Into The Zephyr...

Home

2009-01-01T13:59:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! We've been meaning to post a final blog here for quite some time- a little wrap-up to our phenomenal around the world adventure. We thought some pictures from our first big snow at home and us shoeshoeing around the slopes of Mt.Greylock would be fitting and fun. It has been great to be home, and lately we have been reminiscing about where we were in the world and what we were doing at this time last year...

It's not possible to sum up seven amazing months traveling around the globe in a couple of crafty sentences, but we don't have to because this here blog does a great job of telling our tale! If you're yearning for more, we have over a thousand pictures that didn't make the blog just give us a call and a 5+ hour slide show is all yours =). We wanted to thank everyone for all their love and encouragement as we traveled abroad, it was sunshine to receive all your sweet notes and excited interest.

This journey was a dream come true for both of us, and a sweeter experience than we ever could have imagined flying out that cool Saturday morning in September. You'll see us on the road again some day I'm sure, but for now we're enjoying the wonderful memories from the best honeymoon these two newlyweds could have ever asked for!

France

2008-05-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Paris. What else is there to say about Paris that hasn't been said by better writers than me? I will say this: We woke each morning and exercised for a couple of hours under the Eiffel Tower. Then we would eat a light breakfast of incomparable French pastry, and then wander the city the rest of the day, eating lunch in whatever wonderful cafe happened to be near. In the evenings, we would hang out with Meghan and Rick, and my sister Nora, who was vacationing in Paris and Morocco. It's a pretty great life.

Italy

2008-05-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

After leaving Berlin, we hooked up with my sister Meghan and her husband Rick, who live in Paris. We rented a car and drove down to Rome. Along the way, we spent a few days in Cinque Terra along the Italian coast, just south of Genoa. It was amazing, the pictures don't do it justice. Walking along the coast, drinking hot chocolate in cafes during the day and good wine at night are really as fantastic as you might think it would be.

Rome was amazing as well. We spent a bunch of time with my mom's cousins, Alvaro Mino and his sister Pierra. They are awesome. The stories were great, as was the food and the wine and the little tours that Pierra would give spontaneously. If you have any relatives at all in Italy, I suggest you visit them.

Germany

2008-04-28T13:22:00.001-07:00

We climbed aboard an Airbus in Ulaan Bataar, and 8 short hours later we had winged across much of Asia and landed in Berlin. Welcome back to the Western World! We loved Berlin. The city is busy yet quiet, filled with great parks and displaying it's tumultuous history. We enjoyed the way the Germans have embraced the difficult period of the Nazi regime, and gloried in the fall of the authoritarian state. I'm happy to say there was no danger of me being shot as I scaled a remnant of the Berlin Wall. We spent far less time here than the city deserves, especially since, as Europe goes, this town is quite affordable. But, Paris and Rome were calling to us...

Mongolia

2008-04-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

The endless wind sweeping off the endless steppe under an infinite blue sky. It's easy to see why the Mongolian people have a reputation for toughness. Anyone surviving and thriving in these conditions has to be tough. But, for all that toughness, most of the people we met were very friendly and warm. There's a lot of national pride, not only in the past--the mighty Kahns that ruled most of the known world, but also in the present--rejecting the overarching influence of Russia and China to forge their own country based on democracy. We loved Mongolia for the beautiful land and the great people. Our time there wasn't nearly long enough to appreciate it all, but we had a great time and we'd love to go back.

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

We're back in the beautiful Berkshires, enjoying the warm weather and trying to get our lives in order. We are definitely going to blog the last few amazing stops of our trip within the next week- so check back soon for Mongolia, Germany, Italy and France. Our camera got stolen in Mongolia (on Peace Street of all places) so we had to switch to film for a bit and are in the midst of getting those onto CDs. See you soon!

The Trans-Mongolian Railway

2008-04-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

We fought through the bustling throngs in the Beijing Rail Station and boarded our train for Ulaan Bataar. I was almost shoved down the stairs and under the wheels by a tiny little Chinese woman intent on making her train. Nevertheless, we found our car and our berth, a four bed cubicle that we shared with Monique and Sven, a great Dutch couple who were on a journey similar to ours.

