SearchingForTruffles

Croatia has wonderful truffles, the black mushroom known as "Black Gold." in some cooking circles. It is outrageously expensive because it is so hard to find. Dogs and pigs have been trained to root out the expensive mushroom. Here in Croatia, truffles are about one tenth the cost of truffles in the US, so I was eager to buy some. In a Croatian grocery store, everytime I asked someone to point out the truffles, I was sent to the candy aisle. I finally drew this amazingly lifelike picture and, after showing it to one of the cashiers, I was escorted immediately to the aisle with jars of truffles.

Apologies

A quick apology to my fellow travelers for not mentioning that we also have representatives from California, Tennessee, and Iowa. The group is lively and adventurous so yesterday's all day bus ride to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, was a little tough on everyone. It is early morning here and still dark. Plans are to load luggage on the bus and then take a tour of the city - then onward to another country - Slovenia. New Year's Eve will be spent at a farmhouse in Bled.I have heard that the food is excellent but haven't heard any reviews yet on the music, which is supposed to be Grandpa on the accordian (techno-Slovenian??). After dinner we will put on all the clothing that we own and go to see the fireworks in Bled. My New Year's Eve will be 6-8 ? hours ahead of the US, but about 6 hours after Australia - so in case I can't tell you in person - Happy New Year! I will be drinking a toast of the wonderful wine here to you - perhaps several glasses! The best of 2011 from RamblinMe (ILMOB)

EnjoyingDubrovnickWithGrandma

Time to pack and get ready for an early wake up call tomorrow for the trip to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and then on to the country of Slovenia for several days and then 2 final days in Venice. I invite you to come along as we welcome in the New Year together. Best wishes from Ranbiljn Mej in Croatia!

OldTownDubrovnikInhabitants

The "Old Town" within the fortress walls of Dubrovnik number about 700. The older people can no longer deal with the steep winding stairs that lead up to their tiny flats - so they have mostly sold out to younger,more stylish folks. It looks a little like a models convention to walk around the city and watch the locals. This is one advantage of seeing the town at this time of year. We saw only one other tour bus so we could watch the locals in their element. In the summer, we would be there with 6 cruise ships at a time and pushing shoulder to shoulder with the other tourists trying to get a look at this magnificent city.

MyCatsCroatianCousin

This is an exact duplicate of my cat and cats roam free everywhere throughout Dubrovnik. Also, they are fat, as all the restaurants seem to feed them. The local dogs, on the other hand, are very sleek, expensive designer dogs - exotic breeds - and all dressed to the teeth. I still can't arrange my scarf in that very trendy European way, but I was passed by a little dog that was wearing a perfectly tied designer scarf.

RedRoofsOfDubrovnik

You can tell which roofs have been bombed out and replaced. The dull roof to the right is an original. The brighter red ones are newer.

DubrovnikFortressWalls

Despite all the shelling during the last war, Dubrovnik still has the best preserved fortress found anywhere in Europe. We drove in at night and the bus driver took us through the incredibly narrow street that used to be the moat of the fortress. It is lit at night and the trip was magical.The next day a local guide took us up to the highest point of the walls and you can see the city, surrounding mountains and sea from this spectacular viewpoint.

DubrovnikTheJewelOfCroatia

If there is one city in Croatia that everyone knows about - it is Dubrovnik. I have wanted to visit here since I first saw a photo several decades ago. My heart broke when I heard that wars were ravaging the city. The General shelling the city at the time was asked if he felt bad that we was destroying one of the world's most beautiful historical sites and he replied that he would just build it back even better. As part of the tour you can see a map dotted with Xs that show the hundreds of bombs that fell on the city. Today, other than some walls that have bullet holes. most of the city has come back. It is breathtaking.

OurTourGroup

This is our group of 18 listening attentively to Kristijen. The last 3 arrived a day late because of the terrible weather and one person still hasn't received her luggage. It is a really good group of very well traveled folks. They are from Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, Canada, Texas, New York, and, of course, New Mexico.

RecyclingInSplit

The cars and palm trees in the foreground are fairly new. The yellow building closest was built in the 1400s. The back wall of the yellow building is the Palace, built 2000 years ago. You can actually walk into some of the shops and see the exposed back wall that is the wall of the palace!

