Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam… Engaged?!

Hello all,

I met Inna over a year ago in Ukraine, and was delighted to have her with me on this adventure! We started our journey in Hanoi, Vietnam, in the North of the country. Like many large cities, it’s the cliché “mix of the old and new”. Life seems fast paced here, with many motorbikes zooming all over the city, but we still found some tranquil spots as well.

Temple of Literature…

Hoan Kiem Lake

Happy Communism…

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam was awesome! The two thousand islands that dot this place are amazing!

Relaxing during our overnight cruise…

Elephant riding in Laos was remarkable.

We stayed in Luang Prabang:

Food everywhere was GREAT!

Pho!

Lao Self-BBQ…

Yummy street market food…

Seafood!

But this was the best!

The drinks were good as well…

Homemade craft beer, 25 cents per pint!

The ancient ruins of temples in Cambodia were enchanting…

Nice view!

Tomb Raider!

Firing an AK-47 assault rifle was a cool tourist activity in Cambodia.

We even had a few beach days!

Hot spicy Pho, ice cold beer, and a sandy beach… can’t complain!

But the biggest highlight was asking Inna to marry me!

What did she say?

She said, ”YES!”

Peace and Love,

Back from Europe… 2010

Hello All,

I’m back from the farthest corners of Europe!

First to Portugal in the farthest West corner, then to Norway in the farthest North, and finally to Ukraine in the farthest East. I also participated in my good friend’s wedding in Poland. It was a great two months!

Portugal was delightful. The old world cobblestone streets are a joy to wander. I spent most of my time in the capital of Lisbon, and the seaside towns nearby on the coast.

The white sand beaches give California a run for its money…

Relaxing at a street side café is a favorite pastime…

And the trams can get you almost anywhere.

I got used to eating a Mediterranean diet with sparkling green wine.

A highlight was visiting the tomb of Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer who discovered a route from Europe to India during the Age of Discovery.

The view from the Cristo Rei statue (inspired by Brazil’s Christ the Reedemer in Brazil) overlooking Lisbon is amazing…

Close-up…

The statue overlooks Lisbon, and Portugal’s “Golden Gate” bridge.

From Portugal to Norway, I experienced quite a difference in weather and geography. The first stop was the beautiful capital, Oslo.

Highlights were the Vigeland Sculpture Park…

…and the new Oslo Opera House.

From Oslo I took one of the world’s most beautiful train rides to experience Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, the Sognefjord.

The scenery from the train was great…

Some of the villages seemed lost in time.

Out on the fjord…

The Outdoor Museum was really interesting, including an original stave church and a traditional Norwegian village.

Don’t forget to mow the roof!

The Viking Ship Museum held the remains of several Viking ships that had been excavated from burial mounds around Norway.

The Kon-Tiki Museum showcased the original raft used to cross the Pacific by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947.

I flew from Oslo to Poland, where we celebrated the wedding of my American friend, Tony, to his Polish wife, Dorothy.

The happy couple…

The three day event that is a Polish wedding left me happy, full, and, uh… tipsy.

Did I really eat that?

Down south to Krakow, I paid respects to the late Polish president entombed in Wawel Castle, and re-visited one of my favorite cities in all of Europe. (I spent almost a year here in 2004…)

The market square in Krakow.

Finally, I made my way over to Ukraine, the largest country in Europe, and one of the least visited. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union until its independence in 1991, and today is thriving in many ways.

My first stop was the Lviv, known as the center of Ukrainian art and culture. With its remarkably preserved Gothic and Renaissance architecture, gently bending streets and hidden ancient niches, Lviv is a Ukrainian city with a European soul.

I was able to rent this two bedroom flat in the city center for $45 a night, high-speed internet and utilities included.

After seeing the sights in Lviv, I flew into Ukraine’s capital and largest city, Kiev. I loved Kiev. Kiev is one of the oldest cities of Eastern Europe and has played a pivotal role in the development of the medieval East Slavic civilization as well as in the modern Ukrainian nation. Kiev was an important Soviet city and was the third largest city of the Soviet Union. Kiev is a modern city, but with many beautiful and interesting reminders of its long history.

