tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33787629134362269252024-02-19T05:51:18.465-07:00Running Around the Planet - a round the world experienceThis is a travel blog focusing on the planning, execution and experiences of a husband and wife's around the world trip. Our plan is to experience the world as best we can over a 6+ month period. We hope to stay active and run races in the difference countries we visit, hence "running around the planet".Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-34243846572993738882023-06-17T02:19:00.000-06:002023-06-17T02:19:22.741-06:00back at it!<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">In 2010 we quit our jobs to travel the world. On that trip we started to dream about starting a family and hoped that one day we could return to some of the amazing places we visited with this family. So it is truly a dream come true to bring our kids back to one of our favorite places from our travels, Tanzania! To share this adventure it seems fitting to restart our blog, this time as a family of four, and this time getting to see this magical place through our kids eyes. It has been incredible to watch them fall in love with this place and these very warm people. There are a lot of definitions of success, but for us, raising kids who are curious, kind, and enthusiastic about adventure and other cultures is a big one. We feel like we have won the lottery!</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">However, this time the travel has been quite different....we flew in, rather than traveling overland on a tuck; smartphones and wi-fi are now ubiquitous; our accommodations have been <i>just a little</i> nicer than the mostly tent camping we did last time; and we are schlepping a lot more stuff because, kids. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It took us 32 hours to get here, including a 9 hour layover in London. Which we took advantage of by taking the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station for a whirlwind tour. From there we took another red eye through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a short enough layover that we didn’t leave the airport and then onto Kilimanjaro International Airport to begin our big adventure. The kids did great with the travel and all the time changes, honestly better than us, it definitely helps to be small with adult sized pillows to lay on.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96npWknEZdjslTOmtjR_LzgVAs2OPZVUlH12E9LZHu-p-PGs3dB6TEGeqbLN3Uj659ZQbS6ynXB8Wr0ma36ovyuXygdOvYjMWsSxAgCRLPuVYI9n3YTyj0hRdFfS5W0929ksP4_xzM9O0cUWsLRPrHihYvct-tLWbtlstUVcdF6pOGg0u5Rr4L4TU8Q/s4447/DSC00224.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2903" data-original-width="4447" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96npWknEZdjslTOmtjR_LzgVAs2OPZVUlH12E9LZHu-p-PGs3dB6TEGeqbLN3Uj659ZQbS6ynXB8Wr0ma36ovyuXygdOvYjMWsSxAgCRLPuVYI9n3YTyj0hRdFfS5W0929ksP4_xzM9O0cUWsLRPrHihYvct-tLWbtlstUVcdF6pOGg0u5Rr4L4TU8Q/s320/DSC00224.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></span></p>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-81074904183307605612012-01-21T16:38:00.000-07:002012-12-14T15:31:50.161-07:00Aloha, Paradise!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I will start out thanking Scott and Megan for this post. Like his older brother Ben and wife Lisa, who had us travel to Malaysia and Indonesia for their wedding, Scotty and Megan took us to Hawai'i. <br />
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Although this was our second time to the island of Oahu, it was our first time to the Big Island of Hawai'i. We spent 4 days around Honolulu, attending the wedding and relaxing with friends. The wedding was amazing, a happy couple, a beautiful location and a great time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6670821889"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7002/6670821889_b1c12acd5e.jpg" title="Hawaiian Wedding Arch" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6670846123"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7009/6670846123_0015e58ac1.jpg" title="Hawaiian Head Table" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6670855705"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7030/6670855705_c5e723fd51.jpg" title="Table Postcards" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6670858629"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7029/6670858629_e039b68fb5.jpg" title="The Venue" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6670862023"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7015/6670862023_fa88b727d6.jpg" title="Hawaiian Wedding Cake" /></a><br />
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Thanks to our friend Mo, who also made that amazing cake you see above, we got to spend an evening sailing on 'Siesta' off the coast of Honolulu.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705918407"><img src="
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6705918407_58fa34230e.jpg" title="Sailing" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705920197"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6705920197_01dedc9966.jpg" title="Sunset Sailing II" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6705924747/" title="Sunset Sailing III by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6705924747_48078651c5.jpg" alt="Sunset Sailing III"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6705923187/" title="Honolulu Rainbows by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6705923187_536da0e13d.jpg" alt="Honolulu Rainbows"></a><br />
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After our brief stay on Oahu we took a short flight to the Big Island of Hawai'i where we filled our days exploring. From snorkeling with sea turtles to summiting the 13k ft Mauna Kea (don't be too impressed it was in a Jeep) to seeing the active volcano Kīlauea, we tried to enjoy everything Hawai'i had to offer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705936525"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7149/6705936525_c34aeac158.jpg" title="Punaluu Honu I" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705941089"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7016/6705941089_17b56e34f0.jpg" title="Punaluu Honu II" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705938775"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7166/6705938775_ccfc0b15d5.jpg" title="Black Sand" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6705942765/" title="Big Island Coast by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6705942765_e8ec1a5ddb.jpg" alt="Big Island Coast"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705952117"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7016/6705952117_13338b3a5a.jpg" title="Above the Clouds" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705934717"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7034/6705934717_b6d5f1117f.jpg" title="Halemaʻumaʻu Crater" /></a><br />
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Abby and I were both pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed Hawai'i. The different ecosystems take you from barren lava rocks to lush forests. It's really amazing to have so much packed in to an area smaller than the size of Connecticut.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705944587"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7172/6705944587_2ab7a55c7f.jpg" title="Solitary Green" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705954169"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7153/6705954169_90681b4c72.jpg" title="Tropical Views" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705962865"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7035/6705962865_a109588031.jpg" title="South Point" /></a><br />
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And who can forget the sunsets!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705926201"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7157/6705926201_6f42ff93f7.jpg" title="Sunset Sailing IV" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705929913"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7004/6705929913_f6ff8006e7.jpg" title="Abby and the Setting Sun" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6705932623"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7147/6705932623_6519c56449.jpg" title="Lava Sunset" /></a><br />
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I don't think it will be too long before we're back...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6705916609/" title="Hawaii Lounging by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6705916609_8c7f69bcd1.jpg" alt="Hawaii Lounging"></a><br />
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</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-12864816986738038412011-12-04T14:01:00.001-07:002011-12-04T14:18:25.973-07:00Scenes from Savannah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Quite a change of scenery from last year's <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/2010/11/khmer-thanksgiving.html" target="_blank">Khmer Feast in Cambodia</a> we celebrated Turkey Day with my family in Savannah. We all ran a Thanksgiving 5k, ate an amazing spread all weekend, took a boat cruise around the island my parents live on and fed the wild dolphins, visited the beach at Tybee Island, and all around enjoyed a family filled weekend. Here are some trip highlights and I think it is safe to say we have the cutest nephews in the world.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434493303"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7007/6434493303_3552577710.jpg" title="IMG_2553" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434493827"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7142/6434493827_377e566616.jpg" title="IMG_2557" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434494527"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7003/6434494527_6421675e8e.jpg" title="IMG_2566" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434495171"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7012/6434495171_d595a28e9b.jpg" title="IMG_2572" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434495799"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7015/6434495799_27bdc6f578.jpg" title="IMG_2574" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434496471"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7005/6434496471_efb897a41c.jpg" title="IMG_2582" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434497019"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7168/6434497019_669f777bfc.jpg" title="IMG_2585" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434497619"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7012/6434497619_0bd1d98eab.jpg" title="IMG_2592" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434498217"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7172/6434498217_0e47c5edd1.jpg" title="IMG_2597" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434498983"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7166/6434498983_23bef79c09.jpg" title="IMG_2603" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434499979"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7152/6434499979_5d3d19d042.jpg" title="IMG_2605" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434501643"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7012/6434501643_ac45673179.jpg" title="IMG_2617" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434502263"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7008/6434502263_e5266f6514.jpg" title="IMG_2618" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434502837"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7007/6434502837_fd103d535c.jpg" title="IMG_2624" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434504167"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7170/6434504167_bc2ce83bda.jpg" title="IMG_2631" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434505927"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7170/6434505927_fe6047683a.jpg" title="IMG_2645" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434507369"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7009/6434507369_4a24aac7fc.jpg" title="IMG_2650" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434508915"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7144/6434508915_fbfe1a6eba.jpg" title="IMG_2652" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434510077"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7008/6434510077_e7454a3e6f.jpg" title="IMG_2660" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434510687"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7020/6434510687_4edd07bf23.jpg" title="IMG_2666" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/6434512261"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7150/6434512261_0f0660c77b.jpg" title="IMG_2675" /></a></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-11648080405763139732011-11-20T17:47:00.002-07:002012-12-14T15:34:39.586-07:00Wine CountryIt's been a while since our last post; spending time behind a desk isn't quite as exciting to write about as traveling, but that doesn't mean we're not getting out to explore. We've spent a few long weekends traveling around the US. Our most recent trip was to Sonoma County, California with two of our great friends. We flew into SFO, had an awesome french creole dinner at <a href="http://www.frenchsoulfood.com/">Brenda's</a> and then drove out to Healdsburg for a weekend of food and wine. We attended the <a href="http://www.wineroad.com/events/wine_and_food_affair/2">13th Annual A Wine & Food Affair</a> and tasted our way around the region.<br />
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As with our previous trip to Sonoma, the wine was great and the people were friendly, not much more to ask for. It's always tough to pick a favorite winery, but we are huge fans (and wine club members) of <a href="http://www.longboardvineyards.com/">Longboard Vineyards</a>. Their wine is consistently amazing and it's a great time hanging out with the Longboard team.<br />
