travelog #1: local update from granada
travelog #2: local update from istanbul, turkey
travelog #3: local update from vienna, austria
travelog #4: local update from bombay, india
travelog #5: local update from bangkok, thailand
travelog #6: last, local update from HOME!

hello travel fans! your local update from granada - 7:30pm, españa time (that means we´ve just had our snack and won´t be eating dinner for another 3 hours)... we've already seen so much and we're only yet into our second week. lots to share though, so enjoy...

las vegas, nevada:
mark blew $2 before nikki smartly stopped him from draining our travel account. (did we break the bank or what?) with sis, lisa and her hubby, eric, we ate more in one day than we might possibly during the whole trip...

new york city, new york:
one of the first things we did was... drink. and then, we drank. but what else do you do over a wedding weekend? the widener´s ceremony at st. bart´s and reception at the yale club (go hoos!) were stunning. we visited the wtc site - providing some serious, emotional recall. we parted with our additional suitcase sunday night and off we went with our two packs on our backs.

lisbon, portugal:
we spent our first day abroad (our wedding anniversary) in a grand hotel with a veranda overlooking the city and indulged in a scrumptious dinner of portuguese linguisca, sangria and seafood bisque. (believe us, we wouldn´t be getting ourselves accustomed to such luxuries but anniversary #2 was an important splurge!).

carvoiera, portugal:
from foot to ferry to train to bus, it was an extremely long day of travel to the southern tip of portugal but the effort was well worth it. carvoiera is a beautiful town snuggled along the atlantic. we found an inexpensive apartment with a sea/sunset view. we walked the town during the day and sipped regional wines (delicious and cheap!) from our porch at night.

sevilla, spain:
destination, cordoba... but the travel day became so long and tiresome (nine hrs of travel by foot, bus, train, foot, ferry, foot, bus, bus, foot) that we gave up in sevilla. good thing too - a charming city with a wealth of tapas, winebars, and nightlife. the culturally exquisite bullfight was close to a nightmarish display for nikki but mark enjoyed it almost as much as the world cup (he was the only guy rooting for germany in a cafe full of well-boozed brazilian fans!). moorish architechture, beautiful cathedrals, and the alcazar were magnificent.

granada, spain:
here we are! almost two weeks in - granada is a fascinating ciudad with a rich history - the last area of spain to fall to the catholic monarchy of isablle and fernando. we have an apartment up a narrow calle and tomorrow will head off to visit the alhambra, an incredible muslim castle with the sierra nevada backdrop (no, nikki reminded mark that we were not in tahoe).

our next stops are madrid and barcelona after which we´ll have plenty more to tell, but none of our own photos so we hope you enjoy the informational links... (trust us, plenty of our shots will be up on nikkiandmark.com upon our return). adios for now, happy 4th, stay tranquilo and take a siesta!

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welcome back travel fans! the local update from istanbul, turkey - 11:30am, it's been a brilliant trip so far - here is the latest!

madrid, spain:
we had booked a hotel from granada, site unseen. we had low expectations but found ourselves in the center of the city at puerta del sol. it was high party time when we arrived at almost 11pm so we stood out a bit in our sandals, lugging our 50 lb. packs through the square. it truly was a combination of san francisco and new york nightlife with a bit of new orleans thrown in the mix. we did all the major sites on foot, exhausting ourselves through the major museums (the prado, reina sofia) but always re-energized over plenty of bocadillos! we met the entire town in el rastro on sunday morning, the most enormous flea market we've ever laid eyes on. finally got the train and metro system down to a science!

barcelona, spain:
barcelona almost didn't happen but thank goodness for a family connection that set us up for night #1 or we'd have been on the streets! the 2002 AIDS conference and tourism in general had sucked the hotels dry but the blessed tourist office was doling out some of its blocks to dozens of backpackers the next morning (including us!). once we got over our panic, we were able to settle in and enjoy our first day, "gaudi day", taking in la sagrada familia and gaudi's house in parc guell (nikki's favorite). day 2 was "cathedral day" and finally we got up to mont juiic (and the 1992 olympic plaza - mark's favorite!). we took our final train ride out of barcelona and headed for turkey!

istanbul, turkey:
cok guzel! we are learning our fare share of turkish (thanks to our outstanding hostess, jen). her place is delightful (how could two backpackers be so lucky?). the cab drivers are ruthless here (we fear for our lives) but seeing the majestic blue mosque and suleyman mosque or the elegant and ornate topkapi palace and dolmobahce, makes one forget all other cares. we haggled ourselves to death at the kapali carsi (grand bazaar) and the spice bazaar, took a sunset cruise along the bosphorus on the u.s. consulate boat and marveled at the ancient hippodrome (now filled in). the underground cisterns and some of the museums behold a history unlike any other. we're trying not to complain about the 108 degree heat but we relish returning to the air conditioned apartment.

food at this stop has been the best so far - meze (a cross between tapas and dim sum style eats), mediterranean kebabs and wraps with yogurt sauce, turkish pizza and fresh squeezed orange juice have been among our favorites. we will party all night for mark's birthday with some local turks and we will arrive tomorrow in krakow, poland to begin our english-teaching adventure! gule gule from istanbul!

