South American Travel Therapy

How will I fill the hole in my heart from losing Mike and Sandy? It was unwitting, but the healing process has been helped by my book club’s selection of “The Collected Regrets of Clover”. The main character (Clover) is a death doula. Although I didn’t relate to her personality, I definitely DID appreciate her discussion of death and what to do to make that inevitable passage more comfortable for a loved one. How I wish I had read it two years ago!

Here are some lines that really resonated for me: “When someone has always been there for you, it’s easy to assume they always will be. And then, one day, they’re not.”
“Some people believe that the spirits of loved ones stay with you even after they die, so you can still chat with them whenever you like.”
Whenever I find myself regretting things that I should have done differently during my 47 years with Mike, the following line brings me comfort. “You know, from what you’ve told me about him, it doesn’t sound like there’d be any issue of him forgiving you. Maybe it’s more a question of you forgiving yourself?”
Like me, Clover discovers traveling can help her assuage her grief. That’s how I’ll be spending a good part of 2025, as you’ve probably guessed from the title of this post. Some of my travel will be to places I’ve already visited with Mike, as is the case with my first trip in 2025, to Columbia and Ecuador.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m very excited about this trip, which is why I’m blogging about it pre-departure. In January of 2010, Mike, Greg and I took an Oceania cruise through the Panama Canal. Our only stop in Columbia was in Cartagena. As is the case with many cruises, we were only in port for less than a day, which was definitely not enough time to savor this lovely city. But one advantage to traveling by ship is the spectacular view of the city as we pulled into and out of the harbor. Here’s a photo from a vantage point that I don’t expect to replicate on my land trip with OAT.

One of the many reasons I continue to choose Overseas Adventure Travel is the ability to customize my tour by adding pre and/or post trips. Initially, I had considered taking the pretrip to Bolivia, but the flights and connections were pretty dreadful, and I learned from the very helpful Facebook page “Friends of Overseas Adventure Travel” that some people struggled with altitude sickness while in Bolivia. Bogota is fairly high up too, but by arriving a day before the tour starts, I figure I can load up on coca tea. Yes, you can make cocaine from those very same leaves, and no, I’m not bringing any home with me. During our trip to Peru in 2009, we discovered the miraculous properties of coca tea, which helped us adjust to the altitude in Machu Picchu and Cusco. Before departure, OAT’s trip leaders always send us an email chock full of helpful information. Alejo also sent a second email to the five of us that are arriving early with suggested activities, restaurant recommendations and he confirmed that coca tea is available at our hotel.

I love OAT’s small group size. Of the 15 of us on the main trip, 5 are men and 10 are women. Three have matching last names, and although the remainder don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are all traveling solo. Sometimes two friends are traveling together, and if it is a relatively new relationship for a man and a woman, they tend want to go off by themselves. Fortunately, at least so far, I’ve encountered a number of interesting, friendly OAT travelers who have been excellent travel buddies, which makes the trip far more fun. Some that I’ve met (both when Mike and I traveled together and since I’ve traveled solo) continue to be friends. In fact, some will be with me on trips planned for 2026. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Back to 2025.

When I learned that Columbia was one of the countries featured on the 2024 Amazing Race, I streamed those two episodes to get a sneak peek at what I might expect. Like the contestants, we will be traveling to Bogota, Medellin, Guatepé and the coffee growing area. I double checked the OAT itinerary, and sure enough, we will also hit many of the same highlights. For the map enthusiasts (and Mike turned me into one…) here’s where we will be, starting in Bogota.

Luckily, we have three nights in Cartagena, so this will be my chance to get that “savoring’ in that I missed during our brief time in port. The photo atop this post I took when we were in Cartagena 15 years ago. Not what you envision when you think of Columbia, is it?

Our hotels are a nice mix of big city locations and smaller boutiques. Because so many people have warned me about the dangers of traveling in Columbia, I thought I’d share photos of where we will be staying. Our hotel in Bogota appears to be centrally located, in a lovely walkable area.

Hotel de la Opera
Bogota

All of our hotels have pools; the ones in Medellin and Cartagena are on the rooftop, affording guests a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Novotel Medellin

Our small boutique hotel in the coffee triangle will be a nice change from the two big cities, as you can see from the photo below. We will spend three nights in Pereira. Bosques, by the way, is the Spanish word for forests. I have no idea what Saman means. Probably just the name of the area.

Hotel Bosques del Saman

I don’t know if you can tell from the photo below, but the ocean is visible from Cartagena’s rooftop pool. An additional claim to fame for the Bantu Hotel is that it is just 300 meters from the Hotel Santa Clara. (For those who don’t relate well to the metric system, Ms Google tells us that 300 meters equates to a 4 minute walk ) . Why is that important? Well, in 1621 The Hotel Santa Clara was a convent for the nuns known as the Poor Clares. When Sofitel transformed it into an upscale hotel in the 1990’s, they wisely kept the crypts, wells, confessionals and gardens which should make their “30 minute free legendary tour with the hotel Butlers” really interesting. Is the tour only available to hotel guests? I don’t know, but I can assure you that I WILL find out, and I’ll certainly report back.

