tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9284818077877237552024-03-05T04:19:48.726-05:00Sadie Abroad“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” -Maya AngelouSadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-29375221794955548252020-04-10T20:17:00.000-04:002020-04-10T20:17:02.654-04:00Our COVID-19 Life... for Now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In late February a group of colleagues and I were standing around during a workshop break and making predictions on the likelihood of being evacuated from post due to COVID-19. We all said we thought it was over 50% at that point (with no confirmed cases in Indonesia), but I am not sure any of us really thought it would come to pass. <br />
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March was the longest and shortest month of my life. I think that's true across the globe. My team was phenomenal adapting to the daily (or multiple times daily) changes. My colleagues were amazing to work with on contingency planning and crisis preparedness. My heart swelled with pride daily. But I was mentally and physically exhausted. <br />
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Mid-March was when things went into hyperdrive. Monday after the Department of State announced the global authorized departure (GAD) I was still thinking we'd stick it out. Tuesday morning I was leaning a little more towards leaving. Tuesday afternoon I was 75% leaving. Wednesday morning I made the decision to leave. On Monday. I'm glad I had the time to make a decision, as Indonesia moved to ordered departure for all EFMs under 21 a few days later, which would have forced my hand. As it was we had a decent flight routing and a few days to prepare. <br />
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Those next few days were full of tears and second-guessing and packing and prepping and reassuring friends and colleagues and domestic staff that we'd return. The abrupt nature of things meant very little opportunity for closure with friends and colleagues who were PCSing this summer but now leaving in the same week as us. We thought we had a few months left, not days. That was - and still is - hard. <br />
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I should also say that I am 90% sure J and I had COVID-19 in January when I was sick for almost a month with fever, cough, shortness of breath. He had a much shorter course of the same. I tested negative for flu and strep. A chest x-ray at the very end showed bronchitis. Nebulizers and an inhaler helped us both. It was only in the final days of that illness that coronavirus was really making the news. We eagerly await an antibody test.<br />
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We flew from Surabaya to Jakarta. Stayed overnight in a hotel. Had a 6:30am flight to Tokyo, then a short layover and a direct flight to Boston. Airports were empty. Our flights were fuller than expected but we still had a middle row to ourselves on the long flights. My parents met us in Boston and drove us to our new hotel home in NH for the time being. We decided before arriving that our social isolation circle had to include my parents because I still needed to work and needed help with J.<br />
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It hasn't been easy, but it has been fine. We made it through 14 days without symptoms so know we didn't bring the virus with us. Now we isolate to not get it locally. <br />
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J is amazingly resilient. He has his moments, but he is also two years old. He's an even pickier eater than usual and is slightly more prone to tantrums, but it's hard to know what's developmental and what's adjustment. We video chat often with his BFF and weekly with his teachers and some classmates. We send daily updates to his nannies. He goes for nature walks with my mom. Does art with my dad. Is getting more acquainted than I'd envisioned with AppleTV, but desperate times... He sleeps through the night and is mostly agreeable and has a great sense of humor and can occupy himself for hours with trucks and legos. I get kisses and cuddles and "I love you Mama!"s throughout the day. Honestly, I couldn't ask for much more.<br />
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We're safe, healthy, nourished, supported. I continue to work and try to support my team and colleagues still at post as best I can. We're taking it day by day. Sometimes hour by hour. And so thankful for the essential workers keeping us safe, healthy, nourished, and supported. We're all going to get through this together. I hope you all are well. </div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-22120027815515467672020-03-12T08:06:00.001-04:002020-03-12T08:06:35.982-04:00Five Things in Bali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We went to Bali for a long weekend last month. We go there regularly, almost always in conjunction with a work trip. This was our first trip just the two of us, just for fun. J kept saying "go airplane to Bali!" for days before we left.<br />
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1. We stayed near the beach at a family-friendly resort, though J did NOT want to go in 'the big pool' (the ocean). "Baby no like it," he told me. He thinks his name is Baby. So we hung out in the actual pool and had a smoothie at the swim-up bar. Baby liked that!<br />
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2. The day before we left (Thursday), I told J we'd go see turtles and monkeys. Saturday, as we got in the car with our favorite driver/guide, J asked about the monkeys and turtles. We went to the turtle conservation and education center, where he adopted a baby sea turtle to be released. He named her Maya. A week later we got the video of the release, and he watched it over and over. "Bye bye Maya!" We saw monkeys at Uluwatu temple, which he loved. Successful turtle/monkey day.<br />
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3. The night we arrived, a huge thunderstorm started after we landed. While waiting for a taxi, there was a very close lightning strike and a huge clap of thunder. All the people around us screamed; we were in an outdoor but covered pavilion. I've been working on making thunder/lightning normal parts of life for J, and I hit on something that stuck that night: we call lightning 'the light show' and now he gets all excited! "Oooh! Another light show!"<br />
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4. We had an impromptu photo shoot at our hotel with the resident photography studio. We were sweaty and hot and J wouldn't stop moving to pose, but man were those some awesome photos. That was an unexpected highlight.<br />
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5. On our last night we ate at the hotel's Japanese restaurant, where J ordered the very traditional peanut butter sandwich and french fries. While he picked at those, he inhaled the watermelon balls his meal came with. He then proceeded to ask every single waitperson for more melon until a huge plate appeared. He ate all but one piece. (As I write this he is eating watermelon for dinner.)<br />
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We love Bali! One of the nice perks of being in Surabaya is proximity to great island getaways. </div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-30317947084239227372020-02-08T08:39:00.000-05:002020-02-08T08:39:25.321-05:00Five Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Let's see if posting just five(ish) thoughts or observations a week helps me get back into blogging...<br />
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<li>I am enjoying having a two year old so much more than I ever imagined. I mean, it could easily change any day, but right now is awesome. The humor, the wonder, the laughter, the semi-independent play, the vocabulary, the sweetness, the cuddles, the enthusiasm. It makes things so much fun around here!<br /></li>
<li>J's preschool did an awesome activity this week. They dressed up as firefighters and used a hose to put out a fire (made of construction paper on a wall) to save a baby. He loved it, and I love the creativity.<br /></li>
<li>We're all transportation all the time here: cars, trains, buses, construction vehicles, motorcycles, etc. Any will capture interest. I told J we had a vacation coming up where we'd ride lots of trains and he said 'hooray!' We build A LOT of lego vehicles.<br /></li>
<li>January was tough. We were both sick on and off the whole month. I didn't work a full week (or even a half week) at all. I'm paying for it now at work, but I'm also thankful I had the leave to take off when I really needed it for myself or for him. And, no, it was not coronavirus. Just every other virus that a season change and lots of collective germs can spread.<br /></li>
<li>I am cherishing this likely fleeting time sleep-wise. Most nights J is happy to go to sleep with our carefully curated routine; we started the routine at three months old, and, while it has evolved a bit as he grows, it has remained predictable. Every couple of weeks I get a full night of sleep; the rest of the time he is up once or twice. When we were both sick he was up 5-6 times some nights and it brought me right back to the misery of sleep deprivation of his first year. I am so glad to be here. He also usually sleeps in on weekends - rarely waking earlier than 7:30 and sometimes until 9:00. I am thankful for as long as it lasts.<br /></li>
<li>We started talking about full names this week, and J is adorable trying to say our last name. Another few days of practice and he'll have it down.</li>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-15489815359127495992019-01-01T07:21:00.001-05:002019-01-01T07:21:10.250-05:00Baby J<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've meant to blog about a thousand times since last year, but... life. So here's a quick-ish recap post.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The big thing:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I have a toddler! Baby J was born in December 2017 a few days before Christmas, and life changed instantly. In so many amazing ways. And in the last few weeks as I start to emerge from the fog of sleep deprivation (the 87th sleep training attempt seems to have worked!) I am finally able to gather some of my thoughts to share with you.</div>
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First, parenthood is hard. I know that's no big revelation, but I think every new parent has to live it to get it. Those first weeks are truly like nothing else in the world - the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and all in a soup of sleep deprivation, hormones, healing from delivery, and anxiety. I was lucky - my parents came to DC for Baby J's birth (worth a post in itself) and stayed with us for the first two weeks until we were both medically cleared (plus awesome friends to bring meals and come for low key visits and provide virtual support at 2am). Then we drove to NH where I had my parents and brother and sister-in-law in house and countless other friends and family on call. But even with three-five adults that first month was so. incredibly. hard. Baby J never slept for more than a few minutes at a time (it seemed) and certainly never more than a couple hours on miraculous occasions. I would do the night shift and then turn him over with some pumped milk to the first lucky person to wake up so I could get a few hours of sleep. We'd have great afternoons, and then the witching hour would set in between 5-6pm and nothing would console him for a few hours except nursing, which didn't start out being easy for us. Luckily he LOVED car rides (still does) so we did a fair amount of driving around just to get out of the house.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The first big test of single parenting came when Baby J was six weeks old and we drove back to VA from NH. He did amazing, even on the second day which turned out to be a 12 hour slog to go 200 miles due to a horrid snow storm (and taking a few hours to detour and visit a family friend to avoid the worst of the storm). And then we started into our routine for 10 days before I started back to class. It turns out that the FSI language class schedule was absolutely perfect for acclimatizing to (non-newborn) parenting. I dropped off the baby at daycare in the morning (which was a mutual lovefest from day 1), had class, ate lunch, fed the baby and played for a bit, had a couple more hours of class, and then we went home and had a couple hours of play before bed. Bed being a relative term since this child only started sleeping in the last two weeks. Even my sleep-challenged self could handle this routine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I'll do a month-by-month 2018 recap post soonish so will just focus on the big milestones here. Baby J is, thus far, developmentally typical - smiling, rolling over, sitting, crawling, cruising, and walking within appropriate age ranges. He said his first word (mama) on November 1 followed by dada (which means everything) a few days later. He's added two more recognizable words - ball for his favorite thing in the world and na-nas, which means milk (we think it's from night-night). That last one alternates with ball for favorite thing in the world. He's still nursing like a fiend, which is awesome on days when he doesn't use his 12 teeth to advantage. He's not a picky eater - he'll try anything - but he doesn't have a voracious appetite either. Which is amazing considering that he never. stops. moving.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We moved to Indonesia at the end of July, and my mom joined us for the first month. The flights were painful but not because of the baby, just because they were long and I hate flying. J did awesome. We were in temp housing for almost two months but our two AMAZING nannies/housekeepers started shortly after arrival and have been invaluable. When we left FSI daycare I despaired of finding caregivers with whom he clicked so well, but I needn't have worried. Mutual lovefest #2 around here. Baby J spends his days playing and exploring, taking full advantage of our small neighborhood and the next-door school and all the kids and animals that live here. One of his best friends is two days older than him, the son of another single mom, and they live a 45 second walk away. It's awesome. We love to go swimming on weekends at the school's pool or walk the fields/neighborhood. Baby J has a full social calendar, which just makes me so happy. He is outgoing and loves playing with other people, and he flirts with all the neighborhood ladies and sings in his sweet voice to the cats/dogs and watches with great interest everything that goes on.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Ever since he was born people have commented on three things about him - his eyes, his alertness, and his adaptability. He's always watching, always assessing. He smiles with his eyes. And this kid just rolls with things. Travel, hotels, moving houses, new caregivers, new foods, etc - he does great. We spent two weeks in Singapore this fall for medevac for me (more on that in another post), and he was a trooper. It says a lot that I was able to recover from surgery with a minimum of extra help thanks to his go-with-the-flow nature. In between the medical appointments and recovery (and after the cancer scare was over!) we even had a good time. He loves Bali and loves swimming in the ocean, which bodes well for this and future tours. Even as toddler tantrums start to become common he's a happy guy and loves to laugh and make others laugh. He thinks his cats are the greatest ever, and they are warming up to him. Griffin loves him and tolerates pretty much everything, but Callaghan is wary of loud little boys who make unpredictable movements. He has a higher-pitched voice he uses with cats and dogs and dolls and little babies, which just melts my heart. That's not to say he wouldn't hit any of them with a hammer given the chance (sadly not making this example up, but at least it was plastic), but he does want to be sweet and gentle.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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All right, I've fed, bathed, and put the baby to bed while intermittently writing this post and have lost my train of thought a few times. Look for a month-by-month recap coming hopefully soon and some travel updates. Long story short, I absolutely love being a mommy, even on the hard days. This little guy is oh so much fun.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby J eleven months</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-35076354631389003272017-12-09T18:28:00.000-05:002017-12-09T18:28:00.133-05:00Adding a Tiny EFM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So life gets in the way, and I've been bad about posting travel stories/pics lately. But there is a pretty good reason - aside from moving to DC and starting to learn Indonesian. I'm pregnant! Most readers of this blog already know this from real life or Facebook, but I thought I'd share a little bit of my story here. I find out every day there are more and more women considering this path, and I know I wanted to soak up as much information as possible as I made the decision and started the journey.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I've always known I wanted kids, and I always said that not being married/partnered wouldn't stop me. But actually doing something about it is a long way from thinking about it in the abstract. I had arbitrarily set a timeline of 'mid-thirties' as when I would start seeking other options even if I wasn't with somebody. Then I thought maybe 40 sounded like a better idea, but I think that was fear/comfort with my current lifestyle talking. Then I realized that after Beirut I had the opportunity to bid on somewhere that would enable me to be a single mother, and the more I started thinking and researching, the better it sounded. And then I started talking to people. Around this time I learned the term 'single mother by choice' (SMC or SMBC) and realized there's a whole (global) community of women like me. And there are even a fair amount of them in the Foreign Service. Several of these women were kind enough to share their stories and give advice and support. And when I talked to friends and family I also found unwavering and unreserved love and support and encouragement. Getting assigned to Surabaya was the icing on the cake, and it was time to start moving from thinking to doing.</div>
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One FS SMC I spoke with shared her experience going through the process overseas, which I had not previously considered. I had initially thought I'd come back to DC and start the process while in language training. But the more I looked at logistics and finances, the better option seemed to be starting earlier. I started talking to several clinics in Cyprus, which is a fairly popular destination for assisted reproductive options and an easy trip from Beirut. I worked with an OB/GYN in Beirut to do all the preliminary testing and decided to start with IUI (intrauterine insemination), which is less invasive than IVF but also has lower success rates. Given my age and test results, it was a gamble whether it would work (it always is, really), but it was considerably cheaper and worth a try. So last spring I flew over to Cyprus and had a leisurely week's 'vacation' while going to the clinic daily for monitoring. This is the week that my laptop died, so it ended up being the end of a lot of my writing and blogging until I PCSed this summer too). I had the procedure on Thursday, flew back to Beirut that night, and settled in to wait.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Ten days later I went to Prague for the long Easter weekend, which helped break up the two week wait. I will eventually write about that absolutely perfect weekend. I had promised myself not to take a pregnancy test until two Thursdays later, but I gave in the night before. It was a line test, and at first glance it looked negative, no second line at all. I got disappointed and sad and resigned. But then I looked at it in better light and saw a visible - but still quite faint - line. Cue lots of Googling. I didn't take another test that night but slept fitfully and with a bit of hope and excitement. I took two tests first thing the next morning. One more line test and a digital readout test. The line test was a clearer second line than the night before but still faint. The digital test said in unmissable bright letters: Pregnant. Wow. I went straight to the health unit and had them draw blood for an HCG test and proceeded through the day in a fog. The test came back that afternoon - definitely pregnant. But I was only four weeks along, and there was lots of ground to cover. Two more HCG tests in subsequent days showed that the levels were more than doubling appropriately, so I set up the first OB visit. At six weeks I got to see the developing embryo, but there wasn't yet a heartbeat. But a week later there was. And baby kept developing appropriately over the coming weeks. I got great OB care in Beirut (and more sneak peeks via ultrasound than I would have in the United States, which was a nice bonus for a worried first time mom). I had a rough first trimester - fatigue, nausea, lack of sleep, etc. - but I was so darn happy to be pregnant.</div>
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At the start of my second trimester, I PCSed and flew back home. While some of the icky symptoms went away, I still had a lot of being sick. But it was great to be around family and have time to relax and take daily naps as needed during home leave. I strongly recommend this approach to pregnancy! The ensuing months have been filled with alternating feelings of excitement, complete fear and anxiety, and more excitement. I am so glad I've been in language training over the last few months, as the schedule still allows me some flexibility (especially getting to OB appointments), and, while intense, it's less stressful than my previous job. Physically this has been a tough pregnancy with some curveballs, but I'm thankful that everything with the baby continues to look great, and I've got a wonderful medical team.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I've taken all the classes, bought all the stuff (most of it completely unnecessary, of course), and made all the arrangements for post baby. But now it's time to know and accept that my ability to control everything is about to go out the window and to learn to embrace that. I've been surrounded by extremely positive people - both about my being an SMC and about all things pregnancy and birth and childrearing and breastfeeding and all the good and bad - and know that this support system will make the coming weeks, months, and years possible and wonderful. I love that I have friends and colleagues who will indulge my questions and give me honest - but not terrifying - answers and stories and who don't fall into the judge-y, my-way-or-you're-a-failure parent category that seems so prevalent these days. I hope to be the same. Here's to these final weeks (days?!) of waiting for my new EFM and the many adventures ahead!</div>
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(And if you're considering becoming an SMC and want some advice/stories - please feel free to reach out. We all need allies!)</div>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-71689016404323425682017-08-07T16:05:00.000-04:002017-08-07T16:05:47.620-04:00Belgrade Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This winter/spring is a very busy time in our office as everybody takes their R&Rs and preps for a significant transition this summer (more than half our FSOs PCS this summer), so I decided to take advantage of a few days with everybody else in the office and fly to Belgrade. I've been wanting to visit ever since I learned there were direct flights from Beirut for pretty cheap prices. And while an ID renewal almost-kerfuffle made it so I missed out on the $225 tickets, $300 for tickets is still pretty great. The only catch is the timing: the flight from Beirut leaves at 4:00am, which pretty much ensures a night of no sleep. The return will be similarly brutal, arriving at 3:15am on a day I need to work.<br />
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I arrived into Belgrade on time at about 6:00am, sailed through immigration, picked up my bag, and met my transfer within 30 minutes of landing. There wasn't much traffic, so I was to the hotel by 6:50 and able to check in early. After a quick shower I caught another three hours of sleep before meeting my tour guide at noon. I debated whether to do a tour this afternoon, but I am so glad I did. The rain held off for 90% of our walking tour, and even then we broke up the heavier showers with a few taxi rides to different areas of the city. I had a really great afternoon and learned a phenomenal amount about Belgrade, Serbia, and the sights we visited. Plus, I got lots of ideas of places to return to (and photograph in sunnier weather) on the final days I'm here.<br />
