Oops!

I have been thinking about writing a blog post for ages now as it has been 4 months since my last post, by far the longest stretch I have gone without blogging since our move here in August 2011. I have an abundance of things to write about too, most notably that the hubby and I are expecting an Australian American to join our family in just 9 weeks. We are excited to embark on what is bound to be our most exciting adventure yet!

I find it extremely difficult to sit down in February and March to blog, since those tend to be the months where the weather is the best it gets in Melbourne. Longer days, sunshine, and warmth mean that I want to spend all of my free time outside and not inside typing away on a computer. Now we are well into autumn, with cool temperatures, rain showers, and shorter days on the agenda. Winter will be here in just over a month.

Signs of autumn on a sunny day

My goal is to revive the blog over the next few weeks (before our lives get flipped upside down with a newborn bub!) and share with you some of the adventures we have had over the last few months. I am most excited to blog about our trip to Vanuatu and Fiji. Sadly, just a few months after we left Vanuatu, the islands were ravaged by a very bad cyclone (hurricane). We are unsure as to what condition the islands are in now, particularly the smaller island of Tanna, where there would be very little protection from a category 5 cyclone.

Accommodation on Tanna (volcano in the background). Not likely able to withstand a cyclone.

Ironically, another place that we visited in 2014 has just been devastated by a natural disaster, as the city of Kathmandu has been hit by a major earthquake. The pictures we have seen so far are horrifying and we are hoping that the death toll does not continue to rise. Both of these countries rely heavily on tourism and both have such poor infrastructure, so we worry about the Ni-Van and Nepalese people and hope that they can bounce back from these tragedies.

Durbar Square in Kathmandu, looking much different than it does today.

Nairobi

About 5 hours after we departed from the United Arab Emirates, our flight landed in Nairobi. We chose Kenya as our travel arrival/departure point because it was significantly cheaper than flying into Tanzania. Originally we had hoped to spend more time in Kenya, but that plan changed when we decided to head to the States before our Africa jaunt. We received a transit visa on arrival (good for 3 days...paid in post-2006 printed US dollars, and that seems to be the way most Africans want to be paid), which was quite easy as we were the only people in line. The airport has seen better days (there was a major fire last year and it is also undergoing renovations), but I think in a few years after the remodel, the airport will be much nicer.

I had arranged for our hostel to pick us up at the airport. Our driver was there when we came out of baggage claim and we headed off to Wildebeest Eco Camp, where we would stay for the night. On the drive from the airport, the most noticeable thing was people walking EVERYWHERE! So many people walking to work, public buses waiting to fill up to take people places, and insane traffic. The other noticeable thing was the smell of burning rubber. Wildebeest is located out of the city, in a more quiet suburban area. We arrived to find a gate with a guard for the property (we later learned guards and gates are generally standard in Kenya), which was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. 

We chose the cheapest option at Wildebeest, so we would be sleeping in a basic tent. Our tent was not set up when we arrived (we expected that, since it was about 7am!), so we had breakfast and then hired a driver to take us to an elephant orphanage and a giraffe sanctuary. Both of these were quite touristy activities, so they drew large crowds, but they were educational and informative as well. The elephants have been orphaned due to their mothers being poached for their tusks, so the money that people pay to watch the elephants feed (every day at 11am for one hour it is open to the public) goes towards helping to raise the orphaned elephants. Watching them run down the hill to the feeding area and then go straight to chugging down the massive milk bottles was really entertaining. Employees also answered questions about the elephants, the mission of the orphanage, and poaching. At the end they tried to make sure that people had a chance to pet an elephant as well. 

Who needs help holding the bottle? Not this guy!

The giraffe sanctuary was really crowded, and we encountered some rude people, so we had a more negative experience there. We did benefit from a brief information session about the different types of giraffes in Africa. We also got the chance to hold a few different giraffe bones, which were ridiculously heavy. Right next to the sanctuary is Giraffe Manor, where I would have loved to have stayed if we were rich, ha!

Yes, this sign is for real.

"Make sure you get my good side"

Don't judge! Giraffes have antiseptic saliva! Kelly and I were bonding in this photo.

Erik chose to feed the giraffe in a more traditional way.

We could have squeezed in a few more things in the afternoon, but we were happy to head back to Wildebeest to relax after our long day of travel from the States. We met some nice people (including the owners, who are Aussies) and enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner on the deck overlooking the grounds. The permanent tents look really nice, but we couldn't justify the splurge and our cheap tiny tent allowed for just as much sleep given we were exhausted when it was time for bed!

View of property from the deck where meals are served.

