Lives of Wander

Jeff April 20th, 2008

We’re going to continue the domestic trend of our Travel Take Two series with a look back at our 2006 trip to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon, much like Hawaii, is a worn travel destination for most Americans. Most people head to the South Rim, spend a night or two up there, look out over the magnificent terrain and maybe hike a little ways down the trail. But we’re not most people. Our idea of seeing the Grand Canyon was from the bottom, rafting on the river that carved the canyon, the Colorado.

Destination: Grand Canyon: A 6 day expedition–5 days rafting down the upper half of the Grand Canyon, from Lee’s Ferry to Phantom Ranch and 1 day hiking out the Bright Angel Trail to the South Rim

Date: August 25-30, 2006

Travel Partners: Guides/Oarsmen from Moki Mac and fellow passengers.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Rafting the rapids. It’s incredibly exhilarating to plow headlong through ten foot high walls of freezing water in a small rubber boat, drenching you and everything in your boat, but perhaps even more exhilarating is the building anticipation of hearing the rapids well before reaching them, feeling the sound build and build until there is nothing else but a roar and your imagination of what rests around the next bend.

2. Kayaking in the ducky. I had read before we left about getting to paddle an inflatable kayak yourself, and knew immediately it was for me. They finally pulled it out on day 3, when we were going through ‘calmer’ waters, and though it took some doing, I convinced Theresa to get in with me (she may describe this experience as more of a lowlight). She was cursing me as soon she sat down in the self-bilging boat and soaked her bottom in the freezing brown water. As we pushed off into the river, they called out “They call that the divorce boat, you know.” After our first (small) rapid, yelling back and forth about who was paddling on what side and that we weren’t hitting the waves properly, we quickly understood why. Nevertheless, we quickly got the hang of things and at least I had a great time controlling my own fate through the rapids.

3. Hiking the side canyons leading to beautiful vistas, Indian ruins and waterfalls. We went on a number of afternoon hikes up side canyons, which, in addition to getting us out of the hot afternoon sun (most times), led us to relics like an ancient Indian city along the banks, some granaries built into the side of the canyon at Nankoweap. We also we treated to a number of waterfalls (including a sideways waterfall!), getting to dip into the clear and refreshing water. All in all, they were a very rewarding change of pace from life on the river.

4. Staring at the night sky every night. With nary a light in any direction for a hundred miles, the night sky included the Milky Way in addition to millions of stars you never see. There is such a stark delineation of pitch black canyon walls and the star-peppered sky. We tracked satellites and shooting stars from one side of the canyon to the other nightly. We’ve been in some places with some amazing views of the night sky, and at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is definitely one of the best.

LOWLIGHTS

1. The bathroom situation. It wasn’t quite au natural, but it was close. There was a bucket and a whole orchestrated set of rules pertaining to the bucket. At least we did have toilet paper. I’m just glad I wasn’t the one who had to take care of the bucket.

2. Crossing a murky Little Colorado. This isn’t so much of a lowlight as a missed highlight. The Little Colorado if often crystal clear, warmer, and really fun to float down in an upside down life jacket. At least this is what we were told and were really excited about. When we got there, a recent rain had left it murky and at too high a level to safely navigate. So we were left to enjoy watching two muddy rivers merge together from the river bank. Not nearly as much fun.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. Some things are worth the cost. I’ve deliberately avoided mentioning how much this adventure cost, because as you may suspect, it wasn’t cheap. Though for what we got, it was certainly reasonable. All meals were included (and were quality meals … we’re talking steak and chocolate cake on day 4 quality). The guides rowed and navigated us safely through rapids the entire time, leading side hikes in their spare time. The full experience they provided us was worth our money.

2. A different point of view is a good thing. As I alluded to earlier, most people see the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, never even seeing the river the carved the canyon. After we hiked out and experienced the typical Grand Canyon experience as well, it became really clear how different and unique a perspective on it we really got. It’s such a different world descending into and then ascending out of 1.2 billion years of schist, shale and limestone.

