Glenn's Glog

Shark dive in Dubai Aquarium

2011-03-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

While attending the TESOL Arabia 2011 conference in Dubai, I made a quick rendezvous to the Dubai Mall on Thursday, March 10. Despite being a great opportunity to ride the Dubai metro for the first time, considering my phobia for shopping malls, this may have seemed a rather strange choice to spend the day. However, the real reason was to go scuba diving in the mall’s eye-catching aquarium. A 40-minute dip with the sea-creatures costs a whopping 625 Emirati dirhams (US $170). But perhaps the biggest catch (and one I only found out about when I arrived to check in) is that NO UNDERWATER CAMERAS are permitted! After much internal mental debate, I finally decided to go ahead and dive, and my brother Dusty agreed to do the camera-work using my Sony Eriksson mobile phone. In the end, I guess it was all worth it. The world’s largest world's "largest acrylic panel" is filled with some 33,000 marine animals. Amongst these being all sort of sting rays, napoleon humpheads, sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks, guitar fish, etc. , etc…. and of course one of my all-time favorite animals, the hammerhead shark! Check out the video that Dusty shot below, musical accompaniment provided by MGMT, “Siberian Breaks”.

Guns n' Roses & FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi 2010

2010-12-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Dubai has long been known as the “Las Vegas of the Middle East” – a city of commerce, culture and a city that never sleeps, where you can find whatever you want whenever you want. However, Dubai’s claim as the entertainment capital of the region is now facing some fierce competition for that tribute from their neighbors next door. Country-capital city Abu Dhabi’s star has been rapidly rising over the last decade, especially with the addition of artificial island projects such as the Yas Island Formula One Grand Prix and the Saadiyat Island project, soon-to-be home to the world’s largest Guggenheim and Love Museums. With all these new venues comes the ability to host bigger and better events and I was lucky enough to catch two in the span of three days in December – the Guns n’ Roses concert at Yas Arena on December 16th and the FIFA world club cup final two days later.

I flew in from Qatar immediately after work for the GnR show, met at the airport by my brother Dusty and wife Gulya. Although I flew in with ample time to make the show, the fiasco that was the Yas Island parking organization did its best to try and make us late. After finally finding a spot though, we managed to get into the venue just before the opening track. Guns n’ Roses were a band that I had desperately wanted to see as a teenager but never had the chance due mainly to my upbringing in the Middle East. So it was somewhat ironic and surreal even that here I was finally seeing the band live in Abu Dhabi of all places. Although Axl Rose is the only remaining member of the band, this was not a show I was going to miss.

The thing about Guns n Roses is that you really never know what you’re going to get with them live. Sometimes they’re on, sometimes they’re off, sometimes they don’t even show up at all as Axl is notorious for showing up late to gigs, storming off stage, or not even showing up at all sometimes. Fortunately, Axl n’ co. came out with all guns blazing and tore through an awesome 3-hour 25-song show that left the crowd mesmerized. Despite all the years of rock n’ roll excess, Axl sounds better than ever and while many may dismiss the rest of the band as simply “Axl n’ Friends” on performances like this - I consider it more, “Guns n’ Roses 2.0”. I may be one of the few who quite enjoyed Chinese Democracy, so I was quite pleased with the way the new tracks blended in with the classic GnR tunes.

The FIFA world club championship final turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. Prior to 2010, the world club cup final had 100% always been played between the champions of Europe and their South American counterparts. This might have had something to do with the fact that the European and South American champions were the only two teams that actually played in the tournament up until the turn of the millennium. Nevertheless, despite all other continental champions taking part for the last decade, the European and South American champions always duly prevailed to the final. This year Italy’s F.C. Internazionale Milano were due to meet Brazil’s Sport Club Internacional, making the 2010 club world cup final an Inter v Inter affair. However, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe hadn’t read the script and in a David vs. Goliath like feat defeated the Brazilian Internacional in the semi-finals, making this the first ever Europe vs. Africa final affair.

While that may have given the historic final a special air of romanticism about it, the game itself was effectively over within the first quarter of an hour. That’s how long it took Inter Milan to storm off to a 2-0 lead with goals by Pandev and Eto’o. Mazembe were never going to recover from that and Inter Milan easily won 3-0 in a vulgar display of power. The 3rd placed game, played immediately before the final was a similarly one-sided affair with Internacional beating South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 4-2 with D’Allessandro scoring twice. The great thing about football though, and especially about tournaments like this, is that it truly is the world’s game and it may not always the players on the pitch that entertain you the most, it can sometimes be provided by the supporters in the stand and that was definitely the case here. Inter Milan brought their ultras who brought their banners and even flares. The Congolese fans, despite watching their team thoroughly beaten provided plenty of color, displaying traditional Congolese dance and dress. Ironically, the biggest and loudest bunch was the Brazilian contingent who sportingly stayed after the 3rd place match to watch the final, despite their team not even playing in it. All this ensured that Abu Dhabi was transformed into a “paradise city”… well, for that weekend at least.

Set list:
Chinese Democracy, Welcome to the Jungle, It’s So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Sorry, Richard Fortus Guitar Solo, Live and Let Die, This I Love, Better, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Reed Piano Solo, Street of Dreams, You Could be Mine, Dj Ashba Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O’Mine, Another Brick in the Wall/Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Whole Lotta Rosie, Night Train. Encore: Don’t Cry, Patience, Madagascar, Paradise City

Seychelles 2010 - Mahe & La Digue Islands

2010-11-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

They say there are two ways in life to get to heaven – one is to live a life of purity, staying clear of sin, and the other option is to just buy a plane ticket to the Seychelles. Without trying to compromise the former, I decided just to be on the safe side to try the latter as well. So for my 2010 Eid Al Adha vacation, I decided to take advantage of Qatar Airways’ direct flight from Doha to the Seychelles and check out this much-fancied archipelago of earthly delights.

This was actually my second consecutive trip to this region, having travelled to nearby Mauritius the previous year’s Eid break. Although the Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion do share many commonalities; most notably they’re all wrapped into one Lonely Planet Guidebook – they’ve all got their own distinctive flavor. Reunion is still a French colony and will probably appeal more for serious mountaineers than scuba divers. Mauritius is very much a compact, single-island state which harmoniously integrates French, English, Creole, African and Indian cultures. The Seychelles on the other hand is an archipelago distinctive for its many islands’ granite rock formation. The tranquil scenery created by this distinctive geological feature has made the Seychelles one of the world’s most romantic honeymoon destination spots. Like Mauritius, another lure the islands have for travellers is scuba diving – which was the main draw card for yours truly.

Although the Seychelles is notorious for being exceptionally expensive, travelling on a more modest budget is becoming increasingly easier as a variety of guesthouses and midrange accommodation options are continuously sprouting up in order to diversify the country’s tourism industry. I chose the reputable Georgina’s Cottage in Beau Vallon and arranged an airport pickup from my hosts as I arrived in the wee-hours of morning in Victoria. The sleepy town of Beau Vallon is located on the northwest coast of Mahe, by far the Seychelles largest and most populated island – and is the base to some of the Seychelles’ signature dive sites, including the Shark Bank and Dragon’s Teeth. I booked two days of diving with a local dive center, Ocean Dream Divers and they guaranteed and duly delivered excellent dives at the aforementioned sites - as well as a couple of sites closer to shore. Oddly enough the Shark Bank was completely bare of sharks when we dove, but we did still see plenty of other exotic sea-creatures including schools of barracuda, giant stingrays, eagle-rays, a massive humphead wrasse, lobster and a swarms of yellow snapper. We did finally see a shark at Dragon’s Teeth – an equally impressive site.

After a couple of days of diving and exploring Beau Vallon, I decided to move on and explore another island in the Seychelles. I only had time for one so I chose La Digue, home to Anse Source d'Argent - one of the world’s most photographed beaches. Stepping off the boat and onto the island really is a step through time as there are literally no motor vehicles on the island, the best way of getting around for both locals and tourists is by bicycle. So after finding a reasonably priced guesthouse, I then rented a cycle and set off to explore the island. Anse Source d'Argent really is the quintessential postcard picture of paradise. With its massive granite rocks spilling onto the snow-white sandy beach, which melts into the turquoise crystal-clear waters, it certainly is a tranquil place.

I could have stayed in the Seychelles forever, exploring La Digue and all 150 of its scattered islands but like all good things, my vacation in the Indian Ocean had to come to an end. So I made my way back to Mahe to catch my flight back to Qatar. With about 6 hours to burn in Victoria, the world’s smallest capital city – entertainment options were far and few between. After treating myself to one final delicious creole seafood dinner, I made my way to the city’s only single-screen movie theater to catch the late night showing of Leonardo’s new movie Inception. A strange thing happened in the theater that night. As the movie started, I immediately began to feel drowsy…. the next thing I knew the end credits were rolling and the theater usher was shaking me… “Sir, sir wake up, the movie is over.”… As I came to I began to wonder, was the vacation in Seychelles for real, or had it all just been a dream within a dream within a dream.......

To see more photos from the trip check out:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=568195&id=544535404&l=cbf3b6cf8b

East Europe Tour 2010 - Part 3: Romania

2010-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

I woke up from my first night in Brasov, Romania feeling extremely weak and with a strange dizziness in my head. It was almost like I had a terrible hangover and just gotten back from the blood donors at the same time! At first I thought it might have been because I hadn’t fully recovered from the previous nights’ arduous train journey from Belgrade. However, I looked in the mirror that morning and noticed two strange mosquito-bite sized marks on my neck, my eyes were both very red, and most strangely of all - my two frontal canine teeth seemed to have expanded downwards by a millimeter. As the day wore on, other eerie symptoms began to arise. I found myself become increasingly lethargic from the sunlight - quite bizarre for someone who has lived most of his life in the Middle East! I also found myself shying away from visiting any of Romania’s many distinctive medieval cathedrals for some strange reason, preferring to linger around the cemeteries instead and another strange occurrence happened at the restaurant that night. Although I normally love my meat well done, I had this sudden craving for an ultra-rare steak that night, had red wine as opposed to my usual white and couldn’t go anywhere near the complimentary garlic bread – usually one of my favorite appetizers.