The next morning was spent at Wildebeest, again enjoying the relaxed atmosphere (they are putting in a pool soon, which will make it an even better place to stay!). Around midday, we took a taxi into the city centre, where we boarded Rainbow Shuttle for a 6 hour bus ride to Tanzania. The bus station area was a bit chaotic, but our driver was helpful in letting us know we were in the right place. After an hour or so of waiting, we were heading south to the country where we would spend the next 2.5 weeks!

Abu Dhabi

As I mentioned in the last post, we took Amtrak from Maryland to NYC. I was a bit worried about how that would work given it was New Year's Eve, but surprisingly it was far less chaotic than I expected. Upon arriving at Penn Station, we navigated our way to the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road), which we decided to take instead of the subway in order to avoid the NYE crowds. Turned out to be a great call, as there was hardly anyone on our train. We got off in Jamaica and from there hopped on the AirTrain to JFK.

We arrived at the airport about 3 hours before our departure time (we were supposed to have about 4 hours, but Amtrak was delayed from DC, so it was an hour late when we boarded at BWI), which I expected would be plenty of time. The airport was a madhouse. In particular, the line for Etihad, which we were flying to Nairobi, was ridiculously long and wasn't moving very fast. Turns out that some of the delay was because Etihad attendants were measuring carry on bags. I have never seen this on an international flight, but after watching multiple people trying to get away with 4-5 carry-on bags, I then understood why there was a need to tag carry-on bags. The guy behind us in line explained that because things are so cheap in the USA, people traveling home to the Middle East take as many things as possible and they try to avoid paying extra fees for bags by carrying them on the plane. They must still get away with taking too much on, because Erik and I ended up not getting any overhead bin space on the plane!

Flying over Saudi Arabia

We made through the line to check in after about an hour and then it took almost another hour to get through security. The flight was boarding when we made it to the gate, so we waited in that line and went straight onto the plane. This was our first flight with Etihad and overall it was quite good. I had picked our seats in advance, and we were in the back of the plane, in the first row that was 2 seats instead of 3, which gave us a bit of extra space (and a seat to store one of our backpacks under without compromising leg room). The seats were comfortable and had a nice amount of recline (maybe more than Qantas?) and the quality of the blankets and headphones were really good. Our eye mask, earplugs, and socks came in a cute travel pouch (which we now own 4 of), which was a nice touch. Of course there were heaps of movies to choose from for our 12 hour flight to Abu Dhabi, and we took full advantage of that. We were happy with the food choices/quality and the flight attendants were nice. Etihad is the first airline to offer a flying nanny, who helps parents with kids on the flight, which I think is a really great idea!

We arrived in Abu Dhabi around 7pm local time and our flight for Nairobi did not leave until 2am. Since we had some time, we decided to make the most of it and head out into Abu Dhabi. After doing some searching before we left home, I thought that the best place to visit would be the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Since we are American, we were able to get a free visa on arrival (no paperwork necessary). Immigration was very welcoming and there was no line, so we were out into the warm fresh air within a few minutes. We took a taxi to the mosque, and our friendly driver assured us it would be easy to get a taxi to the airport in a few hours when we were ready to head back.

Inside Abu Dhabi airport, which was really nice!

The mosque is massive, and as we approached it from afar, the sight of it was amazing (according to Wiki, the mosque and grounds are equivalent to about 5 football fields). It is made up of materials like marble, stone, gold, and ceramics, and these have come from different places all over the world. It was completely free to visit, and in order to go inside the mosque, I had to wear an abaya (which was also free) even though I was wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt.

Blurry picture, but that is me standing at the entrance!

Inside the mosque, wearing my borrowed abaya.

Awesome corridor view

The prayer room is at the far end behind Erik

Pretty lights outside the mosque

The architecture inside the main prayer hall was stunning, as was the attention to detail on every part of the room from the floor to the ceiling!

We spent a few hours at the mosque before heading back to the airport to grab some dinner. If we had a longer layover we would have really enjoyed seeing more of Abu Dhabi. Etihad offers a free shuttle bus to Dubai also, so that could have been an option if we had a day to spend in the area. Lots of flights these days seem to stop in one of those 2 cities in the UAE and we would definitely consider extending our stopover if we happen to fly through the UAE again in the future.

Our next flight was on Kenya Airways, which was not nearly as nice as Etihad, but they still got us safe and sound to Nairobi at 6am, where we would start our African adventures!

Maryland

A couple of hours and two friendly Southwest flight crews later, we made it from MSP to BWI on Christmas night. My parents were there to pick us up and take us to Westminster, my hometown, where we would stay until New Year's Eve. We didn't have any major plans for our time in Maryland except to hang out with family, which is what we did for most of the time we were there.

