Argentina and Peru: Mountain Lakes, Glaciers and Old, Stacked Rocks

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We arrived in Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo, Brazil after a 10 hour flight across the Pacific.  Gotta love those in-flight entertainment systems.   Although our Spanish is limited, we (especially Jim) had been studying up via the Duo Lingo app and he had luck chatting with the cab driver.  Even if we only can speak in present tense, it was nice to at least be able to sort

of communicate.  Spanish speaking people understood Jim better than many South Africans.

La Recoleta Cemetery

We spent the first few day exploring the vibrant city of Buenos Aires and trying to adjust our schedules to not only the time zone difference, but the lifestyle difference—people in Argentina typically don’t eat dinner until around 9pm and many shops are closed from about 1 to 5 for a mid-afternoon siesta.  Highlights for our time in Buenos Aires included exploring both a natural history and science museum, where we scientifically proved that Xander is now officially taller than Carolyn, a city walking tour that included a gory description of the extensive travels of Eva Peron’s body before she finally ended up in equally spooky and charming La Recoleta cemetery, and a wonderful dinner at new Rotarian friend’s house. 

Planning our time in Argentina was challenging because it is so big—over ten times the area of Colorado (our measuring stick for the size of countries) and relatively difficult/expensive to travel around.  Among the 5+ plus regions that we wanted to visit, each involved a 20+ hour bus ride or multi-hour plane ride that cost $600+ one way (for 4 people), so we had to narrow down our choices.  

Jim's fishing spot

Exploring the river near Bariloche

 We spent a week in ski town of Bariloche in the southern hemisphere spring time hiking, boating and driving around stunning nearby national parks and lakes.  Jim even got to go fly fishing.  He (said he) caught a huge fish right when a tour bus stopped above him on a bridge- although he got applause from the tourists, he didn’t get his own picture.   The water is so clear we could see fish 15 feet below the surface.  Next we flew down to El Calafate in Patagonia.  The 116 degrees between Iceland (66 degrees North) and El Calafate (50 degrees south) is the biggest change in latitude we’ll have on this trip and the furthest South we will be.  El Calafate feels like it is truly in the middle of nowhere on the southern edge of aquamarine Lago Argentino, home to many wild flamingos (!).  Highlights of our time in El Calafate included a boat tour among icebergs, and most of all, the fascinating Perito Merino glacier.  As incredible as the pictures are, the sounds are what make the area seducing - groans and creaks sometimes followed by the tremendous crash of an ice sheets calving into the water.  We also met a French family with 3 kids traveling around South America for a year—on bikes—proving that there’s always someone more intrepid (or crazy) (http://www.ernestastrimbal.com/).

 

Perito Merino glacier

Along with the incredible scenery we learned about some of the fascinating economics, politics and history of Argentina.  Although we had heard about it before we arrived, it was still shocking to learn about the “blue market” (black sounds too ominous) for changing money in Argentina.  If you use a credit card or ATM, the exchange rate is about 9 pesos per USD, while if you change cash on the street, the exchange rate is about 15 pesos per USD.  Basically, we “saved” over $1000 by changing the approximately $1500 in cash we had on the blue market-  with the added bonus of Jim getting the exciting experience of being led into the back office for “cambio.”  When the boys and I heard some loud voices coming from the backroom (Jim insisted on looking at each bill) brave Xander squared his shoulders, took advantage of his new lower voice and asked if Jim “needed any help back there.”  Basically, inflation is currently (and historically has been) so high (for example, over 30% last year) that Argentinians have to deal with the reality that any pesos they earn and save are worth less and less.  (Want that $500 ipad?  Saving for a year?  Now it costs $650)  To protect their money, Argentinians prefer the more stable US dollars, but these are extremely difficult to get—add this to an exchange rate kept artificially low by the government, and you get the blue market.  Crazy.

Another amazing thing we learned about in Argentina was the Association Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a group of mothers who marched in front of the Casa Rosada (Pink House of Evita fame) in Buenos Aires to try to learn what happened to their children who were “disappeared” during the Dirty War of the military dictatorship in the mid 70s to mid 80s.  The plaza is circled by paintings on the ground of the white kerchiefs the mothers wore on their heads (the kerchiefs white cloth represented their children’s diapers) when they marched in silent defiance of the government state’s terrorism intended to silence all opposition.  The related “Grandmothers of the disappeared” have found over 100 children born to mothers who were imprisoned and killed during the Dirty War and subsequently illegally adopted.  These children have largely been found due to DNA testing.  Amazing lesson in history that occurred during our lifetimes and a real world application of Liam’s desire to be a genetic scientist when he grows up. 

We truly enjoyed our time in Argentina learning about its history, seeing some beautiful sights and filling our bellies with empanadas, yerba mate, steaks, and wine.

Next we headed to  Lima, Peru.  We explored some pre-Incan ruins in the city before heading to Cusco (the “belly button of the world” and center of the Incan empire).  We had planned to go Puno to see the reed islands, but got waylaid big time by altitude sickness (see previous post).  Once we get over the trauma of the two kids in the hospital at once we can joke that the whole thing was a kid conspiracy to avoid the long bus rides we had scheduled. We were thrilled to meet Tracey (Carolyn’s sister) and Scott in Cusco.  We had a nice afternoon walking (slowly) through the city and marveling at the astounding Incan architecture and puzzle-like palace walls that have withstood earthquakes that reduced the Spanish churches built on top of them to rubble.

The next day we toured the Sacred Valley where we visited Ollantaytambo and Pisac ruins from the Incan empire and learn about the amazing architecture that is designed to shine beams of sun on the temple throne on solstice days.  It’s mind boggling to imagine how Incans transported and fit together the huge stones without wheels or mortar.  On the way back we stopped to get cuy (aka guinea pig), a common Peruivan food, from a stand at the side of the road.  Liam said it “tastes like chicken.”

No trip to Peru is complete without seeing Machu Picchu, so we took the train to Aguas Callientes, the base town for Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu, although way more touristy than when Jim and I visited via the Inca Trail over 15 years ago, still maintains its mysticism and magic.  The Spanish never found the site- which isn’t surprising considering it took a 4 hour train ride from Cusco and a 30 minute drive up gasp-inspiring hairpin turns to get there.  We agreed with the “worldwide internet poll” that named it one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” (along with the Coliseum and Great Wall of China).   

By far the best part of the day was when Scott proposed to Tracey on a secluded terrace overlooking the ruins and the mountains!  Definitely worth a jump for joy J Scott had told us about his plan to propose back before we left in July, so we were excited to finally get to see the plan play out and happy for Scott to be able to let his backpack out of his sight once he gave the ring to T.  Hooray! 

To make the most of our stay the next day we hiked up Machu Picchu Mountain.  The original plan was to hike up Huanynu Picchu (the mountain behind the ruins in all of the pictures) but now they only have limited tickets per day that we didn’t get soon enough.  Machu Picchu Mountain is on the other side, and somewhat to our surprise, quite a bit harder/higher, but ultimately worth the 2 hours walking up steps for a stunning view of the ruins peeking out from the drifting clouds.  The kids also got the chance to prove that they were over their altitude sickness, as they easily beat up to the top of the ~3000m (10,000 foot) peak.  No rest for the weary in this crew (sorry Scott!).

