Probably the biggest regret that I have about my travels this year is that I didn't have the time or money to go to South America. At the time I bought my plane tickets, I decided to skip that continent because I have plenty of frequent flier miles on American Airlines and can go any time I want.
Today the Wonderlust and Lipstick blog was brought to my attention. It's a site written by a woman who has traveled extensively and now writes travel books and is the definitive authority on how to travel solo for women. I wish I knew about this site before leaving for my trip and I really wish I read her book on India before going. But that's beside the point.
Currently, there's a contest on her site and the winner gets a trip to South America visiting the Amazon and traveling down the Inca Trail. How cool would it be to win that? All I have to do is write a travel story and submit it by 1/31/09. Even better is that the judges are all travel writers and editors and I'd so love to get their feedback on some of my writing!
So, what's your favorite entry that I posted on my trip? What place would you like me to write more about? And what posts should I just plain avoid for this contest? Please, I really need to know what stories you liked the most because I can't be objective. HELP ME!
And for those of you who didn't follow the trip, just check the blog archives starting back in July.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Trainer
Today I just couldn't get myself out the door to go for a ride. It wasn't raining or anything, but it was cold when I rode yesterday and it was even colder today and I just didn't want to do it. And, of course, I kept procrastinating getting on the trainer because riding the trainer is just so much fun.
But then the postman came and brought me a couple of NetFlix rentals. There it was: Mamma Mia!. So I thought, "what the hell"? It has tunes to pedal by, after all. Before you know it, I was riding the trainer with the TV volume cranked singing at the top of my lungs. Proudly, I only knew a few of the songs and didn't know all of the lyrics to any of them. But I'm good at making them up. Yes, I was kinda boogying on the saddle through every song and nearly crashed during Dancing Queen. If I hadn't have set up next to the dining room table, I would have hit the carpet. "Dancing on the pedals" has a whole new meaning to me now. I made it through the entire movie and then did my crunches during the closing credits (which were better than the movie).
A few quick observations:
1. Pierce Brosnan, though fantastic eye candy, CANNOT SING. He should never do a musical again.
2. Meryl Streep needs to do Dancing with the Stars.
3. My sit bones are much happier when I'm sitting upright swinging my arms to the music.
4. Riding rollers would have put me in the hospital today.
5. I really need a job so that I stop doing stupid things like this.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
I'm Pooped
For whatever reason, I've been on a roll since I woke up yesterday. Here's what I've gotten done in the last two days:
- Wrote the annual Christmas letter and sent out all cards
- Wrapped all Christmas presents and got the shipping done
- 4 loads of laundry
- Cleaned the entire house, including the oven and windows
- Reorganized the bike stuff in the garage
- Cleaned out the inside of the car, including vacuuming
- Mowed the back yard and weeded all the flower beds
- Raked all leaves from the damned willow tree
- Cut back morning glory, ginger and freesia in the yard
- Washed and lubed the road bike
- Completely reorganized my closets
- Cleaned out the fridge
- Balanced all bank accounts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Just Passing the Days
OK, so I've been a little quiet. It's really because I haven't found much to say. My project list at the house is now very short and I look for things to do each morning when I get up. So what am I doing? Well, I'm riding my bike as much as my sit bones will allow. I'm cooking a lot. I'm cooking so much that I've even make frijoles from scratch for my post-ride burritos. And homemade desserts. Can you believe it? Me -- homemade desserts?
Oh, and I'm going around snapping photos. And this week, I'll be taking my friend's dog (Shasta -- she's a Great Pyrenees) to either the the dog park or beach each afternoon while Patti is in San Diego helping her mother move.
The big bright light on the horizon is that there's a possible job just down the street from where I live. That's right -- a web development shop on the beach in the building next to the Crow's Nest. I sent in a resume, got an email from the owner, but have to wait until he's back in the country (Dec 10th) to set up an interview. It'll probably be a fairly hefty pay cut from what I'm used to, but it's right down the street and at the beach. How sweet would that be? Assuming that he likes me and that the job sounds like a good opportunity for me, that is.
So, what's a girl to do with her time? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated (and possibly rewarded with some limoncello).
Oh, and I'm going around snapping photos. And this week, I'll be taking my friend's dog (Shasta -- she's a Great Pyrenees) to either the the dog park or beach each afternoon while Patti is in San Diego helping her mother move.
The big bright light on the horizon is that there's a possible job just down the street from where I live. That's right -- a web development shop on the beach in the building next to the Crow's Nest. I sent in a resume, got an email from the owner, but have to wait until he's back in the country (Dec 10th) to set up an interview. It'll probably be a fairly hefty pay cut from what I'm used to, but it's right down the street and at the beach. How sweet would that be? Assuming that he likes me and that the job sounds like a good opportunity for me, that is.
So, what's a girl to do with her time? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated (and possibly rewarded with some limoncello).
Monday, November 10, 2008
Crossroads
One of the reasons that I took my epic tripwas to take some time to assess my life and figure out what I want to do from here. I hadn't been happy for a while and my manager had been making my life a living hell. I've been schlepping through the hell that is Silicon Valley for 10 years and was tired of the constant flux and companies getting bought and sold. I've personally worked at 3 companies that have been bought since 2004.
So what did I figure out? Absolutely nothing. I'm not sure if I was just too busy trying to get around, having fun and staying safe, or if I was just avoiding dealing with all of this. All I know is that I'm running out of projects around the house and am starting to get a bit bored. I am signed up for an orientation with Cabrillo's Fast Track program, where the assess your skills and interests and hopefully train you for a new profession. But that's not for another week or so. And there's no guarantee that they'll be able to help me out. Since I've returned, I've had calls from recruiters, but they're for more of what was making me miserable.
So what's a girl to do? Ride her bike? Been doing that. One friend suggested getting off my ass and trying the online dating thing, but I just couldn't figure out what to say on a profile. Volunteer her time toward a good cause? I need to find another cause (I did shuttle old folks to the polls on election day). Or just something that I like doing.
Any suggestions?
So what did I figure out? Absolutely nothing. I'm not sure if I was just too busy trying to get around, having fun and staying safe, or if I was just avoiding dealing with all of this. All I know is that I'm running out of projects around the house and am starting to get a bit bored. I am signed up for an orientation with Cabrillo's Fast Track program, where the assess your skills and interests and hopefully train you for a new profession. But that's not for another week or so. And there's no guarantee that they'll be able to help me out. Since I've returned, I've had calls from recruiters, but they're for more of what was making me miserable.
So what's a girl to do? Ride her bike? Been doing that. One friend suggested getting off my ass and trying the online dating thing, but I just couldn't figure out what to say on a profile. Volunteer her time toward a good cause? I need to find another cause (I did shuttle old folks to the polls on election day). Or just something that I like doing.
Any suggestions?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A Fantastic Night
I'm sitting here absolutely ecstatic about the election results for President, the Senate, and House of Representatives, but I'm anxious and worried about Proposition 8.
Having recently finished a 3 month mid-life crisis, bucket list, "learn how the other half lives" trip around the world, I couldn't help but want to find out what they're all saying in far away lands. So this gal with a BA in Politics with an emphasis in International Relations went searching on the internet for the past hour or so. Interestingly, Al Jazeera's English web server was down for most of that time, but it's now up and they have a great play by play of tonight's events interspersed with reactions from around the world here.
My favorite quote from the article:
Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege in Kenya, reports that "the level of excitement is absolutely unbelievable. Many of these villagers have been sitting here for 15 hours watching international television news in a language they barely understand. That excitement is felt across the region.
"There's also a huge sense of pride, because Obama’s father was born in this village.
"If Obama does win, the local community is planning to slaughter cows and have a barbecue."
Given what I saw on my trip and the conversations that I had with people in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, I know that the world is excited. Personally, I am confident that the world's perception of the US has changed for the better, but it will be interesting to see just how in the days, weeks and months ahead.
Having recently finished a 3 month mid-life crisis, bucket list, "learn how the other half lives" trip around the world, I couldn't help but want to find out what they're all saying in far away lands. So this gal with a BA in Politics with an emphasis in International Relations went searching on the internet for the past hour or so. Interestingly, Al Jazeera's English web server was down for most of that time, but it's now up and they have a great play by play of tonight's events interspersed with reactions from around the world here.
My favorite quote from the article:
Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege in Kenya, reports that "the level of excitement is absolutely unbelievable. Many of these villagers have been sitting here for 15 hours watching international television news in a language they barely understand. That excitement is felt across the region.
"There's also a huge sense of pride, because Obama’s father was born in this village.
"If Obama does win, the local community is planning to slaughter cows and have a barbecue."
Given what I saw on my trip and the conversations that I had with people in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, I know that the world is excited. Personally, I am confident that the world's perception of the US has changed for the better, but it will be interesting to see just how in the days, weeks and months ahead.
Vote
I've done it and I hope you do, too. For those of you familiar with the Santa Cruz area, I vote at the Simpkins swim center. There are 4 precincts there and when I first drove up, it was pretty intimidating. The entire parking lot was full and the long driveway was lined on both sides with parked cars. The 4 lines ( 1 for each of the precincts) went out the doors. They only had 1 electronic voting booth for each of the precincts and those had some long lines, so I opted for the paper ballot. Despite it looking like I could be there all morning, I parked and was back out in my car within 10 minutes.
So get out there and vote today! And be thankful we have nice sunny weather. And vote no on Proposition 8.
So get out there and vote today! And be thankful we have nice sunny weather. And vote no on Proposition 8.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Election
The election is something that I've wanted to write about since my first week in Thailand. Upon landing in Krabi, one of the first things I saw was a Thai man with an Obama '08 t-shirt. I held off on the post, though, as I saw more and more shirts and buttons, not only in Thailand, but just about everywhere I traveled during my 3 months abroad. I had many, many locals come up and talk to me about the election.
In short, it shocked me how much the rest of the world cares about who we elect and how each country covers our election every night on the evening news. The BBC broadcast both of our conventions live around the world. I saw coverage of daily campaign stops on local news coverage in Thai, Hindi, Nepali, Arabic and Swahili, often leading as the top story. I saw an Obama button on my waiter's shirt when I had my first meal in Kathmandu. The taxi stand in Stone Town, Zanzibar hung a homemade Obama poster on a tree and painted Obama all over the curbs. Throughout Tanzania, I saw Obama painted on the rear windows of vehicles (Bob Marley was also a very popular paint job on vehicles, by the way).
The democratic convention started on my last night in India. Until that time, in both Thailand and India, I had people all excited because they thought that Obama had already won the presidency when he beat Hillary Clinton. I explained the difference between the primaries and general elections at least 30 times during my first month of travel. They all countered with, "But Obama's going to win, right?". When I explained that I didn't know because the polls at the time were close, they look stricken. It was such an odd feeling explaining our political process and seeing how much others care at the same time.
Why did everyone I meet feel so strongly about Obama? I think that in Asia, they feel like he has an understanding of their lives and hardships that no candidate has ever had before. After all, he did live in Indonesia for two years after his mother remarried. Not only did he live there, but for much of their first year, they didn't have a refrigerator or running water. To them he gets it, at least a little.
The support in the Middle East is very obvious. The Iraqi war has cost the region a lot. The number one industry in both Jordan and Egypt is tourism. Both suffered greatly when the war broke out, especially Jordan, who basically lost the entire industry. It's been so bad that about half of the restaurants and hotels have had to close. The tourists are slowly coming back, but not nearly in the numbers they saw before the war. Couple that with the fact that they've taken in over 1.2 million Iraqi refugees, and it's no surprise that they need this war over. McCain believes that we need to stay in Iraq and Obama wants to start phasing us out of there.
Tanzania was also a bit obvious. Obama's father was Kenyan and Kenya shares a border with Tanzania. While Obama never lived there, he has visited a couple of times and stayed in a village with his father's family. Like in Asia, they feel like he's got an understanding of how they live and what their challenges are. Plus he's a "native son" (I actually heard that phrase a couple of times). They can't help but love that.
BBC World News asked their viewers if they were following the US elections and why. There was one email response that they put up on the screen regularly during my time in Egypt and Tanzania. A man in India responded, "America is electing the most powerful man in the world and I live in this world. How can I not care?" Can't put it any simpler than that.
So this time next week, we'll know who our next president will be. Whatever you do, vote on Tuesday and remember that our decision is not just about us.
