I said it myself...it's crazy what a day can bring. After just one week working for Budget rental, we were given the boot with nothing to show but our hip company shirts as a parting gift. It was probably one of the funniest moments of my life and we are not bitter at all that they had to "let us go." When it came down to it, we had no working visa, we don't speak a lick of Greek (and therefore cannot work in the office) nor do we drive manual (so we can't drive any of the cars). Our only function was flashing our beautiful confused smiles and providing some good laughs. Now we are on the hunt for another job or some sort of direction on what to do for the rest of our trip in Europe.
Since being fired we have had a great time bumming around the island, seeing old friends and making some new ones as well. We continue to spend the majority of our time sitting on the beach or in front of our friend's jewelry shop. There was a new addition to the group this week; Jenna, a friend living in Italy, came to visit and she was fresh meat for our new greek friends to joke with. And, of course, I cannot forget to mention our newest best friends in the whole world: Ari, Tanya, Brendan, Davin, and Dion. Apparently all of Israel has come on vacation to Mykonos and we are glad for that. They have been great company for naked people watching on the beach (yep, all beaches seems to be nudey beaches here on Mykonos) and have provided tons of laughs. Was that sufficient Ari? Would you like me to write some more about you?
Apart from trying to find some direction in our travels, our days continue to be exciting and filled with lots of random activities. The Greeks are generous, welcoming, and make some damn good gyros...so we love them. Our fame seems to grow by the day....just today some girl came up to us and asked if we were Jess and Amanda, the girls traveling around the world with the blog. Yep, that's right...we have a fan club. It must have something to do with all those pictures we took with random people in India. In all honesty, it was pretty cool that people out there are actually reading this godforsaken blog and I hope that you all enjoy!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Walls, Deserts, and Islands
In the 3 weeks since I last wrote, our lives have become so amazingly random I can't help but laugh as I sit here and write this entry. Let's put it this way...we don't know how to drive manual, Jess doesn't even have a license with her, nor do we speak Greek, yet we scored a job delivering cars for Budget rental in Mykonos, Greece. Like many things on this trip, I'm not sure how we stumbled upon this opportunity - but I'm just gonna roll with it. Yesterday we had to walk an hour to get home because we missed the bus, today we have our own company car to drive around the island and we are going to get courtesy cell phones. It's crazy what a day can bring.
Before arriving here in Greece, we rounded out the China leg of our trip and visited the wonderful Taylor and Tobin Ireland in Abu Dhabi. Our time in Beijing was spent visiting the Forbidden city, summer palace, and, of course, - the Great wall of China. The most memorable of the three is definitely the wall - it truly is "Great." We spent our last day in Asia hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai. This is an interesting stretch of the wall with sections that remain original and others that are completely restored. The landscape is overwhelming; the mountains are so green and textured that they look fake. The wall itself stretches as far as the eye can see, up and over the hill and cliffs. It's a wonder that they able to build the wall on such terrain - I was getting winded hiking it...imagine having to haul all of the materials and build the wall to boot! It made us realize that our goal to run a half marathon is going to be more challenging than we thought.
We left Asia with a tear in our eyes and endured a day long journey to the UAE. It was not long before we were in the laps of luxury in the Ireland's apartment in Abu Dhabi. Our time with Taylor and Tobin was like a breath of fresh air...before we arrived we were grumpy and homesick - by the time we left we were rejuvenated and ready to move again (although we would have preferred to hang in Abu Dhabi a bit longer). Within 24 hours of our arrival we met the entire staff of the American International Elementary School. They were chock full of entertainment with their crazy tales of teaching the expats and royal Emirates. It was interesting to hear all of their stories and we are now convinced that teaching is in our future. It would be the perfect occupation to feed our travel addiction. Beyond that, we spent a full week watching boot legged movies or, when we wanted to get some "fresh air," walking around glamorous malls with the rest of the Emirate women. The dry heat of the UAE is both tiring and satisfying. This, coupled with our laziness, kept us form exploring the city too much. But, it is amazing to think that just 30 years ago this incredibly modern city was all desert. Now it is an interesting mix of western and eastern cultures, set in the richest country in the world. Public transport was slacking but the crazy cheap gas prices allow the taxi rides to be affordable - we filled up a full tank of gas for about 15 US dollars.
Two highlights of our trip to the UAE were dining with Cornelia and Hunter Milborne at the Emirate Palace and playing in the sand dunes in Liwa. The dunes were incredible and unlike anything I have ever seen before. Pictures will be up soon. Though these were "highlights" of our week, in all honesty, our favorite times were spent on the couch watching movies, awaiting the return of our adoptive parents from work with hugs and dinner in the oven. We love Taylor and Tobin, the perfect mirror image of our own relationship. It was like a double date with 2 old married couples: I was Taylor and Jess was Tobin.
