A Year with A Different View

For Sale - Fabulous Floor Plan – 4327 SW Altadena Avenue.

2011-08-29T17:30:00.001-07:00

3,040 square feet of light, fun and function.

Welcome to a 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath home in the convenient neighborhood of Hillsdale. Walk to Council Crest Park, the Fairmount Loop, the local farmers market. 10 minutes or less to OHSU and downtown Portland.
The approachable Living Room, that you’ll actually use; with Tall windows, Expansive Views, Hardwood floors, Wood Burning Fireplace with gas starter

The Dining Room flows with the living room. Open the custom woven wood blinds so that your guests can enjoy the views.

Built in 1997, it is one of the newer homes in the neighborhood.

Just outside from the breakfast nook is a wonderful patio for BBQs, relaxing, cocktails or coffee.
Hallway to the office and master bedroom suite…..
Wide doors and hallways make the space feel even bigger than they are.

The Master bedroom suite has French doors out to a private deck.

The guest bath has custom paint and elegant finishes.

The laundry area can be closed off and hidden from sight and becomes a beautiful display cabinet.

The office area is easily accessible on the main level.
The bright and wide staircase leads to the lower level family.

Make it a theater, game room or child’s play room – it’s a very versatile space. The built in large flat screen plasma is negotiable.

10 foot ceilings and large windows (with room darkening shades) and access to the private back deck.

Take advantage of the updated design and layout as you appreciate the established trees and sense of being in nature.

Back inside, the family room leads to the two large bedrooms, with walk-in closets and a jack-n-jill bathroom.

View to one of the bedrooms from the roomy bathroom with a new tile floor, 2 sinks and separate toilet and tub/shower area. Either kids or guests get lots of space and privacy. Perfect.

Note the wonderful windows and the colorful garden.

With it’s flexible flowing floor plan and comfortable outdoor spaces, this house won’t last long. Call us to see it today!Just $614,950.
503-953-5316

Cape Town – The beginning of the journey home

2011-06-05T20:27:00.001-07:00

Our last stop in Africa. The second to last adventure before our journey to the US. We’re ready to be in our own home and at the same time we have a distinct sadness that “our year” is almost at the end. With a melancholy heart, we enter a beautiful, complex city to begin the last 9 days of our worldly exploits.
Nestled up against the famous Table Mountain, Cape Town is as gorgeous as we’d been told. It is surrounded by ocean, has sandy beaches, whales and dolphins swimming by, an eclectic mix of people, colorful architecture and a convoluted history. What else can one want?
The ancient seafarers established the area to resupply their ships with food and fresh water, as they made their journey around the Cape of Good Hope and onto India and the Far East. Many of them fell in love with the area, hopped off the boat and never left. We understand why.
The city has a laid back vibe with a marvelous harbor, ocean views from everywhere, and a thriving downtown area. Table Mountain sits majestically above it all and is instantly recognizable for its incredibly flat top….hmm, like a table! It is a mecca for tourists and has a great year-round climate to attract sunshine worshippers from far and wide. Few North Americans make it to Cape Town. It is really a long way for a one to two week vacation. Many Europeans find the Cape area very appealing for holidaying however, so we fit right in.
Of course, not everything is perfect. Townships, aka slums in US vernacular, favellas in Brazilian Portuguese, are on the doorsteps of Cape Town. These communities of the poor were started during the Apartheid era when people were displaced from their homes, and forced into very crowded living conditions. More than 1.5 million people are estimated to call these jam-packed townships home. Any material that can be salvaged is used for shelter – wood, bricks, cinder blocks, metal, boxes….you get the idea. Even though the ANC (SA’s government) has put forth some efforts to incorporate and improve these areas, large numbers of illegal immigrates continue to build new townships and keep them well populated. In them schools, churches and restaurants have been established. It’s hard for us to get our head around this as there is absolutely no (legal) utility service to these communities. They are going without or tapping into power through some scary means. It blows us away that township living is a better way of life for so many. As in all countries, there are no easy answers on how to help the ultra poor.
We stayed in the Northern part of the city with an incredible view of downtown Cape Town. Kite surfers were everywhere and we spent many hours fascinated with the “big air” that these adventurers were getting with the strong winds that blow off the ocean.
We were told to make sure to go to the top of Table Mountain when the weather is clear, as the views are amazing. If the clouds are in it can be freezing cold. For 4 days we watched as fingers of clouds drifted over the mountain (we couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the fog that often consumes the Golden Gate Bridge), shrouding it in what the locals call the “table cloth”. It was a spectacular sight to see the weather change right before our eyes, but it kept us off the mountain until………we got a picture perfect day! We immediately took advantage and rode the cable car to the top and hiked around the area for hours and hours. The views were stunning …..

On another day the Cape of Good Hope, the most south western point of Africa, was our destination. The beaches along this stretch of the coast are wild and gorgeous. When we got to the Cape, the wind was whipping so ferociously that we literally had to power our way up to the lighthouse.
Although for us it was difficult to fathom, we contemplated the centuries of commerce that passed through this area from many European countries to the Far East. Thousands upon thousands of ships have used this passage. What merchandise hasn’t been transported through these waters? One evening we were honored to have dinner with a new friend of a new friend. Our Slovenian friend, Magedie, whom we met in the Galapagos Islands, introduced us through email to his best friend, Kevin. Kevin is a US Citizen from the Seattle area and now lives in Cape Town. It was nice to meet a Yank who knew the area and was willing to share his experience of being a local. Kevin is working for the University of Cape Town, and helps teachers in the local schools to embrace and learn new technology which they can incorporate into their lessons. We wrote about the Brain Drain phenomenon happening in South Africa. And although the country is losing more intelligent and resourceful people then it attracts, there are a few brave people willing to go against the tide and migrate to South Africa to try to make a difference. (And by the way, I just learned that my cousin who is educated in International Business, is living and working part time in SA.) We had a very interesting conversation about his work in the townships and his theories of when and how to teach young people English. His ideas were mind opening to say the least. Ask us about it sometime.
About 8 months into our multi-continent journey, we altered our itinerary so that we could spend more quality time in South Africa. We didn’t want to rush a country full of cultures far different than ours and one with political issues that make ours seem pale in comparison. Plus SA has big game and lots of small birds. It was a really wise decision. We started our trip promising each other not to rush, to spend time in each place and to get off the tourist path as often as we could. By making the tough decision to slow it down and not include Australia and New Zealand, we kept our word and felt more relaxed.
The four weeks we spent travelling in South Africa was the best mixture of nature, culture, history and adventure. If you want a highly diverse destination, South Africa is it. As we board our flight for the first leg of the trip home, we have an amalgamation of feelings. Sorrow that it’s mostly over, giddiness that we are about to spend 24 hours in Dubai, disbelief that we have to start thinking about jobs and absolutely, positively NO REGRETS! Goodbye SA and Cape Town; we’re better off for spending time with you! But Dubai awaits. And then on to the good ole US of A. Sigh.

Brain Drain

2011-05-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

Why is it that when one system isn’t working, the pendulum typically swings too far to the other side? Is it human nature to think that if there are problems the complete opposite is the solution? With any sweeping change, the consequences of throwing the baby out with the bath water, usually takes a few years to become apparent. We found no exception to this in South Africa. The country still appears to be in transition from decades of apartheid and will continue to be for some time to come.

There is no doubt that the end to this era is a good thing. It shouldn’t have been made a policy in the first place. And yet, we think that post apartheid South Africa, 17 years after Nelson Mandela helped negotiate his country to better times, has taken a good thing too far. Today tribal mentality, reverse discrimination practices and government corruption are driving lots of young, smart, creative people of all colors to other parts of the world. There is a common theme among South Africans – they see no hope in the future. (Can you imagine not feeling hope?) The consequence is that hoards are leaving. South Africa is being drained of it’s talent, vision, brains.

During the course of our month in South Africa we had the chance to listen to many people’s stories. They told of their lives under and after apartheid. The issues are complex to say the least. This is a difficult topic for non writers, like us, to write about, but we‘re giving it a try as we feel that it is important to document our feelings on this heavy subject; for ourselves if no one else.

We learned that apartheid is an Afrikaans (the language of Apartheid) word which literally means separation. From 1954-1994, the government of South Africa made discrimination a national policy. A national policy! In our life times! The rights of the majority ’non-white’ inhabitants were curtailed and white minority rule was maintained. Whites make up just about 6% of SA’s population. 6%! That’s it. And yet, they ruled the country and gave themselves every advantage possible. Non whites had inferior education, medical care, beaches, public services, etc. Many non whites were forcibly removed from their homes and moved to neighborhoods deemed more appropriate. Black people were even deprived of their citizenship. They had to become citizens of their tribally based homeland, not of their country, SA.

We talked with one man who’s family was forcibly moved when he was a young child. He was one of 60,000 people moved from just one area called District 6. Before the mass removal, the District 6 neighborhood was considered cosmopolitan and made up of a mixture of races and religions. Blacks, Arabs, Indians, colored (which we learned in SA means someone of a mixed race), Afrikaans and whites lived and worked side by side. We learned that the people were happy and productive. The government with it’s divisionist zeal, decided that it knows best. They concluded that interracial interaction breeds conflict, necessitating the separation of the races. Between 1968 and 1980 all of the families were relocated from District 6 to what is known today as Cape Flats about 25 kilometers away. In our opinion it is a bleak area and is probably in worse shape then District 6 ever was.

The people we talked to about this think that the actual reason for the mass removal was due to the land’s proximity to the harbor, Table Mountain and city center; in other words prime real estate, and therefore more suitable for whites. District 6 was bulldozed. Every home was flattened. The only buildings that stand today are houses of worship and a small newly developed housing complex. Most of it remains a scraped patch of dirt, undeveloped. An eye sore. So now there are two eye sores - the remains of District 6 and Cape Flats.

As you can imagine, there were lots of problems under Apartheid, including huge sanctions put upon South Africa by the wealthy nations of the world. Not many countries wanted to be associated with South Africa and it‘s oppressive policies. Finally the people rose up, the politicians saw the light and a new leader came into the fray (Nelson Mandela) and the end of the ugly era was negotiated.

Fast forward to 2010/11 and although the country has lots of great things going for it, underneath the extraordinary beauty are some real problems. It’s by far the richest country on the continent of Africa. The roads are smooth, wide and traffic free. The cities in which World Cup games were recently played are modern and mostly clean of litter. In a lot of ways it feels very western. With it’s extraordinary coastline and glorious mountains, the natural beauty is second to none.

We spent one month there and had a chance to look under the covers, talk with locals; get a deeper sense of the country. We were shocked to learn that for people between the ages of 18 and 34, unemployment is 50%. 50% of SA’s young people aren’t working. That staggering statistic leads to desperation. Desperation leads to crime and drug addiction. Therefore petty theft and car jackings are real threats. We were always on alert and told to stay off the streets at night. We didn’t, but we were ultra aware after dark.

We talked with one young employed Zulu man who shared with us his viewpoints of the issues. He thinks that two things are at the root of the post apartheid problems: 1). The tribal mentality in which the chief (president) can do no wrong; and 2). That black people see themselves as less then whites.

Coming from a black man’s perspective, we thought this opinion was brave, introspective and very honest. He is worried about his country and is doing what he can to help other young South Africans understand that even though Joseph Zuma, a Zulu, is the current president (chief) of the country, government leaders of today are not the same as tribal elders of yesterday. They should be held to a greater standard and not allowed to get away with some of the things Zuma is doing. He also admitted to us that many black people are having trouble retraining themselves to think that they are equal to whites. Too many of his fellow countrymen, still see themselves as servants and not as business people, doctors or lawyers. They still limit their own potential and don’t take advantage of educational opportunities, etc.