And just a quick side note: The Nepali were very confused about our party conventions. Most of what they see are people dressed in stupid hats with flashing buttons who are dancing to music and being silly. They consider electing a president to be very serious business. They wanted to know what a party had to do with the election process. I had no idea what to tell them.
In short, it shocked me how much the rest of the world cares about who we elect and how each country covers our election every night on the evening news. The BBC broadcast both of our conventions live around the world. I saw coverage of daily campaign stops on local news coverage in Thai, Hindi, Nepali, Arabic and Swahili, often leading as the top story. I saw an Obama button on my waiter's shirt when I had my first meal in Kathmandu. The taxi stand in Stone Town, Zanzibar hung a homemade Obama poster on a tree and painted Obama all over the curbs. Throughout Tanzania, I saw Obama painted on the rear windows of vehicles (Bob Marley was also a very popular paint job on vehicles, by the way).
The democratic convention started on my last night in India. Until that time, in both Thailand and India, I had people all excited because they thought that Obama had already won the presidency when he beat Hillary Clinton. I explained the difference between the primaries and general elections at least 30 times during my first month of travel. They all countered with, "But Obama's going to win, right?". When I explained that I didn't know because the polls at the time were close, they look stricken. It was such an odd feeling explaining our political process and seeing how much others care at the same time.
Why did everyone I meet feel so strongly about Obama? I think that in Asia, they feel like he has an understanding of their lives and hardships that no candidate has ever had before. After all, he did live in Indonesia for two years after his mother remarried. Not only did he live there, but for much of their first year, they didn't have a refrigerator or running water. To them he gets it, at least a little.
The support in the Middle East is very obvious. The Iraqi war has cost the region a lot. The number one industry in both Jordan and Egypt is tourism. Both suffered greatly when the war broke out, especially Jordan, who basically lost the entire industry. It's been so bad that about half of the restaurants and hotels have had to close. The tourists are slowly coming back, but not nearly in the numbers they saw before the war. Couple that with the fact that they've taken in over 1.2 million Iraqi refugees, and it's no surprise that they need this war over. McCain believes that we need to stay in Iraq and Obama wants to start phasing us out of there.
Tanzania was also a bit obvious. Obama's father was Kenyan and Kenya shares a border with Tanzania. While Obama never lived there, he has visited a couple of times and stayed in a village with his father's family. Like in Asia, they feel like he's got an understanding of how they live and what their challenges are. Plus he's a "native son" (I actually heard that phrase a couple of times). They can't help but love that.
BBC World News asked their viewers if they were following the US elections and why. There was one email response that they put up on the screen regularly during my time in Egypt and Tanzania. A man in India responded, "America is electing the most powerful man in the world and I live in this world. How can I not care?" Can't put it any simpler than that.
So this time next week, we'll know who our next president will be. Whatever you do, vote on Tuesday and remember that our decision is not just about us.
And just a quick side note: The Nepali were very confused about our party conventions. Most of what they see are people dressed in stupid hats with flashing buttons who are dancing to music and being silly. They consider electing a president to be very serious business. They wanted to know what a party had to do with the election process. I had no idea what to tell them.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Surf City '08
Surf City has now come and gone. The weather was wonderful, the racing was good, and the costumes were, well, interesting. From the man in the bikini to the wiener dogs, I couldn't stop smiling. So many kids took part in kiddie cross and the costume cross race was over 100 people and quite a bit of mayhem -- as it should be. Thanks to the keg who rode over and poured for the judges!
Now I'm going to put some aloe on my sunburn and get some sleep. Maybe this weekend got me back on Pacific time ...
Now I'm going to put some aloe on my sunburn and get some sleep. Maybe this weekend got me back on Pacific time ...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Building the Course
So today the Bellas and friends built the course for tomorrow's Surf City Cyclocross race as well as ran a skills clinic for all interested (and there were 50 participants). Tomorrow's the big day and it's going to be a great one.
Anyone in the area should stop by Soquel High. Racing will start around 8:30am and go until mid afternoon. Kiddie Cross and Costume Cross is always a kick. Come see if I can ride a bike in a sari!
Hope to see you there!
p.s. Absolutely wonderful to go out to dinner with the gang after. At one point, I looked around the table with a big grin and got all teary eyed -- it's so great to be around familiar faces!
Anyone in the area should stop by Soquel High. Racing will start around 8:30am and go until mid afternoon. Kiddie Cross and Costume Cross is always a kick. Come see if I can ride a bike in a sari!
Hope to see you there!
p.s. Absolutely wonderful to go out to dinner with the gang after. At one point, I looked around the table with a big grin and got all teary eyed -- it's so great to be around familiar faces!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Bucket List
After being awake since 4am yesterday, I fell asleep way too early tonight while I was getting ready to watch a movie. So from 7:30 until about 1am I slept and then woke and watched "The Bucket List". You would have thought that I'd watched that movie before I left on my trip, wouldn't you? Well, I didn't. NetFlix didn't deliver it until yesterday. But I did go to 4 of the places that Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman did: the Serengeti, the pyramids in Giza, the Taj Majal and the Himalayas. But I got to see Everest and they didn't, so there! A few notes though: 1) they must have filmed at the Taj on a Friday because it's closed then and I can't imagine getting into the mausoleum without anyone else in there; 2) there is no way you can sit up on one of the pyramids in Giza -- especially being higher up than Khafre's pyramid which is now the same height as the Great Pyramid; and 3) they would never be able to get to where they got in the Himalayas in that kind of weather and the places that they would stay would never be that nice. But now I really wish I'd sang the weemaway song while we were on safari -- especially when there were lions lying next to the road. I really blew it on that one.
Yesterday I went on my first bike ride in more than 3 months. I did ride 2km to the elephant breeding center in Chitwan, Nepal, but that didn't count. I was unable to go fast because of the combination of really bad roads and piles of elephant dung anywhere (yes, dung is the technical term that everyone uses). Today, I rode up highway 1. My cardio fitness was fine and I was a little surprised at that -- I guess all that walking did some good after all. My legs are much skinnier than then were when I left, but even they did just fine. My sit bones, however, are killing me! They hurt so bad that I had to turn around up by the Italian flag. I would have stayed out of the saddle, but my feet were completely numb from the balls forward through my toes. But the shoes I used were new when I left on my trip, so I think I'll use the old ones for a bit and see if that helps. My only fear is that I won't be able to sit on the saddle tomorrow and will have to skip a ride. Hell, it hurts to sit on the couch right now.
If I could only get myself on Pacific time, I'd be a really happy camper. Oh, and for lack of photos to add, I'm putting up a photo of cheetah cubs taken from the hot air balloon ride.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
It's Weird Being Back
On the one hand, it's really nice to walk down the street without everyone staring at me (I kinda stuck out like a sore thumb in many places where I traveled). On the other hand, there's some big adjustments. I still keep walking to the wrong side of the car to get in (I keep expecting the steering wheel to be on the right side), pre-packaged and frozen food kinda upsets my stomach, and my iPhone keeps pinging me all day long -- kinda the opposite of the trip where I wouldn't get contacted at all. I went to Costco yesterday to see about replacing my broken TV that they sold me 20 months ago and I just wanted to run and hide from the moment I walked in. It's a little funny, because the bazaar in Cairo was much more crowded, but whatever. However, they were nice and refunded me the total cost of the TV and I was able to get a bigger, nicer one for $200 less than the old one.
The sleep thing is starting to get better. On Sunday night I woke up at 10pm and just couldn't get back to sleep. So last night, I stayed awake until 8 and slept until 4 this morning. If I can just stay awake until 9 or 10 tonight, I could be back on schedule. Wish me luck!
Anyone up for a bike ride?
The sleep thing is starting to get better. On Sunday night I woke up at 10pm and just couldn't get back to sleep. So last night, I stayed awake until 8 and slept until 4 this morning. If I can just stay awake until 9 or 10 tonight, I could be back on schedule. Wish me luck!
Anyone up for a bike ride?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Jet Lag
It's a funny thing. I don't quite understand how it works, but I know I have jet lag worse than I ever have before. When I got home on Saturday, I ate dinner and went to sleep by 7:30pm. I woke up at 10:30 and was up until 3am. It wasn't a total waste, though -- I got through 3 months of mail. Then I slept until about 7am and couldn't sleep any more even though I was exhausted. So what's a girl to do? Get up and get on with things. I went the errand route (deposit checks, get gas, buy groceries). I even stopped by Soquel High to "help" with the course for Surf City next weekend. I was absolutely useless, but it was so good to see familiar faces. Of course, I briefly dozed off on the lawn there.
So after a couple of hours of being too tired to do anything, I finally fell asleep about 3pm and slept until 10pm. I've since unpacked, fixed the power problem in my garage, caught up on my Sailing Worlds, and am having trouble finding things to do in the dark.
Something tells me that I'm in for a fun few days.
p.s. I did finally manage to get the champagne bottle open at 1am last night.
So after a couple of hours of being too tired to do anything, I finally fell asleep about 3pm and slept until 10pm. I've since unpacked, fixed the power problem in my garage, caught up on my Sailing Worlds, and am having trouble finding things to do in the dark.
Something tells me that I'm in for a fun few days.
p.s. I did finally manage to get the champagne bottle open at 1am last night.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Home
I showered, got a burrito at El Palomar, dropped by Deke's to get something to drink and ended up with a chilled mini bottle of champagne. It seemed appropriate. But I'm so tired that I cannot get the bottle open. Go figure.
Friday, October 17, 2008
I'm COLD!!
I just had a pretty good flight. BA sat me just behind the business class folks who have reclining beds and I had all the leg room in the world. Plus they have these wing things that come up by your head in the seat, eliminating the need for the travel pillow that I lost the plug for a while back. I slept about 5 hours of the flight and hope I can do the same on the next. I have to tell you though -- when I walked off the plane toward the gate, I just about froze my ass off. And now that I'm sitting in the terminal killing time, I'm still cold. I don't know how these Brits do it.
So am I ready for this mid-life crisis trip to end? Yes and no. I am really tired of living out of a suitcase and can't wait to wear something different. And sleep in my own bed. And see all of the people that I've been missing. And be able to read the signs and know how to get around. And be able to ask questions when I have them. On the other hand, it'll be back to the same 'ole, same 'ole and I won't be experiencing new cultures and meeting new people the way I have been.
I pretty much am pinching myself when I think back on this trip. It's seems pretty unreal at this point, but here's just a quick, off-the-top-of-my-head kind of list of some of the things I did:
rode elephants
camped on "the beach"
visited the Taj Majal
saw Everest
bathed an elephant
went treking in the Himalayan foothills
visited Petra
bobbed like a cork in the Dead Sea
visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and went inside to the center of the one next to it.
visited both the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens and hiked partway between the two.
spent two days and nights sailing and sleeping on the Nile.
Went on safari in Africa
Rode a hot air balloon over the Serengeti
Now it really seems unreal. Would I do it all over again? Hell yeah. Would I do any of it differently? Absolutely (less time in India and Egypt, more time in Nepal and Africa and add on Laos). Am I ready to go home? I think so and will probably know so by the time my next plane lands.
By the way: 17 flights, 17 different airports in 13 different countries (not counting the Everest flight), 6 countries really visited, and just about 30,000 miles flown. No wonder I'm tired.
So am I ready for this mid-life crisis trip to end? Yes and no. I am really tired of living out of a suitcase and can't wait to wear something different. And sleep in my own bed. And see all of the people that I've been missing. And be able to read the signs and know how to get around. And be able to ask questions when I have them. On the other hand, it'll be back to the same 'ole, same 'ole and I won't be experiencing new cultures and meeting new people the way I have been.
I pretty much am pinching myself when I think back on this trip. It's seems pretty unreal at this point, but here's just a quick, off-the-top-of-my-head kind of list of some of the things I did:
rode elephants
camped on "the beach"
visited the Taj Majal
saw Everest
bathed an elephant
went treking in the Himalayan foothills
visited Petra
bobbed like a cork in the Dead Sea
visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and went inside to the center of the one next to it.
visited both the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens and hiked partway between the two.
spent two days and nights sailing and sleeping on the Nile.
