Where in the world is Holly?

Cape Town, South Africa

2007-09-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Since I have been here, I have been to the V&A Waterfront wharf several times. (victoria and alfred waterfront)

Table Mountain is the backdrop of the town and you can take a cable car to the top, but it has mechanical problems so I couldn't.

Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner, the tours have to be booked in advance so I didn't have time.

I hired my nice cab driver that picked me up from the train station to take me around town. He is a retired Head Master of 27 years and has 3 daughters and a few grandkids here in Cape Town. He was very nice and informative. He took me through a "Township" which are the very poor neighborhoods that the blacks had to live in when Aparteid was being enforced. He said 5 yrs ago he would not have driven through these places but now they are ok. They look like the shantytowns I photographed from the train. I was not going to pull out my camera and take pics as he drove me through there w/ people leering from the street corners. They did have schools and stores and even a bank though.

I upgraded hotels so I could have a functional business center and a restaurant that served dinner. Since I wasn't going out at night, I wanted the ability to eat at the hotel. My new hotel ROCKS!! It is in Camps Bay on the back side of Table Mountain. The pictures with the beach and the rocks...The Hotel is called 12 Apostles....the photo of the white building w/ the pointed rocks in the back....those are called 12 Apostles, there are 12 points that stick out....very pretty on this side.

I also had to find the Brazilian Consulate to get my Visa to meet Ric in Rio, so that was a chore in itself. You have to show funds in your bank account, hotel info in Brazil, flight info, go pay at the Consulate's bank and return w/ a receipt, get passport photos etc. I got it all accomplished and have my Visa and am ready to go.

I also had to change my flights from returning to the states and schedule the flights to Brazil. The agent in the US was difficult to work with, I have 3 different airlines for these flights and had to contact each one to book my flights bc she only made the reservations. Then one airline doesn't have e-tickets, so she was gonna FedEx me the ticket, not enough time. FedEx to Ric in Canada, not sure he would get it either and if his plane were delayed to Brazil, i wouldn't have the ticket there. So she cancelled to ticket and I had to find a travel agent here, book the flight and have them deliver the paper ticket to my hotel.

Plus, I have to restructure the whole sale of my house bc lenders are falling off and the buyer is struggling to qualify. My other tenant didn't pay rent and I am trying to take care of all of this from here. It is hard enough to do it at home. The cost, time difference, I am just stressed and a bit panicky bc all of these loose ends need to be handled. I am grateful to the people at home who are helping me with these issues, Trish, my stepmom is handling my bills, Ron, my realtor is fixing the pool, extending the sales contract, calling my other tenant to get rent etc. Jen is pushing to get this loan done, Ric had to add money to my account. I feel like a train wreck at the moment and helpless.

I can't wait to leave and meet up with Ric in Brazil and be taken care of for awhile.
Plus it's cold and windy here.

Train ride, South Africa

2007-09-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

I stayed in Johannesburg for four nights and didn't do anything....I slept and hung out in my room, watched TV, read, did laundry, caught up on all of my blogging. I didn't leave the premises. I was also a bit fearful here.

The ride to the train station was through the hood and I was scared! When we finally boarded the train, they were offering Champagne for the "launch." I drank that in about 2 minutes. Then tea and coffee was offered. I asked for a shot of Jack Daniels. Yes, I got some weird looks from staff and passengers, but I didn't care, I needed something to calm my nerves. Then went back to my compartment and took in the sights. This is an overnight train ride and I meet 3 ladies from the States, they invited me to dinner and we sorta hung out during our meals and down time. I love trains! It wasn't the Amtrak, smooth ride, this one was bumpy and rolly, stop and start. But it was fun.

Traveling in Africa alone is harder than any other country I have been to. It is my second to last leg and I am very tired, plus being solo here is just plain tough. When you travel alone, you have to be on guard anyway, but here, your guard is on "high alert" and that is exhausting. South Africa has a large gang problem from what the locals tell me. Don't go out at night by yourself, watch your wallet and camera, muggings are frequent etc. Plus, in the last 15 months, 108 police officers have been shot. The gangs will bribe an officer, the other gang will find out and take him out. The police officers also have a high suicide rate. Sad and dangerous.

Cape Town is very neat though, and I would come back here to explore, only if I wasn't traveling solo.

More info about Africa....

2007-09-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

One thing I noticed is that the African men are very affectionate w/ each other, in a friendly loving manner. When they greet, they will shake hands and then sometimes walk and talk while still holding hands. Or they will shake hands and then lean in and touch shoulder to shoulder. It was very sweet and I liked it.

So, after our safari, we ended up at a nicer hotel and had one day to shop. Since Travis had been with the girls for two weeks straight, he opted to stay home and nap and drink beer. Missy, Shauna and I headed out.

We were warned ahead of time that the guys on the street will sometimes follow you into the curio shops and tell the clerk we are his "guest" without us knowing. This way he makes commission on what we purchase. We would walk into a store then walk out and be bombarded by guys trying to get us to come to their stores or they wanted to escort us to our next destination for a fee. They had business cards for which shop they were working. These people don't take NO for an answer, after the 5th time of saying NO politely, you have to be a bitch to get rid of them....it is really frustrating!! Shauna was very nice but firm and one guy asked me for his business card back bc he thought she wasn't a "nice lady." They just wouldn't leave us alone. We went to a local market and the vendors are very forceful and aggressive to sell. "since you are first customer, I give good price" I fell for that ONCE in Zanzibar and got ripped off. So bartering is the system.....

Since I really liked the Swahili food in Zanzibar, we tried a local restaurant and had a fabulous meal. Chicken, beef, spinach, beans, rice w/ some fabulous sauce, coke in a bottle, it was delectable.

At our hotel, this big funny bird was hanging around and chillin' with the guests.

My cousins and Missy had to load up and leave for home the night before I left for South Africa. I moped around the rest of the night and didn't want them to go. It was wonderful to have company and laugh and not be alone and explore w/ others and fit in w/ my own peoples. I was very sad to see them go.... :(

I opted to have my clothes sent to laundry since they didn't have a laundromat. Mistake. I looked out my window and my clothes were hanging on the clothes line, some were in the dirt, the worst part was they burn all sorts of stuff, leaves, branches, trash etc. So my clothes came back damp and stunk of bad campfire. So at my next hotel in Johannesburg, I had to have them rewashed, I couldn't take it. That was 35,000 shillings well spent. ($35 US)

Oh well, Hakuna Matata. All is good.

THERE'S A MONKEY IN MY ROOM!
During our safari, one of our lodges had a sliding glass door. Missy had already packed up and headed down to the jeep and I was just getting ready to do the same. Our room was on the 2nd floor and had a very small balcony. I headed to close the door and this Velvet Monkey (not the baboons, the white smaller ones) this Velvet Monkey was standing on the rail, hanging onto the roof w/ one hand, sorta stretched out and his red wiener was sticking straight out! He was looking right at me. I thought, "Oh no, this ain't gonna be good." He jumped down into the room and went over to the trash can, tossed it looking for good stuff. All I could say was No.No. No. No. I ducked into the bathroom, grabbed a towel and tried to scare him, like a matador would taunt a bull. And that didn't work out. He came towards me instead of running out the door. I ran out of the room, shut the door and was yelling "there's a monkey in my room! There's a monkey in my room!" I was scared to death. The maid and the maintenance guy came over and banged on the door and the wall and scared him off. I was shaking and really scared, I was surprised how afraid I was, my stomach dropped and I couldn't shake that feeling for awhile. Plus, my camera, phone, all of my stuff was laid out for him to grab. According to maintenance man, he got away w/ something, he thought looked like biscuits, but we didn't have biscuits in our room so I don't know what it was, guess I won't know until I need it.....Scary!!

One tidbit about the Hadzabe Tribe

2007-09-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that when we visited the Hadzabe tribe (the bushmen), there was a woman who had scars on her cheeks. They were two parallel, inch long lines, looked the the equals sign (=), on each cheek. She was the only one who had this, so I asked about it. The guide told us she cried alot as a baby and in order to keep her from crying, they cut her cheeks like that. So when her tears ran down her face, the salt stung the wound......

sad.

Maasai Tribe, Tanzania

2007-09-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Our last tribe to visit was the Maasai tribe. These people can be recognized by the long, cape-like clothing and the large holes in their ears from the earrings. I think they are usually herders of goats and cattle as well. Similar to the other tribes, Shauna had inquired what gifts would be appropriate to this tribe. Sugar, maize, pens/pencils and learning books for the children to learn their letters. Travis, Shauna and Missy brought the learning materials from the States and we all pitched in for the sugar and maize. Joel is from a Maasai tribe, his family has since moved to town. One sibling is a doctor, his sister lives in Tennessee as a nutrisionist and Joel went to school for 3 years to be a tourguide....very different than this village we visitited. The sign upon arriving said www.maasaivillage.com if you are interested....hmmmmm.

This tribe is off of the beaten path and do not regularly receive gifts or tourist visitors. We were SWARMED!!

The women laid out their hand-made beaded jewlery and would latch a bracelet on our arm and try to make us buy it. Each of us girls had 2 or 3 bracelets on each wrist at one point and not wanting to buy any of them. One woman put a necklace over Missy's head and then plucked a dollar bil from her hand, "I guess I just bought this" Missy said. These women were extrememly aggressive, bickering if one told us 2 dollars while another one said 3 dollars. They were pushing amoungst themselves and than wanted to charge us a dollar to take their picture!! Joel and another tribal gentleman handed out the writing materials and candy to the children and forced them to line up. Pushing and shoving, the little ones didn't even stand a chance.

The man sitting by the hut w/ a stick in his hand was the chief of the tribe. According to Shauna, he was a very nice gentleman....

The housing was well built I thought with a doorway which you had to dogleg left, then right into the hut. This prevented the dirt and wind from coming in. The beds were off of the ground and they built primitive storage racks above them.

At one point, our cook, Abdula was yelling at us to get in the jeep, the crowd was overwhelming us. I don't know if these people are so poor that they just didn't know how to act w/ us or what the deal was. The gifts we brought bc we wanted to help and do something nice for them. I don't need a thousand "thank you's" but I don't want to be swarmed and then given a hard time for not paying a dollar for a picture.....Joel said that the Maasai tribes in town have more "tourist" ettiquet. They let the tourist have some space and browse if they want to shop......Only one woman seemed to be gracious, they younger one w/ the beautiful smile and child on here back. Unfortunatley, Missy and I both didn't enjoy this tribe very much.

Ngorongoro Crater

2007-09-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Ngorongoro Crater is from a dormant volcano. This water here is a central source for all of these animals.

The lions were right on the road! A male and female sat right on the edge of the road and just took in the sights of all of us tourists. It was too close for comfort for me actually. Our guide, Joel had a habit of pulling right in front of the other jeeps so we had a front row view. All of us would turn around the tourists in the jeep behind us and apologize, shrug our shoulders like "sorry, it's not us." We wanted everyone to be able to see. Anyway, I didn't want to be that close to the lions and didn't stick my head out of the roof for a bit, if you have seen the movie, Safari, you would understand. Our jeep was boxed in and our roof was open, if they chose to make us their lunch, we wouldn't be much of a fight. I wanted to admire from afar. But it all worked out.

We also got to see a cheetah!! Shauna was super excited!! It was all alone, off in the distance laying in the dry grass. You could see it well w/ the binoculars. The cheetah wouldn't get up and run around and kill something, we wanted some action so we decided to talk back to it. Insult the cheetah, tell really bad momma cheetah jokes, try to get it into action. To no avail.....

One thing you don't want to see on the side of the road is a broken down jeep. We tourists aren't too crazy about the idea of being broken down in lion country. Also, if you have to go "pee-pee time" you don't stray from the jeep, you squat right behind the jeep and the boys keep watch. I wasn't super crazy about this idea and Missy and Shauna didn't blink an eye, butt oh well, don't show the lions your tushy and be ready to run w/ your pants around your ankles...

The jeep repair only took a few minutes thankfully.

At one point, we witnessed a zebra fight. These two male zebras, would basically wrestle with their necks and kick up a good dust storm. At the same time, there was a small herd of zebra that were chasing an impala. But is was a game. The impala would run around and through the herd of zebra and then stop. The zebra would speed up and slow down and pick up the chase once again. It was amazing to watch and so funny...then in the rear of the herd, the two males would stop and fight, then join the chase. The zebra don't neigh like horse, nor do they ee-aw like a donkey. They have a high-pitched sound that was very distinct as well as different than any other animal I have heard.

The hippo pool STUNK!! Oh my gosh, our eyes were watering. We also picked up some flies from in the jeep from the pool, they probably wanted to leave the stench as well. The hippos yawn and swim and poop and crawl around on each other in this water. It was neat to see the babies though....I like the pink bellies.

Serengeti, Serona Valley

2007-09-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

The small rodent looking animal is a mongoose. Black and white bird, Secretary Bird. Wart hog. Lion w/ dead water buffalo. Hyena (never did get a full frontal of this guy). The cage is where they fed us lunch. "Lunch will be served in the cage today." We got a kick out of that....

When I was in Zanzibar, my guide Kassim, gave me the idea to bring sweets to the kids we saw along the way. So we bought bags of hard candy and suckers and would throw them out the window of the jeep when we would pass by the villages. All of the kids run up to the road and wave and are so excited if you wave back, much less get a candy out of the passing car. It was like being on a float in a parade, being able to throw candy to the kids. Come to think of it, parades don't allow people to throw candy from the floats bc kids can get run over, also many parades have outlawed horses bc they spook and trample. Too bad. The Happy Apple Day Parade, can't throw candy.....
So we were a one safari jeep float throwing candy out the window and the kids loved it and we loved it.

We took pictures from the roof of the jeep and we had to conserve our batteries the first two days bc we weren't near an outlet.

The pictures of the animals speak for themselves.

The bottle of juice that Travis is holding is actually Gin and juice. I haven't drank gin since that one night in college I had a bartenders "special" drink loaded w/ gin and puked all night long. But, well again, the African liquor of choice is gin. So Travis bought some local spirits and we added it to some mixed juice and voila!! Couldn't even taste it, we ran out of that pretty quick actually, all of drinkin' and safarin'.....

Shauna eats more gum than anyone I have ever met, so at one of our stops, I bought some fabulous looking green gum. However, this gum is from the Middle East and everyone thought it tasted like Draino. We joked how that will be the wave of the future, terrorist gum, killing us piece by piece. Shauna wouldn't eat it.....and they wouldn't give me any of their good gum until I ate all of my terrorist gum. Mean cousins.

Hadzabe Tribe and Mr. Pickles the goat

2007-09-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ok,so this is the story.....

Our first outing was with the Hadzabe tribe for the hunt, and like I said before, they hadn't had a successful kill the prior day. Our guide suggested to us, would we be interested in buying the tribe a goat for their dinner. To help feed them.

At first this was a very foreign idea to us. Buy a goat? What do you mean buy a goat? We would have to go back to town, purchase one from the goat herder and bring back to the Hadzabe tribe. Now the roads are DUSTY! very rocky, pot holes, really bad roads, we are bounced around all over the place much less riding around with a goat in the jeep. Then the idea started to grow on us...what the hell? We're in Africa, why not buy a goat?

We all pitched in and purchased the goat for $40, (40 thousand shillings)....
Missy was dying to name this little guy, so even before we purchased him, she named him Mr. Pickles.

Now I know these pictures may be graphic for the animal lovers, which I am as well, but we had to have a sense of humor as well as knowing it was going to a good cause, so the story of Mr. Pickles is quite funny if you aren't too emotionally scarred from the photos.

Who in the world would ride around in Africa with a freakin' goat in a safari jeep drinking beer?! We would. So then we had to go on a beer run to the local liquor store. Now if you buy beer in bottles, you have to return the bottles. If you buy cans, you can keep the cans, but they are the same price as the bottled beers, but the cans are smaller than bottles, so we buy bottles. Bc we want more beer. Got it?

So Missy and I sat in the back of the jeep with Mr. Pickles while everyone else went in to buy beer. We could not stop laughing!! It was like SPIRNGBREAK AFRICA! wooo hooo!! from college days, "hey dude, we need some more beer! Here's our money, can you run in and get it, get the beer in bottles so we can drink more, we'll just stay in the jeep w/ the goat."

It looked like Mr. Pickles had dressed up for the occassion, his hair was parted so nicely, he was relatively clean, beard was trimmed, he looked nice. We were going to take Mr. Pickles to the Hadzabe, have a few beers, have a few laughs, reminisce about the good ol' days and then leave before the goat bbq, but it didn't quite work out that way.

We return to Hadzabe camp and the women come out to greet us, excitedly shaking our hands and thanking us. The men were out on the evening hunt, back at the porcupine hole trying to scare it out. We followed the women back to camp and they tied up Mr. Pickles. They also brought out their best leopard skin for us to sit on, we were special guests and it was a very gracious gesture. Like bringing out the fine china for special occassions. We chatted a little w/ the women, I tried to play pattycake w/ the little girl. The guides were sharpening their knives.

One man was sitting alone the whole time and we found out he was sick, horrible cough. I had cough drops but Shauna and Missy didn't think he would take them.

The men returned, no porcupine. They worked on getting the fire started.

Mostly the women and our guides were the ones who went to town on Mr. Pickles.

Now, I have never been hunting. I have never killed an animal. I have never seen an animal killed. I am not against hunting, I just don't do it. We had to put Muffy, my grandma's dog down when he got too old, but that's pretty much the extent of my experience. On the way to bringing Mr. Pickles to the Hadzabe I had no interest in sticking around. But then when I saw how appreciative they were, how they needed this animal for survival, my curiosity got the best of me and I was front row-center for these pictures. Joel had to hold his feet and head, and unfortunately the knife could have been sharper. It wasn't the swiftest slice of the jugular according to Travis and there was one last long bleat from little Mr. Pickles. He really took one for the team.

The good news is the Hadzabe use every part of the animal. They eat the meat, no leftovers, they skin it and use the hide for clothing, the blood and intestines are made into soup. Their teamwork was impressive and efficient.

Our guide put the heart on a stick over the fire to roast which for us to eat as an honor. I actually thought it was one of Mr. Pickles balls, they were quite large as Shauna found out when she tried to milk his udder in the jeep on the way over. (sorry girl, had to include that part).

While the meat cooked, Missy, Travis, Shauna and I just on our leopard skin and drank our Kilimanjaro beers, talked and watched. Mr. Pickles became our mascot and that is where we founded the MPSC. Mr. Pickles Safari Club. The message is to be spread to goats worldwide. How to really give back.

Gonga was a popular item w/ the Hadzabe, they offered it to us, but we all politely declined. The men and women smoked it together, Shauna tried to counsel them on the "Just Say No" policy but that wasn't very effective.

Baboon man put a guinea feather in our hair from the morning's hunt then got to Travis and took his hat and wore it around. He was giddy and happy. All of them were.

Joel cut off slices of the heart, we sampled, and I could barely stomach it, I was still not convinced it wasn't the testicle.

The best part of the whole evening was the song and dance. All the Hadzabe started to sing for us and formed a circle. They invited us to join and sing and dance w/ them. Travis got it on video. We had to go boy-girl-boy-girl in the circle. We would march forward a few steps, stop, turn into the circle, stomp a few times and clap, then resume our lightfooted march. We didn't know the words of course, but we didn't care, one man would lead Shauna by the hand into the middle every time and the woman behind me would steer me by grabbing my arm and pushing me in the correct direction. Their singing was beautiful and upbeat.

The four of us white kids from the U.S. got to hunt with the Hadzabe tribe, eat with them, bring a goat to them, sing and dance with them, hug them, laugh with them and even drink a beer on the side. It was an enriching experience to be a part of this, especially in the golden African sunset.

It was truly an amazing moment and an experience of a lifetime that we will never forget. The four of us were very touched. THANK YOU HADZABE.

Tatoga Tribe, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania

2007-09-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

This was the second tribe we visited, the Tatoga tribe. They are not as basic as the Hadzabe. These people herd goats, built homes and are NOT nomadic. The men were out herding the goats and can be gone for months at a time. The women were VERY welcoming and friendly. I just felt that they had a really good nature and good hearts. Even though the Tatoga tribe is about 20 miles or so from the Hadzabe, they are very different. The men can marry several women. These women were all the wives of one man. When he returns from the herd, he will rotate his sleeping arrangement every night. The women sleep in the same place every night. The husband is the one that will change beds. The life expectancy is much longer for this tribe. One reason for that is that they drink milk, probably from their goats. The gords hang in the house to hold water and milk. They have more of the fundamental needs being met, having a roof over their heads, plentiful source of food and income w/ the goats, ability to cultivate crops bc they can stay in one place etc.

The houses are made of wood and cow dung. Dung helps to keep it cool, smells a little shitty but at least it's cool. :) Also, the houses seem to be quite solid, I was surprised actually. The roofs need to be replaced every 3 years (I think, can't remember if it was this tribe or not).....

The women were the grandmothers of these babies, I never did figure out where the daughters were. Similar to Hadzabe, all chores are shared, children responsibilities etc. We all sat in the house and we were able to exchange questions w/ these women through our guide/translator. Amongst several questions, I asked how old the women were. The women weren't exactly sure how old they were, they estimated about 40 years old, one woman said she was little when so-and-so president was in office. UNLIKE the Hadzabe, these women had several questions for us.
Was anyone married? Travis and Shauna. Did Missy and I have husbands? No. No? How about boyfriends? yes. Will Travis marry another in case Shauna gets sick? Uh, no. I don't think Shauna would dig that. Where were we from? America.

Now I think I have this story straight, but when a man wants a wife, he takes goats or cattle to the father as a gesture. Even if the girl does not want to marry, she has to go. Some go kicking and screaming, some are ready. A thick gold bracelet is worn by the women as a symbol of marriage. Interestingly, these bracelets are made from discarded padlocks, pieces of pipe, soft metal that can be melted in the fire, shaped, designed.

The clothing is made from cow hide and the deep brown color is from the cow urine, it sort of seals the fabric. Smells!! There is a frayed skirt the married woman will wear under her dress. She NEVER takes this off, even to bathe. When she bathes, she will wash mostly her upper body. It reminded me of a chastity belt that you can't take off. The bead work these women make on their dresses is stunning. I hope the photo captured the detail, it truly is beautiful.

