An Andalucian respite

Hotel Alcazar de la Reina, Carmona, June 27, 2010

So, we’ve been slackers in the blogging department for a bit, but we have been taking notes. So we’re breaking this blog up into two parts which we’ll post simultaneously in “chronological” order (ie there’s another new post after this).

Salobrena, on the Costa del Blanco, was absolutely gorgeous and, thanks to Robin’s research, we scored a great house overlooking the town with a beautiful view of the sea. Our friends the Brittains and the Hamiltons joined us, as did Nathan and his girlfriend, Amber.

Most of the highlights involved finding the best free tapas, lounging by the pool, watching the World Cup and sampling lots of Spanish wine.

But the real event was the party we arranged for Nathan’s 22nd birthday. Check out the photos; the whole town came out for it and camped on the beach with a really big bonfire. You have no idea what it took to pull that off!

It really was a wonderful week of a whole lot of doing nothing with people dear to us—a very nice break after weeks of traveling.

It was with more than a little sadness that we left Salobrena and all went our separate ways. Nathan and Amber took off for a few days in Madrid, the Hamiltons and Brittains left a day or two early for Jerez de la Frontera and Seville. We decided that we would head that same direction, though taking the route through the mountains instead of the coast. The landscape was beautiful, and the roads a bit harrowing. We finally stumbled upon one of the classic Spanish “white villages” which was charming, before making it to Jerez.

It was pretty funny when we checked into the hotel, which was recommended by the Brittains and Hamiltons, when the clerk exclaimed, “It seems all of our guests from the U.S. come from Austin, Texas, these days!”

Anyway, Jerez is a charming little town, which was followed last night by yet another charming village, Ecija. It was amazingly quiet there (and hot; it’s called the “frying pan of Spain.” Feels a lot like Austin) even when we went back out at 7:30 pm. We found a little bar off the square across from a large church where we got a lesson in bullfighting from a former, elderly, torriador. Everybody was very friendly as we all watched bullfighting and then football, the evening being only slightly marred by the USA’s loss to Ghana.

Explored a Roman necropolis today in Carmona, and now it’s off to find more food and drink tonight in another small Spanish town.

Barcelona, redux

Hotel La Paz, Murcia, Spain, June 17, 2010

OK, so (obviously) Robin’s merciful side reasserted itself and she didn’t kill me—yet…

And I never, never want to drive in Barcelona again, unless for some reason I move there and get to know the place a whole lot better. After renting a car downtown and trying to work my way back to the hotel to pick up Robin, it took me nearly 2 hours to go (essentially) around the block. Way too many one way streets and way too few street signs.

Barcelona was a quick stop, but Robin picked out a few choice sights for us to see. Our plane was delayed so we had a bit less time than expected the first day, so we spent the first few hours of our stay checking out La Rambla, the main tourist street in the city. Quite a sight to behold. Two things that were quirky and interesting to watch were the folks dressed up as living statues waiting for tourists to pay to have their photos taken (some were quite entertaining), and the street vendors with the bootleg movies and knock-off handbags. They would lay out their wares on sheets, with rope tied to each corner. Each piece of rope was gathered into a handle in the middle, which they held onto at all times—presumably to make a quick getaway if the authorities showed up.

Tuesday started great with a walk through an amazing market, a stroll along the pier and into Barri Gotic. Then the Picasso museum—well worth the visit. I think we both felt like we finally understood what he was doing after getting a bit of an education.

Then on to one of the most amazing things I’ve see on the entire trip—Sagrada de la Familia. It is a cathedral nearly all designed by Gaudi and is taking more than 100 years to build. The completion date is around 2030 and it is simply spectacular, not just in the architecture (reflects nature in a way I haven’t seen before) but in the fact that we are witness to the construction of what will be one of the great buildings and churches of the world.

We followed that up with a brief visit to Park Guell (also designed by Gaudi) after having a really crappy map that made us walk about 200% more than necessary. But it was very cool in any case—I’m now a big fan of Gaudi and his use of angles and natural shapes.

We ended our evening search for tapas and wine, as you must be in Barcelona, successfully.

Leaving Barcelona, or trying to

Barcelona, June 16, 2010

It’s been 38 days, 20,000 miles and Tom is about to die. Because I’m going to kill him.

Though we have been ‘together’ a very long time, we’ve never spent this much time together. And I do mean together, as in we haven’t even been in different buildings, and are usually no more than 20 feet apart. For 6 weeks. Let me say that again: 6 weeks.