3. We get along with diverse groups. We were one of 15 passengers on this trip, people from all different backgrounds from all over the US. We enjoyed everyone’s company and got to know many of them quite well in the five days. Since we’re not always the most outgoing people by nature, it’s comforting to know that we can =).

4. Preparation breeds success. The hike out was quite daunting — 9.5 miles long with almost a mile of elevation gain in Arizona in August heat. Needless to say, we were somewhat concerned with our physical conditioning for such an outing, so we trained a few times with our packs in nearby Shenandoah. This helped immensely. I’m sure our spry young legs helped, but we were able to make it out of the canyon each carrying our 25 pound packs in under five hours, before the worst heat began. Who needs mules?

If you want to read more, Theresa wrote a story about this trip for the San Antonio Express-News that you can read here. Also, you can look at all of our pictures from this trip here.

• Non-RTW Travel , Travel Take Two
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Theresa April 3rd, 2008

Installment three in the Travel Take Two series reviews our 2005 trip to Hawaii. Jeff was actually born on Oahu and grew up in this tropical paradise until age ten, at which point he relocated to the much less ideal climate of the Pacific Northwest. When he got to college and began playing baseball for Rice, he was lucky enough to get to return to Hawaii for a week every year thanks to the fact that both Hawaii and Rice were in the same conference. I didn’t find this quite as cool, however, since the baseball trip to Hawaii always took place during the same week as my birthday. How fair is it that for my birthday Jeff got to go to Hawaii while I was left alone in Houston? So in 2005, we went to the fair state of Hawaii a month after my birthday as a means of evening the score…sort of. In total, Jeff has managed to miss my birthday five of the eight years we’ve been together, so he might owe me a few more trips.

Destination: Oahu and the Big Island
Date: April 8-16 , 2005
Travel Partners: We met up with Dave & Heidi Byrne and we also spent a night with the Krochinas. Both the Byrnes and the Krochinas are longtime Blackinton family friends.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

1. Hiking out to see flowing lava at sunset. The ground is ragged and we saw not only a lot of busted up hands and legs but actually witnessed an air lift of someone who’d hurt themselves on the hike, but the exertion was worth it. We arrived at the lava flow just as the sun was setting, and ate our dinner and shared a bottle of wine from Volcano Winery just a few feet from the insanely hot mass. The intense glow was amazing as was watching it creep slowly toward the sea. Also, a few drops of rain added a neat element as the lava would sizzle each time a drop touched it. And though I really wanted to touch it, Jeff convinced me not to. (Okay, I wasn’t going to. I’m smart enough to know it would melt my hand right off, but I really, really, really want to know what it would feel like (not the heat, duh, but the texture.) Making our way back by flashlight was also quite the adventure. At Volcano National Park, we also enjoyed hiking through lava tubes and standing on the edge of volcanoes (expect for the rotten egg smell). It’s got to be up there among the cooler National Parks in the U.S.

2. Encountering a sea turtle while snorkeling. This was on my list as something I really wanted to have happen, though I knew there was no way to make it happen. When we went snorkeling at the famous Hanauma Bay we didn’t spot any. However, when we pulled over at a small stretch of black sand beach on the Big Island and decided to throw on our snorkeling gear, lo and behold one of these gentle giants came by for a visit. It was very cool. We then went on to see them all over the Big Island, and I thought they were just as amazing each and every time.

3. Food. Malasadas hot out of the grease at Leonard’s. Is there a better breakfast out there? Then the shrimp at Giovanni’s truck up toward the North Shore was divine. I don’t know if I liked the spicy shrimp or the lemon shrimp better, but I can say with certainty that I’ve never had better seafood served straight from a truck. And Jeff would certainly object if I didn’t mention the shaved ice, which comes with soft serve ice cream at the bottom. I think he had one a day. It’s not so much my thing, but I did enjoy a couple.

