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	<title>FlyingMonk Films</title>
	<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog</link>
	<description>Roaming the world</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:37:12 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Danube Delta</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos After a quick chat around a beer at Bookfest, a book trade show in Bucharest, my friend asked me if I would like to join him in a quick tour in the Danube Delta leaving in two days. I made up my mind on the spot and on a Tuesday morning we left around [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=106</link>
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		<title>Scandinavia</title>
		<description><![CDATA[With the easiness of English language spoken by absolutely everybody, I think that they study it since kindergarten, and the pleasant atmosphere offered by the locals, Scandinavia makes a great destination. Any person that loves nature would find Norway magic. The combination of snow capped peaks on top of the mountains, crystal clear fjords surrounded [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=425</link>
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		<title>Copenhagen to Frankfurt</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The flight was departing to Frankfurt at 10 am, so we walked up at 6:30, packed and left to the train station, 10 minutes walk away from the hotel. We did not board the train before we stopped for a to-go breakfast at Andersen Bakery in Tivoli that had great cakes but average espresso, if [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=419</link>
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		<title>Copenhagen</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In the morning the rain was not over and we started our last 100 km drive to Copenhagen on wet roads. Before we left we booked hotel on the Internet and when we drove into the city it happened that we drove right past the hotel near the train station. At $114/night CABINN City Hotel [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=417</link>
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		<title>Billund, Denmark</title>
		<description><![CDATA[After a good sleep and a delicious breakfast we pursued the drive that we stopped last night on good highways for less than 3 hours through Helsingborg and Helsinger and we crossed the causeway/bridge/tunnel to Denmark ($40-45). From there we started to drive another 3 hours to reach Billund, the home of Legoland, an American [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=415</link>
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		<title>Stockholm</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Great day to walk in Stockholm. Sunny and a little too warm but it is in the North and is bearable. Walked from the hotel Alexandra to Gamla Stan in 15 minutes and right away bought some hop-on hop-off boat tickets to be used all day ($15) that shorten the distances. Stockholm’s center is not [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=413</link>
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		<title>Lillehammer to Stockholm</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lillehammer was more or less developed around the 1994 Olympics. Its main street was empty at the early hours of the morning but anyway we could not spend too much time because we had such a long way to go so we left around 9:30 am for a 600 km/8 hours ride to Stockholm. After [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=411</link>
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		<title>Briksdalbreen to Lillehammer</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Glorious morning. We had a great breakfast served at the table and we left back towards Geiranger and further toward Sweden. We stopped several times on the way for pictures and we took this time the new road from Stryn to Geiranger through the tunnels, not so nice but extremely fast. Around noon we were [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=409</link>
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		<title>Norwegian prices</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Norway is expensive. This statement is a norm and you hear it from many. But to understand the real situation you have to come and visit, the most expensive country in Europe, where what strikes you the most is not what exactly you have to pay but the lack of choices. After you visit for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=384</link>
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		<title>Geiranger to Bryksdal</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Norway is an enchanting country. Everything that surrounds you is breathtaking keeping you awake till late into the night; high mountains with steep cliffs that look like falling over you, glaciers hanged in the sky, waterfalls pouring down from everywhere surrounding you with their majesty and sound, a nature that exults power and freshness. And [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=382</link>
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		<title>Voss to Geiranger</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The plan was to wake up early and drive to Flam, one hour, and get the train ride from Flam to Myrtle, 45 minutes one way, NK850/family ticket. The train comes every 80 minutes but when we reached Flam in a constant drizzle we found a huge cruise boat and all the trains being sold [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=380</link>
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		<title>Bergen</title>
		<description><![CDATA[“How much does the room cost in your hotel?” “NK800 without bathroom in the room and NK900 with bathroom. Do you need sheets and towels?” “Well, obviously…” “ In this case is an extra NK70/person” This was in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway and we picked this hotel because it had parking. On [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=378</link>
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		<title>Sognefjord to Bergen</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The rain showers in the forecast proved correct and in the morning the sky was full of clouds and rain on the ground. We packed and left to Gaupke, 12 km away where we had breakfast in a mall, all the real coffee places being closed before 10 am. The rain was going on and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=376</link>
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		<title>Sognefjord</title>
