I have just accepted a job (gasp) in Boston, and we will head there mid-January. It's not quite as adventurous as some of the places we've been, but we are both looking forward to this next stage in our lives.
Update 09/2009: Jerome is now an Assistant Professor at University of New Brunswick, Saint John: Click here.
Update 03/13: We are living in Halifax, a very cool city. Love it. Jerome's work updates are here
and here
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Boston: the adventure continues
Posted by caroline at 2:37 PM 4 comments
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The End
We had a wonderful trip, and it's hard to believe it's over. Surprisingly, we never got really tired (except for a couple times when we were sick) and we enjoyed every minute.
After all the travelling we did, we look back and know the best times were spent with our friends: the ones we knew before and whose houses we invaded, and the ones we met along the way who travelled with us, took us out for dinner, and welcomed us to their countries.
So, a big thanks to: Andrea, Rodney and Julianne in Halifax; Aunt Clare, Uncle Tim, and Paul and Annmarie and the kids in England; Natasha, Franck, Bader, and Abid in London; Mikiya and Anne in Berlin; Rick and Jessica in Italy; Baris, Emre, Emre's grandma and Haider in Turkey; Walid, Mohsen, Ali, and Said and his family in Syria; Saseen and Ghada in Beirut; Kate and Andy in the desert, on a cruise ship, in India, or wherever we were together; and the countless others who helped or rescued us when we looked lost, confused, hungry or in need of a walking stick to beat off marauding monkeys. Our finest memories are with all of you.
This journey is over, but we are still doctors without jobs, so stay tuned to find out where we end up next! Hopefully we will know within the next few weeks.
Posted by caroline at 4:03 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Awards and distinctions
1. Favourite sites
- Taj Mahal, India
- Wadi Rum, Jordan
- Golden Temple, India
- Crac des Chevaliers and Saladin's castles, Syria
- Haghia Sofia, Turkey
- Pyramids, Egypt
- Jodphur Fort, India
- Cappadocia, Turkey
2. Favourite cities
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Damascus, Syria
- London, UK
- Cairo, Egypt
- Florence, Italy
3. Favourite Beaches
- Railay, Thailand
- Bodrum, Turkey
- Kabak, Turkey
- Bamboo Bay, Ko Lanta, Thailand
4. Most useful travel items
- unlocked mobile phone
- universal sink plug
5. Ideal day of eating
- Breakfast: Turkish (olives, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, boiled eggs, bread, apricot jam).
- Lunch: Napoli pizza or Chang Mai noodle soup and mango sticky rice
- Dinner: Peshwari Afghan lamb kebabs and Dal makhani.
- Dessert: Glouchestershire cheese plate or Turkish baclava and puddings.
- Night snack: Syrian chicken shawarma, from Medan St. in Damascus.
6. Best style and fashion
- Men: London, England.
- Women: anywhere in Italy.
7. Funniest moment
- Caroline: watching Jerome get his second nerdy bowl cut/reverse mullet/military buzz by a Syrian barber in two weeks due to serious communication breakdown. He just went in for a beard trim.
- Jerome: religious Islamic song editing for the US market in a Russian cosmetics office in Damascus. Click here for full story.
8. Favourite mode of transport
- Caroline: Movenpick Radamis II Five-Star Nile Cruiser
- Jerome: Mr. India, the best camel on the Pakistan-India border
9. Favourite markets
- Aleppo souq, Syria
- Urfa souq, Turkey
10. Favourite museums
- Egyptian Museum, Cairo
- Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep, Turkey
- German National History Museum, Berlin
- Borghese Gallery, Rome
11. Favourite hotels
- Baron Hotel, Aleppo, Syria
- Windsor Hotel, Cairo, Egypt
- Elif Star, Goreme, Turkey
- Shahi Palace, Jaisalmer, India
- Seventh Heaven, Pushkar, India
- Sultan's Inn, Istanbul, Turkey
12. Favourite drinks
- Blackberry juice in Damascus
- Lemon juice in Egypt
- BEER in Germany
- Coconut shakes in Thailand
- Masala chai on the train in India
- Ayran in Turkey
13. Favourite shisha cafes
- Kurdish militia tea house on Edgeware road in London
- Erenler Chai Bahcesi Tea Garden, bazaar district, Istanbul
14. Best baclava in the world
- Karakoy Gulluoglu, Karakoy district, Istanbul, Turkey
15. Next destinations
- Cuba, Greece, Iran, Venezuela, China, Cape Breton Island
Posted by caroline at 4:34 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Packing
In case anyone is plannning their own around-the-world adventure, here is a list of everything we packed or picked-up along the way (excluding souvenirs). I think we packed really well, so maybe this list can help your preparations.