Those of you who know me well, know that I have a pretty serious introvert side that needs attention now and then. And by attention, that means being left completely alone for a while. So, when I have to spend too much time with someone, I start noticing every little quirk and they start to make me a bit crazy. Did I mention that I’ve been with Tom non-stop for 6 weeks?

I finally snapped in Barcelona. It was the weird eating schedule he has. Or rather lack of schedule. But I won’t go into that, let’s just say that I was ticked off all afternoon at him; and the one thing that will make Tom mad at me, is me being mad at him. It’s a vicious cycle. In any case, Parc Guell was not nearly as charming as it was suppose to be as a result of us sniping at each other.

And then, there was the rental car debacle that fixed everything.

Here was the plan: we get packed up and Tom walks the few blocks to the Europcar rental agency to pick up the car. There is no parking available in front of the hostel, so he was suppose to drive by, wave at me and then I would gather up the rest of the bags and head to the corner. He would circle the block, we’d throw the bags in and be on our way to Salobrena. How hard could it be?

Hah! I can hear anyone who’s been to Barcelona laughing out loud at this plan.

First part goes great. He drives by, I get the bags and make it to the corner in less than 2 minutes to wait for him to come back. And wait. And wait.

After 10 minutes I start wondering if maybe I was mistaken and that wasn’t him that drove past. But it had to be, I saw him. After 15 minutes, I come to the conclusion that he’s just gotten turned around and would be there any minute.

An hour goes by and now I’m just getting worried. How the hell long could it take to go around the block!

I haul all the bags back to the entrance of the hostel and convince the maintenance man to look after them for 2 minutes while I check to see if the clerk has any messages for me.

He’s been gone 1 ½ hours at this point. If he was in an accident, he’d have no way of telling anyone where to find me, and I don’t speak enough Spanish to start checking hospitals.

No message at the desk, but then it occurs to me that he might have his phone turned on, and I have the laptop. I frantically send an email: “Are you OK? I’m starting to get really worried. I’m waiting in the downstairs lobby.”

Reply: “Ok just lost”

Me, relieved: “Stop somewhere and tell me were you are. I’ll take a cab to you.”

Tom: “No place to stop”

As it turns out, they really like one way streets in Barcelona. And, there is no rhyme or reason to the way the city is laid out. And, there really isn’t any place you can even stop long enough to get directions without blocking a lot of traffic.

Which is what Tom did—and after 2 hours I hear him shout from the front door for me. I grabbed all of the bags again and we got them in the car. But not before we got a ticket for stopping in a taxi zone—which is what we were trying to avoid with the circling the block plan.

I’m not entirely convinced that he didn’t do this intentionally to make me appreciate him after yesterday—but he swears not. And we have 2 more weeks.

The clear, blue sea

Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 14, 2010

After four sun-soaked—and burned—days, we are leaving Dubrovnik, Croatia, tomorrow for Spain. The Adriatic really is as blue and beautiful as all of the photos make it look. We spent two days on Lokrum island, a short ferry ride away. To call it a beach is not quite right—we lounged on large rocks on the seaside, not sand, but that gives you the chance to drop down into water that is clear for as far as you can see. Yesterday, we hit Lopud which was a 40 minute boat ride away and has a sandy beach. Sand is nice, but we prefer the rocks – the sound of the waves breaking on them is so relaxing, plus when you get out of the sea you don’t have to deal with all that sand sticking to you. Wow, tough choices, right?

If nothing else, seeing people young and old wear skimpy swimsuits, or none at all, has gotten me out of my Quaker-style bathing suit and into something a bit more acceptable for the Mediterranean. Honestly, the first couple of days I was at the beach I felt like I was wearing a burka compared to everyone else. We did have to come up with a “naked old guy” alert as that was something that neither of us was comfortable with—me for obvious reasons and Tom because he didn’t want to confront the future quite yet.

The Old Town of Dubrovnik really is a charming place, with lots of tiny streets and alleys twisting and climbing up and down. As we wandered around, we got plenty of views of hidden courtyards and rooftop patios. There are lots of little shops and restaurants, too, some tucked so far away that you wonder how anybody finds them. Much like Zagreb, the squares and streets are packed with people at all hours.

When we were in Zagreb we asked the hotel clerk, Davor, about it and he laughed—apparently he gets the question all the time: Why are cafes and bars bustling all day long, don’t people have to work? His answer, it’s just our way of life. Yes, we work, he said, but a day off is spent meeting friends for coffee, which can then turn into an evening of drinks and talk. Not a bad way of life in our book.

