'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 - Sriram Viji's Photos

Our summer trip to Egypt, Tanzania, Spain, Italy and London.

Sriram Viji > After many hours of traveling, we reached Dahab in Egypt. Dahab is a small town in the Sinai peninsula right on the coast of the Red Sea. The reward was the realization our room had this huge deck looking right onto the beach and water. The full moon was the icing on the cake.

Sriram Viji > Desert and tall rock faces greeted us on our first morning. There were security checkpoints everywhere - it made us feel a little insecure.

Sriram Viji > Enter the Indiana Jones look-alike

Sriram Viji > St. Catherine's monastery is built on the spot where Moses was appointed to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The monastery is well-maintained with an amazing collection of old manuscripts and paintings.

Sriram Viji > This bush is fabled to be the same burning bush where Moses was appointed to lead the Israelites. It was inspiring watching believers on their tiptoes touching the bush for luck.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > There's nothing that fights off jet lag better than a 4-5 hour hike in sweltering heat. That's what we learned as we hiked up Mt. Sinai right after visiting the monastery. This man frustratingly tempted us to hop on the camel and comfortably ride up. Luckily, we managed to resist.

Sriram Viji > Still happy despite the heat

Sriram Viji > These shady log cabins were amazing rest stops as we made our way up Mt. Sinai

Sriram Viji > Yes! Our first summit of the trip.

Sriram Viji > We met a Greek/Egyptian archeology group at the top of Mt. Sinai restoring an old chapel.

Sriram Viji > At the end of the hike, I was thrilled that my knee had withstood its first test. Maybe I could actually do Mt. Kilimanjaro. These sweet young guys helped us find some ice for the knee.

Sriram Viji > An afternoon nap. The start of a good vacation!

Sriram Viji > All our dinners in Dahab were in these wonderful restaurants right on the water with romantic low seating, fantastic seafood/meat and lots of hungry cats.

Sriram Viji > For 3 days, we scuba dived to our heart's content. This is a view of the famous dive - Blue Hole - that we were both intimidated and thrilled by. The dives were great - we saw gorgeous fish and corals - our first sting ray, needle baracudas, lion fish, stone fish, puffers and so many more.

Sriram Viji > Stuck between a rock and a deep drop - diving in Ras Abu Ghalum required traveling on a camel for a couple of hours. Totally exotic.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Proof that we did dive. Who would otherwise wear those awful suits in 90 degree weather.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > At least 2 of those glasses contained alcoholic beverages.

Sriram Viji > Hottie!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > There's nothing quite like relaxing on a beach

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > In Sharm-el-Sheikh it was interesting to see gorgeous mosques and women with their heads and arms covered right next door to gorgeous beaches full of bikini clad women

Sriram Viji > We eagerly used our waterproof camera while snorkeling. We couldn't take it scuba diving since the depth limit was 10 feet.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > After swearing that we would never go to an all-inclusive resort, we ended up in this place in Sharm thanks to a reservation mix-up. I hate to admit it, but it was nice.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Sri tries the shisha

Sriram Viji > On to Cairo - the view of the Nile from our hotel room

Sriram Viji > Our first bottle of wine - at the Greek Club in Cairo

Sriram Viji > Mom arrives in Cairo!

Sriram Viji > Sri attended his first namaz in this mosque in Islamic Cairo

Sriram Viji > Mom could so pass off as Egyptian. She could even read and write Arabic (sindhi and arabic share a common script though the languages are different).

Sriram Viji > The famous Khan-el-Khalili market which has been bustling since the 14th century was the center of the spice trade

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Mom proves her bargaining prowess again! She got a guy to drop his price to 1/6th of the original quote as we grabbed coffee at El-Fishawi. This cafe is incredible. It's been open 24/7 for 200 years except for Ramadan.

Sriram Viji > The incredibly peaceful El-Azhar mosque

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > El-Azhar continues to be an educational center in the Islamic world

Sriram Viji > Want an excellent restaurant recommendation? Go to Abu El Sid in Cairo

Sriram Viji > Crossing the road - an experience in itself

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > After a day in the Egyptian museum, we were ready to see the real thing. This was our first view of the sphinx in front of the Giza pyramids.