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Now for the pics...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6372874677"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/6372874677_38c869fa01.jpg" title="Abby & Cristin @ Twomey"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6372883857/" title="Ross & Cristin @ Twomey by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6114/6372883857_a60e01f69f.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Ross & Cristin @ Twomey"></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6372885109/" title="Soft Pedals by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6044/6372885109_04285d03c4.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Soft Pedals"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6372886755/" title="Illuminated Rose by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6040/6372886755_5374f8e7b4.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Illuminated Rose"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6372889651"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6212/6372889651_578f4912d0.jpg" title="Acorn Truck"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6372891857/" title="Wine Crew by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6218/6372891857_e85ff42e97.jpg" width="500" height="328" alt="Wine Crew"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/6372893561"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6372893561_05e240d8c9.jpg" title="Waves of Wine"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/6372895923/" title="At Dutcher Crossing by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6110/6372895923_070ba1e1c7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="At Dutcher Crossing"></a>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-57413444508886318702011-06-14T18:33:00.001-06:002011-06-14T18:33:50.931-06:00Amelia Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Very last minute I decided to join my family on a week long vacay to sunny Amelia Island outside of Jacksonville, FL. Being unemployed has its perks! We had a great week full of hanging out at the beach, eating yummy food, and playing cards. Here are some of my favorite pics from the week which included a quick stop over in Savannah to see my Dad and Retta.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834087023"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5110/5834087023_eb4ccdc493.jpg" title="IMG_2250" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834640288"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/5834640288_6d66dc3632.jpg" title="IMG_2252" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834640474"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/5834640474_b6db556c83.jpg" title="IMG_2261" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834640754"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5834640754_6875d6c037.jpg" title="IMG_2269" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834641016"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5834641016_ba36c4f541.jpg" title="IMG_2271" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834088407"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/5834088407_0703df8b22.jpg" title="IMG_2279" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834641206"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/5834641206_a0324c71fc.jpg" title="IMG_2276" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834641824"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/5834641824_1fc9a52787.jpg" title="IMG_2281" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834642026"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/5834642026_f8aecc01c0.jpg" title="IMG_2282" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834089131"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5834089131_dc79d405f3.jpg" title="IMG_2284" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834642456"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/5834642456_b197970fe2.jpg" title="IMG_2285" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834089825"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/5834089825_8c80b2cb22.jpg" title="IMG_2289" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834643116"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2494/5834643116_60b358acc7.jpg" title="IMG_2293" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834643300"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/5834643300_3af17288e9.jpg" title="IMG_2296" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834090363"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/5834090363_4a24efd30d.jpg" title="IMG_2300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5834643716"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3465/5834643716_9724a7793c.jpg" title="IMG_2307" /></a><br /><br />What a great way to kick off summer!<br /><br /><br /></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-24287198946313596862011-06-03T16:44:00.058-06:002011-06-03T22:08:00.711-06:00Trip Questions & AnswersTaking an <a href="http://paulanderin-roundtheworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/bests-and-worsts.html">idea</a> from some friends we met on our travels here is a list of commonly asked questions we've received.<br />
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<b><i>Favorite Country?</i></b><br />
Abby (A): Hard to say because we enjoyed so many places, but India and Nepal are at the top of my list.<br />
Ross (R): Definitely a tough one, but I'd say India.<br />
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<b><i>Favorite City?</i></b><br />
We loved Hong Kong, it's a hi-tech city with loads of hiking trails just miles from the heart of the city.<br />
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<b><i>Favorite Food?</i></b><br />
A: Indian followed by Vietnamese<br />
R: ditto!<br />
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<b><i>Least favorite food?</i></b><br />
A: Probably Chinese, we had some great food there, but also some really bad stuff, we had a disgusting black bean dumpling dessert soaked in sweet syrup and several very fishy tasting meals that didn't have fish in them, or so we thought.<br />
R: China as well, and don't forget the boiled fish that made our lips tingle.<br />
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<b><i>How did you get around?</i></b><br />
Plane, train, boat, subway, taxi, car, truck, bus, auto rickshaw. We used all sorts of transportation to get around and really planned as we went so normally a few days before we would leave a place we would do some research and find the best and most economic transportation.<br />
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<b><i>Were there bathrooms everywhere you went?</i></b><br />
Yes, some were very rustic and many 'squatty potties', but there were always bathrooms. Toilet paper on the other hand was a rare commodity and became a staple in Abby's purse.<br />
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<b><i>Was it hard to communicate?</i></b><br />
Not nearly as difficult as you might think, English is widely used so we were lucky in that regard, except in China (see below).<br />
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<b><i>Where was the hardest place to travel?</i></b><br />
China, due to the language barrier, the weather (it was freezing in December) and strong cultural differences that didn't necessarily make for an easy visit.<br />
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<b><i>Where was the easiest place to travel?</i></b><br />
Probably a tie between Australia and South Africa.<br />
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<b><i>Were you ever scared/in danger?</i></b><br />
We were never in danger, at least that was apparent to us. We did have one situation arriving in Nairobi, Kenya and 3am and getting into a taxi where we both felt a little uncomfortable as they took us down some back roads, but we arrived at our destination perfectly safe.<br />
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<b><i>Favorite Lodging?</i></b><br />
A: Probably our amazing villa, <a href="http://thelonghousebali.com/">The Longhouse</a>, in Bail for Ben and Lisa's wedding followed by our little hut on the beach on Koh Phanghan in Thailand.<br />
R: I also really enjoyed the <a href="http://www.twodragons-asia.com/">Two Dragons Guesthouse</a> in Siem Reap, Cambodia<br />
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<b><i>Did anything get stolen or lost?</i></b><br />
A: Unfortunately, I left my Kindle on board one of our last flights and I think I had a few Euro coins stolen in Madrid, but other than that we came home with everything in tact.<br />
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<b><i>Did you get sick?</i></b><br />
Yes, were both experienced "traveler's belly" a few times in different places (Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam) but we tok along antibiotics and never suffered with anything for more than a day. <br />
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<b><i>Would you do it again?</i></b><br />
A: Hell yes!<br />
R: Most definitely, but days after returning Abby asked me if we won the lottery if we'd take off again…I told her I needed some time to recover :)<br />
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<b><i>Did it cost more/less than you thought it would?</i></b><br />
We averaged $185/day, we had guesstimated $150. So we were a little over budget, but the whole trip was still relatively very reasonable.<br />
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<b><i>Was it hard to adjust coming back to the US?</i></b><br />
As strange as it sounds, coming back to the US was pretty smooth. We think that after traveling for 7 months we were just excited to be home.<br />
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<b><i>What did you miss most?</i></b><br />
A: our bed<br />
R: relaxing on our couch<br />
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<b><i>What are you going to do with all your photos?</i></b><br />
Like other trips we've taken we're planning on doing photo books (it's going to take several for all the photos).<br />
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<b><i>What are you going to do with this site?</i></b><br />
We'll be keeping it up for the foreseeable future and updating it with our continued travels, both here and abroad.<br />
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If you have any other questions post a comment and we'll respond. Also check out our <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/p/faq.html">faq page</a> for some more info.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-12004143079008714832011-04-23T09:50:00.002-06:002012-12-14T15:36:54.304-07:00Around the World with PhotosWe're now back in Colorado and getting back into the swing of things. Our trip was an amazing adventure and will be with us forever. One of the great things is that with our photos we will be able to relive many of the experiences again. <br />
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With that I've put together a set of photos representing each country we visited, 22 in total (I did not take a single photo in Kenya, so there are only 21 photos). I've also compiled some statistics on the photos (this information was extracted from the Adobe Lightroom database). First the less exciting stats, then on to the photos.<br />
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<b><i>photos:</i></b> 21,083 (236.79 GB)<br />
<b><i>picks:</i></b> 1,024<br />
<b><i>days:</i></b> 215<br />
<b><i>shooting days:</i></b> 156<br />
<b><i>avg photos/day:</i></b> 98<br />
<b><i>avg picks/day:</i></b> 5<br />
<b><i>avg photos/shooting day:</i></b> 135<br />
<b><i>avg picks/shooting day:</i></b> 6<br />
<b><i>num landscape:</i></b> 15,083<br />
<b><i>num landscape picks:</i></b> 770<br />
<b><i>num portrait:</i></b> 5,904<br />
<b><i>num portrait picks:</i></b> 249<br />
<b><i>avg focal length:</i></b> 63<br />
<b><i>avg focal length picks:</i></b> 57<br />
<b><i>avg ISO:</i></b> 436<br />
<b><i>avg ISO picks:</i></b> 458<br />
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*picks - flagged in Lightroom, processed and uploaded to Flickr<br />
*shooting day - a day a photo was taken<br />
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In layman's terms I took just over 21,000 photos of which 1,024 photos I felt were worthy enough to share and post on Flickr. We were gone 215 days and I took a photo 156 of those days and on those days I took an average of 135 photos.<br />
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1) Australia<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/4992247037/" title="opera house and bridge by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4124/4992247037_e0038c0c5b.jpg" width="500" height="250" alt="opera house and bridge"></a><br />
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2) Singapore<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5059638578/" title="Floral Sents by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/5059638578_dc9efc4907.jpg" width="500" height="360" alt="Floral Sents"></a><br />
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3) Malaysia<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5084025502"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5084025502_22a3caca21.jpg" title="rising from the night"/></a><br />
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4) Indonesia<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5092999316"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5092999316_91159574f9.jpg" title="Pool Views"/></a><br />
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5) Nepal<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5382926967"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5382926967_8a287499cf.jpg" title="Praken Gompa Range"/></a><br />
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6) Thailand<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5171215610"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5171215610_c708e7390a.jpg" title="Morning Hut"/></a><br />
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7) Cambodia<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5206428580"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5206428580_8a56d0bf65.jpg" title="Red and Gold"/></a><br />
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8) Vietnam<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5228091387"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5128/5228091387_f0b3c26acb.jpg" title="Threshing"/></a><br />
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9) Hong Kong<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5270843309"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5270843309_ce46ced602.jpg" title="HK Night Skyline"/></a><br />
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10) China<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5295872646"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5049/5295872646_4f825c9cb5.jpg" title="Great Wall Colors"/></a><br />
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11) India<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5342874950/" title="Rising by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5205/5342874950_d36cd0c2a1.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Rising"></a><br />
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12) Turkey<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5418151405"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5418151405_4621f354f3.jpg" title="Within the Blue Mosque"/></a><br />
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13) Kenya (no photo)<br />
