The closest we have ever come to death….a taxi ride in India!

After visiting Varanasi India we needed to catch a flight back to Mumbai. The small airport in Varanasi is about 20 minutes outside the city so we arranged a driver from the guesthouse we were staying in to take us (essentially he was a taxi driver). We followed him through the narrow alleys of the old city until we finally emerged at his SUV on the main road. Once we were in the car I remember thinking “this will be a nice chill drive and a chance for me to see some street life.” Nothing could have been farther from the truth. What proceeded next was more thrilling than any amusement park ride I have ever been on. The streets of Varanasi, India are full of everything you can imagine. For example: numerous wondering cows, old women and men, children everywhere, stray animals, rickshaws, bikes, people hauling everything in the world in carts, cars, etc, etc. Honestly I would probably drive through these streets at 20-25 mph tops. Our taxi driver took off and consistently kept around 60 mph as he dodged everything mentioned above. There were so many close calls where Lindsay and I would just close our eyes hoping that we did not have a head on collision with a cow! We spent the entire ride trying not to laugh as we were both being thrown around by the constant swerving and maneuvering by our NASCAR like driver. I busted out the camera to try and film it but it just did'nt do it justice. We finally made it to the airport and were extremely relived (and a little sad) to be out of the taxi. To this day we will never forget the experience.


This picture was taken from the back seat as we cruised through the streets of Varanasi...look at all the obstacles! :)

Friendship Found in the Middle East

During our trip to the Middle East Lindsay and I took a 36 hour train ride from Istanbul, Turkey to Aleppo, Syria. We were both really looking forward to this but we had no idea how much we were going to love it. The scenery and overall experience was amazing but it was the friends that we meet that really stuck with us. From the beginning the journey had some issues. When we arrived at the Haydarpasa train station in Istanbul (after a beautiful ferry ride across the Bosphorus straight) we found our train and were ready to board. However, we quickly discovered that the car/room number on our ticket did not exist on the train. Eventually everybody boarded but a handful of westerners (about 10 of us) and that was the start of our friendship. We were the only Americans but there were people from Switzerland, UK, Scotland, Australia, Italy, etc. We all realized we were stranded and sat on the train platform just laughing and talking. They eventually added another car to the train and we all took our places. Lindsay and I had our own room so we did not see any of them again for about a day. However, after getting close to the Syrian border there was another mix up and we discovered that we had to take a bus the rest of the way. There were many of us that got on the wrong bus and ended up taking a quick random tour of the small Turkish down that we had stopped in. :) Eventually we ended up on the right bus and realized that the same group of westerners were together again. As we rode together on the bus into Syria we all became fast friends. We would laugh, share travel stories, make fun of each other, etc. The border in Syria took FOREVER to cross and this was another opportunity for us to get to know each other. I remember vividly sitting at the Syria/Turkey border waiting for all of our Visas/Passports to clear and having a blast as we all laughed, talked and played “eye spy.” There are numerous funny lines but here are some of our favorites:

Scottish kid asking for a drink to a Syrian man: “I will have a Fanta if you like?” The Syrian man ignores him and pours him a coke and he replies “a coke is fine.”

British kid talking about how all theatres in the UK show Harry Potter films for way to long: “Ya but their all shit though.”

Harry (our Australian buddy and probably best friend on the trip) reply to Marc when he asked if he could translate something for him: “should'nt be that hard actually.” (imagine this with a think Aussie accent and a lisp).

We all became such good friends that when we finally made it to Aleppo, Syria we all meet up in the old town for drinks. For most of the friends that we meet this was the last time we saw them and to this day we still miss them. The two Scottish kids we ran into again at a Mosque in Damascus and Harry (our Aussie friend) we ran into again down in Damascus and he came running up to Lindsay and said in a fake Arabic accent "would you like to buy a rug". We chatted with him and walked together through Damascus and that is the last time we saw him (he was staying behind to live in Damascus an study Arabic and ended up working at travel agency for a year). We constantly still think about the friends we meet on our “trek from Turkey to Syria” and will never forget them!


Above is a picture of Lindsay and our Australian friend Harry.

Above is a picture of our Italian friend...we sat right behind him on the bus into Syria.

Above is a picture I took while traveling on the bus into Syria. You can see our two Scottish buddies and British friend.

