Alaska and Victoria BC

Off to Seattle to visit Alaska. The plane was ahead of schedule which was great, darn there is an “important person” getting ready to leave Seattle so we circled for an hour till they left, ugh.

The good news was I still had plenty of time to make the cruise unlike the group of travelers that had to catch up with the cruise the next day.

This was a quilting cruise, not sure I would do another one. I loved the teachers and classes but like a cat with a bright light I felt I was missing some of the cruise activities that I would have enjoyed. We could choose three different classes from the four men. Three nights they would have a truck show ( Show and tell) of their quilts and tell a small story of how they got into quilting. Two men brought their wives and one brought his mother in law for the holiday. Each came into the industry differently and all are very good at what they do. It was interesting that half were my age and half were younger.

The stops we had were Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria BC. Patti and I tried to walk each day around the boat with the thoughts of the next meal we were going to eat or last meal we had eaten. The meals were lovely and I had managed not to gain too much weight even with all the sweets I ate. In Juneau we went to the glacier, glacier gardens and a quilt shop in town. In Sitka we went to a raptor rehab center, a rescue effort of bears and a salmon fishery. In Ketchikan we zip lined. The trip was amazing, it is one I would do again, well except for zip lining down nine zip lines in the rain forest as it rains. Yikes those lines are high above ground. We did see a bear rooting through the bushes below us but I could not let go of my death grip of the tree to take a photo.

While the ship went around Glacier park we saw seals, otters and a whale later on off the side of the ship. Even during dinner we saw some whales spouts. It was fun spotting all the Eagles and Ravens in the trees.
Victoria BC

Flew into Victoria after the cruise. Amazing to see the island above with all their hiking trails, lakes, and beaches. The view was stunning. Went to Sydney Spit beach with Liz’s brother. This entailed a short drive and a ferry across a bay. We saw sand pipers, red robins, sparrows, all kinds of trees, an otter, blue herons, sea gulls and an eagle. The day started out as cloudy and ended with a small drizzle. The weather is in the high sixties and very much like our late fall weather. It is delightful!

One night a mutual friend that sang in the folk music group in Abu Dhabi invited us to dinner and a jam session of her folk group here. The difference between the two events was here we had a fire pit going and no one was speaking Arabic in the background. It was a lovely evening.

As I walk around downtown everywhere you look the flowers are blooming. Flower baskets, pots, bushes are everywhere. I think it is one of the prettiest areas I have ever been.

We walked through the Empress hotel ( with a small stop for tea), and the parliament building. The tea here is an event. A burner is lite and placed on the table with a pot of water. We are then given a timer to judge how strong the tea will end. A three layer tray arrives with four different sandwiches on the lowest level, two crumpets with cream and jam on the next layer and then five different pastries on the top level. I think we ate all but the egg sandwiches and the carrot cakes. More walking is needed to keep up with my enjoyment of the local traditions. The parliament building has many stained glass windows and murals with gilded accents through the rooms we walked.

Last night we went for county cha cha lessons with some line dancing and two step thrown in at their local VFW hall. It was surreal doing country dancing so far from home.

Today was the BC museum with all the woolly mammoths on display on the second floor and the third floor which is the history of the people of the area. All very well done, with many interactive exhibits. Lunch was on another bay with fish tacos, not a crumb was left of the tacos or salad we ordered.

We have been through Chinatown a couple times. The history of the street is amazing. Pan tan alley is an assortment of shops on twisted alleys and streets. Reminds me of the bazaars in Egypt. Tonight’s dinner was an assortment of appetizers at one of the Chinese restaurants, this time a doggy bag went home with us. We are finishing the evening listening to some Cuban/Latin music on the lawn of Butchart gardens. The music sounds like jazz with a Latin pitch. As we drove home for the second time, a deer was waiting patiently in the crosswalk to cross the street. Seems Victoria has a problem with those “darn” deer.

