Oh my God! Or should I say “Oh my Buddha”? I think I just stumbled into Paradise.
For the price of a mediocre hotel room in New York I got all this:
PLUS an included breakfast! And what a breakfast it IS!
That is just a small sample of the delights offered at the buffet.
I’ll be lucky if I only gain my usual 5 trip pounds!
My Indian friends have introduced me to their wonderful cuisine, but I can’t remember the names of my favorite foods. The dish on the right is called Doha—at least that’s what I THINK it’s called. Here’s my problem: The Indians here are all very soft spoken. Throw in their accent and my piss poor hearing, and I’m challenged to understand what I’m being told.
The service is truly amazing. I’ve been “namasted” countless times since arrival. When you ask for directions, the staff doesn’t just point, they ESCORT you to wherever you want to go. Good thing, because I never, ever would have found the ATM. It’s in the basement, down three flights, and behind an unmarked door.
I’ve toured the spa and used the exercise facility, and enjoyed the infinity pool on the 11th floor. I figure I should take advantage of the pool while I can still fit into my bathing suit!
Never before have I been given a cooler with cold cloths and drinks. In fact, at some hotels in my past, I was lucky to get a chair and a towel.
The bathrobe and the covered chair were not made for jumbo sized Americans, but I’ve learned to scrunch.
What a great way to get over jet lag!
TWO photos of me in this post. (You happy, Jean? These are for you. You see, I DO take requests).
I have NO desire to leave this heaven on earth today. Tomorrow, I have a Bollywood class before the official start of the tour. That’s why I needed to go to the ATM. The 1 hour Bollywood class is 3,800 rupees, or about $44, and they wanted cash.
The concierge wasn’t able to hide his surprise when I told him that’s what I wanted to do. I guess they don’t get many requests for Bollywood classes. At least not from someone my age.
I loved the breakfast buffet so much, I decided to return to the same restaurant for lunch. The food was so beautifully presented, I wanted to sample EVERYTHING, which meant I made a colossal pig of myself. So much so, that I was really not in the mood for a big dinner. Although Le Cirque’s menu shows only prix fixe options, I inquired, and I was allowed to order only the soup of the day and a glass of wine. I didn’t even have a reservation! Good thing they aim to please at this hotel.
My table at Le Cirque
Tomorrow I hope to complete my transition to India time. I leave for my Bollywood class at 9:30 AM returning in time for lunch and to meet my new travel buddies at 1:30 PM.
I know, i know. I was supposed to finish writing about August’s fantastic trip to Canada, and maybe at some point, I’ll attempt to do justice to that wonderful country, terrific itinerary, amazing tour guide and congenial companions. Somehow time managed to slip away and sadly, inspiration never hit during that slippery time.
So here I am, at Newark airport, with an hour and a half until I board my United flight to Delhi, India.
This will be my first trip with Tauck. It is significantly more expensive than my usual travel company, OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). However, the Tauck trip has a more expansive itinerary , made possible because travel between cities is mainly via air.
Just in case you can’t see the map atop this post, these are the areas we will be visiting over the next three weeks.
I’m lucky to have two good friends who were born in India. I asked both to review the itinerary and both gave it two thumbs up. They also informed me that traveling with a company known for luxury was the best way to experience India.
Our United flight departs at 9:20 PM and is supposed to land in Delhi at 9:30 PM tomorrow. No, I’m not flying for 24 hours (thank God!) It’s a 14 hour flight, with a nine and a half hour time difference.
Because I wouldn’t want to spend my arrival night sitting in the lobby waiting to check in the following day, I booked into the Tauck hotel two nights before the trip officially starts. I’m guessing I’ll need at least that amount of time to recover from the flight and time difference.
Almost ten years ago, I stopped in Delhi on my way to Bhutan just long enough to take a Bollywood class. I’m hoping to do that again and will compare the videos to see what the ravages of time have done to my body and my ability to shake, shake, shake.
