Metropolitan National Park – Panama City, Panama

While traveling in Panama City, Panama Lindsay and I were hitting up all the local landmarks which all happened to be in the city. We were itching to get into the lush green jungle nearby and had read about Metropolitan National Park which is a large protected park just outside the center city but within the city boundaries. We were both somewhat apprehensive about going to this place because we had read it is a fairly popular place for muggings because of its proximity to the city and remoteness. However, we decided to take our chances as we heard it was simply spectacular. We took a cab and after he got a little lost (he kept having to ask people) we finally made it. We paid a couple of bucks at the welcome center (a small shack) and were off on a short hike through the park. The scenery was spectacular as the trial works its way through the lush green jungle and we were surrounded by trees, plants, flowers, etc. After hiking for about an hour we reached the top of a little hill and the jungle opened up to a beautiful view over the city. You could see the distant skyscrapers and urban jungle of Panama City. The thought of getting mugged was constantly on our minds as we never saw one other group of people during our entire hike. Around every corner and tree we were always waiting for someone to jump out. This never happened and within no time we had reached the end of the trial and were back in the city. The jungles of Panama are famous for colorful frogs and sloths but we were never lucky enough to see one on this hike. However, we did pass numerous rows of busy Ants carrying leaves which is something we had never seen. At first we just kept seeing these moving leaves on the grown and it took a second before we realized they were being carried by ants. Taking a break from the city and heading to Metropolitan National Park in Panama City was a great way to get a taste of the Jungle without ever leaving the city.

Maxima Panorama Hotel – Moscow, Russia

It is time again to write about one of the unique places Lindsay and I have stayed while traveling the world. Everyone knows that Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world and it is extremely hard to find good accommodations (they are either really expensive or really cheap and nasty). Thanks to hours of research I stumbled on an affordable gem called Maxima Panorama Hotel. This no thrills hotel was close to the city and located directly on a metro line (essential to exploring Moscow). My favorite part was that the location was close to all the major sights but was far enough out of the center city to really give you a “soviet feel.” This means that it was surrounded by block after block of tall square and predictable soviet architecture. In addition, the local street life was full of locals instead of just hundreds of tourists which you would find in the central city. Our room was high enough that the view over the city was spectacular. You couldn’t see any of “old Russia” but the communist housing blocks and industrial smoke stacks went on as far as the eye could see. It sounds like an ugly landscape but we were loving it as it had such a soviet feel. The hotel was new and remodeled but the exterior and breakfast area still looked and felt very much like communist Russia. Every morning we would just wake up, walk 50 feet outside the hotel and be at a metro stop (which then gave us access to all of Moscow). This hotel is also memorable because Lindsay and I had one of the scariest travel experiences ever there. We had a little miscommunication and thought we were both meeting in the downstairs lobby after I had to run back to the room. When I got back to the lobby Lindsay wasn’t there and after about 10 minutes of waiting I started to panic. Moscow isn’t known for abductions but it certainly isn’t unheard of. Lindsay was also pregnant at the time which caused the panic level to go up 10X. After about 15 minutes of missing each other on the elevator (she was going up, I was going down, etc) we finally ran into each other and my heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw her. :) If you ever find yourself heading to Moscow and you don’t want to spend a fortune on a hotel try the unique, and centrally located, Maxima Panorama Hotel.

A Middle Eastern Experience – Istanbul Turkey

Istanbul Turkey is a unique and beautiful city. Although it has some very European elements (thanks to its proximity to Europe) it is still has a very Middle Eastern feel to it. Lindsay and I started our 3 week trek through the Middle East in this beautiful city and had our first “welcome to the Middle East experience” while sitting in an open square just outside the Yeni Camii Mosque. After a full day of walking and exploring we decided to sit on the steps of this beautiful mosque which borders a busy urban square. It was late afternoon and the hustle and bustle of the city was in full swing. As we sat there we saw, heard and smelt so many things that were so distinctly Middle Eastern and it truly was our first “taste” of the culture. There were women in burkas hustling as they ran their errands, usually with numerous kids in tow, men discussing the day’s events over a cup of tea and all of this was mixed with the smell of spices, ocean and city in the air. Just as we were beginning to take it all in a call to prayer started coming from the local mosque which really topped off the experience nicely. From that moment on we were both hooked on the Middle East and couldn’t wait to experience more. As we continued on our trek we began to take these sights, smells and sounds for granted but we will never forget experiencing them for the first time while sitting in the square outside Yeni Camii Mosque in Istanbul Turkey.

