tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5957220231910424022024-03-05T10:08:12.076-08:00WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE RAINEY AND ZOEZoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-17289261641541789712020-02-13T10:47:00.001-08:002020-02-13T11:53:56.843-08:00Rwanda ROCKS... one of the best days of my life!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Want a breathtaking, unforgettable experience? Trek into
the mountains of Rwanda and spend time with the Gorillas... it is even better than you can imagine. Today was the highlight of the trip and one of the best travel experiences EVER.<br />
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First, you are not across a wide clearing from them (like I anticipated). In fact, I did not use my zoom on any of these photos. No kidding ...you are right next to
these magnificent creatures. They could reach out and hold your hand. The gorilla family we visited is one silverback male, 8 females and
5 babies (ranging from just a few months old to toddlers). The moms look deep
into your eyes... soulfully. The youngsters play around you and are sassy and so very, very cute.</div>
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Can't you just see it in his eyes: "What naughtiness can I get into today?"</div>
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The "Why are you disturbing my nap?" look</div>
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The toddler gorilla posing and showing off his tricks for us.. "Look what I can do... pick my nose and raise one foot at the same time.. I am a genius!"</div>
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The Silverback Alpha Male ...stuffing his face and deliberately ignoring us</div>
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This is how close you get to them</div>
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Before we started up the mountain (and it is an almost 3 hour trek uphill to get to where this family was hanging out), we met Francoise ... one of the guides who was Diane Fossey's tracker for 5 years. (The cool experiences and stories he must have!)<br />
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And then off we went...<br />
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<u>Observation</u>: Rwanda takes gender equality to a new level. It is
against the law to pay women less than men and 68% of the parliament is female.
The thought is that women are less likely to invoke unrest, a civil war or another genocide. Peace and prosperity are
priorities and the country likes its chances better with women at the helm. I loved the fact that one of our trackers today was a young woman (there are only a few of those still). The rifle is supposedly to ward off aggressive buffalo but I'm betting if anyone tried to hurt a gorilla she might well use it on a tourist!!! I wouldn't mess with her, she was a badass.<br />
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The gorillas are so important to the economy and
well-being of this region, the village has a special ceremony each year where
they decide on the name for each new gorilla baby born that season. This is an auspicious event as they must select just the right name to bring good health and long life to every new gorilla. The naming ceremony comes
with pomp and circumstance and takes places in this special statue pavilion made from woven and braided wheat strands.<br />
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<u>Observation</u>: Popular names for young men born after the
genocide (so 21-24 years old) bear witness to the country’s hope for
reconciliation: we have met several with names like Innocent, Peace and Justice.
One of our porters today was the third “Innocent” we’ve met. </div>
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Children
born of genocide rapes and then abandoned - or those orphaned when both parents were murdered - created a groundswell of street urchins in the mid 1990s. The government started a massive public education campaign asking people to adopt
those kids and bring them into their homes. It worked. And today there are really no homeless people in Rwanda. No matter how poor they are, some distant family member will put an extra mat on the floor and give you a home. </div>
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Yesterday, we visited a charity -Handspun Hope - that has built a place of healing and
serenity for “vulnerable women” (defined as widows whose husbands were murdered
in the genocide; women with HIV who are rejected by their families; disabled
women with infant children). </div>
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The women at the home raise goats and angora rabbits, shear
them, wash, dye and spin the wool and then knit it into sweaters and scarves. The spinning wheel is powered by her foot ... which has to move at exactly the right pace and rhythm to make the yarn perfect and not tangled. It's seems crazy difficult.</div>
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They also turn the rough wool into felt gorillas... for sale at hotel gift shops. </div>
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The home and it’s gardens are bordered
by a high wall which inspires a feeling of safety. And the whole property is
beautiful, lush and peaceful. The women
sit in groups all day, chatting and gossiping and working. You hear their soft
laughter. There are also counselors and therapists available. This charity is clearly doing real good for
traumatized women. You leave feeling better about their chances for true healing.</div>
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Shout out to Amakora Lodge where we stayed while in the gorilla
national park area. Very high end and super pampering. There was - literally - a gaggle of people for the Gaiter Ceremony every morning where they tighten your boots and zip up your gaiters and bless your trek. (Because you are obviously not expected to be able to do those types of simple tasks for yourself).</div>
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I am not even exaggerating...this place takes Super Luxury to a new level. Everyone had their own villa ... each equipped with giant beds and claw foot tubs.<br />
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We were even met by drummers from the nearest village when we arrived. Audience participation encouraged.<br />
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<u>Observation:</u> <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">My
kingdom for a ... bicycle. In the villages, after a cow, the most valuable
possession is a bike. And there is tremendous ingenuity around all the things
you can pile onto a bicyle and still peddle it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I leave you tonight with my favorite topic... the children of Rwanda. I have hundred of photos of them.</span><br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-33825703892353979612020-02-11T07:52:00.000-08:002020-02-11T11:46:37.469-08:00Exploring Rwanda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;">So much to tell you ... so little time. </span></div>
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<u style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Day 5: </u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">We started the day with a trek to see the colobus monkey. Several fun facts .. "colobus" means disabled (because these monkeys are missing thumbs ... which seems like a especially dangerous evolutionary flaw, especially when swinging from trees is your daytime activity); they look like British barristers wearing the black robes and white wigs; they cannot drink water ... so their urine is very concentrated and smells terrible. (I told you the facts were "fun").</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;">Photo credit to Marnie Cervenka </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;"><u>Observation</u>: </span>Rwanda decided - over a decade ago - that their best income option was tourism and, to attract tourists, they needed a country that was clean and safe. The government thus requires every Rwandan to spend one day a month cleaning the country. On the third Saturday of each month, from 9am to 1pm, every citizen must clean and sweep the street around them or some part of the city/ village. Littering is a finable offense and tidiness and cleanliness is highly encouraged. It’s worked! While Rwanda is a very poor country (coffee pickers work full days in the blistering sun for less than $1 US per day), there is no trash anywhere. Pretty impressive.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;"><u>Day 6: </u>We set out on a two day kayaking adventure on Lake Kivu. And I mean "trek" as we did 18-22 KMs per day (which, in case you were not sure, is a LOT... I have the blisters on my hands to prove it). Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The water was as still as glass. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;">We spent one night on a deserted island in tents. But not roughing it... far more like “glamping” with a hot meal, mattresses with fresh sheets and blankets and table and chairs set up under the trees. All very colonial and “out of Africa”-ish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;">The border between Rwanda and the Congo (DRC - Democratic Republic is Congo) runs down the middle of the lake, so you can see both countries at once. Love the canoe boats made of planks of wood with cotton and gum stuffed into the cracks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;">Villagers make their cows swim out to the close islands in the mornings to eat the fresh grass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;"><u>Observation</u>: </span>The government has committed to having every home supplied with electricity by 2025 but water is still tough. Villages have a central water pipe and fetching water in a plastic jerry van is a time suck every day. Clearly lots of gossip is shared.<br />
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Clever plan for giving everyone a street address: each house is marked by a number on the outside. The government came by with a bucket of red paint and just started numbering: simple and effective.<br />
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Because of the genocide, the country is very young-centric with 65% of the country being under the age of 25. The hope for this country is in the bright eyes and quick smile of its children.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 15.6933px;">Again, the light in their eyes captured in street graffiti</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">And last .. isn't my Booth still a hunk (even at 60 and in a stupid trekking hat) ???</span><br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-27850041024451493572020-02-07T22:06:00.001-08:002020-02-07T23:12:42.191-08:00Ruminations from Rwanda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We came to Rwanda to visit the "Gorillas in the Mist" for Rainey's 60th birthday. Our group includes our daughters Elizabeth and Emily and our good friends Marnie and Greg Cervenka.</div>
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Let me just say this up front… I am struggling in Rwanda. The history of this country sits atop of everything I see and feel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Day 1</u>: we went to visit the Genocide Museum ... a very sobering beginning to this trip.<br />
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When the Germans and the Belgiums came to colonize Rwanda, they decided to create two tribes: the Hutus and the Tutsis. They randomly assigned every person who had more than 10 cows to be a Tutsi and the poorer people became Hutus. And just like that ... social inequality divisions were born. The Tutsis were given better education opportunities and jobs in the colonial governments. The Hutus were relegated to being laborers and farmers. The Rwandan genocide here started in a way that should be frighteningly familiar: a Hutu political movement that stirred up the emotions of the uneducated to believe that they were being looked down upon by the elites; the charismatic leader encouraged hot feelings of hate and revenge; he stoked the flames of divisiveness and engendered cult-like devotion; plus a media source that amplified only the meanness and hostility against the Tutsi (think Fox News). In April of 1994, the Hutu president's plane was shot down and he was killed. The state-sympathetic media blamed the Tutsis and inflamed the divisions. Politicians called the Tutsi “cockroaches” and called for the extermination of those inferior beings. When the emotion was at a fever pitch, the violence started. In 1994, in the course of just 100 days, Rwandans turned against each other: neighbors against neighbors; husbands against wives; roving gangs of Hutu men rioted in the streets … and in the end, the Hutu majority killed 2 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus (those who refused to participate in the nationwide “purge”). Women were raped, tortured and hacked to death; children stomped upon or beaten to death and men dragged from their houses and murdered in the streets. 20,000 people killed every day.<br />
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This country just marked the 25-year memorial of the genocide and it is still reeling from the horrors. As a visitor, everyone you meet here – who is older than 45 – makes you immediately ponder, “What role did you play in the genocide?" Murderer? Aggressor? Observer? Victim? Every guide book says to not ask people today if they are Hutu or Tutsi, since those distinctions are not allowed here anymore. But since 75% of the Tutsis were wiped out in the genocide, it stands to reason that most people you meet are from the group on the very wrong side of this tragedy.<br />
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The Genocide museum, to give full credit, provides an unvarnished and impressively honest chronicle of the events. It is disturbing at a core level. I am so sick of the meanness and ugliness of our country and Rwanda brings those feelings home in such a gut punch way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Day 2</u>: We visited the King’s old palaces: both the one from before 1932 (a rush-thatched hut) and the royal permanent home from the 1930s (which is just a basic house with few frills). The royal line ended in the genocide when the family was killed.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Of note is that in the hut palace, the king had a giant bed made of rush mats, and when he made love to the queen, beautiful women had to stand at the end of the bed and clap and sing. Nothing creepy about that at all… !!! I felt sorry for any King who suffered from performance anxiety. Talk about audience pressure.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The King’s favorite pets were these long-horned cows (I mean, seriously, he obviously did not get the concept of a pet… why did no-one get the poor guy a kitten?) We got to meet the cows and their guardians (wearing nothing short of rent-the-runway glam outfits) who sang for us – and the heifers – a fine little diddy with reed pipe accompaniment.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The King's love of cows even shows up in the street graffiti...</div>
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Next up … the National Museum …<br />
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And my all-time favorite photo … Mom washing her baby ... using the age old method of blowing water through a reed straw right into butt… Yikes!!!<br />
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<u>Day 3</u>: We went deep into the country which is hilly and cool and perfect for tea plantations<o:p></o:p><br />
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Beautiful tea picker<br />
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Saw lots of monkeys besides the road<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Day 4:</u> Dawn marked the start of our hike in search of the chimpanzees.<br />
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The chimps move fast through the jungle during the day so you have to set out early to catch them while they are still waking up and eating breakfast. A tough hike through thick jungle later… we found two male chimps and a female … SPECTACULAR viewing.<br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-47708276687597023532019-05-05T03:43:00.001-07:002019-05-05T03:46:24.411-07:00GSH 2019: Bye from the Big Apple<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last leg of the trip… a day of scavenges in New York
City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been all around the world
and the ONLY two days that we had rain was in Canada and then today in New
York. Hey, North America, you are losing the good weather challenge (-200 points).<o:p></o:p></div>
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We had just about 6 hours to run around the city until our final
check-in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Central Park</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rainey and I chose the scavenge to rent bikes in Central Park and find several things like Balto, the sled dog. Rainey didn't think it was funny at all when I said he looked so much like the dog... but you have to admit... there is a resemblance. And what a handsome dog Balto is..!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Play in the cherry blossoms (some are still stuck in my hair)</div>
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And visit Strawberry Fields.When we got to the John Lennon memorial,
an impressively entrepreneurial guitarist - with a not-really-great voice - was sitting on the
nearest bench playing Beatles songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good
schtick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was pulling in the cash. After all ... location, location, location (and he had the right real estate). So we sat and listened to a few songs and “Imagined
all the people, living life in peace.” </div>
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Having just seen the world – all around
it – every religion, rich and poor, fancy cities and tiny villages … I do really “hope that some day … the world will be as one.” That is the
magic of this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shows you so clearly
what being a Global Citizen really means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How all around the world, people are just people:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span>hey want safety and security and decent work
and to be able to laugh and love and have adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all one living on one planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitting in the park listening to Lennon’s music - and his yearning for kinder, better times - was such a perfect close to this year’s
competition. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Awards Ceremony</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then it was off to the final event:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the awards ceremony. So – drum roll, please:<o:p></o:p></div>
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In third place: Order and Chaos (Par score: 81).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A team that really embraced the event and whom
we will really miss. So hope they come back another year as it has been a blast to get to know them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In second place: Lazy Monday (Par score: 46).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is NOTHING Lazy about this team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They worked hard and smart every hour of
every day for 23 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But whenever you
saw them, they had a smile on their face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is probably the strongest competition we have ever had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This team made Rainey and I a better team, as
we were constantly pushing ourselves because we knew they were always nipping at our
heels (and on several legs, beating our pants off).<o:p></o:p></div>
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In first place: Lawyers without Borders (Par score:
33).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>YAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sad to say goodbye to all of our fellow travelers. This has been such a great group. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And finally we can sleep… until next year. </div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-4309887762834017232019-05-04T04:02:00.000-07:002019-05-04T15:02:58.817-07:00GSH 2019: The Rock, Seville in Spain and Ports of Portugal - Volume 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is 5AM and we are already on the road out of the Blue City of Morocco - heading for Tangier - to take the ferry to Gibraltar. I am actually sad to say "Goodbye" to Morocco. But I do get to keep the memories of Rainey on a camel (50 points ... but only if wearing full Arab dress ... hence the Lawrence of Arabia outfit).<br />
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We have to leave Sal and Vi at the border of Morocco and forge ahead on our own. Sad face ... they were the "secret sauce" and added charm to that leg. Best group photo from Morocco... eating a feast of a meal that we produced at a cooking class in Fes (150 points). Best chefs ever (although I did cut myself and bleed a little into the couscous... hope no one noticed).<br />
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<u>The Rock</u>: Gibraltar was more and less than I
anticipated. The rock is there. So are the monkeys. But it also so uniquely odd: an oasis of
English village (complete with English accented inhabitants and the currency used is
English pounds) surrounded by Spain. There is not much to it other than a tax haven but we came, we saw, we ate fish and chips under the begging eyes of a monkey, we conquered the points and we moved on.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Seville, Spain</u>: Our next stop was Seville, Spain. It was May Day in Spain so the bus and train schedules were all messed up. Roadblock. We faced the disappointing prospect of getting stuck in Gibraltar when we really needed to move on to Spain as quickly as possibly. In the end, we managed to buy our way onto a Tour Bus (midway through the tour). A lot of discussion and tour guide explanations later, we arrived in Seville in the early afternoon.<br />
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Rainey andthe money shot at Plaza de Espana<br />
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Tracking down Don Juan<br />
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<br />
Be a Flamenco (50 points)<br />
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<u>Portugal</u>: Early the next morning we headed out for Huelve, Portugal. Another transportation hiccup. We were at the bus station at 6:30AM, only to discover that the bus was sold out. Yikes!! A woman in the bus line tells us to go to the NE corner of the bus terminal where the BlaBlaCars meet up. What? BlaBlaCars is a new app in Spain where people - who are driving in different directions out of the city - arrange to car pool. Modern day hitchhiking: high tech style. At the corner, we found Sebastian, a security guard for a company in Huelve. He picked up Rainey and me as well as a student (Pablo). We each gave him 5 Euros towards gas and he dropped us at a hotel at the edge of town where we got a taxi to the Huelve walkway (our scavenge and worth 100 points).<br />
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<u>Point rich Faro</u>: Our next stop was Faro, Portugal a little town with LOTS OF POINTS. We did indeed LOVE Faro even if I felt like camping out on the sign and
taking a 4 day nap (I am THAT tired).<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Church of Bones</u>:
Nothing creepy about this … a chapel made entirely of bones. Femurs hold the walls up with skulls as
accents. Apparently no genocide was
involved…. this order of monks just got a kick out of digging up skeletons and decorating with
them. What DSM-5 mental illness is that? <o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Tin Can Alley</u>:
How about an entire store that sells ONLY canned sardines. Dozens of kinds and flavors. All tastefully arranged. And these were not cheap… so not designed for
Mittens’ dinner. Do people in Portugal really eat this much canned fish? I thought only Doomsday hoarders stocked up on tins of fish and Spam. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t6ttBYh60KR9TwvylMEseNTSAwambGoE9QjOM0UcRnd_MkJbQTMIU7UIc7W9_ctUX02kVZXU_QVV_8hMqK-HiK_KYwmIgz2RwdMC18MNC8HNSWNrhQ6hNYS9KXEoFJrbbgwbzE2WYPQ/s1600/Faro-conservaria-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t6ttBYh60KR9TwvylMEseNTSAwambGoE9QjOM0UcRnd_MkJbQTMIU7UIc7W9_ctUX02kVZXU_QVV_8hMqK-HiK_KYwmIgz2RwdMC18MNC8HNSWNrhQ6hNYS9KXEoFJrbbgwbzE2WYPQ/s320/Faro-conservaria-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<u>The Mermaid</u>:
Just from our trips, I see a common theme of naked female / mermaid statues in port
towns. From the most famous in
Copenhagen (with Jordan, 2013). <br />
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<br />
To the one in Vancouver's Stanley Park (Global Scavenger Hunt 2014).<br />
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<br />
To
this one in Faro… clearly by an artist who is has confidence issues about his ability to
create faces... so he just gave up and plunked a shell on her head.<br />
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<br />
<u>Porto, Portugal</u>: This is our last stop on this leg. We arrived late in the night off a bus marathon from Faro, slept a few hours and then was up banging out some points in Porto by dawn. This is a lovely seaside city. We got acquainted with the lay-out of the town by taking a slow-moving old fashioned tram all the way down the waterfront (75 points)<br />
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And mimic-ed the tiled lady from the Sao Bento train station.<br />
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<u>Cream Puff City</u>:
Porto LOVES custard. This city offers probably 73
variations of cream puffs, donuts,
tarts, you... if it involves a custard filling and is very fattening... they have it. And - YAY - we were required to eat a
selection of them. Pasteis de nata (25 points)<br />
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Bolo de berlim (donut with custard filling) - the size of my head (25 points)<br />
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Last scavenge of the Travel Leg ... Jardins de Palais ... Have I already detailed from tired I am?<br />
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Next up... for our very last leg of the trip ... we head to New York City. I hate to think that the 2019 event is almost over (very sad face).<br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-32925038024121360472019-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:002019-05-04T04:58:02.271-07:00GSH: 2019 – From Minurets in Morocco to Ports in Portugal - Volume 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No need to send out SOS messages or rescue workers... we are alive and well despite our total disappearance for the past 5 days. We've been in the bowels of Morocco... having fun and working hard. Usually, at some point in the
event, Bill releases us to our own travel instincts and makes us find our
own way (including plotting transportation, hotels, routes etc.) across
several countries ... at a very fast pace. An exhilarating - but exhausting - leg, we had to plot from Morocco to Gibraltar then through Spain and
on to Portugal. Five days ago, Bill
opened the leg in Marrakesh, Morocco and we had to make our own way – following
our own path and strategy-to-get-the-most-points-along-the-way. There were dozens of possible paths. And lots of red herrings and tempting but
dangerous off-shoot options. The trick is picking the most points-rich route while on the run.<br />
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And then … the best announcement … we could
team up with another pair of competitors for one country AND rent a car in one
of the countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did Morocco – by car
– and with team Order and Chaos (Quick reminder, they are the team of doctors
from California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salvatore – or Sal - is
a head and neck surgeon as well as world expert on Escher wood prints and
fossils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Super smart. </span>Vi is an emergency room doctor
with tons of interesting stories from working on medical crisis teams after national
disasters … think Sudan, Haiti, Nigeria…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Our double team sounds </span>like the start of a bad joke… “2 doctors and 2 lawyers walk into
a bar…”<o:p></o:p></div>
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We so enjoyed this leg. This trip is exponentially more fun when we
can share the experiences with other people: seeing their reactions, hearing
their observations, appreciating different perspectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sal (Order) and Vi (Chaos) were a true
delight… working hard and providing comic relief when most needed.
