Around the World 2014 (Posting One)

ATW Blog - June 2, 2014 to August 17, 2014

There are three postings for my Around the World trip.  Posting One covers everything except my two cruises - the Norwegian Fjord Cruise and the Danube River Cruise.  Please visit all three postings.

Buenos Aires - June 3-8, 2014

This was my sixth around the world adventure.  It all started when my friend Gary from Melbourne told me about this terrific deal, one price, sixteen flights.

So this trip started in one of my favorite cities, Buenos Aires.  I left home on June second for an overnight flight to BA.  As usual the food and drink on AA sucks.  They keep cutting back on premium drinks.  At least I had some good stuff in the lounge, and took four small bottles of Gray Goose from the lounge.  The steak was ineatible.  But all I wanted to do was sleep.  Before I knew it it was Tuesday and we were in BA.

I took a car to my apartment in Puerto Madero, a newer section of town.  My apartment was on the 34th floor with amazing views.  Evita's Casa Rosada was in view, newly lit up at night.  After a much needed nap I took a walk to acclimated myself.  In the evening I met a friend for my first steak dinner of the week.  It was so big, as usual, that I took half home for lunch.

On Wednesday day I had my first long walk, about 8 miles.  I took the subway home and it was free, since the cashier was at lunch.  The fare was cheap anyway, fifty cents, but up from a few years ago.  Dinner was a hearts of palm pizza - an interesting combination.  I got home early and watched some English TV.

On Thursday I met David Rey, who I worked with many years ago.  In an hour and a half we caught up on 10 years.  His children are grown and I invited he and his wife, Laura, to visit in Orlando.  We had a great Italian lunch - I think there are more Italian restaurants in BA then steak houses.

That evening I saw the Spanish production of Priscilla, Queen of the desert.  Luckily the songs were in English.  I didn't get home until after midnight.

On Friday I walked to my favorite train station, el Retiro.  I now have another 12 photos to paint.  I traversed Florida Street, with all the tourist shops.  I exchanged my dollars for pesos at 11 pesos to the dollar.  The official, and credit card rate, was only 8 to 1.  I continued to San Telmo and found my favorite restaurant.  That night I took a friend to the restaurant.  We shared the lomo, an overgrown steak, and a salad.  With wine the total was $35.  The restaurant even gave me 12 pesos to the dollar.  I left my regular waiter a generous tip.  Again I got home very late, but I have been sleeping in until ten each morning.

Saturday was rainy so I stayed in and read.

Sunday was my final day so I headed to the San Telmo street market.  The weather was beautiful and the streets were packed.  I only bought a t-shirt, but had fun people watching.  After returning to my apartment, I packed and got ready to head to the airport.  I'll be traveling the next two days and nights - Buenos Aires to New York and then to Hong Kong. 

The Woman's Bridge with Puerto Madero in the background

Evita

The Casa Rosada lit up at night

The Retiro train station

The San Telmo Market

Scene from Priscilla, La Reina del Desierto

In Transit - Buenos Aires to Hong Kong - June 8-10, 2014

This was the longest travel distance of my trip, even longer then my Sydney to London flight.  I took American from BA to JFK.  The service and food was better then my first flight but it was American so you get what you expect and not an ounce more.

After a few hours in the JFK British Airways lounge I boarded my Cathay Pacific suite.  The service and food was superb, just what I expected, caviar and champagne.  I managed to sleep at least eight of the fifteen hours and watched two movies.

Hong Kong - June 10-13, 2014

The train to Kowloon was as efficient as usual.  My hotel had a magnificent view of Hong Kong harbor. Without much delay I set off to meet my tailor.  My intention was to buy one tuxedo and one shirt.  I left the shop ordering one tuxedo, six shirts and three pairs of pants.  On a later visit to the tailor I bought a suit with two pairs of pants.  Luckily most was shipped so I didn’t have to buy another suitcase.

In the evening I went to the Temple Street Night Market with its bright neon lights, bargains galore and local delicacies.  My dinner was under $3.00.

The neon of Hong Kong

My $3.00 dinner.  Don't ask what I ate.