I went back to the hotel that night feeling increasingly restless. For some reason I wanted to go back to that restaurant and get another blood-filled rare steak. I couldn’t sleep that night and as the craving got stronger, I noticed my canine teeth had grown into two full sized wolf-like fangs dangling parallel to each other like a pair of icicle spikes. I immediately got up, turned the light on and went to the mirror and to my horror I saw….. no reflection! It was at this point that I decided to seek medical help. I raced out of my room and downstairs to the lobby where I saw the receptionist but just as I opened my mouth ask for directions to the hospital, she screamed… “Ahhhhh….. DRACULA!!!!!” And at that moment, she picked up a wooden stake she had stored under the reception desk and drove it painfully, straight into my heart!

The next thing I knew there was a flash of white light, I heard a train whistle and then heard a voice say, “excuse me sir… wake up…. this is Brasov”…. I opened my eyes and realized I was still on the train and we had just reached Brasov, Transylvania’s transportation hub and one of Romania’s most visited cities. It had all just been a bad dream on the night train over from Belgrade and had ironically come to its climax just as we’d choo-choo-ed to my preferred stop. With its’ plethora of sites, compact medieval heart, abundant baroque architecture, cobblestone alleyways and excellent lookout points from the surrounding Carpathian Mountains – Brasov is an excellent entry point for travellers in Romania. However, the city’s beauty is unfortunately overshadowed by the region’s main draw, the nearby Bran Castle. The well preserved fairytale-structured fortified chateau rose to touristic prominence as it bore an uncanny resemblance to the lair of the vampire guru in Brahm Strokes’ 1892 landmark novel Dracula.

Oddly enough, the historical connection between Bran Castle and vampires is a bit of a historical innacuracy. The real son of Count Dracul, Vlad Tepes (aka, “Draculea” due to the patriarchal-naming system that was in place at the time) – never actually permanently bore residence in Bran for any considerable period of time. In fact Tepes was the voivode of Transylvania’s then sovereign neighboring kingdom Wallachia. He may have spent some time in the castle, as is acknowledged inside the castle’s museum as he fended off the region from countless Ottoman attacks; however, the most noteworthy resident celebrated by the castle’s museum is in fact Queen Mary of Edinburgh. No need to mention that to the hordes of stall and shopkeepers outside the castle’s gates selling pretty much every kind of Dracula merchandise you can possibly imagine. I made due with a T-shirt and Dracula beer mug before heading off to nearby Râşnov and its equally impressive hilltop castle.

Notorious Vlad Țepeș ruled Wallachia in the 15th century and got his nickname “Vlad the Impaler” from his rather peculiar torture methods of captured soldiers during his kingdoms’ continuous strife with the Ottoman Empire in which his victims were pierced with metal-rod stakes intricately placed through vertically through their bodies leaving all vital organs unharmed. This meant victims suffered days of excruciating pain before eventually bleeding to death. Despite this cruelty, Tepes was not the only one who did this during his time and he is now celebrated as something of a hero throughout Romania due to the heroic resistance he put up against the Ottoman invaders. A visit to Tepes’ historic birthplace Sighişoara is an absolute must. The beautifully preserved medieval citadel center is certainly a picturesque place and one of Romania’s highlights.

The last stop on my Eastern European adventure was Romania’s capital city Bucharest. Although crowded, crazy and chaotic and not as quaint as its Hungarian counterpart Budapest – Bucharest still has its own unique charm. The city’s most monumental structure is the gargantuan Palace of the Parliament, the world’s most heaviest building and largest of its kind. Although locals don’t always speak favorably of it due to it being a leftover relic of Romania’s former communist repressor Nicolae Ceauşescu, it is most certainly an essential most tourists itineraries. Bucharest is also home to many of Romania’s finest museum – amongst these being the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, which pays homage to Romania’s ample Gypsy culture. Like Belgrade, perhaps Bucharest’s finest quality however is its vibrant nightlife which I was able to sample in the central Lipscani district thanks to its proximity to the nearby university before heading back to Budapest to catch my flight back to Qatar.

To view the photos, check out:
Part 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=517564&id=544535404&l=92bf36f3ef

Part 2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=521870&id=544535404&l=1b77de98b0

East Europe Tour 2010 - Part 2: Serbia

2010-10-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever taken what you thought would be a slight detour which turned out to be a lot longer than you thought it would be but pleasantly surprised you took it in the end? Well this was what happened to me when I rendezvoused for the night in Belgrade, Serbia on my way from Hungary onto my final destination, Romania. My initial plan was to take catch a Bucharest-bound train from Budapest and get off in Brasov, Romania. Looking at the map, I realized that Belgrade was a quick seven-hour train-ride away from Budapest and that technically I wouldn't be gaining that much more distance onto Brasov than going directly from Budapest. This logic turned out to be flawed however, as while Serbia is well connected to Hungary via public transport; Romania is an entirely different prospect. There were virtually no buses and the train schedule erratic. I wound up having to take a nightly train from Belgrade to Brasov, via connections at Timisoara and Arad - a grueling 15 hour overnight journey, with train stopovers included. However, regret this logistic miscalculation I most certainly did not as my two-day detour in Serbia's formerly war-torn capital turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

With only one night, there was not much time to spare and after having found a place to stay and taking a short rest, set off to see the city. One nice thing about Belgrade is that its center is very compact. The train station is just a short walk up-a-hill away from the city center and most of the sites are located between Kalemegdan Citadel and the Saint Sava Cathedral, a pleasant 1.5 kilometer walk. It was only natural to stay somewhere between the two, so I checked into the Hotel Kasina, overlooking a square opposite the more illustrious Hotel Moscow. Another thing I really liked about Belgrade was that, as opposed to Budapest, it was almost devoid of tourists, especially during this time of the year (September). Despite this, things are well marked in English and tourist information booths plentiful, yet with hardly any tourists it seems as though they have all been put in place especially for me. I also found myself having most of the tourist attractions to myself. A third thing I really enjoyed about the city was my encounters with the locals. While Serbians may get a bad rap, I found those I talked to be very friendly and approachable. Keeping in mind, I was selective about who I did talk to, not trying to stike up a conversation with any of the ultra-soccer fans at the Partizan vs Rad soccer match. I also found that, despite the US-led NATO bombings on the city a good decade before, Serbians were equally as interested in me as I was in them - wondering what an American was doing in their city.

The most natural place to start off in Belgrade was the Saint Sava Cathedral, which while still not entirely complete (mostly notable in the interior) is still an impressive structure and reminiscent of Hagia Sophia. It is in fact the largest Orthodox Church in the world by volume. Serbia is notorious for its soccer hooligans so I was sure to try and catch a game while I was there. I wasn't able to catch the historic Partizan v Red Star derby but I did manage to see FK Partizan hammer local rivals Rad 3-0 with the notorious Grobari Partizan-ultras in full voice. The next day I checked out both the Nikolai Tesla Museum (one of the most overlooked scientists of his time) and spent the rest of the day at the Kalemegdan Citadel complex, where most locals go to wander as well. Perhaps the thing about Belgrade that makes it special however is not so much its monuments or tourist attractions but its nightlife. Belgrade promotes itself as the new party capital of Europe and the locals certainly take to the streets when the sun goes down. The sports mad Serbs were not too happy that night when their basketball team lost to Turkey in the World Basketball Championship semi-finals though.

I guess the downfall to Belgrade would be the accommodation situation is not the greatest. While I had no trouble finding a room, what you get for what you pay is a firm reminder that you are now entering Eastern European standards. However, the complimentary breakfast at the Kasina was massive and the view from my room's top floor porch made it hard to complain. Food was probably another downer, while portions were never meager; the quality was usually of the fast food type. Despite these minor blemishes, I thoroughly enjoyed my deviation into the ex-Yugoslavian capital city and found myself leaving wanting more. I think a return trip to see the 'greater-Serbia' will definitely be in the cards in the near future.

To see the full photo-collection from the trip, check my main site here;
http://www.glennstevens.biz/serbia.htm
or
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=501574&id=544535404&l=000b839765

East Europe Tour 2010 - Part 1: Hungary

2010-10-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

These past couple of years, Eid vacation (the end of Ramadan) has fallen towards the beginning of the fall semester, making it the perfect time to visit Europe. The weather is still warm and the sun still up but both the summer crowds and inflated high season summer prices are starting to go down. I had made recent trips to Greece, Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland in the past couple of years so with Eid 2010 falling in September; I decided to return to Eastern Europe. For this trip I selected Hungary and Romania as my choice with a rendezvous in Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade along the way.
The first stop was Hungary’s majestic capital city, Budapest. With no direct flights from Qatar to any of these places at the time of writing, the easiest and cheapest way to get there was via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. Fortunately, thanks to the Istanbul Airport’s duty free shops’ generous portions of free Turkish delight samples and very affordable and relaxing water massage machine, the 5 hour both-ways transit was nowhere near as vexing as at first envisioned. There wasn’t any free internet or enough time to go into the city but if you like Turkish Delights as I do - then Istanbul Airport is not that bad a place to be stuck in for a couple of hours.Located on the Danube River, Budapest is without a doubt one of the world’s finest cities. The river literally splits the city into two districts in which the city derives its name from with ‘Buda’ located on the west bank and ‘Pest’ on the east. Historic monuments and buildings line up along both sides of the river. Perhaps the finest of these is the almost surreal neo-gothic parliament building which dominates the city’s skyline. Across the river lies the Var – a walled plateau which contains the Buda Palace, the Hungary National Gallery and a plethora of various other museums and monuments.One could spend days, if not weeks wandering around Budapest’s time-honored streets as I did but there are also many interesting side trips to be made. One part of Hungary’s epic history that is not prevalent in its capital city’s architecture is the 40 years that Hungary spent under communist rule. This is because most of the monuments forcefully erected during this period can all be found in one place, at the Statue Park. The park is filled with statues and monuments of communist propaganda and is well worth the trip to its rather remote suburban location. On my final day in Hungary, I took the train northwest to the riverside towns of Eszertgorm and Szentendre. The main attraction in Eszertgorm is the stunning Bascilla which dominates its skyline. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Danube, the Eszertgorm Basicilla, Hungary’s largest cathedral is certainly a stunning site. I even walked up to the cupola and the walk around its exterior and while it’s certainly not for agoraphobics, the views from the top are breathtaking!