Fortunately there are movements afoot to drive some clearly needed changes in South Africa‘s government. Several ANC (African National Congress) opposition organizations are making a concerted effort to bring balance to the country. Zuma calls the groups poisonous snakes. Unfortunately, the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is seen as the party for whites. It’s finding it very difficult to attract black people. It knows it won’t truly make a difference if it only has white members. But the group is having a tough time interesting blacks due to the deeply rooted belief that tribal chiefs are untouchable. It’s a fascinating national psyche. And one, that in our opinion, will take generations to evolve.

In the meantime, South Africa, is loosing smart people of all colors. Our friend Magedie, whom we met in his new homeland of Slovenia (via a postcard from Post Office Bay in the Galapagos Islands), is South African, a successful engineer, black, and can’t imagine returning to his home country other then to visit his family.

Barry and Francis, a dynamic, intelligent couple, whom we met in Peru and again in South Africa are in the process of leaving South Africa for good. They are nearing the end of a painstaking process of becoming Canadian citizens. (They’ll be our neighbors up in Vancouver, British Columbia!) Although these are just two examples of the brain drain that is occurring, they are first hand. We heard of many others as well - someone’s sister, son, best friend, etc leaving South Africa. As we were only there for one month and spent most of time with elephants, we think the problem is more then likely a systemic one. No place is perfect and we wish our new friends lots of success in their new homelands. For South Africans that can’t or won’t leave, it’s going to be a long while until that proverbial pendulum lands in the middle. In the meanwhile, we are hoping that all of the positive change that is happening in SA will continue to progress one baby elephant step at a time.

The Garden Route – The Road to Cape Town

2011-04-21T07:27:00.001-07:00

“It’s one of the most beautiful and scenic stretches of highway in the world” we were told. The 740 kilometers from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town on the N2 highway, was a “must do”. We mapped our route and decided to spend a week or so to take it all in.

Named for the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation and the numerous lagoons and lakes; we wanted to see if the Garden Route along South Africa’s south western coast lived up to the hype. We are usually skeptical with any region that is heavily promoted as a tourist destination. Sometimes it is much ado about nothing except relieving gullible visitors of their money. (Ever been to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, CA?) Anyway, the Garden Route was highly recommended by our new South African friends that we had previously met in a little town in, of all the places, the Peruvian Andes Mountains.

We trusted them and altered our itinerary so that we could include many of the towns along the Garden Route. Diverse is an understatement for the region. Even though the little towns along the route are past their heyday, the scenic coasts, the lush forests, the dry Karoo, the penguins, meerkats, birds and the brandy did not disappoint. Here is a sampling of our road trip through Western Cape, South Africa.

Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River Region

The tallest bungy jump in the world - 216 meters or 709 feet – Too crazy for us. Great White Sharks, yes, falling 709 feet, absolutely not.

Knysna area – amazing cloud fingers

Oudtshoorn area in the Karoo (high desert)

In the 18th century, the Karoo region was the location of South Africa’s first commercial venture – the export of large flamboyant black and white ostrich feathers to the world’s weathly. Although there is very little demand for the feathers these days, the area is still home to the planet’s largest number of Ostrich farms. Today, we consume these birds for their meat and leather. We read that one of the fun things to do in the Karoo is to go on a meerkat safari. A meerkat safari? Get up before the crack of dawn to see wild meerkats in their natural habitat? Of course we would go. Cousins of the mongoose; they are highly social and have extended family groups. They greet each new day by standing in the dawn sunlight to warm themselves. Even they think it’s early (see the big yawn?).

Betty’s Bay is the home of penguins that used to be called Jack Ass Peguins. They (whoever they are) have renamed them to boring ole African Penguins, but they still bray like donkeys. Hee haw, hee haw. It’s hilarious and another must see and hear if you’re nearby.

Making new jack ass penguins…..

Stellenbosch – The Winelands!

And Brandy. South Africa has been a premium brandy maker for eons. When paired with chocolate and coffee it’s an unbelievable taste bud sensation. The marketing of any province, state or territory is very interesting. As you can probably imagine, over the course of our travels, we’ve seen lots of attempts at creative advertising to entice people to an area. Most regions have created campaigns, routes and attractions so that local and foreign tourists visit and spend money. Think of the commercials in which California celebrities tell you why you should come to their fun and beautiful state. Or the development of the wine country in Oregon. It‘s all about tourism and money. The small towns of the Western Cape needed a boost. So, the region turned it’s sights to tourism and established and touted the Garden Route.

It was a smart decision, for us, to slow down the pace and not beeline it to Cape Town. Our year of travel was coming to end and we wanted to savor the countryside and take in some of the less popular destinations in South Africa. With it’s array of animals, plants, scenery and adventure; we were very wise to stop and smell (and taste and see) the Garden Route.

A Birthday Wish for a Really Big Fish

2011-04-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

There are only a few things that are assured while spending a year on the road: The holidays will be a lonely time, US taxes still need to be paid, and another birthday will arrive. Instead of denying that she was adding another year to her age, Amy decided to celebrate like never before. She slipped on the tightest fitting little black number she could find, donned the latest in head wear and jumped feet first into a shark cage!!
After seeing the movie Jaws, she was traumatized and afraid of the open water for years. Even though those fears are long ago and far away, Steve was shocked when she exclaimed that she’d like to revel in her birthday with a Great White Shark dive.

This was the first birthday Amy has commemorated in the summer. In February. For anyone that has a winter birthday in the Northern hemisphere, she highly recommends getting south of the equator to enjoy it in the summertime. Given that we were in South Africa in late February we welcomed the warm, humid weather on this special day.
We headed to Gansbaai (pronounced Hans Bay); home of Shark Alley. There are many Great White tour operators who take out the fearless into the cold waters for a close and personal encounter with these apex predators. We did our research and interviewed several tour operators -- How do they attract the sharks, their destination, the likelihood of seeing the sharks, how they protect them, etc… As always, we wanted to insure that our presence has minimal interference with their natural behavior and contributes to their preservation versus their demise. Satisfied that our tour operator does not “feed” the sharks, but rather attracts them with a tuna oil slick, we signed our life away with the standard….”You will not hold us responsible if you get chowed by this HUGE flesh eating fish!!!!!!!!”.

We chose a company that is actively involved with preservation efforts of these endangered animals. We headed out on an early cloudy morning to the notorious Shark Alley, an area in the Indian Ocean between two islands that is home to a large colony of fur seals…..the tasty snack of choice for our shark friends. Half an hour later, we drop anchor and the cage is lowered into the chilly dark waters. A few minutes after the tuna oil is ladled onto the water someone yelled “Did you see what I just saw?!?” Before any of us were in the cage, a few of the stealthy creatures from the deep showed up. These are VERY LARGE fish. Bigger then the pictures suggest.

Shark cage diving is a bit of a misnomer. It is actually cage bobbing. No scuba equipment is required, not even a snorkel. Six people get into the cage at a time and take a deep breaths and duck under the water at the direction of the shark spotter. He tells us to look left, right, or downward as appropriate as the sharks swim by. The gray carnivores are chasing a tuna head on a rope that is pulled through the water. It is not allowed to let them eat the bait, but rather just play a game of keep away. On our special day the water visibility was somewhat poor. Even so, we were prepared with a rented digital underwater camera.

The first six brave souls enter the cage. We watch from the boat as these agile beings repeatedly attack the tuna temptation. We even see a few breach the water with their classic attack from below. It is a show of amazing strength.

Our turn. We slide into the cage and feel our wetsuits fill up with freezing cold water. Before we have a chance to think about how cold we are, we hear…“Look to the right”. We take a deep breath, duck underwater, and watch as a 10 foot plus creature of the dark swims by the cage. Holy moly…..we could have reached out and touched it. Thankfully, all of our extremities were safely tucked inside the cage. “Look below!” As we duck for the second time we see one gliding underneath us. The adrenalin kicked in, the excitement is crescendoing and the freezing water temperature is long forgotten. We are totally focused on seeing every detail.

We watch 7 or 8 magnificent great whites, brimming with confidence and grace, and seemingly uninterested in the human meals in the cage. They glance at us a few times but have their black eyes on the ‘chicken of the sea’ enticement.

It was time to share the fun with our shipmates, so we watch and cheer as the next set of bobbers enjoy their experience. A bit later, we eagerly accept a second chance to enter the cage and again observe in amazement at these supple pelagic beasts. Amy may have been the oldest woman on the boat but her shrieks of joy are the giddiest and loudest. It was an unforgettable ‘summer in February’ birthday!

Close Encounters - Self Drive Safaris

2011-03-28T12:07:00.001-07:00

Have you ever rented a very small Japanese car and come literally face to face with a 6 ton elephant? So close that you were not sure if you should reach out and touch it or slam your foot on the accelerator?

In our previous safaris in Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, we traveled in sturdy 4-wheel drive vehicles with experienced drivers and guides. We were never on our own to navigate or to manage the road system, and always had someone to determine how to best handle our way around an animal encounter. Not so in South Africa. Self drive safaris - good idea or disaster in the making?

South Africa has a large system of National and private game parks that are setup to preserve the various indigenous animals and to insure the safety of the local people. Electrified fences and tall natural barriers are maintained so that human and beast do not pose a threat to each other. In other words, South Africa has vast cageless zoo’s covering immense amounts of unspoiled natural areas or recovered farmland. The animals have to fend for themselves and as far as we know there is very little human intervention aside from the tourists and their vehicles.

So…..with that in mind, we took the opportunity to drive around several of these parks on our own. Only a few rules to follow - stay on the designated trails; don’t feed the animals; and remain in your car unless in a specified (supposedly safe) area. And yes, the animals roam freely and get very close…….in some cases, too close!

In one particular life or death situation, Amy was behind the wheel with Steve navigating from the backseat. We had been in the car for some time, and “the coffee kicked in”. Of course we were about as far away from the rest area as one could be, and the urge became overwhelming. Our bodies were in the midst of adjusting to the new food and water. You get the idea. We had to go now or it was going to get disgusting. Our strategy was to drive to a place that looked safe and private. We were on a road that looked liked only a few tourists dare to go. It was VERY narrow and overgrown and things were looking too dangerous to get out of the car. It was thick jungle and anything could be lurking. But it was now or never. We were seconds away from chancing it…..……when…….directly in front us was…………..a heard of elephants!

They weren’t expecting a car and within a split second of seeing us the big protective momma with a small baby by her side flared her ears and without hesitation…..she charged us.

All of a sudden it became real obvious how much of a tin can car we were in. Amy had no time to think and shifted into reverse and floored it……backwards. The path was too narrow to turn around in and momma was making up ground fast as she headed directly towards us. For what seemed like an eternity, we gunned it backwards…..and yes, one of us still had to urgently go #2! Finally after at least a 1 mile later, we broke the park rules and got out of the car to take car of some business. Aaahh! Gross mess averted. And Whew! Elephant close encounter behind us.

This was one of several very close encounters we had while in Hluhluwe - Imfolozi, Mkuze, Addo, and iSimangaliso National Parks in South Africa. We loved being our own guides!

Kwalazulu Natal – South Africa

2011-03-27T19:27:00.001-07:00

After more than a month on safari, we wanted to land in an area that offered a bit more of a “civilized” experience. We loved the animals and people of Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, but yearned for a bit more upscale services and to look at faces more like our own. It is draining to always be different; to stand out like a sour thumb. We wanted to fit in more then we did long ago as awkward teenagers!

So we set out for South Africa, our 26th country and second to last destination. Although the population of South Africa is only 8% white, at least we blended in a bit better then in the countries with less then a 1% white population. At the beginning of our travels we were anxious to be surrounded by people of diverse colors; at this point we were exhausted by it.