Bantu Hotel

As one would expect, the Santa Clara Hotel has world renown restaurants. The 1621 is reputed to have a “creative” tasting menu –(is that a synonym for really, really expensive? )– but I expect I will only be able to afford a drink at the hotel bar. Check out the hotel’s on-line description of this “magical” bar:
The atmosphere becomes more magical when the sun begins coming down and the golden and orange sunlight offers an unrepeatable spectacle for your senses.
This place, surrounded by an enchanting aura, welcomes its visitors with shelves full of old jars. Upon arrival, the outpours of exotic herbs and spices mix in the air, taking you to a time of ancient secrets and forgotten magic. The menu is truly a masterpiece, offering a selection of potions and concoctions carefully prepared. You can find a wide variety of “Elixir” –a mix of ginseng and lavender– as well as the “potion of remedies for the soul”. Each drink is a unique sensorial experience with dazzling presentations and seducing flavors. The bar is located outdoors on the terrace of the hotel’s third floor, offering the best view of the Caribbean Sea. Botika Bar recreates the concept of the old pharmacies, where artisans would experiment and prepare medicines by combining plants and minerals to discover masterful formulas with healing properties.

How could I pass up such a spiritual experience? I sure hope I’ll be able to entice at least ONE of the “friends I haven’t met yet” to join me for a “unique sensorial experience with dazzling presentations”.

After imbibing potions that will heal the soul, I and 6 fellow travelers will be flying to Quito for the 7 day post trip. Although Mike and I had been to Ecuador in January of 2012, we stayed at an ecolodge in the Amazon jungle and then were on a boat traveling from island to island in the Galapagos. The only overlap between the two trips will be our time Quito.

While in Columbia, I will be spending 13 nights in 4 hotels; In Ecuador, it will be 7 nights in 3 hotels, but our time in Quito will be split into a 1 night stay, upon arrival, and a 2 night stay upon departure. Let’s see how THAT shakes out. It will definitely be a test of my packing skills!

Quito
Hacienda Abraspungo
Cuenca

To prepare for my visit, I have been taking language lessons through two on line apps. Although Duolingo’s app is helpful, I found that Busuu (recommended by my multi-lingual friend Chris) teaches me words and phrases that I am more apt to use. Here are some examples of actual lessons:
“Dar la vuelta al mundo” means to travel around the world, but a literal translation is something like “to give the return to the world”, which would have completely befuddled me. Duolingo tends to introduce phrases that can easily translate into English like “mi tio estudia la actividad del cerebro de los gatos”, which means “My uncle studies the activity of the brains of the cats”. I’m just guessing that the idioms from Busuu will be used more frequently. But we shall see. One can never predict how many cat brain enthusiasts one might meet!

Busuu has me engaging with native speakers in Spain who are learning English. I correct their work and they correct mine. Of course, some of my teachers are young kids, but hey, that way I’ll learn all the cool words! Should I teach them “yo mama”? Both apps have free and paid versions. Busuu wears you down with lots of advertising on their “free app”, but I kept ignoring the invitations to buy until the price reduced to about $60 for the year.

Time to get back to trip details. The participants on the OAT Facebook page frequently ask questions about whether it is better to purchase air through OAT or to book your own flight. I’ve done both, but this time, I discovered that if I booked directly with Avianca, for a mere $427 more, round trip, I could upgrade to business class AND choose my seat AND get direct flights from and to JFK! I’ll be flying for the first time with Avianca, so I have no idea what business class is like, but I certainly will let you know.

Adios por ahora.

Istanbul

Mike and I spent our three week honeymoon traveling thru Europe, and then stayed within the USA’s borders until our 25th wedding anniversary in 2001. To celebrate that milestone we took our first cruise, which started with two days in Istanbul.

View of Hagia Sophia from the terrace of the Seven Hills restaurant

I had thought that we would return to Turkey to celebrate our 50th, but as the John Lennon song goes “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans”.

Night view of the blue mosque.

Instead, I’ll be visiting Turkey on Mike’s and my anniversary accompanied by Janis, Shirley, Renee and Renee’s husband Mike, all friends I met on prior OAT trips.

Ahmed III‘s Fountain, built in 1729.

On the way home from my Africa trip, I opted to stop in Istanbul for two nights. I’m not seeing many of the usual tourist sights—I either saw them in 2001 or will see them when I visit in May of 2026. Instead, I’ve primarily been on a recognizance mission, checking out restaurants and the hammam, so I can make “free time” recommendations for my travel companions.

The lunch at Matbah was WONDERFUL! I opted for an appetizer (grape leaves and sour cherries) and the yogurt and cucumber salad. The complimentary baba ganoush, warm pita bread and pomegranate juice were an unexpected treat. I can fully understand how this place got its Michelin rating.

Last night I visited Seven Hills restaurant. The terrace has a spectacular view BUT stupid people were feeding the seagulls. Don’t they understand that what goes in eventually must come OUT? I happen to know that the poop doesn’t necessarily land on the head of the person feeding the gulls; sometimes it’s an innocent bystander that’s the target.

There’s a French fry on the end of the fork she’s holding aloft.