Sriram Viji > It was great to vacation with mom after so many years!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > I couldn't resist!

Sriram Viji > The pyramids are truly impressive - much more than I expected. My only complaint was that there are low to middle income city buildings that extend pretty much all the way up to the first pyramid. Wonder what the folks 2000 years from now will think when they compare the styles...

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > To see why this picture is funny, take a closer look at the book cover

Sriram Viji > Together - at one of the seven wonders of the world!

Sriram Viji > Step pyramid at Saqqara, the first engineering steps toward true pyramids

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > A lesson in how to make papyrus scrolls

Sriram Viji > Mom's birthday dinner in Cairo

Sriram Viji > Happy birthday ma!!! It was great to celebrate June 2 together

Sriram Viji > Our next 3 days was spent cruising down the Nile in style and taking in the stories and ruins in Luxor and Aswan

Sriram Viji > The famous Ramses II who lived till he was 90 or 100 years old and, interestingly, fathered over a 100 children.

Sriram Viji > Obelisk erected under the orders of the famous queen Hatshepsut, one of the few female Egyptian pharoahs. She had to do some strange things to gain power though - marry her half-brother and supposedly imprison her stepson.

Sriram Viji > Carvings on the Egyptian monuments are incredibly well-preserved, a testament to the quality of the work. This carving shows their depiction of Syrians and Nubians (Africans to the south of the kingdom).

Sriram Viji > Since many of the monuments lay buried until they were excavated in the last 200 years, people inadvertently built on top of old temples - notice the mosque built on top of the temple.

Sriram Viji > Late afternoon shadows at the Luxor temple

Sriram Viji > Enjoying the summer night on the cruise deck

Sriram Viji > Tomb of the famous queen Hatchepsut in the Valley of the Kings

Sriram Viji > Pillars topped with Hathor, cow goddess, goddess of fertility

Sriram Viji > Hard to believe that the original paint has survived

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Mama enjoying the tea and river views

Sriram Viji > We had fancy sit-down meals all the time on the cruise. There were 8 people on the boat with almost 25 people waiting on us - attention was definitely paid to our needs.

Sriram Viji > A highlight for Sri - he jumped off the ship in Edfu to go and play in a pick-up game with a bunch of locals. He couldn't understand a word of what they said, but then you don't need words when you have soccer.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Pillar tops with the famous half lotus, half papyrus carvings representing unity of upper and lower Egypt

Sriram Viji > Each carving has hieroglypics next to it that spell out the story. It means that once archeologists figured out the text, the need to guess was over.

Sriram Viji > This is a depiction from my favorite legend, so bear with me. Seth tricked his brother Osiris by inviting him to a banquet and having him step into a coffin that he set afloat down the Nile. Isis, Osiris' wife, buried her husband but Seth, god of the underworld, had not had enough. He cut Osiris into little pieces and scattered them all over the country. Isis set out to find the pieces and found 12 of 13. To take revenge, Horus (their son and the falcon god) set out to kill Seth. This carving shows Seth trying to escape into he underworld under the guise of a hippo while Horus heroically finds and avenges his father by killing Seth.

Sriram Viji > The number system

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Riding towards the temple of Philae (or should I say Phiiiiilaaaaaaeeeee like our Aswan guide). The boats were a little rickety and we had to jump boats once as the kerosene engine on our first boat caught fire when it was started.

Sriram Viji > The reflections of the temple on reservoir waters. The temple was submerged when the old British dam was built and a rescue effort helped move the entire temple, stone by stone to this island between the Aswan High dam and the Old British dam.

Sriram Viji > The Bibliotheca Alexandrina - a beautiful and huge library at the site of the great library of Alexandria

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Watching sunset at Alexandria

Sriram Viji > DAy 1 in Tanzania - Meeting up with our Seattle friends who miraculously made it the same day despite flight cancellations, reroutes and several hours on the phone with airlines.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Baboons play fighting

Sriram Viji > A reed buck - one of our first sightings at Manyara

Sriram Viji > Giraffes lounging in grass plains by lake Manyara

Sriram Viji > Africa! It is what we imagined and so much more.