Sal and Vi are also blogging and their blog posts are very witty and
insightful… <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink">https://teamorderandchaos.home.blog. </span></span></div>
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Going into this difficult travel leg (it is a Par 6), Rainey
and I still in first place but not by much. We need to win this leg to ensure a victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I was tired and we actually had the conversation of.. should we take it easy or ramp it up and go hard. We chose the later because the personal growth of this trip is when you test yourself, push yourself WAAYY outside of your comfort zone and wait for the magic to happen. There is an amazing world out there ready to charm you ... you just have to give it every opportunity. </span>So, we took off running… I can’t
remember the last time we got more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep as we have been walking, running, hiking and biking our butts off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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We completed over 100 scavenges this leg, so here are
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<u>Henna tattoos</u>: Where to get the best Henna tattoo in the Marraskesh souk (50 points)... apparently the spice store. Who knew?</div>
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<u>Balloonin</u>g:
Points for a hot air balloon ride over Marrakesh (100)… we were up at 4:30AM and in the air as dawn broke. Our balloon pilot was a gorgeous Russian young woman who handled our balloon (and the quirky wind that morning which left the other balloons grounded) like a true master. There must be a story there as well as to how she ended up in the back end of Marrakesh... !!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Dance, dance, dance fever</u>: We
have watched belly dancing, flamenco and even danced ourselves (because it was
International Dance Day and there were points at stake)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Casablanca</u>:<br />
Competition points for going to Casablanca: 370<br />
Charm points: 0<o:p></o:p></div>
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For a city with a very cool name and an almost mystical
reputation, Casablanca totally underwhelms.
Actually, it just SUCKS. If anyone ever offers you a free ticket to Casablanca, turn it down and visit the Jersey Shore instead. Casablanca is shabby and run-down. It's like a moldy éclair (once fancy;
now nasty). Only interesting scavenge
here was to go to Rick’s Café from the movie “Casablanca” (OK… it's a replica of
Rick’s Café that was painstakingly re-created by a somewhat crazed American woman and #1 fan
of Ingrid Bergman who cashed in her 401(k) and moved to Casablanca to live her dream). There is even a
piano so Sam can play it again “for old time’s sake.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Best Boot Story</u>:
We came back to our car from the yucky market in Casablanca to find a yellow
boot on our car. We all looked at each
other with horror… hours of delays and bureaucratic haggling lay ahead .. plus probably some impressive fine. There went our
ranking in the competition. We would lose this leg. Urghhh.<br />
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But
then ... the nearest shop owner yelled down the street for Harem. And here came Harem ... sauntering up with the boot key… and a request for money from the tourists. Aah… I get it now... it's a scam.
But not a very good scam. Harem
needs to go to Advanced Trick-the-Tourist school as he only asked for $3 (that’s
not a typo… THREE DOLLARS) to release us from bondage. Harem does not
understand world economics or what the tourist market will bear on this topic
(I’m thinking at least $40 per boot).
But 5 minutes later, and a few dollars lighter, we were back on the road. Crisis averted.</div>
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<u>Minarets</u>: I
think we have seen every Minaret across the whole of Morocco. I'm totally over minarets. They are ALL tall and rectangle. Hey Islam... Jazz it up a little ... How about an oval one? Or a circle?<o:p></o:p></div>
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My favorite was the Chellah Necropolis in Rabat. Giant storks now live and nest all over the
decrepit minaret... because why wouldn't you let your 11th century treasure just get shit on by large birds? In the US, this would be a national treasure (or at least as well visited as the pretend Noah's Ark in the middle of nowhere)... in Morocco it has "gone to the birds."<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Kasbah in Rabat</u>:
This was one of the unexpectedly charming and WOW scavenges. I've never even heard of Rabat, Morocco (my ignorance since it is the capital city) but it is a nice, French-influenced city with wide streets and cafes. The Kasbah
is a delightful warren of alleyways and homes and a few shops all within a
walled area next to the sea. Everything inside the Kasbah is painted blue and white (this theme will be repeated at the Blue City the
next day… so remember it). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbEI-LahEm3cy_2yXtg_G1TPUgxs8dNe_eSr6XRgr2cEQYhgWcnxSV727POAwjMzD6xiY1PhN1uw0OOo99PtwVM1lmqcNqQKiTxTpXGWRXmX-8hgFboOSwfkdMDaMchOQDqUpccOPgos/s1600/Rabat-Kasbah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1142" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbEI-LahEm3cy_2yXtg_G1TPUgxs8dNe_eSr6XRgr2cEQYhgWcnxSV727POAwjMzD6xiY1PhN1uw0OOo99PtwVM1lmqcNqQKiTxTpXGWRXmX-8hgFboOSwfkdMDaMchOQDqUpccOPgos/s320/Rabat-Kasbah.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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At sunset, we stopped at a Kasbah café and had mint tea and
cookies – served by a man who was unexpectedly dressed like a pharmacist (no
idea why).</div>
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<u>Meknes’ wall</u>: Meknes is a tiny city / more like a village between Rabat and Fes. We stopped there on our drive to Fes because it was a point-rich haven. One challenge was to stand ON what surrounds the city of Meknes… not an
easy feat as the city walls are – as you can imagine - purposefully tall and
impenetrable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But we found a rooftop café that was built right against the wall. I climbed over the banister - and onto the city wall - for a quick photo. Since I'm terrified of heights this was a “Do Not Look Down” moment. But Rainey (Mr. “I always follow the rules and this does not look safe or legal”) would not do the pose … so out I went. No pain, no gain.<br />
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<u>Meat market</u>:
The Meknes meat market is a pit of blood and stench and gross-ness. This poor man’s job is to slap an entire dead
cow onto his back and haul it into the market ... over and over again ... all day. He was drenched in blood
and guts. There may be worse jobs in the
world, but I’m struggling to think of one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPrImJQ8QL6padjjE-8-Z70tFt9TzMZkWXSFYJFlmI6sbLSvIJegTcm8UByyX9v0F_cKmXbNqJ9NAYj9byQY_ZC-BscL9UzUssO82GSMhZ3L3vexHOcWB-TwGjQLNivPYA27gGayngV4/s1600/Meknes-meat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1569" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPrImJQ8QL6padjjE-8-Z70tFt9TzMZkWXSFYJFlmI6sbLSvIJegTcm8UByyX9v0F_cKmXbNqJ9NAYj9byQY_ZC-BscL9UzUssO82GSMhZ3L3vexHOcWB-TwGjQLNivPYA27gGayngV4/s320/Meknes-meat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Square performers</u>:
There was 100 points for doing a 10-minute street performance in a town
square. Sal and Rainey set up shop in
the center of Meknes. Rainey juggled
white socks (bought moments before in the market) and then rocks (for
variety). </div>
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Sal was a full repertoire
performer: doing mime, juggling,
interactive play with passersby and even
a thoughtful and carefully executed “look at how my thumb disappears”
number. It was hysterical. The looks on people’s faces was priceless. You know the one … the “what are these crazy
tourist people doing now. We may need to
call the authorities” look. Throughout
the next several days, one of us would spontaneously start giggling at just the
memory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Fes Souk</u>: Rainey and
I went to the Fes souk probably 8 years ago and left with a negative impression of
Morocco in general and Fes in particular.
The constant heckling and harassment from shop owners and over-crowded
alleyways made me feel uncomfortable and even a little unsafe. Since then, Fes has totally cleaned up its
act. The Fes-El-Bali (Old City) is now a charming and fascinating experience. We were allowed a hire a guide (usually tour guides are against the competition rules but Bill made this specific exception) which was a life saver as he nimbly
led us through the souk labyrinth and directly to all the interesting stuff. </div>
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The Souk is divided into areas and each area specializes in a different craft
or type of wares. I liked the dyeing area … where they use a variety of natural pigments to color and treat clothe and thread. Look how interesting: when you put the wet thread into this green
sludge… it comes out purple. Fairy dust
and magic is my scientific explanation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Chouwara Tannery</u>:
After bleaching the cow hides in vats of pigeon poop (which helps explain
the unbelievably AWFUL smell of the tanneries), these men work all day in the blazing sun
violently beating color into the leather. They stand in knee deep concrete pits filled
with toxic chemicals and stomp on the hides like Lucille Ball and the
grapes. This scene was eerily similar to
the Dhoubi Ghats in Mumbai …(raise your hand fellow India lovers who get this obscure reference). This is also on the list for Worst Job in the World.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Honey Alley</u>:
An entire alley of shops selling only varieties of honey. We got to taste test 4 different kinds from
giant vats. They were each totally different and distinct in flavor… crazy, huh? My favorites were lavender and
orange. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Chefchaouen</u>: Since that name is impossible to pronounce,
this city is known as the Blue City because it is … well … BLUE. By mandate, every house must be painted some
shade of blue and white (although Greek Isle Blue seemed particularly
popular). Somehow the cheesy effort
works. This was the night where you got
50 bonus points if you slept at a hotel that cost less than $50. We got below that with a tiny room on the
third floor (no elevator) of a funky hostel with a blue hued exterior and a kaleidoscope
of colors inside. No luxury, but not awful.</div>
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<b><u>OBSERVATIONS</u></b></div>
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<u>Bountiful Bees</u>: Bees may be dying elsewhere ,
but in Morocco they are alive and well and swarming the street food sweets
(which are all dripping in honey anyway). But
don’t worry, when you buy a treat, they just brush off the stuck-on bees and
wrap it up for you. A few extra bee wings stuck to your sweets? Just added flavor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>The colors of Spice</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The most colorful and smell-enhancing stalls in every Souk are the ones
selling spies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dozens of different kinds
… in giant barrels. Who needs this much spice in their life? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have that gnarly shaker of garlic salt
- that I bought in college - in my pantry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moroccans must bathe in this stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And you have to appreciate the presentation skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Road signs</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
idea what the Exclamation Point road sign means… but we saw a lot of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Universal symbol for "An Oh-Shit-Moment is Ahead"??? </span>Beats me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Camel Décor:</u> Pay attention Madison Avenue.. The Moroccan Souk vendors have definitively established that you will sell more camel meat if you
prominently display a severed camel’s head at the front of your shop (said no one ever).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-42981769814511952382019-04-28T01:13:00.000-07:002019-04-28T14:56:28.147-07:00GSH 2019 – All about Athens, Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Greek leg was a new experience for the competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the flight to Greece, everyone in the
group thought this would be the start of a Europe leg where we were released in
Athens and told to make our way – on our own – through 3-4 countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all speculated about which countries we’d
be visiting and secretly hoped for the ones we had never been too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fingers and toes were crossed for anything
on the Dalmation Coast with a check-in location of maybe Dubrovnich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no. We got out of customs and Bill was
standing ready with our scavenger books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He released us right there – at the airport – with our luggage in hand -
for 30 hours in Athens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Nafplios</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
went straight off to an out-of-town bonus… to visit a tiny coastal town in the
Peloponnese. In the middle of the harbor is a castle (which looks just like the
sandcastles we all made as kids), sitting on a tiny island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All along the harbor are outdoor cafes and a
walking promenade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire town was out
for a Friday night drink and stroll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
got to eat dinner there at sunset: a serene and calm start to this hectic leg.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Acropolis:</u> The Queen of Athens’ Crown… the Acropolis
is magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another bucket list,
wonder of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s lit up all
night so from any rooftop bar, you can enjoy the view. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9t-jt3ldUx0EMitFXkHx40V_QH1ptCDwNAtxZi7AniDCwLd4Il7D32L__U-8OYR1f4xf0eK7f2_ysZCF0dRNLA1pY2Zp0I-8MUoeqaSXy1GYrdb7P6xIDh7Op6qwdfJfmahKAcV4asc/s1600/Acropolis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9t-jt3ldUx0EMitFXkHx40V_QH1ptCDwNAtxZi7AniDCwLd4Il7D32L__U-8OYR1f4xf0eK7f2_ysZCF0dRNLA1pY2Zp0I-8MUoeqaSXy1GYrdb7P6xIDh7Op6qwdfJfmahKAcV4asc/s320/Acropolis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBRYFaAEfikTuBGTasLoXiNWNqzfZdIzEsXJEGXo1WsbWF-utHh0nZiAT0hq_-f8ZpRts4RtdyW_aHWCl4DxHBCztTJG1No1qVlWhnd1Ro86zO1e-OP_9vbDtOd3UbyK4gYi0MOphEXI/s1600/Acropolis-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBRYFaAEfikTuBGTasLoXiNWNqzfZdIzEsXJEGXo1WsbWF-utHh0nZiAT0hq_-f8ZpRts4RtdyW_aHWCl4DxHBCztTJG1No1qVlWhnd1Ro86zO1e-OP_9vbDtOd3UbyK4gYi0MOphEXI/s320/Acropolis-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Temple of Hephasestus</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGqd8GiywJbOWRMNMXjhZ2KRCFKC9E03nLfeJzBhfdCPOcRvRjo8GWgfbiejhp7-TitBH1uA2wt3Mlr92OuNj9I9p4yWDcfafx5CAyt2btu5Bvt6ynJLMbWyXVM1z8Ykya2IMrw_Ayfw/s1600/Acropolis-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGqd8GiywJbOWRMNMXjhZ2KRCFKC9E03nLfeJzBhfdCPOcRvRjo8GWgfbiejhp7-TitBH1uA2wt3Mlr92OuNj9I9p4yWDcfafx5CAyt2btu5Bvt6ynJLMbWyXVM1z8Ykya2IMrw_Ayfw/s320/Acropolis-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Central Market</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most impressive at the market: the intestines display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because if you are out on a morning shopping
spree - in search of just the right selection of intestines – you certainly want
to fully appreciate the offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It made me gag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NVPQAed0LbxUIbbPzyrAdDkv8sWQ1QaG3BQmsBOBJcMJTZMnvyGrS8wzWSjuY4pmm8TVHD6U2XtIfPUl-rYOtwNneZyj4WsMfJl2m6svqfxk3mGfmk6BvwecnMkoruuiy108RsHUmB8/s1600/Central-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NVPQAed0LbxUIbbPzyrAdDkv8sWQ1QaG3BQmsBOBJcMJTZMnvyGrS8wzWSjuY4pmm8TVHD6U2XtIfPUl-rYOtwNneZyj4WsMfJl2m6svqfxk3mGfmk6BvwecnMkoruuiy108RsHUmB8/s320/Central-1.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<u>Pompoms and high kicks</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> E</span>very hour the guards at the Presidential Palace
change ... in a dance ceremony of high kicks with the pompoms on their shoes flying
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sight not to be missed. My photos cannot do the spectacle justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2PJO8B3C-6Rmy_IDXhI8t1JtQiMQzhQUMVWZKeyTdhA5AUVSLkF7irlwfPMb-60qpXoqesKmMqlb83vhYtP1zMjjPO6P-cn4VMINlwp6UW3ZTG9yxyAyxY0ehoU22-lFwp40By1mFsA/s1600/Guards-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2PJO8B3C-6Rmy_IDXhI8t1JtQiMQzhQUMVWZKeyTdhA5AUVSLkF7irlwfPMb-60qpXoqesKmMqlb83vhYtP1zMjjPO6P-cn4VMINlwp6UW3ZTG9yxyAyxY0ehoU22-lFwp40By1mFsA/s320/Guards-1.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkPVCqJrNArEHiRtGnopCgjXQEDVGtyhg31M4kXRMdWGHxBLQZQVzppP61IEedKr2AxdmUUs8MiM8Yfu07aATqsQsZb4n9ybWfse4HUJjpTcXCKZ7oJRKn1XKK6vdL6ezXi9BL7AbkhA/s1600/Guards-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkPVCqJrNArEHiRtGnopCgjXQEDVGtyhg31M4kXRMdWGHxBLQZQVzppP61IEedKr2AxdmUUs8MiM8Yfu07aATqsQsZb4n9ybWfse4HUJjpTcXCKZ7oJRKn1XKK6vdL6ezXi9BL7AbkhA/s320/Guards-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Museums</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
not a big museum person, so we often skip the museum scavenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Athens has some outstanding museums
filled to the brim with ancient artifacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My favorites: </span>the crying goddess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L3YCfexlipNULYJWhJGB1fpomRj0R2_u3yeZZKu0BPypbCwutwZNALT-72pQr_8qqXX_Z7a8T2vmqi8Fg_cSgTWcDAO0uPm1GCgOnFVnD-5_2T7W101v-hC6c0C_ThXVGhd8Wj9JJZs/s1600/Head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1182" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L3YCfexlipNULYJWhJGB1fpomRj0R2_u3yeZZKu0BPypbCwutwZNALT-72pQr_8qqXX_Z7a8T2vmqi8Fg_cSgTWcDAO0uPm1GCgOnFVnD-5_2T7W101v-hC6c0C_ThXVGhd8Wj9JJZs/s320/Head.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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And the
two horses - clearly best friends - just gossiping away ("Did you hear what Betty did then??" or maybe "That new Caesar guy is all kinds of bad-boy sexy").<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmIdz2NCnG2x3JxEdGdL8PV3Oddmix2CviwUqj1cDW4PNvbdg6VtO5N8VtTDZdR8ZBBrGd-YbcSsUjHvm5Tp3hlHkn4RqXv4cUPY5CkQbY85D88z5cjHsZi0hQ7UdWOmDyw6HIKRFGZY/s1600/Horse+heads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmIdz2NCnG2x3JxEdGdL8PV3Oddmix2CviwUqj1cDW4PNvbdg6VtO5N8VtTDZdR8ZBBrGd-YbcSsUjHvm5Tp3hlHkn4RqXv4cUPY5CkQbY85D88z5cjHsZi0hQ7UdWOmDyw6HIKRFGZY/s320/Horse+heads.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Olympic venues</u>: We had to find – and re-enact the
events – from three Olympic venues:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one
from before the 20<sup>th</sup> century, one from the 20<sup>th</sup> century
and one from the 21<sup>st</sup> century. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Kotzia Square(2004 Olympics):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where the cycling events started and stopped
in the 2004 Olympics. There wasn’t a bicycle in sight so I improvised by straddling
- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and peddling - some metal bars
instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjpGLxT43InB9ZttnJuNWYbHXbVS3y_VGr4OSweEdgD06_1jgtQ1-LmY0zIfwcNU5D8fywgEwnAzfVNrDJRQBT_Db0pQYB1oG_mBitmt0YRvm1GipE64h-6EnyhRyn7HUtcMxecoDA1Y/s1600/Olympic-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjpGLxT43InB9ZttnJuNWYbHXbVS3y_VGr4OSweEdgD06_1jgtQ1-LmY0zIfwcNU5D8fywgEwnAzfVNrDJRQBT_Db0pQYB1oG_mBitmt0YRvm1GipE64h-6EnyhRyn7HUtcMxecoDA1Y/s320/Olympic-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Zeppion Hall (1906 Olympics): Site of the opening ceremony…
so the crumbled map in Rainey’s hand is creatively representing the Olympic
torch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR_wnEKKRAjoJCWg5ORM1LqezKve0gFfdWAMW_wVCy_R1uH2vt0E5JXMK0x_17gBjrE-DqBunxR9vTP5Ko4EqT34kp-HzAD0CVPcFE13yr3jFtM4YdhxboaQ6mw2SCQ6bxmVuhDMByi4/s1600/Olympic-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR_wnEKKRAjoJCWg5ORM1LqezKve0gFfdWAMW_wVCy_R1uH2vt0E5JXMK0x_17gBjrE-DqBunxR9vTP5Ko4EqT34kp-HzAD0CVPcFE13yr3jFtM4YdhxboaQ6mw2SCQ6bxmVuhDMByi4/s320/Olympic-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Panathenaic Stadium (1896 Olympics):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Track and field events… I dug deep and did
my best Usain Bolt imitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABuZXZUxNzsvZAVLHB3XkkvLRkBYlqf0uz9jumH-AnaOQ1RAjip-aTF96LGDmuofbcx6x5jyIP-6ccO8y-cvMlmVij9FLlBvNbHUUVnLx1k4IEs3o5ONdjdyVsUzlBLT-0PZo0wjVE7w/s1600/Olympic-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABuZXZUxNzsvZAVLHB3XkkvLRkBYlqf0uz9jumH-AnaOQ1RAjip-aTF96LGDmuofbcx6x5jyIP-6ccO8y-cvMlmVij9FLlBvNbHUUVnLx1k4IEs3o5ONdjdyVsUzlBLT-0PZo0wjVE7w/s320/Olympic-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsR3oAxkO1BoykhJwh9J05Tq8hKbQxWpwutsWjaQmoJ_-D9uMyClwDjsQrN5SQqt5UrEIa-QYdLj04q6Aia80nAfCGMD_smc2fiwSFgbsEFcU61Byoxv6ax-xcwywfZcZMCNSJZc3g3RU/s1600/Olympic-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsR3oAxkO1BoykhJwh9J05Tq8hKbQxWpwutsWjaQmoJ_-D9uMyClwDjsQrN5SQqt5UrEIa-QYdLj04q6Aia80nAfCGMD_smc2fiwSFgbsEFcU61Byoxv6ax-xcwywfZcZMCNSJZc3g3RU/s320/Olympic-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Dancing Queen</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you have any idea what – in the heat of the battle – you will do for
points? I sunk to a new low… belly dancing in public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Totally embarrassing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patrons were cracking up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ71mq4JDd0WdrgvY-tFzO3DQvw2J9SJXz2WY6YZUJiMa_RmfNeG9etfxxZQQst7k4LoWIz1zfGRDoLN4khGwmzZGV3dQwcikyqmc4kbnTvgmtKCqExmFVRMX3GJq1QyJRrfVHfFT2p3w/s1600/Belly+dancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="1600" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ71mq4JDd0WdrgvY-tFzO3DQvw2J9SJXz2WY6YZUJiMa_RmfNeG9etfxxZQQst7k4LoWIz1zfGRDoLN4khGwmzZGV3dQwcikyqmc4kbnTvgmtKCqExmFVRMX3GJq1QyJRrfVHfFT2p3w/s320/Belly+dancing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>OBSERVATIONS<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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<u>Calling all Vegetarians:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I eat meat. I like meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no calling to be a vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, seeing the reality of dead animals is
something else altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Full goats
(fresh or slow-cooked) are on display everywhere, in a totally YUCK way. And why does the head have to always be prominently displayed ? Freaks me out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Greek Orthodox Easter weekend</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while all western Christians believe Jesus
died and was resurrected a week ago… the Greeks have a slightly different time
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived on the Greek Good Friday which
is a night where every church is filled to over capacity and, mid-sermon, the
priest and the altar boys pick up large flowered platforms and march with
them into the streets… with all of the congregants coming behind holding lit candles.