I decided to patronize the Seven Hills restaurant on the floor below the terrace, which was MUCH quieter and had an equally compelling view of the Bosporus. The food? Well, it was expensive and average. I wouldn’t go back the next time I’m in Istanbul.

On the morning of my only full day in Istanbul, I encountered an OAT group taking Turkey’s Magical Hideaways (my 2026 trip) in the hotel lobby. I decided to eavesdrop as Sari, the trip leader, held the morning briefing. After he finished, I introduced myself and asked if I could have a copy of the four pages of helpful hints that he’d handed out to the group.

Sari. Maybe he’ll be my trip leader in 2026?

And let me tell you, they came in VERY handy.

For example, I hate to be rude, so I find it impossible to ignore someone who is talking to me. One of the hints said “Do not be polite”, and told us to walk away from offers for help or invitations to shop.

Despite being cautioned, I still engaged in conversations. It seems I can’t help it. This young man tried more than once to get me to visit his shop, calling “Hey, New Jersey” when he encountered me the second time. Yes, I DID tell him where I was from the first time we met. AND I took his picture.

I keep telling the young men (and it’s ALWAYS young guys) “I’m old. I’m not acquiring stuff any more—I’m getting RID of stuff. Go after the young ‘uns. They’re more likely to buy from you”. That seems to work rather well.

So my morning was spent crashing a meeting, hanging out, and wandering aimlessly. For the afternoon, I fruitlessly searched for gifts for the boys in my life. Gifts for girls abound, but boys? I came up empty.

My trip to the Hamam, on the other hand, was a smashing success. Not only was I in a historic building, but I also managed to shed about a pound of dead skin cells and African grit.

I’m usually not a fan of massages, but this experience was incredible. I immediately checked the OAT itinerary, and was glad to see that we are going to have a free afternoon in Istanbul on our 2026 trip. You better believe I’m coming back!

I can’t tell whether the description of the hammam is readable, but just in case it isn’t, here’s the gist.

The “Hagia Sophia bathhouse” as it was called back then, was built in 1556. Over the centuries, it was repurposed, then restored in 1957. So why didn’t I delete the photos of the description after I wrote the summary? Because I found the description absolutely charming—incomprehensible, but charming.

Fortunately, the photo of the available services came through clearly. I bought the one hour of services and it was worth every Euro!

I wasn’t sure whether the “warmest quarter” referred to my body or the section of the building. It was the latter.

The photo atop this blog post shows what’s under the huge dome on the right, in the photo below. The little domes are private areas where you get covered with mud, then rinsed off. After that, you mosey on over to the dome on the left to get enveloped in bubbles (it was fantastic) and massaged.

You start and end up in the room under the big dome on the right

That’s where you sip your tea, while wearing your Hannibal Lecter mask.

The ONLY photo taken of me in the hammam.

I’ll admit to being so puzzled by my hotel’s bathroom configuration that I actually did a video of it for the folks back home.

Https://youtu.be/VtunHUZX-ns?si=0TvliqZ7QqdQ9Axx

The mystery of the basin and round metal bowl was solved during my visit to the hammam, because the private spaces were similarly constructed. One exception— the ones in the hammam didn’t have a showerhead. That was probably a concession to the western guests.

But back to the basin, bowl and bench.

Here’s what you do. You fill the basin with water heated to your desired temperature. You sit on the bench and use the small metal bowl to dump water all over your body. Now, why didn’t I figure that out?

For my last morning in Istanbul, I visited the Topkapi Palace, which was within walking distance of our hotel. It is on 2026 itinerary, but sometimes it’s nice to take your time, wandering unescorted. This was definitely not one of those times. I kept getting lost. (I know, hard to believe…) I was especially sorry that I wasn’t with a guide who would steer me away from the boring and depressing areas and focus solely on what was worth seeing.

On a positive note, I left the “palace“ convinced that I am currently living better — and more comfortably —than yesteryear’s Ottoman Empire sultan. We ALL are.

Check out the throne room, theoretically the best digs in the palace. I’ll take my living room over this one, ANY day!

I DID like the library, but I’ll bet my iPhone has a better selection of reading materials.

What I don’t have is a room housing relics, at least not yet. The Chamber of the Sacred Relics is purported to contain the staff that Moses used to part the Red Sea, a pot that once belonged to Abraham (probably it was Sara’s, but back then, I’ll bet women weren’t allowed to own anything), bones from St John the Baptist’s skull and forearm, and dust from Mohammed’s tomb.

Moses’ rod
Abe’s pot
John the Baptist’s bones
Mohammed’s tomb dust

As it got closer to noon, the palace became hot and crowded. It took a while, but eventually I found my way out of the maze, checked out of the hotel, and made my way to the airport, which was a little over an hour’s taxi ride away.

This will be my last blog post for a while. No more international trips till 2025.

Thanks for traveling with me!

Up, up and away…

Sometimes when things don’t go according to plan, you end up with something even better. That was definitely the case for me and my ballooning buddies.

We dutifully arose at 3:45 AM, to be ready for our 4:15 escort. Why would we need an escort to get from our tents to the balloon company van, you ask? Well, because after dark one night, 4 lions wandered into our camp and positioned themselves between two of the tents, staying until daybreak. My family won’t be surprised to learn that I completely slept through their snorting and huffing.