We got to visit a few more Inca ruin sites full of “old stacked rocks” before heading back to a long layover in Lima, a stop in Houston (where we almost missed our plane due to some customs issues over the ostrich egg souvenir we carried since South Africa) and finally home to Colorado.  The 10 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures were a bit of a shock to our follow-the-summer, wear shorts every day bodies, but more than worth it to see family and friends!

We’re enjoying catching up with everyone, drinking tap water, and speaking English.  It’s nice to know where we’re going, and be comfortable with what we’re doing for a change (and oh, the amazing grocery stores) —but we can’t wait to get back on the road to New Zealand right after Christmas.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already completed the first half of our trip-- A wonderful experience for the family where we have all learned a lot about the world, the joy of living light, and how to adapt to whatever happens.

Senses:

Carolyn-  The glisten of the rain on the streets of elaborate tombs in La Recoleta cemetery while I peek into the dingy windows that reveal staircases descending into the spooky abyss; The little brown bird hopping through the brush chirping while we walk through the Bariloche Chicco Circuit forest dwarfed by towering  cinnamon colored Arranayn "bushes" and their smooth peeling bark; The swirling shadow circles dancing gracefully on the bottom of the river bed, created from mini whirlpools on the clear surface of the turquoise river; Listening to  crack and groan of the seemingly alive peaks and valleys of the Perito Merino glacier, waiting to hear the thunderous sound indicating a new iceberg plummeting into the aqua lake below; Happy tears wetting my eyes as I witness Scott propose to T on the terrace overlooking the stunning ruins and surrounding magical mountains of Machu Picchu.

Jim- The stark differences from crypt to crypt in design, quality and upkeep in the Recoleta cemetery; The bitter earthy taste of mate savored through my silver mate sieve straw; the wonderful taste of sweet breads and coffee to fuel the day walking around the city and learning more about the history of Argentina; The sharp tooth-like peaks edging out above the snow and glacier-capped Andes mountains over the town of Bariloche; The cooked brown skin of the cuy sizzling around the spit confirming without a doubt I was not hungry for Guinea pig.

Liam- The pitter patter of the rain falling on my umbrella as we walk through the maze like streets of Buenos Aires looking at somewhat old historical buildings and learning about the complex government and money of Argentina; The elaborate twists and turns of the treelike red and orange "bushes" that grow nowhere else in the world stretching out creating a vast canopy above me; The cold ice cup freezing my lips and mouth as I took gulp after gulp of fanta, sprite and lemonade at the unlimited drinks ice bar inside the glaciarium; The hoard of teenage girls swarming around me d snapping multiple photos of my beautiful face as I stand there frozen in horrified shock; The waitress coming out with a computer-sized metal platter heaped with all different types of sausage, chicken and mystery meats as Scott and I stare in awe at what we ordered for dinner

Xander- The familiar numbing of snow I grab from a snow patch at the top of  a dusty, almost vertical hill as I look down on a sky blue lake and matching cloudless sky above Bariloche; The aqua blue water reflecting snowcapped mountain peaks and revealing a school of trout many feet below; The cool wind rushing across my face as I stare mesmerized by the vast andes mountain range as I ride the boat in the turquoise lake near bariloche; The rough sand paper texture of the pumice rock as I grabbed it while it floated down the small creek leading to the esperco chico (mirror lake); The intricate smooth grey puzzle-like Incan stones overshadowing  the Spanish colonial church built above them

Lessons Learned:

• Argentinians drink mate (tea) out of sieve straws everywhere

• There are lots of stray dogs wandering around in Argentina
• Good Argentinian steak is cheaper than a bag of pretzels
• Arranyan trees are really bushes and are only found near Bariloche
• Eva Peron's body had a long and sordid journey after her death, including being embalmed and displayed, being stored in a basement, a government officials office, and in a septic tank and being transported to Spain
• In Argentina, you can change your family, you can change your religion, but you can never change your futbol team
• Argentina has a lot (potentially the most) dinosaur bones
• Buenos Aires architecture is a  juxtaposition of mismatched styles
• In Bariloche a "small trout" is 18 inches
• Most of the world's glaciers are in Antarctica; Africa is the continent with the least amount of glaciers
• What's the difference between snow and glaciers?  Density.
• Glaciers appear blue because blue wavelength light travels the farthest
• The Earth’s “snow zone” is about 35degrees N and S in latitude, although higher elevations may have snow
• In Argentinian grocery stores, milk (and many other liquid substances) come in bags, the stores don't have any bags to put your purchases into and eggs come in pallets of 30.  If you ask for fewer eggs, they tell you to put them in a bag (!)
• Many stores in Argentina are closed from around 1 to 5 pm, and aren't open on Sundays
• The tourist ticket (aka “tourist tax”) is typically at least double the local entrance fee
• There is always someone more adventurous than you, and there's always a way to do things more luxuriously or cheaply
• Pass on good travel karma
• If you want to buy something, get it the first time you see it because you probably won't go back
• Travel insurance is worth it
• If your kids end up in the hospital, you really slack off on recording lessons learned
• It's great to be home, but even better to know you're going back out

Monster under the bed

trooper

Not surprisingly, our posts usually focus on the trip highlights and happy moments.  Even during the “down” times-- the stress of getting to a new place and trying to figure things out, the long boring transport days, sniping at each other because we’re “hangry” and/or have been within arm’s reach of each other for a week—it’s all pretty much part of the adventure.  But getting sick so far away from home when we can’t speak the language and the medical facilities are a different standard (if there are any to be found) is the monster under the bed that we don’t want to think about and are most afraid of. We’ve had a few issues- including some painful/messy traveler’s stomach, random allergic reactions that necessitated the quick administration of Benadryl, a course of antibiotics for both kids to kick lingering coughs, and a mysterious circle on Xander’s thigh that we thought was a bug bite but was apparently a fungus.  Although not pleasant (ok, some of the stomach stuff has been downright miserable) these ailments have been short-lived and somewhat predictable (maybe not the circle fungus)-- but we never would have predicted what happened this past week.

bionic man

We arrived in Cusco, Peru (elevation 11,400 feet) on Sunday.  We had a nice day walking around the city on Monday and all was well.  Monday evening Xander went to bed with a headache. Both kids were coughing through the night.  By Tuesday morning, both kids were coughing a ton and Xander was wheezing a lot.  He’s had some asthma in the past, so we treated him with the albuterol and steroid inhalers that typically alleviate his symptoms. Liam was uncomfortable and threw up.  By about 10am we took a taxi to the hospital. Before we left, Xander was pretty much passed out on the bed, shockingly pale, breathing incredibly fast and shallow.  I had to carry Liam on my back down the three flights of stairs from our apartment to the street because he was so weak.  They just both went downhill so quickly.

When we got to the clinic, they rushed them both back into the emergency room.  Liam threw up again all over everything.  Xander’s pulse ox was under 70 and his lips were turning blue.  They immediately put him on a high flow of oxygen and gave him an IV.  They took Liam and me to a different room and put him oxygen and gave him an IV. The nurse had a really hard time finding his vein.  He was very brave with the multiple needle pokes. Chest x-rays of both kids showed fluid in their lungs—high altitude pulmonary edema.  A rare and very dangerous form of altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness?  These Colorado born and bred kids that spend every other weekend in Winter Park?   Unimaginable.  Both kids in the hospital at the same time?  Inconceivable.

bundled up for a transfer

Xander had to go to a different hospital because he had to go into the ICU.  His heart and breathing rate were so high, they were worried that his diaphragm would stop working.  I stayed with Liam and Jim went with Xander.  Jim and I alternated at the different hospitals.  We could text each other, thank goodness.  Any elementary Spanish I know was lost in the fog of sleeplessne

ss and worry.    I could ask “What is happening?” but not really understand the answer.  I made the mistake of looking up pulmonary edema on the internet. I have never felt so incompetent or as horrible a parent.  Liam broke my heart by crying for the first time only when I told him we probably wouldn’t get to go to Machu Picchu.  Through all of this the kids still want to continue our adventure. 