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We started out in Republic Square (and its statue of Mihailo Obrenovic riding a horse) admiring the fascinating architecture on surrounding buildings and walked down Knez Mihajlova, a crowded pedestrian shopping and cafe street. This led us to Kalemegdan Park and then Kalemegdan Fortress, where we spent almost two hours exploring. The layers of history in Belgrade a bit overwhelming: Neolithic, Celtic, Roman, Goth/Hun, Slav, Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian, Hungarian, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Yugoslav, Serbian, with lots of back and forth between them and not necessarily in this order. And Kalemegdan Fortress showcases many of these layers, from the original Roman walls to the Austrian well to the medieval ramparts to more modern buildings. I won't even try to unpack it all here. But there was fascinating history in every corner as well as countless monuments to famous figures. To top it off, the views of the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers are remarkable. Even with the gray gloom of the afternoon it was picturesque.<br />
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This was my first glimpse of the Danube in almost sixteen years. I spent summer after my freshman year in college teaching English in small villages in Hungary and Slovakia. Several weekends I met up in Budapest or elsewhere with friends in the same program, and many of those days and nights we spent traversing the Danube or ended up sitting on its banks, talking long into the night. So I associate the Danube with those carefree, endless summer days and nights.<br />
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We visited two of the churches in the fortress complex - one dedicated to the military and the other for Saint Petka. The military chu<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">rch (<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ružica Church</span>) h</span>ad phenomenal chandeliers made of repurposed bullets, swords, and other weaponry. I didn't get photos, but they were quite remarkable and attractive. Saint Petka's church is neo-Baroque with impressive mosaic frescos and a sacred spring. After some final meandering we exited the Kalemegdan park area and walked by the French and Austrian embassies before visiting St. Michael's Cathedral, just opposite the Orthodox Patriarchy and museum.<br />
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The rain started at this point, but we were ready to head across the river to Zemun. Part of 'New Belgrade', Zemun hosts a number of communist-era housing blocs that are familiar to any visitor to Eastern Europe, but the old town is marked by narrow, winding streets and smaller Austro-Hungarian style houses with red roofs. We started in Gardos at the Millennium Tower (1896) and then walked down several sets of winding stairways to the banks of the Danube. Part of the way we walked down with a man who made polite conversation with my guide. He said goodbye and turned into his home. Turns out it was a famed Serbian actor, Dragan Jovanovich!<br />
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We walked through the Zemun open green market and browsed a few cafes along the Danube before getting another taxi to go to Skadarlija for a late lunch. Near Republic Square, this cobblestone pedestrian street is lined with Serbian cuisine restaurants with names reminiscent of British pubs. It's also a bohemian area, home to many artists and writers over the years, similar to Montmartre. We chose Tri Sesira (Three Hats) largely due to the live traditional music accompaniment. I tried the <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">tourist favorite </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Karađorđeva šnicla - rolled pork stuffed with cheese and breaded. It was delicious but heavy. It was also dinner. The rain intensified as we returned to my hotel, and I said goodbye to my fabulous guide. She was knowledgeable, had great English, and really tailored the sites to my interests. Over lunch we realized we're almost the same age and chatted about our families and childhoods. Absolutely lovely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's now 8:00pm and I need to get ready for tomorrow's trip to northern Serbia!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_fbHMDcuTS_M3_xbhVX2G9CzvkkRcwCaG404WYOw97icZJ6yRT4Zm8dgG0qwrCSAscDtmOexJ8IrZYWBVsJ6H27d41QOlJNILj8FfeYUVgm9Tz6c-p2hxlAAfQdnHSxXliVLKNOUoAI/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5e9f.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_fbHMDcuTS_M3_xbhVX2G9CzvkkRcwCaG404WYOw97icZJ6yRT4Zm8dgG0qwrCSAscDtmOexJ8IrZYWBVsJ6H27d41QOlJNILj8FfeYUVgm9Tz6c-p2hxlAAfQdnHSxXliVLKNOUoAI/s400/fullsizeoutput_5e9f.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalemegdan Fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSirVDaQRBuZa4DZqoZzCwvDWqy8plIJBwNy-cEzvy_HkMFWuIP0GwADxBw8yfW5J5APB5mzEKEJgjYzGuiHBNcge_tQak6tjo4wYNA3pw8V4B0DIPqhY-EKPyFsiy1bBZF7RG1pYNXp0/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ea0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSirVDaQRBuZa4DZqoZzCwvDWqy8plIJBwNy-cEzvy_HkMFWuIP0GwADxBw8yfW5J5APB5mzEKEJgjYzGuiHBNcge_tQak6tjo4wYNA3pw8V4B0DIPqhY-EKPyFsiy1bBZF7RG1pYNXp0/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ea0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Danube!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ilyOaeqNx3Uq71JP7JBDuTqj7joY5Ny4RUendLXEri8vvEeFUOwb-Im6QSfEGVVWLR_96l8j7A4UnefhjBni19NoIZfOsrg97vpivSGU1JpC47tqkFBuVwSppxeOUyZ_qSNg6tciwI8/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eaa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ilyOaeqNx3Uq71JP7JBDuTqj7joY5Ny4RUendLXEri8vvEeFUOwb-Im6QSfEGVVWLR_96l8j7A4UnefhjBni19NoIZfOsrg97vpivSGU1JpC47tqkFBuVwSppxeOUyZ_qSNg6tciwI8/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eaa.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKf_Plcw6Lf6joACPzsqL9h5xBvHj-_HEc96lJ2jp4HUJS1NMx9us7lK05lIssgcbTyizIioDgEZKfllw_krygTyvsZTnrEoOdBdalUIEGiJN2_vMsdwICs0esUmQhm9vwXc9jUIm5o/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eab.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKf_Plcw6Lf6joACPzsqL9h5xBvHj-_HEc96lJ2jp4HUJS1NMx9us7lK05lIssgcbTyizIioDgEZKfllw_krygTyvsZTnrEoOdBdalUIEGiJN2_vMsdwICs0esUmQhm9vwXc9jUIm5o/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eab.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking to the Danube</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5Irzw10KY1HS0ZSJbkoPc0_gyOl9AJEAUmToKWnEbKHKYjU90_rkY2SNgxg868aK4qCcjGVGR2pKTdOkhtw9W3fMecMLFK607RKMdYpLAW-XVWFwV7EZzKEZXQnW6Rx4Xjp_PQolehA/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5Irzw10KY1HS0ZSJbkoPc0_gyOl9AJEAUmToKWnEbKHKYjU90_rkY2SNgxg868aK4qCcjGVGR2pKTdOkhtw9W3fMecMLFK607RKMdYpLAW-XVWFwV7EZzKEZXQnW6Rx4Xjp_PQolehA/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortress walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77BhnjY7yV9C0iGvRvaid5x7Sjccm8E1mlHJpetxJQ2l3w3625Gtjl_S0tPa6gx5VB-IXpvwN9thIM5M7rI09EgS_P5m4kUSYhT6-337RRtHXql5QIoGUW9DByrnNNwHrBtNkIKrN_hk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77BhnjY7yV9C0iGvRvaid5x7Sjccm8E1mlHJpetxJQ2l3w3625Gtjl_S0tPa6gx5VB-IXpvwN9thIM5M7rI09EgS_P5m4kUSYhT6-337RRtHXql5QIoGUW9DByrnNNwHrBtNkIKrN_hk/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely bridge</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5gr2D-63-cbx7S-GnXRN7jjrdiO1FJADy6DmBEOYZE-TaMxGY-4t7X7zfdoNFsdzr7ZYHsUfyUgqEY1Tx5qPy3wPDFEoX3u02OovkoiYAbAFI0fLM8KLOtsKzMLSuTakeffjbf7Hipg/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5gr2D-63-cbx7S-GnXRN7jjrdiO1FJADy6DmBEOYZE-TaMxGY-4t7X7zfdoNFsdzr7ZYHsUfyUgqEY1Tx5qPy3wPDFEoX3u02OovkoiYAbAFI0fLM8KLOtsKzMLSuTakeffjbf7Hipg/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG1PnWZjhqXE1lNhyphenhyphenC9kn9STweoL6R2tuo-95dcQObsszcqIea6NMOk1J9CPFD68XW3lCBPB-iyesC7IAR4bOH7gpeQYdRhyL9zqym9gNJtafoLILSXumnC8QtZsDohGNYizeb7xhbs0/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG1PnWZjhqXE1lNhyphenhyphenC9kn9STweoL6R2tuo-95dcQObsszcqIea6NMOk1J9CPFD68XW3lCBPB-iyesC7IAR4bOH7gpeQYdRhyL9zqym9gNJtafoLILSXumnC8QtZsDohGNYizeb7xhbs0/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0NWFkOFD1UqmbEx1eFSn94e3wqpeXwp_rBk5KC6z4FoczSFnxKJPhtXmApgYZj4h2mIa3JDhWqtOEYALDZ3wm-g3ES4l41jhCz3-Oc_J_WVezemZLADYG3fRaDTFfOXOmB_BTKZYgs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0NWFkOFD1UqmbEx1eFSn94e3wqpeXwp_rBk5KC6z4FoczSFnxKJPhtXmApgYZj4h2mIa3JDhWqtOEYALDZ3wm-g3ES4l41jhCz3-Oc_J_WVezemZLADYG3fRaDTFfOXOmB_BTKZYgs/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly the outside of the military church if I remember correctly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UsmaOlnU3hoRxAgcVXO5J6Pd83p2oYJEvoPEK2gpiByRCTYYodmb2TcLJn8mz24WTr6azJh1A3_Sy7dsVbrz2aW-xqBWSg6PSotVn1DgPkXVt-7jkdWmQggepFvmdqvU9pDfXsAbcfk/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eb9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UsmaOlnU3hoRxAgcVXO5J6Pd83p2oYJEvoPEK2gpiByRCTYYodmb2TcLJn8mz24WTr6azJh1A3_Sy7dsVbrz2aW-xqBWSg6PSotVn1DgPkXVt-7jkdWmQggepFvmdqvU9pDfXsAbcfk/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eb9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps St. Petka's church (outside)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i8sD_yWHoN3aeCesTnomhLERckapWDX_VSWr7W073R3iPjVBpgJUIia6tIWhyphenhyphenDtbaRmsdZVEQ6695gI8rUfA0y_1SDRfjET9PkjEsBcvLL-8jAD_RkxX3WDjBZQO66fmX2fkTCPsYHo/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5eba.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i8sD_yWHoN3aeCesTnomhLERckapWDX_VSWr7W073R3iPjVBpgJUIia6tIWhyphenhyphenDtbaRmsdZVEQ6695gI8rUfA0y_1SDRfjET9PkjEsBcvLL-8jAD_RkxX3WDjBZQO66fmX2fkTCPsYHo/s400/fullsizeoutput_5eba.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGtO0QJMcGllgieXRa8dK0VFlh60kJ1caKlE26uac5o1qV_zpHiSAl03TM-VN2ZqfLDBRfohGCMaXCWW2Knfl0wVHSSb9IdgMwdaLGWwlBDjWDeSSNXyVBchZLP-OTTuuapM4QjvtXEE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ebd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGtO0QJMcGllgieXRa8dK0VFlh60kJ1caKlE26uac5o1qV_zpHiSAl03TM-VN2ZqfLDBRfohGCMaXCWW2Knfl0wVHSSb9IdgMwdaLGWwlBDjWDeSSNXyVBchZLP-OTTuuapM4QjvtXEE/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ebd.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinosaur-themed play area at the fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzXRZVdmlqkYvMpjptxouxq1Pl-y7YIFf0YrNl1xqCgBZIzf9v7ZQjPzP_9jOviZ8xP_JHtPMYb0VB8uOqhQsnMJ9NP9yn4HXMlXDDwGRnTUCyhUrRfleaEmuhga3HQfIUai0a0JH-4A/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ebe.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzXRZVdmlqkYvMpjptxouxq1Pl-y7YIFf0YrNl1xqCgBZIzf9v7ZQjPzP_9jOviZ8xP_JHtPMYb0VB8uOqhQsnMJ9NP9yn4HXMlXDDwGRnTUCyhUrRfleaEmuhga3HQfIUai0a0JH-4A/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ebe.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Embassy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVZ6J5q8kj-MN-vckefHmrj4GSY74BX3QAk9ifYutlaXc_7J-4Rp9eY4Rv0gtD7SABAAMK311a_8YsCSPH6UA2K0rxiU7bGT2U2Qk6JO1HA838-xr0XXzEMqOe8g8laZzHBGvAANS9Qo/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ec1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVZ6J5q8kj-MN-vckefHmrj4GSY74BX3QAk9ifYutlaXc_7J-4Rp9eY4Rv0gtD7SABAAMK311a_8YsCSPH6UA2K0rxiU7bGT2U2Qk6JO1HA838-xr0XXzEMqOe8g8laZzHBGvAANS9Qo/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ec1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orthodox Patriarchy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsKse0i4DLoBAMk4zK-0N0UJeKl5p2twzbp2u1kN5qbqVLgANMVu4NBpdWa4Ra4LWcDzBlzlGDNxHXANRgJVzCZ-MF2h7d8CglDZh0Z6S9dQZISC1y2hMDxLoj61oLsIuf8LoiYxrBPc/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ec2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsKse0i4DLoBAMk4zK-0N0UJeKl5p2twzbp2u1kN5qbqVLgANMVu4NBpdWa4Ra4LWcDzBlzlGDNxHXANRgJVzCZ-MF2h7d8CglDZh0Z6S9dQZISC1y2hMDxLoj61oLsIuf8LoiYxrBPc/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ec2.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millennium Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGFvDrJ1Hki_AkJwPTEYfVWee_XO5xAaEaFHIrRfCUmCHkxabPd37217DT7Z5um81eG2TVe-x7rW0LLiW7NYP7XeSNpjcCR2-ly-AWOpRVXdiOFx09tIXf8asA3X-xykVQm_gyylIzic/s1600/fullsizeoutput_5ec4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGFvDrJ1Hki_AkJwPTEYfVWee_XO5xAaEaFHIrRfCUmCHkxabPd37217DT7Z5um81eG2TVe-x7rW0LLiW7NYP7XeSNpjcCR2-ly-AWOpRVXdiOFx09tIXf8asA3X-xykVQm_gyylIzic/s400/fullsizeoutput_5ec4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Gardos, Zemun, and the Danube from Millennium Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millennium Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gray but lovely day on the Danube</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-16119090178849017332017-08-07T15:21:00.001-04:002017-08-07T15:21:06.894-04:00August<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's a lovely, cool August day in New Hampshire. I'm on home leave and loving the break from work and stress and alarm clocks. The cats are happy to be back here in my parents' house, and we're all enjoying catching up with friends and family.<br />
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The absence of posts is partly because my laptop died in April and I didn't get a new one until I got home in July. I could write on my iPad (though I didn't much), but I couldn't put up photos. So now I'm slowly working through thousands of photos from trips to Belgrade, Cyprus, Prague, and London as well as final adventures in Lebanon. More stories to come as well as a more newsy update. Lots has changed in the last few months, and there are some amazingly exciting adventures to come. We head to DC soon for extended training, and while I'm sad to leave home after a blissful summer, I'll be ready to reconnect with that lovely city and more great friends (and restaurants).<br />
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I hope you're all having wonderful summers wherever in the world this August finds you.</div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-57056686901666461542017-01-01T18:18:00.001-05:002017-01-01T18:18:19.161-05:00The Adventure Continues...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now that it's officially 2017, I've been paneled, and I've started thinking ahead to the next transition, it's time to share my bidding story.<br />
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I lucked into Beirut early in my first mid-level bidding experience and had a handshake two+ months before my colleagues (this job was on the Now list). The few weeks of bidding was stressful, but it didn't last too long. This time, I was encouraged that the bidding cycle was shortened to 'only' six weeks. I can now tell you six weeks is still about four weeks too long. This is particularly true since bidding really started more than a year before with stalking the projected vacancies. I knew there should be good jobs at my absolute dream post (we all have one or two of them) and at several additional close-to-dream posts, but a lot can happen before handshake day. And a lot did, but I'm happy to report that I accepted a handshake on what ended up being my top bid for the cycle.<br />
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Several of my colleagues were bidding mid-level for the first time this year, and we formed a support group of sorts, using the slogan "bid with balls". Basically this meant that anytime any of us started to consider putting a 'safe' bid on the list, somewhere we didn't really want to go but probably had a shot at getting, we reminded each other to be strong and go for the jobs that made our hearts sing. I am very happy to say it worked (we all got handshakes on our top bids), but there was stress along the way.<br />
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Having formalized my skill code change to consular earlier this year (did I announce that yet?), I was only looking at jobs in Consular Affairs (CA) and overseas. Beyond that my top criteria were learning a new language, going to a 25% or higher differential posting, going somewhere the cats could come, getting a challenging and fulfilling job, having easy options for domestic help, and having some semblance of quality of life. Plus nice housing, decent cost of living, and good availability of fresh foodstuffs. Not being too picky, right?? Even with this seemingly insane list, I had a pretty full (and, in my opinion, realistic) list. My top three bids were in two posts in EAP (East Asia/Pacific), followed by one absolutely amazing opportunity in WHA, and an exciting and challenging job in AF. I would have been ecstatic at any of these posts in any of these jobs, even though my absolute dream job (see above) fell off the list early on.<br />
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I had early consultations with CA and interviews with several posts (two of them consultative staffing positions requiring Post concurrence on CA's pick for the job, and one of them to learn more about a job that I had not considered but completely fell in love with), and all went well. A week before bids were due I spoke again with CA who asked if I'd picked up on the warm fuzzies (yes, technical term) given off by my top bid. I had, and it boded well that CA confirmed my interview impressions. Their advice was to keep my bids as ordered unless I didn't want that job, and they confirmed I didn't need to add any bids (woohoo!). This is as close as you can get to an indication you'll get a handshake on one of your bids prior to submitting the final list. There had been some hand wringing in previous weeks as I'd tried to weigh which post was my top choice. And I ultimately realized that I would absolutely LOVE any of the top five and would grieve for the other four no matter which job I took. So I went with my initial top choice as the top bid and steeled my nerves. And then I hemmed and hawed and debated and consulted friends and mentors and family and slept on it more nights than I can count. And then I decided exactly the same thing.<br />
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The week before handshake day I received not one but two air kisses on my top bid. (I think the second one was a mistake.) My "bid with balls" colleagues both received air kisses on their top jobs (and others!). We were cautiously optimistic. Cautiously optimistic does not, however, mean free of anxiety.<br />
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Monday, October 31, 2016 was Handshake Day. CA told bidders early on that handshakes would only start going out after OOB in Washington. So instead of waking to an exciting handshake email, I would have to make it through the whole day. Long story short, I finally got the email about 4:45pm and very happily accepted a handshake on...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Surabaya, Indonesia!</span></div>
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After a year of language (Bahasa Indonesia) I'll head to the Consulate General in Surabaya as Consular Chief. I'll also get to oversee the Bali Consular Agency. So, so, so, so excited. Start making your travel plans now!</div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-81371938067913533642016-11-21T11:13:00.000-05:002016-11-21T11:13:10.496-05:00Weekend in Cyprus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over Columbus Day weekend I took the 28 minute flight from Beirut to Larnaca, Cyprus. My dad spent time in Cyprus while in the military, so I've always wanted to go. Because it's so close to Lebanon I've been putting it off, but with my time here quickly drawing to a close I decided it was high time to go. The flight there was full of merry-makers going for a weekend of partying, but once I left them behind the vacation could begin. It took longer than I would have liked to find the rental car shuttle, and the car they had was a little bigger than I would have liked, but before long I was on the road. I decided to spend the weekend in Limassol at the only IHG hotel in the nation (which did the trick of pushing my status one tier higher - well done 2016 travel!) and do day trips from there.<br />
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The hotel was lovely, and I had a blissful dinner at the Italian restaurant off the lobby that night. I intended to drive to Nicosia on Saturday, but I was exhausted. I slept in, had a lazy day of reading, and then spent the late afternoon swimming in the Mediterranean. The hotel was right on the beach and had a beautiful swimming area. The water temperature was just this side of perfect, and I had a lovely swim and float as the air temperature dropped with the sun. Room service and catching up on Netflix made for another splendid evening, and I went to bed early to get ready for adventure the next day.<br />
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Sunday I drove from Limassol to Nicosia and found convenient parking in the Old City. Driving the very narrow old streets with so many pedestrians was a bit nerve-wracking, but it worked out well. I ended up quite close to Ledra Street and made my way to the crossing point into Northern Cyprus, the Turkish-controlled section. The lines weren't terrible, but the sun was beaming down, which made waiting a little less comfortable. I crossed into the north with no issues and optimistically changed some money into Turkish lira. I needn't have bothered - the streets closest to the crossing were filled with knock-off clothing shops, and I didn't see any places that seemed a good choice for lunch. It was fairly quiet on this side. I made my way into the courtyard of a mosque just after the thuhr prayer call and discovered that the full camera battery I'd checked that morning was now depleted. So I have a total of two photos of the Turkish part of Nicosia's old city and none of the Greek side. After some time wandering around I headed back to the Greek side and looked for a lunch spot. I chose a busy chain-like restaurant that seemed to have more locals than tourists (thought what did I really know?) and had a fantastic pork souvlaki and grilled halloumi cheese. It hit the spot.<br />
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After some more wandering on the Greek side I made my way back to the car and headed south to Limassol. I thought about heading to the old part of town for dinner but ended up choosing the Italian restaurant again - the grilled calamari was spectacular, as was the spinach ravioli.<br />
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Monday I got up early, checked out, stored my luggage, and had a quick breakfast. Then I joined a day tour to go into the interior of Cyprus and see a few sights. The tour guide was quite gregarious; the group was less so. Our first stop was Lefkara where we visited a very touristy lace and silver shop. The prices and hard sell were unappetizing, and I don't think anyone bought anything. We headed into the Troodos Mountains and eventually to Kykkos Monastery. The monastery had some lovely mosaics and views of the tomb of Makarios, the first President of Cyprus.<br />
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Just before a lunch with many different mezzes and some great vegetarian moussaka we headed to the highest point in the country, Mount Olympus at 1951m. The final stops were a winery for tastings and Omodos for sampling dried fruits and walking around. The tour was great for seeing several different parts of the country, but it wasn't fantastic. It was a good last-minute option, and it definitely filled up the day.<br />
