Hope everyone had a nice holiday hanging out with family and friends. I finished off New Zealand in Auckland with Neill, staying with my hasher friend Rod (Goldfinger) and his wonderful wife Ronnie. They were wonderful hosts and I particularly enjoyed the parties with them and soaking in their jacuzzi tub at 1am! We did a hash run in Auckland as well and I met up with Danish Bacon, a hasher I remembered from Copenhagen! Small world, eh?
After saying good-bye to Neill and hello to Alison at the airport, Alison and I were off to Tahiti for a week where my mom joined us and took us to Bora Bora! What a great Christmas present for me! Bora Bora was beautiful. White sand beaches, warm sun and water, lots of snorkelling and sailing, and great food!
I sailed a couple of times, on a Hobie Cat. I took a lesson at first, then Seb told me I was fine to go off on my own. Amazing how the skills come back to me after 10 years!
I also did a heap of snorkelling. The coral reefs aren't quite a beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef, but the fish are just as nice. I fed a moray eel raw tuna! I also got smothered with the sting rays who thought my fingers would be fish (they don't have teeth, so it didn't hurt), but I did give one a big kiss and have a photo to prove it! I got to see the magnificent Manta rays and a token Spotted Eagle ray. The depth we were swimming at was pretty deep. The local Tahitians would dive down so far I wouldn't see them anymore! No gear, only a mask and snorkel. They are quite the fish themselves.
The place we were staying at had shows every night so I got to see the Tahitian dances and the local Hakka war dances. It was almost identical to the Maori war dance (the islanders of New Zealand), and not to far off from the Hawaiians either. I think they were all from the same genetic pool at one point in history.
Alison and I were going to get ourselves a tattoo while we were in Tahiti, but it was too expensive for us to go into town so we bagged the idea. I'm sure our mothers are grateful.
After Tahiti we flew into LA (that's in the USA!) and met up with Alison's sister, Caroline. We rented a car and drove up north to San Francisco on route 1. We took three days to do an 8 hour drive! It was so much fun. We went bowling in Lampoc, "czeched" out the Hearst Castle, and took many photos of the beautiful coastline. We're spending Christmas with my mom here in San Francisco and it's so nice to be back in our own country for a while. Thanks everyone for all the Holiday greetings! It was wonderful to hear from you all.
All my love, Carla
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Saturday, December 7, 2002
Wise Lesson From a Fellow Traveler
Neill and I meet a 50 y.o. Floridian woman has been travelling around the world for over 10 years, so Neill asks her, "What is one thing travelling has taught you?" She replies, "Letting go." I never got her name, but I will remember what she said for the rest of my life.
After our Thanksgiving in Nelson, we drove down to Christchurch for the weekend and visited the zoo (take note Jon and Tim!) so I could see the infamous Kiwi, and went to a rather cheesy Christmas music festival where nearly half the population of the south island attended. Any of you who have seen Monty Python's Meaning of Life and remember the scene when they sing, "It's Christmas in Heavan Every Day" will have an idea of what this festival was like. Neill and I also went clubbing with our new friend, Timo, a German who lives in Christchurch that we happen to meet in Queenstown. He speaks phenomenal English, and with a kiwi accent! He took us to a club called The Holy Grail. I go into the bathroom and see a woman there inspecting the deep scratches on her chest. "What happened?" I ask. She replies, "Oh, I got into a fight with some girl on the dance floor. You should see her, though." I exit the bathroom to witness the police escorting a bunch of people out. Rough place, but I had fun dancing with Timo and all his friends, especially lovely Rochelle. It was her 28th birthday that night.
We took the ferry from Picton to Wellington where Neill and I met the wise Floridian traveler, czeched out the Te Papa museum, and became honorary pilots of Fly By Wire. For those of you who don't believe me, I have a video to prove how I learned how to fly a jet propelled rocket!
We had to hash, as well, seeing as Wellington had a bid for the 2004 Interhash. Neill and I ran with the men's hash on Monday, and the Port Nicholson Hash on Tuesday. I made friends with a very friendly 13 year old hasher, Tax Man's Daughter, who had never talked with an American before. How cool is that? Thanks for the t-shirt TMD!
After Wellington, we drove up to Napier for a night, stayed at a hostel run by an American from San Diego, partied with the numerous German backpackers at an Irish pub that night (Neill talked German with them for over 3 hours!), then drove up to Te Aroroa to see the sunrise at East Cape, the most easterly point in the southern hemisphere. Neill and I cracked ourselves up by pointing out the most easterly cow pie in the southern hemisphere, damaged the muffler on the Moon Unit driving on the most easterly dirt road in the southern hemisphere, and got zapped crossing over the most easterly electric fence in the southern hemisphere. The sunrise was pretty spectacular though. We were the first to see the sun rise in the world on Dec. 6th, 2002!
After East Cape, we drove on to Rotorua, and stayed with my hasher friends, Norma and Roger. I met and chatted with them for, maybe, 20 minutes on the yellow dress run 3 months ago in Goa, India. Norma emails me and invites me to stay with her when I'm in town. So here we are! She's an ER nurse, so I'm filling up my brain with the knowledge from her nursing journals. Who knew I'd be starving for that stuff?
In Rotorua I just had to czech out the Waitomo Caves, famous for their glowworm displays. We rapelled down 30 meters to the cave entrance, blackwater rafted down the river inside the cave, and then got to rock climb out. The glowworms look like tiny blue stars on the cave ceiling. I spent some time pointing out all the constellations to Neill. It took awhile, as they kept moving around. Of course, no one was amused but me. Norma also took us to many of the hot springs here, and we got to swim and soak in a hot river, warmed by a nearby thermal pool. Rotorua is built on the edge of an old volcano, so there are tons of hot springs and mud pools. She said some people build their house, then have to move it because of thermal jets that suddenly appear under the house! The mud pools smell of sulphur and bubble just like the Bog of Eternal Stench from the movie Labrynth, with David Bowie.
We're off to Auckland next, to stay with our friend Rod (Goldfinger), a hasher we traveled around Rajistahan with. Hope all my family and friends on the East coast of the US are surviving the snow storms.
Love you all and miss you!
Carla
After our Thanksgiving in Nelson, we drove down to Christchurch for the weekend and visited the zoo (take note Jon and Tim!) so I could see the infamous Kiwi, and went to a rather cheesy Christmas music festival where nearly half the population of the south island attended. Any of you who have seen Monty Python's Meaning of Life and remember the scene when they sing, "It's Christmas in Heavan Every Day" will have an idea of what this festival was like. Neill and I also went clubbing with our new friend, Timo, a German who lives in Christchurch that we happen to meet in Queenstown. He speaks phenomenal English, and with a kiwi accent! He took us to a club called The Holy Grail. I go into the bathroom and see a woman there inspecting the deep scratches on her chest. "What happened?" I ask. She replies, "Oh, I got into a fight with some girl on the dance floor. You should see her, though." I exit the bathroom to witness the police escorting a bunch of people out. Rough place, but I had fun dancing with Timo and all his friends, especially lovely Rochelle. It was her 28th birthday that night.
We took the ferry from Picton to Wellington where Neill and I met the wise Floridian traveler, czeched out the Te Papa museum, and became honorary pilots of Fly By Wire. For those of you who don't believe me, I have a video to prove how I learned how to fly a jet propelled rocket!
We had to hash, as well, seeing as Wellington had a bid for the 2004 Interhash. Neill and I ran with the men's hash on Monday, and the Port Nicholson Hash on Tuesday. I made friends with a very friendly 13 year old hasher, Tax Man's Daughter, who had never talked with an American before. How cool is that? Thanks for the t-shirt TMD!
After Wellington, we drove up to Napier for a night, stayed at a hostel run by an American from San Diego, partied with the numerous German backpackers at an Irish pub that night (Neill talked German with them for over 3 hours!), then drove up to Te Aroroa to see the sunrise at East Cape, the most easterly point in the southern hemisphere. Neill and I cracked ourselves up by pointing out the most easterly cow pie in the southern hemisphere, damaged the muffler on the Moon Unit driving on the most easterly dirt road in the southern hemisphere, and got zapped crossing over the most easterly electric fence in the southern hemisphere. The sunrise was pretty spectacular though. We were the first to see the sun rise in the world on Dec. 6th, 2002!
After East Cape, we drove on to Rotorua, and stayed with my hasher friends, Norma and Roger. I met and chatted with them for, maybe, 20 minutes on the yellow dress run 3 months ago in Goa, India. Norma emails me and invites me to stay with her when I'm in town. So here we are! She's an ER nurse, so I'm filling up my brain with the knowledge from her nursing journals. Who knew I'd be starving for that stuff?
In Rotorua I just had to czech out the Waitomo Caves, famous for their glowworm displays. We rapelled down 30 meters to the cave entrance, blackwater rafted down the river inside the cave, and then got to rock climb out. The glowworms look like tiny blue stars on the cave ceiling. I spent some time pointing out all the constellations to Neill. It took awhile, as they kept moving around. Of course, no one was amused but me. Norma also took us to many of the hot springs here, and we got to swim and soak in a hot river, warmed by a nearby thermal pool. Rotorua is built on the edge of an old volcano, so there are tons of hot springs and mud pools. She said some people build their house, then have to move it because of thermal jets that suddenly appear under the house! The mud pools smell of sulphur and bubble just like the Bog of Eternal Stench from the movie Labrynth, with David Bowie.
We're off to Auckland next, to stay with our friend Rod (Goldfinger), a hasher we traveled around Rajistahan with. Hope all my family and friends on the East coast of the US are surviving the snow storms.
Love you all and miss you!
Carla
Thursday, November 28, 2002
A Thankful Thanksgiving in New Zealand
"I'm Australian, and don't know what Thanksgiving is, but I'm very thankful," says an Australian backpacker. We made our own Thanksgiving dinner here in Nelson, NZ. Couldn't get a turkey, apparently we would've had to special order it ahead of time. So we had kingfisher fish from the fish shop a hasher friend works at, and got plenty of beer from the brewery another hasher friend works at, and made do with what else we could find. There were so many American backpackers here, we had dinner for 10! Bob made FOUR apple pies and we ate them all. I made those sweet potatoes with the marshmellows on top. Alison made the mash potatoes, and Gary made the fish. Neill cleaned up, as he states he's best at that.
Everyone loved my sweet potatoe dish and wanted to know what it was called. I said, "sweet potatoes with marshmellows on top." The day got even better when we went to see Harry Potter (opening night here) after dinner. Brenda, I hope you have seen it too, it really rocks! Other stuff we've done here, glaciar hiking (I haven't worn cramp-ons in years!), mountain biking up to the center of New Zealand, and sea kayaking in Cable Bay.
We're off to learn how to carve bone today, they have classes for everything out here! I hopefully will be making some lovely trinkets for you all at Christmas time...
