Namaste! We've only just returned to Kathmandu and in checking my email, I found this from a loyal TUP reader:

"Jake,
You have until tomorrow before its 2 months between postings on your travel blog. I never would have thought you would have gone more than 60 minutes without a CHECK OUT MY BLOG email, let alone 60 days..."

Ahhhh blog fans. You have to love them. Yes, it's been a long time. My apologies. Thanks for helping me beat the two-month deadline. I'm also pleased to see that there are so many out there just dying for a update on the progress of our amazing around-the-world adventures. Unfortunately, my best-laid plans of a constantly-updating travel blog have been laid to ruin by unanticipated circumstances on our travels. Specifically, ever since we left Eastern Europe, the dearth of decent Internet connections have severely hampered my ability to get anything done on the computer in any reasonable time. Now I suppose a more dedicated man would have painstakingly sat through hours of tedious computer time to write exciting posts home to you all. However, I am not that man. Sorry.

So I am happy to share my experiences (in fact, I can't WAIT to) but I'm afraid not going to be real time. Instead, I am focusing my energy on exploring and experiencing the incredible trip I am on. Then once major sections of the trip are concluded (and I can dedicate some serious time to it), I will be able in an excellent position to post our progress on the web.

Still I appreciate all your concern about the future of this blog so I say now "DO NOT FEAR, TUP WILL GO ON!" Keep this page bookmarked, please! Much like novocaine for pain at the dentist, I'm not really STOPPING the postings, I'm simply POSTPONING them. In short, we are simply running behind. So you WILL eventually get the entire story of the incredible round-the-world adventure that we are on. However you might have to wait a little longer than many of you might like. Stay tuned.

For a brief update, Dana and I have just returned from a month-long trek through the Himalayas. We trekked up around Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world, for 15 days topping out at Manaslu Base Camp. Then we crossed the Larkya La, a pass of over 17,000 feet, to join up with the Annapurna Circuit trek in Dharapani. From there, we trekked the entire Annapurna Circuit, crossing another even-higher mountain pass, while trekking between mountains such as Dhaulugiri and (of course) Annapurna, the 7th and 10th highest mountains in the world. The photo at the top of the post is me at the top of the Larkya La, sick, winded and tired, but still smiling (Dana came be seen in the background with our guide, dead tired and suffering terribly from altitude sickness. I do not believe she is smiling). Much like the Larkya La, the whole trek was an incredibly exhausting but also incredibly rewarding experience. We hiked about 300 miles in 30 days and reached altitudes of almost 18,000 feet. The scenery was spectacular. It was, in a word, awesome.

So now we're back in Kathmandu, where we can sip Everest beer and eat yak steak in K-Too Steakhouse and try to forget the non-stop numbness and aching in our poor feet. There's not much time for resting though, because on Sunday we're off to Bangkok Thailand for a few days then Hong Kong and China. The trip rolls on! Thank you again for all your concerned emails and I'll post more when I can...

After Prague, we said goodbye to Morgan & Reimer and loaded up our trusty Renault Megane for a trip to scenic Austria.

[Editor's Note: Never rent a Renault Megane. Just get a LeCar instead. First of all, what the hell is a Megane anyways? At least we know where Tacoma is and we could come to an Accord if we had to. But a Megane? That just sounds dumb. Second, it's actually is just a terrible car to drive. Our little beauty seemed to believe that it should only be in two positions: 50 kph or stopped. The engine had no get-up to go anywhere and the brakes were so crappy that slowing down gracefully was impossible. I felt like an overcaffinated teenager on his driving test. "I'm just going to gingerly stop us at this red light and...[SCREEEEEEEEECH!] OK, great. Remember, please keep all hands and feet inside the ride at all times..."]

Off we went to Austria in our Megane for better or worse. Archer was taking us to the place where she and her husband met -- Lech, Austria, a small ski village high in the Alps.