Hyperbaric chamber

Along with oxygen, IV steroids, diuretics and antibotics for Xander (to fight pneumonia) both kids got several treatments in a hyperbaric chamber.  For some reason they didn’t take either of them to the chamber until about 9pm, which was really exhausting.  Liam couldn’t hear anything in the chamber so I typed things into my phone and held it up to the glass.  He’d write back with his finger on the steam on the inside of the glass.  The second day he wanted to bring in his tablet but they wouldn’t let him because it could spark inside the chamber and make it explode (high oxygen and pressure).  Xander had to go to a different hospital in an ambulance to his chamber.  Riding in an ambulance late at night on the streets in Cusco is not an experience I would recommend to even the most intrepid.

There are five clinics in Cusco that treat high altitude sickness—just the fact that there are multiple hyperbaric chambers within a few kilometer radius is telling.  The kids received good care, since they’re on the road to better.  One of the main differences between hospitals in Cusco and at home seemed to be the electronics.  For example, the IV was gravity fed, the head of the bed went up with a crank, and the xrays were printed on film.  This also had the advantage of being a lot quieter—for example, no jarring beeping when an IV ran out, and they didn’t come in and check every few hours through the night.  Jim and I slept in the extra bed in their hospital rooms.  In the ICU, they gave us a separate room in the hospital in which to sleep. I guess electronics (or US healthcare) come at a much higher cost.  All of Liam’s treatment and two nights at the hospital cost about $2000, Xander’s treatment and two days in ICU and one day at the clinic cost about $3000.  It would have cost at least 10 times that in the US. We paid $250/kid with our travel insurance.   So there’s that.

They are both doing ok.  Xander, not surprisingly, is wiped and queasy from the antibotics. One of the primary treatments for high altitude sickness is to go to a lower altitude, but we flew here, and Lima is a 20+ hour bus ride away.  There was a lot of uncertainty about where and when we could go places.  Additionally, it was a lot of effort to unravel the plans we had already put in place.  We are currently in Urubamba, in the Sacred Valley, which is about 2000 feet lower than Cusco.  Luckily, Machu Picchu is even lower (about 7500 feet) so we will be able to go there.  My sister Tracey and Scott are currently on their way to Cusco and we can’t wait to see them tomorrow!

Sacred Valley- brighter days ahead

We decided to come home a week early and will be back next Friday for a few weeks.  The kids want to go to Mesa Verde with our “free” week because they said it would be interesting to compare the two ruins.   They also said they want our next family trip to be in Peru so we can do the travel we’re skipping this time around.  They are troopers.  As for me, I’m still a bit shell shocked.  I cannot put into words how frightening this experience was.  I so do not want to it to tarnish this trip or our love of travel.  I want to focus on what we’re doing for them instead of what we’re doing to them. 

One of our school things is to work on spelling and vocabulary.  One of Xander’s words last week was “resilient” (the only reason I just spelled that word right is because I practiced it with him.)  Probably when we go home they’ll boast about going in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber as much as riding an ostrich. Hopefully I can live up to the kids’ example.  

South Africa Part 2: Mountains, Beaches and Elephants

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Hanging out with new friends in Port Elizabeth

The second half of our South African adventure took us across the country and back again, and allowed us to experience rich history, stunning scenery, wild adventures and amazing animals.  Best of all was the friends we met along the way.  Through the rotary international traveling and hosting fellowship club, we were able to meet several incredible people across the country-  Carolyn in JoBerg, who chauffeured us around before we were comfortable getting out and about and then loaned us her GPS for the duration of our trip, Pamella and the seven other members of the Port Elizabeth club who took us out to dinner and were so entertaining they even managed to keep Liam up late, and Cheryl and her husband Richard who hosted a braai for us and told us all about her incredible efforts working to save Rhinos.  Although the kids don’t volunteer much during these get-togethers, we think/hope that they are having as profound an impact as going on safari.  Learning about a country from locals first hand, and more importantly knowing that strangers are willing to open up their homes to a random family based only on an email makes the world seem a smaller, friendlier place. 

Everyone who’s been there seems to love Cape Town, and we were no different.  We learned that Cape Town is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world largely because it has good feng shui cradled in the “armchair” of Table Mountain, Lions rock and Devil’s Peak. We stayed for almost a week in the area in a fantastic Air B&B house where Liam and Xander had their own rooms for the first time on the trip.  We all got to catch up on “lonely time,” laundry and internet.  The house was equipped with a fancy motion-detector alarm and gate, but unlike JoBerg, we were able to venture out beyond the fences and walk around the neighborhood (Jim even went for a run.)   There seems to be a blurry line between safety and imprisonment. 

Top of the world at Table Mountain

Cape Town has a long list of highlights.  Some of the most memorable included:

• Table Mountain- “the oldest mountain in the world” that we accessed via a spinning cable car.  The top greeted us with stunning vistas spanning from the vast Atlantic Ocean and turquoise beaches to the V&A Waterfront shadowed by mountains capped in fluffy clouds, Dr. Seuss-like plants and fat daisies (or “mountain Guinea pig” as Xander named them).
• Robbens Island- Nelson Mandela’s prison for 18 of his 27 years behind bars, where we went on a tour led by a former political prisoner inmate and marveled at a poster of the different food rations allocated to black and colored prisoners, numerically highlighting the inequalities of Apartheid.
• Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens- incredible unique plants and flowers in a stunning setting including a canopy walkway, fragrance garden, useful plants section and our favorite, dinosaur sculptures set among prehistoric plants. 
• Boulder Beach and the Cape Peninsula- we went early and had the beach to ourselves to waddle around with hundreds of charming African penguins, nicknamed “jackass penguins” because they bray like donkeys

After our fantastic week in Cape Town, we headed east along the Garden Route along the southern coast of Africa. We spent a few nights in Heralds Bay, near George.  We took a day trip north through the wine country (one of the few times we wished we didn’t have the kids with us so we could’ve stopped) into Oudstoom in the desert-like Karoo.  Here we visited an Ostrich farm, where Xander and Liam intrepidly rode ostriches,-- When asked if he was scared, Xander said “When I was riding and almost fell off a few times I was worried about the toenail of death that could rip through me. After I was done I only remember it being really fun.”  We also held an ostrich baby and stood on ostrich eggs.  Next we went to the Cango Wildlife Ranch and got to get up close and personal with the lemurs.  Other than the fact that a lemur farted on Xander, it was awesome.  We also enjoyed a walk along an impressive boardwalk jungle trail several kilometers into the aptly named Wilderness National Park where Xander and Liam had to forge a river by pulling themselves across on a pontoon boat.  We had an enjoyable meal and gained more insight to South Africa by meeting the parents one of Jim’s friends.