Sriram Viji > Zebras resting. They often rest their heads on each other - quite convenient.

Sriram Viji > An African Fish Eagle watches and waits...

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Fish_Eagle

Sriram Viji > A Pelican goes fisihing in Lake Manyara

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecanus_rufescens

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > A male Impala watches us suspiciously

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impala

Sriram Viji > Warthogs praying - well, actually feeding.

Sriram Viji > Helmeted Guineafowl plotting in the bushes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numida

Sriram Viji > Natasha and Chandrika checking each other for fleas

Sriram Viji > A pair of baboons checking each other for fleas

Sriram Viji > One of the few areas where we could get out of the jeep and stretch our legs sheltered by a large old acacia tree.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Elephants taking a drink of water from a little stream just after a band of banded mongoose skittered away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_elephant

Sriram Viji > Meet the dik-dik... small, fast and curious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dik-dik

Sriram Viji > Everyone knows that Lions don't climb trees... except in Lake Manyara that is. Lions in Manyara started climbing trees and have since trained their offspring to climb trees. This created a rare group of tree climbing lions and we were lucky enough to see this beautiful lioness.

Sriram Viji > She poses within a natural picture frame.

Sriram Viji > Cat-nap - check
Stretching - check
The lioness is ready to leave the house

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Mama and baby elephant taking an evening stroll

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Have no fear. The Masaai warrior is here!

Sriram Viji > Clouds hang ominously over the Serengeti

Sriram Viji > A Masaai walking the Serengeti. Serengeti translates to the endless plain. The Masaai seem to have no issues walking through this plain all day, amid zebras, lions and anything else that may come their way.

Sriram Viji > During our safari, we planned to visit a Masaai Boma - A Boma is a part of a Masaai village where a man lives with his wives - the more wives he has the higher his status. On the way, we saw one Boma with over 20 huts i.e. over 20 wives.

As we arrived at the Boma, we saw many people leaving the village. When our guide Tori enquired about what was going on, it turned out that everyone was going to a nearby wedding and we got invited.

This is one of the grooms who was getting married that day.

Sriram Viji > Our friendly Masaai!

Sriram Viji > Another of the grooms and his bride decked out Masaai style.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > The dancing continues as the men from the neighboring village enter the host village. Notice that they all have their spears. When a Masaai is home, his spear is always outside his hut to indicate that he is home.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Men from the neighboring village enter the host village with fanfare (and spears). A Masaai almost always carries his spear and when he is home, the spear is planted outside to indicate that he is home.

Sriram Viji > A male Grant's Gazezlle. We got many lessons in identifying Impala, Grant's gazelle and Thomson's gazelle.

Sriram Viji > A flock of ostriches running on the Serengeti

Sriram Viji > A secratary bird - looks like it is typing when it walks.

Sriram Viji > Your guess is as good as mine...

Sriram Viji > A Tawny Eagle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_Eagle

Sriram Viji > Ruffled feathers as the Tawnt Eagle readys to preen itself.

Sriram Viji > A Hyena stretching.

Sriram Viji > Natasha taking notes at the end of the day and relaxing after our evening game drive. They will all get posted someday.

Sriram Viji > A Lilac-breasted Roller. A beautiful little colorful bird.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilac-breasted_Roller

Sriram Viji > Super-mom? Quadruplets and she can still do 0-60 in about 3 seconds. For comparison, a Lamborgini takes 3.7 seconds and the Ferrari Enzo takes 3.2 seconds. The cubs are still pretty young, furry and playful. Awww...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah

Sriram Viji > When I said, furry and playful, I meant extremly playful. The four cubs were a handful to manage and were all over each other and the mother. You can see the spots developing under the fur.

Sriram Viji > The cubs find a little tree to play in while they also learn some basic tricks like stalking prey and watching out for danger. They are easy prey for other carnivores.

Sriram Viji > The mother looks for food and keeps an eye out for danger.

Sriram Viji > Time to leave... A delicious breakfast awaits us and hopefully the cheetahs too.

Sriram Viji > We found the prey... the hunter must be near by.