The only downfall to Budapest, apart from the constant rain, is that the thriving nightlife that I’d later find in some of Hungary’s neighboring capital cities of Bucharest and Belgrade is a little harder to find. My hotel, the Kalvin House, was conveniently located right in the heart of the Pest side of the city, just a couple of blocks away from the Szabadsag Bridge and the Vaci Utca pedestrian street. While the latter was quite vibrant during the day, things seemed to close down pretty early at night. There’s still plenty to do after dark in Hungary, it’s just most of it seems to cater more for tourists. I still did however find my fair share of entertainment. I managed to get my football fix by attending the Hungary vs. Moldova European qualifier. It actually turned out to be quite an experience! I also attended a Hungarian music & dance show put on by the Danube Folk Ensemble at the Danube Patola Theatre.
To see more photos from the trip, check these links:
Set 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=489842&id=544535404&l=e56b7cb910
Set 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=493388&id=544535404&l=def2b22f04

John Mayer - live @ the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles - August 22, 2010

2010-08-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

There was no better way to end our little road trip of western United States than an evening with one of my favorite contemporary musicians, John Mayer. Although some of his more recent work may drift a little too close to the middle of the road for yours truly’s liking, there’s no doubting his ability as a musician. Mayer is also one of those guys that seems to be at his best when performing in concert and it’s his live recordings like Try, Any Given Sunday and Where the Light is which get the most plays in car stereo. Having become a Mayer fan after the last time he was in Dubai (UAE Desert Rythem Festival 2006), I was sure not to miss him this time.

Having driven all the way down from San Francisco the same day, I got to the Hollywood Bowl just as Johnny came on, unfortunately missing opener Owl City. Unlike many artists who make their audience wait endlessly before coming on, Mayer was out bang smack right at 7.30 – treating us to a four-song acoustic taster that included “Stop this Train” and three covers; Hendrix’s “Wind Cries Mary”, “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith and an inspiring duet with pianist Brad Mehldau of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”.

Live - John Mayer is a completely different experience than in the studio. Although I do love most of his records, you can often tell he’s holding back a little. Fortunately, this is not the case in concert as he constantly lets himself go on the guitar throughout, while also allowing his co-musicians the occasional moment in the spotlight. This is immediately evident the moment he gets onstage and begins belting out the guitar solo jam of “Cabin Fever” before wah-wahing his way through the funky “Vultures”. Mayer’s voice has also come a long way as can be heard in the way he belts out the newer tracks like “Perfectly Lonely”.

As this was the Battle Studies tour, the majority of the tracks played on the night came from his latest record with a handful from his previous release Continuum. This is something I liked as Mayer has released his older stuff live on CD numerous times so it was nice to hear how the newer tracks went down live. The addition of the rather obscure “Do You Know Me?”, in which he acknowledged that only the ‘true fans’ would know, was a pleasant surprise. He played only one song each from his first two records, “Why Georgia” and the brilliant “Clarity”, as well as a cover of Bill Wither’s “Ain’t no Sunshine”. Although Mayer only played a total of about 17 songs, it was not exactly a short concert as the songs were all made longer well beyond their studio time with awesome jam sessions and extended guitar solos, as well as Mayer’s trademark stage-patter humor – which he displayed throughout the night. I do feel however that he could have extended his encore a bit which was only one song, “Edge of Desire” – a surprise but very good song as it contains one my all time favorite JM guitar riffs.

The whole show can be downloaded in MP3 here:
http://www.archive.org/details/JM2010-08-22.akg463.flac16

Set List:
Acoustic (w/Brad Mehldau): Wind Cries Mary, Can't Find My Way Home, Going To California > Stop This Train, Bittersweet Symphony, Main set: Chest Fever > Vultures, Clarity, Why Georgia, Ain't No Sunshine, Perfectly Lonely, I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You), Heartbreak Warfare, Gravity, Who Says, Waiting on the World to Change, Do You Know Me, Half of My Heart > Don't Stop Believing, Encore: Edge of Desire

Lion encoutner at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

2010-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched that show, 'who wants to be a millionaire?'? Well, I thought why not try and go one step better; why settle for a million, why not try and become a trillionaire? So after spending a couple of days exploring Livingston and the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, I decided to walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge and into Zimbabwe where 1 US dollar could fetch you several of those notorious trillion-dollar Zimbabwean notes. Thanks to Mugabe's tarnished mega-hyper inflation economic, the plan was to just wait it out a couple of months until the Zimbabwean dollar eventually got back to its 1980s valuation when the Zimbabwean dollar was 50% stronger than its American counterpart and I could cash my trillions of dollars in for an early retirement that would last multiple generations.
Sound like a good plan? Well… while the trillion Zimbabwean notes have served me well as souvenirs and bar-joke gimmicks, the early retirement-plan is still on an indefinite hold as I'm yet to find a money changer in town willing to give me a profitable exchange rate. In fact, much to my surprise - they aren't even using Zimbabwean dollars in Zimbabwe itself so if you do happen to pass this way one day, be sure to stock up on plenty of US dollars, Euros or South African rand. Fortunately, the walk across the bridge and night spent in Victoria Falls was not entirely in vain as I had alternative motives for crossing over into Zimbabwe - that was to spend a morning walking with a couple of kings of the jungle at the Masuwe Estate with Lion Encounter.
The Lion Encounter sanctuary program was set up to help curve the region's diminishing lion population growth due to human poaching. Although it costs triple figures in US dollars for this brief yet unparalleled experience, it was certainly well worth every penny to get up and close to one of the earth's most feared and ferocious creatures. I will admit it that this was actually somewhat even more nerve wracking than the great white shark experience in Cape Town some weeks before as there was no cage separating us from the apex predators this time. Although we were given a meter-long stick in case the lions 'felt like playing' to throw at the lions, thoughts of Siegfried & Roy's ill-fated tragic tiger-taming, or what to do it not one but both lions 'felt like playing' (maybe they should have given us two sticks?) were constantly creeping in the back of my mind. However, we grew more comfortable with the lions as time went on and actually got to sit and pet them for a while before slowly tip-toeing away to safety. It was all in all a fantastic and unforgettable experience which has left me with some great photos and video clips.
Despite the DJs successful attempt to keep me up until long after midnight at the Victoria Falls Backpacker's Hostel, I still enjoyed my brief 24-hour stay in Zimbabwe. Walking around Victoria Falls is something of an experience in itself as it is now comparable to a gentrified ghost town as it is now devoid of the hordes of tourists it was designed to attract. Ironically, this was once the preferred place to view the splendid Victoria Falls until recently. Now Zambia's Livingston has taken over that particular honor. Despite this, the falls are both equally stunning on both sides of the border and it would be a shame to come all this way and not experience both.

For the full write up check out:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/zimbabwe.htm
or
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=415221&id=544535404&l=8406f82a22

Great white shark cage diving in Gaansbai, South Africa

2010-03-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

As a long-time scuba diver and shark lover, there was nothing more exhilarating than the thought of getting up and close to the big blue’s ultimate apex predator, the great white shark. One of the best times and places to do this is the dead of winter at one of the earth’s most southern points off the coast of Gaansbai, South Africa - just 165 kilometers from Cape Town. Southern Africa was a region of the world I had always wanted to explore but seeing the great whites was without a doubt one of the major draws to this part of the world so I ensured that this was the first activity I booked on my trip. After surfing the web for a couple of organizations that offered caged shark diving, I finally resolved to go with Sharklady. So I booked myself two days of diving on their boat, got my flight on Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi and headed down to one of the worlds most picturesque and invigorating cities, Cape Town.

After a couple of days exploring Cape Town, or Kaapstad as the Afrikaans call it - then came the day. I got up well before the crack of dawn, at precisely 4 o’clock in the morning and was picked up by the driver. We made the two hour drive all the way down to Gansbaai where we were met with our dive master, boat crew, other divers for the day and the Sharklady herself, Kim McLean. After a short briefing, we were soon in the boats and on our way out to sea. After about half an hour out at sea, we arrived near the shark alley channel near Dyer Island and Geyser Rock – which is amazingly covered by tens of thousands of cape fur seals. It’s the blubbery seals that attract the great whites so the boat stopped, the crew began hauling chum in the water and before we knew it we were surrounded by not one but six humongous great white sharks. Within no time, the cage was lowered into the water and the dive master asked pointed my way and said, “You first!” I threw my wetsuit on and reluctantly stepped into the cage in the freezing cold water and was soon joined by three other shark-divers.

Seeing these majestic, yet deadly creatures up close was surreal and quite simply spectacular. The sharks circled the boat and came right up to the cage. As they majestically swam past and bit at the chum the boat crew was dangling, it seemed as though they were putting on a perfectly choreographed show for us divers, almost posing for our underwater cameras. However, as time went by, we noticed the sharks beginning to become increasingly feisty and gradually more curious in us divers in the cage. When the sharks started banging the cage, that was when the divemaster decided that enough was enough. “Okay guys, let’s call it a day!” he yelled. However, it was too late…. before we knew it, there was a huge bang, everything shook and pieces of metal flew everywhere – a great white had actually broken the cage to pieces! “EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER!!!!!!” screamed the divemaster.

