Word from San Diego is that my Mother in law made it back to the States, safe and sound. Considering that she was on one of only two aircraft that flew that route during the week of the volcanic cloud, she was insanely lucky to make it. So here’s to hoping that the troublesome [...]
This is me on a Swedish Spark. The word translates to “kick”. It is a little thing that we use to transport ourselves up here in the north of Sweden. It may look weird and archaic (it is), but it is really quite a convenient way of getting around. Speed wise it ranks up there [...]
Traveling in India throws unexpected things your way more often than not. Flying, I’ve come to learn, is no exception. Take for example the security lines. Since men and women have the right to be frisked by members of their own gender, the lines are segregated by sex. Fair enough, but what about the fact [...]
It was ten days ago that I reveled in Martin’s encounter with a cuddly Indian man. I laughed. I thoroughly enjoyed his awkward half-smile, half-grimace when it was happening. I made fun of him for days. Well, karma is a b-tch. I just spent our two hours of our bus ride from Miao in Arunachal [...]
Traveling out here sure has its quirks and oddities. Like the other day when we tried to cross into Arunachal Pradesh from Assam. To the horror of the border guards, we attempted to do this on a public bus. This could simply not be permitted: nay, we had to have our own vehicle. Unlike the [...]
I’m a girl and girls sometimes cry. We can’t help it. Well, I can’t help it at least, especially when I’m tired. One wrong word or move and I become a fountain. Combine exhaustion, near constant bus rides and a new hotel every night. The result: a recipe for Jaime Disaster. This week’s trigger was, [...]
Personal space means one thing to us and something all together different to Indians. When I board a bus at home (San Francisco), I hope that the empty seat next to me stays empty. It’s not because I’m antisocial (no, no – of course not). It’s because I like my space, especially on public transportation. [...]
This is the ‘restaurant car’ of the 1st class train from Naba to Mandalay: two guys carrying a couple of buckets full of chicken feet, fried fish, eggs, veggies and rice. The service is fast and friendly, and the two restauranteurs are trailed by a person selling water and strong drink. We went with the [...]
These things are a mystery to me. You see them driving around Mandalay – presumably they’re some form of public transport – but I haven’t seen one outside the city. What I don’t understand is two-fold: 1. Where the heck is the engine (it’s front-end is 12 inches long – that’s not big enough to [...]
“Martin! Get your backpack on, I think we have to make a run for it.” We’d arrived at the train station ten minutes earlier. After a leisurely stroll to find a good place to put our bags down we’d played our usual game of rock-paper-scissors to see who bought the tickets. I’d lost and had [...]
The ability to spend time inside your own head is a great asset when traveling in Burma (or anywhere else for that matter). During our mad dash through the upper Irrawaddy area, we had ample opportunity to practice this skill. The last four days we’ve spent five hours on a motorbike, seven on a bus, [...]
Renting a semi-automatic motorbike and two helmets for a day: 10 dollars. A tank of low-octane gas: 3 dollars. Realizing an hour later that the helmet that came with the deal is actually a replica of a Nazi helmet: Bizarre. I seriously have no idea why, but a lot of people up here are riding [...]
Martin’s already discussed the ins and outs of train travel in Myanmar. In sum, train rides are long and bumpy. It took a review of the photos we took while on the train to realized just how stinkin’ long we were on there – we took seventy-five pictures in total! Anyway, I’ve put together a [...]
A seven hour, forty dollar taxi ride has taken us to Delhi – the capital of India. The city comes with a reputation as a gritty and nasty mega city, and I can’t help but think that our first impressions confirm what we’ve heard about it. We were just walking back from our dinner restaurant, [...]
I told you that we’ve ridden all forms of transportation available at this point here. Well, I stand corrected. The Indian sleeper class bus is something we’ve never seen before, and are hoping to never ride in again. We booked ourselves into two sleeper class seats on a ride south from Haridwar to Agra. [...]
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
