Living the HI Life

The much-anticipated Hawaii trip was finally here! I’ve been promising my friends since the day I left that I would return, and two years later it was finally time to do it. I’m not exactly sure what made it the right time, but regardless it was time to go! From there I turned to my go to travel buddy Erin, after an interesting adventure in Arizona for the NCAA Basketball tournaments, we had basically established ourselves at the spontaneous travelers that could do Hawaii right.

Planning the trip was a trip in itself, we knew Oahu was on the books but tried to add something new and split the time with a few days in Maui. We found a random website PandaOnline.com which seemed to have the best deals, and because it had panda in the title I was sold. The only mistake was trying to book the trip during my thirty minute break at work when the operator at the company was clearly running on Hawaii time and there was no way anything was getting done in that amount of time.

Eventually it was finally time for us to go!! We flew into Maui first, got our rental car (doubling the price we paid for it with the damn underage fees) and made it to our hotel. After checking in, dropping off our stuff, and back to reception so they could help us find a place to eat we were quickly informed about the best and “cheapest” luau on the island, no alcohol though, but it is BYO, and a place with great plate lunch. He also made sure he mentioned the liquor store right behind with the cheapest alcohol in town… something tells me we were giving off a certain vibe. But we decided to check it out anyway. Only one scoff by the cashier commenting that we “just got here??”, but we were quickly beyond that, and headed back to the hotel to check out the beach. Unfortunately gail force winds made the beach more like the Sahara desert in a sand storm, but we were kept entertained by the curious man in swim trunks with a g-string protruding over top. We had many theories why this was happening but to this day we will never know why!

Erin and I didn’t make a big splash the first night and just fell asleep watching movies, but early the next morning we headed out to Lahaina for our stand up paddle board lesson. Embarrassingly enough we knew of the surf shop through the “hit” series Living Lahaina on MTV, “fully aired on MTV in Canada” according to Erin. After reminiscing on almost every sport requiring balance that I have tried and failed, I actually ended up being not too bad at the thing. After a few wipeouts it was really easy, and we even ended up surfing on the boards for a while. Our instructor was really friendly and even ended up hanging out with us for a bit afterward, but had to run to meet the baby mama, ohhh island life. Erin and I spent the next few hours wandering around Lahaina, and then eventually met up with our friend Adam who just started a management job at the Hayatt on Maui. With Adam we experienced taco Tuesday Hawaii style, doesn’t quite hold a candle to San Diego, but it was all we had that Tuesday night, and we wanted our taco fix.

On Wednesday we woke up nice and early for a jeep tour of the road to Hana we had booked. We were picked up at our hotel by a bright yellow jeep and a feisty tour guide. Our guide Arnold was one of those awkwardly inappropriate old men who would make way too many creepy comments but it somehow was never threatening. We started off the day driving through the valley where they were burning off the sugar cane so they could harvest, this created the wonderful smell of baby poo which made for an interesting beginning of the trip. The road to Hana is a windy rainforest road that makes something like 500 turns and crosses dozens of small one lane bridges, many of which were made long outside of this century. We stopped to admire a few beaches and to buy some delicious banana bread within the first hours, and Arnold gave us some of these coconut chips which he had bought along the road, Erin and I fell in love with these and she even ended up buying copious amounts once we found the stand.

The road to Hana has many opportunities along the way to pull over and take mini hikes and see waterfalls. At the first waterfall we stopped at, Erin and I didn’t waste much time swimming around in the pool before we decided to jump off the top of it. The hike up to the top was a little muddy and we were both our of breath once we reached the top, more because of the fact that we were so anxious about the jump rather than it being a hard trek. After a little hesitation at the top and trying to determine the right spot to jump, a small crowd had formed and the cameras were out. We both screamed on the way down but were happy we did it, now we were ready for the rest of the falls and excited to see what else we could jump off of! Unfortunately we didn’t get the opportunity because the pit stop at the falls nicknamed seven sacred pools was closed for swimming because the current was so strong, but we did have fun at the waterfall with the Hawaiian name for swirling winds, appropriately named because the inlet it was in was definitely windy. Erin and tried our hardest to fight the wind at the current and make it under the water but we failed horribly. We did however get some of the ahwapui (sp?) plants, the stuff that Paul Mitchell makes his conditioner out of and washed our hair with the goo that comes out of the flowers. That day we actually told more about flowers and plants than I would ever care to remember, but it was cool at the time to learn a lot of little facts.

By this time in the day we had basically thrown caution out the window, and Arnold let Erin and I sit up on the back of the seat and hold on as we cruised around the turns. Highly illegal we were only pulled over once and that officer was nice and let us go with a warning, which we quickly ignored and were back up on the seat for the rest of the trip. We stopped and had lunch in one of the only restaurants in Hana, more waterfalls and views, a black sand beach, and then hit the backside of the island. This was mostly an unpaved road that traveled through the side of the island with the most recent volcanic activity so it was much more dry, completely the opposite of the rainforest we had just come from. Eventually we made it back to the hotel after a long day but since it was our last night on Maui we knew we had to do it big.

Well we tried to do it big, at least the bottle we bought the first day was finally put into use. We were staying in a town that was mostly residential but we had driven through and knew there would be something to do if we just walked. The only thing we knew about was mapquested at an hours walk away but we headed out anyway just to see what we might find. After about a 30 minute walk of darkness and random cat calls we found what looked like a promising bar. The rest of the night consisted of making odd local friends who were shocked to see anyone who didn’t live on the island at all in the bar and a raging game of shuffle board. The rest of the night was slightly eventful in that we made some new friends/admirers/stalkers but it was quite fun despite the lameness of the bar.

