tulips and the begınnıng of cıvılızatıon

Fırstö I would lıke to apolıgıze for the typos of thıs entry ahead of tıme as I am usıng a Turkısh keyboard whıch I Am fındıng has some dıstınct dıfferences than the Englısh keyboard. That saıd.
Somehow, Turkey has gıven us the bıggest culture shock of the trıp. I thınk ıt ıs because everythıng ıs fınally ın the same alphabetö but sounds and looks barely understandable to our eyes and ears, topped wıth the fact that we knew very lıttle about Turkey before steppıng off of the aırplane. I dıd spend a few hours tryıng to tackle the Turkey Lonely Planet the afternoon before ın Bangkok, whıch was good because ıt gave us a few helpful socıal no nos to avoıd, and a better understasndıng of the crazy and wonderful food here, but also left much to be ımagıned and dıscovered. We spent a portıon of the day rıdıng the beautıfully clean, but unbelıuevably crowded subway (Mıchael was lıterally smushed between two large men gaspıng for breath as I trıed to hıde near the wındow whıle beıng pushed on all sıdes.) The more excıtıngö and comfrotable part of the day was spent ın some of the most amazıng hıstorıcal buıldıngs I have ever seen. The Aya Sofıa, also known as Hagıa Sofıa, took our breath away as we stepped ınto the maın hall. A buıldıng that was constructed as a church, then turned ınto a Mosque, and then turned ınto a museumö, ıt captures the heart and art of both Chrıstıanıty and Islam. Mıchael and I were both quıte enchanted wıth the Basılıca Cıstern, whıch ıs an underground water source for the cıty that was buılt ın 542AD. As we roamed ın the cool and dımly lıt expanse we both commented that ıt felt lıke we were ın a movıe, and that ıt mıght be the coolest human made thıng we have ever seen. (asıde from each other). We spent the later afternoon ın Topakı palace, whıch ıs a huge palace that was buılt by those who brought Islam to Turkey and housed many ınterestıng people ıncludıng one ruler who had over 300 conqubınes and 112 chıldren.
The food here ıs amazıng (more so for Mıchael than for me as ıt ıs meat heaven). Kebabs, doanrs, cucumbers, yogurt, olıves, tea, eggplant and hummus - we are just learnıng as we are tryıng to sample lots, but so far ıt ıs provıng quıte yummy. The people are also super frıendly and helpful. Alsoö we have gone back ın tıme and are now ın sprıng! The aır ıs cool and dry and we are even chılly! Tulıps are everywhere as well! Tulıps come from Turkeyö whıch we dıdnit knowö and they are so beautıful here ın the cıty as ıt ıs the tulıp festıval ın aprıl.
We are headed out ın a few mınutes to take an overnıght bus to the South near the Medıterranean Sea to do a portıon of the Lycıan Way whıch ıs a traıl that skırts about 500km of the coast and mountaıns ın the south. More updates to come. Hope all ıs well!

Head High Waves

Right now we are killing time in Ranong, a small border town, waiting for our overnight bus to Bangkok. This morning was a definite highlight of the trip. We woke up before sunrise, hopped on the back of our motorbike, and drove slowly and carefully (dad: thought you'd appreciate the adverbs) to the east side of the island. This took all of 15 minutes. We walked out on the temple pier (called this because there is a temple at the end) and watched the sunrise. Then, upon returning to our side of the island, we took a nice long run on the beach. Much to my surprise and satisfaction, the beach waves were pumping easily head high waves. I have no idea where the swell came from because it is usually supposed to be flat until the monsoon season (july-august.) I saw Kelsey get into a pretty thick right, which she totally nailed. A little later, I found myself on a juicy overhead right with a big long face. I was hooting down the line, getting in a bunch of fun turns. By 9 am we were out of the water, drinking fruit shakes in the shade. It was a fabulous end to our short island getaway.