SplitIsAFlowerNotADessert

Our guide in Split reminded us that the city was named after a flower, not the American dessert, the banana split. It is most famous for being the retirement home of the Roman Emporer Diocletians, who ruled 2000 years ago. Many of the buildings in the town have simply been added on to the existing structure of the emporer's retirment palace. The first recycling?? In the photo, he is standing in front of a diagram showing how the palace would have looked.

ItNeverSnowsInSplit

As we headed down the length of Croatia, Kristijen, our guide told us that the weather would get warmer as we headed south. "It hasn't snowed in Split in my lifetime." Well there is always a first, because it was snowing as we entered Split!

WineTastingInCroatia

The wines we sampled at the Festgia Winery were excellent and of course, I did my share to support the local economy. In the photo to the left is Kristijen (pronounced Christian), our brilliant guide and part-time male model.The woman on the right was a rep from the winery.In addition to wines, the winery makes olive oil and the area is known for its excellent truffles. We were treated to both along with cheeses and 3 of their wines.I wanted to live there, but they made me get on the bus.

LastStopOnTheIstrianPeninsula

A few months Before leaving Santa Fe, I visited a local winery, the Malagro Vineyard. They had won a prize for the best Chardonnay in the US. They produce about 2000 bottles a year. Our last stop on the Peninsula Tour was to Festigia Winery where they produce 12 million bottles a year.

BoxingDayInCroatia

In England and Australia the day after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day and no one can explain why. Those of us celebrating it here were drenched with cold rain. It was only 50 degrees Fahrenheit (7 C ?), but the local version of the Northeaster was rolling in. It sounds like "Boolia," so forgive the spelling. It usuually lasts 3-4 days and can reach up to 100 mph. With the windchill, it was well below freezing, so please forgive the shakey photos.My waterproof shoes failed miserably and by the end of the day, I found one tiny shoe store that sold me a pair of all weather boots for $20. It's a little like wearing my Dad's shoes when I was a kid - so I can't sneak up on anyone.

ReligionInCroatia

Croatia is strongly Roman Catholic.When Pope John Paul II visited Croatia, 2 million people showed up tp hear him. The country has only 4.5 million, so that is quite a turn out. The Croatian language is Slavic the family of languages including Russia and Eastern Europe. The alphabet used is determined mostly by which religion converted which area. All those converted to Greek Orthodox use the cyrillic alphabet like Russia uses.(This is why I spent most of my time in Moscow completely lost.) All those converted by Roman Catholics use the same alphabet as Europe and the US.

CroatianFacts

More than 80% of Croatians own their own homes. With the fall of communism, they were offered the chance to buy their homes at 10% of the market price. Universities are free and entry into a particular field is decided by standardized test scores. Your test score determines if you are good enough to go to medical school, law school. etc. Interstingly, the highest scores are required to attend universities specializing in psychology and also languages.

Croatia

About 4.5 million people live in Croatia with 1 million living in Zagreb, its capital. An equal 4.5 million have left the country because of wars and the economy, and are now living in the US and Australia.I laughed when I read the Lonely Planet line that Croatia is known for "neck ties, war, and Tito," but as it turns out, Croatia is a variation of the French word cravat, meaning necktie. The war part is evident wherever you go, as so much is being rebuilt on an ongoing basis. Tito is a bit more controversial as some feel he was a positive influence on the country with his "softer" brand of communism, while some call him "The Butcher." You will have to read the history and decide for yourself.

WondersOfCroatia

Sadly, I have to admit that I knew almost nothing about Eastern Europe before this trip and probably even less about Croatia, I've learned that it has survived a millenium of occupiers including the Romans, Ventians, Austrians, Hungarians, and Italians and today's culture reflects the hodge podge of these influences. It declared its independence from Yugolslavia in the early 90s and has applied for entry into the European Common Market. I've been told that the time to buy anything is now, becuse once accepted, everything in the country will go up 20%.