Although I had hoped to use points to upgrade to business, that didn’t work out, so no lay flat seat for me. At least I was able to get into economy plus. I TRIED to get into Newark’s Polaris lounge, because it is so very nice. I thought that with gold status and an international destination, it was worth a shot. But without my boarding pass identifying me as a business passenger, I was sent to the domestic lounge. However, I learned something: passengers with gold status don’t need to pay or use United passes to get into the lounge. Your boarding pass is all you need.
Newsflash! I was standing in line, waiting to board and I happened to look up at the upgrade screen. Yes, Mol.S is ME! Yippee! Yes, it WAS at the very last minute, but I’ll take it.
Okay, so I missed out on the Polaris lounge, and my luggage may not be tagged as priority, but at least I got wonderful food and a comfortable flight. This trip is off to a GREAT start.
I hope you’ll spend the next three weeks traveling along with me! I may run out of blogging steam along the way, ( I usually do) but at least I’m starting out with good intentions.
Well, we were SUPPOSED to fly from Montreal to Halifax today, but the Air Canada flight attendants decided to be rebellious and ignore the “back to work” orders from the Canadian government.
Instead, we are rolling along the highway with our Croatian driver for the next 13 hours.
Our two nights in Montreal got off to a promising start. Although we experienced torrential rain as we were leaving Quebec City, it was less of a downpour by the time we got to the “Sugar Shack”. At that stop along the way, we learned about the intricacies of maple syrup creation and got to sample maple taffy.
The taffy is made by drizzling very thick maple syrup on ice or snow, then wrapping the hardening substance around what looks like a tongue depressor
By the time we arrived in Montreal, and finished lunch, the rain had stopped. Our lunch was a Canadian specialty – delicious smoked meat (it tasted like corned beef).
The sandwich was so huge, I had to take it apart to eat it! Before I had finished half of what was served, I was full.
Before we arrived at the hotel, we had a bus tour of Montreal’s highlights. Good thing we were on a bus, because after that huge lunch, I was ready for a nap. Walking was out of the question!
Even if we’d had enough time ( we didn’t) and even if Barbara, my travel buddy had been with me ( she wasn’t), there was no way I was going to climb those steps to see the interior of yet another cathedral! ( So I didn’t).
Originally, I had booked a dinner with Chef Rob for my first night in Montreal, at the recommendation of my Canadian friend, Nancy. Unfortunately, Chef Rob had a family emergency, and had to cancel, but Laurie, our tour guide provided us with multiple attractive alternatives for dinner on our own.
I liked the Universel Déjeuners et Grillades, (especially the Mimosa Margarita, which is one of their specialty drinks) so much that I had dinner there BOTH nights.
I know, how boring. Here I am in one of the great “foodie” cities, and I go to the same restaurant TWICE? What can I say. It was close to our hotel, and the wine pours were generous.
Our one full day in Montreal was unstructured, but Laurie provided options for us.
After 15 minutes, I’d seen enough of the market.
Although I have seen plenty of markets, I decided to join her, mainly so I could get the hang of Montreal’s metro system. It is EASY! Color coded lines ( like Boston) and oh so CLEAN! I have to admit it. Americans are SLOBS.
There was no graffiti, no trash, no urine smell, just artwork. How do they DO that?
Do they ban spray paint? The buildings and highways were clean too. We’ve been driving along the highway for hours, without my spotting a single piece of trash. Trust me. I’ve been looking.
But back to my day in Montreal. When Mike and I were there in 2019, we visited the biosphere, which is located close to the Botanical Gardens. Had it not been a cold, cloudy day, we would have spent it wandering through that gorgeous place. It took 6 years, but FINALLY I got to spend about 4 hours enjoying the greenhouses, exhibits and special gardens.
My favorite was the Chinese Garden. I loved the fantastic sculptures in the pond.
The greenhouses were equally impressive, with waterfalls and orchids.
We ended our day with “Aura”, a light and sound show in the Notre Dame Basilica.