We just bought some cheap running shoes for the next part of our adventure. In a couple of days we'll be walking through Turkey on the Lycian Trek. I feel spoiled. I guess we are spoiled. This adventure has been fulfilling on so many levels. That being said, we are both excited to get home and see friends and family. We are also eager to settle into our lives next year in New Hampshire.

A bit of rest on a small little island

Greetings friends and families! I write to you from a small internet room - I think this is someone's living room - with a fan luckily blowing at my back. We have spent the last four days at the small and intimate island of Koh Phayam in Thailand. This has been a mixed blessing. We have started each day with an early morning run on the beautiful white sand beach in front of our bungalow. The food is amazing - the best Thai food I have ever had with fresh curries and fresh fruit shakes every few hours (mango, orange, or banana are the best!). The rest time after two months of moving around a bunch in Nepal has also been quite nice. I just finished my 14th book of our trip and am well into the next one. Michael is also reading a ton which he is loving as well. We don't make enough time for reading at home. We have spent most of the last four days reading in the shade while the hot sun time passes over us with a warm tropical breeze. We also got a couple of surf mornings and afternoons in while the sun was weak and the waves were good. This was a welcome surprise because we didn't know there was good surf here.

The "bad" part of all of it is that it is just too soon for us to be in the sun. Or, maybe never again will we be the sun showered people we used to be. We have hunkered in the shade for most of the day reading - 9am until about 4pm, but the reminders of feeling stuck in the shade have re-opened my skin cancer feelings, but have also sparked some good conversation between us both. We have made it work for sure, but I think there is still some processing to be done on my part about the whole melanoma thing and changing our relationship with the sun. But, good to have some time to process it, and wonderful to get so many yummy fruit shakes and hammock sessions! I have also gotten to put my new SPF gear to the test - it holds up well even in the tropics!

Well we are off to Bangkok tomorrow on an overnight bus for two more days in the city. We have a few more temples we want to see, and we are treating ourselves to some Thai massage therapy before we head off to Turkey.

Sending love to all of you at home! Hugs and kisses!

Kelsey and Michael

Khao San Road

After 3 days resting in Pokhara, we tied things up in Nepal. Leaving Nepal felt good. Our time was amazing and exciting. That said, we're eager for a more sabaii sabaii atmosphere where we don't need to be always concerned with pollution and intestinal parasites.

This morning we left for Thailand and are currently parked in the infamous Khao San Road.
While it conjures up for me some silly memories of earlier visits to Thailand, Kelsey has been stoked looking for cute new clothes. The Thai New Years, Songkran, begins in a couple of days, so we are gearing up for some nutty water fights.

We are eager to head out afterward for some proper solitude. We're heading to a tiny island for some hammock time slung up between, and in the shade of, the palms.