Our next stop along the Garden Route was in Plettenburg Bay, or “Plett,” where we went to Monkeyland, and got to see sunbathing lemurs and “naughty” spider monkeys, and Birds of Eden where Xander and a parrot traded dance moves.  We also went to a puzzle park where we had to solve different challenges along a forest path within a specific time limit.  The highlight of our time in Plett was going “kloofing” – an adventure trip that included rappelling down a cliff and swimming through a freezing (we had 2 wetsuits on) river canyon, ziplining over waterfalls and jumping off cliffs.  Liam (named “small size” by the guides) and Xander did awesome, although Carolyn still has the claim to fame that she’s the only one not afraid of heights.  The last few days took us through Jeffrey’s Bay (location of the impressive surfer punching a shark video) where we had fun getting battered by the waves, and up to Port Elizabeth, where we flew back to JoBerg.

We headed straight from the airport to Sun City, an oasis in the middle of dry mining area that is sort of like a (very) small scale Las Vegas, with the differentiator that there are warning signs to not leave your window open because the monkeys will come in and steal stuff from the minibar (true story).  Next we stayed at Kwa Maritane bush lodge inside Pilanesburg National Park. We viewed elephants from an incredibly close distance via a hide that we walked through a long underground concrete tunnel to get to (this would be good in a zombie apocalypse, noted Liam).  We’ve been listening to the “Elephant Whisperer” by Lawrence Anthony; that and the opportunity see elephants up close in the wild has given us all a much enhanced appreciation for these magnificent and complex animals. We also saw Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebra, Hippos, Wildebeests, Kudu, Jackals, Warthogs, Impala and other animals on several game drives, from which we all emphatically believe that children under 5 should be banned.

South Africa has been one of our favorite places so far with the adventures, animals, scenery, and especially the people (the common language was a huge bonus even though no one could understand Jim’s “accent”- On several occasions waiters didn’t understand his request for water until we translated from ‘waa-ter’ to  ‘weh-ta’.

We arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday and will be here about a month before we head to Peru--  At least people understand us when we ask for water in our limited Spanish!

Senses:

Carolyn: Liam and Jim waddling along with the charming African penguins in the numbing turquoise water in a boulder cove at Boulders Beach on my wonderful birthday morning; the grape juice like smell of the delicate pink flower surrounded by other yellow, peach and orange cycads and protea plants in the lovely Kirstenbosch botanical gardens; the mellifluous sound of the multiple bird calls echoing through the thick forest while we pull ourselves across the river on the pontoon boat in the verdant Wilderness National Park Kingfisher trail; the baby elephant sliding out from under its mom's legs to sneak in among the five other trunks of its family to grab a drink at the watering hole at Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge

Jim: the cool wind in my face from the rotating cable car and seeing beautiful beaches and colors from the flowers the make up the Cape flower zone, Feeling the fast beat of baby ostrich heart as I hold the astroturf-feeling feathered baby in the palm of my hand; The bright beautiful colors of the golden pheasants running the boardwalk; amazed that these colors appear naturally; The exhilarating chill of being crushed by the Indian ocean waves on the coast in Jeffrey's bay; the striking, beautiful,  purple flowering Jacaranda trees lining the streets of JoBerg. 

Liam: the blue jagged layer layers of foggy peak after foggy peak unfolding before my eyes as I climb up Table Mountain, supposedly the oldest mountain in the world; my hands tightly grasping the muscular but boney ostrich wings as the fluffy feathers wrap around my arms and I lean back to begin my "segway of the bush" ride; my huge muscles straining my shirt as I grab hold of the blue striped rope and pull the couple across the river on pontoon boat in Wilderness National Park; the click of the complicated puzzle flipping over because it was solved as dad and I knock fists in celebration of our victory; the rhythm of the african drums and xylophones echoing off the land as the great fire at the center of the boma burns farther and farther down at the Kwa Maritane bush braai; The picture of the still alive Rhino's pink and bloody nasal cortex caused by the harsh cruelty of the poachers chopping off its treasured horns 

Xander: The penguins squawking their donkey-like defense call as we walk through the cool turquoise water to meet the black and white birds; the large grains of sand curling around my beaten up “frankenshoes” as we trek off the beaten path along the bank of the rust-colored river; the thick wetsuits restraining my arms movement and circulation as we swim to our next rocky traverse in the challenging africanyon kloofing tour; the mud covered elephant's foot squishing silently stepping in front of  my face as its muscular trunk tears green leaves from the shrub next to me; the journey of giraffes' gracefully gliding out of the safari car's spotlight into the pitch black of the Pilanesburg bush

• The cape of good hope is the most south westerly part of africa-  it's commonly thought to be where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, but that's actually farther south
• The Atlantic is cold because of Antarctic currents
• The cape of good hope is further north than a lot of argentina and new zealand
• The tropic of cancer  (northern hemisphere) and the tropic of capicron (southern hemisphere) are at 23.5 degrees-- the same angle as the tilt of the earth.  The tropics are the two latitudes where the sun is directly overhead at the solstices (june and dec 21st)
• Cape town is closer to the equator than Denver
• Robben island housed political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela for 18 years
• Nelson Mandela had to do hard labor in the lime quarry-  The lime caused many eye problems, including blocking his tear ducts so that he couldn't shed tears.
• The Cape Town area is one of 6 floral kingdoms in the world.  It's by far the smallest-- another one is North America and Europe
• The slower we travel the less money we spend per day
• Pinotage is a unique south african grape/wine vintage
• If your bag is packing too easily, you've forgotten to put something in
• You can stand on ostrich eggs and they won't break
• Female ostriches are brown, male are black.  Females sit on eggs during the day, males at night
• Ostriches lay eggs every 2 days and have a body temperature similar to humans
• To check if an egg is fertile,  shine a light into it to see what’s inside
• Ostrich eggs are 2mm thick
• Ostriches eat stones with their food because they don't have teeth and the need the stones to grind up the food in their stomach
• Lemurs are light on their feet, and on your head
• Lemurs feet are really warm
• Nile crocodiles jump out of the water to catch their prey
• An ostrich egg is the size of 26 chicken eggs and weighs a kilogram
• lean back and keep your feet even and wide when you're abseiling (rappelling) down a cliff
• "New world" monkeys from the americas have prehensile tails while "Old world" monkeys from africa only use their tails for balance
• To mark their territory, lemurs use the scent gland on a claw in theirs paws to scratch trees
• They used to clean chimneys by dropping live chickens down them
• A group of parrots is called a "pandemonium"
• Chicken eggs can be green or blue, and have been known to contain 9 yolks
• Squirrel monkeys hang out in groups of 50-100 and will all attack things that threaten them as a group
• Impala can carry their babies up to an extra month to have their babies at the right time
• Kudu have a white stripe under their eyes to reflect the glare of the sun and see better at night
• Rhinos have 5 layers of skin that allows them to heal wounds in a matter of hours
• Animals of different species (impala/wildebeest) hang out together to take advantage of their difference strengths (e.g., good eyesight, good hearing) and to form a bigger herd
• Lion tongues are like sandpaper and could rip off your skin in a few licks
• Why do elephants knock down trees?  Because they can.
• Wildebeests can run for 3 days straight
• Teesebeasts are the fastest long distance antelope and can run at 60kph for 3 hours
• Jackals are the #1 carriers of rabies in Pilanesburg national park
• A group of giraffes is called a "journey"
• The traits that make us human are: bipedalism, being omnivours, using fire, working with tools, talking, living together, spreading out throughout the planet, and having a big brain
• Humans did not descend from apes, but rather we both had a common ancestor
• both south africa and east africa claim to be the birthplace of humankind
• The "nadeli fossils" discovered in the cradle of humankind caves north of Johannesburg were recently identified as a previously unknown human relative that revolutionizes the human family tree. Check out the Oct 2015 issue of National Geographic!