Realizing our steel fortress had been shattered, pandemonium assumed as us four divers fought to scramble back into the boat. “Take my hand!” yelled one of the crew. But just as our fingers were making contact, suddenly I felt a huge tug from under the water, a flash of light and then a venomous, sharp stinging pain crept from my left leg and up through my entire body. When I came to, I looked downwards and could see a cloud of reddish-purple spreading throughout the water around me. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye, a great white swimming away with something in its mouth – it was a foot …. my foot! The pain was so overbearing that I went numb inside, I began to pass out, I could just barely hear cries of ; “SHARK ATTACK!!!”,“It’s got his leg!” coming from the boat above me. I began to gasp and panic to keep myself afloat when suddenly I saw the dreaded site of a long, pointed shark fin coming closer and closer at a speed I couldn’t fathom and then all of the sudden, from out of the water sprung the robust snout and the open jaws of a mammoth great white shark… I helplessly stared in awe of the rows of razor shark blood-stained white teeth that were aiming straight for me when all of the sudden….

… There was nothing but darkness. I could hear the sound of a familiar yet irritating, “Brrp! Brrp! Brrp!” getting louder and louder. I thought to myself, “Where am I? Am I dead? Is this heaven? Is this hell? Am I inside the stomach of a great white shark?” As I came to I could hear the sound getting louder and louder and suddenly I recognized it… it was the sound of my mobile phone’s alarm clock! “Had the shark also eaten my mobile phone as well?” I asked myself. Then I heard the sound of wood banging and a voice in Afrikaners-accented English … “Mr. Stevens, Mr. Stevens, wake up, wake up, the drivers here – time to go shark diving.” I then realized it – it was all just a bad dream, a customary pre-great white shark cage diving nightmare. I jumped out of bed, checked to make sure all my limbs were there and sure enough – no blood, no severed leg. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way to Gansbaai for my shark dive.

The dives went pretty much as described above…. of course, without the cage breaking. In fact, I felt surprisingly at ease in the cage. The great whites came ever so close and occasionally knocked the cage but never once did I ever feel as if my life was in danger. Even the fear of catching hypothermia in the freezing cold waters where the Atlantic and Oceans meet turned out to be nonsensical thanks to Sharklady’s splendid 7mm hooded-wetsuits. As a diver and shark-lover, great white shark cage diving in Gansbaai will most certainly rank amongst my greatest all-time underwater adventures.

Of course there was much more to do in Cape Town than just shark diving. When I returned from Gansbaai, I tried to take a hike/ride up Table Mountain; however, due to weather conditions, I had to settle for the smaller Lion’s Head. I also took tours to the Cape of Good Hope, where we saw ostriches and penguins even. A grimmer, yet just as essential trip to the poverty-stricken Cape Flats townships where we visited a local witch doctor and caught a glimpse of the daily strife the vast majority of the city’s population lives in. Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and many other South African revolutionary figures spent years imprisoned, was another revealing stop. Cape Town in also a city of culinary-delights and I quite simply could not get enough of the staple ostrich burgers. Not to be missed of course was a trip out to the countryside to sample the country’s famous wineries. While I strongly recommend taking a wine tour while in Cape Town - taking one day before catching an early morning is not so advisable. And it was from there that I took my Southern African adventure onwards to Botswana.

While I would have loved to have shared the hundreds of inspiring photos I took while in the Cape Town and the Western Cape region, I somehow managed to misplace my memory stick containing them somewhere between Lusaka and Lilongwe. So you’ll just have to make do with these underwater captures. If you happen to be in the area and stumble upon a black Sony Memory Stick packed with photos of Cape Town, Botswana & Victoria Falls.. well, you know where to send it! Then again you never know, maybe the memory stick is somewhere in the belly of a great white shark!

Qatar Stars League: Al Gharfa 4-1 Al Sadd

2010-03-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

So the 2009-2010 Qatar Stars League football season went down to the wire. With only two games left, national giants Al Gharafa and Al Sadd found themselves only 2 points apart with Al Gharafa hosting Al Sadd in the penultimate match a week before the season ended. With both teams facing relatively easy final games and sweeping pretty much everyone else in the league, this match would ultimately decide the 2010 season champion. A win would clinch the title for Al Gharafa giving current 2 times champions an unassailable 5 point lead with one game remaining, a draw would still suit Al Gharafa meaning they’d win the title with a win in the final game so the onus really was on Al Sadd to turn the table on its head.

With Al Sadd and Al Gharafa having won the last 7 Qatari league championships and having a total of 18 title wins between them, this truly was a contest for national supremacy. If I was going to catch a local league game while here in Qatar – this was most definitely the one to see and with Al-Gharafa’s Thani bin Jassim Stadium located just two blocks down from my house there really was no excuse not to catch this one.
The Qatar Stars League has become a place for many stars in the twilight of their careers to make one last paycheck before hanging up their boots with the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Marcel Desailly, Frank & Ronald De Boer, etc. all playing here. The highest profile player on display today was Gharafa’s ex-Lyon player Juninho Pernambucano, who made 40 international appearances for Brazil, representing them in the 2006 world cup. Unfortunately, Juninho’s trademark free kicks were not on display on the day. However, it was his Brazilian counterpart Clemerson de Araújo Soares, formerly o f Cruzeiro, who gave Al Gharafa the lead before Al Sadd’s Brazilian star Leandro equalized just before halftime. With Al Sadd needing to win to have the upper hand in the title race, they were made to push forward in the second half leaving their backline exposed, which Gharafa duly exploited. Saoud al-Shammari restored Gharafa’s lead before Iraqi star Younis Mahmoud hit a late double to kill off the tie and give Al Gharafa their third title in a row – 7th overall.

Zambia 2009 - South Luangwa National Park

2010-03-16T02:30:00.000-07:00

Although Kenya's Masa Mara and South Africa's Kruger Park take the plaudits for Africa's most visited safari parks, a hidden gem located up the northeastern corner of Zambia is the South Luangwa National Park. South Luangwa is a bit off the beaten track but this; therefore, it lacks the hoardes of packaged tourists that throb the aforementioned two national parks.. You can either fly in on a chartered flight from Kampala or (Malawi's) Lilongwe or take the arduous two day road trip from Kampala which includes a night's stop in Mufe. I opted for the latter although I nearly bit the bullet and caught a flight on to Lilongwe given the rigorousness of the ride before a Dutch couple residing in Mozambique offered me a free lift back to Mufe. Those brave enough to make the journey however will be glad they did as South Luangwa is simply stunning. This is perhaps the best place in the world to catch a glimpse of the 'big 5' as elephants roam, lions feed, buffaloes bask, hippos laze and even leopards stalk here. In fact, this is a fantastic place to get a glimpse of the elusive leopard - perhaps the hardest of the big 5 to spot.
Although I can't speak for other campsites in the region, the Lonely Planet Guide's recommended Flatdogs Camp is a great choice. Their luxury tents are situated right on the Luangwa River, overlooking the national park and while you may need a permit to cross over into the animal's territory, they don't need one to come into yours. This only adds to the magical experience as elephants, giraffes and even the odd hippopotamus roam freely between the tents. And as you sleep, you can hear the sound of something munching at the trees just outside your tent! They offer morning & night drives as well as walking safaris. I intended to stay a night but wound up camping for three, taking a morning drive, a walking safari and two night trips. The highlights of these being seeing a pride of lions devour an elephant, almost getting killed by an angry pack of buffalo and of course spotting not one, but three leopards after numerous attempts to spot one in various parks throughout Africa.
One of the most difficult things about the trip was trying to decide which photos from South Luangwa would or wouldn't make the site. I wound up with over 250 photos from only two days of safaring so after endless hours of rummaging through the hordes of shots I took, these are the ones chosen for display. Perhaps the best way to see these animals though is to go to South Luangwa yourself! To view the rest of the photos from this trip, check out my main site @:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/zambia.htm

The photos can also be accessed through this public Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=396670&id=544535404&l=e910101d73

Whale Sharks in Musandam, Oman

2009-08-08T02:18:00.000-07:00

As I can now testify, there's nothing more spectacular than seeing a bona-fide whale-shark while diving.. well maybe the great white sharks in Cape Town come close! After decades of diving; however, while diving off Lima Rock in Musandam, Oman - a giant whale shark came along came along and decided to join us for our dive. Fortunately I had my SeaLife underwater camera on me and was able to get this footage of the gigantic, yet gently creature:

Qatar 2009

2009-05-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

Having just accepted a lecturer position at Qatar University, I got a sneak preview of my future life by attending the Qatar TESOL conference in March 2009. Although the three trip was primarily a business function, I managed to sneak in a couple of sightseeing moments to catch a glimpse of the world's second richest country per capita. Unlike the United Arab Emirates, which has several urban and tourism hubs - Qatar is a much smaller country that just about centers almost entirely around it's thriving capital city, Doha.
Talking to fellow expats in the UAE about the prospects of moving to Doha, the general synopsis is that Doha is very much like Abu Dhabi or Dubai used to be some 10-15 years ago. This assessment is not too far from the truth. No doubt Doha is developing; however, it's yet to reach the somewhat insane proportions of its nearby neighboring cities to the east. Doha's splendor pretty much revolves alongside its corniche. One unique aspect of Doha's corniche is that the high-rise development is almost exclusively contained in the northern side of the corniche. The southern part is mainly made up of low-rise and more traditional structures. These include the spiraling Islamic Center building, the bustling souq, the new Museum of Islamic Arts which offers fantastic views of the new city as well as the nearby pier packed with traditional dhows.
With seemingly unlimited funds for development, the skies the limit for Qatar. Doha has changed a great deal over the last decade, what it will look like a decade from now is anybodies guess.
To keep up with my latest escapades in Doha, check out my main site:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/qatar.htm

The Charlatans - Live @ Chi's, Dubai, 2009

2009-05-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Do you have any seemingly unshakable habits that seem to stick with you throughout the years? Well one that I’ve had for the last decade and a half has been to pick up every single release from English indie-band the Charlatans. Given their ability to consistently revamp their sound with every release, it’s a hard habit to kick. While living in California, I had previously seen the Charlatans twice before in 2002, attending their concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco and then the Coachella Festival later the same year. Both gigs were part of their Wonderland tour. I was afraid that by trading music-crazy San Francisco for the more conservative United Arab Emirates, surely I had seen my last Charlies gig. However, the band countered by making their fantastic new CD You Crossed my Path available to download for entirely free and then following that by playing a one-off gig at the Chi nightclub in Dubai.

