Happy Halloween! - US Version

I spent the Halloween week at home in the US. Not that I planned it this way; it just happened.

By now, most of you are probably aware that my parents were COMPLETELY AGAINST my decision to quit my job and travel the world. For good reasons. But I'm spoiled. I do what I want. I don't listen to my parents.
Therefore, I couldn’t expect them to pick me up at the airport; I'd have to take the bus and the metro to the station nearest home. Unfortunately, I arrived at LAX around midnight, too late for public transport.
I ended up spending the night at the international terminal (open 24 hours!). My first experience sleeping on the hard benches (thought it would be better than the carpet). Well, not really sleep. It was just too cold. As everywhere else in the US, it was over air-conditioned and I couldn't stop shivering. For once, I wished that I had a sleeping bag instead of a sleeping sheet.

As soon as I made it home, I realized something. I left my glasses on the airplane!!!!! F**K!!! I thought I checked everything before I disembarked, but it must've been hiding in the back of those drawers they have next to your seat. Damn it. I'm such an idiot!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHH.
I frantically called British Airways several times, but being British Airways, my attempt was a failure. What else did I expect?!
No choice but to buy another pair. Lenscrafters would do for now...

Really nothing else to report about my week at home. A lot of restocking on toiletries and repacking.

Oh, Halloween came and went without a single trick-or-treater.
Puffy seemed to be the only one in the Halloween mood.

Happy Halloween! - UK Version

More cupcake baking in London, but with a Halloween touch this time.
I'm getting good at this baking thing.
Did you know that you can’t buy orange food coloring? Need to buy red and yellow (Color 101). I'd just like to thank my friends for letting me use their place as my "home base" for the past few months while I roamed through Eastern Europe and the Middle East!!!
I had a blast.
Now, I'm headed off to the opposite side of the earth to see Latin America. Don’t know when I'll be back...SAD.
Hope to see you guys soon!!!

Anti-America

Not me! Well, yes, me too. But this isn't about me.

Most people have told me that Tehran is just a big, boring, dirty city. Yes it's big and maybe polluted, but I had a lot of fun there!

Maybe it's because I met a couple of nice guys to hang out with in my hostel. A Korean guy named Chan and a Japanese named Koh, both fellow around-the-world travellers.
It seemed like Chan didn't do much research on Iran before he got here. He thought that his ATM and credit cards would work, but changed his mind after he walked around 30 banks failing to withdraw money. Unfortunately, he wasn't carrying any cash around to exchange, and was down to like $20 for the next 2 weeks in Iran. Poor guy. Iran is cheap, but not THAT cheap. We both felt so bad that we had to offer him some cash.

Chan and I headed to the what few attractions Tehran had to offer (Koh had been in Tehran for a couple of days already). The one museum I really wanted to see (the National Jewels Treasury with the largest pink diamond in the world!) was closed that day. I don’t know why, but that place is open only like 3 times a week! Argh.
So, we were left with the Golestan Palace and the former American Embassy.
The Golestan Palace is a complex of several buildings, each housing a specific exhibit with a separate entrance fee. We had no desire to see all of the 10 or so buildings there; one would suffice. But which one...whatever the guy at the ticket counter recommended. It was a building with both a beautiful exterior (colorful paintings) and interior (lined with mirrors). We also somehow managed to sneak into a photo exhibition as well. Since the Palace was located near the bazaar, we decided to check that out. But it was waaaay too crowded for our liking. We turned around and boarded the metro for the former American Embassy.
When you get out of the metro exit, the first thing you see is a sign "DOWN WITH THE USA"! I burst out laughing. I mean, how cool is that!!!
And on one side of the wall of the embassy, the anti-American (and anti-Israeli) graffiti continued: (This one says "Today, the United States is regarded as the most hated government in the world.")
Note...this is the FORMER American embassy that was accused of some sort of spying (I think). No longer operational, although they still wouldn't let me into the grounds.

It was still pretty early in the evening when we finished our sightseeing activities. With nothing else left to do, we headed to an Internet cafe. I haven't touched Internet in over a week. A rarity! The connection here wasn't too bad, but they blocked some of the sites, including Facebook. Oh well.
We ran into Koh at the cafe with bad news – his dad's health had severely deteriorated and was in the hospital now. He needed to get back to Japan ASAP. I spent a couple of hours helping him find an affordable last-minute ticket. He would leave tonight.
I think the incident made me realize that I should be grateful for not having run into similar problems during my travels so far...

That night, we decided to use Koh's remaining Japanese foodstuff (like canned mackerel, garlic, and rice!), Chan's spicy sauce that all Korean backpackers seem to carry around, and my canned tuna fish to create a feast in the most disgusting kitchen I've seen at a hostel to date. After we saw Koh off, it was time for me to take a quick snooze before I myself headed to the airport. Luckily, there was another guy from Hong Kong who wanted to share the expensive cab fare with me.