Their earrings are for fashion and personal preference, no symbolism behind it.

One woman had a tattooed face. The skin is cut and cow dung is used to make the color. This is for decoration and viewed as beauty by the tribe. Unlike the Maori in New Zealand where tattoos are worn when the individual accomplishes a great feat, these are purely for aesthetic purposes.

Missy and I both purchased a wedding bracelet. Actually, they were more of a smaller version and more for decoration than the real thing, but we liked them.

I really liked our visit with these women, they were so gracious and accommodating.

"The Gods Must Be Crazy" Hadzabe Tribe, bushmen

2007-09-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Do you recall the movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy? Well, the tribe in this movie is very similar to the Hadzabe Tribe. They are the most unique tribe we visited in my opinion. We called them the Click Click tribe. The tribe in the movie speaks w/ clicks and clucks and pops in their words. This tribe does the same thing, they have words like any other language but they click, cluck and pop as they speak. It is the coolest thing to hear.

The Hadzabe are a dying people, they are becoming extinct, there are only 350 people left in the whole tribe. The small family tribe we visited had about 12 people total. They are absolutely fascinating. The Hadzabe are truly bushpeople. They build no mud huts or wooden structures, they are nomadic and follow the hunt. They have hardly any possessions, only the clothes on their backs, some primitive bows and arrows, knives, beads, one pot, skins of their kill. They sleep on the ground under the trees or brush. The men and women sit separately most of the time. The man will marry one woman, but they wife swap I guess when the mood strikes. They share food, babies, women, chores...everything. If a child dies, they don't really grieve, they will eventually have another. The average lifespan for these people is 35 years. They don't read or write and have no comprehension of where Tanzania is, where Africa is, where America is. All they really wanted to know about us is what tribe we were from. We told them we were from the American tribe.

They are very gracious and funny people. I don't think they have ever showered and they had terrible body odor, but that's how they roll. We had an additional guide w/ us that day to help us locate them since they are on the move all the time. If the men kill a large animal, leopard, buffalo etc. One hunter will return to the camp and tell the women to pick up and they move to the location of the kill where they skin and cook the meat. Nothing left over and nothing left for later.

Our itinerary was to have a morning hunt w/ these men. We woke up early, 5:15 in order to meet them before they left. They have wooden arrows for birds and small kill then a few metal arrow tips that they dip in some sort of poisonous sap for the larger kills. They handed Travis a bow and arrows and we kidded him to make sure he had the wooden arrows, not the metal poisoned tips. We trailed them on the hunt and we hiked into the bush w/ them. We did slow them down I am sure, but they didn't seem to mind. When the hunters split up in the bush, they whistle back and forth to keep track of each other. The one man w/ a baboon fur on his back was the joker of the tribe, we called him Baboon Man.

Not only do they hunt birds and larger game, they will dig and dig in the dirt for a small mouse. They stomped on the ground and tried to scare out a porcupine. The fowl they killed are Guinea birds. The day before we arrived, they had no kill on their hunt. No meat to eat. When that happens, the men return to the tribe and the women go looking for fruits and roots. This is much harder to do during the dry season. So it is important they have a successful hunt. The little boy wanted to wear my watch so I let him. I guess he thought it was a gift, so we tried to be really sensitive when I needed it back.

Speaking of gifts....this is where I really have to applaud Shauna. Before our arrival in Tanzania she had emailed our agent for this tour as to what gifts we could bring for the tribal people as a thank you. This was an excellent idea and one I would not have thought of. We were told this tribe needed board shorts type of clothing for the men to hunt in, leather belts, knives....I was able to get affordable clothing and belts in Thailand so at the end of our hunt we gave these to the men. They were very grateful and put them on right away.

The women typically don't wear tops and have their breasts exposed. When visitors do come to visit they cover up, we told them that wasn't necessary and just to be at ease how they usually are.

We could tell our guide for this trip really cares about these people. The government brings this man along w/ them when they come to visit. A time ago the government tried to round up these people and put them in huts/houses in town. That lasted about 3 months and in the middle of the night, the Hadzabe people abandoned their homes and went back out to the bush.

On the hunt, three guineas were killed and one was cooked on the spot. They build a fire buy using a long slender pole which starting at the top, you rub your hands back and forth while pushing down on it. The man kneeling holds a knife flat and a notched piece of wood on top for the pole to fit into, the friction lights a small ember, the ember is put into a handful of dry shrubbery and waived back and forth still it smokes, then put under the kindling for the fire. Very effective.

Shauna wanted to taste the guinea to really get the full affect and take part in their hunt. I was not so interested in eating this bird but participated anyway. Actually I didn't want to do it all. The Hadzabe believe that by sharing with others it is like good karma for a successful hunt next time. They built the fire, put the whole bird on top, feathers and all. The feathers burn off, the bird is pulled apart and then the meat placed directly on the fire, dirt, ashes and all. It tasted like fresh turkey actually very moist, but it wasn't cooked enough for my taste and I gave my share to Missy who basically choked it down. Thank you Missy. We didn't want to be rude by not accepting the gesture.

Safari, Lake Manyara, meeting up w/ cousins and Missy!

2007-09-05T02:19:00.000-07:00

The reason I went to Tanzania is to rendezvous with my cousin Travis, his wife Shauna dnd their friend Missy for a safari. The three of them were scheduled to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for 6 days while I was at the beach in Zanzibar and then we met up to do a 6 day safari together.

Let me explain what a feat climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro really is. Like I said, it is a 6 day trip, and they hiked approximately 36 miles in total. The elevation of Mt. Kilimanjaro is just under 20,000 feet (according to Google, 19,340 feet). Mt. Everest (tallest mountain in the world in Tibet/Nepal) is just under 30,000 feet. The tallest mountain in the US is Mt. McKinley in Alaska at 20,320 feet. As for the lower 48, the Rocky Mountains have the tallest peaks in Colorado. There are 54 peaks which are over 14,000 feet. All of which, my stepdad, Larry has climbed and my mother has climbed most of them too(40ish I think).....I have climbed a wimpy three of them....
Anyway, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the route they took had them go up and down a bit the first few days to get them acclimated to the altitude. Their pictures are amazing! They had guides and porters to carry their gear, fix meals, set the pace and keep them on schedule. A very strict schedule and the health of each individual is monitored closely for altitude sickness.
On the day to summit, they were woken at midnight in order to climb and reach the summit w/ good weather and catch the sunrise. Travis, Shauna and Missy all made it to the top!!!!! CONGRATULAIONS!!! The descent is approximately 15 miles so they cover some ground quickly down the scree slopes (loose gravel)....poor Missy's toe rubbed in her boot so much, that by the end of our safari it had fallen off and we threatened to amputate her toe....j/k....So by the time I saw these guys, they were exhausted, elated, smelly, no shower for 6 days, Travis was sick and all were ready for a beer. I couldn't wait to see them and was very ready to be with family.....Missy and I really hit it off which was fabulous bc we were roomies the next 6 days, we had a ball! I was hugging and kissing all of them so excited to be with my peoples :)

The original plan for the safari was to camp along the way, but since these guys were sick of camping on the mountain, they wanted to upgrade during our safari. I was down w/ that since I really had no camping gear and after seeing what WOULD HAVE been our camping spots, I was very grateful they upgraded...Camping is hard enough in the states, much less in a 3rd world country.....

The first part of our safari was at Lake Manyara. This is a very lush jungle type of terrain, very green, cool and beautiful. How the safari works is that we ride in the jeep and stick our heads out of the roof to observe the animals. Like a jack-in-the-box we decided.... We don't get out and hike around, don't really stray from the jeep, stick to the roads and stay in the jeep. The weather was great, this is the dry season, mostly cool and sunny.
This part of the world has 2 seasons, wet and dry.

We had our guide, Joel and our cook, Abdula. These guys were really funny, very friendly, informative, patient, safe....Joel told us to push the button on his head and he would do a "network" search to find our desired wildlife. By this he would make a circle in the air w/ his finger like a cell phone would be searching for a network. Great guides!

Baboons everywhere! Elephants, velvet monkeys (smaller white ones) giraffs, lots of large termite hills, pink flamingos.....,

Snorkeling and other neato experiences! Zanzibar

2007-09-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

Before I left the West coast of Zanzibar, I was taking a walk on the white sandy beaches again. The friend of the woman who did my henna run up to me, shook my hand, held my hand and then just walked w/ me on the beach. We talked a bit, she was newly married, hence she had the black and red henna all over her feet, legs, arms and hands, which were now just fading. She was 23 and her husband was a conductor I guess, but I didn't see any type of train in Zanzibar, so I think I got confused in the translation. She only wanted to have one baby but wanted to wait. Then one of the common "beach boys" (vendors on the beach) came up to us and we all three just sat and talked about things. He liked music, Tupac, Eminem, Kenny Rogers, Mariah Carey....all kinds of stuff. Her name was Arusha and I asked if we could take a piture, she wanted me to put my hand on her shoulder so the my henna would be displayed....She was very sweet and it seemed she liked being close to me and I didn't mind. I got really hot sitting in the sun and had to go in, they weren't hot at all. I noticed not many tourists wear hats or sunglasses or anything like that. Most tourists are european and I noticed that in Europe as well. Baseball caps are very American. I almost always have sunglasses and a hat for protection from the sun.....

I went snorkeling out to an island and again Kassim came with to babysit. The island has one hotel on it and it costs $850/night. crazy. Anyway, the snorkeling was great! I had a guide and he would point things out and dive down and bring up a starfish for me to investigate. The coolest part is there would be layers of schools of fish. Five feet down would be like 300 yellow fish about the size of a can of beer, they wouldn't be swimming, they would just sorta float at the bottom and go whichever way the water moved. Then black and white stripped fish like the size of my hand would swim with me. Felt like I was a fish in their school and we would just paddle and swim together. They'd be looking at me and I'd be looking at them. It was such a cool feeling.....

According to Kassim, alot of black people don't know how to swim, he learned just 10 years ago. I remember that growing up, it seems several black people don't know how to swim. Even in my MBA class, I invited a few ladies to the pool party and I was told they couldn't swim either. Kassim said that swimming is viewed as a leisure activity, eventhough these people live by the water and go fishing, they don't learn to swim. Since work is such a priority, swimming doesn't rate on the priority list.

The little kids at the village where we launched the boat were crowding to get their picture taken.

Along the beach there was a pick-up game of football(soccer). The African men and the European men. I just stopped long enough to take a few pictures, seemed they all played together well. However, the speedo's have got to go.....no bueno. A little mystery is a good thing.

Some of these beach boys are very aggressive. They ask where are you from, how many in your group, where are you staying, are you married, where is your husband etc. They do this bc they want to book excursions and want the big groups bc they make more money. They also keep walking w/ you until they are chased off w/ a stick. My answers were very vauge bc I don't want to reveal anything that I am traveling by myself. I am from America, there are 6 of us, I am staying up the beach, can't remember the name of the hotel, yes I am married and my husband is by the pool. And he is a very, very big strong man. Adios dude.

My dinner is by the pool at the hotel and it was Swahili food and very relaxing evening.

I also tried to get a picture of the island from the plane so you could see how the reef surrounds the island.

Boats, Monkeys, Sea Turtles, Lizards... Zanzibar

2007-09-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

These fishing boats are called dhows and as far as I know they are all made by hand and are completely made of wood. They are used for fishing and taking us tourists around. On one of my excursions, I was supposed to go see the dhow makers, but we were running late and they had already gone home for the day.

Another excursion was a tour of the rainy jungle and pointed out the plants and trees, then on to the red monkeys. It was an overcast day and had just stopped raining. The monkeys stay in the trees during/after the rain but sometimes when it is dry, they will come down and you can get very close to them. They are really friendly but I only got to view them in the trees. Don't stand directly under them, they can pee and poop on you which I almost found out....This is the only place in the world I was told that Red Monkeys exist. Their backs have a rusty brown color to them but I don't think the photos could capture their color. I really liked the spikey hair-do on some of them and the babies are soooo cute.

The Mangrove Swamp is very interesting too. There are several different kinds of trees in this swamp and each tree has a different seed and it is very interesting how they germinate. But the one mangrove has the roots growing above ground and it does this it acquire more oxygen as well as to sturdy itself in the muddy swamp. The ground is black and crawling w/ little black crabs and frequently I would hear a loud pop, like a cork out of a wine bottle. This noise was caused by the crabs burrowing into their holes and exhaling in order to get another breath. That was the cool part.

The Sea Turtle Aquarium is sort of a turtle sanctuary. When the eggs are laid, they are most vulnerable to predators, so the eggs are taken here to hatch. Then the young turtles are raised for a few years until they are old enough and big enough to be released back into the ocean. Additionally, I was pleased to hear that fishermen are encouraged to bring the turtles that have been caught in their nets to this aquarium bc they are paid for when they do for each turtle. Also, these turtles can age up to 100 yrs or more if I remember correctly. The carnivorous turtles have a sharp point, beak like nose to dig into the meat. The vegetarian turtles have a more rounded face. Both of these turtles lived together in this pond, the water from the tide would rise and fall so the water level changes, but the water comes through the rocks, not by an inlet or open water way. There is no way for them to escape unless they are released. Also, lots of big fish are in this pond as well and they all live harmoniously together. Well, mostly. The carnivorous turtles are much more tempermental and moody, but there was only a couple of them, the rest were vegetarian turtles. Probably about 25 big turtles total in this pond. The baby ones are raised in shallow buckets.....
When I got to hold them, I couldn't believe how strong their little flippers are! The bigger one was flapping away and it actually hurt, so in order to calm them down, you have to rub the back of their neck and they settle down. FYI, one difference between a tortoise and a turtle, is that turtles cannot tuck their head back into their shell.....

I also included a couple of pictures of lizards. I did this bc the lizards and I had a relationship. At one of my accommodations, this huge lizard, almost as big as a rolling pin scared the bejesus out of me when I was walking down the path to dinner. I jumped and squealed like a little girl. Then is scampered off. For the next few days, I found out where each lizard lived and could expect to see them everytime I walked the path. And every time I would be fumbling w/ my camera to get their picture and every time I was just about ready to click the camera, those little brats would scurry down their holes! Dang it!! Finally, my last day and my last attempt, I got those little guys......

Holly Got Henna!! Zanzibar

2007-09-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

Henna is plant that I got to see at the spice farm. Indian and African women wear this mostly on their hands but legs, feet and arms as well. They do this usually right before they are to be married. I am not exactly sure the reason behind it, maybe to attract their groom. I decided on the spur of the moment to do it after she did one hand I decided I wanted the other one done as well. She poured a tiny bit of henna powder into a little shell and added a few drops of water, then applied it with a toothpick looking weed. She had a little book of examples I could choose from and she then did it by free-hand. Well, similar to the experience of the buddist amulet I wore in Thailand, the locals appreciated. This happened to be the same thing. Henna usually lasts for 2 weeks, so after I left this area, I had African men and women stopping me on the beach to examine my hands and inquire where I had gotten this done. Apparently it was excellent artwork. I didn't realize this until I was sitting on the plane next to girl from Ohio who had gotten henna on her feet and legs. It looked like a little kid took a black magic marker to her. She had two different women do henna and the second one told her the first lady did a horrible job.

Anyway, I couldn't take my eyes of myself for a while and wore it proudly. It looked very feminine and delicate and then about 3 days later, I was ready for it to come off. But I had to wait 2 weeks or so for it to wear off.

Swimming w Dolphins!--(kind of) Zanzibar

2007-09-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

One of the excursions that Kassim planned for me was the swimming with the dolphins....

Let me back up...who is Kassim? He was my tour guide and owned his own company, Lipi Adventure. (in swahili, lipi means "what")I found him through the company that organized the safari on the mainland of Tanzania. Kassim was very professional and informative and funny. He kind of looks like Chris Rock. (if you don't know who Chris Rock is, get with it, he is a hilarous comedian) Big huge, white smile.

Ok, the big selling point of these dolphins is that they are not in captivity. You can swim w/ them in the wide open ocean. Well, there are 10 other boats also trying to get their clients to the dolphins as well. The dolphins will surface then all the boats speed over to where they are and we jump in and snorkel around trying to see them. The water was VERY choppy and boats are zooming about. My boat had our driver, a young swimmer that would get into the water w/ us and act as a guide, two girls from Ireland, me and Kassim. I could barely get any pictures of the dolphins, much less see them when I got in the water. Kassim held my bag, camera and dry clothes. By the end of my time in Zanzibar I was calling him Mother bc that is how he took care of me. Only one of the other girls would get in the water, her friend was too scared. Ironically she lives in Donnybrook (suburb of Dublin) which is where I stayed. One time we jumped in and another tourist boat got WAY too close to us girls and almost ran us over, it was really scarey. Our driver was yelling at that boat to keep an eye out for other clients and there was a big fight between our two boats. Spoken all in Swahili of course. So you jump in, try to spot dolphins, climb back up, zoom to the next spot, jump in etc. The last time the dolphins were spotted our driver sped to see them cutting off the boat that pissed him off. He did this intentionally so their clients could not get in the water to see the dolphins. Us girls were like what's going on?! But oh well, it was good to be looked out for and I guess after work the drivers go drink beers together no matter what happened during the day.

Only got to see one dolphin while swimming and he swam below me.

Jambiani, West Coast, Zanzibar

2007-09-03T04:53:00.000-07:00

I stayed 3 nights at Villa de Coco. It is run by 2 Italians, Marco and Manuela. They came to Zanzibar looking for an affordable investment in the hotel/restaurant industry and bought this little place and fixed it up. The love story takes a twist...they had dated for 18 years, moved to Zanzibar to start up this hotel. Manuela fell in love with their African chef, Sadiki. These two are to be married next month. Manuela and Marco run this hotel as partners and now he is dating an African women. They were all such wonderful people. I had one night talking with Manuela and Sadiki. She had a very heavy italian accent and ended her english words w "a". "How do you like the hotela? Let me explain the swahili fooda. These beaches are-a very cleana, We hope you come back againa." Part of me was listening to what she was saying and part of me was listening to how she spoke, I really liked her. He was so pleasant, mild mannered, spoke english very well, clean cut. They were a good-looking couple. I could see how in love they really were, all googly-eyed and flirty. According to Kassim, my tour guide, they are an exception. They are an exception bc the African man is marrying the white woman bc he truly loves, not bc she could help his status or quality of life. According to Kassim, some men want a handout and are lazy, but Sadiki is an excellent chef and works really hard.

These beaches are pristine!! It's like walking on white flour. So soft. The water has so many different colors to it, it truly looks like paradise. The island is surrounded by shallow reef, so the waves break about 1/2 mile from the shoreline, so the water lapps up onto the sand. There are shells everywhere!! I walked and walked and walked and walked on the beach. I could not sit still. It felt so good to be there. One of the best memories is after dinner, the moon was out, I took a stroll on the beach w my new African scarf blowing in the breeze, just thinking "oh my gosh, I am really in Africa! I made it here all by myself!" I was really proud of myself that night and kept smiling on the inside and the outside.

"We will, we will rock you!"--Queen..Freddy Mercury

2007-09-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

One item I forgot to include about Zanzibar is that legendary singer, Freddy Mercury, lead singer of Queen is from Zanzibar. These pictures are of his home. One of his parents are from arab descent(father I think), when he was a teenager, he went to boarding school in Bombay. The kiosk board also spoke of his earlier bands and music. I didn't get a whole lot of information bc we passed quickly....

What the hell kind of law is that?!--Zanzibar

2007-08-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you are driving a car and accidentally hit, maim or kill a pedestrian or bicyclist....don't stop to help. Keep going.

Yes, it is true. The people from that village will attack and kill you. Maybe not kill you, but attack you. This does not make sense to me. AT ALL. So if I am driving and I hit someone, don't stop to help and take them to a hospital? Nope, keep driving. The people are angry and will come after you for revenge. They will beat you up or beat you to death. They are more focused on that than helping the injured person....They can go to jail and be in prison for lifetime and they voluntarily beat or kill the driver knowing this. They always assume it's the driver's fault. I don't get it.

I cannot get my head around this. I had this conversation w/ Manuela, the italian woman and Sakiki, her African fiance. They told me a priest last year, accidentially hit someone, took him to the hospital and the people ended up killing the priest. The priest was also said to be verbally abusive to the locals. Something doesn't add up for me. I asked Kassim THREE times to explain this law to me. I just can't grasp it, especially for such loving people it seems. He said it mostly likely wouldn't happen to woman, well that's good to know, plus I am not driving. But holy crap!! Scary.

When he was driving too fast and furious, I kidded him and asked him to slow down so he wouldn't run over anybody, I don't want my tour guide killed, I need him for my trip!

I guess this is a reality here and angry moblike activity can happen, it depends on what part of the country you are in........

Stone Town, Zanzibar

2007-08-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I have many things to blog and have had a heck of a time even finding a computer, much less, one that works...

I will have to post pictures later, this computer doesn't detect the camera hard drive....so just put your reading glasses on and have a drink....

Stone Town is named bc of just that, the buildings are all made of white stone.
Zanzibar is actually two islands, Pemba and Udgana? I think....can't remember the spelling, sorry, already had a Kilimanjaro beer and have alot of info stuffed in my head....

Zanzibar is known for spices and also was the portal to the rest of the world for slave trade. Africans were captured all over Africa and brought to Zanzibar to be shipped overseas to where they were put to work....

There is a long history of Indian and Arab influence here. Africans were the native people who now are the largest population...1 million total people in Zanzibar, (both islands). The land was ruled by Sultans and the word Zanzibar came from a combination of two Arabic words, "Zinj" meaning black and "barr" meaning land, Land of the Blacks..Zanzibar is in the Indian Ocean fyi....

The sultans ruled during the 1800's, Sultans were Arab. The most infamous and influencal Sultan was the third sultan, Said the Great or Seyyid Said bin Sultan. Most of these sultans are from the Busaidi family. This one in particular was the one who introduced cloves to the island as well as the slave trade. My tourist book says that he was the "kindest", but that must be a misprint, profiting from slavery and having 99 concubines is not the definition of "kindest" in my book.

