The Fabled Galapagos Islands!

Our whirlwind trip "Around The World" came to a fitting end while cruising in the Galapagos Islands. It was here in 1835 that Charles Darwin observed finches that had altered their beaks slightly on different islands. They had done this to access the seeds that they ate, themselves having evolved differently on each island. I gave a final lecture on "Darwin, the Geology of the Galapagos, and Future Trend in Climate Change", as we cruised to four different islands in our three night stay here.

As I sit here at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix and wait for my final flight home, I am reminiscing about this fantastic journey "Around the World". We traveled 28,266 miles on the private jet and together with the extra miles on my two commercial flights, the total mileage is over 32,000 miles. All in three+ weeks too! Certainly, it's not the number of miles that harbor the rewards. It is the experiences and the impressions that I am moved to write about. I truly feel that 'we don't take trips' so much as 'trips take us'! And this one seems to have changed me in very subtle ways. Unlike a very few of my fellow passengers, who seemed to too easily get miffed when things didn't go as planned or places did not resemble the familiar surroundings of their home, I chose to look first at each place and culture, without too quick a judgement of what it was. I chose to see what these 10 countries had to offer in terms of their unique lifeways and differing worldview. In Egypt, the newspapaers always write passionately and informatively about topics of world significance. Thus, their population is extremely engaged in world and local affairs. (I say this as the television monitor here in Phoenix updates me regularly on the last movie star arrest or some such item that sounds like so much "fluff"). In Viet Nam, the people look forward to growing both their national and personal economies - so that their larger society can benefit and move forward. There is less of an emphasis on personal gain there. Iran also is passionate about their position in the world and to me it looked a lot like America - divided politically and socially. The huge difference there is that they actually know something about America, Just about every American I spoke to about Iran had only an evil idea about the place - as if the people there had three heads or something. Ironically, the Iranians seemed to love Americans but were confused about our governments' attitude towards them! Togo and Benin were certainly a step back in time as people there live simply and grow their own food for the most part. Poor, friendly, and quite content with their lot in life. And the Galapagos was like another planet with the fresh lava flows, surreal creatures, and familiar desert air.

As I think about all of this (admittedly too much stimuli in such a short period of time), I realize how blessed I am to have all of these wonderful and unique travel opportunities, and how lucky I feel to get out there and actually learn something about other places. It is so rewarding to see first hand how other people live and think, rather than have someone else (the media, my government, a corporation) tell me what it's like out there. I can assure you - anything you think you might know about some place is invariably just a sterotype that gets imprinted in our brains as a "truth", when actually it is nothing like the truth. I wish that every American could go to Iran and talk to the people there. I hope everyone gets the chance to see the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the temples of Kyoto, and experience the hospitality of the Moroccan people. If they did there would be a lot less suspicion in the world and much more love.

Enjoy these pictures of the Enchanted Islands! And thanks for reading and commenting on the blog! South America starts January 11 but who knows, I may write more in my cyber-manuscript.

Wayne
The Galapagos Legend - A Very Happy Ship!

A view of Isabela Island and some of her lava flows. This is the largest of the 13 major islands and is oftentimes active with running lava.

Here is a close-up look at a pahoehoe lava flow on Fernandina Island. You can almost imagine it moving.

These marine iguanas were having a party on the rocks at Santiago Island.

These are some of the incredible cactus to be seen in the Galapagos.

On little visited Rabida Island, we saw some prickly pear cactus that grew on tall columns. This one was flowering!

Salvador Brazil

Our first stop in the southern hemisphere is the old capital of Brazil, Bahia de Salvador. Once the port for the slave trade and the sugar fazenda's (farms), Salvador has retained much of its old colonial charm as seen in the following pictures. I have been here many times before but it is nice to come back and see it so much more spruced up.


Street scene in Salvador. Our hotel is visible on the far skyline and is an old convent that has been converted into a five star property (the cheapest rooms here are $600). Too bad we're so busy during the day and have to be away seeing things. I would love to be here with Helen and live it up with her at this place!


These women are part of the old culture of Salvador and walk the streets letting folks take their pictures. The weather is quite tropical but we are experiencing a "cool" spell while here and the temperature is only about 80 degrees.


We took a nice all day drive inland to the little towns of Santo Amaro, Cachoeira, and Sao Felix. This is a view of Cachoeira along the banks of Paraguaçu River. It's colonial architechture is more preserved than in Salvador.


We visited a very colorful market and saw all kinds of exotic fruits, which here are as common as apples and oranges to us. These are cashews believe it or not. The nut is inside the stem of the fruit, which must be roasted before eating. They are quite fresh and delicious!


We also visited a cigar making facility where they are hand rolled in the old fashioned way. I like the idea of a good cigar but in the last few years smoking them has made me a little bit sick so I avoid them now. Still, the fresh tobacco did smell good.

I will not be able to make a timely posting from our ship as we sail around the Galapagos Islands for the next three days, so I'll probably add some photo's of that stop by the end of the weekend. Thanks to everyone who has posted comments or written to me personally about the narrative and the pictures. I'm becoming quite the techie with my new digital camera and my wireless laptop computer. Geez, I surprise myself!