Thursday March 3 a day in the math classroom

As spring break gets closer, the energy of the is students rising. As a team we decided to do an activity to review data as we have begun a new unit. We had the students do trash can basketball. They collected the data of their toss. After each team was done with their tossing of the basketball the students began to use the data. Students found mean, range, mode and the median. They then graphed their data and made observations about about the data. The students left with a smile on their face at the end of the period. Hopefully they will remember the vocabulary we reviewed more than the permission to throw paper in the classroom…

Ireland day five

After being on the bus so much lately it was nice not going so far today. We drove on to Galway then back to Dublin. Over half the tour group stayed in Shannon to fly home and the rest are either continuing on with their travels or flying home from Dublin.

There was a faire going on in Galway so there were many people there on holiday. It is a seaside town that many come to have a holiday even if it is cloudy and in the sixties. There were people swimming in the bay, brrrrr is all I can say. While there we also toured a marble factory. The different marbles were amazing.

I ran into a Norman church that was very nice. It has been around for a few years.  Went to dinner along Temple street. It is so neat walking down the street and listening and hearing all the street preformers. The sky is finally clear and blue, hopefully tomorrow it will remain for my last day before flying back to the states.  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Ireland day four

Day four Ireland
Yesterday was a very long day of coach riding. We did the ring of Kerry and all I could hear was the Ring of Fire in my head. Though the whole trip was amazing I do not need to do that drive again. I was very glad I was not driving due to the narrow roads, high hedges, and twisting roads. At a couple of the scenic overlooks you would find a family or a couple people with small animals to pet, a few crafts to sell or fresh vegtitable scored sell. All for a coin or two to help them along.

We saw a shepards dog show, the gentleman did a grand job with his two dogs. He had a sheep of every breed in Ireland and explained the uses for them, rather for food or wool. It was very I interesting how different each breed was from each other.  

Dinner for me was early and I fell asleep listening to music that came through my open window. 

Today we went to the cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are a do again. I could have spent more time hiking along the cliffs. I walked for about an hour or so along each side of the cliffs. What is really nice the sky is overcast, threatening rain. The wind is brisk and the temperatures are high 60’s. What great weather to walk in along some very high cliffs. 

   
    
    
    
    
   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   
  

Ireland day four

I think today was an endurance of coach riding and climbing steps. I climb the castle Blarney and even stooped down to kiss the stone. The castle grounds were brilliant. Flowers, shrubs and trees were a beautiful background to the castle. The trees even had knitted tops around them from a sewing guild. A lady playing a harp was plying her trade too, you couldn’t have asked for better weather or ambience.  We are now in Killarney for two days. This is a tourist town of 10,000 that can swell to 30,000 with visitors. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Ireland day three

Ireland day three
I have so enjoyed the cool temperatures and rain showers. Knowing I am going back to humid high temperatures does tend to heighten the enjoyment. Today I changed hotels for this afternoon I will start my tour. This hotel looks like it was a large private home that was converted to a hotel. It is absolutely brilliant. I will enjoy staying there I believe for one night. 

I have, without getting lost, managed to find the Dart and I am on my way to Bray. Lea recommend the place and I have a couple hours to kill, off I go. 

As I travel we are going by the coast. The skies are filled with dark angry clouds and the water is a dark green. The tide is out and all the shore birds are busy scavenging for food. On the other side of the dart one sees green squares of lawn edged with stone walls and green hedges. There is tagging in some do the rock cliffs the joys of artistic expression and paint even in Ireland. 

The train goes along the coast, as we reach Killiney there the sun peaks out from the clouds and you see families with their dogs on the beach. Brave ones have even have shorts and t shirts in. The rest are in dressed as one would on the eastern coast in March. There is a boot camp boxing with an incredible view behind the people of the ocean. We are driving by a lovely golf course filled with men golfing in their shorts. 

The harbours we go by are filled with small fishing boats and pleasure boats.

Oh my, I made it to. Ray and walked along the each. This is definitely a seaside touristy town. There were all the normal carnival rides needed to entertain the younger population. There were also craft and food vendors. One BBQ vendor had his booth to look like a glockenspiel. The town had a small park with workout machines that were stationary. It was very nice. I went up to the walk along the cliffs. The view was amazing. Flowers, rocks, ocean and men swimming I the buff, which was totally unexpected..I quickly decided not to go down that pathway. After an hour of walking I am back on the dart headed to Dublin. 