The next morning we had an early flight with a connection… why anyone would book a connection through the Hawaiian Islands is still beyond me but we did. However when the first flight was completely cancelled we had a fun early morning finding a new way to Oahu. The nice lady on the phone suggested the ferry. Now anyone who lives in Hawaii or traveled around it can tell you that such a thing in no way exists, but the lady at the front desk of the hotel got a good laugh when we asked her about it. In the end we got a couple extra hours of sleep and didn’t loose too much money on the flight switch, but most importantly we made it to Oahu.

Right off the plane Erin and I had a mission, well we had many missions that week but this was the first we decided to tackle. Spanish rolls at the Pilipino bakery were a must and we had it in the GPS as soon as we exited the airport. Just as delicious as we remembered! From there we made it to the hotel just in time to see Kahwai get drafted and then napped, still nursing our bodies from the long night before. Not to fail we made it out that night to meet up with Katey our good friend who is working an internship working with dolphins on Oahu and living in Waikiki. We found the most amazing Sushi place on Yelp! which was reservation only, but it was cheap and it was BYOB! Erin and I picked up two bottles of a delicious pineapple wine at the ABC store, which was dangerously delicious.

That night Katey told us she had some extra dolphin encounter passes she had and gratefully offered them to Erin and me. We literally couldn’t believe our ears and the fact that we were going to be swimming with dolphins that week! The next day Erin and I woke to spend a few hours on the beach before driving to where Katey works for our swim. The place was absolutely gorgeous with lagoons of dolphins! After receiving our life vests and some sweet goggles we got in the water and got to pet, “train”, and learn about a few different dolphins. After our main session was up they let Katey take us and she did her first session with guests, a.k.a. us. Erin and I were impressed and jealous that Katey gets the opportunity to do this every day and develop relationships with these animals.

Not to waste any more time, after our experience we swooped over to the Pearl Harbor neighborhood, which excitingly I was able to navigate (kind of), and hit up the Korean BBQ place with the meat juhn Erin and I had been craving for the past two years. Just as delicious as we had remembered and we scarfed down every bite. Back in Waikiki after a food coma nap we headed out on the town. Given we were both only twenty the last time we were there, it was nice to have a fake ID free evening. Ironically the first bar we ended up at was a country bar called Nashville, which actually turned out to be really fun (making it to the bar after avoiding our favorite Play Bar at all costs). Erin spent some time on the black jack table (super random) then we started scoping out the dance floor. At Nashvilles we met up with an old friend John who was transferred to Hawaii the same time I moved there for the internship two years ago and we’ve been friends ever since. Some more bar hopping and late night drinks on the beach night one out in Waikiki was very successful.

The next morning John and his friends got us onto base and I had a nostalgic morning eating breakfast at my favorite McDonalds on the planet and swooping by the Hale Ali’i my old home! Katey, Erin, and I then headed over to the Aloha Stadium for the swap meet. Here we spent some money like we do best and had some of the best pineapple I’ve ever had, next to Ugandan pineapple of course (refer to my Africa blog if you want to hear me discuss pineapple further). After the swap meet we headed to Manoa falls for a short hike. That soon turned into a four-hour hike through the mud when we decided to explore what we thought was a small extension path. We hiked through bamboo forests and countless switchbacks occasionally running onto other hikers most of who didn’t make it to the end so the whole time we were left wondering how long this trail really was! Unfortunately none of us brought a phone or camera so there isn’t any documentation of this adventure, but it was actually very freeing at the time. The feeling of disconnect we had from the rest of the world was surreal. The view from the top was amazing and we were thankful we had pushed through and completed the challenge. By the time we were down the mountain and sufficiently covered in mud we rinsed off with a hose the best we could drove back to Waikiki and marched into Cheeseburger In Paradise looking a little messy but we had definitely worked up an appetite and didn’t care one bit. After many attempts to make it out that night we eventually gave into the fatigue and stayed in.

Start of our last full day we embarked on an island tour. Crepes in Kailua, and a visit to Erin’s favorite spot where she left her tooth many years ago started the day, and then we headed to the beach. After a successful paddle boarding session earlier in the week we were eager to try it again. At the beach we failed to find a rental shop so we started to walk. After being stopped by a crazy man in a truck (super legit I promise) we rented the one paddle board he had from him. This time the boarding wasn’t so easy thanks to some lovely winds and huge waves. It was actually just comical. At one point Erin and I tried to both get on the board at the same time, which made for some laughs. After giving up on the waves we headed over to the still water near by and had a very successful two man stand up paddle boarding session. After boarding we headed over to Haleiwa for some shopping and lunch at the shrimp trucks.

Finishing off that night and our last day we finally met up with Chasen for some drinks at Dixie Grill. We had a few laughs when our server who was probably under the influence of something claimed they didn’t have chicken strips they only had chicken fries. When we asked what chicken fries were he calmly stated that it was a platter of chicken strips and French fries…. After a giant mug of beer we successfully convinced Chasen to go out with us in Waikiki. It was a Sunday night at this point but Waikiki was still surprisingly dead. We had fun though finding some new local type spots, using the sketchiest bathroom in history located in the alley behind the bar, and learning about the hooker tree. Apparently if you sit by this tree you can guarantee being approached by a hooker. Ending the night it was sad having to say goodbye to Chasen but I always have the intention to go back to Hawaii so I know I will see him again soon.

Our flight out the next day was in the afternoon so we couldn’t resist a stop by Nandings one last time before we left the islands. Just as delicious as always and it was a good way to say goodbye. Can’t wait to go back!

Bahama Mammas

Bahamasssssss!

About a week ago I went on a cruise for the first time in my adult life, and it was a week of beautiful madness! I was somewhat skeptical of cruise tourism because I usually like to do things more independently, and really explore a place longer than the 5 or so hours that the ship ports, but I was pleasently surprised with how much I enjoyed my Carnival cruise to the Bahamas. Over 5 months ago three friends and I booked this cruise and the wait proved to be worth it!

