We are home and finally settled in. School starts next week. It is especially difficult to get back to a "normal" life after having been in exotic places for 13 months. I have been emailing the people we met along the way so that I can keep the memories alive. Please keep in touch with us!
Larson's Tented Camp
To be continued...
The Safari
We arrived in Nairobi a few days early so as to obtain our visas for Kenya and Tanzania. Micato took care of this for us - Thanks! We knew we would be meeting our fellow safari members at the Norfolk hotel, but did not know much about them. So at every chance we scoped out the other guests and tried to guess if they would be on our safari. One family in particular had me worried. They were seated at the restaurant beside us and were all wearing expensive matching safari "outfits". They really stood out among the other guests. Since we were limited in our packing, we were not able to pack some of the recommended gear, and I had worried that we would be the ones standing out. Not so. Thank goodness they were not on our trip, although we did run into them again. Turns out they were on a private safari (famous baseball player) and did not want contact with mere mortals. They really missed out, because the best part of our safari were the people we met and traveled with!
Looking Back
As many of you know, it has not all been smooth sailing for the Oenbrinks as we made our way around the world. It was difficult to adjust to being together 24/7 as a family; Steve missed his work challenges; and Hannah missed her friends and pets. But as we reach the end of our journey, all I can seem to remember are the good times... the people that we met and the amazing sights that we have seen.
As we ended the year with a safari in East Africa, we were weary and ready to be home. Luckily for us, our unknown safari partners turned out to be fantastic people. There was a group of 3 friends from Naples, Florida and a family of 5 from Chicago(including an 11 yr old girl). We quickly bonded and spent our days in laughter and amazement. More details on the safari to follow.
The question that was asked numerous times was "What is the first thing you will do when you return home?" Our answers are: Steve - get the boat out of storage; Hannah - get Blizzard (her bird) and bring him home; and Catherine - call my mother and talk to her for the first time since January. As to the rest, it will take weeks to open the mail, unpack the boxes from around the world, and get our things out of storage. In addition, Hannah will be starting a new school and there is much to do to get ready for that.
We can't wait to see everyone and catch up on your lives, too.
Love, Steve, Catherine and Hannah
Visit to Mukuru
Today, our safari guide took us to Mukuru, a slum in Nairobi. Micato works with AmericaShare to provide community outreach to the community including education, library, computer, HIV/Aids, and religion (with the Catholic Church). Each safari purchase helps one child to enroll in the sponsored school here (so we aided 3 children just by signing up!) Although the government provides "free" primary school education, the parent must still pay for mandatory uniforms, books, and lunches. AmericaShare provides private education for orphans and the "needy" as identified by the local church. Looking at the neighborhood, it is hard to say what would divide the line between "needy" and not.
The roads are mud and water. There is no running water (drinking water may be purchased from the AmericaShare wells); there is a pit sewage that is pumped out infrequently. Everyone works at some job, usually selling some small item - a bag of potatoes, shoes made from rubber tires, recycled clothing.
The children of the school seemed thrilled to see us and sang many songs to us.
There is a small workshop that makes sanitary pads for the girls of the community. See photos. Otherwise the girls stay home from school and miss 5 days a month.
The computer center uses a computer game written by Warner Bros to teach the children aged 10-24 about HIV/Aids. It is graphic and troubling. Surely 10 year olds should not have to be worrying about such matters. The goal is to reduce HIV from its current 6.3% infection rate.
The unemployment rate is currently above 20% in Kenya. People are competing to join the army just to have a job. There is no government assistance for the poor. Everyone must work.
Luckily, there is also not much crime or drug use in the poor neighborhood.
It was quite an eye-opening day as it was intended to be.
Attachments:
Call 911!
We have arrived at our hotel in Nairobi, Kenya - the Fairmont Norfolk - famous for hosting Ernest Hemingway and other celebrities back in the day. It is grand and lovely. However, upon checking our minibar, I noticed a distinct oversight - NO DIET COKE! At dinner that night, I requested a "Coke Light" and was astonished to hear our sweet waitress whisper "the coke light is missing". WHAT???? MISSING???? How can this be? Call 911 and send a detective. We must find the Coke Light at once. Turns out she meant that they were out of coke light and had been for two days. Well, at once I contacted our safari director Caroline(ishwashawa) and asked her to send for Coke Light. She appeared bemused, but promised to see what she could do. At once, the hotel manager appeared at my table with, not one, not two, but three bottles of Coke Light. It seems they had some hidden for special guests such as me (complainers). Well, the reputation of the hotel was saved and all was well. We hiked down to the local market today and stocked my minibar to the max with Coke Light. PS. Coke Light costs more than Coke normal for some reason?!?
Fabulous end to South African adventure
After Sandi's delayed arrival to Capetown, we decided to rearrange our schedule and squeeze in a private game reserve safari experience for them. We booked one of the most extravagant reserves in the area for one night in the Karoo. The Karoo is across the mountains from the coastal area where we had been, and very arid. Upon arrival, we were thrilled to find that we were the only guests in residence. (It is winter and off-season here). Our huge deluxe rooms overlooked the reserve where we could see elephants and zebras from a distance. There was underfloor heating and complimentary wine and snacks. Our meals and game drives were included in the price. A full-time chef was on call for our meals, which were delicious and served in front of a roaring fireplace. "I think I've died and gone to heaven" became a constant refrain. On our private game drives we were tucked in with hotwater bottles and blankets to ward off the chill. We saw white lions, leopards, rhinos, giraffes, a hippo, and many other animals. The predators all have radio collars for research purposes and can be tracked from the vehice. Once our guide located two leapard brothers, we alit from the jeep and tracked the leopards on foot for about 2 kms up to their resting place at the top of a ridge. They were very calm and did not seem to mind our approach, although we were very careful to stay in a single line behind our guide and his rifle. What a fantastic experience!
The next day, we headed toward Cape Town to Stellenbosch, a renowned wine area of SA. We checked into our luxurious suites with roaring fireplaces and headed to dinner. Their special wiinter rate included meals, free wine tasting and a choice of massage or case of wine. I guess you know by now which option we chose! Unfortunately, I spent most of the stay in my room with food poisoning (from roadside restaurant), but everyone else had a wonderful time. A cheetah refuge is attached to the resort, where you can pet the cheetahs and hold raptors (see photos). The highlight of the stay was an African themed dinner with music and dancing. The morning of checkout was a busy one trying to fit all of the wine into our suitcases!
Our last day, we spent at the Victoria and Alfred waterfront in Cape Town, where we shopped til we dropped. They literally had to force us to leave at closing time and locked Caroline in!
Our trip would not have been the same without Sandi and Caroline's visit. It lifted our spirits. It is always much more fun to share the good times with friends and family. Safe travels girls. We love you!
Diving with Great White Sharks!
Sandi and Caroline made it here finally, after a one-day weather delay. Luckily, the weather in Africa cooperated and we went out for our cage dive on a crystal clear Tuesday morning in cool 50F temps. So, the Indian Ocean actually didn't feel that cold at a chilly 58F! We wore 7mm thick full wetsuits with hoods and booties. We all agreed that we were not worried about the sharks, but how cold the water would be. After all, we're all Florida girls. The actual "diving" was exhilarating! I'm going to let Steve describe the details of how the sharks were lured to the boat to see us. (It was very stinky.) After the dive, they fed us hot soup and scones while we watched the DVD they had filmed during our trip. The owner of this company is Mike Rutzen, aka "Sharkman" of The Discovery Channel". See our photo with our new favorite "celebrity".
After the dive, we drove out to Danger Point to see the lighthouse. Unfortunately it was closed, but we did see a scary sight. The police had caught poachers diving for abalone. The poachers' friends showed up enmass and fought the police. We got out of there fast, but now have a new understanding of "Danger Point" that has nothing to do with shipwrecks!
We closed out the day with a gorgeous South African sunset and the sighting of a right whale. What a fantastic day for Sandi's 40th birthday celebration.
Not so Wild at Wilderness
We are staying in a fabulous B&B in Wilderness, South Africa along the Garden Route. The house is owned by a friend and parent from Good Shepherd, and run by her father and his partner. It is like staying at your favorite uncle's house. We have the entire 2nd story to ourselves with two full HUGE bedrooms and two baths. They connect outside to a balcony running the full length of the house and overlooking both the estuary and the Indian Ocean. Hannah is overjoyed to have such a spacious room and private bath. She actually unpacked her suitcase and moved in. I hope I can get her to leave when the time comes. She even ignored a large spider that found its way onto her bed!
Another bonus for Hannah is the tame birds that Nic and Johan hand-feed daily. The birds have started watching Hannah inside the house to see if she is coming out to feed them.
We are one of the few tourists in town as it is the onset of winter here. Winter means daytime temps in the 60's and nightime in the 50's. Nothing like our European winter experience.
Yesterday we took a trip to Outshoorn - the ostrich capital of the world - and had a great time at an ostrich ranch. I hope I can convince Hannah to write on her blog about it.
Tomorrow we are heading out for an elephant ride. So much to do and so little time remaining. We catch up with Sandi and Caroline on Sunday to go diving with the great white sharks. Wish us luck!
Winter in Mountain Zebra National Park
We've headed south for the winter, which is not a good direction when you are below the equator! It finally feels like winter here. Our cabin does not have heating-only a fireplace-so we are huddled in front of a roaring fire tonight, wondering if we have lost our minds again. This national park is so amazing though. It is in the Karoo Mountains and is different terrain from anything we have seen so far in South Africa. If we make it through the night, we'll try to post more pics.
This is a caracal. We saw one tonight on the roadside chasing birds, but couldn't get a photo. He was gorgeous - so unusual!
I’d Rather be Lucky than Good by Steve Oenbrink
Photographing animals and birds in Africa has been a real “hit or miss” proposition. Just as you snap the shutter the bird turns his head (i.e. bird with no head photo) or the baby baboon sticks his thumb in his mouth (i.e. cool thumb sucking photo). You can be Prepared, with all the many camera settings adjusted for just the right conditions; you can be Patient, waiting for the animal to turn into the sunlight, cross the road , move from behind a bush, etc. – but nothing takes the place of just dumb luck! Right place; right time! Luckily, we’ve had more than our share of those purely “lucky shots”.
One of the best, so far, involved a Tawny Eagle. It was early morning near a dry waterhole where we had spotted several of the large eagles perched and/or cruising for prey. After taking a few general photos, I noticed one of the eagles catch something small in the grass about 200 yards from us. No sooner did he start munching on his breakfast when another eagle landed nearby and decided he deserved a share of the kill. A huge eagle fight erupted – wings beating, biting, talons slashing and dust flying everywhere. After about one minute Eagle #2 was sent packing – and I caught the photos (400 mm telephoto). Boss Eagle returned to his feast.
Then, just as I put the car in gear and started to drive off, I took one last glance back and noticed a black-backed jackal coming thru the brush to check on the ruckus. The jackal scented and immediately homed in on the eagle’s kill and decided he wanted it too. The jackal circled, fangs bared, and faced off with the eagle from about 5 feet away. Boss Eagle stared him down for about 3 seconds then flew right at his head with talons extended. He nailed the jackal on the face and ran him on down the road as well, then returned casually to breakfast. One tough eagle! And, again, we got the photos. To view Boss Eagle, see the first nine photo sequence in the new file we are downloading named “Shingwedzi Camp photos”
We are out of Kruger National Park now and driving our way south to Cape Town. Today we are at Oribi Gorge Lodge. The gorge itself is beautiful but all three of us declined to make the truly crazy “bazillion foot” bungy dive into the gorge this morning. One native guide demonstrated a beautiful swan dive for us. No scream; not a sound. He lived. Personally, I wouldn’t even venture within 15’ of the edge – there’s not a guardrail anywhere! Catherine and Hannah were a bit bolder and crossed the gorge on a cable-suspension bridge. I walked around the long way on solid ground. XTreme sports are not for me!
Lots of overnight stops at Parks and Game Reserves are scheduled along the way to Cape Town. We will ride elephants at one Park. Sandi and her friend Caroline Dixon will meet us in Cape Town for a week on Monday, June 21. Diving with great white sharks is on the group itinerary. That’s XTreme enough for me!
Hopefully the Shingwedzi animal photos will download. Keep watching; we’ll keep trying.
St. Lucia at Hippo Hideaway
Sorry we haven't updated in a while. We just spent a relaxing four nights in St. Lucia at the Hippo Hideaway Resort on the banks of the St. Lucia estuary. St. Lucia is known for its Hippos and crocs. The hippos leave the river at night to graze on grass - usually in our hotel's backyard. Sometimes they even walk down the streets of town! We saw two our first night there, in the backyard of our hotel.
It is a small town and everything was within walkiing distance, which was nice. We could walk to the beach (on the Indian Ocean). We saw antelope, monkeys, hippos and crocs when Hannah and I went walking one morning. There is also a local arts and crafts market where souveniers are unusual and cheap. We had fun negotiating for our purchases, but Steve thinks I am a little rough on the locals - when I try to save 10 Rand (or about $1.50).
Most of the time we just read books by the pool, or in the hammock, or went to the beach. Hannah spent a lot of time watching DVD's. Her first chance in almost a year. We did take a "hippo boat ride" and hope to get you pics of that. The photos load SO slowly that it is not worth it to me most of the time. Sorry for that.
Only 38 days til we come home!
A New Park
We left Kruger today and drove about 9 hours south to the nation's oldest park- Hluhluwe/Imfolo. The drive itself was an adventure. We drove through mountains and valleys, sugarcane fields and citrus groves, and pine forests. The one view that never changed was the people of South Africa. They were everywhere - riding bicycles, crammed into minivans, but mostly walking. and they always carry something - a baby, two live chickens, or a bag of rice on top of the head. They do not feel the need to stay to the side of the road either. Right down the middle is fine and dandy. We even saw men carting away construction materials from the road paving site. Nothing fancy, just some sticks that had been used to block off one lane of traffic. We guessed that they might be put to use for house building or fire.
The level of poverty we saw was astonishing. It is the worst of any country we have been in. Houses (I use the term loosely) are constructed from rocks and sticks and mud, with a straw roof. There is no running water and no sewer. Today was Saturday and we observed the local women gathered with tubs of water washing the week's clothing.
The road construction has been going on since before the World Cup last summer and does not look like it will finish anytime soon. The road is one lane in at least 10 locations along our route, where we had to stop for about 8 minutes each time. These stops employ at least 3 people each to direct traffic. In addition, enterprising locals sell fruit, honey and nuts to the stopped cars. After viewing their living conditions, we made an exception to our usual policy, and bought oranges and bananas at two different stops.
Our arrival at this camp was a major surprise. It is luxurious and much more upscale than anything we have stayed at in Africa so far. It is quite a departure from the other acommodations we viewed today. And to Steve's delight, it has TV! Joy.
Leopards and Lions
We went out last night on a sunset drive and were fortunate to spot (pun intended) a leopard hiding in the grass! No thanks to our tour guide. Hannah spotted 75% of the animals with the spotlight after dark. Then, this morning, Steve sighted a lioness from our balcony. She is across the river taking a nap under a tree. We may just hang out here all day and watch the wildlife through our binoculars. What a great place!
Internet Again!
We arrived today at our last camp in Kruger, known as Oliphants Camp. Our bungalow is perched high on the bluff overlooking the Oliphants River. WOW! We counted 14 hippos, 12 giraffes, a waterbuck, impala, and a family of elephants crossing the river within our first 5 minutes of looking. We also met a nice couple from Boca who we plan to see again tomorrow. We have reserved a sunset drive for tonight, but doubt we will see more animals than from our own balcony. We'll let you know.
I am trying to load pics, but it still is VERY slow going.
One Week in KNP by Steve Oenbrink
For those of you who are wondering about our animal sightings for the last 4 days - they've dropped off. No cat sightings at all. Everything else is still around - just not as many. Gazillion elephants and giraffes; lots of zebras, wildebeest and other plains game. Many interesting birds. Hannah is behind in her daily count totals but after 7 days we've probably seen close to 3,000 animals.
So where are the pictures, you ask? We've culled thru them twice a day,every day, saving the best to upload to the website. Therein is the problem! The internet out here in the jungle is super S-L-O-W! It took nearly 3 hours to add 5 pictures to the site last night; with multiple disconnects. Very frustrating! So trust us - we have nearly 100 really GREAT photos we want you to see, but until we get somewhere with faster internet we'll dribble in a few at a time. We just get further and further behind every day as we add more photos to our Camp folders. We do have photos of our lodgings and camp security to share with you as well.
We're currently at Mopani Camp, our third stop as we move from south to north thru KNP. Tomorrow we move another 140 kilometers north to stay three nights at Shingwedzi Camp. Unfortunately, the terrain has gotten heavier (ie; more thickets and scrub brush; less open plains and grassland) as we go north. Thus we're seeing fewer animals due to both the brush and the less desirable habitat. Our last stop, Oliphant Camp, is back south in the heart of lion country. We're hoping to see the Big 5 again.
Keep tuned in - we'll keep fighting the internet (it kicked me off 3 times just typing this). Steve
Kruger Slam - the Big 5 in one day! by Steve Oenbrink
Update - the lions finally came thru for us! This morning we located a small pride of 5 lions. Three mature males and two females were lying in a thicket dozing. There was probably other females around that we just couldn't see. Got excellent photos of the group.
But the real bonus of the day was leopards! We saw five more. A pair was mating near the tree where we photographed the single one yesterday. Missed that photo but got many close-ups of each one individually. One actually stood within 15 yards of us in the brush - crazy! Then, while racing back to camp to make our 10:00 a.m. check-out I looked off to the right and spotted the third one sitting on top of a big rock about 200 yards off the road. Screech - hit the brakes - back up. There actually were three leopards - a big female and two smaller juveniles playing on a ledge below her. Our vision was partially obstructed by grass so the photos are poor - grass in focus, fuzzy leopards. Nevertheless, it was totally cool!!
When you have both of the big cats finding the rest of the Big 5 seems easier. Elephants were everywhere - 32 for the day. We photographed one big cape buffalo mid-morning so that was in the bag early. The rhino was almost the jinx - didn't find one until 1:45 p.m. The only rhino we saw all day. Spectacular!
Hannah, our animal inventory specialist, says we tallied 853 animal sightings for the day. Good thing we don't photograph them all. At the end of Day 3 the total animal count is now 2,313 and I think her interest in recording the data is waning. We've relocated today to Satara Camp - about 65 miles from Lower Sabie, our first stop. We'll see what tomorrow brings - but it will be hard to top todays Kruger Slam. Keep watching! Steve
Kruger National Park by Steve Oenbrink
WOW! After only one and a half days in KNP we have tallied sightings of exactly 1,460 animals according to the meticulous records of our on-board animal inventory engineer, Hannah. Every one gets written down. We are only lacking a lion to complete our Big 5 card (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo) - and we expect that soon as there is obviously plenty of prey. See our photos for a few of the many critters we are spotting.
KNP is HUGE! It measures over 410 kilometers (that's 270 miles, Linda) in length and averages over 100 kilometers (65 miles) in width. It contains more than 5,000,000 acres. Our expeditions so far have slow cruised about 75 miles of dirt/gravel roads covering 200 square miles - less than 2.5% of the park area. With 12 more full days in KNP we hope to see 25% of the park.
We are currently staying in Lower Sabie Camp. We are locked in at sundown (5:30 p.m. - it's winter over here) to protect us from the animals. There's a huge $ fine if you miss lockdown, and you may get to sleep in your car. We've made it both nights with 10 minutes to spare - piece of cake! We move to Satara Camp tomorrow for the next 3 days.
It's 8:20 p.m. The lions have been roaring outside the whole time I've been typing this so they've probably made a kill. With any luck we'll see one in the morning. We'll keep you posted. Steve
Kruger National Park
We have arrived at KNP and actually have internet at our first camp! We saw over 400 animals in the drive from the gate to our camp (about 2 hours). There was a baboon family waiting to greet us, then elephants, giraffes, wildebeasts, impala, water buffalo, rhinos, zebras, and more than I can remember. Don't worry - Hannah made an exact listing.
And yes, Kelly, Steve did find his roots - see photo coming shortly.
London
When we changed our itinerary from Egypt, we split the time between Athens and London. Our four nights in London were fun, but we were mostly just counting the days until Africa. The locals were amazed at the sunny weather and said that we brought it from Florida. It didn't rain until we left! We spent our last half-day in the British Airways lounge at Heathrow just relaxing and eating free food.
Paradise on the 'Velos'
It will be impossible to describe all of our experiences and feelings about this trip - especially in a single blog written by one person. With 10 people on board (including the captain and his wife) there was so much activity going on, that it was impossible to keep up with! I'll give my viewpoint and hopefully others will add on to it.
We met up with Sandi and her family in Athens before heading over to Alimos Marina in Piraeus, Athens to join our charter boat "Velos". Our family of eight, plus the Greek captain, Thanos, and his adorable wife/first mate/chef extraordinaire Alicia set sail for the Saronic Islands of Greece.
"Velos", a 56 foot sloop, is made for comfort. With five cabins and five heads, we all had plenty of room and privacy. Alicia brought out a bottle of champagne and we toasted our voyage with "Yamas!" We docked on the island of Agina late that night. We made a few discoveries. First, Agina mosquitos are deadly (ask the girls!) Secondly, noise carries on a boat! After a quick look around town the next morning, we got an early start to our next destination.
Every morning Alicia provided us with a scrumptious breakfast including Greek yogurt with honey and granola. She always dashed off to the local island bakery for fresh bread for the breakfast table too. Her homemade plum jelly was divine. After breakfast some of us would laze around, while others took the opportunity for a morning run or walk through town. Once we were underway, Alicia would begin the task of preparing our gourmet lunch. The morning aromas from the galley were enough to leave you drooling until lunchtime. Lunch was an extravagent affair with wine, followed always by a homemade dessert. Then time for our daily swim (or dinghy ride or just sun time). Late in the afternoon, we would sail to our next harbor in time for a little exploring before dinner at a local taverna.
A word about the water temperature - Brrrr! It has yet to warm up enough for Floridians to really enjoy, but we did jump in several times just to say we did it. Lex and the kids actually snorkelled a bit. The real polar bear award goes to Alicia, who keeps her trim figure by swimming every morning, afternoon, and evening in the 60 F temperature. She is a native of Poland though and does not find it too cold. Screams filled the air whenever one of us went in.
Some of my favorite things...
Ouzo
Wildflowers
Sunsets
Hikes to the mountaintop monastery on Hydros
Learning Greek phrases and hearing the children speak to our waiters in Greek
Dancing with Sandi at the Taverna
Having my own private gondolier, Sean, row me to shore
Picking thyme on the cliffs
Alicia's pinacolada's
Lying in the sun after 5 months of winter in Europe
Lighting candles in local chapels that only hold one person at a time
Learing the US state capitols with Sean (and learning how much I don't know about biology from Cassie)
Feta cheese and olives and bottomless bottles of wine
Islands with no cars allowed
Boys versus girls on Quiz Night
It was so wonderful to see family, and to have someone else in charge for a week. Hannah already misses her cousins who had to return to Mobile for the last few weeks of school. It was nice to be back on a boat and made us really anxious to get home and see our own boat again. I am already plotting another cruise (shhh - don't tell Steve!)
Easter Sunday
The fireworks last night were not as exciting as we had hoped, but we stayed up til midnight anyway. Most Greeks go out to dinner after midnight on Easter morning since they were fasting on Friday and Saturday. We shared a wonderful Easter brunch with our friends next door, then headed out for the hike from Fira to Oia. It was another gorgeous day, although very windy. We didn't have time to do the entire hike, just a portion, as we had reservations for a late lunch on the beach in Perissa. The traditional Greek Easter lunch is lamb slow-roasted on a spit. With the lamb, we had Greek salad, tzaziki, and fries. We also ordered a local white wine - only because the waitress said it was good for cleansing the fat of the lamb from our system! Another glass, please! We lounged on the beach for a while as we waited for the last event of Easter to occur - the shooting of Judas. This little-known tradition occurs in Perissa at the end of the road, where "Judas" has been strung up since Good Friday. The locals all bring their shotguns and reduce his effigy to tatters. It's quite a show. Now that Easter is over, things should return to normal around town. We have two more nights before we head back to Athens to meet Sandi and her family for our sail through the Greek islands. Happy Easter!