DayOnTheIstrianPeninsula

The Istrian Peninsula is the jutting "V" section of land closest to Italy and on this tour, we visited Pula, Rovinj, and Porec, as well as an amazing winery - all along the west coat of the peninsula.The Roman Ampitheater in the photo is one of the largest and best preserved in Europe. You can actually walk through a tunnel that runs under the grounds, that was used by gladiators and animals for entering the arena.

OpatijaDriveBy

You will have to take my word that Opatija is a charming town on the sea. I arrived late at night and the bus pulled out early the next morning for the next stop on the tour. The town is named after the abbey upon which the town was founded. Before World War I, royalty (Hapsburgs, tsars, etc) and celebrities of the day traveled to this town to "take the waters" for their health.It remains a charming town, even though you are seeing only the coffee shop in my hotel in the photo.

WelcomeToCroatia

No expense was spared taking a photo of this free map lying on my hotel floor. The dark "C" shaped country is Croatia.The sea on the left of the country is the Adriatic and directly across the Adriatic is Italy. I flew into Venice Italy to start this tour of Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice. Venice is located directly across from the little crook on the back of the "C". It seemed like an easy boat ride straight across the Adriatic, but it took 2.5 hours by van to travel to my hotel in Opatija (nesr Rijeka).

ChristmasGreetingsFromCroatia

I'm here in Croatia after 30+ hours of traveling. My suitcase however has taken a detour. It was amazing riding along this evening, seeing the Christmas lights in the dark and rain and knowing that on this Christmas Eve, I have entered my 60th country. Can't wait for the morning to go out and actually see it.After wearing the same outfit for the entire trip (and also tomorrow), I'm sure I will have the seat all to myself on the tour bus. Merry Christmas to all!!!

AnAlternativeToLookingAtSnow

HomeHolidaysAndNextTrip

I have been home more than a week and have spent the holidays getting over jet lag and preparing for my next trip. I leave tomorrow for a 2 week Gate 1 organized tour of Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice. I am mostly packed, waiting for the pet sitter to arrive for last minute arrangments, and praying that all the snow in Europe doesn't impact the trip. The photo is of me with Santa at our hotel in Timor-Leste, but hopefully it can be a holiday e-card wishing all of you the very best of the holidays and a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2011. My biggest hope for you is that you spend this special time with those you love. Holiday Hugs From Ramblinme (ILMOB)

ChineseEmbassy

The American Embassy is the largest of the amazing number of Embassies in this tiny country. The most dazzling is the new Chinese Embassy in the photo. The Chinese presence is extensive. Most of the new government buildings and many of the new hotels have all been built by the Chinese. When we were shopping for air conditioners for the school, any time we tried to negotiate, the sales clerk would fetch the manager/owner who was always Chinese.

IslandViewNorthOfDili

TourTimorLeste

Our entire time in country, I am not sure that I saw anyone that I could identify as a tourist. There are an enormous number of people working there from all over the world. Almost 1 in 5 cars is a UN Military vehicle. Beaches on the east side of Dili have been beautifully landscaped, just sitting there waiting for tourists. The government has ruled that all taxis must be painted yellow to make it easier for tourists. New hotels are being built all the time (mainly by the Chinese). Ferries are available to take tourists to many gorgeous islands and diving sites. Like any emerging country there are issues. The disparity between the "haves" (expatriots) and the "have-nots" (most locals) does result in tension in the form of rock throwing - especially if you are involved in an auto accident with a local. We talked to the manager of a hotel who assured us that the people living around the hotel compound were wealthy so we wouldn't see rocks being thrown into the compound at night.We experienced none of this during our stay and the folks at our hotel made us feel very much at home. This is a photo of the hotel group preparing for the day's meals.

