guy in the face later in the day. Ridiculous. His lame

 was Saleem and I have his card if anyone is i

nterested (you don't want him). We wanted to like him but he

 ended up taking us to places we didn't want to go to. I'm also disappointed that he didn't let us drive his tuk-tuk like he promised. And then he slapped a guy on the face.

-Indian trains are awesome. In general class people were jumping

 in through the windows and climbing on the roof cause the cabin was so packed. Did

n't get to experience that though since we splurged on reserved seats.

-India was everything we were missing in Sri Lanka, crazy cities, crazy buildings, crazy people.

More Photos can be accessed here and here (you don't need an account):

Phil's Gastronomic Adventure #1

February 13th, Old Delhi, India:

At a vegetarian street-side stall in Old Delhi, it was morning. locals happily chomped away, surrounding a chaotic table of curry and dhal vats and a giant Indian-style wok making sweet roti. The combination was served on the classic Indian tin dish. Space was limited, but available: enough for a pair of elbows. All the cooks watched in wonder as I, the foreigner, tried to fit in. I ate cautiously, tearing off bite-sized roti pieces and applying curry to them with my lone item of silverware, a dirtied - but fully functional - metal spoon. As I continued, an old gentleman, somehow affiliated with this layman's F&B establishment, constantly reminded me that it was curry and roti that I was eating. "You eat curry and roti!" he repeated, pointing to the respective foods with his frail, wrinkled right index finger, not once confusing one for the other. He also happily refilled my waterglass from a distressed, mangled aqua-blue watercooler that had likely hydrated the morning masses on this street for years and years. I used my final Tapas-sized roti to proudly wipe away the curry from my mouth and fingers (sorry mom, no Wet Wipes), finally popping the morsel-turned-serviette into my mouth; the Phil Haslett gesture of gastronomical approval. I gratefully handed over my 10 Rupees, full and satisfied.

Istanbul Poop Count

It's only been one day, but we wanted to drop you a line about the perseverance of Dehli-belly:

Scott: 1*

Wong: 5

Phil: 11*

Looks like Phil is running away with the title.

*updated since first publishing

Besh Kebab, Enshah'Allah (5 Kebabs, God Willing)

2 became 3 today when Phil, Chris and I all arrived in Istanbul.

East meets west here, literally. With water separating the Asian and European sides of the city, Istanbul exhibits a dense yet beautiful confluence of culture: Byzantine and Ottoman, Roman and Greek, Christian and Muslim. Sprawling hills hug the shores of the Golden Horn, Bosphorous and the Sea of Marmara, and the hills feature a maze of narrow streets lined with shophouses, mosques, markets, museums, palaces, parks and other buildings that look like they've been around for centuries (most have). Walls from the 5th Century still surround parts of the city, the same city once inhabited by the likes of Richard the Lion Hearted and Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror.

We spent today in the Sultanahmet area and Bazaar Quarter, home to some of the oldest and most well-known sites in the city. We saw the Hagia Sophia, built over 1,400 years ago as a Byzantine Church before the Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the 15th Century (which we agreed was kind of cheap and unoriginal; they just painted over the old mosaics and added a few minarets...still, it's beautiful and the most impressive structure in a city full of them). Then we hopped across the square (which used to be the site of a 100,000 seat Roman stadium) to the Blue Mosque, which was not so blue but still very cool.

After a visit to a section of the Basilica Cistern, a cavernous underground vault which once supplied water to the entire city, we made a pit stop for some tea and sheesha before braving the Grand Bazaar. It's a huge labaryinth of stalls selling everything from hookahs to jewelry to handbags to clothing. Chris paid 5 Lira for a small souvenir, then Phil found the same for 1 Lira and celebrated. I celebrated too, for Phil. Phil and I then bought soccer jerseys of the two biggest clubs in the city and bitter rivals, Galatasaray (Phil) and Fenerbahce (me).

Chris is staying with his college friend, Duruhan, on the Asian side of the city, while Phil and I stay on the European side with the Akavis, a really nice family who used to live in Singapore and offered their place up to us during our stay. The Akavi household (Judy, Michel, Chris and Daniel) staunchly supports Fenerbahce, but they've forgiven Phil for buying the jersey of the enemy and the two of us could not have a better setup here. We enjoyed a huge home-cooked meal, Phil finally washed the India out of his clothes and we have utilized the services of Ilhan, the best driver in Istanbul (no joke).

We were unable to find a good kebab, but we will be vigilant tomorrow. All in all, it was a great start to the trip. 1 day down, 119 to go.

Trailer Video

Quick update

Hey everyone,

Chris and I are in Agra, India. Took a "5 hour" (see: 8 hour) train from Jaipur to here. Having uploading problems at the Internet Cafe, so we will post again in the next few days. All we have to say is that Delhi is crazy, Jaipur is gorgeous (and really interesting: they were studying some serious astronomy over 300 years ago!), and the Taj Mahal should be breathtaking tomorrow during sunrise/sunset. Some quick notes:

-Starting to feel what has been infamously labeled as "Delhi Belly"
-Chris and I have not had separate beds since leaving Sri Lanka (but we don't cuddle)
-My zip-off pants are awesome. They are to travelers what capris are to European men.