All in all the week was filled with laughs, drinks, food, sun, and very little sleep. I became closer with a few friends, and met some now ones. Most of the week can't even be put into words, so unfortunately this blog may seem dry, as some stories are meant to stay with the ship!

After months of anticipation Ashley, Erin, Elise, and I showed up at the San Diego airport for our red eye flight to Miami in order to catch the ship. This is where disaster struck and we soon find out that our flight is cancelled, surprisingly we all stayed calm on the outside, however we were all on the verge of screaming and/or crying. After over an hour of deliberation with the airline and cruise line, in which time we almost resorted to booking a flight to the Bahamas to meet the ship mid cruise, the angels at Delta decided to bend the rules and find us an American Airlines flight out of LAX early the next morning, arriving into Miami just in time to make the ship!

The four of us stumbled into LAX airport at around 1a.m. and found a nice spot to camp until security opened up, and spent the next few hours playing cards, napping, running up the down escalator, and playing a rousing game of freeze tag... only warranting a few stares. After we were past security we all waited longingly until the restaurants opened, still crossing our fingers that nothing would go wrong and we would get to Miami on time. (side note Jimmy Johnson, football coach and Survivor contestant, was behind me in line for Burger King... so cool).

Finally we had made it to Miami and the the cruise terminal! Our first victory for the week and despite our lack of energy we were ecstatic! And to top it off, our stowaways (bottles of alchy) made it onto the ship, the party had began! After taking a self tour around the ship, we took a hot tub, in the coldest tub ever, and had the pleasure of meeting the only other group of boys our age. A group of marines from New Jersey, fitting all of the stereotypes associated, and to this day we have never seen them without a drink in their hand. But don't get me wrong they were great guys and contributed to many laughs that week. Later we dined on the first of the multiple course meals we had every night, all of eating enough to feed multiple families in a third world country (mental note, don't forget to donate to make up for your selfishness!).

The rest of the night we explored the ship, went to the comedy show, then called an early night (compared to the rest). The next morning we awoke in Nassau, Bahamas and after some time exploring the city centre, we rented scooters and explored the island. This is something I have always wanted to do, and the moment was finally here! Driving lessons were a little rough, but once we got going on the road it was really easy to drive. They drive on the left side of the road there so that was a fun little challenge we got to deal with. During the ride we took a nice stop at a beach and found a dock that we hung out on and took some pictures, then we ventured onto "the caves". These were shallow caves off the ocean where natives used to live, then later pirates used to hide out in. We hiked around for a while, avoiding the bat guano, then emerged from the caves greeted by "the best drink on the island", provided by the bartender at the random shack bar outside the caves. There the locals hanging out told us to have lunch from the truck around the corner, and we had some of the best rice, beans, fried chicken, and mac and cheese. Still dreaming about it.

After lunch we ventured back to town and over to paradise island, the location of the Atlantis resort, a place I have dreamed about going ever since seeing the Olsen twins movie "Holiday in the Sun", who hasn't? Unfortunately we ran out of time and didn't get to venture inside, but it was fun to see the outside. After getting lost in a maze of one way streets, we eventually made it back to the rental shop then found a bar to have a nice cole Kalik, a Bahemian brewed beer.

Back on the ship, we took a nice nap, something that became very necessary after we began out nights of two to three hours of sleep. Another enormously huge dinner, followed by an evening at the After Point dance club, then a late night (well early morning really) stop at the 24 hour pizza bar, and an encounter with a Hungarian Prince, where I spent time trying to get asked to accompany him to the Prince William wedding (failed) we rolled into bed at around 4 or 5 a.m.

The next day began with a boat ride over to Half Moon Kay, the private island owned by Carnival. Here we perched up on some lounge chairs, and enjoyed an afternoon of cabana boys and pinya coladas. Back on the ship, another nap, and another huge dinner, we found an array of photo stations and decided to be models for the evening, taking hilarious and absurd pictures, making friends with the foreign photographers, and even convincing them to be in some of our pictures. Another night at the point after, running up our room bill with tequila shots for ourselves and our new friends, and room service at 5 a.m. that went uneaten we awoke the next day with some laughs.

This was the day we went to Grand Turk, on Turks and Caicos islands. We decided to venture off to the "downtown" which turned out to be a collection of 4 huts selling food and beer. The island itself was kind of a let down. Most of the island was still in ruin from a hurricane that hit a few years before, and a large fire that devastated the island not long before we were there. We found a beach to hang out for a bit, then headed back to the port and checked out the Margaritaville where had been hyped up. It was pretty cool but swarmed with tourists.

Back on the ship, yet another large meal and night at the Point After. Late night visits to the pizza bar to make new friends, and even later phone calls the night became infamous. Not many people can say they played duck, duck, goose in the lobby of a cruise ship at 5 a.m. but I proudly can. The next day was the day at sea, and unfortunately it was windy and rainy, however Elise and I spent the day on the Lido deck reading and hanging out with some of our new friends. After a good talk about life in the sauna, sweating out everything we had drank from the previous four nights, we were back in action, with another lovely dinner and night at the Point After. By this point the DJ knew exactly what songs were were going to request, and our bartender basically had drinks ready. After a quick trip to the lounge for some karaoke, then back to buy our new friend Dawn some shots for her 40th birthday, at last call we stumbled into bed at our usual 5 or 6 a.m. bedtime it was sad to see the last night slip away.

8a.m. up and ready to pay the bill and leave the ship, we were picked up by a friend who is not living in Miami. She showed us around, introduced us to Cuban coffee and let us nap in her apartment before our evening flight home. Midnight San Diego time we arrived home and could barely believe it was over... it's hard to go back to reality after a week like that. But we were happy to get some sleep, and I'm pretty sure I had as much sleep as I had the entire week in that one night!

Hope to have a new post for you soon! If nothing else we have an Australia post coming this summer!