Easter in Santorini
Easter in Greece is the biggest holiday of the year. Children have the week off from school, and in addition to regular Lenten restrictions, the last week of Lent all meat, fish and milk products are banned. On Good Friday, church is held all day. Something called "chasing Jesus" takes place in the afternoon (this may lose something in the translation). Then after dark, a funeral pyre for Jesus is paraded through the town along a candle-lit path. The local priests and towns people chant and sing in Latin. We followed along after they passed our cave house. On Saturday, people continue to attend church throughout the day - in mourning attire. At midnight on Saturday night, Easter is celebrated with fireworks, and everyone goes out to dinner for the first meat of the season. Whole lambs are roasted on open spits and everyone celebrates all night long. We are staying up late to see the fireworks, but will skip the late supper. On Sunday, everyone goes to the beach for another day of feasting on lamb. Late on Sunday afternoon, the locals "kill" Judas. They shoot down an effigy of Judas that has hung in the town square since Good Friday. We look forward to getting a video of this strange custom. Happy Easter and Kalo Pasca!
New Friends
We had such wonderful luck here with our new neighbors. On Monday, the Jacksons arrived at the adjoining cave house. As luck would have it, they are two nuclear engineers with two children around Hannah's age. We have eaten dinner together every night, shared wine on the terrace, cooked lamb on the grill, gone to several beaches and acted like we were on vacation! We were so lucky to have such nice people next to us. The children dyed Easter eggs today and are all looking forward to the fireworks at midnight to celebrate Easter morning here.
Local foods in Santorini
Santorini is known for their production of a few specialty items - white wine, olives, capers, plum tomatoes, feta cheese, fava beans and white eggplant- which we managed to fit into a single meal tonight. Yum! The only restaurant in Exo Gonia is Metaxi Mas, located a few dozen steps from our doorway. It is famous for its romantic atmosphere and view of the rising full moon over the sea, and of course, for its good food. We liked it because of its location, and now that we've eaten there, we may never try another restaurant while we're here. First, they serve us complimentary plates of olives, cheese and croutons with a bottle of retsin (or firewater) while we look at the menu. Then after we've finished our delightful meals, they brought complimentary cheesecake (therefore calorie-free), and a hot honey retsin (which is just hot sweet firewater). With all of the winter European travel, we haven't had much opportuity for fresh vegetables. The fresh vegetables and the local volcanic-grown tomatoes were a welcome treat. On our next visit we will try the lamb and maybe some local seafood. Luckily it's still too cold to get into a bathing suit!
Santorini, Greece
We arrived yesterday into Santorini to stay in our traditional cave house. This apparently means claustrophobic, arched ceilings with low doorways! After a good night's rest, we feel much more optimistic about our new home (for 10 days), and plan to explore the island today. At the very least, it's quiet with no neighbors upstairs stomping around at 2 am (experience in Rome).
The Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica by Steve Oenbrink
One should not visit Rome without a trip to the Vatican. As the seat of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican is an independent country and does not belong to Italy. In early and middle ages of civilization the Catholic Church and its various Popes had great influence on the governance of the Holy Roman Empire and the city-states of Italy. During the Holy Wars and the Crusades led by the Vatican the Church amassed many priceless paintings, statues and other precious artworks as the trophies and spoils of war. Many of these items are exhibited in the Vatican Museum and Galleries, which probably rivals the Louvre in Paris in both size and quality of its artifacts. The Egyptian relics alone were worth the price of admission. Another key feature of the Vatican Museum is the Sistine Chapel, which Michelangelo painted during the period 1508-1512.
Catherine, Hannah and I joined the crowds on Tuesday afternoon to tour the Vatican Museum. It was brutal- way too many people to be able to enjoy and read about the various pieces. The claustrophobia finally goaded us to "speed-walk" through the exhibit halls - just glancing left and right at all the treasures. We only spent about 3 minutes admiring the Sistine Chapel and then slipped out the back door.
St. Peter's Basilica stands adjacent to the museum. As the Mother Church of all Christendom, it is physically the largest church in the world. Bronze markers in the floor compare its length to the other great churches around the world. Even Notre Dame of Paris fits within St. Peter's. St. Peter's is bejeweled and bedecked with lavious decorations and statuary. Michelangelo's marble statue, the Pieta, is prominently displayed on the right as you enter.
St. Peter's Basilica was quite as crowded. Its physical size allowed the masses to somewhat disperse to an almost acceptable level. Nevertheless, it was still pretty much impossible to obtain any photographs that don't have strangers walking through them. Photography was strictly forbidden in the Sistine Chapel so there are none included here. I've tried to include some detail shots of the ceilings, the marble statuary and columns, and the inlaid mosaic floors, but the photos cannot show the true beauty we saw. We are thankful we didn't come on Wednesday; that's when the Pope holds his weekly public audience and the plaza fills with thousands of pilgrims and tourists.
Pompeii
We took a day trip to Pompeii, which was buried in ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Hannah will write a blog about the day, which was Fantastic. We have posted some pics here.
Rome at Last
We are in a gorgeous deluxe apartment just off the Piazza Novana. It probably goes without saying that Rome is the most historic and picturesque place we have been to date. The guide books claims there to be over 2,000 fountains in the city. Our apartment building was begun in the 1200's (and nicely updated, thank-you). The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are all within easy walking distance from us.
Our friends, Henry and Marie Wall from Arizona, are here with us for a few days before beginning their own tour of Italy. We were thrilled to see more friendly faces from home. It's a good thing that Henry brought Steve some more computer chips for the camera. This place is a photographer's dream.
Positano, Italy
The single road through Positano runs only one direction. It is as narrow as physically possible. The shops open into the street on one side and the concrete barricade to prevent a plunge to the sea forms the other side. To walk to town or the beach is to risk your life-but is wildly entertaining, exhilarating, and breathtaking. This morning I descended the 180 steps to the roadway below our villa early enough to avoid the day-trip tourists. The local people are hard at work preparing for the tourist season, which formally begins April 15th. They nod to me as I pass and greet me with "Bon Giorno". Later in the day, as tourists crowd the shops, the locals seem to disappear. Early morning everyone is still friendly and welcoming. I round the corner and gasp again at the view down to the beach - now lit by the morning sun. The air is crisp and cool - the perfect time for a walk. As I pass the local shops, the owners call out to me with a shout of recognition! (Did I mention the clothes shopping I did yesterday?) I have reached the town center and watch as a small group of locals find a beautiful Murano glass necklace lying in the middle of the street. Is it mine they ask? No - I shake by head regretfully. They chase after another woman to try to find its owner. I must find the store that sold it. Beautiful! Now I am through with the descent to town. The road angles gently back uphill. I pause to take a picture of the beach and attract the attention of two local workmen. They call out to me in Italian with smiles. I imagine they are complimenting me. I call back, "Bon Giorno" and move on. I begin to pass tourist groups coming out of hotels to begin their day. I am relieved not to be stuck to a tour schedule in this town. The wonder of Positano is the sun, the sea, the views, and the local people, not to forget the food and shopping. Now the tour buses begin to arrive. Mammoth things that strike fear into my heart as they round the curve and I press myself into the volcanic rock wall edging the road. More and more traffic is building as I climb back up the road. You can tell a tourist driver by the way they pause behind you and pass slowly. The Italians never pause and pass mere inches from both me and the wall. I hear a waterfall ahead - the only one in town. I turn the corner only to find it is within a fenced yard where the garbage trucks are kept. Interesting decision. I arrive back to the top of town and descend the 180 steps to Villa Jessica. As I sit on the terrace overlooking the sea, I can hear the birds, the traffic, and the argumentative woman who lives below us. Viva Italia!
Deruta, Italy home of fine ceramics
In our search for ceramics, we found that the best-made ceramics were being made in a local town called Deruta. Once Mona and Bart arrived, we headed immediately for Deruta for a look. Upon arrival we found the central city (again walled) with the shops, but no factories. After asking directions, and driving in circles, Steve finally just parked the car and we began to walk from shop to shop. We were lucky enough to stumble into a store just at closing time (siesta), and we rang the doorbell to see if anyone was around. The owner, himself, Dr.(?) Garzia arrived and, seeing American tourist shoppers, enthusiastically agreed to give us a tour. It turns out that Dr. Garzia is well-known in America for his fine ceramics. He sells to Williams-Sonoma and Neiman Marcus! We were able to see his showrooms, the artists painting, the kilns, and every part of the ceramic process. His family has owned this business for 25 generations. It was a wonderful tour and experience. We found many wonderful items, and after much soul-searching, made our purchases (and his day). Dr. Garzia then phoned his good friend at a local tavern and asked him to stay open so that we could come for lunch. It was a wonderful tavern back in the walled-city and the owner served us up one delicious thing after another. We finished off the meal with a complimentary lemoncello and drove home satisfied with life.
Palozzo Terranova
I was trying to locate a cooking class for Mona, Hannah and me to attend nearby and found this "country home" on the internet. So we decided to give it a drive-by one day. After we found it (very secluded), it appeared to be closed, so we phoned the number on the website. Justin invited us up to the house for a tour. He walked us through the entire mansion with rooms the size of my house. Steve kept asking him what the going rate was, but Justin would brush aside the question. After our tour, he invited us to have a glass of wine in the bar, so naturally we accepted and sat in the bar discussing Italy. Later on, the manager appeared, Justin rapidly disappeared, and we were graciously escorted off the property. We later found out that the house was owned by a South-African lady with close ties to the British Royal Family. Prince Charles sometimes stays here. I highly recommend it. By the way, the cooking classes are not open this week. Go Figure!
On a mountain between Ronti and Morra somewhere in Umbria
This is a reflection on our time spent in Umbria, since it has been over two weeks since we arrived there. First the house, a renovated monastery, which we never determined the age of...(see photos). It was several centuries old with stone walls and floors several feet thick. It was cold and dreary the day we arrived and the house had not been heated during the entire winter. Once we figured out how to get the hot water radiators working, it took a full three days, running the heat full-time, for the house to warm up enough to live comfortably in. We slept in our clothes for the first three nights to be warm enough. Finally, though, the sun did come out and the house warmed up. Unfortunately, the house manager soon arrived in a panic that we had used almost an entire tank of gas heating the house, and that we would need to pay. What? This is not how home-exchanges usually work. Eventually we worked out a compromise and ordered more gas. (We couldn't stand the thought of sleeping in clothes again for the next two weeks.)
Another disadvantage to a house that has not been lived in for the winter is the accumulation of bugs and other creatures. It took a full week to rid the house of the bugs, and we even caught a bat!
The good news was that the view from our mountain-top perch was stupendous, and with no ambient light at night, the stars were among the brightest we have seen on our travels. The closest town was Trestina- about 15 minutes drive away. Hannah went into town each morning to do her schoolwork at a local card shop with a single computer, since we had no other internet options. In the afternoons, we toured the amazing countryside.
Most of the nearby towns are medieval walled villages with fortresses, castles, and cathedrals galore. Hannah finally rebelled and sat in the car one day when Steve and I insisted on seeing "just one more church". Of course, we bribed her with gelatos each day.
Finally, the day arrived for our eagerly awaited visitors from home. Bart and Mona Barham flew into Rome and took the train to our village, where they very graciously moved into our rustic abode. We then visited even more walled cities and churches, but Hannah didn't mind now that she was with Aunt Mona! And I finally had my shopping partner!
Burchtesgaden National Park, Bavaria
We decided to take one last day trip before we leave our beloved Bavaria. Kelly had suggested this National Park and it was close enough, so off we went. Although, it is technically spring here, the park still has snow on the ground and ice on the upper roads. We were able to hike on the lower road, but the upper regions remain closed until mid-May. We also drove over to the ski slopes of Mt. Jenner, where some very dedicated skiers were mushing down the last 6 inches of snow. It didn't look like much fun, but Hannah and I took the gondola to the top just for the ride. Later, we walked over to Lake Konigsee and admired the view. On the way home, we admired the typical Bavarian homes and decided to base our Georgia hunting cabin on the Bavarian theme.
We leave tonight on a sleeper train headed for Italy. We do not have internet at the next home exchange, but will try to get you updates when we can.
Weekend jaunt to Austria
We set off for Innsbruck, Austria (which is only 1.5 hours away) on Saturday morning. We visited the Swarovski Crystals "KrystalWorld", which was designed to celebrate their 100 year anniversary. Hannah has always loved Swarovski, so we checked it out. Lots of beautiful art made of crystals and a bunch of very strange exhibits too. We stood inside of a crystal sphere of mirrors with a light show. Then afterwards, had to make a few purchases, of course.
We stayed in Old Town, Innsbruck in a hotel built in 1390! Mozart, himself, stayed there. (I think he was kind of like George Washington in that he stayed in alot of hotels according to their ads!) It is a beautiful town with great architecture.
The next day we drove back to Germany to the fairytale castle of King Ludwig II - Neuschwanstein. It is only one of 4 of his castles and was built in the late 1800's. Steve will tell you more about that. Supposedly, Walt Disney used this castle as the basis for his Cinderella castle. We took a horse-drawn wagon up the steep, steep hill as we were too lazy to climb it, although we did walk back down.
It was a great weekend, and Hannah was amazed at the gingerbread houses in the Bavarian villages.
Last view of Space Shuttle Discovery in the Air
I saw on the news that the space shuttle and space station would be visible tonight. We found the exact time and location on NASA's website, went outside, and lo and behold - we actually saw it! Steve spotted the shuttle travelling fast across the sky from west to east at about 22 degrees above the horizon. It was closely followed (30 seconds) by the space station. They were the brightest lights in the sky. (We had a crystal clear and dark sky) They crossed in 3 minutes. We had been so sad to miss the launch due to our trip, but now we can say we saw it on its last journey! Very exciting day!
Bad Emstal, Germany
What a great time we had in Emstal, home of Ippy Mast. Ippy is our good friend Kim Dwyer's mother, who was born in Bad Emstal and has kept her family home there for yearly visits. Ippy graciously offered us her home and we snapped it up. We were treated like royalty by Ippy's friends and family. Her best friend, Marlie, has been friends with Ippy since they were 6 years old! Her other friends, Dieter and Margaret, also go back to grade school together. They all welcomed us warmly and treated us to delicious home-cooked German meals.
Marlie's granddaughter, Lea (12) and Hannah (12) hit it off immediately. They played together every day. Hannah even went to school with Lea for 2 days of the week. Luckily, Lea is taking English lessons at school, since Hannah knows NO German. She did manage to master the word for "ice-cream". It is "Ice".
While Hannah was in school, Steve and I managed a hike in the forests every day. Luckily, Dieter knows all of the trails in town and took us on several guided tours. He is tireless!
We toured a couple of local castles (schlosses), a wildlife park, and the statue of Herkules in Kassel. We ate LOTS of German food with lovely local wines and sauces. We were sorry to leave our new friends, but have invited them all to come to Florida for some WARM weather.
Today in Amsterdam
We finally made it to the Anne Frank museum. After trying twice, and finding lines wrapped around the building, we set the alarm and arrived at 8:30 am for the 9:00 am opening. We were 1st in line!!! The visit was emotional and educational. Hannah and I had just finished reading the updated diary, so it was fresh in our minds as we walked through the very rooms where she and her family spent two years during WWII. It was worth getting up early for.
Afterwards we had breakfast at a local cafe, then joined up with a group of teachers from Great Britain, who we had met at the Anne Frank house. We took a canal tour of Amsterdam and got a good overview of the city. Steve shot some neat photos as we passed by.
Interesting notes from tour:
- Houseboats are permanently moored and have water and electricity and street addresses. They do NOT have sewer, and so dump their sewage into the canals. Each night, the locks are closed, the sewage is pumped out to sea, and fresh water from the Amstel River is pumped into the canals. These houseboats can cost $350,000 Euros.
- Water from canals is used to make Heineken beer for export (joke by captain)
- Canal-front houses cost about $21 million euros, so they are not affordable as housing, and are used as bank office buildings.
Home Exchange in Amsterdam
We are now settled in our home exchange in Amsterdam in a nice two-story, canal-front, apartment complete with Prius and bicycles. We will probably never even try the Prius since we can walk, bike or tram everywhere in the city.
After our hectic time in Paris, we are using this time to just relax and rest a little. Of course, I cannot sit still all day long, so we have also been walking and biking the city. We hit the Jordaan market on saturday, and tried to visit the Van Gogh museum on Sunday (but the lines were wrapped around the block) so we will try another day. Steve and I visited Dam Square and the adjacent red light district today, so you will not see any photos today!
Out of a city of 750,000 residents, there are 500,000 bicycles - and they're all on the road this week! You have never seen anything like it. Old bikes, new bikes, bikes with wheelbarrows on the front for hauling kids or whatever. People riding on the bumper of their friend's bike. Although, legally the bikes do not have the right-of-way, in practice they do. Beware of crossing a bike path without looking both ways! Even Queen Beatrix rides her bike in Amsterdam - escorted by 20 policemen on bikes of course.
Hannah's favorite thing(s) about Amsterdam are Harry and Cody (Alex's gerbils that he left at the home exchange for us to take care of). Hannah has been missing her pets at home and spends most of the day here playing with the gerbils and building them new tunnels and house out of cardboard.
Thalys Train "flies" us to Amsterdam at 320 kph
Just a quick note. The train from Marseille to Paris and the train from Paris to Amsterdam clicked along at a rapid 320 kilometers per hour (or about 200 mph). It was quite an experience watching the fields go by at such a rapid pace. It was quite comfortable with big reclining red velour chairs and "flight attendants" to serve us. Much better than flying in a plane! Oh, and no security checks either and no extra fees for baggage.
Paris Day 3
We got up a little later the next day and headed for the Eiffel Tower again. Luckily for us, it was not fogged in today. So up we went again. We even convinced Steve to go to the top this time. (He doesn't like heights so much). We ate breakfast atop the Eiffel for a second day, then descended to head for Notre Dame.
Instead of killing ourselves walking, we opted to take the BatoTaxi (tour boat on the Seine where you hop on and off at various sites). The ride was nice and warm, since the boat was covered and the sun was out for a change. We went under several gorgeous bridges. We went straight to the Notre Dame stop and had lunch at a cafe overlooking Notre Dame.
The church was an architectural marvel - with gargoyles hanging from the eaves and a variety of statues of unknown men and women decorating the entrance. We opted not to climb the 600+ steps up the belltower and went straight inside to get out of the cold. The most impressive thing to me were the stained glass windows. (See some of Steve's photos). We went inside the treasury, which is where they display Christian artifacts from the mid 19th century and on. The earlier ones were either melted down during hard times or destroyed during the French Revolution. Still, the ones we were able to see were enough. There were crowns of gold, rubies, emeralds and diamonds, gold staffs, papal cameos (of real ivory), jewelry, robes, and a "crown of thorns". In the gloom and fog, it was not hard to imagine the "hunchback of Notre Dame" lurking in the belltower.
After dinner, we walked back to our hotel by way of the Eiffel Tower. At night, it lights up the sky, and outshone the full moon. As I raised my camera to take a photo, it came alive with a blinking light show for a full five minutes. Hopefully, I captured it on video. It was the perfect end to our Eiffel Tower trip to Paris. We went to bed promising to return for a longer trip.
Exhausted in Paris
In case you're keeping track, Paris was not on our original agenda. Hannah made a last-minute request to see the Eiffel Tower, and since our train was passing through anyway, we left Marseille early to spend three nights in Paris.
The day of arrival, we just walked.... Our hotel is at the Eiffel Tower, so we started there, but didn't go up the first day. I had heard the lines were much shorter in the mornings so we decided to wait (more on that later). We crossed over the Seine and walked down the Champs de Elysees (famous street) and saw the Arc de Triomphe, then took the metro home where we spotted the Eiffel Tower lit up for night time.
This morning we arose bright and early (8 am) for our 9:30 am ticket time at the Eiffel Tower. We walked outside to...heavy fog! You could not see above the 1st floor of the Eiffel. Dismayed, we walked over and asked if our tickets could be changed to later in the day. We were told no, so decided to go up anyway. What a fabulous 3 hours it was! I had no idea there was so much to do and see in the tower. I had always just thought you went to the top and then back down. Well, it includes several floors and levels in before the top. There are souvenier shops, cafes, two major restaurants, a bar, an art museum, a theatre, an ice-skating rink and historical information about the building of the Tower. In addition, there are viewing platforms and telescopes (which had limited visibility today). We plan to go back tomorrow to attempt the summit again.
Then, after lunch in the Eiffel, we headed out for the Louvre. The best museum in the world. It was AMAZING! Entering each new room was a new experience. Every wall, floor and ceiling was covered with some form of art. I really don't know how to describe it. We spend most of the afternoon here and barely made a dent. We saw our goal - the Mona Lisa - and some other Da vinci for Mrs. McCartney at school. Our favorite part was the Roman and Greek statues. Marbelous !
We left exhausted, but had one further goal in mind - riding the Paris Wheel. Hannah and I went to the top leaving Steve to watch us from the bottom. The view over Paris made up for our missed view at the Eiffel this morning.
Bon Soir!
Boat trip to the Calanques (streams)
Yesterday, we took an afternoon boat trip to see the famous Calanques (which means stream in French). We "embarked on a stunning voyage with commentary (in French) to discover the geology, ecology and history of the world-famous Calanques, from Marseille to the bay of Cassis". Straight from the English brochure. It was a beautiful day and it was a fun trip, but no announcements in English, so we just enjoyed the views and made up funny translations of what the captain could be saying. It was a 3 hour cruise (look out Gilligan), and I was extremely distressed to discover that the on-board bar was not open in the winter, ergo no Coca-Cola Light! Luckily, I had brought a bottle of water and found three chocolate bars in the bottom of my backpack (from China it appears).
Notre Dame de la Gard in Marseille
You can see the cathedral from every point in Marseille (even out our bathroom window!) A local tourist train takes you up the hill after winding through the narrow roadways of the city. We hopped aboard one afternoon this week to make the "pilgrimage". The ride was fun in an open-air train that ran on the road with other cars. The announcements were in French, English and Italian and were very funny translations. As we neared the top, we heard all about the "Virgin and KID" (the translation of child). We were only allowed 25 minutes for a brief self-tour of the cathedral. It was beautiful with stunning views in all directions.
Notre-Dame de la Garde , also known locally as "Good Mother" is a minor basilicas of the Catholic Church . It is located on a rocky peak of 149 meters south of the Old Port of Marseille , elevated 13 meters through walls and foundations of an ancient fort.
Parlez-vous francais?
We arrived late last night (early this morning) by train into Marseille, France. We were met at the train station by the gorgeous Anne, our home exchanger from France. (She and her two daughters will be staying in Tequesta for Easter holidays.) She showed us our apartment and left us to crash from our long day of travel from Barcelona. The apartment is in the best part of town overlooking the Vieux Port (Old Port).
Our five weeks in Spain (and our summer in South America) had us speaking Spanish well enough to communicate and even copy regional accents! Landing in France has been tough. I keep answering people in Spanish. I DO NOT KNOW FRENCH! I never had a French lesson. I do not know how to pronounce a single letter or number in French. In Spain, we could decode a menu by knowing basic words for beef, fish, cheese, etc. In French - NOTHING!