Sriram Viji > The hunter. Leopards are not easy to find as they often hunt by night but this one has just completed a hunt and will lie on this tree for 2 days while it slowly consumes its catch. It drags the carcass up to keep hyenas and vultures and other cats from easily getting to its food.

Sriram Viji > The African Buffalo... unpredicatable and never domesticated, it is one of the Big 5 along with Rhinos, Elephants, Lions and Leopards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Buffalo

Sriram Viji > A group of banded mongoose wandering through the fields near our lodge.

Sriram Viji > Africa's most vicious... with big pointy teeth!

They are the closest living relative of the elephant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrax

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > We could all stand comfortably under the pop-up roof of our Toyota Landcruiser. This was great for viewing wildlife.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > A second group of Cheetahs with one adult and two juveniles (identifiable by the extra hair near their necks).

Sriram Viji > One of the cheetahs gets a little britsly. I wouldn't want to step outside my jeep right now.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > The leopard we spotted had not moved in 2 days. What bliss!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > A few thousand Zebras join the Wildebeest in their annual migration. We spotted a group of several hundered zebras marching west towards the Grumeti river.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Chameleons really do change color. This one went from light green to dark green in seconds as it crawled through some shadows and then back to light green again as it climbed up a branch. Our guide Tori must have some eagles in his ancestral tree to have spotted this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleon

Sriram Viji > A herd of wildebeest crossing the famous Grumeti river in their annual migration from the southern Serengeti to the Masaai Mara in Kenya. No crocodiles here but we did spot one a few hundred yards upriver.

Migration: http://www.ultimateafrica.com/Wildebeest_migration.html
Wildebeest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Wildebeest

Sriram Viji > Wildebeest lining up for the photo shoot. From this spot, we could see almost a 100,000 wildebeest around us. 1.5 Million wildebeest live in the Serengeti and they all migrate within the span of a few weeks.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Beware safari goers - 3 wildebeest in human camouflage.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > An algae covered pool

Sriram Viji > The city council meeting.

White backed vultures congregate around a carcass and head out soon after the meal. There must have been an air traffic controller at work with the vultures as they behaved like planes at an airport. They would line up near the runway and take off at 30 second intervals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-backed_Vulture

Sriram Viji > The vultures needed to take three clumsy steps to pick up speed before taking off.

Sriram Viji > A Grey Heron wading through the Grumeti river.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Heron

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Relaxing at the Serengeti wildlife lodge at night.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Lions had been surprisingly absent for three days but finally - the king of the jungle shows himself at 6am on our last day at Serengeti.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > The lion raises its head to greet the rising sun.

Sriram Viji > Sunrise over the Serengeti. Our game drives started shortly before sunrise at 6am so that we could catch the animals grazing or hunting before the day got too hot.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Shortly after seeing two male lions, we bumped into a pride of 2 lionesses and 3 juveniles.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > The lionesses scout the plains in search of food. Something has caught their interest.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > We arrived at the Ngorongoro lodge late in the evening. The crater rim is at approximately 7000ft and considerably colder the Serengeti.

Sriram Viji > The monkeys are sad to see us go because with us go their hopes of easy food. The moment you pull into the parking lot, the monkeys try to find an opening into the jeep to get to your food - luckily Tori had made us close all doors and windows. The monkeys were so expert at scouting the jeep, I thought they would pull out a skeleton key, open the jeep and drive off with our stuff.

Here's an interesting tid-bit: http://corticalconfusion.blogspot.com/2006/07/blue-balls.html. It is true - we saw this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervet_Monkey

Sriram Viji > A crested crane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Crowned_Crane

Sriram Viji > A Hyena running away with.. yes, a Zebra leg. A pride of lions had just hunted down a zebra and finised feasting on it. Enter a pack of Hyenas that took the left overs - they even eat the bones.

Sriram Viji > A Zebra rolling in the dust.

Sriram Viji > Ngorongoro at its best - all kinds of animals packed into one crater.