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yo travel fans! the local update from vienna, austria - 11:45am...

krakow, poland:
dzien dobre! we had two days to enjoy and learn a bit about the polish culture before our mission trip began. nikki learned a few phrases, how to count to ten, and the days of the week. this language was the hardest to cope with so far - it's difficult to pronounce, read and understand. but the polish people kindly welcomed us and we had the most enjoyable time roaming the town center, shopping and enjoying the refreshing, cool and clear air.

wisla, poland:
our american group arrived on sunday and we were picked up by one of the polish leaders. the most amazing two hour drive took us through the country roads from krakow to wisla (pronounced vee-swa), up through the mountains and set us in front of an enormous castle (just purchased by the polish president, we will have been the last group to stay there), where we were to reside for two weeks. before the polish kids arrived, we toured the area and took a day to see auschwitz (something that cannot be adequately conveyed here). our polish-american camp was a tremendous experience - we grew as a couple spiritually, emotionally and physically. it was packed with activities: we hiked, taught american sports, worked on english speaking skills, hosted a group of children from an orphanage, helped prepare a home for troubled kids, performed for hospital groups, worshipped and sang... you get the picture. it was absolutely exhausting but so rewarding. we will arrive home with a new set of friends (both american and polish) and wonderful memories.

vienna, austria:
after two final days in krakow (a time to decompress!), we hopped aboard a train for a 6 hour trip down to austria. it was painless (the first class cars are phenomenal!) and our hotel was awaiting us when we arrived. nikki was thrilled to see original signatures by mozart and the homes where beethoven spent time composing. wish we had more time to take in the sights but we met up with buddy, jason wiethe and together ingested as much as we could in two days. can't wait for our next stop - we'll be tagging along behind herds of elephants, giraffes, zebras and lions... kenya, here we come! gutentag and gruss gott!!

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you've all been waiting for the local update from bombay, india - 5:30pm...!

nairobi, kenya:
jambo! habari yaku? we don't have much to say about nai-'robbery' - let us leave it at this - we learned a very valuable lesson and fortunately didn't have a dime on us... our hotel was in central nairobi and was a safe haven from the rough city. once our safari guide came to whisk us away to the bush for seven days, we were able to relax and enjoy the trip.

safari!, kenya:
after crossing the equator to the north, we were set to venture through five game reserves in kenya. samburu was the most exciting (as it was our first experience in the face of wildlife) - we were introduced to lions and leopards, giraffes and zebra. we camped in outfitted tents at sweetwaters and stayed in a tiny, overnight bunk at treetops, watching elephant and water buffalo from our window.

30 rhinos graced our path at lake nakuru. nikki calls it 'bubblegum lake', where we admired thousands of flamingoes that changed the color of the water from it's natural blue to bright pink! maasai mara was phenomenal for catching up-close shots of lions and cheetahs on the prowl, since the wildabeests were busy chomping the bush down to nothing. hilighting our safari was an early morning, hot air balloon ride. from a bird's eye view, we were able to view clearly the wildabeest migration and dozens of animals in their natural habitat.

we checked off almost every animal on our 'to see' list, including all the 'big 5'. and gazelles, warthogs, dik-diks, antelope and baboon were so prevalent, they became part of the scenery!

kilimanjaro, tanzania:
arriving across the tanzania border by bus, we were told that only about 50% of climbers reach kili's uhuru peak at 19,000 feet. what kind of odds were in store for us? we started slowly (no haraka!), stayed hydrated (that meant LOTS of potty breaks at squatters or behind any bush or boulder!) and encouraged each other along the way. nothing was more grueling than the 5th day - a 12am (yes, am!) departure from kibo hut at 15,500 feet towards the summit. water bottles were snugged tight under 7 layers of clothing to keep them from freezing.

two steps forward, one step back through steep, zig-zagging scree in the pitch black for hours, climbing by the light of the moon... it was the day the sun would never rise, nikki thought. stopping for more than a minute's break was not an option since one could become too cold (or worse, could fall asleep!). but finally, as the sun was changing the sky and surrounding glaciers a rainbow of pinks, blues and purples, seven hours and 15 minutes later, we BOTH summited kilimanjaro - neither of us having fallen ill with altitude sickness!!! the round trip, 90-some mile hike was an experience of a lifetime that we will never forget (and never want to re-live!).

mombasa, kenya:
man, was THIS a welcome respite! for three days, we did nothing (and we mean nothing!) on the exotic, eastern coast of kenya. (and said good-bye to nairobi for good!).

bombay, india:
plans in favor of climbing kilimanjaro (and avoiding any political conflict) adjusted our itinerary and eeked out any time in india. our tickets still required a stopover and connecting flights delayed an immediate continuation to bangkok. so last minute plans left us a day in bombay to get a crash course in indian culture. save for a private driver (at 5 bucks an hour), we tooled around the city for a few hours to ingest what we could before moving on. we'll have to return sometime again!

up next: our final leg (can you believe it!?) - 5 weeks in southeast asia! looking forward to writing again. we miss you lots...