What an interesting night to be there... and we got points for attending a service (so we were in rapt attendance). <o:p></o:p></div>
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We ended Athens - exhausted. Just today we walked almost 19 miles ...!!!! With it being Easter weekend, taxis were scarce and expensive, so we hoofed it instead. We started at 3:50AM and ended at 8:00PM. That's a lot of mileage. </div>
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Now we are on to Marrakesh, Morocco. I have never been there so have no idea what to expect. I LOVE NEW ADVENTURES. </div>
Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-88869700337031980002019-04-27T19:02:00.003-07:002019-04-28T01:26:38.799-07:00GSH 2019 – The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hang on to your seat… this is going to be fast and furious. We've had a whirlwind scramble through the amazing country of Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had only 3 days … and a lot to see and do. So Rainey and I took off at a pace as soon as Bill opened the leg. We went upstairs to our beautiful and luxurious hotel room in Amman, packed a back-pack with 2 days of clothes and headed straight out in search of adventure. We did not return until minutes before check-in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we did not sleep more than 4-5 hours each
night. A tough leg, but one with lots of rewards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>The mood of the country</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In each leg, Bill makes us accost people from that country and ask them pertinent questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jordan,
that meant that we had to chat about the royal family as well as the impact of
the Syrian refugee crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met Izzie
at a restaurant by the Dead Sea. He studied in Austin, Texas for almost 2 years so his English
was great. </div>
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The answers: Jordanians had a very strong crush on King Hussein (the prior
king) ... they truly loved him. As to the his son, Abdullah (the new King), they like and respect him without the
same level of adoration. As for the Syrian war, Jordan, a country of only 9 million people, limited GDP and no
natural resources (that’s right, a Middle Eastern country that is not awash
with oil or dripping with money) has taken in 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Think about that. Adding almost 10% of your country's population in 3 years. In comparison, the United States (a country
of 327 million people) accepted in 2018... wait for it... 34. That is with no zeros. We took in 34 Syrians refugees. Meanwhile Jordan built a giant cities of tent and mobile homes to house the refugees. Izzie showed me photos of one of them, Zaatari camp, on his phone. Just the logistics of feeding and housing that many people - who arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs - is mind-boggling.</div>
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It’s
been a real burden on the country but Jordanians consider it their duty ... as global
citizens. Plus the refugees are apparently great workers with a strong work ethic and high skill / training abilities. Jordan is definitely
whooping America at the Good Karma game.</div>
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<u>Wadi Rum</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had never been to Wadi Rum and, because it is far and remote, we’d considered
skipping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So glad we didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We arrived just before sunset so the whole valley with its craggy cliffs
and sandy plain was awash with a soft glow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We headed into the desert, sitting in the bed of a 4-wheel truck and rode
camels like we were Lawrence of Arabia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We decided at the last minute to spend the night and sleep in a Bedoin
tent camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NOT the lap of luxury, but so
interesting.</div>
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The tent accommodations were rudimentary - at best. I dreamed of getting some obscure camel tick disease. And the ultra colorful cloth walls were an interesting design choice.<br />
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<u>Petra</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
Petra is not already on your bucket list, get out your pen - RIGHT NOW- and add it. Because Petra is a MUST SEE. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ornate temples and
buildings carved out of the cliffs in a gorge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who even thought of this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Rainey
and I wanted to be there at dawn, right when the gates open, so we could have
some time to wander about without the crushing crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
meant we had to leave Wadi Rum at 3:45AM (YIKES… that’s a very early wake-up
alarm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was the right decision
because we went in before the tourist buses and the throngs of people
arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to walk all the way
through Petra and then climb the craggy hill to the Monastery… not an easy feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an hour and a half uphill hike in the
heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I will admit that there may
have been a small heat and dehydration induced whiney hissy fit about 45
minutes into the hike … when I realized that we still had an equal distance to
climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may have been some pouting
and some clear assertions of “I’m done;” “I’ve had enough;” and “I can’t do
this.” But then you round the last corner… and there it is... in all it's glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spectacular and worth every sweltering step.</div>
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Petra donkeys: I watched while the lead donkey dug around in the garbage, fished
out a half-finished cup of coffee, and then drank it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Totally cute....and ... what a clever ass (Ha Ha). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Mimicking Moses</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had to retrace Moses’steps up Mount Nebo and then stand at the exact spot
where Moses supposedly rested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a strong sense that no one actually knows the spot and that it is all tourism gimmickry,
but the modern cross marking the place was interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Mabada Map</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had to find the ancient mosaic map in Madaba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sounds easy, right? But when we got to the quaint church - where the map is –
the priest was in the middle of a LENGTHY and complicated mass, with lots of incense and sitting and standing and kneeling. The map is made of mosaic
tiles and is on the floor of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For services, they cover the map with a thick carpet so prevent any damage from people walking
on the map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we got stuck for over an hour, while waiting for the church service
to end so the carpet could be rolled up and we could snap a quick photograph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Jerash</u>: Less than an hour North of Amman are some
fascinating ancient ruins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any place
in America had something half as cool as this, that city would be a tourism
magnet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jordan, the ruins of Jerash
as just in the middle of the city with buses passing by and blowing diesel
residue all over the ruins. Hard to compete when Petra is the main attraction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Hubbly Bubbly</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A trip to the Middle East would not be complete without a trip to a
Hubbly Bubbly bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flavored tobacco and
a water pipe… and I’m coughing up a lung. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Blue mosque</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also known as the Amman Mosque or King Abdullah Mosque (who is the
current King).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the blue mosaic
tiles on the doomed roof.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKgj8wi154QcWsE20rniwYu1KooxE0UKKQ0XDrh6BAOlFr5iBU3aJQ75fIlOGat7JZK_h6IXtindsHh1B64oC26Ud-Xu-fvFnUzAd9alR2sP9D6XLyRVzwugwPDUyyma9rsGJbIZVwFk/s1600/Blue+mosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKgj8wi154QcWsE20rniwYu1KooxE0UKKQ0XDrh6BAOlFr5iBU3aJQ75fIlOGat7JZK_h6IXtindsHh1B64oC26Ud-Xu-fvFnUzAd9alR2sP9D6XLyRVzwugwPDUyyma9rsGJbIZVwFk/s320/Blue+mosque.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<u>Hand of Hercules</u>: Last and final hour in Jordan… and we came very close to a disaster. Part of
the rules of this competition is that you must complete several MANDATORY
scavenges in each country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t finish
the mandatories, you lose ALL points for that leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yikes !!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Strategizing about how and when to complete the mandatories is totally stressful because there is so much on the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, coming in to the last hour of the Jordan leg, we were feeling
pretty good. We had only ONE final mandatory to complete and then off to
check-in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was supposed to be
easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to get to the Amman Citadel
and find the Hand of Hercules. We take a taxi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walk to the
gate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait… its locked. The Citadel
closed 12 minutes before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, but, but … we
must get this mandatory or we lose everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started freaking out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rainey and
I began hunting for ways out of this mess. And we figured out that a
little money, in the hands of the right security guard at the Citadel, can get
a back gate unlocked and – suddenly – you are there, standing in front of
a scattering of body parts from a broken up Hercules statue… and there’s his
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I could have reached it, I’d
have laid a big smoochy kiss on each finger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Crisis averted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Amazing how beauty can flourish even in the most barren of places. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIgPAcBIIzaaKm-013utpPOYj6jEDqlRjsMRtPUtToleFXED-nXfxST1OZEzxsxy-XvosDoD9_GEYRHiXumidD6DbACFQEe54seMHlEGyRmTth99PRptJhM7bfQMdglusxn9s0MdNC8E/s1600/Flower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIgPAcBIIzaaKm-013utpPOYj6jEDqlRjsMRtPUtToleFXED-nXfxST1OZEzxsxy-XvosDoD9_GEYRHiXumidD6DbACFQEe54seMHlEGyRmTth99PRptJhM7bfQMdglusxn9s0MdNC8E/s320/Flower.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next up… Athens, Greece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We only have 30 hours here and a book of scavenges to get accomplished.
Rainey and I are still in first place, but it’s a tight competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no room for error.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must plot and strategize perfectly and
then spend some time in the Hurt Locker going hard to stay
head of team Lazy Monday, who are nipping at our heels. To<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be honest, I am exhausted from the Jordan leg
where we got very little sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got to
find my second wind. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re off and running.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-80497046406188908142019-04-23T05:34:00.000-07:002019-04-23T05:38:46.431-07:00GSH 2019 – All Around Abu Dhabi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We had essentially 12 hours to scramble around Abu Dhabi and
see as much as we could. Sadly, the new Louvre
museum was closed on the ONLY day we were in town, so we did not get to see that
attraction. But we still got a ton done in a short period of time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Falcon Hospital</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What??? A hospital just for falcons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Falcon raising and competing
is such a big deal in the Middle East that there is a dedicated hospital just
for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Remember, these birds cost
more than a car. People pay as much as half a million dollars for a well-bred falcon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they are treated like kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The falcons travel to competitions overseas
sitting in their very own first-class airplane seat next to their handler. They
even get their own airplane food menu with chooses of different “fresh kill”
meat options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And, several times a year,
every falcon comes to the hospital for check-ups and blood work and
vaccinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, the hospital has an
ICU and surgery suites and X-ray machines to treat any accident or mishap. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhqhfhfSUgKjDOVmMi8ozf89sP0w66NNzpszGivCwE4kBgoigniKxose_dUJCVnR5aFRtSNmkr7-5rqYVB7xHN8hOWFXBRObHtE-tJYnx1oQORsabueCWJEoVi_Ob2RFBw7YYD0GRcYY/s1600/1-Falcon-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhqhfhfSUgKjDOVmMi8ozf89sP0w66NNzpszGivCwE4kBgoigniKxose_dUJCVnR5aFRtSNmkr7-5rqYVB7xHN8hOWFXBRObHtE-tJYnx1oQORsabueCWJEoVi_Ob2RFBw7YYD0GRcYY/s320/1-Falcon-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Compared to the Yangon General Hospital that we saw last week (which is clearly
a misnomer as “Yangon General Hospice” would be a far better title since I don’t
think anyone escapes alive from that fermenting black hole of germs), the
Falcon Hospital is 800+ years more technologically advanced. Shiny clean, the latest
and greatest machinery and medicine … if I ever get sick in Abu Dhabi, I’d head
there first. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The falcons are kept “hooded” while at the hospital so they
remain calm. Seemed like a good idea since these birds are bred specifically
to attack creatures and rip out their eyeballs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCjhDU5CfaJYEM1lajZKQ1SwEfThy6xcmjbZ8C9JXZlBMWLLCw98mo-Cn8AIyYhucm_oy7znsJjG9EWTRZ2F7mbaONGWqz29f9CBTY2KB_5LaRZxJHJ5fTwXAezN-v5izA-bE7wajlWU/s1600/P1140280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCjhDU5CfaJYEM1lajZKQ1SwEfThy6xcmjbZ8C9JXZlBMWLLCw98mo-Cn8AIyYhucm_oy7znsJjG9EWTRZ2F7mbaONGWqz29f9CBTY2KB_5LaRZxJHJ5fTwXAezN-v5izA-bE7wajlWU/s320/P1140280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The hospital keeps drawers of feathers because, if a falcon artificially
loses even a single feather, its aerodynamics can be off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be truly competitive, the falcon must be
in perfect flying shape. So, the doctors at the hospital glue on a replacement
feather … of the same kind and shape ... using craft glue. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvCEnebZ_vceL23h7oJDktpDm9Ge0CxgPV1xCODRX7GuoWw1DzQxDSNXurQBm9X15VvO0eZiOUYP6aKbLppMcu9HKaFNQ6OyN4l0uJ_43cU2hZyiZ2m_TmozoKN8p4lK_WVZJHZsg5Po/s1600/1-Falcon-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvCEnebZ_vceL23h7oJDktpDm9Ge0CxgPV1xCODRX7GuoWw1DzQxDSNXurQBm9X15VvO0eZiOUYP6aKbLppMcu9HKaFNQ6OyN4l0uJ_43cU2hZyiZ2m_TmozoKN8p4lK_WVZJHZsg5Po/s320/1-Falcon-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This naught bird likes to peck at his foot bandages, which
earned him a beak muzzle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-lQlFBe5LZQ_0lG-vhjdRd-ybHMGw0kNM8Qm6kReZVKILIkV30x4CYRRdwUNLisx1K8OzzxrNbXzWPVpeAeVoyjX4SjDcjdD39zLGTPiiErKEqefUV3uKt-V71FXksYc0RQAarEOMoM/s1600/1-Falcon-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1600" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-lQlFBe5LZQ_0lG-vhjdRd-ybHMGw0kNM8Qm6kReZVKILIkV30x4CYRRdwUNLisx1K8OzzxrNbXzWPVpeAeVoyjX4SjDcjdD39zLGTPiiErKEqefUV3uKt-V71FXksYc0RQAarEOMoM/s320/1-Falcon-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Grand Mosque</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bright, pristine white marble against the blue, blue sky, the Grand
Mosque is incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxd1V2z9aAA7PF1U0flRZiIhkQvNt9CMSMjBaB0HOj1gfxLSnk-Tyaen8ca0CObKsmjgIE1u1ekY_iNg68htykaN6tTs4w9jklN9GRrRGUwUwaHZ-czhzav5XiV-8T14co0wKF6-JCuk/s1600/2-Mosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxd1V2z9aAA7PF1U0flRZiIhkQvNt9CMSMjBaB0HOj1gfxLSnk-Tyaen8ca0CObKsmjgIE1u1ekY_iNg68htykaN6tTs4w9jklN9GRrRGUwUwaHZ-czhzav5XiV-8T14co0wKF6-JCuk/s320/2-Mosque.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUFUlLjlI6MZteTJ5SJNG96yMFSmHTJqHm65ioaurgRYWqg25bLdS5cMCtz26cdozWWiGY3_Qyyq3Iy1lxflYm0vCPPtS9wQEiDmg-EBQJkHnjXt3YI6LB7XB0de2K6qkBMY82ATIYeI/s1600/2-Mosque-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUFUlLjlI6MZteTJ5SJNG96yMFSmHTJqHm65ioaurgRYWqg25bLdS5cMCtz26cdozWWiGY3_Qyyq3Iy1lxflYm0vCPPtS9wQEiDmg-EBQJkHnjXt3YI6LB7XB0de2K6qkBMY82ATIYeI/s320/2-Mosque-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The decoration is
done in the style of the Taj Mahal: semi-precious gems inlaid into the marble
to create intricate patterns and flowers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLIZIZIxkpoYhMHkz_oUupVabpBjKKiI3C2aFspn9dOxJP1CHKQKkKnapYzZE4eZhk5eiKAE5fM6oKLAZwy4TwKxtUJN34cPCfukNiMheUVIjmiCXUa6uz3EircESA30RBhs1pfgoKkk/s1600/2-Mosque-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="956" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLIZIZIxkpoYhMHkz_oUupVabpBjKKiI3C2aFspn9dOxJP1CHKQKkKnapYzZE4eZhk5eiKAE5fM6oKLAZwy4TwKxtUJN34cPCfukNiMheUVIjmiCXUa6uz3EircESA30RBhs1pfgoKkk/s320/2-Mosque-3.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5KJQksCDPCxAsHxt99IKxwmoWIpXYZE9jhD0rWimt78Fq5WAXw39E-sc_UwanFWHtbsUs97TsIN1w2NL-STMuV_JOpmnYW0ZafsFNNmHFBH5dgG4tCuqQZuQtthZI4y5TDl9nELMfmI/s1600/2-Mosque-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5KJQksCDPCxAsHxt99IKxwmoWIpXYZE9jhD0rWimt78Fq5WAXw39E-sc_UwanFWHtbsUs97TsIN1w2NL-STMuV_JOpmnYW0ZafsFNNmHFBH5dgG4tCuqQZuQtthZI4y5TDl9nELMfmI/s320/2-Mosque-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>A gold egg, but no golden goose in sight</u>: Ever wondered
where you could go to take a photo of yourself next to a giant Golden Egg?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I’ve solved that mystery…. It’s the
Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Palace is a massive structure with WAAAYYY more gold and adornment than
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCbPpHjz_VebkDYfS-1IZOZqB05a3UcCj-ycD-ZhFxRMORZYmemZZ1rxeMgGbOmMvp6_SFZJOQ8TVILN0sGtUzHCJ22R93BP3hwgqlL0BrMxqkDvaUhc2TJSYlrn9zC1I4N7l_wmMISg/s1600/3-Palace-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCbPpHjz_VebkDYfS-1IZOZqB05a3UcCj-ycD-ZhFxRMORZYmemZZ1rxeMgGbOmMvp6_SFZJOQ8TVILN0sGtUzHCJ22R93BP3hwgqlL0BrMxqkDvaUhc2TJSYlrn9zC1I4N7l_wmMISg/s320/3-Palace-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOpKIxCAygNg_Il0zuEfn8CghvahfdRceNI-rV96TkffawuLR44RriSMJCqTPuMKrT3zDGyazYx6g1H48-V233a-S-Dn0W0o8b-krddq3Mh1uHaQGEseKEKIQVwH1esxtxd6Qos0xoEY/s1600/3-Palace-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOpKIxCAygNg_Il0zuEfn8CghvahfdRceNI-rV96TkffawuLR44RriSMJCqTPuMKrT3zDGyazYx6g1H48-V233a-S-Dn0W0o8b-krddq3Mh1uHaQGEseKEKIQVwH1esxtxd6Qos0xoEY/s320/3-Palace-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uQ8NqeC4w2_UewwprE2UIxm4WhStZuA6hjhJcW_UT3gCE3OqY61V6AKO4Dw5YTDZQ-dqpJ5w5x8JFlsk4oz0ScY5LcAWEABoIYy57qKkeqczu9e1_6NdTiMYNhs1ualbJ6S30jaGFqc/s1600/3-Palace-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1246" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uQ8NqeC4w2_UewwprE2UIxm4WhStZuA6hjhJcW_UT3gCE3OqY61V6AKO4Dw5YTDZQ-dqpJ5w5x8JFlsk4oz0ScY5LcAWEABoIYy57qKkeqczu9e1_6NdTiMYNhs1ualbJ6S30jaGFqc/s320/3-Palace-1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<u>Heavy Metal Poisoning</u>: Gross display of wealth,
anyone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go to the coffee lounge at the
Emirates Palace and drink a $65 cappuccino that is topped with pure gold dust.
