ShoppingForDinner

Doug has become a bargaining wizard with all the fruit peddlers that we meet. From them we buy fresh pineapples, mangos,bananas, avocados, apples, oranges, and watermelon. There are also a huge array of fruits that we can't identify and we are trying to work up the courage to try them. Most of the vendors speak only Tetun and our Tetun isn't good enough to understand their explanations. We have to be careful to eat only fruit and vegetables that we peel ourselves, or are well cooked. The water situation is tricky. The only water we drink comes from sealed bottles and we even need it to brush teeth. Beer however is perfectly safe, so we feel compelled to play it safe and drink lots of beer.

TheBoatingGoatsOfEastTimor

These are our neighbors

ImagesOfEastTimor

The shack next door to our hotel. The pigs continue to get loose and the goats are always in the road. The fisherman/farmers who live here supplement there income with a tiny store operated out of a side window of their shack.

ExploringEastTimor

While looking for volunteer opportunities we also had time to get to know this amazing country. There continues to be evidence of the wars that raged here, but the majority of buildings are new and you can find construction going on everywhere. There is a contrast between the attempts to rebuild and the many people living in grass topped huts throughout the area (although they now have huge TV dishes). They continue to fish and raise pigs, chickens and goats, while the government actively makes changes to turn East Timor into a modern tourist mecca. To date, we have met no other tourists, but the potential is here to be a major tourist destination.

TheBestOfContactsInEastTimor

The stars aligned when we met Daryl aka Daisy of the Dili Hash Harriers. The Hashers are a world wide running club started in the 1930s. They call themselves a "drinking club with a running problem," and in Dili, the 50+ members just happen to be composed of the leaders in the expatriot community charged with the task of getting East Timor back on its feet. We were actively looking for volunteer opportunities and we struck gold when Daisy invited us to join the Hashers for one of their Saturday races. A side benefit was meeting this extraordinary group of fascinating people. Their jobs are essentially traveling all over the world, living in the most exotic and tough conditions, helping countries in need. It takes a special person to do this and they tend to play just as hard as they work, as we found out first hand.

TimorLesteMysteryMagicAndContradictions

It is a first for me - getting on a plane to fly half way around the world to a country I know nothing about - that speaks a language I have never heard - to volunteer to help without having any idea what I can contribute. Needless to say it was a giant leap of faith. Douglas and I arrived a week ago to find a gorgeous lush island paradise that is a mass of contradictions and oddities. It gives the place a lot of charm, but at the same time, makes the smallest task turn into a giant project. Dili, the Capital, is a city of over 800,000 people, but only 2 of the roads actually have names. Directions can include turning right at the house with the plastic covered fence and right at the pigpens...

MyAUSTRALIANPartnerInCrime

In a blog that I posted in April, I included a photo of Doug - who I identified as "My Partner in Crime From New Zealand." It was a blatant attempt to convey my interest in this very intriguing man I had met on the train trip through Africa. It worked, because he did respond to the photo and even forgave me for calling him a New Zealander.It has been quite an adventure just trying to stay in touch with someone who lives on the other side of the world. His winter is my summer, his day is my night, his Tuesday is my Monday. The windows for communication are quite small. Thank goodness for emails and SKYPE. We did meet halfway for an incredible time in Hawaii (photos to follow later), but our biggest adventure will be the trip to Timor East. Traveling through some of the poorest parts of Africa made us both dramatically aware of the immense poverty and need that exists in the world. Timor East is a tiny country that has survived several wars and is now trying to rebuild. It is "the Little Country That Could" in my eyes and we are both hoping that we can do something to help in our own small way. At a minimum we can put a few tourist dollars back into the country. We are scheduled to arrive there on Tuesday (EST) and we both eagerly anticipate what awaits. Stay tuned!!

HeadingForEastTimor

It has been an incredibly active time since returning from my "Volcation" in Holland in April 2010. It included lots of visitors (many of whom I met on previous round the world trips), journeys to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Bryce Canyon in Utah, Hawaii, and the 2010 Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. These photos are all waiting to be culled and the few good ones posted, but for now I want to focus on the big adventure that starts on Monday - a trip to Timor East (Timor-Leste)and all the intrigue of going to a place that is almost unknown - no guidebooks exist. If you look on the internet there is some information, but I was left with more questions than answers. I hope that I will be able to document the visit and show you what we find in this tiny virtually unknown country. PS Thanks to all the faithful readers who have continued to look at my blog even though I have been off line for so long!!