Bye bye, Iran.

Homestay in Kashan

Kashan had never been in my plans. To be honest, I've never even heard of the city before (I'm sure none of you readers have either!). But people I've met have been putting me off the idea of spending 2 whole days in Tehran. I could spend another day in Yazd being lazy, or I could stop somewhere in between. Being the eager beaver that I was, I chose the latter option. And the only big city with things to see (ie. covered by my guidebook) between Yazd and Tehran happened to be Kashan.

The bus from Yazd to Kashan (so I thought) left in late morning. It was pretty empty...meaning that we stopped EVERYWHERE to pick up people flagging us down from the roadside. I was getting extremely annoyed. I hated arriving in a new place late at night when it's dark!!! But because of the many, many stops, that's exactly when we arrived.
Well, "DROPPED OFF" might be a better terminology. The bus I got on turned out to be heading to Tehran, not Kashan, even though I repeatedly asked the guy at the ticket counter and the bus driver for a bus to Kashan. If you want to go to Kashan, they can drop you off at the highway exit nearest the city.
And that's where I ended up....
The side of the highway isn't the easiest place to pick up a cab. I admit, I was getting a bit anxious. I had no clue what to do!!!
Luckily, a girl who had gotten off the bus with me, figured out my dilemma and offered to take me into the city; her brother was coming to pick her up.
Things got even luckier when she invited me to stay at her home instead!!! I've heard about this (random Iranians inviting tourists to their homes) from other travellers. Only good things. So I immediately agreed! How exciting : )

It was one of my most memorable nights so far.
When we got to her house, her immediate family was there to welcome me. And then a bunch of people started to show up while we were getting acquainted. It seemed like she contacted all of her relatives and invited them to come over to see the alien in her house! I felt like a superstar surrounded by the paparazzi. Flashes going off here and there on everyone's mobile phones. It was all good fun! With everyone gathered together, we had a meal of lamb kebabs on the floor (I normally don't eat lamb, but forced it down this one time...) and chatted the night away.
You're probably wondering how we communicated. Most of the younger generation study English in school, and one of the sisters was an English teacher, so it was quite easy.
Conversation topics included:
Religion. The basic theory I got was that they truly believe in living a good life now to have a good afterlife. When I told them that I didn't believe in anything, they were really shocked
Japan. With a focus on the drama Oshin. It was a huuuuuge hit in Iran a few years ago. When I asked why, they told me that the strength and success portrayed by the female character was very inspirational. Hmm... I've never seen the program, so no comment
Education. The kids go to school every day except Friday. Wow.
Carpet. It turned out that grandma (of the girl who picked me up off the highway) made carpets. And it's a family affair, the women working together on one carpet, and the skills handed down from one generation to the next. The one they were working on now was wonderful. I want one! I had such a great time, it was difficult to say goodbye to the family the following morning. But I had planned to do some sightseeing in the morning, and catch an afternoon bus to Tehran that day.

So, onto the sightseeing...
Kashan is known for their mansion-like, traditional Persian homes around a pooled courtyard. There are several in the city open to tourists; I checked out two of them. The details in the walls, ceilings, and windows of the structures were stunning! I can totally imagine some international hotel acquiring these properties and converting them into a 5-star resort. The other attraction is the Fin Garden. I walked through the garden, the Persian buildings, and the bath (where some historical figure was assassinated) without much interest.

Frankly, I don't think the sights in Kashan was worth the stopover. It's definitely nice, but nothing to rave about. But I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY glad that I did make the stop. How else would I have had the opportunity to stay with an Iranian family?!

Quickly Yazd

It may be hard to believe, but there is a huge backpacker hangout in Iran – the Silk Road Hotel. Every traveller goes to Yazd to stay there (and also it's sister hotel across the street). The rooms are cheap ($4.50 for a dorm bed), the courtyard is a great place to chill (think cushions galore on elevated balconies), the food is yummy, and there is an endless supply of hot tea. What more can a long-term bum ask for?!
But I was on such a rushed schedule, wanting to greedily see everything in between here and Tehran, that I only got to spend 2 nights there : ( No time for relaxation.

Situated in central Iran, Yazd is a picturesque, desert town. Brown is the dominant color, except for the bluish tiles of the mosques.

Centuries ago, it was also the center of something called the Zoroastrian culture/religion. I don't know much about it, but there are a couple of Zoroastrian sights outside of town.
Nicolas (the most boring, mentally slow French freight train drive I've ever met) suggested we take his bicycle up to the ominous-sounding Towers of Silence, so we headed out there the first thing in the morning. It took longer than expected, about an hour of pedaling. Poor guy. Poor my butt.
(OK...I'm being mean. But really. We had absolutely nothing in common, nothing to talk about. And he was repeating every story at least 10 times. Testing my patience...)
Anyways, these towers were used by the Zoroastrians for their funeral rights. They didn't directly burn or bury the body because they believed doing so would contaminate the earth. Instead, they left the dead bodies atop the towers of silence, exposing them to birds and the sun.
Once we made our rounds through the two towers, we headed back towards town, stopping by one of the Zoroastrian temples on the way. Very simple structure (I prefer the elegant mosques), not too interesting. The only noteworthy point was that of an eternally burning fire inside.