We landed in Durban, population 3 million, on the Indian Ocean and rented a car to explore the KwalaZulu Natal region of South Africa.

Remember the television miniseries called “Shaka Zulu”? Well if you do, this is the area of Africa where King Shaka came from and where he united the various local tribes into the mighty Zulu warriors of the early 19th century. We were still in a very culturally diverse place; just to a lesser extent.

It was mid summer, in February. Warm, humid and sunny. And we liked it, but air conditioning was very welcome. Durban was our first of many stops in South Africa and was used as a place primarily to catch up on all the mundane necessities like paying bills, doing laundry and hair cuts. It provided our first look at the beautiful Indian ocean! The beaches are gorgeous. Soft white sand, really warm water, and lots of…….shark nets! Over 40 species of sharks are found in this area, and there are warning signs everywhere. The nets work to some degree, but the danger postings are very clear of the risks that lurk below.

This area is famous for lots of sea life, not just sharks. Depending upon the time of year Whale Sharks (the world’s largest fish) and Right Whales migrate through here. Unfortunately, we missed these gentle giants, and would like to come back to see them someday.

We usually dread shopping mall excursions, so it’s hard for us to believe that we actually desired to go to The Mall. The largest mall in South Africa is in Durban and has the tallest climbing wall and a huge water park, an iMax theater and of course lots of stores. Amy had an uncomfortable, eye opening experience in one of the main department stores. She went in by herself looking for some fresh clothes. It was uneasy because there wasn’t another white person in sight and all of the mannequins had darker skin. She realized how women of other races must feel when shopping in a store marketed to whites. It’s not a welcome feeling.

After catching up on life in this modern city, we headed north for more nature. St Lucia and Sodwana Bay were our destinations.

They are on the coast of the Indian Ocean and offer great diving, birding, nature reserves and a really laid back vibe. Steve made a couple of scuba dives on the famous 2 Mile Reef off Sodwana Bay and saw 9 big rays, and 4 large moray eels. He was in heaven.

There were times when we had miles and miles of beach all to ourselves with no one else in sight.

Durban and the rest of the KwalaZulu Natal were a perfect transition out of the deep African bush to the more tame end of this exceptional continent.

Gorillas of Rwanda Part 3

2011-03-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Continued from Part 2…

Unbelievable is the only way to describe it - a large gorilla with the biggest head you’ve ever seen, sitting right in front of us nonchalantly eating bamboo. Francoise started clearing all the brush away so the vets could get a good look at the bloody foot. At one point Francoise tried to move the remaining bamboo that was between us and the #1, when the king grabbed it right out of his hand! That is how close Francoise was to him.

Normally tourists get about an hour with their assigned group. We had at least 90 minutes while the vets reviewed the injury (no intervention needed).

The head veterinarian told us he had been on approximately 100 of these types of treks before. He said without a doubt, it was the best one he had ever seen and told us we should go buy a lottery ticket. We didn't need to; we had already won the lottery!

Gorillas of Rwanda Part 2

2011-03-21T19:57:00.001-07:00

Continued from Part 1…

For an approximate hour we headed up the steep slopes deep into the forest until we……..smelled them! There was the distinct earthy scent of gorilla in the air. As we turned the corner on the trail……Oh my god, right in front of us, was the #3 silverback of this group. No zoo experience can come close to this. His head was HUGE and the power and strength of this fantastic creature were clearly evident.

We were advised to maintain a 10 meter distance at all times, so we were very cautious and tried to respect his space.

But Mr. Silverback had a different set of rules. He walked directly at us! The jungle is so thick that there isn’t much room to get out of his way. So, what do you do when a large silverback gorilla decides to take the exact narrow path that you are on? You hold your breath and stand still. We could have reached out and slapped him on the ass as he walked by! He shoved one of the other members of our group aside sending him sprawling into the brush. Our guide told us it was a definite show of dominance over us. All this within the first 2 minutes of spotting him. Wow, this is cool! And so intimidating!

Our luck continued as the next show starred a momma and her baby. The little one had no fear and came out into a clearing and posed for us; ate for us; climbed a tree and clumsily fell out of it, and finally sat again right in front of our group. Cameras were clicking! We couldn’t believe how close this young primate was to us, and none of the adults in the thick forest seemed to be concerned.

This went on for 15 plus minutes until mom and #2 silverback decided to make an appearance and check on junior. We watched in awe as this magnificent papa gently cared for his offspring.

Next, Francoise had us move quickly into the bush (no paths here other than what their machetes cleared away). He had spotted the #1 silverback with the injury and more members of the troop. We hurried along until he positioned us in another clearing.

Unbelievable is the only way to describe it.

But wait, there’s more. Check out Part 3…..

Gorillas of Rwanda Part 1

2011-03-21T17:37:00.001-07:00

Looking back on our experience with the Mountain Gorillas it’s hard for us to believe that we actually considered not going to see them. It’s too expensive and the travel is too difficult were our reasons for contemplating not heading to Rwanda. Yes, it was a major effort to get there and it was one of the more costly excursions of our travel year, and it was also one of the best experiences in our life times!

There are only approximately 750 Mountain Gorillas remaining. Although the population is slowly growing, they remain in danger. Even though they are a huge revenue source for the country, they are still illegally poached and sold to zoos and private collections. And even though the area where they live has been designated park land, they still die because they don’t have enough territory. Sometimes they are forced to go high up in the mountains where the weather is so severe that they die of exposure to cold and wind. It was with mixed emotions when we bought our permits - on the one hand we were supporting the park, the community, and indirectly the Gorillas; on the other hand, we were encroaching on and disturbing these magnificent animals. Are we helping or hurting them? The scale tips a bit more on the helpful side, but not by much.

With our doubts shoved to the back of our mind, on the morning of our trek, we were very excited. For 3 days prior we had been exploring other aspects of the huge Volcanoes National Park, so we were pent up to see the magnificent Mountain Gorillas.

Our driver instructed us to ask the park’s head warden if we could see a specific gorilla troop named Kwitonda. We knew we were breaking gorilla trek protocol, by making our preference known, but took the risk in order to see one of the bigger troops that had an unusually high number of silverbacks (the over 12 year-old males). We were grilled on why we were requesting a specific trek, who we were traveling with, etc. We answered exactly as we were prepped, and were rewarded with being assigned to a gorilla group with three silverbacks, an unusually high number. It didn’t seem possible but our giddiness level went up a notch.

Only 8 tourists are assigned to each gorilla family. We just happened to be the 7th and 8th members of a group made up of 6 gorilla veterinarians from the United States. Gorilla veterinarians!!! With the latest camera technology!! Little did we know that our luck was just beginning. Our new veterinarian friends were trekking this specific gorilla group because it was reported that the dominant silverback had an injury. They were going to make a determination if the injury need intervention. We instantly felt privileged to spend time with this concerned team of docs.

Our luck continued with the local guide that would take us on this expedition. Of course, the veterinarians get the best guide the park has ever had. So Amy and Steve do too! Francoise is not only the park’s most experienced guide, he is also the most animated. He has spent 29 years with the gorillas and was Dian Fossey’s porter back in the early 1980’s (remember the film “Gorillas in the Mist“?).

Francoise has trained all of the other guides in the park and we quickly understood why. He knows the gorillas - their names, ages and personalities. He demonstrated to us how and what they eat by eating it himself. He communicates with the gorillas and showed us his techniques for grunting, hollering, and beating his chest and the ground. He is informative, humorous, caring, and perfect for his job.

We started the trek by scaling the wall separating the local farms from the National Park. We then headed through very thick jungle to where the trackers had indicated ’our’ gorillas were located. The park has gorilla tracking down to a science. Trackers follow each gorilla group until they make their nests for the night. (We found it interesting that gorillas build new nests each and every afternoon.) Then each morning, trackers go to the nesting sight and follow them again. This information is then relayed to each guide and the tourists head in that direction. Although there are no guarantees that you’ll see your assigned troop, the trackers put the odds in your favor.

Continued on the next post….

Uganda’s Kazinga Channel

2011-03-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

It is where they all gather. Man and beast alike. In Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Kazinga Channel is a 25 mile long waterway which connects two major lakes and is where all shapes and sizes of animals, birds, and people come together for water. We were fascinated by the Ugandans that dangerously live amongst wildlife that could easily kill them. Our camera worked overtime on our two trips along this channel as it gave us the chance not only to see a huge array of animals gathering for their daily drink, but also for a glimpse of the tough life in the fishing villages along the Kazinga Channel.

It is where hippos and Buffalos mingle just a few steps away from homes and a school.

And families gather……..

Where elephants show that they are the biggest on the block….

And the birds compete for fish with each other and with the fishermen trying to provide for their families…

Don’t forget the tourists….

Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park has 11 separate villages of people living amongst the wild animals. The people were there before the area was designated a National Park. They have remained even though the strong and fierce animals have been upgraded to protected status. They have lived side by side these large animals for generations but we were still surprised to see people walking down the road very close to a pride of lions. Motorcyclists were riding by, oblivious to the hippos nearby. We guessed that they are willing to risk their lives because they are desperate for water and supplies and it’s the only way of life they know. Wild Uganda! Beautiful, surprising, and the poorest, most populated country of our travels.

Furry Cousins

2011-03-10T07:02:00.001-08:00

They share 98% of our DNA. They’re highly social and can understand and communicate with humans. While in Uganda’s Ishasha Wilderness Preserve we had the opportunity to seek them out in their natural habitat, and see for ourselves up close how these animals live, eat, and interact with each other. Our guide was soft spoken, petite, had gentle eyes, a love of the forest, and carried an automatic rifle. Into a thick forest and down a deep canyon we followed our armed guide. We were trekking for chimpanzees!
We were seeking a troop of 21 members that live in a 9 mile long canyon. There was no guarantee that we would find them and the last 4 groups of trekkers came away disappointed. They didn’t find the chimps. Knowing that the our furry cousins could be anywhere, and that we were looking for a needle in a haystack, we start our hike. Our nerves were heightened as we began our decent into the canyon and walk past lots of large animal tracks, scat and other evidence of the wild animals that live in this canyon. It’s certainly intimidating knowing that without a gun, we are not the kings and queens of the jungle.
We followed our guide for an hour or so looking for signs of the chimps. He pointed out half-eaten fruit and knuckle tracks. Could it be our lucky day?
What was that? Our guide suddenly picked up the pace and tells us to move! The troop was moving through a clearing ahead. Yes, fortune would be on our side today! Next, he hurried us along ahead of the chimps as he said they were coming right at us. Holy s%$t! One of the more dramatic males came right by us and started slamming his hands against the roots of a tree while screaming loudly at us, as if to say, you weren’t suppose to find us again today. It was exciting and scary to watch and listen to his very loud display of frustration. It was a show of his powerful arms.
Adrenalin was pumping as we ran through the thick forest trying to stay in front of them. They move fast. We could hear them in the tree tops, saw some on the trail, and we scurried quickly to get in the right position.
Our efforts were rewarded. We had the opportunity to see about 10 or so of the chimps coming directly at or near us. Our guide knew many of the males by name and he knew their personalities as well. We also saw a few females and a baby. The light in this deep forest is not good for amateur photographers, but finally after trailing one of the males for 10 or so minutes, he decided to pose for us. Not more than 15 feet away, he nonchalantly perched on a downed tree trunk and allowed us to take photos.
We didn’t want to leave, but knew that it was best to give our cousins the space they need. It was another amazing wildlife experience!

Baboon Stories

2011-03-06T05:02:00.000-08:00

As an introduction to the Primate phase of our African adventures we thought a story would be appropriate. A true story about a baboon. Actually two stories about two baboons and one woman. The woman is me.