Another member of our family, my sister and brother-in-law's dog, Nola.

On the 26th we got to meet the newest addition to our family, Bryce. He was about 6 weeks old at the time, so we got in plenty of baby snuggles during our visit! My sister and I also got to spend some quality time together with her new baby boy, taking him on his first long walk around the neighborhood on a warm winter day.

Selfie!

Out and about on our walk. :)

Bryce chillin' with Uncle Erik and his crazy hair!

In addition to spending time in Maryland, we traveled to Virginia to meet my aunt and uncle for lunch, which was another highlight of our time at home. I was also able to catch up with a few friends, including one who is expecting a baby in March and one who just got engaged, and I was very happy to get the chance to see friends even though our time in Maryland was limited.

While in Westminster, we enjoyed some of our favorite American foods, namely Chipotle and Roberto's Pizza. We also had the chance to enjoy crab cakes from Timbuktu (the BEST crab cakes in Maryland, by the way!) just before my parents dropped us off at the Amtrak station. Our Maryland trip concluded with a visit from two of our friends who re-arranged their travel plans so that they could keep us company on the Amtrak train! Our flight to Africa left from JFK, so we took Amtrak from Baltimore to NYC, and our friends rode with us until Philly, where they were returning home after spending some time in North Carolina.

It never feels like enough time at home, and it was sad to say goodbye to our families, but it helped that we had 3 weeks of adventures in Africa to look forward to after our departure!

First Stop - Hawaii!

The first part of our trip was actually Erik's genius idea. First, you should know that originally we had planned to visit Africa for 3-4 weeks during December/January. However, once my sister announced that she would be having a baby in November, I decided I could not miss out on holding my nephew as a newborn, so we would still visit Africa, but we would travel there via the United States. I looked at airfares for months, and it is bloody expensive to fly to America around Christmas. I checked flights from different airports in Oz and to all of the major west coast US cities. It was my smart husband, however, who suggested flying through Hawaii. Fortunately, a budget airline in Australia, Jetstar, flies direct from Melbourne to Oahu.

Originally, I figured we would arrive in the morning (flight arrives at 6am), spend the day on the beach in Waikiki and then fly out that night (most flights to the mainland of America leave at 10pm or so, putting you on the west coast in the early morning hours). However, Erik suggested that we stay a few days, and seeing as we were about to embark on a pretty crazy 2 weeks of US travel plus 3 weeks of Africa travel, I was obviously up for his idea! We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon over 6 years ago, but did not visit Oahu, only Kauai and the Big Island. I was excited to see the North Shore of Oahu and thought that would be the perfect place to chill for a few days. 

Due to the fact that we were traveling like crazy, we wanted to do Oahu on a budget, which is not easy to do because Hawaii is expensive, at least compared to mainland USA. I found a place on Airbnb that was not too pricey and just steps to the beach on the North Shore. We decided that we would take "The Bus" up to the North Shore to save money on transport. However, upon arriving at Honolulu airport at 6am on December 17th, we were told that we could not take our luggage with us on The Bus (we each had our hiking packs which are about 55L and each had a daypack). Thanks to the power of 3G and the fact that I had activated my US sim card before we left Oz, I searched for car rental deals and found that we could rent a car for 3 days with Firefly Car Rental for $90. Sold. I booked on my mobile and we boarded the bus to pick up our rental car about 15 minutes later. FYI: we later learned that people take their luggage on The Bus frequently, so it is probably do-able if you are wanting to use public transport on the island!

Now that we had wheels, we could do some additional exploring before heading up to Haleiwa. First, we visited Diamond Head, where we walked to the top for views of Waikiki, the coastline, and the crater itself. I would definitely recommend doing this early in the morning like we did, otherwise I think it would be HOT!

After a few hours there, we headed up the east coast, stopping at a few beaches and overlooks along the way.

With Airbnb, sometimes you actually stay in a person's home, but this one was a self-contained cottage that was so cute! They also provided beach chairs, surfboards, bikes, etc., so pretty much everything we could ever need was there. 

The beach closest to our place was Sunset Beach, which is aptly named for the gorgeous sunset views.

In addition to lounging in the sun, we rode our bikes to Haleiwa town to check out a few shops and to get a little exercise. There are bike trails along much of the North Shore that run between the beach and the road, which is really nice. The place where we stayed was close to Ted's Bakery, where we enjoyed a meal or two. Also, you cannot leave the North Shore without trying shrimp from a shrimp truck. My mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious those shrimp (prawns for my Aussie friends) tasted!

Matsumoto Shave Ice. YUM!

We were staying very close to Pipeline, and the famous annual surfing competition had unfortunately just finished when we arrived. However, we did get the chance to watch some decent surfing from our own beach. 