Decadence, at its best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDuhjpJ874KpIXbDiphL_mYsBRT6vrp1FTSgVrDO6enw27wR-38uc6fRcgCK5NYzvRiz3yXiYQD_lyvIVuRF0bhwzP9yqFLpvCK6ypKwMs8uPW13JEp2fh_tXJqUCbV0iPxLkJZeHGR0/s1600/4-Gold+cappucinno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="1600" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDuhjpJ874KpIXbDiphL_mYsBRT6vrp1FTSgVrDO6enw27wR-38uc6fRcgCK5NYzvRiz3yXiYQD_lyvIVuRF0bhwzP9yqFLpvCK6ypKwMs8uPW13JEp2fh_tXJqUCbV0iPxLkJZeHGR0/s320/4-Gold+cappucinno.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Chat with locals</u>: The scavenge was to talk with some
locals and ask them a series of questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But there are no “locals” to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After accosting probably 11 people - all of whom were immigrants and NOT
born or raised in Abu Dhabi - I was about to give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, when we were in the cultural center
doing a different scavenge, we saw that there were art classes at the center
and that day’s lecture was just getting out. I pounced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, we found some millennials - who
were actually locals – coming out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
girls chatted and chatted with me: about dating and arranged marriages (these
girls swore that they now get to choose their husband but, if they chose
poorly, their father can veto the marriage. So some progress although not great
advancement); how old where they when they started wearing the abaya or full
black gown (when they had their first period); whether they like or dislike the
influence of westerners on their country (they love American movies so the immigration
of western entertainment got two thumbs up). The girls were beautiful and
gentle and sweet ... good ambassadors for their country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcBTNfpTtI6UWz-NjkuBfS6EsCAU_OC6DhykdINDgelK6I7TQ9MKuHzKRj3puJsDs3d5pBvHuETwHjFO0kANSalHWrU3YUJxAt2p2ci8Mk73EjrT0mgT6Gcd3zCO_W5PWCMAUxaH6FwE/s1600/5-People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1600" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcBTNfpTtI6UWz-NjkuBfS6EsCAU_OC6DhykdINDgelK6I7TQ9MKuHzKRj3puJsDs3d5pBvHuETwHjFO0kANSalHWrU3YUJxAt2p2ci8Mk73EjrT0mgT6Gcd3zCO_W5PWCMAUxaH6FwE/s320/5-People.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Dubai</u>: There was a bonus to take the bus over to
Dubai and see / do some stuff over there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We chose to go because I have a close friend who lives in Dubai. I’ve
known Sonia since I was 12: we went to boarding school in England
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sonia invited us to her home
for dinner and we got to catch up a little (although in a very rushed way, as
Rainey and I had to get back to Abu Dhabi for check-in).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>got to visit with her mom and sister and meet her boyfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So interesting to see and hear about what
real life is like as an ex-pat in Abu Dhabi. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUjBo7pdc4EcmI53na2fHXx-aXjhvScZfs8jQhTmFsZnFwQBZ828rx0LZ78W0-Te2KlBpaTXGxwkfHt6W1-adABCdbB16pbtMzZiVKrzYQZ5lWkV-KrR2V-TGUfSf0h4jXBfgIcYaVIE/s1600/6-Dubai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="1600" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUjBo7pdc4EcmI53na2fHXx-aXjhvScZfs8jQhTmFsZnFwQBZ828rx0LZ78W0-Te2KlBpaTXGxwkfHt6W1-adABCdbB16pbtMzZiVKrzYQZ5lWkV-KrR2V-TGUfSf0h4jXBfgIcYaVIE/s320/6-Dubai.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivM1QMlRZ-CNav-eCoDlsib3sS9bEwRPoV_nTmbh82agjKSzllnpbwLGU2PTYuQiQH_IW8d9vLruwGNM-zY3rK9SL9Ad35yF1usFEM68AnXtg0QRyqzEidHaIYl07a0uXqan2wWw15sFw/s1600/6-Dubai-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivM1QMlRZ-CNav-eCoDlsib3sS9bEwRPoV_nTmbh82agjKSzllnpbwLGU2PTYuQiQH_IW8d9vLruwGNM-zY3rK9SL9Ad35yF1usFEM68AnXtg0QRyqzEidHaIYl07a0uXqan2wWw15sFw/s320/6-Dubai-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Persian Gulf</u>: Last scavenge of the day… and right
before check-in … for a few last minute points… a quick dip in the Persian Gulf
for Rainey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7fdrXEHtGwpPDkO3XHG5E7_Xi6hGb2jqt0Z83fGFaq0eiO7SisPHE_EVB-w_km6W5wz9WGR_MRUk5ytKlQSN7lDCluD1uql32DuqLkmu5lRLPlA_d8-INCcd6Evq1bxG3KM2xMcQU-M/s1600/7-swim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7fdrXEHtGwpPDkO3XHG5E7_Xi6hGb2jqt0Z83fGFaq0eiO7SisPHE_EVB-w_km6W5wz9WGR_MRUk5ytKlQSN7lDCluD1uql32DuqLkmu5lRLPlA_d8-INCcd6Evq1bxG3KM2xMcQU-M/s320/7-swim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have just arrived in our next destination: Amman,
Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect that going to Petra
will be one of the must-do scavenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can’t wait.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-88837356532595529072019-04-21T21:32:00.004-07:002019-04-22T12:40:00.470-07:00GSH 2019: Incredible Ingle Lake & Bangkok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is hard to find words to describe Ingle Lake. It is a truly special place in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> An </span>entire water village world – in the middle
of the lake – where people live, shop, work, eat and never set foot on dry
land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their houses are on stilts and
they can only leave home by boat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmluYITsmrPLF85qQDDKiwFAhd7JPGslaubdDx2sV7AM2XSqXmlfQ5vYYZjXlWaUbtF_AwiNPEwiU7MIq2ZQh3tzzRlmEUqftfGzQPOD2uQG7cFzqyKAM4yjdKwxmOlHUUDadfDHLtDys/s1600/4-Ingle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmluYITsmrPLF85qQDDKiwFAhd7JPGslaubdDx2sV7AM2XSqXmlfQ5vYYZjXlWaUbtF_AwiNPEwiU7MIq2ZQh3tzzRlmEUqftfGzQPOD2uQG7cFzqyKAM4yjdKwxmOlHUUDadfDHLtDys/s320/4-Ingle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fisherman uniquely row their boats with their legs and feet …
while they use both arms to cast their nets. It's<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> a tightly choreographed </span>dance. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Water school bus</u>: Even getting kids ready and off to school is a totally different experience.<br />
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Many of the homes are basic: one room, thatched walls and galvanize sheets for a roof.<br />
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What it’s like to try and “Keep Up With the Jones-es” when
their house has real windows and paint and yours is just plain thatch? Income inequality and class distinctions are everywhere.<o:p></o:p><br />
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We spent almost the whole day on the lake.. visiting temples and stupas and handicraft workshops. Amazing.</div>
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<u>Good works</u>: We spent a few hours - on the last day in Myanmar - volunteering at a Youth Development monastery in Yangon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The monks take in, house, feed and educate orphans
from far-flung and remote villages around the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite
part was eating lunch with the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They sing their prayers before they can start eating.. magical.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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What it looks like when you are the very last person at the
table and you aren’t allowed to get up until you clean your plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a lonely position to find yourself in... <o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Eternal Meditation</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> To get points, w</span>e had to meditate – FOR TWO HOURS - at a center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not kidding … TWO hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eternity is a shorter period of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how weird it this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived, they told us to wait and a meditation
guide would come to help us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she
arrive - what a shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Buddhist nun
is an American woman from Chicago who has lived at this center, in the middle of
Yangon, for the past 25 years. What? Remember, Myanmar was under military Junta
control for most of those years and the country was considered a dangerous
place to even visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is definitely
a story there… and probably a good story …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>but she did not share it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Instead
she talked us through various meditation and breathing techniques and then had Rainey and I do an hour of walking meditation … when we were supposed to only concentrate on our
steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, instead, tried to self diagnose why my left foot creaks and pops a little when I walk very slowly, heel to toe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we did an hour of sitting meditation
when we were supposed to only focused on our breathing... in and out .... but I deeply contemplated the
bones of my ankles and how much they hurt when I sit cross-legged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, I was a total failure at the clear-your-head
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I twitched and wiggled and was a
D- student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have to admit it… the
Center was restful and serene. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Nun
From Chicago is on to something here.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>High Tea</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
favorite scavenge .. have high tea at the old colonial hotel, The Strand. Who
can turn down scones and clotted cream and mango jam (not strawberry, a clear nod to
the tropics)… all served by a waiter wearing white gloves? Super fancy!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>LAST MYANMAR OBSERVATIONS</u>:<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Monks:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “Serious
Monk” face photo to send home to Mom to show that you are alive and doing well
at the monastery. Whatever you do ... don’t crack a smile.<br />
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<u>Knock-offs:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
youngest son, Jordan, LOVES the “Supreme” fashion line, but since I am never
paying that kind of money for a simple T-Shirt … his love is more like unrequited
yearning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> However, </span>in Myanmar, “Supreme” knock-offs
are everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This scene made me laugh:
We are in a village more than an hour from the nearest city and we come across this
old man who has very few teeth and lives in the thatched hut behind him … but
he does have a Supreme Hat…!!! Eat your heart out, Jordan.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Weird street food</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some fried crickets … with scratchy legs and wings but a fat juicy body
that pops in your mouth when you crunch it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>YUCK. Anthony Bourdain has nothing on me!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Milk in bags</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having been born and raised in a third world country, when I
was a child, our milk came in a bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
cartons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a plastic bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Myanmar is still in that era. Brought back memories.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqeugO60c0PtEJfWVfuNPhfZSZJzvCUsW814SXolBaSNGlXD3hIxJKkHxVC3_9992yXDjbA7pMHPS27CMml_pjAYDwOXu-ABOMqr26q8H8m6nL3g9gs_fES-8AeJ1zb1Tp0pWBaDnspA/s1600/Milk+in+bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqeugO60c0PtEJfWVfuNPhfZSZJzvCUsW814SXolBaSNGlXD3hIxJKkHxVC3_9992yXDjbA7pMHPS27CMml_pjAYDwOXu-ABOMqr26q8H8m6nL3g9gs_fES-8AeJ1zb1Tp0pWBaDnspA/s320/Milk+in+bags.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>BANGKOK</u>: Our next stop - after Myanmar - was a lay-over challenge in Bangkok. We had 7 hours between flights, so we had to rush out of the airport, scurry into the city and see and do a bunch of stuff before getting back in time to catch our flight to Abu Dhabi. My favorite Bangkok scavenges:<br />
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<u>Wat Arun</u>: Right on the water, we took a longboat water taxi to Wat Arun's jetty. It is made of thousands of white and jeweled dancing gods... piled in layers on top of each other.<br />
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<u>Phra Kaew</u>: Second wat (or temple) that we had to visit. This one has been bedazzled within an inch of its life. Every flat surface sparkles with gems and glittery rocks.<br />
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And guarded by glittery warriors<br />
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<u>The King of Siam</u>: Thai people loved their king. He died two years ago and was succeeded by his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Maha has ruled the country since his dad's death but he will only be officially crowned next week. The Thai people we talked to were pretty ambivalent about him. They loved his dad ... and are willing to give him a chance... but he's not been particularly impressive yet. You can see why... in his official photograph (which is everywhere in Thailand) ... he looks terrified. Does this man inspire confidence?<br />
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<u>The competition</u>: Since people have emailed me about this, I will give you all a quick update on the competition and how it is going. Remember, each leg is weighted depending on time in country, difficulty etc. At the end of each leg, the total amount of points you earned are turned into a Par Score. The team with the lowest Par Score at the end of the competition wins.<br />
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After the first 4 legs - and before Bill opened the Abu Dhabi leg - the leader-board was as follows:<br />
<br />
#1 - Lawyers Without Borders (that's Rainey & me) - Par score: 13<br />
#2 - Lazy Monday (Palo Alto couple, he's in tech) - Par score: 22<br />
#3 - Ying 2.0 (My friend Alan Ying and his daughter) - Par score: 34<br />
#4 - Order & Chaos (the two California doctors couple) - Par score: 42<br />
#5 - SLO Folks (Last year's winners, Paula and Tom) - Par score: 44<br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-26478698293544095062019-04-21T13:37:00.001-07:002019-04-21T21:33:38.115-07:00GSH 2019: Magnificient Myanmar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We had an amazing time in Burma these last few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have whittled this blog down to the
truly impressive or interesting experiences. And even so, this is just Volume 1. There is more to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>The Green Market</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had to spend an hour one morning … and I mean EARLY morning (from
4-5AM) at an enormous fruits and vegetables market in Yangon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place was just waking up: people were setting up
their booths and carrying giant bundles of stuff on their heads and waiting on
customers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Think of this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for many people, this market is their entire
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sleep in their stall area …
parents and children lying next to each other on the hard concrete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Or they sleep on top of their push
carts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Or on plastic chairs as they
guard their produce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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They bathe in an
open washing area and pay pennies to use truly gross public toilets. </div>
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They work seven days a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is their life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never has the
phrase “There but for the grace of God” had such a powerful meaning to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Betel:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
scavenge was to “Chew the betel”… which is a rolled up piece of leaf packed
with white goop, shredded tobacco leaf and many mystery ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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It is apparently very addictive and turns
everyone’s teeth dark red like they have been drinking blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought the betel wrapped-up leaf package. I
stuck it in my mouth... between cheek and teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sucked. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my face says it all… Betel tastes like you dumped an ashtray into your mouth … with some
added sticky stuff that makes the inside of your cheek go numb and tingle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAQsv4AbNO6fRlr90DY_PdPOct4yE8d8tx1jcm3bMEsjKJBVdXe59ovdbeBsO43VZF_SdjYb1qeVdzDI-jBDxymS_YiUbXKvNsGYd-NMFuuqoGaRDeA-3UYaEPCg0OKnJUDhBSayojow/s1600/Betel-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1578" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAQsv4AbNO6fRlr90DY_PdPOct4yE8d8tx1jcm3bMEsjKJBVdXe59ovdbeBsO43VZF_SdjYb1qeVdzDI-jBDxymS_YiUbXKvNsGYd-NMFuuqoGaRDeA-3UYaEPCg0OKnJUDhBSayojow/s320/Betel-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Smoke a cheroot</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were also points for smoking the green leaf, stubby cigars that
are sold as singles on the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I
lit up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently puffing on a cheroot is
NOT a female activity… just look at the guy and the young woman’s face in the
background. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they flat out howled
with laughter when I immediately started coughing up a lung. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzPoxxsClNBHEJvxbiFASQsGjzSTgD52XcfSKGnnRxwCDJdDpZuMbZMOMFZdTihZL1yWF3S2_x847VuWabk-0DcMPDq8sCXQkTYPkq90_vnbA5rVtmEmvIlhNQuwzANHW0BfzoqHz8E4/s1600/Cherrot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzPoxxsClNBHEJvxbiFASQsGjzSTgD52XcfSKGnnRxwCDJdDpZuMbZMOMFZdTihZL1yWF3S2_x847VuWabk-0DcMPDq8sCXQkTYPkq90_vnbA5rVtmEmvIlhNQuwzANHW0BfzoqHz8E4/s320/Cherrot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Pagodas:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
you get to the pagoda and you are wearing shorts … they rent you the
traditional skirt and wrap you up in it. Equal standards of modesty for men and women.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwn8NNtyjCqorG0huz4zCTflLooquNn_eghJYXKORSZlMDMFgZRuX5rBNMH6ZJo7lUT5PBTuO4HmWs9OHXRBYQWWeqGhaOe3XkTGGd5w1JRlrqc6k6TPsSFCqHCre6I9-GT1Ah12KGOp8/s1600/Pagoda-RCB+in+slirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwn8NNtyjCqorG0huz4zCTflLooquNn_eghJYXKORSZlMDMFgZRuX5rBNMH6ZJo7lUT5PBTuO4HmWs9OHXRBYQWWeqGhaOe3XkTGGd5w1JRlrqc6k6TPsSFCqHCre6I9-GT1Ah12KGOp8/s320/Pagoda-RCB+in+slirt.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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Total dedication to religion: We were there at 6:10 in the morning and throngs of
people were already at the Temple: praying and singing before work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvslxRp81pF9w75bh8WmWHbUSEqD7XtZRMDMFzPs8OuizoZDhMBxrWbtvrXcDKOkoCpkv6kZxG5AD2PGbc_auXtg1FxZ4emmH-i9KJPjRWY2tdCMA2gFAxp5mJLv-qPUufGE2mrFhWO3w/s1600/Temple-prayers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvslxRp81pF9w75bh8WmWHbUSEqD7XtZRMDMFzPs8OuizoZDhMBxrWbtvrXcDKOkoCpkv6kZxG5AD2PGbc_auXtg1FxZ4emmH-i9KJPjRWY2tdCMA2gFAxp5mJLv-qPUufGE2mrFhWO3w/s320/Temple-prayers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And pouring water on the heads of the special (now very clean) flower Buddha.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2js57SYAdd349Cc3pwO60JKnSQqx0c7b7F21CBTRV30tCEFe_T08gwh7LvAXTe45yUfZLFzfN3cNue_p-GqW5oqaO2I0rnoEQxySSfbVAmysA7CVoZznvPMJzTsqMBnBNVNH-_RjOM_w/s1600/P1130719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2js57SYAdd349Cc3pwO60JKnSQqx0c7b7F21CBTRV30tCEFe_T08gwh7LvAXTe45yUfZLFzfN3cNue_p-GqW5oqaO2I0rnoEQxySSfbVAmysA7CVoZznvPMJzTsqMBnBNVNH-_RjOM_w/s320/P1130719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Beware the Buddha that is guarded by double demon dogs<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQaYJPlAFfj6zpzb0hfXo06lT4Z8r8c4zy1PqbLDUo6nHxXHsYtze6hTkY5u2g9IyVw1mPnOdeYlhe0EX9dNekhAnNG5VaOUbvsUIKr-sQKOFjNZqGd4kaxDvUToebkB3RM24Kz4nr2I/s1600/Temple-demon+dogs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQaYJPlAFfj6zpzb0hfXo06lT4Z8r8c4zy1PqbLDUo6nHxXHsYtze6hTkY5u2g9IyVw1mPnOdeYlhe0EX9dNekhAnNG5VaOUbvsUIKr-sQKOFjNZqGd4kaxDvUToebkB3RM24Kz4nr2I/s320/Temple-demon+dogs.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>The Pottery Village</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had to visit a very-out-of-the-way village where the people dig up
the soil, wet it down with water for a week, and then knead and beat it into a
clay-like substance that can be used to make pots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This older woman stoops like that (my knees
hurt just watching her) for hours every day in her back yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wadh_mFu_8m1o4WWTISMTbMvOHU6g8Xitfsyhg8XBhbFPjAc7s0NDEJlAcWRBf9w18wV6WuPgFBYrmbve2TWgzoZfY_qkygV5rVzggg-FHeThDSt9s3fXoU7C_z-rj8e8E3bi3XZgNk/s1600/Pottery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wadh_mFu_8m1o4WWTISMTbMvOHU6g8Xitfsyhg8XBhbFPjAc7s0NDEJlAcWRBf9w18wV6WuPgFBYrmbve2TWgzoZfY_qkygV5rVzggg-FHeThDSt9s3fXoU7C_z-rj8e8E3bi3XZgNk/s320/Pottery.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
When she's ready to actually shape the pots, her daughter pulls a wooden stick back and forth in a repetitive rhythm - which spins the antique potter’s wheel - while the woman creates basic pots for carrying water and storing stuff. Primitive. But it works.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUel0pYd1Yb0NEjCWxEvSW2GIRZ2VR7bvBSpbe9tBzNzYX9cg_LR1ybNC6GVX8mFauVPABZ4hmRKHiivgbf66C8iRllacJDMzjwFZNbcoxdZ1AWSASk2G-gyWjKNsxUPlA-D3aCNS_YQ/s1600/Pottery-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUel0pYd1Yb0NEjCWxEvSW2GIRZ2VR7bvBSpbe9tBzNzYX9cg_LR1ybNC6GVX8mFauVPABZ4hmRKHiivgbf66C8iRllacJDMzjwFZNbcoxdZ1AWSASk2G-gyWjKNsxUPlA-D3aCNS_YQ/s320/Pottery-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeleJczV4VMqwUQt-hUf9RL5OELL3feZHegnmInS8MJ1zwlrUl-ZutwQLoYlcw7e8YrQ2znLkSPkG8N9iOuNqpOlBoh82DMzJpBQgi7w280m-hNKUmbtMZa-6Bmj_ibmXOpW0Q8jNS908/s1600/Pottery-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeleJczV4VMqwUQt-hUf9RL5OELL3feZHegnmInS8MJ1zwlrUl-ZutwQLoYlcw7e8YrQ2znLkSPkG8N9iOuNqpOlBoh82DMzJpBQgi7w280m-hNKUmbtMZa-6Bmj_ibmXOpW0Q8jNS908/s320/Pottery-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Bagan</u>: This city is actually a valley with over 4,400 Pagodas … all shapes and sizes and colors. It is one of those magical places in the
world where the globe's vortexes align and the world just feels more serene and
calm and almost holy. Everywhere you look is some ancient stupa or
shrine. It is a bucket list place. We
flew up there the second morning and spent the entire day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eq6o0OA4FOr4FDp2LDNfFUSKlcbmbRR-3FiB5iY-bjApRhJW8WCQDb8yqcz_M-LBgtx5UplnY1V4x6Wcg-Yt_iBO7ORqnzqU009ly-YnC4Zoh-5c5EeZ8ZqukQte_KNolOrQBlD_yxQ/s1600/2-Bagan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="339" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eq6o0OA4FOr4FDp2LDNfFUSKlcbmbRR-3FiB5iY-bjApRhJW8WCQDb8yqcz_M-LBgtx5UplnY1V4x6Wcg-Yt_iBO7ORqnzqU009ly-YnC4Zoh-5c5EeZ8ZqukQte_KNolOrQBlD_yxQ/s320/2-Bagan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We originally set out walking... but the road was long and the heat was intense... so we rented bikes ... and rode among the pagodas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7pN6BQBd1hOCY2VyGYfVop1c0cThZYK3lCAT4IZGoMjfjO7ow8p-HJTktbd0EXSfAhmw1kf4qYC6kdi0E467mdc4L4KlvCEZkumm1Kpezv5XvhocDR5HO8afNvhEnmLsQ7_QPIkdESk/s1600/1-walking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7pN6BQBd1hOCY2VyGYfVop1c0cThZYK3lCAT4IZGoMjfjO7ow8p-HJTktbd0EXSfAhmw1kf4qYC6kdi0E467mdc4L4KlvCEZkumm1Kpezv5XvhocDR5HO8afNvhEnmLsQ7_QPIkdESk/s320/1-walking.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyNk0rNifb74nvASQxJBLo9uH5ta9G63pHf9Ou4_vidbv3XlseHZMmSy2CK1DBSzT9O69V6snh7_MY52_LxxcXTxRIgp_OfMF_Y9xjq2VlhY3QFWT4jP7UXEcxNLCSax9r8WwS8hAq2I/s1600/Bagan-Pagodas-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyNk0rNifb74nvASQxJBLo9uH5ta9G63pHf9Ou4_vidbv3XlseHZMmSy2CK1DBSzT9O69V6snh7_MY52_LxxcXTxRIgp_OfMF_Y9xjq2VlhY3QFWT4jP7UXEcxNLCSax9r8WwS8hAq2I/s320/Bagan-Pagodas-4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lunch at a riverside restaurant… finally … some shade<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzIoEB0vAJgL2lDAQnjK8nPUJutUm3PuJIL_rTkDNHUPtad6mhJGM-_GLUHP7ZxH-KlyZaDhQ9ZyTTmu1pUU-zKtjLNIzSKHjPtIKOMBqfqodPcgxWvTyiD1Ezv0QLROPQoV2JXMjLxM/s1600/Bagan-riverside+restaurant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzIoEB0vAJgL2lDAQnjK8nPUJutUm3PuJIL_rTkDNHUPtad6mhJGM-_GLUHP7ZxH-KlyZaDhQ9ZyTTmu1pUU-zKtjLNIzSKHjPtIKOMBqfqodPcgxWvTyiD1Ezv0QLROPQoV2JXMjLxM/s320/Bagan-riverside+restaurant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Even the
cows have to get out of the noon sun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS8cK_1JVqqmuWxjekqgxwcqaXe_BGuL6GbevMVG70f1bxPllPtxjj7ps3IHtywSTTELXGdz39xtjupven8epaHp1xy85kz4R8O1vUWVmvZbHsAQlx3ry-QOlcjvSBD43O4_6znXNDrA/s1600/Cows+in+shade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS8cK_1JVqqmuWxjekqgxwcqaXe_BGuL6GbevMVG70f1bxPllPtxjj7ps3IHtywSTTELXGdz39xtjupven8epaHp1xy85kz4R8O1vUWVmvZbHsAQlx3ry-QOlcjvSBD43O4_6znXNDrA/s320/Cows+in+shade.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">At the end of Day 2, we boarded the bus for Ingle Lake. </span>According to the rules of the competition, we
were NOT allowed to fly between Bagan and Ingle Lake (which is an easy 1 hour flight).