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Still, I had plenty of time before I needed to leave for the airport, so I had a smoothie and snack at one of the hotel lounges before hitting the road. The drive back to Larnaca was fine, though the rental car return process left a whole lot to be desired. Not a great experience. I checked in and somehow had a business class seat booked, which was a nice surprise. I grabbed one last pork souvlaki and some halloumi cheese to take back and got ready to board. Business class was lovely, even if the flight was only 28 minutes, and I got my bag and got home pretty quickly after landing. One extra treat - the following day was another holiday! I hadn't been able to find a flight back on Tuesday so decided to just do the weekend and enjoy one extra day off. It was a nice way to re-integrate into normal life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60eBbhqSITTlug-YrcOzwRiJOQGh6lbeBKkhnj0p4gnbwRRlW1A6MhsyEWZW4whzugP1_vKi4Sh2xYVwgDs8jCokJEDe4ly7It6Qq3z4sW77syhTon2DMUMt2FBafbV8v2yXAtO_atEg/s1600/IMG_4148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60eBbhqSITTlug-YrcOzwRiJOQGh6lbeBKkhnj0p4gnbwRRlW1A6MhsyEWZW4whzugP1_vKi4Sh2xYVwgDs8jCokJEDe4ly7It6Qq3z4sW77syhTon2DMUMt2FBafbV8v2yXAtO_atEg/s400/IMG_4148.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosque in TRNC Nicosia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMyWg_ulX-c1V46RdiQUFrJLUIZp3gapth2D3vQLtzW7HTi85Ny5jVFJ6hNqcuks6muIFRQL8JFiq-j_MaTYEtn15UsXOblg9JP5FcqWSMujz8QCL68AOZe-zalFFdvilVRq4ucgSCZY/s1600/IMG_4150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMyWg_ulX-c1V46RdiQUFrJLUIZp3gapth2D3vQLtzW7HTi85Ny5jVFJ6hNqcuks6muIFRQL8JFiq-j_MaTYEtn15UsXOblg9JP5FcqWSMujz8QCL68AOZe-zalFFdvilVRq4ucgSCZY/s400/IMG_4150.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street scene in TRNC Nicosia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my hotel room. This sheltered swimming area was perfect!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsv0yD8hNypcDzM1hscwcf6Em5b2mauDorBIDAc19Rfyrd66SsZQMGLhKZMS8_EHIMesUHI8LxpZ3EsZ-z2NaLp0K9X05kw5aqdWhY4r_op0ZhLIwBwOf-srMBZYIQ7Ob5SzZdu717Bw4/s1600/IMG_4153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsv0yD8hNypcDzM1hscwcf6Em5b2mauDorBIDAc19Rfyrd66SsZQMGLhKZMS8_EHIMesUHI8LxpZ3EsZ-z2NaLp0K9X05kw5aqdWhY4r_op0ZhLIwBwOf-srMBZYIQ7Ob5SzZdu717Bw4/s400/IMG_4153.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villages nestled among the mountains.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaics at Kykkos Monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kykkos Monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the hill above is the tomb of Makarios.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orthodox church standing tall in a village.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from Mt. Olympus</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-10612581578986210142016-11-06T10:03:00.002-05:002016-11-06T10:03:34.355-05:00Flashback: Namibia 2005 - Damaraland and Swakopmund<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1">(Part two of this Namibia flashback. I realize I didn't have a lot of detail so anything in parentheses is my addition now. This leg of the trip was less about animals and more about archaeology and geology. I am truly amazed by some of these sights now and really want to go back and see them again.)</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Leaving Etosha we drove into Damaraland and camped at a remote bush camp for the night. We saw Bushman engravings from 5000 years ago, a petrified forest with pine trees preserved for many million years, and strange rock formations called organ pipes that are 130 million years old. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">(We visited the petrified forest near Khorixas, Damaraland's capital, and then moved on towards our gorgeous desert camp - Abu Huab Desert Camp. From there we visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twyfelfontein">Twyfelfontein</a>, home to stunning rock paintings and carvings. The site was declared a UNESCO heritage site two years after my visit, in 2007. I have only the foggiest memories of this visit, but looking back at the photographs I am absolutely blown away by the detail and the breadth of the scenes depicted. I need to go back and visit again. This blog series is inspired, in part, by an article I read recently in <i>National Geographic Traveler</i> magazine - that I can't find online - about a visit to this area. I hadn't looked at these photos or reflected on this part of the trip in many years, and the article got me curious.)</span><br />
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<span class="s1">(At the petrified forest we saw some great examples of the endemic-to-the-Namib-desert plant Welwitschia, which are essentially living fossils. It's quite common to find plants over 1,000 years old or up to 2,000 years old. Amazing, really.)</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Yesterday we drove to the coast and visited the Cape Cross seal colony. 80,000 female and cub seals on only a few acres. The smell was awful (though I didn't throw up this time!). There were lots of fights, lots of barking and braying, and lots of cute poses. The jackals were around and you could see seal carcasses strewn about. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Last night I stayed in a backpackers in town, though I have my own room. After a week camping it feels great to have a bed! We went out for seafood last night, which was delicious. I had calamari.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Today was the penultimate adrenalin rush, though. I went skydiving!! I did a tandem jump from 10000 feet with a 30 second freefall at 220 km/h and a five minute float to ground. It was actually far less scary than I imagined and perhaps the most amazing feeling ever. With bungee jumping I always was terrified, but this was far more natural (if you can believe it). We flew over the dunes and the ocean, and the scenery on the way down was exquisite. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">(How do I have no photos of this adventure??)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Anyway, those are the highlights. I have hundreds and hundreds of photos of course. We are having a last seafood dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I go back to Windhoek by bus and then fly to Cape Town. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery en route to Khorixas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Namibia and your dirt roads!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welwitschia plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq-ND7Q1pJqEH9bTI0IzjBIGo9ECWvORMofpGSOOgjhOBmFtsZuhGN3orTygunqek9k5266fO6bqAJFXt2GoANNdnPQ7GZ1US9bD9JLmSlINFWUlmFoPlJy0GK2QQ7buOojHz1UktPgA/s1600/DSCN2678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq-ND7Q1pJqEH9bTI0IzjBIGo9ECWvORMofpGSOOgjhOBmFtsZuhGN3orTygunqek9k5266fO6bqAJFXt2GoANNdnPQ7GZ1US9bD9JLmSlINFWUlmFoPlJy0GK2QQ7buOojHz1UktPgA/s400/DSCN2678.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pieces of petrified wood</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEyy_cdeiRI3Mr-CN_Ncrm2z_RaXyWciRZzz-l9AnJ6F6b1DDvHV4_dZlJzSjHpBqdrkKZle4StGof0CzjdoYtj6mzZlFFB_8ouRV5c4Jw14DOnHMf__AEg0evGiWV64FOkb0q5g5RVo/s1600/DSCN2689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEyy_cdeiRI3Mr-CN_Ncrm2z_RaXyWciRZzz-l9AnJ6F6b1DDvHV4_dZlJzSjHpBqdrkKZle4StGof0CzjdoYtj6mzZlFFB_8ouRV5c4Jw14DOnHMf__AEg0evGiWV64FOkb0q5g5RVo/s400/DSCN2689.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petrified log.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good examples of the petrification.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More welwitschia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8570cMD0IQNQ0Yi_BFCmPAWuXtx1Gpbby-WCPhV-2ZiUCvjs3k31pxflNmym2gnnYUmQrpRDzgU6Ugkys4nIs8ti9Hg1PIQbXWg3uZENA-grB7ysUdEOgTBXkgQerGuhjWBBlKOmwyzU/s1600/DSCN2718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8570cMD0IQNQ0Yi_BFCmPAWuXtx1Gpbby-WCPhV-2ZiUCvjs3k31pxflNmym2gnnYUmQrpRDzgU6Ugkys4nIs8ti9Hg1PIQbXWg3uZENA-grB7ysUdEOgTBXkgQerGuhjWBBlKOmwyzU/s400/DSCN2718.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock engravings from 5,000+ years ago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Wm-kiqEGb8pBLT-5HlqwYzFSfmQrFSF84EwseIl5zplhPYyJiD7hIcwcNU8TjFBxKYK7hpoXexmv5w4qBmXKnzoyP7f_h3DeqKHMFYRvmmjwezuobOgHZiaBmAigm5-kI9GLEOAYnM/s400/DSCN2719.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giraffes, antelope, etc.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDgqssYHkv8RlcRhkAJSesOTxAxu4EZ0ChCUITBJ-4XWEjMwQzkjlDPaPYGzwyFNxOsabxEo-1ObL9Jaqrx2HCTBcdblz12jh_fGktmVIUKCEckGlZ5nMp22CsNYcHZnDMItDJ81GgbM/s1600/DSCN2720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDgqssYHkv8RlcRhkAJSesOTxAxu4EZ0ChCUITBJ-4XWEjMwQzkjlDPaPYGzwyFNxOsabxEo-1ObL9Jaqrx2HCTBcdblz12jh_fGktmVIUKCEckGlZ5nMp22CsNYcHZnDMItDJ81GgbM/s400/DSCN2720.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia tells me this is one of the more famous slabs called Lion Plate. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKufaHn7iR3VpZnoueX7LC7nR-6Jm4eCAgo_M8RD2OMPsiOYnZ_Vzt4p9FJhLtL3ZPm7bKTNO0pojbFq8XoFATUIMBC5s7fS9d_NoERKrc9dWSCjBJj_WZU5PQJsi2jS5aCc3lcLby2SI/s1600/DSCN2721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKufaHn7iR3VpZnoueX7LC7nR-6Jm4eCAgo_M8RD2OMPsiOYnZ_Vzt4p9FJhLtL3ZPm7bKTNO0pojbFq8XoFATUIMBC5s7fS9d_NoERKrc9dWSCjBJj_WZU5PQJsi2jS5aCc3lcLby2SI/s400/DSCN2721.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery around the petroglyphs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lion Plate. Notice the lion has human toes. Giraffe, rhino, birds, and other animals abound.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1G6BZWfike9dxbKLQRQeSnyzHhWzlz6lwvnZYPcsZm8AWQL2R_eEEPqrj9rcl8RlMexGIp0ETJ2eaDoQ-8qox-2XVELtAAnutGcJC5GYAy1QRNc57H8BZeSow97nZikSOEUJA5LJV_4/s1600/DSCN2744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1G6BZWfike9dxbKLQRQeSnyzHhWzlz6lwvnZYPcsZm8AWQL2R_eEEPqrj9rcl8RlMexGIp0ETJ2eaDoQ-8qox-2XVELtAAnutGcJC5GYAy1QRNc57H8BZeSow97nZikSOEUJA5LJV_4/s400/DSCN2744.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Footprints captured in the sandstone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi-tTi_fN8ipRIJwKWqh2y4B3l42nkklq9znYUJbPrCin_LxJClsozaqaKUMfRjW_C0lyJqC4G7ogZtpo0VCz0_un1RriMatH7-DwqgNNSyHOxOgwxDcM9qFn-2YBAFvIZ5ofjudaM88/s1600/DSCN2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi-tTi_fN8ipRIJwKWqh2y4B3l42nkklq9znYUJbPrCin_LxJClsozaqaKUMfRjW_C0lyJqC4G7ogZtpo0VCz0_un1RriMatH7-DwqgNNSyHOxOgwxDcM9qFn-2YBAFvIZ5ofjudaM88/s400/DSCN2753.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giraffe, gemsbok.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigerppU3RNYFW4Pn9k6utY96piS0AqK48OvmPqyyt8TBlbT4g1N2QWp34r-sZlTM12JRD3g4Ihq4z-3AD3wFpzL5iuFU0SHldw96kFb86-SoIGrVm9hILxIJfx5cH63JmIN2IIQwqT_wY/s1600/DSCN2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigerppU3RNYFW4Pn9k6utY96piS0AqK48OvmPqyyt8TBlbT4g1N2QWp34r-sZlTM12JRD3g4Ihq4z-3AD3wFpzL5iuFU0SHldw96kFb86-SoIGrVm9hILxIJfx5cH63JmIN2IIQwqT_wY/s400/DSCN2754.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea lion! Evidence of contact with people by the seas. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcOh9QLIg711va778JgI4P1a3ksf3XnSJ61BGprZriK-fo9IVFPFEEPMl06KbZ68RA4feaGuaM3hDctSzai2nOq_-Z9JWlytq8iHcyB20T-_yQNDI7QbpVvjOn9tKCn4cnkPRZS9t2Vg/s1600/DSCN2760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcOh9QLIg711va778JgI4P1a3ksf3XnSJ61BGprZriK-fo9IVFPFEEPMl06KbZ68RA4feaGuaM3hDctSzai2nOq_-Z9JWlytq8iHcyB20T-_yQNDI7QbpVvjOn9tKCn4cnkPRZS9t2Vg/s400/DSCN2760.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The engravings are so exposed; it's amazing they've survived so well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS_EeTgmJ9aAn_wjcpEeZ4CsWwevlMK2e9BTNrfdSaH29bpWch9N9zzB1WeHUju69lC_mXT25qzwbbXN1B_WRgpNIF_3wB0vKKaS3swbqFPSz1SfzIjL353Rk36Hh7fqh_c6E1pdxJDI/s1600/DSCN2761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS_EeTgmJ9aAn_wjcpEeZ4CsWwevlMK2e9BTNrfdSaH29bpWch9N9zzB1WeHUju69lC_mXT25qzwbbXN1B_WRgpNIF_3wB0vKKaS3swbqFPSz1SfzIjL353Rk36Hh7fqh_c6E1pdxJDI/s400/DSCN2761.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animals as well as lots of human and animal footprints.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuvS5BEA2g-NVCYUMVkSfOl2ZAOFnjZO5jq1AOSUuX7cz6jAK01U_Uci2I6IihOxEyIShU-0K79qrU90hFNcIDxcc2oN_9eUHByKPyxuHD2hQVNhEfUzNzYJG7dnrgndIU2r8ftVT97A/s1600/DSCN2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuvS5BEA2g-NVCYUMVkSfOl2ZAOFnjZO5jq1AOSUuX7cz6jAK01U_Uci2I6IihOxEyIShU-0K79qrU90hFNcIDxcc2oN_9eUHByKPyxuHD2hQVNhEfUzNzYJG7dnrgndIU2r8ftVT97A/s400/DSCN2768.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And now human footprints as well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penguin! More evidence of outside contact.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6X040hcJQfP4ECj_pdnl-Q9bnXhL9G97JLl11gsgZuOxzxKglUcgIKY64p0nY8YvedZekdMoY3fHLAWXOrkRJSSdcZ5OxJOUML-MXnaE-i51ZBGXXHgpHBcbkKn9jAK-Aoi9KQ8ap7w/s1600/DSCN2774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6X040hcJQfP4ECj_pdnl-Q9bnXhL9G97JLl11gsgZuOxzxKglUcgIKY64p0nY8YvedZekdMoY3fHLAWXOrkRJSSdcZ5OxJOUML-MXnaE-i51ZBGXXHgpHBcbkKn9jAK-Aoi9KQ8ap7w/s400/DSCN2774.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up camp at Abu Huab.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbntZd3WtO94cCRFue5hnM02yA3PR-KzgD1zJzhWorNq9LY-JOnz2Oj_bGCZJNaehu9jEiQ3WyZEaXuMDq1f1P543D2AoZu9dozu-gwKQbmO1KEgeW0KuE_l8o1pBHW2faGkTic6JCiw/s1600/DSCN2776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbntZd3WtO94cCRFue5hnM02yA3PR-KzgD1zJzhWorNq9LY-JOnz2Oj_bGCZJNaehu9jEiQ3WyZEaXuMDq1f1P543D2AoZu9dozu-gwKQbmO1KEgeW0KuE_l8o1pBHW2faGkTic6JCiw/s400/DSCN2776.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our trusty transport for this trip.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeHJkzD8d-0j-d6Ql8vFiUvWE19zDesFhN8RyjYQ6mTg6HgJE7JK8B_PgBbxMI2Vd9twfQH2T2AwcKWcpIGshlB7P02INrPpamgI4V45LKesnnKYlxbXA4A5yg9k_9T8Wak2wxgFTco8/s1600/DSCN2777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeHJkzD8d-0j-d6Ql8vFiUvWE19zDesFhN8RyjYQ6mTg6HgJE7JK8B_PgBbxMI2Vd9twfQH2T2AwcKWcpIGshlB7P02INrPpamgI4V45LKesnnKYlxbXA4A5yg9k_9T8Wak2wxgFTco8/s400/DSCN2777.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abu Huab Desert Camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3suxuEBK5zcrLw7vJCsjraTdyoA3WGOrvQAkd7zyjHJEayriNARI4pR6ELrWNuVsSAJAxUxFJBbiqw5Qldl0laQrEGC64l_sptsQtJRlUTeUrZntVPsrJ4_DNQWEFNqKeZcdUn3ePQvQ/s400/DSCN2778.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main building at the camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9P2FxTA9DdLoxcf4Vp_AtjWeaHQGRlPV7G77-6JG2W7XV0K8xYowGWSXdMlni_INKYeQyNRL1XuCG8smCiX22g-97WRcchIahoHPL3vPb2m1KqINlM4reu6GQGAZTltlPBsNJ8bGJrKE/s1600/DSCN2779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9P2FxTA9DdLoxcf4Vp_AtjWeaHQGRlPV7G77-6JG2W7XV0K8xYowGWSXdMlni_INKYeQyNRL1XuCG8smCiX22g-97WRcchIahoHPL3vPb2m1KqINlM4reu6GQGAZTltlPBsNJ8bGJrKE/s400/DSCN2779.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organ Pipes geologic site</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36ZS29nkikXwzP2X0tRL64XaDfRAulV-f_2dTF_di04DJ05IEH7xU8JjjagNirWNyiildSkuuYh5Zl3G_KR9v6dv38bJMK039ckHJq-LrMbQFM_nxZ25_7J27YuFon6I7I0I0yynHpqk/s1600/DSCN2781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36ZS29nkikXwzP2X0tRL64XaDfRAulV-f_2dTF_di04DJ05IEH7xU8JjjagNirWNyiildSkuuYh5Zl3G_KR9v6dv38bJMK039ckHJq-LrMbQFM_nxZ25_7J27YuFon6I7I0I0yynHpqk/s400/DSCN2781.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">120million+ years old, formed during the breakup of Gondwanaland</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery en route to the coast</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh618ZMeUhSAywQuPwJmdIPi5tEGU_cFFHcgVCV7jGg9yC_6Iabk9oQ_Ax40Bi_h4cNfu8p2Jg5-zNaATJrMzv5GwE7PvKi27C3oTLZHVrow8c_c_MzOhjMXJFKNdMFmokEkr3h29DOiJs/s1600/DSCN2816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh618ZMeUhSAywQuPwJmdIPi5tEGU_cFFHcgVCV7jGg9yC_6Iabk9oQ_Ax40Bi_h4cNfu8p2Jg5-zNaATJrMzv5GwE7PvKi27C3oTLZHVrow8c_c_MzOhjMXJFKNdMFmokEkr3h29DOiJs/s400/DSCN2816.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seals!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBPpZFYXB5vCNP6NvJRqK86ZkWdNRhk22MyhDVonoAj3dmwlAFGns2KERy7PxKFfNRFxnuKYNgrwt86yVRIQfiYzA1ufckGvws3iTDdW-Uv6d-cZgh_Cvvw7KYLIQbgPnvPnwkGzctnQ/s1600/DSCN2817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBPpZFYXB5vCNP6NvJRqK86ZkWdNRhk22MyhDVonoAj3dmwlAFGns2KERy7PxKFfNRFxnuKYNgrwt86yVRIQfiYzA1ufckGvws3iTDdW-Uv6d-cZgh_Cvvw7KYLIQbgPnvPnwkGzctnQ/s400/DSCN2817.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Cross seal colony</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIt9AQEwou63LRGar_DryWIIHsMYMaJGFUsqTH4RpYDHCtCKvPclwCrMuZoDFsSGgdR0wE_qFe0AlOKDD_Kum9wPWFIruMm_Gm571fV6uaJWLTVs_kXMcmkR2lGihrPZQevvCJFowljc/s400/DSCN2820.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each black speck in the water is a seal.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIt9AQEwou63LRGar_DryWIIHsMYMaJGFUsqTH4RpYDHCtCKvPclwCrMuZoDFsSGgdR0wE_qFe0AlOKDD_Kum9wPWFIruMm_Gm571fV6uaJWLTVs_kXMcmkR2lGihrPZQevvCJFowljc/s1600/DSCN2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIt9AQEwou63LRGar_DryWIIHsMYMaJGFUsqTH4RpYDHCtCKvPclwCrMuZoDFsSGgdR0wE_qFe0AlOKDD_Kum9wPWFIruMm_Gm571fV6uaJWLTVs_kXMcmkR2lGihrPZQevvCJFowljc/s1600/DSCN2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvJd819PkMmkmv-VQgvfP2vV3kOyQUlm0cFA5IQ22OC7vEJVD5GnzoXxunOKJvJpiGSZe_yXXULmSGLAfB7ghXPzXr3ucNg5S-akUL3WEK94JZaD16O6dnVAI7ZdOlPkbkRIZkRmpJ2U/s1600/DSCN2821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvJd819PkMmkmv-VQgvfP2vV3kOyQUlm0cFA5IQ22OC7vEJVD5GnzoXxunOKJvJpiGSZe_yXXULmSGLAfB7ghXPzXr3ucNg5S-akUL3WEK94JZaD16O6dnVAI7ZdOlPkbkRIZkRmpJ2U/s400/DSCN2821.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of little babies while we were there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gSA4nEE9GYEzGXVkXZHe1dPsMR225cy8k26cJvAn9N_6WOWi-BO7NvHgKVHLI38VJwWsqCRZF2JPa7D5JAnXCksxkan_UTG6uSkps5fI6vPLEtsNN9i-G7cN2SyAhaIVl2biESJyDsM/s1600/DSCN2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gSA4nEE9GYEzGXVkXZHe1dPsMR225cy8k26cJvAn9N_6WOWi-BO7NvHgKVHLI38VJwWsqCRZF2JPa7D5JAnXCksxkan_UTG6uSkps5fI6vPLEtsNN9i-G7cN2SyAhaIVl2biESJyDsM/s400/DSCN2823.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock snuggles are the best, apparently.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGXz4xxYwlpgodAq7RbDxbtCd_lRIlWshp3VKd_fdS0bL1kxVgOVMaV72PRbBY1aDHueuKuuPinb63dCe1nSQsAfiyEzBCH1-HXxSBB0G92h-_Q06mlTU55nJtdjfgJ1bmDSzsTn9LHY/s400/DSCN2824.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of nursing babies.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGXz4xxYwlpgodAq7RbDxbtCd_lRIlWshp3VKd_fdS0bL1kxVgOVMaV72PRbBY1aDHueuKuuPinb63dCe1nSQsAfiyEzBCH1-HXxSBB0G92h-_Q06mlTU55nJtdjfgJ1bmDSzsTn9LHY/s1600/DSCN2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGXz4xxYwlpgodAq7RbDxbtCd_lRIlWshp3VKd_fdS0bL1kxVgOVMaV72PRbBY1aDHueuKuuPinb63dCe1nSQsAfiyEzBCH1-HXxSBB0G92h-_Q06mlTU55nJtdjfgJ1bmDSzsTn9LHY/s1600/DSCN2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB4L3XFdVE_m-vo5ZjjKTFeKKU-8mhFrIJ6LqQdSDxLk42pWpnkWnnMuPOVZt6pWx96bqkQmcSavwVM504x22ArvYONki07thdr8H9ZCtUkf4wIv-W96YC_IamYPQ_kjL_2nIcDCtlCo/s1600/DSCN2826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB4L3XFdVE_m-vo5ZjjKTFeKKU-8mhFrIJ6LqQdSDxLk42pWpnkWnnMuPOVZt6pWx96bqkQmcSavwVM504x22ArvYONki07thdr8H9ZCtUkf4wIv-W96YC_IamYPQ_kjL_2nIcDCtlCo/s400/DSCN2826.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More nursing, more rock snuggles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6GOQUWI0PUIRr65X-Sls2mTc25iF_03YUGUCn8oQdw1f4pUXRHWvCkqDLSqu7ebl1pPjja5ZKCVGybZ6z364O2S3wMjH9j2BptYFAJYQ7-rpOlB5nD5GsmHAgytZFpCzah47Vvi-nLk/s1600/DSCN2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6GOQUWI0PUIRr65X-Sls2mTc25iF_03YUGUCn8oQdw1f4pUXRHWvCkqDLSqu7ebl1pPjja5ZKCVGybZ6z364O2S3wMjH9j2BptYFAJYQ7-rpOlB5nD5GsmHAgytZFpCzah47Vvi-nLk/s400/DSCN2829.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgRszS1g49nVXjtAWytCJmxXEeBY3IX6K9baJbI1nTsgiZcfEtVMQUgxF2My11xaVY6m-2uE4lGiTllyv3C_mCSHszHxpOTGra_w94n8oCEXoe9WwuC7_apIt1zvOloKZ3mW2Ypxo4H4/s1600/DSCN2833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgRszS1g49nVXjtAWytCJmxXEeBY3IX6K9baJbI1nTsgiZcfEtVMQUgxF2My11xaVY6m-2uE4lGiTllyv3C_mCSHszHxpOTGra_w94n8oCEXoe9WwuC7_apIt1zvOloKZ3mW2Ypxo4H4/s400/DSCN2833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-03q6Qz0Em_aqEE2yGdjcSGzfX4L7Aa4XcPAXqiGjYWpNLvzpckxT3j7bZqdQ85CnUB1cnrGamIDgWQzj5gl1-Gl3RXFyzBV7txs4MNUErGJMiAUI52a2Yzs57N_YQZoI86XKkaCUTE/s1600/DSCN2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-03q6Qz0Em_aqEE2yGdjcSGzfX4L7Aa4XcPAXqiGjYWpNLvzpckxT3j7bZqdQ85CnUB1cnrGamIDgWQzj5gl1-Gl3RXFyzBV7txs4MNUErGJMiAUI52a2Yzs57N_YQZoI86XKkaCUTE/s400/DSCN2834.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many babies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrW3VvdXiYcBFptehlhO0VgJVdkwdt7PIR-Ki95jo1cxNsdKEFHRiycVas3HVk8FkjYmfzzePzWulYCgTdw43Q9iGHJX4bsvYUTGIXlYsH07oxiMrrfiW-o3MTtbs9dfkdQmw17TkAcc/s1600/DSCN2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrW3VvdXiYcBFptehlhO0VgJVdkwdt7PIR-Ki95jo1cxNsdKEFHRiycVas3HVk8FkjYmfzzePzWulYCgTdw43Q9iGHJX4bsvYUTGIXlYsH07oxiMrrfiW-o3MTtbs9dfkdQmw17TkAcc/s400/DSCN2836.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was one of my favorites.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSaPDC2AmGeU3_rczDXgMUK3LI8IWqKv8X4Zjqo4hT8hS9U2sISiLCRFQ5KmZzA2C1NQeKaHNO6sIFix2hUZTPRPePoQO1PY4EJklMHPPIxWyDtoTVB30cbg_6JjVYf7t9ItQyGiFDrs/s1600/DSCN2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSaPDC2AmGeU3_rczDXgMUK3LI8IWqKv8X4Zjqo4hT8hS9U2sISiLCRFQ5KmZzA2C1NQeKaHNO6sIFix2hUZTPRPePoQO1PY4EJklMHPPIxWyDtoTVB30cbg_6JjVYf7t9ItQyGiFDrs/s400/DSCN2837.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely slumber.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27IitHlUe8466wJBpKI68yjbq1Gy4bEDvai20h6k7sau7FRdme7TAGTcmmkLl3oFiqJvFk3ieTt8ad6RFLVgrVUzwEaS1OBb8kKLLmTdSMQqYmbJje6Gb8yNTZavEOycD1J-FB1LJNfk/s1600/DSCN2846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27IitHlUe8466wJBpKI68yjbq1Gy4bEDvai20h6k7sau7FRdme7TAGTcmmkLl3oFiqJvFk3ieTt8ad6RFLVgrVUzwEaS1OBb8kKLLmTdSMQqYmbJje6Gb8yNTZavEOycD1J-FB1LJNfk/s400/DSCN2846.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing for me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnjvYCeMMPDW2y2HJ9jtkXRXMdwxWoSqilTGcgiG2SvCGqiJhz9bqvMvy7A-5uDsXT8O-WJCywtA1LutFYwmV6Uf0o3wI1-oHgcJgUqmO8hkbBiJqPCg2LRU4Tej5Fn9Y9TjUJU1EZmE/s1600/DSCN2847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnjvYCeMMPDW2y2HJ9jtkXRXMdwxWoSqilTGcgiG2SvCGqiJhz9bqvMvy7A-5uDsXT8O-WJCywtA1LutFYwmV6Uf0o3wI1-oHgcJgUqmO8hkbBiJqPCg2LRU4Tej5Fn9Y9TjUJU1EZmE/s400/DSCN2847.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her better side.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fight!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More swimming seals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nursing baby.</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-22416555762279838522016-10-28T15:50:00.000-04:002016-11-06T09:42:26.265-05:00Flashback: Namibia 2005 - Waterberg & Etosha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">2016 edit: I need a little inspiration to get blogging, and I've been talking to the amazing Sarah of <a href="http://www.novakistan.com/">Novakistan</a> about safaris and Namibia, and it got me thinking about my trips there while studying in South Africa. So I'm digging into my old email dispatches home for some new posts about old adventures. This trip was one of my favorites (though who am I kidding, I had some phenomenal adventures in those years!), and I would love to do it all again someday. Though maybe with actual beds and less camping this time around...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This is part one because I realized there are a lot of fantastic (to me) photos, and I don't want to overwhelm you with one gigantic photo dimp. I will add a couple things in parentheses and in photo captions, but this is all from emails.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Just a little note to let you know I am doing great and to fill you in on some of my adventures. I will be back in Cape Town tomorrow, but the next few days may be hectic, so here it is. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I am currently in Swakopmund, Namibia on the Atlantic coast. We are sandwiched between the ocean and the Namib desert. They say that it is the coldest it has been here in ages. Just my luck! Although it is quite nice to have a cool sea breeze after almost a week of desert temperatures and sun. Swakopmund is very German in its architecture and culture. It's an interesting place. Very slow, very safe, very 'cute'.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The trip has been wonderful. There are six of us altogether and our fabulous guide Elias. I am the youngest by a decade! There is a Spanish couple on their honeymoon, two Brits, and a South African. They are all very nice, although they all tend to regard me as something of a child, which is frustrating. Oh well. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We left Windhoek last Wednesday and drove to Waterberg Plateau (the Table Mountain of Namibia). There was a hike up, but it was late, and I didn't want to hurt my knee. It was a pleasant evening - we had a braai - but I was up all night because a warthog decided to investigate my tent from midnight until about 4am. He kept prodding me and grunting whenever I kicked the side of the tent. Everytime I thought he'd gone and I'd start to fall asleep he would nudge me again. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The next three days were spent in Etosha National Park, Namibia's premier game reserve. It is semi-desert to desert terrain with a large salt pan and some open grasslands. Very interesting terrain. We saw millions of springbok, impala, wildebeest, gemsbok (my favorite antelope!), kudu, eland, etc.. There were so many (hundreds, maybe thousands) of zebra that I actually got bored with them. We saw about a hundred (or more) giraffes. Spotted hyenas, black-backed jackals, lots of birds including ostrich, etc.. We saw the four of the five Big Five that live in the park - lion, elephant, rhino (white and the rare black), and a leopard!! The leopard completed my Big Five collection. He was on the ground next to our bus, and walked right in back of us. Of course that's the moment when my batteries ran out, but I did get a couple pictures as he walked away. Didn't see a kill, though we did see vultures and a hyena feasting on a carcass as well as a male and female lion fight over a fresh springbok leg (she won).