Visiting Tropical Africa - Togo and Benin

I hope you won't mind if I do not write too much. The trip is nearing its end and to tell you the truth, I am exhausted. Remember that I returned from 23 days in Nepal trekking to Everest Base Camp and then after only 3 days at home, traveled for this trip. I'm still having fun but will let some pictures do the talking!

I will say that after visiting Togo and Benin, no one on this trip will think of a place like Iran as being so "different". Tropical Africa is a colorful and hectic world unto itself and must be experienced to be believed. The roads are poor, nothing seems to work properly, and there is virtually no wealth. Yet the people endure and smile easily. A tough stop for some indeed on our trip but one that puts many of our previous stops into clearer focus. Each trip has its own cadence and lessons to be learned - if only we allow ourselves to be moved by the things we see, hear, and touch.


Here is our jet on the tarmac in Lome, Togo. We used it to fly 250 miles for a day trip to Benin on Nov. 12.


We got to see a voodoo ceremony in Togo's capital, Lome. These are some of the women who were entranced by the music.


Children love to have their picture taken here and fight for preferential positions in front of the lens. They seem to always respond to adults (like me) who make faces at them so they'll do the same!


This is a rather poor view of the Togoliese countyside. The annual wind off of the Sahara Desert brings much haze to this part of Africa this time of year and visibility was quite poor. However, you can get a sense for what the Sahel looks like (Sahel is the transition from Sahara Desert to tropical areas). This picture was taken on the way to Benin in NE Togo.


Here is a view of a Somba house in Benin. These very odd looking stuctures are made of adobe and the cones at the top are granaries for storing millet, soybeans, and other grains. We saw lots of these and got to go inside for a peek.


Ceremonial cones in the front of the houses.



Africans love to dance and it seemed that everywhere we went they were dancing. Some was pre-arranged for our benefit but this one was totally spontaneous under a big tree. The guides had to give an impromptu payment for this one. Quite colorful and too bad there is no video to hear it!

Fez, Morocco

Here are some images of Fez, Morocco and its bustling medina. The medina in Arabic is simply “the neighborhood” and the medina of Fez is the most intact of all the medina’s in north Africa. The Fez medina contains over 9,000 streets of medieval age. These are nothing more than narrow alleyways, some only 4 feet wide, that bustle with all kinds of vendors and buyers. The medina is divided into certain sections - the vegetable market, the clothing area, scissors sharpening area, you name it. It was such an exciting walk to go through this 9th century city, all of it still enclosed by a wall 10 miles long. I’ll let some of the photo’s speak for themselves. Of course, they cannot recreate the sounds of the donkey hooves on the limestone streets, the smells of the falafel cooking, or the cll to prayer that wafts over it all five times a day. One other thing - Morocco was the very first country that officially recognized the independence of the United States and they are very proud of this fact. We have met such genuinely friendly people here, some who have said to me personally that they wish for exceedingly good relations between our two countries - and that the tone of our government will change soon.

The Medieval Wall Around Fez

A Fez Medina Scene

Narrow Alleyway in the Medina

Colorful Vegetable Stand

Working Colorful Fabric

Old Man Sitting in Doorway in the Medina

A Delicious Selection of Dates

Magic Carpets Taking a Rest in the Sun

Egypt - The Land of the Pharaohs

The storied land of Egypt has long beckoned travelers whose insatiable appetite to see and experience the world’s oldest existing monuments can be fed. Earlier this year, a new “Seven Wonders of the World” were chosen and only the Pyramids at Giza actually remain standing from the original list and of course were included in the new one. They are that spectacular! Ever since Alexander the Great conquered this land in the 4th century BC, outsiders have come and marveled at the impressive tombs of the Pharaohs (the Pyramids) and other colossal sculptures, columns, and mausoleums. Egypt has a long familiarity of seeing foreign travelers within her borders and today is no exception. Millions of tourists from every continent swarm the many temples, pyramids and columns of this ancient civilization.

We landed at Cairo’s huge airport on Tuesday, November 6 and proceeded to Giza for a view of her three pyramids. The late afternoon light was a sight to behold! Later, our group enjoyed a private dinner within a huge tent while the sun set in the western desert. Here is a picture of me at the pyramids just after the sun went down. Most of the original smooth limestone facing on the these giant tombs has been reutilized by the countless later cultures who saw them as a good source of precut rock rather than something to preserve for future generations.

Wednesday, November 7 was spent looking at many spiritual sights within Old Cairo. We went to Sultan Hassan Mosque, a Jewish synagogue and a Coptic church where the Holy Family was aid to have slept. (Apparently George Washington never made it to Egypt and records of him having slept near Cairo have not been recorded). At each sight, hawkish vendors pleaded with us to but postcards, pyramid statues, pharaoh pens, or papyrus bookmarks. “I give you bery goot pryce”, is a sentence we will not soon forget. And good prices they were. The streets of Cairo teem with people - 18 million in all! That was the population of the whole country in 1950!

Thursday November 8 we drove south along the NIle to the first capital of Egypt, Memphis. Here we saw one of the earliest sculptures in all of Egypt, the Sphinx of Memphis. That’s me again standing in from of the Sphinx (I’ve been asked to include more pictures of myself in these writings so I’m trying). Next we went a short distance to the Step pyramid, the oldest in all of Egypt. The pharaoh buried in here actually built the pyramid by accident - he wanted a one layer tomb abut then to outdo a previous king, had a second layer built on top and decided to keep going up with a total of six layers in all. Other kings followed suit and pyramid structures are a hallmark of ancient Egypt.