		<description><![CDATA[After a good sleep in the quietude of the mountains and a great breakfast in the hotel we left and stopped to visit the Stave Church in Gol. The entrance to all these churches is around NK 70-90 and for families it goes to about NK170-190. The stave churches&#8217; structure is made out of long [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=373</link>
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		<title>Oslo to Sognefjord</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The next morning I got my camera, packed and went outside to park the car in an area the receptionist recommended. Everything around the center of the city is extremely expensive and very strict, with parking cars being seen so often. I drove about 5 minutes away, close to Anker Hotel and I found the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=371</link>
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		<title>Goteborg to Oslo</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In Scandinavia the hotel&#8217;s breakfast is extremely good. Generous, diversified and delicious is something to look forward for. Beside everything that was offered I was able for the first time to have a really great machine made cappuccino. I did not believe that something like this exits, at least not in the US. We considered [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=366</link>
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		<title>Copenhagen to Goteborg</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It is a surprise the fast processing of the car rental in Denmark. I had the reservation already and the girl was able to find it on the Copenhagen Airport and after several clicks in the computer I got a slip with the building, floor and place where my car was. No sales pitches of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=364</link>
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		<title>A tour of Scandinavia</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Copenhagen Norway Sweden Denmark Frankfurt, Germany]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=421</link>
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		<title>India</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos India is not a trip. It is an experience. Everything here is pushing your senses. To say that &#8220;I did India&#8221; and have in mind a tourist trip where you see the sites and nothing else is impossible. The Indian life enters your skin, your body, in your breath like nowhere else in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=286</link>
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		<title>Delhi &#8211; New York</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos The driver was waiting in the station since 7 am but he was not so surprised by the delay. This is India and the time is passing. It was not too much time left so we drove directly to the large mosque in Delhi, Jama Masjid, that I could not see last time because [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=252</link>
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		<title>Varanasi &#8211; Delhi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos India is an experience. Everything here is pushing your senses. The sunrise was beautiful, somewhere around 6:15 am but I was up earlier to get it when it comes up. In spite of everything it is a pleasure to be on the ghat bin the morning and see the pujas, the offers to the Ganga, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=243</link>
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		<title>The ghats of Benares</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos Between life and death, shit and flower petals, exalted devotion and total indifference , Varanasi is opening its eyes on the Ganga. The city is fascinating but the contrasts make it difficult to be understood and accepted. The morning sunrise that bath the ghats in a pink light has something godly in it. You cannot stop [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=236</link>
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		<title>Varanasi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos At 5:30 am I woke up, or even earlier if I could sleep, because at 6:00 am the boatman came to bring me for a sunrise tour on the Ganges, the most popular trip in Benares. I gave the guy from the hotel Rs 100, that I am sure that was his commission,  and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=228</link>
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		<title>Sarnath &#8211; Varanasi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos It is hot In India. It is the first time when I am now off season and I understand what means this heat. It kills your energy, man and beast, to the point that you don&#8217;t want to move. It is so hot that you drink bottle after bottle of water and never see [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=220</link>
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		<title>Bodh Gaya</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos Based on the quest I did the day before the road to Bodh Gaya is a good one, a 4 lane road and it takes about 5 hours including the exit from the city. We left at 6 am and on the way out I met Anin, the tuk-tuk driver who will wait for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=211</link>
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		<title>Allahabad &#8211; Varanasi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos Distances don&#8217;t mean anything for the Indian road. It is just an approximation for people who want precision on paper. What matter is the knowledge of the road and the word of mouth. I woke up after a great sleep on bird songs, actually it was a cacophony of birds&#8217; songs that I even [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=203</link>
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		<title>Khajuraho</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos I asked the driver to leave at 6:00 am but we postponed the process till 6:30 am and we drove for a quick visit to the river where people were doing their morning wash. The scene was extremely beautiful in sunrise, the villagers coming to bath in the river with the background of the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=195</link>