I felt like SUCH a big girl, finding my way via metro from the Botanical Gardens to the Basilica all by myself!
While awaiting the rest of my group to arrive, I enjoyed the musicians and performers in the square. there was a little of everything: dancers, violinists, singers.
The show started at 5:30PM and lasted for 30 glorious minutes. I highly recommend it! Please keep in mind, I’ve seen enough churches, cathedrals and basilicas to last 5 lifetimes! But this was truly special.
These two statues are supposed to represent the cultural divide between the French and English Canadians.
The snooty Englishman is turning his nose up at the Basilica, which represents French Catholicism and the French lady on the opposite corner of the square is gazing scornfully at the symbol of English power, the Bank of Montreal.
UPDATE: We arrived in Halifax a little before 1AM, so it actually took almost SIXTEEN hours by car. I don’t recommend it.
Normally, when I travel I arrive a day before the tour begins, but not THIS time. I figured I wasn’t changing time zones, so no jet lag to overcome, and with the short flight, I would arrive in the early afternoon. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I knew I didn’t have to worry about snowstorms closing the airport, but I completely forgot about thunderstorms and possible flooding. Oh yeah, I also forgot about airline strikes.
I don’t know whether it was the strike or the weather that got my flight canceled, but I was VERY grateful that United notified me the night before I was due to depart. That gave me enough time to notify my driver, rebook my flight from home and best of all, I avoided hanging out at the airport for hours, desperately hoping that the planes would fly again sometime soon.
Actually, the delay worked out for me, because on my recent trip to Massachusetts, my friend Jean and I inadvertently picked up each other’s credit cards. Although Jean attempted to overnight my card, the post office only CHARGED her for 1 day delivery–it actually took TWO days, so I was at home when my card finally arrived.
The header of this post is the map for the main trip. I am now on the pre-trip, which originally comprised three nights in Quebec City (now 2 for me), then Montreal for 2 nights. Whether the flight attendants’ strike will be settled by the time we are due to fly to Halifax is anybody’s guess. That’s why I’m glad I’m on a tour. I don’t have to figure anything out. That’s the trip leader’s job.
There are eight of us on the pre-trip, so finding alternative modes of transportation should be a lot easier than making sure the 30 main trip participants are able to get into Halifax.
But enough about the future—let’s focus on the present.
Our welcome dinner took place in the Hotel Clarendon, where we enjoyed singing along with the accordion player.
The morning of my one full day in Quebec City was spent the touring the parliament building, which was architecturally interesting. I loved the stained glass archway.
This corridor linking the old and new buildings synthesized art, music, architecture and technology . As people walked through the corridor, music played and flashing lights changed color.
Laurie, our trip leader took our first group shot outside of the parliament building.
I had heard so much about poutine, I decided to try it for lunch at the Fairmont Hotel. What is poutine, you ask? Well, you take French fries, dump some kind of brown sauce all over them, then top with cheese curds and bacon bits. After a few forkfuls, I’d had enough, so I offered the rest to my travel buddies. They shared my side dish AND my lack of enthusiasm for this “delicacy”.
After lunch we were on our own, so I took advantage of the perfect weather to explore the city, walking atop the city walls. It took me a while to figure out how to get up there. Hint: There are steps along the city gates.
The view of the St Lawrence River was spectacular.
Instead of railings, we had signs.
Because we were here in the weekend, there were lots of street musicians and entertainers.
My assessment: Quebec City is lovely in the summer, and a great place to visit, but once is enough for me.
What a delightful surprise our lunch stop in Pisek turned out to be!
This blog is not a chronological record of my OAT itinerary. It continues to be whatever I feel like writing about. And I feel like writing about this sweet little undiscovered town.
We’ve been to Dresden, which was our final stop on the pre-trip, then we spent the first three days of the main trip in Prague. Both of these fascinating cities deserve posts of their own, and I’ll get to them eventually. There have just been far too many distractions for me to give them the attention they deserve.