One of my favorite churches.

I was able to continue my study of the Russian language and reading Cyrillic. Ukraine is bilingual, and everyone speaks both Ukrainian and Russian. Ukrainian is spoken more primarily in the West, and Russian is spoken primarily in the East. Below is a statue of the Saints Cyril and Methodius that brought this alphabet to the Slavic people.

A Cyrillic sign that reads and sounds exactly as you think it does, Baskin Robbins.

The World Cup was going on during my stay in Ukraine. I was able to watch all the USA games live, being in the same time zone as South Africa!

My last stop was the seaside city of Odessa, “The Pearl of the Black Sea”. Throughout its history Odessa has lured travellers, artists, poets, entrepreneurs and radical dissidents. The city was founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great, who realized that a port on the Black Sea was essential for the expansion of the Russian Empire. The city boomed, and by the beginning of the 20th century, Odessa had become the third most important city in the Russian Empire behind St. Petersburg and Moscow. Although Odessa has been a sun, surf and relaxation destination for as long as anyone can remember, the city has really caught the buzz as of late. New restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and resorts keep popping up to meet the demand of enthused tourists and adventurers drawn by this fascinating cultural center nestled right up next to the beach.

The Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the most beautiful in Europe.

I got to catch one of the last operas of the season!

The beaches in Odessa are quite crowded in the summer, but the water is refreshing, and you can find some out-of-the-way beaches up the coast.

Away from the crowds…

The show put on by the former Soviet Union’s largest Dolphinarium was excellent!

Ukrainian food is pretty yummy. Shared with a beautiful local makes for a perfect meal!

Healthy portions of borsch (soup made out of beets, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and dill)…

…Deruny (potato pancakes, usually served with rich servings of sour cream…

…and Varenyky (small pastries made with fillings of potatoes, fried onions, ground meat, fruit, or almost anything).

But Ukraine has caught the sushi craze as well, and you can get a meal like this for almost the same price as McDonald’s in the USA.

Since Odessa is a resort town, there’s a lot to see and do in the evening. A last night out in Odessa…

Finally, I want to give a special thanks to Couchsurfing.org for helping make this trip what it was. Along the way I was able to meet many wonderful people I connected with through this site. If you haven’t checked it out, please do so, create a profile, and add me as a friend! It’s a social network where people of all ages actually meet up in real life, share and learn about different area of the world, and sometimes provide a place to stay. Here’s my profile.

What’s next? Because of changes with my work situation, this may be my last trip for a while… If not, then I am planning to visit Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, or maybe Cuba, this winter.

Peace and Love,

Christian!

Out of Africa 2010!

Hello All,

I’m back in America after two wonderful months in Africa. I was able to visit South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. I spent the bulk of my time in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. I was tethered to the internet for work full time, but still managed to get out and explore.

I had a cellular modem, so I was able to work from some exotic locations.

I hiked the iconic Table Mountain three times, and the view from the top was well worth it. Here, the “table cloth” cascades off it like a waterfall.

Before hiking 3 hours straight up, I look a bit more refreshed.

My home, and base of operations, was in the city bowl, which is just under Table Mountain, and near the sea.

Here, I’m looking back at Table Mountain on the way to Robben Island, where the great Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison. The South African flag flies from the back of the boat.

It was summer down there, so I was able to enjoy the great beaches…

I made a trip to visit the townships, and met energetic, happy, people.

I have mixed reviews of the food in the townships though. Here we prepare to eat sheep’s head.

But there were plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Cape Town is the site of the 2010 World Cup. Here’s the new stadium at night.

I got into a cage and shark dove with great whites. I was so close I could touch them!

The sharks eat the cute Jackass Penguin. At Boulder’s beach, you can swim with these little guys.

One weekend, I made it out to Stellenbosch, in the countryside. This is wine country. I stayed at this boutique hostel for $12 a night.

I went on a great wine tour. The wine in South Africa is phenomenal!

I took a bottle to the top of Lion’s Head to enjoy a view of the city.