20 Days trekking in the Annapurnas

A sunrise at 17,800 feet. An amphitheater of towering peaks. A quiet pine grove. A rhodedendron forest, in full bloom. Hot springs. Stairs stairs and more stairs. Hot tea for a tired cold body. Yak steak. Prayer flags and mountain gompas. Prayer wheels and mani stones. A friend and former colleague, Ellie Dwight, used to ask students about "Kodak Moments." The last 20 days were a prolonged Kodak experience. Great writers and artists have attempted to describe being in the Himalayas. I have read some of the books and see some of the art, but nothing and no one can capture it. Ever since my high school religion teacher, Jason Berv, cried in class when describing the his experience in Nepal, I knew I had to come. My high expectations were exceeded. Hightlight #1: Thorong Phedi to Muktinath We were staying at the base of the Thorong La Pass in a Bohemian-run guest house. We were at 4600m and the next day would get to over 5400m in crossing the pass (roughly 17,800 ft.) We awoke at 3:30 am and started walking in the dark. A light snow blanketed the packed snow trail. My headlampp quickly died, so I stayed close behind Kels. We walked slowly, for the path was slippery and steep. In front and behind us, you could see the headlamps of other groups. We did not stop because it was to cold to do so. We had been nervous about altitude sickness, but the cold weather trumped those fears. The pre-dawn light came slowly, and eventually we could see outlines of the mountains. I no longer depended on Kels' head lamp so I finally could relax and enjoy the walk. Then, in front of us, the first light hit Thorong Peak. The early morning light was soft and yellow. It dripped slowly down. I stopped and looked behind me to see the sunrise. We then pushed on a little more. We rounded a bend and the pass was just 50 m in front. The group in front of us was leaving so we hasa little bit of time aone at the top. Tons of prayer flags were draped from the sign. We put up a flag. In putting up the flag, we hoped for our families to be healthy- in particular, we thought of aby Stella and for Wesley having a successful kidney transplant. The moment was powerful, and while we wanted to linger, the cold pushed us on, so we dropped down 1600m to the town of Muktinath. For dinner that night, I had the most amazing meal: Yak steak. Delicious! Highlight #2: Annapurna Base Camp (A.B.C.) After finishing the Annapurna Circuit, we headed into the Annapurna Sanctuary. As we walked from Chomrom to Deurali, the flora changed. Everything was more mossy, there was bamboo everywhere, and there were tropical ferns. The air was damp; the ground moist. Clearly we had entred a different ecosystem. It came as little surprise when the rains came. Kelsey was somehow inspired by the cold rain and started charging. I started asking myself why we decided to keep hiking. Arriving in Deurali, we were just a day from Anapurna Base Camp. While it was supposed to be gorgeous, the clouds and mist totally blocked the views of the mountains. The next day we got up at 6. I ran outside, hoping for blue sky. Instead, there were just more clouds. We proceeded up regardless. Onthe way, wecaught a ouples glimpses of Machupuchre ("Fishtail Mnt") and of Annapurna South. However, by the time we reached A.B.C., the cloud were back in full force. Hours later, a snowstorm whipped in. We had been lucky with the weather so far, but it appeared that our luck had run out. Around 4 am, I was up, so I went outside for a peek at the weather. The stars were pulsing brighter than I had ever seen. The Milky Way looked likea creamy blanket. The lightfrom the stars illumanted the mountains, andfor the first time I understood why it was described as an amphitheater. All around me, huge mountains pierced the night sky. At 5:15am, Kels and I put on every article of clothing we had and walked out to a shelf where we watched the sun rise. It was a perfect blue-bird day, not a cloud in the sky. While cold, the wind had died. The light first hit Annapurna South and Annapurna I. Then it hit the sides of Machupuchre. The soft yellow turned to a brilliant white as the sun peaked over the mountains. We looked at our guest house, covered in snow. We turned in circles, mountains everywhere. Huge. Beautiful. Magical. Highlight #3: Ghorapani to Chomrom via Poon Hill. We left at 5am, heading up Poon Hill in a herd of other trekkers to watch the sunrise. While I did't like being surrounded by so many others, Poon Hill serves up a pretty wicked start to the morning. Perche up on the Hill, we saw a full panoramic view of the Annapurna range, including the holy Machupuchre and Dhaligiri (the 7th highest mountain in the world). I have seen the sunrise almost every single day this academic year (mostly in the water in Costa Rica) and this was one of the best. We then headed back to our guest house, packed up, and headed off. The walk was spectacular. The path led through rhodedendron forests in full bloom. For the first couple of hours, every turn gave another spectacular view of the mountains. We then dipped down a valley, following a creek for a while. When we got to our planned stop, both Kels and I were having too much fun walking, so we pressed on for another 3 hours. Up. Up. Into the clouds. Walking on a path etched ino a steep mountain. And when we finally arrived in Chomrong, our guet house had a piping hot shower. The first hot shower in weeks. Heaven! There were many other amazing days, like my birthday treat when we hiked a high ridge and got our first views of the mountains. Or soaking in the tatopani hot springs. We took tons and tons of pictures and hopefully soon we'll be ale to upload some of them and share them with you.