For lunch, Steve and I decided to order the menu of the day, which turned out to be delicious (a fish and rice dish). Hannah was so upset that she couldn't read the menu that she decided to skip lunch rather than make a mistake ordering. Luckily, we managed to communicate to the waiter that we wanted a child's menu. He pointed to something and said "steak and chips". It turned out to be just perfect! We didn't even know the word for water! Luckily, coke light is the same in every language, and beer is bierre!
Since we slept in today, we just walked around the harbor and looked at boats, forts and the fish market. The fish market is open every morning for locals and restaurants to buy their fresh fish (or eel or snails). One of the ladies was selling "lucky" snail caps, which she claims is an old Marseille tradition. You put the cap in with your money and it multiplies. I"m sure this is some new scam, but I bought one anyway. You never know!
They are famous for their bouillabaise, so we plan to try that tonight. Now that we know how to ask for a menu, order drinks, say bouillabaise, and ask for the check, we should be OK.
Bon Soir!
Market Day in El Ejido
We have found markets in Spain to be wonderful places to see the local people in action. Not a tourist in sight. It is the place to get the best fresh fruits and veggies - Wow, you should see the size of the veggies here. They grow them in greenhouses that cover the region and supply most of the fruits and veggies for northern Europe. Anyway, we stopped by for a little local culture and took some discreet (I hope) shots with my I-Phone.
ROME REVISITED, IN SPAIN by Steve Oenbrink
We visited the port city of Cartagena, Spain recently. Cartagena was founded many centuries ago (B.C.) as a primary shipping port on the Mediterranean coast linking Spain (then Iberia) to African and mid-Eastern markets. Cartagena is literally only about 100 miles “as the crow flies” from Morocco, in Africa. Because of its’ naturally deep and protected port the city was an important asset to control – and thus during its’ history it was frequently invaded and conquered by various sovereign nations, including the Roman Empire. This history of control under various flags has led to interesting discoveries!
In 1987 a contractor began demolition on the site of a proposed high-rise apartment in an old seaside section of the city. Beneath multiple layers of debris and dilapidated buildings the crew discovered the ruins of a Roman open-air ampitheatre with terraced seating for 6,000, which had been built into the existing hillside. At the base of the seating area there had been an orchestra area and raised stage surrounded by a 2-story ornate stage building to house the scenery and equipment for the performance. A pavilion to host dignitaries and post-performance parties lay behind the stage area. Upon this discovery, the Town voted to stop the construction and to restore the Roman theatre.
Archeologists have subsequently determined that the theatre was built at the end of the 1st Century B.C. when Cartagena was a Roman colony under Emperor Augustus Caesar. A similar Roman theatre, in poorer condition, also exists in Rome, Italy. Ornately carved marble column capitals from the Emperors personal workshop in Rome confirm his patronage in this theatre. Marble lintels over several entries are inscribed dedicating the theatre to Caesars nephews, Gaius and Lucius. The theatre was utilized for about 200 years until Roman power in Iberia waned. Evidence exists that a marketplace was built over the stage area in the late 4th century. The market was subsequently destroyed by the Visigoths when they invaded in 625 AD. The Muslims conquered the region in 713 AD and the theatre site then became a fishermen’s district. In 1273 AD the Christian Crusades retook Cartagena at which time some of the marble and other materials from the original theatre were utilized in the construction of an adjacent cathedral. The exterior seating area remained a fishing marketplace until the early 19th century when it was cleared to construct the Palacio de la Condesa de Peralto. It was this “palacio” that was being demolished when the artifacts and base building were discovered in 1987.
Visiting the 2,000 year old remains of the Roman theatre was a meaningful and amazing journey through time for the three us. Surrounded by adjacent tall buildings and wedged into the middle of the City, the theatre is reached via an underground tunnel. Restoration work continues today. See our photo album labeled “Cartagena’s Roman ruins” for photos of this amazing site.
Route 3 - Alpujarra to Sierra de Gador - 100 km
We took off on another one of our "adventures" today - a drive into the Sierra Mountains behind our beachfront home exchange. We followed "Route 3" as described in a local tour map. Our first stop, Vicar, was almost our last, as we dead-ended at a river crossing. Luckily I convinced Steve that we shouldn't cross as I was sure we had just made a wrong turn somewhere. The people of the village stared incuriously at us as we retraced our path through the village. I had to close our side view mirrors in order to squeak through the narrow roadway.
We retraced our steps to the interstate and started anew, bypassing Vicar, and heading to Felix, where we found a local castle - Castillo Arabe -which was privately owned with no trespassing, so we just admired from the outside. All of these villages are in the mountains at the top of curving roads, and are surrounded by terraced hills full of citrus trees and almond trees. The almond trees are blooming at their peak right now and smell delicious.
We also noticed that every village has recently purchased exercize equipment. Hannah and I tested it out and I'm afraid the towns got ripped off. The equipment appears to work the same as our gym stuff, but doesn't actually work properly. It sure looks good sitting there though!
The next town was Enix, the village of spring water. We noticed several local people filling their plastic water jugs at the mountainside pipes spouting spring water. I couldn't get a discreet photo though.
We went through a string of similar towns photographing the local churches and folding in the side mirrors as we went. Hannah mentioned that they were all starting to look alike! It was true, but the vistas from the top of the mountains were worth the drive!
We also took pics of a windmill farm and of the local "guard rail" protecting us from the steep drop to the valley. At about 4 pm, Hannah said that she had seen enough and couldn't we just go back to the house. We didn't need much convincing and headed home in time to see the beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean.
Mom comes to visit!
Mom (Catherine's mother) came for a visit from Mississippi. She first visited with us in Alicante, and then drove to Almerimar for another week. Sadly, she left this morning and we will greatly miss her company. It was a real treat to see someone from home (and have another cook to help out!)
We made several day trips while she was here. We visited Elche to see the Cathedral and the Palmera Gardens created by the Moors during their occupation of Spain (or Iberia as it was then known). We also went to Torrevieja and walked along the waterfront and had tapas.
Our favorite side trips were in our second home, Almerimar. It is a vacation spot on the beach close to Almeria. Our favorite side trip was to Granada, home of the Alhambra, the most famous fortress in the world. It was built during the 1300-1500's by the Moors and was later occupied by the Christians after they forced the Moors out. It is a fabulous fortress and palace where kings and their harems lived for centuries. Its location on top of the hill gives a wonderful view over the old city of Granada. Of course, we also shopped in Granada and found many wonderful things!
Our other favorite spot was the Cuevas del Nerja (or Nerja Caves) which were discovered in 1959 by 3 boys chasing bats. The cave is believed to have been formed 5 million years ago and were inhabited from 25,000 BC until the Bronze Age. They extend more than 5 kilometers in length. The walk through them was astounding. Unfortunately, they do not allow flash photography, but I took a few pics with my I-Phone.
We have eaten out at several of the local places here on the marina. Our favorite so far, Masquaria Franco, treated us to an icy glass of "Ron Miel" from the Canary Islands. Otherwise known as Honey Rum, this treat can only be found in Spain and I am working hard to get a case shipped home for all of my good friends. :)
Also of interest, who knew Spain produced good wine? Their local wines are sold for anywhere from ,95 Euros to 6,00 Euros and are great! A glass of wine or beer at a local restaurant only costs 1 Euro and includes free tapas! Yum!
Where are we?
Although the home exchange is supposed to be in Alicante, we are not quite sure the name of the town where we are. The neighborhood is called Blue Lagoon for no apparent reason. The closest thing we can find is the beach called Zenia. This area is a retirement village for British couples. There is no need to speak Spanish here! Even the food is British. So it's not really like vacationing in Spain, although it IS on the Mediterranean.
Mom arrived on Sunday to visit for two weeks. We have had a great week touring the countryside and trying to convince Mom to speak Spanish instead of French. (It's the only foreign language she knows). It has been great to have someone else to talk to. After 7 months, Steve, Hannah and I are at a loss for new conversations some evenings.
The tour books are a little sparse on information about this area of Spain. So we tend to drive to a city, park and just get out and wander about. We always find a beautiful cathedral, a good market, and a great bakery. In these other cities, we have found the Spanish people, finally. It's always a challenge to ask a question or order food with our limited Spanish. Half of the fun of eating out is seeing what we've actually ordered compared to what we think we ordered.
At the local Chinese restaurant we discovered last night, Steve and I went in for take-out. They brought us each a glass of sangria to sip on while we waited (gratis), then handed us a bottle of Spanish red wine (also gratis) on the way out the door. Business is pretty slow here with unemployment at 20%. I guess they're trying to improve their business.
We drive south tomorrow toward Almeria (Almerimar) for our next home exchange.
Spanish Pomp and Circumstance by Steve Oenbrink
After leaving the equestrian facility, Finca Saladrillo, we arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain, on Wednesday, January 5th. What a magnificent city - and with all its Christmas decorations still on display. With its old world architecture, ornamental balconies, cobbled streets, massive wooden doors, etc - a photo opportunity exists around every corner.
Of course today is the most important day of the Spanish Christmas holidays, the Eve of Three Kings Day, when the Magi arrived to visit the newborn Christ child. Traditionally this is the night that all good Spanish children also receive their gifts. Later that evening, a major parade with floats, bands, large balloons, horses (similar to Macy's parade) was held through downtown Madrid. The TV estimated that over 7 tons of candy was thrown from the floats. We managed to secure a viewing point near the end of the parade route where a fabulous aerial fireworks display fired from the ramparts of the majestic and ornamental City Hall concluded the event.
Three Kings Day is a national holiday and the majority of the stores, museums, and some restaurants were closed. Our plan for Thursday was to just walk around town and take photos of interesting places while locating The Prado art museum which we would visit on Friday. We headed off in the direction of the Royal Palace (Palacio Real), a former 10th century fortress, where the King performs his State functions. As we came down the street to the Palace we could hear a marching band starting up. January 6th also happens to be King Juan Carlos' birthday (his 73rd), and the Spanish military in full dress uniforms were preparing to march in review for the King's inspection. This simple ceremony was to be in economic deference to the gala affairs that are traditionally held on his birthday.
The roadway and plaza in front of the Palace's main entry gate had been closed and cordoned off to create a large parade ground - and we had a front row, center stage seat.
The King and his family actually reside in the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela outside Madrid. The Palacio Real is now a museum housing paintings, tapestrys, weapons and other historic royal collections. It is also used for State ceremonies. The King arrived in his Mercedes and the festivities began.
Playing briskly, the military band came marching down the road from the left and took a position on the far right of the parade grounds. The band was followed closely by a Spanish honor guard and three companies of foot soldiers weilding rifles with fixed bayonets. The three troups took parade positions centered on and facing the main palace entrance.
The horse calvary then followed from the left creating a second outer row away from the palace. Groomed horses, oiled tack, polished boots, white gloves and shining swords were evident on every rider. Nine black stallions, ridden by blue-caped lancers, let the entourage. A drum and bugle corp on fifteen pure white stallions paraded in next. Twenty chestnut bays ridden by white-caped swordsmen followed. Another twenty blue-caped lancers mounted on gray and white horses completed the mounted calvary.
Each horse troup rode onto the parade ground two abreast, then turned to face the palace creating a single line. Group by group they then "side-stepped" their horses in a "dress-right" maneuver until each horse nearly touched the next one. A very cool show of horsemanship when one hand is fully occupied with either a sword, a lance or a bugle.
Lastly a series of six Clydesdale drawn supply wagons towing canons or ammunition carts queued in the roadway to the left. Note in the photos that the 4-horse wagon teams are being driven by riders mounted on the two left Clydesdales in the team. The "wagon-drivers" seated on the bench simply have their white-gloved hands folded in their laps.
After all the soldiers and calvary had moved to their parade positions, King Juan Carlos, in dress uniform, strode through the palace entry gate and stood in the plaza to inspect the troups as they passed in review. The third Company (far left) advanced forward toward the Palace then marched to the right, passing directly before the King. Each of the other two companies of soldiers then moved in turn to the left, stepped forward and marched across in front of the King. The military band followed next.
The black stallions led off the calvary parade - moving from the outer row in a Z pattern from right to left, then crossing in front of the King. Each mounted cavalry group followed in turn and the six teams of canon and supply wagons fell in behind to complete the procession.
To his credit, the King gave his full attention to the procession for the entire ceremony. The full hour of pomp and circumstance was a spectacle well worth attending. And for us, it was simply a case of "right place - right time". Lucky Us! Enjoy the photos.
Alicante, Spain
Sorry, it's been a while since our last update. Steve and I disagree on what constitutes a timely update. Nuff said....
We are in Alicante, Spain on the Mediterranean Sea with gorgeous weather. The mountains block all of the winter weather from this area, so it is almost desert-like and also simliar to Florida due to the closeness to the sea. They grow citrus, avocados, artichokes and vegetables here all year long.
We were surprised to find that this area is not typically "Spanish", but rather an enclave of retired Brits! So no one speaks Spanish here, which is a little disappointing, but also a little nice not to have to work so hard on translations.
We can see the sea from our balcony of our 4 bedroom/4 bath villa with pool. Although it is still about a 15 minute drive to the beach. We have mostly been relaxing and getting caught up on school work this week. We fell a little behind with Christmas and the horse ranch. But Hannah is game and is almost caught completely up.
We headed down to Cartagena this week for a little sight-seeing. Cartagena was a major port during the development of Europe with much history going back before the year 0 BC. We saw the Roman Theatre, which was built by Caesar in 2 AD!! It was just rediscovered about 10 years ago. It was amazing to sit on the bleachers and think that it was used over 2,000 years ago! We should have some pics up this weekend - hopefully.
Mom is coming to join us on Sunday for two weeks. We are so excited to have some family here!
More later...
Oops - China by Steve Oenbrink
On our last day in China, Hannah and I visited the Beijing Zoo. You know what tha means- giant Pandas! The "lesser" Pandas were also cool. See the photos. We've now hit the main zoos in Rio, Buenos Aires, Sydney and Beijing.
When in Spain...
Our day here begins late - up around 8:30 and breakfast is brought to our apartment at 9 am. Fresh baked bread, fresh fruits, butter and marmalade, a plate of meat and cheese, and fresh squeezed orange juice from trees on the property. Then the horse riders go out at 10 and ride until 3 or 4pm. Since it is the holidays, there is only one other paying rider here. The other guests are family members who do not ride. So off go Giles (owner), Annette (from Netherlands) and Hannah for the day. Steve and I catch up on reading and email, then head into the hills or town for a hike.
The hike begins here at Finca Saladillo which is in a hollow about 500 feet below the town. So up, up, up we go. The old town is quite picturesque with narrow cobbled streets, balconies, and Christmas lights. The sidewalks are paved in marble (the town used to mine and cut marble) and lined with orange trees laden with ripe fruit. The price of oranges this year kept the owners from harvesting them. A local horse supply store also sells chickens and fresh-pressed olive oil by the liter, alongside helmets, chaps and boots. Prices here are very reasonable even in Euros. It is an agricultural town with 25% unemployment right now. On Sunday, horses ride through town. Outside of town you find more development with a mall and a Burger King (that serves beer on tap).
After our hike/horse ride, lunch is served around 4 pm in the owner's dining room. The fireplace takes the chill off the room and Spanish MTV plays in the background. The host pours wine while food is put on the table. Our "lunch" is the main meal of the day and lasts around 3 hours! The Spaniards would then go out to dinner around 10 in the evening, but we Americans just go to bed!
We did go out one night and had tapas at a local bar next to the church. The tapas and the beer were cheaper than the diet coke! The bar was filled with smoke as the drinkers puff away dreading the new year 2011 when the "no smoking" ban will take effect. No one here believes it will be enforced.
The weather is beautiful now (after the first 2 days of rain). We are enjoying seeing the sun again. It gets chilly at night and warm during the day. There is a swimming pool, but it is far too cold to swim (for this Floridian). It's just nice to have daylight again!
Happy New Year from Coin, Spain
We celebrated New Year's with the locals in the town church plaza in Coin, Spain. We met for snacks and drinks pre-party at the ranch-owner's house at 10 pm, then headed for town at 11, loaded down with grapes and champagne. The description of the celebration is that people wear "fancy dress". That is a different translation of what they actually wear. It was more like a family-style "Fantasy Fest" (Key West) with homemade costumes of every type. There were pirates with a catapult; monkeys with bananas; many Zoros; ballet dancers with suspiciously hairy lips; Marilyn Monroe and a toilet to name a few. Out of 5,000 people, probably only 20-30 were without costume - including yours truly. It was delightful. There was no drinking in the plaza until the stroke of midnight when everyone sprayed their Cava (Spanish champagne) in the air. You cannot buy French champagne in rural Spain - it's a matter of pride. When the clock begins to chime 12 times, everyone eats the grapes - one for each chime - and it brings you good luck for the coming year. We headed home shortly afterwards and were in bed at exactly 1:11 am on 1/1/11!
"Mush" is a four-letter word, by Steve Oenbrink
OK. So the intrepid travelers departed our cozy warm house in Rovaniemi before daybreak today to participate in a dog-sledding safari. Our indoor/outdoor thermometer said minus 25 degrees Celcius outside - so it's double long-johns and a down snowsuit for the three Floridians.
I drove our cute little diesel Toyota into town and managed to climb the outdoor ramp up to the open parking deck on the second attempt. First try didn't count - no damage done on the backslide. The bad news is we forgot the power cord for the radiator heater back at the house. Hopefully, the car will start again when we return in four hours.
When the three "Mushketeers" check in with the downtown tour company, they informed us that it will be 5 degrees colder in the forest where we are going and to subtract another 5 degrees for the windchill factor. That's minus 35 degrees C if anybody's keeping score. The two girls immediately bought chemical hand warmers to supplement our padded Eskimo clothing.
After an uneventful 20K bus ride with several dozen other crazy tourists, we arrived at the dogsledding compound. It's still dark, excruciatingly cold and there are literally over 300 barking dogs here. About 15 wooden sleds, each with its own dog team, are tethered to nearby trees. Is it too late to back out? You can even keep our money!
Having never experienced a dogsled ride before, we were mentally prepared to sit inside the sled, covered in reindeer hides and sipping warm cider while a guide deftly "mushed" our canine team through the haunting snowscape of the woods. WRONG! We are informed that adult couples will drive our own 6-dog sled. One person standing on the sled rails "mushing" and the other riding in the sled (without the benefit of reindeer hides or cider.) Then switching places halfway through the trip. Too cool! Hannah, being under age 14, was relegated to riding in one of three big 12-dog sleds with 4 other children in her lap with a guide driving.
After a short briefing on sled maneuvering, braking devices, and hand signals, the dawn is breaking (10 am) as our troop heads off single-file through the woods to the din of excited dogs. I'm driving; Catherine is in the sled. Primary objective - don't run over the dogs when the sled is traveling downhill. Hannah's 12-dog sled leads the whole group. Catherine and I are two sleds back - a very good position. Why is that a very good position you ask? Well, after about 500 meters of healthy exercise, the dogs began pooping! The teams will be running and one poor pooch after another is trying to "go" on the run. Not a pretty sight - and the sled is being dragged across it. Now imagine riding sled number 15 in the line-up (exactly 106 dogs in front of you.) Being up front is very good!
The whole thing is kind of dog pandemonium. One of our midline dogs is a young "trainee". He's not running in synch with the team - getting tangled, dragged, etc. After several such entanglements, a guide on a snowmobile disconnects the bewildered dog and takes it back. We're a 5-dog team now. Multiple this turmoil by 15 sleds.
About 40 minutes into the run, Catherine yells back and tells me her feet are freezing. She can't feel her toes and frostbite will surely follow. I'm relatively warm! Having a ball, pushing the sled with one leg on the uphills and staying fairly active as "musher". I suggest that Catherine drives now in order to get some blood circulation going in her feet. So we signal the guide, stop and make an early driver switch. The change in activity helps Cat a little bit, but she's decided she's ready to bail and head to the fireplace to thaw out. I'm comfortable in the sled, but the smell of dog poop is much more apparent down here. After about 10 minutes, we reach a trail junction where another guide is stopping each sled and asking whether we want to take the short-cut (left) back to the compound or continue (right) for another several kilometers. The two sleds ahead of us have gone left and we follow suit. Another 10 minutes and we reach the log cabin, the fire, the warm cider, and gingersnap cookies. All is well!
What a crazy experience! Dogsledding for about an hour across the Arctic Circle in minus 35 degrees has provided all of us with a better perspective of what the mushers running the Alaskan Iditerod race really go through (but I think they get staggered apart and don't have to smell all the dog poop.)
I can report that the digital camera did operate at -35 C, and we have pictures commemerating our survival. See the website. But not many - my hands and fingers couldn't remain out of the thick mittens for too long. In addition, there is no photo of our full dog team and sled as the dogs tend to take off and leave when the driver is not standing on either the runners or the brake.
Thank God it's over! Yes - the car did start.
Finnish Christmas Carols
I had read about the local Rovaniemi Church and their evening Christmas Carols, so we went to the 7 pm performance. The church was packed,, so we squeezed in one of the back pews with our program just in time for the start. I had supposed that this was a touristy event, but no. We appeared to be the only foreigners there. It was filled with the local people singing in their native language. No English subtitles on the program! It was beautiful and moving. Hannah even convinced me to attempt to sing the Finnish words written in the program. I had expected to hear familiar tunes even if they had different words. Out of 24 songs, the only one I knew was the final one - Silent Night. Even Steve enjoyed the evening. The most unusual thing we noticed were the paintings on the walls. There were some familiar - Jesus on the cross- and some new - Joseph walking next to a reindeer! Above the alter a huge mural of the resurrection included a scene where wolves were killing reindeer, as Mary peers into the empty tomb and Jesus emerges above. The church is Lutheran, as is 80% of Finnland.
Santa's Village
The big tourist attraction here is Santa's Village. Most of the tourists arrive here on planes straight from London, take a tour bus to Santa's Village, and are gone within 2 hours. When we arrived at opening time of 9 am, we were only the second visitor there. We had the place to ourselves for almost an hour and it was truly a magical visit. The predawn sky was a smokey blue and snow covered everything. The lights twinkled and the silence was amazing.
Our first stop was to see Santa Claus and get a jump of the hour long lines I had heard about. It was bizarre to say the least. In Finland, Santa brings gifts to good children, but is a rather scarey figure, rather than the jolly old soul we have come to know and love. The walk to see him was dark and creepy, with no Christmas decorations at all - very unlike the walk to see Santa at Macy's in NY! No electric trains or Christmas trees or colored lights. Weird. Santa was Santa of course (see picture above), and we're very glad we got to see him at the Arctic Circle.
Then Hannah did a short reindeer sleigh ride while Steve and I huddled around the cozy campfire. Snow began to fall. Next was the ice park with snow tubing, 4 wheeling, and playing in the igloo. Hannah played in the snow for hours, while Steve and I did a little Christmas shopping in Santa's Workshop, and did a lot more huddling by the fire! We mailed postcards at Santa's post office and shopped for souveniers. Can you believe they sell reindeer pelts at Santa's Workshop? The reality of life in Finnland is that reindeer are a huge industry for food, skins and antlers. Needless to say, we have a huge box to mail back to the States.
It was fun to watch the "tourists" arrive and leave on their very tightly scheduled visit, while we could wander around endlessly enjoying the hot cocoa and scenery. After a long day, we headed home, fully satisfied and full of Christmas spirit.
Arrival in Finland
We flew into Helsinki on FinnAir, who had just recently been on strike only a week ago. We are so lucky on all of our transportation so far. It was a very comfortable 9 hour flight in Business class. Hannah continues to catch up on all of the movies she's missed and managed to watch 4 movies enroute, while Steve and I read and napped. It is a 6 hour time change from Beijing to Finland and four days later, I still haven't caught up. We landed in heavy snow amid reports of airport closures all over Europe. I overheard someone say that Helsinki never closes due to snow because they are so used to it! We took a wonderful, comfortable FinnAir bus to the Helsinki Central Train Station, which is located in the center of Old Town. Our sleeper train did not leave for 6 hours, so we locked up the luggage and went for a stroll through town in the dark, snowy afternoon. The town was so beautiful with Christmas lights everywhere and snow falling softly. The old European architecture really made it seem like a Christmas Wonderland.
