Today began with a quick trip to the farmers market in Zagreb. Lots of beautiful looking produce, and crappy carved shit. As I said, it was a quick trip.

At 9 am, we were in our car and on our way to Slovenia. The border was probably less than 30 minutes away, but it was one of those crossings where you immediately knew you were in a different country (ironic, in a way, since until a decade ago, these weren't separate countries). The landscape was simply different - more green, a bit more hilly, and more dotted with small villages ("Ellery, should we stop at that castle?" "It's not in the guidebook, so no."). And more western European in some undefined way.

We arrived in Ljubljana around 11, dropped the bags off at the hotel, and wandered for the next 5 hours. Basically, we walked up and down the quaint main street and across the canal several times, stopping for coffee, for ice cream, for lunch, and the many outdoor cafes. About the only "sights"we saw were the town hall and the castle, neither of which really merited the detour from strolling.

After a late afternoon nap, we strolled some more, ending the evening eating cheese and drinking carpaccio while listening to an excellent street musician. No deep meanings here, but really a perfect vacation day.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 30, 2013 from Ljubljana, Slovenia
from the travel blog: Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia Herzegovina (2013)
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The net result was that our flight to Frankfort was delayed by four hours. Which of course meant no hope for making our connection to Zagreb. (It did, however, allow me to confirm to the police that the alarm that went off was storm-related and not thief related, and to have Lee check things out ANC walk Pepper since Lisa was stuck in rain-created traffic). Undaunted, and with a few easily-placed phone calls (Amex was worthless, Lufthansa was great) was able to snag 2 of the last 4 seats on a later flight. Side benefit - the connection was so tight that we weren't forced to spend any extra time in the hellhole that is the Frankfort Airport transit area.

And really, being late didn't make a whole lot of difference. As we had been forewarned, Zagreb has little to offer in the way of interesting or unique experiences. The hotel is fine, right on the central square, which looks pretty much like every other European central square.

We walked around the old part of town discovering, well, not much. Except the Museum of Broken Relationships, Really, an excellent place where people send mementos of past relationships. Funny, touching, tragic. Well worth the $5 Entrance fee. Really, how awesome is that? So, maybe it is fitting that this museum is surrounded by Nikola Tesla homages everywhere. As Els asked, "So, what, is he like the only Croatian who's famous?" Um, maybe.

Dinner was at a nice little Italian place near the hotel, with a walk and ice cream after.

And now bed.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 29, 2013 from Zagreb, Croatia
from the travel blog: Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia Herzegovina (2013)
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Today we walked around Singapore, all of it, or so it seemed. First to Arab Street where the carpet-looking experience was seriously wanting, then to Little India, which was similarly uninteresting, and then all the way down to Marina Bay, along the boat quay, to the bizarre-looking Sands Hotel, a spaceship swimming pool on top of three clothespins (the only way to describe it), and the even more bizarre looking Garden By The Bay, with it's huge robot-like trees. Then Ellery went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Science Museum, and I had a foot massage - really, it was a lot of walking. We returned by crossing the Helix Bridge to the Esplanade, and back to our little area of the world. Then it was dinner at a deli (really, but not really) in the Raffles Hotel, and finally - finally - to the airport.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 5, 2012 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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We did three things primarily today. First, we went to the Singapore Art Museum, and took the 11:00 am English tour with a fabulous docent. The work here is terrific, all special installations, and quite reminiscent of MassMOCA - site specific work in an unusual setting (here, a former catholic school). There were a few pieces that really blew me away. And we walked away with an inflatable Walter, a huge white bunny who apparently pops up in unusual places around Singapore.

Next was a long walk to, and up and down Orchard Street. All shopping malls, all with the same high-end stores selling the same merchandise. The point was definitely lost on me. (Still, I came away with a new point-and-shoot camera that I like a lot).

Finally, we went to the best zoo ever. Or at least the most brilliant concept - a zoo open only at night, so you can see nocturnal animals doing something other than sleeping. There are just enough lights to highlight each enclosure, and every animal we saw was up and about, from the big cats to the hyenas to the small otters and bats. There are both walking trails and a tram ride, both of which provided excellent, up close animal viewing. On my worldwide zoo scale, I give it an a+.

Tomorrow is the last day of our trip, and I'm truly sad to see it end. From start to finish, we've seen a lot of fabulous stuff.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 4, 2012 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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We left the hotel at 8:30, and by 11:30, were done. In that time we visited the Grand Stupa, which apparently contains some Buddha relics inside. As our guide explained, pointing to a balcony on the stupa, "That's where the Royal Family used to sit on festival days. Now the [Communist] party leaders sit there. So, not so different before 1975 and after.". (Later I learned that his father had been imprisoned for 15 years after the revolution, and his uncle, who had worked for the CIA, had fled the country and moved to Washington, DC). We also visited a huge concrete arch patterned after the Arc de Triumph built to celebrate the country's independence from France - insert quizzical expression here. Then there was the temple that used to house the emerald buddha until it was stolen by Thailand, and finally a really nice temple that had, among other things, hundreds of broken Buddhas. Laos has been invaded and conquered and sacked so many times (Vientiane was burned to the round in 1828 and abandoned for 60 years, so everything you see is relatively new) that every time they dig a foundation for a new building or expand a road, they discover more old Buddhas. This should be called the land of the broken Buddhas.

Anyway, after the city tour, we retired to Joma, our not-exactly-Starbucks chain (there's a third one in Hanoi) for lunch and wifi until it was time to get to the airport. And, continuing with out monsoon luck, it only started pouring after we got to Joma and not during our temple tour.

Flight to Singapore proceeded without a hitch. As with all flights around here, although it was short, we were fed well; as Ellery noted, the Lao Airlines food is better than a lot of what you can get on the ground.

Singapore was a shock back into first world life. Incredibly interesting skyscrapers and modern architecture awaited us, much of which we can see from our kindly upgraded room. Dinner at an outdoor food court/shopping mall across the street, and now it's time to sleep.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 3, 2012 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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But first, catching up on last night, the rain did break for a bit, so Ellery and I hurried to Joma (our Starbucks-like hang out) for a light dinner and one last shopping trip to the night market.

This morning we lazed around the hotel until about 10, when Fhun picked us up for our last day here,taking us to Kuang Si Waterfalls. It was a out 40 minutes out of town, and I fully expected it to be like yesterday's waterfalls, but since we had run out of temples to see, it was really the only alternative. It was the opposite way out of town from yesterday, but the scenery was pretty much the same - people working in the rice patties, water buffalo along the side of the road, and small villages along the way.

Arriving at the waterfalls, we first walked through a small bear rescue center. Ok,bears. Next.

Well, next was really the most delightful series of waterfalls and swimming areas I've seen in ... well, ever, culminating in a large waterfall at the top. We spent several hours here, just hanging out, swimming, and hiking a bit. Little by little, the backpackers joined us, until e pools were like one big international party. I really enjoyed this day, and it was exactly what I needed as I was just beginning to yearn for home.

After the waterfalls it was back into town for a shower and a little rest before heading to the airport for our flight to Vietienne. Arrival was fine, and once checked into the hotel, we strolled outside, finding out way to a nice little food stall for dinner and a walk through the night market along the Mekong. Here, the night market is quite different than in Luang Prabang - mostly tee shirts and consumer goods, but patronized mostly by young Laotians. (Really, you'd never guess this was a Communist country). Lots of kids every where (this country is full of kids), music playing, even a little pushcart bar. I don't know what this. It's looks like in the daytime, but at night, it is far from the crowded decaying urban center I expected.

written by  shoshtrvls on July 2, 2012 from Vientiane, Laos
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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