The Charlies certainly didn’t disappoint this time roaring through a set that contained a large chunk of songs from their new album. Tracks like “Misbegotten”, “Mis-takes” and “Bird” mixed in superbly with classics like “North Country Boy” and “The Only One I Know” - wowing the raunchy 2,000 strong-crowd, who were mostly made up of expats living in the UAE. The only downfall to the night was perhaps that the while the Charlies played a lot of songs off their latest CD, they completed neglected their two previous releases Up at the Lake and Simpatico, which were both unreleased when I had seen them previously. The hits are obviously what the majority of the fans came to see but it would have been great to have heard something more recent like “Blackened Blue Eyes” or “Loving you is Easy”. But those were just minor blips for what turned out to be a great night thanks to one of my all-time favorite bands. This was my third Charlatans show and hopefully will not be the last….

Yemen 2008 - around Sana'a

2009-01-10T02:05:00.000-08:00

Sana'a is a portal to many fascinating day trips located within its surrounding wadis and mountains. Unfortunately a permit and hired car are required for many of these. However, these are not difficult to obtain. Perhaps the most popular and easily accessible of these destinations is the Dar al-Hajar, or better known as the 'rock palace'. Located in the nearby Wadi Dhahr, the rock palace, which spirals majestically several stories high from a conveniently placed rock is one of Yemen's most treasured attractions. It is also not necessary to obtain a permit in order to travel to Wadi Dhahr from Sana'a.
Further northwest from Sana'a are a trio of picturesque villages; Thilla, Shibam and Kawkaban. Thilla sports a mountaintop fortress, Husn Thula - from which spectacular views of the surrounding environs can be seen. Shibam is located at the base of a cliffside with the village of Kawkaban perked spectacularly at the top. After visiting all three of these, my driver and I made our way to Manakhah, another village located in the mountains about 100 km southwest of Sana'a where we overnighted at the animated Al-Hajjarah Tourist Hotel. A night's stay included dinner; however, this was only the appetizer to the entertainment that was later offered. The next we hiked from Manakhah through the mountains to the nearby village of Al-Hajjarah.
To see more photos from this collection, check here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/yemen2.htm

Yemen 2008 - Sana

2009-01-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

The flight from Dubai to San'a may have been less than two hours; however, despite the fact that both cities are located within the Arabian Peninsula, the contrast between the two places could not have been greater. In both cities' national museums, they sport photos comparing how the cities look not, compared to the past. Dubai of course looks nothing like it did some 30 years ago. In Sana's national museum though, the photos show just how little things have changed since cameras were first invented. In fact, many of the structures located within the walled old city are now over 400 hundred years old, making Sana's sensationally preserved old city a UNESCO world heritage site.
My hotel, the Felix Arabia was centrally located within three traditional Yemeni houses overlooking a courtyard. Like in neighboring Saudi Arabia, alcohol is difficult to find in Yemen. However, this problem is alleviated greatly once one discovers the local's favorite vegetable, khat - a stimulant which is chewed daily by Yemenis and found all over Yemen. One can spend hours chewing on khat while exploring the labyrinth-like old city with its many striking houses and shopping in the many souks. Perhaps the most bustling of these souks is the Souk al-Milh, which runs from the old city's main entrance Bab al-Yaman.
For more photos from this trip, check here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/sanaa.htm

South Korea 2008 - Northeast South Korea

2008-12-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

One of Korea’s redeeming features, at least while traveling during the winter, is that it is eerily devoid of western-tourists – especially once you venture away from the big cities. This feeling of escapism was felt no stronger on this trip then when I made my way up the northeast coastline of South Korea. North-South Korea doesn't get many western tourists; however, they do get the odd uninvited visitor from the north. In fact, most of the entire coastline is fenced off with barbed wire and lookout points and beaches are lit up at night in order to spot intruders. The best place to catch a reminder of this threat is the coastal resort town Jeongdongjin, where the a captured North Korean submarine lies on display next to a US battleship. Jeongdongjin also boasts a quite spectacular hotel built in the shape of a vessel on a cliffside, making it a noteworthy stopover.
My first stop in this region was a night in Samcheok. Although there's not really a whole lot to see within the town itself, there are quite a few interesting spots to visit within its local bus-route proximity. Amongst these are the enormous limestone cave at Hwanseon Donggul and the rather exotic Haesindang Gong-won park at Sinnam where the locals erected, erm... erections, in dedication to a young girl who drowned in the nearby seas with her chastity still intact.
After Samcheok, I headed up to Sokcho and the glorious Seoraksan National Park. It was just my luck however that my one day in this hikers paradise happened to coincide with the worst weather I was to experience on the entire trip. It still didn't stop me from taking a nice hike through the park to one of its many mountain caves, as well as riding the cable car up into the mountains. There was also another memorable, if somewhat creepy Korean-cuisine experience awaiting me in Sokcho, where I ordered a ''squid sashimi' to go along with my spider-crab main course. Despite being decapitated into pieces, the raw squid pieces were still far from dead and wiggling and sucking inside my mouth as I chewed them down! Again, one of those 'only in Korea' type experiences.
For more photos/information on this segment of my trip, check the website here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/seoraksan.htm

South Korea 2008 - Busan & Gyeongju

2008-12-17T01:44:00.000-08:00

There's no rest for the wicked as they say. After the long flight from Abu Dhabi to Seoul (via Doha, Osaka and Incheon), Dusty and I woke up first thing the next morning to catch the speed train to South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan, located in the Gyeongsangnam-do province. It was in fact Busan Aquarium - located in the heart of one of South Koreans favorite summer spots, Hae-undae Beach, that attracted us to this dynamic city. The Busan Aquarium, along with Scuba in Korea, allows guests to scuba dive into their main tank, which happens to be swarming with turtles, groupers and mainly... sharks!
Giant gray nurse sharks, sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks, leopard sharks, and white tip reef sharks are all on display and swimming around aimlessly in the tank looking out, hoping to get a taste of some of the viewers gawking from the outside. But while it may be true that some of these intimidating sharks look as if they wouldn't mind devouring a nice human for lunch, the dives are carefully timed between feeding hours so divers and sharks are able to share the tank in relative peace. Despite the obvious harmony and calmness, the audience on the other side of the glass gave us a rock star-like reception. The Busan Aquarium dive is a must for shark enthusiasts and so far no accidents have been reported......yet.
For more photos of the trip, check out my website:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/busan.htm

South Korea 2008 - Seoul

2008-12-16T01:31:00.000-08:00

Seoul, or more likely nearby Incheon airport, is probably the first port of entry for many travelers entering South Korea. Being one of the largest metropolitan complexes in the world, the city itself may not really be considered 'attractive' and there may not sport to many 'tourist attractions'. However, there's plenty to see and do here including the Changdeokgung Palace, N'Seoul Tower and the Inwangsan mountain trails. It's at night where the city really comes alive. There's always a show going on - like the excellent martial arts comedy show, "JUMP" which Dusty treated me to and the city never seems to sleep. Seoul's vibrant shopping centers are open almost all night long. It's also a great place to get a taste of some of Korea's 'esoteric' cuisine - including the infamous dog soup.
One must-do side trip from Seoul is a bone-chilling tour of the demilitarized zone separating South Korea with its northern counterpart, better known simply as the 'DMZ'. The 4km stretch of no-mans land divides two similar cultures yet two completely different worlds. Nowhere else can the tension be felt any more than in Panmunjom, where top-ranked taekwando expert North and South Korean soldiers stare each other down all day in a game of international intimidation. The US military cadets who act as guides on the tour, put on by the United Service Organization, don't exactly alleviate the tension by constantly reminding us that world war three could break out at any minute if we so much as wink at the North Korean soldiers - not something you'd really want to add to your CV. A walk down one of North Korean incursion tunnel, apparently built to transport some 30,000 soldiers is a firm reminder that the cold war is still going on in some parts of the world. A less intense day trip from Seoul is the Korean Folk Village, near Suwon.
For more photos of my trip to Seoul, check them out here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/seoul.htm

South Korea 2008

2008-12-15T01:19:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken from my trip to South Korea in November/December 2008. I had about 10 days on the entire trip. The main objective of this particular expedition to the far east was to meet up with my little brother Dusty, who had just recently landed himself a teaching job in Seoul. However, I was able to turn what was a routine family visit into a nice little trek along South Korea's east coast. South Korea unfortunately gets a little overlooked by travelers when coming to this region as opposed to Japan and China. However, South Korea has plenty to offer travelers of all types.
After a rather arduous flight on Qatar Airways that went all the way form Abu Dhabi to Doha and then to Seoul, via Osaka – I finally arrived at Korea's Incheon International Airport. Dusty and I immediately headed off to Busan – South Korea's largest southern port. Our main reason for coming to Busan was to go shark diving in the Busan Aquarium on Hae-undae beach, where you can walk amongst giant gray nurse sharks, sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks, leopard sharks, and white tip reef sharks, as well as giant grouper and sea turtles . After Busan, Dusty and I headed up to Gyeongju- the old capital of Korea's illustrious Shilla Kingdom.
After parting with Dusty in Gyeongju, I made my way up along South Korea's northeast coast where I visited the country's finest hiking ground, Seoraksan National Park and Samcheok - where I made the side trips to the coastal resort of Jeongdongjin, the magnificent limestone cave of Hwanseon Donggul and stared in disbelief at the phallic monuments of Haesindang Gong-won park in Sinnam. Dusty and I met up again in Seoul where we ventured to the city's highlights: Changdeokgung Palace, N'Seoul Tower, Inwangsan mountain and the Insadong shopping district. We also took the USO's DMZ tour and took a couple of steps inside North Korean territory – an absolute must for geopolitical-aficionados.
It's not just the sites and activities that makes South Korea such an intriguing destination but Korea's got quite a unique cuisine. Hanjeongsik is the full-course Korean meal which includes rice, soups, meats, vegetable dishes and kimchi-the soured cabbage that has become Korea's staple dish. However, those brave enough may want to explore some of Korea's off the beaten track dishes. Dog is of course the most notorious of these dishes. However, it can actually be quite tasty – like a very lean beef. The same can't be said for steamed silkworm, which are sold in packs near the smoked almonds. My advice is to stay far away from these.
The most deadliest dish we consumed in Korea was blowfish. This highly toxic fish can cause fatalities if not served right but it's also a delicacy in these parts. We found a restaurant in Busan that specialized in pufferfish and I must say it was absolutely delicious! Squid is consumed at an alarming rate in South Korea – almost in a similar way as french fries are back in the States. Dried squid is sold everywhere; however, the biggest surprise must have been the squid-sashimi in Sokcho. Although cut up into pieces, the squid is still alive and moving, with its suction-cupped tentacles still fully functioning when you pop them in your mouth... one of the many 'Korea-only' experiences this country offers!
To view more photos from this trip, check the main website:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/korea.htm