Our 90 minute drive to the balloon launch site turned into a game drive, because while our driver Simon ( pronounced SEE-moan) was zipping along the bumpy roads, he was also on the lookout for critters.

The high point was when Simon spotted this young leopard easin’ on down the road. When he crossed in front of the jeep, a passenger in the front seat quickly snapped this photo. I just as quickly conducted an impromptu class on airdropping, so we could all share this reminder of our encounter.

We were hopeful as we settled into the basket, lying on our backs.

Okay, so maybe my selfie skills need a little work.

After being loaded into the balloon basket, “snug as bugs in a rug” ( as my mother used to say) the pilots decided it was too windy to fly.

We were given a choice of either trying again the next day or getting our money back. Hell, yeah, we’re all gonna try again. So what if we had to get up at 3:45 AM two days in a row? We got to see spectacular sunrises, drive with Simon again and scarf down yet another breakfast at the Miracle Experience camp. What’s not to like?

Besides, we already posed for this photo, so we felt committed.

Rachel, the youngest, Sue and Hannah, and me, the oldest (and biggest—I scrunched a lot) of our group.

On day 2, we already knew the drill. THIS time, I got a photo BEFORE we entered the basket, so the friends back home could see what I was trying to describe. Our new pals from the OAT group traveling a day behind us were in the “mezzanine”, while we scored the balloon’s “orchestra” seats on the bottom level.

This was our last chance for a balloon ride because the following day we were leaving the Serengeti. Fortunately, we all were chillin’, having a “que será, será” attitude. Whatever happened, we were good with the outcome. That’s what made these ladies such great travel companions.

Rosa, our Spanish pilot explained that there are three types of landings: smooth, bumpy, and drag. The first two terms are self explanatory. DRAG is when you bump several times before coming to a stop with the basket on its side, the way we started. Bet you can’t guess which one WE experienced.

What Rosa neglected to mention was that sometimes take off can also be a “drag”. We bounced up and down a couple of times before the balloon righted itself. Rachel, our selfie queen, captured our happy faces during our glorious lift off.

When we got completely upright, our new OAT friends took this one.

yes, it was cold at daybreak.

So what was it like? Pretty damn magnificent. It is very apparent that our eyes are indeed miraculous. My photos in no way do justice to what we viewed on the “Endless Plain”, which is the English translation of the Maasai word Serengeti.

Two last game drives, then on to my solo trip to Istanbul.

It may LOOK like rocks, but those are all hippos, including the butt pillow.

It took a group effort to bring this Cape buffalo down.

Now what made me think of Thanksgiving dinner? Except WE all gorge ourselves together. Lions take turns. See, one has been patiently waiting her turn, and now it’s time.

It was clearly worth the wait.

I’ll end this post with a shot of Mount Kilimanjaro for Tom, Jean’s husband. It was taken in Kenya, earlier in the trip. I had hoped to get a better shot from the Tanzania side, but my only view was from an airplane, and the propeller was in the way.

Serengeti Animals

It’s just as well that I had to abruptly end my last post before all of the photos uploaded, because my Serengeti pictures are so much better than the ones from the Ngorongoro Crater.

We left the beautiful Tloma Lodge in Karatu at 7 AM for an all day drive to our tented camp deep within the Serengeti.

I’ll be honest. I was NOT looking forward to 8 hours of rockin’ and rollin’. The road along the dusty, misty rim of the Ngorongoro Crater was very narrow, the drop into the caldera was steep, and visibility was poor. We were ALL very grateful that our drivers (Freddie and David) were experienced and skillful.

After a few stops and a picnic lunch, things started to get interesting. When we spotted a lioness standing guard on a big rock, we figured she must be protecting SOMETHING, but what?

First, one little head popped out in the crevice.

then a second one,

JACKPOT! We couldn’t believe our luck.

That must have been auntie on lookout duty, because here comes mom.

But wait…it gets better.

Remember the discussion about the differences between cheetahs and leopards a few posts earlier? Which one is this?

What about this one? It was REALLY far away, so the photo may be pixilated, still, you might be able to figure it out.

Suddenly the drive didn’t seem long, or bumpy or dusty. We were ALL thrilled.

Despite being out in the middle of nowhere, our tents are quite comfortable. Best of all, the bucket showers are so easy to operate, compared to some of the complicated faucet configurations we’ve encountered.

You pull the one with the wooden handle to get the water flowing, and pull the metal one to make it stop. The temperature is Goldilocks perfect, because the camp staff has heated the water to baby bear “just right”.

If you need more than 5 gallons, you yell and a staff member will bring it to you, but I didn’t ever use all 5 gallons. Hey, water is a precious resource, so when I was clean, I pulled that metal chain.

My tent was the next to the last one, right beside the party animals, Rachel and Hannah, two of my new best friends. Their tent was the gathering spot for those who wished to drink wine before happy hour.

But let’s get back to the animals:

There were so many great hippo shots, I struggled to choose just one, but settled on the one that captured both the hippo AND the crocodile.

Babies are always popular, so here’s one hitching a ride on mom, with the second one shouting “hey, wait for meeee”.

Mom and baby elephant walked right in front of us.