4. Visiting Jeff’s old stomping grounds. We visited the house where Jeff lived when he was little. The fruit trees were just as he remembered, and the strike zone he’d painted on the wall was still there. We also went by his elementary school and saw his name tiled into the mosaic outside the entrance. And we even got to catch a baseball game at the University of Hawaii, the place where Jeff developed his love of the game. It couldn’t have been more ideal either as the Rainbows were playing Rice, so we got to catch up with some old teammates and coaches.

5. Waterfalls. There aren’t too many ugly waterfalls in the world, so I general, I always love me a waterfall. The ones in Hawaii are particularly scenic and we got to visit quite a few of these wonders. On Oahu, hiking to Manoa Falls was fun…and wet…but the Big Island wins on waterfalls. Hilo has quite a few beauties as does the Waipio Valley.

THE LOWLIGHTS

1. Locking the keys in the car with the engine running. Jeff was so excited for his first shaved ice that when we pulled up at the place, he managed to not only lock the keys in the car, but lock them in with the engine still running. Fortunately, he did have his wallet with him so we could go ahead and enjoy a shaved ice while we waited for AAA to arrive. They had a heck of a time getting into the car, but eventually they did and all was fine.

2. Rain moving in shortly after our stargazing session began. Some of the best stargazing in the world can be done from Mauna Kea, and we were fortunate to be able to get a brief glimpse at the wonders of the night sky at this place where little atmosphere interferes with the view. I could have spent a lot longer looking skyward, however, had rain and clouds not taken over. We don’t have very good luck with astronomical events obviously.

3. Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It’s maybe a little unfair to classify this as a lowlight. It was simply more of a disappointment. We had a good time snorkeling here, but it was a bit like being at an amusement park. We saw lots of colorful fish and some neat coral, but so many of the little unmarked beaches we stopped at turned up way better sea life. Additionally, despite measures to keep crowds under control (which I applaud), it still feels a bit crowded. I like my natural areas just a bit more natural…and off the beaten path.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. Sometimes it pays be on an overbooked flight. We flew to Hawaii for free thanks to Jeff’s willingness to be bumped from two overbooked flights, both on the same day. On his return flight to DC post-Thanksgiving, he volunteered to give up his seat in return for a $400 voucher and a seat on a later flight. Then when he got to his layover spot, he again volunteered, getting another voucher in return for flying just about one hour later (and now going back into the airport he preferred, since the first change had him going into a different DC airport). So if you’re on an overbooked flight and you have a flexible schedule, consider volunteering your seat. You could end up with a free vacation.

2. Don’t let preconceived ideas keep you from visiting somewhere really cool. I have to admit that before I met Jeff I really had very little interest in Hawaii. I didn’t know too many people who had traveled there, and those I did know hadn’t done much more than sunbathe on the beaches at Waikiki or vegetate at a resort on Maui. All I could think was that if I wanted to lie on a beach there were a lot closer options. Plus, I can lie on a beach for approximately 3.7 minutes before going insane from boredom. So fly the many, many hours to Hawaii for that, no thanks. But then when I started really looking into it, I found out that Hawaii had so much more to offer, and though we did spend a bit of time (3.7 minutes to be exact) being beach bums, we also visited cultural and historic sites, took a fun road trip all the way around Oahu, and enjoyed the natural beauty of this unique state on a lot of active outings.

3. Don’t try to do too much. As much as I wanted to go to Kauai, trying to squeeze three destinations into our trip would have been way too much. Even with just two destinations, we didn’t get to do every thing we wanted. But having an entire island plus some sites on other islands that I want to see just means we’ll have to go back at some point. Darn.

4. If you’re in a place with a ton to do, why waste your money on a fancy hotel? I have to admit that I was a little nervous when we booked a room at the Waikiki Prince for $50, especially considering the going rate for a Honolulu room a few blocks from the beach is a few hundred higher. As it turns out, the place was great–clean, safe, a little kitchenette, a parking place, free beach towels, and the friendliest guy ever at the desk. It wasn’t luxurious, that’s for certain, but if it had been, I would have felt guilty considering we hardly even managed to make it back to the hotel for sleep.