I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Yazd on foot. Walking through little alleyways, I came across a pile of rubble that I decided to climb. Hey, the view seemed well worth it. Perfect for catching Yazd's skyline, where the mosques are the tallest buildings: Prominent in the town are also the wind towers. They apparently functioned as part of a ventilation system in Iranian architecture: And here, another unique complex, the Takyeh Amir Chakhmagh, housing a mosque and a bazaar.
Very random, but the area is known for its abundance of pomegranates. You can get fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice at every corner for $0.50-$1.00, depending on how much the owner wants to rip you off. Best thirst quencher I've had!

Persian Ruins

A long, long, long, long, looooong time ago, the Persians built their capital in Persepolis. Before I left for Iran, I visited the National Museum in London, where they had a large exhibition on the ruins of Persepolis. Now I was going to see the real thing!!!

The drive took a little over an hour. During the ride, our guide (a really cool woman!) told us a lot about life in Iran from a women's perspective:

- The younger generation can't stand the head scarf and dark-clothing requirements

- Many of them are highly educated. I think since there aren't that many job opportunities for women, they stay in school

- They wear a lot of make up (I mean A LOT) because that's the only part of their bodies that they are allowed to display in public. Apparently, some girls even get refused entry into the mosques due to heavy makeup

- Like anywhere else, women are marrying at a later age

...among others.

We spent about 2 hours wandering through the ruins. I was quite surprised by its remoteness and quietness. Persepolis being what it is, I expected hordes of tourists. But nope! We basically had the whole place to ourselves, which was quite nice : )
Most of the columns have fallen down, so it was difficult to picture what the complex must've looked like back then. The whole area was a bit smaller than what I had expected as well. Nevertheless, Persepolis was absolutely spectacular!!! The friezes were, without a doubt, my favorite. Like this one, where the soldiers actually look like they are marching (It was off-limits, but the guide managed to get us in): And this one. Obviously, it's good luck to touch the lion's (?) face: Next stop was the Naqsh-e-Rustam. When we got there, the guide paid for our admission again. I was totally fine with that; who wouldn't be, right?! Well, the Swiss girl – the good, honest tourist. She proceeded to make the guide aware that our contract said "admission not included." OK, the whole thing is less than $1, but if you can get away without paying, why not??? Or am I evil in doing so???
Anyways, there are several tombs of Achaemenid kings carved into the cliffs here. You can't go into the tombs itself, but the relief sculptures below them were cool. Interesting how the tomb entrances were carved out in the shape of a cross... One of the main reasons why we decided to hire a car was so that we could visit Pasargadae, another UNESCO World Heritage site located 30-40 minutes from Persepolis. If anyone else is even remotely thinking about doing the same, DON'T!!! It would be a complete waste of time. Everything is just too ruined to be enjoyable. The only structure that was semi-intact was the tomb of Cyrus the Great (supposedly), but even that remained mostly hidden by an external pole framework around it, due to the ongoing renovation. Basically, the one picture of the site in my guide book was way better than anything we saw. Quite a disappointment.

With the sightseeing done, we headed to a traditional Iranian lunch. Yummy meat + vegetable stew, rice, and yogurt. Mmmmm.
I'm sure you're all wondering what I had to dress like in Iran, so here it is. The three tourists at lunch: From there, we (just the French guy and myself) got dropped off at a police station on the highway. Not because we were going to be arrested for our attempt to get away from paying those entrance fees. But because we wanted to catch the bus to Yazd. All long distance buses are required to stop and report at these police posts, so it's a convenient place to catch one of them.
We already had a ticket (bought in advance last night), but our seats were taken when we boarded more than an hour behind schedule. Go figure. But since we were rare tourists (that's my logic, at least), they moved everyone around to accommodate us.

Becoming Muslim

Iranian buses aren't that great – the seats don't fully recline, and there isn't a toilet on board. I guess that makes sense when you think about the possible hassle involved in squatting to do bathroom business while wearing a long burka. Interestingly, men and women do not sit in the same row unless you buy the ticket as a couple. Women get to sit up front, while men get stuck in the back. Hehe.
Unfortunately, the bus terminals are located waaaaay out of town. I was dreading my arrival into Shiraz because I would have to deal with haggling the taxi fare as soon as I got off. BUT...it turned out that there was a French guy on the bus traveling with a bicycle. A brief conversation revealed that A) we were actually staying at the same guest house in Isfahan (backpacker options are quite limited in Iran...), and B) we basically wanted to see the same stuff and had a similar itinerary for the next few days. So, we decided to stick together...and that's how I ended up riding on the middle bar of his bicycle (very uncomfortable and painful for the rear end) from the bus station to the city center.

