Fez, Morocco and Homeward Bound

Our last stop on this fantastic journey was Fez, Morocco. We arrived late in the day after a long flight, but were able to enjoy the sights of the city as we drove to our lovely hotel on the edge of the Medina, the old city. We were looking forward to a light sightseeing day before heading home, so settled in for a good sleep before our last day. Fez is a city of old and new areas and we spent the morning wandering the narrow streets of the Medina and viewing some sights with spectacular architecture and mosaics. We loved seeing the markets with small open shops selling olives, fruits and vegetables, grains, spices, meat and fish. Our morning ended with a visit to a pottery factory where we watched artisans create large mosaics for tables and outdoor fountains. Some of the men sat all day cutting tiny pieces of tile for these mosaics while other young artisans painted pottery for sale in shops all around the city.


In the afternoon, after a lovely Moroccan lunch, we visited a tannery. We had seen donkeys on the road carrying large loads of hides on their way to the tannery, and now were able to see the huge vats of dye where the hides were colored before being made into soft leather goods. Next we visited a weaving shop where several men sat at large looms and produced beautiful silk bedspreads, tablecloths and scarves. Our small group wanted to visit some shops, so we wound our way through the small streets and alleys of the Medina stopping at tiny little shops selling jewelry, antiques, rugs and leather goods. It was fascinating seeing the difference between life in the Medina and life in the modern city.

We returned to our hotel to relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens before we ended our expedition with a farewell cocktail party and dinner. We’ve made some wonderful friends and will be sad to see them return to their homes all over the country.

This has indeed been a once in a lifetime experience. We were on the go for three weeks, sometimes starting as early as 5:30 and often crossing time zones so we ended our days with well over 24 hours. Our traveling group has been marvelous – all on time, upbeat and eager for the next stop. Our itinerary brought us wonder after wonder – each stop being a surprise and a treat. We’ve been asked which country we liked best, and that’s a hard one to answer. There are parts of each country that were very special and some of the people we met so endeared us to their homelands that we didn’t want to leave them. We’ve been well protected wherever we traveled, with local guards riding our buses and following along on our walking tours.

We’ve been pampered and cosseted by our wonderful expedition staff, and the ease with which we entered and exited each country put the commercial airline system to shame. Our plane was extremely comfortable and we had the best crew we could ask for. It was always a pleasure to board for our next journey and have a few hours to recharge our batteries. The on board lectures always prepared us for the next part of the trip and were given by one of the five lecturers who traveled with us.

Tonight we overnight in Ft Lauderdale and tomorrow will make our last flight back home. Thanks to all our friends and family who traveled with us via our blog. It has been fun for us and, we hope it was for you too.

A Day in Egypt

Dave's View of Egypt

What a sensory overload experience! We landed in Luxor and I immediately headed to bed and after a long night’s rest was able to shake the gut, fatigue and malaise that had afflicted my departure from Africa. No opportunities were lost however, as the next day was unbelievable. We started with an early morning bus departure for the west bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings. We were able to see the sites Deb described. The valley is rock desert and by that time of morning was approaching 100 in the sun. They didn’t allow video cameras in the valley and no cameras at all in the tombs. We will not have much in the way of pictures for that part. We went to a couple of other temples. Then the fun began. We all loaded on felucas for lunch on the Nile. As Deb mentioned, it was a real Chinese fire drill getting the boats to the doc and loaded in what is quite a current on the river. We had a 3 course fully catered meal with linen and china while sailing ( actually towed in line since there was no wind) across the river and docking at our hotel. It was wonderful and by Egyptian standards cool under the bimini and along the water. We went for a brief shopping trip. 6 of us loaded in a large bus which drove about 5 blocks and around a rotary to come back the other way and park two blocks diagonally from the hotel. We were not to happy with that shop so asked for another and they loaded us on the bus and drove about 200 yards down the street. ( They didn’t want us to walk too much in the heat :>) Then after a brief rest in the latter afternoon, we all dressed up to load horse carts by couple for a night ride to the Temple of Luxor which was just for us and all lit beautifully. What a treat marching in to Aida through the lions lining the path. We had a formal banquet with classical music and then finally a disc jockey before bussing back to the hotel. The day was overwhelming.
This morning we flew to Cairo and the pyramids. The only thing I can say about Cairo is “filthy”. The city now runs right up to the pyramids. It takes some of the wonder out of them. However, they have cleared the opposite side and you can at least get one clear view through the smog. Then it was back to the plane for our flight to Morocco. It was beautiful driving into the city at night. More from here later.