Pisek is quite beautiful. Its old stone bridge predates Prague’s Charles Bridge by at least a century. Somehow, the bridge managed to survive several centuries worth of floods. The statues on the bridge weren’t so lucky. The originals were damaged and have since been repaired or replaced.
Don’t be fooled. Pisak also has MODERN attractions, like this one. I’ve seen pedal bars in Nashville, but I never have seen a Prosecco van. What a great concept!
Despite this vehicle’s obvious appeal, I found the sand sculptures even more compelling.
The header on this post describes the theme for this year’s sand sculptures — Freedom and Liberty, intended to commemorate the town’s 80th anniversary of their liberation after World War 2.
Did you recognize Gulliver, struggling to break free?
Lady Liberty has packed her bags. I’m hoping she’s not leaving the USA.
To me, the most compelling sculpture was this one, especially after being in Berlin. What a powerful demonstration of how much JFK’s words meant to the people in this part of our planet. .
Then I took a good look at the front of the sculpture. It shows Putin driving a car manufactured in East Germany by the Soviets. The Trabant had an engine that was likened to a lawn mower—about as powerful and just as smelly. East Germans would use trabants to escape to the Czech Republic, and then abandon the car in the street.
Take a close look at who is kissing up to Putin. Clearly he is not in the driver’s seat.
If you don’t recognize the iconic hair style, the sculptor has given us a hint. He has “king” written alongside his image. ( I would have added “wannabe” before the word “king”).
Why is it that Europeans can see so clearly what many Americans cannot? Perhaps because they have lived through Facism and Communism, they have a deep understanding of how fragile democracy can be and how important it is to preserve it, in every means possible, including the creation of sand sculptures.
The photo above shows the itinerary for this trip. Ignore the boxes. I’m not doing a pre or post trip this time.
The name of my favorite tour company is Overseas ADVENTURE Travel, and so far, it’s living up to its name! The tour promises participants will have “learning and discovery” experiences and so far I’ve had both.
I now know how to shop for ropa interior (underwear), how to translate sizes (take your US size and add 32, so a size 8 becomes size 40). I learned to never EVER buy “Brazilian” underwear, how to pay for a bus ticket to the airport (credit card, paid ON the bus) how to get thru the “Do Not Enter” doors at Bilbao airport ( wait for someone to leave and dash thru).
I came to this knowledge when I arrived in Bilbao and my AirTag told me my luggage was still in Munich.
Why, oh why did I check luggage? Well…
In the past, connections in parts of Europe, especially Germany, have been a tad unpleasant. I hate it when my plane parks far from the terminal. I have to walk down the rollaway stairs, carrying luggage, then get stuffed into a bus, which drives for 5 to 10 minutes to get to the terminal. On past occasions, the escalators weren’t working, so I had to carry my bags up several flights of stairs.
As a bonus, if I checked a bag, I could bring enough clothes so I wouldn’t have to do laundry. I would also have room for a bathing suit so I could enjoy any hot tubs I encounter along the way. Checked bag it was. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to include my AirTag, just in case.
I’ll admit it. I was feeling a little smug while I was walking down 4 flights of stairs (with only a light backpack) to the crowded bus that would drive us to the plane that would take us to Bilbao. That feeling was QUITE short lived!
But at least I had the good sense to arrive a day before the tour started, because I spent HOURS of my first afternoon on the phone getting bounced between United ( Newark departure) and Lufthansa (Bilbao arrival). I’ll spare you the details, mainly because I don’t want to relive them, and also because they are bone crushingly boring.
But I WILL share this important tip: ALWAYS check your baggage receipt. Had I done so in Newark, I would have noticed that it said “Munich”, not Bilbao. So because I missed that important detail, it was determined that I was at fault and my bag would NOT be delivered to the hotel. Instead, I would have to go to the airport to fetch it.
And here’s another tip: ask to speak to a supervisor or manager as soon as you hear the same unhelpful info for the second time. I certainly wish I had.