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		<title>Orcha</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos After the breakfast at the hotel the driver came at 7:00 am to pick me up and showed me a place with lots of huge Jain statues sculpted in the rock. He brought me to a terrace that has 26 huge statues plus  other temples that on Sunday were used as an extension on [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=189</link>
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		<title>Gwalior</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos In the morning I said good bye to Emil and Lydia.  My good friends pointed me toward this Kumbha Mela and it was a dream come true to come with them. We had a great time, it was an a great trip and we had a fantastic experience together. So I have to send [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=181</link>
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		<title>Rishikesh to Delhi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. The morning of the last day in the Himalayas, even at its bottom hills, was dedicated to Rishikesh so I started in the morning with a tuk-tuk ride, or whatever they call it in India and got to Lakshman Jhula, the second pedestrian bridge in the town. The views from the road are astounding. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=176</link>
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		<title>Rishikesh</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. The wake up call was supposed to be early and after a good breakfast in the hotel&#8217;s restaurant, we move as quickly as possible on a road that is mostly in ruin to Vashishta Guha, a cave at 23 km from Rishikesh where meditated Swami Vashishta. The road was in continuous repair. The monsoon [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=169</link>
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		<title>Haridwar &#8211; Rishikesh</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. For the last time in Haridwar I was waken up at 4:00 am by the bajan. It stops in the night, probably around midnight and they start again singing around 4-4:30 am. It is a pleasure to listen to it and every morning I was pleasantly awaken and listen to it. They sing from [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=160</link>
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		<title>Mar 16: Kumbha Mela, Haridwar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. &#8220;The word ‘Kumbha’ means a pot. The name originates from a story in the Puranas (ancient spiritual literature). The story is about an ‘Amrit Kumbha’ which means a pot filled with nectar. According to Skanda Purana (one of the 18 puranas) for the purpose of obtaining nectar that grants immortality a joint effort was [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=156</link>
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		<title>Mar 15: Kumbha Mela, Haridwar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. Today is one of the the most auspicious days in the entire Kumbha Mela. It is no moon at all and it is a MONDAY. There were two more days like this in the entire 3 months that passed and they are considered as &#8220;most auspicious&#8221;. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, is another important day but [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=146</link>
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		<title>Mar 14: Kumbha Mela, Haridwar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos The jet lag woke us up latter than the previous day. We planned to go in the city all of us and show my friends how to get into the temple. However they have been in Haridwar before and know the place relatively well. We plan to leave at 9 am but something gets [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=138</link>
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		<title>Mar 13: Kumbha Mela, Haridwar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Photos. At 6:30 am we have the tea with milk served somewhere in the camp and after a little while I leave with Emil to shoot in the area. The camps are on a separate side of the city not so close to the center. Babas, sadhus and  gurus abound. They have posters all over [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=129</link>
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		<title>Delhi to Haridwar &#8211; The Indian road</title>
		<description><![CDATA[But the moment we left the posh gated community were we stayed, where the houses and atmosphere are a very pleasant remnant of a different Delhi that we met some years ago, you are thrown into the snarling traffic of the city and you realize that things are again familiar. The traffic is frantic. The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=124</link>
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		<title>Delhi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just 13 hours and 22 minutes is the direct flight from Newark to Delhi on a new Boeing 777 with Continental. The plane was full and surprisingly with westerners, on the road to look for spiritual awakening in India instead of New Jersey. 12 years ago we were the only westerners in the plane and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=119</link>
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		<title>India &#8211; a spiritual journey</title>
		<description><![CDATA[March 2010 Maha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar Rishikesh Gwalior Orcha Khajuraho Allahabad Bodh Gaya Sarnath Varanasi Delhi]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=113</link>
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		<title>Travels in the Greek islands: last posting-Athens</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We left the boat at 6:45am and went to the train that brought us to Omonia where we left our luggage in a storage box for E3 and walked to Monastiraki Sqaure. On the way we stopped at a breakfast stand for a last taste of pies, natural juices and frappe and continued to walk [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=99</link>
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		<title>Crete2</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We packed and got a receipt and left quickly the car being parked in front on some paid parking spots for which we did not have tickets. We left towards Agios Nicolaos following the road to Kritsa. The village is no big deal, touristy with people having their merchandise hanging on the street in front [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=98</link>
