Where in the World? (Posted 3/20/11)

A long overdue post - maybe the final one (is anyone still blogging or has the convenience of Facebook taken over? Seems I've missed a lot being on the road.) And I've got some explaining to do. For those who don't know, we're not in Berlin anymore. We're not even in Germany anymore! For a variety of reasons which I won't get into here (Matthias' green card status among them) we decided to come back to the States again. We are currently in.......drum roll, please.......Portland, Oregon!

Lots of rain makes for pretty waterfalls

Long story short (just the fun stuff here), we took some time to visit with the family in Florida and then packed up the van (thanks for the use of the van, mom and dad!) and drove out west. So, before I get into what we might or might not be doing here in Portland, I get to describe another escapade!

Matthias on the beach in Biloxi, MS

The experience driving across the U.S. actually turned out to be right up there with our other adventures. We took the southernmost route to try to avoid some of the nasty winter storms, and ended up going through (and stopping in) Biloxi MS; New Orleans, LA; Austin, TX, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Davis, CA; and up the Northern California and Oregon Coast.

Austin, TX

We took about three weeks to make the journey, staying in cheap motels and campsites (when it wasn't too cold) along the way. Throughout the trip, the scenery - even from the car - was fantastic. New Orleans (of course) was a highlight, although it was below freezing when we were there. And we were absolutely WOWed by Austin, Texas, where we had a fun night out on the town listening to live music. Naturally our tour of Texas also included a stop in the BBQ capital of Texas (and therefore the world, some would say) where we feasted on simply awesome BBQ. As a matter of fact, we really enjoyed just about everywhere we went in Texas - Matthias being a huge fan of the wild west culture, I often caught him in a dreamy-eyed look, and I knew he was imagining himself riding through the countryside on horseback, meeting up with Judge Roy Bean on the Pecos River or Davy Crocket at the Alamo....

Judy and a real "Texas Toothpick" (and I thought food was big in Bavaria!)

Matthias feeling right at home west of the Pecos

After quite a bit of time in Texas, we stopped in Phoenix to see our good friend Patrick and had a fantastic visit (thanks, Patrick, for taking us around!) Then it was on to Vegas, which was...well....Vegas, and then California. We missed seeing Sue in Davis, but got to visit with Lisa, Noah, Eli and Michael, which was great (but I forgot to take pictures, dammit!)

Matthias, Keith and Patrick next to a typical Saguaro cactus


View of Sedona from the car

After Davis, we drove up the breathtaking Northern California coastline, through the Redwood forest and along the Oregon Coast. At long last we arrived in Portland and have found a temporary place to stay until we can settle in. And Portland hasn't disappointed either! It's everything we expected: it's an extremely bike-friendly city, it's laid-back but still interesting, they love their beer, and yes, it rains all the time. Just like Germany!

California Coast


Oregon Coast

So now we would like to stay here but I guess you never know with us. Our first step is to find work...not an easy task in this day and age. And that's one major reason I've come out of the dark and let people know where we are - I'm going to be bugging my work contacts soon for references and the like. Yes, Stu is helping me out with the latest job search/networking technology like pointing me toward LinkedIn. Being out of the workforce for so long, I guess I missed that one - so look me up if you don't hear from me first!

And for the full online trip photo album:

X-America Trip

Keeping Portland Weird (Posted 5/15/11)

How do I know it's time to write another blog entry? Because while I'm riding my bike to work, I'm thinking of things to write in the blog. Did I say work? Yes! I am once again a productive member of society! And yes, I can ride my bike (at least part of the way) to work. But I'll get to that later.

Portland has been good to us, and we really like it here. We spent our first month in a motel - the Value Inn Suites, where we had a basic, yet clean two-room suite; a nice view (snow-capped mountains and planes taking off and landing at the nearby airport); and enjoyed free coffee, breakfast, underground parking, HBO and Internet! All for $850 per month! Plus, the frequent police visits and sometimes busts (or at least people leaving in handcuffs) added another level of entertainment. While it wasn't a real home, and the location could have been better, it provided a great base from which to explore the city, find an apartment, and look for work. And we did all that.