Sriram Viji > We are graced by the company of a Serval. We thought he would present us with a hunt as he dashed into a bush but unfortunately he came out empty handed. The Serval is a medium sized cat, about 3 feet long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval

Sriram Viji > A Serval baring its teeth. I would not want to be a Guniea Fowl!

Sriram Viji > A huge tusker throwing dust on its body.

Some simple math...
Toyota landcruiser + 7 humans => 6500 lbs
Large african elephant => 15000 lbs

Suddenly, the jeep did not feel so protective around this guy.

Sriram Viji > Beautiful Natasha enjoying a beautiful sunset at the beautiful Tarangire river lodge.

Sriram Viji > "Mine... all mine!"

Its bread pudding. You can have it all. Really.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Day 1: Start at 4900ft and ending at 9800ft over approximately 18km. It rained the whole day and through the first night. But we were prepared... mostly.

Sriram Viji > Natasha and I get a picture with Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the second president of Tanzania who is now 83 years old and very fit! EXCITING!!! Our first picture with a public figure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Hassan_Mwinyi

Sriram Viji > Day 2: More rain as we head up from Machame camp to Shira camp at 12600 ft. The climbers are headed by our guide Leonard. We wondered if we would ever get a glimpse of the tallest peak in Africa.

Sriram Viji > Michelin Women?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1173/774789874_7cee7c85b9_o.jpg

Sriram Viji > Day 3: Finally, the clouds decide to lift giving us fleeting glimpses of the peak. The sun peaks through giving us hope for good weather.

Sriram Viji > Perfect weather, perfect view and perfect company!

Sriram Viji > We reached the lava tower for lunch. The base of the tower is at 15200ft which allows us to climbed high and sleep low. This helps acclamatize.

Sriram Viji > Day 4: We climb up the Barranco wall on the way to Barafu camp. The wall is a steep and almost vertical with some scrambling required to get to the top. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the climb and you get to see a great panoramic view as you crest the top of the wall.

Sriram Viji > Enjoying the views (Mt.Meru in the background) atop Barranco wall.

Sriram Viji > Day 5: We acclamatize to 16000ft by hiking up and spending an hour at Kosovo camp on the way to the summit. This was a relaxing day before summit night.

Sriram Viji > Day 6: 7am and we are at the summit!

Sriram Viji > Great success! We all made it to the top and are at 19335 ft.

Sriram Viji > This is it! Climbing to 19300ft, over 22 miles and 6 days brings us to the roof of Africa. It is beautiful. We walked along the crater rim for 45 minutes from Stella point to Uhuru peak. In the middle was the crater base and across the crater was the ash pit. I almost stopped short 300 ft from the summit due to a headache but a little push got me there and was it worth it!

Sriram Viji > Day 7: All the way down to from Mweka camp to the Mweka village, a two hour bus ride followed by a 2 hour shower and clean clothes!

We all got gold certificates for reaching Uhuru peak.

Sriram Viji > Our first day in Spain. The highlight was that we had finally showered after Kili (Sri showered twice before he felt clean). To shower everyday, use a real toilet and sleep in a bed were our treats as we recovered from the climb and the colds that we had both developed.

Sriram Viji > A bull fight in Spain left us a little disappointed. We knew that the bull always dies, but it was a different thing to actually watch it happen. Also it felt unfair since it wasn't just the matador vs the bull. It was 4 helpers plus 2 armored horse riders with sharp lances plus the matador. We couldn't stay - we left within 30 minutes.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Wandering around Puerta del Sol in the heart of old Madrid

Sriram Viji > A beautiful plaza on our walk to the palace

Sriram Viji > A traditional tapas bar - there is no sitting room and only 10 items on the menu. This place was famous for their gambas or shrimp - either grilled (a la plancha)or with a garlic flabouring (al ajillo).

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Natasha standing in the central Plaza Nueva in Sevilla, surrounder by fancy shops and hotels. A new tram runs from the plaza to the town center.

Sriram Viji > Walking through the character-filled streets of Barrio Santa Cruz

Sriram Viji > Sri fell in love with these green courtyards in fancy houses. I'm hoping he'll buy us one.

Sriram Viji > Called kissing lane for a reason - noone would catch us here =)

Sriram Viji > Flamenco show at the local Seville cultural center - an old palace turned house turned theater. It was a good performance, though not great.