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you've all been waiting for the last update! (from overseas, at least!)... bangkok, thailand: 5:30pm...

chiang mai, thailand:
sa-wut dee! we arrived into bangkok and decided to head directly for the north of thailand to the beautiful green hills (green because it rains everyday!). despite the consistent, torrential downpours, we enjoyed seven days of wats, temples and a bit of shopping. nikki even got mark to a day-long thai cooking class!

phnom penh, cambodia:
one night was enough here - got in late and left early. our 6-dollar-a-night guesthouse was a bit creepy but we did see the most spectacular sunset of our lives. the next day's flight to siem reap offered incredible views of the mekong river and its ruthless flooding.

siem reap, cambodia:
cambodia is a region rich in culture and history and is home to the most delightfully friendly and kind peoples. we spent three days (enough to see most of angkor) saturating our minds with info and images of cambodia's 800-year-old temple city. morning till evening was spent crawling around ancient ruins and trying to comprehend the magnitude of it all!

nong khai, thailand:
our next maneuver took us back through bangkok and immediately up to the lao-thai border. for the first time in s.e. asia, we splurged on an air-conditioned room and for that $12, nikki practically slept better than she had the whole trip! it was a good thing since the bus ride to our next destination would be a long, grueling 11 hours...

luang prabang, laos:
a bit off the beaten path, laos has seen far fewer tourists than the rest of southeast asia, so us white people were a bit of a novelty. luang prabang is a small city peppered with wats and swarming with monks! we were sure to catch the biggest sights but also enjoyed other scenic tours like a longboat ride up the mekong to the pak ou caves. we seized the opportunity to trek through jungle-covered mountains, passing through remote, hmong-tribe villages. since the inhabitants don't even speak lao (only their tribal language), our means of communication was limited to hand gestures and facial expressions. the awe-struck children were mystified at first and then warmed up to us (especially after we shared our lunch!), providing for some terrific photographs. it's an experience we just won't be able to explain...

vang vieng, laos:
we wisened up after the nearly unbearable, day-long bus trip northbound, so drifting back down south, we stopped at the halfway point. for $2.50, we got a clean room with a bed, hot shower and a fan. the miniature town was infiltrated with european tourists, their primary goal, to hike through the caves in the jagged and impressive mountainside. unfortunately, the small-town allure had worn out on us and we were eager to get to bangkok. catching the 5:30am bus the next morning was the worst mistake, however. it literally filled beyond its busting point with locals and their hundreds of bags of market-fresh goods and the 4-hour trip through mountainous, winding roads turned into a virtual nightmare - people piled on top of each other, kids puking from nausea... that's what we get for taking the 70-cent route! a tuk-tuk ride from the station in vientiane to the border, a 5-cent bus across the friendship bridge, a taxi to the udon thani airport and an hour flight to bangkok and twelve hours from our departure in vang vieng that morning we were safely tucked into our guesthouse along the chao praya river in the big city!

and so for now, we hope you've enjoyed following our travels - we arrive home on october 2nd and will send a final update on '4 nights in bangkok...' and rejuvenation on the southern beaches... we can't wait to share pictures and detailed stories and to catch up on 4 months!

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we're back and here's the rest! you've all been waiting for the last update! (from home!) - 1:15pm, pst

bangkok, thailand:
sa-wut dee! we'll keep this short and sweet... in the short, three day period, we did an enormous amount of sightseeing along with a bit of shopping and spent an extreme amount of time in bangkok's thick traffic. we saw temples, temples and more temples, interjecting a diversifying visit to the grand palace, teak mansion and jim thompson's house. each had a splendor all its own and was a fascinating trip through thai history. the food was terrific, the sights were amazing but look, we were ready for beaches!!!

railey beach, thailand:
maybe we shouldn't have been so anxious... the first two days of our ten day retreat brought a bit of sunshine and we ravenously soaked up as much of it as we could. but the second night turned rainy and ceaseless, torrential downpours continued for three days. that wasn't the worst of it, we guess. since the septic tanks at the resort filled and left us with non-flushing toilets, since nikki was slowly being consumed by the blood-thirsty mosquitoes and since our clothes were turning musty and green in the dampness, we figured that maybe it was time to bug out of this journey. one last plane ticket remained in our pouches - bound for sfo back through bangkok - and we just couldn't see reason to put off the return trip any longer. we were looking forward to our soft bed, fluffy pillows, and surprising our parents with an early arrival...

and thus ends the magnificent around-the-world journey of the reynolds'. we hope you've enjoyed living vicariously through our travels. we also hope that our words and photos will inspire you to someday launch a mystic journey of your own and that you'll keep us on your travel update list!

adeus,adios, güle güle, do widzenia, auf wiedersehen, kwa heri, were, namasté, lia suhn haoy, sabaai-dii, sawatdi and finally.... goodbye!

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