Our hotel was the fabulous Four Seasons right on the banks of the Nile. Next it’s on to the city of Fez in Morocco!

Traveling the "Axis of Evil"

So let’s see. So far we’ve been to Japan, our feared adversary in WW II, Vietnam, no need to elaborate there, India, threatening to steal every American job, and now Iran, part of the so-called ‘Axis of Evil”. Perhaps this trip should be called “Around the World to Countries We’ve Bombed or Would Like To Bomb”. Even with a title like that you could still probably find 74 people to fill the seats on Explorer I (the name of our Boeing 757).

The anticipation of this stop by everyone here cannot be overstated. Many people, including myself, signed on specifically for the chance to go to Iran, a country that very soon will likely be closed to international travel for years to come. Admittedly, we are seeing an extremely small slice of this vast country - larger and more varied than the state of Alaska. However, we are immersed in the heart of one of Iran’s biggest and most important cities, the ancient capital of Esfahan. We have been able to walk the streets freely and look into shops, have numerous strangers come up to us and say, “We like America”, and listen to a host of local guides who have been well spoken, gracious, and as honest as they can possibly be in a country that would possibly imprison them for speaking out too forcefully against the regime.

I wish I could somehow make it so that more Americans would travel, especially to the places with such emotionally laden names: Viet Nam, Cuba, Iran. These names, so charged with powerful emotions and patently distorted truths, prevent us from realizing that these countries are mostly normal and very much like our own. One man on our trip, evidently allowing the word Iran to hinder his perspective, asked on the way here, “Do they have post cards in Iran”?

We have not gotten to go out into the desert to see the landscape - our entire focus here is cultural and historical. I don’t mind that but the bits of the Zagros Mountains that I can see from my 4th floor hotel room look exactly like the mountains west of Tucson. Oh, how I’d love to check it out. There is a large river flowing through Esfahan (situated at an elevation of 5,100 feet), which has made life possible here. The pistachios are delicious! The yogurt is sour and thick. I love the kebabs but steer away from the orange juice which is Tang.

We have visited ornate bridges across the river and some of the many great mosques that once made this city such an international destination (this year perhaps as few as 500 Americans will travel to Iran as tourists). We have learned how the two branches of Islam - Sunni and Shi’ite - originated and learned that Iran and Iraq are where most of the Shi’ites live. It all started just days after the prophet died in 632 AD. (Oh for the want of a single male heir)!

The city is clean beyond description and is beautifully landscaped. It is cleaner than most cities I have ever visited. The people seem quite cosmopolitan, not unlike those of Buenos Aires, Argentina. They dress smartly although younger people are starting to wear more t-shirts. All women have to wear a veil over their hair (not their faces) and must wear a gown over their clothes that neutralizes their shape. Since most of the women on our trip despise being told what to wear, I put on slacks and a jacket when touring - it was a sign of support for them and made me look more dressed like most Iranian men. It all looks very Islamic on the streets but this is not a strongly religious place.

In fact, much of the antigovernment sentiment in this country is centered here. Like our own country, Iran has mixed feelings about it’s leadership, although here his negative ratings are 50%, rather than the 70% in our own country. Iran, like any place and despite the image that is being foisted upon us by certain politicians, does not represent a single minded front. After being here, I am appalled by the appellation “Axis of Evil” that was given to Iran. These people are warm, quick to smile, clean, sophisticated, knowledgeable, and curious. Evil they are not. Bad elements that we are not seeing due to time constrains must certainly exist here. But as I listen to many of the comments by some of the crowd on our bus, I think there will be a good number of more open American minds towards this endlessly fascinating place. And yes, there are post cards.

One woman on our trip told her mom she was going to Iran. Her mother pleaded with her not to go. She could not understand - ‘It’s so dangerous!’ Weeks later, her mom asked her if she had changed her mind and the daughter said, “Yes, I’ve decided now that I’m going to Persia”. Her mother was ecstatic and encouraged her to visit all of the wonderful monuments and cultural sites there was to see in such a storied land.

More India!

Our local guide here was telling us about the arranged marriages that still are a way of life throughout India. 90% of all marriages are still arranged by the parents of Indian children in close consultation with Hindu priests. Our guide told us that there are 36 characteristics that the parents use to determine if a marriage might be compatible. He didn’t name those characteristics but I was curious what they were.

Of course, ideas like arranged marriages tend to be met with much skepticism from Westerners. This is especially true of Americans who have such a deep sense of rugged individualism stamped upon their psyche (and without much awareness that this is so). As I sit on the bus and listen to narratives such as this throughout our trip, I can almost feel the anxiety that rises in many people as they hear about such a strange custom such as arranged marriages.

So after the talk about how it all works, I asked the guide privately what are some of the 36 characteristics that are used to arrange a marriage. I was interested in knowing some of the more arcane ones - things like caste and economic compatibility were easy for me to imagine as important but if there were 36 of them, their might be rather funny ones. Then he told me that no, the 36 characteristics actually come from the comparison of the boys and girls horoscope and these detailed comparisons are what necessitate the need for the Hindu priest. Only he can see that deeply into the horoscope for compatibility.