Once the train started rolling, we were treated to an ever changing vista of mountains in northwestern China, with the Great Wall snaking along the ridges, to the endless plains of the Mongolian steppe, sometimes obscured by fierce snow squalls, and other times clear and barren and dotted with wandering herds of horses, antelopes, and camels.

After three days of swaying to the rhythm of the rails, we arrived in Ulaan Bataar, to face the descendents of the mighty Chingiss Kahn.

The Great Wall, China

2008-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, although it's a myth that the Great Wall of China is visible from space, nevertheless it is impressive, and very, very big. Makes you wonder what they were thinking building a wall this huge up and down over mountains--it certainly didn't help defend the country from raiders who just went around it, or bribed guards to let them through. But is indeed impressive. Still, I'm glad I wasn't one of the lucky guys hauling stone up those ridges to build the thing.

This particular section of wall is about 40 miles from downtown Beijing. Beijing sits on a broad, open plain. The hills to the north and west form a sort of natural barrier and protection, especially when you consider that the Mongol tribes lived to the north and west. That natural protection was augmented by the wall. But those Mongolians are good horsemen, and they didn't have much trouble riding around the thing, or in some cases over it. As the mighty Chingiss Kahn famously said, " A wall is only as good as the soldiers manning it."

We were joined at the Wall by hundreds of Chinese tourists who love to visit the nation's historical sights. A booming business of souvenir hawkers and snack sellers has grown up around parts of the wall, and Debbie and I were asked to pose with dozens of Chinese who wanted their photo with us. I know we're a good looking couple and all, but it was a little strange. I'm sure we've been immortalized in photo albums all over China.

Beijing, China

2008-04-04T02:56:00.001-07:00

Our last couple of days in China were spent in Beijing taking in the famous sights. The first thing we realized about Beijing is that it is really, really big. Seems to be the theme here. So we took some really long walks and a long bus ride too. The bus ride brought us out to the Ming Tombs, where I got to compare my dental work with that of the stone carved boar guarding the raised dias at the gate. Debbie, of course, is far more chic posing on the elephant stool of the carved patio furniture.

Our walk brought us to the famous Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Both of these are of course big. The Olympic torch was scheduled to arrive the day after we were there, so there were many people setting up for the ceremony, and many people wandering around gawking, like us. And of course Chairman Mao watches over everyone.

Yantai City, China

2008-03-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend just kicking around in lovely Yantai city with friends. Yantai is known as the "city of the double sea" in China, because it is at the tip of the Shandong peninsula with the Bohai Sea to the west and Yellow Sea to the east. We took in the sights downtown--the old lighthouse and the quays, and then enjoyed ourselves at Tashan Park, which is on the mountain just up the road from the school where we teach. The gondolas go up to the pagoda pavilion at the top, where the monkeys like to hang out. The bumper cars were pretty fun, although anyone who has ever spent any time on a road in China will wonder why the Chinese need an amusement like bumper cars--their normal driving habits are pretty much what most of us would think of as bumper car worthy.

Happy Spring!

2008-03-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

Each day as classes wrap up, out in front of the school's gates vendors gather to sell the kids sweets and toys. Yesterday as we left to go downtown for some lunch and errands, we came upon an entirely new product for sale --baby chicks! In many different colors! They were so cute and soft, I wanted about ten, but sensibly Jude didn't think they'd make good stow aways.

Qingdao, China

2008-03-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, along with some other volunteer English teachers, we visited one of the many historic sites in Shandong Province: the city of Qingdao. The city is an important coastal town that has served as China's port to the world for hundreds of years. Boats and sailors from Korea, Japan, and the European seafaring nations land here for trade and commerce. Qingdao is the site of the sailing events at the 2008 Olympics, and construction is proceeding at a furious pace.

The city, which is ultramodern, is also home to some old traditions and temples. Nearby is Lao Shan, one of the five sacred mountains in Tao tradition. The temples in the city also harken to sacred origins of the Tao faith, and the red ribbon signifies good luck in the coming new year.