Car is still holding up, even with me driving it. Hopfully I can keep it in one piece by the time we make it up to Auckland to sell it. ha ha
Met up with the Nelson hash, as I referenced earlier with the beer and fish connctions. They were a really friendly, welcoming bunch, and there was a total of 8 visitors at the run. One of them, Crystal Tits, was visiting from Montreal, and Alison knew her already! They met at a hash in Ottowa one weekend last April. Talk about random meetings! Another couple I had met already at the interhash in India. They were touring around still just like us.
Well, I am thinking of you all, my friends and family, especially during the holiday season. I hope you are all well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Love, Carla
Everyone loved my sweet potatoe dish and wanted to know what it was called. I said, "sweet potatoes with marshmellows on top." The day got even better when we went to see Harry Potter (opening night here) after dinner. Brenda, I hope you have seen it too, it really rocks! Other stuff we've done here, glaciar hiking (I haven't worn cramp-ons in years!), mountain biking up to the center of New Zealand, and sea kayaking in Cable Bay.
We're off to learn how to carve bone today, they have classes for everything out here! I hopefully will be making some lovely trinkets for you all at Christmas time...
Car is still holding up, even with me driving it. Hopfully I can keep it in one piece by the time we make it up to Auckland to sell it. ha ha
Met up with the Nelson hash, as I referenced earlier with the beer and fish connctions. They were a really friendly, welcoming bunch, and there was a total of 8 visitors at the run. One of them, Crystal Tits, was visiting from Montreal, and Alison knew her already! They met at a hash in Ottowa one weekend last April. Talk about random meetings! Another couple I had met already at the interhash in India. They were touring around still just like us.
Well, I am thinking of you all, my friends and family, especially during the holiday season. I hope you are all well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Love, Carla
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Driving the Moon Unit around Kiwiland
We had to leave wonderful Tasmania sometime to get our butts to New Zealand! I've always wanted to go ever since my friend Kaliko showed me her photos from her trip there 2 years ago.
We flew into Dunedin and met up with our British hasher friend Neill (Wet Nurse) who was in great need of a holiday and wanted to tour with the ever-popular crazyhappenings duo for a month. After enduring a very critical search by customs (they went through our bags, inspected our anti-maliaria medications, and asked us questions like, "Do you smoke cannabis?" Alison responds, "No, why? Do our bags smell like it?") We got a cab into the city by a very chatty southern NZ cabbie who kept interupting our conversations to tell us random facts about his country.
WE BOUGHT A CAR!!!! Alison and I now have something in our possession other than our backpacks. It's a 1987 Ford Lazer, in decent condition, and a manual. Andy K., are you scared for me to be driving a stick again??? Alison christened it The Moon Unit, and covered the stained shag pile (floor carpets) with piles of stones from the riverbed. It also has a Kiwi Crossing sticker on the backend. A Kiwi at the backpackers, Gary, helped us buy the car. It was heaps cheaper than renting something and we should have no problem selling it in Auckland before we fly out. Neill knows a thing or two about cars, like changing spark plugs and brake pads, so it's been great having him along.
We're in Queenstown now, home to the extreme sports. I'm not planning on bungee jumping or anything though, so no worries, Mom. The town itself is a trip and a half. Very tall, snow covered mountains right next to beautiful lakes and rivers. Have you all seen Lord of the Rings? I'm in the heart of Middle Earth. We're off to "czech" out the glaciars tomorrow and then on to Christchurch. Just letting you all know I'm fine and dandy out here! Off to meet friends at the bar, Winnie Baegos, now!
Love, Carla
We flew into Dunedin and met up with our British hasher friend Neill (Wet Nurse) who was in great need of a holiday and wanted to tour with the ever-popular crazyhappenings duo for a month. After enduring a very critical search by customs (they went through our bags, inspected our anti-maliaria medications, and asked us questions like, "Do you smoke cannabis?" Alison responds, "No, why? Do our bags smell like it?") We got a cab into the city by a very chatty southern NZ cabbie who kept interupting our conversations to tell us random facts about his country.
WE BOUGHT A CAR!!!! Alison and I now have something in our possession other than our backpacks. It's a 1987 Ford Lazer, in decent condition, and a manual. Andy K., are you scared for me to be driving a stick again??? Alison christened it The Moon Unit, and covered the stained shag pile (floor carpets) with piles of stones from the riverbed. It also has a Kiwi Crossing sticker on the backend. A Kiwi at the backpackers, Gary, helped us buy the car. It was heaps cheaper than renting something and we should have no problem selling it in Auckland before we fly out. Neill knows a thing or two about cars, like changing spark plugs and brake pads, so it's been great having him along.
We're in Queenstown now, home to the extreme sports. I'm not planning on bungee jumping or anything though, so no worries, Mom. The town itself is a trip and a half. Very tall, snow covered mountains right next to beautiful lakes and rivers. Have you all seen Lord of the Rings? I'm in the heart of Middle Earth. We're off to "czech" out the glaciars tomorrow and then on to Christchurch. Just letting you all know I'm fine and dandy out here! Off to meet friends at the bar, Winnie Baegos, now!
Love, Carla
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Ten Days in Tassie!
Ten days in Tazmania tearing around on the left side of the road in a copper colored Toyota was quite the experience! Thankfully, Alison did most of the driving, as I was more comfortable ordering her around as my title "Navigator" allowed. We traveled 2500 kms total, and saw the whole state of Tazmania. We hashed with 4 different clubs and were thrilled that every local we encountered knew of the hash ever since the interhash in Hobart in 2000 happened.
Highlights:
Getting crash space with hasher, Paul(Jerk Off), and him loaning us a key to his house and a spare mobile phone! Hiking in Frencynet National Park and seeing whales in Wineglass Bay. Alison puttig a rude Norwegian in his place in the kitchen of the youth hostel. Me locking the keys in the car. Having to drink my Chardonnay down-down tea bagged with my tacky Tazmanian tiger souvenir socks at the Chardonnay Hash in Hobart. Paul telling us to make sure we czech out Queenstown and call in on Phil, no, wait, Tim...the guy who runs the power plant there. He would show us around. Going to the movies TWICE in Hobart. We yearn for non-travel activities more lately. Hanging out with Juan and Sean, our army hash buddies that made the trip to Bernie with us and made me sound like my mother as they fought in the backseat of the car. "Don't make me come back there!" Grizzly taking the morning off from work to cook us breakfast the morning after the Bernie hash run. He knew all our new friends from Ragistahan! Going to the historic town of Ross, and getting heaps of Ross souvenirs for our friend Ross in Melbourne. "My friends went to Ross and all they got me was this lousy t-shirt..." Hashing with the Hobart Hash Harem, the first female only hash we attended. Their hash shirts are PURPLE! Alison says we should start one in Boston, but our shirts will be pink. Going to the Mayfield, (a uni bar) with Brigid's brother, Mark. We went dressed in our hash clothing and the bouncer commented, "Girls, try not to dress up so much next time, ok?" Sticky floors, 10 girls dressed in half shirts waiting in line for the toilet, shooters, and crowds of students packed shoulder to shoulder made us feel 10 years younger. ha. Talking about the meaning of life, love, and happiness with Alison and Juan in a bar until 4 am. A sign blows off a building and scratches the car 10 minutes before we return it to the Hertz rental office.
Highlights:
Getting crash space with hasher, Paul(Jerk Off), and him loaning us a key to his house and a spare mobile phone! Hiking in Frencynet National Park and seeing whales in Wineglass Bay. Alison puttig a rude Norwegian in his place in the kitchen of the youth hostel. Me locking the keys in the car. Having to drink my Chardonnay down-down tea bagged with my tacky Tazmanian tiger souvenir socks at the Chardonnay Hash in Hobart. Paul telling us to make sure we czech out Queenstown and call in on Phil, no, wait, Tim...the guy who runs the power plant there. He would show us around. Going to the movies TWICE in Hobart. We yearn for non-travel activities more lately. Hanging out with Juan and Sean, our army hash buddies that made the trip to Bernie with us and made me sound like my mother as they fought in the backseat of the car. "Don't make me come back there!" Grizzly taking the morning off from work to cook us breakfast the morning after the Bernie hash run. He knew all our new friends from Ragistahan! Going to the historic town of Ross, and getting heaps of Ross souvenirs for our friend Ross in Melbourne. "My friends went to Ross and all they got me was this lousy t-shirt..." Hashing with the Hobart Hash Harem, the first female only hash we attended. Their hash shirts are PURPLE! Alison says we should start one in Boston, but our shirts will be pink. Going to the Mayfield, (a uni bar) with Brigid's brother, Mark. We went dressed in our hash clothing and the bouncer commented, "Girls, try not to dress up so much next time, ok?" Sticky floors, 10 girls dressed in half shirts waiting in line for the toilet, shooters, and crowds of students packed shoulder to shoulder made us feel 10 years younger. ha. Talking about the meaning of life, love, and happiness with Alison and Juan in a bar until 4 am. A sign blows off a building and scratches the car 10 minutes before we return it to the Hertz rental office.
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
A birthday celebration overseas
I celebrated my birthday in Orange, a small country town, where Debby, Mike, and their friend Wayne live and work as teachers. They take me out for dinner for my birthday, we drink wine, eat pavolva birthday cake, and then we go out to a dodgy club in Orange to further celebrate.
Alison brings some shots, we all chink glasses to toast and I break my glass with my enthusiasm. I bring the broken glass to the bar, and report, "this is so unsafe. I want another." They oblige. I don't drink it though, think I poured it in someone's glass of water. Alison, Sarah, and I dance like Elaine from Seinfield to random music on the dance floor. Alison and Sarah have a "hair off" much like Zoolander, play the air guitar and dirty the knees of their jeans. I realize I may have drunk too much and escape the noise by going to the bar. Wayne finds me later, and said the sight of me sitting at the bar, appearing folorn, nursing a water, and surrounded by old men, looked like a scene from the movie Heartbreak Hotel. We left early thankfully, as a result of the "lockdown" procedure in Orange, where the bars all refuse to let anyone else in after 12:30 am. Not a bad thing as there were many student sightings by Wayne, "Why aren't you all home studying tonight?"
Well, we're in Brisbane now, and Sarah's mom took us to Steve Irwin's zoo, to see the famous croc shows. No sightings of Steve, but we did meet Harriett, a turtle from the days of Darwin that is 172 years old. Also got a phenomenal photos of the two of us with a python wrapped around our shoulders.
Fun fact: Steve and Terry's daughter, Bindi Sue, was named after a crocadile, Bindi, and their dog Sui.
We're off to the Gold Coast tomorrow, to see Surfer's Paradise and meet up with friends we made in Rajistahan on the tour. Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Sending you heaps of love.