</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Each campsite had a floodlit waterhole where the animals could come drink while we watched. At the first camp I sat one afternoon and watched elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, zebra, kudu, and springbok come and drink all in the span of an hour or so. I had aways wanted to see a giraffe drink, and it was as amazing as I had imagined. At the second camp, however, we were in for a treat. When we arrived and set up our tents, there was a herd of maybe three dozen elephants drinking and eating, including several young babies. They stayed for a while and I got lots of pictures. At night, though, is when the elusive rhinos showed up. First one, then another, then more. At one point there were five black rhino and an elephant drinking. While this was going on, there were several lions lying down in a bush nearby. We all watched with baited breath hoping some antelope would come along, but no such luck. A white rhino came along when there was just a black rhino and an elephant at the waterhole, and the two rhinos charged each other and had a short fight. Interestingly the lion is said to be afraid of only one animal (the rhino) and won't usually drink with one around. But a male and two females came down to drink right next to the white rhino. Must have been thirsty. Eventually the ungulates left and we got a better look at the lions. We thought there were only three, but there was one male, seven females, and two cubs! They walked off, and we went to bed. Amazing. It was dark, so none of my pictures really came out, but it was still impressive.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">(In between sundown the second night and the arrival of the predators, I misplaced my camera. After a frantic search with my guide and camp staff, we heard through the grapevine that somebody had found it by the watering hole and taken it to their cabin for safekeeping. Sure enough, there it was. Eleven years later I still remember the panic I felt at losing everything that was on that memory card and the relief and gratitude I felt for the kind people who found it and helped me find them.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(A note on these p</span>hotos: this was my first ever digital camera, and it was a pretty standard point and shoot with a moderate zoom. Plus, Namibia is sandy and dusty. Excuse the photo quality.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp by the Waterberg Plateau. Just imagine an industrious warthog digging a circle around one of these tents. All night long.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo fills me with happiness. Acacias and sandy dirt roads.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently we visited an old mine of some sort. I do not remember details here. EDIT: This is actually Lake Otjikoto, one of two permanent lakes in Namibia. It was caused by a sinkhole. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springbok in Etosha.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved Etosha for its wide open plains and salt flats. It made the animals seem like they were on quite a journey wherever they went.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6YEnMRsTo2SVnFpQZiGHnY-WiqXtfnPzAxcqnx9GFygEE-alVkJz0DNWCQn_Rxo5vmEDeKbLW3xmhHPiqX1k3EO4iJZKMGAqw3r9e4W0bY73EtBc5tR1kEhiy1DwZmlRwt9iOg3LfW4/s1600/DSCN2285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6YEnMRsTo2SVnFpQZiGHnY-WiqXtfnPzAxcqnx9GFygEE-alVkJz0DNWCQn_Rxo5vmEDeKbLW3xmhHPiqX1k3EO4iJZKMGAqw3r9e4W0bY73EtBc5tR1kEhiy1DwZmlRwt9iOg3LfW4/s400/DSCN2285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildebeest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wm1-8HdhqnFlBOe9oFdViWfLJqH99CMTKvGq-q7oxbdemnDnCYKg42vZnVYrbL9QOguvAiHfGCPXB35wLEjx90mhFWih1DwRcR8FlMdqOyFBceIf3prsXrmBBzSpl2-BW8N3QKzUAlM/s1600/DSCN2287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wm1-8HdhqnFlBOe9oFdViWfLJqH99CMTKvGq-q7oxbdemnDnCYKg42vZnVYrbL9QOguvAiHfGCPXB35wLEjx90mhFWih1DwRcR8FlMdqOyFBceIf3prsXrmBBzSpl2-BW8N3QKzUAlM/s400/DSCN2287.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gemsbok! One of my favorite boks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiecjnkgn7zJs9DpYTu95Ma5x7ookElmmH3zBamxTe8YKcNs4vsfixKy1Cy2jUzPouaBaU5cu4Df8hV0KG_pw4Ik8qtMhg8d_Xh1SA-hebYgEIAYoxzN_fEX8YjTEBCYbKH9YKTNfzDJk/s1600/DSCN2288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiecjnkgn7zJs9DpYTu95Ma5x7ookElmmH3zBamxTe8YKcNs4vsfixKy1Cy2jUzPouaBaU5cu4Df8hV0KG_pw4Ik8qtMhg8d_Xh1SA-hebYgEIAYoxzN_fEX8YjTEBCYbKH9YKTNfzDJk/s400/DSCN2288.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look really closely you can see the horns in profile. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdWWyKoUuUcfgCUlbqMsTaeBhaxNvIffI2hE5UCDuS5mEQFewNZXAAsUfDRctdhZ1alHW9MSyrLapak3fr3ct-I4rd0DIL0AxZ_cs_XT9x6inOpubtqXFymGGSG1OhXVI_E9P-Drzk0/s1600/DSCN2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdWWyKoUuUcfgCUlbqMsTaeBhaxNvIffI2hE5UCDuS5mEQFewNZXAAsUfDRctdhZ1alHW9MSyrLapak3fr3ct-I4rd0DIL0AxZ_cs_XT9x6inOpubtqXFymGGSG1OhXVI_E9P-Drzk0/s400/DSCN2290.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiding giraffes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfkdzEWV4s5hciuUtGk3-2QiavxzVPqGYXJ8a87_Pat5A4nDUPX7t3b_ygSkabmIRGf5J1vDH3ImHKjPsc5TxWHQ8hSxoH0vJWM-wz_WB21hLQdoPpMETyjz7pIby7JDi_toFnYExQAk/s1600/DSCN2292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfkdzEWV4s5hciuUtGk3-2QiavxzVPqGYXJ8a87_Pat5A4nDUPX7t3b_ygSkabmIRGf5J1vDH3ImHKjPsc5TxWHQ8hSxoH0vJWM-wz_WB21hLQdoPpMETyjz7pIby7JDi_toFnYExQAk/s400/DSCN2292.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious giraffes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuldY-OBj7xbrWtFyGF4OJMxFrDJSGieevmwdvZn7bAHiT88jELNRDnlYguLKiK7JJ_so7u7ALIs-KU0KaXyk-mxb67awo9lziUAXQRxEnxRTiZ0yVmOH6R6AqbxoVCkQ8g7FYijkzrE/s1600/DSCN2298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuldY-OBj7xbrWtFyGF4OJMxFrDJSGieevmwdvZn7bAHiT88jELNRDnlYguLKiK7JJ_so7u7ALIs-KU0KaXyk-mxb67awo9lziUAXQRxEnxRTiZ0yVmOH6R6AqbxoVCkQ8g7FYijkzrE/s400/DSCN2298.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt pans at dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvzVkfL-wrqeMcjbSU6LwtWSCAOJMZuavC6ctIO64iPmttTXw1pAr5116DjPdzSf6YXHD7eV3aWusVFnm7wQQ-uw8KZ8kdDDI2ACJkk36ehEvW9YdgVuDxL8bgrgWKXOPKaOSAsJNtBc/s1600/DSCN2302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvzVkfL-wrqeMcjbSU6LwtWSCAOJMZuavC6ctIO64iPmttTXw1pAr5116DjPdzSf6YXHD7eV3aWusVFnm7wQQ-uw8KZ8kdDDI2ACJkk36ehEvW9YdgVuDxL8bgrgWKXOPKaOSAsJNtBc/s400/DSCN2302.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackal at sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDVARcaLide7lMov5_DcR1YDdG7Ky-VfqE-KNYCuUHXZyjOcbH8EfqYndy6rJQiify80n9rWuLrC9VtY5Wi1g4ZJ5I9a0gzoKZhldGMC3FEzD_saBgloC4xaKLFuDWnuv77dnbmVidzQ/s1600/DSCN2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDVARcaLide7lMov5_DcR1YDdG7Ky-VfqE-KNYCuUHXZyjOcbH8EfqYndy6rJQiify80n9rWuLrC9VtY5Wi1g4ZJ5I9a0gzoKZhldGMC3FEzD_saBgloC4xaKLFuDWnuv77dnbmVidzQ/s400/DSCN2304.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterhole and gemsbok</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KDXgyS8lIbr1xeFEJfrg3FrjTwdDEOdM5LTc1EDk9xzLPQFIPOVv1mOZexxdom9VOQP5ApxTqFr5c-XzzVhaZ-w2aa2eFXbNmfEJOrj0-W5rwCA-BKDfJLeBiOhoEubwe40PaA32RvE/s1600/DSCN2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KDXgyS8lIbr1xeFEJfrg3FrjTwdDEOdM5LTc1EDk9xzLPQFIPOVv1mOZexxdom9VOQP5ApxTqFr5c-XzzVhaZ-w2aa2eFXbNmfEJOrj0-W5rwCA-BKDfJLeBiOhoEubwe40PaA32RvE/s400/DSCN2306.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GDOVwNemFxLAygRTQg95lfVgDjnF9Ve8HjodRVsMIwtv6pMWrUDxFzv3r4jGI50wK-HHixCiJe13tB9Iojun1g8ObEZr1acxdM7UF6r6icnacgHnbF2rTsF0fQ-Zn5sVpQGwZIEy7Fs/s1600/DSCN2307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GDOVwNemFxLAygRTQg95lfVgDjnF9Ve8HjodRVsMIwtv6pMWrUDxFzv3r4jGI50wK-HHixCiJe13tB9Iojun1g8ObEZr1acxdM7UF6r6icnacgHnbF2rTsF0fQ-Zn5sVpQGwZIEy7Fs/s400/DSCN2307.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giraffe and moon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgfBx2mDzTMpDKmPlxUR_EJl-cpketgmZnvpeOw-iNCXcziFrhgs9dJpVCm3hTyyz_HgH5V4XqX-giiNyl2H2B0JBrqAhsp44zMZxOlR_AC521KpUkOwbU9P9w9wzNOAY1xZZu3vCozY/s1600/DSCN2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgfBx2mDzTMpDKmPlxUR_EJl-cpketgmZnvpeOw-iNCXcziFrhgs9dJpVCm3hTyyz_HgH5V4XqX-giiNyl2H2B0JBrqAhsp44zMZxOlR_AC521KpUkOwbU9P9w9wzNOAY1xZZu3vCozY/s400/DSCN2312.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hornbill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzsJ_n7SV1SNw5NM0hXjKQAtqmQZ6F0nkjW8rzoocO7pdI4lNIdD6aep60Gw5ism0mRYzm79Bssys9Tag8ZsW3BaldkbS9ONEnbtNDQR5ECSWLacjaaYg2uGvupjPcAr-BODDUtvO_Hg/s1600/DSCN2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzsJ_n7SV1SNw5NM0hXjKQAtqmQZ6F0nkjW8rzoocO7pdI4lNIdD6aep60Gw5ism0mRYzm79Bssys9Tag8ZsW3BaldkbS9ONEnbtNDQR5ECSWLacjaaYg2uGvupjPcAr-BODDUtvO_Hg/s400/DSCN2313.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxjx6JcPS5oZKn7WQ75laEUMFSS74EnARlbAGZFP6K7p8N4qlifgdx9MXHNUnzXePt6OKK1vjjRBcSyejXAnnCcfqQ1U5wikJ9SLuIOTh-22uAEY4s5hzENB_vQRiW_NfxydhzkXMBLE/s1600/DSCN2314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxjx6JcPS5oZKn7WQ75laEUMFSS74EnARlbAGZFP6K7p8N4qlifgdx9MXHNUnzXePt6OKK1vjjRBcSyejXAnnCcfqQ1U5wikJ9SLuIOTh-22uAEY4s5hzENB_vQRiW_NfxydhzkXMBLE/s400/DSCN2314.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King of the salt pans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue_zUMB9eFkvcEIjqtIOzHSGl9T0AtXp4_zHaMV0JIB1Yk-Kpoy1mQE-XxsBNSlHfnsmRoJAOA7BdH80-lr37POjFKBoexsPmuvEFDjyE1Uz4ENJpJYrtHw6tRIKlwPl3HLixnDnuBjg/s1600/DSCN2319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue_zUMB9eFkvcEIjqtIOzHSGl9T0AtXp4_zHaMV0JIB1Yk-Kpoy1mQE-XxsBNSlHfnsmRoJAOA7BdH80-lr37POjFKBoexsPmuvEFDjyE1Uz4ENJpJYrtHw6tRIKlwPl3HLixnDnuBjg/s400/DSCN2319.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahhh, but she beat hime out for this tasty treat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwnuum6R5YoGrDtZXeSb3Na3rqgZnbeE_PzEWDy_rS8TQNgtDFI3LuAlXujJyKyfk1HUw0-abbmdT8-xkrRLNru40-K1LMQFFY0mG1izNqrsUUCD2BpJc4qoIVhMhg__asI-GVHkCZyk/s1600/DSCN2320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwnuum6R5YoGrDtZXeSb3Na3rqgZnbeE_PzEWDy_rS8TQNgtDFI3LuAlXujJyKyfk1HUw0-abbmdT8-xkrRLNru40-K1LMQFFY0mG1izNqrsUUCD2BpJc4qoIVhMhg__asI-GVHkCZyk/s400/DSCN2320.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The victor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70K8cD-pZW1ihj6uckP2MW35m8Mfj42qqpN1mUYh1c1VtIpuMR1z0oS9_8vNE527IzC25mtynrW0gezk5HPQMQfFULxqbOiK0-9LfL5rgynKHi1rxWzUMEkWU0Qncz7CAHedRpQVu2_U/s1600/DSCN2328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70K8cD-pZW1ihj6uckP2MW35m8Mfj42qqpN1mUYh1c1VtIpuMR1z0oS9_8vNE527IzC25mtynrW0gezk5HPQMQfFULxqbOiK0-9LfL5rgynKHi1rxWzUMEkWU0Qncz7CAHedRpQVu2_U/s400/DSCN2328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I adore this photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe48WQBdz0yX_QsnIX9a8nf2nX6pYcqheZZErDnJ6t5gmSwTNiSZr0q5i9Kqqbf8KlJfbW2Tnt60FeZbEOPHevrZiYbP3TeIWedvJEIM6GdofWcqX_1xWRfk-6ilNjlAHpwBWjJmcBw8/s1600/DSCN2329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe48WQBdz0yX_QsnIX9a8nf2nX6pYcqheZZErDnJ6t5gmSwTNiSZr0q5i9Kqqbf8KlJfbW2Tnt60FeZbEOPHevrZiYbP3TeIWedvJEIM6GdofWcqX_1xWRfk-6ilNjlAHpwBWjJmcBw8/s400/DSCN2329.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What an absolutely gorgeous animal he is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8InzQ2MNbmAABbiza9OSgBLBFJxgvFKszuiw8PfTuHSG4bVoRoyKvV0dsdLZaF5O3ar2lcb57gPb4e3PbryBF1JNbvEZkPVL2Z1hfbyvWUceHCPEkrjl9dRKnx1uaGIChcR1JrH1qY7k/s1600/DSCN2334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8InzQ2MNbmAABbiza9OSgBLBFJxgvFKszuiw8PfTuHSG4bVoRoyKvV0dsdLZaF5O3ar2lcb57gPb4e3PbryBF1JNbvEZkPVL2Z1hfbyvWUceHCPEkrjl9dRKnx1uaGIChcR1JrH1qY7k/s400/DSCN2334.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp-owkjw378n04jAt_4G7JX-RukfAyqJ5ruT3afpjvXTPhUI0Dj-DaNklL19bKHq5K9UTrqiIULOBPO8hqixsWdmhgt1SqzZLKmn6KjxU1yVQx6qqPdjG4ZAONEHHQ896oH2nUMPEttQ/s1600/DSCN2338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp-owkjw378n04jAt_4G7JX-RukfAyqJ5ruT3afpjvXTPhUI0Dj-DaNklL19bKHq5K9UTrqiIULOBPO8hqixsWdmhgt1SqzZLKmn6KjxU1yVQx6qqPdjG4ZAONEHHQ896oH2nUMPEttQ/s400/DSCN2338.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe the cool kids on instagram would say "no filter"</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_p5UGHo9s5rWZW02RLVY04v9qlTlp60ezOnTVnO6yhmJYadLexVCmdrYMKlU9kkmy6KZwMuMrbNTpyCwPFrlNfpvBbH9LUQyUTSJ-9pFQXnbpNbhwKtJUBIbQJbAoo5g2_S3PpeFHZyc/s1600/DSCN2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_p5UGHo9s5rWZW02RLVY04v9qlTlp60ezOnTVnO6yhmJYadLexVCmdrYMKlU9kkmy6KZwMuMrbNTpyCwPFrlNfpvBbH9LUQyUTSJ-9pFQXnbpNbhwKtJUBIbQJbAoo5g2_S3PpeFHZyc/s400/DSCN2364.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCrozMTRiiGjHP2GLv6rqCy_A3eK8_YGkEjQwHzJ8TkJDQPa-XY1CutpZVlAWj5vTtDeMLqftJgnuR1yBqcmgARF2fKjgwXjoBUEhLt-Tqq9iZzncQfPahgvg6qU-HCT1KWirheAZqYo/s1600/DSCN2367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCrozMTRiiGjHP2GLv6rqCy_A3eK8_YGkEjQwHzJ8TkJDQPa-XY1CutpZVlAWj5vTtDeMLqftJgnuR1yBqcmgARF2fKjgwXjoBUEhLt-Tqq9iZzncQfPahgvg6qU-HCT1KWirheAZqYo/s400/DSCN2367.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springbok</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1DVgx5m5bb7LKXw_LXEbvOJDjuGB2PMHOtroRSLFk2Bw8UQpQLZgT9Dl9DbbTceCumLv5zT_OX4OKkTlo_nNQqtGttsmFsGVo1qP9j6bD8q7ieHoCJtUSogNZZ2yT8UE5ANphYeRTmc/s1600/DSCN2369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1DVgx5m5bb7LKXw_LXEbvOJDjuGB2PMHOtroRSLFk2Bw8UQpQLZgT9Dl9DbbTceCumLv5zT_OX4OKkTlo_nNQqtGttsmFsGVo1qP9j6bD8q7ieHoCJtUSogNZZ2yT8UE5ANphYeRTmc/s400/DSCN2369.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI27R8-lFbhRHQU5AlfW4GrUBOSbOWPzDPgnwZFyR6RwCTeqDHWFtrDvT-R3Yr8B9Ra1YQyH1HHUzkoDPsF0chf-RRfGxa6Aw-HildHFQJQ_Bhhpb0zjw6bORHlIVJizpSVzni2Ga5YA/s1600/DSCN2372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI27R8-lFbhRHQU5AlfW4GrUBOSbOWPzDPgnwZFyR6RwCTeqDHWFtrDvT-R3Yr8B9Ra1YQyH1HHUzkoDPsF0chf-RRfGxa6Aw-HildHFQJQ_Bhhpb0zjw6bORHlIVJizpSVzni2Ga5YA/s400/DSCN2372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, those vistas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuRr-h8LMOPZMZHVXGb7-_G68kQZCmtCG70dq1zHfj9wTGREYl3299Q02sEbgi3oMspZdED_m9Xw7HvRSsP_kJ2HeeQ23sFCPV7eJeBgQ0GLkuDLT7FPc_nyloPzTPVj8C3oS-654GOo/s1600/DSCN2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuRr-h8LMOPZMZHVXGb7-_G68kQZCmtCG70dq1zHfj9wTGREYl3299Q02sEbgi3oMspZdED_m9Xw7HvRSsP_kJ2HeeQ23sFCPV7eJeBgQ0GLkuDLT7FPc_nyloPzTPVj8C3oS-654GOo/s400/DSCN2392.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Single-horned gemsbok. Or almost a unicorn.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ4LjLemWSlS12sX2tNMTiTeQDPidXvqSKSdGYsTCAMpNl7tu4F5KZRiRYdJm2cwfgNVWZKqVsedHu14GSmfVTwYWyNmsYv7ORykzDKHsHtX5vXwvAq4roKtx4VgY9LpW0k0IYQnjs4U/s1600/DSCN2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ4LjLemWSlS12sX2tNMTiTeQDPidXvqSKSdGYsTCAMpNl7tu4F5KZRiRYdJm2cwfgNVWZKqVsedHu14GSmfVTwYWyNmsYv7ORykzDKHsHtX5vXwvAq4roKtx4VgY9LpW0k0IYQnjs4U/s400/DSCN2393.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two-horned gemsbok. Slightly less of a unicorn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdzHXOhVA563AJ3Al9DVqf94banw6LT6nKHD5E2P0U7uaV9SpKNvtVH65vGv-4WFm3I0Z30EKAhFDxCFiRdD9DHvmSo4N2yZL4In9SH0YBydIko0ys5X8XJegAXN9tucMLoZc_WHmptQ/s1600/DSCN2395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdzHXOhVA563AJ3Al9DVqf94banw6LT6nKHD5E2P0U7uaV9SpKNvtVH65vGv-4WFm3I0Z30EKAhFDxCFiRdD9DHvmSo4N2yZL4In9SH0YBydIko0ys5X8XJegAXN9tucMLoZc_WHmptQ/s400/DSCN2395.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunchtime at the watering hole. Etosha watering holes are really like no other I've ever seen.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiUY-qHxzhVaecOGJfVcoRns2YxFDeEwuUKhyEFVeT-t2y93FhjN6mk25KVbCKLbm9YjTMpdiC36-4mgxnizywLjFeCElyO97X1ZN1BwgOtvkmhk2yyrpQTYGQwcM7IXhrDOBJt24QaA/s1600/DSCN2420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiUY-qHxzhVaecOGJfVcoRns2YxFDeEwuUKhyEFVeT-t2y93FhjN6mk25KVbCKLbm9YjTMpdiC36-4mgxnizywLjFeCElyO97X1ZN1BwgOtvkmhk2yyrpQTYGQwcM7IXhrDOBJt24QaA/s400/DSCN2420.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alert springbok and kudu.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NxGGdm6YB6jWt9xKO-qYh4PM9QqEIuXdtmLrPw85x-VRVYwclDVBSYgsUyoqZeNYXiER2hrNIhE0FGNV6wzog7P4R6jK04X5olM0xBpBEFXtYguGb12K-9O7nCyJdBl2Qj79s_xyMo8/s1600/DSCN2428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NxGGdm6YB6jWt9xKO-qYh4PM9QqEIuXdtmLrPw85x-VRVYwclDVBSYgsUyoqZeNYXiER2hrNIhE0FGNV6wzog7P4R6jK04X5olM0xBpBEFXtYguGb12K-9O7nCyJdBl2Qj79s_xyMo8/s400/DSCN2428.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPIR3vNIgzr1wpukLQ0YMb1IJ2Le5iHcvRBYb0hdWpOhEhOs8aRstbp532nsM8K8M5wcOkDzhrCzt9vtUezMnIQgnxD0tJoBJpSWgRF6zKXxkLKSknd38RWqFl-R2HQmD_OilskkTxmU/s1600/DSCN2431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPIR3vNIgzr1wpukLQ0YMb1IJ2Le5iHcvRBYb0hdWpOhEhOs8aRstbp532nsM8K8M5wcOkDzhrCzt9vtUezMnIQgnxD0tJoBJpSWgRF6zKXxkLKSknd38RWqFl-R2HQmD_OilskkTxmU/s400/DSCN2431.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the first night's camps' watering hole. I spent the midday lull watching things unfold here.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLOTvTnQWFht3gVR3Ze-9BNf5F4oNlUFLzyshj0_yLmLYzHRMJuNnw4NDImvmQFuydm_hHqQYvMSJz4MJeCSodp6fcCQiYGmDcLbOC-ssp3IaIsjOw1cvi-qs5A8U6dBXX_dHebjtR0k/s1600/DSCN2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLOTvTnQWFht3gVR3Ze-9BNf5F4oNlUFLzyshj0_yLmLYzHRMJuNnw4NDImvmQFuydm_hHqQYvMSJz4MJeCSodp6fcCQiYGmDcLbOC-ssp3IaIsjOw1cvi-qs5A8U6dBXX_dHebjtR0k/s400/DSCN2437.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this giraffe drinking water.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9T-nIQ5INDmJ08msybz8mPJsp4ozc9Tc5cwXw827GZn4iWaYnyYyZOC-H0cjmRzeE-JH4pgXFsyGyrRfYRTPAx0UNfega780NO04C4TMNJGq1VcAvxKKjvEHUFHw9NTZ9zPNUNv9JDY/s1600/DSCN2447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9T-nIQ5INDmJ08msybz8mPJsp4ozc9Tc5cwXw827GZn4iWaYnyYyZOC-H0cjmRzeE-JH4pgXFsyGyrRfYRTPAx0UNfega780NO04C4TMNJGq1VcAvxKKjvEHUFHw9NTZ9zPNUNv9JDY/s400/DSCN2447.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely reflection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2n9vXfDfGn7tgd3GC7uYm5p9J8UW8euZuCi2vvx1idCO1Qnw79MSfnF92yLl4Eu6v9nE0SztZP2a69mDOg5ejuh2Shm1KGxAth-4JEYr54KbWbLFO3Mvv2Aa76xsuy5Higmo0Vh3Bxk/s1600/DSCN2497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2n9vXfDfGn7tgd3GC7uYm5p9J8UW8euZuCi2vvx1idCO1Qnw79MSfnF92yLl4Eu6v9nE0SztZP2a69mDOg5ejuh2Shm1KGxAth-4JEYr54KbWbLFO3Mvv2Aa76xsuy5Higmo0Vh3Bxk/s400/DSCN2497.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous sunset.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwKfHHePJLzJStYha6o2np3Dg1SXJpo9IdDpMRA3JGNQJ1JFtqIPWRyhOyO2N2cFouQ8zH-XVCG-bNgdfFpM2OazMZeY5IdC7hjfy_unkMiMFhBmlwJ-qpu4oCM_wdLXExay_x0Xht8Y/s1600/DSCN2498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwKfHHePJLzJStYha6o2np3Dg1SXJpo9IdDpMRA3JGNQJ1JFtqIPWRyhOyO2N2cFouQ8zH-XVCG-bNgdfFpM2OazMZeY5IdC7hjfy_unkMiMFhBmlwJ-qpu4oCM_wdLXExay_x0Xht8Y/s400/DSCN2498.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well hello there! I heard him about the same time as I saw him, and boy was I surprised!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuND1HNC0lFaJJwW8V6ko8SsHppn3_VEjrM3bqualtyzlcYSIdKfnMMDXM5cth7iNEXvzMqUz89WaZ3w7sz_T9sIyN5ZbldIs1ccOhWehQ96PanQESZAvr8FlB4442w8lXcAwbo5LWxuI/s1600/DSCN2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuND1HNC0lFaJJwW8V6ko8SsHppn3_VEjrM3bqualtyzlcYSIdKfnMMDXM5cth7iNEXvzMqUz89WaZ3w7sz_T9sIyN5ZbldIs1ccOhWehQ96PanQESZAvr8FlB4442w8lXcAwbo5LWxuI/s400/DSCN2513.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those eyes. Glad I knew what it was!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUA3uZmIyVjogiglDLqv2QPneM4h2-WPziShtPFp3jUa59MeFB6SwxqOnS9Zj2kpF7t2fnnjDioEd_98u7eriem6ZiApLA0u_UU_HUMHZRQAcTiDCj-sqV0uVa0Yns3Y9KvW6cnQMP2k/s1600/DSCN2515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUA3uZmIyVjogiglDLqv2QPneM4h2-WPziShtPFp3jUa59MeFB6SwxqOnS9Zj2kpF7t2fnnjDioEd_98u7eriem6ZiApLA0u_UU_HUMHZRQAcTiDCj-sqV0uVa0Yns3Y9KvW6cnQMP2k/s400/DSCN2515.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LEOPARD! My first ever sighting. Just to the right of the middle of the photo.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rMIb5cr2zx4xcv4sl-RyKHuj97HmFTsSZYR4Mr_Cuz6JQVIBCel9mciGnjmRsNoJzLzsBV6Dv2CB5ZiOTRUkka4zx1djhvA9f5pJplCjPx0EjMQna3MSAOfaEfva_lLTuzdUuHese-8/s1600/DSCN2524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rMIb5cr2zx4xcv4sl-RyKHuj97HmFTsSZYR4Mr_Cuz6JQVIBCel9mciGnjmRsNoJzLzsBV6Dv2CB5ZiOTRUkka4zx1djhvA9f5pJplCjPx0EjMQna3MSAOfaEfva_lLTuzdUuHese-8/s400/DSCN2524.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have about fifty photos that I could title "montage of an awkward young giraffe trying to drink"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7pxc0RX9T_ZiXF21lRvC6SE6JpluU5up9DVJmbCFEfUTpclqKEjQmwv-CSh5Rl5Hv_deIUaUKT-GXVCoFTO5mUPC0hMSjxJ9HqDvOXvcUsmheZDyK-zEkjfguPOS3OftZ0E5IgUdyHo/s1600/DSCN2525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7pxc0RX9T_ZiXF21lRvC6SE6JpluU5up9DVJmbCFEfUTpclqKEjQmwv-CSh5Rl5Hv_deIUaUKT-GXVCoFTO5mUPC0hMSjxJ9HqDvOXvcUsmheZDyK-zEkjfguPOS3OftZ0E5IgUdyHo/s400/DSCN2525.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He stuck at it as mom watched on.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAaB0nXIEDDLWNDqY4y-uheWIDfSSHoUMrI6y-XkzkV-OD_5cdmEFhvvl_fbxb22v15PhOJR0SoCRnA4UXzB4mGwRXsyMkHettGFhcHGjPkIzeGfTBfbzACdfYlpnC-VJc2gw-Ds787c/s1600/DSCN2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAaB0nXIEDDLWNDqY4y-uheWIDfSSHoUMrI6y-XkzkV-OD_5cdmEFhvvl_fbxb22v15PhOJR0SoCRnA4UXzB4mGwRXsyMkHettGFhcHGjPkIzeGfTBfbzACdfYlpnC-VJc2gw-Ds787c/s400/DSCN2530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pdpJritb66Us5QmUWnlUVeNUdakARmRuqau0F_4S_yw3ya5_Uq3vpBOAtCyGC7gHjni2NlHXV6ev_YHzZXYm6O5XHTDNbcV9acaPrvo1E2NRcHJtVhK4pKHk7LGRXyOWaQR4V6lFOpw/s1600/DSCN2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pdpJritb66Us5QmUWnlUVeNUdakARmRuqau0F_4S_yw3ya5_Uq3vpBOAtCyGC7gHjni2NlHXV6ev_YHzZXYm6O5XHTDNbcV9acaPrvo1E2NRcHJtVhK4pKHk7LGRXyOWaQR4V6lFOpw/s400/DSCN2544.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safety in numbers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0WpqmgdsxzsS-TlvFQlblxY2HIhig7ibcXtsh9Pa4ZPgjaof9KVPamphi1ZWnkci95URcvOwCDl08a29hEK5lIZbpW2NHIqtpAUEnhk62vJ8s2ONRuvqo_HsihkpFmJz_Y2VpDDHOVY/s1600/DSCN2555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0WpqmgdsxzsS-TlvFQlblxY2HIhig7ibcXtsh9Pa4ZPgjaof9KVPamphi1ZWnkci95URcvOwCDl08a29hEK5lIZbpW2NHIqtpAUEnhk62vJ8s2ONRuvqo_HsihkpFmJz_Y2VpDDHOVY/s400/DSCN2555.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many zebras on the salt pan. Amazingly gorgeous and serene. I remember being here and thinking this was what the Serengeti must look like. And while the Serengeti was amazing, it doesn't quite look like Etosha. Etosha is special and unique.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpFjAmTzWPlcOJHirJbMesBBHeQUdbES_gC5l8ztnKDHoGI-bhbzFRgHh7uS3j0iWVDEXWAHrcsaFsEuBpwYllEky4etcssYNRg_gL0TuwOMtEBahz36D4TfD2VkLTEeB75iTb2U-fmI/s1600/DSCN2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpFjAmTzWPlcOJHirJbMesBBHeQUdbES_gC5l8ztnKDHoGI-bhbzFRgHh7uS3j0iWVDEXWAHrcsaFsEuBpwYllEky4etcssYNRg_gL0TuwOMtEBahz36D4TfD2VkLTEeB75iTb2U-fmI/s400/DSCN2560.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit blurry, but more of my beloved salt pan landscapes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1rMvFhXwOksc84la1Y1kB45R4TmbrzOpW37Uv6DtsKyAnYxhHCFrxd_LpAS8ct104MlCuEy7e0sWeNxpnoAjaI1tuuTvTaGi50v9DjKzlTvWnQJDaEzdUpvNbqfDC6cU2C5Y39KBZXs/s1600/DSCN2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1rMvFhXwOksc84la1Y1kB45R4TmbrzOpW37Uv6DtsKyAnYxhHCFrxd_LpAS8ct104MlCuEy7e0sWeNxpnoAjaI1tuuTvTaGi50v9DjKzlTvWnQJDaEzdUpvNbqfDC6cU2C5Y39KBZXs/s400/DSCN2564.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion under the big tree in the middle left. Boy I wish I had a good zoom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnRePycLXvrpeCSjQzFO9maJbbwKf2SRLbouNsjDZDOyF4UHXZFRCx0nlucaB9r-oOifwGIOWt08tg691g5HySWT9istQOVzK5MimfjZk8lfeqKNFhWDcj_Yn2j_hVGZYdFYvEWfDj7U/s1600/DSCN2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnRePycLXvrpeCSjQzFO9maJbbwKf2SRLbouNsjDZDOyF4UHXZFRCx0nlucaB9r-oOifwGIOWt08tg691g5HySWT9istQOVzK5MimfjZk8lfeqKNFhWDcj_Yn2j_hVGZYdFYvEWfDj7U/s400/DSCN2565.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took me a few minutes looking at this photo and the next one, but I believe that's a meerkat in the foreground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZmxJzqJnADnmcyjjG8Gi363aMMGZe-wmX5TQTbubcNYJopVEpQWWmSU6poTKePrdtYtzmmXY0yFlQinvQJYFBc1XpJhBIaorDAlQQX17-pE8_oY6NUbJcs0DXS7hSwjGA-mmFghkf4o/s1600/DSCN2566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZmxJzqJnADnmcyjjG8Gi363aMMGZe-wmX5TQTbubcNYJopVEpQWWmSU6poTKePrdtYtzmmXY0yFlQinvQJYFBc1XpJhBIaorDAlQQX17-pE8_oY6NUbJcs0DXS7hSwjGA-mmFghkf4o/s400/DSCN2566.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See it with its back turned?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG94_jc-TEE_FNMWb0TWj7IEtHPPSqUpR0F5_ZuzIN6MrGIlL62ijWSOc0OaAftiiJVmt2-v1ptzZlLbXf0QahSgMZLMeDfnuouQ2_3XfiJAdat7aLvXXqkwscRuzZgS4DtV3qVX2_Xz0/s1600/DSCN2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG94_jc-TEE_FNMWb0TWj7IEtHPPSqUpR0F5_ZuzIN6MrGIlL62ijWSOc0OaAftiiJVmt2-v1ptzZlLbXf0QahSgMZLMeDfnuouQ2_3XfiJAdat7aLvXXqkwscRuzZgS4DtV3qVX2_Xz0/s400/DSCN2568.