We can’t forget about the birds. I don’t have time to look up the name but it is a lilac something or other.

We are at the airstrip waiting to board our flight from the Serengeti airstrip to Arusha, so forgive any typos or autocorrect. I’m pressing publish without proofing.

Animals of Kenya and Tanzania

Is that not the most fascinating creature you’ve ever seen? Its official name is “secretariat” but Frederick, one of our drivers, calls it “the waiter” because of its black pants and white jacket.

Despite its weight, I decided to bring my Panasonic LUMIX with its zoom lens and not rely solely on my iPhone 14. Good thing.

iPhone at 3x zoom
LUMIX

Fellow traveler Sue’s IPhone 15 Pro had some amazing zoom capabilities, as evidenced by her “unicorn” shot.

Clearly, there’s a big difference between the iPhones.

My Lumix is great for distance shots,

but it also allows me to eliminate distractions, like this jeep jamboree.

After being in Rwanda, where contact with animals was tightly controlled, we were horrified that the jeeps were allowed to get so close to this animal, but the lion didn’t seem to mind.

Although we would have liked to have had the animals to ourselves, as was the case in Rwanda, we also recognized how positive it is for their economy to have so many tourists visiting Kenya and Tanzania.

Sometimes the two legged creatures are every bit as fascinating as the four legged ones. Gotta have that Instagram shot for the friends back home.

I promised you animals in this post, so here goes— a tiny sample of what we have seen so far.

Our first hyena,

mom and baby baboon, (notice the red butt? It functions like a red light hung in a window.)

We’ve seen thousands of zebras. I like this photo because their stripes make it seem like an optical illusion.

This baby antelope was only minutes old. We just missed witnessing the birth.

Although it might not be apparent in the photo, WE could all see the afterbirth dangling from mom. She was cleaning off her newborn so predators couldn’t smell it.

Do you know the differences between a cheetah and a leopard?

The cheetah’s spots are all the same color; a leopard’s spots are rosettes with two colors. The cheetah has a black line from its eye to its mouth, and they are the fastest animals on this planet, but leopards are stronger, bulkier and great climbers. But the biggest difference? So far, we’ve seen a cheetah, but haven’t seen a leopard.

I never get tired of watching the big cats doing their grocery shopping.

Like the cheetah, these lionesses are on the hunt, but for them, it’s a group activity.

We didn’t witness the kill, but we DID see what happens after. Although HE had nothing to do with the meal prep, the dominant male eats first, then the lionesses, then the kiddies, then the oldest and weakest members of the pride.

We watched this young male chase his smaller brother away so he could fill up in peace. After he’s satiated, little brother is welcome to the leftovers.

See that horn sticking up? That identified the victim as a wildebeest. Theses guys were as numerous as the zebras, and we frequently saw them traveling together.

On this trip we have 5 full day game drives, (leaving between 6:30 and 7:30 AM, returning between 3:30 and 5PM), and 10 drives split between morning and afternoon. Believe it or not, I opted to sit out one full day and one afternoon drive, choosing instead to hang out by the pool, watching the black faced monkeys and the beautiful birds.

Here’s the thing. The roads are extremely dusty and incredibly bumpy. Sometimes you’re bumped and jostled for over an hour in search of elusive game. Because of the dust, the windows of the safari vehicle have to stay closed. And the afternoons are hot.

Hot, dusty, bumpy drive or an afternoon sitting by a pool in a beautiful hotel, reading a fascinating book about the Kibera slums (“Find Me Unafraid“ by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner)? Knowing there would be abundant opportunities to see animals made my decision easy.

These starlings are iridescent.

Tomorrow we leave for four days in the Serengeti, where we will have NO connectivity, so here are a few quick photos before we go “off the grid”.

Crown cranes,

There’s more, but it will have to wait for Arusha, because of the wonky internet.

Maasai Culture

Warning: This might not be a good post to read to children.

Yet another reason I choose to travel with OAT is the opportunity to learn about the culture of the places we visit. I also love that a portion of our payment for the trip goes back to the communities with whom we interact.

Our morning in a Maasai village was VERY educational. So, of course I feel compelled to share what I learned with you.

Did you ever wonder how you get goats to practice birth control? Let this Maasai chief show you. That yellow barrier strapped behind the goat’s forelegs stops his “love potion” from reaching its intended target.

I confess that I was slightly confused. I thought it was a GOOD thing to have lots of goats and sheep. Seleman, our wonderful trip leader, explained that for goats, like humans, timing is everything in life. The Maasai want to make sure baby goats are born when their likelihood of survival is maximized, so when the timing is right, the shield comes off.

Next the Assistant Chief explained (in perfect English) the tribal hierarchy. He described some of the Maasai rituals, the most memorable (to me) being circumcision. It is performed in public, without anesthesia, on a group of 12 to 14 year old boys. If they don’t cry out or even flinch, they are deemed worthy to become warriors. After surviving the ritual, the group goes into the bush for three months. When they return to the tribe they are then considered to be men.

Before climate change decimated their herd of cattle, reducing it from 290 to 10, the Maasai used to drink cow’s blood every morning. They made a shallow incision into the cow’s jugular, collecting at least a liter before they stuffed the cow’s wound with herbs.