Went on safari in Africa
Rode a hot air balloon over the Serengeti
Now it really seems unreal. Would I do it all over again? Hell yeah. Would I do any of it differently? Absolutely (less time in India and Egypt, more time in Nepal and Africa and add on Laos). Am I ready to go home? I think so and will probably know so by the time my next plane lands.
By the way: 17 flights, 17 different airports in 13 different countries (not counting the Everest flight), 6 countries really visited, and just about 30,000 miles flown. No wonder I'm tired.
The Beginning of the End
I'm really on my way home. This morning, we left the lodge at 8:30 for the drive back to Arusha. On the way out of the park, we saw 4 lions along with the usual assortment of zebras, wildebeast, buffalo, gazelles, elephants and giraffes. After lunch in Arusha, I was driven to Kilimanjaro airport and flew to Nairobi. The nice ladies at the British Airways check in desk pointed me to a "first class" lounge where I could pay $20 to hang out for the next 6 hours. It comes with free snacks, free drinks (including alcohol) and the most excruciatingly slow wifi access I have ever had. But at least I can sit in air conditioning and sleep on the couches.
I had the most fun at dinner last night. Part way through the meal, the lights went completely out. Then we heard drums and one of the staff came dancing in with a big flaming torch. Behind him was a conga line with the rest of the staff singing and dancing along with a drummer. They were all smiling and having such a good time that it was a blast to watch. Some people even got pulled up to join the line. Everyone was clapping along and somewhere in all the fun, I had to fight back the tears. It hit me that my journey was coming to an end. It's strange -- in some ways it feels like this has all been a dream and that I was home yesterday. In other ways, that first flight from SFO to Hong Kong feels like 5 years ago. Thailand certainly feels as distant as my trip to Belize in '04.
There just so many mixed emotions right now, but I'm tired and I'll probably feel different when I get to London. More when I'm not so exhausted.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
My last day in Africa
Today we drove to Tanguire National Park, stopping along the way at a Massai women's development center. There was no hard sell there. They showed us how they make their handicrafts and let us meander around the goods at our leisure. We got to play with the children and there was absolutely no hassle. The prices were the best we've seen, so we didn't even try to haggle with them. After, they sang us a song, posed for pictures with us and did a traditional dance. During the dance, they threw a collar around my neck and pulled me in to dance with them. After, they put their arms around me and all gave me a giant hug. LOVED IT!
We then drove through the park to the lodge, and saw all kinds of animals, but mostly things we have seen before. Tomorrow we head back to Arusha and I get put on my plane to Nairobi. Then it's 7 hours of hanging out at that airport before the long flight to London, another 5 hours sitting at Heathrow, and then the flight to SFO.
As ready as I've been to come home for a while now, I have to say that I am really sad to leave Africa. If I had it all to do over again, I would spend much more time here and I definitely plan on coming back.
Internet access here is $20/hr, so I only bought 15 minutes. I'll post pictures and longer thoughts (there's a lot going through my head right now) at one of the airports. See you soon.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
So Funny
Today was a game drive at Lake Manyara National Park, followed by lunch and a visit to a local village. The drive was kinda the usual -- we saw lots of baboons, giraffes, hippos, etc. We did see some new species to us -- mountain goats, some new monkeys, and some birds.
At one point, it was all so boring that our driver/guide Selemani started to tell us how it is that palm trees were growing around a small river. Apparently, the seed needs to "pass through an animal" before it can actually sprout. If it hasn't ended up in poop, it doesn't stand a chance. He then did something we're not supposed to do under any circumstances -- he got out of the jeep. Right outside his door was a seed (about the size of an avocado pit) that had done the passing. He handed it in through the window for us to take and pass around. No thank you. But Geoffrey (our 75 year old Welshman traveling with his two sons) grabbed it. Before we knew it, Selemani was walking across a small field and then disappeared behind a bush. Then we hear "EL - E - PHANT!" (with Tanzanian accent) really loud. I grabbed my camera to take a picture and here came Selemani running his ass off looking over his shoulder. He jumped into the jeep just as the elephant emergerged. He was laughing so hard (you know, that deep belly laugh I've menitoned) that we couldn't help ourselves. Of course, that was before the elephant came right up to the jeep and stared us down. He started to charge just as Selemani hit the gas, so we both moved in unison. The elephant stopped abruptly and so did we. We kinda played cat and mouse for a bit, but all the time we were laughing so hard. Later at lunch, I showed him the photo in my camera and told him that the only thing funnier would have been if he had come running out with his pants down. That got him laughing so hard that he couldn't speak. Since day 1, we've been talking about how man is the most dangerous animal of all, hence the caption. I can't help giggling just remembering this incident, but it may be one of those things where you had to be there.
After lunch we were taken for a walk through a local village. We saw a banana plantation, saw where they make African carvings, some folks visited a school, we went to a local "brewery" and tried the banana beer (better than the rice beer in Nepal, but still not that great), and hit a market. Then it was back to the lodge and pool time.
Tomorrow we head to Tarangire for one night and one last game drive. Friday I start a very long journey home.
At one point, it was all so boring that our driver/guide Selemani started to tell us how it is that palm trees were growing around a small river. Apparently, the seed needs to "pass through an animal" before it can actually sprout. If it hasn't ended up in poop, it doesn't stand a chance. He then did something we're not supposed to do under any circumstances -- he got out of the jeep. Right outside his door was a seed (about the size of an avocado pit) that had done the passing. He handed it in through the window for us to take and pass around. No thank you. But Geoffrey (our 75 year old Welshman traveling with his two sons) grabbed it. Before we knew it, Selemani was walking across a small field and then disappeared behind a bush. Then we hear "EL - E - PHANT!" (with Tanzanian accent) really loud. I grabbed my camera to take a picture and here came Selemani running his ass off looking over his shoulder. He jumped into the jeep just as the elephant emergerged. He was laughing so hard (you know, that deep belly laugh I've menitoned) that we couldn't help ourselves. Of course, that was before the elephant came right up to the jeep and stared us down. He started to charge just as Selemani hit the gas, so we both moved in unison. The elephant stopped abruptly and so did we. We kinda played cat and mouse for a bit, but all the time we were laughing so hard. Later at lunch, I showed him the photo in my camera and told him that the only thing funnier would have been if he had come running out with his pants down. That got him laughing so hard that he couldn't speak. Since day 1, we've been talking about how man is the most dangerous animal of all, hence the caption. I can't help giggling just remembering this incident, but it may be one of those things where you had to be there.
After lunch we were taken for a walk through a local village. We saw a banana plantation, saw where they make African carvings, some folks visited a school, we went to a local "brewery" and tried the banana beer (better than the rice beer in Nepal, but still not that great), and hit a market. Then it was back to the lodge and pool time.
Tomorrow we head to Tarangire for one night and one last game drive. Friday I start a very long journey home.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Just a Quickie ...
but not that kind! We drove out of the Serengeti today to Lake Manyara. The big highlight leaving the park was a cheetah. She was standing on a termite mound quite a bit away, but we heard her meow. Our guide said that she was calling her cubs. When she couldn't spot them, she started walking -- right toward us! Well, she meandered to us as she looked both left and right calling her kids. She walked right in front of the jeep and was so close that I couldn't get her all in frame and had to use the point and click. After crossing, the herd of wildebeast, zebra and gazelle just stared at her and got the hell out of her way. She couldn't care though -- she kept looking for her cubs. When we left, she still hadn't found them.
After, we headed to Olduvai Gorge. This is the site where they discovered some of the oldest human fossils and the oldest set of human footprints. There was a nice visitor center and we had a semi edible boxed lunch.
Then came the big fun -- a Massai village. Yup, we paid $60 for the car for the privilege of visiting a real Massai village. We were greeted with some dancing and were then taken into a home and shown around. We did get to visit the school and see how the children (this is the school for kindergarden and under) are learning English as well as Swahili. We were then mobbed to buy various jewelry and other handmade goods. Nothing new here because whenever our jeep stops anywhere (stop sign, park HQ, gas), we get mobbed by Massai trying to sell us things. We have to lock the doors and windows because they will pry them open and climb right inside. Needless to say, we've become quite adept at getting rid of the Massai. Truly, it reminds me of India. Anyway, we made it out of there after leaving some donations at the school and tipping our Massai host (on top of the $60) and drove on to Lake Manyara. Tomorrow we do another game drive at the lake and head to a local village for some more cultural experiences.
I'm very tired.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Up, Up and Away
I'm entering two posts, so please look at the next one to see some photos I've managed to capture. I have to say that I'm pretty happy with the new camera.
Today was my hot air balloon ride. My wake up call was 4:00am (ICK!) and I kind of sleepwalked through the drive to the launch site. I only woke up when we stopped – once for a hyena lounging in the road and once for a hippo who was crossing. We arrived at sunrise and could hear lions roaring in the distance. Sunrise is hunting time for them, you know. We had our briefing as they inflated the balloons. We were not going to be climbing in the baskets after inflation – they do it all different here. We got into the basket while it was lying on the ground. We got onto seats, but lying on our backs with our legs bent at the knee up in the air. As the balloon filled, the basket gently tipped rightside up and then we were off. It was absolutely gorgeous. We first went up high enough to get an idea of just how vast the Serengeti is. We lowered a bit and looked down at birds in their nests on the top of trees. We buzzed a hippo pond as the hippos were heading to the water for the day (they hunt in the dark) and we saw some things that are very rare to see. The other balloon had taken off ahead of us and radioed to say that they were watching lions feeding on a still kicking wildebeast. It was dead by the time we got there, but we saw the lions feeding. We saw another kill about 20 minutes later that the other balloon missed. We saw giraffes in the distance and many lion and hyena walking through the grass. Like everywhere else you look, there’s lots of wildebeast, zebra and gazelle (they hang out together quite often). But the highlight was a cheetah and her 4 cubs. The other balloon radioed us to tell us about it and as we approached, the mother was walking away from her cubs to the top of a mound in order to scout for food. I have an amazing picture of her and another of her babies all checking us out. It was nothing short of spectacular since cheetahs are very hard to spot and we dropped so low that they were right there.
We watched as the other balloon went down for a landing, but they aborted and went up again. We couldn’t figure out why until it was our time to land. The pilot started to lower us and we brushed some high grass and a termite mound and then I saw it – a fairly large hyena sitting in the grass watching us. I said something and we aborted and went up again as well. When we did finally land, it was quite something. We got back into our sitting positions, we gently touched the ground, but we had so much speed that we slid for about a minute. When we came to a stop, we gently tipped over and were back exactly as we had started. We had to wait a couple of minutes until the jeeps arrived – no one’s allowed out until guards are there to protect us – and then were let out. We were taken to an area with the folks from the other balloon and given champagne. Our pilots told a story of the first balloon ride and we had a toast. They did say that anyone that caught a popping cork would get to pilot the balloon the next day, so you bet I tried really hard. I couldn’t quite pull it off though.
We then drove about 5 minutes to the site for our breakfast. They had this long table set up with fine china and crystal, another table with bowls of hot water and soap for us to wash up, and the “loos with a view”. Yes, we had portapotties with 3 walls around them. You go in and sit facing a view of the Serengeti. Not bad. They plied us with more champagne, tons of fresh fruit, and a hot breakfast of eggs, smoked ham, sausage, beans and veggies. It was all very nice and a ton of fun. I wish I could do it again and again.
My jeep pulled as everyone was getting their stuff together to leave. My driver and the boys waved me over. When I got in, they asked how it was. All I could say was “2 kills, cheetah with 4 cubs, a kickass ride, a fantastic breakfast, and I’m drunk – I’m great! You?”. They passed around my camera looking at the photos I took and got pretty jealous that they didn’t spend the money.
Tomorrow we head to Lake Manyara for two nights.
Game Drives
Without going into too much boring detail, let’s just say that we’ve finished 2 days of game drives. We spent half of yesterday in Ngorongoro Crater and then drove to the Serengeti. The drive to the Serengeti, especially from the park entrance to the lodge, is a game drive in and of itself. Today was all Serengeti. There have been several times where the big lens on the camera is way too much and I either have to change lenses, find the point and shoot (preferable), or wait until the animal moves away before I can take a picture. Off the top of my head I’ve seen: lions, cheetahs, a leopard, elephants, giraffes, wildebeast, zebra, gazelle (both grand and thompson), monkeys of various kinds, hyenas, a jackal, hippos, tortoise, deer, waterbeast, the endangered black rhino (from a distance), flamingos, ostriches, and many other birds. I know there’s lots more, but I just can’t think right now. Below are a sampling of my favorite photos.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Quick Catch Up
Sorry to be out of touch, but internet access is pretty sketchy around here. After my last post, I found that I had to sit around the lodge in Arusha for another 4 hours because some other folks from my safari hadn't yet touched down at the airport. I was a little pissed, because I had to check out of my room and there was absolutely nothing to do. As I mentioned, the walk to the lake cost $23 dollars and the guards wouldn't let me out the front gate to go walking down to the local market, which was less than 1km down the road. I was trapped.