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hide and seek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYm3KD51V0Yk7Hs2PIaunIK3wfBIrRpuACba-EAXdZx13n7JFmXZbDu2DbPEwiFOzSeWwamGN0ELIiJbBlPQ-3Aw79Chsl1Nv21chKXBI8hJFPk7dZj0kb8wGqKar5MtkOHcf-zdpYmE/s1600/DSCN2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYm3KD51V0Yk7Hs2PIaunIK3wfBIrRpuACba-EAXdZx13n7JFmXZbDu2DbPEwiFOzSeWwamGN0ELIiJbBlPQ-3Aw79Chsl1Nv21chKXBI8hJFPk7dZj0kb8wGqKar5MtkOHcf-zdpYmE/s400/DSCN2573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coloring and stripe patterns on these guys fascinated me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSM_UOZ8plsAxfna1RNL3QF4n0s8w4ZkyLXgKM5ZSHeY0lUieNsq3Okp8ZS9rYvl-W0pdMRlqSyrS6RxSCZPLWN4HpxjEwEnjQs9OmhYl9NwdPZjqVCd9O8iqYRZ9lmlk98nnZ6ZEVfqA/s1600/DSCN2575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSM_UOZ8plsAxfna1RNL3QF4n0s8w4ZkyLXgKM5ZSHeY0lUieNsq3Okp8ZS9rYvl-W0pdMRlqSyrS6RxSCZPLWN4HpxjEwEnjQs9OmhYl9NwdPZjqVCd9O8iqYRZ9lmlk98nnZ6ZEVfqA/s400/DSCN2575.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now you see me.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmuZg-269ibquKpbo-tIpu4-sFcwpr6s-x7X5D3BSpeXVMxtQuVJ2PcN8_RsX-OvigomKdGos5MdMOepoP4RxJrY_meGFmwlXvCfAgvjsIeUq1FmMPe-xC6I0DlYzl5fZMf-IDqFqd_4/s1600/DSCN2577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmuZg-269ibquKpbo-tIpu4-sFcwpr6s-x7X5D3BSpeXVMxtQuVJ2PcN8_RsX-OvigomKdGos5MdMOepoP4RxJrY_meGFmwlXvCfAgvjsIeUq1FmMPe-xC6I0DlYzl5fZMf-IDqFqd_4/s400/DSCN2577.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now you don't.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydYyqALRBgLjU2G1Ey6Z-bUX3J83432ZOLF7RA5TCSjJkD9JW-SdinOd5GQJ1pqDHHpD9lq0xazQoS35jCqr1kjYFkajsGvKUL78_S1-jdeWjKTXVjoOFqzvcB14FxF2iILCH-QCqaQ/s1600/DSCN2584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ydYyqALRBgLjU2G1Ey6Z-bUX3J83432ZOLF7RA5TCSjJkD9JW-SdinOd5GQJ1pqDHHpD9lq0xazQoS35jCqr1kjYFkajsGvKUL78_S1-jdeWjKTXVjoOFqzvcB14FxF2iILCH-QCqaQ/s400/DSCN2584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunchtime zebra drinking lineup. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJTIQs-C01ATW9wSVJu4xFggm39DRCXILv63LfzTOT5CrhFovdEDt2_smsKJdySure2rg7GoVYjs8fFVJwxGtJo7c1qB7nVr2594GW7t_yMakcMkaS-kP4NkJFsH7iFFPv28lTdi3QQs/s400/DSCN2589.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secretary bird with head feathers spread out.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJTIQs-C01ATW9wSVJu4xFggm39DRCXILv63LfzTOT5CrhFovdEDt2_smsKJdySure2rg7GoVYjs8fFVJwxGtJo7c1qB7nVr2594GW7t_yMakcMkaS-kP4NkJFsH7iFFPv28lTdi3QQs/s1600/DSCN2589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJTIQs-C01ATW9wSVJu4xFggm39DRCXILv63LfzTOT5CrhFovdEDt2_smsKJdySure2rg7GoVYjs8fFVJwxGtJo7c1qB7nVr2594GW7t_yMakcMkaS-kP4NkJFsH7iFFPv28lTdi3QQs/s1600/DSCN2589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp4nDTt5Waidg2Tbb4AJSMkC6Aig83TRYXfmdpSubA6a1bKYTC1x-nj-C7SnsVo7KfH18tlVs26w2LOnpHYBsfxWahQNieX4vuPkZ9zkS1UncuZWmklilOLIJ5SREC7gejNKpMrMxOnc/s1600/DSCN2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp4nDTt5Waidg2Tbb4AJSMkC6Aig83TRYXfmdpSubA6a1bKYTC1x-nj-C7SnsVo7KfH18tlVs26w2LOnpHYBsfxWahQNieX4vuPkZ9zkS1UncuZWmklilOLIJ5SREC7gejNKpMrMxOnc/s400/DSCN2591.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This second camp's watering hole is one of my favorite places in the world.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH0lbw7Zwggub4AdpaZ9RmXrSL0tGJy5gvIA4ao6Zcma6d0KiwlDRAtvy-1zZEdEiOX4KjPXvvmEbkd2eY1ct-xmGqDKTXdE22uPxjTLe5sSmYe9rQniyODWLRuqaWe9F5YrHjgn0Bjk/s1600/DSCN2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeH0lbw7Zwggub4AdpaZ9RmXrSL0tGJy5gvIA4ao6Zcma6d0KiwlDRAtvy-1zZEdEiOX4KjPXvvmEbkd2eY1ct-xmGqDKTXdE22uPxjTLe5sSmYe9rQniyODWLRuqaWe9F5YrHjgn0Bjk/s400/DSCN2609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First came the zebras. Then the elephants, including the tiniest babies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gy08jNd0Sy2VMUDWGwPTPjeRZh4qqm4eUH_b3DJhhpT4ata_o1GYex4mBeR7oIyTq0buMLJVtS-iXVkCBFNA_gMv3a7O_0caMMmTuIXThwZEt06If5mjiUaeVviisoFTabadckZjGrA/s1600/DSCN2636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gy08jNd0Sy2VMUDWGwPTPjeRZh4qqm4eUH_b3DJhhpT4ata_o1GYex4mBeR7oIyTq0buMLJVtS-iXVkCBFNA_gMv3a7O_0caMMmTuIXThwZEt06If5mjiUaeVviisoFTabadckZjGrA/s400/DSCN2636.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You really can't beat this proximity.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwIWBL-K7Woh3j64I4VVW5Y2QLqFEzIS48L6ZnSqmuG522OJnu3jW6CChMOPI6YxUDxcU3l8rpS0vEc8SPu9EDEbE6C8dHd-goFwdOXKyMWxBbs3MHsBBAiJRU0isrBhgpCrTk5WwwUY/s1600/DSCN2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwIWBL-K7Woh3j64I4VVW5Y2QLqFEzIS48L6ZnSqmuG522OJnu3jW6CChMOPI6YxUDxcU3l8rpS0vEc8SPu9EDEbE6C8dHd-goFwdOXKyMWxBbs3MHsBBAiJRU0isrBhgpCrTk5WwwUY/s400/DSCN2637.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wonm29KyCX-klL7Iaw1DcxC5i0OwlGEHXDLaZ6QNOQXCcAE8losbl0Gp4uJ6qiqSoT8XqIaeVjnlUuGn_cL9eYLqUat2j7LI194kUbo_vsdLy0o9TknyboKON2ZBemwbhnnJZPXqkBI/s1600/DSCN2643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wonm29KyCX-klL7Iaw1DcxC5i0OwlGEHXDLaZ6QNOQXCcAE8losbl0Gp4uJ6qiqSoT8XqIaeVjnlUuGn_cL9eYLqUat2j7LI194kUbo_vsdLy0o9TknyboKON2ZBemwbhnnJZPXqkBI/s400/DSCN2643.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun with shadows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take my word for it that these are rhinos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adolescent male lions. They were lounging on the hot tarmac until traffic got to be too much.</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-91063015560530599162016-10-14T12:11:00.002-04:002016-10-14T12:11:36.938-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Montenegro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Fifteen years ago this month (June) I visited Croatia and Bosnia and fell in love with the Balkans and the Adriatic coast. I've been trying to get back ever since, and I finally got there for a few hours at least today. One of the reasons I chose this particular cruise itinerary was the stop in Kotor, Montenegro. I'd wanted to go there in 2001, but we decided to head to Bosnia from Dubrovnik instead. My most vivid memory of that trip - aside from the stunning scenery - is the mussels. Every night my unlikely travel partners and I headed into the old city of Dubrovnik from our hillside guest house and choose a taverna with a view and devour bowl after bowl of fresh mussels. Sadly I did not get to repeat that today given our very short stop in the morning, but it was a reminder that I need to come back.<br />
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By 6:30 this morning I was waiting for my group to be called to board the tender boat. It was pouring rain outside, and the view was cloudy and dismal. I considered going back to bed. The tender was not entirely waterproof, and by the time I got on the bus in the port my backside and feet were sopping wet. I again thought about throwing in the towel. But I'd come this far, and at least I could enjoy the scenery.</div>
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I was again in a multilingual group, but this one was much better organized with two guides. Somewhat ironically, the English-speaking guide was actually German and had moved to Montenegro with his wife, while the German-speaking guide was from Montenegro and spoke slowly and deliberately enough that I could get the gist of what she was saying, even when she spoke before the English guide. </div>
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We headed towards Budva, one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic coast dating to at least the fifth century BC. I'd heard from several friends that it's a lovely town and nicer than Kotor, and I was looking forward to. And, amazingly, as we emerged from one of several tunnels through the mountains, so too did the sun emerge from behind the clouds. Much rejoicing followed. </div>
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We left the bus and walked to the entrance of the old city, surrounded in typical Adriatic Balkan fashion with fortress walls. The two language guides split up, and we took advantage of the early hour to take photographs without tourists in the way (except ourselves). We visited three Catholic and one Orthodox church and several squares before setting out for free time. This part of Montenegro is split 50/50 between Catholic and Orthodox while the country's population is 70% Orthodox and 30% Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish. Interesting. </div>
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I had a hard time finding a cafe willing to acknowledge my presence (I'd heard ahead of time that smiling service was not the norm here), but I finally got a table and ordered some caffeine and eggs. And when the waiter brought, instead of regular Coke, some hybrid sugar-sweetener version and opened and poured it before I had a chance to protest, he very kindly corrected the mistake and didn't charge me for the opened container when I explained about allergies. So that was nice. </div>
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After buying my magnets and wandering around a bit, I took advantage of a busy hotel's lobby bathroom before walking back to the bus station just as the rain started up again. It wasn't a heavy rain this time, and there were still pockets of sun. Clouds and drizzle seemed to follow us most of the way back to Kotor, but by the time we reached a traffic jam en route to the port it was sunny and bright yet again. </div>
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I'd hoped for enough time to go find a bowl of mussels for an early lunch, but the traffic put an end to that dream. Our guide took us into the old city for a quick tour, but it was getting late and was insanely crowded. I had just enough time to buy even more magnets before catching a tender back to the ship. This time I thankfully didn't have to wait long in any lines.</div>
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The only other ship in port today was Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, the only other cruise ship I've been on! Fascinating coincidence. I took some photos of her as we pulled out of port and nostalgically wrote to one of the friends I'd gone on that cruise with. Lovely memories. </div>
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The afternoon was for napping and a hair treatment and cut followed by packing and getting ready for the journey back to Beirut. This has been fun, if not as luxurious and pampering as I'd hoped, but I'm ready to see my cats and get back to work and my routine. And my bed. But first, to buy all the mozzarella, burrata, and prosciutto the Rome airport has to offer!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSHm0Q1fnGfhGcYAhJot_ttyeuF93V1C5aqtMQeLRYs0m8ciyIFowZw11pqPMQS2l1GwgI9TEGKXrHvJoUD4Ai_afQBx4WU1o3dVnQkRyDRaAJFxvKQn-J6p0Ws7oUOwIIj4OpgFF6DM/s1600/IMG_3751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSHm0Q1fnGfhGcYAhJot_ttyeuF93V1C5aqtMQeLRYs0m8ciyIFowZw11pqPMQS2l1GwgI9TEGKXrHvJoUD4Ai_afQBx4WU1o3dVnQkRyDRaAJFxvKQn-J6p0Ws7oUOwIIj4OpgFF6DM/s400/IMG_3751.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Budva old city walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozy narrow streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glimpse of the sea</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWxDPUY_xvufsysDtjlwF6JULL6Ie18oOmCuCfomfsMY3eAgHCj8RrpmkOM62Kr2bXixwBOzCLHMjwvPUGVWBxOIr_rPzglJJY6s72cFBVCTE0YPVQ1enD3t0K_REl-119fhzisaVYE/s1600/IMG_3756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWxDPUY_xvufsysDtjlwF6JULL6Ie18oOmCuCfomfsMY3eAgHCj8RrpmkOM62Kr2bXixwBOzCLHMjwvPUGVWBxOIr_rPzglJJY6s72cFBVCTE0YPVQ1enD3t0K_REl-119fhzisaVYE/s400/IMG_3756.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr11sPq0r8Spq_crBYyVc8qp7Ni22E4wUFx7XBOuytN3FCZ6WJyo5fszE602eEy8FC6yvo9lvMUC_q4SbNgckX7QjWFD9Tui2qNgr8zBWHM9y5vAdC4_CDKLH5p76EdXGBSmfitprS564/s1600/IMG_3762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr11sPq0r8Spq_crBYyVc8qp7Ni22E4wUFx7XBOuytN3FCZ6WJyo5fszE602eEy8FC6yvo9lvMUC_q4SbNgckX7QjWFD9Tui2qNgr8zBWHM9y5vAdC4_CDKLH5p76EdXGBSmfitprS564/s400/IMG_3762.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orthodox church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catholic church</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ROG5YlQIVD2AVI2wOiP6Ssal75VE3TByLUxO3szuDW59lJIAhCVppG0q0FJ_yz05hBlh7x1Je0ckrcPGck9l5CAAMyXaReQ8WReof0cTDv5uUaQ4od7rXa7LQytdV-DTyEVsBmveb5c/s1600/IMG_3764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ROG5YlQIVD2AVI2wOiP6Ssal75VE3TByLUxO3szuDW59lJIAhCVppG0q0FJ_yz05hBlh7x1Je0ckrcPGck9l5CAAMyXaReQ8WReof0cTDv5uUaQ4od7rXa7LQytdV-DTyEVsBmveb5c/s400/IMG_3764.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJuqvQ4uuerjaXb_SIUNPkM4jhFP0CPpWjGVlUHOFD7ZmMO6H8Jxs8b24SiAX6unoLdUUvtkGssb2xsa4sn_1W4PWIE48qwlSaxZvfyTW_0hrFrDx9chgkR08j8mamGGJAgWdeiwE-5o/s1600/IMG_3794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJuqvQ4uuerjaXb_SIUNPkM4jhFP0CPpWjGVlUHOFD7ZmMO6H8Jxs8b24SiAX6unoLdUUvtkGssb2xsa4sn_1W4PWIE48qwlSaxZvfyTW_0hrFrDx9chgkR08j8mamGGJAgWdeiwE-5o/s400/IMG_3794.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standoffish Budva tomcat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous mountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBKhk1sbfTZEXyeiPiULhr1VuWVU0Q2Len-EuAPFhAf2b47RLDpDQLInU_GNpu80XNNadcGqg6DRT3wLa2Od2XIMj6DyUqcY278ahb9uUXBszI9Rv5e44fVbj0n8rbJgVp4KhlL27c6M/s1600/IMG_3805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBKhk1sbfTZEXyeiPiULhr1VuWVU0Q2Len-EuAPFhAf2b47RLDpDQLInU_GNpu80XNNadcGqg6DRT3wLa2Od2XIMj6DyUqcY278ahb9uUXBszI9Rv5e44fVbj0n8rbJgVp4KhlL27c6M/s400/IMG_3805.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many people in Kotor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrfhSybGm0_UAM9135njg1rCtNBeLVkBtZiaXZGUhqN8igyrUjxkttRE3q6vJDXRbtcdEkVx9Bex4mJA1fBkm7SSe0IH1vVY-PtIiDvtQ8pEGk88dwM5DUYO3prk1QlQj-PSmLTB4ggQ/s1600/IMG_3808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrfhSybGm0_UAM9135njg1rCtNBeLVkBtZiaXZGUhqN8igyrUjxkttRE3q6vJDXRbtcdEkVx9Bex4mJA1fBkm7SSe0IH1vVY-PtIiDvtQ8pEGk88dwM5DUYO3prk1QlQj-PSmLTB4ggQ/s400/IMG_3808.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kotor old city clock tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church part way up the mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Montenegro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worlds colliding. The first cruise ship I ever sailed on, viewed from my current cruise ship.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhapsody of the Seas</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-38554511345678577402016-09-29T11:34:00.002-04:002016-09-29T11:34:38.936-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Corfu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'd been told ahead of time that Corfu is green. And it certainly is. With 4.5 million olive trees (or between 3-6 million depending on who you ask), a ton of wild-growing tall, thin cypress trees, and lots of fruit trees and wildflowers and bushes, it's a lovely view. I particularly enjoyed the jacaranda in bloom; I have a tree in my yard in Beirut as well that's gorgeous right now. Jacaranda is my strongest memory of Johannesburg and Pretoria in November - streets lined with gorgeous purple blooms on trees and sidewalks. That vibrant color is just unmatched. Oleander is also prevalent around Greece, mostly in whites and pinks. It's a lovely bush, doing much the same as bougainvillea to provide cover. The lemon trees were heavy with fruit today, and everywhere we went there were lush blooms of many different hues.</div>
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As we disembarked in Corfu Town, it started to sprinkle and then pour as our bus left the port. Our guide promised us that Corfu has a microclimate and that our next destination, Paleokastritsa, a beach town on the west coast. And, sure enough, it cleared as soon as we left the capital. Paleokastritsa is a picturesque little village at the foot of the mountains, clearly a popular tourist destination. Some folks opted for short boat rides out to the nearby caves during our free time; I meandered and marveled at the rich blue and green hues of the clear water, fed by underwater springs. </div>
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Next our coach headed up the highest mountain to a panoramic viewpoint in the town of Lakones. The road was full of switchbacks, but it was amply wide enough for our bust to turn, and I thought the grade was relatively gradual (though many of the others on the bus disagreed). But once we got to Lakones, things got comical. The streets here narrowed considerably from comfortable two-lane mountain road to barely passable with only inches of room on either side separating us from houses and roofs. Since many of the houses and buildings were built into the cliff, I realized at times that I could have reached into their upper-story windows, had they been open. Just as the entire bus was marveling at this tight squeeze and our guide was joking about the town's spacious central square, we reached the central square. At the same time as five other cars coming from the opposite direction did. These were clearly rental cars driven by tourists, as the idea of backing up seemed anathema to them. No matter that behind us were two more buses and numerous cars, so backing up for us really wasn't an option. Our guide got off the bus to help explain the situation, and several locals helped as well. Four of the cars backed up and cleared the way, but the first one in line was just not going to do it. She seemed stressed and a bit overwhelmed, and she tried to maneuver her car enough so we could get around, which was spatially impossible. Finally somebody managed to convince her to reverse, and she did so slowly and hesitantly. We inched along. After a few hundred meters she decided she'd had enough and started to turn around. Which was not possible in the space she chose. A few people helped her maneuver enough off the road to allow us to pass, and I was not surprised to see her with her head in her arms as we drove by. Poor thing! Our guide got back on the bus and told us all the cars were occupied with Russians who spoke no English or Greek, which explained why it was so laborious. The whole thing took at least 20 minutes. He told us that, amazingly, he'd never encountered such a situation before. The Australians on the bus seemed to get quite a kick out of the entire thing, narrating the event and giving color commentary as it unfolded.</div>
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Finally we stopped at a well-placed restaurant, and the views really were quite amazing from there. After a short stop we made our way slowly back to Corfu Town and the port. The clouds had completely dissipated by this time, so we were treated to stunning views of outlying islands and the Greek and Albanian mainlands just a few kilometers away in places. Corfu Town has numerous architectural influences, including Venetian, French, English, Byzantine, and others, and I can imagine basing myself here for a week and exploring the island a bit more. </div>
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Too soon it was time to re-embark our ship and say goodbye to Greece. As we sailed north through the Strait of Corfu, Albania was clearly visible about a mile away. So close and yet so far! One day. I opted for the buffet dinner and early bed tonight, not up for a 4-5 course meal with subpar food and service or the lackluster show promising "variety in Oriental style", especially not after last night's subtly racist Samurai tribute to Japanese culture.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleokastritsa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The water was so alluring.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So clear!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Corfu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacation lodging in Paleokastritsa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Lakones</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Corfu Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corfu Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye Greece...</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-69545062901829849392016-09-15T15:45:00.002-04:002016-09-15T15:45:25.225-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Athens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The seas were a bit rough that night, with lots of gentle rocking and rolling the whole night. It felt a little bit like plane turbulence when I was lying down, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as on an airplane. I went to the early showing of a tribute to the musical Grease (pronounced Greeze by the cruise director), which was entertaining but also a little odd. Sandy and Danny sang their parts but with a very clear Italian accent. Rizzo and Teen Angel lip synched, badly, to what I believe was the movie score. I wish they hadn't pretended; the dancing was enough to keep us entertained. My favorite, though, was the glittery sparkle jumpsuits the whole cast wore for Greased Lightning. That's a new take on it! It was a quick run through of most of the songs and no dialogue, given the multilingual audience. Not bad for a Wednesday night.</div>
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I have to say I was dreading Athens, considering the Acropolis to be a box to be checked while I experienced traffic, pollution, unrelenting heat, and hordes of tourists. I'm sure Athens can be all of those things at times, but I had a lovely experience. Traffic from the port of Piraeus into Athens was a bit heavy (our guide thought there might be an accident), and we arrived at the Acropolis parking at about 9:00. The sun was not yet too strong, and there was even a breeze. While there were a lot of tour groups, it wasn't nearly as crowded as Santorini because there was so much more space. The walk from the parking to the main entrance was pleasantly cool and under shade, and from there our guide gave us the option of sticking with her or going on our own. I like to take things in and read about them later and go at my own pace, which I happily did. </div>
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The main entrance to the top was crowded but also breathtakingly beautiful in the morning sun. The Parthenon was even more striking than I anticipated, even though it was under scaffolding on two sides. The paths were as uneven and slippery as everyone said they'd be, and I spent a lot of time carefully picking my way around, not wanting to be a casualty of the marble. Success! The site is very well set up, with benches in strategic places and toilets and access to the best views of the city. I'm kind of glad my expectations for this site were so low, as I enjoyed it so much more. I want to come back off season to take in more of the details and possibly see more of the Parthenon without scaffolding and cranes (though I know the restorations are vital). I've been studying this site since early childhood, and it was exciting to finally see it in real life.</div>
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After a careful, incident-free descent on the marble steps with few handrails, I met back up with the tour group, and we headed for a bus tour of the city. We got out for a photo stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, built in the 4th century BC and restored most recently in 1895 as the site for the first modern Olympic Games. It's the only stadium in the world made entirely of marble and is pretty darn impressive. It holds 60-80,000 people depending on who you ask, and it is still used as the end of the Athens marathon every year, as well as a venue in 2004 for archery. </div>
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I enjoyed Athens traffic as we slowly made our way around the center of the city, taking in the Temple of Zeus, the Parliament, Sygmanta, the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier, the national gardens, and many more sights. I will have to come back to take photographs and explore. I didn't expect the city to be so beautiful and accessible, with metro and tram and bus lines throughout. I don't know where my negative preconceptions about Athens came from, but I'm glad they've been disspelled. </div>
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We had a short time to explore the Plaka, a touristy area across from the Temple of Zeus. I had a delightfully tasty pork souvlaki and bought my magnets. My fridge is going to have a heavy Italy and Greece representation; they do tacky magnets very well here! I spotted a small schnauzer standing outside an antique shop, a stick next to him. He had a collar and a flea collar and either belonged to the shop owner or a customer. I approached him gently, allowing him to sniff my hand, and he bounded over to rub up against my legs. I reached down for his stick, which made him excited to no end. He wanted to play tug-of-war, and once I won the first battle I threw the stick a couple feet away for him. That was just the greatest thing ever in his mind, but I said goodbye and headed down the street. He turned and continued staring into the shop. On my way back down the street he was gone, but it was a sweet interlude.</div>