During our initial Tanzanian safari we saw our first huge troop of baboons and couldn’t get enough of them. The human-like features, the playful adolescents and the adorable babies. Oh the babies! We took way too many pictures of them. Every troop we’d come upon we’d have to stop and enjoy. Their playfulness, foraging and preening was so fascinating to watch. They are very photogenic and, as it turns out, so mischievous!

In our first tented accommodation we were warned to lock our zippers and a small padlock was provided to insure that no unwelcome beast steals our snacks. It was a perfectly simple solution to a problem that only comes from being located in the middle of the wilderness. In our next tented lodge accommodation, however, there wasn’t a lock provided. Our room was still a tent, with canvas walls, doors with zippers, and located in the place with wild animals all around. Lions, buffalos, elephants, etc. No locks. Just lots of warnings posted about not keeping food in your tent. We were given specific instructions on how to close the tent which included a gerry rigged solution of using an extra large cushion from the chaise lounge in between the inner and outer canvas enclosures.

Guards were on duty to protect the tents and guests throughout the night. We’d heard lions, smelled hyenas and knew Cape Buffalo ate near the camp in the middle of the night. So, we took all of this very seriously. We were warned that Baboons had an excellent sense of smell and could find a peanut in your tent even if hidden away. We didn‘t want to encourage an animal encounter, so all the instructions were followed and a small amount of nuts were triple bagged and buried deep in a backpack. We weren’t worried.

In the early morning dawn while still in bed, I was awake, sitting up and working on the computer. Steve was still beside me, asleep, of course, when all of a sudden the silence of the morning was broken. Rrrrriiiippppp! My adrenaline shot through the roof, my heart started pounding. All of a sudden, I knew something wasn’t right. What I’d just heard was not a strange bird song. Our tent zipper had just been unzipped! My head snapped up, my eyes adjusted to the dim morning light and my jaw dropped. A larger-then-you'd-imagine male olive baboon easily pushed the make shift cushion barrier down and immediately looked directly to the corner with the backpack. The backpack with the nuts. Luckily there were two screen doors. This big primate had opened one of them and wanted our nuts! I had no time to think and the only words that came out of my mouth were No! No! No! Our unwanted visitor looked at me, back at the backpack, back at me and begrudgingly took off. The whole scene only lasted a few seconds, but my heart was pumping a mile a minute to say the least. The baboon was huge and smelled liked in hadn’t showered in a lifetime! The zipper posed no impedance to his human-like fingers. Why this lodge couldn’t buy $4 padlocks for all of their 16 tents, we’ll never understand. Whew…..that was close!

This next baboon tale is from South Africa. Tsitsikamma National Park to be specific. It’s a beautiful park in between the Indian ocean coast line and an indigenous jungle. While the accommodations are fairly basic, the views are outstanding. And we had our own kitchen. At this point of the trip, having our own food is a must. Again, there were warnings everywhere about baboons. Don’t feed the baboons signs and notices were on the roadside and on every building. The receptionist checking us in warned us as well to keep our doors and windows closed while away from our cabin to prevent a visit from one of these unwanted guests. After our first experience with Mr. Baboon and hearing tales from others, we weren’t going to take any chances. We followed all of the instructions. Several baboons entertained us as we explored the park over our couple of days stay, but none caused us any problems. It was our last morning that there was some excitement. Steve was still in bed (there is a theme here) and I was sitting on the couch starting to get our stuff organized. My back was to the wide open sliding patio door. I was casually folding clothes while chatting with a sleepy husband, when out of my mouth came a reflexive, instinctive shriek. I shrieked like I’ve never shrieked before. A short, yet obviously strong baboon was walking right in front of me and heading toward the kitchen. He was so close to me that I could have patted him on head. After several more school girl screams, as belligerently as possible, I yelled “Get out! Get out! Get out!” I remember thinking, do I really think he understands English? Africaans maybe, but English? Unfathomably, this huge baboon had dashed into our room, across the living area, into the kitchen and grabbed our breakfast - a bunch of bananas that were sitting on the far counter. The only reply to my yelling was a casual glance my way as he sauntered out the door. By this time Steve was wide awake and freaking out. In his half awake state, he couldn't process what was happening. He did, however, have the presence of mind to know that a camera was in order. Without stopping to put on a stitch of clothes, he captured a few pictures of our thief as he climbed onto the steep roof to enjoy OUR bananas. Now I had two things to watch - my naked photographer husband and the banana stealing baboon. Steve and our baboon ’friend’ were both in their birthday suits. It was quite an entertaining site. What a morning!

We were amazed at what happened right before our very eyes. It was scary and funny at the same time. Now it is just sad. We’ve learned that once a baboon becomes bold enough to enter a room with humans present, they will more then likely be shot. The park's management will take their lives in order to preserve it’s reputation and revenue stream. Baboons are a misunderstood endangered animal and have protected status, but in South Africa, no one is monitoring or controlling the problem nor punishing those that kill the baboons. We think it's very sad that alternative methods aren't used instead. Afterall, they were here first……we're just visiting their home.

Tanzania Favorites, Last and Final Part, Promise.

2011-03-02T11:43:00.001-08:00

We had such a marvelous experience in Tanzania that we are compelled to post even more pictures. Yes, it’s a lot from our Tanzanian travels, but you should see how many we started with! Last of 3.

The pink blurry stuff in the background of the following picture is tons of flamingos. Elephant, wildebeest and wart hog are in the foreground.

A typical home for people from the Masai Tribe. Even today. Our lodge in the most beautiful of settings on Lake Ndutu….

We heard the lions roaring in the middle of the night from our ‘home’ in the next photo. Serena Lodge in the Serengeti National Park.

Tanzania Favorites Part 2

2011-03-01T01:17:00.001-08:00

Whoever said that less is more hasn’t been to Tanzania! Here are more of our favs…part 2 of 3.

Tanzania Favorites Part 1

2011-03-01T00:44:00.001-08:00

We couldn’t finalize our Tanzania postings without including some of our favorite pictures that we haven’t already featured. This is a very tough one as we like so many of the photos. They are in no particular order. Part 1 of 3.

Ngorongoro Crater

2011-02-23T22:29:00.001-08:00

This ancient caldera holds some of Tanzania’s greatest animal life within it‘s walls. It was one of the many gigantic volcanoes in the area in ancient times, but collapsed to form a self-contained eco system supporting an abundance of wild animals. Although these animals can move freely in and out of the crater, they don’t. They have all they need there….plenty of food, and water. This was another highlight of our Tanzania stay and here are some of our favorite pictures from our two descents into the crater.

This is the lodge where we stayed on the rim of the crater. v

A very full…..or pregnant spotted hyena.

Many lions…..close enough to touch…..but, we didn’t!

Who would have guessed that ostriches live here?

We saw lots of newborns……within hours of their birth already walking. Were you aware that vultures love placentas?

Black rhino….our very first look at this prehistoric looking beast.

Masai warriors have permission to graze their cattle in Ngorongoro, but must leave every night for their homes just outside the crater. They walk amongst cape buffalo, rhino, lion, elephant, hippo with only a large stick as protection.

Eland are part of the bovine family and are very shy and difficult to see. We were out very early one morning and had a few minutes with this beauty.

This guy had the largest tusks of any of the elephants we saw while in Africa. They went all the way to the ground. Unfortunately, this is very rare as the elephants with the DNA that produce mammoth tusks have been hunted to near extinction. Why do people want so much ivory? Even today.

Better get up little one………hungry lions are close by. Look closely….there are Hippos in the water ……(many more pics of the #1 dangerous animal to come)

Even a baby Cape Buffalo is cute. Ngorongoro Crater - An amazing place!

The Great Migration

2011-02-22T22:59:00.001-08:00

It’s the natural world’s last massive movement of animals and one of the most amazing spectacles to see in person. Two to 3 million Wildebeest, Zebras, Thompson Gazelles, and Elands have been migrating from the Southern Serengeti grasslands of Tanzania, to the Northern Masai Mara of Kenya for eons. They move as the rains come and go and provided the backdrop for another awe inspiring adventure for us.

Many visitors only want to see the river crossings (and the crocs eating the wildebeest and zebra) but the true sight is when all the animals fill the entire stretch of landscape. We had been reading and hearing about this phenomenon our whole lives, and suddenly we were where we wanted to be - in the middle of it. 360 degrees around our vehicle, as far as we could see in all directions there were literally 10s of thousands of animals in our view. And no people. Looks like the zebras and wildebeest are extremely comfortable with each other’s company……what do you think?

The timing and location of this never ending journey can’t be determined exactly and it changes depending on the rains and grass growth. Year after year the animals let mother nature tell them when and where to go. They follow their most basic instincts. We were very fortunate to have picked a fantastic base to witness this natural calling. Will this annual trek continue for time eternal? No one knows for sure, and the struggle between the humans and animals continues, but the animals seemed very healthy to us and we even saw some brand new babies being born.

Of course, the predators take advantage of the influx and abundance of animals. It’s harsh, but it’s part of this natural cycle.

It is an amazing show that we would recommend for anyone wanting to see if for themselves.

Hakuna Matata

2011-02-18T10:46:00.001-08:00

Remember the movie The Lion King? The animated film from the 90s? We couldn’t help think of it as we safaried through the Serengeti. When we saw the rocky outcroppings some of the scenes came to mind. There is no doubt that the animators thoroughly studied the Serengeti’s topography and wildlife. It was a perfect match.

Remember the phrase and the song Hakuna Matata from the same movie? Hakuna Matata is Swahili for No Problem. When we first caught glimpse of the lions lounging on the rocks, it was easy to think that they live the life of hakuna matata. Up close and in personal these wild kings and queens of the jungle exude strength and power. To say that we were in awe only begins to describe our experiences with these super sized kitties.

It was due to our expert driver/guide that we were able to observe loads of lions and several different prides. In Tanzania, alone, we had 6 completely different encounters watching the big cats. We felt so fortunate to have the time to relax and really take them in as well as to discuss the lion’s plight.

These massive beauties don’t have any natural predators, they sleep for 21 hours a day and when mating they do it every hour or so for a week. Looks and sounds like hakuna matata doesn’t it? That‘s not the whole story, not by a long shot. Their existence is hanging by a thread. We weren’t surprised, but saddened, to learn that they are on the Red List of Threatened Species of the World. Most of the lions living in the wild have been reintroduced. Humans decimated the free ranging lion by killing 80-90% of their population in the last 50 years. And Africans have wiped out their habitat by converting it to farm land.

Cub survival rate is low due to availability of food and competition amongst males. After battling it out for superiority in a pride, a male lion will kill any cubs in the pride that aren’t his. Until recently, the Maasi tribe of Tanzania practiced killing a lion as a rite of passage to manhood. Hakuna matata for the life of a lion? Hardly.

It was an honor to have spent so much time with them. We watched them hanging out and digesting after their meal, also playing and even mating. We even had a very close encounter with a few of them where we were tempted to reach out and pet them, but we didn‘t! And to top it all off, we heard roaring in the middle of the night on two separate occasions. Meow….

History Repeats

2011-02-11T07:31:00.001-08:00

Note: This post is out of order with our itinerary. We got caught up in our enthusiasm for our safari adventures in Africa and had to write about them as soon as we could. Bethlehem is a bit more complex to sum up then our animal sightings.

Bethlehem. This name conjures up, for us, the birthplace of Christ, the manger, shining stars, wise men and their gifts, peace on earth, goodwill towards men. For our entire lives, in our minds eye, Bethlehem has been placed on a pedestal. It’s the place where Christianity started. Where a baby was born that would became the man whom millions and millions now revere and believe is the only path to heaven. It’s got to be a very special place. Doesn‘t it? With anticipation of a relaxed, mellow, spiritual experience we set out to catch the bus to Bethlehem.