When my tour director arrived, we had a little chat. He offered to get me a guide for free to take me to the market. After I explained that I had been traveling for nearly 3 months and had survived markets in India, Nepal and Cairo and really wanted to go alone so that I could interact with the locals, he talked the guards into letting me go. Yes, I got my freedom. Anyway, I took a very nice walk and got to see how the locals shop, live chickens hanging by their feet off of bicycle handlebars and all! I had forgotten my Swahili phrasebook, so I was at a bit of a loss. No one there spoke any English, but many people approached me with a big smile and shook my hand. Since it's extremely rude and practically criminal to take someone's picture here without their permission and I had no way of asking, I didn't get a lot of pictures. But it was all good fun and I was certainly the only non-African there. And I killed a bit of time.
After the last of the group arrived, we got divided up into our jeep groups and headed off. I was put with a Welsh father and his two grown sons for the duration. Interestingly, all of the couples were put together in a jeep, and all of the other women traveling were put in another jeep. I'm the only woman put in a jeep with no other woman. Oh well.
The drive to Ngorongoro Crater was pretty uneventful. We passed many Massai villages as well as Massai. They're pretty particular about you paying a lot of money if you take their picture, so you have to do it on the sly. I did get an interesting shot of a Massai riding a bicycle on the side of the highway.
When we arrived at the park entrance for Ngorongoro Crater, our driver had to go inside for quite a while to do paperwork. Baboons were abundant and trying to steal things out of the jeeps. While walking around, I noticed Africans going up to the baboons and pushing them away when they were trying to break into things. A bit later, a baboon jumped from a tree onto our jeep and then onto the roof of another jeep. They had a box tied on top and the baboon started ripping it open. I ran up and beat on the side of the jeep right next to it and scared it away. A few minutes later, another baboon jumped into the driver's seat of a jeep that had the door open and engine running -- apparently it was supposed to be a short stop. I ran up and pushed the critter out. All of the tourists were shocked that I would touch one of the animals, but the African's were shaking my hand thanking me. I guess those tourists never had monkeys climb all over them for bananas before. And yes, I'm still over monkeys.
Soon after we proceeded to the lodge (the sun was going down pretty quickly). On the way, we saw some zebra.
Today, we did a game drive down in the crater and saw lots of stuff. After lunch, we drove to the Serengeti. No time to download photos -- I have to get up at 4am for my balloon ride. I'll pull it all together tomorrow night and write a post.
Home in less than a week.
When my tour director arrived, we had a little chat. He offered to get me a guide for free to take me to the market. After I explained that I had been traveling for nearly 3 months and had survived markets in India, Nepal and Cairo and really wanted to go alone so that I could interact with the locals, he talked the guards into letting me go. Yes, I got my freedom. Anyway, I took a very nice walk and got to see how the locals shop, live chickens hanging by their feet off of bicycle handlebars and all! I had forgotten my Swahili phrasebook, so I was at a bit of a loss. No one there spoke any English, but many people approached me with a big smile and shook my hand. Since it's extremely rude and practically criminal to take someone's picture here without their permission and I had no way of asking, I didn't get a lot of pictures. But it was all good fun and I was certainly the only non-African there. And I killed a bit of time.
After the last of the group arrived, we got divided up into our jeep groups and headed off. I was put with a Welsh father and his two grown sons for the duration. Interestingly, all of the couples were put together in a jeep, and all of the other women traveling were put in another jeep. I'm the only woman put in a jeep with no other woman. Oh well.
The drive to Ngorongoro Crater was pretty uneventful. We passed many Massai villages as well as Massai. They're pretty particular about you paying a lot of money if you take their picture, so you have to do it on the sly. I did get an interesting shot of a Massai riding a bicycle on the side of the highway.
When we arrived at the park entrance for Ngorongoro Crater, our driver had to go inside for quite a while to do paperwork. Baboons were abundant and trying to steal things out of the jeeps. While walking around, I noticed Africans going up to the baboons and pushing them away when they were trying to break into things. A bit later, a baboon jumped from a tree onto our jeep and then onto the roof of another jeep. They had a box tied on top and the baboon started ripping it open. I ran up and beat on the side of the jeep right next to it and scared it away. A few minutes later, another baboon jumped into the driver's seat of a jeep that had the door open and engine running -- apparently it was supposed to be a short stop. I ran up and pushed the critter out. All of the tourists were shocked that I would touch one of the animals, but the African's were shaking my hand thanking me. I guess those tourists never had monkeys climb all over them for bananas before. And yes, I'm still over monkeys.
Soon after we proceeded to the lodge (the sun was going down pretty quickly). On the way, we saw some zebra.
Today, we did a game drive down in the crater and saw lots of stuff. After lunch, we drove to the Serengeti. No time to download photos -- I have to get up at 4am for my balloon ride. I'll pull it all together tomorrow night and write a post.
Home in less than a week.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Arusha
Last night, after a wonderful seafood pasta, I got myself into a little trouble at the hotel. You see, I had gone back to my room, got into my equivalent of jammies (remember, I’m traveling light), and pulled apart the bed so that I could get in and watch me some CNN. I say pull apart the bed because they had everything tucked in so tight that I couldn’t so much as lift the sheet an inch. I have no idea why hotels do that, but it’s a pain in the ass when you want to get into bed. After a bit, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, there was a guy there saying that he was the bed turn down service guy. I told him that there was no need, but he insisted on coming in and making everything just so. He was a bit disgusted by the way that I had pulled down the bedspread and untucked the sheet, so he remade the entire bed. Yes, you heard me right – remade it. I kept telling him that it was not necessary because I was just getting back into bed again when he left. But no, he remade it and then took the bedspread and decorative pillows back off, folding and stacking them neatly, and then turned down the sheet on one side ever just so. And then he retucked the sides in really tight. Of course, then the mosquito netting was pulled down around the bed and he used mosquito spray over the whole thing. Then I was ordered out of the room for 5 minutes. He wouldn’t even give me a chance to grab better clothes or shoes, so I stood in the hall (within plain view of the lobby) in the robe that was hanging on the bathroom door. Lovely.
This morning, I flew from Zanzibar to Arusha. I realized a couple of things: 1) the Indian Ocean is so clear that you can see the bottom all the way to the mainland – pretty impresive; 2) there are so many dried up rivers and lakes across Tanzania that it must be pretty impressive during the rainy season. You could also see many little villages with a circular fence around them and several round huts with thatched huts within the fence. I was later told that these were Masai villages. I didn’t realize that there were so many!
I’m now at the Mountain Village Lodge outside of Arusha. There is a beautiful lake below, but I’m not allowed down unless I take a guard ($23). I’m not sure why because they swear that there are no dangerous animals anywhere near here, but that’s the way it is. There is no way I am paying $23 to go take a few pictures. Also, I found out part of the reason why my safari is so expensive: the safari company (Savannah Tours) that the travel agent booked through subcontracted out various parts of my safari to other companies. Apparently, Savannah specializes in trips through the southern part of the country and my trip is through the north. Zanzibar was subbed out to Fisherman Tours and the rest is subbed out to Ranger Tours. The only thing that Savannah did was pick me up outside the international terminal in Dar Es Salaam and drive me about 3 minutes to the domestic terminal. As a result, I’m paying a lot of extra money to Savannah that I wouldn’t if this had been booked through Ranger.
Fisherman and Ranger didn’t communicate too well. I arrived around 12:30 at the airport in Arusha and no one was there to meet me. After getting the taxi drivers to leave me alone and finding a phone, my driver showed up. At the lodge, they had been told that I wouldn’t be arriving until 9pm, so I wasn’t on the list to get lunch or dinner (everything’s buffet and you have to be on the list or pay $25-30). This place is no where near any source of food – way outside of town. My driver (who will be with me for the entire safari) was livid and is now in town trying to fix everything with his company. In the meantime, he talked to one of the waiters who asked me if I’d like a sandwich from the snack menu at the bar and brought me a sandwich, fries, a huge salad, and pineapple juice and wouldn’t take my money. I love the guy!
Tomorrow 3 other people arrive for the safari and we drive to Ngorongoro Crater. Our first drive will be the next day, but we should see some critters of some sort along the way. Stay tuned.
This morning, I flew from Zanzibar to Arusha. I realized a couple of things: 1) the Indian Ocean is so clear that you can see the bottom all the way to the mainland – pretty impresive; 2) there are so many dried up rivers and lakes across Tanzania that it must be pretty impressive during the rainy season. You could also see many little villages with a circular fence around them and several round huts with thatched huts within the fence. I was later told that these were Masai villages. I didn’t realize that there were so many!
I’m now at the Mountain Village Lodge outside of Arusha. There is a beautiful lake below, but I’m not allowed down unless I take a guard ($23). I’m not sure why because they swear that there are no dangerous animals anywhere near here, but that’s the way it is. There is no way I am paying $23 to go take a few pictures. Also, I found out part of the reason why my safari is so expensive: the safari company (Savannah Tours) that the travel agent booked through subcontracted out various parts of my safari to other companies. Apparently, Savannah specializes in trips through the southern part of the country and my trip is through the north. Zanzibar was subbed out to Fisherman Tours and the rest is subbed out to Ranger Tours. The only thing that Savannah did was pick me up outside the international terminal in Dar Es Salaam and drive me about 3 minutes to the domestic terminal. As a result, I’m paying a lot of extra money to Savannah that I wouldn’t if this had been booked through Ranger.
Fisherman and Ranger didn’t communicate too well. I arrived around 12:30 at the airport in Arusha and no one was there to meet me. After getting the taxi drivers to leave me alone and finding a phone, my driver showed up. At the lodge, they had been told that I wouldn’t be arriving until 9pm, so I wasn’t on the list to get lunch or dinner (everything’s buffet and you have to be on the list or pay $25-30). This place is no where near any source of food – way outside of town. My driver (who will be with me for the entire safari) was livid and is now in town trying to fix everything with his company. In the meantime, he talked to one of the waiters who asked me if I’d like a sandwich from the snack menu at the bar and brought me a sandwich, fries, a huge salad, and pineapple juice and wouldn’t take my money. I love the guy!
Tomorrow 3 other people arrive for the safari and we drive to Ngorongoro Crater. Our first drive will be the next day, but we should see some critters of some sort along the way. Stay tuned.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Stone Town
This morning I was driven to the Zanzibar Serena Inn in Stone Town. I’m beginning to realize why this safari is costing an arm and a leg – the accomodations are first class all the way and truly a bit over the top. I’m just not used to a butler in each hallway to answer your every question and to check on you constantly. I kinda wish I had booked a safari myself that put me in tents or something – I’d feel a little more at home. I wonder what these people would say if they knew about the village I stayed in in Nepal …
I just spent a couple of hours walking around town and visiting the Zanzibar National Museum. It seems that everyone has been here at one time or another: the Indians, the Portugese, the Germans, the Turks and just about the rest of the world as well. The shortest war ever happened here when the British bombed for 45 minutes and kicked out the Germans. You can see different influences in the architecture around town and in the different types of restaurants available. I walked around quite a bit and got lost -- the town is just a maze. It was great, though. Getting lost let's you see places you'd never see otherwise and it was fun to watch children playing and people going about their daily business. Eventually I found the site where slaves were processed. Now there's a church built on the site and for a fee, you can go inside and see the high alter which is where the whipping post used to be. No thank you.
I just had the best shish kabobs ever – they don’t call this the spice island for nothing. Also, I’ve come to love fresh squeezed bungo juice. I have no idea what a bungo is, but the juice is really good. Oh, and there’s Barak Obama paintings, posters, bumper stickers, buttons, etc. everywhere here.
