To attempt it would make for a very long day – 3:30am wake up, on the road by 4am, 2 hour drive to where they live, and then get lucky enough to see one.  Quite a tall order!  But, Shelley and I decided to give it a shot.

The early morning drive was long and cold, but ultimately we were rewarded.  Shelley spotted a rhino!  We couldn’t get too close because of their shy nature – they typically run away from the safari vehicles.  But Shelley was able to snap several pictures of our rhino at a distance.

Mission accomplished.

Before we knew it morning had come and we found ourselves trying to wake up in a Land Cruiser rumbling toward Namib-Naukluft National Park.  It was about an hour’s drive from our camp.  As we drove, we watched the sunlight come up over the park’s enormous red sand dunes, creating squiggle lines across the horizon.  It was some of the most spectacular scenery we had ever seen.

The Land Cruiser eventually came to a stop at the base of Dune 45 – each of the dunes in the park is numbered for easier identification.  This dune was right off the road, and was climbable.  Quite an adventure!

Climbing a monster sand dune isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  You learn very quickly that the easiest way up is by walking right on the ridge, directly inside the footprints of the person in front of you.  The folks in front pack the sand for you and make each step a little bit easier.  We didn’t hike all the way to the top of Dune 45, but we did make it a good distance up – high enough to feel like we were on top of the world.

After making our way down and getting at least some of the sand out of our shoes, we drove on toward Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.  These two areas, salt and clay pans around which some of the largest sand dunes in the world have formed, are the main attractions of the park.  As we approached, our guide stopped the car and pointed out the tallest sand dune in the park, affectionately called “Big Daddy”.

Big Daddy averages 350 meters in height.  Although a bit intimidated after climbing the now seemingly easy Dune 45, we decided that climbing Big Daddy was something that we just had to do.  We’re only here once, right?

Luckily for us, two other women in our group also decided to climb and were in a little better shape.  We walked behind them most of the way, using their footprints as we had learned.  But, it still was not easy.  The climb took us almost 2 hours and our legs were burning.  But, we got an incredible sense of accomplishment when we reached the top.

The way down was much easier – just pick a side and start running.  We chose to run down the side of Big Daddy adjacent to Deadvlei.  You can see Deadvlei above, the white area on the left side of the picture.  Deadvlei means “dead marsh”, an appropriate name due to the dead trees that still stand there.  It’s kind of eerie.  You can see the trees below, and if you look closely, you can see the path we took down the side of Big Daddy.  The video below shows what the descent was like.

What wasn’t captured on the video was when started running uncontrollably fast and almost ate it headfirst down the hill.  Luckily, I was able to fall in a semi-controlled fashion and stop myself.  But, being as sweaty as I was I became covered in sand literally from head to toe.  It was a gritty experience.

I still have Namibia sand in my shoes to this day.

The desert adapted animals of the Namib desert aren’t what you typically associate with a big game safari.  There weren’t any lions or elephants in this part of Namibia.  That being said, we still saw many different kinds of animals as we drove through the desert to our evening sundown spot.  The scenery was breathtaking, and reminded me of the backpacking trips I’d taken to Big Bend National Park with my buddies back home.

After getting back to the camp, we didn’t last very long.  We grabbed showers, ate dinner as quickly as we could, and collapsed into bed.  Tomorrow we would start all over with a 5am wakeup call, and the scenery would get even better.

Visitors wanting to get outdoors in New Zealand often focus on the longer, well known hikes like the Milford and Routeburn tracks.  But, these hikes require backpacking experience, a lot of planning, and several days to accomplish.  And that, unfortunately, wasn’t going to fit into our busy New Zealand schedule.  Instead, we opted for day hikes, which turned out to be a great option for us.  We would go for a hike in the morning, get back to the campervan by about one, have some lunch, and then drive to our next destination where we would camp for the night.  The perfect schedule!  Even on longer driving days, when we would spend most of our time in the campervan driving from place to place, we would still get out and stretch our legs for a little bit.  Trailheads practically line the roads in New Zealand, and with so much of the south island being national parkland, you really can’t go wrong.  But, if we had to choose the best of the best, three day hikes that we took probably stand out – Lake Tekapo / Mt. John, Mt. Cook’s Hooker Valley Track, and the Rob Roy Glacier Track.

