On Safari

Well, I have been too busy to write posts to my blog while on safari, but have been posting quick & random thoughts on Twitter @zengirle and Jackie has been writing posts on her blog http://perchja.blogspot.com

Invite me for cocktails or dinner when I return and I will share stories and Jackie's safi "awesome" pictures!

Safi!

Safi is the Swahili word for awesome! It sums up the first day viewing animals. 

Coming into this trip with zero expectations I was blown away the first day on safari at Arusha National Park.  This park is a jumping off point for many Tanzanian safaris because it is not far from the airport and has a wide variety of mammals and birds in a "small" area. Our first sighting was an olive baboon troop. They were all ages from small children to older adults.  Seeing them interact with each other from such a close distance was amazing.  We were only a few feet away. One small baby was crawling up a downed log, trying to reach a female.  It had rained early in the day which made the log slippery.  One step forward, two back, as this little one somehow didn't fall, his tiny hands holding on.  

 

We saw so many animals today including 2 very rare albino baboons. You know the animal is rare when your guides get excited because they have never seen one! We have two guides: Steve Taylor, former director of the Cleveland Zoo, and Tumaini owner of Next African Safaris.  Including them, there are 6 of us on this safari. It is really nice having a small group.

We spent quite a bit of time looking for the colobus monkeys.  These monkeys are black and white with long strands of fur hanging off their arms, like fringe.  They also  have long fluffy tails.  We were so grateful when Tumaini spotted one!  Also,we saw blue monkeys.

Driving through the park, we had no idea what we would see at the next turn. It could be Masai giraffe, zebra, banded mongoose, warthog, Cape buffalo, the list goes on. 

The most impressive site was the lakes full of thousands of lesser flamingos. They boarder the edges like picture frames.  We spent a chunk of time watching them fish, fly, and listening them "talk".  Steve was obsessively looking for a greater flamingo.  They are a little larger, and have a black tip on their beak.  We eventually found them! 

I designated my friend and traveling companion, Jackie, official photographer on this trip so don't expect many pics from me.  She invested in some awesome camera equipment.  Her blog is http://perchja.blogspot.com and she is posting her thoughts and pictures there.  

At the end of the day, driving back to the lodge, I was overwhelmed by what I saw in the park.  I couldn't imagine a better day, and then we had dinner with Derek Lee and Monica Pond...that experience deserves its own post and will be coming soon...

  

We have left Arusha and are driving now through the plains, our destination is Tarangire. The view out the window are the Masai indiginous people driving heards of goats, donkeys, and cows...

Traveling back in time

Traveling to new places is my passion, but recently I have been visiting old places. Mentally transported back through my life.  

A week ago I made the decision to dramatically downsize my living situation. This decision was a long time coming, but I wasn't quite ready until last week.  A series of events, that I am not going to detail here because believe it or not they aren't that important, happened and that was that, the nudge I needed, the sign I was waiting for, my decision was made.  

Since, I have started sorting through all my belongings and deciding which things are most precious to me at this moment in my life. Picking and choosing what to take and what to leave behind.  I think I have it all figured out, then something else appears and I have to decide keep or not or decide later.  Decide later has become an option.  

This process is much more complicated than I ever imagined.  Remembering the past can be fun and heart wrenching in the same minute, an emotional roller-coaster.  At first I thought it would be simple, but am finding out how hard it is to part with these things that evoke memories.  Questions race through my mind...if I get rid of this material thing, will I forget about the person/event/feeling associated with it?  It may not matter now, but will it in a year?  Will I miss this thing? Will I even remember it?  

I am all about living in the moment and taking risks, and this is what is keeping me going through this process, and knowing that in the end it is what I should be doing right now.  My best friend lives out of town and called me yesterday, offering to fly in for a weekend and help me.  I think I may take her up on that and am optimistic that traveling with someone else, especially back in time, will be easier than going there alone. 

Bella Italia!

Life is slower here.  Though animated, people are calmer.  Today I am taking a cue from them and spending the morning and afternoon away from the other 9 folks in the group, deciding to forgo today's trip and instead chill out in Soriano. (see trip options at culturediscovery.com)

My favorite experience this week was hanging with our host, Michael, in his grappa/wine/cheese cellar.  He has been experimenting with making grappa using a copper still and it is bellisimo! He is very passionate about this process and explained it all to us, as well as let us assist in making a batch. I sampled many types he made and it was extraordinary.