Shiraz isn't a very pleasant city, but it's the best place to find an excursion to the ancient ruins of Persepolis.
Once we found a decent room (bearable), we went to the one English speaking tour agency in town to arrange a tour for the next day. There's a bus tour to Persepolis every day, but we wanted to see some of the outlying areas and not have to return to Shiraz afterwards. Our only option was to hire our own driver and car, which would cost us about $90 total. Very expensive for Iranian standards. We were being indecisive for a while, when a Swiss girl walked into the agency, inquiring for a similar tour. What timing!!! We all agreed for $30/person.

With that sorted out, the three of us went out for lunch (a DELICIOUS all-you-can-eat salad buffet for $2.50!!!) and to explore some of the sights in Shiraz for the rest of the afternoon.
Some of the main attractions we saw included the Arg of Karim Kahn (an ex-prison & fortress gone slightly crooked with not much of interest inside) and the tomb of the poet Hafez (I personally am not aware of any of his works). The Iranians must've really loved this guy – there was an endless stream of people kissing and touching the tomb to pay their respects.

And then there are the mosques, of course. Compared to the mosques in Isfahan, the ones in Shiraz are less grand on the outside and have different colored tiles. Less blue and more pink and yellow. A lot of flowery patterns in them as well.
One of the my most memorable experiences in Iran happened here. We went to a mosque (sorry, I totally forgot the name of it!) accessible only to Muslims. Under normal circumstances, I would respect the religion and leave it at that. But I REALLY wanted to go inside this one, known for its amazing interiors. So, I had no choice but to be a Muslim. Wearing a burka (rentals available at the entry for free), I walked in as an Indonesian Muslim (Hey, I was dark enough!) while my friend was a Serbian Muslim. Guys have a separate entrance so I don't know how he managed to enter...
I must say that the little white lie was worth it. The inside of this mosque was completely covered in mirrors. I've never seen anything like it. Breathtakingly beautiful!!! No photos, though, because I came to pray.
I could've spent hours in there, just sitting around and admiring the mirror-work. With the burka on, we sort of blended in...but obviously we didn't know how to do the prayer thing. We started to get a bit uncomfortable when a couple of girls came up to us and starting chatting, offering to take us to the central area where the tomb was (of whom, I have no clue). We followed and saw the devout Muslims kissing, tenderly touching, and crying around it. I did a little bit of the touching and walked out. I didn’t belong there... Before I left, I managed to snap a very quick photo (hence the blur).

A Busy Day in Isfahan

There's a lot to do in Isfahan, especially if you only have 1 day there.
Re-energized from a good night's sleep, I headed out early in the morning for my first real viewing of an Iranian mosque, the Jame Mosque.

It should only have taken me about half an hour to get there on foot, but I got seriously lost... I must've taken a wrong left turn somewhere, placing me in the middle of a residential area. Narrow streets and low rise buildings everywhere, all looking the same. I got a bit nervous ("No one would see me get kidnapped!!" ran through my US-bred mind), but I decided to focus on the "Iran is safe" notion. Which it totally is. After asking (more like gesturing) every other person I ran into for directions, I made it in another hour.
Because the Jame Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Iran, it's not as colorful and ornate as the ones I briefly saw in Imam Square yesterday. But it's beautiful in its own way. Very serene as well. While wandering through the complex, I found a group of design students gathered in one corner, making drawings of the tiles.

From there, I walked through the massive market and headed back towards Imam Square without getting lost : ) On the way, I stopped by Chehel Sotoun, also known as the Palace of Forty Columns. There's actually only 20 columns on the palace, but the reflection in the pool doubles the number. I loved the ancientness of the wooden structure, and the frescoes/paintings on the walls and ceiling. Definitely worth the 50 cents admission fee.

I had no interest in checking out the geography museum next door (picture cheap dinosaur replicas), so I went directly back to Imam Square. Everything was open today - YAAAAY!
The panoramic view from the top of Ali Qapu Palace was wonderful. As was the ceiling decorations and cut outs.
And the 2 mosques were....well, "mosque-y". There were carpets everywhere, rolled up and stacked on the side since it wasn't prayer day. I just couldn’t help but admire the tiles. And the blueness. Wow...