Just about every situation has an upside, if you look hard enough. So I did. Here’s what I came up with: In addition to my various “learnings” described earlier, I might not otherwise have been out so early on a Sunday morning. I LOVED my early morning walk and I felt like such a big girl riding the bus all by myself.
Plus, I got to buy a Disney tee shirt that doubles as a nightgown. In case you don’t read backwards, that says “Ratatouille”. NO photos of Brazilian “ropa interior”. You’re welcome.
I was back early enough from my airport jaunt to join my new friends Pam, Barbara and Camille for a walk along the river.
Bilbao is a WONDERFUL city, with lots of green space, playgrounds, artworks and pedestrian walkways.
The playgrounds had unusual, imaginative structures The many bridges are all beautiful in different ways.
The other three ladies wanted to explore churches and cathedrals, but since I’ve already exceeded my lifetime quota for such structures, I ambled on down to the Guggenheim. I had just enough time before our afternoon boat ride to explore the exterior of this amazing building.
Yes, that puppy is made entirely of different flowersI took another photo of this sculpture from the boat. Which do you prefer?
I highly recommend the 1 hour boat ride for anyone who is interested in architecture. There is a QR code on the back of all seats on the boat. If you scan it with your phone, you have access to a narrative (in your chosen language), describing what you are viewing while you pass by on the boat ride.
The Guggenheim as seen from the boat, comingAnd goingI loved the tiger atop a building
There was a “girl from Ipanema” type of story about this crane. I THINK it went something like this: Everything would stop so that men could stare when a certain young girl came across the river 4x a day to operate the crane. They should have written a song…
There was a whole lot more to day 1, but I’ve done enough blogging for today.
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.
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’ rodAbe’s potJohn the Baptist’s bonesMohammed’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.
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.
Although I took this photo in Ketchikan, it really is applicable to ALL of the cities along Alaska’s south coast: Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. If it’s simply cloudy, and not raining heavily, well, that qualifies as a great day.
In Sitka the probability of rain was quite high so we were glad we had opted for a whale watch. Marine life doesn’t care whether it’s raining or not, so we figured we’d get some good viewing.
When I booked, I had NO idea that we were going on a VERY small boat. I THOUGHT it would be like the one in Seward. Nope.
Our vessel could only hold 6 passengers. Okay, maybe that meant we could get closer to the wildlife. Nope again.
I’ll be honest, the marine life viewing was disappointing. These next photos are about as good as it got.
We DID see some sea lions hanging out on a buoy, but the viewing was MUCH better in Seward.
For our last excursion, we chose the sea plane to Misty Fjords National Monument. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans…like women, they sometimes go astray. And THESE women, PLUS their plans did exactly that.
Shortly after I took the photo of her by the “liquid sunshine” sign, Jean tripped, managed to land on her nose, and proceeded to bleed profusely. Fortunately, it happened right next to the ship, so Viking’s excellent staff immediately sprang into action. She was whisked down to the medical center where they quickly staunched the bleeding. Their rapid treatment probably prevented Jean from returning home with a huge black eye.
That meant that I would be “float planing” solo. At least THIS time, I knew what I was getting into. Sorta.
I knew the plane was going to hold no more than 6 passengers, and that it would briefly land somewhere. I just didn’t realize that “somewhere” was on the water, and that we wouldn’t be getting out on land at all!
The waiver I signed before boarding specifically absolved the company of any liability should I fall in. I had thought that applied to getting into and out of the plane at the dock! I didn’t realize there would be OTHER opportunities to fall into the water…without a life jacket…with no life preserver or a potential rescuer any where in sight.
As you can see, there wasn’t much of a margin for error!
But hey, our young female pilot walked what looked like a tightrope to get from one side of the plane to the other. The line is so thin, it’s barely visible in the photo, thus, the red arrows. Those thin boards in yellow and black were the ladder into the plane.