By mid 1800's Zanzibar was the world's leading clove exporter as well as the largest export for slaves. It was reported that 25,000 slaves passed through Zanzibar every year. The most well known slave trader was Tippu Tip who became so rich from slave trading that he was able to afford over thirty concubines and their children in addition to his official wife and her two children.

The strong slaves were chained up by their necks and placed underground in small crawl space type of places. There would be 70 slaves in a room about as big as a VW bus. These people had no food, no water and barely any oxygen, they couldn't go to the bathroom. Many died of suffocation, plus they were chained to each other by their necks. All in a row. It was very eary to tour these spaces, concrete, dirty, dark and quiet.....

One of Said the Great's daughters, Bikhole, she never married. But she did take after her father, she would go to town, buy a slave and use him for about two weeks as her personal sex slave. Pretend she loved him, had her way with him, then ordered the guards to kill him by breaking his neck. Atop every grave a mango tree was placed. I have a fabulous picture of the rows of mango trees. It is said she had more than 200 lovers. Classy lady....She also never gave birth...

The other daughter, Princess Salme is also very interesting. She grew up in the life of luxury as her father being the Sultan. She loved her father dearly and after he died there was alot of claims for the thrown but no sons to claim it. Lots of jealousy, bickering and tension for who was to be named the next Sultan, women of course could not rule. During this time Princess Salme found solace with a German trader, Rudolph Heinrich Ruete. They owned houses across from one another and their eyes fell in love from gazing at each other from their windows. She found she was pregnant and they had not wed yet. She had to flee back to Germany with him in order not to be killed for not laying w/ another Arab. She also changed her religion from Islamic to Christian, also a big no-no. Her husband was killed in a tram accident and she was left w/ 3 children in a foreign country. She pleaded w/ Barghash the sucessor of her father's throne to return home to Zanzibar. Her close brother also died during this period, one family member she remained close to. When she did return to Zanzibar she was ostrisized and reconciliation was unsuccessful. She was broken hearted and drifted from place to place, staying in Syria for a time, then returning to Germany. At 80 yrs of age, she died of pneumonia and was the last survivor of Seyidd Said's children. A bag of sand from the beach at Zanzibar and her wedding dress were found among her possessions. Her gravestone reads "Faithful is his innermost heart is he, who loves his homeland like you."

Tippu Tip--Slave trader. He was actually the grandson of an African slave and the son of a Swahili Arab trader. His facial twitch, causing him to blink, gave him the nickname Tippu Tip "the blinker" after a local bird w/ blinking eyes. He shamelessly exploited the natives, he persuaded them to part w/ precious tusks and pillaged many villages of men, women and children. They were chained together and led in caravans to the coast to be sold. Tippu Tip also acted as an escort for European explorers such as Livingston and Stanley. Ironically, it was Livingston who became an advocate to abolish slave trade. His accounts of the brutality he witnessed against slaves, helped outside forces close the slave market in Zanzibar. He also built a Christian Church in Stone Town. Tippu Tip retired in 1890 and died of Malaria 15 yrs later. Dr. Livinston also died of Malaria, fell in love w/ Africa, had his heart buried in Africa and his body sent back to Holland.

The revolution in Zanzibar from the Sultans ended in mid 1900's. The last Sultan fled to England in 1960 and is still alive today.

The door frames of the homes in the alleys are carved of teak wood. The pictures will really demonstrate this, the doors and door frames acted as business cards. What was carved into the wood was what the family did for a living....a chain or braided looking carving around the door signified slave trade, pineapple showed spice trading etc. The Indian doors had brass pointed door knobs placed in rows on the doors. This was actually to protect the family back in India from attacking elephants. Pointed brass doorknobs sticking out in vertical rows along the door.. Very beautiful.

Khonga or Kanga--this is colorful clothing the women wear, one piece is wrapped around the waist like a skirt, the other piece is draped over the shoulders and head. The colorful patterns are origianlly from Portugues hankerchiefs. But the coolest thing about the Konga is the verbage. Each one has a different message written at the bottom. When shopping for one, the words have more importance than the colors or the patterns. This is a sophisticated form of personal expression and communication. When I was on my tour, a vendor wanted to demonstrate on me how they are worn and explained the meanings. I also have a picture of this, I also bought this Kanga $12 or 12,000 shillings. Since he took time to demonstrate his culture, I was appreciative, my Konga (written in Swahili) says "let them say what they want, I will never leave him"....Muslims of the Islamic religion do not wear wedding rings or symbols of marriage, but they do wear the konga that can make this known and fight off unwanted advances..
Other examples of Konga phrases:
--Don't set sail under someone else's star----meaning everybody has their own destiny.
--A sugarcane is sweetest at it's joint---meaning the hardest things in life are often the best.
--Don't abandon your old rug for a passing mat--meaning to warn a husband that his wandering eye has been noted.
--You will exhaust butcheries, while all meat tastes the same...(same as above)
--The bee fiercly guards it's honey --to warn off rivals of love
--Don't compete, you can never beat me--- "" ""
--You can say what you like, but I have him in my bed---to remind an outspoken mother-in-law of her position in the household
Kangas also used during political times and slogans to support Churchill and also printed slogans to spread the awareness and dangers of Malaria.

Cow heads--at the market, the butcher section, the heads of the cows are displayed. Yes, the actual cut off head from today's kill is on the table. GROSS! But the reason is if a farmer thinks a cow has been stolen, they can come to town and examine the head to see if it's his cow. Then he will have a legal course of action. I also have a picture of this, I smiled and went on my way, but seriously one of the grossest things I have ever seen.

The House of Wonder--is like a museum now, but was the first to have electricity, a lift, running water etc. Also saw the Palace Museum and the Africa House ( a place to have a drink and look at the ocean view)

Today's view on slavery---I had a very candid conversation w/ the italian woman who owns the hotel I stayed in and her fiance, who is African. (this love story at a later entry). We talked about the blacks in the US and the blacks here. In Zanzibar, there seems to be no hard feelings, no chip on their shoulder and acceptance to everyone, even the Arabs, who ran the slave trade. They all say hello and welcome you to Zanzibar. They don't see color. Sadiki, the fiance, said, "when you dwell on the past, you can't develop the future." I explained how some the black attitudes in the states are very different and play the "race card" anytime they can. After living in South Carolina, there is a HUGE HUGE difference between the southern blacks and the western blacks in the states. If I offend you by saying, blacks, suck it up. That is what they are here, black, we are white and that is how they talk here and also what I have heard about South Africa. "PC" isn't a term. No need, they are not offended. Black, white, whatever. We are just people.

I like the deeper meanings this culture has, they have creative ways to express a deeper meaning of life, values and beliefs. My tour guide, Kassim, kept telling me, people are "good from near, but far from good when they are far from you." Finally, I was like Kassim, what in world do you mean?? He coined this phrase and it is his advice for a tourist....some of the locals may seem good and trustworthy when they approach you with their goods or services, but when they leave you, they can charge you twice as much, or exploit you. Ex: I told him I was solicited by a "beach boy" (vendors on the beach) for Ganja. Pot. Of course I said no, actually HELL NO! And told him to get lost. But anyway, Kassim said some of these beach boys will sell it to you, smoke it w/ you, tell the cops, take you to the cops, deny they did it, make you pay, then the beach boy and the cops split the pot.--no punn intended. Therefore, good when near, then far from good when far from you....Or when people are near their homeland, they are better people, then when they leave, they have bad behavior. Like Vegas maybe? Vegas promotes having no conscience, so maybe they are good at home, then away from home they are not good.

Good lessons.....

Spice Farm, Zanzibar

2007-08-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

I found this map on the computer on which I am typing. I can't read it either, but I posted it anyway to see if it would be better enlarged, I don't think it helped....

Zanzibar is world renowned for spices, escpecially cloves. Most farmers here cultivate 2 or 3 different spices total, but spice farm is for tourists and has every kind of spice growing that you can imagine. This is not typicall for local farms to have so many different plants at one farm.

My tour guide, Bure, was great. He is from Zanzibar and lives in the village, seems everyone knew him and he knew everyone. He wanted to know how good of a cook I was if I could determine what spice each plant was by smelling it. I got most of them right.....

Cloves grow in trees and are the only spice to produce the fruit first and then the flower. It is green and then dried in the sun and turns brown or black and that is how we buy it around Christmas to stick into oranges and makes a wonderful smell!

Cinnammon, also a tree, the Queen tree, can use the bark, the meat of the wood, the leaves, all parts. The crunched up leaves smell faintly like cinnammon, but the bark was so fragrant!

Don't Touch Me Plant- this is a five leafed plant, like a small fern. Each five fingered stem is about the sized of my palm and itty bitty leaves the size of a piece of rice along each one. If you barely tap it, the whole leaf closes and folds down toward the stem, the little leaves on each finger also individually fold and curl up. It was so neat! I think I touched all of them, of course, if it says Don't Touch, then I will do just that.

Tumerick is poorman's saffron. (saffron by the way is the most expensive spice in the world)..Tumerick grows like an onion, it's root is yellowish/organge. I couldn't identify this smell when he tested me. Don't think I have ever cooked w/ tumerick anyway. :)

Red curry is called "lipstick" curry and the local women can use this for their lipstick and face paint, Bure proceeded to demonstrate and wore his make-up during the rest of the tour.
Brown curry is the most common and is grown here as well.

Pepper!! very interesting, think of about 20 little green pepper kernels growing sort of like grapes. This one pepper tree can have 4 different kinds of pepper, and it all depends upon which time the pepper is harvested. If it picked green and put into vinegar, it will be green pepper. If it is picked green and then set out to dry in the sun, it will be black pepper. If the green kernels turn red and are picked red, that is red pepper and very hot. If the red pepper is picked and then boiled in hot water, the red skin peels off and underneath is a white meat, this is white pepper. The longer the pepper matures on the vine, I think the hotter the flavor.

The spiny tree---when it gets older and more mature, the tree produces sharp spines to prevent monkeys and other wildlife from harming the tree.

Tapioca plant--actaully resembles a pot leaf, but the stalk can grow quite tall like a corn stalk. Bure made me a necklace of a tapioca leaf and tied the stem around my neck, I guess they make rings for the tourists as well, but I got the necklace.

Nutmeg, jack fruit, durian fruit, all sorts of bananas, vanilla, coffee beans, jasmine, ylang ylang (goes into Chanel #5 perfume), lemongrass (for massage oil as well as mosquito repellant, custard apples (white, slimy meat w/ big black seeds), cloves....SPICE KINGDOM!!

Four little girls ran up to me and wanted me to take their picture and then see themselves in my camera, the little one on the left wanted to hold my hand, so walked hand-in-hand for a bit until Bure told them to go home....

By the end of the tour I had a hibiscus in my hair, tapioca necklace, one wrist smelled like ylang ylang oil, the other wrist smelled like jasmine oil, I had yellow fingers from the tumerick and the other hand had orange fingers from the red curry, lemongrass oil on my arms, a leaf bouquet of all the samples we encountered and a tummy full of the local fruit I got to sample, as well as some new spices to bring home and cook with! Plus a new phrase, "asanti sana, squashed banana, don't say habana!" (thank you, squashed banana, don't say no!

Quite an experience!!

Ethiopia, Africa

2007-08-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

I had a four hour layover in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The more I have read about Ethiopia, the more I would really like to return for a visit. Flying in, it is very green and beautiful comparted to Tanzania.

At the airport I purchased a silver metal Christian cross, about a foot long, (will take a picture to post.) This is a very important part of Ethiopian culture and I didn't realize that until after I bought it, a cool treasure.

Interestingly, one of my best resources on my travels have been the complimentary in-flight magazine in the pouches of the seats on the plane. It tells of the history of each place, ideas of what to do and see, accommodations and other current events.

This year is Ethiopia's Millennium, 2007, not 2000! Ethiopia is now the only country to adhere officially to the anciant Julian calendar, which until 1582, was used by the entire Christian world. This calendar, introduced by Juluis Caesar in 45 BC, consists of 12 months of equal duration, plus a 13th month of five days(six days in a leap year). Most of the Christian world began changing over to the Gregorian Calendar some 400 years ago during the time of Pope Gregory XIII after whom it is named.

The Gregorian Calendar, a modified version of the Julian Calendar is now widely accepted asn an international standard for measuring time and for civil use. It came into being in 1582 bc of a percieved need to regulate Christian festivals, most importantly Easter, due to the shifting equinox over the centuries caused by accumulated inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, was slipping away from its springtime position in summer. The Julian calendar is 7 years and 8 months behind the Gregorian version. It is simply a matter of choice. The New Year's falls on September 11th, this will be a year long party of festivals and celebrations.

If I were to plan my trip differently, I would have liked to go and explore Ethiopia, it is much more modernized than I had expected.

REMEMBER ANY ETHIOPIAN RUNNERS??--my background of running track and interest in this sport is why I am writing about these individuals, I found it very interesting....

Here's some history from my complimentary in-flight magazine that will help when you are watching next year's Olympics in Beijing....

FRAME OF REFERENCE: A REGULATED HIGH SCHOOL TRACK IS 400M FOR 1 LAP. 1 MILE IS FOUR LAPS.....1600M

ABEBE BIKILA--regarded as the pioneer of Ethiopian distance running, set an example for today's generation of young runners and is the first Olympic gold medallist and the only man to have won back-to-back Olympic marathon gold medals. His story is a combination of strength and determination. Joined the Imperial Bodyguard when he was 20. 1960, won the Olympic marathon in Rome when he was 28. A few hours before his race, he tried on several different pairs of shoes that were provided by the organizers, but failed to find any that fit him, so he ran the entire race barefoot!! He was coached by a swedish man as well. He set a new world record for marathon w/ a time of 2h 15m 16.2s.....This blew the belief out of the water that Africans were never going to excel at global sports. He won 3 more marathons, Greece, Japan, Czech. Placed 5th in Boston marathon in 1964, which is the first marathon he competed in but didn't win, then won the Addis Ababa marathon in Ethiopia. 1964 Olympics he set another world record of 2h 12m 11s....JUST TO EMPHASIZE....... WOLRD RECORD.....FASTEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!!!!! 1968, suffered a horrific car accident in Mexico City at the Olympics....left him paralyzed from the waist-down....2 years later he competed and won the 25m cross country sledge challenge in Norway. At the age of 41, he died in Ethiopia from a hemorrhage, a complication related to the accident 4 years earlier. 65,000 people attended his funeral and it is a national day of mourning for the Ethiopian hero.

MAMO WOLDE--one of the most VERSATILE runners, can run the 400m to the marathon. Also started running in the Royal Imperial Bodyguard, was a UN peacekeeper in Korea in 1953-1955........1968 he took part in the 10,000m and the marathon at the same Olympics, this is unheard of, escpecially w/ only 1 day of rest inbetween. He won the gold in the marathon and took the siver in the 10,000m.
1972 at the ripe old age of 40, he won the bronze in the Munich Games.
His championships range over a 24 year career, died of liver cancer in 2002.

MIRUTS YIFTER--"the shifter" worked in factories and drove carriages, distance running in the Ehiopian Air Force. 1972, bronze medal in the 10,000m in Munich, failed to appear in the 5000m. His trainers took him to warm up for that race, but came back to retrieve him too late for the race, it had already started. Upon his return to Ethiopia, he was thrown in jail by the Ethiopian government, bc they accused him of deliberately failing to compete. He was in jail for about a year and his passion for running continued. 1976 he had trained and flew to Montreal for the Olympic games, this was the year Ethiopia joined the African boycott of the Games and he wasn't able to compete. At 40 yrs old, he was to compete in 1980 in Moscow telling reporters to count on his enthusiasm, not his age! His strategy was to work on the 300m, his ideal mark to make his move. not too late, not too early, he listened to the movements of his opponents until five laps remained and then decided his course of action, before the bell sounded for the last lap, he would make his move and it would be too late for his opponents. Now lives and works in Canada as an athletic coach and future aspiriations of coaching for Ethiopian runners.

DERARTU TULU--hello woman, hear you roar! running was considered taboo, mother told her that women stay home and help w/ the household. Somehow she got to school and began distance running. She competed in Barcelona 1992 Olympics and didn't realize what the Olympics were, she thought it was just "another race", won the 10,000m....her coaches didn't realize how good she was until she won that race, this really opened the door for women's running in Ethiopia. She will make her final race appearance in Beijing next year, keep your eye on her!!

HAILE GEBRSELASSIE--Greatest of them all!! Greatest distance runner of all time, 2 Olympic, 4 World Championships titles for the 10,000m and broken 22 WORLD RECORDS!!!Has competed in 6 World Championships One fast dude. As a kid he would run 10kms to school and this formed his unique running posture, still looks like a kid carrying his school books w/ a crooked left arm. Also runs on the balls of his feet which is mostly done by sprinters, not distance runners. 1992, after setting 3 world records, tried to win 2 gold medals in a single meeting but the track at the stadium didn't suit his style of running and endured blisters. He is also an inspiration in Ethiopian society, successful businessman in Addis Ababa, founded the Great Ethiopian Run, which is now the largest African road race w/ 30,000 participants, participates in charity functions, and a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development just to name a few.

Remarkable people....

Zanzibar, Africa

2007-08-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Six months ago I didn't even know where Zanzibar was. One year ago my cousin, Shauna asked if I wanted to go to Africa with her for a safari. I was like, "yeah right, like I'm going to go to Africa." Well never say never.

I wanted to write more about Ethiopia, but the book w/ the info I need is in my room, so I will do another entry later about that country.

I landed in Kilimanjaro and had to hang at the airport for about 3 hrs until my connecting flight to Zanzibar. A bit confusing bc I didn't have a paper ticket bc this part wasn't in my original flight plans....but it all worked out and the africans are very helpful.

So, in the states, the black people are called African Americans. Does that mean here they are African Africans? Or what if I lived here, would I be American African? Just call a spade a spade.

I was on the plane next to a Swahili politician. Abdi. He was an older gentleman who was in a business suit. It was a noisy flight and I was going on 24 hrs of travel, but this is what I gathered:
He has worked for the United Nations and traveled EVERYWHERE it seemed. 3 kids, 2 boys live and work in London as engineers. He lives in Dar es Salaam which is south of Zanzibar. Wife and daughter there and 1 or 2 grandchildren...anyway...he works for the people of Africa trying to improve quality of life.

Malaria kills more than Aids does here (in Tanzania anyway) They use "preventive" methods such as bug sprays (malaria is infected thru mosqitoes), they have some sort of curative medicine but I missed that part....He worked in the cashew industry for a long time (which were the nuts served on the plane, he gave me his) and he told me a bit about them, they grow on trees, can't eat them before they're roasted, poisonous. Healthcare, education are big problems in Tanzania, like most 3rd world or developing countries. Said people here are very, very nice.

Swahili is the offical language, "Yambo" is hello, I was saying "Mambo" but thats not right, it's not a dance.../

Shillings is their currency or US dollars will work as well.

Abdi wanted to make sure I was picked up in Zanzibar bc I had no hotel or contact confirmed. He came back inside to where the luggage was being handed out (they didn't have a convyer belt. He said he and his driver would make sure I had a place to stay, but by that point I had some sort of contact for a pick up. It was a very nice gesture, also gave me his business card if I had any problems whatsoever.

Ended up having 3 people to pick me up, there was some confusion w/ that bc it was mostly my fault, but since I didn't have any confirmation of a contact at the airport I tried a couple of different avenues and ended up double booking people. It all worked out and I got a guy that is part of the safari company we will be doing in a couple of days.

The people have huge smiles and beautiful teeth! They are very friendly and helpful. Today though, I had no towel at all, not one for shower or the pool. Laundry is collected and taken to town for wash then returned. I was out at the pool for 3 hrs w/ no towel so I went into a vacant room and took one. I had asked 4 different people to help me and I guess no one thought to into a vacant room where no guests were staying....anyway, it's all good I guess.

I walked on the beach this morning, glad I bought a bunch of ziplock baggies in New Zealand. I use them to store all my treasures I find on the beach when I am playing marine biologist. Saw a man pawing through the rocks and shells and asked him what he was looking for. Sounded like he said "wood" but there wasn't any on the beach so I was confused. I handed him a brown one that looked kinda like wood and he said, "no, that concrete" we both laughed! I didn't know....very nice people.

Had a Zanzibar Punch at the pool, tasted like juice, not sure if they put alcohol in it, oh well. Very cheap food and drink here. Had a Kilimanjaro beer at the airport yesterday. Not too bad.

"Trailers" from Thailand

2007-08-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to follow up on Thailand before I switched to Africa. I only had a few moments to write in Bangkok before I left.

Everyone says Bangkok is good for 2-3 days max, and they are right. However, I am glad I was there. My hotel was on the river and that made it extra special. The landlocked hotels weren't as cool and one of the best memories is right after the sun went down I was sitting on the pier. Looking at the Thai boats going by thinking "oh my gosh, I am REALLY in Bangkok!!" a bit in disbelief, the hotel had white lights strung about and it was just a great moment.

I also really liked Chiang Mai. If I were to go back, I would go north again and maybe take the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then maybe head to Chian Rai as well.

The guides I had were outstanding! Very friendly, informative, professional. I really enjoyed them and glad I signed up for those tours. They gave me a real insiders perspective as well.

Thai food I can't eat every day, there was a selection of non-thai food to chose from, so it was good to have a balance.

i thought Phuket was like one little town. But it is more like an area. Like San Diego w/ little beaches, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach etc. Phuket is the big area and has little beaches like Kata Beach, Patoong Beach.....

Koh Samui was much more expensive and didn't have the hilltribe influence the north does. This is more for relaxation and water sports, diving, snorkeling and sunning yourself. The shopping wasn't as good and the quality was poor compared to the other markets in Chiang Mai. But the water was fabulous at Koh Tao, the colors were amazing. I spent that day w a French girl, Patricia, who was also traveling solo. We pal'd around together and had a good time.

Koh Samui, Thailand

2007-08-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Koh Samui is south of Bangkok and in the Gulf of Thailand, it is an island, Maenam Beach. I liked it much more than Phuket. Less busy, nicer people, slower paced, more relaxing. I really didn't do much except relax. The only excursion I did was snorkeling. The water in the pictures is from Koh Tao which are the small islands. Three little islands connected by white sandy beaches....gorgeous!!!! The water is amazing, the snorkeling was better in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef. Here, there are clumps of coral, but did see lots of sea cucumbers and parrot fish, angel fish too. One little guy must have thought my ankle bracelet was a shiny metal lure, bc he was nibbling at my foot.