As with the Jame Mosque, there were some students sketching on the grounds here as well. Curious, I started chatting with one of the girls. (BTW – it's amazing how the students here speak really good English!) Apparently, there's a contest going on to design a new mail box!
Walking around the square itself, I saw many people eating this. So I tried. Basically, it's lemon ice cream with this dry, flaky starch (the white thingy). It only cost me 30 cents, but I think one was enough...
Tired from a whole day of walking, I thought I'd take a break back at the guest house before getting on my overnight bus. On my way back, though, I ran into one of the guys staying there. He was on his way to check out the bridges. With a burger and pineapple favored beer (non-alcoholic of course!) in hand, I decided to join him – I heard that the bridges have nice architecture. They sort of reminded me of Roman aqueducts.

By the time we got back, it was time for me to leave Isfahan. 1 night was definitely too short; I felt like I rushed too much. Oh well. Need to move on.

Now, getting to the bus terminal posed a little problem. I crossed the street to flag down a cab as instructed by the guest house owner, but none appeared. I waited, and waited, and waited. Hmm...maybe there's a cab stand that I needed to go to. There was a group of guys coming out of a store, so I asked them where I could get a cab. And guess what?! They offered to take me there themselves since they were headed that way. I don't know how I managed to understand that, but I’m pretty sure that's what they meant. Because I got into their car and they took me there. Really nice people : )

Welcome to Iran!

The couple sitting next to me on my flight to Tehran was the first to welcome me into their country. Even before we got there! They were really curious as to why I was traveling to Iran; I guess they don't see many tourists there, especially on their own (the other non-Middle Easterns on board my flight were older Europeans traveling as a group). During the flight, I told them that I've always been interested in Iran since elementary school, since my best friend from those years was Iranian. I told them of all the wonderful stories I've heard from other travelers who've passed through their country. And I told them of my planned route, which first involved flying to Shiraz as soon as I got to Tehran. They gave me a funny look when I mentioned that I didn't have the domestic flight ticket yet, but why would they??? I shrugged it off as my misinterpretation.

Once you get into Iranian territory (this includes the airport, of course), women are required to totally cover their bodies. No need to take it all the way and wear the black burkas, but you do need to wear a pair of loose-fitting long pants or skirt, a long sleeved shirt that covers your rear end, and a head scarf. So right before the plane lands, the women quickly change. I put on my oversized button-down shirt (actually a Gap nightshirt) which is to serve as my outer layer for the entire trip, and my headscarf (a shawl from the streets of London). I have to say that the headscarf felt really uncomfortable - it never stayed in place, which meant that I was fidgeting with it constantly!!!

All decked out in my Iranian gear, I went to get my visa on arrival. Very easy. Fill out a form and hand over 50 euros. (Yes, FIFTY!!! The visa fee must've been my single most expensive expenditure in Iran!). I didn't even need to submit my Iranian photo (basically a passport photo of myself + headscarf) I had taken in London. 3 minutes later, I had my 15-day Iranian visa in hand. They didn't seem to care that they had misspelled my name....

From the international airport, I took the taxi to the domestic one an hour away. Cost 150,000 rials, about $15, quite expensive for Iranian standards (keep reading, you'll see why).
Everything about my entry into Iran went smoothly until here...all the flights to Shiraz were sold out!!! The Iran Air guys there were trying to find me a seat somehow, but no luck. Arghhhhhhh!!!!!
My plan was to start my Iran trip down south in Shiraz and work my way up north back to Tehran. That obviously wasn't going to happen anymore. So, I thought about doing it in reverse - work my way down south to Shiraz, and fly back from there. BUT that flight was also booked solid for the next two weeks!!! Now I understood why the couple on my flight gave me that look - flights to Shiraz are REALLY popular and need to be booked weeks in advance.
Because there was no chance I was getting on the flight to Shiraz, the Iran Air guys suggested I fly down to Isfahan instead. There was a flight leaving in 30 minutes that had seat.
Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.
If I went to Isfahan first, I'd have to do a bit of backtracking to get to all the cities I wanted to visit. But I was already at the airport, and didn't want to waste the time and money to head back to the city to either catch the bus or spend a night.
Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.
Fine, I'll fly to Isfahan. For $30. That's only double the taxi ride I just took!!! I heard domestic flights in Iran are cheap, but not THIS cheap. The planes may be slightly old, but they fly no problem: )

By the time I got to the guest house, I was completely exhausted. I've been up and about, moving around, since I woke up yesterday morning in Vienna. I had to rest. Unfortunately, there weren't any beds free at the moment; I'd have to wait until people checked out and the surprisingly co-ed dorm beds got cleaned. BUT I COULD NOT WAIT!!!!! I must've looked desperate to lie down because the owner offered to let me sleep on the carpet in one of the rooms. Time for a quick nap.

