We have seen many of the wonders of the world, both natural and man-made, but my favorite moments and memory snapshots of our travels always comes down to the normal, day to day goings on. This woman in Egypt heading home from the market on her donkey is my perfect type of street scene.
Foto Friday comes to you from the Okavango Delta in Botswana, one of the best concentrations of wildlife on earth. I love zebra stripes and have countless pictures of them, in particular zebra butts. What can I say, the stripes are hypnotic!
**** Warning – this post contains some graphic photos and disturbing text. It’s an incredibly important history lesson but be warned, the story isn’t pretty ***
Cambodia, a country that touched my heart for many reasons. Much of our time in the country was spent feeling disturbed but the history and modern reality of this little country in SE Asia is an important lesson to all of us about how power can corrupt with terrifying results. In other posts I’ll cover the good of the country, the gorgeous beaches, friendly people and, of course, the awe-inspiring temples of Angkor Wat but this is about the horror that was the Pol Pot Regime and the destruction it brought to the country over three short years.
I love flowers and, much to Jim’s dismay, stop often along a hike to snap pictures. This beauty was seen at the botanical gardens in Sydney, Australia
Malawi is a country that touched us more than many we’ve been to. A gorgeous, land-locked country in South-central Africa, Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world. With a low life expectancy, a high infant mortality rate and ranking amongst the five poorest countries in the world, life is hard. With an average annual income of only $900, the children of Malawi don’t have a lot of hopes for improving their lifestyle.
While waiting for our train to Alexandria, Egypt, I spotted this woman waiting with her goose. Bored with our wait we talked over several possibilities..was it her pet that traveled with her? Was she on the way to the market to sell the goose? While we will never know the story, the picture always strikes me as a perfect example of what makes travel in other countries so appealing to us…the differences in culture keep us constantly intrigued and inspired.
The weather forecast said it all; highs in the low 50’s, 100 % chance of rain, and 60mph wind. What better weekend for camping at the coast? Some may say we were crazy but I was itching for a weekend in Tequila. It had been nearly two months since we’d cuddled into our cozy cocoon and enjoyed nature and I was more than ready, the weather forecast be damned.
Ubud Bali is full of enchanting temples where the locals leave their daily sacrifices. We never tired of the peace and tranquility that surrounded them.
We always appreciate local, environmentally aware companies when we travel and, unfortunately, such companies are not the norm so were more than thrilled to find Green Discovery Tours in Laos. We had been hanging out for over a week in the delightful capital, Vientiane, when we found our Indian visas would not be ready for at least five more days. What better way to spend our time than on a trekking and kayaking tour in Vang Vieng. We signed on for a 3 night adventure with 1 night at the Ben Sabai resort, 1 night on the tour, and 1 night back in Vang Vieng at Ben Sabai.
Vietnam- that one word still has the power to create mixed emotions and adamant reactions from many Americans. What we found was a fascinating country, a crossroads of French and Asian culture, and a complicated history. With none of the pre-conceived ideas that taint our parents feelings for this SE Asian country, we were more able to fully appreciate both the remaining traumas from “the American War” as well as a society with strong ties to it’s French colonialism and location in Asia.
