Open Studio Tours

Hey Folks
Just came off a very exciting weekend at Assiniboia Downs in the Manitoba Art Expo.
Thousands of people came through the doors to see an extraordinary mix of visual art. It was very clear  that people love to talk about travel, are mesmerized by large faces, and if I had had published copies of my book I'd be on the Canadian best seller list today. One person paged through all five hundred pages of the book, one page at a time. She is my new best friend.
If I'd had time to take pictures of the event, I'd post them here but I was too busy talking to everyone who stopped by. Thanks to everyone who came out and for helping make it a great success. I'm already looking forward to next year.

In the meantime, the South Osborne Arts Group, or SOAG as we are affectionately known, is holding an open studio tour on December 8th and 9th, 2012. Here's the official blurb:

On December 8th and 9th, the newly established South Osborne Arts Group has organized a studio tour of seven artists in the South Osborne neighbourhood. Glass work, pottery, painting, and photography are the focus of this group. Many of the artists are within walking distance of one another, and as it is December, it has been confirmed that at least one artist's wife will be brewing up some hot apple cranberry cinnamon cider to warm your hands and tummies. This is a great opportunity to step inside a working artist's studio and ask why he has 400 photographs of doors and doorways, what's up with the fascination with faces, or if, in an age of digital and instant and "free," there's still a place for a traditional artist in this world. If you live in the South Osborne area, look for something in your mailbox at the end of November. Here's what's in store for you in the studios.

Colleen Chamberlain

Judy Jennings

Steve Jorgenson

Helen Lyons

Pamela Rayner Moore

Tom Roberts

Reymond Pagé

How to Smuggle Your Knife into the Vatican Museums

Excerpt from Today I Ate Cow Stomach

We managed to get ourselves lost while walking down to the central train station, but the good thing about getting lost in Rome is that it's just so darn fun. There's something interesting to see literally everywhere - down the street, across the street, in the trees....

At the station we bought some metro tickets and asked the very patient woman at the desk where we might find a bus map. "Out in the centre," was her reply. We walked around outside for fifteen minutes looking for the ATAC (Rome's public transport company) sign but what seemed so endearing yesterday, the dearth of public signage, was now a curse. We went back inside where I finally broke down and asked a guy at a newspaper stand. Parla Inglese? "A bit," he mumbled. Where would I find the ATAC office, I'm looking for a bus map. "Outside and to the left," he said confidently. Off we went, spirits rising, outside the building into the bright Roman sunshine, and turned left to exactly nothing. Maybe he meant the other left. Is there a law against signs in Rome? The other left was as forthcoming as the previous one and we were back inside through another exit. Laura asked someone behind a desk and she was told that any newspaper or magazine seller would have a map. Hmmmm. Just outside the door of the nearest magazine shop, I found exactly what we were looking for on the left side of the rack. I handed my euros to a familiar-looking retailer who eyed me kind of strangely.

Successful and soon to be informed, we opened our remarkably comprehensive and intimidating bus guide, eventually finding the stop that we needed to get where we hoped to go.

As we walked toward the bus stop, a slim man with stylish shoes and a large toothpick in his mouth jumped up and asked if we needed help. Suspicious, I passed right by him saying that we just wanted to catch a bus. To the Vatican, Laura finished. "Right there! Go! GO!" he shouted, spitting out his toothpick. We leaped aboard and stamped our tickets in a little machine (Matthew is free!). No one checked that we stamped them, but the fine for not doing so is between one hundred and five hundred euros. We will continue to stamp them as required.

We were moving towards our destination without the need to engage our legs, and that was a great joy after much walking the previous days. We passed by countless sights (and lots of palm trees)

got off a couple minutes from St. Peter's Square, and had our lunch in a shady spot. Anywhere there is shade and marble feels significantly cooler than out in the sun.

So, off to the Vatican Museums. As we entered the doors, we saw the bag screener things like they have at airports. Suddenly Laura realized that she had a very sharp knife with her, one that'll cut the tomatoes so thing your in-laws will never come back (thanks, Krista!*), so she did the logical thing and tried to stuff it in my bag! If anything, I thought, put it in one of the kid's bags, for crying out loud. We decided to come clean and told the security guy hanging out by the door that we had a knife that we used for our lunch, you know, to cut cheese and such. "What kind of knife is it?" he asked. You know, a cheese cutting type knife. "Let me have a look," he said. Laura pulled it out, and he gave an audible, inhaling whistle. "Better check that," he said curtly, and pointed to the bag check desk.