I have to type fast bc I am at the airport in Bangkok on my way to Africa!! I go through Addis Ababa. Where is Addis Ababa? Ethiopia. Where is Ethiopia exactly, next to Yemen, near Samalia. Right. I had to look at a map on Google to get any idea where I am going. 24 hr trip, piece of cake compared to my 36 hr trip to Australia. However, I have no accommodations yet. I tried for 4 days to book it, Zanzibar Hotels don't seem to accept credit cards, only US cash. And they don't book online. I may have transport for the airport, maybe, to where? not sure. We'll see. Kinda freakin' out about it, but at this point, go w/ the flow, it's just high season in Zanzibar now, very busy. Also, had to cash advance credit card here in Bangkok for US dollars, bc there is no ATM machine in Kilimanjaro to spit out US currency which is accepted in Africa. Credit cards are not really accepted, but traveler's checks are, so it's a good thing I cashed all of mine in Holland. Great. Can someone wire me money? :)

Research on world economies:
Where am I exactly? What is going on here? Feels like an Asian Mexico, great beaches, tourists, cheap products, poor....
First World: US, Japan, Germany, Canada, Europe, Australia.....class determined by Human Development Index HDI, literacy rate, poverty rate, life expectancy, gross national income (the purchasing power an individual has)ex: US/$114 per day, 3rd world/$1.60 per day.....

Second World: Former communist socialist, industrial states, influence from the Union of Soviet Socialists. Romania, Hungary, Russia, China, Cuba, N. Korea

Third World: term coined from Cold War, countries not aligned w/ the West or the East. Worst records for political rights and civil liberties. Lots of African countries, most actually....Mexico, Thailand. Big gap between rich and poor. called "developing nations" now, first, second, third worlds is old school lingo...

Mexico: exports $240 billion in products per year
Thailand: exports $104 billion in products per year, less than half of Mexico.
I think this is bc Mexico has US and Canada close by who are big consumers of Mexican products.

By the way, Textiles is a CLOTH industry, I didn't know that actually, it's not the small tiles you put in your bathroom! (i didn't really think that, just a joke)
Important for trade bc very labor intensive to cultivate the fibers, spin and weave.

The Thai language to me sounds like nails on a chalkboard, I hate to say that, but after a while, it does wear on me, not a soft language.

Lots of white men here w/ Thai ladies. hmmmmmm, they had to come all this way for a girlfriend? right.

I needed a haircut. So I gave myself one, pulled into a ponytail on the top of my head according to my cousin Shauna, trimmed away. Looking pretty good actually. If someone is going to mess up my hair, should be me. Traveling Holly is not a beauty queen anyway. No make up, wrinkled clothes and probably dirty, hair in a pony alot etc.

Flying Lantern--same principal as a hot air balloon, but about the size of a keg of beer, I saw them flying through the air at dinner and inquired. Used for special occasions, light em up and they lift up and catch the air.
Of course I had to do one, make a wish at lift off and watch it until it disappears. Several people appluaded and watched it from the restaraunt. I was jumping up and down, clapping, cheering bc it barely took off, then just at the perfect moment, lifted over the palms and headed to see. It was awesome!! I smiled all night and until I went to sleep. Not sugar plums in my head, flying lanterns, special wish too.....

Caught a couple cute frogs that came out during the rainstorm, about size of a quarter, picked em up and had to check them out. Poked a stick at a dead jellyfish too, that's just what I do I guess. Have to investigate.

I am glad I came to Thailand. I am also ready to go.

Sawasdee Kaa.

Phuket

2007-08-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

If you recall, 3 years ago the huge tsunami that took over 200,000 lives was here in Phuket. It is basically a peninsula w/ several little towns. I am farther south than where the big waves hit. I can't get much info yet on the devestation, looked for a museum here as well, to no avail.

For the last 3 days, I have pretty much not ventured more than 100 yards from my hotel. I don't feel like sightseeing. I just want to do nothing. My first night my room smelled like sewer and the construction people were hammering on the wall until 10pm. I asked to have them move me. I moved across the hall to another room and then the air conditioning didn't work. Sweet.
It's all worked out now....

However, I hit the wall for homesickness. Two nights in a row I have called Ric in tears. Missing him, my family, my friends, my kitties--will they remember me? I did not anticipate on being homesick at all! I was so gung-ho and ready for adventure, I guess month #3 it hits. I am better now and he is supportive, reassuring, and gives a gentle nudge to keep on keepin' on.... thank you Ric. :)

I also emailed lots of my girlfriends and called my girl, Stacey also. I just needed to be in contact w/ my peoples and see what's happening at home.

The first day I laid on the beach and put tons of sunscreen on... SPF 50 and 30!, even went inside for a few hours to take a break from the sun. So I have a fabulous splotchy sunburn. That's just great. My first freakin' day to see the sun and now I have to stay inside like a sunburnt albino watching the normal kids play in the pool. Guess my poor skin didn't get to see the sun in NZ.

Several topless ladies here. I'm thinking hmmmm this is a family place, but then I realized, maybe Americans should be less modest. Maybe the Europeans have it figured and are more comfortable with their bodies and therefore don't feel the need to alter it w/ surgeries..they are more natural.....however, I am still a modest American, top stays on.

I stayed inside this morning and tried to blog. The hotel has only ONE computer for the entire hotel. Went to the internet cafe across the street for one and half hours typing and the web didn't save my entries!! I was furious! cuss words a flyin'....so I had a cow about it, bought a long tee-shirt moo-moo thing to wear in the pool over my swim suit so I can go play, and had a couple mai thai's.....feeling better. :) Got booted out of my lounge chair during my yummy salad and 2nd mai thai by a French couple bc apparently THEY were sitting there, hmmmm the chair was vacant the first 2 hours I've been at the pool. gotta love the french.

Heading out tomorrow for Koh Samui.....an island in the Gulf of Thailand.

Oh My Buddha!!! Trekk, Chiang Mai

2007-08-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a 2 day/ 1 night trekk that goes into the jungle outside of Chiang Mai. It is a 9k (5.4 miles) trekk into the jungle and spend the night w/ the Karen Tribe "Ka-Rin"..

My guide's name was Yut "Oot", he came to my hotel the night prior to our departure to prep me on what to bring and where we will be going etc. I was running late of course the next morning but got picked up and headed out to pick up the other guests on the tour. There were 12 of us total, a group of four from the Czech Republic, 4 girls from Holland--all 21 yrs old, and a family of 3 also from Holland, but they didn't know each other before the trekk.

We all sat in the back of a truck like how soldiers ride, w/ a roof, but the back is open, very cramped. We got associated quickly....

First stop was to swim in a waterfall, warm water, pretty deep as well. Windy at the bottom bc of the force of the water. The guy from Holland banged his head on a rock and started bleeding, minor wound. After our swim, Yut handed out fried bugs....Myself and the girl from Czech were the only ones who DIDN'T eat them. Maybe if I wasn't so scared of food now from being sick, I may have tried one, but ummmmmm, no thanks. Apparently they are salty and my new little friend from Holland said she liked the crickets better than the maggots!! I couldn't help but laugh. Stopped at a market for last minute supplies: toilet paper, bug spray and a watch. $9 watch, I can't stand not knowing what time it is. US Marine water resistant watch. Which after the first swim already had condensation in it and the compass doesn't really know which way is North. Good thing I'm not lost. But hey can't beat 9 bucks.

We drove to the trail head and headed out. The trekk started out straight up. Now we are in the jungle, very wet, very humid and very warm. So basically EVERYTHING is wet and we are sweating like crazy!! Clothes drenched, shirt, shorts, socks, everything wet, we all smelled like bug spray...definitely an experience.
The trekk itself was actually quite a workout, we also had to do an extra 2k bc the first village was already occupied w/ other tourists. So we had to trekk on to the next village, we were all whipped pups, the terrain is thick and very much up and down, rocky and muddy. Got to see a tarantula barely peeking all it's eyes and hairy legs out of his hole, that was cool.

I need to explain Yut. He has enough personality for 5 people and was joking all the time, jumping out of the bushes to scare the girls, chasing them w/ grasshoppers, singing, made the leaf hats for the guys. He was also very attentive and made sure everyone had water, felt ok etc. Yut is actually from these Karen tribes as well. He picked wild mushrooms along the way and a cucumber for our soup at dinner. He also had some funny phrases that caught on during the trip....instead of "oh my God!" it's Oh My Buddha!! which became our theme. "Same Same but Different" when he tries to explain things so that clears it up.

Each village had supplies like water, beer, snacks for the tourists to buy if needed, so it was good we didn't have to pack in our own water. Each village inhabits about 40 people or so, 8 families....

Our accommodations were very primitive, bamboo shacks with leaf-thatched roofs. No running water or electricity. We all slept in one big room on mats w/ mosquito nets. Sleeping pads, pillows and blankets were provided but they smelled like pee. yucky. The toilet was a ceramic hole in the ground for going both number 1 and number 2. You basically crouch and hover. Then a large barrel has clean water dripping into it and you scoop out the water w/ a plastic cup and wash it down the hole. I tried to hold it as long as I could, but that's not gonna work. The first thing I thought of when I walked into their toilet area is, "My dad would HATE this!" I had to laugh, not his kind of holiday....the world's biggest spider lived in here too, so I just asked Charlotte if she could just hang out on her web and not bother me....

Growing up in Colorado, my mom would take me hiking, camping etc and taught me how to "go" in the woods, ok fine, I can handle that. But this? yucky, didn't care for it. Additionally, if I would have had my own camping gear, it would have been clean and I can rough it, but the stinky pillows and blankets made it worse. I was thankful I only signed up for the 2 day, not the 3 day!

Yut told us, No showa, no dinna. We had to bath in the Cucumber River. Dinner was cooked by the tribal women who remained in the background the whole time, barely made a peep, but were nice and served us well. Dinner was kind of like fried rice and fresh vegetables, chicken, mushroom soup....after the long haul, I didn't have much of an appetite and barely ate half of my dinner.

Yut brought out his guitar and played all American songs to which everyone sang along. The Dutch girls knew every word, better than I did! If Yut didn't know the words, he made them up to fit our journey, insert jungle things, our names etc. He was a riot!! Busted out his own moonshine as well, took a sip, like a rice wine, sake, but didn't have more than that. One cold beer was all.

Yut says that his tribe does not like the "lady boys." "When lady boy come to our village, we climb trees and shoot rock w/ sling shot at their head. Toughen them up. Lady boy not right."

He also played games and made up puzzles for us. He was very entertaining.

I woke at 6:30am thanks to the multitude of roosters having a conversation that it is morning now.

Elephant Safari--"MaHoot" is the keeper of the elephants (weigh 2 tons), the elephants work during the day on the trails for the safari and are let go to roam free during the night in the jungle to feed. They eat alot! They have a short chain around one foot that drags behind them which is how the MaHoot tracks them and brings them back to the village in the morning. Very smart and can learn a command w/in 2-3 times. I liked the fact these animals got to roam free in the jungle and weren't caged. I didn't learn as much about them as I would have liked, but they only sleep for 4 hrs, have an 18 month justacion period and raise their young until it's about 15 yrs old.

I rode w/ the woman from Holland and one of the younger girls from Holland. 1-2 hr ride, our elephant was named Matador. I was a great experience through the river, through the jungle, very cool.

After the elephants we got a 2 hr bamboo raft trip down the Cucumber River. Few small rapids and had to sit down for those, got to swim and float in the river as well. Yut guided the raft from the front, not the back, w/ a long bamboo pole. (bamboo grows very fast, like 10 feet in 1 yr or something)

The Dutch guy is in the Holland Air Force and spent 6 months last year in Afganistan. He was in a mix of different nationalities w/ the troops. He said most American soldiers are very arrogant and point their guns at the civilians. Not all are like that, one American was his best bud over there. His preconceived notion was that the American Army is a bunch of yahoo's who act like they are superior and more experienced in comparison to these smaller armies. He said the English act that way as well, but after his time there, he said the American Army isn't as bad as he origionally thought. He is the one who fell down at the waterfall....and also during the trekk, the other Holland girls were slipping and sliding, falling on their knees etc. I was a little mountain goat from Colorado, sure-footed and I made a joke at their expense. Asked him why the Dutch people keep falling down? Is their land so flat they can't keep their balance on terrain like this? He laughed and said when I do a faceplant, he will laugh first then help me up. I never fell. :)

All in all, I was glad I did it, but glad it was over. Hello shower. Hello clean bed. Hello pretty toilet :)

1400 year old Temple, Chiang Mai

2007-08-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

This temple is located in the city of Chiang Mai, it was built in the 1400's....The bells outside are to be rung 3 times each. The figures on the temple are wearing away from the monsoons. I thought it might have been from a war bc many of the faces are missing, but Sompop said it was bc of the weather. I was surprised they didn't have some sort of protection for these figures.

The Banyan Tree is held in high regard for it was under a Banyan Tree that Buddha was born. During New Year's which I think is in April, Buddhists place these painted white sticks to help support the tree. It is another symbolic way of demonstrating their belief in Buddha.

At some of the local markets, there are pre-packaged buckets filled w/ supplies for the monks that the locals can buy and give to the monks. Shoes, canned fish, toothbrush and paste, and other canned goods that the monks are allowed to eat.

On a side note ------"PH" is pronounced "P." Example, Phuket is Puket. There is Phi Phi Island and PhuPhing Temple. Which means PeePee Island and Poo-ping Temple. Yes I am six years old and that still makes me laugh! :)

Long-neck Tribe

2007-08-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

My tour did not include the long-neck tribe, but I had read about it prior to coming to Chiang Mai and asked Sompop if we could go visit in the afternoon.

The Long-neck tribes either come from Tibet or Burma, I can't quite remember. The Thai government has allowed them to live on a sort of reservation type of land in which they must be self sufficient. They have rice fields and other crops as well as chickens and other small livestock. These people are refugees from their homeland and mostly the women are the ones who came to Thailand. The few men who did come to Thailand work in the fields or tend to the elephants.

What about the rings?---These rings around their necks are made of solid brass and are very heavy! It is one long wand of brass that is wound around their necks, not separate rings stacked on top of each other. Only the women wear these and they start from a young age. Back in the day, the rings were protection from large predators such as tigers bc these animals go for the jugular for the kill. Nowadays, they wear the rings for traditional reasons and to fend off the evil "spirits" of the tigers since the actual animal is not present. The rings also attract tourists, which is their main source of income. The maximum number of rings a woman wears is 25-27 depending on the person. However, if a woman marries and she only has 20 rings, she does not have to add the additional 5-7 rings, her husband has become her protector. The women do suffer from skin problems underneath these rings and seldom take them off. Only when a new wand is needed for additional bands I think, and they do sleep in these. Also, their necks are stretched and elongated from this process.

My guide, Sompop encouraged me to sit on the front stoop w/ the woman and her child. I was reluctant to do so bc it felt very invasive. They sit and weave on their looms. She did speak a small amount of english and I was able to ask how old she was, 29, how many children, 4, and her daughter's name was Ma-Mo. All women in the tribe have "Ma" before their name. I did get to take pictures w/ Ma-Mo on my lap, but by having me in the picture, I felt the integrity of the photo was lost.

I wanted to buy one of their handmade goods since they take time to sit and chat and have several tourists trapse by taking photos, pointing etc, I just feel like the least I can do is purchase one of their woven scarves. I asked Ma-Mo to pick one out for me. Now they have beautiful colors and wonderful designs for these scarves. Ma-Mo chose a pure white one for me. Out of all of those beautifully colored scarves, she chose white. I was very surprised. I think after she saw how puzzled I was, she chose a red and purple one. This was her second choice and the one I bought. Looking back, I wish I would have taken the white one bc now I think it was special compared to the rest, but I was focused on the colored material for some reason. I am kicking myself now and wished I would have been more gracious and accepted the white one.

They are a very sweet and hosptitable people. They do have their own language but have needed to learn Thai.

Eventhough this was a functioning village, it also seemed staged in a way. Like these people are on display for the amusement of the tourists. It made me think of the old time circus where Elephant Man or some other freak show was to be displayed. The authenticity of the village seemed forced eventhough this is where they live and work. Additionally, I felt a bit as if I were trespassing in their village.

Temple w/ 14 names, Chiang Mai

2007-08-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

After the Meo Hilltribe and Coffee House that puts Starbucks to shame, we went to another Temple. This temple has a name with about 14 different words, Sompop tried to explain it to me, but it just went over my head. This temple is a huge gold, bell looking building. Buddhists walk around the base of the temple 3 times during prayer. Everything is done in 3, one for the Buddha, one for his scripture and one for the monks. There were a few young monks taking in the view and it is polite to ask permission before hand to take their photo. Sompop asked for me and they agreed.

The bells outside are to be rung if you wish, also each time w/ a prayer. Each bell also has a different tone.

I feel I need to explain my ugly pink shirt. I had to throw away clothes as I travel bc I am hard on my clothes and needed t-shirts. When I went to the night market in Chiang Mai, I looked for shirts. Most shirts are Asian-size, not Holly-size or American size for that matter. Little people here. So the only shirts I could find were these ugly pink and white and a blue one just like it. I have since thrown those out too bc they are too loud and feel I draw attention. Plus, the dye already left it's mark on my skin, bra and hands......

In order to make a donation to the temple, you can buy a brass bell and write your name on the little dangle and hang it from the overhang. Of course I did this.

The row of golden Buddhas show different poses that correspond to days of the week. There are more than 7 bc I guess there are 2 poses for Monday. I don't know why. Anyway, Sompop asked me what day I was born in order to figure out which pose was assciated w/ my birthday. I didn't know the day so we looked it up in some ancient sanskrit book and I was born on Tuesday. The pose that is associated with Tuesday is the reclined/sleepy pose. I thought this was funny bc I do sleep alot and have always required more sleep than most bears.

Another activity besides ringing the bells and hanging the brass bell chime, I shook a canister full of bamboo sticks. They are the size and shape of chopsticks, you kneel before Buddha and pray and shake this open-ended canister. The sticks are numbered and they correlate w/ your fortune. So you shake until one stick falls out, look at that number and go to the cubby to get your fortune. Number 3 fell out, my fortune said, "Listen to your elders. Wait for your lover." Okey-dokey.

One thing I cannot conform to is removing my shoes in public restrooms, "toilets". (Americans are the only ones so far who call it restrooms, the rest of the world refers to it as TOILET) Temples and public parks want you to remove your shoes, not at airports or hotels...but I just can't do it. The sanitary conditions here are questionable as it is, I am not going to be barefoot in wet toilets. Speaking of, boys can pee standing up. Girls can't. That would be soooooo beneficial here. And many times you have to buy toilet paper outside the restroom....

Starbucks Who?!

2007-08-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Leaving the Meo Hilltribe (which by the way required a 4-wheel drive truck--road too muddy) I love 4wheeling!! we stopped at a local coffee house. The view from the deck looks down upon the coffee plants and homes of the workers. I was the only customer and even though I don't drink coffee, I had some..."when in Rome" I guess. It was very strong and black but had alot more flavor than I expected. I bought two small bags for gifts. The woman who worked there also worked for the univeristy that runs the coffee house. She told Sompop that it must be a nice lifestyle to be a westerner. I guess we are viewed to have a high quality of life and compared to these people we do. Europeans are viewed as westerners as well, not soley Americans. After thinking about that, I realized that I used think of Europeans as being vastly different than Americans... and far away from the U.S. But really we are more like them than any other culture. High standard of living, belief systems, education, resources, money etc. I view Americans and Europeans in the same boat now after being in Thailand, bc culturally, Southeast Asia is VERY different.

Meo Hilltribe, Chiang Mai

2007-08-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

The next morning, Sompop and driver picked me up for a full day tour. We drove about an hour up to the Meo Hilltribe, one of the many tribes in Thailand. These people look very Mongolian, Sompop told me bc they originated in China/Mongolia area. Historically, hilltribes have caused trouble for Thailand bc they have been agriculturists for opium and had large fields of this crop. Bc hilltribes have been a troublesome with drug trade, they get more attention from the King. Sompop said the tribes are very, very poor and this is a great revenue source for them. Anyway, they have a gov't funded school program for the children. I got to view the childrens' classrooms. There is a teacher shortage so one teacher will handle two or more classrooms at a time. The kindergartners have supervision, but the other grades 1,2,3 seemed to just be given an assignment then left alone to complete their work. For the most part, this seemed to work and the children were well behaved. I was able to take pictures of the boys, but the girls were very shy and would scamper off, then peek around the corner. I could have stayed there all day! I think they were as curious about me as I was about them. Once I would take their picture, all the kids would swarm me in order to see themselves on my digital camera and they would laugh and smile and point at each other. It was wonderful. They were so sweet and just regular children. I loved it.

There were a few women who were selling their handmade goods. I usually buy at least one item from each place. It doesn't feel right to just come visit their village, take pictures and leave.

One man with the instrument had some disease similar to Downs Syndrome, he played his flute all the way down the drive behind Sompop and myself, sort of like we had our own parade....

The women weave wonderful crafts and sit outside their primitive home, of which is pictured. Dirt floors and they string a rope of bamboo around the outside, this is usually done by the "medicine man" type of person that sort of blesses the house.

The Meo Hilltribe seemed to be the most real day-to-day functioning village of all the hilltribes I visited. I got to see how they really worked and lived.