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14) Tanzania<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540861024/" title="Leopard with Cub by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5095/5540861024_bd7091ac0f.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt="Leopard with Cub"></a><br />
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15) Malawi<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543631996"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5543631996_9f2be559c5.jpg" title="Lake Malawi Sunrise"/></a><br />
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16) Zambia<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541155252"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5299/5541155252_a459d32b5c.jpg" title="Smooth Road Ahead"/></a><br />
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17) Zimbabwe<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540696569"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5540696569_45a6c58487.jpg" title="Through to the Falls"/></a><br />
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18) Botswana<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541540710"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5541540710_e6e2dfda6e.jpg" title="Painted Sunset"/></a><br />
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19) South Africa<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561096844"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5561096844_8d9a52a46a.jpg" title="Strolling"/></a><br />
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20) England<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5604360333"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5604360333_af7decf4da.jpg" title="Buckingham Guard II"/></a><br />
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21) Spain<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5606583850"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5606583850_1d12498908.jpg" title="Streets of Portugalete"/></a><br />
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22) United States of America<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5622454036/" title="Chicago Skyline by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5622454036_6f9896269d.jpg" width="500" height="176" alt="Chicago Skyline"></a><br />
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For the full photographic experience check out my Flickr collection of Running Around the Planet Photos, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/collections/72157624846034014/">here</a>.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-65433486778196254252011-04-20T15:17:00.006-06:002011-04-22T02:16:36.685-06:00Chi-TownNot wanting to get home too quickly we planned to visit my family in Chicago before finally heading back to CO. On the final stop of our journey Ross and I headed out to Wheaton, IL to visit my sister Erin, brother-in-law Matt, nephew Alec, and the newest addition to their clan baby Charlie. Lucky for us my Dad also made the journey out so we could all spend some time together.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5617216777/" title="Charlie's Elephant by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Charlie's Elephant" height="357" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5617216777_d0aa9cc00c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We had a great 5 days of relaxing, snuggling precious Charlie, playing with Alec and enjoying all the comforts of home. We really missed our friends and family while we were away so it felt great to see the family and get to spend some time together, especially those adorable kids! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627351669"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5627351669_c6e7ff3be5.jpg" title="Charlie Matthew" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627936876"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5627936876_70b216e77a.jpg" title="Sleeping beauty" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627936166"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5627936166_807cf09fcc.jpg" title="Bath time" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627349147"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5627349147_86ce7151ac.jpg" title="Cheese face" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627348581"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5627348581_ecea8b1ac1.jpg" title="Mom's eyes" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627351979"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5627351979_e4d265968d.jpg" title="Alec stridin 2" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627935492"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5627935492_28c60997c0.jpg" title="Alec stridin" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627934712"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5627934712_0a9f5854d4.jpg" title="Ice cream face" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5627349807"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5627349807_676998695d.jpg" title="Tuncle Toss" /></a><br />
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Since Ross had never been into the city before on his birthday we took the train in and took the architecture boat tour on the Chicago River. We loved all the historical buildings and we immediately felt right back at home in the USA.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5621869593/" title="Chicago Metra by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5621869593_55990a5640.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt="Chicago Metra"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5621861087"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5621861087_62b4d413f3.jpg" title="Chicago Avenue" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5622450960"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5622450960_19f2faf47e.jpg" title="Hail a Taxi" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5621865117"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5621865117_e2a258a503.jpg" title="Towering in Chicago" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5621860177"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5621860177_c1339b1305.jpg" title="Lake Street and Beyond" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5621866827"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5621866827_b66f2d91bb.jpg" title="Streets of Chicago" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5621859181"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5621859181_def2149766.jpg" title="Michigan Ave and the River" /></a><br />
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Alec helped bake and decorate "Tuncle Toss's" birthday cake and we had a great night out eating sushi (first time in 7 months!) and having cake back at the house. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyzETHdMoofqsbVbytBtLEtpb9Lkbd1Vn3Sdd9DI6IyEcPzRQgAXiO7ZrJjK84d-W9qivU0BzyHyxDbrxr-Z85CZNARrHfZeRTMuKprDqmG-oad1NjHX6N-EVMze2y4-YRmhe1oZosA1D/s1600/1104130043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img height="375" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyzETHdMoofqsbVbytBtLEtpb9Lkbd1Vn3Sdd9DI6IyEcPzRQgAXiO7ZrJjK84d-W9qivU0BzyHyxDbrxr-Z85CZNARrHfZeRTMuKprDqmG-oad1NjHX6N-EVMze2y4-YRmhe1oZosA1D/s1600/1104130043.JPG" /></a><br />
(Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.alecrandall.blogspot.com/">http://www.alecrandall.blogspot.com/</a>)<br />
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It was a great week full of family and laughter and it was the perfect transition home for us. I love visiting Chicago and hope we can make it back again soon.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5622454036"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5622454036_6f9896269d.jpg" title="Chicago Skyline" /></a>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-27055592828779263702011-04-15T16:05:00.000-06:002012-12-14T15:38:12.293-07:00EspañaWhile not on our original itinerary we decided to head to Spain to visit some friends to wrap up our world tour. On the first day of our <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/2010/11/namaste.html">trek of the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal</a> we met an awesome couple from the Basque Country in Spain. We spent two weeks hiking, eating and having a great time together. So after we said our goodbyes to Ane and Gontzal we promised to meet back up and it just so happened that Spain fit nicely into our trip, especially since they graciously offered us a place to stay.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5163570406/" title="Candlelight Evening by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Candlelight Evening" height="332" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1316/5163570406_131bd7e017.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Since we were visiting during the week we expected to Ane and Gontzal to be working, but they took the whole week off to show us around the area. We met up in Madrid, toured around the city and sampled our share of caña (small beers) and tapeo (tapas). Touring from bar to bar we set the tone for the week; the food and drink in Spain were amazing and with our local guides we spent the week eating our way around the region.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622877576"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5622877576_a4430ba9c1.jpg" title="Tapas" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622290427"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5622290427_92b89dc27b.jpg" title="Canas" /></a><br />
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After our night out and day in Madrid we made our way to La Rioja, one of our new favorite wine regions. We spent the night in Logroño sampling tapas and wine late into the night. Each bar in town offered a specialty tapas from spanish omlettes to grilled mushrooms and along with the delicious red wine we were in heaven. Abby kept exclaiming, "mi favo," after each bar and since we wanted to try it all we had quite the progressive party. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622880048"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5622880048_44e1b0a329.jpg" title="Clam goodies" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622878642"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5622878642_51420afcde.jpg" title="Lorogno fun" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622286925"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5622286925_a2ce9e25ea.jpg" title="The Best Salad in the World" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/msabscam/5622864132/" title="Rioja! by ms.abscam, on Flickr"><img alt="Rioja!" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5307/5622864132_9d1bc645ac.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The next morning Ane arranged an English speaking private tour around the La Rioja Alta, S.A. Bodega; a large winery that has been around for over 120 years.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5604960048"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5604960048_0ac89ab6f3.jpg" title="Illusions of Vino" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5604377903/" title="La Rioja Alta, S.A. by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5105/5604377903_2f099ae693.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="La Rioja Alta, S.A."></a><br />
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We finished off our tour with a nice tasting, purchasing a few bottles to bring home, and driving through the charming villages of the region. <br />
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From there we made our way into the Basque Country to their flat just outside of Bilbao. We spent the next few days touring the area. For all the places we seem to have know about in Europe the Basque Country was completely new to us. The history, the sights and even the language were so interesting. It was truly incredible, the countryside of lush green rolling hills set off the beautiful coastlines and the charming seaside towns. Ane and Gontzal are about 5 minutes away from the beach so we got to take in several sunsets while we were there.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622878878"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5622878878_194a5c9469.jpg" title="Muskiz Beach" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622283551"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5622283551_2ed9568b7a.jpg" title="Muskiz Sunset" /></a><br />
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We started our tour of the North by visiting the city of Portugalete and taking a trip on its unique transporter bridge (the first of its kind and built in 1893).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609553031"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5609553031_c45b0c6a6e.jpg" title="Across the Nervion" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609555771"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5609555771_5353dc5bc8.jpg" title="Transporter" /></a><br />
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Walking through the narrow, quaint streets of many of the Basque cities was like going back in time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5606583850"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5606583850_1d12498908.jpg" title="Streets of Portugalete" /></a><br />
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We spent some time in city of Bilbao, one of my personal favorites due to its amazing mix of historic Spanish and new modern architecture. One of the prominent examples is the Guggenheim Museum.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609568611"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5609568611_1c1457a04e.jpg" title="Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5610147554"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5610147554_82be8b4f69.jpg" title="Silver Sails" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5610151338/" title="Puppy by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5189/5610151338_65fc589c95.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Puppy"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609569969"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5609569969_084c5d3bf8.jpg" title="At the Guggenheim" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622279861"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5622279861_37c3d076df.jpg" title="Guggenheim Bilbao" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622277405"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5622277405_03a7b20dc6.jpg" title="Tres Amigos" /></a><br />