Tomorrow morning I fly to Arusha, which is near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I should have a good view, both from the plane and from the lodge where I’m staying (that’s what the brochure says anyway). The next morning we set off on safari. Since some of the descriptions of the lodges we’ll be staying in say things like “24 hour electricity”, so I have large doubts that I’ll have internet access. I will write up something each day as well as prepare photos and will post as soon as I can. Most likely, you’ll see multiple posts showing up at once sometime down the line. Just in case you’re wondering where I am at any given time, here’s my itinerary for the rest of the trip:
10/10 – Fly from Zanzibar to Arusha. Stay at Mountain Village Lodge
10/11 – Drive to Ngorongoro Crater. Stay at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
10/12 – Game viewing in the crater and then drive to the Serengeti. Stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge
10/13 – Hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti at dawn (still can’t believe this one!). Game drive the rest of the day until sunset. Stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge again.
10/14 – Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, stopping at Olduvai Gorge where they found the oldest known human remains. Stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
10/15 – Early morning game drive and then visit a Masai village and local school. Stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
10/16 – Drive to Tarangire National Park and do afternoon game drive. Stay at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
10/17 – Drive to Arusha, have lunch, and get dumped at the airport to start the long journey home (Arusha -> Nairobi -> London -> San Francisco).
I’ll be home in 9.5 days!
I just spent a couple of hours walking around town and visiting the Zanzibar National Museum. It seems that everyone has been here at one time or another: the Indians, the Portugese, the Germans, the Turks and just about the rest of the world as well. The shortest war ever happened here when the British bombed for 45 minutes and kicked out the Germans. You can see different influences in the architecture around town and in the different types of restaurants available. I walked around quite a bit and got lost -- the town is just a maze. It was great, though. Getting lost let's you see places you'd never see otherwise and it was fun to watch children playing and people going about their daily business. Eventually I found the site where slaves were processed. Now there's a church built on the site and for a fee, you can go inside and see the high alter which is where the whipping post used to be. No thank you.
I just had the best shish kabobs ever – they don’t call this the spice island for nothing. Also, I’ve come to love fresh squeezed bungo juice. I have no idea what a bungo is, but the juice is really good. Oh, and there’s Barak Obama paintings, posters, bumper stickers, buttons, etc. everywhere here.
Tomorrow morning I fly to Arusha, which is near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I should have a good view, both from the plane and from the lodge where I’m staying (that’s what the brochure says anyway). The next morning we set off on safari. Since some of the descriptions of the lodges we’ll be staying in say things like “24 hour electricity”, so I have large doubts that I’ll have internet access. I will write up something each day as well as prepare photos and will post as soon as I can. Most likely, you’ll see multiple posts showing up at once sometime down the line. Just in case you’re wondering where I am at any given time, here’s my itinerary for the rest of the trip:
10/10 – Fly from Zanzibar to Arusha. Stay at Mountain Village Lodge
10/11 – Drive to Ngorongoro Crater. Stay at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
10/12 – Game viewing in the crater and then drive to the Serengeti. Stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge
10/13 – Hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti at dawn (still can’t believe this one!). Game drive the rest of the day until sunset. Stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge again.
10/14 – Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, stopping at Olduvai Gorge where they found the oldest known human remains. Stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
10/15 – Early morning game drive and then visit a Masai village and local school. Stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
10/16 – Drive to Tarangire National Park and do afternoon game drive. Stay at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
10/17 – Drive to Arusha, have lunch, and get dumped at the airport to start the long journey home (Arusha -> Nairobi -> London -> San Francisco).
I’ll be home in 9.5 days!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A Lazy Day
I had originally planned on a little excursion today, but it fell through. For a few measly dollars, they will take you on a boat to this area in the Ocean that’s loaded with very friendly dolphins. You get to feed them and then swim with them! I thought, “well, I’ve ridden elephants, camels, mules and a felucca on this trip, why not swim with dolphins?” And I knew that Beth (Guislin, not Welliver) would be so proud! But last night at 9:30 I was told that they found no one else interested in the trip today, so they had to cancel on me. There’s folks going tomorrow, but I’m scheduled to leave in the morning for Stone Town. Bummer. Instead I went on the consolation trip – snorkeling.
So after breakfast, I hopped on a boat with about 10 Italians, none of whom spoke English. Fun. Anyway, we were taken to an area to do an hour or so of snorkeling. There were lots and lots of different kinds of coral, but everything was pretty much khaki colored. It’s a bit disappointing, but I guess after the Blue Hole in Belize, everything seems bland. There were some very pretty colored fish. Lots of midnight blue angel fish, these black and white striped zebra fish, gold fish, barracuda, and every color of snapper you can imagine. And I found Nemo.
When we arrived back at the beach, I laid down on a cot for a bit and slept through lunch. Oh well. When I woke up I realized one of the biggest problems with traveling alone, especially to beaches: no one to put sunscreen on your back or tell you when you are starting to burn. And then it was time for my scheduled massage. Oops! Actually, she used some really good oil/lotion that soothed the burn and the message didn’t really hurt much.
Tomorrow I’m driven back to Stone Town to spend a night in a place that Stanley Livingston used to live in. I’ll meander around a bit and hopefully visit the place where they used to process slaves leaving Tanzania. A bit depressing, I know, but I think it’s good to see these things and remind yourself of the things we should never allow to happen again. I hope it’s not as bad as Dachau – I cried my eyes out that day.
I have one question for all of you and I hope that someone can explain. I first asked this question in Thailand and then again at the Red Sea and the Dead Sea: Why do overweight, old, European men have to wear Speedos? I just don’t get it. It’s not attractive and really should be against the law. Can anyone explain? Ornella? Thank you in advance for a good explanation.
So after breakfast, I hopped on a boat with about 10 Italians, none of whom spoke English. Fun. Anyway, we were taken to an area to do an hour or so of snorkeling. There were lots and lots of different kinds of coral, but everything was pretty much khaki colored. It’s a bit disappointing, but I guess after the Blue Hole in Belize, everything seems bland. There were some very pretty colored fish. Lots of midnight blue angel fish, these black and white striped zebra fish, gold fish, barracuda, and every color of snapper you can imagine. And I found Nemo.
When we arrived back at the beach, I laid down on a cot for a bit and slept through lunch. Oh well. When I woke up I realized one of the biggest problems with traveling alone, especially to beaches: no one to put sunscreen on your back or tell you when you are starting to burn. And then it was time for my scheduled massage. Oops! Actually, she used some really good oil/lotion that soothed the burn and the message didn’t really hurt much.
Tomorrow I’m driven back to Stone Town to spend a night in a place that Stanley Livingston used to live in. I’ll meander around a bit and hopefully visit the place where they used to process slaves leaving Tanzania. A bit depressing, I know, but I think it’s good to see these things and remind yourself of the things we should never allow to happen again. I hope it’s not as bad as Dachau – I cried my eyes out that day.
I have one question for all of you and I hope that someone can explain. I first asked this question in Thailand and then again at the Red Sea and the Dead Sea: Why do overweight, old, European men have to wear Speedos? I just don’t get it. It’s not attractive and really should be against the law. Can anyone explain? Ornella? Thank you in advance for a good explanation.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
I’m in Africa!
So my trip out of Cairo was definitely a typical Egyptian experience. I was sitting on the balcony attached to my hotel lobby looking out over the streets of Cairo. I kept waiting for my car, which was supposed to arrive at 11pm, but never saw it. At 11:20, I went to the front desk (about 30 feet from me) and asked if they could make a call and check on my car. My driver was sitting right there and had been for 20 minutes – they were just having a good time talking and didn’t think to let me know that I could leave now. Kinda typical. Then at the airport, I saw a security line as you enter the building. When I got to the front of the line, I was yelled at by the security guard and told to go back outside. No one out there spoke English and I couldn’t figure out what to do. Eventually, I saw other people heading in another door so I followed and saw about a dozen different security checkpoints. Great. I eventually found out that there’s a security checkpoint for every checkin desk, but there’s no signage to tell you which flights are which checkin desk or which checkpoint. I eventually got through the right one and without any signage, found my way through immigration and to my gate. My gate wasn’t open, but I found free wifi at – you should be able to guess it by now – McDonalds! Interestingly enough, the Starbucks next door (the first I saw since Thailand) did not have wifi.
Things (attitude, punctuality, friendliness) changed when I got on my flight. There were Africans all around me in colorful dress, amazing hats and headwraps, and big, big smiles. I’m not talking the polite, sedate Thai smiles (and I love those), but big Cheshire cat ear-to-ear grins where the teeth nearly blind you. And big belly laughs – no little chuckles here. I immediately got very excited – I was going to Africa! About time it hit me.
We made a stop in Khartoum to unload some folks and pick some more up. I have to say that flying over Sudan was a bit depressing. The ground was dry and just plain dirt (at least what I saw) and very very flat. There was a big river running through the city which I suspect was the Nile, but no vegetation on its shores. While I’ve seen UN planes and vehicles just about everywhere I’ve been, I’ve never seen them to the extent that I saw them at the airport there. There were more UN planes than all of the commercial planes added up. And lots and lots of UN helicopters which looked like old Soviet versions of Blackhawks. I guess that when you have mass genocide happening in your country, you get a big UN presence.
I changed planes in Addis Ababa and loved everything I saw in the store windows – lots of colorful clothes, handwoven baskets, really interesting jewelry and amazing sandals with all kinds of stones on them. I even saw a bright pink man’s tribal gown all decorated with embroidery. I thought that it would be the perfect Hernando costume for Surf City and would especially compliment his giant fro wig. But it was made for a very big boy and I didn’t have much time to catch my next plane. Sorry Michael.
After yet another flight, I arrived in Dar Es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. It sits right on the Indian Ocean and used to be the capital. The visa process was a bit messier than in other places I’ve been, but a very nice Tanzanian security guard helped me through. After all the warnings about how they’ll turn you around if you don’t have your yellow fever immunization certificate, no one asked me for it. I even offered it and was told that they didn’t need to see it. WHAT?!!? I did find out later that others were asked for it, so I must have just looked disease free or something. I then got driven over to another airport very nearby that they use for domestic flights. Here is where I had to wait. It was about 1:00pm when I arrived, but the safari company had me on a 4:45 Zanair flight to Zanzibar. But I’m glad I had that time – everyone’s so friendly that I met many, many people and had a lot of good conversations. Word got around that I had been traveling for some time, so I was approached by many of the airport workers to talk for a bit. Everyone wanted to hear my stories – it was kinda fun. Oh, and they were prepping for some big ceremony out on the tarmac. There was a military band, a stage, bleachers, etc. We weren’t sure who was coming, but when the Tanzanian president arrived, it was obvious that some foreign head of state was on the way. The funniest bit happened when they brought out the red carpet roll. The placed the carpet down upside down so that they couldn’t unroll the carpet. There were 5 military types standing there looking at it trying to figure it out. I laughed out loud a bit and the other man in the waiting room (a very nice Tanzanian) came over and took a look and smiled. And then he said something that I absolutely love and will never forget: “Common sense is not often common.” True dat. Anyway, they figured it out, flipped the carpet over, and unrolled. Then the plane arrived – the pomp and circumstance was for the president of Madagascar. I was told that they did the same ceremony earlier this year for President Bush. He came and stayed 4 days in Tanzania. Who knew?
I made it to the island in a very little prop plane (they had to weigh our luggage to make sure were weren’t overloaded) and picked up at the airport. It took over an hour to drive to the Kichanga Lodge. We drove through small colorful villages, past many spice plantations and through a wildlife preserve. In a way, it looks like Thailand – lots of banana, pineapple, mango and coconut trees with the beautiful Indian Ocean right there. But the dress is so colorful and the people so lively. We stopped a couple of times so that the driver could shout hello to friends that we passed. Without exception, everyone came up to the car, poked their head in at me, gave me HUGE smiles and welcomed me to Zanzibar. In one place, a group of boys were playing drums while folks danced around in a big circle. Did I mention I’m in Africa?