   
    
    
 

Ireland

I arrived after flying all night from Abu Dhabi. A brief stop in Amsterdam and a sound nap, we landed in Ireland to Gray overcast skies. After 45 minutes in immigration I was through with suitcases in tow and on my way. Caught a taxi, the driver was quite chatty. Unfortunately my room was ready so I dumped my cases and went foraging for food and drink. I found rain and cold and the whiskey museum, where I had a delightful Irish coffee. Thought I would be an.e to wait out the rain but no such luck. Onward I trudged and down dragged my dress and squish went my shoes. Luckily the room was ready and I was able to change into clothing appropriate for this weather. I took a brief nap while my machines were charging, unfortunately not enough so I left them at home to continue to feed. Off I went looking for the “temple area”.  I found the Hairy Lemon pub. I was ready to sit and eat and hang the temple area. I decided to keep walking, and surprise I got turned around. I saw more of Dublin than my feet wanted to. I finally hobbled to the hotel around ten as the sun was finally beginning to set. 

The sun rose at four thirty this morning, and I know this why, oh I was awake. I was able to find trinity college without any problems and went to the library to see the book of Kells and see the library. The nice part is I read every sign, took my. Time, it wasn’t too crowed due to the early time of day. Off to the green city bus tour and noticed how much of the city I have walked while being lost. 

I got off thinking I would go back to the hotel for a nap, but then decided I was hungry and well yes, I did get turned around but I found a mickey D’s and a Starbucks to sit and relax in a window seat and watch the world go by. The rain comes and goes, with my jean jacket and rain jacket I am very comfortable outside. Inside Starbucks both came off very quickly. Well I finally figured out how to make it back to the hotel, since I continually turn the wrong way. Get on the “hop on,hop off” bus and go to Trinity College. From there no problem getting to the hotel! 
Good news went out this evening and discovered I must have been walking around my hotel all this time.  I have managed to walk for an hour and make it right back to the hotel. Now to change hotels tomorrow, sigh.

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Masai Mara National Park

We finally found out our holiday break for EID, a holiday in the states that I never had even heard of but now I am very aware of when it occurs. Anyway Liz and I saw a tour come up for a safari to masi mari in Nairobi. Of course we jumped on the opportunity to join a group on a safari.
After a two hour delay of our flight from Dubai to Nairobi we finally arrived about ten in the morning, exhausted. We had been at the airport since midnight the night before, up almost 24 hours straight. Yech! We were met by our tour guide, he quickly got us through the visual line and passport control. There were seven of us total, some in education some in the medical field, all women. One of the ladies had a friend stationed there and had given her some suggestions on things to,do,on our day in town and we,pretty much followed her suggestions. Went to,the giraffe breeding facility, elephant reduce grounds, Heart of Africa’s home and had lunch, and some,famous restaurant that wasn’t worth the visit. We finally made it back to our hotel and collapsed into our bed!
Up early and bright and ready to head out to the bush to see “wild” animals. Little did I know it was a six and half hour drive, last hour and half was on an unsaved road, oh my poor back and bottom!
It was interesting seeing the countryside, but….I think next time, I’d there is a next time, I would fly to the bush. We arrived to our base camp, and it was pretty primitive, a tent on a permeant base. Needless,to,say there was a spider in the bathroom area which freaked me out! How fast can I pee? Pretty fast! We went out before dinner to look at some of the animals and got our first taste of the women hawking their products at the gate. They could become,a bit aggressive with any encouragement form the occupants of the bus. They were almost crawling into the bus to show us their trinkets.
The first night we were so excited so see giraffes, antelopes, wildebeest, and zebras. We returned for dinner and sleep, but that was just a hopeful thought.mwe were so lucky to,arrive on the same weekend,the summer interns were having,their end of season party. They were having a grand time, music, loud, talking, singing, dancing, etc, it was a long evening before they finally called it a night.
Up early the next morning, breakfast with monkeys was a first, you had to make sure you kept a hand on your food or it could be snatched away very quickly and eaten.
Off to a full day of photo moments of wild critters. Watching all the different safari vans chase the next big animal location was almost as fun as seeing the next big animal. We did see all of the big five except for the rhino. They were not in our area of Africa.
Back to base camp and a visit of the local tribes village. It was very interesting at how primitive the lifestyle is to this day. Mud huts with dirt floors. They sleep in three rooms, one for,parents, one for children and one for guest. There are platforms build,slightly a of the ground that they sleep on. A hole,dug in the ground in one room is the stove or fire pit and that would be about it. They only eat meat about every two weeks, milk from the cows and a type porridge in the morning. For,special occasions they bleed a cow for the milk(they do not kill it) and drink the milk. A special occasion is the attaining manhood, birth of a baby….they look,fairly healthy. No vegetables, fruits or,bread, I guess that would be an Adkins diet.
That night a group of hyenas tried to attack a baby elephant and the dominant male no female took exception to that and made their feelings well know by trumpeting and roaring loudly. As I laid in the tent all I could think is please don’t stampede…I also did not know elephants roar like a lion, it was an interesting evening.
The next day we went back in for one more ride and then drove back to Nairobi to catch our plane back to Abu Dhabi. It was a once in a life time trip, and I think once is fine for me.