Carla
Alison brings some shots, we all chink glasses to toast and I break my glass with my enthusiasm. I bring the broken glass to the bar, and report, "this is so unsafe. I want another." They oblige. I don't drink it though, think I poured it in someone's glass of water. Alison, Sarah, and I dance like Elaine from Seinfield to random music on the dance floor. Alison and Sarah have a "hair off" much like Zoolander, play the air guitar and dirty the knees of their jeans. I realize I may have drunk too much and escape the noise by going to the bar. Wayne finds me later, and said the sight of me sitting at the bar, appearing folorn, nursing a water, and surrounded by old men, looked like a scene from the movie Heartbreak Hotel. We left early thankfully, as a result of the "lockdown" procedure in Orange, where the bars all refuse to let anyone else in after 12:30 am. Not a bad thing as there were many student sightings by Wayne, "Why aren't you all home studying tonight?"
Well, we're in Brisbane now, and Sarah's mom took us to Steve Irwin's zoo, to see the famous croc shows. No sightings of Steve, but we did meet Harriett, a turtle from the days of Darwin that is 172 years old. Also got a phenomenal photos of the two of us with a python wrapped around our shoulders.
Fun fact: Steve and Terry's daughter, Bindi Sue, was named after a crocadile, Bindi, and their dog Sui.
We're off to the Gold Coast tomorrow, to see Surfer's Paradise and meet up with friends we made in Rajistahan on the tour. Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Sending you heaps of love.
Carla
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Down (under) time in Australia
Hello again! Having some down time in Australia is allowing me to log on to email heaps. So lucky for all of you, more newsletters! In Sydney, Alison and I did the bridge climb up the harbor bridge. It's only been open to the public since 1998, and they are so systematic about the whole process! We got full gear: climbing harness, jumpsuit, fleece jacket, hat, and they even had shoes if you needed them! If you show up to this place in only your underwear, it's STILL possible to climb the bridge! I thought it would be much more scary than it actually was. More of a stroll than a climb, as Alison said. We got some great photos of us, completely posed by the guide, of course. I suspect he's done it before...they are almost as ketch as the Taj Mahal shots we had done. Alison said they make us look like we should be announcing our engagement to be married or something.
The next day, we "czeched" out the Tarrango Zoo in Sydney. We were lucky enough to arrive in time for the koala's to be fed. I'd never seen them so active! Alison must've taken over a dozen photos of them. It was hilarious. We wanted to get our photo taken with the koala, but the booth was already closed. Ah well. Sarah's parents promised to take us to the zoo in Brisbane, where that can be done there as well.
So in case you felt my last newsletter was a bit dull, well, here is a classic story: We're on the bus, having a rather mundane conversation, for once, and the Australian guy sitting across from us remarks out of no where, "Oh my God, you have the strongest American accents I've ever heard! Are you doing that on purpose, because you're traveling?"
Alison: "No, this is how we really talk."
Rude Aussie: "But I have American friends in Japan, and they don't sound like you. You seem like you've turned up the volume on it, deliberately. Has anyone ever said that to you before?"
Alison: "No, not to our face, anyway."
Rude Aussie: "Well, I prefer the American southern accent. It just has a sound to it that is so pleasing, and the wide brim hats the men wear, I just love that! (he smiles and reflects fondly on this)
Carla: "Interesting, I think some Americans wouldn't agree with you on that one."
Alison: "So, do all Australians talk like you?"
Rude Aussie: "We just say it like it is, ya know? Put it all out on the table. Nothing beats honesty, I say."
He got off the bus at this point, which was good because Alison looked ready to smack him silly and I was biting my lip, trying not to laugh.
We're in Canberra now, with my penpal of 15 years, Sarah Kearns. This city is like a country version of Washington DC, minus the Smithsonians. Alison discovered there's an Erotica Museum here, though, so we're going to "czech" that out tomorrow. Sarah's brother, Scean, is taking the day off from work to show us around. When we told Scean where we wanted to go, he couldn't stop laughing.
Oh, in regards to my newsletter about the Indian burning man festival I went to in Delhi, but couldn't remember the name, my Mom sent me the following information via her friend Amy:
I believe she is speaking of Diwali (pronounce dee-vall-ee). It is the Festival of Lights representing (light over darkness or good or evil). It is the major Hindu holiday.
Hope that was as enlightening for all of you as it was for me! Thanks Mom and Amy!
Love, Carla
The next day, we "czeched" out the Tarrango Zoo in Sydney. We were lucky enough to arrive in time for the koala's to be fed. I'd never seen them so active! Alison must've taken over a dozen photos of them. It was hilarious. We wanted to get our photo taken with the koala, but the booth was already closed. Ah well. Sarah's parents promised to take us to the zoo in Brisbane, where that can be done there as well.
So in case you felt my last newsletter was a bit dull, well, here is a classic story: We're on the bus, having a rather mundane conversation, for once, and the Australian guy sitting across from us remarks out of no where, "Oh my God, you have the strongest American accents I've ever heard! Are you doing that on purpose, because you're traveling?"
Alison: "No, this is how we really talk."
Rude Aussie: "But I have American friends in Japan, and they don't sound like you. You seem like you've turned up the volume on it, deliberately. Has anyone ever said that to you before?"
Alison: "No, not to our face, anyway."
Rude Aussie: "Well, I prefer the American southern accent. It just has a sound to it that is so pleasing, and the wide brim hats the men wear, I just love that! (he smiles and reflects fondly on this)
Carla: "Interesting, I think some Americans wouldn't agree with you on that one."
Alison: "So, do all Australians talk like you?"
Rude Aussie: "We just say it like it is, ya know? Put it all out on the table. Nothing beats honesty, I say."
He got off the bus at this point, which was good because Alison looked ready to smack him silly and I was biting my lip, trying not to laugh.
We're in Canberra now, with my penpal of 15 years, Sarah Kearns. This city is like a country version of Washington DC, minus the Smithsonians. Alison discovered there's an Erotica Museum here, though, so we're going to "czech" that out tomorrow. Sarah's brother, Scean, is taking the day off from work to show us around. When we told Scean where we wanted to go, he couldn't stop laughing.
Oh, in regards to my newsletter about the Indian burning man festival I went to in Delhi, but couldn't remember the name, my Mom sent me the following information via her friend Amy:
I believe she is speaking of Diwali (pronounce dee-vall-ee). It is the Festival of Lights representing (light over darkness or good or evil). It is the major Hindu holiday.
Hope that was as enlightening for all of you as it was for me! Thanks Mom and Amy!
Love, Carla
Sunday, October 20, 2002
Greeting from Australia!
G'day mates! We made it safe and sound to Sydney, Australia. Alison and I were good and ready to take off from India. We were just so tired of being gawked at by the locals. We meet up with Baron for one last evening of the 2 for 1 happy hour at DV8, then we crashed out ourselves from sheer exhaustion. Not even the dreariness of the Ringos Guest House could keep us from sleeping over 12 hours straight!
Flew out of Delhi the next afternoon, back to Bangkok (for one night in Bangkok....) and then flew out of Bangkok the next day to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We couldn't leave the airport, since we didn't have a visa. So we passed the 5 hour layover with some furiously competitive games of backgammon. Jon, Alison has shared some tips with me, so she doesn't beat me every time anymore! We finally made it to Syndey, and checked into the most posh youth hostel I've ever seen. It's got a game room, pool, and a kitchen the size of a small cafeteria! There are signs all over it saying, "your food is protected by video surveillance." It's so nice to walk the streets and not get badgered by anyone.
No exciting news, just letting ya'll know we're both safe and still having fun. Joining up with the Sydney hash on Tuesday, then off by bus to Canberra to see my penpal Sarah on Wednesday.
Czech you later!
Carla
Flew out of Delhi the next afternoon, back to Bangkok (for one night in Bangkok....) and then flew out of Bangkok the next day to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We couldn't leave the airport, since we didn't have a visa. So we passed the 5 hour layover with some furiously competitive games of backgammon. Jon, Alison has shared some tips with me, so she doesn't beat me every time anymore! We finally made it to Syndey, and checked into the most posh youth hostel I've ever seen. It's got a game room, pool, and a kitchen the size of a small cafeteria! There are signs all over it saying, "your food is protected by video surveillance." It's so nice to walk the streets and not get badgered by anyone.
No exciting news, just letting ya'll know we're both safe and still having fun. Joining up with the Sydney hash on Tuesday, then off by bus to Canberra to see my penpal Sarah on Wednesday.
Czech you later!
Carla
Thursday, October 17, 2002
One more night in Delhi!
We have one more night left here in Delhi before flying out to Sydney next. Alison made the realization that we spent more time in India than any other country on our trip! Who knew it would be so fun? After the hash run/crashing Indian wedding on Monday night I hung out with Flipper and Baron on Tuesday and we went to the ninth day of the festival here. Wish I could remember the name of the festival, how ignorant of me! Anyway, they had these three huge paper men on a field and they set them on fire with fireworks. The park held probably a third of the population of Delhi and we were the only tourists there. The guards just let us in the gates, no fee, no tickets, nothing. I think they were just happy to see tourists interested in their culture, or wanted to keep us safe from the mobs that were forming outside the gates. The ninth day was supposed represent the fight between good and evil, ie, buring the evil men. I got some interesting photos of the carnage.
After the festival was finished, I pulled out my interhash photos to share with Flipper and Baron. The photos attracted quite a crowd of young boys hovering around us, giggling at the photos of men mooning me, of course. Thankfully I had no shots of harriets flashing me. That might have gotten rather excited reactions from those pre- pubescent Indian boys. The guards eventually appeared to disperse our audience. I was starting to feel claustrophobic.
Alison and Friar met me Wednesday morning as arranged, and we went sightseeing around Delhi, "czeching" out the Lotus Temple, that looks a lot like the Sydney Opera house, and the Red Fort in Old Delhi. We escaped the traffic and heat for the oasis of the bar DV8 I had discovered the other night. Missing Link, Baron, and Money King joined us in time to enjoy happy hour, "2 4 1 beer" as Friar kept reminding us everytime the waiter came over. They were nice and cold too!
Money King drove us and Friar to the airport to see Friar off. I hope he made it on his flight ok, he really enjoyed that happy hour special. We had loaded him up with all our souvies from India as well, so he had quite a few bags to keep track of.
Well, not much else to report. We're just chilling in Delhi, biding time until we fly to Australia. We're meeting up with the same group tonight, to see Baron off. One by one the hashers are leaving the country of India. Will it recover, I wonder?
Love to you all! Thanks for all your responses as well. I always enjoy hearing about how life is going for my friends and family.
Cheers!
Carla
After the festival was finished, I pulled out my interhash photos to share with Flipper and Baron. The photos attracted quite a crowd of young boys hovering around us, giggling at the photos of men mooning me, of course. Thankfully I had no shots of harriets flashing me. That might have gotten rather excited reactions from those pre- pubescent Indian boys. The guards eventually appeared to disperse our audience. I was starting to feel claustrophobic.