Well, I looked behind me and another woman who had been listening intently had the same idea that I did - namely that compatibility of horoscopes couldn’t possibly be that great of a predictor for the success of a marriage. And yet divorce in non-urban India is so negligible an occurrence that it can’t even be given as a percentage!

As I discussed this further with the woman on our trip, we both agreed then that it couldn’t be compatible horoscopes that made marriages work in India, but that perhaps this society incorporates values in everyday living and upbringing that are not “disposable”. Perhaps young people here are better prepared at developing successful relationships no matter who their partner is that is chosen for them. The guide who told us this story also related that he first met his wife and two days later they were married! He also told us that parents everywhere want only the best for their children so they will naturally choose the best wife or husband for them. It’s all very strange to us but part of the real magic in learning about how other people arrange their lives and societies. I love this kind of learning, since I believe most of us in our country are being fed reams of self-indulgent propaganda regarding our own self importance.

Rajasthan, India

November 3 - Rajasthan

Our jet landed in the Indian desert province of Rajasthan on November 2. At once we were whisked away by small bus 80 miles north into a remote section of desert where we were to spend the night in a luxurious tented camp. Enclosed is a picture of the tent encampment, which has 30 tents in all (each complete with its own private bath and king size bed), a huge dining tent, and a caravan of 50 riding camels and their drivers. We took a short ride on camels to the top of a sand dune and enjoyed a cocktail while the sun set over the Rajasthani Desert! Afterwards a dinner with Indian folk music and dance was followed by a fantastic fireworks show over the star studded night sky. This is my 13th jet trip and I am still continually surprised and impressed with the attention to detail we get on these trips!

After a night in the desert, we awoke to melodic flute music that came from a camel-pulled cart, that also delivered hot tea to us in bed. I watched the sunrise from the lounge chair in front of my tent. After breakfast we were in jeeps heading out into the landscape to meet some local people. This girl greeted us at a private home. I think you can sense the genuine nature of these people from the photo, poor by our standards for sure, but poor only with respect to the amount of things they own. Everyone here is quick to smile and they wave at us with true enthusiasm. It is shocking really to see such pure, simple joy in people’s hearts! There may be some truth that the more one has, the more they worry about losing it?

I have waxed on and on about the comforts of this trip but just three weeks ago I was with Helen camping on a trek in the backcountry of Nepal. I didn’t shower for 12 days and that was great too. Besides the luxuries of this trip, there are occasions to interact with some of the 74 people who paid $55,000 to come on the trip. Tonight I met a man who claimed to be the 2nd-ever shareholder in Starbucks. Another man raises exotic animals on his Texas ranch. Someone else once owned the Kansas City Southern Railroad. These are certainly the “Titans of Business” but that doesn’t necessarily preclude some pretty visceral conversations about everything from economics, to the state of the U.S. today, to the rare talks about red sandstone (of which there is lots here in Rajasthan). Those are great moments when there are “real” conversations and I seek them out whenever I can.

I’ve been surprised to learn just how many folks on this trip are genuinely concerned about this war in Iraq. You wouldn’t think that anyone in this economic class would feel that way, but I’m finding that many of them do. It is heartening (to me) to learn that not everyone in our country automatically buys into the message that is given to us by our so-called “leaders” and media. A surprising number of folks on this trip are making their own determinations about the direction our country is taking. It’s time for every American, no matter what your political leanings or affiliation, to start asking some hard and unpleasant questions about our standing in the world, how our actions are perceived by other people and other nations, and what the true costs of this war really are. (Here's a clipping from the English "Japan Times" that we read in Kyoto).
Anyone who just blindly accepts the notion that our president could never lead us on the wrong path needs to start questioning that. History shows us that once governments perceive the need to “protect their interests”, they behave irrationally to acheive that end. Having said all of this, here is a direct quote from one of our passengers at the last cocktail party in Viet Nam - “I’m a Republican, I don’t have to think”. Comments certainly welcome.

After the tented camp evening, we came to the blue town of Jodhpur and were treated to a stay at one of the most magnificent hotels I have ever been at - the Umaid Bhawan Palace. It is a true mahjaraja’s palace -
he lives in the south wing (right side of photo) and the other 314 guest rooms are opposite to this (left). It is true palace! In Jodhpur is also a “fort” constructed in 1459 and we toured this magnificent structure which sits atop a 500 foot hill overlooking the city. I am almost at a loss of words for this stop.

Next stop is Iran (ee-RAHN). Stay tuned!

More Viet Nam

November 1, 2007

Viet Nam receives anywhere from 100 to 120 inches of rain a year (three times the amount of Seattle or New York!). One fourth of the total comes in the month of October alone. So it has not been a surprise to find rain here. As we flew into the city of Da Nang, we were treated to views of some rivers in flood. In the photo, taken upon landing in our jet, the normal river banks are shown in the upper center of the photo - all other water is flooding the low lying areas and rice paddies. To an Arizona desert rat like me, this is rain on a completely different scale than I am used to.

The rain had stopped by the time we landed. We first visited the old city of Hoi An with its narrow streets and busy market. The next day we took a two hour drive north and got to see some of the countryside. One of the highlights was traversing a four mile long tunnel, completed two years ago and financed by the World Bank. It cuts through a mountain and bypasses a narrow and winding coastal road, saving us about one hour of drive time. This tunnel was thoroughly modern in every respect. The day was spent at the imperial city of Hue where we toured some elaborate tombs and The Citadel, a maze of ancient palaces that astounded us with their size and artistic detail. I would love to post pictures of everything but there are limits to what one can do. You’ll have to wait for the slide show back home!