I appreciated the one-on-one tour from Sompop, I didn't sign up for a private tour, it just worked out that way due to his company's schedule. Therefore I got all of my multitude of questions answered and more in depth insight into these local people.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

2007-08-10T03:39:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in Chiang Mai, only an hour flight from Bangkok, I just needed some time to be "American." Watch movies, eat a burger, flip through the channels, just shut out the world for a bit. It can be overwhelming all at once and just needed to recoup...I am learning so much in Thailand, but it is very very different than any other culture I have yet visited. I just needed some down time for normalcy. So I holed up in my hotel room, drew the curtians and watched The Sound of Music in bed. I have been singing "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...." ever since. I got up and took a tuk-tuk to the night market which caters to tourists. It is a safer night market than the one in Bangkok bc there are no prostitutes soliciting business and cleaner and smaller altogether. I was encouraged by my guide Tan, in Bangkok to go to the market in Chiang Mai. Even before I got off the plane, I knew i would really like Chiang Mai. Slower paced, cleaner, friendlier environment. I had a new guide here, Sompop. He was terrific as well. I shopped for a bit, then wanted to have a beer. Saw several white people sitting on the patio of one little pub. That may not be the best thing to say, but it is what I thought so I figured it must be safe. It ended up being a German restaurant and had a couple beers and the world's hottest soup. A Thai traditional dish w/ mushrooms and lemongrass. I was sweating and had a runny nose, my lips were on fire!

But it is all good.

After eating Poison-on-a-Stick, I have been very careful of what I eat.

Rose Garden and Elephants!

2007-08-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

At the Rose Garden, after lunch, I got to feed the fish, hold birds and pose with the elephants. The elephants performed a short show of dancing, log towing and rolling, and carefully stepping over their human riders....it was very cool. I thought my horse Caesar was big!! There was a baby elephant and it was so neat! Stinky but cute.

Then we had a cultural show of dancing, sword fighting and Thai boxing. Boxing is like kickboxing and always has music played in the background. The animals of course were my favorite part.

There was one part of the theatre performance where the men would sit and clap and shack very long bamboo poles. Other men and women had to time their steps in between these poles. Like how football players have to develope footwork by running through tires laid on the ground. These dancers then speed up to the music. I thought this is the Thai version of Lords of the Dance.

Amulet--at one of the temples, I bought this small charm of Buddha to wear around my neck. Many Buddhists here do that, like how we wear the Cross from Jesus. I bought one bc I wanted to have something from a temple and wanted to be more like the locals and understand why they do what they do. I have gotten at least half a dozen Thai people recognize and applaud the fact I am wearing that. I guess many tourists don't do that and Thai people want tourists to learn and understand Buddha. So my trinket has been a topic of conversation and they are glad I have it. Protection! They say as I walk by and put their hands together and bow as they do upon greeting someone. I think it's cool that they think it's cool.

Floating Market, Bangkok

2007-08-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

This market is about an hour or so out of Bangkok. Took a van then got a boat ride to the market. This canal was ordered to be built by King Rama IV in 1866. The soil around the canal is very fertile and great for growing fruits and vegetables. This is the traditional old style of how the selling and buying of goods occurred. On my tour today was a newlywed couple from Greece and an older couple from Taiwan. We all got along well.

At the Floating Market however, I sampled a small piece of fruit and w/in 15 minutes I was getting sick. I got really hot, sweaty, nauseus and felt like my equlibrium was off. 10 minutes later I was violently ill, throwing up in a bathroom, got rid of everything in my system! I was miserable and scared for a bit there. Called Ric to get some attention and support, so it was good I got ahold of him, he helped and just let me whine....Then I took a nap on the busride to our next stop, had a sprite and a bland lunch of rice and bread. Then I was ok. Something did not agree w/ me. Guess fruit is off the menu now. :(

White Marble Temple, Bangkok

2007-08-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

This temple has white marble imported from Italy. One of the monks went overseas to travel and somehow this was part of his discovery to bring back to Thailand.

The Thai Buddha always wears the pointy hat, the Chinese Buddha is the bald, fat guy sitting cross-legged and you can rub his belly. Thai Buddha has long earlobes bc it is based from India. Back then, people wore large earrings that stretched their earlobes.

This temple is like a museum where each statue represents one of the 108 lives of Buddha. One picture depicts him fasting and starving himself. I really liked these different statures, I wish I stayed longer, but it was our last temple and I was pretty tired by that point.

Grand Palace, Bangkok

2007-08-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

The Grand Palace was huge. One of the the holiest or most valuable statues of Buddha reside here. It is called the Emerald Buddha, but made of Jade. No pictures are allowed inside the temple. Before you go in, you can dip a lotus blossom into the holy water and tap your head three times. So I did.

Inside the temple, you have to sit on the floor cross-legged or in a kneeling position. You cannot have the soles of your feet facing the Buddha. It was a neat experience to just sit and admire the gold, sparkly shrine w/ the Emerald Buddha at the top. This Buddha has costumes for each season that the King or the King's assistant has to change out, depends on who is available. Honestly, I enjoyed the temples more than the Grand Palace. Oh, it also had 2 platforms for the King to get on an elephant.

More Thailand Tidbits:
Thailand used to be called Siam, which was a Monarchy rule. The name changed in 1932 to Thailand meaning Land of Freedom.

All kids have to wear uniforms to school. The boys have to wear really short hair cuts, less than 5 centimeteres long. Everyone is to look alike. It is mandatory for kids to go to school up to 9th grade, from there the parents pay for extra schooling.

Many Japanese factories here bc of low labor costs. 60% of Thai people are farmers who are typically quite poor, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor, similar to Mexico. Main exports include seafood, crops/fruits and jewlery. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never to colonize.

You can tell Thai people apart from Chinese or Japanese bc they have tanner skin and larger eyes.

Lots of Chinese defected to Thailand after WWII. Most of the war history of Thailand occurs with Burmese.

Language is based on Sanskrit and has 44 consenants, 32 vowels and one word can have 5 meanings depending on the tone. Ka, ka, ka, ka or ka. Mai, mai, mai, mai or mai. Could be stuck, legs, silk etc.

Very family oriented. Grandparents live w the families to care for the children bc the parents are working. Free to chose your own spouse, no arranged marriages like India.

Street vendors sell drinks in clear plastic bags bc you can put ice in the bags, drink it w/ a straw.

Thai and most asians love white skin, they actually sell "white" lotion to make your skin whiter, unlike Americans or Europeans who think a tan looks healthy.

Lady Boys--cabaret shows, transvestites put on a good show apparently. They are called Lady Boys.

Thai also drives on the left hand side.

64 million people in Thailand, 9 million in Bangkok.

Reclining Buddha Temple, Bangkok

2007-08-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Reclining Buddha Temple was really cool. All temples require you take your shoes off, so bare feet or stocking feet only. When I first walked in I could hear a cling-cling noise. These are 108 bowls that people drop small token coins into. You can buy a bowl of coins for 20 Baht (donation to the temple) and walk down the line and drop coins into these metal bowls. Why 108?

Buddha--was a real man, just like Jesus Christ. Buddha was alive 543 years prior to Jesus Christ. Our Christian Calendar is 2007 this year bc our dates start at 0, when Jesus was born, that's why the dates prior to Jesus are B.C. So the Buddhist calendar is 2550 this year (not 2007) bc Buddha is 543 years older than Jesus.
Buddha was the son of the King of India. He lived the life of luxury and left that life to travel. He discovered there was so much pain and suffering in the world, he wanted to know the cause of this. What he discovered is that pain and suffering is caused by passion and illusion. He dedicated his life to trying to find Nirvana and stop the suffering. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, Buddha is said to have 108 lives, therefore, 108 bowls in the temple. During these lives, he tried to experience different types of hardship in order to learn. (I think.) If anyone who is reading this and knows more about Buddhism, I apologize, some things may have gotten lost in translation.....Reaching Nirvana means one is not reborn again and stops all suffering. Dropping coins into these bowls I think is similar to how Jesus died for our sins, Buddha lived our suffering, so prayers are said in addition to the act of doing this.

Golden Buddha Temple, Bangkok

2007-08-04T03:18:00.000-07:00

The Golden Buddha is a 5.5 ton statue of Solid Gold! It is 700 years old and was covered in concrete to hide the true value. Only 50 years ago did part of the concrete chip off to reveal the gold underneath. It is now on display at the temple.

There are at least 30,000 temples in Thailand, Buddhist Temples. I got to visit three yesterday as well as the Grand Palace, where the King can live if he choses or house Royal visitors. Similar idea to Buckingham Palace in London, it is just one of many homes.

I need to back track a moment, my spa experience. I got a salt scrub, a Thai massage and a facial. The salt scrub is an exfoliant and I have had these before in the states, very nice. Most massages in the States don't do your stomach bc that is an area where people might be self concious as well as storing lots of emotions. She did my stomach and then my bossom...Whoa! Hello! I guess that is a part of the body as well.....very professionally done though. A body is a body. the Thai massage part was interesting. I could have opted for Swedish or Sports but, I can get those any old time back home. When in Thailand, do Thai massage. I wore cotton jammies for this, baggy pants and shirt w a sheet over me. I couldn't believe how much pressure this small woman was putting on me, I can't handle deep tissue so I asked for medium pressure. I realized the little bugger was walking on me!! Thai massage incorporates stretching and pressure points. Thank goodness she was only like 90 pounds! She was walking on the back of my thighs while having hold of my ankles and pulling my feet toward the ceiling.....Uncle! Uncle! I misread the brochure, I thought I signed up for Thai massage, not the WWF Smackdown Treatment. I was worried when I had to roll onto my back, where was she gonna walk now? She didn't, but she did manipulate my body in positions only Gumby can relate to, and I am not a flexible person to begin with. This little Thai Acrobat w/ Hercules Hands. Not that being on the torture stretch rack is enough, Herc proceded to hit my legs and feet and shoulders w/ her fists. Ahhhh, Very relaxing. When I had to shower, I accidentally walked into the closet bc I was so disoriented, Herc says, "hey lady, showa ova here" (actually I heard hey rady) but anyway... I finally got to the right prace. And I am sore today. But at least I can touch my feet to my head now.

Ok, Golden Buddha Temple. When Buddhists go to pray, they can buy 3 sticks of incense (one for the Buddha, one for his scripture and one for the Buddhists Monks)....they also bow 3 times for the same reasons....so 3 sticks of incense, one yellow candle and 4 gold leaves. These gold leaves are very, very thin and square in shape about the size of a dime. Each leaf comes in between rice paper bc you can't touch the gold, it will stick to your fingers. You light the candle and put it in a tray, light the incense and stick it in a big bowl of sand so it stands up. Then you peel back the rice paper and stick the gold leaves to these small statues of Buddha, making a wish or prayer w each one. You also can buy a lotus blossom to include in the offering as well. The gold leaf is to symbolize prosperity. These are all offerings to Buddha, the food, gold, incense and flowers.

We asked if I could take a picture of the monk w his persmission.

My tourguide, Tan, is standing next to a guardian statue of the temple.

The monks are meeting and learning scripture and manner.

Thai men are supposed to go into the monkhood for a period of time in their lives after 20 years of age. They can choose how long, 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years, a life time etc. They learn Buddha's scripture, manner, meditation etc. They live off of the food the public gives them and they cannot eat after 12 noon. They also have free but modest accomodations funded by donations I think. Recently there has been a problem of young boys that join monkhood for the "free ride" but they are cracking down on that and making sure these men are serious and dedicated monks. They also do not work. Monks can chose which temple they want to be affiliated with and have the freedom to travel to other temples to learn about those as well. Once a boy decides to become a monk for a short time or his life, when he comes home to family and actually all the time for that matter, he is on his best behavior. He cannot play and wrestle w/ his siblings like he did when he was little. The robe and manner are taken seriously.

Bangkok, Thailand!

2007-08-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bangkok quite late at night and I am so glad I arranged to have a tour for the first part of my Thailand adventure. My tour guide was at the airport to greet me and take me to my hotel. His name is Tan and he is very smiley and informative. Today was my day at leisure to catch up on sleep and venture out on my own. Plus, the agent that booked my tour (who is Chinese and lives in Toronto, which is where I had to call) he called when I landed on my cell to make sure I was picked up. So I felt looked after and was glad I had a plan. When I walked outside the airport, it smelled thick and hot, but sweet too. Like flowers, jasmine or fruit....

The flight was 12 hours and I didn't get much sleep. Drunk old man arguing w/ the crew about not being served more alcohol bc they cut him off. Ready to throw him out the window....

Anyway, today I went to China Town. Originally I thought today I would just hang in the hotel and get my bearings, stick close to home. But I ended up waking up early feeling rested and healthy and couldn't wait to explore! I am an adventurer at heart I guess. On the plane I watched a Thai cooking show where an American chef came to Thailand to get inspiration for his recipes back home. One of the dishes for breakfast is a chicken pork rice soup. At a cafe this morning, I ordered it and it was great! They like having lighter meals for breakfast....

Here's what I know so far about Thailand:
95% Buddist, so a very friendly people
Called the "Land of Smiles", I also think it should be the "Land of Soup", they have tons of varieties of soup!

Baht is their money. 33 Baht is equal to $1 dollar...

Kingdom= They have a King. He has been in rule for 60 years and the people love him bc he works for the people. They wear yellow on Mondays to honor him bc he was born on a Monday and I guess yellow is color of honor, not sure yet. He is 79 years old. The King was born in Boston of all places. His father was educated at Harvard. The King's uncle was the King prior to him but had no sons, so his nephew took the throne...

Monks, wear orange robes. I guess they only live on the food that is given to them and they will only eat meat if it is given, they cannot order the kill of the animal. In the cooking show I saw on TV, the monks come out very early in the morning and receive the food and gifts from the public, then they give blessings to these people. Women are not allowed to hand anything to the monks or shake their hands.

I took a water taxi to China Town. Had to catch this water taxi from my hotel, then catch another Express boat to the pier for China Town. I missed that pier by 3 stops, had to get off, wait for the next Express Boat, pay another 18 Baht and go back. Oh well, it wasn't obvious and I just laughed. China Town is interesting, low quality products I was told and a place to barter. I have a cheat sheet for simple phrases and have been using that. Similar to Hispanics, the Thai are very appreciative when you try to speak their language.

At the market, the white flowers were sewn together w/ roses. I don't know what you are supposed to do w/ it, but they smell delicious!! I bought one and wore it around my wrist and just basically kept smelling it all day! Smells like orange blossoms. Bought some hairbands and cute barrets since I will be wearing my hair up here. I don't really need anything anyway.

Tuk-Tuks are the 3-wheel motorized carriages, I haven't ridden in one, some may take you for more money since you are a tourist so I will wait for guidance from Tan.

Khup Khun Kaa--thank you (women end in Kaa, men end in Khrap) :)
La Ka Towrai--how much is it?
Sawasdee Kaa--Hello, prosperity

The water taxi and Express boat are on the Chao Phraya River, very dirty not bc of trash or garbage, just muddy, murky dirty.

I could not identify many of the foods, meats, seafood things at China Town, think mexican market times 100. I thought to myself, "hmmm, what is that? Eww. That's nasty." I won't eat street food from vendors from what I have been advised, restaurants and hotel food will be ok, plus my tour includes meals and I don't think they are in business to poison their clients.

Back at the hotel and have spa afternoon w/ Thai massage and facial. Pampering is cheap here and I plan to take advantage of it :)

Wanaka, NZ

2007-08-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to include these pictures before Queenstown. Wanaka is a small ski town also on a beautiful lake. We really liked this little town, good beer and fresh green lipped mussells.....

Queenstown, NZ

2007-07-30T17:44:00.001-07:00

The weather cleared today for our flight out to Auckland. I am so glad we got stranded here. Queenstown is absolutely beautiful. The town surrounds the lake and the snowy peaks jet up against the skyline. Absolutely beautiful. Lots of cozy pubs and restaurants, with fireplaces and Speights beer on tap.

Yesterday at the airport, the flight was cancelled bc of bad weather. Interestinly, there are two airlines in this small airport. Air New Zealand and Qantas. We are on Qantas. Now each airline can determine their own safety measures. Eventhough Air New Zealand was flying out in the bad weather, Qantas would not. It wasn't the airport that was making the final call if or when the airplanes could fly, it was the airlines themselves. So we watched the Air New Zealand planes take off. Additionally, Qantas is rated as one of the safest airlines to fly. That is comforting to be on a safe airline, but the kicker is the awful customer service. Qantas had a plane full of passengers that were on the cancelled flight. We were all standing in queue to talk to the agents behind the desk. This is when they decided to take a break!!!!!! I was like are you f***ing kidding me? There are 75 people waiting in line to see if they need to take a bus to another town, book for tomorrow, is there a later flight?? what?? They took a break and were chatting amongst themselves behind the counter! I was absolutely FLABERGASTED!!! Are they stupid? These passengers are stranded in Queenstown, one passenger offered to drive people to Wanaka, a nearby town. I was beyond mad on their behalf, I had a cushion since I allowed an extra day to fly to Thailand. So I went back and got the rental car I had just turned in and we drove back to the hotel we just checked out of to spend another night. Called on the phone and figured out our flights. The connecting flights is what the hard part was. Taking a break when there are 75 people needing help...get real, I was fit-to-be-tied.... I figured I best leave the airport before I shot my mouth off. Absolutely NO customer service what-so-ever.

On a better note......Today is a gorgeous day and the weather is bright and sunny, Yeah Sun!! I love you Sunshine!!

Will post pictures when I can upload from camera. Won't allow me to do so on the airport computer.

Feeling good and ready for the next chapter....

Catching up on things....NZ

2007-07-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I are in Queenstown, NZ. We tried to fly out to Auckland, but our flight was cancelled due to rain and fog, so we leave tomorrow. This computer is about 100 years old and can't upload pictures just yet......

Eating my Words: Everyone has their quirks, things they like or dislike. I don't like black socks. I think they make my feet hot and make feet look bigger. For instance basketball players in the NBA, when they wear black shoes, I think they look slower and bigger footed than the players w/ white shoes. Additionally black socks are anything but sexy. Think of your partner. You are obviously w/ that person bc you are attracted to them. Now think of them standing naked in front of you. Now think of them standing naked in front of you wearing only black socks! Yuck! kills the whole mood. So I just don't care for black socks. I had to buy much warmer clothes in NZ in order not to freeze, part of this included some woolly black socks. I have been wearing them. Warm feet for sure. So I AM right! Black socks keep your feet warmer than white ones.

Additionally, I am not a coffee drinker.. Don't like it. But here they have FLAT WHITE. Flat white is like a cappuccino w/out the foamy stuff on top, hence the FLAT part of it. For some reason, I happen to like this flat white, only if it is made very weak, more milk than coffee, and TONS of sugar.. Seems to fit the mood of the trip for some reason.

Lingo--I forgot at the Farmstay to mention part of their lingo. They asked if I wanted a CUPPA. I asked, "A cup of what?", milk, tea, water, coffee, dish soap, what? what is a CUPPA? CUPPA is tea. A cuppa tea. Got it. So then later in the day, they asked me if I was staying for tea or going into town. I asked if they had tea at specific times bc we just had tea, (the whole Cuppa thing). Well TEA actually stands for "dinner." Right. So in order for me to tell them I would be eating dinner w/ them, I had to stay for tea. So if I wanted a cup of tea I had to ask for a Cuppa and if I wanted dinner I had to ask for tea. Because that makes sense.

Leg Warmers are back!!-- I knew the 80's were still alive. Australian women and NZ women wear tight jeans and tuck them into their dress boots, I knew leg warmers would be next and lo and behold!! Queenstown. Hello leg warmers and Flashdance!! "I'm a Maniac, Maniac...." (song from the movie Flashdance)

Maori tattoos-- I wanted to find a picture to post but haven't' had luck w/ this part. The Maori tradition is to tattoo someone after they have completed a large feat in their life. They use 3 chisels to tattoo the face. One to cut the skin, two to ensure the wound heals in a "V"shape and three to lay the ink. The faces are tattooed. Men have 4 birds: the forehead is the bat, the nose is the parakeet, the cheeks are the kiwi and the chin is the owl. The women also have their lips and chins tattooed, the owl is on the chin for wisdom and protection over the children. The Maori's treat their women w/ respect. They are trying to keep their language and culture alive. They teach Maori at the public schools and educate the public w/the culture shows we have attended.

Beet Root--Australia and NZ alike serve burgers, chicken burgers, steak burgers w/ beet root. It rocks!! I like beets and this is used usually in place of tomatoes.....

Australian Aboriginal Story--Now I don't know how REAL this story is, but this is what I was told. The aboriginals were considered to be livestock up until the 60's. When the whites would be driving in the outback, the aboriginals would rob and/or steal their cars and leave them in the bush. The aboriginals were said to lay down in the dirt roads to stop the vehicles. Now, the story goes, the whites would run over the aboriginals bc they knew they were being tricked to stop and could be robbed. Apparently there was a law that made that legal to run over these people as long as you told the law about it in the next town you came to. "Yeah, Sheriff, four aboriginals down about 30 miles back, but as long as you know about it....." The native peoples in every area so far: Native Americans in US, First Nations in Canada, Aboriginals in Australia, Maori in New Zealand, all have been shit on by the white man. Their land was taken, they were forced to assimilate, their language and religion were not valued or tolerated. They now have alcohol and "petrol sniffing" issues. They try to reclaim their land w/ not much success, they are very poor and uneducated. No true bloodline left. Aboriginals were bred w/ the whites, that is why there is such a range of color amongst them. It is sad. Yes, the English were amazing sailors and discovered continents! Huge success. They were also hogs, diseased, racial and aggressive. I just wanted to make the point that the native peoples seem to have similar treatment and generational issues now.

Dinner at Alice May's, Franz Joseph Glacier, NZ

2007-07-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

After our long day on the glacier, we had dinner at Alice May's Cafe....this was the best dinner, best wine, best dessert, best fireplace, best quaint little restaraunt!! We were starving and really enjoyed the whole experience. We found this little tidbit about who Alice May is.....

Alice May--in the early 1900's Alice May became pregnant from her lover, had a stillborn child and he didn't honor their engagement. So she shot him. Four times. Unsucessfully turned the gun on herself. She was imprisoned for 6 years. The locals petitioned to have her released and she eventually was released into the custody of her mother. She remarried a local man, politician or business man or something and had 6 children. Alice May became a household name.

Franz Joseph Glacier, NZ

2007-07-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Franz Joseph Glacier is located in the town also called, Franz Joseph Glacier. The town and the glacier have the same name...So we did a guided glacier tour of Franz Joseph Glacier in Franz Joseph Glacier. :) I like saying that. The tour was for a half day and the areas on the glacier we visited required a guide. Now the tour was rated to be for "agile" folks and to be intermediate level. This tour was freakin' HARD!! Both my mom and I thought it was really tough. It was alot harder than I expected it to be. The bus dropped us off at the carpark and we had about 50 people on our tour. There is a 40 minute walk from the carpark to the base of the glacier through a very wet, muddy, rocky trail and you have to cross a few swift creeks and pretty much get your feet partially wet.