Chillin' with the Pumbas

Time for the blog about the safari!!!

But first some thoughts about life here,
For those of you who don't know we are really living IN Africa... I look out my window in the morning and see a cow and chickens running around, as well as people cooking outside and picking plantains to eat. Eric and I have to boil water to drink it and are the only white people in this whole town.

Also, pineapple here is amazing for lack of a better word! We figure its because they don't farm it here, it just grows wild, so there aren't any pesticides and the soil isn't over farmed like it is on plantations. I wish I could take some home but I don't think they would let me.

Another thing is people here love Obama. Once anyone finds out we are American we get so many questions about him. We even get them from other tourists from around Europe.




So back to safari talk,
Thursday we had school but I wasn't feeling well, I'm pretty sure it was because I got dehydrated, so I stayed home and got better. Everyone in the neighborhood wanted to diagnose what I had and almost had me convinced I had malaria. Even though I knew I didn't, people were insistent and it made me nervous. That night after I was feeling better Eric and I left for the Backpackers Hostel because we were leaving for our trip early the next morning. After taking advantage of the free internet there and having some Nile Special Lager we had an early night.

Friday morning we were up early for the long drive to Mercheson Falls Park. At this point, the circle of life from the Lion Kind began to get stuck in my head. The safari ended up only being Eric and I, along with another guy named Carl from Norway. He was really interesting to talk to because he was on his last week of a 6 month trip around the world. Many hours later after entering the park we stopped to view the top of the falls. The fall was quite amazing, we could hear them from about a mile away and when we got there we were getting wet from all the spray. (pictures to come, but even those don't quite show the magnitude of the falls). After viewing the falls we drove to the Red Chili Rest camp where we were to be staying (seeing many groups of Baboon's along the side of the road along the way), and had dinner overlooking the Nile River. At the camp sight there was a group of Wart Hogs or Pumbas as the call them here, as do I thanks to my love for the Lion King, and that being the theme of my weekend.
We got to meet some other tourists on the same safari from different companies here, one of the most memorable was Dave, a man volunteering in Kampala who was HIV positive himself, and came here to use that to help get through to some kids. He was a truck driver from Mississippi, and fit the stereotypical southern mold. He had gone through a lot of hard times and had so many interesting stories. One of the most interesting being his experience with Hurricane Katrina, because when it hit he was in jail for dealing meth and had an amazing story of how the prisoners were treated during a crisis when all the legitimate law enforcement had abandoned the city, at points they were left to die as the jails flooded, a remarkable story that I could never do justice retelling but it really opened my eyes to some things that go on, even in our own country.

Saturday was the big day. We woke up super early for the game drive around the savanna. We crossed the Nile by ferry in out small van and proceeded onto the plains. Here I saw so many more animals than I could of imagined! Right off the ferry we saw a group of hippos lounging in the river, then along the drive we saw elephants, giraffes, buffalo, antelopes, monkeys, wart hogs, and birds. Not to be disappointed, our driver did a little off trekkinng (driving off the road, highly illegal in the park), and we got super close to some giraffes, and dangerously close to some LIONS! There were a few other cars that had discovered the lions as well, but we saw a mother lion and her two cubs lounging in a bush, dining on a baby antelope she had recently killed. The pictures are amazing, and we have some video as well, where you can literally hear the bones of their dinner cracking as she eats it. Eric and I are still in shock we got to see this and get that close!
After stopping for a snack of pineapple, my fave! We drove back to the river crossing and back to The Red Chili for lunch. After lunch we went to take a cruise on the Nile up to the base of the falls. On the way we saw a ridiculous amount of hippos, and even some crocodiles! The cruise was great until it started storming and we were all soaking wet! Quite a cool experience but extremely uncomfortable. Eventually we made it to the base of the falls and tied the boat up to an island in the middle of the river and some of us got to climb out onto the rock, fun but if we had fallen we would of been swept away by the ridiculously rough current. We eventually cruised back to camp and spent the rest of the evening having dinner and sharing stories with other travelers.

Sunday was another early morning as we headed out of the Chimp Trek in the rain forest. This was cool getting to search for chimpanzees in the African Jungle, and I mean search. We definitely trekked as our guide created our own paths by chopping through brush with his machete and we were deep in the jungle. We even got to see a whole lot of chimps, which was a luxury being that many groups don't even see any. I ended the trek covered in mud and scratches but I couldn't help but be grateful making it back. Never being too scared or feeling like I was in actual danger, I did think of the rebel groups like the LRA, who have made appearances in this jungle, given the park is so close to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The night before I had heard about a group of American tourists being taken a few years before. But with that said don't worry everyone we are still alive and safely back in Kampala!

Monday we were back in school! After a late start Eric and I made it to class and I decided today I would teach about Marketing. I had some good reactions, and some bad, but overall I felt the kids learned something, and a few came up to me later in the day asking if I had any marketing books and wanting to know more, so the made me really happy. After classes a few of the girls and I were talking and many had some interesting questions about things like relationships and sex, it was cool they felt comfortable enough to talk to me about those things and I felt I got through to them. Another thing a few of the girls expressed is that they wanted a pen pal from the US. So as of now I am looking at maybe getting the school here connected with a school in the states to set up a pen pal exchange. I'm not exactly sure if it would work given they don't all have access to computers here, or the ability to pay for postage on snail mail, but its something I'm going to look into.

That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed the tales of Safari, and I can't wait to show you all the pictures and video!

Love and miss you all!!! Still having an amazing time, but can't wait to be home!

On to the next one! Africa 2010

All ready for a quiet summer in san diego, i'm now in Uganda for a month with my brother Eric! After about a month at home having some relaxing time in Walnut Creek and two wild weeks in San Diego with a 21st birthday to be rivaled I took a plane ride that was way too long and we are here.