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		<title>Crete1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The beautiful morning started with walk on the beach. I asked for a receipt and the owner, Dimitrios, a very spiffy gentleman, came and we followed him to another of his places, a bar on the beach, where he gave me the receipt and a business card with a mobile number. We followed the coast [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=96</link>
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		<title>Santorini-Crete</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lazy morning with a swim in the pool and a longer breakfast followed by a stay on the beach chairs on the black sand. Gave the phone card to the guy at the hotel. Called Thrifty to tell them that I would like to bring the car around 5:30pm and they agreed with no fuss [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=95</link>
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		<title>Santorini2</title>
		<description><![CDATA[After a quick breakfast preceded by a swim in the pool we left to explore the island. First stop was at a traditional settlement, Megalohori, a village with narrow streets with its stones having the ribs painted in white. It was extremely hot, the first day with less wind that forced us crawling close to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=94</link>
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		<title>Santorini1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[When you are sleeping in a hotel located an eastern side beach would be sacrilegious not to wake up one morning to see the sunrise. I woke up at 5:30 and went to the black sand beach in front and watch a magnificent sunrise. It did not look like one but it ended up being [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=93</link>
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		<title>Naxos-Santorini</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We left at 8:15am and we continued the tour of the northern part of the island passing through picturesque villages with white houses hanging on the mountain slopes. We stopped in one village, named Apiranthos, and we had our typical Greek breakfast with coffee and pies having a pleasant walk on the village winding narrow [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=92</link>
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		<title>Paros-Naxos</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We arrived in Paros and we were brought by a â€œdomatiaâ€ guy in the harbor to a nearby hotel, Vila Stratos, kept by an American from Alabama. She moved here a short while ago, bought the hotel and was enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the island. We dropped the luggage in the large room that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=91</link>
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		<title>Delos</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In the morning we walked up and started to pack at 7:00am. We went for the hot breakfast offered by the hotel and included in the room at 8:00am and we were the first in the dinning room. We called a taxi, a thing that we tried the day before with no luck, but now [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=90</link>
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		<title>Mykonos2</title>
		<description><![CDATA[After breakfast we pondered upon what to do in order to take a boat to Delos (3 times a day, 9,10,11 am, E12 RT/person). We left for the town and the boat but we barely dragged our feet so we arrived in the harbor right when the last boat to Delos was leaving, in spite [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=89</link>
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		<title>Mykonos1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The subway was not so full in the morning and brought us in 25 minute to Piraeus and after getting a frappe, the famous coffee specialty, and some snacks for a quick bite we bought tickets, E29.5/adult, kids half, and boarded the boat that will bring us in 5.5 hours to Mykonos. We are on [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=87</link>
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		<title>Athens</title>
		<description><![CDATA[July 2008:The plane we got last night from Bucharest, through Vienna was delayed and we landed at 12:00am, hopped in a cab and arrived at the Aristoteles Hotel in Omonia Square at 1:00am. Athens was empty and, when I told the driver that I was here twice before, darted back that the Greece of today [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=86</link>
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		<title>Travels through Guatemala, Honduras and Belize &#8211; last posting: Caye Caulker to New York</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Nothing much. Woke Up for sunrise but it was cloudy. Walked in to the city for last glimpses of the Caribbean Sea with sun views and hanged a little again tin the hammock at Tina&#8217;s in the Vibe Garden. walked all the way to the airport in at the Southern end of the island, a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=77</link>
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		<title>Caye Caulker</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The day started with heavy winds that I could hear blowing all night and I realized that it would be far fetched a longer boat trip. It was even a little chilly in the morning when I woke up for sunrise, but eventually the heat of the day took over. I had my waffle breakfast [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=76</link>
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		<title>Caye Ambergris</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Chinese owner from the hotel said that he will open the door at 6:00am so I decided to wake up around 5:45 and get the first available bus. The plan was to go with a company called Sartegna, that drops you at the swing bridge in Belize City. where you get on the boat [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=75</link>
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		<title>Lamanai</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This hotel I stay in Akihito is owned by two Chinese, like several businesses in Orange Walk. The owner proudly showed me last night his farm of 40 acres that he just bought that has in its middle a cenote . There are very few people here in Belize, about 300000 people, just a third [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=74</link>