First time I've ever seen a surfer's circle. Not sure who the tribute was for but it was awesome to watch!

We stayed for 2 nights and flew out late on the 3rd day. Our Airbnb hostess was super flexible and let us check out late, so we hung out on the beach before taking the inland road (as opposed to the coastal road) back towards Honolulu. Along the way we stopped at the Dole Plantation, which was really touristy but the pineapple soft serve ice cream was quite tasty! We actually made it back much quicker than we expected, and I was interested in seeing Waikiki Beach, so we headed that way in search of dinner. Duke's was the answer for dinner, though it was a bit pricier than the one we ate at in Kauai in 2007! Nevertheless, it was a good dinner and we had sweet seats for an another amazing Hawaiian sunset. After dinner we were on our way to the airport to say goodbye to warmth and sunshine and hello to winter in Minnesota!

A crowd gathers to watch sunset on Waikiki Beach

'Round the World in 5 Weeks

When we first started dating 10+ years ago, Erik and I discussed the possibility of taking time off from study/work to travel around the world. Our trip would involve numerous stops in multiple continents and would take place over about a year. Instead, we took a trip around the world in 5 weeks! This trip was not intended to replace our 'round the world itinerary, and perhaps one day we will have the chance for that big trip, but in order to visit our families for Christmas AND our holiday destination, it required traveling the circumference of the entire globe. 11 flights, 3 trains, 1 bus, and several private cars were used during our 5 weeks of travel. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting details about our trip, so stay tuned!

One of the many stunning views we witnessed in the air!

Chinese Food!

Trying different foods was certainly a major highlight of the China trip, so I felt that "food" was worthy of its own blog post! I wasn't really sure what to expect with the food in China based on what I had heard from previous travelers' experiences. Our manager, who has traveled to China many times as a coach, recommended that we buy Travelan, which is taken before every meal in order to prevent stomach issues. We stuck to the routine of taking a pill before each meal, so perhaps that helped to keep us healthy.

Our typical breakfast, served in the basement of the Sports School, consisted of rice, hard boiled eggs, frittata-like pancakes, dumplings, bananas (if we were lucky), bok choy or some other green veggie, and yogurt (once we figured out how to ask for it!). There were other choices as well, but these were the main things we ate for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were typically done on our own, as we were out and about for most of those meals.

On our first full day in China, we were very eager to try some Peking Duck, which is supposed to be a Beijing specialty. Low and behold, there was a Peking Duck restaurant INSIDE the sports school, down a few levels underground and next to to boxing hall. We had asked our guide earlier in the day about where we could get some Peking Duck. He said that he would tell us about that later... needless to say we did not expect the restaurant to be underneath the track and tennis courts of the school!

Our duck being carved. It was delicious!!

Every duck comes with a certificate!

Our first experience with Peking Duck was outstanding, however, the boys thought that a lot of meat might be wasted when the duck gets sliced. Therefore, we decided to have a go at carving our own Peking Duck. Let's just say it was quite messy and there is a reason why the restaurant offers to carve it for you!

Not as easy as we thought...

Street food is served everywhere and one of the most popular items on the street in Shichahai seemed to be traditional Beijing yogurt (suannai in Chinese). Every stall had a stash of little clay pots sealed with thin white and blue paper tops.

One of the things that I loved about dining in China was the round table. Essentially you order several different dishes for your group and and everyone shares by spinning the table around like a big lazy Susan. This concept creates opportunities to taste many different dishes.

Our cheapest meal was at a place I read about in Lonely Planet, where we paid less than $4 each for what was essentially all you can eat dumplings, including drinks!

The most adventurous eating took place at the Donghuamen Night Market. The boys made much more dramatic choices than I did by eating scorpion, spiders (big ones!), sea urchins, and starfish (though I did, in the end, try the starfish). I chose to try snake, which was chewy and did not taste very good!

Seafood

Insects

Fruit! In case you were wondering if there was any "normal" food at the night market.

Scorpion!

One for each of them...

Cheers!

My first bite of snake!

I will let you use your imagination to figure out what these foods are!

The night after our interesting eats at the Night Market, we were really craving Westernized food, so a stop at Maccas (aka McDonald's for the American readers) was in order. That was our only "Western" meal during our time in China.

Cal is shorter than me, so you can see that places are not really built for tall people in China!

Not only did we get to enjoy some of China's finest food, but we also indulged in just a few of their beers. Alcohol was quite cheap compared to Australia, so we took advantage of that when we could. Footy finals were on while we were there, so we found an Aussie pub where we could watch the games. Professional development combined with team bonding made this trip an incredibly enjoyable one!