Prices in India:
"cozy" room in Delhi: 350 rupees
1 Liter mineral water: 15 rupees
Chapati and Dahl breakfast at street-stall: 10 rupees
3rd class A/C sleeper seat on 6-hour train: 450 rupees
(exchange rate: 48 Rupees = US$1)

That's it, that's all. Pictures/better blogging to come in a few days.

Namaste,
Phil

Rest of Sri Lanka

Phil and I arrived at the Colombo train station with our full packs on and ready to take on Sri Lanka's capital. Knowing that when we'd walk out of the station we'd be endlessly harassed by tuk-tuk drivers, we decided to walk on our own to the nearby YMCA. (Only $6 a night!) Phil had his compass handy so we followed our map and walked. And walked, and walked. In the midday heat we finally solicited some help from an old shopkeeper, who was terribly excited to be able to be of some assistance. It didn't take awhile to notice that everything he was pointing out on the map wasn't where we'd thought it'd be. And since the old guy looked like he doesn't do much but hang out in that area, I had a hunch and dug around for my own (badass) compass to find out that Phil's bulls*** Brookstone compass was exactly right if the world was upside down. Phil = minus one point.

Now Phil would want me to mention that we almost missed a train because I was having some stomach issues, so now the point spread is about 0.5 points. Hope that makes you feel better Phil, you and your little girl compass.

Later that day we fell victim to our first tourist scam. We were walking by the presidential palace when this guy started asking us where we are from etc. After a bit of walking we noticed that there were tons of Sri Lankan soldiers on the road and no one else in sight. The guy with us said that area is restricted (which it was) and that we should hop into this tuk-tuk that conveniently just showed up, so we did. Long story short the tuk-tuk cost us about 1500 rupees, which is about 15 US dollars, which is also about enough for the driver and his friend to go on an all expenses paid beach holiday with their extended families. Phil and I were not pleased, but we took some consolation that it was a cheap lesson for us to learn for the rest of the trip.

Colombo doesn't really have all that much to see, and the markets were full of horrible name brand ripoffs like ESPPIT, so there wasn't much to buy. Who even buys real ESPRIT these days anyway? We left early the next morning for Kandy hoping that the lush interior of Sri Lanka would offer us something more.

The Sri Lankan trains are much more comfortable than the buses. Phil and I spent lots of time on the doorway of the train and looked out onto the tracks. The cool air was refreshing and the never-ending sceneries made it arguably more comfortable than sitting inside (although more dangerous). The steady incline up to Kandy provided us with a contrast of the beach Sri Lanka we have come to know, as the drop off cliff rolled into a continuous sea of green foliage. Sri Lanka natural beauty: A+. Sri Lankan Cities: C+ at best.

Kandy was a passable city, the one main tourist attraction was a temple where apparently Buddha's tooth lies, hence the aptly named Temple of Tooth. Great. We strolled along and constantly got harassed by the locals, which we were warned about as Kandy is a popular tourist city. Anxious to get away, we went on local train to the Pinewalla elephant orphanage, ranked number 3 of things to see in Sri Lanka according to our guide book. (Rough Guide to Sri Lanka = D-. Lonely Plant, sorry for forsaking thee.) While there were numerous elephants and it was cute watching them eating, and while yes we got excited and took loads of pictures, it wasn't really worth the trek up there. It was as if Jurong Bird Park was 5 hours away from Singapore and someone made a trip to see that. Plus the elephants were chained as if they were in some Oliver! style orphanage. Yeah anyway.. lame singer joke. I apologize.

We decided to take a local bus instead of a tuk-tuk. And since the bus was a completely packed 16 seater van with people pouring out of the windows, the bus guy told me to just hang out of the door and hang on to the window pillar. Phil made it inside because he's not as big (fat?) as me. Holding on the bus was easy until it started to make turns away from the door, making it significantly harder to hold onto the pillar. After five minutes with one leg in the air and the other straining to keep a grip on the step, I made my way inside the bus as people left. Phew. Hanging on to the side of a bus checkbox, is now checked. Done. By the way if you are my mom reading this, everything is complete fiction.

We hopped onto a train back to Colombo during when all the schools let out, so the train was crowded with school-kids and their ESPPIT backpacks. As we got closer to Colombo it got considerably more packed. When we got back to the YMCA, we were pretty ready to leave Sri Lanka and excited to see what India has in store for us.

Oh and I did laundry in the sink, I washed my Exofficio travelling boxers, which Phil and Scott also have. They are made of nylon so they dry really fast, AND they are incredibly comfortable. Is it weird that while we sleep in the same bed we are wearing the exact same thing?