Dave

Luxor, Egypt

In 104 degree temperatures we went to the Valley of the Kings today to visit several tombs as well as the tomb of King Tut (Tut-ankk-Amun). The guides are not allowed into the tombs, so we were all on our own. Also, no photographs may be taken in the tombs. It was exciting to see in person the Egyptian wall paintings that we all studied when in school. All of the treasures from the tombs are in museums, so we viewed the paintings and sarchophagii and Tut's actual mummy. Tut died at age 18 after ruling for ten years. The 2005 conclusion by a team of Egyptian scientists, based on a CT scan, is that Tutankhamun died of gangrene after breaking his leg, most likely caused by a fall from some height — possibly a chariot riding accident — and may have been fatal within hours.

Next we visited Ramesseum Temple that was entirely outside so we were able to take lots of photographs. Restoration work was being done on some parts of the temple and the workers were delighted to stop working, give us a big smile, and pose for photos.

Dripping from the heat, we eagerly boarded traditional Felucca sailing vessels for lunch on the Nile. These boats were a hoot. The Egyptian men ran from boat to boat yelling at each other as they tried to organize the mass of boats. Each one held eight guests and we ate a huge meal at linen covered tables.

Serengeti, Tanzania

When I signed the guest book as we were leaving the Serengeti, all I could say was "Heaven on earth!" I didn't know Africa was so beautiful, and our little spot was just perfect. We were situated in a tented camp set on a plateau above the Serengeti and had gorgeous views all around. The camp was charming and our small group almost had the place to ourselves. We had been able to choose from three locations in Tanzania and chose the tented camp because it just sounded like fun. While there we went on four drives and saw wonderful wildlife - zebras, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, hippotamus, impalas, topis, warthogs, wildebeasts,

cape buffalo, lions, jackals, baboons, antelopes, crocodiles, ostrich, and more beautiful birds of all kinds. Our lecturer from the Audubon Society had given us a talk on the birds we might see, so we were prepared, but had no idea that there were so many gorgeous ones in such a small area.

This is almost the end of the rainy season and the vegetation was lush. We had to look hard sometimes because the small animals would get hidden in the tall grass. The wart hogs were cute, runing through the grass with their bottle brush topped tails waving high in the air. And we almost missed our first lion who was sleeping peacefully all by himself in the middle of the plain.

Impressions of Agra, India

Camels pulling carts…cows walking in the street…dogs lying in the streets – people afraid of them - so many are rabid…early morning drive through the town, see bedding out on the sidewalks – too hot indoors…beautiful saris on the women …attractive men and women…our hotel - every room with a view of the Taj… out on the terrace before dawn and at night - listen to the sounds of Agra…always a call to prayer to the west…music playing to the north…a cacaphony of birds…warm in the dark…will be 100 degrees during the day…always the Taj – can’t get enough of it… sparkling white marble…red mosque to the west…guest house to the east…wonderful Indian food…waiter carries nan, warm from the Tandoori oven

Taj Mahal, India

There is not much to say except...the Taj Mahal is.....

China Video

Cambodia video

China

It is one incredible experience after another. We thought Cambodia would be hard to beat, and then we arrived in China. We were based in the city of Lijiang, a charming surprise because this was the time we were scheduled to go to Tibet. That trip was cancelled, of course, because of the unrest in the ocuntry.