Not until I boarded the plane did I really even find out what and how we were getting here. Two years ago, Eric and Jill came through the global volunteer network and were placed at the Springs of Hope High School outside of Kampala, Uganda. Now Eric has created a close relationship with the director Angelo and this time we came directly through him and the school. While here we will be teaching English (i know ironic being that I am horrible at the subject) and other topics we see fit, such as Marketing and Customer Service for me, and Music for Eric.

Off to a good start I had forgotten my malaria medications so a rush delivery of those was a nice cost. That all being ok thanks to Jill who willingly did the foot work for me and got them sent off! When we arrived the night of June 1st into the Entebee Airport we were greeted by Angelo who was very excited to see Eric and meet me. The car ride to his house consisted mostly of me trying to stay awake and drifting off now and then but we had some interesting talks and I learned a little bit about the country. Angelo was talking about the bill they have in congress right now making homosexuality illegal and those breaking the law could be killed on the spot. Yikes! Quite a different world.

After we got to their house they showed us the attached house we would be staying in, it is pretty simple but comfortable. We set up the mosquito nets and went to bed.

The next few days we hung around a bit. Wednesday we went into the city. Quite an experience getting into the taxis from their town, large 14 passenger vans that people piled into, and then from the busy taxi park in the middle of the city with many people yelling mzungu (white person) we walked the streets a bit through the crazyness and Angelo showed us his favorite movie store, where you could get pretty much any film you wanted for under 2 dollars. After, we hopped on motor bikes to the mall called Garden City. Here is little europe, there are white people everywhere. We had lunch and watched a movie and did a few other things, then back to Bulenga (where we are staying) for the evening.

Susan (angelo's wife) makes us dinner every night, usually some form of rice and beans and plantains. Its pretty good but is getting old.

The next day was a public holiday so more hanging around. Moses, the headmaster of the school and Angelo talked to us about what we wanted to teach and when we should come to the school.

On Friday we went to our first day of classes. It was awkward at first and all the kids just stare at us because they can't understand us very well. We got a lot of stares and giggles. We taught a few classes of english and had the kids write about themselves. They write surprisingly well but you can tell they have a lot to still work on.

Saturday was a slow day, Eric was sick for a while so we had gotten him medicine the day before and chose today to rest. We played a lot of cribbage and Rage (like crazy 8's). I won't play rage anymore because I am so bad and got too far behind... I'm rarely a sore looser but it just wasn't fun anymore.

Sunday morning Angelo's cousin John took us to church. It was a catholic church, but in english so wasn't much different from a service in the US. On the way back we walked through some markets which was pretty interesting. That night Angelo took us out for dinner at a Karaoke type place, which was basically blasting ugandan rap music and some people would kind of sing along. The food wasn't very good but we sampled some Ugandan Beer.

Monday we were told we were not needed in class so Eric and I headed into town to plan a Safari! We booked one for this weekend so I'm sure my next update will be talking about that. After that we went to the Cafe Pap, a famous coffee shop in Kampala, which is also where I am now using the internet.

Tuesday we had another day at school, after a misadventure getting to the campus we taught some more english and Eric taught a little music. The kids really enjoyed that. Towards the end of the day we were supposed to be teaching another class but we ended up just hanging out the the kids, playing a little guitar and playing on the photo booth on the computer. The kids seemed to enjoy that much more than our pitiful excuse for an english lesson.

Wednesday (today) we have another public holiday so Eric and I decided to come to town and use the internet then head to school to hang out with the kids that live on campus.

Overall my experience so far has been really nice. Cold showers are one thing but we have running water (most of the time) and plenty of food. The people are amazingly nice compared to what i have encountered in many other places. People are excited to see Americans rather than think we are all fat and uneducated. Especially the kids, the ones at the school are all very interested in our lives and the young kids on the street are so excited to wee white people and are very friendly.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to add now but they will all be put up at some time after we get back to the states. Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but I hope this gives you an idea of what we have been up to.

Passport to Paris!

Final weekend trip of the semester :( Before I left for Paris I was a little burnt out on traveling. What I really needed was a vacation, not a trip. Thats exactly what it turned into which made for an amazing weekend!

Paris seems to get a bad rap from a lot of people. I think people tend to get bad weather and meet rude people but we had a weekend of pretty much the opposite. Our new friend Jon who we met in Dublin was really nice to let us stay at his apartment, which was in an amazing location at was a really nice place. Sarah and I were the first ones to get to the apartment, and because Jon was still at work we had to follow the instructions to get to and into the apartment. After fumbling around the airport like idiots and making the 2 trains we had to take to the city center we walked out to the neighborhood we were staying in and it was so cute!

When we got to the apartment we felt like secret agents trying to break into a top secret room, so many codes and keys, it was pretty funny. That afternoon Sarah and I got some lunch and did a little shopping then napped till Justin got to town and Jon got home. Because it was Justin's birthday we went out for a few drinks, quite a tame 21st birthday but we had a party planned for the next week.

That next morning we got up for a day of touring. Our other friend from Dublin, Price, got in from her flight to spend the weekend in Paris too. We went to the Eiffel Tower in the morning. Once we got off the metro stop at the Eiffel Tower we didn't see the tower right away, we stumbled around like idiots and as we saw vendors and groups of other tourists... they were all walking a one way, and brilliant me thought they must all be leaving the tower... even the pictures some people were taking didn't tip us off. Pretty soon Price stops us and we look around to see the tower completely towering over us! Its hard to explain how silly we felt or looked but it was a good start to Paris.