Alison and Friar met me Wednesday morning as arranged, and we went sightseeing around Delhi, "czeching" out the Lotus Temple, that looks a lot like the Sydney Opera house, and the Red Fort in Old Delhi. We escaped the traffic and heat for the oasis of the bar DV8 I had discovered the other night. Missing Link, Baron, and Money King joined us in time to enjoy happy hour, "2 4 1 beer" as Friar kept reminding us everytime the waiter came over. They were nice and cold too!
Money King drove us and Friar to the airport to see Friar off. I hope he made it on his flight ok, he really enjoyed that happy hour special. We had loaded him up with all our souvies from India as well, so he had quite a few bags to keep track of.
Well, not much else to report. We're just chilling in Delhi, biding time until we fly to Australia. We're meeting up with the same group tonight, to see Baron off. One by one the hashers are leaving the country of India. Will it recover, I wonder?
Love to you all! Thanks for all your responses as well. I always enjoy hearing about how life is going for my friends and family.
Cheers!
Carla
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
crashing an Indian wedding!
Winding up my last few days in India by doing much of nothing in Delhi. Alison went on with our friend Austin back to Jaipur to check out wholesale Indian jewelry and i opted to stay in Delhi on my own and rest. Hard to believe, but Delhi is very clean for a major capital city of India! I joined up with the Delhi hash last night and after the run we came upon a wedding procession. The tradition is for the groom to ride a horse through town with all his friends and family in tow. They end up at the bride's house where the two families meet and perform the ceremony. Most Indian marriages are arranged so it is not unheard of for the bride and groom to only have met once or twice before they are wed! Our local Indian friends assured us it was ok to join in and go on to the wedding ceremony! Dressed in our running gear, sweaty and smelling of the beer I dumped on my head, I met the bride and gave her my congratulations. We danced, ate the food, and chatted with the family members like we were invited guests! How strange is that???? Indians are very welcoming people.
Before arriving in Delhi, I visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was probably the most impressive sight I saw here in India. The craftsmen who built it had their hands all chopped off afterward so they would never make another one like it. All done in the name of love. The Maharaja's dying wife had three requests: that he not remarry, that he raise the remaining 7 children, and that she be buried in a tomb. Well, she got what she wanted and then some, eh?
We all have heard the terrible news about the explosion in Bali. My thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims. Please try not to worry about me out here. We'll be on to Australia in just a few days.
All my love,
Carla
Before arriving in Delhi, I visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was probably the most impressive sight I saw here in India. The craftsmen who built it had their hands all chopped off afterward so they would never make another one like it. All done in the name of love. The Maharaja's dying wife had three requests: that he not remarry, that he raise the remaining 7 children, and that she be buried in a tomb. Well, she got what she wanted and then some, eh?
We all have heard the terrible news about the explosion in Bali. My thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims. Please try not to worry about me out here. We'll be on to Australia in just a few days.
All my love,
Carla
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
Indian camels...watch out, they spit!
We are in Jodpur now, and I actually found a fast internet connetion! Of course, it's a billion degrees in here so this won't be long.
We went on a camel ride in the desert to watch the sunset. Riding a camel is a lot more comfortable than I thought! They don't guide like horses, but they sure last longer on long treks. They can go up to 80 kilomenters in a day without water!
The eggs here have white yokes. We're not sure why, don't know what the chickens eat, but hope it's not the same garbage the cows and pigs eat. Needless to say, I've been sticking to a veggie diet. I helped set a hash run this morning at sunrise and we had a lot of fun bringing the other hashers through a park, past a pile of broken razor blades, and around a palace and a temple. The ants wasted no time eating the flour we used to set trail.
Well, I was supposed to join the group in a shopping excursion, but I got tired of the street boys hassling me into their shops. I'm too hot to think of anything else to type. Don't know how these computers can stay functioning in this weather.
Love to you all!
Carla
We went on a camel ride in the desert to watch the sunset. Riding a camel is a lot more comfortable than I thought! They don't guide like horses, but they sure last longer on long treks. They can go up to 80 kilomenters in a day without water!
The eggs here have white yokes. We're not sure why, don't know what the chickens eat, but hope it's not the same garbage the cows and pigs eat. Needless to say, I've been sticking to a veggie diet. I helped set a hash run this morning at sunrise and we had a lot of fun bringing the other hashers through a park, past a pile of broken razor blades, and around a palace and a temple. The ants wasted no time eating the flour we used to set trail.
Well, I was supposed to join the group in a shopping excursion, but I got tired of the street boys hassling me into their shops. I'm too hot to think of anything else to type. Don't know how these computers can stay functioning in this weather.
Love to you all!
Carla
Saturday, October 5, 2002
Touring Rajistahan, India
Right now I'm about 150 km from the Pakistan border in a beautiful town called Jaisalimer. We're staying in the old fort palace, and being treated like queens and kings. Saw gazelle, goats and plenty of cows and camels along the desert road. The locals are all very friendly and helpful, seem pleased to see tourists, and are eager to chat with us. Having men around (ok, hasher men, but still better than nothing) makes me feel more comfortable striking up conversation with the local Indian men who are so interested in the "western women." One guy tonight wanted to tell me all about his infatuation with the famous American actress, Sharon Stone.
The last place we stayed in, Bikenir, had a rat temple and a camel breeding farm that we visited. The Hindi believed these rats were the reincarnation of their relatives from a neighboring town so they worship and respect them. They also feed them a diet strictly of carbos and sweet milk to keep the male rats sexually weak so the population is kept under control. The whole place was a bit too strange for me, and I didn't much care for the rats running over my bare feet. No shoes were allowed in the temple. The camel breeding farm was very nice though, and I'm looking forward to riding one tomorrow when we go on our safari in the desert.
No mishaps have occured, except the life of one sacred cow that happen to wander in the path of our train up to Bikenir. I slept through the event, but my other hasher friends reported seeing random cow parts dragged along the bottom of the train, and apparently it struck the water pipe to the toilet, since there was water all over the floor. Never a dull moment!
I am still waiting for my email account to open, (it's been 20 minutes) so I don't think I'll be able to read, let alone send, many messages back to you all. Just know that I'm quite alright here and having a phenomenal time!
All my love, Carla
The last place we stayed in, Bikenir, had a rat temple and a camel breeding farm that we visited. The Hindi believed these rats were the reincarnation of their relatives from a neighboring town so they worship and respect them. They also feed them a diet strictly of carbos and sweet milk to keep the male rats sexually weak so the population is kept under control. The whole place was a bit too strange for me, and I didn't much care for the rats running over my bare feet. No shoes were allowed in the temple. The camel breeding farm was very nice though, and I'm looking forward to riding one tomorrow when we go on our safari in the desert.
No mishaps have occured, except the life of one sacred cow that happen to wander in the path of our train up to Bikenir. I slept through the event, but my other hasher friends reported seeing random cow parts dragged along the bottom of the train, and apparently it struck the water pipe to the toilet, since there was water all over the floor. Never a dull moment!
I am still waiting for my email account to open, (it's been 20 minutes) so I don't think I'll be able to read, let alone send, many messages back to you all. Just know that I'm quite alright here and having a phenomenal time!
All my love, Carla
Tuesday, October 1, 2002
Goa going and gone!
I'm still alive and well in India! For all you who were concerned, the attack on the temple in Deli involved the Muslim and Hindu locals. No tourists were involved. We're far from there anyway.
The Bollywood thing in Mumbai didn't quite pan out. We get picked up by our "agent" who gives us a long song and dance about how he "takes care of the foreigners" who work with him. He brings us to the Marriott hotel where the party scene is taking place and then disappears. The woman in charge gives us the skimpiest red dresses to put on and tells us we will be playing bartenders behind the bar. I got the best photo of Alison in this dress. We looked like a pair of hookers. We sit ourselves down and wait and wait and wait, then this Indian version of the Godfather comes over to us and tells us he wants us to DANCE on top of the bar. He takes on look at our black flip flops we have on and yells at the woman for not telling us to bring decent shoes. The whole thing was just getting too shady for us. I sat around watching them all argue and the Indian actors practice juggling flaming bottles of champagne. Alison got bored and wandered around the hotel in her skimpy red dress. After 3 1/2 hours of this, we make a collective decision to just take off. We leave our red ensembles in the ladies room of the hotel and make a discrete exit thanks to Alison scouting out the place while I sat and did nothing. "Ok, Carla, when we go out the bathroom door go LEFT and then an immediate RIGHT!" We were like secret agents in James Bond...
We got back to our local bar and hung out with the other hashers for the evening laughing over our amusing evening. Guess we weren't made to be in the Indian movies!
The Interhash rented out an ENTIRE train for us to get to Goa with and it was like summer camp on rails, as Missing Link called it. No one slept, as we were so excited to hang out and visit. They gave us free beer which pretty much ensured no one would sleep. Goa is just beautiful, lots of beaches and palm trees. The runs set were all over the area. The run I did on Saturday went out to a cliff peninsula and we could see the dolphins playing in the ocean below. Alison was psyched to meet another hasher with her same name, Piss Stop. I did not find any other F*cks Like a Rabbits, unfortunately. A bunch of kiwis tried to tell me there was a guy called F*ck the Rabbit but I think they were making it up. As Sean (Queen of the Pussies) said to me, "it's a great line, Carla. I'd use it. 'Oh, you're Mellon Patch? Why, my name is F*ck the Mellon Patch!'" For those of you who do not know, the 2004 interhash is going to be in Cardiff, Wales. Hope to see you all there!
Took the train back to Mumbai and it was much quieter. We were all beat from the weekend so everyone actually slept. I'm off for a 2 week trip around Northern India now with about 30 other hashers. Should be fun! Hope all's well with you all.
Love, Carla
The Bollywood thing in Mumbai didn't quite pan out. We get picked up by our "agent" who gives us a long song and dance about how he "takes care of the foreigners" who work with him. He brings us to the Marriott hotel where the party scene is taking place and then disappears. The woman in charge gives us the skimpiest red dresses to put on and tells us we will be playing bartenders behind the bar. I got the best photo of Alison in this dress. We looked like a pair of hookers. We sit ourselves down and wait and wait and wait, then this Indian version of the Godfather comes over to us and tells us he wants us to DANCE on top of the bar. He takes on look at our black flip flops we have on and yells at the woman for not telling us to bring decent shoes. The whole thing was just getting too shady for us. I sat around watching them all argue and the Indian actors practice juggling flaming bottles of champagne. Alison got bored and wandered around the hotel in her skimpy red dress. After 3 1/2 hours of this, we make a collective decision to just take off. We leave our red ensembles in the ladies room of the hotel and make a discrete exit thanks to Alison scouting out the place while I sat and did nothing. "Ok, Carla, when we go out the bathroom door go LEFT and then an immediate RIGHT!" We were like secret agents in James Bond...
We got back to our local bar and hung out with the other hashers for the evening laughing over our amusing evening. Guess we weren't made to be in the Indian movies!