The view from our "Suite"

Within a month, we found an apartment in Southeast Portland, in an area called Woodstock. Our neighborhood is pretty charming, has everything we need, and is also convenient to other areas and downtown. As funky as Portland is, Woodstock isn't what one might expect. Most of the pierced and tattooed folks stay closer to the Hawthorne District, which is an easy bike ride - a mile or two away. We've got a two-bedroom unit in a two-unit house, and our neighbors (lovely, quiet ladies) travel a lot; they're currently in England and won't be back until July. Oh, and there's a fireplace and some outdoor space. The only thing that bugs Matthias about it is the wall to wall carpet, but he's happy enough with the kitchen, so it evens out. The question now is who's going to be the first to visit and take advantage of our extra bedroom? Stu? Jen and Brenda? Andrew? Or mom and dad.....?

Matthias at the BBQ and smoker!

And then, the day before we moved to our new apartment, I got a job! I'm working as a grant writer for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation, which is the fundraising arm of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, and it couldn't be better! When I saw the job on Craigslist, I said to Matthias: "They've got to hire me - it's a perfect fit." Internally, I was saying to myself....if they're not interested, no one will be! Soon enough....on April fools day, no less, I got called for an interview (which I thought for a moment might be a joke) and got hired soon after. It's been absolutely fantastic so far (and I'm not just saying that because my new coworkers are friends on Facebook and therefore have a link to the blog!) Seriously, I'm working with four terrific fundraising professionals who are hardworking but also lots of fun (it reminds me a lot of the development department at PPNYC.) And the organization is awesome - it's a safety net health care provider, with a focus on serving migrant farmworkers. I'm not going to write about that here (since I do that for a living now) but you can find out more on the website and on Facebook (become a fan of Virginia Garcia!! there's my pitch.) Many thanks to Stu, who provided a reference and tips on how to get "Linked in", as well as Keith and Jennifer for the (obviously) solid references! You get first dibs on the second bedroom!

What a warm welcome!

I've already mentioned how awesome the people I work with are - and that goes for most of the people we've come in contact with here. Everyone seems friendly, laid-back, and pretty much happy to be here. Of course, everyone complains about the rain, but they seem to do so with as much pride as resignation (like New Yorkers talk about rude service staff, or Greeks talk about corruption - where would we be without it??) And Portland is adorably quirky - one of our favorite slogans (I'm not sure of the origin) that keeps cropping up on signs and bumpers is: "Keep Portland Weird." I assume it's calling for resistance to the takeover of the town by shopping malls and chain restaurants, which, at least in our area, seems to be working. It was certainly my favorite bumper sticker until I saw: "Keep Portland Beered", which promptly took over first place in my eyes.

And then there's the biking! It's a totally bike-able city, with small, light traffic streets as well as bike lanes on major routes. I do have quite a bit of a commute to work (since we found the apartment before I found the job, and they happen to be on opposite ends of the city), but I can ride my bike downtown and hop on the light rail/street car (called MAX) from there. It's quite pleasant, and it makes me feel like a real Portlander. And, it's giving me some insight into the biking culture here. I did mention that Portlanders are laid-back, right? Well, not when (most of them) ride their bikes! Not only do they have the latest and greatest bikes, accessories, and reflective clothing ("Keep Portland Geared?"), but they all ride to work as if they're trying to beat their time from the day before! Now, when I rode in Berlin, I had one of the better bikes on the road (the one that I brought here) and I basically kept up with people and even passed a few. But here, they make me feel like a granny on my bike - whizzing by me as they make their way to wherever they're going (like a finish line!) But I'm resisting the temptation to try and keep up, instead enjoying my ride through the tree-lined streets, soaking in the atmosphere (and the occasional smell of pot) along the way. It's fun!

These aren't the typical seriously-outfitted bikers, but they did all pass me by!

But it's too far (and too hilly) to ride all the way to work. So, I lock my bike downtown in a parking garage (out of the rain) and take the MAX train for about 40 minutes. That's where I get to catch up on my reading (and proof-reading for work....but only in the mornings!) I joined the local library (right down the street from our place) and started in on all the bestsellers I missed while I was away. I already devoured Eat, Pray, Love (of course, she had me at Eat!) and I'm getting started on the Swedish series with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So, please send me your recommendations for good reads!