Once we got to the tower we took a few pictures then found a sandwich shop and got food for a picnic by the tower. We did a lot of people watching, and encountered some of the gypsies that ask if you speak english, then hand you a note with a sob story about their family in hopes that you will give them money. They were everywhere and buy the end of the day we learned just to ignore them or say you didn't speak english. After we ate we went up to the towers, we didn't go all the way to the top of the tower, but over 700 steps later we were on the second level. We enjoyed the views for a while then headed back down the tower. At the bottom we started walking to the Arc de Triomphe, as I started teaching everyone about it with the Rick Steves book Jon let us borrow. We hung out for a bit at the Arc and headed down the champs elysee, only window shopping here, towards the end of the street I really enjoyed park and ponds, it was all very Parisian.

At the end was the Louvre. We were pretty tired at this point so only had the energy for a little more than an hour in the Museum. We saw the big things though, and other than that I wasn't too impressed with the collection of art. I was, however, impressed by the Mona Lisa. Most people are disappointed by it but I think, because I had such low expectations I enjoyed it much more.

That night we decided to make dinner at the apartment and got some wine and cheese. We had an early night that night, and the next day got up for more touring. We didn't really have a plan for that day so we ended up just taking out the Rick Steves book and wandering. Started the morning at Notre Dame. We spent some time outside taking pictures and wandered around inside, but I spent most of my time sitting outside it basically staring and reading what Rick Steves said about the design of the front.

After the cathedral we did some shopping along the left bank quarter and met up with Jon, then had lunch. I ate a croque madame. I had to order one because I had learned about them in 7th grade when I first started learning French. It was basically the worst thing for a person on the menu, a grilled ham and cheese covered in more cheese and a fried egg.

Next we hung out for a few hours up at Montmartre, a part of town and cathedral overlooking the city. Up there, there were many performers up on the steps, and an amazing view so we got some of the beers they were selling in the crowd and sat for a while. On the way back we walked through a really cute part of town, then down to the Moulin Rouge to take some pictures outside. It would of been cool to see the show but it was quite pricey.

Back to the apartment we grabbed some creps and after some rest we got drinks at the apartment. With every intention of heading to the Eiffel Tower at dark to see the lights of Paris, we got caught up in good conversation and many hours later realized the lights must of been turned off and the metro closed. We were not too concerned given we wanted to have a no pressure weekend, and knowing I would be back someday.

Back to Barcelona the next day. We all left with smiles so I would say it was a successful weekend. Being in one of the rumored most expensive cities in Europe, I surprisingly spent the least amount I have on any of my other trips. With the lack of shopping I also failed to get post cards, sorry for those of you who have gotten one from everywhere I have gone, no Paris cards :(

Now the next big trip is back to California! I'm only excited about it because I know I will never stop traveling. So the blogs won't end with Paris! Definitely looking forward for a break and a little bit of reality... odd as that may seem, a break from a vacation?

Morocco

I have now been to 5 out of 7 continents in the world! This spring break we went to Morocco for the week and had an absolutely amazing time! Its hard to answer when people ask me how my trip was because it really was amazing and something that is hard to talk about and convey how amazing it actually was.

Our week started in Malaga, a city in the south of Spain along the Costa del Sol. We were here to meet the ISA group we were going to Morocco with but decided to go a few days early to relax by the beach. Our hostel was a little far from the city center but it was really cheap and right by the water. There were great beaches with dark sand, lined by vendors and restaurants where we had one of the best lunches (with an adorable waiter). The first night we went to the city center and to a bar (recommended by our waiter) that was filled with locals and had a cool band, that seemed to be having a lot of fun (even though I had no idea what they were singing about). The second day we got up and spent a full day laying by the sand and that evening sipping drinks at the restaurants. We made dinner in our hostel that night and took a nap for a few hours before meeting the Morocco group at 5am. Well it was actually more like 4am because daylight savings hit us that night.

Out of the hostel and onto the bus and ready for the adventure ahead. First we have a good 12+ hours on a bus and ferry. Waiting for us on the bus were all of the other kids from the ISA Madrid, Valencia, & Salamanca programs who took the bus from Madrid (another 8+ hours!). We drove about two hours and transfered to the ferry that took across across the straight of Gibraltar to Ceuta, a Spanish city attached to Morocco. Through the city to the boarder we waited a good hour in the bus in the heat as they checked all our passports. Pass the boarder we stopped at a rest stop restaurant where most of the group got their first culture shock with toilets that consisted of only holes in the ground and unknown Moroccan food. At this point I wasn't sure what to eat either so my lunch consisted of the cereal bars I had brought. As we waited to get back on the bus there were a group of Moroccan kids that were watching us so some of the boys ended up playing hackie sack with them, one of the first interactions we had with the Moroccan locals.

Many hours later we got to the hotel in Fes, the first city we were going to be staying in. Adrianne, and I walked around the area outside our hotel for a little. From a story we read by a girl who had taken the moroccan trip previously we were under the impression that the moroccan boys weren't big on hitting on girls but that proved wrong as we received a lot of attention. After avoiding an invitation to tea and a trip to a boy's hotel in the desert we headed back to the hotel for dinner. I wasn't too sure what Moroccan food was but I ended up really enjoying it. Mostly chicken, rice, couscous, and vegetables. Good deserts and fruit. This dinner, as well as most, we were sat at tables as we arrived so we got a good mix of the different ISA groups, from this we met some cool people, but it was clear ISA Barcelona has a bad rap and we were seen as the partiers and not serious about learning spanish or school in general. Despite all this we knew we had the most fun and the 15 of us Barcelonians proved it throughout the trip.

Day two we met for the tour of Fes city. This made for a long day but was really exciting. We first started at what I think I remember as the royal gates. Large brass doors that made for great photographs. After we headed to the Medina, an ancient part of the city lined with shops with foods and goods. Barely streets, they were small alleyways crowded with people and made hectic by men on donkeys and pushing carts. The day soon turned into shopping day. The guides we were with were dirty old men one of who had to be at least 60 and made sexual comments to all of the girls... ooo cultural differences! So basically the guides took us to their friends shops... all of which I'm sure we were getting ripped off a bit but they had good stuff we we weren't disappointed.

