BROTHERLY LOVE AND FAREWELL

Todd and Kip enjoy a romantic sunset on an unnamed beach.

After a fun visit from Kip's brother Todd, it was time for him to head to his new "retired" life in London. 

Kip pretending he's a surfer in Tamarindo.

But not before one last surf session in Tamarindo. 

Farewell, big brother. 

Yes, Todd caught a few waves. 

We had an amazing time and are so glad you came...but...

Most of them briefly.

Here's hoping you retire better than you surf! :)

See you in London!

PHOTO FRIDAY: SURF AND SUNSETS AT EL TUNCO, EL SALVADOR

A surfer ventures out for a final session before darkness takes over in El Tunco, El Salvador. 

El Tunco's helping turn around tourism in El Salvador. At least, that's what it says in Kip's latest story for Men's Journal--"EL SALVADOR'S NEW BEGINNING"

By the way, we're still a little behind on our posts, but from here on out, we'll be updating from our current location...Central America! We promise to get more up-to-date soon!

PHOTO FRIDAY: A SAND DOLLAR'S WORTH

One year ago this week, we were enjoying a stunning sunset in the Philippines, and we wrote about all the crazy modes of transport it took to see it. 

This week, a sunset in Playa El Cuco in El Salvador was made all the better by the presence of a nearly symmetrical sand dollar Liz found on the beach. In monetary value, the little sea urchin doesn't come to much.

But considering it was Liz's first sand dollar ever to see in the wild, it sure meant a lot to us.

PHOTO FRIDAY: SERENGETI SUNSET

An old Landrover, an acacia tree and the sun setting over the Serengeti. Sometimes life brings good things together. 

After spending hours taking photos from the back seat while listening to our guide tell us about all the things that could kill us if we left the vehicle (lions, leopards, snakes, hippos, rhinos, etc), Josef finally let us out to snap a quick shot at the scenic overview above. One of the best days and most beautiful sunsets of the trip.

SUNNY MONDAY: FLIPPING OUT IN ZANZIBAR

Even without the groups of acrobatic kids soaring high over the sand, Stone Town's sunsets tend to stick in the memory. Combine the sights, however, and you get what's by far the greatest show on the historic Tanzanian island of Zanzibar.  

For three days, we started our nights here, watching as not-so-organized gangs of local teenagers twisted, flipped and somersaulted their way from the beach into the shallow waters. These weren't local kids looking to bilk money from tourists. These guys performed for fun. For bragging rights. For each other. And luckily for us, thanks to their nightly shows, they'll be performing in our memories for a long time to come.

SUNNY MONDAY: BOATS ON THE BAY IN KNYSNA

Described on its Wikipedia page as "a favorite haunt of artists, restauranteurs and hippies," Knysna sounded like a quirky place worthy of at least an afternoon stopover, though we weren't really sure how we'd fit in with the local population. 

Turns out, the bay-side town of 70,000+ on the Garden Route is a hangout for anyone who likes seafood, cocktails and sunsets over the water. After eating grilled fish, listening to live music and enjoying the views (like the one above), we stayed the night and wished we could have stayed longer.

SUNNY MONDAY: END-OF-DAY SHOW

Yes, we know it's supposed to be "Funny Monday." 

But it's been weeks since we posted a sunset photo, plus the end-of-day sky around Cape Town is hard to beat, so enjoy this Sunny Monday substitute shot. Hopefully, we'll have some mind-blowingly hilarious stuff for you next week. Either that, or you may have to suffer through a sunset from the beaches of Zanzibar.

Win-win, right?!

BTW, if you or anyone you know is considering a spring break trip this year, check out this article on alternatives to the "traditional" beach/party vacation thing. Read more about alternative spring breaks HERE. 

BOAT BUILDING IN BELO, MADAGASCAR

As mentioned, Belo sur Mer is home to some of Madagascar's most famous boat builders. Check out some of their handiwork below:

Sun sets behind the skeletal remains of a would-be ship who never saw her maiden voyage. 