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As well as the many unique bridges that cross the Nervion River.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609562745"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5609562745_8d9c483045.jpg" title="Zubizuri!" /></a><br />
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We had a great time exploring, starting our days a little later, eating lunch around 2, tapas around 5, and finally dinner sometime around 10. A very different schedule than Abby and I were used to, but it was a ton of fun staying out late going from bar to bar in the streets packed with people. We were also treated to Ane's moms home cooking on several occasions and were welcomed graciously into their home. With my limited Spanish speaking skills and Abby's non existent ones we still felt right at home and felt very fortunate to get to meet their lovely family. <br />
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We spent the next several days exploring more of the Basque region. We headed out to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and had lunch overlooking the island and the hermitage on top. After a huge meal we took a much needed siesta and then hiked to the top.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622295891"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5622295891_93972f511c.jpg" title="Siesta time" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609575311"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5609575311_5356d4725e.jpg" title="San Juan de Gaztelugatxe" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622882002"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5622882002_2cedaac502.jpg" title="San Juan Hermitage" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622871294"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5622871294_9c8c1d5244.jpg" title="Ross's Pilgrimage" /></a><br />
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We also stopped at many of the small sea side towns on the coast and continued to enjoy the delicious food and drink along the way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5609576427"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5609576427_c257c98f30.jpg" title="Port of Bermeo" /></a><br />
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With sunshine everyday, we spent a day on the beaches of San Sebastian, everyone insisted that spring in Northern Spain is cold and rainy and that we were very lucky, so we took full advantage of it. We spent our last night out in Bilbao eating "pintxos" and celebrating our last night abroad.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622297573"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5622297573_c95418032e.jpg" title="Chicos" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622882568"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5622882568_7447ca75a1.jpg" title="Chicas" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622870818"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5622870818_517ab46693.jpg" title="Use Sunscreen in Spain" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5622868558"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5622868558_eae22f397f.jpg" title="Out in Bilbao" /></a><br />
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It was an amazing week and a great way to wrap up our adventure. We were so fortunate to have been able to spend it with Ane and Gontzal. Their hospitality made it an unforgettable trip and we hope we can repay it when they come visit us in America.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-65009739833722215202011-04-12T21:15:00.000-06:002011-04-12T21:15:13.435-06:00Stop Over to See the QueenDue to some schedule changes we decided to skip South America, it will have to wait for Running Around the Planet: The Sequel. Our new final destination is the Basque Country in Spain to meet up with some friends we met on our <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/2010/11/namaste.html">trek of the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal</a>. However it was cheaper to fly from Cape Town, South Africa to London, England than directly to Spain so we stopped off for a few days and crashed with some friends in London.<br />
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We only had 2 days to tour London so it was a quick trip. Being on the tail end of the trip we didn't want to squeeze in too much so we took it easy with runs in the morning and only a few sights each day.<br />
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Our first day we visited the Borough market where Abby ogled at all the fresh produce and cheeses. We followed that up with a tour along the Thames around the Tower Bridge.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5606042366"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5606042366_e82b404648.jpg" title="Looming Tower Bridge"/></a><br />
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Then on to the Tate Modern, a free modern art museum in Central London.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5577461424"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5577461424_0510db209e.jpg" title="Tate Lines"/></a><br />
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It was a nice change of pace from the typical museums we had been visiting on our trip since we hadn't been to an art museum since Perth.<br />
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The next day after sleeping in a little and a run through the park we headed to Big Ben and the House of Parliament.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5614541733/" title="House of Parliament Pano by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5614541733_46350fe0dc.jpg" alt="House of Parliament Pano"/></a><br />
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From there it was on to Buckingham Palace by way of St James's Park, which was just starting to bloom with all the spring flowers.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5615123452/" title="Buckingham Palace by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5615123452_4c781fbc7b.jpg" alt="Buckingham Palace"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5604944236"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5604944236_df2438c250.jpg" title="Buckingham Guard I"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5604360333"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5604360333_af7decf4da.jpg" title="Buckingham Guard II"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5604357187"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/5604357187_15502bd9ef.jpg" title="Buckingham Guard III"/></a><br />
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We didn't get to see the changing of the guards, but the guards on duty we still fun to watch.<br />
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After that is was back to the Underground for the ride home.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5584039897"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5584039897_d504560d35.jpg" title="Mind the Gap"/></a><br />
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Thanks to James and Marisa for the soft bed, the nice place and showing us the ropes of London.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-32972443880699167642011-04-08T03:07:00.003-06:002012-12-14T15:40:17.805-07:00With the MomsAfter traveling for months and missing our friends and family from home it was awesome that our moms both came to Cape Town, South Africa to see us and explore the area. <br />
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South Africa is in rather stark contrast to the countries we had been traveling through in Africa. The cities are large and modern, the roads are smooth and new, it almost felt like being back home. However South Africa is not without issues. As we mentioned in the <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/2011/04/africa-overland-last-stretch.html">last post</a> when we arrived in Johannesburg security was a concern for homeowners and safety was an issue walking the streets. Cape Town is considered safer, but we were still advised to be careful and not walk in certain areas after dark. Something Abby and I had seen throughout our travels, but was startling to our moms (and still to us) were the large shack settlements on the outskirts of the cities. The conclusion I have come to through my travels is not that we do not have people as poor in America, but that we provide most people with housing and a few of the necessities they need to survive. So instead of people building a shack we build an apartment complex for them. I think the core problems are still everywhere you go, but even with some of the issues there are still so many wonderful people to meet and amazing places to see.<br />
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One thing we couldn´t miss while visiting South Africa were the wineries. We spent a day exploring the wine region of Stellenbosch, particularly enjoying the Pinotage, a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut and a signature wine of South Africa.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5555590732"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5555590732_530e6c8a57.jpg" title="Tasting"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5555595606"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5555595606_b1be05d6e0.jpg" title="Moreson Wine"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5555014721"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5555014721_54057c0969.jpg" title="Bottled"/></a><br />
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Even though Cape Town is not known for its game drives we found a small private game reserve so the moms could get a taste for an African safari. While the animals were fenced in and their diet partially subsidized it was a more natural environment than a zoo and assumingly more enjoyable for the animals.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553320589"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5553320589_81a73e3b0d.jpg" title="Rhino Touch"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553915644"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5553915644_bb1ac84224.jpg" title="Two plus Two"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553467597"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5553467597_a92bb20a89.jpg" title="Hippo Pile"/></a><br />
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The lions were kept seperate from the herbivores, with hopes to have them all together in the future. It was amazing how close we got.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5553361703/" title="Lioness Stare by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5066/5553361703_1d381d1b80.jpg" width="500" height="318" alt="Lioness Stare"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553458601"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5553458601_2e53d38ecb.jpg" title="Lion and Lioness"/></a><br />
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There was also a seperate area for the leopards.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5554059276/" title="Prowling by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5058/5554059276_ceb313c9c7.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Prowling"></a><br />
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With sparkling wine this safari was a little different than Abby and my previous experiences, but was a great way to wind down our African adventure.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553925714"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5553925714_11c87d2c09.jpg" title="Safari Cocktails"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5553929914"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5553929914_1b12e17eee.jpg" title="Aquila Safari Crew"/></a><br />
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One thing there is no shortage of in Cape Town and the southern coast is amazing views. From the top of Table Mountain to the V&A waterfront there is so much to see.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5558968702"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5558968702_0255711999.jpg" title="A View of Cape Town"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5558384515"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5137/5558384515_c4b93a7ab3.jpg" title="V&A Waterfront"/></a><br />
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A short drive from Cape Town is Boulders, a National Park know for its flightless bird, which are found all along the shores. Formerly the Jackass penguin and now the African penguin these little birds were facinating to watch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5560508045"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5560508045_6d2ba6d622.jpg" title="Boulders"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561087166"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5561087166_c30383285a.jpg" title="Trudging Along"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5560517755/" title="Easy Does It by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5103/5560517755_d13dda0ebc.jpg" width="500" height="311" alt="Easy Does It"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561096844"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5561096844_8d9a52a46a.jpg" title="Strolling"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5561111870/" title="Cleaning Time by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5561111870_b5eb6fc4f3.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Cleaning Time"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5560543067"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5560543067_775b3260e8.jpg" title="Out to Sea"/></a><br />
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At the end of the Cape Peninsula is the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561126458"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5561126458_e7da5124da.jpg" title="Cape Point"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5560559223"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5307/5560559223_d89ca6aa77.jpg" title="At Cape Point"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561139296"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5561139296_1b2f07f607.jpg" title="Moms at Cape Point"/></a><br />
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Heading back up the west coast of the peninsula we stopped in Hout Bay for some delicious calamari and of course wine.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5561164118"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5561164118_efe6633957.jpg" title="Hout Bay Pano"/></a><br />