Gear--Now the gear the company issues is waterproof and windproof, but DOES NOT ventilate. Growing up w/ my mom and Larry in Colorado skiing, camping, hiking etc. I have learned to layer my clothing. We both had the correct clothes, but the tour company wants you to wear their clothes just to ensure everyone is properly prepared. They also issue boots bc the boots fit into ice talons or crampons in order to grip the ice. My mother and I both have really small feet. The boots I was issued were 3 sizes too big and felt like I was wearing heavy moon boots the size of Texas. My mom got to keep her hiking boots and they sized her talons to fit her boots. Now, like I said, I have too many layers on during the 40 minute hike/walk part and the guides took off at a quick pace. I honestly couldn't keep up w/ those damn moon boots on!! I was sweating profusely!! I kind of had a bit of a temper tantrum trying to keep up and strip down and walk in those freakin' boots!! I didn't want to get too hot and wet, then get cold at the top. I needed a constant temperature.

Group 1,2 or 3--halfway to the base of the glacier, they split us into 3 groups. Group 1 was for the light-afoot and confident climbers, Group 2 was for the even-paced and moderate speed climbers and Group 3 was for the no-pace, take pictures climbers. We tried to get into Group 3 bc I seriously felt like I could not walk their daddy-long-legs speed!! Plus, my mother is 60 now and didn't want to push her too hard. Well, Group 3 had too many people, so we moved to Group 2.

Base--at the base of the glacier, we had to strap on our ice talons and begin the climb. Again, they split the groups up. Group 1 and Group 2. Same idea. Again we got pushed into Group 1. Now the first part of the climb was TOUGH!! If you had weak ankles, heart problems or asthma, this would NOT be a good adventure. The ice steps were at least knee height and pretty much straight up. We were both breathing hard and sweating! I thought we didn't sign up for the Mt. Everest climb, but apparently we did at that point. Speaking of Mt. Everest, the first man to ever reach the summit of Mt. Everest (the tallest mountain in the world, reaching almost 30,000 feet....near Nepal) was Sir Edmund Hillary, who is from New Zealand. He was deemed "Sir" after his accent. Also by the way, Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand at 12,000-plus feet, so that means in order for him to train at higher altitudes, he would have had to travel quite far to reach taller mountains....

Back to our version.....we settled into a good pace and our guide also had a pick ax to help clear new steps or calve off threating pieces. Franz Joseph Glacier was named after a the last Hungarian/Austrian Emperor. We still don't know how he is connected to New Zealand, but that is the namesake. The glacier is one of the only glaciers in the world that is growing! Up until 3 years ago, it was receeding and now it grows about 3 meters a day....It is about 60 meters deep and I can't remember how long it is, but at least a couple of miles we think. This glacier is also special bc it is one of the few that come out of the rainforest and practically touch the ocean at 2200 feet altitude. New Zealand and Patagonia are the only two places in the world with glaciers in this category. Additionally there are over 3000 glaciers in New Zealand.

We got to the top and had photo op's, got to crawl on hands and feet through a short rabbithole type of tunnel. One person at a time and you couldn't fit w/ a backpack either, encased in a tube of ice. I was glad it was a short tunnel. We got to climb around, have a snack, take pictures, then make our way down. We both feel like we got a great workout and I am very proud that we did this! It was special to share w/ my mom as well, I am proud of her for keeping up and we rocked in Group 1!! Oh yeah, go Mom, go Holly, go Mom, go Holly!! :) I was soooo thankful we WEREN'T climbing at altitude. I am sure I would have been miserable, having altitude sickness several times, I didn't miss that.

On the way home--we walked leisurely back to the bus and loaded up for the 10 minute drive back to town. I have been asked several times by friends and family if I have been homesick yet and NO I haven't. Until yesterday. I don't know if it was bc I was tired and hungry, but I just kept thinking that after my mom leaves, I could be on my own again. We are hoping Ric can work his schedule to come to Thailand w/ me...which would be awesome. Maybe just being around my mom reminded me of home, but for some reason I got really homesick, missed my kitties, my own bed, Ric, the sun....and not having some sort of ailment every time I turn around. The traveling plays havec on my system...wacked out menstral cycle, suseptible to colds, listless and low energy w/ head colds, reaction to anitbiotics which manifest as female problems....too much info sorry, but these are my experiences. I got really whiney and needy and didn't want to go on, wanted to fly home w/ my mom, scared a little about Thailand and Africa, those will be so different than any other country so far and probably harder to travel. Anyway, I feel better today, after sleeping and rest.

Tasman Sea, West Coast New Zealand

2007-07-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

After driving over Aurthur's Pass, we ended up in a town called Hokitika. We had a great view of the Tasman Sea and got there just in time for the sunset. Mom and I shared yummy cheese and crackers and beer that we had bought along our way for snacks. We sat on our balcony and took in the view and just shared time. It was special. We got the giggles and decided to go down to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, had a great pasta/seafood dish.

Kiwi Box--this is what I have deemed our little food box. I got tired of having snacks rolling around the car in plastic bags (it is much cheaper to buy groceries and keep food w/ me than to eat out all the time, healtier as well)so I bought this little shoe-box size tupperwear thing and decided to call it the Kiwi Box.

Went shopping the next day, and did about 2 hours at an internet cafe to catch up on emails and administrative stuff.

Aurthur's Pass and Bridal Veil Falls Tramp

2007-07-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

The ladies are cruizen'!!

We drove the four hour drive over Aurthur's Pass from the east coast to the west coast. It was a windy, mountainess type of drive with beautiful scenery. Got up into more dense rain forest and eventually some snow country. My mom thinks that the snow is quite new and fresh unlike in Colorado you will see deep snow on the peaks that have been there for years. The snow in NZ melts by summer and is new every year. Also, this mountain range, The Southern Alps, seem to have the whole mountain covered by snow, not a "snow-capped" peak look.

Bridal Veil Falls Tramp--we saw from the side of the road, there were several tramp trails that we spotted but I had read about this one ahead of time. It was a very well marked trail, very rocky and slippery tree roots sticking up and wooden bridges covered w/ chicken wire to prevent slipping. We walked about half hour each way. It was quite steep in some places and we both felt like we got a good work out by the end. However, the view point from the final climb was a bit disappointing. The frozen Bridal Veil Falls was much smaller and farther away than we anticipated. However, it was great to get off of the beaten path and see some of the natural world.

Bog Pine-- is a pine tree but looks like it is covered in moss and as if it belonged in a swamp.

Aurthur's Pass--seemed to go through the saddle of the mountain, not right over the top, which for some reason is what I expected. It was a fun day!

Maori and Kiwi Culture Show at Willowbank, Christchurch, NZ

2007-07-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted my mother to experience the Maori culture show and do the kiwi encounter as I had already done. I thought this really gives a great introduction and history of this country. We attended a great culture performance of dancing and singing by the Maori people.

When Maori people greet friends/allies and peaceful foreigners from the Four Winds (people coming from all directions of the world), they press noses and foreheads together. The pressing of the foreheads is to share thoughts and since the mouths are so close, it is the sharing of the breath of life. Men/men, women/men and women/women all do this as a form of greeting one another.

We then had a fabulous dinner and wine by the fireplace. I got to got outside and feed tame deer. My mother had to drag me back in bc I kept feeding handful after handful to these little guys and it was time for our Kiwi Encounter. This encounter also included other native birds.

The Alpine Parrot--would land on our guides shoulder as he was giving his speach about the birds. Alpine Parrots can eat the rubber on your car windows, get into the car, tear up the upholstry! They are protected now and cannot be hunted. The guide would feed this bird spoonfuls of honey, they like very sweet, high in fat foods. We also got to see gorgeous white swans, several Kiwi birds and possums.

Ferrets--are a huge nusiance to NZ, they feed on Kiwi eggs and will kill several birds as well, not just to eat, but for the sport. Ferrets can kill up to 20 birds a night and not eat a single one. It is illegal to own or breed ferrets, you cannot buy these at the pet stores and they are trying to erradicate ferrets and possums.

Possums--however, these possums are quite a bit larger than our north american version. They can be grey or dark brown with a large bushy tail. They do not have a tail like a rat.

Stoats-- are similar to ferrets and are also considered a nusiance to the birds and kiwi eggs.

My Mom is Here! Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

2007-07-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

I invited my mother to come to New Zealand for my last week here to do a mother/daughter trip and venture around the South Island together and go exploring! Lots of fun things already!

I called my Grandma from the airport while I was waiting for my mom. Grandma is doing great! She is 83 and doing wonderfully. After my Grandpa's passing this last year, she sounds in great spirits, loves her assisted living center, has friends, parties, walks alot and is now writing a story about a mouse named Courtney Longtail. :) She types it on her computer which she can enlarge a letters to see better, she is on chapter four and thoroughly enthralled in her book. I am so happy she is doing well and she says she has never been happier.

I picked up my mom at the Christchurch airport, she was so excited and didn't seem to have much jetlag. Went back to the hotel to freshen up, this hotel had a great view of Victoria Square in the middle of city centre in Christchurch. Victoria Square has lots of fountains and grass, very pretty. We just hung out in town and went to lunch, came home took a nap, had cheese, crackers and wine and went to bed.

Banks Peninsula--this is an area about 1 hr from Christchurch, Joseph Banks was the botanist on Captain Cook's boat for which the peninsula is named. Akaroa is the name of the town we visited w/ the great view of the water from above. This area is also where the French landed after the British and wanted to claim it as french land. The brits said they could sail back to France or live there under British rule. The French settled and there is a bit of french influence w/ architecture, food and such. But not as much French influence as we were told by the New Zealanders. Akaroa is slow this time of year, so it was a quiet afternoon.

We had a bowl of seafood chowder and beer right on the bay. I got to feed the sparrows and the sea gulls! The sea gulls swarmed me and the sparrows would grab their bread, hop around then come back w/ bread hanging out of their beak acting as if they didn't get any! Too cute. Also had three black cats cross our path and NO, it wasn't the same cat. So, I took it as a good luck sign since there were three.

My mom did bring the sun w/ her bc we have had sun almost every day since she arrived. THANK GOODNESS!

We tried to visit a winery which was the last one on the way to the West Coast, it said it was OPEN but we went in for tastings and no one was around. The wine country seems to be mostly in the middle of the country so we are heading out of that area as we travel south. Martinborough and Hawkes Bay on the North Island, Marlborough and Canterbury are the wine regions on the South Island. This would be a great thing to do during summer, but being a solo driver before my mom came and being sick and all the dead vines right now, wine tasting isn't that appealing. But we are buying bottles along the way from these local regions to have at night.

Catch Phrases--New Zealanders and Australians say things like: Bugga! No worries! Good on you mate! and Happy as Larry! This means being happy to the utmost extent, hmmmmmm....how ironic.

During our trip to Banks Peninsula, we were stopped by a herd of pregnant cows in the road. They were being herded along by a man on a motorcycle and a man in a Ute w/ two dogs....just not an everyday thing to witness. Very cool.

Kaikoura, NZ

2007-07-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

I loved being in Kaikoura! I had plans to take a 4-5 hour tramp along the peninsula, but I was basically sick the whole time. I think traveling takes it's toll and if I get the least bit run down I get the cold/flu bug. I had an amazing view from my hotel though!! I did get to go whale watching and cruized around the small town. Kaikoura had a great vibe to it, sort of a one road type of town and feel. I ended up going to see the doctor (twice) bc I wanted antibiotics to rid my system of the bug and also recharge my immune system. Since my mom was coming to Cristchurch in a few days, I didn't want to be sick for our trip and also wanted to be well for Thailand. So I was pretty whiney and feeling sorry for myself, but I did nap and take hot baths etc to get well. Kaikoura also has one of the best coastal drives in the country. It feels like you are driving right on the beach and then the landscape zooms up on the other side of the road into huge, green, lush hills. I assume they are considered to be mountains, but since I am from the Rocky Mountains and those are so vast, these aren't that large and so I will call them hills at this point. They are bigger than hills and smaller than mountains, how's that? Lots of dense ferns, palms and green shrubbery.

The ferns have a type of spiral looking arm that grows when a new arm is growing. The green ones are gorgeous and the one I took a picture of is a dead version, since it is winter, I can't find a green one to photo. There is another type of fern here, the Silver Fern. It is green on the top side and silver underneath. It reflects the moonlight and the Maori's used this to navigate through the rain forests. The Silver Fern is also the national symbol for New Zealand, it looks like a fern leaf.

Other facts about New Zealand:

There are no native snakes here, you cannot own, breed, import, have a pet of any type of snake whatsoever.

Trout--the government wants to keep trout as a game fish so you cannot order trout at a restaurant. The only way to get trout is to fish for it and catch it yourself.

Sheep, Seals and Whales Oh My!! Kaikoura, NZ

2007-07-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Leaving the farmstay I passed by several vineyards and had a quick bowl of seafood chowder and chardonnay. This would be a great place to visit in the summer w/ all of the great wineries!! Kinda the slow season now. :( But, hard to do tastings and still drive.

Saw lots of seals on the rocks on the drive down. I lost count after 53, but there were at least twice that. The seals can come out of the water and onto the rocks, acrss the road and into the train tunnels to take shelter from storms. It can be quite hazardous for the drivers and train engineers, they do get run over.

Went whale watching, saw 6 Sperm Whales! This is a very large migration area bc there is so much marine life, the whales come to feed. Four people threw up on the boat, it was great. The whales are magnificant! I have been whale watching before, but never saw any. This was spectacular. Sailors named the whales and were quite simple about it. Blue Whales, Grey Whales, hmmm... Sperm Whales have a large resovoir of oil in their heads and when it comes out it is a white, sticky substance.

Lots of great wildlife!

Farmstay--Picton, NZ

2007-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

A farmstay is similar to a bed and breakfast where you can help out with the farm chores and also eat meals with the family you are staying with. I had researched this and looked up several farmstays in NZ. I wanted to stay at a sheep farm as well, just to see what it's all about. I learned alot!

Sherrington Grange, The Harper Family--This family consists of Mom-Julie, Daughter-Lisa (my age), Son-Rob, his fiance, Sabina (german girl, 25), 2nd Son-Hamish, his wife Annie (scottish) their 18 month old, Fiona. This farm is on 450 acres in the Marlborough Sounds and is VERY remote. They have the main house where I stayed, and two other houses on the property where the two sons and their families live.

They are a very diverse farm, sheep, cheese, orchards and honey from bee hives. Since the government took away the subsidaries from the sheep farmers, many economic farms couldn't afford to keep sheep to sell, so many had to downsize their flock. It become too expensive to feed and care for the sheep. This farm downsized to 50 head, two billy goats, one pet pig--Miss Piggy, dog and a horse named Honky. The directions to get there were a bit confusing, I was told to go "inland" from the mainroad, but inland to me means away from the water, they meant inland onto the peninsula. Okey-dokey. It's a good thing I arrived during daylight, I never would have found it in the dark. The Harper Family sells cheese and honey on a commercial level in order to have multiple streams of income. They sell sheep for meat, not wool. The higher climates have sheep that have finer wool for which there is more of a market. The wool the Harper's sheep have (thicker hair) is not in demand so there is not a market for it.

Neighbor, Paul--They have a 78 year old neighbor that comes to help the family w/ the sheep, shearing, crutching, vaccines etc. I of course, wanted to help and get in w/ the sheep and see what it's all about. That day, Paul and I were to get all the sheep into the yard. Now, the terrain is very steep, thick rainforest type and then less steep, grassy fields. The paddocks consists of several acres a piece separated by wire fences. We had to herd these sheep (on foot) from three different paddocks into one paddock, across the road to a smaller paddock and then into the yard to then separate the ewes from the hoggets. Sheep farmers use dogs usually or do this on foot. We had no dogs that are sheep dogs. Paul and I were on this high road in order to check the thicker terrain for sheep and we spotted a few above. You have to be behind the sheep to herd them. In order to get behind them, one of us had to climb a steep, muddy embankment. I volunteered, but couldn't get myself up bc I wasn't tall enough. Next thing I know, Paul says, "I'll put my shoulder into it," I look back and he bent over, put his shoulder under my butt and hoisted me over the bank! I was on all fours to climb up and grab the shrubbery to hold myself. Imagine my surprise, one bc he did that and two bc he 78 and three it worked! Anyway, we got the sheep down and it took some work. He would point w/ his walking stick where he wanted me to go and I would follow his lead. It was cool. :)

Holy Sheep!--Here's what I know about sheep now: It takes one ram (for mating, reproduction) for a 50 head flock. The ram needs to be replaced every other year. This is done bc it can't mate w/ it's offspring bc body size will decrease and more diseases could occur. A lamb is 0-12 months old, a hogget is 12-24 months or called a 2-tooth, or a 4-tooth. A wether is a neutered male. You can't have several rams bc they will compete and fight which releases hormones into their muscles which taints the meat and makes it tough.

0rigianlly I was going to be able to help CRUTCH the sheep, but we got rained out. This is when the wool is trimmed along the undercarriage (belly) and the butt. This is done for two reasons before lambing season, it helps the lambs find the teat easier and flies can nest and lay eggs near the butt and literally eat the sheep alive. Baaaaaad news!

I did get to help DRENCH the sheep. This is basically vaccinating the hoggets, sticking a metal probe in their mouth to squirt in medicine. My job was to mark their heads w/ pink chalk so we could tell which ones had gotten the medicine, then load them onto the trailer, (which is attached to the UTE, not the truck--same thing). Now sheep are dumb. Really dumb. We have them all in a small pen, Paul, Julie and I and we are trying to catch each one, drench it, then mark it and load it. Sheep think if they bury their head down and stand perfectly still, you can't see them. It was so funny! I would look around and four or five all have their heads down in the corner of the pen w/ their butts facing me standing perfectly still. Shhhhh! She won't see us! Don't move!

In order to load them, you basically have to manhandle and toss them about. Grab the wool on the back of their neck and the other hand grabs the wool on their back and toss 'em in. They are scrambling, legs a flyin' to run away, so you have to be quick. It was fun actually :)

Julie raised her kids as a single mom (dad walked out) and has wanted to provide land, a house and job for kids. They have all grown, moved abroad, then moved back to the ranch and are making their living in their specific circle of the family business. The sons do the bee rearing and honey production, daughter does the cheese and marketing for both.

I went fishing out on the sound, in a dinghy. They use no bait, no pole. The day before you lay a net and then pull it up the next day and the fish are caught in it. Untangle the flounder, put em in a bucket then fillet them. Easy fishing.

WWOOFING--This is a step down from a farmstay. Willing to Work On an Organic Farm. College students do this for their agriculture programs, going from one farm to the next during their summers when the farms need extra help. Their work is a trade off for food and board. They are not a paying guest like I was and apparently some WWOOFS are worked to death!

The Harpers--are all very educated as well. Grandparents--grandpa was a chemist, grandma was a general physician, mom and daughter are both botanists...They were very friendly, talked ALOT, and talked over each other to the point I could not get a word in edgewise, but I enjoyed their stories and learned alot and the bed and room were very clean and warm w/ a fabulous view of the sound. I couldn't get reception on the blackberry for phone or email and I found I HATED not being able to be connected the world. I like that I can turn it off if I want to, but like the security of knowing it's there if I need it.

Real Estate--After 9/11 there were 1 in 5 New Zealanders overseas. LOTS of these people sent money home to have their families buy land. That year, NZ was voted the safest country in the world to live. Real estate soured!! The Harper's neighbors are selling their 30 acres for 1.8 million. Imagine what 450 acres is worth, I already did the math, a goldmine.

Netball--I think this is what it's called. Female version of basketball. Except no backboard. The net is the same, but no backboard. The ball is like a soccerball in size and material. They don't dribble, only pass it back and forth and when someone shots, I don't think they can jump. It looks like they have to have booth feet on the ground and everyone freezes when the shooter shots. It must be a big deal bc it is on the news and in the paper, but I am pretty sure it is called netball or maybe that's slang. The girls wear skirts, like a tennis skirt.

Wellington, NZ

2007-07-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

I stayed at the Museum Hotel in Wellington, the capital of NZ. This hotel was actually "relocated" from across the street. They moved the whole building itself across the street to make the hotel and then in it's place is the actual museum.

I have not been feeling well, so I pretty much stuck to my room and tried to rest.

I went to the bar in the hotel to order a hot drink. I asked the bartender,
Do you have a hot toddie?
Nope.
Do you have a hot whiskey?
Nope.
It has hot water, whiskey and sugar in it.
Nope. I don't know what that is.
I just told you. Ok, How about a hot cider?
Nope. We're not in America anymore.
Really? hmmmm. I'm not in this bar anymore either.

Let me just discuss customer service. The United States ROCKS with customer service. If you have ever worked in the service industry, restaraunts, bars etc you will be able to relate. In the states these people make below minimum wage for hourly rates and depend on tips as the majority of their income, haveing to claim at least 8% (or this was the case when I was in college). Everywhere else I have been in my travels, tipping is not customary. To anyone at anytime, no tipping. These people can make like $17 dollars an hour and so tips is not part of their income. Therefore customer service suffers. Especially in France. I was so parched, it was hot and I drink alot of water. They don't. I felt like an old western movie crawling through the saloon doors, with a thick, dry tongue having been riding across the desert and begging for a drink. Dry, dusty, tumble weeds blowing by, but no, I was in France, no water shortage and I was soooooo thirsty! When they do bring you water, not just in France but abroad, it's a like a little sippy-cup size, I'm thinking that's a like a shot of water, line em up1 Traveling abroad, people in the service industry don't care if you get served today, tomorrow or next year! Additionally, like in the case above, some won't go above and beyond to even help or find out what is needed.

In order to get from the North Island to the South Island I had to take the ferry going over The Cook Straight. These are huge ferries and I had to drive my car onto it, the trip takes 4 hrs. I was nervous about driving onto the ferry, you have to queue (line up) outside and just drive and park on board...it all worked out.