A cargo boat under construction in Belo. Vessels like these require intricate woodwork, as noted by the tightly-connected stem, knee joint and ribs, which are held in place by physics, wooden pegs, and frequent prayers.

A man hammers pegs into a beam support of a dugout canoe. His friend smiles for the camera.

The scalloped sides of the pirogue above highlight the traditional methods  still used to carve these ocean-going vessels.

The old-school boat building continues on one of the wide beaches of Belo. They even have goats, too!

HIKING (AND CLEANING UP) THE INDIAN HIMALAYAS

Our friend Alex Parlini (the dark speck on the trail) hikes toward Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak.

While Liz headed south to Udaipur, Mumbai, and Goa, Kip and his buddy Alex from DC went northeast to Darjeeling (thanks for the visit, AP!). After testing out the region's famous teas, they traveled into the Indian Himalayas for a trek toward the world's third highest peak, Mt. Kanchenjunga (alt: 28,169 ft). 

There, they hiked five days and watched some incredible sunsets/rises over the mountains of India/Tibet/Nepal/Bangladesh/Bhutan, one of the most unique and spectacular views in the world. 

Along the way, they also filled garbage bags with trash that lined the trails. As we had experienced in places including Nepal, Borneo, the Philippines, and others, the people met along the way happily joined the trail beautification efforts, proving once again that cleaning up...and volunteering...can be contagious. A big thanks to the guides, as well as Alex, Stewart, Stephanie, Raymond, and Sara.

With no trash collection in the mountains, garbage must be burned to get rid of it. Above, Alex supervises while the guides incinerate a small pile of some of the debris we collected during the five-day hike.

Mt Kanchenjunga in the morning light.

Kip at sunrise. The view includes Everest.

Potato diggers met along the trail.

The sun sets behind afternoon clouds.

PHOTO FRIDAY: FREE SUNSET IN UDAIPUR

Udaipur, also known as "The City of Lakes" is one of the most romantic places in India. Kip, being the hopeless romantic that he is, was off hiking with a friend in Darjeeling, while Liz visited this beautiful city solo.

Not pictured (actually, just out of the frame to the left in the above photo) is the famous Lake Palace Hotel, one of the most exclusive and expensive hotels in India. It probably doesn't need to be said, but Liz did not splurge for the $700/night room, particularly when she could get the sunset for free.

PHOTO FRIDAY: ENTRY TO THE 'BABY TAJ'

A female grounds worker walks in front of a red sandstone gate that protects the entrance to the tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daula, a former ruler of the region, and his wife. Guess they didn't have chain link fences back then...

The path the woman is crossing leads to an ornate white marble structure known as the "Baby Taj Mahal." Built in the 1600's, the tomb preceded the actual Taj by around 10 years and kicked off the transition from red sandstone structures like the one above to the glistening white marble buildings like the actual Taj Mahal. 

Click here to see images other folks have taken of the Baby Taj in all its glory.

THE TEMPLES OF BAGAN

The ancient city of Bagan, dotted with hundreds of stunning temples, is best explained through photos (particularly when internet connections don't allow for much else). 

Above and below are a few. 

Leaving Myanmar soon...NEPAL AND EVEREST HERE WE COME. 

PHOTO FRIDAY: WAT AT SUNSET

Laos is home to lots of wats. Above, lights illuminate Luang Prabang's famous Wat Sen, built three centuries ago with 100,000 stones from the Mekong River. Beyond the temple, the dying sun sets the sky aglow, silhouetting a line of mountains in Thailand just across the river that separates the two countries.

KUCHING, THE CAT CITY

A group of skaters poses with us in front of yet another cat statue in Kuching, the "Cat City."

Although we have been to many places in Borneo, we have yet to find one with so many statues, stores, monuments, and T-shirts dedicated to one particular animal. In the city of Kuching, which derives its name from the Malay word for "cat," you can't walk more than a few feet without running into a massive statue or a store selling hundreds of types of trinkets dedicated to felines. They even have a cat museum. 

So we thought that any place as wacky as this deserves a Top 10 list of why you have to love it.