We were told that only ‘Arab’ buses or private cabs go to Bethlehem. Buses are much more fun so we went to the Arab section of Jerusalem and boarded an Arab bus bound for the town we’d heard about since before we could talk. We were aware that Bethlehem is located in the West Bank and that Israel is building a wall around it. Even though we’d already seen the people divider from afar it was still incredibly shocking to see it up close and personal. It is in-your-face immense; with huge concrete slabs in some areas and high barbed wire fences in others. It’s more then a wall. It looks like it was designed to withstand a large scale bomb attack. Israel is definitely protecting itself as if they are at war. Our short journey to Bethlehem, so far, certainly didn’t live up to the fantasy that our childhood bible study teachers helped to create.

The second our bus crossed the border to the West Bank, things were poorer, dirtier and friendlier. To our observations, Muslims make less money, don’t care about trash in their streets, but smile lots more then Jews and Christians. We made our way to all the important sights; the cave where Christ was born, the cave where Mary nursed Jesus, and the hill where the star shined on the shepherds.

The historical and religious significance of this area wasn‘t lost on us, but it was the wall that fascinated us the most. The obvious separation that the wall creates is what made us stop and go hummm. The holy sights were basically churches built over the ground where certain events are deemed to have happened. And we’d seen lots of churches in the previous 9 months. As it was just a few days before Christmas, the passageways were very crowded, stinky and hot; not at all the peaceful and tranquil afternoon we had in mind.

The graffiti and spray paint art on the wall (on the West Bank side) was riveting. We read all of the English language markings and decoded the drawings. It was blatantly obvious that the wall is not a symbol to the Palestinians as one of cooperation, communication or community.

Passing through security back to the Israeli side was equally as surprising as the wall. We stood in the long slow line amongst some Palestinians who told us they do this everyday to go back and forth from their homes to their work. We only had to deal with the delays and the crowds once and were frustrated. We felt loads of empathy for these people and their plight for this daily hassle just to put food on their families tables. We learned that until a man is 30 years old and has a wife and a child he is unable to cross the boundary into Israel. (Ethnic Profiling.) It’s such a waste not to allow a young man to try to find work in the more prosperous side of the land.

We recognize that Israel has dealt with a major loss of life due to the suicide bombers from the West Bank and the wall is meant to protect them. We feel for both sides. We find it ironic, though, that just 65-70 years ago, Jewish people were put behind walls and imprisoned in their own communities. And today we wonder why the world let it happen. It seems now they are doing something similar to the Palestinians. If it wasn’t right to do then, is it right to do now?

What we thought was going to be a serene day of touring Bethlehem turned into a day of odorous crowds and worse smelling political policies. We would never deny that Israel deserves to live in peace in it’s own state. We just believe that this wall is not the real solution to achieve this goal. In 1989, a similar wall fall. The Berlin wall. 40 years of keeping people separate crumbled in to a heap of rubble, marking a new dawn and the end of a tragic era. Do we ever learn from history? Or just repeat it? Walls don’t need be built, policies need to change. On both sides of this issue. No wall can replace common sense, discussion and negotiation.

Our Driver’s Favorite Animal – Can you Guess?

2011-02-07T12:37:00.001-08:00

Our driver was keen to find his favorite animal for us. He loves to share his love for this creature and was extra motivated as we’d read that this particular mammal likes the area that we were in. The grass was the right height for maximum viewing opportunities. All eyes were on the look out.

Which animal is it??? Try to guess…..

The reasons our guide likes this animal are that their tear stripes are really beautiful (and functional – they reduce glare) and the momma spends a long time teaching her young ones how to hunt.
They are built for speed and can run up to 70 mph.
They’re elegant and graceful.
They have lots of spots.

Have you guessed yet?

That’s right……Cheetahs……….And boy did we see cheetahs…..

Bachelor Brothers:

Look closely, they’re there, under the tree in the shade: Momma with cubs, looking for dinner:

The cubs have spotted their dinner but they don’t know what to do with it so they just watch: Momma on the hunt:

This time she got her target (we watched another time when she missed):

Providing for her family. She’s a good mom with three hungry cubs:

After watching these beautiful creatures hunt, stalk, kill, eat, groom, play, sleep and run we can see why Richard, our driver, likes them as much as he does. We like them too!

Reality Bites

2011-02-03T11:24:00.001-08:00

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we saw a kill unfold in front of us“, we naively said to our driver/guide. He informed us, wisely, that because we were in the area for only a short amount of time, it is a rare sight and only if one is really lucky will one witness a hunt and kill. We hoped to be one of the fortunate few but knew that we would only see what we would see; nothing more. And sometimes when you aren’t looking; you see the most.

We left Lake Maynara National Park and headed to the southern end of the Great Migration with approximately 3 million migrating animals. We’d been driving for several hours and looking for any and all animal activity as we headed to our new lodge.

The roads were rough but even as we were jostling and bouncing, we were having a great time spotting lots of various game; when all of a sudden………….. Not one but two Thompson Gazelles are running right toward our truck. At full speed. With jackels in focused pursuit. WHAT?!!? Are we seeing what we think we’re seeing? With no time for our minds to process the scene, we were watching two jackels chase a young gazelle with a mama gallantly trying to protect her offspring. It was futile for her, as she can only chase one jackel at a time and they used a strategic, coordinated effort.

Eventually we watch, agog, as the jackels knock down the baby gazelle and start tearing a hole in it’s belly. An organ, probably a lung, along with lots of gut juice come spilling out. When next, to our astonishment and disbelief, we see the little gazelle actually get up and scurry away. With it’s intestines falling out. It kicked and wailed and struggled and screamed and wailed some more. This little gazelle fought so hard to live. But there was no end other then the obvious. The jackels would have their dinner. We watched, not 20 feet in front of our truck, with mouths agape as they devoured, divided in half and buried the remaining carcass. It was an unbelievable scene.

Our guide informed us that antelope, fortunately, have really short memories and it wouldn’t be too long before mama Thompson gazelle would cheerfully go about eating her vegies. We don’t know if that is true, or if they’ve actually studied antelopes retention span, but it was what we needed to hear. To us, she looked very sad and pitiful.

We got our wish…..a hunt and a kill. There’s more, way more. Stay tuned. Be careful what you wish for.

A Dream Come True - The First of our Safaris

2011-02-01T00:56:00.001-08:00

Giddy can’t even begin to describe how we felt when we touched down in Arusha, Tanzania. Our dreams of an African safari were finally coming true. We had been fantasizing, talking, and researching this for years, and it was the primary reason for taking our year long journey. We were ecstatic to be starting a month of Eastern African fun and adventure.

Our safari was starting in Kindegarten we were advised by our tour operator. We would start with safari 101. Lake Maynara National Park would be our primer for an epic Tanzanian experience. A short drive outside of the big city of Arusha, the park is part of the Great Rift Valley (where two gigantic tectonic plates came together to form Africa) and has a little bit of everything - thick forests, wet jungles, dry savannah, a huge lake and all of the various critters that are found in each of those eco zones.

Check out those elephants! Did you catch a glimpse of those giraffe! Look at that size of that lion! Oh my gosh, it’s a wart hog! That bird is gorgeous! Those baboons are so cute! There’s a bunch of wildebeest! Everything was a first for us and we went crazy with pictures. In our two days at this park we snapped almost 1000 pictures. Our guide must have been rolling his eyes. He knew what was coming over the next 10 days. We didn’t. We filled the memory card and drained the battery. Little did we know that our excursion through the southern end of the great migration was going to get better and better.

We thoroughly explored the park - from our vehicle, on foot and by bicycle. We were in hog heaven!

Our camera lense is not very powerful. No SLR for this trip. Yes! We were that close to the lions! And elephants… Finally, we’re in Africa. Pinch us. A dream come true.

How We Spent the Holidays. In Israel.

2011-01-29T07:48:00.001-08:00

The date was the only visible reminder that the holidays were approaching. While we were in Jerusalem there were no 50% off sales, no interest free promotions, no blinking lights, no gaudy decorations, no big green trees in living room windows, no rushing around, nothing. It could’ve been any time of the year. It was a relief to be in a region of the world that doesn’t celebrate the biggest shopping holiday or Jesus’ birthday like we do in the United States, but there was something that was lacking for us. We missed the lights of the season. Day time is so short in December that the extra lights on homes, in store windows and on city trees help chase away some of winter’s darkness. It was a noticeable absence. We like the pretty lights!

At the last minute we decided to drive north for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We’d already been to Bethlehem (more later) so we thought what the heck and headed to the town where Jesus came of age, Nazareth. Nazareth was intriguing also because it was making headlines with it’s controversial mayor (a Muslim) saying something about banning Christmas trees and cancelling Christmas. What is Christmas in Israel without some hullabaloo?!? It turned out to be a flippant comment that the press blew out of proportion. Surprise, surprise.

We arrived as 10% of the town’s population was celebrating Christmas with a parade through downtown. We’ve never seen so many people dressed in santa suits. Walmart has nothing on Nazareth at Christmas for selling the cheapest, crappiest, holiday junk. Christmas seemed to be more about celebrating with cheesy costumes, balloons and hats then it’s religious significance. Sound familiar?

Along with the Arab Muslim onlookers, we watched an outdoor church service in which there was a Christian sermon by an Arab minister and carolers singing the popular Christmas songs, in Arabic. After watching a huge firework display we walked around and noticed that most people were in their homes getting ready to celebrate with friends and family with a barbequed meal. Charcoal grills were fired up and the smell of burnt carcass was in the air. Peeking in windows and witnessing all the family gatherings bought on a level of loneliness that we rarely felt during our travels. We missed our loved ones more then ever as we watched people getting together to share a holiday meal. Here we were in Nazareth, Israel, two of the very few white people in town, being ripped off by our hotel‘s Christmas pricing, with no ability to bake or cook a meal and with no friends or relatives to share the love. We were homesick. The tall, decked out tree in the middle of town helped us feel a bit more at home. After being in anti-Christmas Jerusalem, it was refreshing to be able to say Merry Christmas and not feel out of place. At least one thing felt normal.

For the week between Christmas and New Years, our destinations included the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and the Dead Sea. It was nature and the more recent history that interested us more so then the religious history, but it was intriguing to see the famous “Jesus Path”. We saw where he was baptized, preached, chose his disciples, gave the sermon on the Mount, turned water into wine, fed the masses with 5 loaves of bread, and walked on water. Tour groups and tour buses converge on these sights and of course, the obligatory souvenir shops. This part of our Israeli experience was to get outside and hike, bird and enjoy the wide open spaces.

During this year of travel, we sought out and embraced the lifestyle differences around the world, but this holiday we desired some familiarity. Christmas wasn’t quite what we expected, but we thought New Year’s Eve, for sure, would be something more like we were used to. Not in Israel. Not even in Tel Aviv. In Israel, if it isn’t a Jewish holiday, it doesn’t get celebrated. Even the changing of one year to the next. The calendar the world runs on is a Christian calendar, we were reminded. I’ve never thought of it as having a religious meaning, but yes, technically it is a Christian based calendar. Ignorantly, we thought everyone celebrated on New Years Eve. Even though Tel Aviv revelry was hard to find, we made the best of it, and had a party for 2 and then found a bar owned by a Brit that caters to American and British tourists. We listened to an extremely loud live band (maybe we’re too old) and then brought 2011 in from the peaceful shores of Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean.