The Interhash rented out an ENTIRE train for us to get to Goa with and it was like summer camp on rails, as Missing Link called it. No one slept, as we were so excited to hang out and visit. They gave us free beer which pretty much ensured no one would sleep. Goa is just beautiful, lots of beaches and palm trees. The runs set were all over the area. The run I did on Saturday went out to a cliff peninsula and we could see the dolphins playing in the ocean below. Alison was psyched to meet another hasher with her same name, Piss Stop. I did not find any other F*cks Like a Rabbits, unfortunately. A bunch of kiwis tried to tell me there was a guy called F*ck the Rabbit but I think they were making it up. As Sean (Queen of the Pussies) said to me, "it's a great line, Carla. I'd use it. 'Oh, you're Mellon Patch? Why, my name is F*ck the Mellon Patch!'" For those of you who do not know, the 2004 interhash is going to be in Cardiff, Wales. Hope to see you all there!
Took the train back to Mumbai and it was much quieter. We were all beat from the weekend so everyone actually slept. I'm off for a 2 week trip around Northern India now with about 30 other hashers. Should be fun! Hope all's well with you all.
Love, Carla
Monday, September 23, 2002
I'm going to be a movie star in India!
I'm at the slowest connection cafe in Mumbai right now so I can't respond to any emails today. The zoo in Singapore was great! I hate to say this to my San Diego friends, but it was better than the San Diego Zoo! The animals all have open pens instead of cages and at the night safari we had the antelope and deer and TAPIRS walking around the trolly. The guide nicely asked us NOT to touch the tapirs as they can "become quite aggressive very quickly." No kidding, I was glad no one tested this theory. I made Alison walk through the fruit bat enclosure and she had enough after the first one nearly decapitated her as he flew by. I hadn't realized they are so large! I joined up with the Lion City Singapore hash our last night in Singapore and met up with Anna, a Stockholm hasher I met back in June. She was there on business. What a small world! Alison joined me for the run, but then took off for a Cantanese opera. One of us had to make an effort to be cultural!
Now we're in India and it's been surprisingly very pleasant. The locals are friendly and helpful and are so pleased to see us there. They obviously have suffered from the lack of tourism lately. Right away we ran into several hashers we knew from our travels so it feels like we're all hanging out with family. Mumbai is not as bad as Cairo, but I will be glad to get down to Goa in the next few days. The traffic and pollution wear me out. The most interesting things we've seen so far have been the Tower of Silence, where the Parisis leave their dead to be eaten by the vultures. They believe soil, fire, and water are too sacred to use to bury the dead. We also see cows along side the road, just like you would imagine. They are incredibly healthy looking and I wonder who is responsible for their care.
Tonight Alison and I are going to WORK! We're going to Bollywood to be extras in a movie. They are going to feed us and pay us 700 rupies which covers 2 nights at our hostel and a few meals. Then movie industry is mostly funded by "alternative sources" ie the Mob, so I imagine the money we make is probably laundered.
Don't know when I'll log on again, but Mom, Dad, and Andy, please don't worry about me. India is wonderful!
Love, Carla
Now we're in India and it's been surprisingly very pleasant. The locals are friendly and helpful and are so pleased to see us there. They obviously have suffered from the lack of tourism lately. Right away we ran into several hashers we knew from our travels so it feels like we're all hanging out with family. Mumbai is not as bad as Cairo, but I will be glad to get down to Goa in the next few days. The traffic and pollution wear me out. The most interesting things we've seen so far have been the Tower of Silence, where the Parisis leave their dead to be eaten by the vultures. They believe soil, fire, and water are too sacred to use to bury the dead. We also see cows along side the road, just like you would imagine. They are incredibly healthy looking and I wonder who is responsible for their care.
Tonight Alison and I are going to WORK! We're going to Bollywood to be extras in a movie. They are going to feed us and pay us 700 rupies which covers 2 nights at our hostel and a few meals. Then movie industry is mostly funded by "alternative sources" ie the Mob, so I imagine the money we make is probably laundered.
Don't know when I'll log on again, but Mom, Dad, and Andy, please don't worry about me. India is wonderful!
Love, Carla
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Hashing in Singapore!
That means running, not drugs in a country where they are not afraid to use the cane! We got here by bus from Malaysia and just a few hours later, met up with the Singapore Harriets for their weekly run. It was a huge group, mixed of locals and foreigners who are here for work or school. They were a fun group to hang with, and their style of running a circle reminded me of our home Boston H3. I miss all you guys!
We had such a good time with the harriets, we're going to join the Lion Club Hash on Friday as well. Other than those plans, we're heading to the zoo today and the night safari tonight. Meric tells me the zoo here is BETTER than the World Famous San Diego zoo. I have to see that for myself. So far, though, what we have seen of Singapore is just beautiful. It's so clean and well organized here. I even got chastized by the cab driver for trying to tell him how to get somewhere. Apparently they know the city well and take their job very seriously.
Not only did we get all our photos online for you all to czech out, we developed 2 rolls of film as well. There are hilarious pics from Turkey. Too bad the scanner here is broken. Marnie, Karla, Brigit, Karen, Pete, and the Aussie boys...you will love seeing the shots I got of us that night in the club and at the eternal flames. I promise to scan them all next chance I get.
Please go czech out the updated web site and photos. We're off to India on Saturday. It's all about Goa!
Love to you all,
Carla
We had such a good time with the harriets, we're going to join the Lion Club Hash on Friday as well. Other than those plans, we're heading to the zoo today and the night safari tonight. Meric tells me the zoo here is BETTER than the World Famous San Diego zoo. I have to see that for myself. So far, though, what we have seen of Singapore is just beautiful. It's so clean and well organized here. I even got chastized by the cab driver for trying to tell him how to get somewhere. Apparently they know the city well and take their job very seriously.
Not only did we get all our photos online for you all to czech out, we developed 2 rolls of film as well. There are hilarious pics from Turkey. Too bad the scanner here is broken. Marnie, Karla, Brigit, Karen, Pete, and the Aussie boys...you will love seeing the shots I got of us that night in the club and at the eternal flames. I promise to scan them all next chance I get.
Please go czech out the updated web site and photos. We're off to India on Saturday. It's all about Goa!
Love to you all,
Carla
Monday, September 16, 2002
More rice anyone?
We're still in Southeast Asia but had to leave Thailand and our friend Meric behind in Krabi beach 'cause a typhoon came through and made the beach no fun at all! We headed down to Malaysia, with Penang being our first stop. We slept a lot, at first. Meric just wore us out with his sightseeing energy! We did drag our lazy asses out to Penang hill on the evening of September 11th, for some quite reflection. The guy selling us tickets to get the train up there expressed his sympathy, then tried to convince us to join him and his friend at the disco that night.
The next day we were determined to do some sightseeing, and made it out to the Tropical Fruit Farm on the other side of the island. It was quite the ordeal, getting out there, then we were there, and it was just a fruit stand with a parking lot. Well, we tried two new fruits: Durian--smells and tastes like my sweaty socks! Jackfruit--better than Durian, but the wasps liked it more than I did.
We joined up with the Penang Hash that evening, and met a hasher, Fruit, who worked at the Fruit Farm and saw us there, but didn't know we were hashers 'cause we weren't wearing our hash shirts! The run was not so much a run, but more of a hike straight up a mountain. I had a blast, pretending to be Julia Andrews humming Climb Every Mountain. There are these huge black thorns on the palm trees. I only grabbed them a few times before I figured out what "thorns on the left" was referring to (just call me Spinefinger). I kept hearing this insect that sounds like a canyon wren, but no one could identify it for me.
I was covered in mud when I finished, but managed to get back to the start before nightfall. Edna said it only happened once where they lost a hasher in the dark and he ended up spending the night out there.
Next stop was Kuala Lumpur, where my two goals were to see the Batu Caves and run with the original Hash. The caves were a little disappointing, but the art gallary was quite random. Too bad I don't read Hindu. Since the Mother Hash is men only, we contacted the Hartamas hash. Alice picked us up and introduced us to the GM, Mafia. He set a phenomenal run where we had a view of KL from the hillside.
We hurried up to get to Malacca, as everyone kept crowing to us about how charming and fun a place it is. Well, I'm sure it is, when all the museums aren't closed for renovation! We czeched everywhere but everything except this internet cafe and the mall (that luckily has a movie theater) is closed for renovation. Malacca is going to have quite a facelift when everything is done. Well, one museum was open, the Islamic Museum. We decided we weren't that desperate for culture.
Well, some forced R&R is ok with me here in Malacca. India is just around the corner! We'll find the Malacca hash tomorrow night and download some photos for the web site. This internet cafe actually had a laptop!!!! Be sure to czech out www.crazyhappenings.com!
Love to you all!
Carla
The next day we were determined to do some sightseeing, and made it out to the Tropical Fruit Farm on the other side of the island. It was quite the ordeal, getting out there, then we were there, and it was just a fruit stand with a parking lot. Well, we tried two new fruits: Durian--smells and tastes like my sweaty socks! Jackfruit--better than Durian, but the wasps liked it more than I did.
We joined up with the Penang Hash that evening, and met a hasher, Fruit, who worked at the Fruit Farm and saw us there, but didn't know we were hashers 'cause we weren't wearing our hash shirts! The run was not so much a run, but more of a hike straight up a mountain. I had a blast, pretending to be Julia Andrews humming Climb Every Mountain. There are these huge black thorns on the palm trees. I only grabbed them a few times before I figured out what "thorns on the left" was referring to (just call me Spinefinger). I kept hearing this insect that sounds like a canyon wren, but no one could identify it for me.
I was covered in mud when I finished, but managed to get back to the start before nightfall. Edna said it only happened once where they lost a hasher in the dark and he ended up spending the night out there.
Next stop was Kuala Lumpur, where my two goals were to see the Batu Caves and run with the original Hash. The caves were a little disappointing, but the art gallary was quite random. Too bad I don't read Hindu. Since the Mother Hash is men only, we contacted the Hartamas hash. Alice picked us up and introduced us to the GM, Mafia. He set a phenomenal run where we had a view of KL from the hillside.
We hurried up to get to Malacca, as everyone kept crowing to us about how charming and fun a place it is. Well, I'm sure it is, when all the museums aren't closed for renovation! We czeched everywhere but everything except this internet cafe and the mall (that luckily has a movie theater) is closed for renovation. Malacca is going to have quite a facelift when everything is done. Well, one museum was open, the Islamic Museum. We decided we weren't that desperate for culture.
Well, some forced R&R is ok with me here in Malacca. India is just around the corner! We'll find the Malacca hash tomorrow night and download some photos for the web site. This internet cafe actually had a laptop!!!! Be sure to czech out www.crazyhappenings.com!
Love to you all!