Greenland 2008 - Tasilaq

2008-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

By East Greenlandic standards, Tasilaq is a megalopolis. Over a third of East Greenland's 6,000 people live here. Compared to Kulusuk, Tasilaq is a bustling, modern metropolis with everything one could need and desire. There's a post office, hospital, two functioning ATM machines, a couple of supermarkets, a football field, a disco/bar and a tourist information center. Perhaps more importantly, for travelers at least, there's a couple of places to stay and a nice network of local travel agents willing to arrange a variety of adventure trips. These include kayaking, iceberg safaris, helicopter rides, hiking & camping, whale watching ,etc. In peak season accommodation does get fully booked up so I was lucky to find a place at the Hotel Angmagssalik. The hotel had several trips going daily so I managed to join one of their iceberg cruises.
Robert Peroni at the Red House arranged a spectacular boat trip through the Sermiligaaq Fjord all the way to the Knud Rasmussen Glacier. This was a truly fascinating journey through tantalizing icebergs and ice-choked fjords. We saw several whales along the way there and back. A pair of humpbacks swam peacefully around our boats as we all gawked and took photos, on the way back one particularly enthusiastic humpback whale put on a truly stupendous show, dancing around the surface with its arms and flipper, leaping out of the water in spectacular fashion. The glacier itself was nothing short of breathtaking. There was also an abandoned US military base scattered with rusty barrels, cranes and military vehicles, etc. In all my travel experiences, I'd probably rank the Knud Rasmussen Glacier expedition somewhere in my top ten, as it contained pretty much everything you could ask for in a truly authentic Arctic adventure. All that was missing were some polar bears!
For more photos of the trip, check here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/tasilaq.htm

Greenland 2008 - Kulusuk

2008-09-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

A town with only 310 people living in it, Kulusuk may seem a strange portal to the world's largest non-continental island. However, the traditional fishing village of Kulusk happens to be just that for many travelers and tourists coming into East Greenland. As Tunu's administrative capital, Tasilaq is bereft of the required flat space, Kulusuk is in fact home to East Greenland's busiest international airport. Air Iceland sells packages from Reykjavik, including 1-3 day tours. The tiny airport terminal is by no means fit to handle the amounts traffic of day it gets during peak season.
The village of Kulusuk is located about 15 minutes walk from the airport. It is a small and simple place with a population of just over 300. While there isn't a whole lot to see or do in the town itself, Kulusk is located on at the banks of a bay merging out into the iceberg infested north Atlantic Ocean. For most visitors, Kulusuk is nothing more than a stop-and-go place en route to Tasilaq. However, the scenery is simply mesmerizing and if its your first visit this part of the world, as it was mine - than its definitely worth the effort to spend at least a night. Fortunately I bumped into local resident Icelander Johann Brandsson, who conveniently owns the Kulusuk Youth Hostel and was able to do just that. For the day tripping tourists, the locals do sometimes put on a traditional dance and kayak hunting show.
Getting to Tasilaq from Kulusuk can be an adventure in itself. The traditional method is by helicopter. However, I managed to get a local fisherman to take me along in his fishing boat. It was quite a boat ride, zooming through icebergs that looked like skyscrapers in our tiny boat. A whale even surfaced right in front of the boat - another thing you'd only see in Greenland!
To view more pictures, check out my site:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/kulusuk.htm

Iceland 2008 - Skaftafell, Vatnajökull, Jökulsárlón, South central route

2008-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Although many of Iceland's main tourist attractions are crammed in the southwestern corner of the country, within a hundred kilometer radius of the capital city, Reykjavik - to come all of the way to this fascinating country and only stick to the tourist hotspots of Reykjavik, the Golden Triangle and the Blue Lagoon would be a real shame. Although Iceland is by no means a large country, going from place to place can take a little longer than it may look on map given that most of the highways are located along the parameter. For this reason, given my time limit, which was about a week - I chose to stick to two main bases. The first of course being Reykjavik, the second being Skaftafell National Park - Iceland's largest and most popular national park. The Skaftafell base-camp is located on the southern edge of the Vatnajökull ice cap - the largest glacier in Europe by volume. Skaftafell is an excellent place for hiking within the mountains piercing the glacier. Walking on or through the glacier itself with crampons and ice-axe is another activity that can be arranged at the Skaftafell Visitor's Center. Longer hikes deep into the heart of the glacier can also be arranged.
One fascinating and easily accessible day trip from the Skaftafell National Park is the mystic Jökulsárlón Lagoon. Due to ice breaking off the Vatnajökull glacier, the glacial lake is packed with luminous blue icebergs creating one the most picturesque places in Iceland. Scenes from the James Bond films, A View to a Kill & Die Another Day were filmed here and one feels just like agent 007 riding the monstrous boat / 4WD truck through the lake.
Skaftafell is accessible from Reykjavik by Flybus, Iceland's premier public transport carrier. Even though a return ticket costs a whopping 150 Euros, one has to remember the buses do run off of some the world's most expensive petrol. Also, the bus ride is an adventure itself. Flybus allows tourists to make the return trip in alternative routes, one along the southern coast road via the picturesque coastal town of Vik as well as making several waterfall stops, including Sellfoss. The return bus-ride goes through tranquil inland landscape of Iceland's southern countryside via the thermal pools of Landmanlauger and the aptly named town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, near the striking Systrafoss waterfall. These various stops certainly added an extra dimension to my Iceland experience.
As always the full photos/write up can be accessed at my main site:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/iceland.htm

Iceland 2008 - Reykjavik, Geysir, Gullfoss, Blue Lagoon, etc.

2008-09-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Many of Iceland's most popular tourist destinations are all crammed, conveniently within a hundred kilometer radius of its capital city, Reykjavik. Reykjavik, being the world's most northerly national capital city, is a unique place. Walking around in the midnight sun, the term 'city' may not be the best way to describe the place, but by Icelandic standards - Reykjavik is huge. While Reykjavik may not have the many historical sites and monuments of many other European capital cities, it has a bohemian and laid back feel to it. Unfortunately, one of Reykjavik's most prominent landmarks, the Hallgrimskikja Church was undergoing some major renovation at the time - so I was unable to try climb the steeple for views of the downtown area. The statue in front of the church pays homage to Leifr Eiríksson, the man accredited to first discovering the Americas from Europe long before Christopher Columbus and co. made their voyage. The Perlan, a massive dome-topped structure overlooking the city was open however. The Perlan is actually a huge water tank which supplies the city with its water. The building also contains the Saga Museum and the rooftop walkway offers great panoramic views of the city. Reykjavik comes alive at night in which tourists are all invited to join the 'runtur' - the nightly pub crawl.
Reykjavik is the portal to many interesting day trips. Perhaps the most notable of these day trips is the 'Golden Triangle' which includes Geysir, Gullfoss and Pingvellir. Geysir is the world's most sought after natural geyser, and the one in which all of its namesakes are named after. Geysir goes off every 5-10 minutes, opposed to Yellowstone's which takes about an hour to reload, making Geysir undisputed world's premier. Next up on the Golden Triangle is the magnificent waterfall, Gullfoss. In fact, is Europe's largest waterfall and a truly spectacular site. The final piece of the Golden Triangle is Pingvellir - the site where Iceland's parliament was founded. The surrounding lava-constructed environment offers some excellent views and hikes. Another popular destination easily within reach from Reykjavik is the world-famous geothermal spa & pool, the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon's warm creamy blue water, set in the lava-valley backdrop, is rich in volcanic minerals such as sulfur and silica, making it a healthy destination, as well as picturesque. Another activity I engaged in while in Reykjavik was whale watching. Although nowhere near as intimate as in Greenland, we did see several minke and humpback whales, as well as puffins along the way.
To view more photos/write up of the trip, check my site here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/reykjavik.htm

Greenland & Iceland 2008

2008-09-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Throughout my entire travels, one accolade that had still been eluding me was to get up and close to a bona fide iceberg. In fact, prior to summer 2008, any sort of "Arctic experience" I had was virtually non-existent. The exceptions being maybe strolling through streets in the midnight sun of St. Petersburg, or a trip through Sweden's southern region of Scania. However, this hardly constitutes for an 'Arctic adventure'. While I'd always fantasized about making the icebreaker vessel journey through Antarctica, the costs and seasonal dilemma has always rendered this plan to nothing but a personal reverie. Greenland however, being only a short two hour flight away from Reykjavik, Iceland was a much more realistic and accessible destination to see icebergs. With both Iceland & Greenland being destinations I had been intrigued about for quite some time, it wasn't before long that I had my Lonely Planet Guides, flight bookings and was ready to go.