Leaving Abu Dhabi

I am leaving Abu Dhabi today. Strange how in January I did not think I would last the last two semesters. I have been at school for a month now without any students. I can not begin to tell you how boring that is, it is like being a lifeguard and no swimmers. The past week has been wonderful. I was put in a wonderful hotel downtown Abu Dhabi. I was really glad my daughter was able to visit while I was in the room. She was able to see a different side of Abu Dhabi than the desert side she saw last time. She was able to experience Ramadan to the fullest. We went to Moreeb Dune, one of the highest sand hills in the world. We went to the Burj Khalifa to the 148 floor which is a merely twenty stories high.  Watching scuba divers feeding the fish at Dubai mall. Enjoying the water fall also in Dubai mall. We went to an Iftar buffet at the Viceroy that sits at Yas circuit. A tent was sent up in the lobby to show a traditional tent for breaking the Ramadan fast. Breaksfast buffet each morning at the hotel, learning there is nothing like crossants made in Abu Dhabi. The tiles and ceiling were the ones at the beach rotana. The flowers were fresh and smelled delightful each day, these lilies were stunning. Ate more dates than I have ever wanted to. Life is good!

 
   

    
    
    
    
    
 

Qasr Al Sarab

Yesterday I left Ghaythai for a weekend holiday at a five star resort called Qasr Al Sarab. It means Place of Mirage. Here in the middle of desert there is this amazing hotel. I arrived after an almost three hour drive through camel country. They took my car and used a golf cart to drive me to my room. Any time I want to go anywhere just dial zero and they will come get me…now remember the temperature here is warm, very warm by late afternoon. 

We decided to go check out the restaurants just as the sun was beginning to set behind the sand dunes, our driver offered to take us around the resort so Liz and I said yes, please. So he drove us around for about an hour showing us the private villas, only the outside. The outside Bedouin tent dinning area, which is being dismantled today to the spa and pool area. Yes, we made a spa appointment.  It will be 106 by this afternoon so we have to find something to do today. Yes, we now have temperatures ranging from 106-108 each afternoon so afternoon activities outside are halas, or done! 68 more days till the end of term I am hoping the AC is up to the task. 

   

                 

After spending the afternoon hiding from the high temperatures in our room Liz and I ventured forth just in time for happy hour and sunset. What is amazing, is you see unlimited sand for as far as you can see. To the right of some photos you are able to see a small pond which is oil “lake”. Reminds me of the tar pit in LA. The temperature has dropped from the high of 106 to a mild 86. We are sitting by the pool enjoying our dinner as dusk begins to set. Everywhere you walk there is a fountain and soft lights turning on as night approaches. The birds are settling down and those pesky feral cats have begun to leave us alone, nothing like trying to eat a hamburger without trying to touch an unknown cat on your lounge chair.

  

We ended the evening with a spa “special”, a neck, back massage and facial. I can’t remember the last time my back and neck felt so relaxed. Off to bed we trundled. Only to wake bright and early, 5:15 in time to see the sunrise. Liz found a sand dune to climb, luckily for my poor lungs it wasn’t too tall. We were able to sit relax and enjoy the sun as it rose over a neighbouring dune.

We are now sitting on our porch listening to the birds singing, drinking our coffee and wishing tomorrow wasn’t a work day.