Yantai Bilingual Middle School, China

2008-03-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

Well we left behind the tropical heat of Thailand and arrived in the city of Yantai, China on a chilly, gray winter day. The city is big. It has big buildings and big streets and big construction projects going on all over the place. The school where we live and teach is also big. And the classes are big--40 students or more. If you asked our impressions of China so far, we'd probably say China is big. They seem to like to do everything in a big way.

We've been here for two weeks now. We've settled in to our lovely little apartment--the "Foreigner's Flat." We've been treated very well by the staff and the kids. As you can see, the staff is big too. That's us with the sixth and seventh grade English teachers. Yes, just the English teachers. We'd probably need a panoramic lens on the camera to take the picture if we wanted to include math, science, history, and phys ed teachers.

Teaching is fun, and the kids are great, and the weather is warming up. We're planning to do a little traveling around the area over the next few weeks to see the sights...

Monkey Temple, Durbar Marg and Friends!

2008-02-25T01:46:00.000-08:00

Our last few days in Nepal were spent with my family from the village, who now live in Kathmandu. That's Machendra--he was six years old the last time I saw him. It was awesome being with them again. And they were thrilled to meet Debbie. We also did some last minute touring, to Swayambunath, a huge Buddhitst stupa, and Durbar Marg, the old site of the Royal Palace. Both sites have buildings that are over a thousand years old.

Now we're resting up in Bangkok before heading to China!

Chitwan Nat'l Park, Nepal

2008-02-17T21:13:00.000-08:00

Tigers, rhinos, and crocodiles....oh yeah! We just spent three days at Chitwan National Park. We took an early morning elephant safari--yes we rode on top of elephants. There are wild rhinoceroses in the park. Rhinoceroses are the second largest land animals in the world. They don't see too well, they don't hear too well, and they have a really nasty temper. This makes it easy to sneak up on a rhino, but not so much fun once it realizes you're there. When a rhino is disturbed, it charges. Therefore, the only safe way to see rhinos is to ride the largest land animal in the world--elephants! A rhino will charge an elephant, just like it charges anything else. But the elephant will make a low rumble to let the rhino know that it's an elephant, and the rhino will stop. Which is nice for everyone.

We also took some walks once the sun warmed things up, and found these crocodiles, or muggers as they're called here, basking in the warm winter sun on the river bank. Of course, our guides like to have a little fun at our expense. To get the goofy American to walk under the elephant, they tell you that it's good luck to do so. The only lucky thing that happened to me was that the elephant didn't pee on me. Which I guess is pretty lucky...have you ever seen how much pee comes out of an animal that size?

Aside from these animals, we also saw a barking deer, tons of birds, monkeys, and fresh tiger tracks. If you're ever in the Indian jungle, remember, if you see a rhino, run! (but not in a straight line). If you see a sloth bear, bunch up in a group and make noise! If you see a tiger, back away slowly and maintain eye contact! Or, just ride your trusty elephant.

Pokhara and Sarangkot, Nepal

2008-02-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

The most colossal collision on the planet! The unbelievably massive Indian subcontinent is crashing into the staggeringly huge Asian continent. The result of this enormous collision is the jagged mountain range known as the Himalayas. This is the youngest and highest mountain range on Earth. The word 'himalaya' means 'place of the snow.' The mountains are so high that snow falls on their upper slopes all year long. Even when the valleys 30 miles to the south experience 100 degree days.
The mountains are also very jagged because they are so young. There hasn't been time for weather to wear down the sharp edges. Although weathering is always going on, the mountains are still being thrust skywards by the colliding continents. It's winter here, and in the deep mountain stillness at night, you can feel the subsonic rumble of the collision as you lay under a warm blanket in a village inn.

Amidst the awful violence of this clash of land masses, a group of Japanese monks have built this stately Peace Pagoda on a hill overlooking Pokhara.

The Village, Nepal

2008-02-02T02:49:00.001-08:00

Namaste from the village! We arrived in Ghalechap, walking up the stone stairway just like I used to do it 18 years ago. Of course, there's now a dirt road and an incredibly durable bus that makes the climb once a day, but we wanted to walk into town after a brain jangling and dusty bus ride to the base of the mountain.