At the end of the day, the rain returned and our drive back was through torrents of water falling from the sky. The people do not stop their lives when this occurs - they just wear colorful plastic rain ponchos and continue on their way on motorcycles and bicycles. Amazing! The people here are kind and gentle beyond description. They embrace the dollars that we are leaving behind and show their appreciation for our visit at every turn. Yet there is an air of communal ways in this country - there is no such thing as private property, as the government owns every speck of land. You can lease the land from the government and then build a house or business on that land. You own what sits on the land and can sell it and make a profit on that. A curious blend of economic systems it is. Ho Ch Minh is still revered here and is displayed on all the bank notes.

Next on the trip will be the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India. What a juxtaposition of landscapes this will bring from tropical jungles to thorny deserts. These trips are perhaps too fast for my personal tastes but there are some pretty interesting movements that make me realize just how varied this world truly is.

October 31 to November 2 - Good Morning Vietnam!

On Halloween, we landed in Dan Nang, Vietnam. Yes, that Da Nang and that Vietnam. I first heard the word Vietnam in 1964 from television reporter Walter Cronkite, who brought words and images from what seemed like an imaginary jungle to my 10 year old eyes. For more than 10 years, that word - Vietnam - would reverberate constantly through mine and all Americans consciousness, as our country became involved in an ever deepening cycle of useless destruction and horror. And as this place now becomes more tangible to me (well, as much as two nights on a private jet trip can make things tangible), I simply have to ask the question: What did our country actually achieve in those 11 years in Vietnam? What benefits do we as a nation still enjoy because of that foray into god knows what? Does anyone care to ask that question today? It’s really all I can think about as we tour what otherwise seems like just another easy-going tropical destination on our planet. 58,000+ American lives lost and probably at least 10 times that for the Vietnamese. And for what? What tangible benefit do we as a nation enjoy today because of that war? Please post anything you can about this and enlighten me. If the sheer idiocy of this does not strike you as horribly absurd, perhaps you should check your pulse or start asking questions of our so-called “leaders”. My comments are not meant to provoke a response with respect to what your present political beliefs are. I’d just like to know what was accomplished with that war.

When we landed at the airport yesterday, this was the scene we saw. A troupe of little girls and boys dancing for us as the carnival music blared from on old tape machine. Quite a contrast indeed from what that word, Vietnam, has formerly meant to all of us in the U.S.

Kyoto, Japan October 28 to 31, 2007

Held sacred by modern Japanese, Kyoto embodies all that is ancient and all that is new in Japan. Looking at the picture books of this shrine- and temple-rich city, one might get the impression that Kyoto is a place set entirely far away from the city and perhaps within the mountainous greenery of this rain soaked island. Yet each architectural marvel from the 7th or 13th century that we visited, is itself an island of peace and green in a sea of the modern city. Kyoto is thoroughly modern replete with traffic jams, high-rise, and pollution. But it holds small vestiges of Japan’s ancient past in seemless harmony.

The Japanese certainly know how to pack their 130 million souls into an amazingly small space. Flying into Osaka’s Kaisan Airport, we could see low-lying river valleys filled entirely with humanity’s signature - the concrete white of countless urban buidings. Yet the lush mountains that immediately surround these valleys hold only trees, without roads or others structures. Land use patterns in this country are strikingly different than what we are familiar with. As my geography lecturer colleague and seat mate Alec Murphy said as we made our approach, “You’d never mistake that pattern for something in the U.S.

The temples themselves are specatcular! We visited Kiyomizo first and a photo of it is above. Sanju-sangendo was one of my favorite - one of the longest wooden structures in the world at almost 400 feet long. It was built in 1266 (when the Anasazi were fully occupying Mesa Verde but not yet aware of the 30 year drought that was only 10 years away). It contains 1001 wooden carved religious icons painted with gold leaf. The Golden Palace was phenomenal as well and the late afternoon light gave it a marvelous glow. We have dodged rain while we have been here but astute observers will see evidence everywhere that this place is no stranger to it.

Our guides and the Japanese people have been gracious beyond all measure. They simply travel through life in a disciplined courtesy, an outgrowth no doubt of the Buddhism that pervades this society. It makes one wonder how they could have been so viscious in the 1940’s during their reign of imperialistic government. Our guide almost apologized for the “mistakes” that had been made and moved on quickly to another topic. I think that governments everywhere and at certain times are subject to pressures that make them want to exert more control over their surrounding world. I think that no governement on Earth is ever truly immune from the tendency of leaders who see imperilaistic forrays as a way to make life easier. Japan may be such an example from the past. One wonders if certain elements in our own government are an example from the present?

The "Around the World" Adventure Begins!

Sitting in the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle, the trip "Around the World" is about to begin! Last night we had our Welcome Dinner in the lobby of the Boeing Museum of Flight! Sitting beneath numerous aircraft from the past. It was a wonderful introduction. Watch here for more news. First stop is Kyoto, Japan via a refueling stop in Cold Bay, Alaska!

The Big News From Nepal Is.......