Before we made it to Lech, we spent a night in scenic Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart. It's pretty much impossible to be in Salzburg without knowing that Mozart was born there. He's featured almost everywhere -- shop windows, giant statues, tourist pamphlets, T-shirts, coffee cups and various other places. I'm pretty sure if you're from Salzburg you have to get a mandatory Mozart tattoo at birth. Funny how Mozart is so famous, yet none of you out there know even ONE song of his, right? Well, here's your chance to brush up on Wolfgang's 600+ compositions. As for favorites, I'm torn between "Concerto in D for Piano, No. 16" and "Quartet in A for Strings" myself.


Salzburg was nice enough, but after a good night's sleep we quickly headed off to Lech to see the sights. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, but we still had a chance to really experience Austria...


With a few cold beers, of course. It's funny -- in Austria (and Germany and much of Europe in general) beer isn't really even considered alcohol. It's just a staple of human existence. Everyone drinks it from morning until night, in cafes, on park benches, at home or in bars. And there's no such thing as light beer (for instance, "Amstel Light" here is just called "Amstel"). I'm just not sure if beer is that bad for you -- everyone here seems pretty healthy. I think the key to their health isn't what they drink, it's how much they have. In our time here, we've never seen Europeans have too much -- they just come in and have a few half liters, then head home. Much like drinking coffee in a cafe. I think these Euros would view some of the drunken overindulgence of many Americans much like we'd view someone doing backflips in the Starbucks after pounding tweleve venti lattes. It's just strange.

In any case, these beers were in the actual place, Cafe Gotthard, where Archer met Milo, Dana's father. He had defected from Czech Republic into Vienna and eventually made his way to Lech for work. Archer was backpacking across Europe with friends and had ran out of money so she started working in the hotels around Lech. He approached her in the bar and spoke German to her (the only language they had in common) and they started hanging out with a tight-knit group of ex-pats and traveler regulars in Lech. And the rest, as they say, is history...


The next day, we rose early and caught the cable car to the top of the mountain to do some hiking. We headed up even though the tourist information office informed us there was 100% chance of rain (I think this means "it's raining") so it wasn't optimal conditions. Still, once you got past the large amounts of water falling from the sky, it was quite nice and beautiful.


We hiked up and over many passes to the small chapel at Burstegg, then made our way back down to Lech. The rain helped make the waterfalls that much bigger and dramatic. Not Niagra Falls but close!


Seriously, it was a very nice hike despite the weather. Besides, it gave Dana the chance to get up close and personal with some of the other Lech locals, which she obviously enjoyed.


After we caught a bus back into Lech, we spent one last night, then headed off for Munich Germany drop Archer off at the airport. Of course, after a few days of straight rain, the drive to the airport was in bright sunshine. D'oh! No matter, it was still great to see Archer and walk in her old footsteps in Lech. Thanks again for everything Archer!


Having to drive the Megane back to Prague (or risk a huge drop-off fee) and not yet sick of beer, Dana and I drove straight from Munich Airport to Plzen, Czech Republic, home of the world's first pilsner beer, Pilsner Urquell. Plzen was a great little town off the beaten tourist track. We ate authentic Czech cuisine (pork with cabbage and dumplings) for pennies then drank a few half liters of Pilsner Urquell at the free jazz concert in the main square. It was perfect.


Less than perfect was our creepy old accomodations, the Hotel Slovan. A former Communist office building, the place just reeked of old Soviet backroom dealings. It was basically one Jack Nicholson short of The Shining. Besides the overall creepiness of the place, the layout was just plain ridiculous for a hotel. The floors were huge, probably 50-100 rooms in a ring set around a gigantic staircase, and since it used to be an office building, the rooms were all boxy large office types with no bathrooms, just a makeshift sink. So there was exactly ONE toliet and shower for each sex for the entire floor. We've shared bathrooms before, but this was ridiculous. My bathroom was close to our door, but I think Dana had to trek like 2 or 3 kilometers to take a shower. Not optimal. Still it was cheap and in a good location, so that's all that matters right? I'm not even going to ask why every room had not one but two doors to unlock before you got inside.