Instead… we had to suffer through an overnight 10-hour bus … across the country. The joy. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R9mAVflT0dsZWMO3C11JNaRYhtPDFLYafl1HUihuim_PrqddtIKk7qPOX7riU0WScupXKYxxLqQmjLP1XnsGupuG-RPBAHxvOvfjQRYtKdwNN9ToSalX34j4fo8-KdxECzKFRk6VGjM/s1600/Bagan+Bus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R9mAVflT0dsZWMO3C11JNaRYhtPDFLYafl1HUihuim_PrqddtIKk7qPOX7riU0WScupXKYxxLqQmjLP1XnsGupuG-RPBAHxvOvfjQRYtKdwNN9ToSalX34j4fo8-KdxECzKFRk6VGjM/s320/Bagan+Bus.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>More observations:<o:p></o:p></u><br />
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Equality:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
most places, Myanmar is struggling with gender inequality issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women are “capable” and “respected” enough
that they can chip up rocks - in the blistering heat - to make roads (while
being well-supervised by a male boss who sits in the shade) but they cannot get
close to the Buddhas… as only men allowed. Typical !!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCupUDpYZyCFZwk7g4AjhyERCInCypfFfGjMzFX0jCGXX1sXCQ9TohlyE86zOW-JKg8KEybVMg6vsAEdEJm-4n6098ziPUV3LWJrWZEpAAOlmgElfntt8ur6cYoZ6UQbvJQNmL7_OfQn4/s1600/Women+working.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCupUDpYZyCFZwk7g4AjhyERCInCypfFfGjMzFX0jCGXX1sXCQ9TohlyE86zOW-JKg8KEybVMg6vsAEdEJm-4n6098ziPUV3LWJrWZEpAAOlmgElfntt8ur6cYoZ6UQbvJQNmL7_OfQn4/s320/Women+working.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
But the part I liked.. was at the fish market... every booth had a woman handling the money.<br />
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<u>Washing Day</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK,
Monks, how do you know which robe is yours?<u><o:p></o:p></u><br />
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<u>Buddha’s toes</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why do the reclining Buddhas have painted toe nails? And why is “Scarlet
Letter Red” the favorite color choice?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>Kids</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children
all over the world charm and amuse me. Quick smiles or stoic calm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pensive or bright eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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How do you stand out in a country where everyone looks so similar?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dye your hair multiple shades of rainbow.
There is always one in every crowd. <o:p></o:p><br />
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And, as children are everywhere today, not tending their
stall in the market because they're …instead … totally engrossed with their
phones !!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-35677284160081256852019-04-20T09:31:00.003-07:002019-04-21T14:01:48.385-07:00Global Scavenger Hunt 2019: Musings from Myanmar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We just ended a SPECTACULAR 4-day leg in Myanmar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rainey and I are running on fumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been up early ... and late, late to bed
(if we ended up in a bed) ... every day. I'm exhausted… and I have approximately
1,439 photos to go through to select the very best shots of this incredible country
to share. So, for tonight, I will just give you some observations and
thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest will soon follow…</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were here in Myanmar six years ago. I was nervous to come back. I was worried that maybe it had changed or become too touristy, too progressive, too something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, no worries, Myanmar is still as special as I remembered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been an extraordinary leg.<br />
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<u>Burma sunscreen</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve never seen this anywhere else in the world… but there is a cultural infatuation in
Myanmar with smearing thick cream-colored mud all over your face (in decorative
patterns).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It acts as sunscreen and is
considered highly fashionable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For kids<br />
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Even the young men get in on the action:</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Monks</u></b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Buddhist monks - with their brightly colored
robes – so touch my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the early
morning, they stream out of the monasteries and onto the streets holding deep lacquered“begging bowls.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever people
put into that bowl, is what the monk will eat that day. No more … no less. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plain white rice seemed to be the most popular
donation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I lived here, I might whip
up a batch of gravy to scoop into each bowl ...just to add some flavor to their meals. <o:p></o:p><br />
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This group of hip monks were rocking the tattoos.... even here, even in the monasteries...<o:p></o:p></div>
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Band of baby monks praying at a Temple... don't you just want to pinch every cheek??</div>
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We did some volunteer work at a monastery one morning and ate
lunch there with this child monk. No matter what I did… he would not smile for the photo. But he did eat everything on his plate!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Boys will be boys”… fighting amongst themselves with sticks
as swords… even if they are also monks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Buddhas</u></b>: We
may have gone a little overboard this leg on visiting temples, pagodas and
stupas. I think I have seen every rendition of Buddha that is possible.. and Gold is definitely a favorite color scheme.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Seated Buddha (with a little bit of a smirk??)</div>
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Lounging Buddha</div>
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"Wearing a gold-plated armored fancy dress"Buddha </div>
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Dancing Buddha<br />
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Outdoor Buddha ... under a Bodi tree</div>
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Not sure about this one... Maybe "wrapped up in a warm blanket for the winter" Buddha??</div>
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Stern-faced Buddha (definitely not someone you want to have a beer with)</div>
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"Really should have stopped wearing the heavy earrings before my ear lobes drooped" Buddha</div>
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Star Wars Buddha (with cape)<br />
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And a truly terrifying statue from a Hindu Temple ... crazy eyes and all</div>
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"Religion doesn’t pay," said no religious leader, EVER. This is an
incredibly poor country. Yet these
people get up early each day to visit their Temple before they start work… to pray and put
some of their meager earnings into these boxes.
Each box is for a different problem: “For Fertility”; “For Good Health,” …
so I watched families put money into different boxes .. just to fully cover their bases as to all of their woes.</div>
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We leave tomorrow morning for a one-day scavenge leg (during a long layover) in Bangkok and then on to Abu Dhabi. </div>
Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-30220137513131674722019-04-16T16:15:00.001-07:002019-04-16T16:16:43.170-07:00GSH 2019: Leg #2: Vietnam <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The second leg of the trip was Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. We landed about 11AM so Bill (the event producer and ringmaster) opened the leg
early in the afternoon. We had the rest
of that day and until 8:30PM of the next day to soak in Saigon City. We were here 6 years ago (2013) with the competition
so we decided to NOT repeat the highlight bonus for this area - the Cu Chi Tunnels
– because we had done that already. But
if you ever come here, that should be #1 on your list. It is fascinating. </div>
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Our first stop once the leg opened was the Ben Thanh Market. Did I tell you already that I LOVE markets? We spent some time wandering through the bustle.</div>
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We had to taste test three different fruit. Mangosteen was definitely my favorite..</div>
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And find the cobra wine… which does in fact have an intact cobra – with a
scorpion in its mouth for extra flavor – inside the wine. Who thinks up of
these awful things to consume?</div>
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Visited the Jade Pagoda to make an offering. I found some of
the religious statues to be downright terrifying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happened to the “kind, loving and gentle
God” concept?<o:p></o:p></div>
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No night in Vietnam is complete without a Water Puppet show:
an experience of painfully terrible music as the backdrop to a totally
non-understandable plot involving village people puppets dancing with buffaloes and jumping frogs and tigers.</div>
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A little Karaoke anyone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a private booth - decked out with velvet couches and artwork worthy of
any high-end brothel - I belted out a
tone deaf rendition of “YMCA.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s for
points, people.</div>
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We ended the night at the observation deck of the Bitexco
Tower… for an incredible, panoramic view of the city at night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First thing the next morning, for a bonus, we took the ferry
over to Vung Tau <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then climbed the giant Jesus statue… a true oddity in a
majority Buddhist country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You first climb
up the statue (not a small feat in the 108 degree heat) and then climb INTO the
statue and pop out on Jesus’ shoulder for a terrific view of the ocean and city.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And Booth took a swim in the South China Sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back in the city, we spent an hour at the War Remnants Museum,
a place that documents the Vietnam war from the perspective of the Vietnamese
people. </div>
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What was clear is: He Who Wins a War, Writes the History. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The museum is a multi-story building with hundreds
of horrific images of war atrocities committed by the American troops:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from smashing babies on the ground to
dragging men behind US tanks to their death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even the signage is disturbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
punchline: War brings out the truly terrible in people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Saving the best for last, our A++++ scavenge was at the end
of this leg: An authentic street food tour in a locals-only part of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is run by college students who fetched us
on motorcycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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They take you down
alleyways and into back streets to try food cooked on open flames or over coals…
and all beside the road – no actual kitchen or restaurant structure. </div>
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My favorite
stop was a place run by Bling (I’ll let you guess where his name comes from).</div>
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Nastiest food ate (and only because there were a lot of
points on the line) was “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">trung vit lon</i>”:
a boiled egg inside of which is a fertilized and partially grown chick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The baby bird grows to a certain size and
then they boil the egg and eat it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is “gross food” and then there is “totally disgusting food”… this definitely is
in the latter category. Even the other people on our tour (couples from England,
Australia and New Zealand and hardcore travelers) were totally shocked when I actually
bit into it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Just found out our next country is ... drum roll, please ... MYANMAR (Burma). We will be there by noon tomorrow.</div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-35681124404877380392019-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:002019-04-13T21:12:12.364-07:00Great Escapes 2019: Day 1 - Vancouver … with a side of cold and drizzle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Great Escape 2019 started today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Best three weeks of our year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first destination was a day of scavenges
in the beautiful city of Vancouver (who did not put her best foot forward, until
mid-afternoon, when the cold spitting rain finally stopped and the sun peaked
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which was the reason for my “happy
dance”).<br />
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For those of you who are new to this annual event: Rainey
and I have done this trip every year for the past 12 years…YIKES… we really are
getting old!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are the competition rules
of in summary form: Teams of two will compete for the next three weeks in an around-the-world
scavenger hunt: picking up points for doing crazy stuff in 10 countries as we circumnavigate
the globe. The kicker:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the competitors
have no idea where we are going next until 4 hours before our flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a true Blind Date with the World!! When
we land in a new country, each team gets a booklet of dozens and dozens of possible
things to do, puzzles to decipher, clues to follow and adventures to be had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The skill is in picking the best combination
of scavenges to accomplish in the short time you are in that country, to get
the most points, and win that leg. And all electronics are banned… no Google-ing,
no internet research, can’t even talk to the concierge at the hotel… you must
walk out and stop strangers on the street and ask for help. The competition raises
money for charity, so you have the time of your life while also doing good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2019 event started last night with a Bon Voyage party
and then today we scavenged in Vancouver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rainey and I walked 8.5 miles and finished 18 different scavenges…. So here
are just the highlights:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Photograph safari of street art… my favorite piece<o:p></o:p><br />
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Had to visit a funky shoe shop to find the most expensive pair…
$1,000 for these black and gold boots – YIKES – Has Canada not heard of Payless?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63MUodkLRyucoFvahLEGDR0HqUKpv6gEHF3MaJWEhcD4HbCJ9XN2BOo8b2cPNeoq-Gm-_AZLsBZxSf4HC2Vxxl4fz5mMqTthwGVOOfhupHourpixaqopZjynXtHhLxsipFGqilN2SsK4/s1600/Shoes+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63MUodkLRyucoFvahLEGDR0HqUKpv6gEHF3MaJWEhcD4HbCJ9XN2BOo8b2cPNeoq-Gm-_AZLsBZxSf4HC2Vxxl4fz5mMqTthwGVOOfhupHourpixaqopZjynXtHhLxsipFGqilN2SsK4/s320/Shoes+3.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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Steam clock in Gastown which really does work solely by
steam (from underground). I was fascinated. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Chinatown to visit the Chinese gardens… serene … even in the
rain and cold.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Had to find our Chinese Zodiac signs... only to be sternly informed
that the Horse (me) is completely incompatible with the Rat (Rainey).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to call it quits then?? .....But Booth is so cute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAnQ_cXYE4JaxQCF-sn6pRQw3tYZ6YmeeCQHpq7PCQcdsiqwFkdc49AxqvfByxHfjSyIUtJabT3jUq5ee5z7UxkOvzedUwxFHR2Uw-RIzYGSndSNC5lp6aeH0uQHmBj-E_2pGf26rrW8/s1600/Chinatown-horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1461" data-original-width="1600" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAnQ_cXYE4JaxQCF-sn6pRQw3tYZ6YmeeCQHpq7PCQcdsiqwFkdc49AxqvfByxHfjSyIUtJabT3jUq5ee5z7UxkOvzedUwxFHR2Uw-RIzYGSndSNC5lp6aeH0uQHmBj-E_2pGf26rrW8/s320/Chinatown-horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7UNd724YGxQKF1QxxaiRj_IJU2qSmXSyM2S19-zHEzrAQ1aREZ32XZqR2A-6NgzbtJc_UOa4crQLAYKKGKPcBWOkicTFxRPYV-SQddU4zaexinBfebd3-frdmiEdAfIbbDEgW2pZV4A/s1600/Chinatown-rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7UNd724YGxQKF1QxxaiRj_IJU2qSmXSyM2S19-zHEzrAQ1aREZ32XZqR2A-6NgzbtJc_UOa4crQLAYKKGKPcBWOkicTFxRPYV-SQddU4zaexinBfebd3-frdmiEdAfIbbDEgW2pZV4A/s320/Chinatown-rat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Went out to Granville island to the Public Market. I love markets and this one is exceptionally nice... bustling, odd assortment of booths, that unique mix of smells (from stinky fish to pickle juice to freshly baked brownies)<br />
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Olympic cauldron from 2010 Winter games … which must have been impressive when all
of the columns were lit up with the Olympic flame.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXtEzV-EOaRtWec6Iy4Bj6Dugytc92E75wPuN64f91X_Z3GXK44bvETaoYxRy8A51vVNzoJRmAaeZA41wbS_gUQsN3B31mEHZqJezFY8MrYWt0jnwuaeS6zeXrbJQvb11bLaX-PHEMU8/s1600/Olympic+cauldron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXtEzV-EOaRtWec6Iy4Bj6Dugytc92E75wPuN64f91X_Z3GXK44bvETaoYxRy8A51vVNzoJRmAaeZA41wbS_gUQsN3B31mEHZqJezFY8MrYWt0jnwuaeS6zeXrbJQvb11bLaX-PHEMU8/s320/Olympic+cauldron.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Weird eats for today: Japadog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right: the best of the Far East
smeared onto a hot dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s seaweed
and wasabi mayonnaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, sort of
YUM!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Observation #1:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know you need a hobby when you have the spare time in your life to shop for, buy - and then put on - tiny rain shoes onto each foot of your dog. Really?<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOS8IJzOMb8GNSHTJLC1vXuwiqjtW4HDeN6VMRlTS3YcuLJRsYCNkc_WLIHgKfzBfihTKFSO2nxycZWselQqu-3X9pps6mOb4JAq1BGhVZl3uiBhlWeA8M-cHd9l-Da3S0yY70f23oCo/s1600/Dog+in+rain+shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOS8IJzOMb8GNSHTJLC1vXuwiqjtW4HDeN6VMRlTS3YcuLJRsYCNkc_WLIHgKfzBfihTKFSO2nxycZWselQqu-3X9pps6mOb4JAq1BGhVZl3uiBhlWeA8M-cHd9l-Da3S0yY70f23oCo/s320/Dog+in+rain+shoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Observation #2:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shrines
found below a bridge … Vancouver homeless have a lot of more talent and
creativity than Houston homeless, that's for sure. Creepy in some ways, but compelling and mesmerizing in others. <o:p></o:p><br />
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And last, the line-up of our fellow travelers, so you know who we are traveling with. As you can see, this event is highly addictive. More than half the teams are repeat offenders. I don't blame them. There is nothing like it. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>SLO Folks</u>: Tom and Paula – The worthy winners from
last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are a fun couple from
San Luis Obispo and we’ve enjoyed being with them on two prior events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<u>The Retired Traveling Chicks</u> - Kim and Maria - are back!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is their third time, so it was great to
see them again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are both retired - and
ardent travelers - with the best stories from amazing places around the world (Kim
is a retired police detective and Maria was an interpreter). They just finished up a Habitat for Humanity build in Uganda (I know.... very cool).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJZZg8JXHHIjexvV7T6E7whJn6iC0c6MVEyS17ddIgigAff5PU7GDOAoQzqjRqHRup-QYXEAIZ4dQTuWD5phbK4cSPzKq-eLdShzANhPNCUSjwKUHNrtJt8wKSL8FhF9oz-KDvjJqYYI/s1600/Retired+traveling+chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJZZg8JXHHIjexvV7T6E7whJn6iC0c6MVEyS17ddIgigAff5PU7GDOAoQzqjRqHRup-QYXEAIZ4dQTuWD5phbK4cSPzKq-eLdShzANhPNCUSjwKUHNrtJt8wKSL8FhF9oz-KDvjJqYYI/s320/Retired+traveling+chicks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Ying 2.0:</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alan
and his daughter Emory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alan competed
(and won) two years ago with his eldest, Sidney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is back this year with his other daughter
to show her the world. I have known Alan for forever. Fun fact… Alan worked for
me when he was in college and I had just opened my own law firm. Unlike me, Alan has not
aged a day since then.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The Fillies: Barbara is another repeater (her third time) and she is with a long-time friend this time. Barbara teamed up with my Mom one year ... so she knows the ropes.</div>
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<u>Margo Polos</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
last repeat competitor – Margo – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is back
with someone she never met before. Karen is a travel writer and journalist.<br />
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<u>Order and Chaos</u>: Sal and Vivian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are both doctors (head & neck
surgeon and ER doctor) from the California Bay area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I'm betting they are going to be a tough team to beat.</span></div>
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<u>Transformed Goddesses:</u> Two strangers: one from Washington, DC and the other from Alabama (could there be any two more different areas in the country?) meet for the first time and set off around the world: Meet Tamara and Amy.<br />
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<u>Nexus:</u><b> </b>Michael and Ali from Kingston, Canada. Ali is an urban planner for the city.<br />
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<u>Team Lazy Monday</u>: Eric and Kathryn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another California team, this time from Palo
Alto. Eric is in the tech field (naturally).<o:p></o:p><br />
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NEXT DESTINATION: We just found out... we are heading to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. So 20+ hours of travel from now... we will be in Saigon. Stay tuned.</div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-52230099167299189812018-05-05T12:37:00.002-07:002018-05-05T18:44:52.578-07:00GE 2018: Sayonara from South Beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s the end… Farewell, So Long, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu… So
very sad for it to be the last day of Global Scavenger Hunt 2018.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We are in Miami, Florida and fly home
tomorrow. But we squeezed the very last drop of fun out of the trip ... and got to
see our Burner family and my nieces as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We arrived last night and are staying at the Intercontinental:
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>very nice hotel with great ocean views
from the room.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Latin music blasted
outside of our room until the wee hours but the very soft bed and exemplary pillows offset my urge to smash
a maraca or two. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Most of the competition teams headed out to do the bonus challenge of a swamp boat/ gator viewing trip in the Everglades. But we have done that trip before, so we headed to South Beach, where we rented bikes and rode around checking out the art deco buildings and tried to find a “kitschy” pink flamingo to pose with.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sadly South Beach has really upped its lawn
decoration style in the last few years and there was not a flamingo to find. True Tragedy. </span></div>
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We did find a VERY plump and lazy iguana... does that count?</div>
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M<span style="font-family: "calibri";">useum of Ice Cream … who can resist?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then we had lunch (a long, long - filled with laughter and
catching up - lunch) with our Burning Man family (i.e. the group that we camp
with at Burning Man).<span style="margin: 0px;"> This year we have applied to be </span>an
actual theme camp at the festival (which apparently
involved a 6+ hour, multi-page application process and LOTS of administrative work...tip of the hat and
much thanks to Rick), so we did loads of planning around that event. I just want
to make it clear that I designated myself QUEEN of the theme camp… so no stealing
that spot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Too much to talk about, so
little time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Check-in today was at the pool bar in the hotel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Marnie and Greg flew out this afternoon so it was
also time to say goodbye to them (if I knew how to add emojis to this blog, I’d
have a big sad face right here).</span></div>
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The event coordinator, Bill, announced the winners of the competition:</div>
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In second place, NOLA Second Place (Jim and Betty) - with their medals</div>
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In first place, SLO Folks (who rocked the event)</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Plus - exciting news - f<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">or the very first time – ever – I won the Player’s Pool
(along with Marnie).</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The Player’s Pool
is this tradition that - at the start of the competition – everyone guesses which
countries they think we are going to and chips in $20.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">At the end, the person with the most correct
countries wins the pool.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I typically get
zero – or at best one - correct country… but this time, both Marnie and I
guessed FOUR correct countries (although not the same 4) and split the pot. YAY.