Anyway, the lodge is beautiful. I have this wonderful bungalow with steps leading to the beach and the most beautiful view (the photo was taken from my porch). My bungalow was decked out in flowers (the bed, the desk, the bathroom and the porch) and they even wrote Bienvenuto in leaves across the sheets. There’s a beautiful beach, a nice pool, kayaks and snorkeling gear, the nicest people and wonderful food (buffet for every meal all included in the price of the room, which is included in my safari package). Last night I even had homemade pasta (the owner is Italian) with a fantastic crab sauce along with some traditional Swahili dishes. The staff was so happy that I’m willing to try local dishes – apparently most guests do not. As a reward, they made me a local cocktail – ginger beer, freshly grated ginger and rum. I’ve gotta make those at home! I’ve got 3 nights here and a night in Stone Town (the city on Zanzibar) before flying to Arusha (Kilimanjaro) to start my safari. The thought makes me smile like the Cheshire cat.
I’m in Africa and I’m in paradise. What could be better?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Off Yet Again
Well here I am back in Cairo waiting for my flight later tonight. Yesterday, I went to the Egyptian Museum and wore my poor little feet out. That place is absolutely packed with stuff they've found in temples and tombs throughout Egypt. There were even crates lying around and forklifts with statues on them just sitting there. I know that they're building an additional museum that will house some of this stuff over near Giza, but in the meantime, just just keep packing it in. And I hear that only a small portion of what the have is on display -- most is in storage. But I did come face to face with the tanned, withered remains of King Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut. And about 10 or so other mummies. And mummified animals, including a 20 foot crocodile.
After, I walked on over to the main Cairo post office to send stuff home. I was really dreading this and thought that it might be as bad as Delhi. It was surprisingly quick and easy. Very nice people directed me to the correct door and window, the man there explained everything and nicely packed up a box for me, I paid and he gave me a receipt. Total time spent: about 5 minutes. How cool is that? I really expected an hour or so of pure hell. Of course, we'll have to wait and see if the package ever arrives.
Today I spent just walking around, mostly along the river and exchanging money for Tanzania. It was so hot, that I came back by 2:00 and spent the afternoon actually organizing the photos that I've taken over the past 2.5 months. Tedious? Yes, but it needed to be done. I just got back from getting dinner and thus took my last walk in Egypt. I'm very excited about that because the men here are relentless. They really think that being pushy and rudely demanding to know your name and where you're from is going to get the a western girlfriend. The funny thing is, when I talked with one of the tour operators about this, he didn't understand. He (and I think all Egyptian men) believe that when they honor you with their presence and questions, you should be flattered and fall at their feet. So sad. It's a wonder that any of them ever get a girlfriend or get married.
Egypt has been an interesting experience. But here you just cannot go "off the beaten track" and meet locals very easily. About 10 years ago there was a shooting at Hatshepsut's temple (the one I hiked to from the Valley of the Kings) in which over 70 people were killed. And a few years ago there was a bombing at an Egyptian resort on the Dead Sea. Since them Egypt has put some systems in place to help safeguard its tourists -- tourism is the #1 industry in this country and they can't afford for it to go away. Now, a tourist can only ride in certain cars on certain trains. When traveling between cities by car or bus, you must be in one of the scheduled caravans which are closely monitored by police checkpoints. There are special tourist buses and minivans that take groups of tourists to the various sites, although if traveling within the same city, you can use a private taxi -- but the police do check these as well. Basically, the Egyptian government keeps you within certain confines to better make sure nothing bad gets to you. (For those wandering about the tourists who were kidnapped and taken to Sudan, everyone here says that they were pitching their tents actually within the Sudanese border.) So if you want to rent your own car and travel on your own, forget it. You'll be turned away at the first checkpoint you find. So there's no real getting away and seeing the real Egypt. For that reason, you might as well book a tour. Mine was very low key. It wasn't like Jordan where I was in an air conditioned bus with the same folks every day -- here I had the various train rides, minibus tours, etc. pre-booked. But every day, I was with different people who had signed up to see the same thing or take the same train that I did. Alexandria, I did on my own. Live and learn!
Tonight starts flight hell. You see, from now until I land at SFO on the 18th, I have 7 flights. That's right -- 7 flights. Here's the schedule for tonight/tomorrow:
Leave Cairo at 2:20am and fly to Addis Ababa via Khartoum. Since it's the same flight number, I'm hoping that I get to stay on the plane in Sudan.
2 hour layover in Addis Ababa and fly to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
After a 5 hour layover in Dar Es Salaam (courtesy the safari company), fly to Zanzibar. 1.5 hour drive to the resort.
ICK!
After, I walked on over to the main Cairo post office to send stuff home. I was really dreading this and thought that it might be as bad as Delhi. It was surprisingly quick and easy. Very nice people directed me to the correct door and window, the man there explained everything and nicely packed up a box for me, I paid and he gave me a receipt. Total time spent: about 5 minutes. How cool is that? I really expected an hour or so of pure hell. Of course, we'll have to wait and see if the package ever arrives.
Today I spent just walking around, mostly along the river and exchanging money for Tanzania. It was so hot, that I came back by 2:00 and spent the afternoon actually organizing the photos that I've taken over the past 2.5 months. Tedious? Yes, but it needed to be done. I just got back from getting dinner and thus took my last walk in Egypt. I'm very excited about that because the men here are relentless. They really think that being pushy and rudely demanding to know your name and where you're from is going to get the a western girlfriend. The funny thing is, when I talked with one of the tour operators about this, he didn't understand. He (and I think all Egyptian men) believe that when they honor you with their presence and questions, you should be flattered and fall at their feet. So sad. It's a wonder that any of them ever get a girlfriend or get married.
Egypt has been an interesting experience. But here you just cannot go "off the beaten track" and meet locals very easily. About 10 years ago there was a shooting at Hatshepsut's temple (the one I hiked to from the Valley of the Kings) in which over 70 people were killed. And a few years ago there was a bombing at an Egyptian resort on the Dead Sea. Since them Egypt has put some systems in place to help safeguard its tourists -- tourism is the #1 industry in this country and they can't afford for it to go away. Now, a tourist can only ride in certain cars on certain trains. When traveling between cities by car or bus, you must be in one of the scheduled caravans which are closely monitored by police checkpoints. There are special tourist buses and minivans that take groups of tourists to the various sites, although if traveling within the same city, you can use a private taxi -- but the police do check these as well. Basically, the Egyptian government keeps you within certain confines to better make sure nothing bad gets to you. (For those wandering about the tourists who were kidnapped and taken to Sudan, everyone here says that they were pitching their tents actually within the Sudanese border.) So if you want to rent your own car and travel on your own, forget it. You'll be turned away at the first checkpoint you find. So there's no real getting away and seeing the real Egypt. For that reason, you might as well book a tour. Mine was very low key. It wasn't like Jordan where I was in an air conditioned bus with the same folks every day -- here I had the various train rides, minibus tours, etc. pre-booked. But every day, I was with different people who had signed up to see the same thing or take the same train that I did. Alexandria, I did on my own. Live and learn!
Tonight starts flight hell. You see, from now until I land at SFO on the 18th, I have 7 flights. That's right -- 7 flights. Here's the schedule for tonight/tomorrow:
Leave Cairo at 2:20am and fly to Addis Ababa via Khartoum. Since it's the same flight number, I'm hoping that I get to stay on the plane in Sudan.
2 hour layover in Addis Ababa and fly to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
After a 5 hour layover in Dar Es Salaam (courtesy the safari company), fly to Zanzibar. 1.5 hour drive to the resort.
ICK!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Giza Again
Since my guide on day one was such a jackass and I really didn't get to walk around, I went back to Giza today and spent some time. The crowds were much thinner, the tour buses were a bit more scarce, and there was a nice wind blowing so it was all a bit less of a sweat bath.
There were remains of 6 other pyramids there that I really didn't get to look at -- they're all much smaller and mostly for the queens of the pharaohs that were entombed in the big 3. There are tombs for other noteworthy folks, including a nice one for Cheops' doctor. There's also a couple of old cemeteries that I saw from a distance.
I bought an extra ticket today and went inside the Pyramid of Khafre. This is the middle pyramid, and since the top of the Great Pyramid has fallen off, the same size. As you enter, there's a very narrow passageway that goes down steeply. You have to bend over quite a bit at the waist to fit, as the ceiling is very low and there's barely room for one person, yet you've got folks coming both ways. After the descent (about 4 minutes with traffic), you even out in a chamber that is tall enough to stand in. At the end of the chamber is a very steep ascent, again narrow and requiring some serious squatting. At the end of that, you come to the burial chamber in the center of the pyramid. While his sarcophagus is still there, the rest of the room is very empty. There are some very faint etchings on the walls and an inscription by the Italian who discovered the tomb in the early 1800s, but not much else. On the way out, I noticed some other passages that went to other chambers, but they were all behind closed gates.
What's interesting to note is the air -- there is next to none. Fresh air can only enter through the passageway that everyone comes through. In the meantime, you have a ton of people exhaling constantly. These pyramids get full of carbon dioxide and make it very hard to breathe. And it's hot -- really hot. And some people said they were feeling faint because of the air. When I got out (and I had to wait a while because of a big crowd heading in), the desert air seemed like an icebox in comparison. I even got goose bumps for a bit. A visit into a pyramid is not for anyone even remotely claustrophobic, I tell you.
I also went in to one of the smaller queen's pyramids later. There were much fewer people and since it's such a small pyramid, you get to the center much faster. Again, pretty underwhelming once inside. The same for the tomb of Cheops' doctor. The pyramids and surrounding tombs were created very early in Egyptian history. But building such great monuments only showed the looters where to look. All were stripped bare very early on in history. Later Pharaohs realized this and started building their tombs in the ground with no big markers in the Valley of the Kings. They figured that the looters would have a much harder time finding them. Of course, they failed to consider the workers selling out the locations for a bit of extra change. Nonetheless, several made it through in tact, including Tutankhamen's.
All in all, Giza is a pretty amazing place. Though they're only 9 of the more than 100 pyramids in the Nile Valley, the big 3 are huge and very impressive. I'm so glad I came and saw them. And Luxor -- the Valleys of the Kings and Queens are so impressive!
Next up tomorrow is an entire day at the Egyptian Museum (about 3 blocks from my hotel)!
There were remains of 6 other pyramids there that I really didn't get to look at -- they're all much smaller and mostly for the queens of the pharaohs that were entombed in the big 3. There are tombs for other noteworthy folks, including a nice one for Cheops' doctor. There's also a couple of old cemeteries that I saw from a distance.
I bought an extra ticket today and went inside the Pyramid of Khafre. This is the middle pyramid, and since the top of the Great Pyramid has fallen off, the same size. As you enter, there's a very narrow passageway that goes down steeply. You have to bend over quite a bit at the waist to fit, as the ceiling is very low and there's barely room for one person, yet you've got folks coming both ways. After the descent (about 4 minutes with traffic), you even out in a chamber that is tall enough to stand in. At the end of the chamber is a very steep ascent, again narrow and requiring some serious squatting. At the end of that, you come to the burial chamber in the center of the pyramid. While his sarcophagus is still there, the rest of the room is very empty. There are some very faint etchings on the walls and an inscription by the Italian who discovered the tomb in the early 1800s, but not much else. On the way out, I noticed some other passages that went to other chambers, but they were all behind closed gates.
What's interesting to note is the air -- there is next to none. Fresh air can only enter through the passageway that everyone comes through. In the meantime, you have a ton of people exhaling constantly. These pyramids get full of carbon dioxide and make it very hard to breathe. And it's hot -- really hot. And some people said they were feeling faint because of the air. When I got out (and I had to wait a while because of a big crowd heading in), the desert air seemed like an icebox in comparison. I even got goose bumps for a bit. A visit into a pyramid is not for anyone even remotely claustrophobic, I tell you.
I also went in to one of the smaller queen's pyramids later. There were much fewer people and since it's such a small pyramid, you get to the center much faster. Again, pretty underwhelming once inside. The same for the tomb of Cheops' doctor. The pyramids and surrounding tombs were created very early in Egyptian history. But building such great monuments only showed the looters where to look. All were stripped bare very early on in history. Later Pharaohs realized this and started building their tombs in the ground with no big markers in the Valley of the Kings. They figured that the looters would have a much harder time finding them. Of course, they failed to consider the workers selling out the locations for a bit of extra change. Nonetheless, several made it through in tact, including Tutankhamen's.
All in all, Giza is a pretty amazing place. Though they're only 9 of the more than 100 pyramids in the Nile Valley, the big 3 are huge and very impressive. I'm so glad I came and saw them. And Luxor -- the Valleys of the Kings and Queens are so impressive!