And finally, I can report that Matthias may have also found a job! He starts working maintenance at a golf course on Tuesday (a trial - but we can't imagine why it wouldn't work out.) He says it's his dream job, and we both agree he'll enjoy the outdoor aspect of it (plus the fact that he won't have to work nights.) Keep your fingers crossed for him, and I'll be back with an update in....oh....another few months!

Blog-worthy Weekend and the Americanization of Matthias (Posted 7/8/13)

I can't believe it's been more than two years since I've updated this thing.  I suppose it makes sense, since we're no longer on the road.  But now I've got a nice set of photos from a great three-night trip to Ollalie Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest.  A blog-worthy weekend.

We packed up the Tacoma and left late Thursday afternoon (7/3) for the two-hour drive to Ollalie.  The drive entails just five minutes on the highway (or "freeway" as they say around here) and then along quiet and beautiful country roads, with the last 15 miles on an unpaved gravel/dirt road.  This is why Matthias says he wanted pick-up truck. Yes, a pick-up truck. (note: we do NOT own a gun, but you should see Matthias' knife....)

Our campsite at Ollalie Lake

We were lucky to find a great campsite overlooking the lake.    We immediately went down to to the lake to check out the scenery.  Stunning!  It was so lovely, Matthias actually stayed up until sunset.  

The next morning, we went for a hike on the Pacific Coast Trail.  I think I had heard of this trail (which runs from the Mexican to Canadian borders) but we both wondered why it's not as world-famous as the Appalachian Trail.  Yet another well-kept secret of the west, we supposed.  The small portion of the trail we walked was well-maintained, quite easy and the views were simply spectacular.  We didn't plan on hiking all day, and we didn't bring lots of water or any food, so we had to cut it short.  That left some time for Matthias to go fishing in the afternoon and get a huge fire going for the evening.  

Fishing on Ollalie Lake

The following morning we found ourselves in the clouds (at 5000 ft above sea level, I can't really call these low clouds), with the sun working to burn its way through.  Drank our coffee as we watched the mist roll over the lake and the eagles searching for breakfast.  With plenty of water, food, bug repellent and a bathing suit, we started off on another trail (the Red Lake Trail) to see more beautiful mountain lakes and ponds.  The water was so inviting, but it wasn't hot enough for a swim until we came back down in the afternoon.  We saw a few back-country campers and I considered how beautiful that must be, and whether it's worth giving up luxury accommodations at the drive-up site (chairs, sleeping pads, thick blankets, variety of beverages, etc.)  Maybe some other time....I am (was) more of a city girl after all....

That's our July 4th weekend in a nutshell. Here's a link to the photo album.   We had to come back on Saturday because Matthias works on Sundays, which gave me time to write this and do some blog repair (all the photo links were dead-ends!)  So now I can do a quick update on the last two years.  As anyone who reads this (anyone, anyone?) would know, it was a tough time for the family.  We lost my dad to cancer in May.  We learned he had advanced-stage renal cancer in January 2012, just before the sinking of the Costa Concordia.  Why that seemingly unrelated fact?  Because canceled the family trip we had planned for February on that very ship the day before it sank.  It was a tough year, but we were fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with my parents.  We were in Florida for three weeks following the diagnosis.  My parents came to Portland for two glorious weeks last summer.  And, we were able to spend three months with them in Florida when my dad was put on hospice care.  I miss him terribly - we all do - but I am really, really grateful for all the time (years and years) we had together. 

A visit to the Oregon wine region,  (Photos: Roses in Rose City)

And now my mom has a trip to Portland planned for later this month.  She's coming at the same time as her brother and sister-in-law.   Actually (Uncle) Lou and Laurene are coming back to PDX for a third time (second since we've been here) and we've had a flurry of other visitors as well.  Andrew, Charlene, Stu, and Sue all came to stay with us, and we got to meet up with Jennifer and Brenda when they were in town.  Plus,  I got to meet up with Linda, Cassidy and Dylan in Seattle.   Super-fun!!