South Africa Part 1: Fences, Friends & the Big Five

Click here for the full SA #1 highlight album 

Apartheid Museum

Liam admitted when he heard that we were going to be in South Africa for 5+ weeks he was a little sad because he couldn’t imagine what we would do in one country for that long.  Now that we’ve been here for 3 weeks, he wishes we could stay longer.  We arrived in Johannesburg from Ethiopia and happily soaked in the English and (mostly consistent) hot water and electricity.  The high walls with razor wire everywhere and safety warnings (don’t drive at night, you will likely get mugged, don’t use your phone/kindle in the car for fear of “opportunity” smash and grab crimes, don’t leave anything in the car,  “high carjacking zone” warning signs) were pretty intimidating.  Like with pretty much anything, we’ve gotten used to both the fences and the driving on the other side of the road, and have all enjoyed this incredible diverse and beautiful country.  

We spent the first week in South Africa in the Johannesburg area recovering from Ethiopia and

getting ready for Madagascar.  Most tourists don’t venture out far into “JoBerg”, let alone stick around for so long, but we ended up having a fun week relaxing and exploring the area.   We went to the powerful Apartheid museum and only found out afterwards that it has an age minimum of 11.  (Nothing like scarring the kids when they’re young and impressionable). The change South Africa has experienced just in our lifetimes is incredible.  It’s been enlightening to spend time with (white) South Africans that grew up (like we did, albeit across the world) during the change from Apartheid.  We learned about the high level of discontent regarding the current government (“Nelson Mandela would roll over in his grave…”) because of the high level of inefficiency and corruption.  One older couple we talked to said that if they were younger, they would emigrate to a different country, and that all the families they know have at least one or two kids who have moved overseas. That said, we heard a lot of justifiable pride about how far the country has come in the last 25 years.  Some of the more amusing conversations involved us trying to explain the US use of the term “African-Americans” and hearing about how some South Africans assumed the Indians in Cowboys and Indians were from India.

In addition to the Apartheid museum, we went to the botanic gardens, and an amazing bird park at Monte Casino- a huge entertainment complex that has an indoor city with a painted sky similar to the Venetian in Las Vegas. Another highlight was a day trip up to the cradle of humankind (that has been in the news for the discovery of the oldest humanoid remains—as Liam noted, “everywhere in Africa says it’s the cradle of humanity”) where we went to the Rhino and Lion reserve and got our first look at big Africa animals up close. 

New mode of transport

After our adventure in Madagascar we came back to JoBerg and got to stay with Clinton and Tanja (Carolyn’s friends from work), learn more about Rugby (the Rugby World Cup is going on right now and the South African Springboks just crushed the USA team) and braai (i.e. BBQ grill) pork and chicken and sausage (yes, the same meal).  Carolyn was sad she was sick and couldn’t eat anything. Next we headed north east to Mpumalanga and the Drakensberg Escarpment, Blyde River Canyon and Kruger National Park for a week.  It was awesome. The Drakenberg escarpment is where the Highveld plunges 1000m down to the Lowveld- a stark lesson for Liam in different climates (his class is studying weather) and a lesson learned for Carolyn to make sure that guest houses booked in hot areas have air conditioning.   We spent a morning at “Elephant Whisperers”, where we got up close and personal with the huge and majestic African elephants, and a day hiking around the waterfalls and cliffs at places aptly named “Gods Window” and “Wonderview” (no pressure).

Views from the car at Kruger

Next we headed to Kruger National Park.  Kruger is HUGE  and we were dubious about going on a “self-drive” with the potential of driving slowly for a long time (the speed limit is 50kph) and not seeing anything for hours.  Turns out we averaged less than 20kph because we stopped so many times to see so many animals.  Jim is doing a great job driving on the “wrong” side of the road.    He reminded that us, “it’s customary to tip your driver.” Xander retorted “here’s a tip- work on your jokes.” Ahh, family bonding.  Right off the bat we saw a group of over 100 water buffalo aggravating a huge bull elephant.  It is unbelievable to be driving in your car and seeing elephants, rhinos and giraffes materialize out of the bush.  Freaky cool. We went for a sunset game drive with a park guide (there are very strict rules against regular people driving around the park after dark - 6pm) and had amazing luck-  we saw a leopard lounging in a tree less than 1km from our camp (!), lions eating a water buffalo and running off another leopard, a hyena den complete with surprisingly endearing cubs, a surprisingly light on its feet hippo walking through the forest and a tiny bush baby that bounced meters up into a tree.  “I am satisfied,” stated Xander (math translation 11 out of 10).  Happy, happy day.

South Africa Part 2: Cape Town, the Garden Route, and Pilanesburg Safari…coming soon.

Senses:

Liam: Floating in the cage of the UFO ride as I scream my head off and clutch the bars tightly in the hope to not fall out at the Gold Reef Amusement park, Johannesburg; the bristly wire-like hairs poking into my skin as I grab the 3.5 m tall elephant's trunk and drop small pellets into it's seemingly endless nostrils; the four lions digging their chubby snouts into the poor old cape buffalo's dead body searching for the last little bits of succulent meat; the majestic oddly shaped spots on the graceful giraffe as it sticks out it purple tongue to grab the sharp thorns and leafs of the plant

Xander: The African tortoise snapping all the twigs in its way as it treks across the flower bed in the Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens; the Guinea Fowl clumsily running across the small grass field as the sun sets for our last day in South Africa before we leave for Madagascar; the hot air spewing out of the elephant's slobbery two holed trunk as it grasps for more pellets and lush bamboo; the haunting sound of the water buffalo's skin being torn from its body by enormous lions after they chased off the spotted, stalking leopard

Jim: The smell of fresh laundry reminding me that some of the pleasures in life are small; the delicious taste of meat followed by meat follow by meat followed by meat (chicken, pork, farmed sausage) from the typical South African Braai; The sight of a large bull African elephant sanding alone drinking his water peaceful until he was mobbed by 100 water buffalo that kept their distance but still irritated him; hearing the crunching of the impala bones as the lions feast on the tasty snack 50m from the entrance gate

Carolyn: the cars seemingly driven by ghost drivers on the other side of the road surrounded by streets bracketed by high walls topped with intimidating spiky barbed wire; the circuitous groves on the huge elephant's football-shaped front and rugby ball shaped back springy footpads; the hearty laugh of the African woman after she fell down into the stream on the mud-slicked river rocks above the curved canyon walls at the Potholes; the graceful glide of the family of giraffes sauntering around our car to join their friends on the other side of the road munching on leaves with their thorn impervious lips

