Athens, Rome, Abu Dhabi, Safari and Capetown, a set on Flickr.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Down Under....Down Under
Believe it or not I'm still alive. Not sure how 3 months went by without a word from me. It has been action-packed and I'll try to get you up to date.
I'll just give you the latest and then we'll cover the fun stuff. I am currently in Sydney, Australia after a couple of attempts to get here. After 7 months of travel the worst thing I've incurred was a cold while in Italy and now this foot issue. I'm not sure how this happened because I was sober. I somehow badly bruised my foot and thought I had a stress fracture. After going to the Doctor and getting an x-ray it was determined that I had somehow badly bruised my foot. I think the flu would have been better since my journey involves a lot of walking and this just screwed everything up. Fortunately I found an apartment that was perfect. A supermarket just outside the door, pharmacy steps away and best of all a Blockbuster downstairs. The pain was unimaginable and I hobbled like an 80 year old man. I was so hopeless looking hobbling along that the homeless even felt sorry for me and didn't ask for money. Let's move on to all the good things that have happened in the last few months, since this paragraph is both digressive and depressive.
I left you in Mykonos. Off to Athens-Well I didn't meet my man in Mykonos, so I headed to Athens to see if I could find him there. Wow! I think the most handsome men are Greek. I'm not sure if that's a personal preference, but WOW! So I did all the typical tourist stuff; Acropolis, Parthenon, Monastiaki Flea Market, Hammam Baths, while staying in the Plaka neighborhood at the base of the hill topped by the Acropolis. Experienced a really fun food walking tour and was able to explore and eat at all the places the locals do.
From Athens I went back to Italy. Dearest Peggy was to meet me in Rome and I was excited to see her. Too many months had passed without us taking our long walks and enjoying one each others company. I have to say she was a trouper after a long flight and suffering from go ole jet lag she rallied. The best part of meeting up with someone is I leave to them to do the planning and I'm along for whatever is in store. Peggy was well prepared and brought her Rick Steve's Rome book, so we had a lot of ground to cover if we wanted to see it all. Peggy was kind enough to purchase tickets to the Borghese Gallery and the Vatican guided tour. Amazing! We were able to find our way around pretty easily with her map and my IPhone. We might have made up for all those months of taking our famous San Francisco walks. We saw it all and walked almost everywhere. I think we only caught a cab twice and it was because we needed to be somewhere at a certain time. Just to name a few; The Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel (on our guided tour), basically if it was in his (Rick Steve's) book we went there. Peg and I even got to hear the Pope give Mass. WOW! We had a blast!
Abu Dhabi was my next destination. I know Abu Dhabi? Why? Well an old friend from Phoenix is now living there and what the heck I'm on this side of the globe. I just have to say what a culture shock, religion is a way of life and all of the Islamic Traditions. We met up with a bunch of his expat friends who were really a great group of people who made me feel very welcome. We decided to go to Dubai because Chel's friend Jane needed to shop for 'bits and pieces'...she's Scottish. We went to the famous mall right next to the Burj Khalifa. We shopped and then left when Jane asked Chel if he had shown me the tallest building in the world. Little did I know it was right outside the mall. Nope I got to see it driving on the highway going 55 miles per hour. I could have shot him, but if you stay with me...he more than made up for it later. Really fun time going to great restaurants, lounging by the pool and catching up after not seeing on another for 17 years.
Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam to Kenya. Please don't look at a map. I know it doesn't make sense and I should have just flown from Abu Dhabi to Kenya, but my ticket was purchased back in April and it was non-refundable and couldn't be changed. So I fly in to Amsterdam the night before, get some rest, and then head to the airport to see Katie! We see each other in line for security and both of us are so excited to see one another. Once I get past security, located at the gate, we hug for the longest time. We are actually doing this! A safari who would have thought? We board the plane and there is a little black man sitting across the isle from me on the plane getting a great deal of attention, well it ends up being Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya, winner of the New York Marathon. My first celebrity siting. Very nice and very humble and smiled the entire flight...even when he was sleeping.