If you ever doubt the impact that one amazing woman can have, let me introduce you to Lucy. For the past 13 years, Lucy has visited over 100 villages, providing health education, including speaking out against what WE call FGM ( female genital mutilation). What THEY call “the cut” was deeply imbedded in the culture and traditions. They believed undergoing this public procedure transformed a girl into a woman, and thus enabled her to be married. Like circumcision, removal of the clitorus and labia was done without anesthesia, by a “midwife” and women were expected to endure the pain without crying out. Lucy underwent “the cut” when she was 14. (She admitted to crying and screaming).

Although the government banned FGM in 2003, there was no follow up, so the practice continued. It certainly wasn’t easy, but after years of hard work, Lucy succeeded in eliminating FGM for about 99% of the girls in the villages she visited.

Lucy understood she had to “humble herself” in order to get her message across. To ME, however, Lucy is the embodiment of Katy Perry’s song “Roar”, especially these lines:

“ You held me down, but I got up, already brushing off the dust, I went from zero to my own hero…

I am the champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR”

After the Maasai village visit, we headed to an elementary school that has been a recipient of funds from OAT’s Grand Circle’s foundation.

There are only 12 teachers for 183 girls and 230 boys. That’s quite a teacher/student ratio! .

While there, we learned how the Foundation‘s money was used. The first purchase was a copy machine, so the teachers wouldn’t have to walk for 45 minutes to the closest copier.

Under construction were bathrooms with flush toilets that will replace the two squat toilets currently being shared by all the students (and that some of us used during our visit).

During our interaction with the children, we told them a little about ourselves, where we were from (notice the map of the USA on the wall) and what our occupations were.

Fellow traveler Kalpana was by far the most inspirational. She told the students that she had attended a school just like theirs when she was growing up in India. Her hard work enabled her to become a doctor. Kalpana encouraged the kids to study, work hard and dream big.

I know, I know. I lured you in with that elephant photo atop this post. We will get to the elephants, cheetahs, lions and monkeys…and that post WILL be suitable to read to the kiddies. I promise, but first I wanted to share these meaningful and inspiring moments.

I’ll end this post with a photo of our group hanging out in a baobab tree.

Nairobi, Kenya

Okay, I’ll admit it. I came perilously close to becoming an “ugly American”. When I saw that the itinerary included a morning spent in the Kibera Slum, I seriously considered sitting out the visit. Why would I want to spend time in an area inhabited by 1.5 million people, jammed into a space smaller than New York’s Central Park?

Fortunately, the wonderful travelers on the Friends of Overseas Adventure Facebook page set me straight, and I’m so glad they did.

The area certainly has its share of the usual social problems. Blackie, our escort and Kibera guide, told us that when the police refused to safeguard the inhabitants, some members of the community administered “street justice”, which proved to be quite effective in reducing crime and violence.

The community has created their own schools and has organized programs to help their children make the right choices.

What we experienced during our visit was truly inspiring. Although the slum residents had few material possessions, no running water and lived in tiny shacks, they had a real sense of community, tremendous support for one another, and amazing resilience.

This is how you get water in Kibera.

The friendly and curious children LOVED getting their picture taken-especially when I showed them their photos.

During our visit we were welcomed into two homes. In the first, three people (mom, dad and teenaged daughter) shared ONE tiny room. The daughter was sitting on the bed, because there was no place else to sit, playing a game on her cell phone. I continue to be amazed by the impact Steve Jobs’ “invention” has had on our planet. This device, which didn’t even exist 30 years ago has become essential to us all.

The second visit was to the home of Blackie, a three room hut that he shared with his wife, youngest son and grandson.

Kalpana and Ahit, two members of our group viewing the photo of our host’s grandson.

The grandson was so pleased with the photo that I took of him that he showed everyone, exclaiming “ that’s me”!

He was fascinated with my hat’s badges

One of the many reasons I continue to travel with OAT is because of experiences like these. I never would have done them on my own, either because I didn’t know they existed, or my prejudgement was so very wrong.

Kobe Tough, our afternoon destination, exists because of the devastating impact climate change has had on the Maasai. Any American who doesn’t “believe” in climate change should come to Africa and speak to the people to whom it is a daily reality.

Successive years of drought killed the cattle the Maasai women depended on as their sole source of income, so they needed to find an alternate way to earn money.

They now make beautiful ceramic beads, which are hand painted and made into jewelry. I felt good buying bracelets, earrings and rings from their on-site store, knowing that the money will help these women support their families. The header for this post is a photo of some of their beautiful jewelry in their on site store. But you don’t need to go to Nairobi to own one of these unique pieces — you can buy direct from their website.

https://kobetough.com

If you visit Kobe Tough, you will meet the bead makers, who then entertain you with a wonderful rendition of “Jambo Bwana” ( hello, sir). And when they invite you to dance, I hope you’ll join them!

Another highlight of our stay in Nairobi was our visit to its national museum. I could have spent the entire day there! Did you know there are 1,500 different bird species in Kenya? I sure didn’t. You can see 900 of them displayed in the museum.

Who knew that hippos were related to dolphins and whales?