Finally, we were too tired and cold, so went back to the train station to await our express night train to Roveniemi. It was a 13 hour train ride due north to the Arctic Circle. We reserved a three bunk sleeper car. It was bigger than I expected and very comfortable. We fell asleep quickly to the rocking motion and clickity-clack of the wheels. We arrived in Rovaniemi at 10 in the morning, where our host family picked us up at the station and took us home for a typical Finnish lunch. We had "wild-game" meat, finnish breads and cheeses, local salmon, and hot spice tea, finished off with special Finnish chocolates. Who knew the Finns made good chocolate???
Shopping in Beijing (NYC)
Today, Hannah and I took the afternoon to catch up on our souvenier and clothing shopping and left a grateful Steve back at the hotel to write his blog. We took the subway to the Silk Market to find a silk dress for Hannah. The silk market was 6 stories high with floors dedicated to fake purses, luggage and shoes, jewelry, name-brand clothing, toys, and cheap souveniers. It was a riot. Like Canal Street in NY, but on steroids. We had lunch at the basement food court, where every stall was some type of Asian cuisine. Delicious. Then we made a second visit to the outdoor market to pick up a few more trinkets. Last, we found our way to the new Gap store (just opened one month ago) in an upscale shopping mall to find a new pair of jeans for Hannah. As we were walking down the street at dusk admiring the Christmas decorations, Hannah and I made a surprising discovery...Beijing reminds us of NYC!
Scaling the Great Wall of China by Steve Oenbrink
On Wednesday, December 15th, Catherine Hannah and I arose at 5:30 am (Beijing time) to begin our assault on the Great Wall of China. It's very cold outside - the TV says 10 degrees F with a minus 5 degree wind chill - Dress Warm!
The Kamikaze tour van driver arrived for us at 6:20 am and we began the 3 hour drive to Jinshanling on the border with Mongolia. There are 6 of us ( three Americans, two Dutch and one French Canadian) traveling 150 kms to experience the "original" Great Wall in a pristine, non-tourist environment. Hurdling along at ridiculous speeds, horn blaring, passing on blind curves, passing on the right shoulder, and ignoring traffic devices, we arrived there in only 2 hours and 30 minutes - including the Canadian guy's necessary bathroom stop.
Crowds? No worries mates, it's just us. No other vans, buses or tourists are anywhere in sight. At 0900, the driver pulls up to some stone steps carved into the mountainside whereupon "dragon lady", our female tour guide, points and instructs the 6 of us to hike up to the Wall, turn left then walk for about an hour. Then turn around, come back, and walk down another half mile to the entrance gate where she will be waiting in the warm restaurant and "arranging" our lunch. Our government assigned tour guide was NOT about to join us out in the cold!
The wall hike was actually Spectacular! However, it is definitley not "handicapped accessible". It was physically very demanding with many steep inclines to negotiate as the Wall traverses up and over the sinuous mountain ridges. With crumbling bricks and narrow ledges, there were several places we probably would have turned back if not for the help of four local "farmers" who adopted our group at the foot of the Wall. With limited English, they showed us how to go around bad zones and climb up to the top of the watch towers. All for the opportunity to sell us some souveniers at the end. One particular climb of 106 steep steps (no handrails) left my thighs burning and necessitated a midway stop to gulp oxygen (remember, it is a mountain).
We probably hiked about 3 kms of a Wall that is over 5,600 kms long. The Wall wound out of sight as far as we could see in two directions. To realize that it was all built by hand labor over 600 years ago in order to provide security from invaders is just incredible. Maybe the US-Mexico border needs one! The Wall is also referred to locally as the World's Largest Cemetery as those conscripted laborers who died working on the wall are buried within its earthen core.
Our visit to the Great Wall was definitely worth all the physical effort even in the freezing cold. Pictures are on (or coming to) our website. However, the "tour company" was pretty much worthless and didn't earn 10 cents of their exorbitant fee. The Dragon Lady who spoke pigeon English, didn't introduce herself, and never told us one fact about the Wall. She rushed the group through lunch (it was good) so they could return the rented van early. Her driver, Mario Tse Tung, nearly killed us about 12 times each coming and going. And on the return trip when the van reached the outskirts of Beijing, they pulled over at a subway station and suggested that everyone, in order to avoid another hour of city traffic, should ride the public subway the rest of the way to our respective hotels. Everyone refused and insisted upon the door-to-door service we had paid for. The two Dutch ladies were dropped off 12 minutes later, and our hotel was another 5 minutes beyond. We waved goodbye to the Canadian guy and wished him good luck.
We advised the hotel of our disappointment and serious safety concerns with the tour operator. They explained the government lottery system by which tours are assigned, which basically means nothing can be done. Another politician's daughter with job security.
One unexpected benefit of the tour is that we've made plans to catch up with the
Dutch family when we are in Amsterdam next February. We made no plans to catch up with the French-Canadian guy who related the following story. He was injured in an accident that rendered him unable to work and resulted in enough insurance money to enable him to travel the world. His new passion is running marathons in far-flung locales. His traumatic head injury also caused him to develop an unspecified mental illness. He said "I'm crazy you know". Nuff said.
Forbidden Palace
The additional photos taken today are of Forbidden Palace.
Michael's House
We chose this hotel based in its reviews on TripAdvisor (our go-to guide). It is located in a hutong relatively close to the metro and the tourist sites, and no-where near downtown - a good thing. Prices are cheap in the area and there are no tourists or hawkers nearby-just a nice local neighborhood. The "house" has nine rooms connected in the center by an enclosed courtyard. The courtyard is heated (barely) and holds the reception desk, sofas and tables, a small self-serve bar, a koi pond, two parakeets, and a Christmas tree. Breakfast is served in the courtyard as a buffet of both Chinese and typical American food. On the Chinese buffet there are wontons, dumplings, fried rice, wonton soup, almond cookies, and fruit. On the American side are eggs, bacon and some unusual hash-browns and chicken nuggets. Then there is toast, butter, jelly, and three juices.
Most nights we are the only ones staying here. One other room is occupied tonight. It is like having an entire hotel to yourself - actually we DO have the entire thing to ourselves. The staff, being young and bored, seems to enjoy drawing maps for us and making trip recommendations and bookings (although they themselves have never been to any of these tourist attractions). Tonight, staff ordered takeout Chinese for us to have here since we were tired from our daytrip. She set up a table for us in the courtyard, brought out the plates and silverware, brought us hot drinks, and then cleared away out mess afterwards. Not your normal hotel service. (Oh and don't think they do it for the tips. There's no tipping in China). Sally (or is it CiCi or Ivy?) just graduated from FIU(Florida Intl University) in hotel management. Go figure!
They also upgraded Hannah's room to a suite because her shower water wasn't hot enough!
The courtyard frig is stocked with beers, wine and LOTS OF COKE ZERO!
What else could you want?
Loving life here in Beijing (but not the cold).
Or...Not Eating in Beijing
We planned an evening out to dinner downtown and the famous Chinese Acrobatic Show. We have been traveling by subway and thought it would be nice to take a taxi for the comfort and convenience for the one night. A fifteen minute drive turned into 1 hour and 20 minutes stuck in rush hour traffic in Beijing. (1,000 cars a day are added to the road per statistics.) Since we did not have time for dinner, we headed straight to the theater and had time to buy snacks at the concession stand. Popcorn for dinner. Yum!
The show itself was outstanding. It is definitely geared toward tourists and tour groups. But the gymnists are truly amazing. Every act was better than the last one. Picture 12 women in fantastical costumes all riding on ONE bicycle; three men balanced on one man's hand; women contorting their bodies in the most unnatural positions you've ever seen (almost enough to make you ill thinking about it). I started thinking they should take this to Broadway and then realized Cirque du Soleil did! Nothing this unpolished would ever be a success in the US, but WOW!
After a 15 minute taxi drive home, we crashed for the night. Breakfast has become our most important meal.
Eating in Beijing
Luckily, our hotel includes breakfast! We are finding it difficult to eat out at local restaurants. Since we are not staying downtown Beijing, we are not near the touristy restaurants with English menus or English speaking waiters. Our attempts to communicate have been comical. Most of the time, the Chinese seem to just ignore us and hope we'll go away. The waiters take turns coming to our table. I think they draw straws in the back and the loser has to wait on us. Seriously!
The two fast food restaurants in town are KFC and Pizza Hut. We decided to try Pizza Hut - I mean how hard could that be? First of all I ordered my usual Diet Coke. No Go. Pepsi only and no Pepsi Lite. OK. Water for all of us. Hot water in a coffee mug arrived at the table. Hmmm. No tea bags or anything. After a while it cools off and we drank it. Then I noticed a man next to our table with hot tea. I though, well, since we're in China, maybe I should try the hot tea. I pointed to his tea. The waiter brought be another cup of hot water. I pointed again and said "tea". Isn't that Chinese? She brought a plate of lemons. The Chinese man pointed at his tea - finally - I think the waiter understands. By this time, we are giggling and making bets as to what he will bring me. A tall glass of icewater with lemons in it. I finally resorted to asking for a menu and pointed at the picture of hot lemon tea. It came and was delicious. Hannah could see the manager and other waiters around the corner laughing too. By the way, the tea bag said "Lipton". Is that a Chinese company?
Dinner for under $10
Just back from dinner. We walked down the street to a local restaurant where we had a big surprise. The menu was totally in Chinese lettering, but it did have photos. The waiters spoke zero English. They didn't even understand when I asked them if they spoke English. "Rice" brought a blank look to his face. The only word he understood was "chicken". I really wanted beef, but he didn't get that word, even when Steve mooed. Ha-Ha! So the waiter pointed out three chicken dishes and we picked one. It turned out to be good, with huge cloves of garlic, onions and HOT red peppers. The chicken pieces were full of bones where they had just chopped up a chicken and thrown it in without deboning it first! Hannah had her usual wonton soup by pointing at the page. They brought a pot of hot water to the table, but no tea or anything, so we never figured out what that was for. I got up and took two bottles of cold water from the cooler myself for our drinks. Only chopsticks were provided. The other patrons were smoking like chimneys - I'd forgotten about smoking since no one has smoked in any country we've been in yet. The best part of the night was the bill $51 yuan or roughly $8 US!! Maybe we'll get more adventuresome tomorrow (or maybe we'll try McDonalds!)
Back in Northern Hemisphere
We arrived into Beijing late last night, coming from Australia's hot summer and arriving in Beijing's cold winter. It was 36 F today and mostly sunny. It was a surprise to be back where people drive on the "right" side of the road. I was beginning to think that only America drove on the right side. Apparently China does too.
We walked around our neighborhood this morning and were thrilled to find a "hypermarket" called Wu-Mart. Ripoff??? It is very similar with sales of everything you could ever want on the top floor and grocery store on the bottom floor. I was thrilled to discover that cokes are back to an affordable price (about $.25 a can) rather than $3-$4 a can in Australia. And our lunch was under $8 for the three of us.
We rode the subway down to the outdoor markets. We are becoming pros at navigating public transportation. I am always amazed at the consideration that young people show their elders on the subway. First in Buenos Aires, and now in Beijing, the young people ALWAYS stand to allow someone older to sit (not me, silly). Maybe this happens in the US too, but I don't ride the subway too much there.
At the markets, we noticed that we were the only Americans there. INteresting. Maybe because it's wintertime. Lots of tourists though, they're just from Asia. Our favorite booths were the insects on a stick. I took photos with my IPhone and hope to load them soon. YUCK! There were scorpions, crickets, centipedes and other unidentifiable things. Hannah bravely tried a "fruit on a stick" concoction that was layered orange slices and miniature apples covered with sugar. After looking at all of the dried birds, insects and raw meat on a stick, we headed across the street to eat at a familiar place - KFC!
While at KFC, some college students approached Steve and asked him to take a survey they were giving to tourists. (How did they know?). They took turns taking pictures of him and practicing their English. I think he made their day (and vice-versa).
Pretty nice start to our week.
Birds in Paradise
Who knew at the beginning of our journey that Steve and Hannah would turn into avid birders? From our very first sighting of a yellow-headed caracara in Panama to the rainforests of Peru; the hyacinth macaws in Brazil; and the doves and eagles in Argentina... By the time we hit New Zealand we were ready with our Field Guide to Birds of New Zealand. In Australia, we ended up with three bird books and one wildlife guide (in addition to all of the internet research).
Our final weeks in Australia have found us at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere- a wonderful place to be! Our first order of business whenever we hit town is to purchase a bag of wild bird seed. Hannah made several bird feeders around the house, and before the week was out she had success! Our first day here, an Australian Eagle dropped half of his dinner ( a 5 kilo hare) into our backyard. Yuck! The cuckaburros serenade us every evening with their raucous laughter. King Parrots, crested pigeons, lorikeets, and more,more,, more. Pictures should be posted soon!
Newcastle/Hunter Valley
We have arrived at our last home exchange in Australia. It is a gorgeous farmhouse on 25 acres on the Williams River. It has dogs, goats, chickens, a duck and horses. Hannah is in heaven. It is also home to all of our favorite birds and marsupials, of course. There is even a pool out back and a citrus orchard.
The flights today were chaotic, with all of the high-school children graduating and going off for senior trips. It was also election day here with voting at the airport. We barely made it on our plane in time, even with arriving two hours early! Our id's were never checked and we didn't have to strip for security. We did have to pay for our cokes on the flight.
In addition, our credit cards are not working since a major bank here had computer problems that shut down all major credit agencies in Australia. I don't know why it affected our cards, but it has. Luckily we had enough cash to get through until the bank opens on Monday. (Thanks for the loan, Hannah.)
Tomorrow is Steve's bday, so Hannah and I plan to spend the day cooking him a Thanksgiving feast to make up for missing it last week. We plan to spend this week catching up on schoolwork, hair appts, and Christmas shopping.
Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
We all agree. The Great Ocean Road may be a great touristy thing to do if you have never been to Australia before, but after two months of cross-country travel in this amazing country, GOR doesn't live up to its hype. Adding to that, it has either been 96 degrees (with no AC in the hotel) or raining (still no AC)! The tiny towns along the road remind me of old Florida coastal towns 30 years ago. There is one road along the beach lined with motels, restaurants, and surf shops. There are many Asian tourists here, loaded on a bus in Melbourne, and carted down for a one-day trip. Now, I admit, the views are gorgeous. We also spotted our first wild emus (see photo) at a stop-off called Tower Hill - a dormant volcano. Other than that, we are looking forward to heading for Melbourne tomorrow for our flight to Newcastle where we will spend our last two weeks in Australia at a home exchange - Whew, finally a chance to rest.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends at home. There is no turkey here, althought emu? Hmmm?
Kangaroo Island
I can't believe that I've fallen behind on my journal. We have already left KI and are touring the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. But a recap of KI... We spent 4 nights at Hanson Bay Cabins on a clifftop overlooking the Southern Ocean. Kangaroos, wallabies and possums crept into our yard at dusk, within a stone's throw of our porch. It was difficult to drive at dusk due to the kangaroos and wallabies crossing the roads (like deer in the South). We kept count of roadkill every day. The brochures claim that up to 1,000,000 wallabies reside on KI and we believe it! Our cabin was located on the Koala Wildlife Sanctuary property where we could visit a field of eucalyptus trees full of koalas. In fact, we saw koalas wherever there were eucalyptus trees on the island, not only in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is currently raising two kangaroo joeys, and we were allowed to hold them in their pouches. Totally Cool! We also saw a penguin colony at Vivonne Bay, and Australian sea-lions on the beaches. An island full of exotic wild animals - just our kind of place!
Another Grander?
Today, after our snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, we fished for bait, looking for mackerel. In addition to mackerel, Hannah reeled in a 30# yellow-fin tuna, and Kelly brought in a nice hammerhead shark. We ate Hannah's tuna for lunch (as a sandwich) and dinner (as carpaccio). Yummy! Then off to another day of marlin fishing. After much interference by hungry barracudas, I finally got my fish! A whopping 900#er! We were hoping it was another grander, but after review of the videos, determined that it barely missed the mark. What a fantastic day!
Ladies' Day
Today was our turn. Hannah fought the first marlin of the day - a strapping 300# black. Then Catherine fought a smaller one that threw the bait almost immediately. Too Bad! Another great day at the Reef!
Hannah has decided she likes the life of being waited on by men all day. Watch out future husband!
Look at http://www.blackmarlinfishingblog.com/
Day One - A Grander!
We headed out of Cooktown at about 9:30 am and went south east threading our way through the inner and outer reef. We stopped a couple of times to fish for bait, but nothing was biting. Not a good sign. We pulled in to Opal Reef and jumped in for a quick swim before the day's marline fishing began.
WOW! I have snorkeled in many places and many reefs, but nothing prepared me for the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. The corals were amazing in both brilliant colors and size. It is encouraging to know that there is still a place on earth where corals are still thriving. The variety and colors of the fish were stunning. Many things that I have never seen before - even in aquariums or photographs! And Giant Clams just sitting there!
After a quick dip, our mates( Steve H. from North Carolina and Carl from Tequesta) fixed us a delicious hot sandwich, and we headed outside of the reef to black marlin territory. We had our first hit within 30 minutes, but he didn't get the hook. As is his due, Steve was up first, as we hooked up our first fish of the day - a Grander (1,000#)! Later, Kelly hooked up a 250#er for a release right at sunset. Then we headed into the reef to anchor.
Carl cooked up a delicious lobster dinner with ice-cream for dessert. Off to bed for an early start tomorrow. What a perfect day!
We're off to the Great Barrier Reef fishing. May be out of touch for a week.
Daintree Rain forest
Hi,this is Kelly Henning writing this.I joined the Oenbrinks on the 6th of Nov. in Port Douglas,Queensland.On monday the 8th we took a trip into the Daintree rain forest.They had hired a guide and his 4-wheel landrover to take us into the forest.The guides' name was Pete,and he was a real source of information about the local plants and animals.Alot of the stuff we already knew,which surprised Pete but some things we didn't know.In the beginning of the trip we stopped and viewed some giant fruit bats that were hanging upside down from trees.These bats were 1.5 feet tall with a 3 ft. wingspan! When they hang upside down they wrap their wings around themselves and rest.They look just like little count draculas.At dusk each day they take off and go feed.There is plenty for them to eat,Mango trees everywhere,banana and avocado trees also just to name a few.We stopped at a roadside viewing area and Pete showed us a ant called a green ant and if you lick it's abdomen it tastes like a starburst candy!If you smash them up in your hands and smell them it's like a vicks inhaler to clear you sinuses.Then we went deeper in the forest and parked the truck and went hiking on a trail.On the hike we saw a wild pig and a pair of birds called Malleefowl.Catherine got a leach on her ankle,GROSS! Pete said it was good karma to let the leach fill up with blood and let it fall off.Lots of plants and even ate some too.Then we went to a section of the forest near the ocean and we saw a very rare bird called a cassowary.It's huge,does not fly but could kick you hard and kill you if threatened.It had a baby chick with it.Pete the guide said the chick looked to be about 6 months old.Pete said he hasn't seen a cassowary in about 2 months and he goes to the forest all the time with customers.He said we were very lucky to see one.I think it's because I was with them and brought them good luck.We took alot of pictures.Then Pete took us to a swimming hole on the river and we had lunch and went for a swim.The water was crystal clear and about 76 degrees.Refreshing! Then we packed up and went to a trail that led to the ocean and walked on the beach for few minutes.After that we Pete took us to a ice cream shop where they make it right there.50 or 60 different flavors!Then it was the drive home and relax! Good day.
Port Douglas, Australia
Port Douglas is our short stop before heading north to fish for Black Marlin next week. This quaint town reminds me of Key West in its tropical atmosphere, charter boats and lousy beaches! (Sorry, Chamber of Commerce!). The locals say it is for the "newly-weds" and "nearly deads". I'm not sure exactly where we fit in. The beach is called 4 mile beach, although everything here is measured in kilometers. It is hard-packed sand, which makes it great for walking on, but not so great for lying on. It is very wide at low tide and almost completely covered at high tide. From November to May, the deadly "box jellyfish" arrive and swimming is not allowed anywhere except for one very small netted area, which is filled with tourists jumping up and down in the surf.
Luckily, our hotel and the town itself are wonderful. It is nice to be back in some heat and humidity....really! After 5 months of winter and springtime below the equator, it is great to be able to wear a swimsuit and jump in the pool at our hotel. Our hotel is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with balconies overlooking the pool, and surrounded by tropical vegetation (similar to home). The trees are filled with unusual birds including wild lorikeets and fruit bats (not birds, I know).
The best part of Port Douglas has been the arrival of our friend, Kelly. He is joining us to fish for marlin on the charter boat. He arrived a few days early to get acclimated, and has been a welcome addition to our family. We grow weary of only talking to each other. It's nice to see a familiar face and catch up on life back home.
More in Eagle Bay
Our second week at Eagle Bay we made new friends. We met a family from England (by way of Singapore) who stayed in the house behind ours. We went to the beach together and met for meals and enjoyed spending time with another family with children. They even taught us how to play beach cricket!
Then Ian and Fay's friends invited us for dinner at their beautiful home overlooking a vineyard, where we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Ian and Fay and their family also invited us to dinner at their farmhouse rental our last night. We chased kangaroos, ate a late dinner, drank much wine, and played with their grandchildren.
We were sad to leave Eagle Bay and plan to come back again. Hannah said goodbye to her baby bird she rescued and cared for all week. It was a sad leaving.
Royal Australian Air Force Acrobatic Team
OK, I wish I could take credit for that first picture above, but I did "borrow" it from the RAAF website! We were outside our hotel this afternoon when they arrived for a quick 30 minute performance. Steve had left the camera in the room and all I had was my I-Phone. So all pics are from that. Hannah said it was the best thing she's seen so far! It gave me goosebumps when they did their fairwell flyover and wing waggle. See video.
Northern Territories at Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Just a quick update for our followers...Sorry we haven't updated in a while. We had such a relaxing time in Eagle Bay that we just forgot to post. We will update later this week. We have moved on to Uluru for a couple of days, and leave tomorrow for Port Douglas in Queensland. Once we arrive, we will update site with photos and memories.
Springtime in Australia is GLORIOUS!
Kangaroos, Whales and Cockatoos, O My!
Just wanted to add a note that we have seen these animals every day so far. The humpback whale photos were taken from our beach, not from a boat. There were three whales coming totally out of the water. We could hear the slapping sounds of their fins hitting the water. It was amazing.
The kangaroos come out into the fields at dusk, just like deer. Steve made us sit in a ground blind tonight and wait on them to show up. Just like home.
Eagle Bay, Western Australia
This trip just keeps getting better and better! Our house is in Eagle Bay, about 3 hours south of Perth. It is on a little tip of the coast of the Indian Ocean. The house is beautiful with a view of the ocean and a five minute walk to the beach. It is spring here and all of the flowers are in bloom. The wrap-a-round porch overlooks the blooming garden and is where we sit to watch the birds perform. There are cockatoos of every description, magpies, and kookaburras too! From the beach we have seen the humpback whales migrate by with their new calves on their way to the Antarctic for the summer. And the kangaroos come out at dusk to feed in the fields between the house and the ocean. Steve is out right now with the camera, so I will try to add photos later today.
Farewell to Friends!
We received an unexpected bonus when we sent Hannah to tennis camp last week. We thought it would be fun for her to meet some children her own age and get away from her parents for a while. It was a successful week and she had a great time. She also met a new friend, Eliza. She and Eliza continued their friendship after tennis camp, and Hannah even went to school with Eliza today. She had a fabulous day in the 6th grade class. Eliza's school reminds me of Good Shepherd School in its size and atmosphere.