The Star Ferry

Look out below

On Thursday the sun came out for my morning walk.  I got lots of nice pictures of Hong Kong and the Star Ferry.  I had dim sum for lunch with a friend who helped me finalize my purchases at the tailor.  I took my tuxedo, a pair of pants and two shirts and will await the rest to be delivered after I get home.

Dinner was Asian, as expected, opting for Japanese sashimi. 

I took the efficient subway to the airport for my evening flight to Kathmandu.

Nepal - June 13-18, 2014

Nepal was the first of many new countries I would visit on this trip.  My Dragon Air flight from Hong Kong was very comfortable.  After a short stop in Bangladesh we arrived in Kathmandu around 10:00 pm.  There was the usual hassle buying a visa and clearing immigration.  My driver met me and took me to my hotel.  I was exhausted and konked out.

On Saturday I had a complete city tour of Kathmandu.  We started at the Swayambhunath Stupa high atop the city.  My guide was very knowledgeable and gave me way too much information.  I took plenty of interesting pictures.  Our second stop was in the older section of the city, Durbar Square.  There were more temples then you could imagine.  I got to see the young kumari, but no photos were allowed.  Next we visited another Buddhist temple, the Bodhnath Stupa.  This impressive building was surrounded with hundreds of shops and restaurants offering local fare.  I had a noodle and vegetable dish for lunch.  Our final stop was the famous Hindu temple of Pashupatinath.  I was only allowed on the property, not in the temples.  Sacred cows and bulls roamed the grounds freely.  I witnessed the cremation of a recently deceased Hindu.  The family walked around the body as the fire was started.  My guide had me climb many steep hills before concluding our day's adventure.

My hotel

Swayambhunath Stupa

Bodhnath Stupa

Bodhnath Stupa

Look at the telephone and electric wires.

On Sunday I was being picked up at 5:45am for my flight to Mt. Everest.  I was wide awake at 4:00 am.  The domestic terminal was a large disorganized shack, but what did I expect?  We boarded the Buddha Air 20 seater plane, but had to wait for runway maintenance to be completed.  How reassuring.  The sky was hazy but as we approached the Himalayas the sun was out and the sky was clear.  The captain let each passenger visit the cockpit for amazing views.  The peak of Everest was cloudy, but you could definitely recognize the shape.  The hour ride was well worth the trip to Nepal.

Flight to the Himalayas

That afternoon I headed to Bhaktapur, known as the "City of Devotees".  The city was full of palaces and temples.  The wood work was museum quality; I wonder how long it can remain unprotected from the elements.  Lunch was in a typical Tibetan restaurant.  The Tibetan tea was horrible - tea, milk, salt and butter.  The noodle lunch was just as bad.  After lunch we drove to Nagaret where I spent the night at a farmhouse.  It was surprisingly comfortable with great views of the mountains.  Dinner was cilantro with some vegetables and chicken.

A local lunch

Lots of pottery

I guess this is where you go for a shiva call

Nagaret farm house

Great mountain views from the farmhouse balcony

The next day was an eight hour ride to Pokhara.  Outside of Kathmandu we hit a traffic jam like I've never seen.  The alternate road was 1 1/2 lanes with cars, buses and semis trying to get by.  The one kilometer took over an hour.  Just as we approached Pokhara the clouds opened.  I sat in my 1/2 star hotel room and watched Fewa Lake.

Pokhara beach

Mt Everest on the Malaysian Air flight out of Nepal.  AMAZING

The next morning the rain was just as bad and I was afraid my flight would be canceled.  Luckily it operated, two hours late.  Back in the Manang Hotel, there was no electricity all afternoon.  The same was true the next morning.  I could not wait to get to the airport and leave Nepal.  No more third world countries for me.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -June 18-21

The Malaysia Airlines flight to KL was very nice, good food and great service. I took the nonstop train to the city and a taxi to the largest one bedroom apartment I've ever stayed at.

On my first day I rested and recovered from Nepal.  I think I got the Yeti revenge, the Himalayan version of Montezuma’s.  It felt good to go to a restaurant and get real food.  I did three loads of laundry and spent the afternoon by the pool.