Once in the village, we were welcomed by some of the people that I used to hang out with. The first house we stopped at welcomed us and invited us to spend the night. The old man got on the cell phone (another huge bit of "progress") and before we knew it old friends were showing up to say hello and get caught up.

We stopped by the schools where I used to work and re-united with some of my teacher friends, and had some fun with the students.

It's winter here in the foothills of the Himalayas. Everything is a little brown and dusty, and only a few fields are planted--mostly with potatoes and spinach. The rest of the fields lay dormant until May when they will be prepared for rice planting in June. Bananas, papayas, and oranges still ripen on the trees, and there's a little plowing and fertilizing to be done, but work slows down a bit on the mountain farms. This leaves time for other chores, like making new straw mats.

After a couple days in the village, we continued on to the district center--Damauli. This is a bustling town where Mohan lives with his wife and kids. Mohan is the elder son of the family I lived with in Ghalechap. He was 10 years old the last time I saw him. He now has a seven year old daughter, who took quite a shine to Debbie, along with her two best friends as we sat on the roof of Mohan's home and got caught up.

Kathmandu, Nepal

2008-01-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Namaste from Kathmandu!
We arrived here on Friday afternoon and got our first taste of winter since last year's St. Patrick's Day storm. The temperatures here range between mid-40's to mid 60's, depending on cloud cover. After Hawaii, New Zealand, and Thailand, that's quite cold enough for us. A nice hot toombha is just the thing to warm you up at the end of a long afternoon of sightseeing. The drink is a favorite among the Sherpas and Tibetans. It consists of fermented millet, over which you pour boiling hot water, then sip through a straw. Tasty and warming!

It's a little bit of a homecoming for me. I love Nepal, and we spent some time visiting some of my favorite haunts in Kathmandu, including Bodhnath Stupa. Bodhnath is a center for Tibetan culture and Buddhism, with several schools and monasteries. And of course the awe-inspiring stupa.

Kathmandu has long been a trade center on the Silk Road. It's position in a protected valley high in the Himalayas makes it a natural stop for traders heading north to Tibet or south to India. The markets of the valley are crammed with fruit, vegetables and grains from the fertile hills and plains, as well exotic silks, wools, and goods from the Tibetan Plateau and Indian plains.

We're also spending some time trying to track down the family that I used to live with. So far, we haven't been successful, but I'm hopeful we'll be in contact with them soon.
Perhaps most importantly, we're just relaxing a bit at the cozy Hotel Ganesh Himal. After all, this is our vacation.

Koh Tao, Thailand

2008-01-14T23:21:00.001-08:00

The tropical island of Koh Tao lies in the Gulf of Thailand, about a two hour ferry ride from the mainland. The gulf at this time of year is calm and warm, clear and full of life. This makes it a paradise for scuba divers. There are many islands in the gulf, all of which are known for the beaches and the diving. Koh Tao is special because it is known as the most inexpensive place in the world to learn to scuba. Just what we were looking for.

We spent five days on the island, four of which were spent doing our scuba certification training at Crystal Dive resort. The dives were amazing! We dove to 18 meters (about 60 ft) one morning to view amazing coral, sting ray, eel, squid, barracuda and fish galore! The feeling of being weightless down there was wonderful--easy to get distracted from the importance of breathing and equalizing. We're now PADI Open Water Scuba certified- yeah!

The beaches and the restaurants were fabulous as well. The small island to the left of Debbie is the area of Twins, White Rock and Japanese Gardens- where we did our dives.

Although just about any type of cuisine, from Irish pub fare to Mexican to sushi was available on the island, nevertheless we budget conscious travelers ate a lot of Pad Thai, the most basic Thai food available. Very tasty and very inexpensive. Khawp khun khrap!

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-01-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

Bangkok is really, really big. And hot, and busy. Really busy. We've been here for a few days, and we're getting a feel for the city while we get over the jet lag of flying from New Zealand. The most amazing site we've seen so far is the Royal Palace, and within that we were able to view the Emerald Buddha in his dazzling temple.