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Getting back on the ship was a breeze, and I had lunch at my choice of tables (for once!) before lying down for a while and reading and getting my feet up. Now I'm typing this as the Greek mainland gets farther and farther away in my balcony view and anticipating getting ready for dinner and a show. We have a late start on Corfu tomorrow, and I'm excited for one last taste of Greece on this trip!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theater of Dionysus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final ascent to the acropolis</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over Athens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A busy day (though I'm told almost every day is busy here)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZS6DsonYb-5J8QP5KKxZziAnDUIBxJkgWEzDiKePsOW4vd2JKSe4QDc0vRL9zOt0z5EOO-WD364dulSUOLp8tBCEL9OW_98XSr2OvB4u2hxc8sJuG3BFzKTuj3i7pcRNhap64qlJjUo/s1600/IMG_3630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZS6DsonYb-5J8QP5KKxZziAnDUIBxJkgWEzDiKePsOW4vd2JKSe4QDc0vRL9zOt0z5EOO-WD364dulSUOLp8tBCEL9OW_98XSr2OvB4u2hxc8sJuG3BFzKTuj3i7pcRNhap64qlJjUo/s400/IMG_3630.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parthenon, much of it obscured by scaffolding and conservation efforts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1vpRJnpDP-6aP2nLciO4OAZgK0ECUhYTSDraO7QikJN8UTqdoyBG6B-X9pWvbiAY1zDjK6ddjwSIkVhxBLv9Kyli6z6cnSkGiRex8wwpEJUph-wzAJq8DwzEPWEegJoxHWDWUYf7NU8/s1600/IMG_3648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1vpRJnpDP-6aP2nLciO4OAZgK0ECUhYTSDraO7QikJN8UTqdoyBG6B-X9pWvbiAY1zDjK6ddjwSIkVhxBLv9Kyli6z6cnSkGiRex8wwpEJUph-wzAJq8DwzEPWEegJoxHWDWUYf7NU8/s400/IMG_3648.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this angle you can't even see the scaffolding!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcV3b0KqziBFPUeFYOXu-rjcbZ3lez8zUITJBcuoPcmSMV_U6C1LR72nkQLECpIcgZhn3SJ1PJ7HxZv-JTTtTeDUlgoZrE5DotdlogvLUBHwqdzmizWBnrcB8zZS72-WMCATECshub4s/s1600/IMG_3652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcV3b0KqziBFPUeFYOXu-rjcbZ3lez8zUITJBcuoPcmSMV_U6C1LR72nkQLECpIcgZhn3SJ1PJ7HxZv-JTTtTeDUlgoZrE5DotdlogvLUBHwqdzmizWBnrcB8zZS72-WMCATECshub4s/s400/IMG_3652.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a gorgeous artifact</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiPK2hTd7Wysi8wYA8muLlpNfGojkpdbS49pwGe-ynRTl6oLKOTGWYe6yAilsmHudi_6hSu8lvYgOdkqWhuN-TZMhhyRL_Wra3eyCplt3Ow32xN6QO-6zmb7jxWlm_2wNXNVIlZIBE5c/s1600/IMG_3659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiPK2hTd7Wysi8wYA8muLlpNfGojkpdbS49pwGe-ynRTl6oLKOTGWYe6yAilsmHudi_6hSu8lvYgOdkqWhuN-TZMhhyRL_Wra3eyCplt3Ow32xN6QO-6zmb7jxWlm_2wNXNVIlZIBE5c/s400/IMG_3659.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XIzCDr7jQXvTXGw0Jhc3DbhcxodXBQfmt9O8rTgrqBQCK08V4spjbXEc8SKOHIAFDdztiLkwcheei8yB4FjepUK4QcqhjN6_3T9oyJq2jRlg8KX-CZdfyISB_5mzWv1JjWY_mi4c66U/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XIzCDr7jQXvTXGw0Jhc3DbhcxodXBQfmt9O8rTgrqBQCK08V4spjbXEc8SKOHIAFDdztiLkwcheei8yB4FjepUK4QcqhjN6_3T9oyJq2jRlg8KX-CZdfyISB_5mzWv1JjWY_mi4c66U/s400/IMG_3664.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Parthenon views</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37R68kcllDsZBu00IFcqOA9SpElV6CpwP7BoXuGl0HaJDc9yu7Wqwcb3eCcCZEBCWBsHTb12X1LN_cmpEz0-QFd8NIhdleP0jYMhh7pkdvXTlQfaA_IpAsZG60dbzASPfYHJ9MNXNP3g/s1600/IMG_3668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37R68kcllDsZBu00IFcqOA9SpElV6CpwP7BoXuGl0HaJDc9yu7Wqwcb3eCcCZEBCWBsHTb12X1LN_cmpEz0-QFd8NIhdleP0jYMhh7pkdvXTlQfaA_IpAsZG60dbzASPfYHJ9MNXNP3g/s400/IMG_3668.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous Ionic columns</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpNl3yJbn5jdlnyHoGhBv6lt4Zxh26EkyB2Fx0Z0FGKL5i07zYYtcrK2WsL6Us3-F67gH1MBiJzzjx2r6cw0gU7m9vJ2_0vgiL9T1xl0KKyljEf6teuPoK7djZXOmj4gxhSx7Iku1V24/s1600/IMG_3677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpNl3yJbn5jdlnyHoGhBv6lt4Zxh26EkyB2Fx0Z0FGKL5i07zYYtcrK2WsL6Us3-F67gH1MBiJzzjx2r6cw0gU7m9vJ2_0vgiL9T1xl0KKyljEf6teuPoK7djZXOmj4gxhSx7Iku1V24/s400/IMG_3677.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porch of the Caryatids on the Erechtheum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olympic Panathenaic Stadium</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek and Olympic flags</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-54417750654092984872016-09-05T17:27:00.002-04:002016-09-05T17:27:55.233-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Santorini<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Greece is a pretty wonderful place. I look forward to coming back and exploring it more indepthly on future trips. Quick recap: I didn't find peace and solace on Santorini, but I liked Athens much more than I expected to. (Initially I wrote this as two posts, but I'm going to move Athens to its own post since there are so many photos for both.)</div>
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Wednesday's Santorini stop was our longest and earliest thus far. The cruise ships remain adrift during the day, so it's up to tenders to bring passengers to and from the ports. The first tenders took those of us on excursions to the Athinios port, while passengers on their own went to Fira port and took the cable car up to the city. I was on the first bus to depart and was the first passenger off the cruise ship this morning! There has to be some sort of prize, right?</div>
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We met our guide and driver and took off for the south of the island and the archaeological site of Akrotiri, inhabited by Minoans during the Bronze Age in roughly 1300 BC. The city was abandoned shortly after an earthquake and right before a volcanic eruption that buried the city in ash. Amazingly, no human remains have been found there, nor livestock. I did read about a pig that was strung up, probably ready to be butchered. But the livestock seemed to make it out. This is a relatively newly-discovered site, with excavations only since 1967. It's a marvel of preservation and engineering, as the entire city (as of its current excavation) is covered by a building and a bioclimatic roof to protect visitors and archaeologists (and presumably the artifacts) from the sun. Visitors meander through the building on elevated walkways, and there are numerous areas where bus groups can gather and listen to the guide without impeding the movement of others. I was pretty impressed by the organization, and I enjoyed seeing archaeologists hard at work on various areas of the site. </div>
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After Akrotiri we headed to the center of the island and its capital, Fira. Fira's population doubles in summer, and it's a very popular tourist town. The hordes here crowding the streets and overwhelming the vistas made me a bit crazy. I'd only come back off season. The walk up the hill to the Orthodox cathedral was worth it for the gorgeous views of the entire caldera, most of it now covered in water, and the outlying islands, one of them an active volcano with five craters. I stopped for a baklava, which was divine. This is the baklava I grew up with, drenched in honey and with not a trace of rosewater or semolina or other grains. I adore it. </div>
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The next stop was the picturesque town of Oia (ee-ah) in the north. We took the long way there on the island's east coast, getting to see the less-inhabited areas and the flats where farming takes place. Tomatoes, watermelons, and pistachios are main crops, and I loved seeing the pistachio trees in every field and backyard. </div>
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Oia sits atop a hill and is a typical blue-and-white village, much photographed by tourists, especially at sunset. Many of the homes/buildings started out as cave dwellings carved out of the soft pumice stone layer that tops most of Santorini. These evolved into the arched and domed buildings we all associate with Greece today. I think in the off season I could love Oia, but today was not that day. I managed to escape from the chaos a little bit during lunch, where I dined on spanikopita and vegetarian moussaka while admiring the view. I didn't get any photographs, but a couple lines of donkeys came trotting down the steps next to the restaurant, thankfully not laden with tourists. Donkeys are often used for transport, though the practice is frowned on by animal rights activists. I was glad these guys were unburdened. </div>
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The last stop on Santorini was Santo Winery for tastings and a sampling of local delicacies. I opted not to try the meatballs after my innocent question of "what kind of meat?" was answered by three different people simultaneously as beef, lamb, and pork. All righty. Olives, cheese, and tomatoes for me! Oh, and capers, which I don't usually like, but these were quite tasty.</div>
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We made it back to the port and onto the tender about 4:00, and we pulled up to the ship at about 4:05. I made it onto the ship just after 5:00. What a traffic jam of tenders! It wouldn't have been so bad except I was inside, where it was hot without a breeze, and the exhaust fumes were sickening. I have never been happier to be off a boat!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First glimpses of the island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akrotiri</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Active archaeological site</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fira</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ship as seen from Fira</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fira's orthodox cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oia</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-54299438410219127732016-09-03T16:33:00.000-04:002016-09-03T16:33:21.839-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Bari & Olympia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our one stop in Italy, aside from Venice, was in Bari, a town I didn't know anything about before booking the cruise. It's the capital of Puglia and a lovely small city right on the water. My tour was a walk through the city, focusing on the Medieval alleys, the Norman castle, and two large churches. It was a gorgeous day, just barely on the side of hot in the sun, but walking through the small alleys with tall buildings on either side and cobblestone streets was a nice way to cool off. My favorite sight was the women sitting outside houses/shops rolling and shaping pasta, mostly orecchiette, and then drying it on screens in the sun. I also watched, fascinated, as an older man knotted (knit?) a fishing net using extremely fine filament that his friend doled out as they chatted away the afternoon. </div>
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The first church we visited, a Catholic cathedral, was large and grand and similar to most other large and grand cathedrals I've visited. Its claim to fame is a day each year when the light shining through the rosette window aligns perfectly with the rosette on the floor of the cathedral, similar to Chartres in France. Today was not that day.</div>
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Next we visited the 11th century basilica which is a Catholic church on the main level and Orthodox downstairs. It was built to house the remains of Saint Nicholas, who died in Alexandria, Egypt. The remains were later smuggled out of the Muslim port in barrels labeled as pork products. After being lost - twice - int he building and rebuilding of the basilica, he finally is at rest. Except for the many thousands of pilgrims and tourists who visit each year.</div>
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We had some free time, and I was starving, so I found a nice little cafe on a quiet square and enjoyed one last good Italian pizza. Next door was a very busy shop where people came out with gelato, so I ventured in. It was, indeed, a gelato and pastry shop! I opted for gelato, which was refreshing if not as tasty as I'd hoped. I just need to experiment more.</div>
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The tour was a bit of a letdown because the English speakers were paired with another language, and the guide had to give explanations in both languages so it took twice as long as it needed to. Plus, the other group wasn't particularly quiet during the English narratives, so I heard very little the entire day. The excursion did not win points for organization, that's for sure.</div>
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I was back on the boat an hour before departure and opted to lie down for a while before dinner. Tonight was Italian night, so I put on a green shirt and joined the fun. Our table group was a little more relaxed tonight and eager to share the day's experiences. The food was decent, and I decided to stay for the evening show, a take on classic Venetian Carnevale, complete with opera singers and dance. The singers were quite good as well as the dancers, but I was glad it was only about 40 minutes long. </div>
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After setting my watch forward an hour in preparation for Greece, I turned in. I woke up and showered, had a quick breakfast at exactly the same time as the other 3000 guests onboard, and headed for the theater to meet my excursion group. Today I was thankfully on a solely-English speaking bus, which wasn't quite full, and our guide was very good. We drove 38 km inland through olive groves, watermelon fields, corn fields, and small towns to the town of Olympia and the birthplace of the Olympic games. </div>
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The temperature hovered around 90 today with full sun, but the site is very well interspersed with trees providing shade. 297 Olympic games were held here, every four years, over ~12 centuries before the Roman Emperor Theodosius outlawed them as a symbol of paganism. Earthquakes took care of most of the buildings, and all that's left now are the ruins. The one place, however, where you can start to get an idea of what it must have been like is the stadium. Walking through the archway used by the athletes and coming upon this long, flat track with hills on both sides for spectators, it's easy to imagine the pomp and circumstance of the ancient games. During the 2004 Olympics some events, like discus, were held here. It would have been quite amazing to experience. </div>
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There are lots of stones with engravings, which used to hold statues of winners and still bear their names and attributes. Columns, benches, bathtubs, and building foundations are visible. We traced the path of the gymnasium, a training ground where the athletes came a month before each games to acclimate and train. </div>
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The area, nestled between several hills, is where Zeus defeated his father Cronos in a race, which is why it became the site of the first games. It's very picturesque, with pine and other trees providing ample shade on a hot day. Even with a bazillion other coaches there (mostly from our ship, I think; it was one of two in the small port of Katakolon) we managed to get some photos without other people and enjoy a bit of peace.</div>
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After a quick shopping stop on the main street and at a tourist trap for olive oil and honey it was back to the port and onboard. I grabbed a (very) late lunch along with the other 3000 guests. This is getting old. I managed to do a quick FaceTime with my parents to say hello and show them Greece from my balcony before dinner and bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPUVvGl7x1xGU6KMI9J44FxZVjVgRSTsKnmZTa1Mwo_lFLquzil4knaGmlGPaRnP0DD-lLwXvtCKf7Ty4e1c6kfI9FLILIRvkXrK4a7Va1IzuB42XGjaOvuNOu4-3PU7vV9_dLLigfMQ/s1600/IMG_3428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPUVvGl7x1xGU6KMI9J44FxZVjVgRSTsKnmZTa1Mwo_lFLquzil4knaGmlGPaRnP0DD-lLwXvtCKf7Ty4e1c6kfI9FLILIRvkXrK4a7Va1IzuB42XGjaOvuNOu4-3PU7vV9_dLLigfMQ/s400/IMG_3428.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swabian Castle grounds</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orecchiette drying in the sun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this egg dispenser!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making fishing nets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bari Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7uFNwPvLdDlrQ0pn7zrEYrPqSz-EdWhtghkKAND8UYch45eVhEPqcL-Q7lJ3bzM7pctrf7wICCFD8Od02J8HSmVQNfnUeper06YPcykT6tYs_98u6Lzq2qFqJqJi3Co9zkgJKIhtNfk/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7uFNwPvLdDlrQ0pn7zrEYrPqSz-EdWhtghkKAND8UYch45eVhEPqcL-Q7lJ3bzM7pctrf7wICCFD8Od02J8HSmVQNfnUeper06YPcykT6tYs_98u6Lzq2qFqJqJi3Co9zkgJKIhtNfk/s400/IMG_3456.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famed rose window</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of Basilica Saint Nicholas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YqF1WLfrHynDNt1r91v8cWS2rBhm-FDF4nLfOK6DZTn0AaNT01b35VV1SmM8tlw-jpmHVAYv0bvcq6Dlj627D9wVAl0Cl8VrGkINNk4_4WJmgk_vww0opC8A7oc3VYI1eO1cWGn-RW4/s1600/IMG_3461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YqF1WLfrHynDNt1r91v8cWS2rBhm-FDF4nLfOK6DZTn0AaNT01b35VV1SmM8tlw-jpmHVAYv0bvcq6Dlj627D9wVAl0Cl8VrGkINNk4_4WJmgk_vww0opC8A7oc3VYI1eO1cWGn-RW4/s400/IMG_3461.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eternal resting place of Saint Nicholas, after many false starts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvanXU4qFQ9I2FDWhExgIAY1I3Bs5f5Ni7-ivRsiEdCInYXXBbCKsgJP_dFCaM39EJwAkaX9LOI7bo-9qI9essmpUgYLkiAl6qmTkx21LTOtUEJuTFjJj9kRE8N1Z753TfTRDE98IZ1g/s1600/IMG_3467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvanXU4qFQ9I2FDWhExgIAY1I3Bs5f5Ni7-ivRsiEdCInYXXBbCKsgJP_dFCaM39EJwAkaX9LOI7bo-9qI9essmpUgYLkiAl6qmTkx21LTOtUEJuTFjJj9kRE8N1Z753TfTRDE98IZ1g/s400/IMG_3467.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomb of Saint Nicholas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADbRj2FA5uV9YXEy7tzWWk756BwYxZF3SvEpY2rV58PAr0pgnUScho4JlJdcf1RQ-wZEwACTWcXgNRs5sxp2IH5L4Q2J9wjj9TPQDCnEc6SFt_xFCxv_2szRrj7ppnArTTLuDxeYmYDM/s1600/IMG_3471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADbRj2FA5uV9YXEy7tzWWk756BwYxZF3SvEpY2rV58PAr0pgnUScho4JlJdcf1RQ-wZEwACTWcXgNRs5sxp2IH5L4Q2J9wjj9TPQDCnEc6SFt_xFCxv_2szRrj7ppnArTTLuDxeYmYDM/s400/IMG_3471.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ate at the restaurant under the central canopy and had gelato from the shop next door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bari's old port</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Olympia! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palaestra </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former baths</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippeion</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Stones inscribed with victors' names and details </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqyRXOHhg-lcB5CcLdVzYVhZ2mTdlxOfCYk-6HZYYCie0gGd9xciELPbsbO7ZWdG_f-X4VX0eJh24unpdLsv7nmypVeG6VBNwiD9TYNRLCkYu7ketzy6BVDbc5z9g_V_mdWCFx3E30QU/s1600/IMG_3507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqyRXOHhg-lcB5CcLdVzYVhZ2mTdlxOfCYk-6HZYYCie0gGd9xciELPbsbO7ZWdG_f-X4VX0eJh24unpdLsv7nmypVeG6VBNwiD9TYNRLCkYu7ketzy6BVDbc5z9g_V_mdWCFx3E30QU/s400/IMG_3507.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the stadium</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswb7spJmAmEjvu8O8SIn6h_fXI7PhPRjiCkHHjy671c4vfarafrEAuzN5cj4FWy2BJUS8OS4KdyDGnS775yQ8GHD_2LunEIhXHKWQ1L1luoGOOiUji8VsFH4PGDNI6kTVMn1sNxvLZoQ/s1600/IMG_3511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswb7spJmAmEjvu8O8SIn6h_fXI7PhPRjiCkHHjy671c4vfarafrEAuzN5cj4FWy2BJUS8OS4KdyDGnS775yQ8GHD_2LunEIhXHKWQ1L1luoGOOiUji8VsFH4PGDNI6kTVMn1sNxvLZoQ/s400/IMG_3511.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stadium</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Site of the torch lighting, using a parabolic mirror </span></td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-58451292593237021422016-09-02T16:52:00.000-04:002016-09-02T16:52:05.940-04:00Mediterranean Travels: Venice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After talking with some friends, and wanting to maximize my proximity to the whole Mediterranean region, I decided to take a cruise. The one I found that worked in the time frame I had available and went to all new (to me) places turned out to be an MSC cruise on the Orchestra. Eight days, seven nights, to and from Venice. Stops in Italy, Greece, and Montenegro. Close to perfect.</div>
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I did not have great experiences booking the tour or coordinating with either the travel agent or the cruise company, and I went into the vacation with a bit of trepidation. But, I would have a balcony cabin on the stern of the ship and could at least enjoy amazing views, even if every other thing went wrong.</div>
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I left work a couple hours early on Friday and flew to Venice via Rome. The flights on Alitalia were fine; there were no frills (entertainment), but they were also empty. So audiobooks it was! Rome was a bit of a cluster, and I barely made it to my gate before boarding time - just in time to see the board record a 20 minute delay. We left almost an hour late but landed only 30 minutes late, so it wasn't horrible. I arrived at the hotel at 11:54pm and sprinted to the bar to order some pizza before it closed. I stayed a bit outside Venice, and there was nothing else around for miles. That pizza tasted mighty good at midnight, I'll tell you.</div>
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I slept quite well and woke up to breakfast on leftover pizza - yay! I took my time getting ready and planning my day and made it to the train station (right behind the hotel) in plenty of time for the next train. The train was empty, and 30 minutes later I alighted in Venice. I was last here in 2007 for two days and remember the heat, the crowds, and the expense. It was lovely but not magical. I had a more leisurely pace today with no expectations, and I enjoyed it much more this time around. </div>
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I started the afternoon by wandering through San Polo until I found the restaurant a friend had recommended. I arrived at the tail end of lunch time and had a lovely table in the leafy courtyard. It had rained in the morning, but it was clear and sunny now, with perfect temperatures. I lingered over caprese salad and a calzone, enjoying people-watching as much as the food. After that I browsed several shops as I made my way towards Rialto Bridge. I hadn't visited this bridge in 2007 and shouldn't have bothered today - it was packed with tourists, the bridge was under renovation, and the sun was bright. I took the Vaporetto to Saint Mark's Square to marvel at the lack of pigeons and do more people watching. After a quick glimpse at the Bridge of Sighs I jumped aboard one last Vaporetto - in the bow, as Rick Steves told me to - and cruised the entire length of the line back to the train station. </div>
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The trip back to Quarto d'Altino was quick and uneventful, and after a lackluster dinner in the hotel restaurant I took full advantage of fast internet and did a ton of photo uploads and FaceTimed with my parents and Grandma. </div>
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On Sunday I took the hotel transfer to the port and - to my happy surprise - was checked in and on board in less than an hour. I had plenty of time to wander and explore after dropping my small bag in my room. Lunch was a rushed, overwhelmed affair - everybody was eating at the same time, and space was at a premium. I missed half of the buffet apparently - I was wondering where the non-carb options were! But the soup and salad were good. </div>