We arrived at Lake Tekapo Village on our second full day in NZ.  It was a bit overcast when we got there.  But, as the day progressed, the sun came out to reveal the true color of Lake Tekapo (Tee-kah-poe), an incredible turquoise blue created by the “rock flour” deposited in the lake by glacier melt.  Practically every bit of water we saw in New Zealand, from the lakes to the rushing rivers, was this beautiful shade of blue.

There isn’t much to do around Lake Tekapo except relax and gaze at the lake, but the view and our morning hike kept us occupied for hours.  There’s a nice hiking trail that takes you to the top of Mount John, where you can take in a 360 degree view of the area at a small cafe.  It was a steep climb, so the lunch we packed in the campervan never tasted so good.  Especially the chewy caramel TimTams, which we’ve since decided are the best packaged cookies on the planet.

After our Lake Tekapo hike, we headed toward Mt. Cook.  The drive was spectacular – especially the part of the road that took us alongside Lake Pukaki – another beautiful blue glacier fed lake – toward Mt. Cook National Park.  Every road we took gave us a different, more breathtaking view.

We arrived at Mt. Cook Village with enough time to get in a short hike to Tasman Glacier.  This view was a short walk from the car park, not thirty minutes from Mt. Cook Village.

Mt. Cooks’ Hooker Valley track was my favorite hike.  The sunny weather combined with the soaring mountains and rushing streams just sealed it for me.  I’ve never been in a more beautiful place.  The scenery was so unbelievable, some of our pictures look like we’ve been photoshopped into them.

This track ends in a spectacular view – Mt. Cook. standing behind the snout of the Hooker Glacier.  It was the perfect spot for a rest and a snack.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any pieces of the glacier calve into the lake while we were there.  We did see several iceburgs in the lake, though.  And we definitely heard the glacier creaking and rumbling.   It took us off guard when we first heard it because it sounded like little earthquakes or avalanches.

The Rob Roy Glacier Track was one of the tougher day hikes we accomplished.  It was 6K one way with 500 meters of elevation change from the car park to the glacier lookout point.  The weather on the day didn’t cooperate much, either.  It was rainy and chilly.  But, we put on our rain gear and soldiered on up the mountain anyway.

This nicely kept trail begins along the ice blue Matukituki river and follows the water all the way up the mountain.  So, there was a constant roar of whitewater while we walked.

I wasn’t prepared for the view we would get at the end of this trail.  Towering peaks, blue glaciers, and more than 25 waterfalls, including one of the tallest free falling waterfalls on the south island (1000 feet!).  If the weather had been clear, this view may have trumped Hooker Valley.  Our pictures just don’t do it justice.

1 USD ~= .97 Australian Dollars

Everything about Sydney was compelling me to stay.  It’s the perfect size – big enough to have everything you’d want in a city, yet small enough so as not to be overwhelming. From downtown, you’re a 40 minute bus ride or a fast ferry away from two of the most amazing beaches I’ve ever seen, Bondi and Manly.  The beauty of the Sydney Harbor and skyline is stunning.  And everyone we met there was just so friendly!

Although we could only stay in Sydney for a few days, we did manage to pack in quite a bit of fun while we were there.

Most importantly,  Shelley and I learned how to surf!  Surfing is something I’ve always wanted to learn how to do.  So much so that in an ill-fated, self-taught attempt several years ago, I was thrown over the front of a short board and broke my collar bone on the bottom of the ocean.  But this time was different.  This time I had a renowned surfing beach (Bondi), a big, long board, and professional instruction.

Shelley was a little worried at first.  The board was a bit big for her and she had a hard time carrying it and getting it into the water.  But, she did awesome and the camera loved her!

The camera didn’t love me as much and didn’t catch me standing up on any waves.  But, I’m proud to say that I did get up on a few and I had the time of my life.  Surfing Bondi is definitely one of our most favorite memories from the trip.

But, don’t let our beautiful surfing day fool you.  It was Christmas time down under and Sydney’s Christmas Tree was shining bright!  It definitely felt a little strange to experience Christmas in the summertime on the other side of the world!  

We made a stop at the Sydney Opera House.  We got lucky and were able get in on the last tour of the day when we were there.  It really is a beautiful building, inside and out.

We also had fun climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge while we learned about its history and construction.  The experience gives you a real bird’s eye view of Sydney and the surrounding area.

Shelley and I were definitely sad to leave Sydney behind.  Although our pocketbooks were not!  Australia is by far the most expensive place we’ve visited on our trip.  Thank goodness for Starwood Points!