The next day I toured Kuala Lumpur on the Hop On Hop Off Bus.  I started at the KL tower, the tallest communications tower in Asia.  Chinatown was my favorite with hundreds of shops and bargains.  I looked at a fake Rolex, but when the pin came all the way out I realized how bad a copy it was. I did buy some sunglasses.  The Central Market was next, which featured mainly local crafts.  We made a short photo stop at the National Palace.  Next I walked the Orchid Garden which was beautiful but nothing compared to Singapore.  I got some good shots of Petronas Twin Towers, which I planned on visiting the next day.

The Petrona Tower was very impressive with its shiny metallic finish.  Inside was a seven story shopping mall with every high end shop you could think of and then some.  I prefer the booths in Chinatown.  When I returned to the apartment, I asked the staff why there were no 4's on the elevator.  They go 22, 23, 23A, 25, 26.  I was told the number four sounds like the word for death in Chinese.

KL Tower

Chinatown umbrellas

More Chinatown

National Palace

Orchid gardens

Petrona Towers

Mall inside the Petrona Towers

Fountains outside the Petrona Towers

That evening I had an overnight flight to Seoul.  The lounge was way below par, with the weakest drinks imaginable, and Gordon's Gin to top it off.  I skipped the meal on the flight and slept.

June 22-25, 2014 - Seoul, Korea

After another express train ride to the city and a taxi to my hotel, I collapsed until 2:00 pm.  I walked around and had lunch.  Then the clouds opened up and the lightning started flying.  I stayed in my room until it cleared and I had a great Korean barbeque dinner.  Everything was cooked on hot coals in front of you.

The following day had the same miserable weather, so I read and did crossword puzzles.

Temple in Seoul

There were 1000's of these

Olympic stadium in Seoul

Socks

Shopping street in Seoul

Memorial ribbons

Korean War exhibit

Finally the sun appeared.  I took the subway to Insadong Street, which was loaded with tourist shops and interesting art.  Then I walked to the town hall and plaza.  As usual my photos are my souvenirs.  Seoul was not one of my favorite places, just another overcrowded city.

The traffic was so bad on my departure day; it took almost two hours to get to the airport.

June 25-28, 2013 - In transit from Seoul to Noumea, New Caledonia

Sometimes flight connections aren't that great.  I had an evening flight from Seoul to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, my favorite airline, and an overnight stay at the Hong Kong airport.  The following evening I had a Qantas overnight flight to Sydney and another stay at an airport hotel.  The next morning I had to get up at 5:00 am for my flight to Noumea, New Caledonia.

June 28-30, 2014 - Noumea, New Caledonia

I'm staying at a beautiful resort on the water - the South Pacific to be exact.  I basically had two days of relaxation.  I sat at the pool, walked the beach and relaxed.  On my second day I walked to the Noumea Market, which was quite small and busy with locals and tourists alike.  I can now add another new country to the list of ones I've visited.

Noumea beach

American flag exhibit by the market

July 1-2, 2014 - Sydney to London

This was the longest flight of my trip, over 10,000 miles and 23 hours in route, including a short stopover in Singapore.  Even though I slept a lot I was still exhausted when I arrived at London Heathrow.  I arrived at terminal 5 and had to meet Eric in terminal 3.  We then took a car to Norman and Ann's.

July 2-4, 2014 - London

As usual we had a wonderful time with Norman and Ann.  You always feel at home while visiting.  We relaxed, drank champagne and went to some great restaurants – The Zaza restaurant in Bushey, a pub in Elstree and The East for crispy duck.  Eric and I got plenty of exercise, walking to and from Borehamwood.

This was one of many movie plaques.  This was for Elizabeth Taylor.

The morning of July 4 we hired a car to take us to Harwich, to embark on our Norwegian fjord cruise.

There is a separate blog entry for the Norwegian fjord cruise.

July 15, 2014 - Jersey, Channel Island

Eric and I flew to Jersey to visit Angela, my friend from my last transatlantic cruise.  Before lunch we saw the super low tide.  Angela then gave us a complete ride around the island. There were 1000s of German bunkers visible along the shore.  France was in the distance. It was a short visit, but a lot of fun.