This week I visited many small villages all over the Tuscany and Umbria region while based in Soriano nel Cimino.  All are old, built in the Middle Ages, into the sides of hills/mountains, and have twisting and turning cobblestone roads.  

Montepulciano was the most impressive.  It is very steep and the twisty road narrows all the way to the highest point in the town; only small cars navigate through the streets as people move aside to give way.  Michaelangelo lived here for a time while he was building a "mini" Sistine Chapel. He wanted to make sure he mastered his techniques.  The church is unique because it was built outside of the town, so in case it structurally collapsed it would not hurt anyone.

There, I visited the Catina dei Ricci wine cellar, a very old cellar originally owned by the Ricci family.  It is often referred to as the most beautiful wine cellar in the world and I agree!  Its layers wind down underground through the town. It is quite spectacular to say the least.  The wines they make here are Vino Nobile, which are the thinner skinned Sangiovese grape.  The thicker skinned are the Brunelo wines, which I sampled as well at a small family winery, La Piombaia, in a neighboring town called Montalcino. I would have loved more time to explore Montepulciano, especially the famed tourture museum, of which I saw a small traveling exhibition in San Diego last year.

The food our group has been cooking and eating this week is amazing.  Every meal we prepare is better than any Italian cuisine I have ever experienced.  It is my hope that I will be able to recreate it at home for my friends. All the restaurants and people's homes we have eaten at have been very good as well.  Food, wine, and history have been the main focus of this experience.  

Tomorrow is our last meal here.  We will be preparing pizza to cook in the wood-fired oven at the villa.  It is also our cooking teacher Carla's birthday and there is going to be a party with lots of people attending from Soriano.  We will have a great time!

Roma!

Just left Rome after 4 days of sightseeing and it was spectacular.  During college, I was a student of classical and medieval literature and history, mainly Latin language, Greek poetry, history, and Renaissance literature.  I knew that someday this would prove its value and it did, in Rome.

 

What I came to understand first hand this week is Rome stole/copied/borrowed most everything from the Greeks, like architecture and the stories of the mythical gods.  Having the classroom knowledge of Greek history came in handy as I pieced together what I learned on the tours I took in Rome.

Another thing I observed was that the Italian language reminded me of Latin and Spanish mixed together.  To be sure it is more complicated than that, but I was able to understand more than I thought.

I visited all of the usual sights you would assume: the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and lots in between and was awed by all of Rome's layers.  What I didn't expect was how beautiful the city is to just walk around and get lost in.  One minute wandering down a cobblestone alley and then turning a corner and being in the most beautiful Piazza Navona.  I will say that without the google map app I would have gotten turned around much more than I did!  This is the first city I have traveled where I never had a sense of which direction I was heading.

One thing I am still trying to wrap my head around is the number of gelato shops in Rome. There is at least one on every block and they are all busy, from morning to night.  I have no idea how the city can support so many, but I think the locals and tourists must eat it at least once a day!

Now I just arrived in the small town of Soriano in the Tuscany/Umbria region to spend a week.  So excited to cook, drink wine, and meet new people!  Below are some pics from Rome.

Vacation Planning Overload

A high class/first world problem to have, believe me, I realize this...

Leaving for Italy next week. 4 nights in Rome, then a week based in Soriano nel Cimino (Tuscany/Umbria region) on a cooking, wine drinking adventure.

In addition, planning back-2-back safaris in Tanzania, as well as a week of sun and fun in Puerto Vallarta.   

 

Numerous vacations each year has always been my norm, but feeling a little overwhelmed by all the logistics and details...

Stay tuned for all my antics in Italy next week!

#grateful

Thoughts while on my way to China

China is a country I decided years ago I would boycott and never visit because of my sympathetic alliance and fondness of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In 1951, China invaded the small peaceful country of Tibet.  In 1959, the Dalai Lama, fearing for his life in the wake of a revolt, fled over the Himalaya mountains to Dharamsala, India, which is still his current home.  Since then, there has been many threats from the Chinese government against the Dalai Lama and those who are his allies.  

Well, the boycott had ended and I am traveling to China on business.  I have really mixed feelings and am conflicted about this, but in the end have succumbed in order to meet with work colleagues.  I realize it is the Chinese government, and not my work colleagues, who invaded Tibet, but my heart aches for what happened to the Tibetan people.