Chris and Phil Share a Bed

First of all, A+ to Phil and his Singapore Airlines PPS Credit Card. Even though technically it still isn't supposed to get us into the lounge, the lady at the counter looked way too afraid to turn us down after seeing that the card had the PPS symbol on it. The booze tasted better than usual, but that's because it tasted free. We landed at Sri Lanka airport at midnight where we first noticed that everyone was making quick duty free purchases. Not liquor mind you but full size Korean refrigerators. Sri Lanka must have an exorbitant tax on imported refrigerators, ahh it must be good to be a local Sri Lankan fridge manufacturer, go protectionism!

The first night we had a complete infestation of mosquitos in our hostel room and all we had were these anti-mosquito patches that mom stuffed in my backpack (along with countless other pariphinallea, if anyone needs 10 spare syringes "just in case" let me know). I already knew these were useless from previous experiences, but Phil and I in desperation adhered about 6 patches each, for each arm, leg, neck and forehead. With it already being hot I even decided to put on my jeans and patagonia to reduce my skin bareness.  We ended up not sleeping and instead kept telling each other "oh my god I hate mosquitoes" every 15 minutes.

At 5am we were practically looking forward to peacing out of the hostel and going for our bus ride. We've been warned of the experience on the public buses and they weren't exaggerating. It's either full acceleration or full brakes with these guys and the fact that I had to jam my knees in the seat in front of me didn't help (Da Zhong Guo). The driver smiles with glee after every successful overtake on the two lane road, and his smile is proportional to the amount of time he plays chicken with the every oncoming bus. Phil moved to the back of the bus to try and get some sleep after the previous night's festivities, as I watched in anticipation of which Lanka Ashok Leyland model bus would be the end of us. We picked up tons of passengers along the way at various bus stops (poorly named because the bus never actually stops, it just slows down just enough for people to hop on.) Thankfully our driver has serious bus driving skills, and they were nice enough to stop the bus completely so that Phil and I could clumsily hop off with our packs. We are such tourists.

Unawatuna is awesome, a great beach destination. We both agreed that this must have been what Phuket was like before it became obnoxiously touristy. Cafe huts and bars litter the beachfront, and are nicely done and aren't trashy at all. (read: no ping pong shows) We spent the day lounging on the beach, eating local fare and planning the next few days on this great island. Tomorrow we are going to TRAIN it back to Colombo and head out towards the wonders of inland Sri Lanka. Overall an excellent start to our trip.

Phil lost the coin toss and he is little spoon tonight.

-Chris

Aaaaaaand we're off!

Chris and I have begun "doing the earth." So far, the experiences have been very polarizing: either they're great, or they suck. For instance:

We finagled our way into the Singapore Airlines Lounge in Bangkok, and thus enjoyed complimentary food and alcohol (Great);

Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, we decided to stay in a guesthouse near the bus-station while waiting for the 6AM bus to Unawatuna. However, the room did not come with any air-conditioning or mosquito net, and we were subsequently victims of a Mosquito Massacre, enduring over 50 bites each during a sleepless 5-hour toss-and-turn marathon (Suck);

The bus to Unawatuna was running ahead of schedule and we just got on before it left (Great);

The bus-driver thought he was a character in Mario Kart and disregarded every traffic law known to man: we felt like Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed (Suck);

Unawatuna is beautiful! the food is fantastic, people are incredibly friendly, and our guesthouse has BOTH air-conditioning and a mosquito net! (Great)

In summary, the trip has taken a turbulent start. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Looking forward to tomorrow's journey to Colombo and Kandy, where we will visit the world's largest elephant sanctuary.

We'll keep you posted.

Adios,
Phil

Thaipusam

Phil and Chris left for Sri Lanka and India today (I will meet up with them in Istanbul and Auggie will meet us in Cairo after that). So what did we do for Phil's last few hours before heading to India? What piece of Singapore did he want to experience one last time?

We went to see a Hindu Festival.

Not so fast. Thaipusam is banned in India and now only allowed to be practiced in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Devotees make a gesture of bondage, oftentimes as a way to protect themselves and their families from great misfortune. After fasting, abstaining from sex and meditating for a month preceding the festival, they conduct the ceremony by walking along a set route while wearing kavadi (burden). Kavadi is a wooden frame or canopy carried on the shoulders while numerous needles and hooks penetrate the person's front, back and side.

Ouch. Look out for the first real post of the trip, which is now officially underway.

Better Late Than Never

And so it was that on a beautiful but bitterly cold January day I rolled and tumbled down the Middlebury College ski slope in my cap and gown to finally celebrate my graduation. There's a longstanding tradition here that January graduates (about 120 of us) follow up the formal graduation ceremony with a group ski down the Snow Bowl. I was that guy who lived in the mountains for four years and went skiing only a few times, so on Saturday I made it down to the bottom of the mountain in one piece but with a face full of snow.

I haven't posted on this blog yet. I like to write but haven't had anything worth writing about until now because I haven't gotten to go prawn fishing in Vermont. Plus, I haven't started doing the earth yet so I didn't want to jump the gun. But now that college is done and the trip is right around the corner, I wanted to make my debut in the blogosphere.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Phil and Scott couldn't have made plans to do the earth without Phil graduating early, but equal credit should be given to he who graduated a semester late.

Now, it's time to do the earth. Stay tuned...