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All around Cape Town we had amazing views, mouth watering food and delicious wine. It was definitely a highlight and even more so since we got to share it with our moms.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5560592789"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5560592789_b1e48d8ac1.jpg" title="Signal Hill Ridge"/></a>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-2400049038909145792011-04-05T07:49:00.003-06:002012-12-14T15:41:33.891-07:00Africa Overland: The Last StretchAfter joining our new group we were back on the truck bright and early. We made our way out of Zimbabwe and into Botswana and spent our first night cruising through the waters of the Chobe River in Chobe National Park.<br />
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Starting out on the river tour we saw a few birds, a small crocodile and a few kudu, which compared to our other games drives was rather tame, but we soon found ourselves surrounded by heards of elephants and a pod of hippos. All enjoying the waters of the Chobe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541469964"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5541469964_0a7cf15e05.jpg" title="Chobe Guard"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541494362"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5541494362_4751a83aa0.jpg" title="Water Time"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541505858"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5291/5541505858_07497e350e.jpg" title="Big & Little"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540942333"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5177/5540942333_c3c435cd66.jpg" title="Big Mouth"/></a><br />
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And to wrap up the evening as we were heading back on the river we were presented with a beautiful sunset.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5541540710/" title="Painted Sunset by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5541540710_e6e2dfda6e.jpg" width="500" height="277" alt="Painted Sunset"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540963735"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5540963735_aa4f3ed43e.jpg" title="Botswana Skies"/></a><br />
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Seeing the animals from the river was a great new perspective to add to our other safari experiences.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541511412"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5541511412_b4e71b4541.jpg" title="Chobe Cruise"/></a><br />
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We spent the next few days relaxing at our campsite and going for runs with our truck driver Tabi. After traveling for so long even spending 2 nights in a single place is refreshing. To wrap up our time in Botswana and add a new variation to our safaris we took to the skies in a 6 seater Cessna 210 to view the Okavango Delta from above.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5543131003/" title="Preparing for Takeoff by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5091/5543131003_709cc69fe7.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Preparing for Takeoff"></a><br />
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Elephants...<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543716548"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/5543716548_c6ea42cbbc.jpg" title="Okavango Elephants"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543738030"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5543738030_180e2a1508.jpg" title="Banking"/></a><br />
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Hippos...<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543757356"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5543757356_3b72d81228.jpg" title="Okavango Hippos"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543764468"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5543764468_3bace80a0d.jpg" title="Okavango Delta"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543189103"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5543189103_42be048477.jpg" title="Okavango Flight"/></a><br />
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It was a great way to see the delta and all the animals from a different vantage point. We both really enjoyed flying in the small plane, which felt like riding in an old Volkswagon Bug. From Botswana we continued south, crossing our last African border into South Africa. The landscape in South Africa was very surprising. The pine trees and the green mountains felt like the Pacific northwest of America and the mesas reminded us of south western US. We had some great views in and around the Blyde River Valley.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5567385714"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5567385714_dd80b6ebb6.jpg" title="Blyde River Valley Pano"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5566799033"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5566799033_ed3f0106c8.jpg" title="At Bourke's Luck Potholes"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5566828545"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5566828545_2c725fb5e8.jpg" title="Bourke's Luck Potholes"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5567391112"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5567391112_cfc6d1208b.jpg" title="Multicolor"/></a><br />
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In South Africa we spent our last two nights in a funky campgound just outside of Kruger National Park. Typical to our other safaris the morning of our Kruger game drive was wet and raining, but again the clouds cleared and the day was sunny and clear. This time of year the grass in Kruger is very tall, which makes animal sightings a little more difficult, but we were still had some great spottings, including a dead elephant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5546436492"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5254/5546436492_070f4a2169.jpg" title="Circle of Life"/></a><br />
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We also saw a massive bull elephant in musth, which is an aggressive period for male elephants during breeding. <br />
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This is what you do when see an angry elephant coming down the road.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5546453862"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5546453862_dde028c5b8.jpg" title="Reverse!"/></a><br />
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And here our driver is sneaking past the same elephant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5546457166/" title="Musth Aggression by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5137/5546457166_52b416eb85.jpg" width="500" height="362" alt="Musth Aggression"></a><br />
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We were very happy to see a large group of rhinos up close.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5545890049"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5011/5545890049_a1aff63e47.jpg" title="Two Horns"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5545901269"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5545901269_29888d9537.jpg" title="Rhino Youngster"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5545911575"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5545911575_ea777a9959.jpg" title="Giraffe Trees"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5545914581"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5545914581_0dd4d267dd.jpg" title="Alert"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5546507970"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5546507970_a8cee8e560.jpg" title="Kudu Feeding"/></a><br />
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After our safari we had a fun night at the campground sharing some of the culture from our home countries. Since much of the world watches American TV we were left to singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during our turn.<br />
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We arrived the next morning in Johannesburg and were immediately surprised by all of the security measures. It seemed every house was a fortress surrounded by a massive wall with barbed wire and an electric fence along the top. We had been warned about walking in certain areas, especially after night. It was a shame since the city is full of new malls and great restaurants, but it felt very unsafe to explore.<br />
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On St. Patricks Day a group from our truck threw Abby and one of the other girls on our truck a surprise birthday party. Taking the time to fully deck out the bar in the hostel with princess themed party favors. It was a great time and was definitely a surprise to Abby who celebrated her 30th this year. The party was a great way to say goodbye and wrap up an awesome month on the overland trip.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-87672251197338458592011-03-31T12:28:00.000-06:002012-12-14T15:42:32.765-07:00On the Road AgainOn the Road Again by Willie Nelson was played just about every morning as our overland truck started up and rumbled down the road. Some might think it would be annoying, but with the sun barely up and most of us barley awake it always brought smiles to all our faces. After leaving our campsite on the shores of Lake Malawi we headed southwest across the border into Zambia. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5541155252/" title="Smooth Road Ahead by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5299/5541155252_a459d32b5c.jpg" alt="Smooth Road Ahead"/></a><br />
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We didn't do much sightseeing in Zambia, just traveled through arriving near the border to Zimbabwe and close to Victoria Falls. We set up camp for the night before crossing over and into the city of Victoria Falls.<br />
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Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe was our stopping spot for 3 nights and 3 jam packed days. We started off with a trip to Victoria Falls, the waterfalls that is. Victoria Falls are considered the 'largest' falls in the world, they aren't the tallest or widest, but combined they form the largest sheet of falling water in the world and man does it fall. Walking around the falls is basically walking through a perpetual rain storm, making it a little tough to take pics due to the mist and the fear of soaking your camera. It was definitely an amazing sight. Maybe not as picturesque as Niagara Falls, but the sheer size of them is staggering.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540696569/" title="Through to the Falls by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5540696569_45a6c58487.jpg" alt="Through to the Falls"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5541291018/" title="The Falls by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5541291018_a6c05a5766.jpg" alt="The Falls"/></a><br />
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Along with the falls we got to view the Zambezi River, but from an interesting vantage point...plunging 60 m (197 ft) off a platform on a george swing. Due to a previously skipped bungee jump in NZ a few years ago Abby was excited to jump, but wanted to go tandem so there was no chance of chickening out and I was ready to go.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5541305012/" title="Suited Up by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5541305012_4195b1fa08.jpg" alt="Suited Up"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540736341/" title="Adrenalin Ladies by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5540736341_245eee911c.jpg" alt="Adrenalin Ladies"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540752231/" title="The Gorge Swing by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5017/5540752231_e5296376c3.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="The Gorge Swing"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540783255/" title="Gorge Swing I by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5540783255_d366197f4c.jpg" alt="Gorge Swing I"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540826963/" title="Gorge Swing IV by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5540826963_88a0bdf63b.jpg" alt="Gorge Swing IV"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5541446600/" title="Swinging II by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5254/5541446600_c6b1e18c64.jpg" alt="Swinging II"/></a><br />
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Along with all the sightseeing and jumping off things we managed to fit in a run, which was one of the best of our trip. We headed out on a nice rolling road and ran across a family of warthogs as well as a lone bull elephant crossing the road, which stopped us in our tracks and we made sure we gave him plenty of room. We also spotted a chameleon crossing the road and similar to the <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/2010/09/great-ocean-road-coast.html">koala</a> it had an interested gait.<br />
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Victoria Falls was also the spot where we said goodbye to many of the people on our truck as only a few us were joining the new group headed to Johannesburg; the rest were going to Cape Town by way of Namibia. It was sad to see our truck break up, but we had a great time saying goodbye at a local bar and made plans to meet back up in Cape Town, South Africa.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-76347757949157751202011-03-31T05:38:00.000-06:002011-03-31T05:38:01.388-06:00two hundred<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AAngKgquVfqjd73AKRxK1MoD0CiBhMgpL4hZLvjt3v3JhVGJA_Ij5JzkjxTO3GaEjNISPWibXNu6s2OVe_rkvvWA9XoRT6Uyq_Lc5KQmpK9_o5srWgalowt0iLSfhZkwLJhT5Gfq08sb/s1600/200days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AAngKgquVfqjd73AKRxK1MoD0CiBhMgpL4hZLvjt3v3JhVGJA_Ij5JzkjxTO3GaEjNISPWibXNu6s2OVe_rkvvWA9XoRT6Uyq_Lc5KQmpK9_o5srWgalowt0iLSfhZkwLJhT5Gfq08sb/s1600/200days.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today marks our 200th day on the road. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We've been through Australia, Asia, Africa and are now finishing off in Europe visiting friends before heading back to the states. The trip so far has been great and day #1 landing in Sydney, AU seems ages ago. It almost feels like a different trip. We'd just like to thank everyone who's been following, everyone we can't wait to see when we get back home and everyone we've met along the way. We're having the time of our lives.</div>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-4926110882051917792011-03-26T09:41:00.003-06:002012-12-14T15:43:28.291-07:00Spices & Beaches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">After our game drives in Tanzania, we headed south to spend some time on the island of Zanzibar, just off the coast of mainland Tanzania. We had a quick day in the capital and stayed in the historic center, Stone Town. We took a spice tour shortly after arriving on the island, Zanzibar is known as the 'Spice Island' for all of the spices they produce. We visited a local spice farm and got to try fresh cinnamon, nutmeg, lemongrass tea and tons of incredibly ripe tropical fruit, all which are readily grown on the island. Ross also got to try his hand at climbing a coconut tree at the farm using just a rope around his feet like the local guys do to retrieve the coconuts.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541025392"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5541025392_4b510af910.jpg" title="Coconut Grove" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540490337/" title="Rusty Leaves by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5095/5540490337_f7454b369c.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Rusty Leaves"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540500321"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5540500321_71d4262cc7.jpg" title="Picking Coconuts" /></a><br />