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		<title>Actun Tunichil Muknal</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The today trip was more than a regular trip, but it was an experience that hardly you can match. After the breakfast at Hanna restaurant and the successful change of money in Belizean $, I finished my blogs and I left from St Ignatio, with all my luggage, with a minibus in the trip. The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=73</link>
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		<title>Caracol, Belize</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I got my breakfast of banana shake and pancakes at Marthaâ€™s and I came to the agency at 7:15am, waiting for the bus at 7:30am. I played at the internet a little and I was on my way with a minibus to Caracol, the largest Maya site in Belize, famous for its observatory. There were [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=72</link>
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		<title>Tikal</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The next morning I was waken up by some Norwegian girls in a nearby room that started to chat loudly, probably after some drinks around 2:00am. The bus came promptly at 3:30am and we were on our way to one of the greatest archaeological site, Tikal. The distance from Flores and Tikal is 62km and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=71</link>
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		<title>Rio Dulce, Guatemala</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The drive that I had to arrive by night in Rio Dulce the day before paid off and I was ready to go to the famous trip on the river that starts at 9:30 am, all the way to Livingston. I had my breakfast in the morning, a great fruit juice and some eggs and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=70</link>
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		<title>Copan, Honduras</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The minibus came at 4:00am and Estella was up with the phone in hand to be sure that there are no surprises. The moment you left Antigua towards the east things change. First it is not cold at all and you start wearing very light clothing and sandals, the people are completely changed and there [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=69</link>
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		<title>Antigua</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today were no specific plans. One idea was to go to Guatemala City with a private car for a day. The cost is $30 but depending who you ask can go up to $100. I left in the morning the hotel I stayed because the previous night Senora Estella said that I can stay in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=68</link>
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		<title>North of Quetzaltenango</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I left at 7 00 am to St Francisco el Alto with a local bus from the terminal. One hour for Q7 brings you to this village located up on the hill, from where probably got its name. The Friday market is considered the largest and the most authentic in the entire Guatemala. It is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=67</link>
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		<title>South of Quetzaltenango</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I took the bus of 5 30 am from Todos Santos to Huehue. When I got in the bus I bumped again into Eva who also woke up early and took the same bus to Huehue to go early in the morning to La Messila at the Mexican border. We arrived in Huehue in two [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=66</link>
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		<title>Todos Santos de Cuchumatan</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Waking up in Todos Santos when the sun shines and the clouds are clearing is like being in paradise. It is such a fresh beauty that mesmerizes you. In the morning I woke around 7:00 hearing the roosters and the cows but also the trucks with their powerful horns.The first thing was to go to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=65</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Solola to Todos Santos</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The last two evenings in Pana I kept trying to get info about how to reach Todos Santos, and mainly long it Hill take and with what connections. It was impossible to get straight answers no matter that I tried in various agencies. The info that I got proved to be wrong an it was [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=64</link>
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		<title>Lago Atitlan-Panajachel</title>
		<description><![CDATA[IMPORTANT: During this travel I met one person from Montreal who was robbed when she was walking between the villages around the lake. Also, she personally met another guy from Belgium, that was attacked and robbed doing the same hike. It is highly inadvisable to walk between the villages and is better to take a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=63</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Chichicastenango</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The bus that I was advised to take was a regular bus but a Pullman. I was told to go at 6:30am in front of the McDonald , close to the market to a Panaderia. I went there and I asked and yes, the bus was coming there or nearby. I had my breakfast with [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=62</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Antigua-Pacaya</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today was a tough day. It is possible to see Antigua in one day but how about in half a day. Los Nazarenos was nice but in the evening the water did not run. I donâ€™t know why because in the morning was working with no problems. So I started to walk in the city [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=61</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Antigua, Guatemala</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Antigua! What a great city. Cobblestones streets. One story houses. Old buildings and ruined churches. A stroll on its streets is a treat for anybody. I arrived here after a bumpy flight caused by the storm from the NE and with several delays. All the flights in Charlotte, NC were delay and I was afraid [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=60</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Travels through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand &#8211; last posting: Bangkok</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This was my third visit to Bangkok and I decided to revisit the area around Rama I Road