Bye Bye for Now

Anyways... There are so many untold stories that will come out as we spend time with each of you, but for now it's time to go. Here we are, the last day of the trip, sitting on the computer. There is so much more street food waiting for us then we can possibly eat in 24 hours. And you better bet that Jared is going to try to eat all of it. Thanks for all your love and support. We can't wait to get back home to be with you all.

SE Asia Party Scene

Seems like it doesn't matter which country we end up in, there is always a little (or a lot) of taste of home. By taste, we don't just mean in the figurative sense either, we mean pizza and burgers, cocktails and french fries, Espressos and bakeries. These places have at times been a refuge from the poop-stained squat toilet, cockroach infested days of traveling. They are however a major test in cynicism and patience.

In Laos, it was Vang Vieng. In Thailand it was almost every beach town south of Bangkok. In Nepal it was lakeside district of Pokahra. For us there has always been a souvenirs in a bite of real chocolate cake though. Navigating through the vomiting people with permanent markers all over their faces, we have been glad that we are tired because of the climbing close by, not the buckets of alcohol that we could have consumed.

Same same, no difference between some of these people. Just now on Koh San Rd in Bangkok, there is a loud young American swearing and bragging about the money he spent getting wasted last night while complaining how he doesn't know his parent's e-mail addresses. I'm glad we choose to spend our money and time other ways.

Seems like it is all over the world if you want to find it. At least now we know where the stereotypes of loud Americans comes from...

A Photographic Eye

Our experiences in Nepal have been one of the most cultural experiences of both of our lives. As you can tell, from the bus rides to the trek, we've learned the lives and ways that exist in the east. With these photos, we hope to share some of that. From top to bottom (in no particular order). I just wanted you all to know that these pictures came from Suzi's eye behind the lens. She has an amazing sense for the detail and still subjects.

Prayer wheels along the trek in Gyaru at 12,380 feet.

Buddha statues at the Drubgon Jangchup Choeling Monestary in Kathmandu, Nepal

A doorway in Bandipur, Nepal

Another doorway in Kagbeni, Nepal
(Both of these towns took us back a century or two. Jared whacked his head on every single one!)

Trekking Photos III

Some more photos of the trek. From top down... A yak grazing, talk about free-range meat. A tough old woman carrying a regular load, these people are amazing! Somewhere along the trail, Suzi has a good eye with that camera. So many terraced fields growing a variety of things from buckwheat, corn, rice and more. A regular traffic jam on the trail.

There are so many more pictures, but it would take days and cost a fortune to post them all. We have added a number of them on Facebook though, so check out more there.

Trekking Photos II

More pictures... Top down... The Yak burgers were actually really good here, but don't worry they weren't fast food style (they took over an hour to make). This kid was in his teens and weighed less then that pack. A goat jam in the slate stone alley of Kagbeni. Close up of a prayer wheel. An woman in Kagbeni who for some reason was really excited to get her picture taken.

Trekking Photos I

Well, there are endless words to describe the 10 days we spent walking through the Himalayas, but for now we can leave it to some images to tell a few stories. From the top down...

Suzi and I topping out on Thorong-La pass (17,769 ft.), the high point of our trek!
A close up of a Mani wall - Tibetan Buddhist walls with mantras and prayers carved into stone. The regular life of a child growing in the mountains.
Annapurna I from the back side, one of the worlds highest peaks at 26,545 ft.
A grazing Yak.

Market

Doesn't matter where we ended up, markets became an easy place to spend time. In the states, there is all this talk of local and organic foods. On this side of the planet, there is no other alternative. Whether spending lots of money in a nice restaurant, or eating at a roadside stall, the only food available is that which is in season.

Suzi and her amazing eye for the beauty and detail of food shows more then can ever be written about some of the amazingly simple sights of the markets we visited.