5. If you know people where you’re going, take advantage of their insider knowledge. Because Dave works at Mauna Kea, we were able to visit this volcano, which we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise since regular rental cars aren’t allowed on the road that leads to it. We also got an insiders tour of the observatories and were able to hang around for some very awesome star gazing. Heidi also took us to a laie (Hawaiian temple) that we would not have known about without her. You can’t beat local knowledge.

6. Any time is a good time to travel. When we booked this trip for about 3 months prior to our wedding, people were confused, asking if we were also planning to do a honeymoon. Apparently not too many people go on big trips just prior to their wedding, but we had the opportunity and the time, so we said why the heck not. Honestly it was a very much needed break from all the planning. And thanks to the trip being pre-wedding all the lucky guests at the big event ended up with super yummy chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Mmm.

• Non-RTW Travel , Travel Take Two
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Jeff February 14th, 2008

For our second installment (see part one here) of our intermittently updated series rehashing our past travel adventures, we’re going to take you all back to our honeymoon with us. This was one of the few wedding tasks I was charged with (along with music selector and food taster) and it was a bit of a dilemma. My original decision divided between Portugal and southern Spain and Belize. To be honest, I can’t tell you why I chose these two to choose between. I wanted to go somewhere atypical and unique, and yet, at the same time, it was our honeymoon, so I wanted to go somewhere where we would be completely comfortable. As a person who generally travels very modestly with cost as a high priority, it was the one time I was going to splurge. But I also didn’t want to be stuck in a stuffy, dull resort. So to harken back to what I said about last week about adventure vs. comfort, I wanted somewhere that would provide us with a perfect combination of adventure and classic honeymoon relaxation. It was with this goal that we ventured to the beautiful cayes and raw jungles of Belize.

Destination: Honeymoon, Belize. Four nights on Ambergris Caye followed by three nights in the inland Cayo district

Date: August 1 - 9, 2005

Travel Partners: Just the newlyweds.

THE HIGHLIGHTS:

1. The beautiful views off of Ambergris Caye. Here’s what we saw basically out of the back of our room. Not too shabby.

2. The Mayan ruins at Caracol. While we also went to ruins at Altun Ha, they paled in comparison (see Lowlights #2). Caracol lies two hours down a gravel road (with the last mile or so oddly paved) and deep in the heart of the jungle. It creeps in on all sides and the howler monkey’s chatter only adds to the ambiance. The tallest temple tops out above the trees leading to an incredible view of the surrounding valley.

We wandered right through a research camp that was closed for the season, and save for one other pair, had the entire ruins to ourselves. Most amazingly, they said that much of the ruins of the city are still hidden in the jungle. Definitely made me feel like Indiana Jones.

3. Snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark and Ray Alley. We started by snorkeling through the Marine Reserve, a vibrant and colorful coral reef teeming with fish. We enjoyed snorkeling and free diving through tunnels, though we were a bit jealous of the divers further down below us (see Lessons Learned #3). Then our guide steered us into the aptly named Shark and Ray Alley, where we jumped in with rays and nurse sharks drawn by the chum we were throwing overboard. I touched both before I got a face full of bonefish that got excited by the chum that landed much too close to my noggin.

4. Hiking to many waterfalls surrounding Hidden Valley Inn in the Cayo District. There’s nothing quite like a refreshing, cool pool beneath a waterfall after a hot hike, especially one this tall. And who can beat having your own private waterfall for the day, complete with catered meal and bottle of champagne (part of our honeymoon package)?

5. The Belize Zoo. This small but well-done zoo is home to wild animals, all native to Belize, that were either injured or had been domesticated for documentaries. It’s a difficult zoo to explain, but so totally unique and interesting. I’ll start with this picture.