During the trip, a fabulous rainbow came out. A full huge rainbow. It was beautiful!!

No Shoes--I am freezing here, but every time I look around, there are kids running around w/ no shoes!! Outside, on the ferry, in the dirty, wet parking lot, on the beach, in the food stores, everywhere! Put some shoes on those kids1

Small Bay--driving into Wellington, NZ

2007-07-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the name of this bay right now, the map is at the hotel w/ that info. On my way into Wellington I spotted this bay and had to pull over, driving down a narrow, windy road to the beach. It was quiet, calm, the sun was setting, my favorite time of day. The rocks were black and rugged. The shore had a bunch of neat colored glass, rocks and driftwood. I walked around for about half an hour. It was a very special time for me. I really enjoyed it.

Craters of the Moon--Taupo, NZ

2007-07-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

Craters of the Moon--had to stick to the walking path, I got in trouble for meanering off the path, but I couldn't really see anything, I wanted to see the crater part. Mostly it was a pretty park w/ a bunch of steam coming out of holes in the ground. One crater had hissing steam coming out, VERY loud.

It was good to see, but since it took me a freakin' hour of being lost to get there bc I can't read a damn map, I was a bit disappointed......

Holly's Night Out--Taupo

2007-07-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

I was still feeling sorry for myself since Ric had left and I was alone again. Traveling solo is great, but after having such a great companion and then going back to adventuring solo, it is a tougher adjustment than I thought. I had bought groceries earlier in the week bc I don't want to eat out every single meal, so I'd been having soup at night and granola bars and fruit in the morning.

After my hike, I thought I would venture out on the town!! So glad I did! I had dinner at a place called The Shed. Met a nice couple and their both of their 17 year old daughters. Another guy was a workmate of the couple and he does alot of outdoorsy stuff so gave me some good ideas of what to see. His parents own a FARMSTAY, so he explained to me about how those work as well. I will be staying at a Farmstay on the South Island....sheep ranch! I will write about that after my adventure there.

Beers: I have been told there are social status's that are associated w/ what kind of beer you drink here in NZ. Similar to wine, the cheap stuff or the good stuff.

Tui--students drink this, easy going attitude and "rugby heads"
Stella Artois and Heineken--Pretty boys and BMW drivers
Speights--more rugged, farmers and mountain men

Anyway, back to my night out. Taupo is a small town, 20,000 people, so it's not a huge city. There was a bar/club open w/ a rockin' dj. Appearantly it was costume night, something to start w/ P, was the theme. There was a bus tour of people, a bit younger than me that were on this tour from Perth, Australia. None of them had known each other before they signed up so they had only been traveling a few days around New Zealand when I met them. THEY WERE HILARIOUS!! I had so much fun!! Dancing, trying new beers etc. One guy with the feather mask couldn't see out of it and the feathers kept sticking to his lips, so he'd spit it out!....I got such a kick out of it! I laughed and laughed, had a ball! I got home safely and was really glad I took myself out. The guy in the pink sweater w/ their bus driver/tour guide!!!

Taupo--Huka Falls Hike

2007-07-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

I needed to get out of the commercialized tourist race and get into some wilderness, my stepdad would be proud. I bought a tramping book (hiking) and found a trail near the town of Taupo. Huka Falls! 4 hour hike according to the book except I did it in 2 hours and 24 minutes!! I rock! I also took half hour at the dam, so in total, 3hrs 15 minutes. My butt is sore!! The hike follows the Waikato River, which is the longest river in New Zealand. I hiked up to the dam. The dam only opens for a half hour a few times a day to let the water through, I happened to luck out and get there just in time. When the dam closes, water is still running, just very slowly and the water pools in the open spaces. There is a hydro station along the hike which controls the dam.

Maori--Native People--Culture Night--Rotorua

2007-07-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Maori people look Simoan to me so I think they must both have Polynesian influences. I went to the culture night and saw a traditional canoe ride for battle. We ate "hangi" which is their word for the meal. It was cooked over hot rocks in the ground. Delicious!! Pics were hard to take at night, I will write more about the Maori's, very interesting.

Hell's Gate--Rotorua, NZ

2007-07-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hell's Gate is named bc it looks so menacing. I walked up into the park for about an hour. The smell of sulphur and the steam and bubbling was so majestic!! It is still in it's natural state and each pool had it's own sound. One was bubbling furiously, one sounded like a sauce simmering on the stove (blub,blub,blub) then one sounded like rain bc it was a small, fast, shallow boil. There was a camera crew taking video and pitures. Apparently they were filming a section for THE AMAZING RACE. I didn't realize this until I was in my mud bath and sulphur spa, but the contestants were running up the hill to find their clues and next destination. At first, I thought how cool! The Amazing Race! Then I realized they all looked haggard, worn out, stressed etc. I thought that they don't get to take the tour of the park and see each formation, take a mud bath and sulphur spa, then get a massage. I already am on my "own" AMAZING race. Not really racing anyone or anything, but it is amazing, I felt sorry for them and happy for me. :)

This is one of the best experiences yet. So rustic and still in it's natural setting. With all of the sights, smells and sounds combined, it made for a great experience.

Rotorua--more pictures

2007-07-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Rotorua--North Island, NZ

2007-07-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

So I left the Coromandel Peninsula and drove down to Rotorua. They say you know you are in Rotorua bc of how is smells, like sulphur. Lots of natural hot springs and sulphur springs. It is a very touristy town, but has so much to see.

I stayed at the Duxton which was VERY nice, a bit too nice. I went to the tourist office to find out about accomodations and it was such a busy weekend, most everything was booked. Kids out of school etc. The Duxton was on the lake and my bathtub had a view of the lake! Sweet! I am all about the tub! They also had free laundry machines for their guests which was fantastic bc at Puka Park on the peninsula they wanted to charge me $10 to do a load...forget that! Out of spite I didn't do laundry there, so when I got to the Duxton, my clothes were pretty much marching themselves to the washer....everybody hop in!! Colors, whites, you all go together. Socks, underwear maybe you should hit the trash, No? well get in there w/ the others :) I was very excited to have clean clothes and for free!!

The next day I went into town and rode the gondola, rode the skylift (which is a ginormous swing out over the mountainside)I screamed and screamed!! It scared me much more than I thought it would, plus I figured I wouldn't make a sound, nope. Blonde girl screamed all the way.... and then rode a luge downhill. I think there were about 5000000000 kids there that day, so I took the gondola down and went next door to the Kiwi Encounter.

Kiwi--it is a fruit yes, but it New Zealand's national bird. Which may becoming extinct. It is bigger than a football, (almost) and nocturnal. They have large, strong feet for such a small bird and they lay the largest bird egg, larger than an ostrich. They have two ovaries and once the first egg is laid, thirty days later a second egg is laid. Their beak is maybe three inches long and their nostrils are at the end of their beak, not where their beak meets their head like most birds. They keep the same feathers/fur from birth. Kiwi's are also flightless. At the Kiwi Encounter which is funded by a trust and public donations, the researchers find Kiwi eggs in the wild and bring them to the establishment for incubation. The birds hatch and then when appropriate, they are released into the wild. They can live 30 years or more! The exhibit was dark (being nocturnal) and there is no glass between you and the birds. They are separated bc they are so territorial, and they kind of bounce/skip around. I could hear them breathing and sniffing the ground for worms. One also put his beak in the water dish for a drink and I could hear him blowing bubbles in the water. So cool!

On the radio--They have advertisements for sheep vaccinations. Novax.

On the tv--Balls of Steel, this was a show I saw last night about people who could muster up the courage to play pranks on the unsuspecting public. The pranks weren't all that wild, but the language was. "Mother F**ker, F**k You, take it up the a**" were all part of the dialog, on regualar TV! I was blown away! They also had people peeing on TV, as if they were sitting on a toilet in a stall, could see their heads and their feet. In order to answer a question they had to pee, the bell would ring, then they could answer. I wasn't impressed. But hey, much more liberal I guess.

Agrodome--A tourist sheep farm, I got to feed sheep, deer and ostrich. They breed deer for meat. Fellow deer. The big buck I fed, was named Bronson. I also got to see kiwi vines, they grow sort of like grapes do at vineyards except taller.

"Heaps"--this is THE word if you are from NZ, heaps of traffic, heaps of stores, heaps of tramping trails (walking trails), heaps, heaps, heaps! I think it is so cute, Ric and I were told it is a big word for little New Zealand. Heaps.

New Zealand---COLD

2007-07-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time a cute girl went to New Zealand. She's really really cold. The end.

So, Ric and I flew from Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. All of Ric's flights are Business Class bc he flies so much for work, he is always upgraded. I ride cattle car. Since it was unreasonably expensive for me to upgrade, it was cheaper for him to downgrade, so I asked him to downgrade. "What? Me downgrade?" Uh, yeah Cowboy, if you fly Business Class drinking Champagne and eating caviar and fine cheeses and I am in the back w/ rubber gloves and rubber boots cleaning the shitter, we are gonna have a problem. We both rode cattle car.

Auckland--only there for 2 days, rainy. Had dinner at a place called Wildfire where they bring around different foods to each table and you eat what you want or how much you want. You get a standard 3-tiered plate of salad, rice and veggies. They bring different meats on a spit. Lamb, beef, chicken, seafood etc and they slice it off and serve you. It was delicious!!!!

We had drinks at a little pub and our bartender was a young kid from Scotland. In Australia we thought our bartender was Aussie, he was Irish. So then we thought this guy was Irish, but he was Scottish. Oh well. Very fun place and good drinks.

Ric left a few days ago and I have been really bummed. It is so much easier to travel w/ him. Traveling alone I have to be 2 steps ahead of myself about everything and I think that is why I get so tired. Where is my passport? How am I going to get from point A to point B? Where and when do I eat? How do I get more money? Where is my wallet? Ric takes care of ALOT of things and it is very comforting and easier to travel. Plus, dining sucks doing it alone. Anyway, after our teary goodbye, I had to get on the rode and drive south. I was afraid to drive in the city on the left hand side. I procrastinated my check out. Plus, cloudy, rainy weather affects my mood. Cold and sunny, fine. Rainy and sunny, fine. Overcast and cloudy and dark, not so fine. Mopey.

FAST drive!--I drove to the East side to the Coromandel Peninsula. Very narrow, windy roads. Some of the bridges are one lane. Not one lane each way, one lane total. They come up fast and I guess whoever gets to the bridge first has the right of way. The roads reminded of the tiny ski roads in Colorado except tropical. I was still a bit uncomfortable driving on the left on these roads so I was going at a speed that was comfortable. Cars began lining up behind me....The first time I held up traffic, I let them pass. The second time I held up traffic, I let them pass. New Zealanders ride your ass, but don't honk or flash their lights at you. The third time I held up traffic I was like "Are you kidding me?!" I never hold up traffic at home, I have a lead foot and am a speed demon. I have a bigger collection of speeding tickets than anyone I've ever met! So, I glance back and say out loud, "Alright Kiwi's, let's do this!" Put my foot into it and took off, looked back a bit later....no one was there. Ha! Now I am much more comfortable and solid behind the wheel, just had to get a feel for it I guess.

I stayed in nice hotel in Puka Park for 2 days. It rained and rained and rained and rained.
I went to Hot Water Beach. It is very thermal here w/ lots of hot water springs and such. Hot Water Beach you can dig holes in the sand, right next to the ocean the hot water comes up through the ground. Sometimes so hot you can't walk on the sand or sit in the water. According to my tour book the Hot Water Cafe "hires spades." (rents shovels) to dig the holes. When I got there, it was closed, but a few people were digging on the beach, I ran over and hoped there was a vacant hole, you also have to time this when the tide is out as well. So I found a vacant hole, actually more like a big puddle that I could lay in and roll around. I stayed for 2 hours! It rained on me but, cooled the water, the ocean was freezing!! Very neat and natural thing to do.

I really wanted to kayak in Cathedral Cove, but they were rained out :( it is supposed to be spectacular!!

I figured I needed to head south out of the rain to Rotorua.

"Trailer" about Dubai

2007-06-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

What I mean by "trailer" is that I after I leave somewhere I have just been, I have afterthoughts about it.....

On the way to Dubai on Emirates Airlines, I was able to watch TV. They had an Arabic version of MTV. Arabic MTV I guess. The songs were all sung in Arabic of course and the videos are much like the music videos in the States. However, the men wear the shiek on their heads. A long, white, flat hood sort of thing w/ a black braided band around the top of the head. Plus, their wardrobe is the long flowing white smock as well. When we landed, some of the men were wearing these. The advertising on the walls had men talking on cell phones, ordering food etc. Very normal activities that we do every day. My first reaction to this dress was "terroist!" Honestly. But by the time I left, I think I was much more de-sensitized to that look. I just saw a man dressed differently. In the business lounge, (I upgraded my seat, so I got the benefit of the business lounge at the airport)...There was a young, handsome Arab man, wearing the shiek, clean-shaven, spoke english fabulously and smelled good. I thought, hmmm, how does he keep that outfit so clean? I wear white and I am dirty w/in 5 minutes, always spilling something or brushing up against something dirty. Anyway, I was very impressed by him and dislodged my narrow thinking of "Dirty Arab." I was actually relieved to just see them as "people."

I saw a few Arab mothers with their young daughters. I am not sure if all children are treated this way or if it just the young girls, but the mothers are very rough with them. One young girl, 5 or 6 maybe, was a trying to get out of my way when I reached into the cooler to get a bottle of water from the store. The mother basically backhanded her and shoved her out of my way, then yanked her arm and marched off down the aisle w/ the girl in tow. Half walking, half dragging. This mother also had her face completely covered except for her eyes...
The second mother was in the business lounge and had her young daughter, maybe not even 2 yrs yet. This little one was wobbling around and exploring the place, testing out her balance and innocent curiosity. Several times the mother came after her and yanked her arm as well and drug the little girl back to their seats. Not one time did either mother hug, kiss, coddle, play, coo w/ their child...nothing even close to sweet mothering that I am used to. I found this to be quite disturbing actually. I didn't like it....

I was at the store in the airport to get toothbrush, toothpaste, water etc. Another man was approaching the checkout line the same time I was. I had 4 items, he had like 54 items. His cart was overflowing w/ his purchases. He made it VERY obvious I was not to go first in front of him and he kept inching forward in front to checkout first. I was like, Dude, seriously, I know women aren't even as good as dirt here, but get real. I have 4 things, you have a ton! Polite? no. Considerate? no. Friendly? no. Then the more I thought about it, the more pissed off I became. It wasn't as if some rude man in the states cut in line, it was more than that and I felt it. I was furious by the time I checked out, it didn't help that it was 2am and I was overly tired.

Additionally, people at the airport, Arabs, Indians were sleeping all over the place..... floors, tables, benches etc. I just figured it was bc it was so late, but what I learned later is that is normal behavior. It was gross honestly. They had no problem sleeping on a dirty floor with their drapes of clothing pulled over their faces. Both men and women as well....

Poop Holes--yes, that is what I will call them. In the bathroom, there were regualar toilets, then there were steel holes in the ground w/ water hoses to spray them for cleaning. Each in it's private stall. Basically you pull up your clothing, squat and go number 2 and then you spray it off and hopefully go wash your hands. From what I could tell, they looked pretty clean, but I waited for a regular toilet. All the white women in the bathroom did the same as I.

There are prayer rooms/mosques in the airport. One for women and one for men. You have to leave your shoes at the entry. I didn't go into one, but I did see the shoes and for a split second I thought it would be funny to grab the shoes and run away. Ha! take that! Probably not a very funny joke, but like I said, it was very early in the morning and I had no sleep. But the shoes stayed w/ the feet they belonged to.

The written language of Arabic is beautiful writting. It is not the American alphabet obviously...but the letters look like they are a version of lower case, soft cursive w/ dots above and below the lettering. I is very pretty to look at, but the spoken language is another story. Very throaty....like you have to clear your throat, thick tongued and aggressive sounding. I couldn't listen to much more of Arab MTV.....

Emirates Airlines--the flight attendants are gorgeous. They definitely hire beauty. I tried to photo them, but the pictures of Dubai didn't turn out well. The ladies had flawless faces and their red hats had a long white scarf that draped down above their bossom and then around their neck. Very formal and very feminine. I was impressed. Not to mention the service was outstanding. Like I said before, I upgraded my seat and it was well worth it. 16 hours of being stuck in coach, NO THANKS.

I sat next to a French woman, Bernadette, on the way to Singapore. I got the cold shoulder the first half of the flight, but I kept working on her and strategically timed my questions to see if she would warm up. Ah-ha! Success! By the end of the flight she was drinking wine w/ me and recommending which wine to get from the menu and what cheeses go w/ which wine and so we tried them all. The cheese plate was fabulous and I really liked her company. She had worked for the airlines prior so we got extra wine since she was one of "them" on the plane. But, when we landed, she collected her belongings, took one last look over her shoulder at me and wished me a good journey, then cut in line w/ the other passengers and briskly walked up the ramp...Bye Bernadette. How bitter sweet the French.

Dubai

2007-06-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

I left Nice today and now I am in Dubai. I am walking around like a zombie at the airport bc I have about an eight hour layover. It is 4am, so if my blog doesn't make sense it's bc I am so tired.

I had to return the rental car at the airport and gas it up first, so I pretty much dedicated the day to getting all that done and arriving on time. I did and all was well. The flight from Nice landed in Rome for fuel and to pick up passengers. The 8 hour flight was packed!! I sat next to a chinese woman, Stella, she called herself. Spoke excellent english and was quite funny. She was traveling to Tanzania ironically (bc that is where I will be going mid-August). Her husband works there as an engineer and she was traveling w/ 5 other people who were her superiors. She was the only one who spoke english and french so she was exhausted from all of their translating needs. She had this innocence about her and she was just cute and funny. Well cultured and well traveled for 26 years old.

I understand why Americans don't speak more languages. Part of it is that everyone else does speak english, part of it too is we don't have strong external influences. Example: Holland, they have several American TV shows and lots of American music played on the radio. The magazines are Brittney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie etc. France, I found a fabulous radio station. They would play the top hits in french then alternate w/ an American song. I pulled into Nice jammin' to Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back." I do like that song however.
But it DOES make me want to become more fluent in Spanish bc that is the language I would use most where I live. I also realized that I know more Spanish than I thought bc in France I didn't know a damn thing. In Mexico, I can convey what I need or want and ask the basics for directions. In France, I would point and hope for the best. Plus, the french act as if you are inconveniencing them if you are trying to ask questions.

I had dinner in the harbor the night before I left. I was actually staying in St. Jean Cap Ferrat, which is between Nice and Monaco. Anyway, I ordered fresh sea bass. I guess they cooked the whole thing up and then brought it to me for my approval, head, eyeballs, teeth and all. I nodded my approval thinking, "Dear God, please tell me they are going to cut the head off that thing!" But the service is like the wine, they bring it out for your approval first, then taste, then pour. So yes, my fish was beheaded and filleted. It was very good.

Breakfast in France consists of french bread, croissants, jam and yogurt and cafe. I am craving eggs. They don't eat eggs for breakfast, nor do they have whole wheat toast.

On my drive to Nice I forgot to mention the toll booths along the highway. You can use a "carte" (credit card) to pay or go to the man in the booth. I had gotten down the system using the carte, but then at one stop, it rejected my card, then my next card and the next card. At that point I could either crash through the gate or back up. So I shrugged my shoulders to the guy behind me and we had to back up the cars. It was well received I am sure. So then I pull into the drive w/ the man in the booth and my card worked fine, but he was mad bc the machine in the other drive took my ticket so he didn't know how much I owed. We figured it out and away I went.

The french love to honk. At everything and everyone. If I even LOOK like I am going to screw up, they honk. Several times I have wanted to honk back, but my horn doesn't work. Then I realized that my horn is on the steering column, not in the middle, plus my horn is a little beepbeep, not a HONK HONK....I really liked my rental-girl-car. We were zipping along great. I only hit the curb once on a very narrow road, backed over a construction cone and sideswiped a parking pilon. Other than that, all was well.

The Beach--is not sandy. It is very rocky and big pebbles. I don't have indian feet so I walk like, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch. The water is much colder than I thought, so only braved it up to my knees. Put on my new sunscreen and tried to read, got blown out. VERY windy. Had to go home. Saw a handful of topless ladies though. No big deal. I have the same parts so it's not that exciting.

Le Poste--I arrived at the post office at 4:45pm, they close at 4:30pm, of course they do. Bc everything right now is 10 times harder. So I call my hotel the next morning to make sure Le Poste is open on Saturdays, yes, they say, in the morning. I arrive at Le Poste, closed. Sweet. They aren't open on Saturdays, so I have to drive to the next town to get there by noon to ship stuff home. The roads are very narrow, lots of signs pointing every which way...quite daunting to drive actually. I arrive at the second Le Poste and I have to prepay for the boxes for my stuff. I don't know how many I will need, but I have to buy them up front. I assemble the boxes, pack my stuff, fill out two address labels per box, tape em up....etc. The boxes are bright red. Finally I get them off, and have one box left over, she won't refund the 33 euros bc I purchased the boxes w/ my credit card. Right, of course, bc telling me that beforehand would HAVE BEEN HELPFULL!

Later in the day at dinner, (eating the headless fish) I notice that my palms are red and kind of orangey. I figured that since it was so hot and humid and sweaty that somehow at Le Poste the ink from the red boxes rubbed off and stained my hands. But then in the morning my hands are MORE orange, as if I used a self tanner and didn't wash it off. For those of you who haven't used a self tanner, it is a lotion that tans your skin w/out the sun's ultraviolet rays to damage your skin, but you have to wash your hands bc it doesn't soak up. Welp, I think I accidentally bought self tanner instead of lotion the day it took me 2 hours to grocery shop to pick up 5 items. I can't read the labels bc it is all in French, it just looks like lotion. But, the funny thing is I am not sure if is the lotion or my new sunscreen. So not only am I a non-french speaking tourist being honked at and not knowing what I am doing.....I am now an ORANGE non-french speaking tourist being honked at and not knowing what I am doing....sweet. But I have a killer tan now. Good thing I didn't use it on my face.