where I was last time in 1994. After hanging out for a while on Khao Sarn Road and having a breakfast, I got a tuk-tuk that dropped me in the Pratunam market close to Baiyoke Hotel for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=47</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Vientiane</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It is said about Vientiane that it may be the most peaceful capital in the world. The streets are calm, the traffic is limited and lazy and is hot. The dinner I had at Cote d&#8217;Azur was great with soup of fish cooked provencal by made out of dried fish and some kind of beef [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=45</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Vang Vieng</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Vang Vieng is quite of a place. It is populated with young backpackers and is surrounded by karst peaks with tons of caves inside. Also, the river that crosses it represents its major attraction for water sports and the mountains are enticing for biking and rock climbing. It is an outdoor sports place like Moab, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=44</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Phonsavanh (2 days)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[After I finished my blog I left to my guest house, Hoxieng, to drop the bike and pick up my Romanian passport that I left it as guarantee. The guy was astound when he saw the passport because he never heard about Romania and now he saw somebody from there. But before I was able [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=43</link>
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		<title>Luang Prabang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Laos is the dream come true. I spoke with many travelers in this trip, here and in Vietnam who were in Laos and all of them went more or less through the same experience: they planned the trip in Laos for 1-2 weeks based on what they were able to read in the book and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=42</link>
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		<title>Luang Prabang &#8211; Pak Ou, Keung Si</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night after I wrote the blog I walked a little in the night market where I bought several things and I was pondering what to do. I kept entering in agencies and talk with guides to see if I can go to the North. Apparently, the guy who gave me the first information, was [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=41</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Luang Prabang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Luang Prabang is magic. It is Thailand 20 years ago, because Thailand now is so touristy not being anymore the calm paradise of the forgotten hippies. Lunag Xueng Prabang was the capital of Laos till the communists moved it to Vient Cheng, the &#8220;sandalwood city&#8221;, renamed by the French, Vientiane. The king built here a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=40</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Hanoi-Luang Prabang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last day in Hanoi was dedicated to the the Old Quarter, named also the &#8220;36 street quarter&#8221;, the old area of the city that housed the old time guilds of the city, 36 guilds in total that gave it its name. I forfeited the breakfast in the hotel and I went to a restaurant for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=39</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Hanoi (Tam-Coc)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I woke up in the morning with the idea of posting the text about Halong Bay that I wrote last night but the internet was still not working, so I decided in the last moment to leave for the trip to Tam Coc in spite of the fact that the sunny weather predicted on weather.com [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=38</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Halong Bay (2 days)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Halong Bay is the jewel of the crown, the best site the Vietnamese have and for good reason. It is an area close to Haiphong, a bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, where the legend said that the dragon who left the land to go into the sea, smashed the earth with his tail and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=37</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Cok Ly (Sapa Region)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The plan for the last day in the North was to go to another market in Cok Ly. I pondered upon the idea because it was an alternative to go to another market that was different, in another province, but unfortunately, it was a slow day for that market, named Bin Liu, the high market [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=35</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Sapa</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The crowd from the Trekking Cafe was very interesting: Daniella was from Australia and came in Sapa several days ago. The moment she was hitting Australia&#8217;s land she was getting bored right away so she traveled almost continuously for the last 10 years living 4 years in India. Roelf was from Amsterdam and he was [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=34</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Bha Ca</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I woke up in the morning in the first horn of the traffic before sunrise and after packing and a quick breakfast where I was joined again by the Aussies I left for the market. The market was a little slow at 8:00 am but started to get animated a little latter and around 10:00am [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=32</link>
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		<title>Cancau Market (Sapa Region)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We walk up around 6:00 am when the train got to Lao Cai, a city on the Chinese border. A guy from the agency was waiting for us in the train station with large billboards carrying my name, and they brought us right away to a restaurant for breakfast, that like any other meal in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=31</link>