The bonus for me was our new-found friendship with Eliza's parents. They were so kind and welcoming to our whole family. We look forward to seeing them again someday on a future trip to Florida. Goodbye to Natalie, Matt, Eliza and Jarvis - we'll miss you!
Newtown
Our home exchange is in a suburb of Sydney called Newtown. There is a university here and many young, hip people. So it is great for people watching with hair styles and colors (pink, blue and green) and funky clothing - lots of patterned stockings under shorts and skirts.
It is also known for its multitude of ethnic restaurants. We have tried Greek, Thai and last night, African. It was amazing. We had made reservations based on the decor and the promised African drum music. The attached video shows the man from Senegal playing his tribal drum (according to him). We tried almost everything on the menu. We had appetizers from Nigeria and Morroco including Kpoff-Kpoff, a Nigerian dumpling. For our main course we had West African beef stew (for Hannah), Bua (goat) from Ghana, Ladies Fingers (okra) from West Africa, Galkora (eggplant) from Ghana, and Pumpkin Stew from West Africa. All was served with rice and Chapati, an East African bread. To drink we had Karkadeh, a traditional Egyptian drink made from the Hibiscus flower. It was delicious and great for cooling off the spicy dinner. We left the restaurant "African Feeling" with a satisfied feeling that we had tried something new and exotic. As we left we noticed the Lebanese restaurant next door with the belly dancer. Looks like tonight will be another adventure!
Sydney is for the Birds
As you all know, Steve and Hannah love birds, especially parrots. They wanted to see the wild parrots of Sydney, so off we went to the Botanic Gardens where they are rumored to live. The gardens themselves are amazing. It is spring here, and so everything was in bloom. The first thing we saw were the gray headed fox bats - hundreds - roosting in the trees. Later we discovered the colony of sulfur-crested cockatoos. There were around 30 of them, friendly and inquisitive, especially when Hannah started handing out the wild bird seed she brought. We stayed all afternoon, just watching and playing with the cockatoos.
Hannah had tennis camp this morning, then she and Steve headed back out to see the cockatoos, while I am having a pedicure and a little shopping downtown.
Reflections on New Zealand by Steve Oenbrink
As we begin our 5th and last week in New Zealand, I realize I’m overdue at providing my impressions of this gem of the Southern Hemisphere. So here goes…
1. SCENERY. Visually, I seriously doubt that any other place that Hannah, Catherine and I visit during this year-long trip will match NZ for its exquisite scenery! We’ve witnessed every possible shade of springtime green while driving the volcanic coasts and mountains of the North Island. Then we’ve experienced snow, blizzards and rugged alpine terrain while traveling through the Southern Alps on South Island. During our travels we’ve soaked in thermal hot springs and walked on top of glaciers. We’ve hiked through subtropical rainforests then viewed seals and penguins on the beach. What a place! No words or photos can communicate the sheer natural beauty of NZ. This place should be at the top of everyone’s list of spectacular places to visit. And here’s a few more reasons why….
2. SHEEP - There are sheep everywhere! The 2010 population estimate is over 40 million. With a total human population base of only 3.3 million that equates to about 12 sheep per person. It’s lambing time now, so the ewes are all having their babies - most with twins. Wobbly-legged balls of white fur dot every green pasture. Hannah has bottle fed lambs several times during our travels and even used electric clippers to partially shear an adult sheep. Miraculously, it lived (and we have the bloodless wool to prove it).
Several varieties of sheep are bred here either for wool or for meat. Each adult sheep provides between 10-13 pounds of wool during its annual sheering. For economic viability the sheep farmers must target a 125% herd increase of new lambs each year. So the number will continue to rise!
3. THERE’S NOBODY HERE -only 3.3 million residents! With large population centers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and a few other cities, the majority of the two islands are very rural. Agriculture (wool, timber, dairy products, venison, wine) and tourism fuel the NZ economy. So that provides acres (actually “hectares” over here) of forests, farmlands and mountains for us to view and explore. While we have been traveling the secondary highways, there are frequently periods of 15-20 minutes when a vehicle never passes traveling in the opposite direction. So driving in NZ (even on the left side of the road) has been relatively easy- except in the mountains during heavy snow.
4. THE ROADS. Having driven both a 6 person,5-speed diesel campervan and an SUV, I would have to rate the NZ highway system as extremely good. The primary North Island highway, NZ1, is comparable to any high-speed US interstate. Maximum posted speed throughout NZ is 100 kph (about 64 mph), but everyone drives about +10 above. Of course they do drive on the left side here, but that is easy to get used to.
All of the other secondary and local roads have two noticeable differences from our US highway system. Rather than using full stop signalized intersections, NZ makes extensive use of circular round-a-bouts to change directions. These work very well in the smaller cities and even on the outskirts of busy Auckland. However, in urban areas, it’s kind of like a game of “chicken”. Surprisingly, in 4+ weeks of driving both Islands we have not observed even one vehicle accident. There is little market for traffic signalization services in NZ.
The other difference is their extensive use of single-lane bridges on the secondary highways and local roads. They save the cost of building wider bridges by posting one direction as having the right-of-way. With the low traffic volumes we have only had to wait one or two times for a vehicle to clear a bridge.
The use of round-a-bouts and one-lane bridges provides you some perspective on how little traffic is actually using most of the country’s roads. In addition, farmers are permitted to place signs on the roads and temporarily stop traffic while they herd their cattle or sheep across from one pasture to another. Rural NZ reminds you of what the US might have been like 100 years ago.
5. THE CAMPERVAN. My first experience driving an oversized diesel campervan was actually great fun! I drove it just over 1850 kilometers during our two weeks on North Island. With its high driving position, the camper provided us excellent vistas of the spectacular countryside. Its power steering and engine brakes made it easy to drive, even on the steep circuitous mountain roads. Interestingly, diesel fuel was cheap in NZ averaging only about $1.19 NZ per liter compared to $1.80 NZ per liter for unleaded fuel for the SUV.
For about $40, we stayed in commercial campgrounds (with WI-FI internet access for schooling) every evening. Plugging in in our electrical cord, we avoided most of the sanitary dumping issues by utilizing the nice bathroom facilities in each campground. Occasionally, we cooked in the camper and even then took the dishes in to the campground kitchen to wash.
The camper was our castle on wheels. With Diet Cokes in the refrigerator and wine in the rack, we were free to go anywhere. Hannah claimed the overhead bunk above the driver’s cab and turned it into her private nest. Catherine and I got the rest of the space. The enclosed shower and bathroom area we used solely for storage. It worked out great!
All in all, I enjoyed our footloose “camping” lifestyle and was sorry to leave the big wheels behind when we took the giant ferry over to South Island.
6. IT’S COLD AND WET IN NZ! Our two weeks on North Island were characterized by several days of unseasonably heavy rains, which caused many minor rock and mud slides onto the mountain highways. Impressively, road crews would clear them as soon as they occurred. However, one South Island slide triggered by both the heavy rains and earthquakes near Christchurch, did close NZ 1 for about 5 days. Fortunately, a longer and more picturesque detour route was available to us. We never did experience any of the tremors or aftershocks that were making the world news.
The North Island weather was mostly pleasant with light jackets required in the evening (and the heater on in the camper). On South Island we brought out the long johns, fleece and windbreakers as the same weather pattern was dumping late season snow and very high winds on the mountains of the Southern Alps. Our all-wheel drive SUV handled well, traversing the high mountain roads through snow, fog and wind. Fortunately, we never encountered ice on any road (so far).
The most harrowing driving experience so far was when we elected to go off-road near Wanaka, South Island to go “snow tubing” at the top of a snow-capped mountain. Leaving the dry, paved valley highway, we began ascending a 13 km dirt and gravel switchback road. The road had no guard rails – only vertical drops of many hundreds of feet. In many places, the dirt road was less than 2 cars wide and it also had many tight, blind corners. After we had crept about halfway up the mountain, we reached the snow line. To the girls’ great delight, the temperature dropped and it began snowing. Soon the flakes were big, winds increased, visibility dropped to less than 50 yards and Dad became a freaked-out zombie! Turning around was out of the question on the narrow track so we tiptoed up to the top, hugging the mountain wherever I could.
The ski facility turned out to be a cross-country training center with no lifts. The 3-4 staff decided we could “tube” only on one hill that was partially groomed, but the grade of the hill steered us into a solid wooden fence. They also enquired whether we had arrived in a 4-wheel drive car (we had) as heavy snow was expected there for the remainder of the day. After 10 minutes, and one disastrous “tubing” run, Dad decided it was time to get off the mountain – ALIVE! With the dirt road now covered by snow we began “inching” our way through the snow storm down the unprotected road. Several switchbacks down the mountain, we met an operator on a frontend loader who was clearing snow from the road up to the top. After we squeezed past him the going was somewhat easier down to the snowline - where I took a deep cleansing breath and thanked God we had left the camper van on North Island.
In closing, NZ has been spectacular! However, after our recent cold trips by boat in Milford Sound and by helicopter onto both the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, I am tiring of the daily rain, cold and snow. I’m now looking forward to moving on to Sydney, Australia next Saturday for a change of weather and the opportunity to get back into summer clothing!
A Sunny Birthday Present
As part of our planning, we had several "must-do" items, around which we scheduled the rest of our trip. Marlin fishing in Australia, the wildebeast migration in Africa, and heli-hiking Franz Josef glacier for my birthday! The weather has been extreme for a New Zealand spring and the helicopters had not flown in two weeks. We arrived into Franz Josef a day early for the hike on a beautiful sunny clear day (my birthday). The office warned us that tomorrow had heavy rains forecast and we would most likely have the hike cancelled. Although it was 5:30 pm, the time change had just occurred leaving us with an extra hour of daylight. The office offered to take us up immediately and refund our money for Tuesday. After a few minutes discussion, we agreed, and off we flew. We were the only 3 passengers and had the pilot and helicopter to ourselves. It was spectacular. We flew over both glaciers - Franz Josef and Fox - and landed at the top of Fox Glacier for a 15 minute stop/photo op. The skies were blue and clear above the gathering clouds in the valley below us. It was an awesome experience and the perfect birthday present.
When we woke up this morning to pouring rain, we congratulated ourselves for making the right decision. Then Steve and I headed off for the hike to the base of Franz Josef in the rain. We were soaked, but happy. (and Hannah was happy to stay at the room and do schoolwork).
Daylight Savings Times
So to make it even more confusing, NZ changed to DST last night "spring forward", when the US will be "falling back" next month. So today we are now 17 hours ahead of Florida and next month we will be 18 hours ahead after Florida time changes back. Whew!
It almost made us miss our bus to Milford Sound this morning. Luckily I was using my I-Phone as an alarm clock and IT was smart enought to wake me up at the "correct" time. We got in the car and couldn't figure out why it was still dark and the car clock said it was an hour earlier. So we went back into the house to wait an hour. After one minute, my brain kicked in and I realized that the time change had occurred while we slept. So we rushed back out to the car and barely make our bus!! Lucky Us! More on today's trip later.
Best Things in New Zealand
> No Tipping
> Venison, Lamb and Salmon
> Hot Chocolate
> Road Systems
> Electric Blankets
> Hikes (Tramps as they are called here)
> Fish and Chips with tomato sauce (ketchup)
> Local wines and beers
> Exchange Rate ($1 US = $1.4 NZ)
> Friendly Kiwi's (NZ natives)
> Diet Coke available everywhere
> Green lipped mussels (all you can eat for $2)
> Baby lambs on every hill
> Snow-capped mountains
Queenstown
We are now in Queenstown, NZ. We moved on from Kaikoura to Mt. Cook (where we had tons of snow overnight) to Wanaka for 3 nights and now Qtown today. We are staying in a wonderful home exchange on the lake with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It is nice to finally be somewhere where we can spread out and each have a little privacy. We will be here for a week and hopefully catch up on Hannah's school work and laundry. (We're already a month behind on school and have only been at it for 3 weeks. Is that even possible?)
Whale Watching in Kaikoura
After weeks of rain, rain, sunny day, etc etc, it's been heaven to have three sunny days in a row! We were scheduled for whale watching, but the forecast called for gale-force winds and high seas. We were on standby for the departure. I even took seasick pills and I never get seasick. (Note to friends.... do not mix sicksick medication with chardonnay at lunch...need I say more?). Anyway, the day dawned crisp and clear with no winds. So off we went. It was picture-perfect! The average whale siting here is 2 per trip with the maximum of 3 this last month. We spotted 5!!! They are immature sperm whales (the males) who come to feed in the underwater canyon. The views back to the mainland were spectacular with snowed-capped mountains in the background. What a fantastic day!
Mt. Ruapehu
We are slowly (very slowly) heading south toward Wellington where we have to turn in our campervan on Sunday. Boo-Hoo. It's really great carrying everything with you. I mean what could be better than having a refrigerator full of diet coke just behind the seat? I'm really going to miss that little feature!
We stopped today at Mt. Ruapehu for some recommended hiking. There were actually people skiing at the top, although there's not much snow left. We came back about half-way down the mountain and parked at the campground in Whakapapa. (Wh is pronounced "f" in NZ). I can't keep any of these town names straight. Steve and I hike 2 hours to a local waterfall, while Hannah wisely decided to do schoolwork in the campervan. It began raining about an hour into our hike. Despite the rainy conditions, it was a gorgeous hike with mountain views and alpine conditions. We arrived back wet but happy. (OK, I was happy, Steve not so much). I love working off those peanut m&m's!!!
Class 3 Tongariro River Rafting or Shrimp World?
Our initial plan today was to take it easy, do a little schoolwork, then head out to the local prawn farm and catch our dinner. While I was taking a shower, Steve and Hannah decided to white water raft instead! Remember, it's the end of winter here! But who am I to hold them back? So when they called to sign up, I decided to join them. Since no other tourists were foolish enough to go white water rafting in the winter, we had the trip to ourselves. They suited us up with two fleece shirts (over our own swimsuits), a full wetsuit, dive boots, neoprene gloves, a splash shirt, a wool beenie, and a helmet (just in case, you know).
It was actually sunny and warm, although the river water was 50 F! Don't fall out! We had a great time, stayed warm and mostly dry, and the look on Hannah's face was worth every penny (hundreds of them). There were 60 rapids over 15 kilometers, and it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to travel the river. Afterwards, we went swimming in a local geothermal pool, then finished it off with hot soup and bread at the raft center.
They provided us with a waterproof digital camera for the trip, then sold us the dvd with the photos on it. We'll post some when we can download the dvd somewhere along the way. The finishing touch is that the owner invited Steve to go goose hunting. We'll see...
What's that Smell?
Rotorua is know for its geothermal activity, hot pools and mud baths. The smell in town is like rotten eggs - hydrogen sulfide. We stayed a bit out of town to avoid the smell. It reminded me a little bit of Monticello with a north wind (from the paper mill).
These pics are of the Waiotapu Geothermal area just south of Rotorua. We went mainly to see the Lady Knox geyser which is reputed to go off every day at promptly 10:15 am. Steve and I were doubtful of the exact timing. What if it went off earlier than planned and we missed it? How could it possibly be the exact same time every day? Nature is not that predictable. Well we found out. The park's staff waits until 10:14 am and then drops a surfactant into the opening, which then creates the eruption. It is a real geyser, but we felt a little let down.
However, the pools that bubbled and boiled and steamed with hydrogen sulfide were out of this world! As chemicals are leached from the ground, the pools change colors with red, orange, yellow, blue, greens, purple and white. It was a great hike.
Just Another Day on the North Island
Although it has rained on and off for our first week in NZ, this is the first day that it has rained enought to keep us inside. Hannah is working on her schoolwork (I didn't tell her it was Labor Day back home). We are in Rotorua, a place know for its thermal activities - hot pools, mud pools, geysers, etc. We're hoping to get out and see some later today if the rain lets up.
Our first week in the camper has flown by, with the days blending into one another. Each day we drive to a new campsite, do a hike (or tramp in NZ), feed some local birds, do a little schoolwork, and end the day with a glass of wine and a local cheese or seafood dish - parked looking over the most gorgeous scenery you can imagine.
The food here has been a welcome surprise. We have discovered the green lipped mussels in season now. They are in aquariums in the grocery like our lobsters back home - and are only about $0.10 each. Yummy! Their specialty ice-cream is called Hokey-Pokey (kind of caramel with crunchies). Every town has a least one take-away shop where you can pick up a fresh fish and chips for $5 per person.
The fields are an unbelievable green and filled with newborn lambs and their mothers. Other sights are herds of cows, flocks of wild turkeys (these pain Steve as he wishes to stop and give chase), vineyards, sweet potato farms (kumara), kiwi trees, and lush forests out of "Jurasaic Park".
Of course, we had to stop at "Sheep World" to bottle feed the new lambs. We planned on a short one-hour stay, but ended up staying for 3 hours. It was that interesting - Really! In addition to the petting zoo and normal farm animals, Hannah was allowed to bottle feed a 1 week old lamb and a baby piglet. There was a sheep-herding activity, where Hannah had to sort the sheep by markings into different pens. Then they taught her how to shear a sheep. Did you know they have pressure points to relax them during the process? Afterwards Steve and I had delicious toasted lamb sandwiches in the cafe. (Hannah skipped this for obvious reasons.)
The night of the earthquake in Christchurch, we were awakened by a town siren, but decided to go back to sleep since we didn't know what it meant. Yikes! When we awoke the next morning, our email and phones were full of messages from our concerned family and friends (thanks for watching out for us). We are watching the news for updates from Christchurch. We had planned to stop there for a few days, but most likely we will detour around the area. We have one week left on the north island as we work our way south to Wellington.
I'm trying to figure out how to do a wine tour without driving. How exactly does that work? Stay tuned....
Queen of the Road
("Queen of the Road" by Doreen Orion is a "must-read".)
New Zealand is famous for its adrenaline rushing activities - bungy jumping, jet boats, helicopter flights over glaciers, etc. I am here to tell you that those activities pale in comparison to riding shotgun in a 6-person campervan through NZ's winding roads!!!
Hannah appointed herself "Navigator" for our first leg to the Northlands. So imagine the scene...Steve seated on the right-hand driver's side with a stickshift to his left, Catherine in the left-hand seat overlooking the sheer cliffs, and Hannah smack dab in the middle attempting to both direct traffic and intercede between her parents' squabbles.
Since the camper is 20 feet long by 7 feet wide, and the fact that Steve was driving on the "wrong" side of the road, the camper naturally tended to drift perilously close to the edge of the road. My speechless waving of hands tended to confuse matters, so Hannah came up with a word I could shout to notify Steve that we were about to plunge over the edge. She suggested "creeping" as a non-threatening term that we could all live with - short and to the point. I, of course, shortened it to "CREEP" at the first chance I got. OH, and did I forget to mention it was raining off and on?
Hannah and I read QOTR earlier this summer. The wife, outfitted in her pink velour sweatsuit, has panick attacks when driving under low overpasses, and copes by drinking martinis. Hannah actually suggested that I should adopt her strategy. The sad part is I think she's right!
Steve did a MARVELOUS job - even heroic - getting us to our first campsite in one piece, without ever losing his sense of humor or relegating me to the back of the camper. He did, however, stop and buy two bottles of wine along the way. Smart Man!
Well, off to new adventures today. Tune in for more...
Flying High!
OK, by now most of you have gotten a good laugh over my "money-saving" schemes throughout South America. I've taken buses, subways, and walked many miles to save a dollar. But I was positive that we needed to fly Business Class when we flew overseas. What a fantastic decision - it was worth every dime! And remember, Business Class is actually First Class within the USA.
I had forgotten the thrill of boarding first, getting the champagne and warm chocolate chip cookies while the riff-raff crams into the steerage class behind. Why are the flight attendants so much nicer and happier in the front?
The new sleeper beds allow you to lie totally flat and include the eye blinders and earplugs for sleeping. There are also special beauty products to reduce that swelling under your eyes, and lip balm and lotion for dry skin.
The best part of course was seeing it all through Hannah's eyes. She was in heaven (see photo above). As my dear sister Molly quipped, "Once a princess, always a princess". I could hardly talk her into sleeping at all. The movies, games, food and personal attention from her own private servants...
And then once we actually arrived in Auckland, our luggage was first out (Priority baggage tags you know), and we were first in line through customs.
Now, we're off to hire our campervan. I wonder if it comes with a flight attendant and champagne?
Attachments:
Making the "1000 Club" by Steve Oenbrink
I couldn’t take a year long trip around the world and miss an entire deer season in Georgia without hunting for something. Having heard many times from relatives and other friends about the incredible dove hunting in Argentina, Catherine decided that I should sample it while we were on the South American leg of our journey.
After two and one-half days of hunting at the “Estancia Los Chanares” in Cordoba, Argentina, I can readily attest that the exaggerated hunters’ tales of “shooting until the gun barrel melts” is definitely possible. With my bird boy keeping score on a clicker, I personally managed to reduce the local dove (paloma in Spanish) population by 1,908 birds! INCREDIBLE – No other words to describe the shooting!
For the hunters reading this section, I shot 113 boxes of shells (25 per box); tallying a respectable 68% kill rate. Not bad since the last time I shot dove was literally 1995. I used a rented 20 gauge Benelli over-and-under for most of the shooting, but did switch to a lighter 28 ga. for part of the second afternoon. On day 2, I earned the prestigious embroidered “1000 Club” hunting cap by “bagging” (Mona’s term) 1,028 dove. I also enjoyed my first-ever professional upper body massage to help my arms, neck and shoulders recover from the workout.
We shared the lodge with four other families from Charlotte, Orlando, New Orleans and Kuwait. It was a really great group of people and we all became great friends, comparing stories at each meal we shared. The four other children (two girls, two boys) were all 15-16 years old and all hunted each day; as did the two moms in attendance. Hannah and Catherine did not hunt. All of the group had arrived several days before us and each had already exceeded the “1000 Club” criteria, with several moving up to the “2000” and “3000” clubs. Yes, that’s over 3000 birds per day by a single hunter! The highest one-day single total for our group was over 3700 birds (using 2 guns) - so you can see I was the slacker, bringing down the numbers. Our combined daily total exceeded 15,000 birds per day. Crazy!
In case anyone wonders, the daily individual record for the lodge is just over 7,500 birds. That hunter utilized 4 guns – two semi-automatics with 8 shell magazines; and 2 over-and-unders. He had three “bird boys” loading for him and just handing him the weapons; another recorded the kills. He shot from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. during their summer season without a lunch break. We would shoot from about 9:15 a.m. (dawn was 0800) until 12:30 p.m. then break for a major lunch and siesta. At 3:00 p.m. we went back to the field (about 10 minutes travel) and hunted until about 6:00 p.m. (dark @ 1830). Believe me, six hours of shooting is plenty – you can burn thru some shells in that amount of time.
The accommodations were great. The service and food were first class; sit-down meals with china, wine, etc at every meal. If anyone wants to experience world-class dove hunting, check out their web site at www.cordobadovehunting.com. We definitely plan to go back again, probably 2012.
Falling for Iguazu by Steve Oenbrink
Located on the border between Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls is one of the most beautiful water features in the world. I can remember visiting Niagara Falls on the US/Canada border many years ago but those falls certainly didn’t make the visual impression on me that Iguazu Falls did - just spectacular!
While planning our itinerary thru South America, I was ambivalent about making the side trip to come here. But Catherine insisted that Iguazu Falls would be a “must see” attraction – and she was right! Victoria Falls in Africa has the highest vertical drop; but Iguazu is the world’s widest waterfall – with the face of the falls meandering for approximately 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles). The falls are located within a very large and pristine ecological preserve which is operated on either side of the Iguazu River by either Brazil or Argentina.