DrivingFunInTimorLeste

Doug and I have the world covered when it comes to driving. I drive in countries that drive on the right and he drives in countries that drive on the left. Thank goodness it was his turn to drive because the right/left rule may be the only driving rule in the country. There are no drivers licenses, auto insurance, or marked lanes. It is basically a free for all. After several weeks we did see a few traffic signs,a few traffic lights, and a few signs with road names. It is the wild west of driving. The round-abouts (traffic circles) do tend to move in a clock-wise direction - but don't count on it!. At any time you will see motorbikes zooming into microscopic places and dogs, chickens, pigs, and goats taking their time wandering through the busiest traffic. My biggest surprise was seeing groups of people sitting on the side of the highway with traffic passing within inches of their rear ends (a good way to get rid of those extra pounds).Dili has the best roads in the country which means that most are paved in most places. The challenge is unmarked holes big enough to swallow a Volkswagon. Doug was remarkable at memorizing where the holes were - a huge survival skill. One day we saw a massive hole marked with a pile of stones, but the stones were gone the next day, even though the hole was even larger. A chair was placed in the road over another huge hole to warn motorists! Perhaps our greatest contribution could be to take traffic cones with us on our next trip!!! PS The photo is a bus with a goat tied to the top!

ThePoliticsOfLanguageInTimorLeste

After Timor-Leste declared its independence, the government faced the tough decision of deciding which of the many languages spoken in this tiny country would be the "official" one actually taught in the schools. There are many regional languages including the ancient trading language of Tetun (spoken mainly in Dili, the capital city). There is Portuguese - spoken mainly by the older people who lived through the Portuguese occupation almost 25 years ago and internationally spoken only in Portugal and Brazil. There is Indonesian, the one language spoken by everyone in the country because the recent 20 year rule by the ruthless Indonesian army made survival contingent on learning the language. Then there is English, which very few people in Timor-Leste speak, although it is the international business language and the major contibutor to the charity work in the country is the English speaking Australia. The Decision!!! (Drumroll) Portuguese! An amazing decision, especially considering that the teachers have to take language lessons in their spare time to learn the language so that they can then teach lessons in Portuguese to the students who are also learning the language. The almost 1000 books written in English (photo of sample below) kindly donated by the Australian Rotary Club to the school where we are working may wait to be read, since everyone is currently speaking Indonesian and Tetun and learning Portuguese. For now, English is low on the list.

GoodIntentionsInTimorLeste

PresidentRamosHortaAdressingStudentsAtSanMiguelSchool

RelaxingByTheBeachRoadInDili

TribalBowlMakerAtDiliCulturalFestival

DiliCulturalFestival

Last weekend Dili held a cultural festival where many tribes from outside of Dili came to show off their unique tribal dress, dances, and crafts.

PastelColorsOfSantaCruzCemetary

SantaCruzCemetary

This is the gate where 200 peaceful protesters were systematically slaughtered by the Indonesian Army.

TimorsHeartbreakingHistory

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend a DVD titled "Balibo." The central theme is the story of how 5 Australian reporters were slaughtered by the Indonesian army that was taking control of Timore-Leste at the beginning of their 20 year rule. At the same time it gives you an idea of what the Timorese lived through in this reign of terror. It is not easy viewing but it does help you understand the shyness or wariness that you find with the Timorese. Also, it is rare to see any older people here since so many were executed during this period.
One famous massacre here took place when a group of Timorese were peacefully protesting the Indonesian occupation, at the Santa Cruz cemetary. The Indonesian Army slaughtered the protesters as they exited the cemetary. The 200 people killed are buried in a cemetary next to Santa Cruz with stark white crosses marking their graves.

ChancesAre

Statistics show that the future for Timorese females is not bright.Timor-Leste is one of 2 Catholic countries in Asia (the other being the Phillipines). The Catholic Church weilds a powerful influence here - from the extremely conservative dress to the prohibition of birth control. The average Timorese female will have 8 children, 3of whom will die in infancy. This country has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world. The traditional expectations of the role of women mean that they will marry young, immediately begin having children, and be completely under control of their husbands. Abuse is a huge problem here and, with no marketable skills, most will simply endure. The number of schools is increasing, however, and more girls have the opportunity for a high school education. Few can afford college.

TheTimorese

The Timorese people are beautiful - petite and thin - almost delicate - with a mocha complexion and dark hair that sometimes has sunstreaked highlights. The average salary for a Timorese is $150 a month, or $1,560 a year. No one tips here, so this is their entire income. With the 50% illiteracy rate and lack of schools, the future of most Timorese children isn't hopeful.