</span></span></div>
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I’ll leave you with my favorite street art from today….
Until the next adventure …</div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-28750223513384499262018-05-03T20:53:00.001-07:002018-05-03T20:59:01.017-07:00GE 2018: Playing with sea lions in Peru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are now in Lima, Peru.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We’ve been here the last 2 days and we leave tomorrow morning for Miami,
Florida (last leg of the trip...so very sad about that). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lgviQ9x-kVAD1CqRC6O0xCeSDVYd5nusBjk6t2FeJ9TsFuEvPwPb7b2JyW-g8dwpz_DotQy1cRF0ohKGOJqDmEQCya23hu-xlNGfW_wEib00355wjLc3HznmWSxTtdEPAhns7nbML0I/s1600/P1120952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lgviQ9x-kVAD1CqRC6O0xCeSDVYd5nusBjk6t2FeJ9TsFuEvPwPb7b2JyW-g8dwpz_DotQy1cRF0ohKGOJqDmEQCya23hu-xlNGfW_wEib00355wjLc3HznmWSxTtdEPAhns7nbML0I/s320/P1120952.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You got to admit ... the cool Peruvian hat (with flower) adds a real touch of class to the street vendor pose. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIn6f3iIql-XqPz2UGhyphenhyphengjUpIWbtBbJvtTb1u071fieODSJEXOUSaMl99Xk1p35t0ozXLRQBMSA2kEgNSKP8K7gVZZBlbjgznW1_IYOjMYYfBLo4G24yVPyB5wuqCX9XddS2kQ608lMc/s1600/P1120924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIn6f3iIql-XqPz2UGhyphenhyphengjUpIWbtBbJvtTb1u071fieODSJEXOUSaMl99Xk1p35t0ozXLRQBMSA2kEgNSKP8K7gVZZBlbjgznW1_IYOjMYYfBLo4G24yVPyB5wuqCX9XddS2kQ608lMc/s320/P1120924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I will start with the A+++, Triple WOW experience of the
trip so those of you with short attention spans (I’m looking at you Rainey
Booth) can read about that bonus scavenge, even if they don’t get any further.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Off the coast of Lima are a series of islands
with NO vegetation. None. They look like icebergs from afar, but are actually
just cream-colored rocks rising from the ocean (look behind Rainey’s shoulder).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRFbWxfM6A9IPe7EJw02pg0-Gdgsfq0b1X1-DN7DE1KZe8RvOc0i3hLb-Lm4ELBr0hGKK2jkfEB4AARRXpDsBiVFIiySqQvwnsQ04aiipQMst1i_3Nv_lhoymekyaVBFiyCoDXkvyAho/s1600/P1120961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRFbWxfM6A9IPe7EJw02pg0-Gdgsfq0b1X1-DN7DE1KZe8RvOc0i3hLb-Lm4ELBr0hGKK2jkfEB4AARRXpDsBiVFIiySqQvwnsQ04aiipQMst1i_3Nv_lhoymekyaVBFiyCoDXkvyAho/s320/P1120961.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On one of these islands lives 4,300+ sea lions (and I know
this fact because they count them every 3 months using satellite photos and the
most recent count came out last week). Every brown speck on the island is actually
a sea lion. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rsJP3bUodqRgCZTz_4zItnJF6ksdB-9DMxvOCh9aWpwP7Gt2DEX0oQZru3X3C-fM_70U9nOAH6BL31nXP07hFmOBColkyPUY7uEQmyDzUdMq_re6Q7gzl-uK-n9oOdpl3vSWx8OUM7M/s1600/P1120982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rsJP3bUodqRgCZTz_4zItnJF6ksdB-9DMxvOCh9aWpwP7Gt2DEX0oQZru3X3C-fM_70U9nOAH6BL31nXP07hFmOBColkyPUY7uEQmyDzUdMq_re6Q7gzl-uK-n9oOdpl3vSWx8OUM7M/s320/P1120982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We went <span style="font-family: "calibri";">by boat (long trip, very rough waves) to the
island and … here’s where it gets amazing… jumped in the freezing cold water and
swam and played with them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> A </span>real
life National Geographic moment.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
water was actually so cold– and the dark, dark, dark water so filled with large
slippery sea lion creatures - all around and underneath you<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>- was so intimidating that I had to start yoga
breathing (to stop full out panic) when I first jumped in.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Then I talked myself off the ledge and
relaxed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The boat guy showed me how to
float on my back with my two feet on top of the water up in front of me… and after
a moment a sea lion came right and touched my feet with its whisker-y mouth
(probably to make sure I was not a penguin and thus snack-worthy).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The sea lions were barking and frolicking and
jumping out of the water all around me… It was incredible.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgKqkVZa3yNHctd5zk1SN6c26exd76hibQjqi2gVTbFxboICSd3-K5j5jH-StoN8m-YaCKgeLdhDIOthSLyBBqidl8xy3GjwDBW2-GiE_q0LvydUjF8vDOyjxG8vZCOMOAnHGYeJLr90/s1600/Sea+lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgKqkVZa3yNHctd5zk1SN6c26exd76hibQjqi2gVTbFxboICSd3-K5j5jH-StoN8m-YaCKgeLdhDIOthSLyBBqidl8xy3GjwDBW2-GiE_q0LvydUjF8vDOyjxG8vZCOMOAnHGYeJLr90/s320/Sea+lion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
Interesting sight: w<span style="font-family: "calibri";">here the river meets the ocean (fresh water meets salt
water) there is a clear line of green water touching blue water. I've never seen anything like it before.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MV78YBeH7qXGYSWoO-pemQiNZpgx0enpg7_g8DJV_a_bXcbfd8-tRAaEUFimhr0z3ZpmvQixtF0aZxtCGOBIEOuPmF3gxKiISUcnFjpi21kDJv6CPz8twm3l9k_Cs3tjA-yox3a4FuU/s1600/P1120975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MV78YBeH7qXGYSWoO-pemQiNZpgx0enpg7_g8DJV_a_bXcbfd8-tRAaEUFimhr0z3ZpmvQixtF0aZxtCGOBIEOuPmF3gxKiISUcnFjpi21kDJv6CPz8twm3l9k_Cs3tjA-yox3a4FuU/s320/P1120975.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Old man and the sea (with Lima behind him)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Last night, our last scavenge before we headed home, was to
see the Magical Waters… which are dancing fountains in a park.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They move and change colors to music (similiar
to the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas). There are park benches all around the
fountains where you can sit and eat an ice cream and enjoy the night.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl9_uZKF0zQPGj7O73zZ1wQOBKFSTmOVDeSsj_aIYLtR0347zOX819dnmKevrN12l6aH3hMi7yqKoemffeUoklQPJUGokn_VaCryM7CoFGfkeg0grIeCiPRmguvn8wZRTEEgAOUZuaPE/s1600/P1120941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl9_uZKF0zQPGj7O73zZ1wQOBKFSTmOVDeSsj_aIYLtR0347zOX819dnmKevrN12l6aH3hMi7yqKoemffeUoklQPJUGokn_VaCryM7CoFGfkeg0grIeCiPRmguvn8wZRTEEgAOUZuaPE/s320/P1120941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><u>Scavenge</u>: Try some Peruvian Coke</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Otherwise known as Inca Cola, this is a super sweet,
diabetic-coma-inducing soda that is a fluorescent color definitely NOT known in
nature.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is very popular in Peru.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVSbcAyyacZdZTQa3fGno_uioOkHRsuJNjG5lPwtcT1Uj6y7518uxsOQYEo6IS8Y5j8vK3XumRX5YCDYWGqiEPjXwIMhF7aUyaZ45VM1bcE6RB4OTKlqO10bPIHNRPyWkwpPBqLiEeNE/s1600/P1120859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVSbcAyyacZdZTQa3fGno_uioOkHRsuJNjG5lPwtcT1Uj6y7518uxsOQYEo6IS8Y5j8vK3XumRX5YCDYWGqiEPjXwIMhF7aUyaZ45VM1bcE6RB4OTKlqO10bPIHNRPyWkwpPBqLiEeNE/s320/P1120859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><u>Scavenge</u>:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
had to find a policeman that spoke English and ask him some questions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In this entire group, ONE had a rudimentary
understanding of English (obviously still more than my Spanish, so no judgment). The full riot gear (while very intimidating) was apparently just because they were guarding the president and not because they actually anticipated Armageddon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><u>Scavenge</u>:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Find
the Peruvian Last Supper at Church of San Francisco and discover what Jesus is
eating.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Apparently, on this continent, Jesus sat down for his last
meal and chowed down on roasted guinea pig.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I know… yuck. And a little cultural appropriation. (No photos allowed inside the church)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This morning we went bike riding on the El Malecon (the wide
boardwalk-like sidewalk that runs all down the coastline) to the Parque Del
Amore (I think you can figure out why it’s called that).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As to the scores / rankings for this year’s competition.
Since we joined in the middle of the trip, we are not in the official competition. But in
the last leg (Argentina / Uruguay) we busted our butts and tied for first place with Marnie and
Greg.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We actually turned in identical
score sheets since we did everything together.<span style="margin: 0px;"> The actual first place winners of the entire event is</span> the indominable SLO Folks team, who are now so far
ahead of everyone else that they could take a nap from here to the end and
still win.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So proud of them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> They have been working hard all around the world. </span>Paula and Tom from San Luis Obispo (SLO
Folks) are great competitors (good strategizers and they see the
fun in the competition) and very much deserve to win. Plus – the best part –
that means they will be back next year again and we will get to see them!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: calibri;">Lima at night.. isn't she a beauty?</span><br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-33092166739102313552018-05-01T14:11:00.002-07:002018-05-01T14:13:58.861-07:00GE 2018: Meandering through Montevideo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: calibri;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Woke up today in Montevideo, Uruguay (not a place I ever
imagined being or really even knew existed)… and found that it is very nice
here. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6JWQTTLbsrtl5YUFc0quJUGu9md0W1SeeIsDinzevVw-Mr1l9CkhAEZjAY_FDJARykNDanhyphenhyphenHL7raQz2LMgdG9pNQxTmlQj3V1FZqpJlXmrzDnrfibz-VaNTuyMItLo1F1T7rXr1_Rc/s1600/P1120818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6JWQTTLbsrtl5YUFc0quJUGu9md0W1SeeIsDinzevVw-Mr1l9CkhAEZjAY_FDJARykNDanhyphenhyphenHL7raQz2LMgdG9pNQxTmlQj3V1FZqpJlXmrzDnrfibz-VaNTuyMItLo1F1T7rXr1_Rc/s320/P1120818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Since it is May Day EVERYTHNG (and I mean, everything) is closed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is worse than even Christmas in the
US.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>No buses, no taxis, no shops, only a
handful of restaurants in the whole city are open.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s been a challenge to get any scavenges
done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">First up, Rainey went swimming in the South Atlantic for 35
points.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was cold – and brown
(apparently not from pollution but sediment - or that's the story they are sticking to) – and he had to go in up to his neck
for the points.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgOsrjMkNTJ3SnnNudTYqMKxX6MSTMoFlGXjFcJ-6nYpeVchvdSHmwWq9pOLK2LW-1Htj_tjCL7S0Z9zzUdqK7uzL49MuOM0keT2ny0CvS9hIE8Whc3ZDidpbAWNO145hKTn-uuRJwGM/s1600/P1120804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgOsrjMkNTJ3SnnNudTYqMKxX6MSTMoFlGXjFcJ-6nYpeVchvdSHmwWq9pOLK2LW-1Htj_tjCL7S0Z9zzUdqK7uzL49MuOM0keT2ny0CvS9hIE8Whc3ZDidpbAWNO145hKTn-uuRJwGM/s320/P1120804.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We managed to find a bike rental place who – after we waited
almost an hour – delivered 4 bright orange bikes to the hotel for us to ride on
the <i>Rambla</i> (the wide, boardwalk-styled pedestrian and bike path all along the
ocean front). We headed out for a park that seemed less than an inch away on
the map but turned out to be over 4 miles in the real world.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But it was fantastic.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Sunshine (a new experience for us this trip
so far), cool brisk winds (it’s Fall hear) and lots of people at the beach and
on the <i>Rambla</i>.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I thoroughly enjoyed the
ride.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfzRvgCfiequQb4McFTwdnIdwqP910OrVse4lg2tfHmdn75ILMC1qGCV9x-0B6194Ha0S4MpYfScnTGkDDAl23HVAuqfR2-YVcjoWCkJl7WsWIh1Iz1OKTqAGtce7kan9JAG34KKO9kA/s1600/IMG_0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfzRvgCfiequQb4McFTwdnIdwqP910OrVse4lg2tfHmdn75ILMC1qGCV9x-0B6194Ha0S4MpYfScnTGkDDAl23HVAuqfR2-YVcjoWCkJl7WsWIh1Iz1OKTqAGtce7kan9JAG34KKO9kA/s1600/IMG_0096.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHrj8M0RG8Dz5PpxbhuL_P69gyLV3wG6K32lUxzm6bsXMO0uxtqCI1aPnFj3R5MhvWe4duCgo4WRn-hhbLHyra4wt5YyVwYIEN7UYqrw8S2mkWGnlswnNKUZmF3MnW3BC8QxNnH2w1cI/s1600/IMG_0092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHrj8M0RG8Dz5PpxbhuL_P69gyLV3wG6K32lUxzm6bsXMO0uxtqCI1aPnFj3R5MhvWe4duCgo4WRn-hhbLHyra4wt5YyVwYIEN7UYqrw8S2mkWGnlswnNKUZmF3MnW3BC8QxNnH2w1cI/s1600/IMG_0092.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the park, we had to strike up a conversation with a group
of locals and get them to give you some mate.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Seems like an impossible challenge, right? Especially because mate is a
tea (that tastes exactly like a mixture of mud and grass) drunk in an
individual cup with a fancy metal straw.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Which stranger is going to share their cup / straw with you?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Apparently anyone from Uruguay.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The group we chatted with offered up their “I-just-took-a-sip-from-this”
straw to me readily (crazy people) and I took a big swig of bitterness. Then smiled brightly and exclaimed how delicious it was (my mother raised me right).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN0M3Wmx3l4saMji5kcxX6-2fLGm55MBLBO_WGDp6GL064T-ha6SdRz715EcytYx1TerBZ4A0JRD9VBnbynIPkba_YUH8hA-K22aQjB4Pd2OYL32wSWvQLd09noB523GxyFB5bX8gwn0/s1600/P1120823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN0M3Wmx3l4saMji5kcxX6-2fLGm55MBLBO_WGDp6GL064T-ha6SdRz715EcytYx1TerBZ4A0JRD9VBnbynIPkba_YUH8hA-K22aQjB4Pd2OYL32wSWvQLd09noB523GxyFB5bX8gwn0/s320/P1120823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This afternoon we were stuck seeing stuff that is big and in
town squares and thus cannot be closed. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The founding father of Uruguay – Jose Gervasio Artigas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Remaining piece of original city wall</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4RqEHOEoG9mCu6heOUqUeHygy3ubFF0UhLa5lDWhoVXhIlfKKS2-roK2VRnl73ZRGfM0rYxAUSfSKXsnTmd_fI7czzvJxbTFMfbxRK9XqBZwaP2SmKPXlju1-hTIFNUzCfmUzcwpw2U/s1600/Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4RqEHOEoG9mCu6heOUqUeHygy3ubFF0UhLa5lDWhoVXhIlfKKS2-roK2VRnl73ZRGfM0rYxAUSfSKXsnTmd_fI7czzvJxbTFMfbxRK9XqBZwaP2SmKPXlju1-hTIFNUzCfmUzcwpw2U/s320/Wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Parliament building</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWtZAnwySSVcjV6EvmjNqeou8DsQtdo19vD27d7kVX98I9wNUTiJ_xsw-7WRd9JNMKkH1MoSG3E3x9EbdRbrpu4oV_EBOJL-aXzTDWqd1DbXkXOqWH0XEjPCRNaRq6AMHPOw97tVGJBo/s1600/P1120853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWtZAnwySSVcjV6EvmjNqeou8DsQtdo19vD27d7kVX98I9wNUTiJ_xsw-7WRd9JNMKkH1MoSG3E3x9EbdRbrpu4oV_EBOJL-aXzTDWqd1DbXkXOqWH0XEjPCRNaRq6AMHPOw97tVGJBo/s320/P1120853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And, of course, the totally touristy photo that is a
MUST-HAVE. Note the slope of my leg... exactly matching the V.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5bQ2eRJ9bBn373uHnwdR40V1PQHz0NfxJaF5ulAwlDnflt6trLRVPf4xjXw1lMBqDRolzKhBBhSL0Fs6IiWVdTmE6rCo9K8sRrWJDlL5jHHnPCV0bqVBwYe72vh1b9g8vjArI4d81qA/s1600/P1120832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5bQ2eRJ9bBn373uHnwdR40V1PQHz0NfxJaF5ulAwlDnflt6trLRVPf4xjXw1lMBqDRolzKhBBhSL0Fs6IiWVdTmE6rCo9K8sRrWJDlL5jHHnPCV0bqVBwYe72vh1b9g8vjArI4d81qA/s320/P1120832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "calibri";">Interesting art.. Blue Man Group - solo (with fans at feet)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVHwTwW9x3MPCs0OrY6BhgCLQggKFZQAUXizLxzSmdcYqpVgwqRGSAlZo7F8ewOS5qCl9uG8UJQhWwIOsATGhBpVPyJdAKFoahhJnLQcKn6RvmnMypkGC8iHaQy3az3QPSqkDTKsYkyU/s1600/Blue+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVHwTwW9x3MPCs0OrY6BhgCLQggKFZQAUXizLxzSmdcYqpVgwqRGSAlZo7F8ewOS5qCl9uG8UJQhWwIOsATGhBpVPyJdAKFoahhJnLQcKn6RvmnMypkGC8iHaQy3az3QPSqkDTKsYkyU/s320/Blue+Man.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-56817776458737799812018-04-30T16:42:00.004-07:002018-04-30T16:50:09.326-07:00GE 2018: Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (Day 2) and Uruguay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Buenos Aires Day 2 was even wetter than Day 1.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Unrelenting pouring rain. But we were not to
be deterred… In the past two days, we have completed 38 challenges and three bonuses.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That is called “moving and
grooving” (and falling into a coma at night as soon as your head hits the pillow).