As for life at the moment, we are happy to be settling down for awhile in one spot. Hopefully by this time next week we will have an apartment and will be able to cook meals and have a hot shower. We are spending our days learning to drive manual, our afternoons running, and our evenings sitting in front of our friend's jewelry shop sipping wine. It's a hard life but someone has to do it.
Before arriving here in Greece, we rounded out the China leg of our trip and visited the wonderful Taylor and Tobin Ireland in Abu Dhabi. Our time in Beijing was spent visiting the Forbidden city, summer palace, and, of course, - the Great wall of China. The most memorable of the three is definitely the wall - it truly is "Great." We spent our last day in Asia hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai. This is an interesting stretch of the wall with sections that remain original and others that are completely restored. The landscape is overwhelming; the mountains are so green and textured that they look fake. The wall itself stretches as far as the eye can see, up and over the hill and cliffs. It's a wonder that they able to build the wall on such terrain - I was getting winded hiking it...imagine having to haul all of the materials and build the wall to boot! It made us realize that our goal to run a half marathon is going to be more challenging than we thought.
We left Asia with a tear in our eyes and endured a day long journey to the UAE. It was not long before we were in the laps of luxury in the Ireland's apartment in Abu Dhabi. Our time with Taylor and Tobin was like a breath of fresh air...before we arrived we were grumpy and homesick - by the time we left we were rejuvenated and ready to move again (although we would have preferred to hang in Abu Dhabi a bit longer). Within 24 hours of our arrival we met the entire staff of the American International Elementary School. They were chock full of entertainment with their crazy tales of teaching the expats and royal Emirates. It was interesting to hear all of their stories and we are now convinced that teaching is in our future. It would be the perfect occupation to feed our travel addiction. Beyond that, we spent a full week watching boot legged movies or, when we wanted to get some "fresh air," walking around glamorous malls with the rest of the Emirate women. The dry heat of the UAE is both tiring and satisfying. This, coupled with our laziness, kept us form exploring the city too much. But, it is amazing to think that just 30 years ago this incredibly modern city was all desert. Now it is an interesting mix of western and eastern cultures, set in the richest country in the world. Public transport was slacking but the crazy cheap gas prices allow the taxi rides to be affordable - we filled up a full tank of gas for about 15 US dollars.
Two highlights of our trip to the UAE were dining with Cornelia and Hunter Milborne at the Emirate Palace and playing in the sand dunes in Liwa. The dunes were incredible and unlike anything I have ever seen before. Pictures will be up soon. Though these were "highlights" of our week, in all honesty, our favorite times were spent on the couch watching movies, awaiting the return of our adoptive parents from work with hugs and dinner in the oven. We love Taylor and Tobin, the perfect mirror image of our own relationship. It was like a double date with 2 old married couples: I was Taylor and Jess was Tobin.
As for life at the moment, we are happy to be settling down for awhile in one spot. Hopefully by this time next week we will have an apartment and will be able to cook meals and have a hot shower. We are spending our days learning to drive manual, our afternoons running, and our evenings sitting in front of our friend's jewelry shop sipping wine. It's a hard life but someone has to do it.
Friday, May 2, 2008
6 Months Away from the Homeland!
It's true. Today marks 6 months away and we are alive, kicking, and still getting along! It's hard to believe that we have been away for so long. But, when I look back it feels like an eternity has passed since that November night when we first stepped on our flight to Peru. Eleven countries, fifteen flights, endless hours on buses and trains, and God knows how many walked miles later, we are in China and exhausted. I knew this day would come, but I denied it until it actually happened - we don't want to go ANYWHERE or see ANYTHING. I would actually rather sit and watch movies in the hostel than go explore the city we are in, Pingyao, a small glimpse into old-world China. How pathetic!? We lead difficult lives. Despite our lack of motivation, we have seen a number of cool things in the past week and met a handful of amazing people.
First stop after Hong Kong was Shanghai. Unfortunately, when we arrived we had some trouble with our ATM card and spent the first entire day walking from ATM to ATM.
We found that by walking from bank to bank we were able to see a greater part of the city and it eventually led us to the bustling area of the city by night time. We wondered the Bund, checked out the lights of Shanghai, and tried to sell roller blades. Well, to be fair, Jess tried to help 2 Chinese girls sell roller blades to tourists and I spent a good 10 minutes actually trying to use them. Picture this: Jess running up and down the street with an energetic Chinese girl, attempting to sell light up roller blades to anyone that looked western. Now, picture me, far behind, leaning on a 5 foot nothing Chinese girl who is trying to help me stand on 2 feet and teach me how to use the death traps. It wasn't good for sales, I can say that much. Afterwards we got the ATM to work...thank the lord for Commerce Bank!
The following night was a bit random. Jess got lured into a pub by a "Hoegarden Beer" sign. Apparently 2 Australian guys recognized us from one of our many ATM stops the day before and before we knew it they were buying us a traditional Chinese dinner at a posh restaurant. We tried pigs feet, fish heads, and frog. They don't waste anything here in China...apparently we could have ordered cat...I was thankful they didn't put that in front of me.