Now take that same poetry and sense of humor, expand it to each exhibit and envision the paths through them so narrow you feel that you are in the exhibits themselves. It’s a very cool experience. My favorites were the jaguars and the howler monkeys

THE LOWLIGHTS:

1. Getting Peed on by a Tapir

This was the tapir that peed on Theresa, just after this picture was taken. He got close to the fence, raised a leg, and got good distance on his spray. I was fortunate enough to avoid the calamity. Theresa, ever the trooper, went on like nothing had ever happened, after a few brief squeals of disbelief, of course.

2. The no-see-ums on Ambergris Caye and the mosquitos at Altun Ha. No amount of bug spray was enough against these tenacious bugs. One afternoon on Ambergris Caye, we thought we would walk from our hotel to the main town, San Pedro, a distance of about a mile. We made it all of 200 feet down the road near the beach before we were both doubled over swatting insanely at the air around our legs. Fortunately, a passing taxi, complete not just with driver but also with the driver’s wife and two kids, picked us up and drove us to town. At least there the bugs had other people to eat too. At Altun Ha, the sun was blaring down, but the shade was even worse. The mosquitos literally formed a wall at the edge of the shadows, and if you walked in, the whole world turned black. We could either bake in the sun or get eaten in the shade. It was a no win situation.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. We are not relaxers. I believe we lasted a whole of one day, fresh from the insanity that always accompanies weddings, laying on the beaches of Ambergris Caye next to the pool at our posh resort before we were ready to claw our eyes out. This was the first day after arriving, when we were still declaring how ready we were to kick back, relax, and not do anything for the entire time on Ambergris Caye. Fortunately, the resort was equipped to arrange the snorkeling and ruin trekking trips for us.

2. The “rainy season” is not always rainy. We went to Belize in the offseason. The only rain we saw was a few drops the first day, and a little overnight in the Cayo district. The weather was beautiful, and everyone said it was cooler (though it sure felt hot!). Better yet, accommodations were cheaper and the places we wanted to go weren’t crowded.

3. We want to get PADI certified. It was fascinating to look down on the scuba divers from our sea level perch with our snorkels. I kept wondering what they were seeing. I had a similar revelation in the Red Sea, where we went on a similar trip. We hear the certification done well and cheaply in Thailand, so we will try that. Theresa is a little worried about the claustrophobia that comes with all your air coming from a tank, but I have a feeling we’ll both find it exciting.

4. When you’re at a prison and a man (not clearly a guard or an inmate) walks by with a live chicken in one hand and a machete in the other, be ready to leave. What were we doing at a prison, you ask? Well, on the way to Hidden Valley Inn, we passed the prison and saw the sign (in the picture below) advertising a prison gift shop, so on the way back we stopped to check it out. You didn’t really think we could pass it up, did you? After browsing and buying a nice picture frame, we were headed back to the car, when the machete- and chicken-wielding man came toward us. You’d be impressed with how quickly we got in the car, locked the doors, and got out of there. This was more a reaction than anything, but it’s good to know my common sense won’t abandon me on the road (unless of course you consider visiting a prison gift shop not a good idea.)

5. Take time to explore the local areas. We spent all of one afternoon walking through San Pedro just searching for the local areas. We found the cemetery, ate at some delicious “local” restaurants, and sauntered along the local’s beach. We happened upon some great kids that loved the camera too.

People here are not wealthy, but they’re not terribly poor either (though Americans buying property there and driving up prices is making things more difficult). It was just very interesting to wander through their haphazard mix of English, Caribbean, and Creole culture and just soak it in for a while. It’s a good lesson that it’s not always about checking another sight off the list, but also about enjoying the culture and exploring local life.

• Non-RTW Travel , Travel Take Two
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Theresa January 20th, 2008

Welcome to the first entry in what we plan to make a recurring series here on Lives of Wander in the run-up months to our actual departure. I mean, you did come here to read about travel, didn’t you?

What we’ll be doing in our Travel Take Two series is take a second look at some of the trips Jeff and I have gone on together. We’ll recall the highlights—the events that make travel the wonderful adventure that is. We’ll also remember the lowlights—the moments when you want to say screw it and jump on the first plane home. And we’ll see what kind of lessons we’ve taken away from each trip, lessons that hopefully will help us maximize the highlights and minimize the lowlights on our RTW trip.