Look at the low tide

With my friend Angela

France in the distance

Jersey cows

July 17-19, 2014 - Gent, Belgium

I spent two days in Gent with my friends Dirk and Kristof.  We attended the Gent jazz festival the first night and went to the Netherlands the second night for a bucket of mussels.  There must have been over 100.  I could barely finish mine.  It is always fun to visit them.  Next time I will see them in Berlin, where they are moving, following their wedding.

July 20-25, 2014 - Tel Aviv, Israel

Now for the scary part of my trip.  I spent four nights in a Tel Aviv apartment.  The streets were quiet and the beaches sparsely populated due to the fighting in Gaza.  My one goal was to purchase a David Gerstein sculpture.  I have always admired his work.  See what I purchased below.

I did my morning walk most mornings, heading to Jaffa the second day.  I took a picture of the scene I had painted a few years ago.  I always have great hummus in Israel.  For dinner I stuck close to my apartment.

Even the Carmel market was deserted.  People were glued to there televisions.  The sirens were going off all the time, but most people didn't head for a shelter.  On my final day I was on the roof, heard the siren and saw a Hamas rocket being shot out of the sky.

I called Eric to get me out on BA, one of the few carriers still flying into Tel Aviv.  Our flight was delayed but I made it safely back to England.

No one at the beach

This is the sculpture I purchased

Again, no one at the beach

This is the scene of a painting I did years ago.  It was much more colorful before.

Bagels anyone?

Carmel Market

Yes, the rockets worked

The gay beach at the Hilton Hotel

July 26, 2014 - London, England

I took the Underground to London for the day.  I have never seen so many tourists.  I got tickets to see Bakersfield's Mist with Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid.  It was funny but very short.

The London Eye

The play I saw

Covant Gardens

A pub

I could have had a hamburger.

July 28-31, 2014 - Vienna, Austria

Vienna was a beautiful city.  The first day we walked into town and had lunch at the Naschmarkt.  We walked to old Vienna and saw the main cathedral.  After that the clouds opened up and we took a train back to the apartment.

Spiderman

A play about Churchill and Hitler

The market

The town hall

The famous Vienna Opera House

The next day we again walked to the city center and saw the Opera House, Parliament, City Hall and the University.  The town hall was the most impressive.  After hearing some loud thunder it was back to the apartment.  We had an early flight from Vienna to Berlin to Bucharest the next morning.

There is a separate posting for the Danube River Cruise.

August 12, 2014 - Salzburg, Austria

I met my friend Cindi in Salzburg for the day.  She trained from Munich and I from Vienna.  It rained on and off and was fairly chilly.  We bought matching sweatshirts for five Euros each, what a bargain.

We saw beautiful gardens behind the Mirabell Palace.  Our next stop was Mozart's birthplace, where we encountered thousands of tourists.  We walked the narrow streets stopping in many shops to avoid the rain.  The farmers market had amazing fruits and vegetables.

Mirabell Gardens

With my new friend

Mozart's birthplace

Mozart liquor

Amazing fruit at the market

Cindi and I in our Berlin 61 sweatshirts

The hills are alive with the sound of music

After lunch we took the funicular to the Hohensalzburg castle.  The views of the city were amazing.  We only sang a few of the songs from The Sound of Music.

August 13-14, 2014 - Vienna, Austria

Today was a day of rest.  In the afternoon I took a five mile walk around the city.  The highlight was a tour of the Opera House.  There are no operas during the summer.  I spent my final day re-walking the beautiful city of Vienna.

August 15-16, 2014 – Doha, Qatar

My flight on Qatar Airlines was amazing.  It was a small jet, an A319, but the first class seats were flatbeds.

Doha was hotter then hell.  I spent a few hours at the pool, but opted for my air conditioned room.

The pool

The hotel

Doha in the distance

August 17, 2014 – Doha, Qatar to Orlando, Florida

Qatar’s international business class service and seats were just as good as any other airline’s international first.  The food was amazing, all you had to do was ask for something.  I was glad to arrive in Miami and finally Orlando.  It was another amazing trip.