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But first, our second and last day in Buenos Aires found us up and out early for Sunday Ceremony
(catholic mass) at Basilica Nuestra Senor del Pilar.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp0vq48I4GG0SZ2T-FPOfGcOcMjxJI5VQngON98OlSJUHyzlISWFEflA1jVLn5Fpemk3FXmIOIKJDAtpxwFvxIQ2wf_alv6biSH5Im7RKjqtUZ-g-aUz7RkPp6ct0njoKZ5wijVp_5JI/s1600/P1120634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp0vq48I4GG0SZ2T-FPOfGcOcMjxJI5VQngON98OlSJUHyzlISWFEflA1jVLn5Fpemk3FXmIOIKJDAtpxwFvxIQ2wf_alv6biSH5Im7RKjqtUZ-g-aUz7RkPp6ct0njoKZ5wijVp_5JI/s320/P1120634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The bonus scavenge today was to take the train to Tigre and do
a boat ride. Tigre turned out to be a series of deltas, rivers and islands where
(a) Rich people have fancy boating clubs; (b) Middle class people have chic
weekend homes and (c) the cast of Deliverance are hiding out in dilapidated
shacks that are falling apart and sliding into the river. A stunning display of
income inequality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Posh boating club</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61Tnl71IK_gPveOn25XZqCJYgTyY_75iqKru6RAY-x6O-KdkS14bithmrQQCtn-EBIuY6cPSze1sZbQ-4naat2Hwe7_CP53yClItt-_2nOoiPJg7Vi3C2ySIUr1JlqSGL16cS1fDgMo8/s1600/P1120667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61Tnl71IK_gPveOn25XZqCJYgTyY_75iqKru6RAY-x6O-KdkS14bithmrQQCtn-EBIuY6cPSze1sZbQ-4naat2Hwe7_CP53yClItt-_2nOoiPJg7Vi3C2ySIUr1JlqSGL16cS1fDgMo8/s320/P1120667.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
Charming vacation home</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlV0E9o379wEvRx9E2ej5RVNu3Wyfa1ArjrIGDDKmmi77Jkq_y8p-Gt7aVolSmhcojTnz_GjfYSLkWnOR2nmJdlVnl6jwxvt6h2kM_BVQbtYz8Yl08buhZchChrBM9KWYDBmD4dlGKqI/s1600/P1120659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlV0E9o379wEvRx9E2ej5RVNu3Wyfa1ArjrIGDDKmmi77Jkq_y8p-Gt7aVolSmhcojTnz_GjfYSLkWnOR2nmJdlVnl6jwxvt6h2kM_BVQbtYz8Yl08buhZchChrBM9KWYDBmD4dlGKqI/s320/P1120659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">"Don't step on the pier or you may end up in the river" shacks</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge63s3aTkR6ZYA8J5L5BELpO6YvgIFhKUZQWMjDrDmkUNhpQ4gxdCkjjkPq4s78gEHcVjbnKlfn2UZ3ZzmOQ0xvu-3QLO5v8sAeia803ga0-HB_ey7Zoij-8BShdvaJHXBOxgnzZ9Z68c/s1600/P1120657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge63s3aTkR6ZYA8J5L5BELpO6YvgIFhKUZQWMjDrDmkUNhpQ4gxdCkjjkPq4s78gEHcVjbnKlfn2UZ3ZzmOQ0xvu-3QLO5v8sAeia803ga0-HB_ey7Zoij-8BShdvaJHXBOxgnzZ9Z68c/s320/P1120657.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are even small grocery / convenience stores mid-river</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGms_d571gBsRMdEfXJ-qKSHd-iQJp8leQC1dkiuyDRXgD9qDt5XMFm8MUpzZkoG8Rg0ak1JhhwwXsYCmRTGfVCrSVaDFnli72lKbr0fYWvt6hzvtRG8EezrFZn9STGkaXzmyU1bqwS1E/s1600/P1120660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGms_d571gBsRMdEfXJ-qKSHd-iQJp8leQC1dkiuyDRXgD9qDt5XMFm8MUpzZkoG8Rg0ak1JhhwwXsYCmRTGfVCrSVaDFnli72lKbr0fYWvt6hzvtRG8EezrFZn9STGkaXzmyU1bqwS1E/s320/P1120660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And abandoned ships amassing ghosts and rust on the riverbanks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWUjS4EUtY50O46VKxlUgfUxjQas4aA2-E6AnfMM8N9i99IJmmjK7NbtW0JXS-XvgmVvRvXsHuyUDBWAFZAjwXj2r35G30FDYShyU-f5X9fCP_ElcSk9WxxE87drsX_6V31OFsPD9K_I/s1600/Tigre+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWUjS4EUtY50O46VKxlUgfUxjQas4aA2-E6AnfMM8N9i99IJmmjK7NbtW0JXS-XvgmVvRvXsHuyUDBWAFZAjwXj2r35G30FDYShyU-f5X9fCP_ElcSk9WxxE87drsX_6V31OFsPD9K_I/s320/Tigre+boat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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B<span style="font-family: "calibri";">efore we left Tigre, we had a nice lunch at a restaurant by
the water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Still raining all afternoon, but we enjoyed the zen of the Japanese Gardens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When we interviewed locals to ask them who was the most
famous person from Argentina Papa Francis (the Pope… whom I love … and who I believe
may well change the world) and soccer player Messi ran neck and neck. Not sure
what that says about society today</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Need to hold up the branches of an old and unstable tree?
Problem solved artistically: Just put a half naked, 12-pack abs bronze statue on duty</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">How can you not love a city with street art like this</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">On Monday
at 6:30AM, we were at the ferry to cross into Uruguay (another new country for
me… YAY).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We started in Colonia de Sacramento,
a quaint cobbled-stoned village popular for weekends with Argentinians. Every
corner is picture-worthy</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then on to Montevideo and to a local winery (Bodega Bouza)
for a tour.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was so beautiful and
peaceful at the winery that we stayed and had an amazing dinner at their fancy restaurant</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR9qWB9rYnP2kWyVLpXjKyy0QkQoYamWBXYmtb7bJe4gAfmjy_afD_0v2-A8RMxYNAmwU9TopBBwW3kDiT-2YdKKoxgHI8xRozJzH6oGTzDSzaTjVEc5sakVQWMzM98Pu7AZRxonH9tA/s1600/P1120788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR9qWB9rYnP2kWyVLpXjKyy0QkQoYamWBXYmtb7bJe4gAfmjy_afD_0v2-A8RMxYNAmwU9TopBBwW3kDiT-2YdKKoxgHI8xRozJzH6oGTzDSzaTjVEc5sakVQWMzM98Pu7AZRxonH9tA/s320/P1120788.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">This
leg we have been able to scavenge all of the time with our friends Marnie and
Greg, which has made the last few days so special. On some legs, the event coordinator restricts how much time you can spend with another team... so total freedom has been great</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow is May Day which seems to mean that
everything will be closed here (it’s like our labor day). So not sure how many
of the Montevideo challenges we will get done before check-in at 7PM tomorrow…
but we will be up early to try and see as much of the city as possible</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">.</span></div>
</span></div>
Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-3416484211872841352018-04-30T03:12:00.001-07:002018-04-30T16:50:57.708-07:00GE 2018: Drowning in Buenos Aires: Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Day 1 in Buenos Aires was AWFUL water thunderstorm after
thunderstorm.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We walked in the
rain, biked in the rain... we have been drenched all day. But what a fun city. Buenos Aires is so much like New York City: fun and hip with different neighborhoods, all with totally unique personalities. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ-XzHK6uEzWvTq72_zuiLjgzi9IJbhZhrIXVGEDlzuyAeYdLFWgk6SS_dHHW4-5AnHVb55rsGyfxN-OwojkDcqZ8l5LyVdUKhG-J0vsDu15NpEgKQVblDyxwyfCxMpfKPPdEJ6yJljc/s1600/P1120555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ-XzHK6uEzWvTq72_zuiLjgzi9IJbhZhrIXVGEDlzuyAeYdLFWgk6SS_dHHW4-5AnHVb55rsGyfxN-OwojkDcqZ8l5LyVdUKhG-J0vsDu15NpEgKQVblDyxwyfCxMpfKPPdEJ6yJljc/s320/P1120555.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We visited the city cemetery to find famous people’s
resting places.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The rich and famous of
Buenos Aries have palatial “final homes” with columns and turrets and reception
rooms with cushy chairs so friends and family can come and comfortably
grieve.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Of course, finding Evita's crypt was one
of the scavenges... with fresh flowers brought every day (still). </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then off to the Museum of Fine Arts to see Picassos and Matisses ad Van Goghs…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuflwqEK76QHWdpWFUjLWksZXIjRaYmdlSQLwoKrgjVRZO2BPWK7yWhNyWzHg_0MfAARumFcUcdGLetsEdwHVAl5LMFD-kFdj_oscdWfU08aKZjNP05xYGQwp6SCeNdzCEXrm_kmi1RY/s1600/P1120513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuflwqEK76QHWdpWFUjLWksZXIjRaYmdlSQLwoKrgjVRZO2BPWK7yWhNyWzHg_0MfAARumFcUcdGLetsEdwHVAl5LMFD-kFdj_oscdWfU08aKZjNP05xYGQwp6SCeNdzCEXrm_kmi1RY/s320/P1120513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even a Rothko (same artist as the all-black Rothko chapel in Houston. This man obviously over-concentrated the day that they taught "shading of one color" and took it to heart</span></div>
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And <span style="font-family: "calibri";">you
can never have too many vagina and penis renditions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipotPO5bT3riBBsS55h6mPI-Ywx_qWqXY4EgQeABzwJcRkmjvl05eFEt6vBwEDh94ryJLoHirUa_vanHD9IZQceyS3f3yfMVaQy3eQBeHVVo2VrLlpOWNBz0YtYPBlcSJ-W7aY0bpb45s/s1600/P1120518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipotPO5bT3riBBsS55h6mPI-Ywx_qWqXY4EgQeABzwJcRkmjvl05eFEt6vBwEDh94ryJLoHirUa_vanHD9IZQceyS3f3yfMVaQy3eQBeHVVo2VrLlpOWNBz0YtYPBlcSJ-W7aY0bpb45s/s320/P1120518.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Holding" t<span style="font-family: "calibri";">he obelisk downtown</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Biking along the natural reserve …. And stopping for Gnobili</span></div>
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One s<span style="font-family: "calibri";">cavenge was to make new social media friends.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We got the bike rental guy to not just "friend" us… but put us on the company facebook page. Sweet, sweet fame.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuVD32AeuHnyZN51ZjDYLtONgxQzy_YOwZnEfFNmB3XczsDt8ayKRZUBzX-mJLxZhOFIL9T2X4MxKekcJV0frjs7ZcqwxceNvw530VA0uZrQ14eu_auoMwnZHdnq8JEW-4DQn2oNunVU/s1600/IMG_2741.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuVD32AeuHnyZN51ZjDYLtONgxQzy_YOwZnEfFNmB3XczsDt8ayKRZUBzX-mJLxZhOFIL9T2X4MxKekcJV0frjs7ZcqwxceNvw530VA0uZrQ14eu_auoMwnZHdnq8JEW-4DQn2oNunVU/s320/IMG_2741.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Favorite bonus scavenge of the day:<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Eat at a Puerta Cerrada restaurant.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This turns out to be an “underground” private
restaurant where a great cook turns her living room into a tiny restaurant and
serves you at home.<span style="margin: 0px;"> After asking almost a dozen people about this - and getting a lot of blank stares - we hit jackpot with our new bike rental friend. He </span>knew of one of these places and called and
booked us a table.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We got out of the taxi in a quiet
neighborhood, knocked on a regular and unmarked door, was buzzed in and told to
come to the second floor.<span style="margin: 0px;"> It was either going to be a great night or we were going to be starring on the next episode of "Missing and Murdered Abroad." But a lovely </span> couple met
us and showed us into their trendy living room (with great art) and - over the
next 3 hours - they brought us course after course of gourmet food along with detailed
descriptions of the preparation of each dish and every ingredient. It was such
an unusual and interesting evening. </span></div>
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Chef and wife...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tiAIMeN_TLxIpzQzZhTW0b3pe_yCvR2u2fzvpeS1jD2BlvUMOk5r3RBpdpGoDsxVIV2wf19Ju1uo3QgYs3VSrdPiXau7olUa_T8RIEEDq4tpiXFgwrWIyQTjJDT1Rbu1lndJO6TBIm0/s1600/31492720_1020824674731928_7990583832967380992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tiAIMeN_TLxIpzQzZhTW0b3pe_yCvR2u2fzvpeS1jD2BlvUMOk5r3RBpdpGoDsxVIV2wf19Ju1uo3QgYs3VSrdPiXau7olUa_T8RIEEDq4tpiXFgwrWIyQTjJDT1Rbu1lndJO6TBIm0/s320/31492720_1020824674731928_7990583832967380992_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Living room aka our private dining area</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIfeGG4ykteR97tfrc3gPQ8ABTQ4kh1jYtIwoMaVY9EW_5wUdiEi1M7_c01sQTRzasbaTVFrLqx-luRBAm8ZDAFO67XvxJOTi4kGHYB0F0-vUPc82fK-Zj2Lf8t6-d3BY0Sgi0zuu8Sk/s1600/P1120607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIfeGG4ykteR97tfrc3gPQ8ABTQ4kh1jYtIwoMaVY9EW_5wUdiEi1M7_c01sQTRzasbaTVFrLqx-luRBAm8ZDAFO67XvxJOTi4kGHYB0F0-vUPc82fK-Zj2Lf8t6-d3BY0Sgi0zuu8Sk/s320/P1120607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: orange;"><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">After dinner, we went to a Milanga (or tango dance hall) and
watched people – of ALL ages – tango.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It
was almost midnight and couples in their 80s were twirling about… pretty
impressive.</span></span></span></div>
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Off to bed ... I'm exhausted<br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-2083672927161363382018-04-26T15:52:00.000-07:002018-04-26T16:42:56.345-07:00Great Escape 2018: Busy Day in Bogata<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the way to the airport yesterday, when we opened the first
envelope, we discovered we were going to Bogota, Columbia. YAY …<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>a new destination (although we did go to
Cartagena, Columbia a few years ago on the 2015 Global Scavenger Hunt). We met
up with Marnie and Greg at the IAH airport and had an interminable check-in experience
(Avianca managed to successfully checked in only about 3 people an hour… thank goodness we had lots of time). Our plane landed in Bogata around midnight, so we did not meet up
until 9:30AM this morning, when we opened our second envelope (which had clear “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do not open until breakfast</i>”
instructions). In the second envelope was a set of scavenges for Bogota today
and information about our flight out tonight to meet the rest of the teams in
Buenos Aries, Argentina.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are staying in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">La
Candeleria</i> district of Bogata (the historical district) which has great
architecture, cobbled streets and LOTS of graffiti and color.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Mbaoj7RkfO1i8ZfWmnTdQjdbQEdnnnIFwr97o2_N6fswiLMIeY4RcvmvuUNPlGxwEtA6rihoxSdPEUu2TL5WQ3taeTKBNZKadV9dCvfnq7UJyai1yC5eGo7umhMPHFVpNGLSpsckUwU/s1600/ZBL+and+RCB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Mbaoj7RkfO1i8ZfWmnTdQjdbQEdnnnIFwr97o2_N6fswiLMIeY4RcvmvuUNPlGxwEtA6rihoxSdPEUu2TL5WQ3taeTKBNZKadV9dCvfnq7UJyai1yC5eGo7umhMPHFVpNGLSpsckUwU/s320/ZBL+and+RCB.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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Look at the character in this woman's face. What sorrows has she seen?</div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">First scavenge of the day was to take a tram car ride to the
top of the hill (Montserrat) for a panoramic view of the entire city.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And Bogota is HUGE.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It stretches as far as you can see in either
direction.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Eight million people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><u>Scavenge</u></b>: <i>Visit the Botero Museum</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This turned out to be a very hip, modern art museum (which was free of charge).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It has dozens of Botero pieces as well as a
few Picassos, Salvador Dalis and one Matisse.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;">I know that "art is in the eye of the beholder" but this Picasso - in my opinion - looks like a 2nd grader's art project. Honestly the street graffiti was so superior. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span>But then I got hooked on the Botero pieces. Fernando Botero is probably the most famous artist from Columbia.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He was raised in Medellin and started out as an
apprentice Matador, before he realized that art was more his calling than torturing and killing bulls (yes, I'm not even pretending to hide by disdain for bull fighting). Botero predominantly
depicts voluptuous forms, often in the nude: a unique and easily recognizable
style. Some critics say his work is silly or trivial, but I found his pieces
(which are very large) almost magnetic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Across town to the Botantical gardens which are an oasis in
the middle of concrete madness.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "calibri"; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pigeons swarm in the main square with Spanish styled architecture all around</span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;">An i<span style="font-family: "calibri";">nteresting scavenge today was to photograph political
graffiti.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We found lots dealing with the
various civil wars.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I like this one… in
the game of war, no one wins. So very, very true.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: calibri;">We had to interview people on the street about Columbia’s
feelings on Venezuela’s economic instability. So, when we ran into come college
kids looking to interview tourists for one of their classes, we did a fair
exchange.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We answered their questions
and they talked to us at length about Venezuela.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Since Venezuela has fallen apart economically
– and there is no food or medicine etc. – Columbia has been overrun with people
fleeing that collapse. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>While Columbians
believe that they must help their “brothers,” the sheer numbers of Venezuelans
arriving every day has overwhelmed this country, especially its medical care
system. This matter is a central issue in the upcoming elections here. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">We are off now to Argentina for another adventure... we will miss the color of Bogota</span></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-6382522916795355362018-04-25T12:22:00.004-07:002018-04-25T12:22:53.479-07:00Great Escape 2018: Heading out to … somewhere???<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #161616; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The
gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” –
Sir Richard Burton<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s that time of the year (plus 10 days)… today we JOIN
the Global Scavenger Hunt 2018.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, the
teams this year are already midway through their circumnavigation of the globe.
Because Rainey and I signed up to teach at the University of Houston Law School
this year, we could not – for the first time in 11 years – do the entire
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Last class of the semester (circa yesterday)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was a very sad day at our home
when the teams met up in San Francisco on April 13<sup>th</sup> and headed out
to Taipei.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was even worse when they moved
on to India and then Africa (Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite place (India) and four new
countries that I’ve never experienced… oh… there has been a lot of grousing and
moaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, yesterday was our last law
school class, so today we fly out … to somewhere!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will find out our “mystery” destination
once we are almost at the airport. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our dear friends Marnie and Greg are coming with us
for this second leg so we will meet them at the airport today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having missed the first half, we cannot be
competitive this year but that doesn’t mean we don’t intend to squeeze as much
fun out of every moment of the trip. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Rainey packed in just his day pack so he seems ready
to run. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have two envelopes to open from the event coordinators and Travel Master Geniuses (Bill and Pamela) … one on the way to the airport… and the
second tomorrow morning at breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So
are we are on our way to London to take a second flight to South Africa and meeting
the teams for a last African leg?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or are
we heading south to South America?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Stay tuned to find out….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-20990230272587440252017-04-25T05:08:00.000-07:002018-04-30T17:03:00.565-07:00GE 2017: Stunning Sri Lanka <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sri Lanka, an island off the Southeast tip of India, is a stunning country filled with history and archaeological treasures and best of all... some of the nicest, kindest, sweetest people in the world. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Put it on your "must visit" list.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Fun fact: There are 8 Unesco World Heritage sites in this small country (America has only 23 in its vasts lands). So there are a lot of wonders to see in Sri Lanka. Second fun fact: Almost all of those sites are on the TOP of a hill or mountain. There is some unwritten rule here that everything gets more sacred if you put it really high up, where it's totally exhausting to visit it. But, I will admit, the views from some of these places were amazing. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Bill opened the leg at noon on Saturday. By 1:45pm, Rainey and I had packed day packs and
were on a 7+ hour, non-air conditioned train to Anuradhapura in the
North. We did not get seats for the first 4 hours. </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, imagine multiple
hours where the people standing pressed right up against you are all rubbing
their sweat right onto you with every shake and rock of the train. I was
doing lots of slow yoga breathing. The things you will endure on this trip for scavenge
points...!!!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Plus the train moves
only slightly faster than the villagers walking along the tracks. But it
did give me lots of time to ask questions of our fellow riders and get
some strategy advice on how to tackle this country.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Warning: you also have
to stay sharp to side-step the cockroaches on the floor (what do you expect
when people consistently walk up and down selling boiled corn, cotton candy,
samosas.. you name it... and food crumbles litter the floor?) Finally getting a
seat next to a window - many hours in - so the damp humid wind hit my face was
like manna from heaven.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>We passed through stretches
of remote villages followed by fields and jungle brush and finally got off
the train ... hours later - very shaken but not stirred. As we left the
station, we found that another scavenger hunt team had been on the train as
well: Team Ying, one of the father-daughter teams. We decide to share a taxi to a nearby hotel and on the way - very nicely - asked our taxi driver if he would invite
us home to his house for dinner. Crazy, I know. But the competition awards big
points for orchestrating just such an "invitation." Plus our thought was that being with another team probably reduced the chances of random
cannibalism or a "Taken" experience. Our driver, Chachim, was either
too polite or too shocked to tell us to get lost. So, instead, he took us to a
locals-only part of town where we bought kottu roti - for all of us - from a street
vendor to take to his house for a feast.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Less than an hour
later we were sitting in Chachim's garden eating dinner. Much of his house is
still being built (likely everything but the kitchen area) and has only dirt
floor and open holes in the walls awaiting windows. But he has a garden with
some palm trees and fruit trees and we hauled every chair he owned out to the
yard. Such an interesting experience.</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Dawn the next morning
found us climbing to the top of the Minhitale. And, of course, we had to
get to the TOP.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0zbYHb3aZWyzulTCf_khSc9LWDv_iD2GRi5VLrVyvYOHFouvKRSCcayKu7B3vtccbBx18ukYJJ7Lo6x7sEKJ0p0FHoDDJjhD1s7PdOcT2W3WPF8La5wh6X99pg4P3onZYlm_5K1TnyM/s1600/P1110906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0zbYHb3aZWyzulTCf_khSc9LWDv_iD2GRi5VLrVyvYOHFouvKRSCcayKu7B3vtccbBx18ukYJJ7Lo6x7sEKJ0p0FHoDDJjhD1s7PdOcT2W3WPF8La5wh6X99pg4P3onZYlm_5K1TnyM/s320/P1110906.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">At one of the temples,
we ran into a parade involving a beating drum band, a very long stream of
orange cloth as well as much chanting and slow marching around the stupa.