As the holidays go, they were ok. The retail pressure was wonderful not to be around. Not hearing holiday songs until we played them from our iPod on the 24th was fantastic. Seeing where Jesus spent most of his life was fascinating. Not having to bundle up in winter gear was refreshing. And thankfully there is Skype. Being able to Skype with our family and a few friends helped get us through the loneliest period of our year away.

Jerusalem

2011-01-23T21:22:00.001-08:00

It’s difficult to describe Jerusalem. It’s so many things rolled into one: the capital city of the Jewish state of Israel, the holiest city for the Christian faithful, and Islam’s 2nd most revered site. And to complicate matters, part of it most probably will eventually be the future capital city of the future state of Palestine. To describe this city as complex and intense is an understatement. We left Jerusalem with various impressions with the main one being that even though there might be some agreement as to what Jerusalem was, what Jerusalem will be will take compromise and that is a concept only a few seem willing to embrace.

There are several reasons Israel made it on our itinerary. Although we don’t classify ourselves as religious pilgrims we were curious to see the settings of the Bible stories that we learned as kids. Because the US spends billions & billions of our tax dollars on Israel we felt it was important to include and could help us understand why. And, it provided as close as we were going to get to a western culture for awhile and would make a good base for us to plan the last few months of our trip.

We spent 11 days in Jerusalem out of our 20 days in Israel. We tried to take in a wide variety of sights and sounds in order to develop a well rounded opinion of this city. We toured The Knesset (servers a similar function that our Senate Building does). We walked around university campuses. We read the newspapers. Went to the West Bank (Bethlehem), and contemplated the gigantic wall that Israel is building for the separation of the two areas. Were speechless over the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Shopped like locals. Walked Jesus’ path of crucifixion. Saw a movie. Walked through an Arab section of town. Saw several of Jesus’ burial chambers. We toured the Holocaust Museum. We were fascinated by the Western Wall where the faithful Jewish people pray. We marveled over the beauty of the Golden Dome of the Rock that is located next to the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

Even though we tried to have a real cross section of experiences, we found ourselves up to our eyeballs in religion; religious fashion, religious history, prayer books, prayer practices, places of worship, religious leaders, religious symbols and religious wars. We even felt guilty as we cursed a town in which you have to keep track of which days certain sections of the city are closed, for religious reasons.

The obvious emotional reactions that many of the devout pilgrims have at the various sites around Jerusalem is quite moving. It’s fascinating to watch people become so overwhelmed over a piece of rock or slab of stone. We’re happy that it’s deeply moving to them. While witnessing all of the blatantly devout followers of the various faiths, and knowing that there are millions of believers for each we asked ourselves two questions: Can’t there be multiple paths to heaven and how religious does one have to be to deserve a spot there?

And why fight over it? So much of our months of travel has been about bloody struggles over religions. Over the centuries, many populations have been forced to convert from one set of beliefs to another or pay with their lives. To us, that isn’t what religion should be about, but it seems it has been and will continue to be a struggle for power, control and riches. Sounds similar to governments, doesn’t it?

We picked up the local paper in English, and were fascinated by the opinions and articles describing the current times in Israel. Every possible opinion was expressed. Most of them leading us to conclude that the elusive “Peace” between the Israelis and Palestinians is as far away as ever. While we were there we read several opinion polls that indicate that both Jews and Arabs really don’t like or trust each other. Believe it or not, we could feel that energy. The feeling of love is not in the air in Jerusalem.

There is a glimmer of hope. A vocal Jewish group is dedicated to a land swap in order to obtain a peace treaty. They are a minority at this point, but are growing in numbers. We hope they succeed. Both Israel and Palestine should exist together with peace and security….in our humble opinions.

In the old historical section of Jerusalem (where Jesus was crucified and buried, where Mohammed had his dream, where the second Jewish temple was) there is a Jewish quarter, a Christian quarter, a Muslim quarter, and an Armenian quarter. On the edges of these quarters people of each faith somewhat mingle and seem to tolerate each other. We wish this same cooperation could be extended to all of Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We don’t understand why they both can’t peacefully co-exist. We think they both should enjoy the historical and important area….together.

With all the Israeli soldiers and guards carrying automatic weapons our awareness was heightened as well. Our heart rates and blood pressure were elevated pretty much all the time when we were out and about. The security in and around Israel is the toughest we’ve seen. Security checks and guns were everywhere - shopping malls, coffee shops, restaurants, movie theaters, sacred sites ….pretty much everywhere. We were amazed how we were searched on entry to most public locations.

Our landlord for our Jerusalem stay was Reva Mann. Reva is the accomplished author of “The Rabbis Daughter” and a very wonderful host. We met her one night for a glass of wine and she admitted that although she doesn’t want to live anywhere else, she is scared with the situation today. She pointed across the street from our location and told us of a suicide bomber that killed many people just a few years ago. If she rides public transportation she thoroughly looks around to see if anyone looks like they might be a terrorist with intent to blow up the bus.

Jerusalem could be a beacon for the world in its representation as a holy city for all faiths. Imagine if people of every religion could come here to pray and pay their respects without fear, and persecution. “Some may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one“…….

Petra’s People

2011-01-18T01:28:00.001-08:00

Where does one go to meet a goat herder who lives in a cave? Or a second generation Palestine refugee who’s father was expelled from Israel? Or a Veterinarian and part time restaurant owner who insists on sharing a cup of tea? Or to see one of the newest wonders of the world? Where else but Jordan.

It was high on our list of destinations because of the unique city of Petra, but we had no idea that it would be the people that would leave us raving over the country of Jordan.

Our introduction to the warm people of this small kingdom began with our guide, Abdullah. He is a charming and funny guy; part Palestinian and part Jordanian. As the result of one of the many Israel and Palestine conflicts his father lost his land and Abdullah still carries lots of bitterness over the situation. He freely expresses his love for Jordan, and longs for the freedom to travel to Palestine to visit his extended family. He is hopeful that someday he will, but in the meantime he is busy planning for his wedding, where he thinks there will be somewhere around 2,500 guests. And we thought the wedding industry in the USA was out of control!

We set out the next day for Petra, an ancient city carved out of solid sandstone. The Nabataean people carved this city in a narrow rift in the rocks, and proceeded to create their mother city. The original carved stone sites are a phenomenon to behold and are amazingly still largely intact. We spent two days exploring all the nooks and crannies, braved a harsh sand storm, and were thoroughly impressed with the area.

On our second day at Petra, we hiked into the site from the back gate and had a long walk down a winding road. A local goat herder named Ali was walking the same way so we naturally started to talk with him. He literally lives in a cave within the Petra historical site, herds goats for a living, and speaks really good English! He’s in his twenties, wears a turban with jeans and was in a hurry because he needed to light a fire for his goats, especially the two day old twins. He laughed when we joked about him being a proud papa. He admitted that he was very pleased and concerned about them as it was colder then expected. He pointed out some sites in Petra which few tourists see and gave us his interpretation of some of the symbols. He genuinely seemed to be a kind hearted human being and was tolerant of our 5 words we knew in Arabic. Never did we anticipate that we’d hike with a young turban wearing goat herder in Jordan……wow…..it was a memorable experience to say the least.

After having a delicious meal at a local restaurant, Ali the Veterinarian and part time restaurant owner, invited us to sit with him for tea. He wanted us to know that 85% of the Jordanian people are college educated, most for free. After some probing, he admitted that the country is full of under employed young people and that the education isn’t actually free. The fees come from somewhere. He also stressed that their health care system is available to anyone, and that their leader King Abdullah is admired for all he has done for the working people. He is an intelligent well read man who obviously loves his country and wants to dispel myths the western world has about his homeland and the Middle East. His English was impeccable as he travels extensively with an organization that helps people care for their working animals. We found him to be another sweetheart of a person, and another example of generous Jordanian hospitality.

We loved the distinctive city of Petra, but even more impressive were the people. The hospitality and the warm nature of the Jordanian people made us feel very welcome and we’re glad we made the effort to visit a tiny corner of their country.

Crazy Cairo

2011-01-13T07:18:00.001-08:00

All we needed were two bottles of drinking water to insure that we had no more issues with nasty bugs during our travels. Here’s our story….

To set the scene: It was a night time arrival in Cairo, a city with close to 20 million people, but no one really knows for sure. We’d just had peaceful stay in Delphi, Greece which has just over 500 people…..if that. So it was, yet another, major culture shock. After checking into our hotel, we made our move to get bottled water. No way were we going to pay hotel prices. Little did we know that the inexpensive water we had yet to buy would cost so much. In stress.

The first challenge was to get past security. Even to leave the hotel we had to pass bomb sniffing dogs and multiple guards with automatic weapons.

Next we had to fend off the aggressive vendors trying to sell us taxi rides, Egyptian Ferrari rides (you guessed it, a donkey pulling a carriage), and miniature versions of a pharaoh, queen or another ancient deity.

We spot a late night convenience store on the other side of the Nile, yes THE Nile. The one we’ve heard about all our lives. This little errand might be kind of fun after all. Except that the store is across an eight lane street with no pedestrian walk ways nor lights. Holy S%$t! There are wall-to-wall cars and NO lanes. To us, there is little, if any, discernable order to where the cars should be. The road is full of vehicles and it’s 11:00 at night! Do we really need the water this bad?

We decide to use the locals as teachers as well as shields. They make it look doable, so with steely nerves we step out into the oncoming traffic that only slows down at the very last second, if they really have to. At least if anyone is hit, we won’t be first. We make it half way.

Teetering on the very skinny median in the middle of this madness we question again if we need the water this badly. Yes, we do - it’s $5 for a half liter bottle! One more time we wait for the locals to move. We are right behind them. Ready? Go…now. We make it across.

We had no idea that we were going to take our lives in our hands, but we did make it, one way, and bought two big jugs of fine Egyptian bottled water. We will not go thirsty nor get giardia again.

It’s hard to believe that we have to repeat the bloc and shield technique to get back to our hotel. Once more we line ourselves up with the locals. Ready….set…..go. To the median first then quickly to the other side. Whew, we made it. Oh oh, something is missing. WHERE THE HELL IS AMY? Wasn’t she right behind me? One of the first rules of travel is don’t forget your wife. For a split second I forgot mine. She’s all the way on opposite side of this ridiculous street. I look at her….she looks at me. She doesn’t look happy. This is not good.

I watch as she tries multiple times to get through the fast cars, but the traffic is non stop and there are no locals in sight. And she’s pissed. Fortunately I find another local, repeat the process, and finally get to my honey. She’s not a happy camper to say the least. So….once again we shadow the locals (with Amy on my hip)…..and make it across. Eventually she forgives me.

The next day we tell our guide, who is from Cairo, what we had done. He said that even he would not attempt to do what we did, and that Cairo’s streets are completely insane. Especially for pedestrians. Yes they are. Couldn't he have told us that before?

Egypt – What Happened? A Rant

2011-01-05T11:15:00.001-08:00

As travelers from North America, we’re well aware that our standards are different. Not better, just different. Ok, maybe sometimes better, but we try hard to keep an open mind. It’s not easy and often we have to remind each other to only observe and not to judge. As a change of pace, for this post, we’re breaking our rules (again) and going to sit in our easy chair and armchair quarterback the best we know how. And, we’re breaking the 11th commandment again as well by comparing. This time the Egyptians are on the hot seat...

In the 5000 years since the early Egyptians rose to greatness, the once impressive, innovative society seems to have lost it’s way and is now far from being great. Modern Egypt as compared to Ancient Egypt - What the heck happened?

From our previous post, you know that we had a fabulous time in Egypt. We loved everything ancient and even though it was temporarily off limits, the waters of the Red Sea. We’re happy that we went. This post is about the things that we found to be not so glowing. Frankly some of present day Egypt left us speechless. Be warned; we are on the proverbial soap box for this one….