The first stop was a carpet store that was a co op of hundreds of different carpet weavers. The manager of the shop was a pretty good salesman and made us all believe we needed carpets. They gave us all tea, called Moroccan Whisky that was delicious. After hearing the prices I was soon brought back to reality and realized a Moroccan carpet is something I would have to invest in after I made my millions. Here I spent most of my time on the roof of the place which had an amazing view of the city and the Medina, as well as the surrounding hills. A lot of people did some good bartering and got some good carpets however. I am a little jealous but I think i will wait and get a cheap carpet at Target. After the carpet store we headed to a pharmacy herbal store where more good salesmen talked to us and I believed I needed to buy everything they had! Here I bought a lot of good spices and teas (Moroccan whisky), as well as makeups and body oils. After, we headed to lunch through a small door in a random alley which opened up to an awesome restaurant, with more family style moroccan food. Everything was delicious and free so I loved it.

After lunch we were right back to the shopping. And more winding around the Medina to get to the shops. There were a lot of vendors badgering us to buy stuff. It has hard having to be flat out rude to the people to have they go away, but if you weren't they were impossible to get to go away. Some of the men excited by american women were happy to throw out compliments, and at one point I was offered a thousand camels (I'm assuming for marriage, glad I'm worth that?). The next shop we were in was a leather shop, which at the top we had a view of where they prepped and dyed the leather. This smelt rancid so they gave us mint leaved to hold to our noses so it would be bearable. A man working at the leather shop told us about the process and then took us down to the store to shop! I was able to resist buying anything here as were most of us due to the prices. There were some sweet leather short shorts I had my eye on though!

Next stop a scarf/cotton store where they showed us how to tie turbans. Here I spent a good amount of money on scarves and got a good beach shirt for the summer. Final stop for the day was a pottery factory were we saw them shape and fire pottery as well as paint, then taken to the show room to shop. Here I resisted shopping as well due to the fact I was out of money by now. After shopping we headed back to the hotel for dinner and had another good Moroccan dinner, but at this time the food was starting to seem awfully familiar. After dinner we went to a Moroccan folklore show which had drummers, magicians, belly dancers, and a few other entertainers, we drank more tea and had some delicious cookies.

The next morning we got back on the busses for another 8+ hour trip to the desert! There were some amazing views of all different climates. After a long drive without a stop, the directors had us stop to go to the bathroom at an old closed dow rest stop, which meant no bathrooms. There were a lot of complaints but people soon got over it and were able to find some area to squat. Eventually we made it to an Oasis a few hours from the desert where we stopped for lunch another typical Moroccan meal but delicious still. Back on the busses we finally made it to where we were going to take the 4x4 jeeps to the dunes! We split up into groups and Sarah, Lauren, Adrianne, Whitney, Bianca, and I hopped into a Jeep and sped into the desert. Half way there we stopped with the other Jeeps to watch the sunrise then back in the Jeeps to our campsite. For a while we were separated from the other jeeps and it was kind of creepy but soon we ended up at the camp.

We watched the moon rise up at the dunes as some local boys started to show up. Throughout the rest of the time in the desert we met a lot of the local people. They were very eager to talk and hand out with us and most of them spoke Spanish and some English that they learned from all the tourists. We had dinner in a large dinner tent later that night and after dinner we they had some music and we all danced for a bit then headed to the tents to sleep.

The next day we had a full day out in the dunes. In the morning we were up for the sunrise. Completely groggy and congested I hiked the dunes to watch the sunrise then we played around a bit as the locals tried to sell us stuff. Then we had a delicious breakfast where they gave us these moroccan donut type things as well as some other pastries and jellies and cheeses. After breakfast and some time to play in the sand we got on camels and trekked through the dunes. Sarah and I were first sharing a camel but when we were too much weight for the little guy we ended up getting our own. I stayed on the camel we originally had and named him Nimbus 2000. He was sweet. After a short trek we were at one of the biggest dunes we could see and got off the camels to hike up it. The hike only took about 5 minutes but it really showed how out of shape we all were as the moroccan boys literally took our hands and pulled us up the dune. At the top we had amazing views and relaxed a bit as we regained our energy, up at the top we met some sandboarders who were on a tour and they let a few people in our group use their boards to play around in the sand. Heading back down the dune one of the boys grabbed my hand and we ran down, I'm still surprised i didn't trip and roll.

Back on the camels, this time I was riding with a new friend Al, we headed to the town where they lead us to more shopping! First we stopped at a convenience store where we bought sweets that we gave to the local children, who seemed absolutely thrilled to have the luxury of sugar! Then we walked a bit and ended up at another rug and jewelry shop. While I tried to convince the man to sell me what was quoted as a 100 euro jewelry box for 10 euro... (and getting him down to 60 but not having any money), we sipped more Moroccan whisky and talked to some of the local kids outside the store. After the store we headed back to camp hiking probably about a mile through the dunes. Back at camp we relaxed a bit. We were all filled with sand at this point but embraced the fact we were camping and skipped the showers. Soon an old lady and her daughter came to camp to offer us henna tattoos. I got one on my foot but got impatient waiting for it to dry and after playing in the sand it is very light.

For the rest of the afternoon we hung out in the dunes with a large group of local boys. Working on my spanish they were excited to talk with us and that we were so excited to talk to them. After most of them claimed us as their various girl friends and we ran around in the sand playing with the younger boys, one of them, who was wearing a Harry Potter shirt, offered me a ride on his motor bike. One of my more memorable experiences in the desert, also the scariest given i rode the bike without shoes or a legitimate seat.

After time in the dunes we went for dinner and had another delicious meal followed by live entertainment by a band. On one of their intermissions ISA Barcelona took the stage and one of our own did some freestyle raps as others played drums and keyboard. Many of the other ISA programs rolled their eyes at us but the other tourists staying at the camp as well as our ISA directors got a kick out of it. We danced late into the night and the band even busted out some bob marley.