Bag-check guy was uninterested in us, even as I walked toward him with a knife in my hand. "Security first," he said, with a wave of his hand. The knife disappeared into one of the bags, before we tossed them on the conveyer, sending them through, along with a little prayer. The guy with the little X-ray TV thing asked Laura to explain what the long sharp looking item was in her bag. We were busted. She started pulling things out of the bag in question, but that is not the bag I put the knife in. I suggest that maybe it was the stiff backing of the backpack, but security guy number two waved me off with an abrupt hand gesture, sort of a 'back off' gesture. A couple of other guys came over and looked at the X-ray image and after careful deliberation surmised that it was probably the hair brush. Yeah, that's it, the hair brush, I said, with a nervous laugh as I grabbed our other bag - you know, the one with the KNIFE in it - and did an innocent-as-possible jog over to Bag Check. I wanted this knife out of our hands, pronto. After a few minutes, the clerk finally looked up and said, "You can't check that here, this machine is broken," telling us to go to the one upstairs. I was tempted to say, But we have a knife!! but held my tongue. Upstairs, we paid our way in, forty two euros total (no freebies here), and over to the next baggage check. We walked up, relieved to be rid of the albatross, and the guy waved us on! "It's okay," he said with a warm smile, and looking at our bag, "you can take that in." Jonas and Matthew raced ahead without a moment's hesitation.

Stunned, we walked into the Vatican Museums with our very sharp knife. 

*The knife was a gift from our friend Krista from her very recent trip to Germany. 

Learn more about our travels here, and find our travel books here, here, and here.

What's it like?

It's a very general question and we're asked that in a number of different ways, but I think the general sentiment is, What's it like to be on the road like that, for that long, in so many different places?

Well, it's a bit like this....

Or this.

Fun.

Where next?

Another question we're often asked is where are you planning on going to next?
I think we'd definitely go back to just about anywhere in India, but I got a book on the Andalucia region of Spain and found some pretty fascinating places that would be worth a good long stay. And if you're going to stay anywhere for more than just a few days, think about renting an apartment.
And if we were going to rent an apartment somewhere in Andalucia, it might well be this one.

Okay, it's kind of pricey, but you have your own kitchen so you'll save money on meals, and it looks so nice, you might also save money by never leaving (except to get groceries).
That's pretty unlikely as you're just a couple hours from Alhambra, the place to see if you are in southern Spain.
Well, and then there's Seville.
And Cadiz.
And you're just up the hill from Ronda.
And I'm sure there are more than a few beaches not too far away.
Yeah.....

Photo Contest

Here are some interesting photos from a travel photo contest by Condé Nast.
These were my entries.
Termessos Theatre north of Antalya, Turkey
Petra, Jordan
Bibi Qa Maqbara, Aurangabad
Taj Mahal, Agra
Bayon, Angkor, Cambodia

Budget Travel (and Favourite Places III

I'm on a few mailing lists from travel related companies. It's great for staying in the loop, but bad for wasting time dreaming about where you could be, maybe even where you should be, instead of doing the things that need doing right now. Anyway, every now and then I get an email that makes me think someone is a bit out to lunch, and today is one of those days.

The email came courtesy of Condé Nast Traveler ("Truth in Travel" being their little byline or subheading or whatever you want to call it), and today they are talking about Budget Travel so of course I clicked on it right away (the main image being from Angkor helped a bit).

Things go awry right off the bat. Their main thesis is that if you travel during the off-peak times, you can save a bundle. So for instance, in example one, if you want to go to Granada, Nicaragua, in the summer time during the green season (i.e. "rainy") you can expect the posted rates to be up to 20% lower. Well, not a great deal, but somewhat of a deal I guess. Then I read their quoted prices. Cost in peak season, $480 per night. Uh oh. Cost in Summer, $380 per night. I kept looking for a decimal that didn't exist.