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I opted for an overpriced pedicure to get flip flop ready before joining the safety drill. Afterwards I camped out on my deck for 90 minutes as we started the engines and cruised out of Venice. The pilot boat was right below my balcony, and the stern of the boat offered phenomenal views of Venice from the Grand Canal. I only left my perch to make it to dinner, where I met my tablemates for the week - a couple from Atlanta and family of four from Ann Arbor. Service was lackluster, and the food was lukewarm, but I hope it was just the first night. We'll see. I skipped the evening show for a chance to relax and unpack and prepare for the week ahead. I think I remember why I didn't 100% love the cruise I did in college - the crowds. I'm going to try and embrace the experience for what it is, even as I've realized that I much prefer my small safari camps in remote African parks as a preferred way to get away from it all. But this isn't getting away - this is exploring Greece! So, open mind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First glimpses of Venice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My initial forays through almost-empty streets in San Polo were lovely</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An obligatory gondola shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grand Canal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza San Marco</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Mark's Basilica</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a few pigeons</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mark's Campanile (I went up it in 2007)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doge's Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion statue, symbol of Venice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge of Sighs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gondoliers hard at work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just an ordinary afternoon phone call</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising the Grand Canal by vaporetto</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rialto Bridge, with some of its construction siding falling off and an obnoxious billboard given entirely too much space.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the sun hit the bridge right you could see some of the actual features under the construction siding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pilot boat as seen from my balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving from the Port of Venice meant a lovely ride down the Grand Canal out to sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piazza San Marco, Campanile, Doge's Palace, Basilica as seen from my balcony</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnRwEfxphhIiKRGOME-A3iWWvGpcv2zZ3gaaSYxiKHF4LgDK7DNlpufW3w6O0VnKWYo1dOgDIrxk2T3WUx0wMhv5fZi2z-2YonZNpx5nTi0wqttJZEyfbJKtTgkPE19CVMlfVXjsdYzs/s1600/IMG_3415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnRwEfxphhIiKRGOME-A3iWWvGpcv2zZ3gaaSYxiKHF4LgDK7DNlpufW3w6O0VnKWYo1dOgDIrxk2T3WUx0wMhv5fZi2z-2YonZNpx5nTi0wqttJZEyfbJKtTgkPE19CVMlfVXjsdYzs/s400/IMG_3415.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2iy9MdzFX390U72v9HQde7E3DxPb93ghJYJi2JjZgepEMakJmoebqisAOhrScJBx3BuOXiBzjWxyNOdqvZXH-a0Q0byqjmQaAKvIwXSdrJCV1pKJCWorPpLpMdAm_QvPbNEefnRCPvY/s1600/IMG_3422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2iy9MdzFX390U72v9HQde7E3DxPb93ghJYJi2JjZgepEMakJmoebqisAOhrScJBx3BuOXiBzjWxyNOdqvZXH-a0Q0byqjmQaAKvIwXSdrJCV1pKJCWorPpLpMdAm_QvPbNEefnRCPvY/s400/IMG_3422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we're off!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fEiFuMl6KW44IAveBhi0qJXGnDwstdkrV64EZTVUppEdT433YgXZHStbGV_hs1yhytjUEqea0u6xREP7LBMrdlSWrkvO3JKCqEEiDjrOP4f0Nk5Ac20ge3GtVyHUMG9GOto9Y87kDOs/s1600/IMG_3427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fEiFuMl6KW44IAveBhi0qJXGnDwstdkrV64EZTVUppEdT433YgXZHStbGV_hs1yhytjUEqea0u6xREP7LBMrdlSWrkvO3JKCqEEiDjrOP4f0Nk5Ac20ge3GtVyHUMG9GOto9Y87kDOs/s400/IMG_3427.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrivederci Venice!</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-44571076031210797902016-09-01T19:53:00.000-04:002016-09-01T19:53:13.969-04:00That Mythical Perfect Travel Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm currently relaxing on the couch in the newly-remodeled den at my childhood home in NH, listening to crickets chirp as the late summer breeze cools the room through the screened windows. The downside is I'm sick as a dog and have a sinus headache that just won't quit. But it's so lovely to be here! And - even more lovely - yesterday's travel day was that mythical being where everything went perfectly. I will pay for it dearly in the future, I'm sure, but I'm still going to revel a wee bit in the perfection. I spent a lovely week in London (more on that later) before flying to the United States and so didn't have a 20+ hour ordeal, but I still had several possible hurdles.<br />
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The day started early, but I made it to Heathrow right on schedule, navigating morning rush hour with no problems. As I dropped off the rental car, the Enterprise agent noted that I had prepaid for fuel but used less than a quarter of a tank. I sheepishly shrugged and said I didn't realize it would be quite so economical a model. And then he refunded the prepaid fuel. Just because.<br />
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The shuttle to the terminal was waiting for me, and the friendly driver helped me load my bags on a cart. There was absolutely no wait to drop off bags, and both of my bags weighed in at a few kilograms shy of the limit. The check-in agent told me that the flight wasn't full and it was a relatively quiet day at the airport. Score.<br />
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After stocking up on cold meds and throat lozenges at the airport Boots I settled down to check work emails and mentally prep for the flight. I was hoping the flight would arrive early enough for me to catch an early bus to NH, but it was going to take a travel miracle.<br />
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I finished checking email just as the gate was announced. After trekking approximately six miles to the gate I was thrilled to find out that the seat next to me was currently unassigned. And the gate agent told me it was unlikely to change since it was less than a half-full flight.<br />
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Boarding started early, and I was the first one to board in my zone, so there was ample overhead bin space. I needn't have worried. Boarding finished 30+ minutes prior to the departure time, and not only did I have a free seat next to me, but the two rows of seats in front of me were also empty, even after folks had spread out. We took off only ten minutes past our scheduled departure - a minor miracle at Heathrow, in my experience - and the projected flight time put us into Boston with the potential for me to catch the early bus.<br />
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The flight was turbulent so I slept poorly, but the flight crew was lovely and helpful, which was a nice surprise on my first time flying Delta in many years. We landed at 11:50 am (scheduled 12:18 pm) and were deplaning within ten minutes. My bus was at 12:55. Still possible.<br />
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I sailed through the arrival kiosks but got hung up in the line for a CBP agent. There was only one agent on duty for the entire U.S. citizen/Canadian citizen/repeat VWP traveler section, and there were at least three flights that had arrived recently. I was pretty far ahead in the line, but it still took me until 12:40 to clear immigration.<br />
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Thankfully both of my bags were on the belt when I got to baggage claim, and there was no wait at customs. I made it to the bus stop with several minutes to spare. And then the bus was a few minutes late because so many folks boarded at the other terminals. The only downside of the travel day was that I didn't have an empty seat next to me for the ride to NH, but that was small potatoes at this point. Dartmouth is starting soon, so lots of students were returning from summer break. I was just glad not to have to kill two more hours with all of my bags!<br />
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The bus arrived at my stop fifteen minutes early, but my mom was already there to meet me. We loaded the car and were home by 4pm. At which time I got to marvel in person at the phenomenal remodel job my parents have done on our home. The new bathroom is a sanctuary. Our old farmhouse's sole bathroom had been literally carved out of the living room when indoor plumbing became all the rage, and it was cramped and central. The new bathroom is at the back of the house in what was the smallest bedroom, and it's spacious and comfortable and gorgeous.<br />
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After visiting my 50,000 new sisters (my mom has a newly-established beehive), a tasty dinner, and emptying my suitcases of presents for my parents, it was time for bed. I fell asleep almost immediately and, after waking at 5am with a sinus headache and taking meds, slept till 10. Glorious. It was the perfect day to precede the promotion lists' release, on which my name did not appear. I did not realistically expect promotion this time around but was glad to see some friends and colleagues appear. Yay to all of you! <br />
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Expect some blog catchups in the next few days as I recover from my cold and truly rest and recuperate in familiar and familial surroundings. </div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-56727653260651364422016-08-02T11:45:00.000-04:002016-08-02T11:45:30.206-04:00EER R&R: Taipei Part Four<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The flight from Denpasar to Taipei was scheduled to take of at 15:40 and land at 21:55. No time changes. We took off about 16:20 and landed at 20:40. That's pretty amazing time padding, but it was a super nice surprise. I watched <i>Creed</i> and <i>Dolphin Tale 2</i> and then started <i>The Good Lie</i>, which I desperately want to see the rest of. Immigration had no line, and my bags made it out pretty quickly. I made a stop for a take away sandwich from Subway and was in the taxi by 21:40. Not bad at all. D was already asleep when I got back, and I got to bed much earlier than planned which made me very happy.<br />
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Tuesday I had ambitious plans, and I actually accomplished most of them! I woke up around 9:00 but didn't get going for a while and left the house at 11:00. I went first to Bao'an Temple and Confucius Temple, which are both gorgeous and unique. I especially enjoyed Confucius Temple where there were lots of signs and explanations in English, interactive exhibits, and almost no other visitors. Bao'an had lovely koi ponds and sculptures, but the overwhelming incense smell and smoke in the main temple kept my visit there short. After touring the Confucius Temple I sat down with a laurel flower ice cream popsicle and then headed to the metro to catch the train to the next stop.<br />
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Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is co-located with the National Theater and Concert Hall and Liberty Square. It's a massive piece of land, and I wasn't in the mood for too much exploring - especially with threatening clouds - so I took photos and marveled at the giant buildings before heading on. The two concert halls are very typical of Taiwanese architectural style, and the CKS memorial is an odd, not particularly appealing structure. I wasn't there at the right time for the changing of the guard and didn't feel the need to stick around another 40 minutes, so I moved on to my main destination. There's a great Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center not far from CKS Memorial Hall, just past NTU Hospital. I had yet to purchase anything in Taipei for souvenirs, and I'd heard great things about this place from D and guide books. It was lovely. The prices were fixed, but quality is controlled, and that was worth it to me. I picked up some office gifts, a few last souvenirs for family, and several pieces for myself. I am not a huge fan of jade but fell in love with their turquoise blue jade stone vases so bought a pair of those. I also bought some teacups that I'll repurpose as prep bowls; they're gorgeous ceramic with a floral/glitter finish. Once I dig out the boxes I can provide more info.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bao'An Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornate shrine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phenomenal carving details.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year of the Monkey-themed stage at a roundabout.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Confucius Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The signs explicitly prohibited removing any wildlife from the temple grounds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The detail on this bridge is pretty amazing - the pillars and connectors represent bamboo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bamboo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the central buildings, Confucius Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portico roof detail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Theater (or maybe Concert Hall; I didn't label these well).</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWuGxKqULRxFNfuLlK3_V13smxc1sBDI3zC4NNpZblUpdQ3Gm5r2CkJ0PqVqXNv1XbZi-ojDqLZPOZr7pePvIVmkgx_SNpE4llPdVmzYqnNZejCr7HfTT0Bfla9siCQDVj8NLgVrQOgQ/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWuGxKqULRxFNfuLlK3_V13smxc1sBDI3zC4NNpZblUpdQ3Gm5r2CkJ0PqVqXNv1XbZi-ojDqLZPOZr7pePvIVmkgx_SNpE4llPdVmzYqnNZejCr7HfTT0Bfla9siCQDVj8NLgVrQOgQ/s400/IMG_3262.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIAWgcCVsyUAoMdmgsaikLppk-8Vwp__tWmtfU0EdKvujeajQtIqVesCr2tonNRVlUSNLJIpwJg5BC9OxrArpm1SSWAOko8g5t0CYCN9I-Ax-MEndhFL7a7DawMqmy3kMn3tkLpill4w/s1600/IMG_3265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIAWgcCVsyUAoMdmgsaikLppk-8Vwp__tWmtfU0EdKvujeajQtIqVesCr2tonNRVlUSNLJIpwJg5BC9OxrArpm1SSWAOko8g5t0CYCN9I-Ax-MEndhFL7a7DawMqmy3kMn3tkLpill4w/s400/IMG_3265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CKS Memorial</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-1203702930003861722016-08-02T11:37:00.001-04:002016-08-02T11:37:14.341-04:00Happy Ending<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Folks, there was a happy (for me) ending. After a sleepless night, I carefully exited my apartment this morning and started walking to work. And there, at the bottom of the porch stairs, was a dead tarantula. Guess that bug spray worked after all! And today was the regularly-scheduled pest control treatment at my place. When I got home from work, the tarantula carcass was gone. I don't know how or why, but I don't care. </div>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-10010268863964225052016-08-01T11:37:00.001-04:002016-08-01T11:37:16.292-04:00Nightmare Fodder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lebanon is home to creepy crawlies. Our compound is home to creepy crawlies. Our homes are occasionally invaded by creepy crawlies. Up until today I had not had to join the club of those who have been invaded. My luck ran out.<br />
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I came home from work and was focused on not allowing the pesky fly that was bothering me the whole walk home access to the inside. So I quickly opened the screen door, unlocked the door, and jumped inside, slamming the screen door. And there it was. Tucked up between the screen and part of the door frame (though thankfully the outside of the screen). A tarantula. Cue screaming and swearing. Cue stomach dropping. Cue jumping around and shaking/shivering.<br />
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So I did what any normal person would do. I grabbed a bottle of bug spray and re-opened the main door and sprayed the heck out of the eight legged intruder. It wiggled some of its many legs. I closed the door again, checked to make sure there were no cracks or easy entrances around the door, and went to find something stronger. Like Windex. By the time I got back, it was gone.<br />
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Cue never sleeping again.<br />
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I promptly began suffering symptoms of a panic attack, which is pretty normal for me and my horrifically acute fear of eight-legged creatures. I can't even write the real word; that's how powerful the phobia is. And then I called my mom, who sympathized and said all the right things but couldn't do what I really needed her to do - find and eradicate the thing.<br />
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The Facebook world agrees with the above meme that burning down the house is the only logical option. But seeing as how I don't actually own it and I kinda like the stuff inside and I do enjoy my career, I think I will choose not to go this route. And I will thank my lucky stars that - while this day has come - I still haven't had to encounter one (or, even worse, lose one) inside my house.<br />
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(The cats, you ask? Oblivious.)</div>
Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-79267142598496038562016-07-30T16:43:00.000-04:002016-07-30T16:43:41.707-04:00EER R&R: Bali Part Three<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just for good measure I ended my stay at Alaya with a morning spa treatment before meeting Kadek for the trip to Jimbaran. I was so glad he was free for the afternoon - what a wonderful connection to make. He took me to a local warung (food stall/restaurant) for some suckling pig. It was delicious, and I was glad he was there to order for me as he chose a selection of pig parts that I wouldn't have known existed but were delicious. He told me it is a place he often comes for lunch, and they did a brisk business while we dined, so it must be popular.<br />
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After that I wanted to check out an art market or two, but the heat was pretty intense, so we just stopped at a fabric store where I bought some sarongs and batiks to use as table coverings. Then it was on to the beach. I'm not really a beach person, but I like the water and thought it was a crime to come to a tropical island and not visit the beach, so I decided the last three nights would be at a resort. We arrived at the Intercontinental (I love IHG) around 2:15, and they checked me in and showed me to a lounge where I read until my room was ready. I was starting to feel the effects of the vertigo again by then and basically collapsed into bed. I didn't sleep, but my plans of seeing the sun set quickly disappeared in a cloud of dizziness. Finally I dressed and swayed my way to the hotel's Italian restaurant for their market evening, a sumptuous buffet. My favorite was the fresh caesar salad and the grilled calamari. I tried to take a walk around the resort and on the beach, but the dizziness was really impairing me by then - especially in the dark, so I fumbled my way back to my room and collapsed.<br />
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Saturday was a complete rest day. Other than breakfast and dinner (a Balinese buffet and dance show), I rested. I started Cipro, which made me feel better very quickly, and I guzzled water in case dehydration was the cause of the vertigo. I definitely felt better this evening and enjoyed the dance performance. It was too dark to get good photos, so I just focused on watching - though I was definitely in the minority on this, as my view was consistently blocked by others trying to get the best shot. Sigh.<br />
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I did a little bit better on Sunday (and felt MUCH better) and enjoyed a mani/pedi, a short nap in the heat of the afternoon, a walk on the beach in the waves, and a few hours of reading and nibbling at a cafe on the beach. The sunset was lovely, and we had a great view of planes landing at the airport. A perfect end to a tropical vacation! Tomorrow it's back to Taipei for two more fun-filled days and then a long trip back to Beirut.<br />
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-36584004300412724232016-07-29T11:42:00.000-04:002016-07-29T11:42:25.030-04:00EER R&R: Bali Part Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I really love the bed here! So comfortable. I woke up to my too-early alarm, dressed quickly, and headed to the lobby for a quick breakfast before meeting <a href="https://www.travelingspoon.com/hosts/1707-authentic-balinese-meal-in-a-family-home">Kadek</a> for my next <a href="https://www.travelingspoon.com/">Traveling Spoon</a> adventure. Kadek and his sister Putu have been hosting TS guests for a year, and they are gracious and wonderful hosts. I highly recommend booking with them if you're here! Kadek and I drove first to the regency town of Gianyar where we visited the local market. The huge, sprawling daily market is not tourist-oriented, and I was the only Westerner there. But that only meant friendly greetings and smiles and lots of welcomes, in typical Balinese style. Kadek talked me through vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, meats, fish, and many other available ingredients. It was a bit of an overwhelming sensory experience, but I loved it. We bought a few items and then continued on. The entire ride Kadek patiently explained elements of Balinese life and culture and answered all of my questions.<br />
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We arrived in the village, a gorgeous collection of family compounds set amid fields and rice paddies, and we pulled up to Putu's compound and met the family. I met several generations of their family and enjoyed a fresh coconut water while Putu's young son shyly showed me all of his treasures. After a few minutes of preparation it was time to cook.</div>
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And cook we did - a veritable feast! I helped in cutting veggies, meat, and spices and then combining spices (poorly) in the mortar and pestle. Clearly I need more practice! We first made a vegetable and chicken soup with edamame-like beans that was light and delicious and a perfect second breakfast. And then the marathon really began. We made chicken with tofu and egg steamed in banana leaves, rice with sweet potatoes, pork with a soy sauce marinade, chicken satay, vegetable sambal, and black rice pudding. The base for all of the dishes centered on a combination of several simple ingredients: shallots, garlic, chilis, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric (orange and white), and a few other spices. Freshly-grated coconut featured heavily, and sweet soy sauce made several appearances. It was all delicious.</div>
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We finished cooking just as the kids came home from school, and everybody got to enjoy the outcomes of my first foray into Balinese cooking. What a lovely way to spend the morning. Kadek drove me back to Ubud, and I had a well-deserved nap. I capped off the night with a spa treatment and luxuriated in the hotel's extremely comfortable bed for a good night's sleep.<br />
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Thursday I hadn't planned to do much, and my body decided that was a good idea. In addition to my persistent cough I started feeling the effects of Bali belly, which was somewhat inevitable given my adventurous eating on this trip. I could have picked it up anywhere, and I choose to think it came from brushing my teeth with tap water once before seeing the sign not to! So lots of fluids, naps, and spa treatments were the order of the day. I went to the hotel's restaurant for dinner and enjoyed some live music from a guitarist/singer, but by then I was also suffering from vertigo and needed to be horizontal. I really have been fighting my share of ickiness this vacation - sadly so common when winding down after intense periods of work. It's a good thing I'm now in full relaxation mode!</div>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-73476020875699607082016-07-24T06:09:00.000-04:002016-07-24T06:09:47.939-04:00EER R&R: Bali Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Monday morning came quickly, and I was at the airport and checked in (no luggage fees this time!) and through security/immigration with 40 minutes to spare before boarding. I had a bowl of noodle soup and meandered to the gate. Boarding was delayed, and we took off almost 45 minutes late. I had a two seat row to myself so stretched out and watched <i>August: Osage County </i>(didn't love) and <i>The Imitation Game</i> (interesting). Even with the takeoff delay we only landed about ten minutes late, and immigration was a breeze. I had expected to have to pay $35 for a visa on arrival, but they just waved me through to the normal line and stamped me visa exempt. Nice. Baggage took a while (I think the belt broke since no bags emerged and it emitted a high-pitched squeal for ~15 minutes), but once my bag came it was quick to find an ATM and book a taxi.<br />