Not sure the significance of any of that, but there was true devotion
attached to the pilgrimage.</span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXReWvSOOdhq-vcvLmSU_Ve8fXykzoq1LKfBDZVz5eUDp2BmVrkSshOe6KH8mLBDcROcOKNIpAWJhDaPJeUNj8-xsjhv1yQCCvO4aW_59wDggJprvlmKWEfNCoKVNh47B0m1EHVdYzCg/s1600/P1110923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXReWvSOOdhq-vcvLmSU_Ve8fXykzoq1LKfBDZVz5eUDp2BmVrkSshOe6KH8mLBDcROcOKNIpAWJhDaPJeUNj8-xsjhv1yQCCvO4aW_59wDggJprvlmKWEfNCoKVNh47B0m1EHVdYzCg/s320/P1110923.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM4ZRlrzyrtoAhiNcHyLjZ0Bldg0sPiZo4yGZeeP3PxBYdCt14EuvHVlIW6dFSpHoUgeZejqvFnNh96nnuGekVTAhCbXcjpi01ykY3Eud6GuKBmSGrcQv2yOwj5IZ42wKChX0Gt8l5Ks/s1600/P1110926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM4ZRlrzyrtoAhiNcHyLjZ0Bldg0sPiZo4yGZeeP3PxBYdCt14EuvHVlIW6dFSpHoUgeZejqvFnNh96nnuGekVTAhCbXcjpi01ykY3Eud6GuKBmSGrcQv2yOwj5IZ42wKChX0Gt8l5Ks/s320/P1110926.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL0P-c_Y-LQl9HZTsi4HIHB5yO70hINBp-AUSIV8l9jKiXk3Uy1k_O92E-qkR9OvchXm7lqLc-UHNhToP8IiqhSBe7K_IDlcCVyQd_Squr801rGcjmGxQfcVdLCyNAENrfkjRqayy5FU/s1600/P1110928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL0P-c_Y-LQl9HZTsi4HIHB5yO70hINBp-AUSIV8l9jKiXk3Uy1k_O92E-qkR9OvchXm7lqLc-UHNhToP8IiqhSBe7K_IDlcCVyQd_Squr801rGcjmGxQfcVdLCyNAENrfkjRqayy5FU/s320/P1110928.JPG" width="240" /></b></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And my favorite shot
from that temple complex...Aptly titled: "Monk resting below elephant
statue."</span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0ckn4dI4Eg6WjQR9x_do2_s3zKerim9X8CD1YObqmhCmFGf_VKIZuFctRBXI1_yWUU5L-23LOTb1RC2m1mPI4CAIilu5r-Q8fqV6jPnTUdWSZt8l6-sySLnHbUOvE7xn0CKRE2AaPUE/s1600/P1110919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0ckn4dI4Eg6WjQR9x_do2_s3zKerim9X8CD1YObqmhCmFGf_VKIZuFctRBXI1_yWUU5L-23LOTb1RC2m1mPI4CAIilu5r-Q8fqV6jPnTUdWSZt8l6-sySLnHbUOvE7xn0CKRE2AaPUE/s320/P1110919.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We then moved on to
another city, Polonnaruwa, which is chock full of ancient ruins. My favorite:
the giant headless statue, mainly because the ground was so hot and you had to
take off your shoes and the statue's black toes felt like my toes (burned all
the way through).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1ieYgivRqEOeMRAPqb0rnXQeyY6lfg49M4adJpYfQ2ksDiws5Ovk6NEuSvfNcfAROJXp2BS5sU38c_fv_mX85ZZ6iInkchcWc0aThbOZgHEklsSllN7K92RBxWymBm9_RMVYLVxdybk/s1600/Headless+buddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1ieYgivRqEOeMRAPqb0rnXQeyY6lfg49M4adJpYfQ2ksDiws5Ovk6NEuSvfNcfAROJXp2BS5sU38c_fv_mX85ZZ6iInkchcWc0aThbOZgHEklsSllN7K92RBxWymBm9_RMVYLVxdybk/s320/Headless+buddha.jpg" width="178" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0JhN09GDvaObgH822cppeo_bCuhyOd_inqzo8kdJsqq0m_KGeNr-c7RBhctBeqLzn2x0qtk3xN8e75qZkTXh3WY-1ExaoS_hkqRjYHmebNilgKS-EK8mc7nXyc9GOjjs6HxSpx77Mk/s1600/P1110986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0JhN09GDvaObgH822cppeo_bCuhyOd_inqzo8kdJsqq0m_KGeNr-c7RBhctBeqLzn2x0qtk3xN8e75qZkTXh3WY-1ExaoS_hkqRjYHmebNilgKS-EK8mc7nXyc9GOjjs6HxSpx77Mk/s320/P1110986.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Plus the fact that you
are not allowed to take any photos while backing the statue (so you don't show
the decapitated deity any disrespect) is a true repudiation of "the
selfie."</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l7xPjtmbvmQkIMqP2PmHXaKrGkStdfCr-D6n0xgwhNczk2dXf7cg4VCRDWkwcEKkyOS6hFAjeeIfQsdiOVeV1JpGnq7xwcdi425ESvR8ED7EdekpPn_YD8LNw4J83U8wL7iuyGOrSKs/s1600/P1110987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l7xPjtmbvmQkIMqP2PmHXaKrGkStdfCr-D6n0xgwhNczk2dXf7cg4VCRDWkwcEKkyOS6hFAjeeIfQsdiOVeV1JpGnq7xwcdi425ESvR8ED7EdekpPn_YD8LNw4J83U8wL7iuyGOrSKs/s320/P1110987.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Driving through town
in a Tuk Tuk, we found lots of kids frolicking in the brackish water of the
river to avoid the stifling heat. And whole families washing their clothes and
themselves on the river bank</span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpEKvyXSCrYtmzBXR-z4OLpYi5UzrfJCCRZsjn6ORda6EoV-kyvO09rBe4k0DSmIUVA4OaD7vE7fpMYF2qGtTYZK9ZQ6CIAo3JpbDKMSC8zs5CjI2xnvu6Nytl1FdaxGgXrktOADKTOE/s1600/P1110996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpEKvyXSCrYtmzBXR-z4OLpYi5UzrfJCCRZsjn6ORda6EoV-kyvO09rBe4k0DSmIUVA4OaD7vE7fpMYF2qGtTYZK9ZQ6CIAo3JpbDKMSC8zs5CjI2xnvu6Nytl1FdaxGgXrktOADKTOE/s320/P1110996.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And how about this for
unusual? There are tons of wild elephants in this part of the country. As
we drove alone, we saw one hanging out by the river ... and one just waiting
for the cars to pass so he could cross the road.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUeV51OEEe4yUAIXzi0k9PFvT494XyPq1tSJYbj6X9CRONeRe47n02uVMedivkoW8nwaPswfzUo8Eh6q-pkN5H21qIFoaxfeFwMhAA_jMQTQt_uYvy1_ULGybHhH1qtk-8kOLQKUWgR8/s1600/P1120002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUeV51OEEe4yUAIXzi0k9PFvT494XyPq1tSJYbj6X9CRONeRe47n02uVMedivkoW8nwaPswfzUo8Eh6q-pkN5H21qIFoaxfeFwMhAA_jMQTQt_uYvy1_ULGybHhH1qtk-8kOLQKUWgR8/s320/P1120002.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sIYNgHUvBTBUCI0JgYSygaTsZbgIu9lv1KLU7DBpT7pNfJ-3_ynlEXzF1aH8Nf4UBx2qwHnv2-HKilGxl_L_p836jgMPHR1edJU36EDZ8Ibr96KkjycSedSd07NRu4Q9a9p55MKuttQ/s1600/P1120008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sIYNgHUvBTBUCI0JgYSygaTsZbgIu9lv1KLU7DBpT7pNfJ-3_ynlEXzF1aH8Nf4UBx2qwHnv2-HKilGxl_L_p836jgMPHR1edJU36EDZ8Ibr96KkjycSedSd07NRu4Q9a9p55MKuttQ/s320/P1120008.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last scavenge of the
day ... climb to the top of the Lion Rock. Because, if you were a king and
there was one geological oddity (i.e a giant rock in the middle of a flat
plain) wouldn't you also decide to build a palace ON TOP of the
rock? Again, back to my theme of "atop is best and most sacred."
Imagine hauling every piece of stone up there? </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM7HyNKm3AKqE-poF10BkurqKnmv-4irmLuSpU8SEvXY3570novhluUnVUt3mAIrn3qrQvHcTq7HAcsYBgPNEWdbqBg1WPptYmojcfbkGhdfMiOI6lmA-0dcl7Vf0BWXWLSJYaVRobjk/s1600/Lions+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM7HyNKm3AKqE-poF10BkurqKnmv-4irmLuSpU8SEvXY3570novhluUnVUt3mAIrn3qrQvHcTq7HAcsYBgPNEWdbqBg1WPptYmojcfbkGhdfMiOI6lmA-0dcl7Vf0BWXWLSJYaVRobjk/s320/Lions+rock.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Much of the palace has
been washed away over the 1,600 years, but the entrance to the palace was
originally through a giant lion's mouth. Only the lion's paws remain which lets
you at least imagine how incredible the whole original structure must have
been. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRK-IMm4KY3vqGvoNy0W8tuU-s-40KGM0BciMD5gwex438tMjSjoCRnO2LFBi-CG-5_-IUf6hyphenhyphenEN18PC3EQmyI98TNBIAZ9NWrBqbeFF8GtERYlC0DAJ797MVoKZ5Qr97iIhZaKVFqmQ/s1600/Lions+Paw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRK-IMm4KY3vqGvoNy0W8tuU-s-40KGM0BciMD5gwex438tMjSjoCRnO2LFBi-CG-5_-IUf6hyphenhyphenEN18PC3EQmyI98TNBIAZ9NWrBqbeFF8GtERYlC0DAJ797MVoKZ5Qr97iIhZaKVFqmQ/s320/Lions+Paw.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are frescoes
drawn into the side of the rock in a small cave about half way up. If not
actually drawn by a 12 year old boy, they were clearly created by an artist
with a 12 year old boy's unrealistic imaginings of the perkiness and roundness
of the female breast. Or breast implants were all the rage back then. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>I was so hot by the time we climbed down that I jumped into the hotel pool with all my clothes on. I got in a 2 minute soak - and reduced my core temperature from health-damaged levels - before the nice security guard asked me to please get out.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Next morning we set
out for Nuwara Eliya, a British-styled tea plantation town. A Tuk Tuk ride and
2 buses later... with 6+ hours of inhaling exhaust fumes ... we finally arrived
and did a tour of a tea factory. Guess what? Automation has reduced the number of workers in the factory from 64 to 5. Even in Sri Lanka... the robot-reducing-labor phenomena is alive and well. </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>We learned that to buy a package of the tea would cost the tea pickers two full day's wages... just wow.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Last scavenge of Nuwara Elijah, to eat "high tea" in the
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<b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then on to the base of
the mountain, Adam's Peak, where we got 4 hours of sleep before getting up at
1:30AM to start climbing. The scavenge points were for being at the top
by dawn. And we were...</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We hurried back from Adam's Peak for check-in and found out that our next stop is Cairo, Egypt. We were there 10 years ago. I wonder how it's changed in the wake of the Arab Spring. Let's see...<br />
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-33517496928087451832017-04-25T04:40:00.002-07:002018-04-30T17:03:15.365-07:00GE 2017: Bangkok with a Bang <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we left Vietnam for Sri Lanka, we had to change flights in Bangkok. And we ended up with a 9 hour lay-over, So Bill (the event organizer) made us leave the nice, pleasant air conditioned airport and spend a few hours rushing around Bangkok - in the traffic and heat - for points. We got just a "taste" of the city. But what a great idea to not just waste the layover time.<br />
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All the teams went running out of the airport in different directions as soon as we landed. Rainey and I started off with Greg and Catherine (The Traveling Bohemians) but - as often happens in crowded cities with Tuk Tuks - we immediately lost them. Their Tuk Tuk went one way to the temple and ours went another way and we never saw them again for the rest of the day. So annoying.<br />
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We started where we had been just last moth on the way to Buthan (we also had just a few hours in Bangkok then): Wat Pho. We came back for a second blessing. The Karma shot at the reclining buddha.<br />
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Then we jumped into a crowded water taxi to cross the river since at least there was a little breeze on the river and far less traffic.<br />
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to the colorful Wat Arun</div>
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Bangkok was surface-of-the-sun-hot and by then we had sweated through all of our clothes. Even my toe nails were dripping. So we stopped for a food scavenge and found another team (Jenny and Mark: Thunderstorm) already at the designated cafe. Gave us a chance to visit with them for a bit in a lovely restaurant right by the river (and we got points doing it... Double Yay). </div>
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Observation: What do you think the monk on the left has in his briefcase? Buddha's contracts?</div>
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<u>Rankings</u>: Taking one entire day off the competition - during the Vietnam leg - to visit Ha Long Bay (which was not a scavenge) hurt us badly in the rankings. We have now dropped to 4th place... but are not yet out of the running. There are many legs still to come. Stay tuned</div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-25504873479292666362017-04-20T09:22:00.000-07:002018-04-30T17:03:29.758-07:00GE 2017: Hello Hanoi and Good Morning Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We are staying at a beautiful hotel in Hanoi right by the town
lake. Vietnam is busy, busy, busy and
crossing a street feels a lot like gambling with your life as the cars and
mopeds and bicycles whizz by you - and around you - without even tapping their brakes. I am shocked that I made it through this leg with all toes intact. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Under the theory that “he who wins the war gets to write the history
books” we visited the "Hanoi Hilton," the legendary POW prison where John
McCain and scores of other Americans were kept and tortured during the Vietnam
War. It is now a super creepy museum. The cells and prison barracks are still
intact (and mighty unsettling) with statues replicating the prisoners.</div>
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There is
also two rooms dedicated to the American prisoners with photographs of John
McCain “receiving life-saving medical treatment” (which seems to be code for “getting
patched up after a particularly brutal interrogation session”) </div>
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And staged
propaganda shots of the Americans “celebrating Christmas” and “playing
soccer.” </div>
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There is also a completely
uncomfortable government public awareness video – made in 1973 right after the
American prisoners were released – that proudly explains how the Americans
received such great and humane treatment at the prison that they repented, condemned
the war and America’s evil actions, and begged the Vietnamese people for
forgiveness. Obviously there were true
atrocities on both sides in that war (as in every war) and we were not saints, but
the victor’s spin is remarkably disconcerting.</div>
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We also went to the Water Puppets show: a stunningly awful theatrical experience with unique cultural flair. </div>
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There
are no words… just music with lots of clinking and screechy instruments. And the puppets are manipulated by puppeteers
who stand thigh deep in water behind a screen while they move the puppets on
and through the water. If there is a
plot, it flew straight by me. Although
in one scene it did appear that the puppets were planting rice – which grew
tall and thick. And there were several scenes with a smoke breathing dragon who
seemed to like to dance. Can’t say I got
more than that. But it is a truly
one-of-a-kind cultural event and there were several scenes with dancing girl puppets who waved their arms a lot. <o:p></o:p></div>
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How about a dodgy massage story?
On this leg, we get scavenge points for getting a massage. Sounds great.
So, when we were walking on a pretty nice street, we saw a lady standing
by a sandwich board that announced spa options.
She was in front of an upscale boutique so I thought maybe the spa was
in the back of the shop. </div>
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We approached,
bartered a price and then she grabs me by the hands and leads Rainey and I down
a back alley – turning left at the dead, plucked rooster – and up 4 flights of
stairs to a dingy apartment with 2 children in the living room and into a spare
bedroom with 2 massage tables. <br />
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Granny
shows up (who is either 101 or 945 years old) and the two of them proceed to
pummel Rainey and me within an inch of our lives. Actually was a pretty decent massage despite
the totally sketchy surroundings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Late dinner was at KOTO – a restaurant that “does good.” The name comes from the phrase “Know One,
Teach One” and it’s a program where local chefs and restaurant workers
volunteer their time at this café to train young, at-risk teens in cooking and waitressing
etc. The KOTO restaurant is their
classroom and job, all rolled into one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 2 in Hanoi started with sunrise Tai Chi with the old ladies in the
park. Nimble octogenarians and me.</div>
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Rainey and I decided today to put the competition on hold for the day and go off
and do something that was NOT a scavenge but which has long been on my bucket list: Ha Long Bay. So – for
no points – we spent 4 hours (each way) in a bus and then five hours on a boat cruising in the bay. But boy was it worth
it. A true DOUBLE WOW. Ha Long Bay is a
series of oddly shaped and sharply pointed islands rising from the water. It was the setting for one of the final scenes in the James Bond movie "Man with a Golden Gun."</div>
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There is a complicated mythology tale
about the bay which involves dragons and demons and missing teeth, but in
reality, the island were formed when tetonic shifts lifted what had been
underwater to above water. The result is
stunning.</div>
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Called “The Kiss”, although without any of the gold fleck of Klimt's masterpiece, these two
rocks actually don’t touch but, from this angle, do appear to be in an embrace.</div>
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Last stop on the cruise was to a huge and very beautiful cave. Stalagtites and stalagmites and quartz swirls as well as an eerie visual of “sunlight” as the concentrated sun beam filters
down to the cave depth. This cave would give Carlsbad caverns a real run for their money. It was a truly
lovely day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Last scavenge before check-in: Taxi driver roulette. You ask a taxi driver to take you to one of his favorite restaurants where only locals eat... and then you dine there. Our driver chose a Pho place (thank goodness, as Pho is a noodle based soup where everything is boiled and theoretically can't hurt you). But bonus ... our Pho came with pork stomach. Yikes !!!<br />
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<u>Observation</u>: When Hong Kong upgrades its infrastructure, they put in
elevated side-walks where the pedestrians are high above the city so nobody has
to cross a street or risk injury in the traffic. That's 21st century city living.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meanwhile, in Hanoi, this is the power line system. And, yes, it was a scavenge (worth 20 points) to document some of the more egregious electricity nightmares. My personal favorite, because it is so clearly a fire waiting to happen:</div>
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<b><u>Rankings</u></b>: In case anyone cares about the actual competition rankings, at the end
of the Hong Kong leg, Rainey and I are in first place. </div>
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Second place is TSA Precheck, a couple from LA in the movie business.
We did their peer review, which means we were the team who checked their photos
and documentation from Hong Kong to prove they actually did what they claimed. This is a strong team. They are up early, in
bed late and are having a ton of fun along the way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Third place is the father / daughter Ying team. Alan speaks Mandarin so
he had a slight advantage on the Hong Kong leg but they stayed out doing
challenges until 2:30AM the first night so they clearly have the stamina for
the competition. And the adventure spirit ... as Sydney even took on the challenge of finding and riding a water buffalo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fourth is the Slo Folks (SLO standing for San Luis Obispo from whence
they hail) who still have my bet for winning the whole event as they are steady,
consistent competitors. </div>
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And the Traveling Bohemians (Greg and Catherine Cervenka) clocked in at 7th place. <br />
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<b><u>Next country</u></b>: We found out tonight – when the Vietnam leg
closed - that we leave in the morning
for Sri Lanka with a 7 hour lay-over scavenge leg in a still-unknown country. We will not learn our first destination until tomorrow morning but we know that we will end up in Sri Lanka late tomorrow night. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595722023191042402.post-2704776354181554082017-04-18T22:22:00.000-07:002017-04-19T15:57:45.606-07:00Great Escapes 2017: Hanging out in Hong Kong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We arrived in Hong Kong after 14 hours of travel and Bill
gave us an hour to freshen up before he opened the leg. We were all a little woozy from the time
change but determined to stay awake all day – and get points – and beat the jet
lag. Highlights from our favorite scavenges (we do probably 20+ things each day, so I'm only describing the favorites):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First scavenge out of the box was to eat dim sum and
dumplings at a giant restaurant on the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor of City Hall. Whoever owns that place has a gold mine ... they probably feed a few thousand people a day. Greg and Catherine came with us and then
headed off to conquer the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scavenge # 8: Find the wounded beasts at the foot of the HSBC building. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Turns out there are two giant lions statues that were hit with shrapnel and bullets in World War II during the Battle of Hong Kong (1944). They still bear the scars to prove it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had to take a skinny double-decker electric bus-like vehicle called “British trams”) around town</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scavenge # 32: We had to visit </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">the Foreign Correspondent’s Club to find a specific photograph. The FCC is essentially a members only bar for ex-pat reporters and press corp. So, first, we had to talk our way into the place since it's a private club. But our real mission was to find the original photo – that is obviously famous because of Time Magazine – of the last helicopter leaving Saigon as Vietnam fell. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And there it was. Just hanging on the wall. Throngs of people crowded on the ladder trying to get taken out of the country as America flew away and left them all behind. So powerful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the second day in Hong Kong we got an early start on a ferry to Macau. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">And yes, Macau is more than just Las Vegas for Asia (although there are an awful lot of casinos). Like this old church facade</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">And a very </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">colorful temple that you arrive at by bicycle rickshaw.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After Macau we headed to Aberdeen (a suburb water side town with a very British name) to catch a sampan to Lamma island. What we quickly learned is a "sampan" is a wooden boat made of half-rotten wood held
together with twine and bamboo sticks. There
are tire bumpers strapped to all sides which does not inspire confidence as it
appears the sampan captains routinely drive their vessels into stationery objects. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Less than a hour at sea later, we arrived at Lamma island (which appears to have only a row of seafood restaurants and little or nothing else). But we got to finally sit down for a few minutes and actually eat something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">An unexpected “WOW” scavenge was to find the Innovation tower at HK
Polytechnic. The Polytechnic is a famous technical and design university with over 30,000 students. Innovation </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">tower is actually a creative
design classroom building in the center of campus. It was designed by famed architect Zara Hadid
(You may have heard of her: she’s from Iraq, knighted by the
Queen of England so she’s a Dame, died last year of a heart attack in Miami). The building looks like a cruise liner fell
from the sky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Hong Kong was an exhilarating - but exhausting - two days. My Fit Bit says
we walked 11.4 miles the first day and 9.7 the second. I would say it’s a great weight loss program
except I’m steadfastly eating chocolate and dessert to keep my “stamina” up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">WE ARE MOVING ON NOW TO HANOI, VIETNAM... Stay tuned. </span></div>
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Zoe Littlepagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00505422081673218989noreply@blogger.com4