The next morning, Dana and I headed over to the actual Pilser Urquell brewery (the real reason for our visit). "Urquell" is German for "original source" and Pilsner Urquell is the world's first pilsener (those "golden beers" we know and love) and most lagers produced in the rest of the world are based upon this original beer. Basically, any beer that calls itself a pilsner is referring to being made in the style of Pilser Urquell! Dana and I got to tour the catacomb of tunnels the brewers dug to make their beer way back in 1842. Then we even got to drink fresh not-fully-filtered murky pilsner straight out of the barrels! Delicious!

Unfortunately Pilsner Urquell is now actually brewed by SABMiller (the second-largest brewing company in the world formed in 2002 when South African Breweries merged with Miller Brewing Company). And it's brewed in Poland, not even Czech Republic. So as much as I like it, I can't recommend it. Try some of your hometown local brews instead. But definitely get to Plzen if you can.


Later in the day, Dana and I made the drive back to Prague and Penzion Louda. The next morning, we woke early and headed to the airport. (Thank god we were still full from some of Jana's amazing cooking so we didn't have to grab a "foot sandwich" for the plane. Nasty.)

We were on our way to catch a plane and begin the next stage of our round-the-world adventure. We'd already (1) driven across the entire United States and (2) traveled throughout Western Europe with friends and family. For the third stage of our journey, Dana and I would trek overland through Eastern Europe from Helsinki all the way to Athens. All total, we have since traveled south on foot, bus or boat through Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece. So stay tuned loyal TUP readers, there's much to come!

And not to spoil the suspense, but the stage was completed yesterday as we arrived in Athens by bus and ferry from Corfu. Today we hiked the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and all the rest of Athens all around us. Tomorrow we'll fly off to Delhi to start the fourth stage of our trip: India and Nepal. On Tuesday in Agra staring at the Taj Mahal. There's no time to lose!

Since we've decided to leave, I've learned that when planning a trip of this magnitude, everyone you know seems to get excited for you. In the few months leading up to our departure, Dana & I heard "I'm so jealous" more than we care to admit. I think this is because either (a) we have nice friends and family who won't say "You're Insane! What The F**k Are You Doing??" to our faces or (b) somewhere deep down, EVERYONE harbors dreams of traveling abroad to far-off lands. Either way, I know from personal experience, the mere fact that someone else you know is quitting their job and leaving everything behind to just "go" is inspiring (thanks Pell). If that guy can do it, you can do it too -- even if only for a little while. Of course, in this whole planning process, I've also learned that when you leave on a trip of this magnitude, you're scared as hell and you want to plan on seeing as many friendly faces along the way as you can. So I'm not sure if our long trip was their inspiration or if they finally just gave in to our begging, but in early August, Dana's family came out to Prague to meet us. It was good to see familiar faces. If only to ride the subway with.


Of course, there was more reasons than just us for Dana's mom and sister to come to Prague. Dana's dad defected from Czechoslovakia in the mid 1960s (right in the heart of the Communist era) so his family is still there. Morgan and Archer had also come to see Otto, their uncle and brother-in-law, as well as a whole bunch more of their family. (On the left in the held photo is Dana's dad. He couldn't make the trip for various reasons but he was with us in spirit.)


It was an exciting time. Dana and her sister were back in their half-homeland for the first time in 10 years, when they were backpacking across Europe.


Of course, this time they had some very handsome men tagging along. What a difference ten years makes. Finding men this attractive ain't easy.