Next up tomorrow is an entire day at the Egyptian Museum (about 3 blocks from my hotel)!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Sorry I Got Distracted
I had more to say in yesterday's post, but I got distracted by my new friends. They were at the table next to me at McDonalds and struck up a conversation. I thought that they had left when I hurriedly finished, but they had just gone off to buy me a gift of potato chips. Not my favorite food, but how sweet! So we walked to the water front and I bought ice cream for all and we sat until sunset. They then walked me to my hotel so that they could wave goodbye to me as I looked out my window. It's encounters like this that I love about traveling!
I forgot to mention yesterday that all of the design work you see on the photos of the outside of the Bibliotheca are written characters. The library boasts having characters from every written language known on it's outside. It was kinda cool looking around and recognizing Russian, Nepali, Thai, Hindi and some of the other languages I've become acquainted with.
Also worth noting is the Alexandria National Museum. It boasts collections from each of the cities periods (Roman, Coptic, Napoleonic, etc.). But most impressive is what they've been adding recently. You see, they've discovered part of the ancient city just off the coast to the east. It appears that this part of the city fell into the sea either during a tsunami that hit in the 300s AD or a major earthquake known to have struck in the 600s AD. Archeological dives have found statues, coins, columns, vases, etc. of the ancient city. There are a couple of rooms with relics brought up from the sea floor and along side each is a photo of the relic on the sea floor as it was found. It was fascinating. If you are certified, you can go out on a dive boat from the harbor outside my hotel and visit the city. I'm not certified, though. Bummer.
I made it through a taxi ride, the train, another taxi ride and am back in Cairo. Tomorrow morning I get a redo at Giza. The next day, I'll go back to the Egyptian Museum to see the rest. Sunday, I go to the post office to send things home and leave that night for Tanzania. I know I'll have internet access on Zanzibar, but while on safari, I probably won't. But that's OK -- there's been a drastic reduction in the number of comments in the past couple of weeks and I'm not getting any emails any more, so I'm the updates won't be missed too much. Yes, that's a not too subtle hint -- I'm homesick!
I forgot to mention yesterday that all of the design work you see on the photos of the outside of the Bibliotheca are written characters. The library boasts having characters from every written language known on it's outside. It was kinda cool looking around and recognizing Russian, Nepali, Thai, Hindi and some of the other languages I've become acquainted with.
Also worth noting is the Alexandria National Museum. It boasts collections from each of the cities periods (Roman, Coptic, Napoleonic, etc.). But most impressive is what they've been adding recently. You see, they've discovered part of the ancient city just off the coast to the east. It appears that this part of the city fell into the sea either during a tsunami that hit in the 300s AD or a major earthquake known to have struck in the 600s AD. Archeological dives have found statues, coins, columns, vases, etc. of the ancient city. There are a couple of rooms with relics brought up from the sea floor and along side each is a photo of the relic on the sea floor as it was found. It was fascinating. If you are certified, you can go out on a dive boat from the harbor outside my hotel and visit the city. I'm not certified, though. Bummer.
I made it through a taxi ride, the train, another taxi ride and am back in Cairo. Tomorrow morning I get a redo at Giza. The next day, I'll go back to the Egyptian Museum to see the rest. Sunday, I go to the post office to send things home and leave that night for Tanzania. I know I'll have internet access on Zanzibar, but while on safari, I probably won't. But that's OK -- there's been a drastic reduction in the number of comments in the past couple of weeks and I'm not getting any emails any more, so I'm the updates won't be missed too much. Yes, that's a not too subtle hint -- I'm homesick!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Med
So here I am in Alexandria. I was told that it would be relaxing and very European. It is European, but in a 1920's seedy Parisian kind of way. Seriously. This place was built by Alexander the Great, has been ruled by the Coptics, the Byzantines, the French (Napoleon invaded), the Ottomans, and the British, so it makes sense that it seems very old European.
Unless you want to spend $200/night, your hotel is in a very Parisian looking building up a very scary elevator. Mine is on the waterfront, but the interior needs some help. While very clean, the decor is really from the 1920's. The furniture is art deco, the wallpaper is old cloth stuff that is starting to peel and the chandelier in the room is missing some pieces. I have to share a bathroom with another room (that's kind of the way it is here), but I haven't seen or heard anyone else in it. Some of the tile is cracked and the mirrors are very old, but again, it's all very clean.
I went for a walk along the waterfront last night after arriving. They were just getting ready to break the fast and everyone was hoping that the moon looked appropriate when rising so that they can end Ramadan. For the first time since Nepal, I saw a cloud (actually several) and the weather was pretty cool. Everything was still boarded up though, so I ended up getting dinner at my hotel and then going to sleep early.
This morning I woke up and it was apparent that everything was different. Everyone was out walking around (while fasting, they tend to stay at home during the day napping and stay up all night eating) and everything was cheerful. Ramadan must have ended. You see, the astronomers can predict when the moon will be in the proper phase, but until it is seen and declared appropriate, Ramadan still goes on. The end can be different from one region to another, so you never really know.
After breakfast, I took off on foot to see the sights. I walked to the Roman Amphitheater, the Bibliotheca Alexandria, the Alexandria National Museum and wondered the streets. I have to say though, the men here are awful. In Egypt, men are not shy about approaching western women and talking to them, but here they're rather rude. They walk right up to you, stick their faces about 6 inches from yours, and yell "What is your name?" very loudly. No smile. No niceties. No nothing. I had a group of boys, probably about 8 or 9 years old, run up to me flipping me the bird right in front of my face, and screaming "whore!". Who teaches children these things? This kind of behavior happened every few minutes and I got really tired of it. I actually almost started crying. I had so many problems, that I decided to skip the catacombs and go back to my room. I've been to catacombs in Rome and in Paris, so I really didn't have to see these. I needed a nap anyway -- I'm still on Ramadan time.
When I woke up, all I wanted to do was go back to the train station and leave. But then I opened the window to my room, sat on the sill, and watched the day go by. The waterfront was packed with people celebrating. Ice cream and tea vendors were actually doing business, people were singing and beating on drums, and everyone was happy and smiling. I got mesmerized by it and watched for a couple of hours and wasn't bored for a single second. People watching rules, especially from the safety of your hotel room.
One thing I did notice during my excursion this morning, wifi exists in Alexandria and McDonalds is the Starbucks of the Middle East. Yes, I'm back in McDonalds because it's the only wifi I can find except for the $10 for a cup of tea cafe at the Sofetil Hotel. Some young girls hung out with me until just a few minutes ago. They were very sweet. And so far, no men have asked me my name or whether or not I'm married. Very refreshing. Yup, I'm eating another McArabia. Anyway, tomorrow I go back to Cairo and hang until my flight to Tanzania. Believe it or not, Cairo is the only place where Egyptian men have left me alone.
Unless you want to spend $200/night, your hotel is in a very Parisian looking building up a very scary elevator. Mine is on the waterfront, but the interior needs some help. While very clean, the decor is really from the 1920's. The furniture is art deco, the wallpaper is old cloth stuff that is starting to peel and the chandelier in the room is missing some pieces. I have to share a bathroom with another room (that's kind of the way it is here), but I haven't seen or heard anyone else in it. Some of the tile is cracked and the mirrors are very old, but again, it's all very clean.
I went for a walk along the waterfront last night after arriving. They were just getting ready to break the fast and everyone was hoping that the moon looked appropriate when rising so that they can end Ramadan. For the first time since Nepal, I saw a cloud (actually several) and the weather was pretty cool. Everything was still boarded up though, so I ended up getting dinner at my hotel and then going to sleep early.
This morning I woke up and it was apparent that everything was different. Everyone was out walking around (while fasting, they tend to stay at home during the day napping and stay up all night eating) and everything was cheerful. Ramadan must have ended. You see, the astronomers can predict when the moon will be in the proper phase, but until it is seen and declared appropriate, Ramadan still goes on. The end can be different from one region to another, so you never really know.
After breakfast, I took off on foot to see the sights. I walked to the Roman Amphitheater, the Bibliotheca Alexandria, the Alexandria National Museum and wondered the streets. I have to say though, the men here are awful. In Egypt, men are not shy about approaching western women and talking to them, but here they're rather rude. They walk right up to you, stick their faces about 6 inches from yours, and yell "What is your name?" very loudly. No smile. No niceties. No nothing. I had a group of boys, probably about 8 or 9 years old, run up to me flipping me the bird right in front of my face, and screaming "whore!". Who teaches children these things? This kind of behavior happened every few minutes and I got really tired of it. I actually almost started crying. I had so many problems, that I decided to skip the catacombs and go back to my room. I've been to catacombs in Rome and in Paris, so I really didn't have to see these. I needed a nap anyway -- I'm still on Ramadan time.
When I woke up, all I wanted to do was go back to the train station and leave. But then I opened the window to my room, sat on the sill, and watched the day go by. The waterfront was packed with people celebrating. Ice cream and tea vendors were actually doing business, people were singing and beating on drums, and everyone was happy and smiling. I got mesmerized by it and watched for a couple of hours and wasn't bored for a single second. People watching rules, especially from the safety of your hotel room.
One thing I did notice during my excursion this morning, wifi exists in Alexandria and McDonalds is the Starbucks of the Middle East. Yes, I'm back in McDonalds because it's the only wifi I can find except for the $10 for a cup of tea cafe at the Sofetil Hotel. Some young girls hung out with me until just a few minutes ago. They were very sweet. And so far, no men have asked me my name or whether or not I'm married. Very refreshing. Yup, I'm eating another McArabia. Anyway, tomorrow I go back to Cairo and hang until my flight to Tanzania. Believe it or not, Cairo is the only place where Egyptian men have left me alone.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Briefly Back in Cairo
Sorry for the lack of update, but internet access at this hotel is sketchy at best and I can't seem to upload any photos. Yesterday morning I arrived in Cairo (and not too far behind schedule -- pretty good for Egyptian trains) and was taken to the hotel. On the way to the hotel, I was told that I had a tour guide waiting for me to take me around Cairo. Damn. I really wanted to take a nap. Anyway, I took a quick shower and then we were off.
Our first stop was a whirlwind tour of the Egyptian Museum. I had already told him that I planned to spend an entire day there, so he gave me the overview and walked me around so that I was well oriented for when I came back. Then we were off to Old Cairo. This area is also called Babylon and has many, many old Christian churches and one that is now converted to a synagogue. We went inside the "Hanging Church", which is built over some old pilings of Babylon (which you can see through some glass in the floor), a church under which Jesus, Mary and Joseph are said to have hid when in exile in Egypt, and a synagogue which is converted from a medieval church and was also once a mosque. Unfortunately, no photos allowed inside the buildings. No big surprise there.
We then went off to the citadel, passing the area where a rock slide recently destroyed some homes and killed some people. Besides beautiful views of all of Cairo (and pyramids in the distance), there are two significant mosques. One is from about 1500 years ago and is a very good representation of early mosque design. The other is the mosque of Mohammad Ali, also known as the alabaster mosque. Amazingly, they allow visitors and even allow photos on the inside. How nice is that? They have very large capes available for women that they do not consider appropriately dressed, but I was allowed in as I was dressed. Everyone was very welcoming and even spent time explaining their religion to me and the significance of Ramadan. I had already read all of this, but it was nice to hear it from the folks running the mosques. The interiors are extremely beautiful, but very open with little furniture. I took the best pictures I could in the light, so be sure to have a look.
Back at my hotel, I spoke with my tour operator. He can see how tired I am, so he's sending me off to Alexandria this morning for a little R&R. I'm spending two nights and then will come back to Cairo for my final 3. I'll have an entire day at the Egyptian Museum (YES!), a day with a car to take me back to Giza and Saqarra, and a day to do the usual -- laundry, send what I don't need home, and buy shampoo, etc. that I will need for Tanzania. I'm at the 2.5 week mark until I get back!
Our first stop was a whirlwind tour of the Egyptian Museum. I had already told him that I planned to spend an entire day there, so he gave me the overview and walked me around so that I was well oriented for when I came back. Then we were off to Old Cairo. This area is also called Babylon and has many, many old Christian churches and one that is now converted to a synagogue. We went inside the "Hanging Church", which is built over some old pilings of Babylon (which you can see through some glass in the floor), a church under which Jesus, Mary and Joseph are said to have hid when in exile in Egypt, and a synagogue which is converted from a medieval church and was also once a mosque. Unfortunately, no photos allowed inside the buildings. No big surprise there.