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Part of the tour also took us to the site off an old slave trading market. A church has since been erected in its place but the old slave quarters are still intact. It was very startling to see the slave quarters where the slaves where kept before being taken to the whipping post/market. The room was tiny and claustrophobic; it was quite eerie standing inside and thinking about what transpired there.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5543618744/" title="Maruhubi Palace by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5543618744_1dda69dc7d.jpg" width="391" height="500" alt="Maruhubi Palace" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5543049423/" title="Anglican Cathedral by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5543049423_997c5ab0fb.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="Anglican Cathedral" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541090286"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5541090286_991cc57434.jpg" title="Slavery" /></a><br />
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After our tour we spent our evening out at the local market eating our fill of fresh seafood.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541099308"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5541099308_e0e3a302cb.jpg" title="Catch of the Day" /></a><br />
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The next morning we headed up to North Beach to spend a few days relaxing on the beautiful white sandy beaches.<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540560515"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5540560515_302a730c90.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Zanzibar Days" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><div>The tide was super strong on the North Beach and the beach would change dramatically every day. With the full moon the water went way out and we got to walk around and see the shells and star fish we had been swimming in the day before. All the locals came out to collect squid and other seafood when the tide went way out. Zanzibar was a beautiful place and a really relaxing break from truck life, a.k.a sleeping in a tent. </div></div><div><br />
</div></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541109742"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5541109742_6673aa5b0c.jpg" title="Low Tide Fishing" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5540539071"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5540539071_ed84daed60.jpg" title="Aground" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5541127496"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5541127496_05e844ed22.jpg" title="North Beach Kids" /></a><br />
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After Zanzibar we headed to our next country, Malawi, a landlocked country with 20% of its total area made up of Lake Malawi. We had a great campsite right on the sands of the beach and got to see some amazing sunrises and sunsets while we were there.<br />
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</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543631996"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5543631996_9f2be559c5.jpg" title="Lake Malawi Sunrise" /></a><br />
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</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">From our campground in Chitimba we hiked up to the village of Livinstonia and got to take in the awesome views of the lake and surrounding hills. We were welcomed by all the kids in the village who were fascinated with our cameras and loved to walk with us holding hands and singing the alphabet. After playing with the kids we toured the small town of Livinstonia and hit up a nearby waterfall for a swim.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543784026"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5543784026_1e38e33aa9.jpg" title="Malawi Hike" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543215379"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5543215379_7e84f7d642.jpg" title="Wise Eyes" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543788824"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5543788824_09c8011c46.jpg" title="Malawi Girl" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543223663"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5257/5543223663_617d41369d.jpg" title="Camera Happy" /></a><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543091719"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5543091719_e816510308.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Smile" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543102905"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5543102905_964f2d54cf.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Photo Shoot" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543058107"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5543058107_427e9c8341.jpg" title="Lake Malawi Morning" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5543072825"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5543072825_b851db9f22.jpg" title="Green Falls" /></a><br />
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</div></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-77837865014886462032011-03-20T13:02:00.002-06:002012-12-14T15:44:43.663-07:00Into the WildHere's making up for the last month of no photos!<br />
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After joining our African overland group in Nairobi we drove across the border to Tanzania where we would spend the next few days searching for the "Big 5" (lion, leopard, black rhino, cape buffalo & African elephant). We joined a large group of over 20 people and quickly got acquainted with the group and our new home for the month, the overland truck. We spent our first night in a campsite outside of Arusha, Tanzania and early the next day we drove a few hours to a campsite not far from the gates of the Ngorongoro Crater, the area of our first game drive. We went to bed with a light drizzle and hoped it would clear in time for our drive. Unfortunately we woke to the same drab rain showers and heavy fog. Driving up to the top of the ring of the crater the fog was so thick that we couldn't see more than a few feet outside of the jeep, needless to say we were a little concerned it would ruin our animal sightings.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539647337/" title="Ngorongoro Gates by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5539647337_60fed996d7.jpg" alt="Ngorongoro Gates"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539656973/" title="Huddled by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5539656973_3f08a4f3bb.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="Huddled"></a><br />
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Thankfully as the sun continued to rise the fog cleared and we were left with a clear day. The Ngorongoro Crater is a large volcanic crater and filled with about 25,000 large animals. There was no shortage of grazing zebras and wildebeests, both seemingly enjoying each others company. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539676701/" title="Moving Through by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5539676701_26e3837a45.jpg" alt="Moving Through"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539681547/" title="Morning Grazing by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5539681547_467bf1fc57.jpg" alt="Morning Grazing"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539685983/" title="Monochrome by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5539685983_80d24d275e.jpg" alt="Monochrome"/></a><br />
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The hyena was quite a sight, with its ragged coat and sloping posture, it really is a scary looking animal. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540272852/" title="Drink Up Dirty Hyena by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5540272852_243f652822.jpg" alt="Drink Up Dirty Hyena"/></a><br />
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We were even lucky enough to spot two black rhinos through the distant haze. The lions were always tough to see, they typically stayed away from road and were usually laying down below the grass but our safari guide, DC, always managed to eye them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540275374/" title="Rhinos in the Mist by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5540275374_fca2ee0858.jpg" alt="Rhinos in the Mist"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539699383/" title="Relaxing in the Grass by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5539699383_cb1008be8a.jpg" alt="Relaxing in the Grass"/></a><br />
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The sheer number and variety of animals was the most interesting part of the drive, from several types of antelopes to warthogs to jackals. Everywhere you turned there was something new to see.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540285164/" title="Stripped by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5540285164_e07ab20ecf.jpg" alt="Stripped"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539712943/" title="Lone Gazelle by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5257/5539712943_74cf492ca9.jpg" alt="Lone Gazelle"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540301360/" title="Twins by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5540301360_73f57def73.jpg" alt="Twins"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540308076/" title="Ngorongoro Safari by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5212/5540308076_1635ce2a46.jpg" alt="Ngorongoro Safari"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540366640/" title="Family Trip by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5540366640_b2250b356d.jpg" alt="Family Trip"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540311570/" title="Lion and Lioness by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5540311570_0690c9e9fa.jpg" alt="Lion and Lioness"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539743787/" title="Zebra Herd by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5539743787_11af4510f9.jpg" alt="Zebra Herd"/></a><br />
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I was also able to geek-out with all the massive pieces of glass (camera lenses) that would pop out of the safari jeeps. Animal photography can definitely be an expensive hobby and was the first time I really wished I had a faster and longer lens.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539747879/" title="Glass by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5539747879_0a06508a61.jpg" alt="Glass"/></a><br />
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One of the highlights of the crater was watching a cheetah stalk its prey. The cheetah was a good distance away, but it was awesome watching it tracking for a kill. Regrettably it wasn't in the cards to see an actual chase, but it was still a great sight.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539769993/" title="Ready by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5539769993_36779597b5.jpg" alt="Ready"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540352620/" title="On the Move by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5540352620_18841c4371.jpg" alt="On the Move"/></a><br />
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After game driving until early afternoon we left the crater and headed toward the Serengeti. On the way into the park we paid a visit to a Masai village and were given a tour of their huts, their small school and little bit of their general way of life, including practicing our jumping skills. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539813853/" title="Masai Jewlery by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5291/5539813853_3fa7229def.jpg" alt="Masai Jewlery"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540402462/" title="Treads by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5540402462_697738f604.jpg" alt="Treads"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540408630/" title="Marching Masai by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5257/5540408630_51e89f152b.jpg" alt="Marching Masai"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539834715/" title="Lack of Vertical by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5291/5539834715_1d47531a9c.jpg" alt="Lack of Vertical"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5539842133/" title="Vertical by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5539842133_f16c3a0756.jpg" alt="Vertical"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540160943/" title="Jumping Ladies by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5540160943_25032ab735.jpg" alt="Jumping Ladies"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540182403/" title="Playing by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5540182403_4607a20ccb.jpg" alt="Playing"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540171669/" title="Land of the Masai by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5540171669_b0bbf87703.jpg" alt="Land of the Masai"/></a><br />
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From there we entered the Serengeti and set up camp, spending the night surrounded by the sounds of the wildlife, there was even a rumor of a hyena spotting near the tents. We woke before sunrise again and headed out to see some more animals. Just after sunrise we watched a hippo streaking, very quickly considering their size, through the grass. It was quite a contrast to only seeing their eyes and ears in the water (where they spend most of their time during the heat of the day). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540787282/" title="Streaking by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5540787282_7a803b2035.jpg" alt="Streaking"/></a><br />