I have to go pretend to sleep now before I catch my next flight. It will be w/ one eye open to make sure I don't miss my flight.

I wanted du-bai something here at the airport. Get it? Du-bai, (to buy) something. So I bought an ashtray. Bc I am going to take up smoking. Well no. It has a camel on it w/ Arabic colors and design, so it would be pretty on a coffee table. Why is it called coffee table? I don't drink coffee. How about cup-of-warm-yummy table w/ my new ashtray on top in the middle.

I'm waaaaayyy too tired.

let's try this again..Fr@nce

2007-06-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday- woke up late, 11:30! Laid by the pool, read my book. Which is a Dean Koontz book and ironically the main character's wife's name is Holly and it takes place in San Diego close to where Ric lives.

Dragon Flies- I dedicate this part to my best friend Stacey, she loves dragon flies. Since I have become one with nature, that day was dragon fly day. I was floating in the pool and there were several flying around, mostly blue and flying solo. There was one pair (one blue and one green) that were attached. Blue had her butt right in between the eyes of Green, flying tandum. I wondered if they were mating and Blue had to lay eggs in the middle of his eyes. How does he fertilize them? Or maybe Mom took Sonny out for a flying lesson, "come on Sonny! flap those wings!" Again her behind attached to his head. Or maybe it is the dragon fly transportation system, Green gets off at the next stop. Guess I'll have to Google it to find out. They landed on my arm for about 30 seconds and their colors were so intense, deep blues and shimmery green, Mother Nature sure is talented I was losing balance on the childrens floaty so they flew away as I went under. The next 20 minutes I paddled from one side of the pool to the other chasing them to see if they would land on me again...no dice. :(

Bike Ride- was going to go to a nearby town to see the soap factory, Jim drew me a great map. I took a wrong turn, ended up in the same town I was already in, circles. The tourist office was no help. She just kept telling me very rudely, "it's not here, it's not here!" No shit lady, that's why I am in here talking to you so you can tell me how to get there. By that time I was out of water, really hot, lost and the bike seat had slid to the lowest setting so I was pedaling w my knees to my chest. My temper tantrum occurred then and I wrinkled up the map she gave me into a ball and tried to ride home thinking I never should have left the pool...did get a good workout though. Also, talked to my boyfriend Ric during the middle of all this so after we hung up he texted me wondering if Satan could bring his girlfriend back! I laughed, got out of my funk, jumped back in the pool and all was well.

Grocery shopping--should take me half hour to get like 10 items, but nope, not really. Drove J&D's car, shopping carts are outside and all locked up. Insert 1 euro to release, then when u lock it back up, u get the euro back. (Sorry for the shorthand, using blackberry and already deleted my first blog by accident). Since I couldn't really read anything, looked at the pictures. Some eggs and dairy aren't refridgerated for some reason, so if u look in the refridgerator section, Not There! Check out, u bag ur own stuff, cool, can do that, did it in Holland. Where are the bags though? Oh right, here u buy them for .10 cents apiece and she has to ring it up. Ok, cuts down on plastic waste for sure. Got everything I needed, except sunscreen bc by now already sunburned, but never too late. Grocery does not sell sunscreen, pharmacy does. Pharmacy also sells Birkenstock sandals. Go figure, had to by Birks bc flip flops give no support and thought I would get some sort of Vietnam Foot Rot if I'm always in socks and tennis shoes...but Birks aren't broken in and hurt my toes so wearing flip flops anyway.

Dinner- went to another close town for a great italian dinner w Liz and Alvin and his daughter Leslie. Dominique told this story about his parents, preface: the french word for the animal SEAL, is PHOQUE- pronounced F**k, our cuss word. Dominique and his parents were in the states on a boating trip, seals swam by and his mother is yelling and pointing, "phoque! Phoque!" The other passengers weren't too pleased and he is cracking up! It's better when u hear him tell it.

Dress shopping: jim and I were at the market and we found cute summer dresses. Bless his heart he waited patiently while I tried it on, and talked to sales lady and bought it. Told him he should be thankful I already went underwear shopping in Amsterdam!

Friday-rented a car in Salon de Provence and drove to Aix en Provence....by myself. Met Kristine, she is wife of Tom who I have gone on several houseboat trips with to Lake Powell. They now live in France for Tom's job as an Aeronautical Engineer for Honeywell. Only got to hang out for an hour w her, she had prenatal yoga to go to, I had lunch. Ordered white wine (twice) and he brought me red. Okey-dokey. I'll drink that and like it. Filled out post cards, shopped a bit more. Got ripped off on a manicure and was very steamed about it! Tried to find parking garage. Got lost!.... Phoque! Again, not knowing where I am. I hate that, very hot and tired from walking all over, took out a different map, sat down on the curb and cried for a minute bc being lost is scarey and frustrating. pulled it together, found garage and my car and drove around level 10 Yellow at least 5 times in a circle before I realized SORTIE is exit and that was the down ramp. Finally got out of town, supposed to follow blue signs for Autohighway back, ended up on Green signs for National roads, like country roads that take longer but have no toll. Both ways will get u there... Got to see a gorgeous sun flower field and part of the countryside. Made it to Salon and met up w Tom for a few beers, he works near there.
Got home by 9:00pm.

It is still light until about 10pm. Also in Europe they use military time for all of the pm hours, it makes sense actaually, but u just have to get used to it.
I have lost track of what day it is, what the date is and don't really care what time it is.

Hollyhocks everywhere!

Man purse-i don't really know what it is but many men carry something over their shoulder crossways like a satchel. It doesn't look bad at all. Let me know if any of u men want one.. ......

Vanilla Glace- ice cream, its the best vanilla I've ever tasted! The waiter asked if I wanted "one ball" instead of "one scoop" Oui. He went to get it and I wondered if it was Lance Armstrong ice cream. One ball.......he is respected here as an athlete, but not liked very well as a person. VERY cocky and pompous according to the French.

Rental car- all of them are stick shifts, good thing I know how to drive one. Reverse u have to slide a part up towards the ball on the shifter. Like as if u hold a syringe. Thumb rests on the ball, then pull up a bit w index and middle finger for reverse, Dominique had to show me. My car is itty bitty and so cute!! Big open moon roof, two doors and barely fits my suitcase in the back. Has painted little flowers on the ouside doors. I was excited, "it's a girl car!!" Yeah!

Nice- drove to Nice, made it to hotel, right on the Mediterranean Sea! Gorgeous!

Going to post this now, if I lose another blog after all this typing on blackberry...no bueno.

More of Fr@nce @nd Nice

2007-06-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

The South of France

2007-06-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday--Let's see....yesterday I pretty much did nothing all day. The night before we had dinner w/ Jim and Dominique's neighbors. I think I had a little too much wine (so did Dominique) and we woke up w/ headaches. I just lounged by the beautiful, crystal blue pool, read my book, took an afternoon nap for 3 hrs and hung out in the yard with the flowers.

Accomodations--So Jim and Dominique had a huge home for their bed and breakfast. They got tired of the business bc it can be quite taxing and sold their home. The man who bought it, Alvin, sold his business back in the states for 300 million dollars. Yeah, so Alvin, his girlfriend Liz live here 6-7 months during the year, just closed on the house in March. Now Alvin has 3 daughters from a previous marriage, and two of them are visiting at the same time I am here. They are a bit younger than I and one has a 15 month old. In addition to that, one of the daughter's girlfriend came and brought her son as well. So, it's one big get-2-gether. Now let me explain Liz. I have never met anyone like her. She is 45, keeps track of all of the celebrities from People magazine. She is very Hollywood, shops alot, loves clothes, loves Botox, lip injections, the boobs...the works. But, the interesting part about Liz is that she was in a rock and roll band for 15 years, wrote all of her own music, plays guitar, is an AMAZING artist too. Think Picasso meets a bit of Salvador Dali. Her art has very vibrant colors and are mostly of faces and a bit abstract. I was very interested in her explanations of how each one came to be. Then, during dinner she stands up and belts out "Son of a Preacher Man" along w/ the music! I was highly entertained...She loves Valium and is very vocal about it, I thought it was a downer type of drug, but for Liz, I think it is an upper!! She is originally from Texas and loves the F word!! She interests me bc I don't know what is coming out next and for some reason she has taken a liking to me. Maybe it's bc I am a good audience for her. She made Jim and Dominique wear funny sunglasses and take pictures, then we all had to go up to her room to lay on her new bed. She is a riot!! She showed us her shoe collection and we are close in foot size, she made me try on a $1500 pair of shoes. I'm like "Liz, you can't even walk in these." she replies, "Honey....those shoes were made to be in the air!"

I am staying at a different neighbor's house across the street. Jean-Pierre, and his daughter Maia. Jean-Pierre is out of town, his 95 yr old mother passed away, so Maia (26) are there alone. She is in school and I pretty much stay in my room or w/ Jim and Dominique. That family has been so generous to allow me to stay there so I am near Jim and Dominique, I try to tread lightly and make as if I am not there. I don't want to impose. They have a beautiful, cozy home....so basically I am living amoungst the locals.

Music--An Irish band, The Koors, I think is popular. The lead singer is the sister to Enya, but different type of music, more rock and hip.

Calvin--When I was floating in the pool yesterday, I found this little snail hanging under the lip of the pool deck. I gently peeled him off and set him on the side bc I thought the pool chemicals would kill him. Instantly, he came out of his shell, stretched looked around, started movin'....I have never seen a snail come out before and I was eye level w/ this little guy so it was interesting me. I took lots of pictures and he was modeling for me in these different poses, leaning towards me, picking up his tail, recoiling his antannea and then pushing them back out, rolling up in a ball and then stretched back out. We had this little photo shoot going and I named him Calvin,,,,for Calvin Klein bc I thought he needed a model's name. Then I let him go to the grass.

Recipe for Green Bean Salad:
Dominique made this for dinner and it was a hit!!
Steam fresh green beans until Aldente, not soft or mushy
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Vinegar....mix these together first.

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Fresh chopped parsley
Fresh chopped garlic

Voila!

Today--Jim and I drove about an hour north to another town where they have a large market. We met up w/ Dominique for lunch. He is leading 3 ladies from LA on a tour of a couple of towns today and tomorrow. Jim drives a convertible rabbit so it's great weather for a drive like that.

Got some shopping done, drove back through the vineyards and farm country. Got to see the fixer upper new house they will be building for their next residence. Lots of old houses and look out towers, all made of stone and covered in Ivy. Lavender is a big product for this region too.

Came home, went swimming w the kids and the girls and Jim. Going to dinner tonight w/ Jim, Dominique, Alvin, Liz and Leslie--his youngest daughter...we have hit it off and I really like her.

Province--France is made up of Provinces similar to Canada. I am in a province called PROVENCE. Half hour from the Mediterannean Sea. I will be renting a car on Friday and driving to Nice to spend 2 nights. My plane to Australia leaves from Nice instead of Marsailles.

Bonjour! France

2007-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

I landed in Marsailles and Dominique picked me up. For those of you who don't know, my mother has great long-time friends from Colorado Springs. Dominique is French and Jim is American. They had a bed and breadfast for years, but just sold it to an American family. They still live on the land, it is like a guest house "keepers quarters" attached to the main house. They do bicycle tours and walking tours in Europe. All kinds of fun stuff!

Here's their website:
www.lemoulin-inn-provence.com

IT IS PARADISE!! So green and vines everywhere, they are in a small, rural town, Eyguieres which is about a half hour outside of Marsailles. About 6000 population here. So nice to be out of the city. they have two labradors, Bud and Lily, kitties everywhere too and I think some neighbors have horses.

Today went to for a half hour drive in their convertible rabbit to another town for the outside market. All kinds of vendors and products. The town has huge water wheels that turn slowly in the canals. So beautiful...had fresh salad and wine at lunch, did some shopping, came home, went swimming in the gorgeous pool.

Having dinner w/ the neighbors tonight. I am slowing down the fast pace I have been keeping and starting to relax more and just settle into my days.
Must go now to get ready for dinner.
We are 8-9 hours ahead of you, depending if you are Pacific or Mountain time.

Auvoir!

More of Holland :)

2007-06-09T09:22:00.001-07:00

First of all, I need to make a correction from a former blog. Netherlands is the country, Holland is the Province and Amsterdam is the city. I didn't realize they had provinces, since Holland is the most well known, it seems as if they're the same.

Mint Tea: Mom you'll love this! Hot water, pour over fresh mint leaves, stems and all, add a bit of honey. Voila! Mint tea....yummy.

Countryside: took a bus tour to the country, only takes about 20 minutes to get out to the country. It was awesome! First went to a windmill town and saw beautiful windmills.

Wooden Shoes: got to see a clog maker, the shoes are still worn by farmers and fishermen to keep their feet warm and dry. They are made just like when you a key copied. You have the original key, put in an uncut one and the saw copies it by feel. Same w the shoes. Huge machine. I was impressed. It is POPLAR wood and is cut green, then dries for about 2-3 weeks. I bought some of course, white w beautiful dutch painting. Why? Well, that's what I thought after too, especially since I had to pedal home w them, but my mom said she bought wooden shoes when she came to Holland, so I thought I would follow in her footsteps (w wooden shoes)!!

San Jose: met a great couple on my tour from San Jose, Alex and Steve...they were a ball, we laughed the whole time! Also, I have heard back already from my new friends from Tampa that I met in Ireland, Fiona and Travis. They emailed me when they got home.

Cheese Farm: part of the tour included a cheese farm, most cheese is made in factories, this is still producing the old fashioned way. Churning etc. Two biggest exports are Edam (made from skim milk) and Gouda (made from whole milk)...The cattle industry is quite large since they rely on the dairy cows for milk to make cheese...

Marken: this was a little tiny town on the lake where we were able to ride the boat back to the main land. I can't remember theat town, but it is considered to be a sleeping community and very cute. I am so glad I did that tour!! It rocked...

Bakfiet: this is the type of bike you can ride when carrying children. It has like a wheelburrow type of bucket between the handlebars and front tire. Most of the little kids also ride in a baby seat in front of the rider, not behind. Also, saw lots of men pushing strollers too. Seems like they are very active parents.

Fashion/make-up: the women mostly wear dresses, skirts or capris. They don't show any upper thigh or a lot of leg. No shorts. The fabric hits right above the knee, very pretty colorful material. The tops are fitted or tanks as well. The make-up is very light and natural. No eyeshadow, mostly mascara, and lip gloss. Very natural looking, also their bodies are very natural as well. No implants at all. The women are not too skinny or overweight, they do have meat on their bones and the advertising seems to focus on faces, not bodies. Very refreshing coming from Vegas where they push size 4 down your throat!
This is what real people look like and I liked it.

Sold my house!: yep, my awesome Realtor Ron, faxed me an offer at the hotel, I signed, faxed it back, my partner Jen did the loan for the buyers and Darren did the appraisal. This is for my primary res....yippee!

Directions: I have sooo many people asking me for directions. It's happened in London,Dublin and now Amsterdam. I must not be threating and look like I know what I'm doing...ha!

Rolley Polley: Lindy's daughter couldn't remember my name, so it became Rolley Polley, like the bug. I liked it, thought it was cute! (Not sure how to spell it)

I loved riding the bike!!!! That was the best part! Like being free and having the wind in my hair and on my face...like being a kid, except I don't have the big orange flag on the back of my bike so cars could see me,my dad made me have the flag for safety. Hated that flag, it wasn't cool.

Coffee Shop: this is where the pot is sold. I didn't realize that until the day before

More of Holland :)

2007-06-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

First of all, I need to make a correction from a former blog. The Netherlands is the country, Holland is the Province and Amsterdam is the city. I didn't realize they had provinces, since Holland is the most well known, it seems as if they're the same.

Mint Tea: Mom you'll love this! Hot water, pour over fresh mint leaves, stems and all, add a bit of honey. Voila! Mint tea....yummy.

Countryside: took a bus tour to the country, only takes about 20 minutes to get out to the country. It was awesome! First went to a windmill town and saw beautiful windmills. The were huge with large, wooden blades. The tour guide spoke several languages and spoke to us in Spanish and English.

Wooden Shoes: got to see a clog maker, the shoes are still worn by farmers and fishermen to keep their feet warm and dry. They are made just like when you a key copied. You have the original key, put in an uncut one and the saw copies it by feel. Same w the shoes. Huge machine. I was impressed. It is POPLAR wood and is cut green, then dries for about 2-3 weeks. I bought some of course, white, w beautiful dutch painting. Why? Well, that's what I thought after too, especially since I had to pedal home w them, but my mom said she bought wooden shoes when she came to Holland, so I thought I would follow in her footsteps (w wooden shoes)!!

San Jose: met a great couple on my tour from San Jose, Alex and Steve...they were a ball, we laughed the whole time! Also, I have already heard back from my new friends from Tampa that I met in Ireland, Fiona and Travis. They emailed me when they got home.

Cheese Farm: part of the tour included a cheese farm, most cheese is made in factories, this is still producing the old fashioned way. Churning etc. Two biggest cheese exports are Edam (made from skim milk) and Gouda (made from whole milk)...The cattle industry is quite large since they rely on the dairy cows for milk to make cheese...

Marken: this was a little tiny town on the lake where we were able to ride the boat back to the mainland. I can't remember that town's name, but it is considered to be a sleeping community and very cute. I am so glad I did that tour!! It rocked...

Bakfiet: this is the type of bike you can ride when carrying children. It has like a wheelbarrow type of bucket between the handlebars and front tire. The bucket is lower to the ground. Most of the little kids also ride in a baby seat in front of the rider, not behind. Also, saw lots of men pushing strollers too. Seems like they are very active parents.

Fashion/make-up: the women mostly wear dresses, skirts or capri pants. They don't show any upper thigh or a lot of leg. No shorts. The fabric hits right above the knee, very pretty colorful material. The tops are fitted or tanks as well. The make-up is very light and natural. No eyeshadow, mostly mascara, and lip gloss. Very natural looking, also their bodies are very natural as well. No implants at all! A good change from Vegas! ha! The women are not too skinny or overweight, they do have meat on their bones and the advertising seems to focus on faces, not bodies. Very refreshing coming from Vegas where they push size 4 down your throat!
This is what real people look like and I liked it. Also, the Europeans don't seem to have much of the other plastic surgeries that the Americans do.

Sold my house!: yep, my awesome Realtor Ron, faxed me an offer at the hotel, I signed, faxed it back, my awesome partner Jen did the loan for the buyers and Darren did the appraisal. This is for my primary residence....yippee! We should close in a couple of weeks, one down, one more to go...

Directions: I have sooo many people asking me for directions. It's hilarious...It's happened in London, Dublin and now Amsterdam. I must not be threating and look like I know what I'm doing...ha! However, I was able to give directions in Dublin only bc I had just been to where they were asking.

Rollie Polie: Lindy's daughter couldn't remember my name, so it became Rollie Polie, like the bug. I liked it, thought it was cute! (Not sure how to spell it)

I loved riding the bike!!!! That was the best part! Like being free and having the wind in my hair and on my face...like being a kid, except I don't have the big orange flag on the back of my bike so cars could see me, (my dad made me have the flag for safety. Hated that flag, it wasn't cool). The bike was so much fun, as a tourist, if you rent a bike, they are bright yellow. Since I had Lindy's, (silver), I fit right in...

Coffee Shop: this is where the pot is sold. I didn't realize that until the day before I left. I was looking for Hash House or Get Ur Pot Here! or something, not Coffee Shop. I kept getting small wiffs of people smoking it but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Since I don't drink coffee, it never occurred to me to go into a Coffee Shop. I would have liked to see what they are like, but oh well. That's not the reason I went to Amsterdam.

Two ladybugs landed on me.

Gaelic: Forgot to mention this about Ireland, Gaelic is their National Sport. It is a cross between rugby and soccer.

Van Gogh Musuem: I escorted Lindy to her eye doctor bc she was getting Lasix done, so while she was at her appt, I went to the Van Gogh Museum. It was very cool. However, I found that I liked to read the how and why behind each piece and who Van Gogh was rather than be able to appreciate the art itself. This probably stems from the fact that I have no knowledge of art. At the museum in Denver, I learned more about the pieces bc I would listen to patrons discussing it. That would give me a different perspective on the piece. However, in Amsterdam, most of the patrons spoke other languages, so I couldn't understand their conversations. So I popped in my IPOD and did my own tour. It was interesting and they had a really cool gift shop.

Smoking: I forgot to address this in Ireland. Ireland was the first country in Europe to ban smoking in bars/restaurants. England will implement that law come July 1, 2007. I didn't see many people in Amsterdam smoking, but I think it is still legal to smoke inside.

Last Night: My last night in Amsterdam I chose to hang out at a cafe/bar across from my hotel. I asked the girl next to me if she could read part of the menu to me. She and her boyfriend are neighbors of Todd and Lindy's and actually attended one of their block parties...small world. Mirjam and Marnix. They are both from Holland and gave me a great perspective of what the native Dutch are like. They invited me to join their dinner and we had a ball!!

Mirjam is a social worker that works w autistic children and Marnix buys and sells used books. They were very interesting! We drank beers and had dinner, it was fabulous, plus there was a HUGE rain storm, torrents of rain. We were originally out on the sidewalk, but had to come it. I loved it!! Thunder, lightning, the works...They are my age and we totally clicked. Marnix was telling me that Jerry Springer is one of the shows that is aired sometimes. I said, please don't think Americans are like that! That is such a BAD representation of the Americans...he put his palm towards me like a black woman and turned his head, "Talk to the hand!" I laughed my ass off!

I left the next day. But before I said goodbye to Todd and Lindy, I got to babysit for an hour. Took both kiddos in the stroller to the market. I was great. :)
Kissed the family goodbye and hopped in the cab to the airport.

Airport: I had to go through 3 passport checks, UNpack part of my luggage bc it was too heavy and carry some of it on w me. I had a new huge suitcase. Ditched the old ones. And 2 security xray machines... each gate has it's own security x-ray machine. EACH gate, D31, D32, D33 etc. Can you imagine how expensive that would be? Not to mention the employees to run it? Secure, yes.

I can blog from my blackberry!

2007-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am at the Prague airport and they don't have any internet connections. I figured out how to access my blog and post a new one. This is a test to see if it really works. I have lots of cool things to say about Holland.