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		<title>Hanoi-Perfume Pagoda</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Hardly you can find such a great day trip like the one I did today at the Perfume Pagoda. Everything is spectacular and by being in the full festival of the pagoda it made it ten times better. After I finished all the dealings with the travel agents to see what can be done and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=30</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Hanoi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I booked one night in Hotel Camellia ($13) and I went directly to investigate what trips can be done outside of Hanoi. I saved my days during the entire trip because in a trip like this you never know what may come up and the most important asset is time. Even if I wanted to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=28</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Hue</title>
		<description><![CDATA[By reaching Hue I left the tropical area of Vietnam. It is raining, sometimes extremely intense and the palm trees disappeared. It is slightly cooler. Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam and the first question was if you can visit it in only one day, but because a lot of people do not even [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=27</link>
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	<item>
		<title>MySon-Hue</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I booked for the 8:00 am tour to MySon, so I woke up at 6:00 am, packed my stuff, left it in the hotel and I went for a walk in Hoian before the tour left. The target was the market , that in early morning was buzzing with activity, the women, all wearing the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=26</link>
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		<title>Hoi An</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There were not 10 hours. There were 17 because the bus broke in the middle. This is a common thing in SE Asia. I read about long trips like this many times, on blogs, travelogues, travel books, etc. but is the first time when I experimented directly. The bus had something when we left around [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=25</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Nha Trang Islands</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I had to see the sunrise if I stay so close to the beach, so I woke up at 5:30am and went to the beach. I thought that I would be alone but the surprise was beyond me to find, before the sunrise, the beach and the waterfront full of people who were jogging, caring [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=24</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Nha Trang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The minibus was extremely punctual. At 7:30 am when I was finishing editing the blog was right in front of the hotel to pick me up from Dalat and bring me to the main bus office to leave for Nha Trang, a city on the coast of the South China Sea. The road was through [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=23</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Dalat</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dalat is a town at 1450m, developed by the French in the 19th century as a hill station, to get them out of the sultry weather of Saigon. The town is charming and is surrounded by so many interesting things like I never saw before. Trying in the morning to call the agency from which [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=22</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Saigon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last day in Saigon. Great city and leaving it is done with sorrow. I left in the morning to see the two main sites related with the past. The Independence Palace was the seat of the South Vietnamese government, where the first North Vietnamese tanks went through the gates on 30 April 1975. It is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=19</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Mekong &#8211; Cai Rang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today was great and it compensated for yesterday. Not that yesterday was bad but it was not my style, too relaxing and less involving. All day eating, biking and admiring palm trees, maybe sounds good by not for me. In any case the Mekong Delta, that in my imagination looked something like in &#8220;Apocalypse Now&#8221; [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=18</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Mekong &#8211; Cai Be</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The breakfast is great. All sort of exotic fruits with yogurt and a banana crepe with a banana shake. Beats anything! I will try and see what I&#8217;ll get tomorrow. The rest of the food is OK and sometimes predictable, but the breakfast is the best and you can get breakfast anytime during the day [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=17</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Saigon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The preferred currency in Vietnam is the US$. Surprising , Isn&#8217;t it? All major prices are in US$ and the only reason you may need dongs is that sometimes you have to pay under 1US$ and probably coins do not go. The higher rank hotels and restaurants quote first in $ and latter in dong, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=16</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Gaodai &#8211; Cu Chi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I could not sleep. It is impossible to get to sleep when you go to bed at 10-11 am by your biological time. I got in the room at Tuan An Guest house around 10pm and after a shower I got in bed. It was relaxing to lay down after so many hours in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=14</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Saigon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The good news was that I got a door seat in the plane. It is good news for a 17 hours flight that takes a toll on you. Luckily the book I got from the library was pretty good and gave me already a pretty good insight in the history of the country seen by [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=13</link>
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		<title>Your first day, ever, in India</title>
		<description><![CDATA[October 1998: When you prepare to leave to India things are quite different. For Europe you think about the clothes you will wear and how do they fit with the country you will visit. You plan about the nice dinners and the shows you will enjoy and of the long walks on the promenade of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://flyingmonk.com/blog/?p=108</link>
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