From Shanghai we took a near 24 hour train ride to Xi'an. This city is the home of the "8th wonder of the world," the Terracotta Army. Discovered in 1974, these ruins consist of near 60,000 warriors made to protect the first emperor's tomb. They were constructed in 200 B.C.! That's right...after nearly 2,000 years underground, these ruins were discovered by some farmers digging a well. The sheer number of them is overwhelming, considering when they were made, and the fact that they are so detailed. From the the expression on the warriors faces right down to the horse's teeth, you can make out everything. Not all of the warriors have been restored and there is still much work to be done. Nevertheless, the site was definitely worth the long train all the way out to Xi'an. Here is one of many pictures of the warriors:
At the moment we are in Pingyao. This is an old banking city halfway between Xi'an and Beijing. The walls surrounding the city are the only ones remaining in China from the Ming Dynasty (1300's). Apparently, at it's height the city flourished as the financial capital of China. But, it was too poor to modernize since it's collapse and, lucky for us, has kept it's old-town China feel. The architecture is amazing and the streets are filled with antiques and temples. It is definitely one of my favorites in China.
We had a pretty random experience last night. Jess impressed some old man by doing a cartwheel and he invited us into his home for "picture." We assumed he wanted a picture of us (we are so vain), but he actually wanted to show us his photo albums. Apparently he was a martial arts star in his hay-day; he had newspaper clippings, photos of himself preforming in front of large crowds, and plaques. He even whipped out his sword, non-chucks, and spear...and let us play with them. He didn't speak a lick of English but I left feeling like we had a whole conversation.
That brings you all up to date! Lucky you. Tomorrow we take 2 buses to Beijing, where we plan on participating in our self-organized Olympic games. Events will include spinning, leap frogging, and my personal favorite, "how many Chinese people can you get to take a picture with you?". I don't think that Beijing knows what's coming their way.
First stop after Hong Kong was Shanghai. Unfortunately, when we arrived we had some trouble with our ATM card and spent the first entire day walking from ATM to ATM.
We found that by walking from bank to bank we were able to see a greater part of the city and it eventually led us to the bustling area of the city by night time. We wondered the Bund, checked out the lights of Shanghai, and tried to sell roller blades. Well, to be fair, Jess tried to help 2 Chinese girls sell roller blades to tourists and I spent a good 10 minutes actually trying to use them. Picture this: Jess running up and down the street with an energetic Chinese girl, attempting to sell light up roller blades to anyone that looked western. Now, picture me, far behind, leaning on a 5 foot nothing Chinese girl who is trying to help me stand on 2 feet and teach me how to use the death traps. It wasn't good for sales, I can say that much. Afterwards we got the ATM to work...thank the lord for Commerce Bank!
The following night was a bit random. Jess got lured into a pub by a "Hoegarden Beer" sign. Apparently 2 Australian guys recognized us from one of our many ATM stops the day before and before we knew it they were buying us a traditional Chinese dinner at a posh restaurant. We tried pigs feet, fish heads, and frog. They don't waste anything here in China...apparently we could have ordered cat...I was thankful they didn't put that in front of me.
From Shanghai we took a near 24 hour train ride to Xi'an. This city is the home of the "8th wonder of the world," the Terracotta Army. Discovered in 1974, these ruins consist of near 60,000 warriors made to protect the first emperor's tomb. They were constructed in 200 B.C.! That's right...after nearly 2,000 years underground, these ruins were discovered by some farmers digging a well. The sheer number of them is overwhelming, considering when they were made, and the fact that they are so detailed. From the the expression on the warriors faces right down to the horse's teeth, you can make out everything. Not all of the warriors have been restored and there is still much work to be done. Nevertheless, the site was definitely worth the long train all the way out to Xi'an. Here is one of many pictures of the warriors:
At the moment we are in Pingyao. This is an old banking city halfway between Xi'an and Beijing. The walls surrounding the city are the only ones remaining in China from the Ming Dynasty (1300's). Apparently, at it's height the city flourished as the financial capital of China. But, it was too poor to modernize since it's collapse and, lucky for us, has kept it's old-town China feel. The architecture is amazing and the streets are filled with antiques and temples. It is definitely one of my favorites in China.We had a pretty random experience last night. Jess impressed some old man by doing a cartwheel and he invited us into his home for "picture." We assumed he wanted a picture of us (we are so vain), but he actually wanted to show us his photo albums. Apparently he was a martial arts star in his hay-day; he had newspaper clippings, photos of himself preforming in front of large crowds, and plaques. He even whipped out his sword, non-chucks, and spear...and let us play with them. He didn't speak a lick of English but I left feeling like we had a whole conversation.
That brings you all up to date! Lucky you. Tomorrow we take 2 buses to Beijing, where we plan on participating in our self-organized Olympic games. Events will include spinning, leap frogging, and my personal favorite, "how many Chinese people can you get to take a picture with you?". I don't think that Beijing knows what's coming their way.
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