3 hours later, I was still tired. But I didn't want to waste the entire day away. I forced myself to get out, at least to catch a glimpse of Isfahan's famous Imam Square.
On my way there, I bought a head scarf for about $2. Cuter color and lighter material; my shawl was too hot...
As soon as I got to Imam Square, my tiredness blew away. The sight in front of me was amazing!!! Being Friday, Muslim prayer day, the place was packed with men, women, and children in their proper attire. I was soooooo tempted to take photos, but I knew it was against their religion for some people (in addition to being impolite!) and so restrained myself. Good Waru. Prayers must've ended when I got there, because the place cleared out rather quickly. And here's my first shot of Imam Square:

The square has 2 mosques and a palace. All closed on Fridays. Oh well. I'd have to come back tomorrow to check them out. In the meantime, I walked around every nook and cranny of the square, admiring the blue colors of the mosques. Loved it!

Before heading back, I stopped by a tea house with a great view of the entire square. I know, very touristy...but what the heck! I ended up staying there for a couple of hours, sipping tea, exchanging travel stories with a German girl (who ended up paying for my tea - how sweet!), and enjoying the sunset. Imam Square looked beautiful all lit up.

Hungry, I stopped by a sandwich store (more like a shack) on my way back to the hostel, and had a delicious falafel burger for just $1.50. I like Iran.

The Two A's of Austria

Getting to Austria turned out to be more of a hassle than I had planned. Not only was the train fare unbelievably expensive, but the credit card system at the entire station was inconveniently out of order. So, I had to find an ATM and take out a LOT of cash. I hate doing that on the last day in a country because I always end up with a handful unused. They just waste away in my wallet...(you should see how many currencies I carry around in my bag!)

The train from Prague to Vienna passed through a city called Brno in the Czech Republic. I had originally planned to spend a day there since my guidebook made the place sound rather intriguing. But that's what guidebooks do, I guess. Judging from the train window, the city seemed to totally lack character and appeal. OK, I admit that I didn't give it a chance at all, but I'm glad my laziness led me to stay an extra night in Prague rather than in Brno.

Vienna was cloudy, cold, and dark when I arrived. It was like that for the duration of my stay there. Indoor activities, therefore, prevailed.

A #1 - Art
There's a lot of it in Vienna!
The one I was looking forward to the most was the opera. You can get really cheap tickets to see 1st class performances at Vienna's opera house. And you don't even have to be dressed nicely - jeans and sneakers are no problem!
The day I arrived turned out to be the opening night of Faust. Awesome. I wasn't in the mood to line up for standing tickets, though. And when I went over to the box office window, they told me that the only available seats were up in the front...meaning very expensive :( There were a couple of scalpers around, so I could've gotten a ticket off one of them.
BUT...It was already 5pm by then - 12 hours since I boarded the train in Prague. I was getting a bit tired. Did I really want to sit through 3 hours of foreign-language opera until 10pm??? I decided that I didn't; I probably wouldn't be able to stay awake anyways.
Rather than have an intellectual, artsy night, I walked back to my hostel, eating McDonald's on the way, and just had a relaxing night in my cramped, yet comfortable, dorm room.
Looking back now, I have to admit that I sort of regret not sticking with my opera plans - When else would I have seen Faust?!

The following day, I finally exposed myself to "art" by heading to the museums. Out of all the museums in the city, I chose to enter the Albertina. I absolutely have no clue why....just ended up there. They had a Van Gogh special exhibition going on in the upper floors, and an assortment of modern art in the basement. Had an entertaining time.

A#2 - Apple Strudel
With excellent coffee, of course. I ate at least one every day : ) YUM. (Except for the one I had at the airport...)

Getting back to my day at the Albertina, I took advantage of the metro day pass that I'd bought and went to several other sites afterwards. Without much success, I must say...
The Freud Museum seemed interesting on paper, but when I actually got to the building, looked rather lame. Ended up not going in since the entrance fee was overpriced!
From there, I walked over to the Vienna Medical School in search for the Josephinum, which supposedly houses a collection of bizarre medical devices. (I did once think about pre-med, you know). Unfortunately, I never got to check them out; the museum is open only to prearranged tours on Wednesdays. Damn it.
Before leaving the area, I took a stroll around the University of Vienna campus. Reminiscing about those college years long ago.....
My final stop of the day was the famous summer palace - Schloss Schonbrunn. I think I must've been here before when I tagged along my parents' trip around Europe. I was still in elementary school back then (youth!), but the palace and garden seemed familiar. Then again, most gardens look alike, so it could easily have been somewhere else. Having little desire to pay to view the palace interiors, I was content with walking around the drizzly garden. Very palatial. I couldn't help but wonder how much money was spent on mowing the grass (neat as the golf course greens, only much larger) and trimming the trees. Also, how much water was being wasted in the huge fountains???

Anyways, as you can tell, I haven't been very productive over the past few days. But I seriously needed the downtime to do some research on my next stop - Iran. I've only heard positives about the country from other travelers. Yet, I wasn't comfortable enough to simply fly in to Tehran without a clue as to where to go! A bit nervous...

In the End, It's the BEER!