Getting back to Dubrovnik, the apartment we’re staying in isn’t in Old Town, but a 10 minute walk away. Not so bad time-wise, but the trip did involve lots and lots of stairs. Going down wasn’t a big deal, but heading up at the end of the night is a killer. But the elevation gain does afford a very nice view of Old Town, its harbor and Lokrum island.

In the land of the giants

Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 11, 2010

So, back home in Austin, I’m a fairly tall fellow at about 6’3”. But after we arrived in Zagreb, Croatia, a couple days ago, we both noticed that the folks here tend to be BIG. Seems like I’m about average height here (maybe a little above average, but not much), and Robin seems relatively short compared to many of the women. Other than that, however, we felt right at home in Zagreb. It’s the capital of the country, a university town, surrounded by hills and mountains, and it even has a river running right through the middle – all very much like Austin.

There is a very lively street life that goes on all day long (and well into the night) at the cafes, bars and restaurants that line the streets and boulevards. We spent our time wandering, admiring the architecture, shopping a bit, with frequent stops for refreshment and people-watching.

We only had a short time to explore Zagreb, just a day and a half, but really enjoyed it and would have stayed another day if we hadn’t already made flight reservations to Dubrovnik.

Here in Dubrovnik, it’s sunny and warm. The town is perched on the cliffs overlooking the Adriatic Sea, and is fairly small – I don’t imagine that more than a few thousand people live in the old town (not including us tourists!).

We’ve got five nights here, and are looking forward to being in one place for a bit. Today, we’re taking a ferry to Lokrum, a small island just off the coast, for some swimming and exploring.

More than halfway...

Istanbul, Just Bar, June 6, 2010

Back to civilization, and what a civilization it is—an amazing mix of cultures, people and flavors. We’re staying in Sultanahmet, which is tourist central for sure, with easy access to many of the city’s famous sites. So, we’re surrounded by tourists, but the variety of nationalities and ages makes it all rather refreshing since we get to mingle with English, Germans, Norwegians, Spanish and yes, plenty of Americans. And the Turks are a very hospitable folk, so it seems easy to fit in and just relax as we wander around—a pleasant contrast to China, where we always seemed to stand out from the crowd, and Kenya, where on safari we felt pretty insulated from the everyday life of Kenyans.

Waking at dawn to the sound of the call to prayer has been a mixed blessing—it’s a beautiful sound, but our hotel room is about 30 feet from a minaret with loudspeakers so it is quite loud. And then we are within shouting distance of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, both of which are breathtaking in different ways, and the muezzin’s calls from the nearby mosque combine with those of the neighboring, larger mosques to create a rather unsynchronized summons to prayer.

The history of the Hagia Sophia as one of the great Christian cathedrals which was later turned into a magnificent mosque has created a monument that is unlike anything else we’ve seen. On the other hand, the Blue Mosque is not just a relic from the past, but is an active house of worship which is stunningly beautiful.

We hit the ground running and roamed the neighborhood, visited the mosques, lingered in the Topkapi Palace & Harem (especially over the religious relics of John the Baptist’s arm and skull and David’s sword), and then found a rooftop restaurant with a great sunset view. Followed that up the next day with the Grand Bazaar, a labyrinth of interconnected shops that can throw off even the best sense of direction. The selection of goods is mind boggling with everything from fine pottery to fabrics to leather and all sorts of goods in between, including belly dancing costumes, which Tom could not quite convince Robin to buy. Just couldn’t find the right color.

But we have had to break the one bag rule. Tomorrow we are off to the Bazaar again to buy another suitcase—just can’t pass up the beautiful platters, lamps and bowls.

The food here is amazing, and we are especially fond of the excellent appetizers they make, both hot and cold. We actually like them more than most of the main dishes we’ve had—next meal, it’s nothing but appetizers, lots of them. We also took a cooking class last night which was quite fun. Between the new serving dishes and recipes, we are looking forward to our first dinner party back home. May not even wait—those meeting us in Spain might be in for a treat.

Today was spent exploring other neighborhoods and just wandering, which we could do for many more days but, unfortunately, we don’t have more time. But this is now one of our favorite cities, an international crossroads where we both feel at home and in another world.

Back from the Masai Mara

Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, June 2, 2010

Back in Nairobi, via a Safarilink flight that went very smoothly (even for Robin who, amazingly, slept most of the way), after spending the better part of three days in the Masai Mara. Which was also amazing. Yes, Kenya is indeed full of wildlife of all sorts and the experience of seeing the animals in the wild was unforgettable, but difficult to describe in words – pictures serve much better, so we’ve uploaded some of our favorites to flickr.