The animals that roam the streets are different than in America.

I flew into Zambia where I took this shot of the bungee jumping bridge that connect Zambia and Zimbabwe. Here I also witnessed one of the biggest waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls.

Aiiiiiieeeeeee!!!!

Hard to get all the falls in one shot…

I went rafting down this mighty Zambezi River as well.

I got to hang with young lions.

Finally, I went to Botswana for a true safari. We saw giraffes, elephants, lions, warthogs, crocodiles, water buffalo, impalas, and many other animals in their natural habitat. There are 300,000 elephants here in Chobe National Park.

On the last day of safari, we saw this male lion in the bush. It was the perfect end to a fun adventure.

What now? Next Month I fly into Lisbon, Portugal, for some beach time, and then, God willing, off to Poland for my buddy’s wedding, and finally on over to Chernobyl, Kiev, and Odessa in Ukraine.

Come join me!

Peace and Love,

Christian Nommesen

Just back from Ecuador…

Hello again!

I’ve been reading so much good things about Ecuador lately, I decided to fly down and check it out for myself. From snow-capped volcanoes to dense Amazon jungle, from sun drenched Pacific beaches to the famous Galapagos Islands, this is a place of astounding natural beauty. Ecuador is perhaps the most bio-diverse country in the world. Despite covering a mere 0.02% of the world’s landmass, it is home to 10% of the world’s plant and animal species. Ecuador has over one hundred different types of hummingbirds!

Ecuadorians live their lives in jungle river towns, coastal fishing villages, isolated cattle ranches, the grounds of ancient haciendas, and large colonial cities. Its compact size makes it possible to experience many of these different lifestyles in a single day.

I started my journey in the capital city, Quito. Quito has been described as the most beautiful city in South America. Spanish influence here is apparent in its stately colonial architecture. At 10,000 feet in the Andes, it is also one of the highest capitals in elevation.

Wandering the cobblestone streets of the old town was a great experience.

I was impressed with one cathedral in town, that used indigenous animals instead of gargoyles on the façade. There were dolphins, turtles, jaguars, iguanas, monkeys, and anteaters!

Because of the strength of the US dollar (You can retire and live on $300 a month! See article), I was able to rent an entire penthouse apartment that occupied the top two floors of a new building, for the same price that I pay for my one room in a three bedroom apartment in America. And it was very nice:

The view from my bedroom wasn’t bad either, the active Pichincha volcano. It’s Looms over the western side of the city. Quito is also the only capital in the world to be directly menaced by an active volcano.

The Quito penthouse was my base of operations as I worked from the internet, planned my next move, and made new local friends…

A ceviche dinner for less than $5 is hard to beat!

I finally had to leave the city and head for the coast, where I spent time in Canoa. Canoa is described as “a pleasant, laid-back fishing village on the Pacific coast of Ecuador, popular with travelers and yet not over-run by them. It’s an excellent place to chill-out for a few days on the beach or practice your surfing skills.”

Here’s the main strip in Canoa:

I sampled a local drink that included various insects, coca leaves, and a very strong local alcohol…

After returning to Quito and regaining my strength back at the penthouse, I headed off into the Amazon for whitewater rafting. I was joined by my good friend, Mike Galie, from Hawaii. I hadn’t seen him in at least ten years, so it was great to see an old friend. For this adventure, we were off to Tena. Tena is famous for the rainforest and rivers that surround it. The jungle is impressive. One can be changed forever after laying eyes on a pristine stretch of Amazon. Tena has reached near legendary status with whitewater enthusiasts and boasts the best rafting and kayaking in Ecuador. Led by our indigenous Indian guides, Mike, myself, and a cool Irish couple, we were the only ones on the river.

We stopped to jump off waterfalls deep in the Amazon:

We spent six hours on near class IV rapids. The river shown below merged with another river, and the trip got gnarlier. Almost everyone was thrown from the raft at some point…

We were careful to watch out for biting insects and fish that swim up your penis.

Leafcutter ants hard at work…

We saw more wildlife than you can imagine while in the Amazon.