We then went off to the citadel, passing the area where a rock slide recently destroyed some homes and killed some people. Besides beautiful views of all of Cairo (and pyramids in the distance), there are two significant mosques. One is from about 1500 years ago and is a very good representation of early mosque design. The other is the mosque of Mohammad Ali, also known as the alabaster mosque. Amazingly, they allow visitors and even allow photos on the inside. How nice is that? They have very large capes available for women that they do not consider appropriately dressed, but I was allowed in as I was dressed. Everyone was very welcoming and even spent time explaining their religion to me and the significance of Ramadan. I had already read all of this, but it was nice to hear it from the folks running the mosques. The interiors are extremely beautiful, but very open with little furniture. I took the best pictures I could in the light, so be sure to have a look.Back at my hotel, I spoke with my tour operator. He can see how tired I am, so he's sending me off to Alexandria this morning for a little R&R. I'm spending two nights and then will come back to Cairo for my final 3. I'll have an entire day at the Egyptian Museum (YES!), a day with a car to take me back to Giza and Saqarra, and a day to do the usual -- laundry, send what I don't need home, and buy shampoo, etc. that I will need for Tanzania. I'm at the 2.5 week mark until I get back!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Off to Cairo
Well, I got on the little minibus to go to both Karnak and Luxor Temples, the main attractions of the East Bank. Karnak Temple is huge and has been built up by many different people over the years. There's even a mosque in the complex. It's also been hit by floods and earthquakes over the years, so there's a lot of reconstruction going on. The obliesks were particularly impressive as well as the row of sphyxs as you enter. One even looked a lot like a particular Star Wars character.
After we were off to Luxor Temple, which is much smaller and supposedly not very impressive. There were three guys from Toronto on the bus who saw the Temple yesterday. Suddenly I was outvoted and didn't get to go inside. Instead I got to shoot a few photos outside next to the McDonalds. When I tried to walk around a bit, the bus driver honked and yelled until I came back. I was then ushered into Micky Ds and told that it would be my only chance to eat before the train. I haven't had McDs in about 10 years and all I could think of was a t-shirt I saw in Pokhara -- it had the golden arches across it with "McShit" written under. I did succumb and ordered a McArabia which came with fries and a drink. Now I don't feel so good.
Anyway, we get back to the hotel with our take out and I'm expecting to leave immediately for the train station with my food in hand. No such luck -- I have a few hours. I could have eaten good food. Back to Cairo tonight!
Change of Plans
It turns out I read my itinerary wrong and I'm to go back to Cairo on the overnight train tonight. It's OK -- the only thing I really wanted to do tomorrow is go back to the Valley of the Kings and go inside some more tombs. They are very hot and sweaty, so this is probably better. And besides, now that I've seen so many temples and tombs, I'm very anxious to see the Egyptian museum and go back to Giza. I'll also probably go to Alexandria for a bit. Also, the men are easier to deal with in Cairo than in Aswan or Luxor. Very few bothered me up in the capital, while here it's pretty constant. I could have had 150 Egyptian boyfriends in the last few days!
Anyway, I leave for the temples of the east bank just after lunch and go to the train station just after dinner. I'll post photos once I'm back in Cairo (so says the chick sitting on the one corner of her hotel balcony from where she can snag free wifi from the apartment building across the street).
Anyway, I leave for the temples of the east bank just after lunch and go to the train station just after dinner. I'll post photos once I'm back in Cairo (so says the chick sitting on the one corner of her hotel balcony from where she can snag free wifi from the apartment building across the street).
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The West Bank of Luxor
I had the most phenomenal day! I was given a private car and guide to make up for all of the crap that has happened since I got to Egypt and I had a blast! My guide has a BS in Archeology, but couldn't make a living at it, so took courses in Cairo to get her license to be an English speaking guide. She was the best -- she knows everything, but knew how much to tell me and could answer all of my questions. I learned so much and was absolutely amazed by everything I saw.
We started with a drive by of Mr. Carter's house (the man who discovered Tutankhamen's tomb) on the way to the Valley of the Kings. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I was very surprised. After walking through a visitor's center which had a 3-D model of the valley and tombs, we stepped outside. It's really very plain. Just walkways through the valley with an opening in the rock or ground here and there. The openings, of course, are to pharoh tombs and there are more than 60 of them now and they discover more and more each year. Your ticket into the Valley includes entry into 3 tombs. There are several open and you pick and choose which of the open ones you'd like to enter. Tut's costs extra. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos inside any of the tombs. I did buy a packet of photos from the inside of some tombs, but cannot scan and post them until I'm back home. Sorry.
What I did see is this: beautifully carved sarcophagi, wonderful etchings and heiroglyphics just like at the temples, but fully painted, and lots of chambers. The painting quite a surprise and so very colorful, even after all of these years. I paid extra to see Tut's tomb, which is the smallest of all in the Valley. He died suddenly and the tomb was made in haste. But his sarcophagus is in there, as is the boy king himself. He is the only mummy left in the Valley (the rest are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) and he is there in a glass case for you to look down upon. He really wasn't very big at all. On the wall by his sarcophagus, there were very large monkeys painted. This was the first time I've seen monkeys in any of the antiquities I've been in (and I haven't seen any live ones either). Apparently, they were a symbol of power in ancient Egypt.
Outside his tomb are photos taken of the discovery. Most have Carter in them. He's either standing over the mummy or doing something else that makes him seem important. There are no photos of the tomb with all of the treasures in it. They really don't know where everything was placed at all. Even more interesting is, Carter kinda didn't discover it himself. He had an Egyptian boy working for him and he ordered the kid to dig him a well. The kid picked a spot, started digging, found two steps and went and told the boss. The rest is history. Oh, and according to my guide (and I'm sorry, but I didn't get her name), Carter was in such a hurry that he cut the clothing off the mummy rather than preserving it and even damaged the mummy because he didn't take his time removing the gold mask. I lost a bit of respect for the guy today.
After viewing the four tombs, I took a bit of a hike. I walked up a trail from the Valley, over the ridge, and down to the Temple of Hatshepsut. It was damned hot, but I was determined to see the view from the top. My guide was much smarter -- she met me on the other side. Anyway, the temple is the funerary temple of the Pharoh Hatshepsut, the only female pharoh to have ruled Egypt. She was an oldest child and when her father died argued that her mother had an affair with the Sun God and so she was the rightful new Pharoh. She ruled, but wearing a fake beard and dressing like a man. Eventually she was killed by a male family member and after her death, her temple was defaced.
Then it was time to go to the Valley of the Queens. This valley has more tombs than the Valley of the Kings, but note that many of the tombs are for men (Pharoh's sons, etc.). It's called Valley of the Queens because of Nefartiti's tomb -- the best preserved of any in either valley. I went into 3 tombs there, but only one was for a Queen. They were all 3 very colorful and one even had a skeleton of a 6 month old fetus (the Queen had a miscarriage when falling after hearing of the death of one of her sons who was buried in this tomb). Nefartiti's tomb is accessible only about 2 days a week to groups willing to pay 20,000 Egyptian Pounds, or about $4,500 US. We saw a group going in, but I just couldn't afford to go in. I should have tried to sneak in.
Next, I was taken to a village that is built alongside these hills. The government has gotten many to move away and have demolish many homes to allow for further excavations. There are some holdouts, though and the guide took me to one of these homes. I was taken down some stairs to a tomb under the house. Not much there, but interesting none the less.
Our last major stop was at Deir Al Medina, which is the village where the workers who built the tombs lived. Those folks knew how to build and besides their homes, there are tombs, a temple and a few small pyramids. I went inside 2 tombs and over to the temple. I was allowed photos in these tombs and though they were small, they were nice.
We did some drive bys of other places that were largely destroyed by Nile flooding and earthquakes over the centuries, but nothing too spectacular. But what a day! I I loved every minute of it. I may go back over the the Valley of the Kings to see more tombs. Each entry ticket I buy gets me into three tombs of my choosing, so why not? In the meantime, I go to the temples on the east bank of Luxor tomorrow.
We started with a drive by of Mr. Carter's house (the man who discovered Tutankhamen's tomb) on the way to the Valley of the Kings. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I was very surprised. After walking through a visitor's center which had a 3-D model of the valley and tombs, we stepped outside. It's really very plain. Just walkways through the valley with an opening in the rock or ground here and there. The openings, of course, are to pharoh tombs and there are more than 60 of them now and they discover more and more each year. Your ticket into the Valley includes entry into 3 tombs. There are several open and you pick and choose which of the open ones you'd like to enter. Tut's costs extra. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos inside any of the tombs. I did buy a packet of photos from the inside of some tombs, but cannot scan and post them until I'm back home. Sorry.
What I did see is this: beautifully carved sarcophagi, wonderful etchings and heiroglyphics just like at the temples, but fully painted, and lots of chambers. The painting quite a surprise and so very colorful, even after all of these years. I paid extra to see Tut's tomb, which is the smallest of all in the Valley. He died suddenly and the tomb was made in haste. But his sarcophagus is in there, as is the boy king himself. He is the only mummy left in the Valley (the rest are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) and he is there in a glass case for you to look down upon. He really wasn't very big at all. On the wall by his sarcophagus, there were very large monkeys painted. This was the first time I've seen monkeys in any of the antiquities I've been in (and I haven't seen any live ones either). Apparently, they were a symbol of power in ancient Egypt.
Outside his tomb are photos taken of the discovery. Most have Carter in them. He's either standing over the mummy or doing something else that makes him seem important. There are no photos of the tomb with all of the treasures in it. They really don't know where everything was placed at all. Even more interesting is, Carter kinda didn't discover it himself. He had an Egyptian boy working for him and he ordered the kid to dig him a well. The kid picked a spot, started digging, found two steps and went and told the boss. The rest is history. Oh, and according to my guide (and I'm sorry, but I didn't get her name), Carter was in such a hurry that he cut the clothing off the mummy rather than preserving it and even damaged the mummy because he didn't take his time removing the gold mask. I lost a bit of respect for the guy today.
After viewing the four tombs, I took a bit of a hike. I walked up a trail from the Valley, over the ridge, and down to the Temple of Hatshepsut. It was damned hot, but I was determined to see the view from the top. My guide was much smarter -- she met me on the other side. Anyway, the temple is the funerary temple of the Pharoh Hatshepsut, the only female pharoh to have ruled Egypt. She was an oldest child and when her father died argued that her mother had an affair with the Sun God and so she was the rightful new Pharoh. She ruled, but wearing a fake beard and dressing like a man. Eventually she was killed by a male family member and after her death, her temple was defaced.
Then it was time to go to the Valley of the Queens. This valley has more tombs than the Valley of the Kings, but note that many of the tombs are for men (Pharoh's sons, etc.). It's called Valley of the Queens because of Nefartiti's tomb -- the best preserved of any in either valley. I went into 3 tombs there, but only one was for a Queen. They were all 3 very colorful and one even had a skeleton of a 6 month old fetus (the Queen had a miscarriage when falling after hearing of the death of one of her sons who was buried in this tomb). Nefartiti's tomb is accessible only about 2 days a week to groups willing to pay 20,000 Egyptian Pounds, or about $4,500 US. We saw a group going in, but I just couldn't afford to go in. I should have tried to sneak in.
Next, I was taken to a village that is built alongside these hills. The government has gotten many to move away and have demolish many homes to allow for further excavations. There are some holdouts, though and the guide took me to one of these homes. I was taken down some stairs to a tomb under the house. Not much there, but interesting none the less.
Our last major stop was at Deir Al Medina, which is the village where the workers who built the tombs lived. Those folks knew how to build and besides their homes, there are tombs, a temple and a few small pyramids. I went inside 2 tombs and over to the temple. I was allowed photos in these tombs and though they were small, they were nice.
We did some drive bys of other places that were largely destroyed by Nile flooding and earthquakes over the centuries, but nothing too spectacular. But what a day! I I loved every minute of it. I may go back over the the Valley of the Kings to see more tombs. Each entry ticket I buy gets me into three tombs of my choosing, so why not? In the meantime, I go to the temples on the east bank of Luxor tomorrow.
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