I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the remains of Turkana boy, which isn’t surprising, given that he’s 1.6 million years old. His skeleton was discovered in 1984, on the shores of Lake Turkana, giving us valuable insight into the evolution of Homo sapiens.

There is so much more to say about Nairobi, but this post is already getting long, so I’ll end with one final thought from the museum.

Next stop will be Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Rwandan Mountain Gorillas

Our 5 days in Rwanda have been absolutely glorious. Believe me, I KNOW how extremely fortunate I am to be able to have these amazing experiences and I am so very, very grateful.

We were able to see first hand the difference one person can make when we visited the Ellen DeGeneres Center, which honors the work of Dian Fossey.

Prior to Dian’s arrival in 1966, the mountain gorillas were close to extinction. Thanks to her tireless work and advocacy, which continued until her murder in 1985, these magnificent creatures have been protected.

Sigourney Weaver’s generous donation made it possible for us to view Dian Fossey’s cabin—sorta like Julia Child’s kitchen in the Smithsonian.

The center has fantastic hands on exhibits, a 360 degree theater, and virtual reality.

I’m VERY glad that I had the virtual reality experience AFTER the REAL gorilla trek because the virtual reality trip had a silverback coming right up into my face, and let me tell ya, it was SCARY.

For the ACTUAL trek, I thought I was prepared. I had spent many hours at the YMCA, because I expected to be walking uphill, at a high altitude, for several hours. The weather could have been hot and humid … or cold and damp. It was actually all of the above, and then some.

What I was NOT prepared for were the vines that grabbed my shoes and wouldn’t let go without a fight. This was not a photo of MY foot, but it gives you the idea of what walking along the “trail” was like. (Yes, that was the trail).

Okay so I’ll confess that more than once during our 2 hour trek, I had a “ what the hell was I thinking” moment. It also occurred to me that after we found the gorillas and spent our hour with them, we would have to walk DOWN the exact same way we had come.

Our porters did much more than carry our packs. They also held our hands during particularly treacherous stretches, for which I was especially grateful. There are no hand rails in the jungle, folks! Or bathrooms either.

Would I recommend gorilla trekking? HELL YES! I realize how incredibly fortunate I was to be able to spend an hour watching these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.

We spent the full hour with the “Lucky” Family, so named because their group included twin boys.

There are currently 24 “habituated” families living in Volcanoes National Park. Although there are several more families living on the mountain, the remainder are not used to human contact. It takes about 5 years of gradual exposure before tourists can spend time with them.

Was the experience worth it? You be the judge. How many people get to watch a silverback twerk?

Eventually we met most of the family: here’s one of the moms and her baby,

the twins, doing what brothers tend to do,

If you’d like to see them in action, just hop on over to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/fS1dMFJPgWU

And the adventurous toddler, exploring on her own.

If you think this trek would be too arduous for you, fear not. Rwandans have a solution that a member of our group used. Take a look at this alternative mode of transportation.

Not surprisingly, you pay extra to be carried like royalty, but for a once in a lifetime experience like this, I think it would be well worth the extra money.

My family would not be shocked to learn that I got lost while on the trail. Fortunately, one of my new best friends heard me calling out, and helped me find my way back to the group.

I know. I get lost a whole lot. But come on. Take a look at this trail.

As we were preparing to leave at the end of our hour, the family was also (as the Billy Joel song went) “movin out” .

So what else was memorable?

Seeing women work as porters, trackers, and protectors. Just in case we encountered an angry buffalo or rogue elephant, this beautiful young woman was prepared to guard us,

the gorgeous scenery on our way to the mountain,

returning to our fantastic hotel,

and best of all, being able to share the experience with a wonderful group of people, my new friends.

Next stop, Kenya, where our group will gain an additional member.

Rwanda

I had been dreading the long flight to Rwanda, especially because it departed from Newark after midnight. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad. Thanks to zolpidem, I was able to sleep on the plane, despite a whole lotta shakin’ going on.

I would have given myself the “seasoned traveler” award for anticipating that my luggage would be left behind in Istanbul. Upon landing in Kigali, I checked my AirTag and learned my luggage was 2,975 miles from me. So, I wasted no time watching other people’s bags pop out of the chute. Nope. I immediately took myself to the lost luggage desk to complete the necessary paperwork.

My backpack contained one change of clothes, my Jammie’s, chargers and toiletries, plus my credit card, cash and camera. Everything I needed for a couple of days.

Did you notice I said I WOULD have given myself the award? That’s because it got snatched away when I made the rookie mistake of putting a tube of toothpaste (big enough to last the entire trip) in my backpack. The toothpaste, plus my seasoned traveler award, got tossed in a trash bin at Newark Airport.

That AirTag was worth every penny I paid for it. I was able to watch my luggage travel to Lebanon, then Ethiopia, till it eventually showed up in Kigali a day later. Although airport staff had my phone number, email and hotel info, no one ever contacted me. Thanks to my AirTag, I didn’t waste time on the phone making international calls, trying to find someone who could give me information about my bag.