In Astoria with Stu  (more photos)

Our ability to travel long-distance has been limited due to my father's illness, and also because Matthias' job at the golf course doesn't allow for time off during the summer.   So we've tried to make the most of short jaunts around here.  Fortunately, the area has a lot to offer. One of our favorites (besides camping in the Mt. Hood National Forest) is Astoria, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific.  We were also wowed by a visit to Crater Lake, and had fun with a last minute trip to Vancouver, Canada over Christmas.  And, I just got to spend a couple days back east at Aaron's wedding followed by a very short stay in NYC.  We're working on planning something exotic and fabulous for three weeks this winter. Can't wait!

Crater Lake - July 2011 (Photo Album)

Not much else to report.  On a far less interesting note, we've submitted paperwork for Matthias to get US citizenship (actually, dual German/US) but we're not sure how successful it will be because all the travel we did (and had to list on the form) makes it a bit complicated.  If they only knew that Matthias now owns a pick-up truck, wears baseball caps, drinks PBR, has a huge BBQ grill and smoker, and is even starting to drive in the left lane (a little) - he'd be a shoe-in!  A real "Ami", as they say in Germany.  Who knew?

Matthias in one of my father's cowboy hats

That's all for this post.  Maybe someday I'll join the masses and start posting to Facebook.  Until then, I remain the occasional blogger.

Back in Asia for Some R and R (Posted 1/12/14)

Sitting on a longboat heading up the Mekong River in Laos, I have my first opportunity to do a blog entry, although I keep getting distracted by the scenery and the dangerous-looking rocks jutting out of the water.  We are on our way from Luang Prabang in Laos on a two-day journey to the Thai border at Chiang Khong.  But more on that later.

From the Boat on the Mekong

We arrived in Bangkok after midnight on 1/1/14 (saw a few fireworks displays as we were landing) and spent a very short night there before geting a flight in the afternoon to the Lao border and Vientianne.  The Lao capital made a decent start to our journey - we found it to be relatively mellow, which was welcomed after our long flights.  After a short stay in Vientianne, we headed on by bus to Vang Vieng, where we spent a night to break up the long journey to Luang Prabang, our first major destination.  Vang Vieng has some spectacular scenery, and is a paradise for adventure-seekers.  Caving, kayaking, trekking, mountain-climbing, etc., etc. can all be done here.  We chose to pass our one afternoon here with a walk across the Nam Song river and through some farmlands before grabbing a couple of Beer Lao by the riverside.  Nice!

Vang Vieng Scenery

Sunset in Vang Vieng

The next day, our minibus picked us up at  7:30 AM for the 6.5 hour ride to Luang Prabang.  The route consisted of windy mountainous roads, fabulous scenery, and a high mountain-top lunch spot for noodle soup.  We arrived in Luang Prabang at about 3pm on 1/4, and checked into our lovely hotel right across from a gorgeous Wat (Buddhist Temple).  We then had five days in Luang Prabang, a beautiful and historic city at the convegence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, where  French colonial architecture and numerous Wats dot the landscape.  It's probably the most picuresque and laid-back Asian city I've ever seen (although Matthias was a little disappointed - he was expecting ancient temples like Ankor Wat in Cambodia as opposed to more modern 16-17th century stuff).  We had four full days here to soak up the sights, check out the markets, rent bicycles to explore nearby villages and, of course, drink a few Beer Lao by the river(s). The food was excellent, and we decided to "splurge" on nice restaurants ($20-25 for two, including drinks) in the evenings.  Unfortunately, that didn't spare Matthias from intestinal problems....

Enjoying a beer by the Mekong

Matthias on the Mekong

Our hotel's location across from Wat Saen made it a convenient place to get up and watch the Monks as they made their daily procession through the streets at around 6am.  We were also happy because that meant the coffee at our hotel was ready each morning by 5:30 am - which is only about a half hour wait for Matthias....