Elephant Reserve in Chang Mail Thailand

During our 2006 trip through Thailand Lindsay and I had an INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. No trip to Thailand is complete without some interaction with an Elephant. In fact, traveling through this country for more than a few days without seeing an Elephant is probably pretty hard (we saw one right in the middle of Bangkok following its master down the street). There are numerous Elephant amusement parks where you can ride them and watch them do tricks. We had planned on doing something like this but then one night while doing research I came across the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. This incredible place was started by Sangduen Chailert (A Thai women activist) as a sanctuary for Elephants. Instead of having the Elephants amuse everybody you actually spend the day serving them. The day started out when a small Thai gentleman came and picked us up in a truck. We then went straight to the local market where a shop owner proceeded to bring us bag after bag of old bananas. We loaded them up in the truck and took off towards the mountains. After a beautiful drive through the mountainous jungle we arrived at a beautiful sanctuary next to a river. The sanctuary was made completely of wood/bamboo and consisted of one large structure in the middle with decks that surrounded it. Upon arrival we were introduced to the staff and they began to tell us about the troublesome life of an Elephant in Thailand. They talked about the incredibly abusive tactics used to train these animals and how they are often abused into submission. They then proceeded to explain that 90% of elephants in the countries “amusement parks” are mistreated (we were glad we did not go to one). We then spent the rest of the day feeding, bathing and interacting with the elephants. This was by no means a zoo…we were literally touching, feeling and at one point almost swimming with these amazing animals. The first thing we did is participate in feeding time. They brought out the bags of old bananas and slowly all of the elephants began to surround the main building and we all stood on the deck feeding them. It was such a cool experience to see/feel as their giant trunks would come up and grab the bananas out of your hand. We ended up feeding one really old elephant and one really young elephant for about an hour. After a quick Thai lunch we then walked with the elephants down to the river to bath them in the water…this was an absolutely incredible experience. We had brushes and buckets and we would splash water on them, wash their skin, etc. The local Thai kids were jumping off the elephants into the water, etc but we were just awestruck being in the water with these amazing creatures. There were two very small baby elephants in the water with us and they would literally disappear under the water and then pop up a few seconds later. Watching these two baby elephants swim/play in the water was one of the cutest things we have ever scene. As the day turned to evening we walked back from the river to the main house along a dirt path. The feeling was surreal as we walked through the green jungle next to numerous elephants. At one point I remember just hearing someone say “watch out” and a giant elephant was walking right behind me…they are very quite (many of them have bells around their neck so that you can hear them). The evening ended with a play/wrestle session with one of the tiny elephants. There were about 5 of us standing around this cute little guy as he would “charge” and push us around. It was like playing with a gigantic puppy! As the day ended Lindsay and I felt like we had participated in something truly magical. In fact, this experience helped spur on our love for travel and sense of adventure. To this day there are few travel experiences we have had that compare.

Garden of Gethsemane – Jerusalem

Ever since my mission I have considered the Garden of Gethsemane to be the focal point of my spirituality. Due to experiences on my mission I have felt a very strong connection to this location and what transpired many years ago. When Lindsay and I first arrived in Jerusalem The Garden of Gethsemane is one of the first places we went. We walked through the old city, around the ancient walls and past the beautiful olive groves before stumbling upon the Church of All Nations which was built centuries ago over the Garden of Gethsemane. The interior of the church is very peaceful and contains a large boulder on the floor where Christ is believed to have prayed that night. There are benches all around where believers can kneel and meditate. Lindsay and I spent a few minutes in prayer/deep thought before entering the ancient olive garden which lies right next to the church. The feeling you get while strolling through this garden is one of piece and sacredness. The olive trees are beautiful and the grounds are immaculate with flowers, etc. In one corner of the garden lies a small stone sculpture depicting Christs suffering which is absolutely beautiful. It was one of the highlights of our lives to visit this sacred spot which means so much to the both of us. After visiting the garden we made our way up the step road that leads to the “Mount of Olives” which has breathtaking views over the city. All of Jerusalem is spectacular but for us the Garden of Gethsemane is the most memorable.