Lijiang is in the mountains of the Yunnan province which is located in the southwest of China. A city of 2 million people, Lijiang is home to the Naxi people. Throughout our time here, we learned much about these people and their lifestyle. We visited the beautiful Black Dragon Pool Park and the nearby Dongba Research Institute where we had the opportunity to meet with a Dongba, or holy man, who graciously answered all of our questions about his life.

We traveled to the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the southernmost marine glacier in the Northern Hemisphere which is always covered in snow, for a presentation of Impression Lijiang in the highest natural performance field in the world. Performed by 500 actors and 100 horses, this performance blew our minds. The actors are local farmers and they perform 365 days a year, two performances a day. They were originally volunteers, but are now subsidised by the government. The show was created by three well know Chinese directors and involves song and dance over a stage that is several levels high and is backed by the Snow Mountain. Spectators are given seat cushions, bottled water and ball caps as they enter and sit on stools or benches at the foot of the mountain. As we sat there, the wind would occasionally whip so hard we had to hold onto our hats, but the sun was beating down so we were warm and cool at the same time.

Our day ended with a stroll through Lijiang's Old Town, an enchanting network of ancient wooden homes and small spring-fed canals that wend their way along the narrow streets. My camera is getting tired, and I have to keep running to catch up with my friends because I keep finding more lovely spots that must be photographed.

We left lovely Lijiang to journey to the city of Kunming where we would meet the rest of our group that had visited a different part of China for a few days. Once in Kunming, we journeyed to the Stone Forest , a limestone karst outcrop located south of the city. The pillars in this forest were created by the sea hundreds of millions of years ago.

While in China, we ate most of out meals at huge round tables where they kept bringing out dish after dish. We ate yak, turtle, rabbit and varieties of things that I really didn't want to ask about. The night we arrived it was my birthday and we invited four couples to join us for dinner. We told the staff to just bring us food...and they did. The plate of chicken feet didn't get much play, but the large whole salmon was a hit. I was pleased, and surprised when they brought a beautiful birthday cake for us to share. This was my second cake of the day as the flight attendants had presented me with a cake on the flight in to China. And thanks to Dave for making this day special.

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia

We have been blown away by Cambodia. From the moment we arrived, we were bewitched by the charm of the Cambodian people and the pride they have in their country. On the way to visit the magnificent temples, we learned about the history of this part of the world as well as the life story of our young guide. He was so very proud to have this job and told us how he left his little fishing village to live with an uncle and complete his education to become a tour guide. It's very important for these people to learn good conversational English in order to advance in their professions.

Our first stop was Angkor Thom, the “Great Walled City” and capital of Angkor, which was built by Angkor’s greatest king, Jayavarman VII. At its peak, the city was said to contain maybe 50,000 residents. Its crowning glory, the enigmatic heads of the Bayon, took 21 years to build. To complete them, Jayavarman took thousands of peasant from the rice fields, thereby unintentionally signaling the beginning of the kingdom’s end. Rice yields decreased, and without resources to support it, the empire began a gradual decline.

The spectacular Angkor Wat was our next stop. In temperatures close to 100 degrees, we toured this spectacular temple. Built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city, this temple is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist.

The last temple of the day was at Ta Prohm. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

We had a lovely departure from Samoa and a long flight into Cairns with a 1 ½ hour bus ride to Port Douglas. The whole Northeast is a rain forest and hot and humid. We were housed in a large and lovely condo development with a 2 bedroom condo with washer/dryer and hot tub and barbie on the roof. Early the next morning we departed for a 1 ½ hour boat trip to the reef. We were immediately over the side for the first of 2 dives. There were beautiful coral heads and fish. We saw a large turtle and ray swim by, held several lovely flat worms and handled see cucumbers. We also tickled giant clams to make them close. They were so large you could look into all of their inner workings. At the end of both dives we met up with our friend pictured with this blog. He was about 4 feet long and probably 50 pounds. I got eyeball to eyeball with him and he would swim by and let you stroke him. There were a lot of red tangs around as well and they were more interested in nipping fingers.
We returned that evening for a lovely dinner at a local seafood restaurant and said goodbye to our Dartmouth lecturer in a celebration that is typical for Dartmouth grads. The next morning we were off to Cambodia and I will save that for later, since we are currently on a very short flight to China so my editing and writing will have to wait.