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The drive from Denpasar to Ubud takes about 90 minutes, and it was late afternoon and full sun, and I had a blast just watching the scenery and people go by. I think I was last on a tropical island (Zanzibar) in late 2013, and I missed the island life. The lush palm groves and beachy-themed shops gave way to rice paddies and artisan shops as we neared Ubud. My lovely hotel fronts a busy street near the center of town, but it extends quite a ways back from the street, and my room is peaceful and quiet. After I finished afternoon tea in the lobby and took a quick shower I settled in and then went downstairs to the spa for a head/neck/shoulders massage and a foot massage. Both were superlative. This spa gets rave reviews, and I can see why. Comfortable room, lovely chair for lounging rather than a bed, nice pillows, cooling peppermint lotion, and great technique. How lovely. I had room service before turning in for a good night's sleep.<br />
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I slept extremely well on the hotel bed last night (score!) and woke up wanting more sleep. It won't happen tonight, sadly. I breakfasted in the hotel restaurant and then met my driver for the day - Danny. The car was clean, comfortable, and he was a safe driver, so we were off to a good start!<br />
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The first stop was supposed to be a dance, but since we were early he took me to a village temple for an orientation and walk through. It would be the first of many temples for the day. I donned the required sarong* and took in the early-morning sights, including women preparing offerings for the day.<br />
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*I usually am not a fan of having to don specific clothing to enter a place, believing modest dress should be enough. But that is caveated with the fact that most of the time it's women who are considered inappropriately dressed, while men sail through. In Bali's temples, all entrants must wear a sarong and sash. I like gender equity.<br />
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The dance was in a large hall that was empty when I arrived. But then the five coach buses full of school children from Java poured in. Wow. It filled up quickly! It was a Barong and Kris dance, a classic tale of good vs. evil including masked and costumed characters. There was a fair amount of dialogue in Bahasa, but between the paper explanation and the characters themselves I figured much of it out. The physical humor was loud and clear (and bawdy) but the spoken humor was lost on me. I'm told it's open to improvisation and is often in the style of a British pantomime.<br />
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After that it was time for shopping! I won't go into much detail since I bought presents for people who (are supposed to) read this blog. But we visited a silver factory/showroom, a painting gallery, and a woodcarver's shop. Lots of lovely things to admire and buy, and this is just the tip of the Balinese art/craft market.<br />
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Next we drove to Tirta Empul, the Holy Spring Temple, which I was kind of ambivalent about. But it was gorgeous and more enjoyable than I imagined. The springs were mostly filled with tourists, but there were lots of people praying and presenting offerings throughout the complex. I was a little perturbed by the labyrinthine market set up at the exit - lots of cheap kitsch and sales pushes. Oh well.<br />
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Clouds were starting to darken as we drove up a caldera in order to better see Lake Batur and Gunung Batur volcano. The sun was trying to shine through, but the photos are not fantastic. After that it was a decent buffet lunch and a drive back down the volcano. I should mention that on the way to Kintamani, the village where we lunched, the police had set up a routine traffic stop (good) but with an expectation of more than just checking papers. That's all I'll say on that here, but it was quite disheartening. We took a different route coming back.<br />
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The road back towards Ubud was full of excitement: a truck carrying five of the largest pigs I've ever seen destined for (I'm sure) a lovely farm where they'll happily live out the rest of their days, lots of activity around various temples (cremations, ceremonies, celebrations), neighborhood soccer games, and then something new. We were in a very rural area, and all of a sudden there were dozens upon dozens of vehicles parked on the sides of the road and not a person to be seen. I had read about this phenomenon in Lonely Planet but didn't immediately connect the dots until Danny told me it was a cockfight. *sigh*. Apparently they're still a very big thing here.<br />
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We drove on and talked about religion after he learned I live in Lebanon. He speaks Arabic (Saudis are apparently a big market in Bali) and has some really interesting perspectives on religion and life. I want to share one metaphor he gave because I find it extremely logical and simple and close to my own thinking, and I plan to use this in future conversations. He says religion is like transportation. We all need to get from point A to point B, and there are many different ways to get there. No way is better than the other, the rules vary from one type of transport to another, and it's okay to choose different methods - even at different points in your life. We all get there in the end. On a plane you can't open the window, and that's known and expected and respected, while in a car it might be okay to open the window a little or a lot, depending on preference. Boats don't usually have seat belts, but they do have life jackets. And when you're little you need a car seat, but as an adult you probably don't. But nobody should have any reason to deride or persecute anyone else for choosing a different way of getting from A to B. I really like that.<br />
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All right, continuing on. Next was Tegallalang for views of gorgeous rice terraces, which benefit from Bali's traditional cooperative irrigation system, the subak. I admired the view from above, too tired and hot to explore the terraces, though many visitors were doing just that. The final stop for the day was the Sacred Monkey Forest, a lovely forest setting for several temples and a semi-wild troop of Balinese macaques. The tree cover made it a lovely, relatively cool place to wander and enjoy monkey- and people-watching. The signs are quite explicit: don't bring in food or water, take off glasses/jewelry, remain calm, don't scream, don't panic. And yet I saw people doing each of these things. The food and water was stolen, the glasses/jewels made handy targets, and the monkeys don't react well to screaming/panic.<br />
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I have a mixed-bag history with monkeys dating to my South Africa days, when I was ambushed and mugged by a troop of baboons on the beach at Cape Point. While scary at the time, I was unhurt and got phenomenal photos and stories out of the experience. So I didn't plan on doing much interacting. But curiosity and the excitement of the experience got to me. Of course.<br />
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I bought a few bananas near the entrance and fed them to some of the macaques hanging out nearby. The only contact was one tugging at my shirt to get my attention, and he got his banana. I continued on and wandered and marveled and watched some bad (human) behavior. Guides helped deflect potential attacks and chided tourists for breaking rules. I walked to one of the main temples and admired the gorgeous views and then came to another central area with banana vendors. I watched as a large group of college students fed the monkeys and panicked/shrieked every time one climbed on them (which was constant as long as there was a steady banana supply). After about fifteen minutes they moved on, and I bought another bunch of bananas. I sat down on a stone bench and let the monkeys come to me. Before long I had one on my shoulder eagerly munching his banana. He tried to keep the others away and monopolize the bananas, but the vendor shooed him away and allowed for others to come by.<br />
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This went on for about 15 minutes as I slowly doled out bananas and experienced various monkeys climbing onto my shoulder. A large monkey was on my left shoulder with his right hand on my forehead, sort of hugging me. I was, by this time, covered in mashed banana that didn't quite make it into their mouths. I don't know what provoked him, but this monkey all of a sudden took umbrage at something and threw a fit. He grabbed my hair with both hands, hit me on the head, and then slapped my face before jumping off. It happened very quickly, and by the time the vendor had taken a step towards me he was gone. I felt some scratches on my forehead, but they didn't bleed. After that it was time to head home. Enough monkey business for the day.<br />
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After a thorough shower and many, many hand washings and a layer of Neosporin, I went to a nearby restaurant for crispy duck, a Bali specialty. It was a decent meal, and I walked home very satisfied. Another shower and another layer of Neosporin, and I was ready for bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue repository at the temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barong</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodcarver's shop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carved komodo dragon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Tirta Empul</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNFgyPhyOfbhpGN5DgmYINToXxwrwrYA1_K8IpCKcY2neEG5UeiN2lnvy-bqHS3DxnEQdGu9vA64s3BYWeTfB0rgjmem8h0igIwIIX20TsddDMSgRJfVwuM_63jZmG7MmrmxzRM3BH3A/s1600/IMG_2998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNFgyPhyOfbhpGN5DgmYINToXxwrwrYA1_K8IpCKcY2neEG5UeiN2lnvy-bqHS3DxnEQdGu9vA64s3BYWeTfB0rgjmem8h0igIwIIX20TsddDMSgRJfVwuM_63jZmG7MmrmxzRM3BH3A/s400/IMG_2998.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathers in the holy springs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple statues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIjxZU_VJM0E6H8WXy1fVXSfIxy2I-G3xMm3BiPVffVZ_RA_tka5jLxxIa0tWsOvGKIk8IMjmnleezfPlGxOR8EyRJPxm5rLR01HmblDBEvIAg6D3yew0JGRZyPeC_znvxX8STv884ew/s1600/IMG_3034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIjxZU_VJM0E6H8WXy1fVXSfIxy2I-G3xMm3BiPVffVZ_RA_tka5jLxxIa0tWsOvGKIk8IMjmnleezfPlGxOR8EyRJPxm5rLR01HmblDBEvIAg6D3yew0JGRZyPeC_znvxX8STv884ew/s400/IMG_3034.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First, cloudy, views of Gunung Batur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhQnSqchuA8hbaGyJQE2r9B9sOx5d2e21fxR93O-0Jyu_1KAtKvk-xR32bPkVe2vJfe9bHUBSSM_8uYBz84eOBSBYsOWhRbpQMhchQkQaS_RitPrFgt4Lt1hwJA-FHSKw-P8id4pMtcc/s1600/IMG_3041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhQnSqchuA8hbaGyJQE2r9B9sOx5d2e21fxR93O-0Jyu_1KAtKvk-xR32bPkVe2vJfe9bHUBSSM_8uYBz84eOBSBYsOWhRbpQMhchQkQaS_RitPrFgt4Lt1hwJA-FHSKw-P8id4pMtcc/s400/IMG_3041.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Batur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGTS2t1NmyA5U6KvfFAQ_WgzrEMyjQRzLbTOZlO98qHjPTZ-GxeT_cgoNK7OFugINUAy3Q5BRT0PFAzbzogWx3hb-S4mApqrc4Pns_x36x2DpCPvdzqz8_cC8kla55rp9IACD5WB2WZ4/s1600/IMG_3042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGTS2t1NmyA5U6KvfFAQ_WgzrEMyjQRzLbTOZlO98qHjPTZ-GxeT_cgoNK7OFugINUAy3Q5BRT0PFAzbzogWx3hb-S4mApqrc4Pns_x36x2DpCPvdzqz8_cC8kla55rp9IACD5WB2WZ4/s400/IMG_3042.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tegallalang</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXRCDJfenyc324Vohw_CFyhk9TRHaq5Ln1Y0Tes3hNaBEAkONce29K4axC5OjsBYBSXUTOp0g5vLaKyH0uN2yhbDNk43LXz_m6YNEA8oLxFjehyphenhyphenM0GCsm7mbghUm9WbdskDrPxF01cow/s1600/IMG_3043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXRCDJfenyc324Vohw_CFyhk9TRHaq5Ln1Y0Tes3hNaBEAkONce29K4axC5OjsBYBSXUTOp0g5vLaKyH0uN2yhbDNk43LXz_m6YNEA8oLxFjehyphenhyphenM0GCsm7mbghUm9WbdskDrPxF01cow/s400/IMG_3043.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such gorgeous terraces!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First monkey sightings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momma and baby waiting for some treats from a temple worker.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stolen treasure</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy just wanted to sit and watch and meditate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy monkey/tourist interactions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just taking the whole scene in...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey heaven</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most people did not read/abide by these guidelines</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road right outside the forest</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-928481807787723755.post-24691397987683276312016-07-13T09:46:00.001-04:002016-07-13T09:46:12.354-04:00EER R&R: Taipei Part Three<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
D and I woke up early (for me) on Saturday and headed out for a packed weekend of adventures. Our first stop was the Maoking Gondola, a 2.7 mile gondola that goes from Taipei Zoo to the top of Maokong, stopping several times and covering ascents and descents over gorgeous, verdant green landscapes.<br />
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We were early enough that there was only a short wait, and then we were off! The original plan was to go to the top and explore and then go down to the next stop and visit a large temple and then head to the bottom. It was another cloudy, hazy day, but there was no rain, and the temperature was perfect for being out and about.<br />
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There were a fair number of people already at the top, and traffic on the road was pretty busy. A lot of people hike and bike to Maokong as well as using the gondola or cars, so it's a popular destination. We avoided the food stands and headed away from the crowds to have a drink at a cafe D had visited before. It had lovely views of the surrounding areas, though we couldn't see downtown. The name of the cafe - Cat's Got Nothing To Do Cafe - was priceless. There are lots of tea houses and plantations in this area, which is one of the reasons it's so gorgeously green.<br />
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We spent the morning engrossed in the kinds of weighty discussions you can only have with a good friend you haven't seen in a while, and time slipped away from us. By the time we made it back to the gondola station we didn't have enough time to visit the temple. There was zero wait for a car down, which D said was very unusual for a Saturday, and we were even more surprised when the attendant at the next station beckoned for us to get out of our car and get in the empty one behind us. It was one of the gondola's famed crystal cabins with a glass floor. Usually these are pretty coveted, with their own queues, but we lucked out. It was a bit eery but fun nonetheless.<br />
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Next we jumped back on the metro for our afternoon destinations - D to the animal shelter where she's fostering a rescue dog and me to the end of the line - Tamsui/Danshui and its riverside village. It took about an hour to get out to Danshui, and by then I was pretty hungry and hoped to find a restaurant. But what met me there was a very busy carnival-like atmosphere with a ton of food stalls and game stalls. It felt like being at a county fair in the United States or any beach boardwalk anywhere. I was not expecting this, but once I embraced it I had a fabulous time people watching. But I was once again very aware of the disadvantage of not speaking - or, particularly, reading - Mandarin.<br />
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I settled for one of the only things I could easily identify - fried squid on a stick. The vendor made me a fresh one and cut it up for me. I grabbed a bubble tea and sat down to feast. It was intermittently raining a little, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Kids were driving little cars all around a grassy park fenced off for them, and street buskers were doing a hearty trade. I know away from the riverfront area there are a lot of historical sites and tourist attractions, but I enjoyed seeing the many Taiwanese families making the most of a Saturday afternoon.<br />
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My last indulgence of the day was a 20 minute head/neck/back chair massage. I was the only foreigner in the place, but they didn't go easy on me. After another hour-long metro ride I made it back to D's where we shared our afternoon adventures. We headed to dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant that D had heard great things about, and it turned out to be one of the better meals of the entire trip. Not only was the food very tasty and filling, but the ordering was all by iPad! We enjoyed that novelty probably more than two grown women should, but it provided endless entertainment in three languages.<br />
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The next morning we headed out to the Jianguo jade and flower markets, held on weekends in covered parking lots under an overpass. D cautioned me that the jade market was not well-regulated by the government, and prices and quality were therefore questionable. I instead got an idea of the kinds of things that were available in preparation for later shopping adventures. We didn't spend too long in this market, but I enjoyed seeing the myriad colors of jade and other stones and the many, many things made out of these materials. I am thankful that jade is not one of my favorite stones so I didn't fall in love with anything and feel compelled to make a purchase.<br />
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The flower market was huge and lush and great for people- and dog-watching. I have never seen as many dogs in strollers as I have in Taipei! Dogs of all shapes and sizes visited the market with their owners. I think they outnumbered the children. We marveled over the flowers and plants and bonsai trees and betta fish and the many other offerings. I can see this being a regular destination if I lived in Taipei and had something of a green thumb.<br />
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Since the rain continued to hold off we walked back toward the metro and bought lunch at a convenience store. They warmed up the food for us, and we walked to Da'an Park and plopped down on a bench to eat and watch life going by. I took a nap once we got home that afternoon while D went to her language lesson. I ordered in Subway for dinner, which tasted as wonderful as I hoped. It was an early bedtime for another early morning - this time off to Bali!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of the gondola, near Taipei Zoo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely greenery!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat statues</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFefeEp_9D3NcBS9rjAtsF75HymiAc1JRJ6JI7wYpS8oeY_mtmhLFNpSGyWgEic3tJmV_6GTS5sFxC-7qJq_y6VDhVl1504yGwQdmHXbXUry95vUX9EwJPy_rfj0rMX2znHCkvDgXoF8/s1600/IMG_2917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFefeEp_9D3NcBS9rjAtsF75HymiAc1JRJ6JI7wYpS8oeY_mtmhLFNpSGyWgEic3tJmV_6GTS5sFxC-7qJq_y6VDhVl1504yGwQdmHXbXUry95vUX9EwJPy_rfj0rMX2znHCkvDgXoF8/s400/IMG_2917.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guarding her house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6dXqxPuWgb-_N9JgvajEAzmo-F9wEmOtQ22zXfz2_3GLUz4gasenu9NBQW47smhHrm2rw0kgEp-JgFOerukrWzmiDhR1DpVqi1qm6PkwCIQVxzqqexj-kEvCKhmN1d_xwowSQgF596I/s1600/IMG_2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6dXqxPuWgb-_N9JgvajEAzmo-F9wEmOtQ22zXfz2_3GLUz4gasenu9NBQW47smhHrm2rw0kgEp-JgFOerukrWzmiDhR1DpVqi1qm6PkwCIQVxzqqexj-kEvCKhmN1d_xwowSQgF596I/s400/IMG_2919.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such beautiful green scenery!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0id2hAGDTIO6w_KREEbe6xsRlLO84YsQVfDvcTJQGveL0VrZpMYzIdxjA91sKRSEI6QvCbh8HAmR178AcHB_-5TCv1CfH7bnyGPMnv6ru1snsjghIEZjfhKf8yQSJsJCCmn0ojvVaJg/s1600/IMG_2921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0id2hAGDTIO6w_KREEbe6xsRlLO84YsQVfDvcTJQGveL0VrZpMYzIdxjA91sKRSEI6QvCbh8HAmR178AcHB_-5TCv1CfH7bnyGPMnv6ru1snsjghIEZjfhKf8yQSJsJCCmn0ojvVaJg/s400/IMG_2921.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabbage patch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxepSkhpVc7U0tTvR1dOWSF18lchLNKhdsYm7icrdDymhXVb_D8jhl21TwFzyJVzjLDbnwzM5_mWXbaM38pBwB9hDVdUVvc1jf4cratAXCOVt6aKq66BYmOuk18dN1SWcceC8RpS6RsW8/s1600/IMG_2923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxepSkhpVc7U0tTvR1dOWSF18lchLNKhdsYm7icrdDymhXVb_D8jhl21TwFzyJVzjLDbnwzM5_mWXbaM38pBwB9hDVdUVvc1jf4cratAXCOVt6aKq66BYmOuk18dN1SWcceC8RpS6RsW8/s400/IMG_2923.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adorably-named cafe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhN-baARwidQOtPUU4QV7RcnVulHHxAqVq8008iUWBeKnR6qHooYe84IH0gdSUTc-mS0oQMzJi3MArTQea6bovYgbcOiahiIf8IqItsqzNrz40bOfvkY4McpLUc7h2AttXPZnpSE4eyk/s1600/IMG_2924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhN-baARwidQOtPUU4QV7RcnVulHHxAqVq8008iUWBeKnR6qHooYe84IH0gdSUTc-mS0oQMzJi3MArTQea6bovYgbcOiahiIf8IqItsqzNrz40bOfvkY4McpLUc7h2AttXPZnpSE4eyk/s400/IMG_2924.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bananas and a puppy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLkkEOy0Zn_yJ-7KOkNrq3GqfWEmauVxSx8mxtY32BxdrJxekZJYqk0iYP27iBMqaFp5eCsQVemjFv4AsE_dydpOJsllf8050o6sheGjT9WrysChPwrCcbD6-BhsyYH-RfLyw9Ccf_Js/s1600/IMG_2927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLkkEOy0Zn_yJ-7KOkNrq3GqfWEmauVxSx8mxtY32BxdrJxekZJYqk0iYP27iBMqaFp5eCsQVemjFv4AsE_dydpOJsllf8050o6sheGjT9WrysChPwrCcbD6-BhsyYH-RfLyw9Ccf_Js/s400/IMG_2927.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of fog on the way down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3rtQyhh-fvs5Tx0Ft6760S0MUMMPRQzPDFNZa4IoFHnn36p8ayCvgELTX7EyaX949ONptShsc17U_eDQ6T0-uQGYRT7Zy99Gmr-04OEg9eOSbGIzCe6AX2cmV3fd-AnKQIFD5BMS3jg/s1600/IMG_2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3rtQyhh-fvs5Tx0Ft6760S0MUMMPRQzPDFNZa4IoFHnn36p8ayCvgELTX7EyaX949ONptShsc17U_eDQ6T0-uQGYRT7Zy99Gmr-04OEg9eOSbGIzCe6AX2cmV3fd-AnKQIFD5BMS3jg/s400/IMG_2929.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crystal cabin floor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1HOXXGonDABD_eozfMKJmiGatq3kOxVMzEnX9j_RYjy0PPpSDEWTTVhtZj_HhaKdJbiiBkJxCEHv3J-UfUiBJhYKWNh6DIYPQJkOV6q-HxNLoyybHq7lqE5rP29uA2c2MN1Ia2i2ONg/s1600/IMG_2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1HOXXGonDABD_eozfMKJmiGatq3kOxVMzEnX9j_RYjy0PPpSDEWTTVhtZj_HhaKdJbiiBkJxCEHv3J-UfUiBJhYKWNh6DIYPQJkOV6q-HxNLoyybHq7lqE5rP29uA2c2MN1Ia2i2ONg/s400/IMG_2930.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamsui riverfront</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEqmwV5GaB4ukvAF1iSHeKsMjorkFi7ozMZEi9ZGdoiWA08c5Umc2Njd0ro7IqIQCr1Qu3ntE_mGZKIvRnoE_Agz8qF_mtzXgoVafvOK0AkI18pSPutRmnXjH4nlQum8KwNs_VVksuxI/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEqmwV5GaB4ukvAF1iSHeKsMjorkFi7ozMZEi9ZGdoiWA08c5Umc2Njd0ro7IqIQCr1Qu3ntE_mGZKIvRnoE_Agz8qF_mtzXgoVafvOK0AkI18pSPutRmnXjH4nlQum8KwNs_VVksuxI/s400/IMG_2932.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of people fishing from the piers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYqJofqyztzg7BSw5HYUJ3hM1KiP3VOrWmuKl2UuOhLX95Dv8LENDROq6P12hD4sVoUJpMDlPvoYFIguSFBSJr3qVhd012d-lCjn8HBStDdXfQ3LNKlI4Ysog-eO9CxJfw0cW7Qf22uU/s1600/IMG_2933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYqJofqyztzg7BSw5HYUJ3hM1KiP3VOrWmuKl2UuOhLX95Dv8LENDROq6P12hD4sVoUJpMDlPvoYFIguSFBSJr3qVhd012d-lCjn8HBStDdXfQ3LNKlI4Ysog-eO9CxJfw0cW7Qf22uU/s400/IMG_2933.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of places to sit, art pieces, and trees among the boardwalk-type stores</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIGuRkQzhExjKFo-D9gKJyjXiWivWsxYZhhMnLmTA_SH1a49MKBkvb8gN8XVOp851xJeHsXQpZQ21rK3mUForqZ24PvDn5GtMEpfAnuraRMLpToQH9q1an7-lax1LigzMoGPhXhbQMsU/s1600/IMG_2935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIGuRkQzhExjKFo-D9gKJyjXiWivWsxYZhhMnLmTA_SH1a49MKBkvb8gN8XVOp851xJeHsXQpZQ21rK3mUForqZ24PvDn5GtMEpfAnuraRMLpToQH9q1an7-lax1LigzMoGPhXhbQMsU/s400/IMG_2935.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoPq2iAhkma-3jm9oZhdQETBvC076tWtfOgdnfT7fobD6tX6FOtF1GyBedLv5fM0obAg2eHLzi0K6lz0lrBi5sWTeippfeOQOkIpdfjhljR6L9sdbp6rZdGRmavMW94gflMeQZ5pUpGc/s1600/IMG_2938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoPq2iAhkma-3jm9oZhdQETBvC076tWtfOgdnfT7fobD6tX6FOtF1GyBedLv5fM0obAg2eHLzi0K6lz0lrBi5sWTeippfeOQOkIpdfjhljR6L9sdbp6rZdGRmavMW94gflMeQZ5pUpGc/s400/IMG_2938.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These kiddie cars were immensely popular</td></tr>
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Sadiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04348502564760792668noreply@blogger.com1