theboonedoggle

Kuzu-zam-pola! For those of you who have never heard of this country (it's easy to miss), Bhutan is a small kingdom east of Nepal between China and India. Most notably, it's known for the use of "Gross National Happiness" to measure its development. We have always heard great things about this place but seriously considered not going when we found out that the government charges tourists a flat fee of $200 (low season) to $250 (high season) per person per night. While this includes very nice hotels, food, tour guide and a full tour itinerary, 5 days in Bhutan is the equivalent of 3 months in South East Asia when you add on the $350 round trip flight on Druk Air (the only airline allowed to fly into the country). In the end we decided to go for a few days to see what all the fuss was about. Initially, our trip started off splendidly as our flight got canceled due to a cyclone going through India. Druk Air got everyone a room at Hotel De'l Annapurna which is one of ...

Hi everyone! We just finished a gruelling 16 days of trekking around the Annapurnas in the Nepali Himalayas. In that time we walked over 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) and reached elevations of 5,500 meters (almost 18,000 feet). We're tired, we're sore, we're skinny... and we are happy. We arrived in Nepal on the 5th of May and spent one very short night in Kathmandu getting situated and supplied for our two week trek. The thamel district in the city is the tourist spot and has just about anything a trekker or climber would want - thousands of little shops selling North Face knock offs for next to nothing! The first hour in the city was pretty hectic as we tried to get used to the constant honking, packed streets, and walking in a single line as close to buildings as possible to avoid getting run over by cars - all this while stepping over animal (and sometimes human) poo. Aghhh Nepal. But before you cringe, I have to say, there is something magical about Nepal because...

Well, two months have flown by pretty quickly and we are off to Kathmandu, Nepal this weekend. We start off our trip there with a 3 week trek along the Anapurna circuit. Not sure when we will have a chance to post next but stay tuned. Here are some more Africa pics......enjoy. T&T http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021082&id=1081248185&l=cf3f9a662d http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021043&id=1081248185&l=c4fad9f7a3

Due to some confusion among our readers, it has been suggested (and not so subtly) that I make a clarification regarding all comments related to shaving. Be informed, here and forever more, that any and all comments relating to shaving, not shaving, x-number of days of hair growth, and any and all other topics of hygiene and lack thereof, are solely and wholely indicative of my own state of being, and should in no way reflect on Tatyana, or her personal hygiene. She, as always, smells like roses, all the time... as does her hair, her feet, her breath, and her bodily functions, wherever and at whichever time they may occur.... and she shaves her armpits four times a day.... ... as always Thank you, Todd Boone

We're in Cape Town. Since the last post--and so long ago it seems--we have been busy. I ruined another razor a few days ago -shaving is becoming an expensive habit, so I believe I will no longer shave until we are done with the Himalayas. After St. Lucia, we drove to Durban, which was a nice, laid back city on the eastern coast. It is cool to see the stadiums going up around South Africa, in prep for the world cup next year (see picture below of a team practicing in the sand). From Durban, we drove into the Drakensberg region, which reminds me of Connecticut... lots of little dairy farms and red and gold leaves (it is now into the winter season here). From there we took a 4x4 minibus into Lesotho, up and over the Sani Pass (which I will forever refer to going forward as the "Insani Pass", because I have never before been as frightened in a vehicle as i was going up, and moreover, down this stretch of rock, shale and loose LOOSE mud. At one point on the way back Tatyana ac...

Where do I start? To say the least we have had one heck of a week - each of our last four nights was spent in a different country and since we last wrote we have visited Vic Falls, did a 2 day safari, traveled all through Botswana, checked out Jo-burg, driven through Swaziland, had a nice seafood dinner in Maputo, Mozambique and are now relaxing in St. Lucia, South Africa......phewwww. Here goes a try.....Vic Falls in Zambia were obsolutely amazing and we got completely soaked within, hmmmm, 2 seconds!!! We stayed the night at Jolly Boys Backpackers which was amazing but with time in Africa running short we got moving the next morning to Botswana for a 2 day safari in Chobe Park. We got to see crocs, monkeys, buffalo, warthogs, elephants, hippos, giraffes, and everything we wanted except for some big cats....;( After the safari we somehow found our way to the other side of Botswana and ended up staying in Maun near the Okavango Delta. While we decided last minute not to go to Nambia (w...

Hey gang, So, if our first amazing week hanging out on the shores of Lake Malawi wasn't enough, we killed the urge with our second and even better week on the lake islands of Chizimulu and Likoma. Tatyana and I--and a motley crew of british, irish and aussie travelers we collected in Nkhata Bay--spent four great days lounging on the very isolated beach at Wakwenda Retreat on the not-so-often-visited island of Chizimulu. This is the experience guys, the thing you were looking for after watching THE BEACH and wishing you could find a place where tourism has not completely polluted the culture. Such a fun time! There was nothing to do but lounge, explore the waters, play games, and eat waaay too well.... all to the tune of about US$30 a day. Since most travelers crossing the lake on the ferry stop in at Likoma Island, we decided to spend only an overnight there, reaching it by one of the crudest water crafts I have ever stepped foot on, and an awesome feat of human ingenuity at that. ...