This picture typifies our navigations through the city thus far. We walk a block or two, check out some amazing temple, look around for street signs, and puzzle over the maps in the guide book to try to figure out where we are and where we're going. All this while trying not to be killed by traffic.

The city has a big Chinese population and a big and crowded Chinatown district. We walked among the vendors for hours, looking at everything from pickled squid parts to hello kitty pillows.

At the end of one hot, dusty day, too tired to walk back to the guesthouse, we discovered that the best way to get around the town is by water taxi.

Rotorua, NZ

2008-01-02T23:00:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! We spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Rotorua-- the most geologically active place on the North Island of New Zealand. It's a beautiful spot with lots of Maori culture and interesting geology and history. You can see from the picture that the lake is steaming hot. What you can't see is the smell of sulfur that fills the air all around Rotorua- quite pleasant.

We had a great time on New Year's Eve, drank a bottle of good New Zealand wine with a delicious dinner, ate waaay too many mini donuts hot from the vendor at the carnival, got down at the concert by the lake, had a few beers at the local watering holes, and watched the fireworks at midnight. Welcome to 2008!

Wellsford, Kingfisher Farm

2007-12-30T00:26:00.000-08:00

We just spent ten days working on Kingfisher Farm near the village of Wellsford. We did a lot of weeding in the pumpkin patches, mulched saplings, hung and braided garlic, and took care of the animals while the family was away over Christmas. The farm itself is run along sustainable practices--free range hens produce the eggs, the gardens and fields are chemical-free, and the family is very committed to sustainable and organic living and commerce. They are wonderful people who took very good care of us. They even wrapped a few Christmas presents for us to open on Christmas Day! Great people, working a great little farm. We really enjoyed ourselves.

The work itself was pretty relaxing and fun. Debbie of course did all the mathematical work--grading the eggs and recording various tabulations in the farm log. She also nimbly jumped around hanging the garlic and proved to have a keen eye for judging the moods of the hens. I got to feed the hogs and deal with the more recalcitrant hens, or "chooks" as they're called here in NZ.

So, we had a great little Christmas and a great experience on the farm--thanks to the wonderful Robertson family. Perhaps someday we'll have a little farm of our own...

2007-12-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of carrot cake and cheer! We hope you and yours are enjoying all the festivities. We are having a lovely Summer Solstice, spending a quiet holiday on a New Zealand farm. Peace! Debbie and Jude

Auckland

2007-12-17T15:12:00.001-08:00

We just spent three days in Auckland. It was great to be in a city, especially an city as internat'l and diverse as Auckland. There are people here from all over the world, especially Japan, Korea, China, and Thailand. And as a busy city, there is almost continual bustle and noise, which is pretty different from Berkshire County. The view from the window of our hostel was a caged bungy jump, just a little different then Adams.

The city itself straddles a small stretch of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. We took the Coast to Coast Walk, a ten mile walk through the various neighborhoods, up Mt Eden, One Tree Hill and into Cornwall Park, from the Eastern shore to the Western. The volcanic cones form hills that have been turned into parks from which the city is laid out in vast panorama.

Whakanewha Regional Park, NZ

2007-12-10T14:58:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday we took a little camping trip to Whakanewha Regional Park here on Waiheke Island. The park's Maori name translates loosely as "Cover ones eyes from the setting sun." The pronunciation is a story unto itself. If you want to know how to pronounce this (and you're over 18) just send us an email, and we'll relate the sordid details.

The Park, regardless of how it is pronounced, is absolutely lovely. We had a sweet little camp site next to the beach on a soft green lawn. We laid about in the sun, took lots of walks through the forest on some great trails. The wildlife of New Zealand is dominated by birds, and we've seen so many incredible birds both here and in Hawaii, but rarely have we had our camera ready to actually shoot one, so this picture is especially pleasing. This bird is called a kereru, and it stood still long enough for us to fumble out the camera and take at least one credible shot.

The walk out of Whakenewha on Sunday afternoon was through a steady rain. We ended up on this tiny road in the middle of nowhere, looking for a bus stop. After a few minutes of walking, we spied a bus shelter at the end of McMillan Road--a tiny and scruffy little corner of the island. We had a hard time believing that a bus would actually come to this desolate location late on a Sunday. As we were pouring over the posted schedule, a sweet little old lady appeared out of the mist and assured us that the bus would be by shortly. In a few moments, we were joined by four other riders, and the bus arrived right on time to take us away. Gotta love reliable public transportation!