On our first day we visited the Brazil side of the river – which probably provided the best long-range vistas of the falls. An excellent system of trails and stairways provided many scenic viewing points. In addition, the South American version of our raccoons, coati mundis, were everywhere - providing many humorous photo opportunities. While on the Brazil side we also visited the bird aviary and then splurged to catch the final helicopter tour of the afternoon (Hannah’s first). The three of us all agreed that the aerial views of the Falls were spectacular and well worth the price of our private helicopter ride.
On the second day we hopped on a local public bus (recouping about 0.2% of the cost of the helicopter ride) and crossed the border into Argentina, clearing Immigrations and Customs with the rest of our traveling amigos. A second bus ride then took us to the Argentinian side of the falls. The trail system on this side of the falls included grated structural walkways out into the river with overlooks of the Falls. Great photo opportunities, but the blowback of mist and spray from the Falls could be a problem for anyone with unprotected camera equipment.
For optional fees the Argentinian side also included a boat ride into the face of the Falls that pretty much guaranteed that you would be soaked thru with cold water. Rafting and kayaking were also available. As we were visiting in winter, requiring several layers of warm clothing, I opted to skip the water torture. However, my two “wild and crazy” traveling companions elected to test the water-proofing capabilities of their North Face hooded parkas and purchased the boat ride. I warmly relocated several hundred feet above the lower river level to photograph their test ride.
Most passengers on the ride purchased cheap plastic rain ponchos although some actually went in bathing suits. Departing with about 35 loco people in orange life vests, I watched and photographed the open power boat as it cruised several areas of the Falls and then dipped into the cascading waters not once, but twice. Great decision, Steve! The test results were good news/bad news. The parkas kept the girl’s upper bodies remarkably dry but their lower halves were soaked to the bone. As we did not bring additional clothing, Catherine and Hannah had a wet two hour bus ride back to our hotel in Brazil.
As Catherine had predicted, Iguassu Falls is truly a “must see” feature for anyone traveling in South America. I’m very glad we went, and have magnificent pictures to remember them by.
Stalking the Pantanal by Steve Oenbrink
Several hours out of Cuiaba, Brazil is a low-lying area known as The Pantanal. It is very similar in ecology to the northern Everglades of Florida with marshy grasslands and hammocks that are annually flooded during the rainy season. Unlike South Florida, it is not drained by a manmade canal system and functions naturally through the seasonal weather fluctuations. It is home to a vast variety of water birds, raptors, monkeys, caiman and other exotic animals and birds - including the elusive jaguar.
Catherine, Hannah and I were lucky enough to spend five days there during the July 2010 dry season hiking, boating and riding horses across two of the larger ranches (Rio Claro and Piuval) with our guide Julio Montiero of Pantanal Trackers. Julio is a local native of the area who operates an independent guide service. He has a well-documented reputation (Discovery Channel, National Geographic) for locating and photographing jaguars in the wild. However, our travel time schedule did not allow us the luxury to travel to those remote “end of the road” locations in pursuit of jaguars. So we set an itinerary to see the Pantanal and photograph rare hyacinth macaws, river otters, anteaters, etc.
The Pantanal is a birdwatcher’s nirvana. Songbirds, parrots, macaws, raptors, wading birds – who can count the number of species we saw? My favorites were the wild hyacinth macaws, but the toucans and toucanettes ran a close second. We could probably publish a bird book with all of our photos!
Each day started at dawn (6 am) with a 2 hour hike until breakfast. Another hike or multi-hour horseback ride would follow until lunch. Late afternoon was usually spent in a boat fishing, or sighting otters, caiman, birds, etc. At Rio Claro, Hannah fed dead piranha to a 9’ caiman named Zeke by impaling them on the end of a cane pole and making him leap up to take it. That was where we were told that, unlike Florida alligators, caiman swallow their prey whole, so only eat fish, turtles and small mammals that they can catch. Locals have no fear of swimming with them and we observed two cowboys on horseback swim their horses across a wide canal teeming with very large caiman. The horses never hesitated. The world-famous video of Hannah running along the canal bank and chasing hundreds of caiman into the water was taken at Piuval as we rested after two hours in the saddle before riding back to the lodge. We let Hannah test the caiman theory.
Hannah’s favorite part of the Pantanal was the horseback riding. Her time with Uncle Mark in Madison, Mississippi has been well spent as the guide recommended that she perform her own saddling chores before and after each ride. This was for her to make acquaintance with the horse and to let him know who was in charge. Catherine and I declined the chore. And these were not “trail horses” similar to the rides we have taken in Canada and other tourist locations. These were working “cow horses” that had to be caught in the pastures each morning. Rather than line up nose-to-tail and walk placidly along an old cow rut, we cut side by side across open savannahs, waded through marshes and rode through heavy cover. These horses actually went where you told them to and had no fear of pushing through thick brush. In addition, the birds, caiman and other wildlife (deer, rheas, monkeys, capybaras, etc) ignored the horses and let us get a lot closer to them.
We all survived the riding quite well, in spite of the long hours in the saddle. They use heavy blankets or sheepskins over leather cutback saddles; there are no western saddlehorns in Brazil. In addition to their excellent steering, our horses had 5-speed transmissions: walk, fast walk, trot, canter and full gallop. Personally speaking, I preferred the fast walk - the trot was definitely an unhealthy stride for me. Hannah and Julio would often trot or canter ahead, while Catherine and I explored other routes at our own pace. I must admit, I actually enjoyed riding on horses that responded to directions. One slight touch of my heels (no spurs required) and I’d be into the dreaded trot, headed toward canter. Does anyone know how to say “Whoa” in Portuguese?
Lots of fun things happened in the Pantanal. Both lodges were great! After the Amazon, air-conditioning and hot water showers qualified them both as 5 Star on my scale. The food was very good and plentiful; a full buffet at every meal. I’m gaining back any weight I sweated off or lost in the Amazon. Julio is also an excellent guitarist and we rocked the room every night after dinner. One night a black-collared anteater strolled through the complex at Rio Claro. I think he like the singing.
As usual, at every stop, we made lots of friends among the other tourists and our hosts. Julio’s sister, Allesandra, is also a Pantanal tour guide and was at Piuval along with several other family members. We all became great friends, and when they left several days before us, invited us to their home on our way back to Cuiaba for a traditional Brazilian meal, and to drink the infamous alcoholic concoction called “caparhinas” that Catherine has shown an affection for. They started cooking two days prior to our arrival. Needless to say, the meal was excellent and the company was even better. Plans were discussed to have them visit us in Florida after our return in July 2011.
It was difficult to leave the Pantanal, our friends, and the exotic wildlife - but Argentina beckons. As with Panama and Peru, our days in Brazil have given us a too-quick glimpse of another exquisite part of our world. Hats off to Catherine for the great itinerary! Our photos and memories will last a lifetime.
Last stop in South America – Argentina, then a quick stop at home to refuel, (and get a desperately needed haircut) and then head over to the other side of the globe.
DRIVING IN RIO by Steve Oenbrink
Where should I start? After 6 weeks in Panama and Peru riding planes, buses, taxis and boats (operated on our behalf by others) we headed on to Rio de Janeiro and our first actual home exchange. The exchange included use of a nice 4-door, stick-shift Peugeot. Since the apartment was actually not in Rio, but across the bay in Niteroi, we would have ample opportunity to experience first-hand the local roadway systems during our daily excursions
We arrived in Rio at 4:30 a.m. in the morning after an overnight “redeye” flight from Lima, Peru. Our “prearranged” taxi was not waiting, but did arrive about 15 minutes later as we began making calls to engage another company. The ensuing drive from the airport to Niteroi took only about 30 minutes through downtown Rio on nearly deserted roadways. Other than my not being able to read any of the Portuguese traffic directional signs, the task of driving in Rio didn’t look too daunting in the pre-dawn hours. After all, they drive on the right side of the road, like us – no problem!
Our first day in Niteroi was spent in rest and recovery mode (from the Amazon). We did walk the local area checking out the beach and finding restaurants and stores for pertinent supplies (i.e., Coke Zero). Catherine and I also spent an hour that day on the internet looking up and learning the Portuguese translations for the various traffic signs (Pare = Stop) – but we did not yet venture out of the parking garage. Our exchange hosts, Edson and Solange, met us after they finished work that evening and drove us to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The traffic at 7:30 in the evening was SIGNIFICANTLY different than that which we saw at 4:30 a.m.!
A majority of the local roadway system in the urbanized areas of Rio and Niteroi is a grid of alternating one-way streets – so you have to know which direction the traffic flows in front of your intended destination. A larger primary grid of four lane, two-way arterials surrounds the local streets. To further complicate matters, most intersections on the arterials prohibit left turns in a poor attempt to keep the thru traffic flowing. So you have to make a right hand turn off of the two way streets and loop around to ultimately go left. This can be further complicated when one can’t read the language, is not familiar with the area and many of the street identification signs are missing. Oh, and did I mention that most of the one-way streets are marked for two lanes but the locals ignore the lines and drive three or four cars wide - and the motorcycles drive between them all? There is little traffic enforcement in Brazil. If you can get your bumper ahead of the car beside you then you own their lane and can cut over at will. Buses are especially good at this! Kimley-Horn – the traffic department really needs you in Rio!
Day two was a Saturday and Solange invited us to their other home for a late lunch. It would be my first attempt to drive in Brazil. Fortunately, Solange drove in to Niteroi and escorted us about 20 km to their principal residence where we spent a pleasant afternoon. With Google Earth map in hand we departed after dark and made it safely back to the Niteroi apartment – but not without missing one turn and arriving by sheer luck via an alternate route (I-Phone GPS).
On Sunday we explored again within walking distance of the apartment but planned a 15 kilometer excursion to “Christ the Redeemer” statue overlooking Rio for the following day. At Edson’s advice we opted to take a ferry boat across the bay and then utilize the local bus system rather than tackle the local Rio traffic. With our language barrier the multi-modal trip to the landmark statue took over 2 ½ hours each way – but the view of the city from the summit was spectacular!
By Tuesday I was finally feeling more comfortable with the local roadway layouts so we decided to bite the bullet and drive the car across to Rio for a day at the beach. We thought - surely we could improve upon the five hours we spent on Monday rubbing elbows with the locals on the mass transit systems. So we carefully plotted our route the evening before then waited until 9:30 after the morning work rush hour to depart. So we thought! In Rio they start work and end work much later than we do in the USA. It took us over 30 minutes just getting about 2 km to the huge bridge that crosses the bay. Then, following the primary freeway around the edge of town we missed a turn and drove about 15 km before realizing it. At this point we learned how hard it is to turn around and get back on to the freeway – remember, no left turns. After several loops thru a scary neighborhood of “favellas” (super slums) we finally located a service road that put us back onto the freeway. After several similar mishaps we reached the beach – in three hours. The trip home was nearly a repeat, leaving me a nervous wreck by the time we battled back thru the traffic.
Wednesday I refused to drive anywhere. So the girls got haircuts near the apartment and we stayed within walking distance. By that evening I had calmed enough (or drank enough) to plan a Thursday drive across to the Rio zoo. Big mistake! The Thursday mid-morning traffic was horrendous and of course we missed the same freeway turn as on Tuesday. Even using the GPS capabilities of Catherine’s I-Phone we got hopelessly twisted around and ended up exiting into the pay parking lot of a huge shopping mall. A mall security car was driving down our lane and we slowed to ask them for directions – but the AR-15 assault rifle protruding from the open window changed our mind. It was that kind of neighborhood (or shop lifting is a VERY serious offense in Brazil). Instead, Catherine decided that she would go into the mall, locate an “information booth”, and ask for directions (like where the hell are we??). As she jumped out and disappeared thru the door to the mall Hannah and I debated the decision of turning Catherine loose in any mall – particularly as we had outvoted her regarding visiting the zoo.
Ten minutes pass – no Catherine. Twenty minutes pass – no Catherine. We had dropped her at the curb and were driving a loop in the parking lot every time the mobile weapons carrier pulled up behind us. She’d never find us if we actually parked. As we discussed the likelihood that she had exited the building thru another door she magically reappeared at the 30 minute mark. The Portuguese speaking “information lady” had gone and located an English speaking salesman in a shoe store and between them they determined that our best recourse was to park the car at the mall and take a subway to the zoo. So we packed ourselves in with the masses on public transportation (again) and headed to the zoo. We arrived at 2:00 p.m!
The Rio zoo was actually great! To avoid the evening traffic we intended to leave by 4:00 p.m. but didn’t clear the gate until nearly 4:30. The subway ride back to the mall was uneventful but by the time we reclaimed the car the freeways were already bumper-to-bumper. In Rio vendors actually hop the jersey barriers on the Interstate and walk between the grid-locked cars selling snacks, flowers, etc. With the motorcycles constantly swerving between the cars, buses and trucks it took us until 8:00 p.m. to make it back across the toll bridge to the apartment. Talk about stress and road rage!
Edson and Solange own a vacation home near Angra, a beautiful seaside town about 200 km from Rio, which they also made available to us. On Friday morning we packed our bags (ahead of schedule) and raced away from the mayhem that is Rio. The drive was calm and uneventful. I drove about 10 km/hr over the speed limit and everyone else blew past me at about 50 over – only slowing where the traffic ticket cameras were located. Although it rained several of the days we stayed in Angra, the lower traffic volumes were a pleasure. My only traffic trauma in Angra (other than our parking spot was on a 45 degree slope) occurred one day as I came around a mountain curve – a police traffic stop! I was duly licensed to drive in South America and the car documentation was supposedly in the glove compartment but I wasn’t looking forward to explaining in Portuguese (which I couldn’t) why I was driving someone else’s car. As I rolled down the window and said “Nao fallo Portuguese” (I don’t speak Portuguese) to the uniformed officer he just rolled his eyes, shook his head, and waved us past the other cars. Guess he didn’t want to bother with the stolen car.
During the two weeks of driving in Brazil we had no accidents, received no tickets and, hopefully, avoided all the speed cameras. I now have a new perspective on traffic – Miami (where I hate to drive) is a piece of cake compared to Rio! I’ll never complain again (maybe).
Kimley – Horn: You’re missing a real opportunity in Rio! Roadways, signalization, signage, transit – it all needs help!
Addicted to Cafe con Leche
As most of you know, Steve and I do not drink coffee (unless it has Baileys in it). Our stay at Jacaranda included breakfast at the cafe across the street. Every morning we had cafe con leche with medialunas (croissants) and fresh squeezed orange juice. Once we moved to our home exchange, we found a cafe downstairs that serves the same breakfast. This is ruining both my before-mentioned budget and my waistline! It seems normal to start the day this way.
The other BA treat we have discovered is dulce de leche. It is served as a condiment with toast and as filling in croissants and muffins. It is in pies, cakes, muffins and ice-cream. There is even a special cookie here called an alfajor, which is similar to a malomar back home, but 10 times better. Another addiction that must be conquered!
I really don't know how all of these Argeninean women stay so thin. It's a good thing we're leaving soon.
Crime in Buenos Aires
Well, it was bound to happen. I had read much about the criminals who target tourists in the big cities, but I actually felt that could never happen to us. Sunday, while we were walking to the big Sunday market at San Telmo, Hannah felt something fall in her hair. It looked like pigeon droppings and she was horrified. In the next moment, a man approached Steve and pointed to the back of his jacket where "pigeon poop" was streaked across his back. Then another lady approached us with napkins and began trying to wipe off Steve's jacket. As the jacket was leaving Steve's hand, I figured out what was happening and grabbed the jacket back. At that instant, the man and woman disappeared into thin air. We hurriedly checked all of our belongings and found that we were not missing anything. The "poop" was actually green mustard that the criminals had squirted on us. They would usually then grab your camera, wallet, whatever and run away while you were buy cleaning up. We were very lucky, but disappointed to be targeted like that. It ruined the day for me, but Hannah and Steve bounced back quickly. Overall, I'm thankful that nothing happened, and at least we got Hannah to wash her hair that night!
Winter in Argentina
I am sitting in front of a roaring fire at Los Chanares Hunting Lodge in Argentina. Everyone else is out shooting doves this afternoon, so I have the place to myself. I am munching on peanuts and drinking Pepsi Light ON ICE! A major highlight of this lodge is that they have safe ice! This main room where everyone gathers after a hunt is filled with black leather sofas, two fireplaces, plate glass windows letting in the afternoon sun, a full bar, refrigerator and a wine rack full of Argentinian Malbec, all to be opened at our leisure.
When we arrived last evening, we were greeted with a hot towel at the front door and ushered in to meet the other guests. There are five families here including ourselves. They are from Orlando, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Kuwait! Each family has one child here ranging in age from 11 to 16. What fun for Hannah. The "kids" all sit at their own table and ignore the adults.
The dove shooting here is amazing. At dinner last night (dove-stuffed chicken breast) the lodge manager handed out awards for the day for 1,000 and 2,000 bird totals for the day! The total number of doves shot for one day was over 11,000!
It is fascinating to talk with the families about their lives and other travels. Mountains they have climbed (or plan to), marathons, and one man who can't remember how many boats he owns - either 7 or 8! If we didn't have our around-the-world trip to talk about, I'd feel so inadequate!!! LOL
It is nice to just relax for a while in luxury. Anthing is yours for the asking. When someone asked about toasting marshmallows on the fire, a staff member went into Cordoba(1.5 hours each way) to buy some. Massages for your aching muscles are available at the end of each day.
So, if we're a little late getting back to Florida, don't worry about us. We're just living it up in Argentina!
Colon Theatre Buenos Aires
The Colon Theatre is one of the highlights of any visit to Buenos Aires. It has been closed for 4 years for renovations, only reopening in May 2010. We were fortunate to be able to attend a concert last night in celebration of the 200th anniversary of two composers - Chopin and Schumann (each born in 1810). Our tickets were on the 4th balcony where we had a wonderful viewpoint of the pianist and stage. The acoustics were amazing. The theatre seats 2,478 people plus standing room. The porteno crowd showed its appreciation by a combination of applause and subdued hissing sound. The pianist, Argentinian Nelson Goerner, gave two encores. Hannah was happy to go, but said it compared dismally with New York musicals she has attended!
How to Save Money on Vacation
As you all know, I am not the most cost-conscious person in the world. But having to plan this trip and then provide Steve with a budget has (temporarily) changed me into a tightwad. We eat breakfast free at hotels or in the apartment. I have soup for lunch or just batata fritas (french fries) and I avoid the tourist trap restaurants for dinner. I book the moderate hotel rather than the one at the edge of the waterfall. So my favorite way to save money has become public transportation. Now before you think that I have lost my mind, let me assure you that the bus system in Brazil is clean and safe. The cost today for a taxi ride to Iguazu Falls would have been $100 Rials each way or about $100 US total RT. Instead, we walked two blocks to the bus station and it only cost us R$7.20 each way for a total of $8.00 US TOTAL. Steve is so proud of me! I only hope he doesn't plan on me keeping this up for longer than one year!
So then, with all of the money I saved today, Steve decided we should take a helicopter tour of Iguazu Falls. Oh well, easy come, easy go. It was a blast and worth every Rial!
Caparinhas in the Pantanal
The Pantanal was fabulous and everything I thought it would be. Having said that, my best memories from each country so far have been of the people - not the animals and sights. Our famous Pantanal guide, Julio (not to be pronounced "Hulio") or Dr. J as some touristas call him, picked us up at the Cuiaba airport as promised. He was not holding a sign with our names, but just watching the faces. As soon as we walked out with our luggage, he smiled and pointed at me. I later asked him how he knew it was us, and I tried not to be insulted by his response. "You just look like tourists". I forgave him once we reached his "jeep"- a 1963 Mercedes jeep painted powder blue with room for all our luggage on top- next to his guitar, a spare tire and a jug of gas. We headed out of town after stopping for supplies at a local store where we sampled pure locally made grape juice that tasted like a fine wine (without the alcohol). We bought a bottle for the road. Later we noticed a bottle of whiskey in the door of the jeep. Julio assured us it was a bribe for the local people who then kept him informed as to recent jaguar sightings.
As we headed to the first of our two lodges, Rio Claro, Julio mentioned that his sister (also a Pantanal guide) would be at the lodge also with several family members in town from Sao Paulo. At the lodge we had a drink before dinner and got to meet Julio's extended family. I had previously sampled a caparinha in Rio to disasterous result, and vowed never again. Cleuza, Julio's aunt, had been drinking caparinhas all afternoon and ordered one for me as a friendly gesture. Did I mention that she speaks NO English? It was quite delicious and so Cleuza bought me another. By this time, the lodge was jumping with before-dinner activity and cowboys playing Brazilian music on their guitars. Apparently some of the songs had questionable lyrics, but since we don't speak Portuguese we just clapped and enjoyed the music.
Julio's sister, Alessandra, along with her 5 year old daughter, aunt and her son, cousin and her fiance all spent the evening and next day becoming better acquainted. Since only Julio and Alessandra spoke English, this lead to many humorous experiments in conversations. We had such a good time together that Alessandra invited us to skip lunch on our final day and drive to her house back in town for a "tipico" Brazilian feast of fezuada. Needless to say, I had Julio stop at a local roadside tavern for a bottle of Pinga(for caparinhas) to take as a hostess gift.
We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of food, beer and caparinhas at her home, and are busy making plans for a visit to Sao Paulo to see Cleuza in 2012. Julio said that he has never had a client enjoy themselves the way we did. We must finally be relaxing!
Yes, we saw all of the wonderful wildlife and took in all of the activities (horseback riding, jeep rides, hiking, swimming, fishing, boating, and lounging in the hammocks). Look for the photos of some of the fabulous things we saw. My favorite is the video of Hannah chasing caiman! Steve is becoming quite the wildlife photographer. But, as with Rio, my favorite memories are of the wonderful new friends we made.
It's a Jungle Out There by Steve Oenbrink
It’s been several weeks since I contributed any input to our travel log; so here goes. Panama was a great start for this adventure and the week in the Andes of Peru was also interesting. I don’t usually fare too well at high altitudes but the medicine I used took care of the usual headaches and dizziness – with one side affect. Any carbonated drinks tasted absolutely bitter. Not realizing that, my first experience with the local beer left much to be desired. My first reaction was “ whoa - this is awful” (edited for public consumption). When Catherine tried it and declared the beer to be really good I realized the problem. So, in addition to Hannah’s thumb injury, I will remember the week in Urubamba, Peru as my time without Cokes or beer. The mountain scenery was absolutely breathtaking and the local people extremely friendly and helpful to us Gringos. I would definitely come back to this area of Peru again.
Catherine and Hannah have already chronicled our not-so-amazing 24 hour train trip from hell (Machu Picchu), so I’ll jump ahead to the Amazon.
The Amazon River starts in Peru and then flows all the way thru Brazil. Our trip, with Amazonia Expeditions, was to the upper headwaters of the Amazon originating from Iquitos, Peru. We flew in to Iquitos, via Lima, late one evening where local tour representatives met and transported us to our overnight hotel. We were again met at 8:00 a.m. the next morning for transfer to their local office and to the high speed boat that would take us upriver. Unfortunately, the taxi cab was not nearly large enough to carry all of us and our voluminous luggage. “Not to worry, Senor”. Our guide, Orlando, hailed down two 3-wheeled “mototaxis” and we piled everything and everyone into these vehicles. The Clampett’s of Peru on the move! The grin on Hannah’s face and the consternation on Catherine’s were in marked contrast as we buzzed across town zipping in and around the other 5,000 mosquito taxis on the narrow, bumpy roadways. Somehow we all made it in one piece. There are pictures of the “mototaxis” on the website.
Another US traveler from Texas, named Brandon, was also waiting at the tour office to go upriver. Brandon had taken several survival courses and planned to go into the jungle with a native guide and live off the land for 9 days. We decided to skip the grubs, bugs and sleeping on the ground and live civilized – more later.