Some of you may have heard already. Many obviously have not. But while standing beneath Mt. Everest at an elevation of 18,500 feet, Helen and I became engaged! Here is a picture of us just moments after we agreed to spend our lives together. That's the summit of Mt. Everest in the background (the smaller looking mountain just above our heads - the larger mountain is closer and is called Nuptse). We are standing near the small settlement of Gorak Shep, and have just descended from Kala Patar. This is not too far from the Everest Base Camp. You can see we had a beautiful day for this.

We are both very happy and appreciate all of of our loving friends and family! We want all of you to know!

Wayne and Helen

October 21 - Leaving Kathmandu

Well, after 23 days Helen and I will be flying out of Kathmandu today. It has been an incredible jountrney! Trekking in the highest mountains in the world, seeing the very strange sights in Kathmandu, and just exposing ourselves to very different cultures and things. We look forward to returning home and sharing many of our wonderful stories. Some of the things we will remember the most are lines of yaks carrying heavy gear to the high country (yaks are cattle-like animals but serve as beasts of burden here in the Nepalese high country), little porters who weigh only 120 pounds carrying up to 230 pounds of green lumber up very steep, rough trails, endless meals with potatoes, the unbelievable scale of the mountain scenery, and the kindness of the Nepalese people! It seems that in the mountains we were always on guard for runaway trains of clumsy yaks, here in the city of Kathmandu we are on the lookout for the never-ending streams of horn-blaring cars and motorcycles. Look back to this site in a few days after we return home for some pictures that will be added to each days blog.

We do appreciate the comments from those who have written to us. It gives us a sense of home in a place so far away! Wayne will be on another adventure "Around the World by Private Jet" starting on October 26. Look here for blogs from that trip as well!

Love to everyone, Namaste, Wayne and Helen!

October 13 - Rest Day at Tyangboche

Stayed all day in the mist and clouds of Tyangboche! Visited the monastery and saw the monks praying. We also hung out in a bakery at 12,682 feet - 50 feet higher thatn the top of the San Francisco Peaks! We are enjoying our time here very much!

Tonight, the cook on our trek made a special engagement cake for Helen and I! Here is a photo of us and the cake taken by Chris Hansen-Nelson.

October 12 - Tyangboche Monastery

Here at the holy site of Tyangboche monastery. Walked through a rhododendron forest today that was so wonderful! The air is so thick down here at 12,000 feet.

October 11 - Kala Patar!

The wake-up call came at 4 AM but I had been lying awake for at least an hour before that. I soon realized that I felt pretty good and the "Khumbu aches and delerium" of the previous night were gone. Strange? The porters came around each tent with cups of hot tea to wake us up. It was still pitch dark except for the brilliance of the stars, which were out in all of their naked glory - not a cloud in the sky! It was difficult and frustrating for me to pack my duffle at such an early and cold hour but I struggled through it. In the end, I decided I would try for the peak after all!

We were walking at just after 5:00 AM with headlamps and the light from the many stars. Ahead of us stood the cone of Pumo Ri, a majestic mountain that stands 23,435 feet above sea level. Directly above it was the Pole star shining as if it were located right on top of its cone. The air at this altitude containes only 50% of the oxygen as at sea level and the going was quite slow. But I felt strong and at about 7:15, had reached the summit. What a thrill! Unfortunately, Helen did not feel up to making the final ascent and there were only 8 of us who made the final push. She was troubled by altitude sickness and made it about half way up before turning back. I was sorry she didn't make it, but she did get just as good a view of Mt. Everest as we did. The others in our group who made it to the summit were Norm Henderson, Don Webster, Chris Hansen-Nelson, Clint Gelotte, Louise Georgette, David Keeber, and Diane Wishnev. George Abbott, Jeff Engel, and Bill Foote had summited the previous day, so in ll, 11 of our original 19 trekkers made the summit. I do not consider those who did not make the summit unsuccessful - in fact, anyone one of us could have been feeling bad from the altitude on this particular day and would not have attempted it. It was the luck of the draw really. In any event, we were on the summit of Kala Patar at about 18,500 feet. We viewed Everest - only 6.3 miles away to its top - in brilliant, cloud-free daylight. What an accomplishment it felt was!!


After summiting Kala Patar, we munched a quick breakfast at 10:so AM and hiked down all the way to Pheriche! This was a 4,000 foot descent but we made it. A 13 hour day on the trail at high altitude! We made it.

October 10 - Moving Higher to Gorak Shep

Today was to be the day for our ascent of Kala Patar but we all felt as if we weren't ready to ascend that quickly. So our guides offered us an option to move camp to Gorak Shep, 3 miles away and only 600 feet higher. It sounded like a good idea and we did it. We were now in country that had been glaciated quite recently. Everywhere was loose rock and sand without a hint of lichen growth. Perhaps some of these areas were glaciated in our life times, such is the extent of glacail retreat in these valleys. Gorak Shep is the last place where lodges and camps are located - the next place is Everest Base Camp! We were now camping above 17,000 feet!

Clouds played above us and occasionally parted so that we could see Everest. Kala Patar looked ominous with it's two steep trails. Three members of our party made it to the top that afternoon. I was feeling pretty bad today and could only hold on by laying low in camp. I felt as if I would have to miss the attempt on the mountain tomorrow morning because I just felt horrible. It did not concern me too much. I was happy to have mad eit this far and to see such wonderful mountain country. We were in bed by 7:30 PM

October 9 - On the Move Again!