As soon as Morgan, Reimer and Archer had arrived, we had a large dinner together with all the family. Their cousin Jana (in stripes) cooked a magnificent feast for us to enjoy. Delicious! Not only that, but she was also letting us stay in her wonderful "Penzion Louda" with its amazing views of the city of Prague. Thanks Jana! The couple on the left is another cousin, Fred, and his wife. They and Jana both spoke good English so the conversation (with translations for Otto) was flowing.


After such a good meal, all we could do was curl up and go to sleep. (the fact that the other three had just flown from Florida didn't hurt either). The next morning, we rose early, had a wonderful breakfast cooked by Jana and then headed out to see all the sights of Prague. Like Prague Castle on the hill behind us.


And Charles Bridge (which was quite nice to look at while we dined in elegance with Czech beers).


During the day, we saw the whole city with little or no problems, save the occasional almost-falling-over-the-castle-wall mishap.


Though almost all of us had been there before, it was easy to appreciate the beauty of Prague.


Just as it is easy to appreciate the beauty of our two ladies and their lovely mother...


After the sightseeing, it was time to eat again. We dined on traditonal Czech favorites, like spit-roasted pigs knuckle. Yummy. We also had beer. Beer in Prague is cheaper than bottled water. Such a great excuse to have more.


After dinner, Reimer and I were blessed with wonderful gifts from our lovely girlfriends -- Russian-style nesting dolls of our favorite NFL football teams.


It goes without saying we loved them. I mean who wouldn't?!? They were NFL NESTING DOLLS. Are you ready for some foootball!


We stopped in another small Czech pub for some more drinks and toasted to Prague and family.


Then we played with our world-champion Pittsburgh Steeler nesting dolls while making our best Bill Cowher face.


Finally, I topped off the night by downing a little absinthe, the green liquor Prague is famous for. Banned in the US and Europe back in 1915, it's hard to experience its ridiculously strong and potent green flavor anywhere but Prague. It was blamed for having psychotrophic properties (from the wormwood it was distilled from) but many artists and writers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were noted absinthe drinkers. If this stuff was the choice of guys like Vincent van Gogh, I was going to give it a try. Well, now I know why he cut his ear off. It was definitely quite nasty -- like licorice fermented in rubbing alcohol. But I did feel tough. If only because Hemingway drank it. He liked some Pernod as an apertif. Too bad I never got to see a bullfight in Spain...


The next day, the whole gang headed out to Malin, a small town outside Prague near Kutna Hora. This was where Dana's dad was originally from and we went to visit his family home, now lived in by Lenka, their cousin, and her husband Libor and their son Jakub. It was a short visit by a good one.


Afterwards, Otto picked us up and took us to a traditional Czech lunch of dumplings, pork and cabbage. It was delicious. Then he drove us out to the family's old vacation home somewhere far far from Kutna Hora. Then we came back to visit the Kostnice Ossuary right near Kutna Hora in Sedlec. Also known as the Bone Church for obvious reasons, it was originally was a Cistercian Monastery dating back to 1142 . The arrangement of bones dates from 1870 and is the work of a Czech wood-carver, František Rint. He was given authority to mess around with the bones by the new owners of the place after it ceased to be a church. There's supposed to be the bones of 40,000 people in there. Legend has it that Dana's dad once took a skull from this place, but he had such bad luck and was wracked with such guilt that he returned it soon after. We had to see it to confirm. There was no evidence of a stolen skull however. Just some coat of arms made from bones. Spooky.


After the bone church, we headed over to Otto's favorite bar for some traditional Czech drinks -- vodka and beer. Thouroughly sauced, we headed back to Otto's house for tea and coffee. By this time, we felt just like locals. Thanks for everything Otto!


Finally it was time to bid Otto adieu. We headed back to Penzion Louda for one late night (and then one more splendid breakfast by Jana!) before traveling on. Reimer & Morgan were bound for Italy, while the rest of us were off to Austria to see the place where Dana's parents met, Lech. After all that planning, it felt like our time in Czech Republic was over in the blink of an eye. But we'll remember it for a long time. On to Austria!