Carla
Saturday, August 31, 2002
One (More) Night in Bangkok
We are all back from Cambodia and in one piece. The bus trip back only took us 15 hours rather than 20 this time! Bus didn't break down, but a bridge was broken, and we had to wait on the road until they fixed it. Alison got some great photos of the progress, in addition to a photo of a guy with 2 gigantic pigs strapped to the back of his moped. Random!The last day we did another run around Angkor Wat to see the bass reliefs and the "milking of the sea" which was Meric's favorite. He just likes seeing the gods pulling on their snakes, I think. Alison befriended a bunch of Buddhist monks, and they had all kinds of questions about Catholisism, such as, "What do you do to celebrate the full moon?" I don't think she wanted to get into the separation of the pagans from the Christians, too complicated for their limited English, so she just said, "Nothing." Apparently, the monks shave their heads every full moon. They are also not allowed to touch women, and nearly all Cambodian boys spend a time in their adolescence or young adulthood practicing to be a monk. Our friend Chi was a monk from the age 15 to 20. Now he's just a regular guy who happens to live with them still, and is referred to as a "pagoda boy."
We are staying another night in Bangkok here since we missed the bus to Chaing Mai already. We are in a divy-er place than last time, called Lucky Beer's Guest House. Alison has to shout to talk to me in my room it's so loud in there from the noise of Khao San Road. Thankfully we have ear plugs! I keep thinking I'm going to run into Leo DiCaprio eventually, or some guy who has slashed his wrists in the room next to me....I watch too many movies!We'll be up in Northern Thailand for the next week. Venera, if you are reading this, I can't help but think of you every time I step into a Buddhist temple!
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Carla Kroft - Tomb Raider!
Random! We're in Cambodia for a week, at Meric's request. He has always dreamed of seeing Angkor Wat so here we are, in Siem Reap. Did you know one of the temples here was the famous Lara Kroft Tomb Raider set? It's the "jungle temple" officially called Ta Prohm, but who can remember that? We had a blast, posing like Angelina Jolie complete with boobs and lips. The bus trip out here was quite an ordeal. Supposedly we booked a "VIP" bus trip but it was the bus from HELL. It broke down a number of times, the last time being the AC and it felt as hot as a sauna in there. We made it to the Cambodian border 10 minutes before the passport control office closed. Then we got on the oldest minibus in the world and proceeded down a dirt road that looked like it had been cleared of land mines only recently. The potholes were so large the girl behind me dented the roof of the van with her head when we all were airborne. I've got a rather large bruise on my back as well. We traveled down this yellow brick road for about 7 hours, in the dark, crossing bridges that I was glad I couldn't see. The funniest comment was made by a Dutch backpacker sitting in front of Alison, "Oh my God, I don't know how, but I must've fallen asleep for a minute there because I was just dreaming I was a basketball."
We are here though, and are much stronger in character for our experience and having a great time climbing the temples in Angkor. We got up this morning to see the sunrise over Angor Vat and also hiked to a waterfall that had a submerged temple and gibbon monkeys calling down to us from the treetops. The best part is we get to cruise around to all of these things in a Tut tut (called for the sound it makes) driven by our friend Chi. I tried to convince him I could drive the motor bike and he cound ride, but he wasn't convinced and I got NO SUPPORT from Alison on the topic.Well, we're hoping to leave Cambodia on Saturday and head up to Chaing Mai to trek with the hilltribes and build a raft out of bamboo. I think I may burn some insense to the Buddha for a functioning minibus to bring us there.
Love, Carla
Saturday, August 24, 2002
One Night In Bangkok
I think we did more sightseeing in Egypt in 10 days than any other country so far! After taking in all the sights in Aswan and Luxor, we took an overnight train back to Cairo. Somehow we booked our trip on the Egyptian train, rather than the tourist train, and shared our car with the largest friendliet Egyptian family I have ever met. The kids were constantly sharing their cheese sandwiches with us, asking us questions about America, and taught Jon some new Arabic words. There was no sleeping to be had, with all that attention, and if we did happen to dose off, the tea man came down the isle shouting "Saoung Sang! Saoung Sang!" Alison swears she will forever hear those words in her sleep from now on.
Sad to say good-bye to Jon, but we were happy to move on to Thailand. Egypt was a bit exhaustive, with the hassling of the locals and the constant haggling of prices from cab fares to kashery. I think Jon just did it for the mere enjoyment of it, because what it came down to was haggling over 60 cents at times. My favorite parts of Egypt were the sidewalk water stations (tap water is safe there!) and playing backgammon at the cafes drinking mago juice. The felucca trip down the Nile was pleasant enough as well, and Jon and I were brave enough to swim in the Nile to cool off. Hopefully I won't get any interesting parasites from that dip. Mom! I'm kidding! Don't worry about me!!!
After 2 nights in a row without sleep, we arrived into Bankok at 2 am. The pace here is sooo much more relaxed compared to Cairo. Must be that Buddist influence. In about an hours time we will be meeting up with my friend Meric from San Diego as he is on a 3 month tour of Asia and planned to travel with us for a month. I just woke up from a well needed nap and ate THE BEST Thai vegetarian dish I have ever consumed. I even got soy milk with my meal! I haven't had soy since I left the US 4 months ago!
With the plethora of internet cafes on this street alone, no doubt you will be hearing again from me real soon. Andrea, isn't it amazing how there's a cheesy 80's song for nearly every occasion?
All my love,
Carla
Sad to say good-bye to Jon, but we were happy to move on to Thailand. Egypt was a bit exhaustive, with the hassling of the locals and the constant haggling of prices from cab fares to kashery. I think Jon just did it for the mere enjoyment of it, because what it came down to was haggling over 60 cents at times. My favorite parts of Egypt were the sidewalk water stations (tap water is safe there!) and playing backgammon at the cafes drinking mago juice. The felucca trip down the Nile was pleasant enough as well, and Jon and I were brave enough to swim in the Nile to cool off. Hopefully I won't get any interesting parasites from that dip. Mom! I'm kidding! Don't worry about me!!!
After 2 nights in a row without sleep, we arrived into Bankok at 2 am. The pace here is sooo much more relaxed compared to Cairo. Must be that Buddist influence. In about an hours time we will be meeting up with my friend Meric from San Diego as he is on a 3 month tour of Asia and planned to travel with us for a month. I just woke up from a well needed nap and ate THE BEST Thai vegetarian dish I have ever consumed. I even got soy milk with my meal! I haven't had soy since I left the US 4 months ago!
With the plethora of internet cafes on this street alone, no doubt you will be hearing again from me real soon. Andrea, isn't it amazing how there's a cheesy 80's song for nearly every occasion?
All my love,
Carla
Monday, August 19, 2002
You are the King, yes a very tired King
Special Edition: This is Jon's perspective on travelling with the crazyhappening duo.
It is an experience travelling in Muslim coutry with two women. It is often assumed I have two wives! When I have walked alone I seem to be left alone most of the time. My main achievment to date is that I have introduced Carla and Alison to Kashery: an Egyptian staple consisting of rice, pasta, lentils, and chickpeas topped with tomato sause and fried onion. Not only is it cheap but it is also readily available everywhere. Sadly, I will be en route back to the UK by the end of the week. The crazyhappenings pair have been great to be with, except that they now regularly beat me playing backgammon. When this happens they have been subjected to the "darkside" of Jon. I suggest that Egypt is no longer part of "crazyhappenings" but should be considered as "darkhappenings."
It is an experience travelling in Muslim coutry with two women. It is often assumed I have two wives! When I have walked alone I seem to be left alone most of the time. My main achievment to date is that I have introduced Carla and Alison to Kashery: an Egyptian staple consisting of rice, pasta, lentils, and chickpeas topped with tomato sause and fried onion. Not only is it cheap but it is also readily available everywhere. Sadly, I will be en route back to the UK by the end of the week. The crazyhappenings pair have been great to be with, except that they now regularly beat me playing backgammon. When this happens they have been subjected to the "darkside" of Jon. I suggest that Egypt is no longer part of "crazyhappenings" but should be considered as "darkhappenings."
Saturday, August 17, 2002
But It's a Dry Heat
Greetings from Egypt! Alison and I recovered from the flu in Istanbul just in time to fly to Cairo and meet up with our friend Jon. He had been to Egypt before and had the holiday time to join up with us there again. We have greatly appreciated his escort services as this is a mostly Muslim country. If women don't keep their legs and shoulders covered, they get hissed at. Sarongs are our savior in115 degree heat (that's 40 Celcius for the rest of you)! We spent three days in Cairo where we czeched out the pyramids, the market, and the famous Cairo Zoo (beat that Tim Dennis!). The zoo had a wonderful collection of the rare canis familaris, some random birds (I think they were ducks) and the largest collection of guinnae pigs I have ever seen. These guys were, by far, the healthiest animals there. If I was a guinnae pig, I would want to live in the Cairo Zoo. Our night life consisted of sitting in the local "pub" drinking Turkish coffee and playing backgammon. Alison and I have really improved our skills and now Jon has to work to try and beat us! Right now we are in Aswan and plan on taking a felucca boat trip down the Nile. I will send you another newsletter at a later date, just wanted to let everyone know we are well and in safe hands here in Egypt.
Love, Carla
Love, Carla
Friday, August 9, 2002
One Million Dollars...I Mean Turkish Lira
We are constantly quoting Austin Powers here, with the ridiculous currency, so many zeros! The exchange is 1.6 million Turkish Lira to one US dollar. Anyway, even though the prices seem huge, everything here couldn't be cheaper. We haven't paid more than 5 dollars a night for hostel accomodations and we have stayed in some very nice places. So much nicer than Greece! After leaving our home at the Tango Pension in Koycegiz, Alison, me, and our new friends (Aussies Karen, Pete, Brigid, and Canadians Marnie and Karla) went on a 4 day boat cruise down the coast of Turkey to Olympos. We shared the boat with 8 brilliant Aussie blokes from Melbourne and Sydney. We all got along phenomenally and right from the start felt like a big family.
Our crew on the Sempatik didn't speak much English, so other than the occasional point to, "Underwater city!" or "cave...swim...20 minutes" we were on our own to entertain ourselves. As Marnie summed it up, "We would cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat....cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat." We gave the crew nicknames--Sketchy, Skippy, and Captain. It was a fun, relaxing 4 days and I did quite a bit of snorkeling, got over my fear of heights with cliff diving, and earned the highest compliment of "Legend" with my new Aussie friends.
In Olympos, we are all staying in Treehouse bunks at Bayrams. Yesterday Karen, Pete and I went on a 20 km trek in the mountains to the lost city of Olympos. Last night we checked out the fires of Eternal flame that never go out. Some gas in the rock ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen. Brigid and I sang the Bangles "Eternal Flame" over and over until a tarantula came out from under a rock scaring the crap out of us. A Turk came running over yelling, "No kill! If you do 7 brothers come!" I wonder how he knew exactly 7 more tarantulas would come after us?