Sriram Viji > The Giralda and Seville cathedral lit up beautifully by night. Giralda was originally a minaret in a mosque and was adapted to be the bell tower of the cathedral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giralda

Sriram Viji > The Seville cathedral is impressive in size. It proudly flaunts the fact that it holds the Guiness Book of World Records for largest church.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral

Sriram Viji > The walk up to the top of the Giralda is worth it. A 360 degree view of Seville opens up. You do not walk up steps to get to the top of the bell tower - instead it is designed as an inclined spiral walkway all the way up so that horses could run up 5 times a day so that the rider could announce namaz time.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Wouldn't feel like a bell tower without the bells

Sriram Viji > Alcazar in Seville, a palace built by the Moors for the king of Spain. It shows the admiration Spanish people had for the cool, elegant, water-centric Moorish architectural style.

Sriram Viji > Most carvings were either on marble or plaster - reminded us a bit of the Taj

Sriram Viji > Gorgeous ceiling with a rare wooden dome

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > An amazing flamenco performance. Six dancers with high energy and poise, guitarists with fantastically dexterous fingers and enthusiastic tenor singers. Yes - this was maybe a touristy show, but it was really well done.

Sriram Viji > Enjoying the sunset over the Guadalquivir river in Seville

Sriram Viji > Off on our car trip further south from Seville. We miss Seville already, but strolling the cute streets of Arcos lined with white-washed houses did a good job keeping us happy.

Sriram Viji > After some wine, olives, cheese and jamon, we're even happier

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > We drove to Montilla to meet Loly (my roommate in Seattle). She and her family were amazing hosts - really making us comfortable and showing us the ropes.

Sriram Viji > Out to a delicious dinner with Loly and her family. We learned how to spend a Saturday night in Spain from them. Dinner from 10:30-12:30am, drinks till 2am and clubbing from 2am to who knows when.

Sriram Viji > A few drinks down, we're ready to head out clubbing. The only transportation we have though is a tiny fiat that fits 5 and the Spanish cops are apparently pretty strict. 'No worries', say two optimistic ladies. Before we know it, Loly's niece and sister have climbed into the trunk and we are set to go.

Sriram Viji > Need I say we had a lot of fun at the club

Sriram Viji > Everyone was gorgeous and sloshed at 5am

Sriram Viji > Sunday after a night of revelries began with a trip to Loly's brother's house in the country. As you can see, they have a swimming pool.

Sriram Viji > It's lovely how close this family is

Sriram Viji > The whole family was amazingly warm and inviting. Loly's brother made the BEST paella

Sriram Viji > Salud!

Sriram Viji > Loly's mum and their adorable dog Niebla

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Ole!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Sitting atop the Castello in Zahara as the Moors must have done keeping an eye out for the conquistadors.

Sriram Viji > Grazalema was the birthplace of the twist

Sriram Viji > Dinner by the gorge in Ronda - a 300ft gorge splits the town in the center.

Sriram Viji > A stairwell in Philip V's new palace at the Alhambra.

Sriram Viji > Beautiful moorish carvings in the audience chamber at the Alhambra. The paint is still vibrant.

Sriram Viji > We can thank the Moors for arches - they did a great job with the carvings and paint job on these.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Enjoying some street music from on top of a public library in Barcelona. Looking very hot, Spanish style!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Gaudi's work extends into the city of Barcelona. This is a house on the block of discord designed by Gaudi. The balconies are modeled on skulls and the roof on a dragon - note the tiles look like a dragon's scales.

Sriram Viji > The Barcelona subway was clean and efficient - the Olympic games do miracles for cities!

Sriram Viji > The towering Sagrada Familia still under construction in the background.

Sriram Viji > Name: Natasha Jethanandani
Height: 5'3" to 5'8" depending on footwear
Weight: Light
Clothing: Earings from Six ($8), Top from express ($20), Book from Amazon.com ($25), Audioguide ($3 / day), Hot looks from Pakistani ancestry (Priceless)

Sriram Viji > Stained glass windows inside the Sagrada Famila are quite different from the traditional imagery in churches, but still classic and beautiful looking.