Destination: Egypt—A 7-day tour through Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor with a sidetrip to the Red Sea.
Date: June 10-17, 2004
Travel Partners: My brothers Gregory and Mark accompanied us on this trip. We also spent two of our days with friends Kate and Ben

THE HIGHLIGHTS:
For me, the most amazing thing about Egypt was that it was just as incredible as I thought it would be. When you’ve spent your entire life imaging a place, you often find that when you get there, it doesn’t live up to your expectations. This was not true for Egypt. I think I spent the entire trip walking around wide-eyed and slack-jawed. So what did I love?

1. The Pyramids of Giza. Completely awesome in person, it was phenomenal to wander around the only surviving ancient wonder of the world.

2. Luxor Temple. We explored this temple at night, when it felt absolutely other-worldly. The avenue of sphinxes glowed, bats flittered around, and robed men would pop out from behind columns looking to get a tip by explaining something or pointing something out to you.

3. Tour of the West Bank—Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Hatshepsut. It was cool to get to go inside the tombs, and it was nice to have a guide who gave us little history lessons at each site and explained art work, hieroglyphics, and ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.

4. Local food. The steak shish kebabs at Amoun Restaurant in Luxor and the chicken fatta at Cafe Riche in Cairo (each maybe about $2) were awesome.

5. The Egyptian Museum. It was like a huge warehouse of treasures. You couldn’t turn around without seeing something amazing, but the mummies and the Tutankhamun exhibit were the best.

6. Just exploring Cairo. The city was a cacophony of sounds, sights, smells. Wandering along the Nile, hearing the call to prayer blasting out over the city, being out on the streets after dark when it seemed the whole city would come out with huge crowds at sweets and icecream shops, exploring the confusing alleyways of the market, dancing in the back seat of a taxi with a very enthusiastic driver…it was a mad, mad city but in a completely intoxicating way.

7. The friendly people. Almost without fail, everyone we met was friendly. I can’t even count how many times we were told “Welcome to Egypt” from people we simply passed on the street.

8. Getting to travel with my brothers. The combined trip to Greece/Egypt was both Gregory and Mark’s first major international trip, so it was really cool to get to share the experience with them. We’re hoping that family and friends will meet up with us at times on this trip so we can share the adventure of travel with them.

THE LOWLIGHTS:
While there were certainly “lowlights,” I have to say that in the big picture all of them were rather minor and had little effect on our enjoyment of Egypt. I think that all of my travel companions would agree that this was a fantastic trip that we’d all be happy to do over.

1. The bus ride to Hurghada. The air conditioner didn’t work for the majority of the trip. A young girl threw up in the aisle. A Bollywood movie was played at absolute top volume and involved multiple women screaming in the most shrill voice I’d ever heard. In general, it wasn’t a pleasant trip.

2. Hurghada. Hurghada was our access point to snorkeling in the Red Sea. While the snorkeling was good (though the waves at our last stop were a little much for me), the hassle of Hurghada was annoying. The town was rather dumpy and quite the tourist trap. No one would give us a straight story when it came to organizing a trip, and the hotel rooms we reserved were not what we were given. We were happy to spend the whole day out on the boat and away from this town.

3. The unexpected stop on the bus ride from Hurghada to Cairo. Somewhere in the middle of the desert, in the pitch-black, our bus stopped, and we (the only non-Arabs) on the bus were made to get off and talk to a soldier with a big, scary gun. It was a bit nerve-racking, but it turned out fine as they just wanted to know where we were going.

4. The constant requests for baksheesh (tip). Wherever we went, people called out for baksheesh. I have no trouble tipping people if they provide me with a service, but I find it frustrating to have people ask for a tip for doing something like showing me where a McDonalds is when a) I didn’t ask them to, and b) I have no interest in going to McDonalds. That’s not a service. That’s an annoyance. It’s hard to always say no because you know these people don’t have much money, but just handing out money indiscriminately isn’t the answer.