At 9:30 a.m. we all loaded up into an aluminum “fast boat” for the trip upriver. The boat was about 30’ long with an 8’ beam (3 narrow seats wide) and a full length canvas top. A single 150 hp Mercury outboard was the power. The boat was loaded to the max with food, water, supplies, luggage and 7 people (4 touristas; 3 staff). All 7 of us actually wore orange life preservers for the entire trip (without any Coast Guard or other policing agencies in sight). The boat planed off at about 25-30 mph and off we went up the mighty Amazon dodging floating trees, native canoes and other river debris. The Amazon River was about ½ mile wide for the initial 2 hour run; then we turned off into the Tahuayo River, a narrow tributary, and traveled another 1 ½ hours to the Lodge arriving in time for the daily 1:00 p.m. lunch. The winding Tahuayo River is very narrow, much like the upper Loxahatchee River near home.
The Lodge complex is all elevated over 15’ on natural wooden stilts to stay above the annual flood stage of the River. This is not Club Med! All buildings are constructed with local materials and have thatched roofs. There is not a glass window in the place – every room has screen windows (with drapes to pull) and a screen ceiling that allows you to look directly up into the thatching and timber roof structure. We experienced some fairly intense rains while there and surprisingly the roofs do not leak. I was told the thatching must be replaced every 6-7 years. For further bug proofing, all beds are four-poster with full mosquito netting. We splurged for a private cottage with its own bathroom with shower – most visitors only have sleeping quarters and they use shared bathroom facilities. There is no hot water; we learned to shower during the afternoon as the river water is cold. There is also no electricity in any living areas so cold nighttime showers in the dark proved to be a double challenge. A generator runs for several hours per day to recharge camera batteries, computers, etc. The onsite cooking and refrigeration was all gas powered. One refrigerator containing sodas and cold beer was available to the guests at all times in the main dining room. The buildings are connected by thatch covered walkways which are all lit after dark with kerosene lanterns – most of which get extinguished every night at 10:00 p.m. The view of the Lodge from the river at night was really quite pretty with all the kerosene lanterns – it looked like an episode of “Survivor” where they head to Tribal Council.
Needless to say, there is no cell coverage or internet in the jungle. The guides do not have radios or other communication back to the lodge when we were off on daily excursions – just a good sense of jungle directions. However, the Lodge does have communication back to its base office in Iquitos for emergencies and other supply needs. With their power boats, fuel supply and limited communications the Lodge is the only source this far upriver for the local native communities to deal with emergencies. In fact, one night after dinner they had to evacuate a local woman about 2 hours downriver to a medical center after she was bitten by a deadly fer-de-lance viper. One of her small children also broke his arm during the encounter and was taken as well. We were told several days later that the woman survived the bite (not usually the outcome). To the consternation of the village, the snake escaped. The few snakes we saw all week were non-poisonous: a 5’ Amazon tree boa that we captured from a tree overhanging the river one night and a whip snake that temporarily shared one of our hiking trails. Much to our dismay we never saw an anaconda, maybe we’ll find one when we go to the Pantanal!
We changed guides when we arrived at the Lodge as Orlando was the one slated to take Brandon off on his wilderness quest. Our new guide, Edson, was a perfect match for the three of us. His English was better than our Spanish, although we tried to utilize Spanish as much as possible. However, American sarcasm (especially Catherine’s brand) does not translate well in the jungle and it took several days for Edson to catch on to when we were kidding with him. He is in some of our pictures and looks like Ray Romano.
Edson was assigned to the three of us 24/7. Each group has their own private guide. It was his mission to show us the jungle and all of its components – and he was excellent. Nothing missed his sharp eyes – from the tiniest monkey in the tallest tree to snakes at night. Edson knew every tree, fish, bird, monkey or mammal by sight. As pretty good deer hunters, Catherine and I tried our best to spot and identify creatures prior to Edson seeing them. In seven days I think we each spotted only one.
A day in the jungle revolved around the scheduled meals: breakfast at 8:00 a.m.; lunch at 1:00 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m. Crack of dawn was about 6:00 a.m. That provided us 4 opportunities each day to go to the jungle. The two hour gap between dawn and breakfast was usually spent off in a boat fishing or cruising to photograph early birds and animals. It was always a special time with the mist rising off the river and the jungle waking up. The Peacock Bass hit particularly well in the mornings. After an excellent breakfast we had many options for the next four hour period until lunch. Hiking in the jungle, boating to look for pink river dolphin (very rare - we saw them on two occasions), zip-lining thru the tree canopy, fishing for piranha, visiting a local village, swimming in a lake, etc. There were plenty of opportunities every day. After lunch there was more of the same until dark (about 6:00 p.m.). Cocktails (remember the cold beer) and comparing experiences with the other guests led up to the candle-light dinner. All meals were buffet style and were excellent! After dinner Edson would take us off in one of the power boats spot-lighting caimans, snakes, electric eels and other night creatures until about 9:30 p.m. Several nights he and Hannah went out alone in a 2-man dugout canoe and he taught her how to spear fish native style with a handmade gig. She especially liked those one-on-one excursions. As an aside, the gig also served as the landing net for all the Peacock Bass – we fed a lot of people!
The morning and night excursions were my favorites. With no ambient light sources for dozens of miles the stars are especially bright on the River at night. It feels totally awesome to be slipping silently along in a canoe in the dark listening to the jungle sounds then flipping a headlamp on once in a while to spear fish that look like prehistoric creatures.
Most guests at the Lodge fished for piranha and other flesh eating creatures (catfish, etc.) drifting down the river using cane pole type gear, but Edson owned a few personal light spinning rods and lures. He offered to take us Peacock Bass fishing when he realized we were fishermen. He and I went the first morning and caught 8 large ones and a myriad of other fierce looking creatures (fresh water barracudas and some other beast with fangs about 2” out of its’ mouth). It was great fun and became the early morning ritual. Several mornings Catherine came too and one time another guide, Christian, fished with us. I managed to lose the prized lure (silver Johnson spoon) on a large fish one morning and need to send Edson a care package of fishing equipment as most of his is well worn with no means for repairs. One morning the body of the spinning reel he was using actually came apart and after working on it he declared it was finally trash. I took it all the way apart and found several loose nuts inside the body; I was able to reassembled it as good as new. He smiled and said: Guest - 1; Guide – 0.
That was actually the second time Guest scored 1. One afternoon a group of 2 guides and 5 guests (us and two other ladies) went way downriver in a power boat to swim and birdwatch. On the way back the outboard engine stalled and between them the guides could not start it. Wasn’t looking too good! After they were tired of pulling the starter cord I asked if I could try. It was almost dark, bugs were coming out and we were way downriver - paddling against the current was going to take us many hours to reach the Lodge. I disconnected the gas and pulled the cord a few times. Reconnected and pumped up the fuel ball (tank was very low; sucking air). Choked the engine twice then started it on the third pull. We held the tank on end to keep enough fuel over the intake and made it back after dark. That was the first time Edson said: Guest – 1; Guides – 0. My moment of jungle fame.
One night while Hannah and Edson were out spear fishing, Catherine went to bed early and I went to the hammock room where the local shaman (friendly witch doctor) was going to perform a native ritual and make potions. The shaman was actually a weathered little old lady who they think is 84 years old and is one of a dying culture that, unfortunately, is not being passed on. She is knowledgeable regarding all the medicinal uses of the local roots and plants. She spoke a native dialect that one of the guides translated for us. She mixed a potion of sugar cane rum, wild garlic, tobacco and other local herbs. They swore we would only hallucinate for 2 days – joking. Scared the hell out of me but I took my sip when the gourd came around. Not too terrible, but I won’t order if at Bennigans. She then smoked a big cigar and blew smoke and brushed tobacco leaves over each person while signing incantations so that she could identify each of our animal spirits. One man was the jaguar, another lady the capuchin monkey. I am sorry to report I was the lowly armadillo. That will teach me not to skip spear fishing!
We spent 3 days at the main Lodge then relocated upriver another hour by power boat to their Research Center. We managed a private room here, but no private bath. The set up, meals and activities were much the same as at the Lodge. However, the jungle environment was more dense and the area was more than a day’s paddle from the local villages so we saw far fewer natives on the water. The tour company either owns or has some type of lease with the government on several square miles and it is closed to all hunting, bird or animal capture. The area has a map and grid of trails cut by hand every 100 meters in two directions. The square grid is labeled numerically in one direction and alphabetically in the other. A large painted post at each intersection identifies where you are relative to the grid and the Research Center. Theoretically one should be able to hike this large area without getting lost. There were several students working from the Research Center tracking and compiling data on monkeys, red squirrels, river dolphin and other species. Most were doing it as part of Master’s thesis studies.
The first thing we saw when we arrived at the Research Center was – Brandon. He and Orlando had gone into the jungle the morning after we arrived and we didn’t expect to see him again before we left. I asked him what had happened to the “living off the land” and he said they had just come back out that morning to get answers to a few questions about edible plants that Orlando could not answer. They had built overnight shelters, had fire and killed frogs and a caiman to eat. Brandon ate two plates of food at dinner that night and during the three days we spent at the research center he lived in the cabin next to us. I suspect the Amazon jungle might be a little tougher than survival camp in Virginia.
After 3 days roughing it at the Research Center we went back downriver for one last night at the Lodge. It was tough saying good bye to the staff and all the friends we made in the jungle. The entire experience was totally awesome – in spite of a few bugs and the resident tarantulas. Yes, we saw quite a few tarantulas. I never did tell the girls about the big one living above the shower at the Research Center. The Amazon is not the vacation for everyone but I know all 3 of us will do it again! Can’t wait to get to the Pantanal!
Last Day in Rio
Another great day! Neide took the day off from work and drove us into Rio - a gift in itself! We went to the #1 rated attraction in Rio - Sugar Loaf Mountain - where you are whisked up to unbelievable views by a very steep cable car. Even Steve enjoyed it (he's not fond of heights). Of course, it helped to have Neide there to egg him on. At the base, a sign warned not to jump while in the car, not to scratch, not to remove your shirt, and not to feed the wild animals. Hmmm. So I made sure Steve kept his shirt on and up we went. At the top, we were greeted by dozens of little monkeys. No one was feeding them, but they helped themselves to the uncovered trash cans at the picnic areas. We were able to get some great pictures.
Back down in Ipanema, we visited the H.Stern gem museum. Many of you may remember that Steve bought my rainbow necklace in Brasil at H. Stern many years ago. It was a fascinating (and free) tour showing how the gems are mined, and also showing the gemologists at work cutting and polishing the stones. Of course, then the big Sell begins. We were offered drinks and a seat where we were shown anything that interested us. We managed to escape with only Hannah purchasing a small memento to bring home.
All You Can Eat Javalina or Another Late Night
I had been reading about the churrascarias in Brazil and finally got the opportunity to try one out last night. Our new friends Neide and Romulo picked us up and took us down to the waterfront near the ferry landing for our experience. They graciously offered to go out "early" for us, and picked us up at 8:15 pm. We were led into a beautiful dining area full of local people eating out for various celebrations - graduations, birthdays and anniversaries. This is a Very special place. For one set price, you may select continuously from the elegant buffet of seafood, salads, sushi and vegetables. Meanwhile, the meat carvers stroll though the room pausing at each table to ask if you would like to try the beef, chicken, pork, chicken hearts, wild javelina, and more. If you wish to have a slice, you turn your card over to green - red means no more, obviously. In addition, more servers wander the room with plates of french fries, onion rings, pasteils, bananas, falafel, and more. It is a lengthy meal meant for celebrating and talking and drinking and eating with ones friends. As we ate, several of Neide's friends and relatives came by to greet us with the traditional double-kiss (two cheeks in Rio). Then after coffee and dessert, we finally left for home around 11 pm.
Late? Dinner
Just a quick note... We are moving more toward the South American way of life. We sleep late, eat lunch at 2, then a late dinner (for us). We were eating dinner at 8 pm tonight, surrounded by people just getting off work and having happy hour. We were literally the only people in the entire restaurant eating!!!
Fortaleza de Santa Cruz da Barra
For our first rainy day, we decided to visit the local fort at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. It involved a drive up a one-way street winding along the edge of a rock cliff, past an armed guard. Steve was beginning to doubt my "great idea". At the entrance, another armed guard checked our name and license, then gave us the universal "thumbs up" and raised the barricade. Obviously he had mistaken us for some army general and his family.... At the top, we were relieved to find a parking lot with a ticket booth. Maybe this really was a public tour site after all! Of course, the soldiers behind the counter found us extremely amusing as we attempted to purchase three tickets for a tour. Finally they just gave up and assigned an army soldier to accompany us. We were instructed that we could take pictures to the left (out to sea), but not to the right (over the barracks and the bay). Not sure why!
Our guide, Vargas, spoke two English words, "Let's Go". He seemed perplexed and disappointed that we did not understand his Portuguese history lesson. He did seem well-versed in his monologue, but we were enjoying the views around us. A few minutes later, another soldier joined us who claimed he spoke English. Then the fun began. Vargas would speak, then the translator would struggle to find an English word for the paragraph that Vargas had just spoken. Most of the time, Vargas would correct the translator, as he seemed to understand that the translator had not given us correct information. It was hilarious. We didn't care because we had assumed we would just walk around the fort by ourselves anyway.
Finally, I pulled out my I-phone and showed Vargas the translator function. He was fascinated and starting typing as fast as he could. Luckily, the 3G quit working, and we resumed our previous method of touring.
The fort WAS fascinating, with about 46 cannons, a jail, working lighthouse, chapel, barracks, and armed guards, plus mists and clouds, and pounding ocean waves. What a great way to spend a rainy day!
Christ the Redeemer
We just had to see one of the newest "7 Wonders of the World". They recommend going early on a clear day, and as you can see from the photo, it was a brilliant clear sunny day. The lines were fairly short, but by the time we left the lines were hours long to get to the top. Go Early! We had another travel odyssey today. OK, drove to the ferry, took ferry across bay to Rio, took bus to Corcovado, bought ticket (train still out of order) and rode in van to next station, transferred into another van to ride to top. Climb stairs to statue. Whew! 2.5 hours later. and all in Portuguese - no one here speaks English- at least not the worker bees. We did it!
Then we had to do it in reverse, and of course the bus number back was different from the one there. We stopped to ask for directions from an off duty bus driver. He told us the bus number and pointed us in the right direction. While we were standing at the bus stop, the same man pulled up in his empty bus and told us to get on. He then drove us to the correct bus stop at NO CHARGE. What a great day!
Once home, Hannah and I went to the rooftop pool and swam for a few minutes just to relax. We noticed that we could see Christ the Redeemer statue from the roof of our building. Who Knew!
Kilo Restaurants - better than buffet
We have eaten at a couple of so-called "Kilo" restaurants here. The food is amazing, especially known for their grilled meats. You pay by the kilogram, not a set price for a buffet. So it works great for each of us. Especially since salads weigh next to nothing. It keeps you from overeating, since you are aware you are paying by the pound. It also means Hannah's dinners are very inexpensive, since she still just grazes. In Peru we kept her fed with peanut butter, but it is not easy to find in Brazil. We have looked at 3 markets so far with no luck. We almost bought a jar of caramel thinking it was peanut butter. I'm sure she would have been happy with that!
Spain wins world cup
We are sitting outside on our balcony listening to the air horns and fireworks and sirens as Spain finally gets a goal and wins the World Cup. Fantastic! Too bad Brazil didn't win.
In Rio
Landed safely in Rio at 4:40 am. Somehow we rated Business Class for the Red-Eye, so had a nice flight. Hannah and Steve opted to eat dinner at 11 pm, but I went straight to sleep. We are in our first home exchange apartment in Niteroi. It is great. We walked down to the beach this afternoon, then went out to dinner with our hosts at a Kilo restaurant. They are such great people, so similar to us, it's amazing. More as the days follow.
Seven Nights in Paradise
If they only had ice....
The monkeys, the butterflies, the trees, the people, the stars at night, the bullfrogs, the paca in the kitchen, the rope swing, no electricity, no internet, no phones, cold showers, tarantulas, pink dolphins, fresh fruits, cold Cristal beer, piranhas, peacock bass, bats, the birds, oh and don't forget the mosquitos and the biting black flies!
I honestly don't know where to begin. The isolation and the restfullness were amazing. During the heat of the day, after a huge lunch, the only option is to rest in a hammock or doze in bed behind the mosquito netting until the sun has lowered in the sky. The days were filled with fishing, hiking, ziplines, birdwatching, swimming, canoing, and spearing fish. More sedate activities included a visit to the local village market or to the shaman, basket weaving, making blow guns, darts and bow and arrows. At night we chased caimans off the banks and caught boas in the trees. Hannah learned to spear fish from a canoe in the dark.
The fish looked prehistoric. Note one picture of the fish with the teeth. The variety of species was amazing. Out of the seven poison dart frogs we found on one hike, none of them were alike. The trees hanging over the river were of such variety, it was almost impossible to remember their names. We saw all five species of the kingfishers - amazing coloration. Blue morpho butterflies followed us down the river as we went, never pausing long enought for us to get a picture. Out of 13 species of monkeys, we were lucky enough to see 6. Our last morning, Steve went out fishing while Hannah and I slept in. I was awakened by crashing noises outside of our room (all screens- -no windows). I was thrilled to spot a troop of 40 squirrel monkeys swinging along through the trees just outside our window!
For those of you following my Coke Zero addiction, I asked at the last possible moment if the lodge had any diet drinks. Of course they said no, so I sent my guide to the store for a twelve pack (only 16 soles or about $5) and I managed to get by for 8 days. Of course, having the Cristal beer helped! Most of the time, we drank warm filtered well water, which gets old fairly quickly. Hannah and I found a lemon tree in an old orchard near the lodge and picked enough to make lemonade for the whole lodge. It was a welcome change.
Luckily for us, our guide, Edson, spoke excellent English and actually understood my humor (ok sarcasm). He could spot the smallest bird in the tallest tree from 500 yards away and would be astounded that we could not see it! As woods-savy as we are, this is just a different place, so huge and thick and wild that it made it almost impossible to locate an animal at first. One of the funniest times was when I had photographed a bird for several minutes, then asked Edson what rare species it might be. He just looked at me strangely and said "it's a pigeon". I erased those photos.
Another time, it was close to dark and the boat engine died on us far from camp. We began paddling upstream - against the current, the bugs were getting bad and we were beginning to wonder if we would make it. (The guides do not have any way to communicate with the lodge). Steve finally asked if he could look at the engine. Of course, he had it cranked and running in no time. Edson said "Guest 1, Guide 0). We laughed about that frequently in the following days. (It's much easier to laugh about things when you get home safely and have that beer!)
We met fabulous people at the lodge, many with children close to Hannah's age. I guess that similar types of people tend to on similar vacations. Most of the families were doing this trip along with Machu Picchu, as we had. We exchanged suggestions on things to do and favorite restaurants. We exchanged books,benadryl, e-mail addresses, and cash. (Strange, but true. The locals will not accept American money that is in less than pristine condition)
The food was plentiful and delicious. I gained back all the weight I had lost from Panama and Machu Picchu. Hannah was able to find enought to eat each day, but mostly survived on the jars of peanut butter and a slice of white bread with every meal. Something about being in the jungle made you feel ravenous at all times - like you might never eat again, so fill up now. It was a strange sensation. The kitchen pet, a baby paca, was also a big hit with the kids and adults. See the picture of Hannah and Anna Catherine holding paca.
Hannah's new nickname is "Piranha Hannah" for catching the most piranhas.
The lodge where we stayed is adamant about conservation of both the land and the native people. They have provided funds for the village school and clinic, a well for fresh water, local jobs, and other assistance. The villagers drank water from the well for about a month, then went back to drinking river water because "it tasted better". Oh well! The staff washed our laundry in the river (note the brown color in the photos), and the clothes came back very fresh and clean.
I was ready to leave by the last day, but I will miss our time there. It is truly an amazing place, and an awesome experience that no one should miss!
Tourists in Cusco
We only spent one night in Cusco so we could catch our flight out. Good Decision! It is a neat area with winding streets and old architecture....but the hawkers are worse than mosquitos. You cannot even sit outside your hotel without being approached multiple times. "No Gracias" does not even phase them. We had to just come back inside and cut short our walking tour of the city. So very different from the Sacred Valley where we spent out past week here.
We're off to the airport to fly to Iquitos for a change of both scenery and weather! Will miss the cool temps. The hotel supplied hot water bottles for us last night!
Futbol Mania
Just curious, is everyone in the US watching the World Cup non-stop, or just South America? Let me know. Hannah now knows all of the rules of the game and is yelling at the refs with Steve!
The Longest Day
I will not focus on the horror story that was our return from MP (total time 24 hours). I'm sure Steve will want to update you on that! Instead let me tell you about the people of Peru. Last night I told of our wait in Aguas Calientes. The people we met while there were warm and kind. They love children. While Steve watched the World Cup, Hannah and I wondered the village. People asked where we were from and were concerned about Hannah's hand (still bandaged). When we finally left with Steve, he was surprised at how the people yelled after us "Bye Hannah and Catherine".
While waiting for the never-arriving train, we watched the local people take it in stride. They were not angry or demanding. They were seemingly content to nap against the walls of the station and watch the ladies' boxing match on the overhead TV. Everytime I heard clapping and cheering, I would look up, sure that our train had finally arrived the station. Instead, a boxer had been knocked to the mat! Then when the train announcement (in spanish, of course)was made, there was more whistling and stomping. Hannah and I were sure that was the announcement of the train's arrival. Nope! That is how Peruvians boo!
Then there's our driver, Victor. We were not happy to find that our driver spoke no English. It has been the highlight of my trip. Communication is fun and challenging. I had to remind Steve to quit saying yes to everything Victor said. (As he had no idea what Victor was proposing) Victor loves Hannah and caters to her every whim. He opens the doors for me and carries all of my bags, and helps with negotiations at the stores. I want a Victor when I come home! He was to meet us at 9:30 pm to drive us home from the station last night. He waited until 2 am before finally abandoning all hope. We arrived home at 4:30 am. I am sure he had a cold Coke Zero waiting on me. I have a bet with Steve on it!
Machu Picchu
We had to arise at 4:15 am to make our trip to Machu Picchu. Since the January rains washed out part of the train service, it takes about 4.5 hours to reach MP. We drove in a cab for about 30 minutes to the old train station where we were picked up by a bus; driven another hour to the train station, where we waited for 30 minutes; boarded the train that took 1.5 hours to Aguas Caliente; bought tickets to MP and a rt bus ride; then took bus about 25 minutes up the mountain to reach MP finally!
It was a gorgeous day, and as Rob predicted, hot! Even in the winter with temperatures in the 30's when we left the house, it was hot and sunny at the top. Everyone shed their fleece jackets and put on sunscreen. We walked around with a guide obtained at the entrance for about 2 hours. It is absolutely beautiful scenery and interesting ruins, but after about 2 hours, we were through. Unfortunately our train doesn´t leave until 7:30 tonight, so we have about 5 hours to kill in town.
Luckily for us, the USA was just getting started playing Guana in Futbol on the big screen in a local restaurant. They let us sit and watch the entire game. Now we have moved to an internet cafe just to kill another hour. ´
By the way, I did try the coca tea on the train today. No effects except a slight tingling of the lips. Oh, and it helped me feel better that we had left our picnic lunch in the frig at home. Oh well!
Ollantaytambo Ruins
It took me a while to be able to write about this day. Hannah fell at the ruins and a boulder fell onto her hand, crushing her thumb. Needless to say, it was traumatic for all involved (Mom especially). Luckily, there was a first aid office at the base of the mountain, and all medical fees were included in the price of our entrance ticket (70 Soles/about $25). She was hurting and tired, but managed to find the courage to shop the Incan market outside the gates. The bloody bandage got her some great prices and sympathy from the locals. She left feeling like a princess (a little sore, but still). She didn´t eat much for lunch, but managed to down 4 desserts from the buffet. : )
She is fine today and managed Macchu Picchu with us. More on that tomorrow.