Sriram Viji > The support pillars are modeled after trees in a forest and the material is chosen based on the load carried by each pillar. The light in the center represents the sky. Pretty damn cool!

Sriram Viji > 3 wise men... you know the story.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > After comparing public transport in different cities, we really liked the spacious and open trains in Barcelona. It feels very more spacious and safe to have a fully connected open train (rather than separate compartments)

Sriram Viji > The farmers market in Barcelona with lots of affordable fruit, juice and jamon.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Kiwi and papaya juices - delicious!

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Enjoying a picnic at our hotel in Barcelona - rioja, queso manchego (semicurado), jamon iberico and some cherries.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Our first evening in Italy - it was a last minute decision to come to go to the Cinque Terre in Italy. We bought tickets from Barcelona to Milan and got to Vernazza the next day.

We can tell you all about our lost baggage and hot delayed trains in Italy!

Sriram Viji > Beautiful Vernazza - one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Rio Maggiore). We enjoyed the sunsets at the harbor over glasses of wine and delicious pesto pizzas.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > This rock is definitely more than 4 feet wide.

Sriram Viji > On our second day we walked from Vernazza to Cornigilia. There are hiking / walking paths connecting all the towns. Some towns are just 20 minutes from each other and some are about 2 hours walk away. The hiking paths give you beautiful views of the ocean and the towns. Here you can see the tower in Vernazza and the entire town sprawling before us (population = 500, maybe 1000 with tourists). You can also see Monterosso in the background across the bay.

Sriram Viji > Hiking along cliffs can be dangerous... be careful not to fall (or jump) off

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Dinner at El Castello - enjoying beautiful views and delicious food.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > We tried their Sciacchetra (pronounced sha-ket-thra), a delicious dessert wine and their Tiramisu. This was well worth our trip up the hill.

Sriram Viji > Our walk up to Madonna di Reggio above Vernazza took 45 minutes and brought us to a quite and pristine grove. We hung out there for a while (wishing we had brought some wine and cheese) and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Sriram Viji > Manarola is a beautiful town with the best picnic spot - gorgeous views and not crowded.

A storm brewed in the ocean the previous night making for a rough sea with large waves. Some crazed people jumped inthe ocean and rode the waves as they crashed against the rocks - this was very cool and we wanted to try it but realized that we were not ready to cash in on our life insurance policies yet.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Our trip out to the Riviera - we stopped at Santa Margerita on the way to Portofino.

Sriram Viji > Portofino is definitely a high-end town with high end stores. They had a good range of purses from 300 Euro upwards.

Sriram Viji > Where did I park my $10M yacht?

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > One of the reasons we picked Italy over France - gelato. Being married to a foodie makes some decisions simple and tasty!

Sriram Viji > You got a problem mister?

Sriram Viji > We're waiting for our train back to Vernazza.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Our last day in Italy... why waste good wine?

Sriram Viji > They speak British in this country... it was so hard to adjust back to English that the first time someone spoke to me, I assumed they were speaking a different language.

We were hosted by Akshay and Radh in London.

Sriram Viji > Chinatown

Sriram Viji > Can't keep her hands off

Sriram Viji > Great views of London - West Minster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St.Pauls Cathedral, Shell Oil.

Sriram Viji > The clock is ticking...

Sriram Viji > Required to travel in London:
Passport - optional
20 pounds
Umbrella

Sriram Viji > Radh and Nat in Radh and Akshay's apartment for the next month before they move to his brother's place.

Sriram Viji > Dinner in their hood.

Sriram Viji > The Stanford House in Oxford where Nat, Radh and Akshay 'studied' for a quarter.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Home cooked Malaysian food courtsey Vik.

Sriram Viji > Nisha and fiance Vik.

Sriram Viji > Visiting Nisha at her apartment on the outskirts of London.

Sriram Viji > Meeting Sheetal and Sriram after their recent move to London.

Sriram Viji > 'Back to being married' Africa and Europe Summer 2008 photo

Sriram Viji > Our last day on vacation - sniff!

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