Today we are on the move again and this time we are headed for some serious altitude. Today we will climb higher than the top of Mt. Whitney and then 16 vertical feet higher we will be exactly half the altitude of the top of Mt. Everest! Wow! Our goal is the tiny settlement of Lobouche at 16,400 feet. Starting out in a river valley, the trail is nice to us but before long we are climbing the slope of a lateral moraine. The glaciers once extended much further down these drainages and evidence for the former presence of ice is becoming evident now. Lunch is enjoyed in the sunshine at a small lodge called Dugla. From there we climb higher to the stone meorials, a place where stone cairns have been erected to those who have lost their lives climbing the mountains of the Khumbu. It was touching. Arrived at Lobouche at 2:30 and enjoyed hot tea in a lodge. 16,400 feet!

October 8 - Rest Day in Pheriche

About 1/3 of our group took a short walk to a town called Dingboche. I was too weak to attempt this excursion and used the free time to recuperate. By the end of the day I could feel that I was acclimatizing nicely and felt much better. The weather is still fine! No rain so far although there have been cloudy days.

October 7 - Leaving the Trees Behind

Pangboche is a quaint, high Himalayan town nestled among many spectacular snow covered peaks. Many in our group made phone calls home from here and the connections are quite good (so I hear). Today we moved upwards again, this time to Pheriche at 14,200 feet - almost the elvation of Mt. Whitney in the U.S.! The air is really thin now and some of the folks in our group are starting to take the Diamox, a prescription that benefits those at high altitude. The going is pretty slow but one of our porters is fond of reminding us in his heavily accented English - "Go slow, drink water, reach Kala Patar". This is now our mantra!
Arriving in Pheriche at 1:30 PM, we noticed that we are now above the tree line for this part of the world. It is all rocks and scree from here on out. We attended a lecture given by a medical doctor at the high altitude clinic located here. He informs us of how to spot altitude sickness. I believe that I have been having sleepless nights because of this. So I too start on the Diamox. Many in the group feel bad so a rest day is declared for tomorrow.

October 6 - We Lose Three Folks to Our Trek

Over night, three in our group began to feel the effects of the altitude and became too sick to continue. We were of course, very saddened to lose them but everyone trook the parting stoically, knowing the risks of high altitude endeavors. We had the luxury of having 23 Nepalese porters and guides in our group so two of them were left to escort the three back to Namche. THe rest of us, now numbering 16, climbed up to the interesting village of Phortse. Another great mani wall was here as well of a view of the surrounding terrain. The trail to our next camp at Pangboche was wild beyond description! Only a few feet wide in some locations, it still spilled almost 1,500 feet straight down to the river. It was spectacular. We arrived in Pangboche well enough but more of the stomach sickness may be going around.

October 5 - Leaving Namche For Points Uphill

Rising to the the call of "hot tea" at 6 AM, we begin again our upward trek. The day dawned cold and cloudy at 11,300 feet but there was no rain. The trail contoured around a hill which was a pleasant change from the very steep trails that characterize the Khumbu region of Nepal. But then we climbed 1,000 feet to a lunch spot called Mong. The tiny settlement was made possible because of the presence of an old river terrace, now perched well above thwe Dudh Kosi River. No sooner was lunch over that we descended rapidly the same 1,000 feet to our camp at Phortse Tenga. Here we found a very long mani wall. These walls are made of many flat slabs of schist that have been engraved with images of the Buddha and Tibetan scripts. They are very old and no one disturbs them. It is proper etiquette to walk around them clockwise.

October 3 - Hard Day To Namche!

Words cannot describe what we have seen so far in 3 days of trekking! The Himalayas are spectacular beyond belief. We have never seen mountains so huge, not the Sierra, not the Andes.

The trek began with a one hour flight to Lukla and a landing on an airstrip only half the length of a standard size. The slope was at 25 degrees! We trekked 3 miles the first day to Phakding and spent the night in a field adjacent to a hotel. The next day, Wayne was feeling the effects of the trots and it was a hard day's walk to Namche Bazaar. Helen has been thoroughly healthy so far and sends her love to all!

The bridges across the river were wild. One was perched 200 feet above the raging river. Scary. We have been in this village almost 24 hours now and Wayne is feeling fine after a dose of Cipro. On the way up the trail, we had a great view of Mt. Everest about 20 miles away! Spectacular! Would love to enclose a picture with this but we are so far away from civilization and the download times are long. This will be our last posting until we return here some 12 days from now.

The crew is excellent - compatible and laughing all the time. The altitude and steepness of the trails is formidable and we are only at 11,300 feet. On Oct. 5 we will go to at least 12,000 feet. On Oct. 10 we will summit Kala Patar at 18,200 feet and only 6 miles as the crow flies from the summit of Mt. Everest. We will get up at 2 Am to complete this day hike.

The scenery has been awesome beyond description. There is no way to explain fully what we are seeing. These are truly magnificent mountains. Our Nepal Zero-Seven trek continues.......

October 1 - Touring in Kathmandu, Nepal

Nothing can prepare your senses for the sights, sounds, and smells of Kathmandu, Nepal. The many and colorful prayer flags fly in the wind, carrying aspirations to a world beyond this mountain encased valley. The very narrow streets are ablaze continuously with car horns, as countless motorcycles weave in and out of the smoky traffic. And Nepalese food fills our noses with hints of curry and cilantro. This is a small taste of this busy but interesting city. We toured many temples today and even saw human cremations along a river bank at a Hindu center.