It might not be obvious from the photos (because we were frequently zooming in with the camera), but we were usually able to get very close to the animals. Most of them would let us get within 5-50 feet before eventually wandering off.

The Intrepid camp was great, if not as luxurious as Joy’s Camp. We became (as usual) particularly fond of hanging out in the bar, which overlooked a river. That, as it turned out, was fortuitous because it led to a very interesting evening on our last night there.

We met Marcus and Remy, from Germany, and newlyweds Doug and Michelle, from New York, in the bar and were chatting about the day’s game drives, what we had seen and where we had been while in Africa. Dinner was already well under way al fresco on the patio when we decided it was time to eat. As we rose and headed for the dining area, the six of us were pulled aside by one of the attendants and told to follow. He said that, as we were the last in the bar, they had something special to show us but he couldn’t be persuaded to impart any more info. So we headed off down a dimly lit pathway toward the outskirts of the camp.

After a few minutes walk, small luminarias came into view defining a pathway forward as we left the main part of the camp behind, still with no idea where we were going. We suddenly turned a corner into a clearing along the river, lit with candles and a fire. An elegant table was laid out for us, next to an open-air kitchen. We soon found ourselves seated and served with wine and beer, the smell of roasting meats wafting our way and the sound of flowing water as the background music…at least until the Masai warriors showed up.

Midway through the meal, we heard them approach down the same path that we recently tread. In full Masai dress, five or six of them entered the clearing, dancing and singing as they came. As the group provided a background chant, each took a turn to raise his voice higher in a tribal melody. This went on for a few minutes and then they invited Remy and Tom to join them in their performance, which included a bout of competitive jumping - the higher, the better. We were told later that whoever jumps highest gets the most women, which didn’t sit well with Robin. Fortunately, they didn’t bring any women with them…

It was a magical evening and we lingered long in the clearing with our new friends, chatting and laughing, before returning to our tents late that night. All in all, we couldn’t have imagined a more delightful end to our safari in Kenya.

Joy's Camp, Kenya, May 28: Of puff adders and cobras

There is nothing that will get your attention more than having a briefing where you are told to beware of puff adders, cobras and other creatures in the night.

That’s what happened when we arrived at Joy’s Camp in north central Kenya. Dry and hot, they’ve just come out of a very rainy season and it reminds both of us of Texas. We were told that if we needed to leave our tents at night to use the radio and call for an escort—which we thought was a bit excessive. Until last night, when our escort pointed out the smallish puff adder that he had just chased off the pathway. Needless to say we didn’t go anywhere without an escort and a flashlight.

Our time in Kenya so far has been both rushed and relaxed. After another marathon travel day from Guangzhou to Nairobi via Dubai (and up more than 36 hours with only a couple of catnaps between us) we spent our first night at a really lovely place just outside of Nairobi. We had the chance to meet some other Americans just coming off safari and had a great time swapping travel tales.

From our limited experience being ferried around Nairobi in small vans, the roads are much worse than China, but the drivers are just the same. If cars and trucks could push, shove and throw elbows, that’s what the vehicles in Nairobi would be doing. Fortunately, there are new roads being built—by the Chinese.

We were picked up the next morning and took a very small plane to Joy’s Camp in Shaba National Park. This place is gorgeous, and to say that we are staying in tents is just a technicality. If these tents were transplanted back to the States, they’d be high-end condos.

We met Mike the manager and John our guide and shortly went on our first game drive and “sundowner.” Mike mentioned that the animals were “thin on the ground” because of the recent rains. When it is this wet, they don’t need to gather at one watering hole and are more dispersed throughout the park and other nearby areas. While this is great for the prey animals, apparently the predators are having a rough time. Whereas last year there was a severe drought and the animals were slow and dying, the prey is now well-fed, energized, quicker and harder to catch. This has unforeseen consequences on the human population as well. Since we have been here, there has been at least one verified report of a hyena going into a community and taking a baby from a home.

Though they may be dispersed, we have seen two kinds of zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and countless other ground animals to say nothing of the birds. Our favorites so far (aside from the ones just noted) are the kori bustard bird and the dik diks, a tiny antelope of sorts.

On our way to a morning hike along the river, in the company of two park rangers armed with assault rifles, we also encountered a man wandering through the park. This got the park rangers excited – poachers are a problem. We stopped the Land Rover and they jumped out to investigate. It was a bit of a tense situation but Mia, one of our camp mates, lightened the mood by leaning forward to our guide John and whispering, “Ask him if he’s seen any animals…”

John has found us a couple of fantastic spots to watch the sunset with wine and beer in hand. “Lovely” is the word that comes to mind.