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Amboseli National Park, Kenya
November 7, 2010 · Leave a Comment
I spent Saturday (6:30 AM - 9:00) PM on a safari, or more accurately, on an interminably long van ride across the Nairobi - Mombassa Highway (term used loosely). My colleague and I relied on a Nairobi RTI staff member to arrange a day long safari for us. Unfortunately, while we thought we paid for a high quality safari expedition, we received one operated by a shoestring company operating with poor equipment. The safari van overheated constantly and required water no fewer than 12 times across the 8+ hours that it... [Read the full story]
Africa
Asia
Out of India
February 8, 2009 · 1 Comment
“In your country, wrong is wrong. In my country, wrong is right. The government officials come to the villages and give everyone bottles of cheap wine to get their votes and then go back to their safe houses and lives afterward. They do nothing for us.” So said Mangu, a young twenty-something waiter in our hotel’s restaurant in Udaipur. This spoke volumes about his perspective on the corruption in the Indian government and the bleak prospects that he and many others have for the future. He was born in a village... [Read the full story]
Europe
The End
July 9, 2009 · 5 Comments
Sadly, tomorrow (Thursday July 9th) marks the official end of our year “Exploring the Marble.” Kelli, Ainsley, Jack and Eliot fly from Zurich, Switzerland to Cape Cod where they will have a reunion with Kelli’s parents and siblings. I’m so proud of each of them. They were amazing on this trip. You might see some fear on Jack’s face in the picture above from our departure day. Each of us was nervous and excited at the same time, unsure what the future would hold. Well, it held... [Read the full story]
Middle East
More Argentina
November 8, 2008 · 3 Comments
We are now in Bariloche, still in the mountains of Argentina, but now further north in the part of Patagonia known as the lakes region. Yesterday (Friday 11/7) was quite a rainy day and Jack had his first bout of sickness since we started our trip almost three months ago. Don’t know what he ate or drank that caused the vomiting for most of the day, but he was feeling much better as he went to bed. This morning’s weather looks to be much clearer as the rising sun can be seen coloring the few clouds in the sky. It... [Read the full story]
Oceania
Last of New Zealand and brief stop in Melbourne
April 8, 2009 · 1 Comment
Before we get completely entrenched in all things Turkish, we need to catch up on the remainder of our stay in New Zealand and our brief but relaxing stay in Melbourne, Australia. We left off having just driven up the west coast of New Zealand, past the glaciers and pancake rocks on our way to the Abel Tasman Track. This is another of the great walks in New Zealand. It is along the coast near Nelson on the very northern part of the south island. The terrain is very different from the alpine tracks we had done thus far. We... [Read the full story]
South America
Wrapping Up Argentina
November 14, 2008 · 4 Comments
We’re back in Buenos Aires after more driving than we can believe. The car was the right choice for our visit, but we surely will choose a different means of transportation if we are fortunate enough to come back again in the future. After all, how much of this can we take?….. Today and tomorrow will involve wrapping things up; packing, returning the rental car, and doing whatever else we feel compelled to do before leaving Argentina. We are staying again with Birgit, Claus and Moritz which is such a great... [Read the full story]
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Ainsley's Blog
Istanbul
Our first day in Istanbul we went to visit the Blue Mosque. On our way we stopped for juice. We had fresh orange and pomegranate juice. As we were getting up to leave a seagull pooped right on my dad’s head and then splattered on the rest of us. I hope it is good luck to get pooped on by a seagull, but I have my doubts. We went to the Hagia Sophia, a church turned mosque that is a thousand years older than the Blue Mosque. It now no longer functions as a mosque and is only a museum. The ceiling... [Read more]
Recent Posts
Jack & Eliot's Blog
Seeing penguins, sting rays, and fur seals – some of them I swam with!
Part I: The Seals On the boat in Abel Tasman National Park, we roamed up to the beginning of the track, slowly but surely. As we turned the corner, we saw a cove and in that cove were some baby fur seals and some fully grown ones. In that cove, I began to wish I could be in the water with them swimming. Just a little bit later, my dream came true. As we hiked up to Separation Point, we saw the lighthouse down some steps. We started walking down those steps, but to our left we noticed a man swimming... [Read more]
Recent Posts
Where we stayed
This place was nothing to write home about. It was basic, clean and best of all right in the middle of the Plaka section of Athens, which puts it just... [Read more]
This is another one to add to our growing list of favorite places. Again, made one of our favorites because of the hospitality and genuine welcoming nature... [Read more]
This was the location of GG’s first night with us on her trip to Turkey and Greece. After giving some thought about suitable accommodations for her... [Read more]
We decided to rent an apartment on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey for a week. This was one of only a handful of places that we did so and each time... [Read more]
We were definitely visiting this Turkish Lake District village before the tourist season hit. The streets were nearly empty of any tourists, foreign or... [Read more]
We wanted to spend another night in Cappadocia, but didn’t have the budget for a third night at Esbelli Evi. Back to reality when we moved to the... [Read more]