Everyone who's been there loves it and raves about it. So I went...to Prague.
Maybe I'm weird - well, I did give up my job to travel alone for a year, even stopping in Zimbabwe along the way right before their elections! Which may help explain why I, for one, did not fall in love with Prague.

The old town is nice, don't get me wrong. But I didn't think it was anything spectacular. Was I expecting too much from the city?! Maybe it was just too many tourists in one place, combined with the crappy hostel where I had to spend my nights.

12 beds (bunks) in one tiny room, one occupied by this crazy, drunk, depressed Canadian guy. When I first checked in, he seemed like a nice, normal person (although it was around 2pm and he was still in bed). We even went out to a late lunch that day and manage to have a decent conversation. Or so I thought.
I got a bit suspicious about him when the front desk asked me if I was his friend, because he owed the hostel money...not a good sign. Then, while chatting with my other dorm-mates, I discovered that he's been telling everyone different stories. Like he was an English teacher (so he told me), but failed his exam to become an English teacher (to another girl). He also had an empty bottle of vodka under his bed, went out drinking every afternoon, slept on any bed at any time, and even jumped into an occupied bed in the middle of the night!!!
But then again, having him as a roomie might not have been such a bad thing. Because the other dorm had a guy who threw up on his bed (drunk, not sick) and another who brought in girls every night to do "stuff" on the top bunk. Gross...
I ended up staying there for 3 nights strictly out of laziness on my part. Only to sleep, though; I tried to spend most of my time out of that place!

Wander, wander, wander I did, through the old town and the new.
Read, read, read I did, in several small cafes serving decent coffee (very important!).

One night, I went to a strings concert in one of the churches, with a performance of Pachelbel's Canon and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. I love the music itself, but to be honest, prefer the sound of piano.

And of course, I had to check out Prague Castle, probably the most visited sight in Prague. Who goes to Prague without going to the castle???!!!
I took the long way there (basically a pleasant walk through the large park behind it). Once again, beautiful foliage :)
The castle itself did not hit the spot for me. But the cathedral certainly did. The stained glasses in there were some of the most beautiful I've ever seen! There was quite a long line to get in, but definitely worth the wait.
Out of all the "to-see" attractions in the entire castle complex, the cathedral was free. I sort of regretted paying the 250CZK to gain entrance to other, far less superior sights. Oh well...
Although this statue was kinda cool:

Oh, I ran into this bizarre street parade one day. Full of what I consider as hippies and junkies. Didn't get it...was just blocking my way.

You know I don't drink that much, but I will confess to having a beer every single night during my stay in Prague. This place must be home to some of the yummiest, cheapest beers in the world! (Incidentally, did you know that the true, original Budweiser is Czech?!)
Anyways, you can get a bottle of beer cheaper than soda or water at the supermarket. Seriously.
But the best beer is obviously at the bars/restaurants. I don't remember the name, but I went to this tiny restaurant one night with a Japanese guy I met in the hostel. They had a small, private brewery serving some creative beer - like chocolate and cherry. My friend decided to try the cherry (yuck!), while I stuck with the traditional wheat beer. Mmmmmmm, delicious!!! I even managed to finish TWO whole glasses, very impressive for my standards. Needless to say, I had to pee every 15 minutes after the 2nd glass...

Ich Liebe Berlin

I really hate the overcrowding, unfriendly staff, and massive size of Heathrow airport, but at least it's easy to get to.
My Ryan Air flight to Berlin was out of Stansted. I opted for the cheaper bus option to get there. Big mistake. First of all, I didn't have enough money for the bus; the website listed the wrong fare. I was missing 50 cents. I couldn't use a credit card to pay the fare, and no Londoner on board would donate the 50 cents to me. Well, the economy isn't great you know. And of course, the bus driver would do NOTHING to try to help me out. He left without me.

Good thing the bus runs every 15 minutes. I ran across the street to the nearest ATM (an Arabian bank), which refused to accept my card. Damn it. No other ATM in sight, only money exchanges. After I missed another bus looking for an ATM, I gave up an used the exchange office. Horrible rates, but at least I could finally get on the bus. Now, the bus. IT TOOK FOREVER. An hour just to get out of the city!!! We were still on the road an hour before my departure time. I seriously thought I was going to miss the plane. Once we got to the airport (45 minutes left!!!), I ran to the check-in counter, which was thankfully empty. Got my boarding pass, went through customs, and then to the gate. I was hoping to buy a sandwich at the terminal (since the airline doesn't provide snacks), but no time. I should've listened to my friend and taken a sandwich before I left...
Lesson of the day - if I ever need to go to Stansted again, I'm taking the train!

Since I arrived in Berlin late at night, the only thing I did during the first day was stared at all the drunk punks drinking beers on the subway, found my hostel, ate a sandwich, and slept in THE MOST COMFORTABLE BUNK BED yet :) I'm not kidding. I was only planning 2 nights here, but immediately decided to extend it by another day.