Dave

Video of Easter Island and Samoa

Australia

Our stay in Australia was in Port Douglas, the town closest to the Great Barrier Reef. Dave had made plans to dive the reef and I chose to spend the day in the Daintree Rainforest. I left early in the morning with a small group and traveled to the rainforest where we met our Aboriginal guide of the Kuku Yalanji tribe. This interesting man was also a healer and throughout our walk in the forest he told us how generations of Aborigines had used forest products medicinally. Next we took a boat ride on the Daintree river into the fragile ecosystem of water and mangroves where we spied crocodiles and snakes – from a safe distance.

The treat of the day was a visit to the Botanical Ark in the Mossman Gorge - a rainforest sanctuary of rare, exotic fruit trees and wildlife facing extinction created by a couple from America who came to Australia twenty years ago, built a home, raised a family, and imported plants and seeds from rainforests and tropical locations around the world to create a world class botanical garden. Our tour there ended with lunch in the couple’s home prepared with exotic fruits and vegetables from their gardens. Yum!

Debbie

Samoa

It’s a long way from Easter Island to Australia, so we stopped in Samoa for one night and a little r and r before we continued our journey. Lovely ladies met us as we exited the plane and draped leis around our necks, and then we were ushered into the terminal where a local group performed a tradtional dance. This was the beginning of one big party on this lovely island. At out hotel, situated on a pretty beach, we were treated to a Samoan-style celebration known as FiaFia where we were treated to local specialties including palusami, a popular dish made from the leaves of the taro plant and coconut cream and cooked in an umu, an earthen oven, and oka, raw fish marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, coconut cream, salt and onions. After dinner we had yet another performance of traditional music and dance. Our staff had given all of us colorful lava lavas to wear. Even the men wrapped themselves up and joined in the fun.

Easter Island, Chile

Easter Island is the most isolated inhabited island in the world. Located 2,400 miles off the west coast of Chile, the island is famous for its more that 600 giant moai statues. It is thought that the statues represented important personalities who were deified after death. Many of these were deliberately destroyed centuries ago and archeologists have been working on the island for 40 years restoring them. We were fortunate to have three of these archeologists guide us over the island, and it was a thrill to see the collection of fifteen moai they had restored lined up on their ahu (platforms) facing inward from the sea.

We were treated to a barbecue on the beach before the afternoon’s activities, and mid way through the meal, while we were being entertained by local musicians, down came a torrential downpour. It only served to add another item of interest to the day.

This afternoon some of us went horseback riding along the coast. The rain had stopped and it was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. Horses are a major part of life on the Island and we encountered them everywhere we went, even climbing around the moai statues .

Our two days spent on Easter Island were enlightening. The island is small and far away from anywhere, but the people who live there are delightful, entertaining, beautiful and very friendly.

Short update

We have had little time to make contact. Our first days were long and well organized with no time to write or edit photos. Then contact with the internet was patchy, slow and frequently interrupted. We have been on some of the most beautiful but remote parts of the earth. So far it has been wonderful. The plane is very comfortable and we have drinks, an hour’s lecture, dinner, another hour’s lecture and that makes a five hour flight nothing at all. We are currently refueling in Tahiti on our way from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to Samoa and hope to post this tonight in Samoa. Our lecturers are wonderful and at each stop we are in small groups with local guides with a wireless communication system so we can wander and listen to them at the same time. We will not be able to get into Tibet so we were offered 3 China alternatives and have chosen Lijiang. We have only a brief stop in Samoa before we are off to Australia. What a blast!!!

Here is a short video of Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Dave