A Soggy Day with “Lady Liberty”

When Lindsay and I arrived in New York City for our first married trip they were having a very rainy week. All the news stations, and locals, kept talking about all the rain and how it hadn’t stopped for days. Normally this would have really discouraged us but something about the rain just adds to the overall atmosphere of the Big Apple so we didn’t mind it. One of the first things we did was walk down to Battery Park on the edge of Downtown to catch a ferry out to the Statue of Liberty. It was cold, foggy and very soggy when we boarded the ferry but that didn’t stop us from hanging out on the deck and enjoying the incredible views of the city as we pulled away from the dock. By the time we made it to the Statue of Liberty it was pouring rain. We quickly went into the visitor center to simply “wait it out.” However, after about an hour of just sitting there we began to realize that it probably wasn’t going to clear up. We had a lot of more places to see in the city so we figured we better start exploring. The rain, and wind, was so hard that all we could really do was run around the island occasionally glancing up at the statue. We would stop about every 100ft to get a picture and would then keep running. Despite the rush we actually were able to really appreciate the beauty and grandeur of this amazing statue. As we boarded the very to leave we just stood on top of the boat admiring the grandeur of the Statue of Liberty as we pulled away. At that moment the rain slowed and the clouds broke just briefly so that we could get an incredible view of Manhattan. By the time the ferry docked at Ellis Island we were to cold and wet to get out and enjoy. We just stayed on the ferry and figured we would hit up this historic structure on another trip. :) Although the rain was relentless we still had a wonderful experience exploring the majestic Statue of Liberty.

Antelope Island – Utah

Sometimes the travel experiences that our close to home can be some of the most special. Lindsay and I learned this lesson on a random Saturday in the spring of 2008. We were living in Downtown Salt Lake City at the time and were looking for something to do. I had heard from some friends at school that Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake was definitely worth a visit. I had always assumed that this was just a boring island with a few buffalo and we both went with quite a bit of hesitation. However, our assumptions were fading quickly as we made our way across the long causeway that connects the island with land. The mountain/barren landscape was a beautiful contrast to the waters of the lake. As we continued through the island we passed numerous beaches that almost looked like the northern California coastline…okay, not that cool but certainly unique to Utah. :) We eventually parked the car and took a hike with our dog Sundance. We ended up on top of a small mountain with numerous boulders that had an incredible view over the lake. After that we worked our way down around the island until we eventually came to a beautiful set of cliffs that overlooked the lake. We spent another hour there just looking out over the vast expanse of the Great Salt Lake. By the end of the evening we were strolling along the far shoreline of the island as a storm was coming across the lake in the distance. It is hard to describe the scenery of this place but we were both very impressed with the natural beauty of the area. Something about the barren desert landscape meeting the water of a huge lake created a unique natural landscape. Eventually our day of exploring on Antelope Island came to a close but we will never forget how pleasantly surprised we were by the beauty, and remoteness, of this unique place.