Inti Raymi
We were lucky to arrive in Cusco on the very day of their biggest celebration of the Sun. Our driver took us to the main plaza where we saw the dancing and parade. We were among the very few tourists there. It was mostly local Peruvians. Afterwards we drove on to Urubamba, the sacred valley, where we will stay for 4 nights. Everything looks dry and dusty with walls made of local brick (clay and straw). But when you enter beyond the walls, many surprises can be found! One of these is our hotel - Kuychi Rumi - meaning rainbow stone? in Inca language.
Our villa is wonderful, with flowers everywhere. Hannah was thrilled to find a collection of house dogs, which is the highlight of her trip.
No one speaks English, which is challenging. We are learning quickly, although Hannah continues to correct both my pronunciation and my grammar. Thanks a lot Senora San Juan!
There is a bowl of coca leaves on our kitchen counter for our use, but I've been scared to try them.
Off to Peru
We are awaiting our Copa flight at the airport in PC. We all agree that we have had the perfect one week vacation. It's a great feeling to head off for another vacation rather than having to head home.
Isla Contadora was a great choice for a stay. There were no "tourists" there, just a few "travelers". We met a young man from Texas who is on a five-year plan of travel, working along the way. (Scott, thanks for the granola bar for Hannah); and Pat, a woman who is recently retired from the UN travelling solo - with many interesting stories.
From the small plane, the view of the Panamax ships at anchor - waiting to cross the canal - was fascinating. So much money and commerce in one place.
We couldn't send postcards from here because there is no working postal system. So we bought postcards and will attempt to send from Peru.
Love to all!
Catherine
Isla Contadora
Thank goodness it is raining today! Much needed down time in the perfect location. We are staying in a five bedroom house (in two of the bedrooms) with the whole house to ourselves, since it is the rainy season. Carmen comes daily to clean and prepare breakfast. Today we had fresh pina (pineapple), plantains and huevos with naranja nectar to drink. Delicious! And yesterday we made mango smoothies with the mangoes in the backyard. Hannah is outside catching frogs and watching the hummingbirds. Steve is at the table designing a cistern for the homeowner (really!) And I am trying to decide how much I need a bottle of Coke Lite from the local mercado (it is really raining).
It is truly a small world. When we were on the canal cruise, we met a woman whose father lives in Tequesta Country Club (our neighborhood at home). And when the manager picked us up at the airstrip here on the island, he was wearing his full Gator Nation colors - and is from Ft. Myers.
Hannah is becoming proficient at spotting and naming the numerous hummingbirds of Panama. She is furious at a local python that is hanging out by the feeder waiting for his dinner. She pushed him away with a stick last night, and is keeping an eye out for his certain return today.
The rain seems to be getting lighter - I think I'll head for the coke lite.
Panama Canal Transit by Steve
On Saturday morning, June 19, we made a full transit trip of the Panama Canal aboard the Pacific Queen, a three decked tour boat about 120' long. We departed Flamenco Marina in Panama City at 7:30 a.m. headed for Colon on the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is about 80 kilometers in length (50 miles) to move from coast to coast.
we learned lots of interesting facts along the way. It takes three lifts to raise each ship up from sea level to +85' - the level of Lake Gatun where much of the cross country transit takes place. Then it takes another three lifts to bring them back down to sea level. Lake Gatun is an artificial waterbody which was created by damming a section of the Chagres River. Lake Gatun is recharged by the adjacent rain forests which have in turn been protected from development. Panama receives over 16 feet of rainfall annually (and it rained for part of our trip).
Each lock is 1,000 feet long by 110 feet wide. The largest commercial vessels which transit the Canal are referred to as PanaMax in size. These are giant auto carriers (3,000 cars) and container ships (5,000 containers). They have only 2 feet of clearance on each side and about 10 feet at either end. There are small train engines on tracks running along each side of the locks that connect to the 4 corners of each ship and move it in and out of the locks while maintaining the clearances while the water moves either up or down nearly 30 feet in each lock.
The Canal is operated 24 hours a day by the Panama Canal Authority. They average between 36 to 38 ship transits a day. It is very expensive to transit the Canal. However, the other option is to run around "The Horn" of South America which adds approximately 22 days to each trip. The Canal transit price is based upon the displaced tonnage of the ship plus extra for each container, auto or passenger. The "average" cost right now is about $130,000. per ship. The minimum price for small fishing boats, sailboats, etc is $500. The highest price was set last year when the Norweigan Princess cruise ship came thru - $487,000. Our tour boat, with about 150 people, cost $3,400. each way. I don't have a calculator but $130,000. times 36 ships times 365 days is a big number!
Transits are on a first come, first served basis. when ships reach the area you must contaqct the control center (like an airport) and get in line. They send a launch out and measure the ship and go thru the cargo manifest to establish the price. The shipping company must pay in full before ships are placed in the final queue. The waiting time for "non-reservation" ships was about 26 hours the day we traveled. It costs a 50% premium to reserve a specific date and time for transit. Carriers with perishable cargo like bananas or other food products tend to make a reservation rather then get into a long waiting line; sometimes the transit line is several days long. If you make a reservation and are late then you must get in line behind everyone else. There were 20 - 25 ships anchored and waiting at each end of the Canal. A Canal pilot is put on each ship and is in control for the full transit. Large tug boats are used near the locks to align the ships as they come up to the pre-lock wharf. Assistance from the tugs costs $3,000. dollars per hour per tug and is in addition to the transit fee. The Panamax ships usually have 2 tugs accompany them the full transit (about 8 hours). Our tour boat did not require tug assistance but did pay the reservation fee.
The Panama Canal runs due north-south. We went north from the Pacific coast (Panama City) to the Atlantic (Colon). After passing under the Bridge of the Americas with its 380 foot clearance we traveled about a mile to the first lock system. These are the Mira Flores Locks. It nas two side-by-side compartments for ship traffic in each direction. Mira Flores Lock is a two stage lock. Vessels move into the first chamber and the gates are closed behind. Our tour boat was in the 1,000 foot long lock with only two tug boats and a 44' Luhrs sportfishing boat. Valves are opened and water is allowed into the chamber by gravity flow raising the vessels inside nearly 30 feet. The back gate is opened and all vessels moved forward into a second chamber. After the gates are closed we were raised another 30 feet. We then exited Mira Flores lock and proceeded several miles upstream to the Pedro Miguel Lock where we were lifted one last time to the level of Lake Gabon. Because the second chamber at Mira Flores Lock is 30 feet higher then the first one the 4 train engines towing the big ships must climb a very steep incline to get to that second chamber
Leaving Pedro Miguel Lock we continued south, crossing the continental divide. Eight miles of this section of the Canal was blasted and cut thru solid rock. The Canal is 60 feet deep from side to side in the cut. They are currently widening parts of the cut to allow larger ships to make the passage. A new set of larger locks with a three stage lift is currently under construction with completion scheduled for 2014 - the 100th anniversary of the Canal opening.
The Colon Locks at the Atlantic side is already a three stage lock that vessels move progressively thru to be lowered or raised 85 feet. Each of the three chambers is 1,000 feet long inside and there is a 1,000 foot long wharf at each end. Thus the Colon Lock facility is nearly one mile long. It takes 26 million gallons of water to elevate or lower ships at each coast - total 52 million gallons each transit. There are no pumps; all water moves by gravity. That is why keeping the rain forest area preserved to recharge Lake Gabon is so important
Making the full transit trip was very educational and showed the importance of the Panama Canal to cargo logistics. The Canal was opened in 1914 and was "dug" using very crude equipment. It is an amazing accomplishment that continues to function today with minimal maintenance.
Soberania Rain Forest
Hernan, our guide and former cultural ambassador in DC, took us to Soberania at 5:30 am to watch the sunrise (which never came). It was a typical day in the rain forest with many low clouds and scattered showers. We saw toucans, hummingbirds, and Hannah's favorite Blue Morpho butterfly. We also heard the howler monkeys, but never actually saw any. Their roar was eerie as the thunderstorm approached.
On the way, we passed this container ship holding 3500 autos! And this ship with housing headed for the Antarctic.
View from our hotel room
After haggling with the clerk, we were finally given our canal-view room. Thank goodness! The continuous view of the canal, the ships and the Bridge of the Americas is well worth it.
On the Eve of Departure
We are packing the last bags and weighing our suitcases. Steve's is at 50#'s. Hannah's and mine each weigh in at 32#. He wouldn't let me look to see what he's taking. I'm sure he has some business files hidden away in there!
Tomorrow is the big day. We leave for Miami, then jet off on Wednesday early to Panama. See you there!
9/4/2011 9:15:31 PM - 004038371919
"We are never the same when we come back from a trip", that's what people say. You have a thousand reasons for making this sentence true! I'm glad that we met on your tour, in the first begining... Hope to be together again soon! Kisses for all of you. Much Love from Neide Lúcia, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
7/21/2011 11:59:22 PM - fb:1814979325
Nice necklace Hannah..
7/11/2011 10:52:44 PM - 002090490545
Let's go fishing when you all get home.Lots of bonito around but some big kingfish and wahoo too.
6/17/2011 8:49:36 PM - 000093465322
Hey Dad, Happy Fathers Day... or as they'd say in South Africa Happy Vadersdag!!! See you early August when we come down.
6/17/2011 12:52:51 PM - fb:1814979325
We know whos going to ride the ostrich the next time at the farm.. I'm showing this to Bryce and Logan. We will be at the Thiseldew on June 26.. I bet they ask AJ & UJ if they can ride them.. Hahaha
6/17/2011 11:12:56 AM - 002090490545
Looks like hannah is riding the roadrunner,Yahoo!
6/16/2011 8:49:54 PM - 003037660184
LOVE the picture of Hannah on Ostrich!!!!!
6/16/2011 2:43:13 AM - 003038926470
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!
5/31/2011 5:07:54 PM - fb:1814979325
I know it must be hard, but I agree... More pics, Please...
5/25/2011 3:08:14 AM - 003038926470
I agree with Todd and Regina.....more pics please!!
5/20/2011 7:47:32 PM - 000093465322
Please!!! Add more Africa pictures!!!!
5/15/2011 4:07:21 PM - 003040527800
Lion, Leopard, elephant, Buffalo and Rhino ??? That big 5 ???
5/15/2011 12:00:22 PM - 002090490545
excellent animal pictures! Good job.
5/13/2011 11:24:32 PM - 002090490545
Be sure to look for your long lost relatives down there in the cradle of humankind.
5/8/2011 12:45:12 AM - 002090490545
I know Steve was trolling a line off the back,anything caught?
5/1/2011 1:37:40 PM - 002090490545
Ah, the mediterranean life.Looks so very casual and relaxing.Grilling on the balcony,wine tasting,day tripping,some more wine,beautiful scenery,a little more wine,meeting new friendz,another bottle of wine.Gotta love those europeans.Looks like fun guys,be safe.
4/22/2011 10:35:45 PM - 003040729405
We want to hear more!!!
4/15/2011 5:28:47 PM - 003062665183
Oenbrinks,
The day trip to Pompeii looks amazing, i remeber reading with great interest the stories in National Geographic when excavating the site. That must have very cool. The places are beautiful.
Enjoy
Andy, Jen and Luke
4/11/2011 2:48:01 PM - fb:671584322
Hey finally some warm weather for you - enjoy!!
4/6/2011 3:40:07 PM - 003027665904
Hi Oenbrinks!! The photos are amazing! I can't wait to hear the stories that go along with them...You look great!!! Miss you too much! Be Safe, Love - the De La Riondas.
3/31/2011 9:12:02 AM - fb:671584322
Hey Oenbrinks!! How are you all? You should be in Italy now I guess? Give us an update!
Hope you're having fun, the gerbils miss you!
Margaret, Theo, Alex, Harry, and Cody
3/24/2011 10:57:32 PM - 003062665183
Hey Oenbrinks
Hope you are all doing well, it certianly appears as if the adventure continues, thing are still the same in Tequesta.
Safe Travels
ANDY, JEN and LUKE
3/24/2011 5:49:00 PM - 003040527800
This has been such an awesome adventure and I have enjoyed every min with you. Hey, Hannah send me a slice of that Black Forest Cake "IF" I win the next contest. Looks Yummy..
3/11/2011 4:26:44 PM - 003037660184
hi guys- I hope your not scheduled to go to japan anytime soon. OMG what an awful natural disater! you may want to come home now! Stay safe!
2/24/2011 4:56:58 PM - 003093919867
Hey, you're in The Netherlands now! Enjoy! Annette (Coin)
2/16/2011 3:18:02 PM - 000055745614
Dear Catherine, Steve and Hannah: What an amazing journey you are on! You are definitely living the dream! Have fun! We miss you! Cyndi
P.S. You are coming home to run in the 1st Annual Good Shepherd Spring Sprint aren't you??? www.springsprint5k.org
2/14/2011 10:57:12 PM - 003046878208
hannah, miss all of you soooo much... maybe in like, 2 years when i visit Florida you'll be there. Hope you email me soo! :)
sydney
2/1/2011 2:02:11 PM - 003040527800
The beautiful, amazing and interesting pics and stories just keep coming.. It is soooo enjoyable.. Keep up the good work. Thanks.. Mary
1/16/2011 6:19:17 PM - 003006875531
Hi Katherine and family. So much fun to peruse your pictures. I'm getting a vicarious thrill. Happy New Year to all of you. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!! Stephanie Cassatly
1/13/2011 6:05:43 PM - 003037660184
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!!
1/12/2011 10:36:36 PM - 003040527800
sorry !!! 25 min until Hannah's Happy Birthday to you... Have a wonderful Birthday Hannah !!! Love You Aunt Mary
1/11/2011 11:52:11 AM - fb:671584322
Hi Catherine - We will be leaving Amsterdam the morning of Feb 16th if you want to come a couple days earlier, no problem!
Hope you're all having fun!!
Regards, The Koppes Family
Margaret, Theo & Alex
1/4/2011 3:21:47 PM - 003062665183
Hey Oenbrinks
Sound like the fun is still non-stop! The Gators beat another Big Ten Team (Penn State) on New Years Day, thanksfully not OSU! Tell Hannah she would be starting school today, but i am sure the education she is getting on this trip is much better than school, and more fun! Keep the pictures and blogs flowing, and Happy New Year
ANDY, Jen and LUKE
1/1/2011 1:53:23 PM - 002090490545
Happy New Year everybody! Hope it's a safe,healthy and prosperous one.Kelly.
12/23/2010 8:45:45 PM - 001025960848
Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas!! We love your winter wonderland!! Love ya lots - The Gomes Family
11/28/2010 12:57:14 AM - 003037660184
owe Tim $5.00. Chump Change!!! Figured he deserved it considering the last 7 years! GO GATORS< STILL LOVE YA!!!!
11/28/2010 12:55:12 AM - 003037660184
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER! hope you got my e-mail!!! (FSU 31, UF 7, PAINFUL!!!!)
11/27/2010 10:41:36 PM - 002090490545
Happy Birthday old man!,Kelldude.
11/25/2010 12:22:09 PM - 003040527800
Happy Turkey Day to all off you on Vaca and to anyone and everyone reading this post.. We are all blessed to have such great family and friends.. Remember to be thankful for what we have not what we don't have.. Hugs and kisses to all.. Haapy Thanksgiving..
11/12/2010 8:41:14 AM - 003027577614
I've updated my page, and will have even more pics and stories in a few days, so come check it out.
11/10/2010 2:32:43 PM - 003067383565
Hey Guys
Looks like you are having a blast! We are getting our first cool weather of the season, great change.
Thanks for the updates, gives me a nice break at work in the morning looking thru the photo's.
What is the big lizard from Eagle Bay?
Andy, Jen and Luke
11/4/2010 5:04:44 PM - 003040527800
Thanks for the beautiful postcard. And I could never figure out how to sign up for one. What a nice surprise...
10/21/2010 5:40:53 PM - 003038394294
Hello Hannah,
We were wondering when it would be a good time to talk with you on Skype. I think we need to know your username to find you. I will get you the library schedule or you can just tell me when you are available.
Thank You,
Ms. McCartney
10/21/2010 4:33:21 PM - 002086842269
Hannah, C, & S, It looks like quite a trip----we love all the pictures!!!!! Continue to enjoy your travels !!!!!
10/15/2010 12:19:52 AM - 002073400946
Love the pics! Our Sydney home exchange was right next to Luna Park, Bill's apartment when he lived there is right by ferry landing for the zoo. We loved the Sydney Zoo and loved going by ferry. Also Manly Beach is great sunset ferry ride for dinner! Enjoy we are jealous!! Kathy & Bill
10/9/2010 4:43:32 AM - 003060656618
Hey Guys!!! Hope all is well! Love keeping track with your blogs. Can't figure out how to request a postcard though :o(.
Lisa & Mike
10/8/2010 5:48:17 PM - fb:1814979325
The bucket list is dwindling fast.. Hard to believe it is Oct already.. Moving on to another section of your map...
10/5/2010 3:58:42 PM - 003037660184
I THINK RELAXATION AND FUN ARE GOOD FOR YOU GUYS. YOU ALL LOOK GREAT! THANKS FOR THE UPDATES.
10/4/2010 2:20:15 PM - 002086842269
Hannah,Steve, & Catherine, Enjoy your travels.....Belated B Day wishes to you C !!!
10/1/2010 11:04:07 PM - 003038926470
Happy Birthday Catherine....I'll meet you in Paris for your lunch treat....Love you all
9/26/2010 3:52:59 PM - 002090618951
Since you are a day ahead it must be HAPPY BIRTHDAY Catherine. Hope you have a yummy cake and oodles of presents. Make a wish and blow out all your candles!
9/24/2010 1:01:31 PM - 003040527800
One more week in NZ, then off to Sydney.. Happy travels..Find me some Joey's..
9/23/2010 2:41:07 AM - 003057520407
Wow! Great pictures and what an adventure! This is Mrs. Hunt's grandson, Clay Hunt. We recieved your message about the property in Sylvania, Ga. The property is now available and we can forward pictures of this unique home if you'd like. Enjoy your trip and if you would like more information, you can reach me at hunt@planters.net. Travel safe and enjoy!
9/22/2010 11:54:11 PM - 002086842269
Love seeing all the pictures and hearing about your adventures!!!! You are all so lucky, how we envy you !!! Keep up the good luck and happy trails to you !! Lauren DeVogt
9/17/2010 5:59:25 PM - 003040527800
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow !!!
9/10/2010 4:19:23 PM - 003038926470
Such fun to read about your adventures. Love you all so much!
9/9/2010 10:30:49 AM - fb:671584322
We are enjoying reading about your adventures!! Greetings from Amsterdam - Margaret, Theo, and Alex
9/3/2010 5:54:06 PM - 001025960848
OMG!! Catherine ... You know exactly what I am thinking... Unreal!! Enjoy the shaking, rattling and rolling.
9/3/2010 5:20:25 PM - 000093465322
Hey guys, did you feel the big earthquake? Everyone OK?If you hear about hurricane Earl, it was nowhere near us.
8/21/2010 11:23:21 PM - 003049469502
Hey guys, Looks like ya'll are having a great time. Read a couple of stories and looked at some pictures with Terri. I think I would need a massage too after shooting that many dove. Unbelievable! Sounds like the time in the keys when a huge school of spanish maceral swam by while we were spear fishing. Held out the gun and shot, got 2on the same shaft. Threw the gun in the boat and grabbed another one. shot again and got another 2 on the same shaft. crazy.
Hope to have some more time to check in with your adventure. All the best from the Santore's
8/18/2010 3:05:35 AM - 002087894372
Welcome back! South America sounded awesome.
8/9/2010 10:23:46 PM - 003038928864
Miss you, my friend.
7/24/2010 8:31:45 PM - 003039518607
Hi Oenbrinks! Cat, just saw your Mom in Denver. It was great to catch up! You need to come visit here one day when you finish traveling all over. :) I remember the necklace you talk about that Steve bought you with all the jewels. My parents have been reading about all your travels too. They were in South America this year so it has been neat for them to see some of the same places you are visiting. Michelle
7/24/2010 2:57:08 AM - 002006598246
Hey Catherine, Steve and Hannah, Mark and I finally got a chance to catch up on your photos and journaling! We've spent the last hour enjoying looking at the exotic pictures and reading about your adventures. Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated. Hope all is still going well! Love, Molly
7/23/2010 11:59:24 PM - 003040527800
Great postings and pics.. Warn us next time your going to be out of touch.. You know we worry. Ha Ha remember this Hannah..
7/17/2010 3:48:01 PM - 003043745532
Hi Oenbrinks! This is Naomi from the Amazon. Great to see you in Rio and looking like you're still having a great time. Thank you for all the photos posted from the Amazon. It's nice to relive the fun we had and it was a pleasure meeting you. Plan on following you throughout. Enjoy!
7/14/2010 8:01:28 PM - 003043804863
Hi Catherine, Steve and Hannah, I´m passing here to see the pictures and impressions ... Maravilha (wonderful)!!!
7/9/2010 4:15:47 PM - fb:1814979325
Really glad your back.. Missed ya for the last week or so..
7/7/2010 2:10:11 PM - 000093465322
Where are you guys? You spoiled us with all the great updates... now nothing.
7/7/2010 1:26:18 PM - 003039642772
Hey you should be out of the jungle now unless you all decided you would rather be a jungle bunnie! Hope it waqs fun, I am looking forward to hearing about it.
7/3/2010 10:12:38 PM - 003032617446
Looks like y'all are off to a very beautiful start... I love the Central & South Americans. They are laid back folks sometimes too much. Photos are great, enjoy yourselves, Be careful.... Shout at you later AJ & UJ (aunt judy & uncle jim)
7/2/2010 12:11:35 PM - 003041410406
Looks much more scenic than Detroit!! We had pre-con meeting on Wednesday 6/30. Enjoy your trip!
6/30/2010 2:18:10 PM - 003038846839
Great photos Steve! We all miss you at KHA!
6/25/2010 9:12:34 PM - 003039797702
hope you have the best time of your life while on this trip!! sounds fun!
6/25/2010 12:10:03 PM - 003039791472
Good Morning Steve, We miss you alot around here. Mike Homa just cleared out your office. It is completely empty with no furniture, only memories. I hope you and your family are having a wonderful time. Miss you tons, Marisa
6/20/2010 1:46:27 PM - 000093465322
Hey Dad, Happy Fathers Day... I hope the howler monkeys let you sleep late today - I don't mean Hannah and Catherine :). Looks like you're having a great time. Keep the pictures coming, we check the site every day so Isabela and Ashton can see where you guys are.
Have fun.
Todd,Regina and the kids.
6/18/2010 2:41:18 PM - 003038480239
Miss you already! Have a wonderful time. Will be following you all the time.
6/16/2010 2:30:33 PM - 003038846839
Best wishes Steve! We will miss you at the office! Eileen
6/15/2010 3:33:38 PM - 003038928864
GOD BLESS & KEEP YOU!
6/15/2010 1:20:02 PM - 003038926470
Love you all! Bon Voyage. Hannah, please take lots of pictures for us.
6/15/2010 11:18:39 AM - 002086408721
Have a great first day of your travels! We are thinking of you:)
6/10/2010 1:52:56 PM - 002086422994
Don't go getting lost! Who will I have to abuse if you do? (of course this last sentence is really just for Catherine and not the family.)
You will be in my prayers.
4/6/2010 2:44:49 PM - 002090411179
I like how you have the pinpoints on the map and you can scroll over them. Way cool.
1/10/2010 10:11:23 PM - 002090411179
Um...OK. I'm in. I think.