Procession of young monks accepting alms in the early morning in front of our hotel

On our last day in LP (when Matthias was feeling a bit better), we took the obligatory excursion to the Kouang Si waterfall, a series of beautiful shimmering cascades and blue pools, which I found perfect for a dip (even though Matthias thought it was too cold).  It was a perfect ending to our time in Luang Prabang.  Even the 30km tuk-tuk ride through the countryside to the waterfalls was lovely.

Kouang Si Waterfall

Swimming at the waterfall - that dot is me...

Now the sun has come out on the Mekong (it was quite cold this morning) and we've been on the boat for a couple of hours.  We've also "splurged" on a more upscale cruise (as opposed to the basic but popular back-packer variety) and we are enjoying some comfort and ample seating space as we cruise up this mighty river. Earlier this morning, we stopped quickly at the Pak Ou cave (spiritual place filled with Buddha statues) and now we'll be on the boat until around 5:30 pm when we check into our "comfort" hotel for the overnight before the second leg of the journey.  Fortunately, I see some Beer Lao at the bar in the back, so we're set for the afternoon.

Another scene from the boat up the Mekong

Post script - we are now in Thailand, which is even more fabulous, but I'm finding that updating the blog and sorting/labeling pictures using a tablet is a royal pain.  Also I thought I'd have more time every night after Matthias went to sleep - but even he's having enough fun to stay up until around 10pm and I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open much later (since he still wakes up at 5!)   Tomorrow we're heading off on our motor bikes around the Golden Triangle.  I'll try to explain and share photos soon if I have the energy!

Tasty Thailand (Posted 1/14/14)

We've been in Thailand for about a week and it didn't take nearly that long to remember how much we love it here.  The food is fantastic (probably reason #1), people are friendly, it's relatively easy to get around and it's beautiful and interesting.  And the weather is perfect.  What's not to love?

Mountain Scenery!

We arrived at the Thai border on January 10 - entering via the new "Friendship Bridge" between Laos and Thailand that was opened just three weeks earlier.  We got a nice hotel in Chiang Khong, the border town where we had stayed a few years earlier on our way to (and from) China.  We weren't all that excited about it, but it was better than we remembered, and we enjoyed a nice dinner with Chris - a New Yorker we met on the boat from Luang Prabang.

The next morning, we took the public bus to Chiang Rai and checked in to our fabulous hotel (also recently opened).  We immediately took our clothes to be laundered and got some kao soi  (curry noodle soup with chicken). Delicious!  Luckily it was Saturday, and we were able to visit the market on the "Walking Street" which was packed with crafts, souveniers and general schlock (tons of tacky iphone covers and handbags) but the real draw was the food stalls - rows and rows of delicious (and sometimes weird) offerings, including satay, grilled meat and fish, salads, stews, dumplings and more!  Of course, Matthias was in heaven with his favorite: chicken butts on a stick.  I'm not kidding.

Matthias and his chicken butts

The next day we rented motorbikes and tried them out riding out to the nearby elephant camps.  This was really just pratice for our upcoming tour of the golden triangle, but we loved seeing the elephants and enjoyed getting to know our motor bikes before setting out on a longer journey.  And fortunately, that night there was another night market!

Matthias at the elephant camp outside Chiang Rai

First day on the motorbike

On 1/13, we checked out of our Chiang Rai hotel, leaving some of our stuff with our kind hotel host, and set out toward Mae Salong, a mountaintop village settled by Kuomintang Chinese and surrounded by hill tribe villages.  The ride was nice, and the scenery was breathtaking.  We were in heaven!

Rest stop after Mae Salong

The next day we rode through the mountains past the royal villa at Doi Tung and back down to Mae Sai, the northernmost city in Thailand and one gateway to Myanmar.  It was a typical bordertown, with lots of tacky shops, but did have some interesting food stalls serving all sorts of treats, including some we hadn't seen before (we didn't ask, but we think we ate a burmese soup - it was delicious so we didn't care). Our "hotel" was a bamboo cabin on the edge of town, on the river facing Myanmar.  Cute and quiet, but we were surprised the next morning when we awoke early to try and find some coffee and found our motorbikes locked together and the gate padlocked shut.  We were prisoners!  But it didn't much matter since when we did finally break out (someone woke up), we didn't find anything open anyway - except for 7-11 where we were able to get some nescafe.