It’s hard not be wowed by the ancient Egyptians. For the era, they were a very advanced society. Their architectural inventions, their artwork, the way they engineered the sandy barren land to produce food, their creativity in worshipping their gods and goddesses, their development of hieroglyphics for telling stories and communicating…. A civilization to behold.

What happened? In our opinion, Egypt could be so much more. With it’s natural resources, control of the Suez canal, “free” elections, and tourist industry; it could set the bar high for the rest of Middle East and, for that matter, the World just as they did way way back when. Centuries ago, they established their culture with such gusto but it seems they aren’t able to keep any kind of pace with progress. In fact, current Egypt is lagging, by a long shot.

The architecture is boring, dumpy, ugly; functional at best. The glorious temples and mammoth tombs have been mostly surpassed with boxy, mundane, hurry-up construction. We found one shining exception, the Alexandria Library. The library is a glimmer of the ancient greatness with a contemporary twist. It is a unique structure and has a sense of the pride that we think Egypt could have once again. It was designed to look like the rising sun and to harness the sunlight by filtering it just the right amount to light the interior. We hope that Alexandria and the rest of Egypt uses it’s symbolism to emerge to glory once again.

Their lack of concern for the environment is condemnable. Oil is cheap and abundant so there is no concern over how many cars are on the road or for controlling emissions and pollution standards. The air around Cairo is disgusting. It’s like Los Angeles in the early 70s. The technology exists to have clean skies. Why aren’t they using it?

And the litter…..don’t get us started. It’s really awful; some of the worst we’ve seen in the world. How could they dump their trash in the Nile? Don’t they realize that the world reveres their river? Or that it feeds them? That it is their light (literally and figuratively)? Maybe the Egyptians of the 3000s BC were litterbugs too. In those days people’s waste was more like compost. These are the days of plastic and toxins and the present day Egyptians haven’t changed their disposal methods. Way too many people still dump their rubbish (plastic and petroleum based products) in the river, on the side of the road, down a ravine. And nobody seems to mind.
As a suggestion; why not pay the unemployed a fair amount for every kilo of liter they pick up. The streets and river would be clean and they’d have some spending money.

And it’s a pathetic shame the way they treat their work animals. What happened to the reverence they paid to them once upon a time? It’s hard for us to look at the camels, horses and mules that are beaten and underfed. Please, if you go to Egypt and pay for any service that involves these beasts of burden, pick ones that are treated with respect. If you see someone beating their horse, take a carriage ride with someone that doesn’t use a whip. If you see ribs and hip bones, choose another animal and, if possible, tell the abuser why you’re not selecting them. We don’t understand why this problem is so rampant when the animals put food on their table and clothes on their backs. Fortunately, there are good samaritans that try to educate people on how to treat animals. But we have to ask, why does a society, especially one that had such an illustrious beginning have to be taught how to treat helpless creatures? We were so relieved when we met one veteranian that provides free healthcare to any donkey or horse that is in need. Thank goodness, some people take advantage of his services.

Has corruption at all levels always been the prevailing cultural norm? Were the pharaohs and nobles on the take the same as today’s leaders? Did working class Egyptians from long ago expect handouts like they do today? We learned that the pay is so dismal that most of people working at the tourist sites expect a few coins for doing nothing but pointing the way to an obvious site. Even the ones with automatic weapons do it! It’s called Baksheesh. Everyone seems to have their hand out.

Through our conversations with our guides and other locals and by listening to the news, it’s well known that the highest government officials are on the take. So, we’re sure that it’s a systemic problem. The leaders are teaching the rest of Egyptian society how to behave. We’re guessing that this pervasive corruption is the root of many of Egypt’s issues. If the high ranking officials didn’t keep so much for themselves there would be more then enough budget to address our complaints.

Most local Egyptians don’t blink an eye at this stuff so this is definitely just a soap box moment for us. From our interactions with local people we learned that the corruption worries them, the environment and pollution don’t bother them, the animal cruelty is just the way it is and, in general, most people are too poor to think about architecture and design.

We’re stepping off the soap box now. We’re retiring from being quarterbacks. Thanks for this indulgence. Although some of what we’ve seen isn’t pretty it is all so interesting. Even with all of our moaning and groaning we are so glad we included an ancient Egyptian adventure on our itinerary.

Why Egypt?

2011-01-02T23:11:00.001-08:00

Ever since we were kids we have both wanted to go. Amy’s fifth grade teacher introduced her to Egypt by making her do a multi-media project. Pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphics were included, of course. A memorable assignment, albeit difficult, but it put Egypt firmly on her must see list. Steve grew up with a picture, proudly displayed in his childhood home, of his Mother on a camel at the pyramids. Throughout her life she filled his ears on her ‘fabulous and wonderful’ adventures in Egypt and he had to see for himself what the fuss was all about.

For this portion of the trip, we reached out for help with the itinerary. We were exhausted from planning and needed to splurge on a travel agent. We found one that would create the itinerary we wanted, book the hotels, hire the guides, and coordinate the logistics. We worked it out so that we had all of the evenings and a couple of days free, but for the rest of the time we were little followers. It was fabulous. Usually we don’t like being told where to go and what to do, but for our 14 days in Egypt it was perfect. Our drivers, guides and hosts not only took care of us but they also ’got real’ with us about current events in Egypt. With regard to the elections, the corruption, Israel, USA, and the rest of the Middle East we got an earful. It was hard to pay the travel agent’s bill, but at this stage in the trip, we needed help and it was worth it.

We started in Cairo (more in an up-coming post). Seeing the pyramids up close was intense. The Great pyramid is mind boggling huge. It was also a little weird that they were right at the edge of the crazy city of Cairo. To touch, climb and enter them was quite a thrill. And to ride a camel near them was even better! It was all very touristy, but what the heck, we’re not going to be by this way again. Let’s ride a camel, in Egypt, next to the pyramids!

Birds! Finally we were seeing birds! (There is a disturbing lack of birds along the Mediterranean and we missed the little buggers.) Being on the Nile meant wildlife. With binoculars and camera in hand, we spent our time on the top deck of our river cruise boat looking at anything with wings. Our favorite was the striking, black and white, Pied Kingfisher. Beautiful!

The reason why there is so much known about the ancient Egyptian culture is due to the elaborate tombs that were found. Their belief in the afterlife and the bounty of objects left in these tombs to provide for their safe journey onward, are a fascinating science and a tourists delight. We saw the Egyptian Museum which is literally overflowing with and sinking under the weight of this priceless bounty. The most famous of these finds is that of the boy pharaoh, King Tut. His entire tomb, all of the contents and each layer of his coffins are on display. The collection is so large that it took us hours just for this part of the museum. Over 100 pair of sandals, 4 horse carriages, enough food to feed an army…….you get the idea. We also went into tons of other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Noble’s tombs, tombs of people like you and me. The artwork and settings were stunning, but something didn’t feel right about all this tomb touring. Weren’t we just as bad as the grave robbers? Isn’t this desecration of their spirits masked as education? It was uncomfortable and so interesting. We thanked each soul as we passed through their tomb.

What a tease, the Red Sea. The water beaconed to us. The vivid gilled wildlife called to us so they could show off their vibrant spots and stripes. But no. It was not meant to be. A wayward shark had found it’s way to this portion of the Sinai peninsula and was doing what nature told it to do - eat. The beaches were closed to all water activities, except scuba diving. We had planned 3 days at the resort community of Sharm El Sheikh along the Red Sea as it is famed for it’s coral and colorful fish. Timing is everything and our trip landed in the midst of a shark problem. The shark was biting people (taking arms and legs) and had killed one person. So we could only long for the water. Instead we played ping pong, admired the fish from the surface, planned our time in Israel and Africa and enjoyed the resort. Steve was able to scuba dive and thought the soft corals and masses of fish were as he had heard - fantastic and he highly recommends it.

Egypt is known for all the temples left by the Pharaohs throughout the 3,000 years of their rule. They are simply awesome. The size and grandeur of these places of ancient prayer were highlights of the trip. The amount and variety of gods that were worshipped required many temples to be created. And, of course, they needed the appropriate and proportional space for animal and human sacrifices! One of our favorite temples is Abu Simbel. Dedicated to the pharaoh Ramesses II, it was completely moved in 1964. This 4-year effort required the cutting, dismantling, and reassembling of all the pieces of the ancient sandstone monument. It was moved to a higher location because a new dam was built and the waters from the Nile would flood the existing sight. The temple and location are unbelievable. Add to that the museum about the salvage effort made it worth the effort to get there (planes, buses, cars). Thank you Egypt for the amazing feat of engineering and archeological preservation.

Our Egypt goals have been fulfilled. To get to see bits and pieces of an ancient civilization that we’ve spent most of our lives marveling about is extremely satisfying. The pharaohs, tombs and temples did not disappoint; many other things did, however, and we will post that next. As things go, nothing is as perfect as the 5th grader in all of us want them to be.

Stones of Antiquity

2010-12-29T12:15:00.001-08:00

To some they might only be old rocks, to others they are worthy of studying, numbering, and restoring. To us, ancient ruins are a great excuse to be outside (instead of in a museum) and good exercise for the imagination. In addition to scrambling over lots of aged rubble, we’ve viewed and gawked at the artifacts behind glass, read the super condensed version of histories, and downloaded movies (300, Troy, Alexander the Great). We need all types of media to keep us interested and engaged! So far we’ve pieced together the long-gone civilizations of the Mycenaeans, Nabataeans, Greeks and Romans. (Egyptians deserve their own post.).

All of the old stones tell the story of how they lived, died, why the existed for as long as they did, how they defended themselves, and why they ceased to exist.

One thing they all have in common is that each of these proud cultures have come and gone. They don’t exist any longer. We pondered if they knew they wouldn’t last forever. Many times we also wondered how long will the current societies, as we know them, continue to endure?

What will the future traveler say about the cultures that live today. Will the earth end up a tourist destination and a major architectural dig? For that matter, what evidence will we leave for those visitors to learn about us? We hope it is more then several trillion tons of plastic bottles and bags and a bunch of nuclear waste.

What stones are we leaving behind?

Mr. Blue Eyes

2010-12-24T12:38:00.001-08:00

It was immediately noticeable. And surprising. References to him were everywhere – posters, banners, amulets, framed pictures. It was plain to see that Turks are in love with their first president, Mustafa Kemal. We were amazed at the adoration. It seemed his persona was perfect to the local people and, to us, something about it seemed over the top. A infallible politician? No way. Why was there so much of Mr. Kemal everywhere? We thought it was too much of a good thing.

We realize that their George Washington, Atatürk (Father of the Turks) as he is lovingly known, is credited for founding their new republic. He led the army to victory and paved the way for independence from Ottoman rule. He is credited for economically and culturally modernizing the country and for giving women the right to vote long before many European nations. And so on and so on.

But still. That was 1923. 87 years ago. As we wandered through Turkey it was the same, Atatürk, Atatürk, Atatürk. And we wondered why.

Bridges, parks, highways, airports and buildings all over the world are named after him. And as recently as 1981 the UN and UNESCO named it the Year of Atatürk for many reasons, and specifically his efforts toward world peace. He is the only person to receive such recognition.

Could it have helped that he was very handsome? Or that he has cool blue eyes? Or that he died at the young age of 57? (Of cirrhosis, BTW.) Or was it simply that he was a great leader? Or something else?