5. The 25 mosquito bites between my elbow and wrist that I received in one night at the Africa Hotel. Overall our hotels were not so great, except for the New Radwan Hotel in Luxor, which with its pool and air-conditioning (at the crazy rate of about $14 a night) was a true treat.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Egypt was a new experience for us in many ways. It was the first predominantly Muslim country we’d ever visited. It was the first time we’d visited the African continent. It was the poorest country we’d visited. There was a lot to learn.

1. Not all jellyfish sting. Who knew? Until I swam through an entire swarm of them, I had no idea. I guess the big takeaway point here is that what is true at home may not be true elsewhere. Be open-minded. Be daring.

2. It’s important to maintain perspective when haggling over prices. When we were in Hurghada, we were trying to find the best deal on a snorkeling trip. We’d walk into a place that had a price listed on the wall, but when we’d ask at the desk, they’d always say that price wasn’t right and quote us something a little higher. This was really frustrating, and we spent some time haggling, before realizing that we were really arguing over the equivalent of a dollar or two. It wasn’t worth it.

3. Always ask to see a room before you commit to it, and don’t be tempted to book multiple nights before you’ve stayed at a place. It’s good to have a place booked for your first night (especially if you arrive at 3 a.m. as we did in Cairo) but don’t commit to more than one night without having seen the place. In the morning, you can book another night if the place is good, and if it’s not, you can find somewhere else where you can ask to see the room first.

4. Agree on a price before you get in a cab. Most of the world’s cab drivers don’t use meters…or they don’t use them properly. So it’s important to find out how much a trip should cost by asking a local or checking a guidebook and then agreeing on a price before you get in the cab. Oftentimes, the cab driver will try to raise the rate when you get there, but stick to what you agreed, pay, get out, and walk away. Ignore the cab driver yelling at you as long as you paid what you agree. If, however, by some accident you should realize that you actually stiffed the guy, then run back to the cab as fast as you can, pay up, and add a nice little tip to the top to make up for your mistake. (Real life experience speaking here. Ooops.)

5. Eat local. We ate almost every meal at local restaurants and never once got sick. We then went to a McDonalds one day when we were in a hurry and we all got sick. Yuck. (Bonus tip: Carry toilet paper with you at all times in the developing world…chances are the bathroom won’t have any and I don’t know about you, but I have no interest in learning the left hand method so popular in that part of the world.)

6. If you’re only going to have a short time in one place, have a plan for what you want to do. Just exploring and stumbling across things is great when you have lots of time, but isn’t the right way to approach only one day in a place. We didn’t get the most out of our time in Aswan, because we didn’t really have a plan.

7. Bring ear plugs. Those Bollywood films are really, really painful. Ear plugs are necessary if you plan to maintain your sanity.

8. Dress appropriately. When we were at the Valley of the Kings, a tour bus pulled off and a number of tourists got out wearing clothes that were entirely inappropriate—bikini tops and cut off shorts, men’s tanktops, etc. Egypt is a Muslim country, and while no one expects you to wear a burka or shalwar kameez, it’s only considerate to wear conservative clothing. Not only is this a simple matter of respect, it also protects you from unwanted attention and/or harassment. The same is true if you’re visiting a Catholic Church in Italy, a Buddhist monastery in Southeast Asia, or your new boyfriend’s grandma right here in the U.S.

9. “Just close your eyes, pray to Allah, and go.” As we were standing across a huge intersection from the Egyptian Museum, staring at buses that didn’t ever stop but only slowed enough for passengers to jump out of, cars that paid no attention to lane lines, and automobiles that used their horns instead of their brakes, wondering how in the heck we were going to get across, a local man approached us and gave us that advice. He then grabbed us by the hand and led us through the traffic, dropping us off right in front of the museum, then wishing us a good visit and disappearing into the crowd. His advice has stayed with me. Sometimes to have the experience of a lifetime you just have to set aside your fears and go.

• Africa , Non-RTW Travel , Travel Take Two
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