I came across the idea to go to Greenland rather accidentally. I was surfing the Internet one day, searching for photos of icebergs for an exercise I was developing on Antarctica for my students, when I came across the Flugfélag Airlines (aka Air Iceland) website advertising 'day trips' to Kulusuk, a tiny village located on an island just off the east coast of Greenland. Although, I'm not one for guided day trips, I realized that this was a unique opportunity to 'kill two birds with one stone', as the intriguing volcanic hotspot island of Iceland was another destination on my 'countries-to-do list'. So, after some articulate planning, I booked flights on 3 separate tickets online: Abu Dhabi-London via British Airways, London-Reykjavík (Keflavik) via Icelandair and then Reykjavík-Kulusuk via Flugfélag Airlines.
As stated earlier, Iceland was always a place that I'd wanted to visit. This unique geothermal-powered island offers plenty for the adventurous independent traveler. There's the requisite tourist sites: the 'Golden Triangle', which includes Europe's largest waterfall Gulfoss, Geysir - the world's most consistent geyser and the Pingveller National Park. Traveler can also enjoy hiking through Iceland's unique volcanic landscape, walking ontop of some of the world's largest glaciers through ice caves and crevices, participating in the 'runtur' - the traditional Icelandic pubcrawl and exploring the quirky capital city Reykjavik, soaking in the waters of the world-renowned geothermal hot spring of Blue Lagoon, whale or puffin watching, scuba diving along the volcanic rift, etc. This tiny island really has it all. With exception to the diving, in my short time in Iceland, I managed to pull in all of the aforementioned activities.

Iceland is also noted to be one of the world's most intellectual societies. Reykjavik apparently boasts the largest number of newspapers per capita. Icelanders are liberal-minded people who also supposedly enjoy one of the highest qualities of life in the world. Evidence of Icelanders love for the arts is evident walking around the nation's capital as museums, galleries and libraries are scattered on every corner. There's an active music scene in Reykjavik with local acts performing in various bars around town. Located right on the epicenter of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a geological hotspot and the volcanic activity that arises from this forms the country's unique landscape. Iceland is one of the greenest countries in the world with over 70% of its energy being generated from renewable sources - most noticeably geothermal power.
Although only a short two hour flight away from Iceland, neighboring island-state Greenland seems a world away. Tunu (aka 'East Greenland'), with a landmass of 1,457,000 km² and a population of only 3,800 people (that's 0.0026 persons/ km²), East Greenland is about as isolated and remote as you can possibly find. However, about half of that population resides in Tunu's administrative capital, Tasilaq. Tasilaq's picturesque setting, on a bay surrounded by mountains and fjords, means it is bereft of the requisite flat space needed for an international airport. For this reason the region's airport is located at nearby village of Kulusuk.

One popular way to see Greenland is through packaged tours on Air Iceland from Reykjavik. There are day-tripping tours as well as others that offer a couple of nights accommodation in Greenland. While these may be the easiest and most financially practical way of experiencing Greenland, these stop-and-go packaged tours are, in my opinion at least, unadvisable as in Greenland the weather dictates everything. There is no guarantee whether or not conditions will permit traveling by certain land, sea or air routes. Shorter excursions, such as succint iceberg cruises and local hikes are usually doable. However, to really see Greenland, longer, more adventurous and drawn out excursions are required but may not always be guaranteed to depart on their scheduled dates. I had to wait around several days for the Knud Rasmussen Glacier trip. The wait was certainly worth it though as I'd rank that particular trip amongst some of my all time favorite traveling experiences. It was not only the glacier itself but the entire boat ride through the iceberg and whale filled fjord that made the trio so special. The moral of the story is that patience is a virtue one must pack in their rucksacks when traveling in this part of the world.
In the end, gorgeous Greenland turned out to be quite a difficult place to leave behind. Was it the breathtaking views of tranquil crystal blue water meandering through the ice-filled fjords, or perhaps the tantalizing humpback whales who would surface and dance majestically from the depths of the ice cold ocean, as if perfectly choreographed specifically for the awestrawk admirers and cameras waiting at the surface? Was it the magnificent, gargantuan picture-perfect icebergs that rose up like state of the art ice structures as if on display at an avant-garde architectural conference? Well that too….. But when I say that Greenland was a difficult place to leave, I mean just that … it actually was a difficult place to leave. The reason for this is that in Greenland, weather dictates everything, especially when it comes to traveling. When heavy fog roles in, the runway in Kulusuk becomes practically invisible to incoming planes and it's not that rare for all incoming and outgoing flights to be canceled for and entire day - if not more.

This is exactly what happened on the day I was due to fly out. I wound up having one day extra in Greenland and inevitably missed all my connecting flights. Airlines nowadays are not responsible for flights missed due to 'acts of god' and I guess heavy fog is deemed out of Air Iceland's control. Fortunately Air Iceland was able to reschedule a flight back to London with Icelandair at no charge, and I was also able to reschedule my British Airways flight back to Abu Dhabi with little difficulty. The experience though does show how volatile plans can be in Greenland and the need to bring plenty of time and patience along with your Danish kroner in Greenland.

Speaking of kroner, which is used both in Iceland & in Greenland (Iceland uses Icelandic kroner and Greenland uses Danish kroner) - bring plenty of it as neither Iceland nor Greenland are cheap destinations. In fact, the terms 'Iceland' and 'expensive' seem to be synonymous with each other. Iceland is notorious for being outrageously overpriced and I had previously read that back in the days before the widespread use of mobiles and Internet, the world's most expensive phone call was from Reykjavik to Tokyo at peak hours. With the going rate for a bed space in a hostel, bedding not included, at around US$50/night, I'm not going to try and dispute that claim. With virtually everything having to be imported from abroad, Iceland is not exactly a budget traveler's paradise. Sitting down in a restaurant in Iceland would cost about a months salary in some parts of the world and transportation is another pocket drainer. The round-trip bus pass from Reykjavik to Skaftafell (about 6 hours each way) cost almost $200! This shouldn't be too surprising however, considering the bus is running on some of the world's most expensive petrol.
Greenland doesn't fare too much better either. Accommodation is limited and not cheap. With the exception of overpriced hotel restaurants, there seems to be a dearth of locally-run restaurants or cafes. The main killer in Greenland is transportation. Without a network of roads connecting towns and settlements, the main method of transport is helicopter, boat or dogsled - none of which comes cheaply. I had to hire a local boatman to take me from Kulusuk to Tasilaq for over a hundred dollars. A priceless and spectacular journey in itself through massive icebergs and surfacing whales; however, given the overall distance being a mere 20km, covered in less than an hour - a little overpriced nonetheless. My original objective was to get to the western town of Ilulissat, home to Ilulissat Kangerlusa - one of the world's largest and most spectacular ice-fjords. However, when I discovered the airfare for the domestic plane ticket from Kulusuk to Ilulissat alonse was a whopping $2,500 on Air Greenland, I opted to marginalize my Greenland experience to the more accessible Kulusuk, Tasilaq and their surrounding environs.

The cost factor however should not turn you off completely from coming to Iceland or Greenland as the stories, photos and memories one brings back are priceless. Also, there are of course many ways to keep costs down. In Iceland, advanced online bookings can bring lower prices considerably for accommodation and boycotting sit-down restaurants while sticking to cafés & food stalls, and collaborative self-catering in hostels with fellow travelers will save considerably on food expenses. In Greenland, traveling with a partner or in a small group will bring down transport costs by a mile. Also, Greenland is prime-camping ground. Bringing along a tent and sleeping bag, or just renting one from the Tasilaq tourist office, is certainly a viable option.
To view the complete write up/photos of the trip, check out my main Greenland/Iceland sites:
Main site - http://www.glennstevens.biz/greenland.htm
West Iceland - http://www.glennstevens.biz/reykjavik.htm
East Iceland - http://www.glennstevens.biz/iceland.htm
Kulusuk, Greenland - http://www.glennstevens.biz/kulusuk.htm
Tasilaq, Greenland - http://www.glennstevens.biz/tasilaq.htm

Eastern Europe - Slovakia

2007-11-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

Since the break up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Slovakia fell behind its western neighbor in both economics and tourism. However, there are still plenty of things to see and do and Slovakia’s economy is booming with the planned adoption of the Euro to replace the Slovak kroner in 2009. Slovakia is a land of fairytale castles, with about 180 castles scattered across the country. The most impressive of these castles is probably Spiš Castle (aka Spišský Hrad), located in the northeast of the country. Spiš Castle is located in the northeast of the country, overlooking the town Spišské Podhradie and is one of the largest castles in central Europe. The of and from the castle are mesmerizing and fans of movies such as Dragonheart, Kull the Conqueror or the Last Legion will easily recognize Spiš Castle as they were all filmed here.
I arrived to Slovakia by night-train from Krakow to Košice, Slovakia’s second largest city after Bratislava. I didn’t stay long however and soon made my way up to the walled-town of Levoca, a stoppover en route to Spiš Castle. After spending the day at both Levoèa Spiš, I made my way west to Bojnice, located in the heart of the country. Bojnice is no more than a small town located in the outskirts of the city of Prievidza. However, it’s famous for… yep, you guessed it, a castle… located right in the center of town. After overnighting in Bojnice, I made my way to Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital and largest city. Lively Bratislava is located on the Danube River with both neighboring countries Hungary and Austria just a stones throw away. Bratislava was in fact the last leg of my journey with nearby Vienna airport (where I was due to fly out of) not even an hours bus ride away.
To view all photos and the writeup, check my website:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/slovakia.htm

Eastern Europe - Poland

2007-11-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

After completing the first leg of my Eastern Europe trip by exploring Prague and the Czech Republic countryside, I headed east to Poland. As my time was limited, focused simply on Krakow and its surrounding environs. Krakow is officially the capital of the Molopolska region and the unofficial bohemian culture capital of Poland. It is also an extremely popular and lively city that attracts tourists and artists alike. This is due to the fact that Krakow was the only major city in Poland not to be completely obliterated by the Germans during World War II. Therefore, many of its historic monuments have stayed intact and there is plenty to see and do here.
Krakow revolves around its Main Market Square, Rynek Glowny; which, at 200 sq. meters, -stands as the largest medieval town square in Europe. Several of Krakow's most renowned monuments are located here, including St. Mary's Basilica (cathedral), the Skiennive Cloth Hall market and St. Adalbert's Church. The vibrant essence of the square makes one of its many nearby hotels or hostels a good place to stay, as I inevitably wound up doing. The numerous streets and alleys leading from the square are filled with pleasant restaurants and shops and a walk down the vibrant Grodka St. eventually leads to the Wawal Castle, where Poland's rulers lived for over 500 years until the late 16th century.
Krakow also offers several intriguing day-trip sites accessible from the city's main train station. Although the Soviets managed to save Krakow from imminent Nazi destruction during World War II, the nearby Auswitz and Birkenau former-concentration camps are a grim reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis in Poland. A slightly more sanguine experience can be had at the stupefying Wieliczka Salt Mines.
Although not really a great place to go if you're on a honeymoon, world war II history buffs will definitely want to make the trip to the nearby Auschwitz & Birkenau former concentration camps nearby the town of Oswiecim. It was at these camps where the Nazis committed their worst atrocities of genocide. Some 1.5-2 million people, mainly Jewish, met their deaths here. The camps have now been turned into memorial centers and are visited by the thousands daily. A more uplifting experience can be found at the Wieliczka Salt Mines - about 15km south of Krakow. Although I never quite got the pronounciation right, the Wieliczka Salt Mines tour takes visitors some 300 meters below the surface into underground caves made up almost entirely of salt. Amazingly, there's even chapel constructed over a century ago located in the mines. If you're Krakow, than both Auschwitz and Wieliczka should definitely be on your itinerary!
To view all photos taken from this segment of the trip, click here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/poland.htm