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

2007-12-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

G'Day all. After a loooong flight from Hawaii, which included a stop in beautiful Fiji, where we never left the airport, we have arrived in New Zealand!

Our current location is lovely Waiheke Island, a 35 minute ferry ride into the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of Auckland. It is late spring here--headed for the Summer Solstice, and people are gearing up for summer. School ends in two weeks and the beaches are calling. As you can see, Debbie and I have been taking advantage of the warm weather and long days, along with our new friends.

The people here are laid back and the island is great. We've been staying with a family doing some landscaping and child care in exchange for room and board. So far, we've managed to avoid death and destruction while running, walking, and driving around the island, even though all the people who live here insist on driving on the wrong side of the road.

Mauna Kea

2007-11-10T18:24:00.001-08:00

We were missing the change of seasons back home so we grabbed all the fleece we could find and headed up the volcano. It's the highest point (13,796ft!) for thousands and thousands of miles. Absolutely amazing to go from steamy jungle to barren, windswept, snow and ice in a short drive. And the star gazing is stunning! The big island has only long-wavelength (yellow-red) streetlights to cut down on light pollution. So there's no background light, just clear cold air and extreme darkness. We had a lot of fun with the cold wind blasting our faces and the altitude making us short of breath, and got a great astronomy lesson from a UH-Hilo grad student at the visitor center.

By the way, we changed the settings on the blog so that now you can post a comment without having to sign up for anything. So comment away!

Kona

2007-11-04T12:15:00.001-08:00

Hooweee. Last week we went for five days to the western side of the Island, called the Kona Coast. It is amazing to drive over the hump between the two huge volcanoes and leave behind the rainy windward side to arrive on the sunny leeward side. Only about 60 miles separate the two coasts, but the climate and ecology are totally different.

Kona coast has white sand and black sand beaches in abundance, where the windward side has mostly rocky coasts. Kona has gentle swelling surf, while the windward side has pounding, crashing surf. Kona side is dry, desert, looking a lot like the Western US, while the windward side is all jungle.

We had a lot of fun camping on the beaches, visiting the resorts, and snorkeling in the crystal clear, warm blue water amongst myriad different fish. It was awesome--we're both completely tan and relaxed.
Up slope (mauka) of the coast is the best coffee growing climate in the world. Numerous coffee plantations grow coffee that is orders of magnitude better than any other coffee I've ever had. It's almost like it's not even the same drink. To add any cream or sugar to it is close to blasphemy. We got completely wired one afternoon touring and sampling (Debbie drank coffee and got all hopped up--wicked fun!)

Near the southern end of the Kona Coast is the Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Honaunau). This idyllic spot on the ocean is where the royal families of ancient Hawaii made their homes, and where islanders in trouble with the law could escape to receive a reprieve (if they could make it). Very cool spot with lots of ancient Hawaiin buildings and carvings.

South Point & Green Sands Beach

2007-10-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to South Point (Ka Lai), which is the southernmost point on the Big Island, and, consequently, the southern most point in the United States. It is vast and windswept. The water at the point itself is calm--you can safely jump off the cliffs--but just a few hundred yards away the ocean surges and waves crash on the rocks.

If you look hard enough, you can see Antarctica in the distance.

A 2.5 mile walk along the rocky coast from Ka Lai brings you to this gem of a spot--Green Sands Beach. The walk is over lava fields and brings you past the most ancient human settlements on the island. Stone structures built first by the original Polynesian settlers 1,300 years ago, and rebuilt by anyone camping along the coast in the many years since. At the beach itself, the sand has been eroded from an outcrop of lava with a high olivine content. This means the sand is green. The waves are perfect for body surfing in this little cove. It is sheltered from the main pounding of the waves that cross thousands of miles of open ocean, but the wind can be fierce.