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Our next spotting was the prize of the safari. We spent a good part of the morning watching a female leopard and her two cubs. The cubs spent their time playing in the tall grass and climbing a tree all amongst a large group of elephants, always under the watchful eye of their mother. It was an amazing sight and even more exciting that we were so close.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540266253/" title="Watching by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5540266253_3b9196fe59.jpg" alt="Watching"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540271907/" title="9 Lives by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5540271907_fcf7f0b16f.jpg" alt="9 Lives"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540861024/" title="Leopard with Cub by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5095/5540861024_bd7091ac0f.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt="Leopard with Cub"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540301231/" title="Big and Fierce by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5540301231_ebdf71a92d.jpg" alt="Big and Fierce"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540905738/" title="Ready to Leap by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5540905738_f919855b96.jpg" alt="Ready to Leap"/></a><br />
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Continuing through the Serengeti we got up close to giraffe and elephants. For the most part the animals completely ignored the people and vehicles, but as some people in our group found out elephants will charge when you get too close. Luckily no one was hurt and it was just an exciting story to tell! Between our British mates and Aussie ladies we had a great safari group and had each other laughing the whole way, it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540826466/" title="Elephants on the Move by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5540826466_bc21852398.jpg" alt="Elephants on the Move"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540377323/" title="Walking Through by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5540377323_5b797ea3c3.jpg" alt="Walking Through"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540976326/" title="Elephants on Parade by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5540976326_72eed4894f.jpg" alt="Elephants on Parade"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540987456/" title="African Elephant by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5540987456_19d7689589.jpg" alt="African Elephant"/></a><br />
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These two days on safari were amazing and we got very lucky with all of our sightings which included the "Big 5".<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5540355960/" title="Ngorongoro Trees by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5137/5540355960_8c0772b380.jpg" alt="Ngorongoro Trees"/></a>Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-72533803906213174492011-03-17T04:55:00.000-06:002011-03-17T04:55:19.972-06:00No More Sleeping on the GroundWe arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday afternoon. It was 32 days on the road, 26 of those nights spent in a tent and somewhere around 6,000 km (3,700 miles) of driving. We saw the "Big 5", sailed in Lake Malawi, did a 60m (196 ft) free fall into the Zambezi River Gorge and took over 4,000 photos documenting it all. We're off to Cape Town, South Africa by train tomorrow to meet our moms and will spend the next few days uploading some photos and writing up our trip in more detail, but we just wanted to let everyone know things are going well.<br />
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oh and Happy Birthday Abby!Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-33014703094850209742011-03-10T05:39:00.000-07:002011-03-10T05:39:21.688-07:00Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Just a quick check in from Africa. We are 6 countries and about 3 weeks into our overland trip and having a great time! We are in Botswana now and will be taking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta tomorrow. We have great pictures and loads to share but won't be updating until we get into South Africa and the internet connection is better. Hopefully we will get updated in about a week. <span class="tl"></span></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-67955717964524683472011-02-12T09:41:00.000-07:002011-02-12T09:41:27.151-07:00Random Shots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I am definitely not the photographer in the family but I have been doing my share of picture taking along the journey. Just thought I would share a few of my favorite shots as of late that haven't made the blog. <br />
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View from the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5362749089"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5362749089_0734167819.jpg" title="IMG_1395" /></a><br />
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and Ross doing his thing at the Taj Mahal<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42402471@N06/5362704843"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5362704843_a47767352a.jpg" title="IMG_1364" /></a><br />
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We are in Nairobi, Kenya now and take off tomorrow for our overland tour of South East Africa. We will be on the road for 32 days and are really looking forward to it. We aren't sure what the internet access will be like along the way so if the blog isn't updated for awhile that's why, but hopefully when we return it will be with lots of great animal shots from our game drives!</div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-30178652894448820762011-02-10T08:11:00.000-07:002011-02-10T08:11:23.755-07:00In Case of Emergency: use cell phone. [update]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_VI1ZxVKxIAY7E4aOq1hP9FgDbB7WPa6Nf2m85Q69Soqiv-TCrNUu4rivn5hrKxfQeJ0fwurP0cpeSSnwBL9RW6p2vmDey_pE_XuvcDVHGChDgFB6ktVfZDxDjNzYb6CzXl9ZnASN84Y/s1600/international_sim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_VI1ZxVKxIAY7E4aOq1hP9FgDbB7WPa6Nf2m85Q69Soqiv-TCrNUu4rivn5hrKxfQeJ0fwurP0cpeSSnwBL9RW6p2vmDey_pE_XuvcDVHGChDgFB6ktVfZDxDjNzYb6CzXl9ZnASN84Y/s320/international_sim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is definitely one of those "it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" kind of things. The last thing we really wanted to deal with was a cell phone, but we decided it made sense to bring one. <br />
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We chose to suspend both of our cell phone numbers with AT&T. They have a Reduced Rate Suspend (RRS) option, which basically means you pay $10 a month to not use your cell phone, but you get to keep your number when you come back. We also picked up an 'international' SIM card from <a href="http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?ID=MSIM-PPL2">Telestial</a>. This is a prepaid SIM card that works just about everywhere. This way we save the cost of keeping one of our AT&T numbers active and paying ~$40/month.<br />
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We purchased their "Passport US Lite SIM Card" which when we bought it was free and included a $5 call credit, you just had to pay $9.90 in shipping (we will have to add some credits to the card or the free credit will expire in a month). It will allow us the ability to use our cell phone in every county we travel to, the downside is the call rate is about $1-$2 per minute, but still cheaper than what AT&T would charge.<br />
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This should provide us with all the benefits of keeping our home numbers when we return, having a cell phone for an emergency, not having to pay the full monthly charges to AT&T to keep service and have slightly reduced per minute charges when traveling.<br />
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A few things to keep in mind: in order to use a phone 'around the world' it's best to be a quad-band GSM (850Mhz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz) phone. This allows you to connect to cell networks in just about every country except Japan and South Korea. AT&T and T-Mobile are the GSM carriers in the US, so if you have either you might not need a new phone. The next thing you need is an unlocked phone, one that isn't tied to a specific carrier. In the US when you buy a phone it's typically tied to the carrier (AT&T or T-mobile) and you can't switch out the SIM card. Usually if you have been with the company for a while they'll unlock it for you. Luckily we had an unlocked, quad-band phone that was purchased a few years ago off E-Bay so we didn't have to worry about either of those.<br />
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<b>update:</b><br />
Purchasing the Telestial international SIM card has basically been a waste of money (albeit only $10 for shipping). So far we've purchased prepaid SIM cards in India as well as Kenya and have found the process rather straightforward and rates are significantly better than using the Telestial SIM. We are paying cents vs dollars per minute when using a prepaid SIM vs. the Telestial international. Plus both prepaid SIMs we have purchased had international roaming and even that was cheaper than Telestial. In India the process to get a prepaid SIM involved getting a copy of your passport and handing over a visa photo (supposedly to stop terrorists from using the prepaid SIMs). In Kenya I handed over 200 KES and walked out with a SIM card and 100 KES credit. Going forward we'll be going the prepaid local SIM route and are tossing the international one.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-24613202175905175822011-02-08T05:02:00.003-07:002011-02-08T23:25:24.177-07:00A Week in ConstantinopleArriving in Istanbul Abby and I weren't really sure what to expect. We'd heard nothing but great things about the city, but had no idea what we'd find. Coming from India the first thing that struck us was the road from the airport. It was the smoothest, quietest blacktop we'd experienced in months. Combine that road with the brand new Fiat we were riding in and we could talk to each other in a whisper. We were definitely in Europe now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5427765842/" title="Mehmet Akif Ersoy Park by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Mehmet Akif Ersoy Park" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5427765842_d219aea6a3.jpg" /></a><br />
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Istanbul, as people had told us, is a great place to visit. The city is a mixture of so many things. It has a very eastern European feel combined with a strong Muslim influence. The calls to prayer throughout the day give the city a very spiritual aura. At times it would even raise the hairs on my neck, it was quite moving. Along with all of that Istanbul had some amazing sights. Our friend Jesse insisted on a list of must see sights and we visited every one. Starting with the Topkapi Palace which houses many sacred Islamic relics, from Moses's staff (my personal favorite) to pieces of Mohammed's beard. Abby and I don't know a lot about the roots of Christianity, even less about Judaism and next to nothing about Islam so it was as education as it was interesting.<br />
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Next on the list was the Basillica Cistern, a massive underground reservoir that was used to store water for Constantinople. The large columns, red lighting and eerie music gave it a very unearthly feel, not to mention a great place to take photos. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5416221103/" title="Basillica Cistern II by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Basillica Cistern II" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5416221103_448ff77dbf.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5416223193/" title="Basillica Cistern III by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Basillica Cistern III" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5416223193_3f53084d8f.jpg" /></a><br />
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Once back above ground we visited Hagia Sophia, a beautiful building with a long history: once a cathedral, then a mosque and now a museum it has been rebuilt many times due to earthquakes and deliberate destruction.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5424946249/" title="Hagia Sophia by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Hagia Sophia" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5212/5424946249_7b8939dd31.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5416839822/" title="Theodosian Church Remains by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Theodosian Church Remains" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5416839822_e6c557607b.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5416859448/" title="Hagia Sophia Dome by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Hagia Sophia Dome" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5416859448_cd879dbe1e.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5416869460/" title="Colored Arches by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Colored Arches" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5416869460_eb0dcc9e5c.jpg" /></a><br />
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One day we devoted to just visiting several of the famous mosques in the area including the Süleymaniye Mosque, the New Mosque and the famous Blue Mosque. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5425555880/" title="New Mosque by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="New Mosque" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5425555880_2d12b8eee8.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5425542498/" title="Blue Mosque by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Blue Mosque" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5425542498_bbfa68922e.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5418768020/" title="Blue Mosque Pillar by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Blue Mosque Pillar" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5418768020_6e77f75617.jpg" /></a><br />
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We hit up the Spice Bazar and Grand Bazar and being so close to the water we couldn't help but enjoy the seafood and getting in some runs along the waterfront.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5418772694/" title="Catch of the Day by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Catch of the Day" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5418772694_f84ffb7ddc.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5425551768/" title="Across the Golden Horn by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Across the Golden Horn" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5425551768_fc8672e46c.jpg" /></a><br />