Eastern Europe 2007 - Czech Republic

2007-11-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

While Prague is obviously the Czech Republic's main attraction, the country, which had previously been split between the ancient kingdoms of Bohemia and Monrovia - is filled with charming villages and captivating castles that have been preserved for centuries. After spending an entire day in Prague, I headed off to the Czech countryside to explore the ancient land of Bohemia. The main stops on my two days exploring this fascinating country were the enchanting castle of Karlštejn, the beer-brewing hearth of Plzen and the surreal town of Ceský Krumlov. The train station at Ceské Budejovice was also pretty much unavoidable.
Karlštejn was the first stop. The charismatic gothic castle, perched picture-perfectly on a hilltop looks like something out of a fairy tale. It is only a half hour train ride from Prague and makes a very doable half-day trip. Czech Republic is famous for its' beers so a visit to one of its' many breweries is a must. After Karlštejn, I made my way to Plzen - located in the western part of the country. Plzen is famous for being the old capital of western Bohemia as well as the birthplace of pilsner. Plzen's main brewery company is Pilsner Urquell and a trip to the company's brewery museum was the main reason for coming here. My final destination before heading back to Prague was the glorious red-roofed town of Ceský Krumlov. This photogenic town is like an open-air museum with stunning views to be found everywhere you turn. Ceský Krumlov has featured in several films, including The Illusionist.
To view the rest of the photos, check out here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/czech.htm

Eastern Europe - Prague, Czech Republic

2007-11-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

For my Eid Al-Fitr break in 2007, I embarked on a week long tour of Eastern Europe. The plan was to fly from Dubai-Vienna-Prague and travel through the Czech Republic, southern Poland, and Slovakia, before making my way back to Vienna to catch my flight back to Dubai. The first stop on the trip was the majestic medieval centerpiece of Prague. Kept off the beaten path for so long under communist rule, Prague is fast becoming one of Europe's top destinations, and the city does not disappoint. Unlike some of its neighboring capital cities, Prague was pretty much left unscathed during World War II - therefore; the antique historic city center now sits as a virtual living history museum.
Meandering through the cobble-stone streets, one finds themselves transported through time all the way back to Prague's two greatest architectural periods: the Gothic period under Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and the baroque period during Hapsburg rule. While Prague has many notable tourist attractions, the essence of Prague is captured in simply wandering through it's plethora of boulevards and medieval streets and streets. Several of these attractions offer some fantastic views of the city. Prague Castle offers some fantastic panoramic views of the city, and vice-versa, the view of the castle itself from the banks of the Vltava River are also striking - at all times of the day and night. Charles Bridge, not only acts as a pedestrian transportation connection between the eastern and western banks of the river, but also serves as a shopping promenade. The carnival-like atmosphere along the bridge is one of Prague's greatest attractions and the Mala Strana Bridge Tower offers some great sights of the city.

Prague comes alive at night as well. There's a glut of restaurants, cafes, and beer tents to fulfill every taste in international cuisine. And there's never a shortage of entertainment in Prauge either with events ranging from theatre and classical music to modern rock concerts advertised everywhere. My choice of entertainment was the rather unique 'blacklight show' (http://www.wow-show.com/en/). After several days in Prague, I explored the Bohemian countryside villages before heading off to Poland.
To view the rest of the photos/write up, check out my site @:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/prague.htm

Uzbekistan - Khiva

2007-10-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

The last of Uzbekistan's 'golden triangle' ancient silk-route cities that I visited was Khiva. Although the most remote and inaccessible of the three, Khiva is without a doubt the most compact and for this reason is perhaps the best-preserved and most enchanting. Although Khiva doesn't quite boast the gargantuan structures of the magnitude of Samarkand's Registan or Bukhara's Kaylan Tower, but the pristinely kept walled city, with it's beige walls and colorful turquoise minarets makes a captivating open-air museum that takes you back all the way to the times of the ancient Khorezm Khanates.
Khiva is not an easy place to get to. The closest train station or airport is in Urgench - about an hour away. I took the night train in from Samarkand and flew out to Tashkent. Khiva is also en route to Nukus, the portal to the notorious Aral Sea. Located in the Karakum Desert, it can also get pretty hot in the summertime, when it also gets a little too quiet. However, Khiva definitely should not be missed. There are plenty of cheap and comfortable places to stay within the Ichon Qala (old city) and your trip to Uzbekistan will not be complete without a visit to all three of Uzbekistan's silk route city-trinity.
To view the complete photos/write up, click here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/khiva.htm

Uzbekistan - Bukhara

2007-10-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

While Samarkand may have been the center of Uzbekistan's legendary Timurid dynasty, the nearby city of Bukhara (Buxoro in Uzbek) is a great place to get a taste of Uzbekistan's Persian legacy. In fact, in the southern region of Uzbekistan, a large minority of the population is speaks Tajik as their native language (Tajik being a derivative of the Persian language). Only a short three hour drive away from Samarkand, Bukhara was an all-too short day trip for us; however, a more extended stay is highly recommended.
Like Samarkand and Khiva, Bukhara was a major stopping destination on the ancient silk route, and has been a cultural hearth of Central Asia, and the Islamic world. Originally founded by Persian Sogdians, Bukhara became the capital of the Persian Muslim Samanid Empire. The Samanids turned Bukhara into the Islamic intellectual center of the world in the 9th century and the city spawned some of the most notably scholars in Islam, notably Imam Al-Bukhari, the blind author who penned large sections of the Koran. Although the Mongols leveled most of the city in the 13th century, the city was rebuilt and flourished under the Uzbek Shaybanid Dynasty in the 16th century. Many of the splendid architectural monuments on display in the city are inherited from this time.

Bukhara's most renowned sites include the massive walled-city of the Ark Fortress - which served as the fortified residence to many of Bukhara's various rulers. Just across from the Ark is the Po-i Kalyan Complex, Bukhara's Registan. The Po-i Kalyan boasts the Mir-i Arab Madrassah, and the Kalyan Mosque. The adjoining markets of Taki-Sarrafon, Taki-Telpak Furushon, and Taki-Zargaron are legacies of Bukhara's role of the silk route. The multi-domed rooftops of both the markets and the Kaylon mosque make for some 400 domes. The best place to see these dome-roofed patterns is from atop of the Kaylon Minaret. This historic tower is perhaps the first ever earthquake-proof structure built in the world. Built in the 12th century, the tower has never fallen in 800 years - despite standing at the center of one of the world's most volatile fault zones!

To see the complete photo set from the trip, click here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/bukhara.htm

Uzbekistan - Samarkand

2007-10-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Uzbekistan is a country that has enjoyed a cult-like status for travelers. It is about as off the beaten path as you can get, yet at the same time - quite safe. It has plenty to offer; pristine monuments in some of the worlds oldest inhabited cities, yet unspoiled by hordes of tourists. The country, like most of polyglot Central Asia, is rich in culture and tradition - filled with bustling bazaars and centuries-old majestic mosques and mausoleums. In Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva; Uzbekistan offers three of the world's oldest and most historic cities. These well preserved urban centers serve as testament to ancient silk route's main trading centers and are the legacy of Emir Tamerlen's Timurid dynasty.

Uzbekistan has never been an easy place to get to. Not only is it the world's only double-landlocked country (Liechtenstein notwithstanding); but one must endure some abrasive Soviet-style bureaucracy in order to get a visa. Although a time-consuming and also pretty expensive process, with limited help from the Uzbek consulate in Dubai, this was finally acquired. Tashkent (Uzbekistan's capital) airport is also notorious for all sorts of scams and tricks from the officials themselves, although this has been cracked down on a great deal recently.
Once you do get all your appropriate paper work and documents in order, Uzbekistan reveals itself as an intriguing destination. While the Russian's moved the city's status as the nation's administrative capital to Tashkent in the 1930's, Samarkand (Samarqand) remains Uzbekistan's cultural heart. I arrived just as the city was about to celebrate its 2,750th birthday. Samarkand remains a fascinating place to explore amongst its highlights are the Registan (which means "sandy place" in Uzbek), which remains the heart of ancient Uzbekistan. Comprising of three madrassahs (Islamic holy schools), the Registan was built between the 15th and 17th centuries and is considered one of the most grandiose monuments in all of Central Asia. The nearby ostentatious Bibi-Khanym Mosque, dedicated to Emir Timur's Mongol wife, is another highlight. Lucky enough, my host family lived just across the road from Bibi-Khanym.
The moving Shah-i-Zinda, or "Tomb of the Living King" is a fascinating collection of mausoleums, where mostly the extended family of Emir Timur are buried - as well as Queam ibn Abbas, the prophet Mohamed's cousin, who supposedly brought Islam to the region. The Ulugh Beg Observatory was considered state of the art when it was constructed in the 1420s and its remains and adjoining museum are also worth a look, as is the Gur-e Amir tomb - where Emir Timur is buried.
To see the photos taken from the trip, click here:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/samarkand.htm