Safari -Amboseli National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara Game Reserve...massively packed 14 days! We arrive at the Nairobi Airport and greeted by a very nice member of the Abercrombie and Kent staff. We are taken to the hotel and get a short nights sleep before heading off for our adventure. We find out in the morning that we will be traveling with a nice Jewish Family from New York. Steve, his girlfriend Cindy and her adult children Brett and Logan. Our tour director had 30 years experience. We head out of Nairobi and head to Amboseli National Park at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Yes Katie I am now referring back to your diligent notes taken during our trip. Every day we would wake up and just pinch ourselves not really believing we are on this incredible Safari. If you haven't gone on one go and if you go with Abercrombie and Kent they are top notch all the way. Here is a detailed Itinerary if interested:
http://www.abercrombiekent.com/travel/?fuseaction=dsp_itinerary&tid=5834
I will sum up what we saw, as I said Katie kept impeccable records.
I'll just give you the latest and then we'll cover the fun stuff. I am currently in Sydney, Australia after a couple of attempts to get here. After 7 months of travel the worst thing I've incurred was a cold while in Italy and now this foot issue. I'm not sure how this happened because I was sober. I somehow badly bruised my foot and thought I had a stress fracture. After going to the Doctor and getting an x-ray it was determined that I had somehow badly bruised my foot. I think the flu would have been better since my journey involves a lot of walking and this just screwed everything up. Fortunately I found an apartment that was perfect. A supermarket just outside the door, pharmacy steps away and best of all a Blockbuster downstairs. The pain was unimaginable and I hobbled like an 80 year old man. I was so hopeless looking hobbling along that the homeless even felt sorry for me and didn't ask for money. Let's move on to all the good things that have happened in the last few months, since this paragraph is both digressive and depressive.
I left you in Mykonos. Off to Athens-Well I didn't meet my man in Mykonos, so I headed to Athens to see if I could find him there. Wow! I think the most handsome men are Greek. I'm not sure if that's a personal preference, but WOW! So I did all the typical tourist stuff; Acropolis, Parthenon, Monastiaki Flea Market, Hammam Baths, while staying in the Plaka neighborhood at the base of the hill topped by the Acropolis. Experienced a really fun food walking tour and was able to explore and eat at all the places the locals do.
From Athens I went back to Italy. Dearest Peggy was to meet me in Rome and I was excited to see her. Too many months had passed without us taking our long walks and enjoying one each others company. I have to say she was a trouper after a long flight and suffering from go ole jet lag she rallied. The best part of meeting up with someone is I leave to them to do the planning and I'm along for whatever is in store. Peggy was well prepared and brought her Rick Steve's Rome book, so we had a lot of ground to cover if we wanted to see it all. Peggy was kind enough to purchase tickets to the Borghese Gallery and the Vatican guided tour. Amazing! We were able to find our way around pretty easily with her map and my IPhone. We might have made up for all those months of taking our famous San Francisco walks. We saw it all and walked almost everywhere. I think we only caught a cab twice and it was because we needed to be somewhere at a certain time. Just to name a few; The Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel (on our guided tour), basically if it was in his (Rick Steve's) book we went there. Peg and I even got to hear the Pope give Mass. WOW! We had a blast!
Abu Dhabi was my next destination. I know Abu Dhabi? Why? Well an old friend from Phoenix is now living there and what the heck I'm on this side of the globe. I just have to say what a culture shock, religion is a way of life and all of the Islamic Traditions. We met up with a bunch of his expat friends who were really a great group of people who made me feel very welcome. We decided to go to Dubai because Chel's friend Jane needed to shop for 'bits and pieces'...she's Scottish. We went to the famous mall right next to the Burj Khalifa. We shopped and then left when Jane asked Chel if he had shown me the tallest building in the world. Little did I know it was right outside the mall. Nope I got to see it driving on the highway going 55 miles per hour. I could have shot him, but if you stay with me...he more than made up for it later. Really fun time going to great restaurants, lounging by the pool and catching up after not seeing on another for 17 years.
Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam to Kenya. Please don't look at a map. I know it doesn't make sense and I should have just flown from Abu Dhabi to Kenya, but my ticket was purchased back in April and it was non-refundable and couldn't be changed. So I fly in to Amsterdam the night before, get some rest, and then head to the airport to see Katie! We see each other in line for security and both of us are so excited to see one another. Once I get past security, located at the gate, we hug for the longest time. We are actually doing this! A safari who would have thought? We board the plane and there is a little black man sitting across the isle from me on the plane getting a great deal of attention, well it ends up being Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya, winner of the New York Marathon. My first celebrity siting. Very nice and very humble and smiled the entire flight...even when he was sleeping.