So I scrolled down to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and see that one can save 50% by going in the summer time. Sure, it'll be hot, but if you don't mind hot, who cares? Instead of spending $445 per night, you're only spending $220 per night. Okay, now since I know a thing or two about Siem Reap, I feel the need to speak up. I suspect there are more than a few people who might think $220 a day is a tad more than budget, considering that "Budget Travel" usually means travel costs falling in the low end of the price spectrum.
They quote double rooms at the Victoria Angkor "from" $145, day long tours from $50, etc etc. so I also suspect they are talking prices for two people? Maybe.

I thought I'd give you a bit of the 275 Days Budget Travel Experience, in combination with Favourite Place, Part III.
We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia (via the infamous Scam Bus, but that's a story for another day) on March 5 and left on the March 12 (just a week outside peak season, so maybe we were already getting the "summer rates"). Our first night was spent in a double room at the Jasmine Lodge, a nice place but on a the very busy main road, a good walk from the markets and the river. On the morning of day two, we sought out some place a little closer to the action, and found the Family Guest House. I notice that prices have doubled since we were there, so we'll go with the new prices, $16 per night for four people. They've got a great rooftop patio where you can eat and surf, and watch the goings on down below.

the rooftop

looking out the back

Looking out the front

Getting in to see the Angkor temples still costs the same, $60 per person....for a whole week. If you're under 12, it won't cost you a penny. If you're only going to be there for the day (you came all the way to Angkor and you're going to leave tomorrow??) it'll cost you $20 a person.

Now, eating. If you're in town, you can go to a real variety of places, but remember, we're talking budget here. There are plenty of options. Maybe a nice place with balcony tables on the second floor, clean, with great food. 

That might set you back $3 to $5 dollars a person. Cheap, but not budget in Southeast Asia. We then tried the place a couple doors down from the hotel. You'll sit in plastic chairs at a reasonably clean table, enjoy the company of mostly Cambodian folks, and you'll spend a dollar a plate. That was in our budget.

If you are going to eat lunch among the temples, and why not, it's easy and it's good, you're back up to $3 to $4 a plate and drinks are a buck. If you're a good customer, you might get a discount.

These are not the restaurants, but they look more or less like this.

To get around Angkor really requires some wheels, and here we skipped the truly budget option of renting bikes, as we were into our eighth month of travel, and were looking for something cool, like the trailer attached to Mike's motor bike.

It's super fun and has the added bonus of being refreshingly cool. Mike took us all around for $12 per day, basically waiting on us as we visited temple after temple. Services (for example) today are not much more expensive, depending on how far you want to go.

So if we add that all up, that's $16 for a decent room (with a private bathroom), $13 (now) to get escorted around, $30 to $40 for food (most days we spent less than $30), and if you're there for three days (please!), that's $13.33 a day for the entry ($40 for three day entry). 

Add it all up, and that comes to $100.00 (up to $110.00 if you really splurged on meals). (edit- I forgot the entry fee X 4 = 53.33, except that in our case, it was X3 because Matthew was free, which means my total is now a whopping $100.00 instead of the $72.33 I had earlier)

For four people.

What do you get for all this?

Having a full week to explore at our own pace, we often just sat in a quiet corner while a tour group raced through and got their photo here and there before racing on to the next attraction, then we continued on in peace and quiet, often by ourselves. One day it felt too hot to be out in the ruins, so we wandered around town, bought some souvenirs and gifts, and had some ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin, in the old market area, also mentioned in the Condé Nast article. Matthew's caramel cone kind of tasted like burned coffee, but his replacement strawberry was quite nice. 

Angkor may have been the most remarkable thing we saw in the whole two hundred and seventy five days. The jury is still out on that, but we sure had fun, even as a true budget traveler. 

Favourite Places, Part II

Istanbul was for us a city that conjured up all sorts of ideas and imaginings. It was our home for two weeks and became a place where we felt very at home and at peace. Riding the subway, taking the bus, walking the streets all became normal over those fourteen days. Normal, but never dull, as I'm sure any city of fifteen million is anything but dull. But what most captivated us was the skyline, the unending minarets that dotted the horizon as far as the eye could see.

We never got tired of going into mosques, just standing and staring upward at the beautiful domes, the tiled columns, light dripping from windows overhead. If we'd had more time, we would have seen every mosque in the city. But there is too much to see, even in two weeks. Besides, we also had to shop for groceries, fun, get our Syrian visa, mysterious yet successful, get out to the Apple store at the Kanyon Mall to find out what was wrong with my iPod, among other things.