By our cabin in Mae Sai

Burmese Breakfast
After the nescafe and shower, we headed across the border to visit Myanmar.   Granted, we only had a couple of hours to visit (just another) border town, so we didn't expect much.  However, we were struck by how diferent, and ethnically diverse the people were, and we enjoyed a hot breakfast at a burmese tea house, and then more mouthfuls, including a rich delicious noodle soup, from some street vendors.  Couldn't  bring myself to purchase any tacky souveniers, so we returned to Thailand with full bellies but not much else to show for it, but a few pictures.

Our Entry permits into Myanmar

Entering Myanmar

After that, we took a short ride to Chiang Saen, a lovely riverside town just past the "golden triange" (point where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet).  That's where I'm writing this now.  We're planning to stay another night here before returning to Chiang Rai and figuring our next steps.  We were planning to head to Bangkok and spend our last days there, but with the protests and all, we think it might be better to hang out here and just fly in (and out) of the airport.  By the way, if it weren't for the news reports, we wouldn't even know about any turmoil.  People around here just don't seem interested.  Anyway, I don't want to think about it because it means the end of this fantastic journey and I prefer to just live in the moment now....

I've got hundreds of photos to share,and although I'm working on it, I'm finding it's a pain to try and label them with a tablet (have I mentioned this already?) so the album will probably have to wait until after we get home   So, that's all for now!

And Back Again (Posted 1/27/14)

Just a quick post to wrap up the trip and share pictures. Chiang Saen was the last stop on our motorbike tour, and after two nights there we headed back to Chiang Rai for a few days to enjoy the weekend "walking street" markets and plan our journey home.  One day, we rented bikes (ones we actually had to pedal - Matthias wasn't all too thrilled with that) and rode along the Mae Kok river.  The next day, we got motorbikes again and went to see the popular and strange White Temple and then went back down the riverside road a bit further than we could make it under our own pedal power.

White Temple outside of Chiang Rai

With just a few days left to our trip, we had originally planned to make our way to Chiang Mai and then Bangkok on the overnight train, where we would spend the last two days before catching our red-eye flight out.  That would have been nice, and certainly would have made our journey home a lot more pleasant.  Unfortunately, though, we changed our plans based on recommendations to avoid Bangkok and the anti-government protesters' efforts to shut down the city.  So, we booked a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok airport on our departure date to avoid the city.  This gave us a few more days up north, where it was business as usual.  On our way to Chiang Mai we decided to stop in a lakeside town called Phayao - a place popular with Thai tourists (but few Western ones) so it didn't feel all that touristy to us.  In Phayao, we rented motorbikes and rode around the lake, through a preserved wetland and fish farming area - and of course enjoyed some tasty fresh fish.

Our last two days in Chiang Mai were spent walking around looking at temples and markets and getting our fill of Kao Soi - a northern Thai chicken noodle soup made with curry and coconut milk - our favorite!  We had been to/through Chiang Mai a few times before, so we basically traced our old footsteps while lamenting that we wouldn't be able to get to Bangkok via the night train, which we remembered as being really fun. 

Kao Soi at the Chiang Mai Market

So, our journey home consisted of a quick flight to BKK airport, a seven hour layover at the airport, a five hour red-eye flight to Beijing with a nine hour layover, an 11-hour flight to Seattle, bus to Tacoma and three-hour Amtrak ride back to Portland.  There were some highlights though:  We were able to get the airport express train to downtown Beijing (they have a 72-hour visa-free visit policy), walk around a hutong (old neighborhood) and eat hand-pulled noodles - probably Matthias' absolute favorite (non-pork) food item. We also got to fly on the new Boeing Dreamliner plane from Beijing to Seattle and the scenery out of the (larger) windows was spectacular as we flew over Eastern Russia and Alaska.  The Amtrak ride along the Puget Sound and watching the sun set over the Columbia river at sunset made for a great finish - but I was done taking pictures at that point.

Enjoying freshly made hand-pulled noodles in Beijing

That's it.  Nothing else to say except it was a fabulous trip and the full set of pictures are online:

Click Here:  Laos and Thailand Photos