Tonight Alison and I say good-bye to our friends and catch an overnight bus to Istanbul to meet up with the Hash House Harriers. Turkey is really a beautiful country and the locals are wonderful people. Alison put it perfectly by stating, "Turks have a saying, you are not a tourist, you are a guest in their country." This is definitely a place I hope to return to someday.
Hope you are all well, I send my love.
Carla
Our crew on the Sempatik didn't speak much English, so other than the occasional point to, "Underwater city!" or "cave...swim...20 minutes" we were on our own to entertain ourselves. As Marnie summed it up, "We would cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat....cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat." We gave the crew nicknames--Sketchy, Skippy, and Captain. It was a fun, relaxing 4 days and I did quite a bit of snorkeling, got over my fear of heights with cliff diving, and earned the highest compliment of "Legend" with my new Aussie friends.
In Olympos, we are all staying in Treehouse bunks at Bayrams. Yesterday Karen, Pete and I went on a 20 km trek in the mountains to the lost city of Olympos. Last night we checked out the fires of Eternal flame that never go out. Some gas in the rock ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen. Brigid and I sang the Bangles "Eternal Flame" over and over until a tarantula came out from under a rock scaring the crap out of us. A Turk came running over yelling, "No kill! If you do 7 brothers come!" I wonder how he knew exactly 7 more tarantulas would come after us?
Tonight Alison and I say good-bye to our friends and catch an overnight bus to Istanbul to meet up with the Hash House Harriers. Turkey is really a beautiful country and the locals are wonderful people. Alison put it perfectly by stating, "Turks have a saying, you are not a tourist, you are a guest in their country." This is definitely a place I hope to return to someday.
Hope you are all well, I send my love.
Carla
Friday, August 2, 2002
So... Have You Ever Been To a Turkish Prison?
That was meant to be an Airplane quote, in case any of you are concerned I may have made it into a Turkish prison. Yes, Alison and I are in Turkey right now, in a charming little town called Koycegiz and having the time of our lives.
We left Greece after visiting Santorini and Rhodes, deciding that Naxos was our favorite island. We did meet some very nice Canadian men who treated us to drinks (just drinks!) on a very nice bar right on the cliff. Radek called it the "James Bond bar" and he was right. He challenged us to find a view just as nice as the one in Santorini and then email him the photo. We intend to do our best! We also had fun hanging out with Jeremy there, a guy from LA, who pretended to propose to me in Ia for a photo op. by Alison and shocked this random woman, who thought she was witnessing a special event.
Rhodes was quaint with it's old town and nicer beaches than Santorini. It was my turn to sunburn my a** on the nude beach. The hostel was just crap, though, and I nearly told the guy running it so. What can we expect for 8 euro a night?
We get to Turkey, though, and it is just paradise. The hostel is so clean, the staff friendly like family, and everything is half the price we were paying in Greece. Yesterday we borrowed bicycles and went to a waterfall where me and a Canadian, Karla, impressed the local Turk boys there with our flips off the rocks into the pool
below. Today we went on a boat for the day and saw Turtle beach, swam in the lake here, and visited a mud bath. Just wait until you see us covered in mud! My skin has never been softer. Alison and I are hanging out with 2 Aussies, 2 Canadians here that we met at the bus stop. The local Turks are very friendly also and we went to a bar tonight and watched traditional dancing and I drank too much Uzo. I just wanted you all to know how beautiful Turkey is so far and how you should all put it on your "must visit" list for the future. It is the best of Europe by far. We haven't even made it to Istanbul yet!
My love and thoughts to you all!
Carla
We left Greece after visiting Santorini and Rhodes, deciding that Naxos was our favorite island. We did meet some very nice Canadian men who treated us to drinks (just drinks!) on a very nice bar right on the cliff. Radek called it the "James Bond bar" and he was right. He challenged us to find a view just as nice as the one in Santorini and then email him the photo. We intend to do our best! We also had fun hanging out with Jeremy there, a guy from LA, who pretended to propose to me in Ia for a photo op. by Alison and shocked this random woman, who thought she was witnessing a special event.
Rhodes was quaint with it's old town and nicer beaches than Santorini. It was my turn to sunburn my a** on the nude beach. The hostel was just crap, though, and I nearly told the guy running it so. What can we expect for 8 euro a night?
We get to Turkey, though, and it is just paradise. The hostel is so clean, the staff friendly like family, and everything is half the price we were paying in Greece. Yesterday we borrowed bicycles and went to a waterfall where me and a Canadian, Karla, impressed the local Turk boys there with our flips off the rocks into the pool
below. Today we went on a boat for the day and saw Turtle beach, swam in the lake here, and visited a mud bath. Just wait until you see us covered in mud! My skin has never been softer. Alison and I are hanging out with 2 Aussies, 2 Canadians here that we met at the bus stop. The local Turks are very friendly also and we went to a bar tonight and watched traditional dancing and I drank too much Uzo. I just wanted you all to know how beautiful Turkey is so far and how you should all put it on your "must visit" list for the future. It is the best of Europe by far. We haven't even made it to Istanbul yet!
My love and thoughts to you all!
Carla
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Greek Island Hopping!
I understand the concept now! Alison and I are in the Greek islands after spending 5 days in Athens with the hashers. Why 5 days in Athens? Well, Jim was so accomodating, took us to 4 barbecues in 2 days and to the island Agistri, where Alison had her first nude beach experience. We are so white we could signal airplanes from above, but I don't care. #30 sunscreen is for me, especially when it comes to the ass. Just ask Alison about that one....We went to Acropolis and saw the Parthaneon. It was a little anti- climatic, with all the scaffalding. The rebuilding project has been going on since 1983. Guess Jim was right, Greeks can be regarded as lazy at times. So now we are in Naxos, with it's beautiful mountains and hiking trails and gates of Apollo. The legend says when Istanbul is returned to Greece the doorway in the gate will miraculously appear. Friday we will be in Santorini where two hashers are hoping to meet up with us, then Monday we will be in Rhodes for a few days before taking the ferry to Turkey. Well, internet is almost as expensive here as Scandanavia, so I gotta log out now!
All my love,
Carla
All my love,
Carla
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Czech You later!
We spent a week in the Czech Republic, and had so much fun. It's amazing how often you can use the word "czech" in your everyday sentences! We stayed with our hasher friend, Geri, who works for the Austrian Embassy. She set us up with all the tourist comforts we could ask for, even a phone card! The astronomical clock in the square was anticlimactic, but the view of the tourists staring up at it from the top of the clock tower was very entertaining! We "czeched" out the castle and the cathedral, rented a paddle boat on the river, and visited Petrin Park with a fellow hasher/tourist, Dario from Italy, and Zhenya, Alison's friend from St. Petersburg, Russia. We went to a hash weekend in Kutna Hora with Geri (feel free to "czech" out the write up on the hash link atwww.crazyhappenings.com) and had an absolute phenomenal time. We made so many great new friends who are now like family to me that leaving was almost a tearful event. It's utterly amazing how many wonderful, generous people there are in the world. I feel I am the luckiest woman alive to be a part of their lives. Right now we are in Bratislava, Slovakia for a day or two, before flying to Athens, Greece. We were going to train it down, but realized the route take us through Yugoslavia, where a visa is required. I'm sure my family is most relieved I won't be traveling through Kosovo!
Love to you all!
Carla
Love to you all!
Carla
Tuesday, July 9, 2002
So I guess I'm Latvian?
Your great grandma was from White Russia. Possibly Latvia area—Hanna Horowitz-- Her mom was Sarha Dorkin. No wonder they liked you, you are kin!!!!!!!! - email from my Aunt Carol
That message was just toooo funny not to share with you all.
Right now we are in Krakow, and had a nice time chatting with two kiwi girls (from New Zealand) who gave us heaps of good advice on Turkey and shared their wonderful tourist stories from Croatia, and Bosnia. They are very adventurous, Alison and I couldn't imagine us taking a bus around Sarajevo. We heard from a Stockholm hasher that the hash there (yes, even Sarajevo hash a hash house harrier club!)can't set false trails as it makes the local military groups nervous when they see random people running all over the city in different directions yelling to each other. We spent the day yesterday in Auschwitz, quite intense. We couldn't believe how huge the place is, and with many of the original structures still standing. Today we're going to check out the Jewish neighborhood, where only150 Jews are left since the devastation of the holocaust. Next trip is Prague, where we are meeting up with hasher friends (the running club again!) and joining them for a weekend event in Kutna Hora. Thanks again for everyone who forwarded me my previously written email. And I still love hearing from all of you who respond, even if it's just a line. They all make me smile.
Love, Carla
That message was just toooo funny not to share with you all.
Right now we are in Krakow, and had a nice time chatting with two kiwi girls (from New Zealand) who gave us heaps of good advice on Turkey and shared their wonderful tourist stories from Croatia, and Bosnia. They are very adventurous, Alison and I couldn't imagine us taking a bus around Sarajevo. We heard from a Stockholm hasher that the hash there (yes, even Sarajevo hash a hash house harrier club!)can't set false trails as it makes the local military groups nervous when they see random people running all over the city in different directions yelling to each other. We spent the day yesterday in Auschwitz, quite intense. We couldn't believe how huge the place is, and with many of the original structures still standing. Today we're going to check out the Jewish neighborhood, where only150 Jews are left since the devastation of the holocaust. Next trip is Prague, where we are meeting up with hasher friends (the running club again!) and joining them for a weekend event in Kutna Hora. Thanks again for everyone who forwarded me my previously written email. And I still love hearing from all of you who respond, even if it's just a line. They all make me smile.
Love, Carla
Tuesday, July 2, 2002
Hello from Latvia!
Right now we are in Riga, Latvia. I'm actually checking my email from the US Deputy Ambassador to Latvia's downtown apartment in Riga. She's 37, and she's in charge of the US Embassy, next in line after the ambassador. She's a hasher, that's how we met her. All the hashers here were SO excited to see us arrive at a hash, we are the first American hash visitors since they started the hash a few years ago, so we got a huge warm welcome, and she threw an impromptu party so we could all hang out some more. We also met the Latvian Ambassador from the EU!! What a riot! I explained how to upload photos to yahoo so his wife can see their new apartment before she moves here :)
We extended our stay in Latvia for 3 more days cause it's so fun. Tonight we are going to Karaoke at the main beer tent in town, and tomorrow we are taking a day trip somewhere to get out of the city and tomorrow night we are going to see this hasher (latvian but Russian descent) sing in an Irish band. The other singer is English, there really is no Irish people in the band. Should be a hoot!
After we leave we are headed to Lithuania. A guy we met in Estonia is meeting us there, then we go to Poland, and then to Prague! The hash is having a huge weekend event 2 hours outside the city. We are going to that, and then a hasher invited us to stay at her apartment for a few days. Literally, our luck HAS to run out soon. We have met so many nice, nice people. At almost every hash we go to, someone knows someone from the Boston hash, or someone we have met along the way. By the time we get to India, we might already know half the people at the hash event in Goa!!! Mom, not to worry, everyone looks out for us because they think we need someone to look out for 2 cute women traveling alone. It works out quite nicely!