Tomorrow we will awaken at 4:30 AM to prepare for our flight to Lukla, where our trek begins. We'll leave this city behind and enter a world of mountains and snow. Lukla sits at 9,300 feet and there the trek begins - downhill! Our first camp will be at Phakding, elevation 8,500. Too bad we have to give up that precious elevation. There will be a chance to write more from the next village at Namche Bazar, but that will a few days from now. Our group of 19 seems almost hand-picked as e laugh and intermingle freely with each other. We have almost forgotten that a trek is part of this journey, the cultural overload is that huge. Our four-star hotal is adequate but that's four Nepalese stars!

Anyway, we are here and amazed with all we see!

September 30 - Across the Wide Pacific!

We made it across the wide Pacific! After a 14 1/2 hour flight on Thai Airways Flight 795 (surprisingly not too long it seemed), we are now sitting in the Bangkok Airport with 11 of our fellow trekkers. In 3 hours we fly to Kathmandu and we are very excited to be this far along in our journey. The group seems very nice and it looks like a great trip so far. Helen and I have had a magical journey so far with lots of positive signs - saw a fantastic Arizona sunset from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and then saw the next sunrise while landing in Bangkok! We were flyng with the sun so it was dark for us for almost 24 hours. The adventure will continue. Stay tuned!

The Everest Base Camp Adventure Begins September 28!

Watch this blog for updates on our trip to Nepal and the Everest Base Camp trek to Kala Patar. We will be trying to make updates from these remote regions.

Creationist Controversy Re-ignited At Grand Canyon

As some of you may know, a controversy regarding the sale of a certain book at Grand Canyon National Park has existed on and off for the last few years. The controversy was re-ignited on December 28th, 2006, when a group called PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) issued a press release from their headquarters in Washington D.C. Many "facts" were wrong in this press release and although they denied this for a number weeks, they finally retracted many of their most egregious errors. The group has publicly apologized for getting their story wrong. However, the details of the controversy are interesting to explore.

The book is entitled, "Grand Canyon - A Different View" - a very apt title indeed! In it, author Tom Vail and other creationists explain how, within a ONE YEAR TIME PERIOD, all of the strata of the Colorado Plateau were deposited, half of it completely eroded away, and the entire Grand Canyon was cut in addition to that! Again, all in ONE YEAR. Of course, this is not really possible given the evidence at hand but creationists believe this by starting with a conclusion (there was a Biblical flood) and then look for the small bits of evidence on the landscape that might prove it's true (the Grand Canyon had to be cut by this flood). This is not science. It never has been and never will be. However, the question presents itself - do only science-based books need be sold at Grand Canyon? Within the book stores at the canyon, other Native American "creation legends" are sold and placed within the inspirational section of those book stores large enough to have themed sections. And that is where Tom Vail's book is sold. Some vocal scientists have decried the presence of this book at Grand Canyon. I do not.

Now I do not subscribe to a creationist view of the earth. I am a tried and true geologist and the evidence seems overwhelming to me that a geologic origin is responsible for the magnitude of earthly beauty we see before us. However, I do believe that the creationist controversy has been fueled in part, by some scientists desire to completely ignore, stifle, and dare I say, censor (?) the creationist view. All under the mistaken premise that if we engage creationists we somehow validate their view of earth history. This possibly wrong assumption has allowed creationist a "free pass" so to speak and they have seized on the "non-debate" and have gotten their message out quite effectively. All without any follow-up by scientists.

I believe that as scientists we are educators by default. Science suffers today because it is not valued by society proportionate to its rewards. For this reason, we must engage the public at every opportunity to inform them of the beauty and magic of science. Tom Vail's book is harmless with respect to it's presence on the shelves at Grand Canyon book stores. It is not a big seller and it is placed well away from the 20 or so other great geology books available at the canyon. Yet some scientists yell and scream that this caters to creationism - without taking the time to fully understand how creationists got so powerful in the first place.

I believe that this "controversy" provides an excellent way to engage the larger public in a discussion about what exactly is creationism, or science for that matter. Viewed in such a way, people can look at the evidence for themselves and decide which story holds up to close scrutiny. Do geologists really believe that their story won't hold up against creationism. Of course not - but they behave as if it would. The idea is not so much to win everyone over to "our side" but to begin a discussion where ideas can be presented and made to stand on their inherent strengths or fall on their weaknesses. True, we cannot debate science vs. faith but we can respond intelligently to an audience that wants very much to hear our side. Censorship is not the answer. Ironically, sales of Tom Vail's book generates income for the non-profit Grand Canyon Association, which turns it's income over to the park to fund many worthwhile science projects within the canyon.

For a real geologic view of how the Grand Canyon formed, look at my book, "Carving Grand Canyon". It is a bestseller at the park (10,000 copies sold in just 20 months). It has won numerous awards including a National Outdoor Book Award - 2006. It engages readers to look critically at the evidence and doesn't attempt to stifle discussion with those who hold other views. The answer to this controversy is not to back away from creationists but to engage them! Certainly the status quo thus far has done nothing to quiet the other side.