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The food in Istanbul is so delicious it is worth its own trip. We feasted on doner kebap, soft pita bread, and Ayran (a very popular plain yogurt drink) almost daily. Some of our favorite snacks included: borek (a cheese filled pastry using phyllo dough that is either steamed or fried), fresh squeezed pomegrante juice, freshly roasted chestnuts and simit (a sesame seed covered bread that is part pretzel part bagel and is sold by tons of street vendors). We went out for meze one night, basically small plates of cold appetizers brought to your table for you to select, and we loved the cheese stuffed hot peppers and dolmas. Along with our meze we also sampled the national drink, Raki, probably the only thing we haven't enjoyed (so much so we gave part of our bottle to Turks sitting next to us) in this city. It is a very strong anise flavored liquor that you add cold water to, giving it a cloudy look as well as it's nickname "lion's milk". We would both take a glass of wine or beer over it any day, but when in Rome, err... The desserts here are also outstanding and we sampled our share of Turkish delight and baklava. The golzeme, or stuffed pancakes, were also super tasty as well as the turkish meatballs, you really can't go wrong eating in Istanbul.<br />
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We only got a sample of Turkey, but we really enjoyed it and would love to be able to explore more of the country some day.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-10182904363335509242011-02-07T08:30:00.001-07:002011-02-07T08:35:39.635-07:00foreign transaction charge madness! [update]The nice thing about traveling abroad in recent years is the ease of getting cash out. Pulling money out of ATMs and using your debit card seems to be the way to go. You don't have to deal with exchanging money or dealing with travelers checks and from what we've read the exchange rates are typically very good when you use a card. Over the last few years we've had no issues in France, New Zealand or Peru. The downside however is the finance charges that most banks charge, typically around 3% (at least with our current bank and many we've seen).<br />
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For our extended trip we figured rather than getting hammered for every purchase we'd see if we could do better than 3%. Well the good news is we did...how's 0% sound? Luckily we found <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/">CapitalOne</a>. We started out looking at their credit cards, which currently charge 0% for foreign transaction fees. We thought it would be great for purchasing plane tickets and booking places to stay. However, knowing a lot of the places we would be heading wouldn't take credit cards we still needed to do something about getting cash out. Luckily <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/">CapitalOne</a> also has checking accounts which also charge 0% for foreign transaction fees as well as no fees for using other ATMs, they even reimburse up to $10 each month for other banks ATM fees. It sounds like a match made in heaven for travelers.<br />
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The checking account is all online and allows you to easily transfer money in an out of another non-CapiltalOne account without having to deal with an ATM. We were approved for the credit card and checking account in minutes so we're ready to go. We'll still have our other cards as backups, but we're hoping <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/">CapitalOne</a> proves to be as good as it sounds.<br />
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As always, time will tell.<br />
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<b>update:</b><br />
After several months of travel through many countries we've been able to use our CapitalOne credit card and debit card rather extensively (of note: they are both MasterCards). For the most part they've served us well, but they haven't been flawless. <br />
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Our CapitalOne debit card was completely useless in Nepal. We were unable to withdrawal money from any of the countless ATMs we tried. We were forced to fall back on our U.S. Bank card, which worked without issue, except for the $2 USD ATM fee and foreign transaction fees, but at least we had access to our money.<br />
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We have occasionally run into issues purchasing tickets online with our CapitalOne MasterCard, but after trying hours later transactions typically went through. We also ran into a few issues in India where the debit card wouldn't work with certain ATMs, but worked fine with others (even through the machines claimed to take MasterCard/Cirrus/Maestro cards). Usually we were able to find a working ATM, but a time or two we had to use our U.S. Bank card.<br />
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In Turkey we had to withdraw a good chunk of change for expenses related to our upcoming African overland trip and ran into issues pulling out more than a few hundred Turkish Lira, thankfully we didn't have any issues with our U.S. Bank card and were able to get the money we needed.<br />
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So far we're glad we have the CapitalOne cards as they've saved us from pointless charges and fees, but we couldn't have survived without our U.S. Bank debit card (which is a Visa, if that has any affect on it's success rate). I guess the lesson here is always have a backup.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-78616565382814179632011-02-05T00:55:00.000-07:002012-12-14T15:46:41.573-07:00Cruising the Backwaters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Ross and I spent our last week in India touring through the Indian state of Kerala. First we headed to Alleppey to see the canals, backwaters, and lagoons that have it described as the "Venice of the East". We signed up for a day long boat trip out to the backwaters. Many people here rent house boats and spend the night out on the water, we opted for a more affordable boat trip and were taken in a small canoe through the small villages and canals by our guide Antony. We were also treated to breakfast and lunch at Antony's house and had a delicious South Indian feast. It was a fun and very relaxing day out on the water. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5403937685"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5403937685_6bfbd9391b.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Faithful Captain" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400542718"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5400542718_131b3f0f72.jpg" title="Kerala Houseboat" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400546836"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5400546836_b8303e44f7.jpg" title="Avenue of Water" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400550266"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5400550266_a5b1e7bec1.jpg" title="Clogged with Green" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400628176"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5400628176_f2de03a5c7.jpg" title="Life Along the Backwaters" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400034025"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5400034025_4d8006ee0e.jpg" title="Shiny Hat" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5400637254"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5400637254_05621d2c26.jpg" title="Backwater Rice" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5404544956"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5404544956_0050e151c8.jpg" title="Backwater Tourist" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5403949537/" title="In the Backwaters by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5217/5403949537_7483ca5069.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="In the Backwaters"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5404558410/" title="Alleppey House by leftride, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5011/5404558410_6ffa6b8239.jpg" width="338" height="500" alt="Alleppey House"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5403961881"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5403961881_7ca261af1e.jpg" title="Coconut Delivery" /></a><br />
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After Alleppey we took a bus to Varkala and spent 4 nights on the beach eating fresh seafood and lounging around. It was a very touristy spot but the beautiful beach, lovely sunsets, great fish and daily yoga classes were a treat. The beach got to us and we were pretty lazy there, thus the lack of photos, but we stayed in a great spot right on the water.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5416282405"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5416282405_a355a8e90f.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Lounging" /></a><br />
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From Varkala we headed to Kochi for a quick overnight and then flew back to Mumbai in the morning. We had one more day to pass in Mumbai which we filled with trying to eat all of our favorite Indian foods and then left EARLY in the morning for Istanbul. India was an amazing country to visit and we had an awesome month there but I think we barely scratched the surface, we will definitely be back!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98733217@N00/5403958167"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5403958167_ab07a6ba07.jpg" title="Lonely Dock" /></a></div>Abbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09911472764237493853noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-82722367133391234212011-01-31T06:51:00.001-07:002012-12-14T15:48:20.960-07:00Drink The WaterI suppose it's fitting to talk about drinking water now that we are in <a href="http://www.runningaroundtheplanet.com/search/label/India">India</a> (due to the stigma attached with its cleanliness). In actuality clean drinking water from the tap is a concern in every country we have visited besides Australia, Singapore and debatably Malaysia and Hong Kong. That leaves 7 country so far and more to come where we've had to deal with the issue. The first solution everyone has is bottled water, but that posed at least 2 issues for us. First the cost, buying bottled water over 7 months quite frankly seemed like a waste of money. Second, and more importantly was the waste produced by the bottles. While the plastic is most certainly an issue in developed countries like the US, it's magnified by the lack of infrastructure to properly dispose of it (hopefully by recycling) in less developed nations. And while we are guilty of purchasing a bottle here and there as well as generating plenty of other trash, we tried to keep it as limited as possible where plastic was concerned.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftride/5398474184/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Cleaning Water by leftride, on Flickr"><img alt="Cleaning Water" height="320" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5098/5398474184_c472c0087b.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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Our answer to the problem was a small gadget (of course who would I be without my gadgets) introduced to me by our friend Brian. It's called a <a href="http://www.steripen.com/">SteriPen</a>, it uses UV light to kill both bacteria and viruses and everyone we've met was rather amazed by its seemingly magical capabilities, which is added to by the blue glow it emits in the water when it's on. The process is simple, fill a bottle with a liter of water (we are each carrying a Nalgene bottle) stir the SteriPen in the water for 90 seconds and drink. The process is fast and tasteless, unlike chlorine and iodine. While it does take batteries (which unfortunately pose another disposal issue) you can sterilize 50+ liters of water on a set.<br />
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It is definitely high on our list of recommended travel accessories.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378762913436226925.post-89135371119333185222011-01-31T02:06:00.000-07:002011-01-31T02:06:01.262-07:00Unrest In Egypt [update x3]As many are probably aware there is currently some social and political unrest in Egypt, specifically in areas near Cairo. This poses an possible risk to us as we have a flight into Cairo on Feb 3rd. We are closely monitoring the news and the <a href="http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html">U.S. Dept of State website</a> and will divert if necessary. We just wanted to let everyone know we are being watchful of the situation. Also thank you to everyone that has made sure we were aware of what was going on.<br />
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<b>update:</b><br />
It looks like the situation hasn't gotten any better. The U.S. Dept of State as well as Australia and the U.K. are advising against non-essential travel. Even our carrier Air Egypt and others have suspended some flights, due to a curfew put in place. We are also unable to access Air Egypt's website, presumably because the Egyptian government has "turned off" the internet. We've reached out to our travel insurer to see what our options are. We haven't changed or canceled anything yet, but aren't sure if we'll make it to Egypt. However our hopes are up, both that we can see Egypt and that the issues there are resolved.<br />
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<b>update x2:</b><br />
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a “Do Not Travel” alert to its citizens. The U.S. hasn't made that announcement yet, but we will <b>not</b> be traveling to Egypt and are actively looking for an alternative place to visit before we start our African overland trip. We will be avoiding northern Africa and thinking of possibly Greece or further south in Africa. We will keep the blog up to date.<br />
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<b>update x3:</b><br />
In what I suppose is a strange twist of fate we are now booked to fly to Istanbul, Turkey. It was on our original itinerary, but we had to skip it due to cost and scheduling. Now it's back in and should be much calmer than Egypt. From Istanbul we'll fly directly to Nairobi, Kenya to begin our African overland trip. Jesse you can rest in peace now, I'll be able to capture the wonders of Constantinople with my camera.Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03359203435007569525noreply@blogger.com3