Another funny thing, everyone thinks Carla and I are lesbian lovers. Okay, not everyone, but 3 people on 3 different occasions have asked us if we are girlfriends. They think we get along too well to be just friends.
One more thing, Alison and I just uploaded tons of photos to the newsletter yahoogroup, check them out. They are funny!
Miss you, love, Carla
We extended our stay in Latvia for 3 more days cause it's so fun. Tonight we are going to Karaoke at the main beer tent in town, and tomorrow we are taking a day trip somewhere to get out of the city and tomorrow night we are going to see this hasher (latvian but Russian descent) sing in an Irish band. The other singer is English, there really is no Irish people in the band. Should be a hoot!
After we leave we are headed to Lithuania. A guy we met in Estonia is meeting us there, then we go to Poland, and then to Prague! The hash is having a huge weekend event 2 hours outside the city. We are going to that, and then a hasher invited us to stay at her apartment for a few days. Literally, our luck HAS to run out soon. We have met so many nice, nice people. At almost every hash we go to, someone knows someone from the Boston hash, or someone we have met along the way. By the time we get to India, we might already know half the people at the hash event in Goa!!! Mom, not to worry, everyone looks out for us because they think we need someone to look out for 2 cute women traveling alone. It works out quite nicely!
Another funny thing, everyone thinks Carla and I are lesbian lovers. Okay, not everyone, but 3 people on 3 different occasions have asked us if we are girlfriends. They think we get along too well to be just friends.
One more thing, Alison and I just uploaded tons of photos to the newsletter yahoogroup, check them out. They are funny!
Miss you, love, Carla
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Hello from Stockholm!
We're back in Sweden, in a city this time. Started out the first night in style, stayed out until 4 am at this Czech bar with karaoke and dancing. Alison and I sang Holiday, and would've made Madonna's ears bleed with our drunken version. It doesn't get dark at night, EVER. We were up all night to prove it. Met up with some fun locals here, and some travelers at the hostel we're staying at. Can't get a hold of any hashers here. They are eluding us. Perhaps Per from CH3 put out a global warning on us already....Went on ANOTHER canal tour (Kris, can you believe it???) since Alison really wanted to check it out. I dozed off for some of it, with my lack of sleep the night before, and the gentle rolling boat down the canals, it was very comfy.
Since we can't find out which metro station the underground run starts tonight (it isn't published on their web site!) we're going to check out an ice bar instead. The whole thing is made of ice. It just opened a couple of weeks ago. It will be an earlier night ,however, I hope.
Midsummer's Eve festivals are happening this weekend. They have some kick a** parties planned on the islands here. It sounds like a Swedish version of the burning man in Nevada. We're going, of course, Friday night. I don't think I will be streaking around the
bonfire this time, Muffalotta. haha
Oh, forgot to tell you, in Norway, we hiked a fiord called Preskelolen to the top of Pulpit's Rock. It was narly. I got some incredible photos. Also went to Lillehammer, and checked out the 1994 Winter Olympic site. There were ski jumpers on the ski jump. It was covered with a watered down astroturf and they had no problem getting down. Soooo cool! Many photos, thanks to Alison. We promise to download them as soon as we come across another laptop. The other photos are up now. www.crazyhappenings.com. Well, all except the Munich ones.....opps.
Ok, gotta run now. A nap is most necessary.
Since we can't find out which metro station the underground run starts tonight (it isn't published on their web site!) we're going to check out an ice bar instead. The whole thing is made of ice. It just opened a couple of weeks ago. It will be an earlier night ,however, I hope.
Midsummer's Eve festivals are happening this weekend. They have some kick a** parties planned on the islands here. It sounds like a Swedish version of the burning man in Nevada. We're going, of course, Friday night. I don't think I will be streaking around the
bonfire this time, Muffalotta. haha
Oh, forgot to tell you, in Norway, we hiked a fiord called Preskelolen to the top of Pulpit's Rock. It was narly. I got some incredible photos. Also went to Lillehammer, and checked out the 1994 Winter Olympic site. There were ski jumpers on the ski jump. It was covered with a watered down astroturf and they had no problem getting down. Soooo cool! Many photos, thanks to Alison. We promise to download them as soon as we come across another laptop. The other photos are up now. www.crazyhappenings.com. Well, all except the Munich ones.....opps.
Ok, gotta run now. A nap is most necessary.
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Hello from Sweden!
Sorry for the short message last time. We left our dear friend Per this morning and took the train to a little town called Trollhattan, on our way to Oslo. I probably didn't do Copenhagen justice, with all we saw there. We got heaps of photos, so hopefully Alison will sort out the url soon so you can all see them. Got a photo of Hans Christian Anderson's grave, btw, so I can now say I saw Jim Morrison, and Hans. They have so much to do with each other, don't they?
Copenhagen is a lot like Pleasantville, with it's cuteness, clean streets, and overall friendly, middle class population. Dad's prevailed with pushing around baby carriages all over the city. I
saw at least 10 dads to every 1 mom with babies in tow. Also got a Hash shirt to add to the collection with Copenhagen's theme song written on the back (world-wide running club, for those of you who don't have a clue what the Hash House Harriers are). I also want to add I love the comments so many of you respond back to me. I'm not ignoring you, just don't have the time anymore to respond back individually. It's very comforting to hear back from you all though
so please feel free to keep writing.
Trollhattan was Alison's idea. It's very small and quiet, and the only internet access is in the library here. I am hoping to check out some cool stuff tomorrow though, like the waterfalls and the lock system waterways on the canal. At least we can easily walk from one end to the other without getting pooped out. The hostel is very quaint (and dirt cheap Kris!!! heheh).
The days are very long now, as we make our way up North. It didn't get dark until 11pm last night.
Well, that's long enough for you all to read. Oh, for those of you who are sooooo concerned about my plans for grad school. I am still going back, just deferred until next May. Please don't worry about me!
Love always, Carla
Copenhagen is a lot like Pleasantville, with it's cuteness, clean streets, and overall friendly, middle class population. Dad's prevailed with pushing around baby carriages all over the city. I
saw at least 10 dads to every 1 mom with babies in tow. Also got a Hash shirt to add to the collection with Copenhagen's theme song written on the back (world-wide running club, for those of you who don't have a clue what the Hash House Harriers are). I also want to add I love the comments so many of you respond back to me. I'm not ignoring you, just don't have the time anymore to respond back individually. It's very comforting to hear back from you all though
so please feel free to keep writing.
Trollhattan was Alison's idea. It's very small and quiet, and the only internet access is in the library here. I am hoping to check out some cool stuff tomorrow though, like the waterfalls and the lock system waterways on the canal. At least we can easily walk from one end to the other without getting pooped out. The hostel is very quaint (and dirt cheap Kris!!! heheh).
The days are very long now, as we make our way up North. It didn't get dark until 11pm last night.
Well, that's long enough for you all to read. Oh, for those of you who are sooooo concerned about my plans for grad school. I am still going back, just deferred until next May. Please don't worry about me!
Love always, Carla
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
Hello from Copenhagen!
Alison and I arrived safely in Denmark. Met up with our friend, Per, who did a phenomenal time showing us around the city and surrounding country side. We saw Hamlet's castle in Zealand, EVERYTHING in the city, Hashed with Per and company Monday night. The theme was
Embassies. We had appropriate beverages at each one. Unfortunately, we were shooed away from the American Embassy so we had to enjoy our JD shots in front of the Canadian one. They didn't care as much about 30 hashers in random regalia drinking and singing dodgy songs.
Kris, I accidentally deleted the Munich photos when I was downloading them. Here is Rick and Carol's email address. Can you scan your photo of King Ludwig's Castle and send it to them?
The photos will be visible eventually. Alison has to fix the web site. I will email you the link when it's all good. Well, I have just been informed we have 4 minutes before we have to leave. Later Everyone!
Love, Carla
Embassies. We had appropriate beverages at each one. Unfortunately, we were shooed away from the American Embassy so we had to enjoy our JD shots in front of the Canadian one. They didn't care as much about 30 hashers in random regalia drinking and singing dodgy songs.
Kris, I accidentally deleted the Munich photos when I was downloading them. Here is Rick and Carol's email address. Can you scan your photo of King Ludwig's Castle and send it to them?
The photos will be visible eventually. Alison has to fix the web site. I will email you the link when it's all good. Well, I have just been informed we have 4 minutes before we have to leave. Later Everyone!
Love, Carla
Thursday, June 6, 2002
Hello from Munich!
Sorry for the spam list, but when I pay by the minute, I can't afford to send individual emails out to everyone. Arrived fine and dandy in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, and had a grand time hanging out with my new friends I made there, visited the infamous 'coffee shops' and the Banana Bar (very impressed with what those girls could do). I did see some historic stuff, like Anne Frank's house and the Van Gough museum also.
After a week there I checked out Bruge, Brussels, then on to Paris for a few days. Notre Dame was the best thing I saw there, but only because the bells were rung right when I was at the top of the tower, so I felt like Quasimoto and wanted to swing from the rafters yelling, "Sanctuary, sanctuary!"
From Paris took the train to Venice for 2 days. Couldn't ride in the gondolas as the gondoleers were on strike, but it just saved me the money, I gather. Wandering around the narrow streets and canals got a little claustrophobic, so the second day I spent the day on Lido island, by the beach and put my feet in the Adriadic Sea.
This past week I was in Munich, visiting with my old school friend, Claudia. She now is married here and has two very active children. I am enjoying the Bavarian beer immensely.
This weekend I am off to Denmark to meet up with Alison, my constant travel companion for the next 9 months. Hopefully, I will be able to update you all sooner than 3 weeks from now.
Hope you are all well.
Sending love from afar....
Carla
After a week there I checked out Bruge, Brussels, then on to Paris for a few days. Notre Dame was the best thing I saw there, but only because the bells were rung right when I was at the top of the tower, so I felt like Quasimoto and wanted to swing from the rafters yelling, "Sanctuary, sanctuary!"
From Paris took the train to Venice for 2 days. Couldn't ride in the gondolas as the gondoleers were on strike, but it just saved me the money, I gather. Wandering around the narrow streets and canals got a little claustrophobic, so the second day I spent the day on Lido island, by the beach and put my feet in the Adriadic Sea.
This past week I was in Munich, visiting with my old school friend, Claudia. She now is married here and has two very active children. I am enjoying the Bavarian beer immensely.
This weekend I am off to Denmark to meet up with Alison, my constant travel companion for the next 9 months. Hopefully, I will be able to update you all sooner than 3 weeks from now.
Hope you are all well.
Sending love from afar....
Carla
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