Spoiler alert, I managed to complete the flight without mishap, but you probably already figured that out…otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog, right?
The scenery was beautiful, but I have to be honest. It wasn’t as much fun without my buddy by my side.
I’m pleased to say that Jean’s spending the day resting paid off, so we were able to party hearty for the celebratory “next to last night” on the ship.
The last day is spent sailing thru the inside passage to Vancouver, then back to reality.
I’m so glad I was able to make so many wonderful memories with my bestie.
Once again, we are sharing the port with only one other mid sized ship, Silverseas. We each had our own dock, so Icy Strait Point was very peaceful and uncrowded.
My day started early, on the deck with Richard, the naturalist. Although we spotted some porpoises, they only briefly popped out of the water, disappearing before I could capture their image.
Viking offers one free excursion in every port. For THIS port, we got a ticket to the red gondola, which allowed us to go to the top of a mountain and enjoy a panoramic view.
Earlier that day, Jean and I chose what was described in the cruise literature as a “ demanding” hike through the Tongass National Forest. Demanding, like beauty, is definitely in the eye (or feet) of the beholder. It was less than a mile, and although there were a few slight inclines, the hike was mainly flat. But Tess, our guide, made it really special. Not only did she know about wildlife and vegetation, she also took great photos.
Thanks to Tess, we can now look at bear droppings and immediately determine the gender of the bear.
The first pile was deposited by a female, because the ladies STOP to relieve themselves. The males, on the other hand, don’t waste any time. They are “full speed ahead” so their “torpedoes” are scattered all along the trail.
Bet you didn’t know this post was going to be so educational.
But wait…there’s more!
We saw this plant EVERYWHERE.
It looks a lot like Queen Anne’s lace, but it’s not. If you touch it, a substance on the plant reacts with sunlight to produce a somewhat nasty rash. Tess pulled up her sleeve to show us how she came by that knowledge.
At the end of our hike, we were left off by the Hoonah Cannery, near the green “free” gondola, which provides one way to get from one dock to the other.
Or, you can opt to walk along the beautiful nature trail, which was a little longer than our “demanding “ hike.
My reward for taking the road less traveled? I got to watch this eagle hang out on a branch WAY high up in a tree. Yeah, I know. The zoom wasn’t great, so I had to crop the photo a lot, but you get the idea. That bad boy was swiveling his head and looking every bit as regal as the one on our dollar bill.
Eagles are plentiful in Juneau. One guide estimated there are about 30,000 eagles in Juneau alone, which makes them as common as a sea gull. Still, seeing this guy on the nature walk was really special to me.
Did you know that Southern Alaska gets a LOT of rain? We sure didn’t. Brett, our guide in Juneau, told us the area averages only about 30 sunny days per YEAR!
I’m so glad we took full advantage of the great weather in the other ports. Another difference when we got to Juneau— we also are no longer one of only two ships visiting the area. Take a look at Juneau’s harbor. The enormous cruise ships — Princess, Norwegian, Crystal, Holland America all docked at the port. We were moored in the bay and took a tender in to the port.
We lucked out with the morning weather for our “hike” with Brett in the Eagle Crest ski resort. This “hike” was only about a fourth of a mile long, but at least we got to see lots of wild flowers.
Jean and I were concerned about being late for our helicopter ride to the Herbert Glacier, so we got off the bus and walked the mile into town, arriving with enough time to grab lunch in a waterfront restaurant.
Although it rained during our ride and while we were in the glacier, it still was a pretty spectacular experience. I got to sit up front with Tom, the pilot.
The colors were brilliant.
We were cautioned to only walk on the ice, not the snowy patches, because you didn’t know what the snow was covering. It could be a 20 foot hole!
I’m signing off with two last now and then photos— taken 50 years apart.
The LAST time we spent more than a week together was in my first apartment in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. (I stuck this shot in especially for Tom, Jean’s husband, who didn’t know us way back then.)
Those are the only photos I have from the pre-cell phone, film era.
Destination NOW 