Lessons Learned

• Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years from 1962 to 1990
• Keep your butt in the middle of the road to stay on the “right” side of the road
• Elephant's height is twice the circumference of their front foot
• Elephants walk with one foot off the ground at a time
• Elephant tails are wiry and very sensitive
• Elephants usually die due to wearing through their six sets of molars
• Elephant's front feet are round like a soccer ball and back feet are oval like a rugby ball
• Elephants are right and left handed like humans-- you can tell the by the calluses on the inside of it's trunk and that one tusk is more worn down than the other
• Mosquitos suck everywhere (both literally and figuratively)
• Hyenas can have wet nurses
• White rhinos are grazers and have flat wide mouths and three bumps and a ridge on their back while black rhinos are browsers and have rounded sway backs
• Bush babies can bounce about 5 times their height
• In South Africa, if you want to buy cough drops, you have to get them from the pharmacist, who will put them in a metal cage with a lock that needs to be taken off at the register
• Female elephants live to ~50 years, male to ~60 years and captive to ~70 years
• Elephants have temporal glands between their tusks and eyes that secrete when they are stressed or in musk
• Hippos walk up to 20km at night, and can reach speeds of up to 35km per hour.  They are one of the deadliest African animals
• Self-drive safaris are a reasonable way to see lots of animals in Kruger National Park
• There's no such thing as a 1 hour game drive in Kruger.  With the stopping and sightings, its typical for 30km to take about 2 hours
• Liam always leaves 3 bites of food from whatever he's eating
• Listen to songs from “The Lion King” if you’re driving around a game park in Africa

Madagascar: Lemurs, Lizards and Zebu

Click here for the full highlight album

Madagascar, sometimes referred to as the “8^th continent”, was Liam’s country choice for our around the world journey.  It’s not an easy place to get to, even from the Africa mainland, but we decided to go for it since we were “close” and the unique ecosystems are quickly transforming into farms and factories.  Madagascar is a big country, a little more than 2 times the size of Colorado.  In our 12 days we saw just a small portion—we flew down to the South West coast and worked our way back up to the capital, Antanavarivo  (“Tana”) in the central of the country—the “RN7” route, named for the national road we primarily followed.  The country was incredible and worth the effort to get to.  The people are very friendly even when we could not speak the main languages of Malagasy and French.  Also a welcome surprise was the food was delicious.  It is the first country we have seen baguettes of French bread sold in baskets on the side of the road. 

   

Ifaty beach dug out canoes

We were fortunate to discover that our in-country flight to the coast switched from 1pm to 7am the day before with no notice from Air Madagascar (the only option for in country flights) -- whose workers have been on strike so flights are sporadic and reservations only confirmed once you’ve arrived at your destination.  Once we arrived, we rode in a pickup truck through the desert on a bumpy sand road (30km = 1.5 hours) to Ifaty beach past mangroves, baobab trees, and octopus shaped succulents over 5m high.  The beachside location was idyllic-- Liam described the setting as a “VIP hotel picture”—we walked through swarms of butterflies to get the aquamarine ocean with sand littered with beautiful shells.  People that live in the village nearby fish out of dugout canoes propelled by colorful patchwork sails. We enjoyed a few days swimming and playing in the sand, collecting shells (most of Liam’s included live hermit crabs, much to Jim’s surprise when he was the repository for Liam’s overflowing handfuls).

Next we headed inland to Isalo National Park - a desert landscape whose silhouette looks like the American Southwest but on closer inspections looks like a Dr. Seuss book-- green lichen covered cliffs and strangely shaped plants with nasty spikes and beautiful flowers.  We went for a hike with a local guide who pointed out almost impossible to see stick bugs and medicinal plants that do everything from removing warts, to healing wounds, to being used like glue.  The cliff face was dotted with Salklalva tombs, marked with Zebu horns (cattle with humps on their backs and big horns) and rock cairns. We also got our first look at ring-tailed lemurs, who gracefully bounce from tree to tree and make sounds like a mix between doves and cats. They are charming. 

Next we headed off the highway on an exciting dirt road to remote Camp Catta in the Andringitra National Park.  On a trip with many impressive “out the window” accommodation views, this was one of the most breathtaking: Families of cooing lemurs with babies clinging to their tummies playing in the trees outside of our bungalow framed by stunning peaks capped in clouds.  There was even a “natural pool” for us to play in after a long hike up to the top of the “chameleon peak”— a challenging (at least for Carolyn) 15km circuit on which we had to step aside for local villagers herding Zebu and/or single handedly carrying huge logs in bare feet. The hike up did send home the lesson learned to make sure to look up and enjoy the view (but be careful what you’re stepping into.)  Our guide showed us how to make a bracelet out of the “string” inside of plants, and we saw cool chameleons, orchids and a huge rainbow-colored grasshopper.

After a bumpy ride (let’s hear it for our driver) back to the RN7 we stopped off at the Anja Reserve, where we scrambled over rocks and through a caves to get to a lemur-filled forest and fed a chameleon a grasshopper on a stick.  It had a shockingly long and fast tongue and even managed to impress Xander.  Our final hiking adventure was in the rainforest in Ranomafana National Park.  On the way there we even saw a 6ft+ tree boa slithering across the road.  Here our guide took us way off trail through the muddy jungle brush to search for lemurs and other elusive creatures.  We saw four different types of lemurs, including the golden Bamboo lemur (this lemur was only discovered in 1986), leaf tailed geckos, chameleons, a giraffe beetle and even a crab (!) living in the water pooled inside of a crevice in a tree.  It seems sometimes you need to get off the beaten path to get to the cool stuff… even if it’s steep, muddy and filled with thorny trees.  

Our last few days up to Tana included driving through an increasingly populated and cultivated landscape.  Smoke was thick in the air for some of way and we passed several spots where we actually could see and feel the flames from a slash and burn site.  Our guide said that there are radio announcements not to burn forests, but it’s hard to promote conservation when people need to live and eat somehow. We got to learn about different types of handicrafts, such as wood sculptures and zebu horn carving, where people create beautiful crafts in ingenious ways - such as using a washing machine motor and old cut up jeans to buff and polish horns.  The capital city Tana is a bustling city with myriad people and narrow streets choked with traffic, road side stalls selling everything from cell phone minutes to chickens (alive, dead and cooked), surrounded by rice patties and made-by-hand brick yards.  The highlight of our time in Tana was spending an evening with new friends Zane and Michael and sons who teach at the international school as “trailing spouses” (which seems much better than being a corporate spouse) for their wives who are Peace Corps directors.  Mexican food never tasted so good!

giraffe beetle

We all enjoyed Madagascar and confirmed that hiking and animal spotting (along with pools at hotels) are some keys to our collective happiness. Madagascar seemed easier than Ethiopia, maybe because of the “Mula Mula” (slowly slowly) attitude of the Malagasies or maybe we are getting better at adjusting to our surroundings and conditions.  Now it’s back to South Africa.  This week we will head up God’s Window and Kruger National Park—but first this weekend we’re going to hang out with some local friends and learn about the two main national pass times—Braai (BBQ) and Rugby. 