So many people work so hard to eke out a living in Istanbul. Numerous shoe shine guys eager to accidentally drop a brush in front of an unwary tourist, gentlemen in their 50's and 60's selling purses or belts or wallets, all carefully laid out on a blanket. Or the restauranteurs. Wow, the restauranteurs who beckon to every passerby, especially those who look vaguely foreign, inviting them in to try the fish. Come see the fish, come smell the fish, look, hold the fish! Crossing the lower level of the Galata Bridge is like, well, I don't know what to compare it too. But you should try it. Once will do.

Istanbul was a city that welcomed us from the first smile of the cleaning woman who let us into our flat (we'll forget about the jerk who conned us into an unnecessary taxi ride from...wait, we were forgetting about that, weren't we?) to the last, from the man who sold us our train tickets that would take us on to Syria.

A Near-Perfect Day Trip from Antalya

Termessos, Turkey is a place out of my dreams. My heart actually raced a little bit after seeing pictures on the internet, and I imagined myself walking in the city with its walls intact, its people breathing, and its history playing out on the 2000+ year old streets. 

If you ever decide to go to Turkey, make the effort to get down south to Antalya and spend a few days. And on at least one of those days, rent a car from the good folks at Sabah Pansiyon (and be sure to stay here as well), then take the 40 kilometre drive north to Termessos. Only good things will happen.

If you're lucky enough to be there in October, you are likely to find blue skies, lots of green, and many leaves just starting to turn. The temperature will be idyllic. And if you are there early enough, you might even find yourself all alone. At one of the great sites in the world.

After a mildly arduous climb up the wrong side of the hill (preceded by a considerably more arduous uphill drive (on a road whose concrete edges were no longer interested in being part of the whole)) we stepped into the theatre from the back side and walked up into the seating. As I turned around, I literally gasped out loud. I call it Turkey's Machu Picchu.

gasp...

Termessos is known to have been in existence around the time of Alexander the Great, as there is an account of Alexander maybe attempting to overtake the city but deciding against it due to its remarkable defensive position in the hills. There is a bit of dispute over this, but very little is known about the city's history. Of all the places we visited, this was I believe the most difficult for which to find historical information.

If you plan your time well and get to Termessos early, you can easily spend a few hours just wandering around the ruins, soaking up the atmosphere, playing on the boulders, and enjoying lunch in the theatre.

Make sure to check out the rock cut tombs - there's likely a map in your travel guidebook - as they are only a few minutes' walk away from the main areas.

From Termessos, drive about 10 kms to the east to the Karain Cave. The cave exhibits evidence of 25,000 years of continuous human habitation, I think from the Paleolithic Age. It's not a remarkable cave, but it is a cool and very quick stop. It does smell a bit like there were 25,000 years of teenagers hanging out in there, so you have been warned. It's also a bit of a walk up, so be prepared for that as well. There is a small museum there if you are so inclined.

To finish off your day, head south, past Antalya and along the coast (through the amazing hills of the area)

to Chimaera. Arriving in the late afternoon is perfect as it gives you the opportunity to explore a little bit before seeing Chimaera at its most dramatic, after the sun goes down. There are about 20 to 30 little spots on a hill where fire comes out of the ground. Yes, fire. Hopefully you've brought another meal with you as after the two or three kilometre uphill (and I mean really uphill, you're basically walking stairs for half an hour) walk you will want to rest and restore while enjoying the remarkable sight of fire coming out of the ground.

I mean this literally too. It's like someone turned on the propane on the underside of the hill and lit a match. Anywhere there's a hole, you've got fire. Very fun for kids. It's not the most incredible thing you will see in Turkey, or maybe even on this day, but it is quite cool and different. Make sure you bring a flashlight for the walk back down the hill as there are no lights anywhere. And hopefully you paid attention as to how you drove in because there aren't many (any?) signs telling you how to get back to the highway.

So, a fun day all around, and now you have to make your way back to the Sabah,


View Larger Map
just don't forget to fill the car up with expensive Turkish gasoline. And if you're not crazy about driving that car all the way back to the hotel down those twisty, winding, skinny Kaleiçi streets, get as close as you can, then get your husband to run back to the hotel and tell one of the Sabah guys where you are. They can take care of the rest.


More Termessos....

Sarcophagi literally litter the hillsides.