Posted by jerome at 5:32 AM 0 comments
Labels: backpacking, packing
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Beaches
Our bartender at Bamboo Bay gave us his recipe for Pina Coladas, so get ready to party Saint John!
Nick's Pina Colada (Bamboo Bay, Ko Lanta, Thailand)
2 shots pineapple juice
1 shot coconut milk
1/2 shot whole milk
1/2 lime squeezed
1 shot syrup
1/2 shot malibu
1 shot dark rum
1/2 shot white rum
directions:
- shake with ice
- serve with slice of orange
Posted by jerome at 11:40 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Island living
Have we lost the ability to relax after running around for so long? No doubt this will be rectified when we get back to Hammond River, New Brunswick in a short time.
Posted by caroline at 8:20 AM 0 comments
Labels: thailand
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sukothai
Posted by jerome at 12:30 PM 1 comments
Chiang Mai
Posted by caroline at 12:28 PM 0 comments
Labels: thailand
Our Favourite Activity
There is food everywhere in Thailand. And it all looks so good!
Jerome eating one of his favourite meals in the world: Chiang Mai (kao soi) noodles, with a coconut shake. Total cost: $1.60.
My favourite Thai food: mango sticky rice.
Cooking class:
The results don't even look too bad. Especially when paired with a Singha beer!
Posted by caroline at 12:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: thailand
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Elephants
Posted by jerome at 3:04 PM 0 comments
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Bangkok Temple Tour
The Khmer-influenced temple of Wat Arun.
A golden chedi at Bangkok's Grand Palace.
At the Grand Palace.
Reclining 42-metre long golden Buddha, at Wat Pho temple complex.
An example of Northern Thai design at Bangkok's Grand Palace.
Posted by jerome at 9:34 AM 0 comments
Monday, October 22, 2007
Farewell to India
We thought we were fairly hardened travellers before we arrived in India. After all, we'd lived/studied in China and Lebanon, and just made our way through the Middle East. But we were not prepared!
When I was in China during the summer of 1999, I remember going to a backpackers' restaurant in Xi'an that had guestbooks where various travellers had written their thanks, or impressions, or notes to other travellers. Many people were complaing about something... the buses, or taxi drivers, or getting sick, or spitting on the street.... One person had written "You should all stop your bitching. China is the goddamn Ritz compared to India." And now I know for sure: China is the goddamn Ritz.
The India we saw is rough, poor and very unequal. In a country where the minimum wage is somewhere around $2 per day, tourists are an easy source of income and the hassle factor is very high. I will never again take a paved sidewalk in a major city for granted. After two bad samosas in Agra, both Jerome and I can also testify that it is possibly one of the worst places in the world to get food poisoning. And just when you feel things are looking up, you step in a cow patty.
But in India we also saw some of the most wonderful things of our trip. People were very nice and helpful. The food was wonderful (minus those Agra samosas). And until India, nothing almost moved us to tears as did the Taj Mahal.
We were only able to visit a tiny corner of this country, and were barely able to scratch the surface of India, and I'm sure we'll be back.
Posted by caroline at 11:55 AM 3 comments
Labels: india
Last Pictures of India
The "Blue City" of Jodhpur, view from the fort.
Jodphur Fort. View from Saji Sanwri Guesthouse.
Jain Temple in Jaisalmer Fort.
Camel Safari in the desert near India-Pakistan border.
Jerome and Mr. India, the best camel in Jaisalmer.
Posted by jerome at 11:35 AM 1 comments
Bangkok Arrival
We've been touring Rajasthan for the last 10 days, mostly on dial-up internet, hence the lack of posts. We'll try and put a few pictures up of our activities.
Posted by caroline at 10:44 AM 0 comments
Friday, October 12, 2007
More fun in Udaipur
View of City Palace of Udaipur from our hotel balconey.
Posted by jerome at 3:09 PM 1 comments
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Reunited
Posted by caroline at 2:25 PM 0 comments
Labels: india
Udaipur
One of Udaipur's main streets decked-out in silver tinsel.
Autorickshaws are a very cheap way of getting around the cities in India.
Posted by jerome at 1:45 PM 4 comments
Images of India
This young lad gave a spell-binding performance of acrobatics and spin atop this 20-foot bamboo poll.
A Pushkar monkey, moments before he leapt in my direction and sent me running.
Posted by jerome at 1:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: india
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Taj Mahal in Agra
We were totally floored by the beauty and elegance of the Taj Mahal. It is by far the most impressive building I have ever seen. Every time I looked up I was shocked. The inlaid marble is incredible, and appears 3D in some places. The Taj Mahal definitely belongs on the list of the 7 Wonders!
Posted by jerome at 8:16 AM 1 comments
The Punjab
Posted by jerome at 7:36 AM 1 comments