This is a country where jaguars still roam freely. Although this is not one of them, he’s a cool jungle cat all the same.

Sharing a beverage with our indigenous Indian friends at the end of a great day!

What next? I’ll probably stick around for the holidays, and then head off to Africa early next year, God willing. As always, COME JOIN ME!

Peace and Love,

Christian!

Back from Russia… 2009

Hello All,

I’ve just returned to California after almost three months in Russia. In my last email I described my experience in Russia’s political capital, Moscow. This time I reflect on my time spent in St. Petersburg, Russia’s cultural, historical, and architectural capital. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and is often called ‘The Venice of the North’ because of its many canals.

I rented an apartment for a couple of months overlooking one of the city’s canals. It was a perfect location. I was just blocks from the city’s main thoroughfare, Nevsky Prospect. This is the view from my fourth floor balcony. In the far background you can see Church on Spilled Blood.

Here’s a closer look at Church on Spilled Blood…

Beautiful architecture…

The interior is made up entirely of mosaics!

One of my favorites…

In case you’re curious what my bed looked like. I called it ‘my banana bed’ because of the concave shape it had. My kitchen was cozy and bright.

Kitchen with a view…

Food continued to be good…

But if I ever missed the great taste of America, there was always Pizza Hut.

Speaking of reading English words in Russian, can you make out these movie titles?

Anaconda, Taxi, Idealny (Perfect) Storm, Godzilla, Champion, and Gladiator. By the time I left, I could read Russian fine.

I was there during the White Nights, during which sunsets are late, sunrises are early, and darkness is never complete. At the peak, the sun only dipped under the horizon for three hours, from midnight until 3am. Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The White Nights are a time of celebration and one highlight is the Scarlet Sails Festival, in which one million people attend.

I had a free room in my apartment, so I had some of my friends come stay. Tony, my American friend, living in Poland, got into a little trouble. That’s him on the far left.

I actually saw more people get kicked in the head here than anywhere else I’ve been.

My friend Adrian, from London, was more of a lover than a fighter. Here he’s enjoying a local pub.

Finally, Sherwin, from LA, looked me up on www.couchsurfing.org and stayed with me a few days. (Hand signs representing the West Coast.)

No doubt, that many times in Russia, good and bad, are spurred on by Russian vodka, the national drink. It can be less expensive than milk!

“St. Petersburg is a city of haunting magnificence, an imperial capital that seems to have been built as a monument to its own passing. Less than three centuries have passed since Peter the Great began building his grand city on the Gulf of Finland, but it is difficult to visit its vast, crystalline squares and palaces without feeling the enormity of the gulf that separates that time from our own.”

Here is the grand staircase in The Hermitage:

The Hermitage Museum/The Winter Palace is Saint Petersburg’s prime attraction, a massive palace-cum-museum showing the highlights of a collection of over 3,000,000 pieces spanning the globe. The Hermitage is truly one of the world’s great museums, with an imposing setting displaying priceless works by Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Reubens and more.

No trip to St. Petersburg is complete without seeing a Russian ballet performance. The Mariinsky is perhaps the most well-known institution. Here, I watched the classic, The Nutcracker, as well as a more modern interpretation of The Little Humpback Horse.

No photos allowed!

I did get outside the city a bit. Peterhof, home of the sumptuous "Russian Versailles", was once the summer palace of the tsars, and is adorned with magnificent fountains, parks, and museums.

I also made a day trip to Vyborg, a town situated about 20 miles south of Russia’s border with Finland. Here, Swedish built castles, started in the 13th century and extensively reconstructed by Russians in 1891–1894 and one of the most spacious English parks in Eastern Europe, are highlights.

I listen intently as a guide is happy to explain the tower history.

For a very long time…

In conclusion, the Russian people are some of the most friendly and hospitable people I’ve met anywhere. Cold war stereotypes are simply false. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this beautiful country, rich in culture and history and would love to visit again!

Where to next? After hanging out in California for a while, I was thinking to maybe rent a penthouse in Ecuador, based on the dollar’s strength there. Would you like to join me? Let me know! J

Lots of peace and love,

Christian!