On the date of his death, every year on November 10, Turkey stops. Everything ceases for sixty seconds as homage is paid to their Atatürk. We witnessed this phenomenon first hand. We heard the sirens initially, then it got really quiet. We had no idea, at first, what was happening. As hard as it was, we pried ourselves away from the breakfast table and ran outside. What we saw amazed us. Cabs were stopped in the middle of the streets, pedestrians were frozen mid step, smokers held their cigarettes still, shop keepers stopped selling, diners put their forks down. It was a site to behold.

Did the newly formed United States celebrate George Washington to this level? When Turkey is 234 years old, will Atatürk still be on this high of a pedestal?

There is no doubt that Mustafa Kemal was a great leader. But, as usual, with anyone on this high of a pedestal, there is more to the story of his adoration. Come to find out, there is law which makes it illegal to insult him or destroy any objects representing him. Ahhhh…..now we understand why there are images of him everywhere. None of them can be thrown away.

Even though we think that law should be thrown out, we agree that anyone that creates a secular democracy in a primarily Muslim country; in a part of the world that needs more separation of religion and government deserves celebrity status. Knowing more about Atatürk and seeing the way Turks still honor him added to our long list of why we like Turkey.

PS: In countries along the Mediterrean Sea and in the Middle East we saw this style of amulet everywhere. It was available in mass, in all shapes, sizes and styles. We found it very curious that in Turkey, they call it the Atatürk eye (probably for Atatürk’s blue eyes). In Greece, they call it the Evil Eye. We’re guessing that it is called evil because Atatürk forced all the Greeks to abandon their homes and live their lives somewhere other then the newly formed Republic of Turkey. But that’s another story altogether.

Traveling Together – From Family to Friends

2010-12-22T02:22:00.001-08:00

If you are unable to visit your relatives in the US for any variety of reasons, do the next best thing: Fly across the globe and meet them in some exotic locale! They might end up being your friends instead of just tolerable family members.

Up until recently, my sister, Gail, from Denver, and I had only seen each other for family events: Thanksgivings, weddings, birthday parties and memorial services. And the last time we traveled together was half a life time ago on a cruise with our parents. Over the years we have both mellowed and have grown into a relationship in which we enjoy each other’s company. Knowing that Gail and her hubby, Pete, are intelligent, fun, easy going people, I put out the suggestion for them to join us so that we could experience some part of the world together.

Being a dude and all, it’s sometimes hard for me to express, but I was touched deeply that they would even consider taking me up on the invitation. When my big sis starting taking the planning seriously; I was fairly confident that we would travel well together. But for 2 weeks? We had only spent a few hours together, here and there, over the past couple of decades. Would it go as well as I thought? And, Pete, was he really as smart, nice and wonderful as he seems? Or had he put on his “family event” best behavior all these years?

For better or worse, we would soon find out. The date was set. They would join us in Istanbul immediately after Pete’s Internal Medicine recertification exam for which he studied in all of his free time for the previous 10 months (HE PASSED!). I was really excited when they booked their flight. They were actually going to make the effort to come see us, half a world away. Maybe I mean as much to my sister as she means to me.

We were overloaded with research for the rest of our destinations so Gail went above and beyond and took up the challenge of planning our Turkey travels (Thank You Gail!).

Through our 12 days of travel togetherness I got to know my sister again. She‘s more like our mom then ever. Which is a good thing. I’m proud to be her brother. And, Pete, he is as terrific as we thought. Even smarter and more fun then we imagined.

Gail and Pete are seasoned travelers and rolled with all the challenges one inevitably encounters while on the road - all with a smile on their faces.
We had a great time walking in forgotten towns, hiking to magnificent vistas, ballooning over fairy castles, boating to Butterfly Valley, exploring ancient churches, laughing over all the rain, being blown away at the warmth of the local Turks, and most of all enjoying each other’s company.

One of the great pleasures in our year, so far, was touring with our families - Amy’s parents, Gary and Dee, and with Gail and Dr. Pete (The Meat). If you ever miss your loved ones and want to get to know them as friends rather then relatives, do as we did, invite them to join you in some far off location…….they just might take you up on it!

Wake Up Call

2010-12-19T01:12:00.001-08:00

Some people rely on the buzz of an alarm clock to rise from their nightly slumber. Others depend on barn yard animals, birds, or other creatures from Mother Nature. Many go so far as to have someone call them personally to get their butts out of their warm bed.

In Istanbul, there is a completely different approach to this daily awakening. The wailing sounds of the Muslim call to prayer woke us before sunrise on our first morning in the city of a thousand minarets, after arriving late the previous night. From our apartment alone, we counted at least a dozen of the mysterious, brooding and musical chants calling their faithful to start their day. It was simply surreal. The voices were of different volumes and tenors and dare I say, competing with one another? Collectively it made for an intriguing way to begin our stay in this 3,000 year old city with about the same number of mosques.

As we had already traveled through Bosnia & Herzegovina, our first Muslim country, we felt somewhat experienced on the 5 times a day call to prayer. We were not, however, prepared for the approximately 3,000 mosques, serving the needs of 17 million or so people that live in Istanbul. During each day, we would hear the call to prayer and were always intrigued by it. The morning prayer (just before sunrise) has an extra layer of mystery as it is still dark and oh so quiet. Unforgettable.

The crow of the rooster wasn’t needed, nor was the nasty buzzing of an alarm clock. In Istanbul the predawn call of the Muslim faithful was all we needed to wake to the new day. A great reminder that life is good!

So Blue…

2010-12-17T08:33:00.001-08:00

It’s not fair to make comparisons, but….. when one has traveled to Turkey and Greece back-to-back, like we did a few weeks ago, it’s hard not to. We spent 3 weeks in each country, touring their interiors, coastlines, ancient sites and metropolitan cities. To sum it up, Greece has charm, Turkey has amazingly warm people, and they both have the bluest of blue water of the Mediterranean.

As we look back on the pictures we took, it’s hard to tell the difference between the coastal towns of Turkey and Greece. Greece is probably a tad more sophisticated and maybe a bit more refined, but we fell in love with the kind and friendly Turkish people and want to explore more of their fabulous country. We’re sure Greece has nice people too. It’s just that, for the most part, they come across depressed and indifferent. We guess that it has to do with the current financial problems the country has. Maybe their grumpiness also can be attributed to seeing one too many tourists. Whereas Turks seem happy-go-lucky and sincerely go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome. To us, Turkey seems to be on the up swing and Greece seems tired.

The sea in each country is amazing. It was impossible not to be mesmerized by it. (And take lots of pictures!) And, by the way, the olives and yogurt are the best as well. We never knew that yogurt could be so thick and rich. Is it sinful to eat it EVERY morning?

We’re very glad we went to Greece. The ancient ruins, themselves, make it a worthwhile trip. (More on the ancient stuff later.) We don’t feel the need to go back though. Turkey, on the other hand, made us want more of their culture, history, coastline and generosity.

Whether in Turkey or Greece, life doesn’t get much better when staring at the bluest blue of the Mediterranean coastline. Devouring a bowlful of yogurt and honey, after slurping up a freshly picked orange just makes the sea a deeper shade of beautiful.

Flintstones and Fairy Tales

2010-12-09T04:06:00.001-08:00

It turns out that the creators of The Flintstones cartoon show weren’t creative at all. Just world traveled. Specifically they must’ve traveled to the Cappadocia region of central Turkey. It has to be exactly where the real Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, Dino, Barney, Betty, and Bamm Bamm led their lives.
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Erosion has been a very good friend to the landscape in Goreme and Urgup, Turkey. It is totally unique. While hiking, car touring and ballooning we saw it from all angles . All the while we were keeping our eyes out for the Flintstones and the Rubbles but they must’ve retired to the coast. With the homes, businesses and churches cut into the topography and the aptly named fairy chimneys, the area is a site to behold and it’s best to let the pictures tell the story.

Don’t miss the Cappadocia area if you’re in Turkey. Stay in Goreme and don’t miss out on a hot air balloon ride! You’ll love it!

An Extra Banana

2010-11-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

It was late one evening in Istanbul, and we were trying to buy a few breakfast items for the next morning. We saw a small market run by an older Turkish gentleman. When we stepped into his cozy store we could tell that he was prepared to ignore us. We were just off the plane from Munich, excited to be in Turkey, and would not be denied a potential local interaction, so Steve greeted him with his best good evening in Turkish - “ee yee ahak sham lar”! At first he looked startled and stared at us, then a grin appeared on his face. A very welcome “Ee Yee Ahk Sham Lar” came back our way. It was clear that he did not get many tourists in his shop who attempted to speak a few words in his language. In the most friendly of gestures, he grabbed Steve by the arm and proudly gave us a tour of his beautiful assortment of fruit. We pointed at a bunch of bananas, which he selected, weighed and bagged…smiling the whole time. Before we could leave, he grabbed an extra banana and dropped it into the bag. Breakfast was secure and a pleasant encounter was had during an otherwise mundane errand of buying bananas.

In Argentina practicing casual greetings in Spanish made our daily exercise regime more entertaining. We found a great steep hill to climb in Salta to a magnificent view point of the valley. It became our routine for a few days. At first no one hiking in the opposite direction would pay any attention to us. Steve started initiating greetings to our fellow hikers (more then boring ole buenos dias). Oh boy, did the climb change. We received smiles and gracious greetings in return. All just over a few common words.

In every place we go we start a cheat sheet with about 5-10 basic expressions in the local language. So far we have learned these phrases in a dozen or so languages.

The first few days are always a memory test trying to remember and figure out how to pronounce the words. We always bumble our way through it with anyone that will listen, and ask for guidance of how to pronounce the words correctly. People are proud of their language and love to correct us. By the time we are ready to leave a place, we can actually say them pretty well. Will we remember them a year from now? No. But while on the road, it has given us many memories above and beyond 'the sights'. It has paid off handsomely in smiles, laughs, and sometimes…..an extra banana.

Salta, Stuttgart, Sting and Beveridges

2010-11-27T06:41:00.001-08:00

How did we make the decision to add Stuttgart, Germany to an itinerary that is focused on South America, Central Europe and Africa?

It starts in Salta, Argentina of course.

Little did we know that chewing coca leaves, riding in an open air bus at 13,000+ feet and eating “goat” (most probably rabbit) stew would lead us to Stuttgart. Reading that Sting was going to be in concert there, right when we were going to be in the area, sealed the deal. Stuttgart was added. We could see our new coca chewing friends, the Beveridges, yes the Beveridges (you gotta like people with that name) and see one of the most talented musicians around.

We met Philip and Gisela Beveridge on a day tour to a high altitude area outside Salta. We sucked on coca leaves together, stuck our head out the top of our bus to take in the unbelievable geography and then, fast forward a few months, ate Gisela’s home cooking.

It was a fantastic time reminiscing about our day together in Argentina, discussing local politics, learning about their lives and meeting their daughter. We were surprised when this talented young woman showed us a huge American flag hanging above her bed. It was moving and a bit weird to see our stars and strips in a Stuttgart bedroom. But she had a great experience in Wisconsin as a foreign exchange student. Yet another great German young person! Their son is too by the way.

The next night was the Sting concert! At the Posche Arena! He was touring with the London Symphony Orchestra and the show an amazing display of musicality. It was one of the best we have ever seen. But the crowd was really different then we’re used to. Even with Sting’s divine vocals they were quiet and they showed only a little excitement over his fabulous songs. We were wowed by the strings, horns and antics of the orchestra but the Stuttgart audience was a bit stoic. For us it was an unforgettable evening. We were alone in our seat dancing and yoo hooing but we didn’t care. We showed our enthusiasm as only a couple of middle aged Americans can.

From being high on coca leaves to enjoying the home and company of our friends from Stuttgart it was great journey. A couple of Beveridges with Sting as the cherry on top made for a worthwhile worldly detour.