The next morning back in the Jeeps, then back on the busses for another 8+ hour ride to a town called Meknes. On the way we stopped at a random rode side to give items of food and clothing so some of the nomadic moroccans who needed help. Arriving at the hotel we were all excited to have a proper shower and bathroom. Had a delicious dinner of pasta and chicken (a nice change from the usual) and passed out after dinner. Although Adrianne and I had trouble falling asleep because our bathroom light had a mind of its own and kept turning on on its own. Early morning we got up and back in the busses for the long trip back to Malaga Spain. Even with all the bus driving it was barely noticeable with all the amazing experiences we had during the time we were experiencing the moroccan life.

In the 12 hours after arriving into Spain till our flight back to Barcelona, Lauren, Sarah and I, in an effort to save a little money and not miss a flight, spent about 4 hours in a tapas restaurant sipping on wine, eating tapas, while watching the semana santa easter parade march by. With the graphic crucifixion floats, as well as the people marching in what looked like KKK cloaks and hoods (i forgot the name but after googleing them at the restaurant we discovered they were a catholic symbol, but what the KKK got their outfits from) as well as dramatic drums it made for an intiresting atmosphere. From here we caught a cab to the airport (around 1am) and found a nice spot on the ground for us to sleep for the night. It was a rough cold night and I now have a new respect for the homeless but now that it is over it wasnt that bad. Sleeping the whole flight home, as well as passing out for the entire day back in Barcelona I eventually recovered and finally found time to write this blog! More to come soon about the week before spring break as well as my few days back in Barcelona at the end of break. Also, Paris next weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-wLkNxgeKc

Video by Whitney Johnson. Watch it to SEE what I'm talking about!

"And that's the Ireland Situation"

Driving on the left side of the road, and I love the Irish. That could basically sum up my weekend but I will give you a little more detail just to be nice.

We got to Dublin late Thursday night and hopped in a cab to our hostel. The hostel was so nice (at least compared to the others we had stayed in.... me and Ivanhoe which I raved about in my last post no longer have a good relationship). It was really late but the guy at the desk was super nice helping us check in. And we found out there was laundry service where they wash and dry! So I washed my jeans and was very excited about it. Anyone in Europe understands the rarity of dryers and the need to dry jeans sometimes. So anyway, we headed out to grab a drink (i mean we were in Ireland for the first time we had to!) and found a cool pub and I got my first Irish Guiness and Justin ordered a Coors Light and I am still very disappointed in him for that. When we got back to the hostel we met some of the people in our room and hung out for a bit, then went to bed so we could have some energy for the next day.

Friday we got up and explored Dublin city a bit while we waited for Alison to get to Dublin because she flew a day later. So Justin, Adrianne, and I saw Christ's Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and a few other monuments and cathedrals. When Alison got to town we grabbed lunch at a place called Bull & Castle then headed to the Guiness Factory. The factory was really cool, it showed you how they made the beer and about the history in a theatrical way and the building (on the inside) was shaped like a pint glass. We got to pour our own Guiness the drink it, and hang out in the famous Gravity Bar on top of the factory which has amazing views of the city. After Guiness we headed back to the hostel to get ready for the night.

We started Friday night at a Irish dance show at one of the hotels (while enjoying another Guiness), the went to the Temple Bar area where most tourists go and went pub hopping. We stopped for dinner at an American diner, which would be taboo but Ireland doesn't have the best quick food that is traditional Irish. Plus we miss that kind of food. We ended back up at the place we had lunch which was like a German beer hall almost and had the liter drinks. We met some fun Irish people there and had the flipping coasters game going. I flipped 17 on my first try. Not to brag though. After that place closed we went back to the place we were the first night and met a lot more interesting people and some Welsh ones too (there was a big rugby game the next day). Overall a successful night and made for some good stories.

Saturday morning we went on a tour of the countryside with an amazing guide Eamonn. There is not a whole lot of story to tell from the tour but the countryside was amazing and the green was just starting to peak through from the winter and we saw where the opening scenes of Braveheart were filmed and where some scene from P.S. I love you was filmed. There was a lake they called Guiness Lake because the Guiness family owns it and imported sand so the beach of the lake looks like the head of a Guiness beer. We stopped in a little town for lunch and most of us got this beef stew and mashed potatoes which was absolutely delicious, and I got an Irish Coffee to complete the meal. After lunch we walked around an old ruin of a monastery and I found a headstone that has McDonald on it (the other side of my fam). Later on the drive our guide Eamonn sang an old Irish folk song which was soo amazing and adorable.

After getting back we had decided to go on a pub crawl and headed out for that. I still don't know why we decided to do one in Dublin of all places but we did and it was a complete let down, but we did meet some cool people and had an overall fun night.

Sunday we had to fly back in the late afternoon so we made sure to take advantage of our time and we went to the Jameson Distillery right when it opened. Its amazing how much pride there is in Irish whisky. The tour was really cool and in the end there was a taste test that Justin and I got picked for so I got to basically start my day with 4 shots of whisky. After the distillery we grabbed some breakfast (I got a bagel and cream cheese! I swear they don't have bagels anywhere in spain), and headed to a St. Patrick's Day festival where there were rides and dancing and it was just a fun place to hang out. After doing a little souvenir shopping we had to head to the airport and back to Spain.

But in the week since then (it being St. Patrick's Day and all) we have held up the Irish sprit and spent the holiday in the Irish Pubs of Barcelona!

Side note: why I hate Ivahnoe (Rome hostel) so much is because apparently they have bed bugs and I have about 100 bites on my hands, arms, legs, and neck, and it is completely disgusting. I guess it was bound to happen soon with all the traveling I was doing, and its all part of the experience I suppose...