Senses:

Jim: The cloud of pink water trailing liam walking through the ocean, thinking it might be his blood, but realizing it's just an "inking" fish off of Ifaty Beach, Madagascar; The sweet sound of a woman singing in the sea gathering crabs and other sea creatures from the shallow tidal flat; the bright green and yellow lichen covering the desert canyon walls at Isalo National Park as I recognize the comparison to the American southwest yet appreciate the differences; the cool (literally and figuratively) cave under the lemur forest used by the lemurs for weekend parties because of the great acoustics;

Xander: the fishing boats with hand-made sails going to the shore as we spotted the small glimmering spotted puffer fish in the grains of the wetted sand; the large tortoise’s starry black shell crashing through the weak twigs to get to the shade underneath the rock; the small baby lemur's tail wrapping around its mother's stomach as his minuscule head turns to reveal his pudgy face; the  golden tail of the  golden bamboo lemur draped on the secondary forests canopy as we squelch down the root and vine-infested hill

Carolyn: The rows of rice fields covered in muddy water, lined by drying laundry on our traffic jam drive from the airport to the Tana city center; the tiny striped tail of the baby ring tailed lemur sprouting out from where it clings to its mother's belly as she gracefully launches from tree to tree; the astounding rainbow colors adorning the back of the giant cricket standing out from the white and grey "elephant foot" plant; the heat and smoke from the fires blazing on the blacked landscape gruesomely demonstrating the conflict between conservation and livelihood.

Liam: holding the displaced but beautiful shell looking inside to see if I can discover a hermit crab; the tall yellow blooming flowers sprouting out of what looked like a miniature spiky baobab tree at the arboretum in Tulear; the bitterly cold water freezing my sensitive skin as I swim vigorously to try to catch the tadpoles on the black pool underneath the waterfall at Isalo national park; the  fuzzy and soft brown bamboo lemur scurrying up the  long bamboo pole as dad frantically tries to get a picture

Lessons Learned:

• Madagascar has random trampolines
• Zebus are the cattle with the big hump on their back.  The hump is filled with fat and given as food to elders as a sign of respect
• People in Ethiopia and Madagascar carry staggering loads on their heads and backs.  Only women carry loads on their heads.
• Tombs in Madagascar are square piles of bricks adorned with zebu horns to show the wealth of the family.
• There is a plant that is super bitter that is used to wean babies and stop nail biting
• Assume that a driving time estimate is at least 50% greater than that provided by the tour operator
• Where there are palms there is water
• Zebu are used to save money instead of a bank.   Malagasies sell them when they need extra money.
• Do not use your fingers to point at tombs, instead curl them down and point with your knuckle
• There are two types of tombs, temporary used for two years then when the body is bones they are brought back to the village washed and celebrated again then placed in the permanent family tomb
• There are 18 tribes in Madagascar
• There is a plant that poisons fish and people just net them when they float to the top.   The poison is not harmful to humans
• Malagasies dry corn for months in the hay on the top of their houses to get the seeds ready to plant
• A minivan with a two rows of seats and bucket seats that recline is way more comfortable than a Landover
• Malagasy people are resourceful-  for example, they reuse wires from tires and strings from chairs to make saws to create intricate woodcrafts

Ethiopia: Churches, Mountains and Sharing the Road

“Ethiopia is travel, not vacation” – Xander

“Travel opens the mind and loosens the bowels” – Goshe, Cutting for Stone

Click here for the full highlight photo album

The misty cool, lush mountains surrounding Addis Ababa that we descended into are nothing like the scorched desert landscape television show images we saw growing up.  We arrived on an overnight flight from Rome on Ethiopian airlines, an airline that still serves full meals, even if it’s 2 in the morning.  After getting our visas and a surprisingly quick trip through customs, we were greeted by the tour group owner and whisked to the Land Rover, where we’d be spending the majority of our time in the country.  After breakfast at a hotel (turns out the kids don’t like Ingria, the ubiquitous sour flatbread that’d made from the grain Teff) we got some Ethopian Birr and headed out of town.  The highest ETB bill is a 100 note (about $5), so we were sporting large rolls of cash throughout the trip.

Debre Libanos monastery stained glass

Our first stop was the Debre Libanos monastery, which would turn out to be the first of many Ethiopian Orthodox churches we visited throughout our trip.  For kilometers before we arrived hundreds of people draped in white were walking towards the monastery on a pilgrimage to a celebration of the founding of the monastery that would be held a few days after we visited.    All eyes were on us as the local guide we hired (all churches have an entry fee and a guide fee) took us around.  We were all pretty intimidated because we were out of our element (if ever there was a euphemism), the center of attention and sleepless-- but the stained glass and paintings vividly depicting bible stories were awe inspiring. 

Blue Nile Gorge

The next stop on our 10+ hour drive to Bahir Dar was at the Portuguese Bridge, the “first” (one of several with this claim) bridge in Ethiopia overlooking the stunning Blue Nile Gorge.  Troops of baboons played near us on the rocks and accompanied us on the way to the toilet.  Many of the toilets in Africa (and Asia) are “squat” toilets (i.e. a hole in the ground with footpads), so that added an additional element of adventure and exercise

Ethiopia (at least where we were in the north) is lush and mountainous.  We spent the majority of our time driving through the Northern part of the country.    Although many of the days were butt numbingly long (8+hours) (and surprisingly tiring) having the opportunity to see so much of the landscape and lifestyle was amazing.   

Sharing the road

We definitely needed the Land Rover and the impressive skills of our driver, Asi, to navigate among the people, donkeys, sheep, goats, cattle, camels, mini buses, washed out roads and other hazards throughout our travels.    

At Bahir Dar we took a boat on huge Lake Tana to a peninsula where we visited another monastery and saw the source of the Blue Nile, the source of the majority (85%) of the Nile river that travels north through Egypt.  This region is also the birthplace of coffee, which grows wild throughout the area.  Coffee was discovered when a farmer wanted to figure out what his goats were eating that were making them so frisky.  That night Xander was the first of us to get sick--  Ultimately, Liam, mister “nerves of steel and stomach of iron” was the only one of us who didn’t.  According to our ex-pat friends who live in Addis, it’s inevitable for Americans to have some sort of stomach issues- but it we were very happy when Xander recovered in a few days.

Gonder castles

Axum Stele

The route we traveled took us through the historical centers of Ethiopia—Gonder, Axum and Lalibela.  Gonder was the capital in the 1600 and 1700s and contains Camelot-esque stone castles ruins of successive emperors and bloody battles, including lion cages that were in use until the 1990s.  Axum, a sister city of Denver (there’s a sign for “Denver Street”) is the home of many “stelaes” from the 3^rd and 4^th century—huge (some are over 100 feet) obelisk granite tombstones (think Washington monument with a curved top) that mark hidden tombs beneath.  Although most of the artifacts from the tombs are long gone, we felt like intrepid explorers as we climbed underground and discovered a bat and a “tomb frog”.  J )   Ethiopians believe Axum is the home to the actual Ark of the Covenant, which is maintained by a monk who cannot leave the small  gated area and dreams of the next monk  who will succeed him.  This belief is so strong that every Ethiopian Orthodox church contains a replica of the Ark.  We also toured a small museum with hundreds of years (and millions of dollars) worth of emperors’ crowns and other treasures displayed in rickety cabinets covered in decades of dust.    Axum is also the site of Balthazar’s tomb (one of the three wise men who attended the birth of Jesus; Balthazar brought Frankincense).  All pretty amazing.