East Nanjing Road – Shanghai, China

As I have mentioned in earlier posts Shanghai is an incredible city with numerous landmarks and incredible sights. One of these is the bright lights and crowds of East Nanjing Road. This pedestrian street runs right in the middle of central Shanghai. It is lined with numerous shops, food stalls, restaurants and thousands of people. Although it is fun in the daytime it is epic once the sun goes down. The entire street is light up with an insane amount of neon bright lights. This mixed with the unique architecture, thousands of people, Shanghai Skyline, sounds and smells makes for an assault on the senses. On one of our last nights in Shanghai Lindsay and I walked up and down this road to take in the scene. Although we did a little shopping (I bargained for an awesome Buddha statue) we were mostly just taking in the scene. We ended up getting hungry and found a man making fried rice/noodles in one of the back side streets off of East Nanjing road. We ordered a bowl of each (BY FAR the best I have ever had) and took it back to Nanjing road to eat and people watch. We had numerous locals stop us to ask where we had gotten the food so we were quite proud of our dinner selection :). East Nanjing road is truly one of the most unique and vibrant streets in the world…it is an experience just to walk it.

Sunset in Railay Bay – Thailand

On the coast of Thailand lies one of the most beautiful places in the world called Railay Bay. This narrow strip of land is only accessible by boat and consists of beaches, palm trees and giant cliff faces that stick straight out of the green jungle. We spent days in this area just eating, relaxing and playing. One evening we walked down to the beach and experienced one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever scene. If felt like everybody in the entire area came out to experience it. We found a couple of nice soft beach chairs and just sat and tried to take it all in. There were locals playing soccer on the beach, a cool breeze coming off the ocean everybody was just having a great time. As the sun continued to set the sky became bright orange and yellow and the giant cliff faces that surrounded the area became black silhouettes. Sitting in Railay bay watching the sunset over the Indian ocean in Thailand was unforgettable.

Flop Out Taxi Ride – Amman Jordan

Ever had that moment where you think…”what the hell am I doing?” When you suddenly realize that you are in a situation that is “one of a kind?” This happened to Lindsay and I on a deserted street in Amman Jordan. We were standing in the middle of the street yelling/arguing with two Middle Eastern men over a taxi ride and the cost. How did we get to this point?....let me explain. We took a taxi from Damascus Syria to Amman Jordan. Upon entering Amman our fantastic taxi driver from Syria offered to call “his friend” to come and pick us up for a quick tour of Amman before we had to head down to Petra. We kindly took him up on this offer as getting a local taxi for a few hours is a fantastic way to experience a city. We were dropped off by one taxi and picked up by “his friend” and everything started out great. He was a very nice man and kept looking in his rear view mirror and saying “welcome to Jordan” with a great Arabic accent. It all went downhill when we asked him if we could hire him to drive us the 4 hours down to Petra (this is not uncommon). At that point he called a friend and swung by and picked him up. The minute “his friend” entered the cab Lindsay and I knew we were in trouble. We had traveled enough in our life to recognize a scam artist and this guy gave off a bad vibe. After a little chatting we eventually pulled up on a deserted street where we were going to “switch cabs” to head down to Petra. Normally this would be fine but they asked for something that did'nt sit right with us…they wanted the money upfront and were going to have a different driver take us the 4 hours down to Petra. We thought for sure that we were going to pay them and then have the driver ask us for money again when he dropped us off in Petra. I remember during the argument getting very frustrated and saying over and over “I will pay you when we get there.” At one point they even took our bags to put them in the trunk (without settling on a price) and that made Lindsay really frustrated. We marched over to another taxi and asked if he could take us to Petra and he just gave us a blank stare. At this point the situation was getting bad…we were standing in the middle of a deserted street in Amman Jordan arguing with two middle eastern men. Eventually Lindsay and I conceded and got in the cab. The drive out of Amman was beautiful (it is an incredible city) but the rest of the trip is long, hot and quite boring (flat desert). The entire time I was so sure that the minute we got to Petra the driver was going to demand more money (our original fear). However, when we got to Petra he happily dropped us off with a smile and wave and did not ask for money. We were shocked and relived and immediately had the feeling that we had overreacted. Looking back we both realized that we did a horrible job of communicating. 99.9% of our experiences in the middle east were positive and the hospitality is legendary. We knew this but somehow forgot as we negotiated our taxi ride from Amman to Petra. Although it was a flop out experience we can look back today and laugh…traveling is always an adventure! :)

This picture of Lindsay was taken right before the madness started...based on her face it is almost as if she knew what was coming. :)


The only pic we got of our taxi driver in Amman...we are trying to get him to say in the camera "welcome to Jordan."