1. Crazy cat statues, everywhere.  Really, everywhere.

2. Marco Polo Guesthouse. Mr. Tan and his wife treated us like family, and we enjoyed every minute of staying with them. And, they told Liz that she speaks English very well.  She was pleased. The place would've only been better if there had been a feline reference in the name. 

3. Beautiful markets in Little India. And the fact that beans are also sold as "Gold Bouillon."

4. Borneo Delight. This restaurant is amazing, and not just because of its coffee and food. More importantly, they let us utilize their restroom on back-to-back days when our lunches (eaten elsewhere) decided to make very quick and unexpected exits. Without going into more detail, we are forever indebted.

5. Close proximity to Bako National Park, Semmengoh Wildlife Reserve, and a few additional places we wish we had time to visit, including the home of the world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, which smells like rotting meat. 

6.  Because this is the only place Kip can dork out rock out on a handmade Hornbill guitar.

7. Top Spot Food Court. It's a seafood market on top of a parking lot in downtown Kuching that offers up some of the freshest and strangest fish around. However, on our last visit, Kip found a roach crawling on his lap. Liz laughed, until one crawled up her neck. Still, we'd eat there again.  

8. Good Corner Cafe. Not only does this place feature an incredible chicken rice dish for $1.25, but they also have the cheapest beer in Malaysia. "Happy Hour 24 hours," as the owner says. 

9. Because only the Cat City could make this picture possible. 

10. The amazingly beautiful sunsets on the riverfront.  We are obviously big sunset fans, and Kuching does not disappoint.

ON THE TIP OF BORNEO

Liz as far north as one can get on Borneo.

In Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysian Borneo, we read online about an area on the north coast where rocky, jungle-clad hills meet abruptly with pristine, empty beaches that stretch for miles. Few outsiders visit the area, plus the government built a massive, if not kitschy, monument there to mark the northernmost tip of the island. Sort of like the shrine in Key West that designates the most southern part of the U.S. (at least, geographically), but totally different. Sounded like our kind of place.

From KK, we hitched a ride with a friendly, knowledgeable Brit named Howard, who we’d emailed about potential places to stay on the coast. As it happened Howard was in the city running some errands—including buying roofing materials for his longhouse-style jungle lodge—before making the four-hour drive back to his place.

Picking up some bamboo and palm thatch for the new roofs at Tampat Do Aman

He said we were welcome to go along, and he even let us ride inside the car, as opposed to in the back or on the roof where we’ve spent many miles of this trip. He also answered lots of our questions about the island, such as “Why does everything smell like fish?” (locals add dried, shrimp-infused anchovies to everything they eat) and “What does ‘pusat’ mean?” (it’s the Malaysian word for ‘center’, as in medical pusat, tire pusat, traffic pusat, anchovy pusat, etc. and is on every sign you see).

In addition to the free ride, the quality education, and the cheap housing at the Tampat Do Aman, Howard rented us a luxury automobile, which he’d nicknamed “the Malaysian Ferrari.” While the not-so-pretty hoopty had bad brakes, no radio, holes in the floorboard and an un-removable ignition key, there was no paperwork, insurance, or signature required. And at roughly $25/day with unlimited mileage—plus a steering wheel on the right side and a chance to drive legally on the left—we couldn’t pass up such a golden opportunity.

Kip shows off the impressive Malaysian Ferrari.

We spent the next couple of days cruising the back roads, checking out the surrounding shores, and visiting the aforementioned monument.

As unspoiled and stunning a place as Borneo's north coast is, it's hard to imagine it will remain this way for long. But for now, it's well worth a few days time...particularly if you can get in touch with Howard and reserve the Malaysian Ferrari.

Kip meditates on the tip of Borneo monument. And afterwards narrowly avoids an arrest.

Kip walks along a suspension bridge we came across.  The road led here, but we figured even the Malaysian Ferrari wouldn't make it across this bridge.

Liz made some new friends at the monument, and reminds everyone how short they are.

Taking in the sunset view with the only beer in Borneo.  It's called "3 Amigos" and is made in Vietnam...