 Incredibly, the stones were carved by hand from the mountains then transported 10-15km by elephant and slaves to mark the tomb sites of the rulers.  When the Italians briefly occupied Ethiopia in the 1930s under Mussolini, they cut one of the biggest steles into 3 pieces and transported it to Rome to put in the Circus Maximus (ironically, the same place we were the day before we came to Ethiopia).  After WWII, Italy had to give the stele back—it took until 2007 to finally get it back and set up properly.  (government bureaucracy and foot dragging at its finest)

Lalibela

Our next stop was Lalibela, probably the most well-known place (at least by people we know) in Ethiopia, containing stunning “rock-hewn” churches carved out of stone from around the 12^th century that the Lonely Planet aptly describes as “history and mystery frozen in stone, its soul alive with the rites and awe of Christianity at its most ancient and unbending.”   At one point we had to all hold hands and walk through a pitch black tunnel to get from one church to another (we couldn’t use our phones as flashlights because it was represented going from hell to heaven and apparently there’s no assistive lighting allowed in that transition, symbolic or not).

After the historical tour, we drove down (and by down, I mean 13 hours) to Awash national park where the temperature topped 40C (104F) and we saw the effects of the current regional drought in the empty streambeds and dead cattle along the road.  At the park we saw Ornx, warthogs, Kudu, crocodile and gazelles who are competing with the local tribesmen’s herds of camels, goats and cattle for the sparse vegetation.  Our entry fee to the park included the services of a “scout”—a guy with a rifle that sat on top of the car to hypothetically try to keep livestock out of the park, but mostly to avoid conflict with the tribesmen (who had their own guns).  It’s hard to promote nature conservation when your livestock have nothing to eat.

Awash national park falls

The last few days we made it back to Addis Ababa where we were thrilled to see family, Lisa and Jarod, for a quick 36 hours as part of their whirlwind Africa tour.  We also got to meet up with new friends Sue and the Tyo-Dickerson  family who moved to Addis about 6 weeks ago to work at the international school.  (And people say we’re  adventurous).  With Lisa and Jarod we drove to Sodore hot springs where we had the deep end to ourselves, as the vast majority of people in the pool couldn’t swim and were all piled onto the shallow stairs at one end.  During our short swim, we witnessed multiple rescues and Jarod even made a heroic save of a kid who got stuck underneath the swarm—diving down and hefting him out of the water so the lifeguard could perform CPR (seemingly the wrong way). 

As Liam put it “I enjoyed Ethiopia, but I didn’t really enjoy it.”  It’d hard to come up with the right (or any) words to describe how it was there and how we felt about it.   Memorable, for sure.

Incredible scenery, history and beautiful people.  One of the most striking differences (at least as it appeared to us) was the kids’ lives.  A TED talk we listened about growing up  discussed how in the US before the industrial revolution children were treated as an economic asset—working on the farm or earning money at a factory—as opposed to now, when they are primarily an emotional asset (and an economic liability).  Driving throughout Ethiopia we saw tons of very young (or at least very small) kids sans parents on the side of the road tending livestock or carrying water and/or loads of wood that would impress weightlifters.   No danger of being double booked with soccer practice and piano lessons for these kids.  Xander said that seeing these other kids in different circumstances makes him feel “special and spoiled” and Liam says he feels “privileged and glad” to be him (but he is always glad to be him).  They said they don’t know how some of their friends would survive if their roles were reversed “with no electronics, and just old fashioned sticks.”  Ahh, perspective.

Now we’re in South Africa, coveting the hot water and consistent electricity for a few days of RS&L (relaxing, school and laundry) before heading to Madagascar on Tuesday.  Can’t believe we’ve been gone over two months already!

Notable Senses:

Liam: The blocky multi-shaped stained glass shining dark colors in my eyes as we walk into the smelly monastery and became the center of attention; the camels standing majestically as the beautiful green mountains stretch behind them in the distance; the miniscule frog hiding in the dark gloom of old partially flooded tomb of King Balthazar; the intricate church that was carved by chisel and hammer revealing itself as I walk down the stairs at Lalibela; hurricane speed winds forcing the door inward as I jump under the bed in fright

Carolyn: Watching a family of baboons scamper over the Portuguese Bridge getting misted by the thundering waterfall cascading into the Blue Nile gorge; the smell of frankincense wafting through the circular monastery as we learn about bible stories from the vibrantly colored paintings covering the inner walls; the bright yellow of the eggs from Xander's breakfast splattered on the ground as I helplessly watch him throwing up on his hands and knees on the side of the road; the small children herding cattle and goats on the side of the road shimmying their shoulders in hopes that we'll throw them an empty water bottle out the window; the feel of the uneven rocks under my toes as I listen to the chanting and chimes reverberating off the chiseled stone of the Lalibela church

Jim: Wandering through the rain forest full of wild coffee and being surprised by a white bearded monkey near the Lake Tana monastery; amazement as we travel down the cliff face of the gorge surrounded by beautiful clean waterfalls kilometers away from towns to see small kids collecting rocks to sell for construction; the magical energy climbing into the muddy mound which opens to the tomb of Balthazar the Wiseman who followed the star to the birth of Christ; the sweet joy of the restaurant being out of avocado juice and offering fresh squeezed mango juice as an alternative.   Delicious.

Xander: The hundreds of dark eyes watching our pale skin as we walk through the dimly lit monastery the day before founder's day; the hornbill cackling its devilish laugh as the fish in the 3000km2 Lake Tana lazily jump out of the water; each twisting turn revealing a spectacular view of the mountains and the bizarre sight of camels during long drive to Lalibela; The wind howling through the hallway and pushing the bird backwards, bringing in a thunderous storm that warped the glass balcony door; the scalding hot water singing my pale feet into a deep pink hue while I avoid the splashes of locals and gingerly tiptoe through the soldore hot springs showers

Lessons Learned:

• Ethiopia has 90 million people and is the most populous land-locked country in the world
• Addis Ababa (2300m/7500ft) is at a higher elevation than Denver
• Until recently all of the Ethiopian "popes" were from Egypt
• Women typically wear skirts and cover their heads
• Ethiopian orthodox churches are in three parts.  Men and women worship on different sides and the churches are typically circular.
• Some baboons in Ethiopia have a red hour glass chest and long flowy hair.  They aren't aggressive.
• Angria (spongy sour flatbread) is made from Teff, a grain that’s gluten free so it will probably be all the rage in the US soon
• In Ethiopia, when you shake hands you bump shoulders 
• Honey is not always clear (especially if it still contains the honeycomb)
• The amount of space you take up is proportional to  your size. For example Liam takes up the most room in the car,  Xander takes up the most room in a bed.
• Power goes out frequently in Ethiopia  (often for several hours a day). Running water can be hit or miss as well. 
• There is a connection between the treasures at axum in their prime and Ravenna Italy.   There was an Italian carved irovy tusk found at the site.
• If you hit an animal while driving you need to buy a new one.   Goats range from 200-1000 birr, horse 2000 birr, camel 10000 birr.  If you hit a female animal you need to pay more because it could’ve had babies.
• The Ethiopian alphabet has 32 letters and looks like people dancing
• Camels are used for transport in the north and food and transport in other areas of the country
• In the far north of the country (near Axum) there are refugee camps for people from Eritrea (the country to the North of Ethiopia)
• Lions were kept in cages at Gondor until 1991
• Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have over 260 fasting days
• In Ethiopia “Chinese are like oxygen—they’re everywhere”
• Rastafarians in Jamaica worship Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia  who ruled from 1930–1974.  There is a statue of Bob Marley in the middle of a traffic square in Addis Ababa