TheBlogIsBack

HomeAgain

It's so good to be back in the US, catching up with friends and eating my way through all the American junk food and watching all the TV that I've missed. I signed a one year lease on a house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with plenty of room for visitors. Move in date is June 3 and I'll be sending out my new info to friends shortly. As good as it is to be home, I can't help but think about World Trip III and the free train trip I have for Africa. But for now, it will be good to be settled again with my cat and stuff around me. There is no place like home - wherever that is.....

Sunday Sunshine Draws the Cafe Crowd in Utrecht

You Know You Are In Holland If You See.....

Canal-Side in Utrecht Holland

Canal Houseboats in Utrecht

Canal Side Restaurants in Utrecht Holland

Hotel Heaven in Amsterdam

I was one of the "volactioners" stuck in Amsterdam because of the volcanic
dust. A plus was the Heiniken and Ben & Jerrys vending machines, standing
side by side in the hotel lobby.

Want me to also check the oil?

My New Zealand Partner in Crime

The people I met on the train trip through southern Africa were wonderful
and the most hard-core travellers I have met. It was an amazing experience
spending all that time on a train with so many travel addicts.

The Tin House in Mozambique

Yes it is made completely of tin and yes, it is like an oven inside....

Shopping in Mozambique

Stores are outdoor stalls, while the beautiful provencial buildings left by
the Portugese, sit in ruins - unused and ignored.#

You have been sent 1 picture.

DSC04330.JPG

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

Mozambique Cathedral

You have been sent 1 picture.

DSC04403.JPG

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

Homecoming

It's so good to be home again. My first stop in the US was visiting friends Sandy, Adrian, and Diane in Florida and also eating my way through all of the American junk food that I've missed over the last 6 months. One universal about travelling is that it does make you more appreciative of the thousands of things that you take for granted at home. Back in Santa Fe, I'm looking for a place to live and trying to reintroduce myself to my cat. Hopefully we will be settled in by June 5 and starting the unpacking phase.
In the meantime, I look back on the trip and realize what an incredible experience it was. The places I've seen and the people I've met have made my life so much richer. As much as I can't wait to get settled, I have to admit that I have already started planning "round the world" trip 3 (one of the side effects of having early onset travel addiction.)
Finally, it is so important to acknowledge the team of people who made it possible for me to make this extraordinary journey - my friends Renae from new Hampshire, Diane from Florida, and Lynn from Santa Fe kept me sane, safe, and on the road. I don't think anyone can make a trip like this without a support team back home. My sincere thanks to you and to the wonderful friends (including my Brother Eddie) who reminded me that I wasn't alone and that there were people caring and encouraging my not-so-temporary insanity. I love this quote and I dedicate it to both my old and new friends-
"The journey home is never a direct route; it is in fact, always circuitous, and somewhere along the way, we discover that the journey is more significant than the destination, and that the people we meet along the way will be the traveling companions of our memories forever."

Yeppers

An amazing thing is happening now throughout Europe (and now the middle east). Thanks to a cloud of volcanic ash, many of us who were flying along thinking that we were flying from point A to D, transferring in airports B and C, now find ourselves stranded in B or C, possibly for weeks. There are millions of us wandering through strange cities, trying to find a place to stay in cities where hotels are completely booked,sleeping side by side on cots in airports, meeting in train stations and hotels comparing notes on what might be available or when it might be possible to travel onward. We don't know the local language, the exhange rate, or the geography of the area.We are from all nations and we are united in this unusual circumstance. I find myself meeting and talking to people from all over the world. We are partners in trying to find a way home, but we are meeting and talking to people we would otherwise never meet. We are from everywhere in the world and in a sense, we are creating a United Nations of lost travelers, helping each other whenever we can, cheering each other , and sharing our stories. It is a truly unique circumstance in history and one none of us will ever forget.

Yikes2

It's me isn't it? I am now stuck in Amsterdam because the giant cloud of volcanic dust from Iceland has now shut down all of the airports in Europe. I learned a new Dutch word - "Geanulleend" which means "cancelled." It was written beside EVERY flight listed at the airport - a first for me.Predictions for tomorrow say all will be geanulleend again. At least I found a hotel room about 40 minutes outside of Amsterdam. Lots of families are sleeping on bedrolls in the airport. The Airport Hilton was charging $500 a night. Can you say "extortion" boys and girls?
My continuing mantra is "It's all part of the adventure."......