The Forbidden City – Beijing China

Located in the heart of Beijing China is the incredible Forbidden City. This ancient “city within a city” is an architectural gem and Lindsay and I spent an entire morning taking it all in. However, before actually going inside the city Lindsay and I walked around its beautiful exterior walls the day before during an evening stroll. The Forbidden City is of course one of most popular tourist destinations in China so we were expecting some serious crowds. There certainly were a lot of other people around but this did not detract from the overall experience. It was very easy to find your own little spot to enjoy the incredible surroundings. Most people know that the Forbidden City is the ancient home of the ruling dynasties of China. It got its name because for centuries it was only accessible by the emperor, his family and servants. It is a huge square complex surrounded on all sides by a wall and moat. The interior is a collection of courtyards, temples, gardens, etc each built in the distinctive Chinese architecture. For Lindsay and I the most impressive thing about the forbidden city is the fact that it is so well preserved. Despite the chaos outside its walls (communist revolution, etc) the interior has remained mostly untouched. There was an automated headphone tour guide which Lindsay and I took advantage of but the most enjoyable thing was simply wandering around. Each temple generally had a beautiful and ornate staircase that would lead up to it which would then open up to another courtyard. Towards the back of the complex was a beautiful garden that looked like something out of a Disney movie. The only thing that was even remotely un-enjoyable about the experience was the heat. It was a dry and hot day in Beijing and by the time Lindsay and I made it out of the Forbidden City we were dying. :) No trip to China is complete without a visit to the Forbidden City and for Lindsay and I it was an experience we will always remember.

Cruising through Nepal with our (little) local guide

While visiting Nepal Lindsay and I only had a few days to experience amazing Kathmandu and the surrounding valley. We could have easily spent weeks there but unfortunately our time was short. Because of this we decided to have a local give us a tour of the surrounding valley. Normally we take great pride in being “independent travelers” but the owner of our guesthouse recommended this person so we figured it was a safe bet. Our guide showed up early in the morning in his little early 90s sedan and was ready to show us around. He was a very small man but was extremely nice. He spoke fairly good English and we learned that he had a little family and was doing his best to make a living (like most Nepalese). We hoped in his car and the first thing we did was head out of the city of Kathmandu into the surrounding valley. Although it was early summer it must have been the first “harvest” because all the local people were out in the fields cutting and harvesting grain. Once they would harvest the grain the women would beat it again stone slabs to separate the grain from the stock. In almost every village we passed we saw people doing this and it was fun to watch. As the morning grew on we continued to wind our way through the valley and foothills of Kathmandu. Eventually we came to a little village atop a hill. This was our first stop and we got out and followed our tour guide up the narrow alleyways of the village before finally coming to a beautiful temple. It was a small but fascinating compound with numerous small shrines surrounding one large pagoda temple. The outside of the central temple was decorated in the distinctly Nepalese style with numerous wood carvings of Karma Sutra (very common on ancient Nepalese temples). As we were wandering around and enjoying the temple the locals were starting a worship service which involved lighting small fires that surrounded the temple. It was very cool to be a bystander just watching the locals in their daily worship. After this neat village we hoped back into the car and made our way to the spectacular ancient city of Bhaktapur (which I have already written about). We then made our way back towards Kathmandu to visit a few other sights. As we made our way into the city our tour guide stopped at one particular place in the road and told us to look out the window. When we did we were blown away to see an incredible view of Kathmandu. You could see all the colorful and dense buildings of the city surrounding a huge white/gold dome temple that stood out amongst all the other buildings. You could also just barely see the green foothills surrounding the city through the summer haze that always settles over the city. It was such a unique and cool viewpoint of Kathmandu. We then went on to explore that white/gold temple which I will write about in a different post. After that we continued winding through the roads around Kathmandu and at one point our driver even hit some poor women with his rearview mirror. The lady was okay, but very shocked, and Lindsay and I couldn’t help but laugh because our driver was so put-out about the whole thing. Our last stop on the tour was a fascinating temple complex in Kathmandu called Pashupatinath. This area is like a mini version of Varanasi, India where faithful Hindus come to cremate their dead along the banks of the river. This was our first experience with this (we had not yet been to Varanasi) and both of us were in awe seeing all of the dead bodies being cremated. The surrounding complex was fascinating with numerous temples and lots of “holy men” walking about. Nepalese and Indian holy men are quite a sight as they usually have long hair/beards, colorful clothing, painted faces, etc. In fact, most people would probably say that they are terrifying to look at. :) After exploring the temple we made our way back to central Kathmandu for the evening. It was an amazing day and we were able to cram a lot of fascinating sights into one quick tour around the valley. Kathmandu and the surrounding valley is absolutely spectacular and seeing it with a local guide is an experience we will never forget.