From Moscow with love… 2009

Hello once again,

…this time, from Russia.

“Looming over the rest of Europe with its immense, inhuman size and dark, brutal history, Russia is an essential and fascinating destination, the flipside of modern Europe and still an unknown quantity to most travelers. Somehow Russia manages to pull off the truly impressive feat of being both a really exciting place to travel while never relenting on its tediously bureaucratic approach to life. Stay in the European Union if you want things easy and hassle-free, but venture east for one of the last truly adventurous and unpredictable destinations on the continent.”

Russia is the largest country in the world. It spans 11 times zones. Russia’s area is like the USA and Europe put together. The capital of Russia is Moscow and the second largest city is St. Petersburg (which is also called the "Northern capital"). Here’s St. Basil’s church in Red Square, the center of Moscow:

Lenin’s tomb, also in Red Square:

Visiting Lenin’s tomb is an eerie experience. You go down underground, under this large marble structure, into almost complete darkness. Every step of the way is you are carefully watched by a fully armed soldier. When your eyes finally adjust, you gaze upon the embalmed figure of the former leader, resting peacefully, although he looked slightly mannquien-esque to me. (If that’s even a word…)

Red Square borders the Kremlin, seat of Russian political power:

…and the war museum:

St. Basil’s at night gives an entirely different aesthetic:

If you’re curious what it looks like inside, here’s a snap inside one of these towers:

I’ve taught myself how to read the Russian alphabet. It’s really not that hard. See if you can read this sign:

It reads, “Starbucks Coffee”, just like it sounds in English.

Curious about Russian food? Although they do have McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, and other “American” food places, the more Russian foods include blini, caviar, borsch, kvas, etc…

Blini with caviar:

Did I mention vodka?

The picture above was taken from the City Scape Bar, atop a 360 degree view of the city ala Space Needle. Here is a view from up there, overlooking one of “The Seven Sisters”, a series of skyscrapers built in the Stalinist style, during the dictator’s last years:

And my cheerful waitress:

The subway system in Moscow can be a little confusing for Westerners, but most stations are decorated with beautiful and elaborate art or sculpture:

Alas, I’ve now left Moscow behind, and have relocated to St. Petersburg, “The Venice of the North”, the most European of Russian cities. It is a city built upon canals, and is also known as Russia’s cultural center. I’m renting an apartment for a couple months right in the heart of the city, in a balcony apartment, overlooking a canal. Here I am enjoying a beverage on the street after viewing the The Nutcracker ballet at the nearby Mariinsky Theater:

As always, all are welcome to come visit me!

Хорошее Здоровье и Любовь,

Christian!

Quick trip to the Dominican Republic…

Hi,

Although I’m still planning on going to Moscow and St. Petersburg (I already have my tickets, leaving May 15th), I couldn’t stay put for long, so I took a quick jaunt to Santo Domingo, the capital of The Dominican Republic.

“Why choose Santo Domingo? (From in online source:)

Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World, where the settlement of all the Americas began. See the first cathedral, the first hospital. Wander down cobble stone streets among the Spanish colonial architecture and imagine how things were back in the 1600s.

No other city in the Caribbean has a greater variety of restaurants and night life. There are so many restaurants in this city that it is practically impossible even for those who live here to have visited them all. And it’s a great place to meet people. A lot of young single executives who come here to work end up leaving (if they leave) married to a Dominican.

Santo Domingo is the most bustling and diverse city in the Caribbean. It has a population of over three million inhabitants within the city and the Province of Santo Domingo and sprawls out over 250 square kilometers. “

A bit like Tijuana in the tropics, in a good way.

View from my hotel room window:

The first hospital in the New World:

The first Cathedral… with statue of Columbus. (His brother founded Santo Domingo, this first city in the New World in 1498)

Fresh seafood:

Friendly locals…

Sunny beaches…

Cool kids…

…a bit of tropical rain…

And some diverse culture…

…with a cherry on top!

Until next time,

Christian!