Yikes

Such an adventure. Just left Mozambique where my computer, camera, and watch were stolen from the train car where I was sleeping, so please disregard any unusual emails
from me until I can change my email provider. When I do, I'll let you know my new email address. In the meantime, this site will be quiet until I can work through the temporary setback. Happy Trails, M

Greetings From Mozambique

I'm living aboard a train these days travelling through Africa and it is the ultimate adventure. We started in Johannesburg, South Africa 3 days ago, spent a day in the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, and we will be here in Mozambique for another day before heading onward for 13 more days and 4 more countries. The 56 other people on the train with me are die hard travellers and I love listening to their travel stories. I'm like a beginner compared to them. It's like a convention of travel addicts all aboard one train for 15 days.
It may be tough keeping in touch. I'm borrowing a hotels wifi today, but I've been told that as we go further north it will be tougher to get connections. I've already told my brother not to worry if I drop off the earth for 3 weeks .
I'll be in touch when I can - in the meantime - Happy Trails to you.
Or as they say in Swaziland - "Soubono" which means "I see you." to which the other person replies "Yeahbo" or "I see you too." It's the local version of "hello" and "hello to you too."

Tiny Cloud, Big Desert

Karen and Moi

Karen is the wonderful person who works at the Thuringer Hof Hotel, my headquarters in Windhoek. Her lovely smiling face greeted me every morning at breakfast, even when I looked like I did in this picture. All that time running around the Namibian desert has left me so fried that it actually hurts to put on makeup. A few days out of the sun should help. I'm not sure that anything can be done about the hair......

Biking the Namibian Deserts

I was so envious of these guys biking across the Namibian deserts. Then I heard Fabrizzio and Suzanne's story. They were driving a rental car. They got lost and drove up to a lion sitting at an intersection in the road. Not sure that I would be cool enough to handle a lion encounter on a motorcycle.

The Last Bok of Namibia

Yesterday I rode back from Swakopmund to Windhoek in one of those 16 person buses. It was 5 hours of riding, watching the scenery and listening to the musical Afrikaans language being spoken by everyone on the bus. (It's a type of Dutch spoken by people in southern Africa). Midway in the trip I saw a lonely bok standing in the middle of a massive grassy field. He stood and watched the bus drive by and it seemed like a perfect last sight for me as a farewell to this lovely untamed country of Namibia.

Safari Jeep and Salt Extraction

Namibia Dune Magic

Dunes Meet the Sea

There are only 2 countries in the world where the sand dunes actually meet the ocean; Namibia and Tunesia. It was an experience to ride along in the safari jeep with 2 wheels on the dunes and the other 2 in the ocean. The timing has to be perfect to avoid the high tide.

Where's Waldo?

No expense was spared to copy this map from Lonely Planet. It's just to show the difference between southern Africa (the entire map) and South Africa (the country at the southern tip of the map). I've written blog reports for you from Capetown South Africa (at the most southwestern part of the map) and most recently from the country of Namibia (northwest in map). Sadly, this is my last day in Namibia and tomorrow I fly to Johannesburg, South Africa where I catch the Southern Cross train to visit all the other countries on this map. There is no internet on the train but I hope that I will be able to send you updates from stops made along the way.
Finally, at the end of April I'll be flying back to the US. I hope then to catch up on places I missed writing about on the blog, and also to complete some on-line albums with the best of the photos.

My Side of the Atlantic Ocean

Dune Contrasts-Sandwich Harbour, Namibia

The Stripes of Sandwich Harbour

With the ocean at my back, I snapped the different layers from white sand, green foilage, red wild asparagas, blue tidal pool with white flamingos and a background of giant sand dunes.

Backtracking

Fabrizzio (along with Suzanne) were part of my 3 person tour group led by Wayne - to tour the Sandwich Harbour, south of Swakopmund, Namibia. It involved driving through sand dunes for almost 3 hours to get this very remote location near the beach. Wayne actually drove to the lip of the deep valley in the background. He turned off the jeep and let it slide down the dune. The groaning sound of the wheels skidding against the sand came from "the Goddess of the Dunes." It was better than roller coasters!
Later we were stuck in the sand on the beach with the tide trying to reclaim the jeep, but somehow Wayne was able to dig us out. When you are in a place this remote, you realize how good the tourguide has to be for your basic survival.

Dune, Salt and Sky - Sandwich Harbour, Namibia

Wayne, Namibian Guide and Rennaisance Man

Exclusive Luncheon at Sandwich Harbour