Goodbye, Sydney.  I hope we meet again!

Rupees were also difficult to spend, due to the need for small denominations.  ATMs would provide 500 and 100 rupee notes.  However, people mostly transacted in bills much smaller and it was often very difficult to get change when using larger bills.  Shop keepers didn’t like giving away their smaller bills.  Sometimes you just had to force the issue, saying you didn’t have anything smaller in order to change a larger bill that later you knew would have to get you through the rest of the day.

1 USD ~= 50 rupee

To begin our tour of India’s capital city, Shelley, Anne, John (the 1st) and I took a bicycle rickshaw ride through the streets of “Old Delhi,” an area within the city that was once the capital of the Mughal Dynasty, which existed prior to the British Raj.  This area of New Delhi remains a vibrant cultural center for the city and maintains a very dense population.

Touring Old Delhi is an experience not easily described in words.  I’ll let these pictures and videos speak for themselves.

Old Delhi Rickshaw

Old Delhi Rickshaw

Old Delhi Rickshaw

After our morning in Old Delhi, we visited the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.  The memorial consists of a large, black marble platform that marks the location of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation.  While we were there, there was a continuous line of visitors waiting to look upon the memorial and we saw many school groups, like the one seen in this picture.  When entering the memorial, we all removed our shoes as a sign of respect.

Before travelling on to Agra, we visited Humayun’s Tomb, a site that gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1993.  This tomb, commissioned in 1562 for Humayun, the second emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, is historically important because it is the first tomb of its kind on the Indian subcontinent.  Shah Jahan, Humayun’s descendant and fifth emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, would go on to build the Taj Mahal and many other grand buildings, each of which owe many aspects of their design to this very first Indian garden-tomb.

Sikkim is a small Indian state in the Himalayas, bordering on Nepal and Tibet.  Getting there is a bit rough, but the remoteness and serenity of the place made for a pleasant visit.  Many people choose Sikkim as a trekking destination, the attraction being the beautiful Himalaya Mountains.  We kept the trekking to a minimum – you’d really need to be prepared to do some back country trekking here.  But, we did do a fair amount of hiking along the roads and had one interesting off the beaten path hike.

Kangchenjunga, the world’s third tallest peak, is situated on Sikkim’s border with Nepal, and when the clouds aren’t rolling in it’s prominently displayed.  A small painting in our hotel gave us the lay of the land.

As we updated our passports with the border patrol upon leaving Sikkim, I noticed that the the border patrol was keeping monthly, hand-written statistics on who visits the area and snapped a quick picture.  It was interesting to see which countries were represented.  It certainly put into perspective where we were.  A quick average says only about 4,000 tourists visit this place every year – that’s probably being generous.

As we waited in baggage claim for our backpacks in the Kolkata airport, we quickly learned that the most popular piece of checked luggage in India is the 42 inch flatscreen TV.

Kolkata Baggage Claim

Seemingly every person on our plane from Bangkok to Kolkata brought a flatscreen TV back home with them!  Can you imagine checking the flatscreen TV you just bought onto a plane in the US?!?!  But, no worries here.  At least thirty TVs were pulled off the plane before the first actual piece of luggage arrived.  Thankfully, our bags did eventually show up on the carousel, and we were off to meet Shelley’s sister, Anne, for a tour of Kolkata and our first taste of India.

If I could use only one word to describe India, that word would be overwhelming.  Our travels in Asia had in many ways prepared us for what we would experience in India.  Yet, from the moment we stepped outside of the Kolkata airport, Shelley and I felt lost in sensory overload.  Thankfully, Anne was there to guide us through the throngs of people, touts, and horn blowing taxis in order to get us on our way.

Having lived in Kolkata for almost a year, Anne put together a great tour for us, taking us to see several of the city’s highlights.  We toured the Missionaries of Charity Mother House, where Mother Teresa founded a new religious order and worked tirelessly to help the poor.

We walked around BBD Bagh, where Victorian buildings dating back to the British Raj, such as the Writers Building of the British East India Company, have been converted into Kolkata’s government center.  We also spent time at the Victoria Memorial Hall, built from 1906 to 1921 to honor Queen Victoria.  Today it acts as a museum, illustrating the history of Kolkata in words, pictures and artifacts.  Definitely a highlight of our time in Kolkata.