Over the next 2 days, I did A LOT of walking around Berlin. It's such a clean and beautiful city (most parts), I had a great time just wandering!
And the fall foliage...Having lived in the Bay Area for the past few years, I had completely forgotten about foliage. But as soon as I stepped out onto the Berlin streets, colorful leaves greeted me! Man, I missed it.
So, about sightseeing in Berlin. Most of it has to do with the World War and the East/West Germany split. Like Checkpoint Charlie (nothing too special really) and strips of the Berlin Wall. You can see them in several places, including the city center. But my favorite was a little further out towards the river, where you can see awesome displays of wall art: (Random memory - it was a heck of a long walk from there back to the hostel...)

There's also the usual Jewish memorial fare, including the Holocaust Memorial and the Jewish Museum. I'm sure there's a deep meaning to all these gray blocks at the Memorial, but I just thought they looked really cool - neat, orderly, modern: I didn't get to go into the Jewish Museum when I first got there, as everything Jewish was closed for the Jewish holiday (Yom Kippur, I believe). I seem to run into religious holiday problems these days...Ramadan in the Middle East, and now Yom Kippur here! Oh well, no big deal. I just had to go back the following day. I don't know....the history presented in the museum was quite interesting (for example, I never knew that the persecution of Jews had an extremely looooong history, dating all the way back to the Middle Ages and such). But a lot of it seemed too "modern art"-ish and philosophical. A different twist to the other Jewish museums I've seen during this trip. I'm not sure if I liked it...

Speaking of museums, the ONE art museum I wanted to go in Berlin (they have a bunch in the city) was the Neue Nationalgalerie. I figured they'd have a good collection of weird, unexplainable contemporary art suiting my taste : ) As it turned out though, they were closed for renovation. Tears.
I'm not usually a museum person, but I was in the mood for one. Since I couldn't go to my first choice, I ended up at the nearest one, Gemaldegallerie. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it - there's a great Vermeer piece (I think) worth seeing, if any of you are out there.

I also went to the Reichstag (Parliament building) one day, where you can walk through the glass dome. Again, bad luck – the dome was closed for renovations. Argh. But I was still able to ride the elevator up to the top of the building for some great views.

Architecture in Berlin is awesome:
This is one city where I wouldn't mind living...if only ich spreche Deutsch.

Travel Break in London

After 2 months of constantly moving around, it was nice to be back in London. Not staying in a dorm room with strangers. Not having to eat a restaurant meal on my own. Not having to be constantly on guard with my possessions. Having English all around me - newspapers, magazines, and books that I could read!!!

My original plan was to stay in London for a couple of days, and then move quickly on to Mexico. As you know, I sort of gave up on my Middle Eastern route due to Syrian visa complications back in Turkey. I couldn't really give it up though; I wanted to hit at least one country in the Middle East (UAE didn't count).
I've heard great things about Iran from other travelers. My best friend back in elementary and middle school was Iranian (too bad I lost touch with her...). She offered to take me there one summer, but my parents politely declined. Since then, I've never lost interest in the country. How cool would it be to go to Iran?!?!?!
So, I did some research. Went to the embassy and confirmed that Japanese citizens could get a visa on arrival for 15 days (phoning wasn't very productive). And found that I could use my UAL miles to get there. Wow, easy!
Since I was using my miles, the route was very flexible. I could simply do a round trip from London to Tehran, or start/end in some other European city. Great! You'd figure I had enough of Europe, but there were still some cities that I wanted to visit. Like Berlin and Prague. In the end, I chose to fly out of Vienna and return to London because they had direct flights to/from Tehran. I'll fly to Berlin (easy to get a discount flight on that route) and make my way down to Vienna, from where I'll fly to Tehran. All set!!!
Only thing that remained was to buy a head scarf.

When I wasn't planning my forthcoming travel route, I had a food-filled time in London:
1. Made cupcakes. My friend had this recipe for New York's Magnolia cupcakes. I baked several batches, with improvements along the way. Got the cake part right, but the frosting could still be a little harder (any advice???).

2. Created gourmet, time-consuming meals. Like this paella. Basically, I go shop for the ingredients (gotta love the Whole Foods), and help prepare. My friend's the real chef :)

3. Ate Asian. Since I missed Asian food, I made sure almost every meal I ate out with my friends was Asian. Mostly Chinese. Dim sum as soon as I landed, followed by ducks and lobster noodles on other days. I also had my first natto in several months. Lovely.

4. Watched American TV shows. My friend and I were up until 9am watching the entire season 1 of Gossip Girl. But don't worry. We didn't waste away the entire day; made sure to set the alarm clock at noon to do...who knows what. Maybe downloaded more shows!
You know you love me. XOXO. Gossip Girl.
....I'm dying to see season 2!!!