As they say in OAT world, this was a learning and discovery experience. I learned that the airline would not deliver my bag to the hotel. Instead, I had to drag my sorry ass to the airport, and then discover how very tight Rwandan security is. We had to get out of our vehicle, which was thoroughly inspected by people plus a sniffing dog, then once I got to the terminal, I had to go thru security AGAIN and visit 3 different places before my bag and I were joyously reunited. Fortunately, Fred( my hero and our driver) guided me thru the entire process.

The best thing about travel is it gives you perspective. After visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, delayed luggage becomes a teeny, tiny, minor irritant.

30 years ago, over the course of 100 days, more than a million Rwandans were murdered. The victims were mostly Tutsi, but Hutus who refused to go along with the killing were also massacred.

Believing that churches were safe havens, many Tutsi sought shelter in the Nyamata Catholic Church. Shamefully, the Catholic priest did nothing to stop the slaughter. The perpetrators threw grenades inside the packed church, then attempted to finish off anyone still alive, with machetes and guns.

Nayamata Churcb is now a UNESCO site and burial place for thousands of victims. Particularly heartbreaking are the coffins for infants and children.

Luckily the attempt to slaughter everyone inside the church was not successful. The stories of those who survived are displayed outside the church to bear witness to what had happened. Here’s a short sample:

As terrible as the massacre was, Rwanda’s story is one of hope for the future.

We visited one of the “reconciliation villages” where perpetrators and survivors now live side by side in harmony. Naturally, it took a considerable amount of time for everyone to heal and to learn to trust one another. The perpetrators had to confess to what they had done, serve their time in prison and ask the survivors for forgiveness.

At the village, both a survivor and a perpetrator told their stories. We learned that those who committed the atrocities had been fed a steady stream of propaganda and misinformation. Agitators whipped up hatred for people who had previously been friends and neighbors.

Janet, one of the survivors with her daughter. Janet was our hostess for lunch at the village.

We have so much to learn from Rwandans, who exhort us to practice ubumuntu.

Perhaps Africans have a huge capacity for forgiveness? I recall Nelson Mandela didn’t seek revenge against his white captors, but urged the nation toward reconciliation.

America is now going thru a very divisive time. Maybe we can learn to speak to each other, listen carefully and exhibit “greatness of heart”.

RWANDA, KENYA & TANZANIA

I have wanted to see gorillas in their natural habitat for decades, ever since I saw the movie about Dian Fosse’s life. If I’m lucky, my dream will soon be coming true.

In a few weeks, I’ll be leaving for five days in Rwanda. This is the pre-trip OAT offers before their main trip to Kenya and Tanzania. The maximum amount of time that any group is allowed to spend with the gorillas is one hour. But that’s not guaranteed. If the gorillas become agitated, they could retreat into the bush before the hour elapses.

According to the documentation that I received from OAT, there are eight of us on the pre-trip. A ninth traveler will be joining us in Nairobi at the start of the main trip, so it’s a nice small group, composed of two couples and four women traveling solo. At least that’s what I’m guessing, from last names and geographic areas.

I have to tell you, getting to and from that part of Africa is not easy. My flight from Newark to Kigali leaves after midnight, stops for about an hour in Istanbul, and doesn’t arrive in Kigali until 1 AM the following day.

Okay, confession time. I screwed up. Originally I booked a one night early arrival into Kigali. When I got my flight information and saw I was landing the next day, I canceled the early arrival. It took me a while to realize that I HAD to book that early arrival, otherwise I’d be sitting in the lobby from around 1 AM until a room for that day was available. Not fun. By the time I figured this out, it was less than 90 days before departure, so I called OAT to rebook that room. That’s when I learned that OAT doesn’t allow changes within the 90 days before departure. Internet to the rescue. I booked directly with the hotel. They are going to keep me in the SAME room that I would get with OAT (which happens to be an upgraded room, at no additional cost), AND they are meeting me at the airport and transporting me to the hotel at no additional charge. I love it when my stupidity actually turns into a good thing.

For the return trip, I will be flying out of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, leaving at 2:30 AM, and arriving in Istanbul around noon. Because I’m hoping to sleep on the plane for BOTH flights, I decided to fly business class with Turkish Air. The OAT flight department was able to find me a reasonably priced flight as long as I stayed two nights in Istanbul. Such a deal!

While in Africa, we will be flying in small planes, so OAT supplied us with duffles, specially constructed to ensure that everyone’s luggage can fit onto the plane.  When Mike and I went on OAT’s Ultimate Africa trip in 2014, we received similar duffels, which I decorated with sharpies, including–much to his surprise– Mike’s.  After the trip, I gifted my duffel to my sister, Sandy, so new project!

The decorations made it easy to spot our bags, which was very helpful, because other OAT trips were leaving from the same hotel. Not only were we able to differentiate our bags from others in the trip, we were also able to make sure OUR bags were on the RIGHT trip!

Yes, I know it looks like the bag was decorated by a not very talented six year old. But you have to admit, no one else will have a duffle that even REMOTELY looks anything like this.

OAT’s documentation included confirmation of the hotels and lodges, so I checked them out on line. I couldn’t believe that almost all accommodations have swimming pools, so I added a bathing suit to my packing list.

I am beyond excited about this trip! I hope you’ll travel vicariously with me. The next post will be from Africa. The map at the top of this post shows where we will be visiting.