Lava Tree State Monument

2007-10-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Near to the place we are staying and working, on the south eastern slopes of Kilauea next to the sea, we ran across Lava Tree State Monument. Here you can see a mature rain forest, and among the living trees there are lava trees. These rock formations are caused by lava flowing around a living tree. Because the tree contains so much water, it is not instantly incinerated, and the first layers of lava cool in the shape of the tree. The water quickly vaporizes and the tree burns away, but left behind are these chimneys of cooled lava. The liquid lava receded into giant cracks in the ground, leaving cleared land and lava trees.

Eventually, the forest grows back among the lava trees. This particular forest is over 200 years old, as the lava trees were formed in the lava flow of 1790. This is a most beautiful and serene place.

Volcanoes National Park

2007-10-28T13:29:00.001-07:00

Soon after our arrival, we spent a few days at Volcanoes National Park, which is absolutely amazing. The park consists of two of the three active volcanoes that comprise the Big Island of Hawaii, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

Mauna Loa is the 13,000 ft mountain that can be seen in the distance behind our tent. The main caldera of Kilauea can be seen smoldering in the eighth photo down. Kilauea is the most active volcano on the planet, and we spent some time hiking around its slopes through lava fields and rain forest, into lava tubes and to the coast where the lava forms huge cliffs and a sea arch. One of our hikes was right across the caldera itself--two miles across the baked and smoking landscape, across gaping cracks in the crust and scalpel sharp a'a lava.

Above Kilauea, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, we found a Kapuka, which is an area of raised land that escaped a lava flow. A mature forest has grown up on a small patch of land that is surrounded by desolation. It was here that we discovered the mighty Koa trees growing to their full stature. Obviously we couldn't resist the opportunity for a family portrait.

Since we were camping at 4,000 ft, there were cool breezes and no bugs, and the sky was unbelievably clear. I was awakened in the middle of the first night by a bright light shining into the tent which I at first thought was someone's flashlight, but turned out to be Jupiter.

We could have happily spent more time in the park, but we are, unfortunately, working our way around the world, and we had to return to our jobs.

Two nights ago the volcano reminded us that it makes up the whole island when we had an earthquake of 4.2. You don't leave the volcano when you leave the park.

KoaMaya's World Trek Itinerary '07-'08

2007-10-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sept 29/30, 2007 NYC to The Big Island, Hawaii
Our address while in Hawaii is Kalani Retreat, RR2 Box 4500, Pahoa, HI 96778.
Our cellphones will be able to take messages until Dec 2nd, after that they will be inoperative for the remainder of the trip.

Dec 1/2, 2007 Hawaii to Auckland, New Zealand via Fiji
While in NZ we hope to WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and maybe spend some time working for an adventure outfitter on the North Island.

Jan 17/18, 2008 Auckland, New Zealand to Kathmandu, Nepal via Bangkok
In Nepal we plan to visit Kathmandu, Pokhara and other spots as we travel to Jude's villages (Peace Corps '90-'91). We hope to trek the Anapurna Circuit, possibly hike up to Everest Base Camp and will be volunteering at Sam's House, an orphanage in Pokhara.

Feb 19, 2008 Kathmandu to Bangkok, Thailand
Our time in Thailand will be purely vacation time, we hope to complete a scuba course in the warm and beautiful South China Sea.

Feb 27, 2008 Bangkok to Beijing, China
We will be volunteering in Yantai, Shandong Province through Global Volunteer Network/Sinoculture Exchange for two months. We will be volunteering teaching English to Chinese students and traveling the country on our off time.

Overland From China to Paris, France
We plan to travel via the Trans-Mongolian Railway from China to Russia, through Mongolia. Beyond that we will make our way into Europe to visit Jude's family in Italy and France, and my friend Julia in Germany.

June 5, 2008 Paris, France to Newark, NJ
Back for some summer fun with all our friends and family- get ready for the slide show!

*This is the most complete trip scheme we are able to provide at this time, it is all very subject to change. The best way to be in contact with us will be via email, debbie.koamaya@gmail.com and philip.jude.koamaya@gmail.com. We are planning to whip up a blog once we have fun photos and good stories to share. A warm invitation to anyone who may be able to join us along the journey.