Safari -Amboseli National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara Game Reserve...massively packed 14 days! We arrive at the Nairobi Airport and greeted by a very nice member of the Abercrombie and Kent staff. We are taken to the hotel and get a short nights sleep before heading off for our adventure. We find out in the morning that we will be traveling with a nice Jewish Family from New York. Steve, his girlfriend Cindy and her adult children Brett and Logan. Our tour director had 30 years experience. We head out of Nairobi and head to Amboseli National Park at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Yes Katie I am now referring back to your diligent notes taken during our trip. Every day we would wake up and just pinch ourselves not really believing we are on this incredible Safari. If you haven't gone on one go and if you go with Abercrombie and Kent they are top notch all the way. Here is a detailed Itinerary if interested:
http://www.abercrombiekent.com/travel/?fuseaction=dsp_itinerary&tid=5834
We visited a local
Maasai tribe village and were greeted with a dance, singing and a
prayer for our safety home. Hint?? They explained how they make fire (no Bic
lighters), build their homes (cow dung is the new stucco), healed malaria
(bark of the acacia tree, admittedly not always...ever?...effective) and we met
their preschool teacher and class of 40 precious little uniformed kids.
High pressure for Katie to purchase trinkets ( I stayed as a casual observer) at the end dampened it a bit but she knows she will use these Chinese-made bowls, tongs and artwork!! It was well worth every
penny.
I will sum up what we saw, as I said Katie kept impeccable records.
1 Serval Cat
1 Albino Hare
2 Mating Giraffes
4 Mating Lions
4 Black Rhinos
4 Cheetahs
5 Leopards
50 Lions
100 Giraffes
300 Elephants
500 Hippos
1 million Gazelles, Zebra, Wildebeest (and other Antelope
family)
I know this is a lot of information on one post, so you have my permission to take a break.
From Africa to South Africa different countries on the same continent. I decided even though I had this round trip (non refundable ticket) that I wouldn't use the return to Amsterdam with Katie, instead I headed to Cape Town South Africa. From the advice of a very smart friend I decided to follow the sun and stay out of cold weather.
Cape Town was amazing. My friend Kimberly Stanier said it was one of her favorite places on earth and I can understand why. It reminded me a little bit of Hawaii with large mountains surrounded by the ocean. I found another great place to stay using airbnb. Just to mention a few highlights. Table Mountain was amazing, V&A Waterfront, but Robben Island and visiting Nelson Mandela's cell was probably most significant and moving parts of my visit. Even more important was that it was less than a month of my visit that he passed away. Just to get an idea the people are very friendly and in spite of the anti-apartheid movement there is still a great disparity between the black and white population. I was also invited out to Stellenbosch by a friend of Kimberly's to see the wine county and have an amazing BBQ at their home. Susan and her family were warm and inviting and fast new best friends.
Cape Town to Abu Dhabi - What??? Back again. Chel was kind enough to invite me back for Thanksgiving and a small party he was throwing, mostly for expats from the UK and locals, both who don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for 50! No small feat! Thank God it was catered. Chel continued to work while another house guest, Franchescha from Italy, and I did a major set up and got the place in order to have 50 for dinner. Chel also was able to arrange another trip to Dubai and this time we went up in Burj Khalifa the tallest man-made structure in the world. Up we went 163 stories at 32 feet a second without throwing up. He sooo made up for my last visit and neglecting to show me the worlds tallest building even though it was right outside the door of the mall. This second trip was less of a culture shock and I didn't think twice about living among Islamic people.
Abu Dhabi to Sidney Australia and back to my foot. It has healed for the most part and I'm ready to do some on foot exploring. Not fun hopping on the hop on hop off and not be able to hop off. From here I'm heading to Melbourne, Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji and Thailand and then working my way home. Stay tuned! Pictures to follow!
Rome Apartments-we moved since we couldn't find one available for our entire stay. Both very cool!
Airbnb Apartments: Each one amazing hosts and hostesses!
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