A Traveler's Notes

Newfoundland

2009-09-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Newfoundland

2009-09-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Newfoundland

2009-09-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Newfoundland --the most easterly point of North America and our world's l6th largest island--on a map, it looks like a slice of Swiss cheese. It is solid around the edges and lots of holes in the middle. It was formed by the movement of tectonic plates, the ice age, and the ocean...a geologist paradise.

The settlements are mainly along the coast because of the island's geography and because fishing has been the mainstay. Spain, Portugal, France, England began fishing here in the 15000's and are an integral part of the political history of Newfoundland. Reports are that the Grand Banks off the southeast coast produced so much cod they could be "scooped from the water in buckets".

But cod fishing came to a halt in 1992 when cod stock had declined so that the government shut down cod fishing..over 40,000 people lost their job. Today other fishing is permitted, but cod catch is limited to 5 a day and only for family consumption.

But, there is no shortage of moose..more moose than people. Six moose were brought to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia around 1900..today there are over 120,000!!! They amble across the highway, the show up on road signs as in "drive slow--moose for next 30 kms", they show up on menus as in mooseburgers, moose pizza, moose stew and they show up in conversation as in admonitions "don't drive at night..you might hit a moose!

Other interesting menus items: cod tongues, halibut cheeks...and those wildberry pies--um, good!

A food conversation we had: We are checking into our accommodation "Cozy Corner" before dinner and asked about a place to eat. Pam, at the desk, describes multiple moose dishes: mooseburgers, moose soup, moose pizza. Kristen asked if there were any vegetarian options. Pam looked a little puzzelled and replied, "Your're the first vegetarian I have ever met. Maybe some have been here before but nobody said they were". We had fish, salad and pie for dinner, but think we were the headlines for the day at Cozy Corner.

Things we noticed: we never saw a chain fast food restaurant until we were in St. Johns, the capital city.

Very little traffic on the highways..maybe the moose are a deterant to cars!

Every little community has a "convenience store"...and that is the name on the front of the store. They sell canned and packaged food, nails, locally produced jams, work gloves, fishing tackle, crocheted/knitted wooly caps, mufflers, gloves, rent videos, sell lotto tickets, soft ice cream from a machine, etc.

Accents are a mix of some French, some Irish (esp on Atlantic side), Scots, English. And then there was: "here's some bread for ya's"; "There are 2 of-n-us with knee problems"

There were small gardens and large wood piles beside the highway--as on the public right of way. When we inquired we were told this is public land and good soil, in this otherwise rocky terrain, for gardening. The wood is cut from "Crown" land..offered by section each year for cutting...left by the side of road after being cut in the near-by woods and owner will gradually move it to their house before winter comes. Every out building we saw was filled with a stockpile of cut wood .

Most roofs had a ladder attached....its purpose was for climbing up to chimney for chimney cleaning.

A short conversation with a guide for a nature tour: "What will we see on the tour? Response: "Mostly shrubs and geology". "Any birds?" Response: Well, yeah, but they go by so fast you can't see 'em so good." We used that bird line alot for the rest of the trip.

About Nature:

We saw/identified over 40 wildflower varieties; exciting wildlife: whales--our boat captain said a 30+ton one--My mouth dropped when I saw the broad back of that giant as he dived under our boat! We saw a black bear at distance, a mink from our kayak as we were pulling close to shore, an eagle just gliding by the harbor, a fox, and lots of seabirds: puffins, guillemots, cormorants, fulmars, gannets, Arctic tern...and of course moose.

And, when we were in the Northern Peninsula....I saw an iceberg floating by...almost as exciting as seeing the first whale!

We walked where the Vikings had landed in the year 1,000....some of Leif Ericson's people..L'Anse aux Meadows(evolved French name meaning "Bay of the Jellyfish")--now a national park/archaeological site.

In a little coastal village of Conche in an area called "the French Coast" we found a jewel....a tapestry is being embroidered by a group of village women that unfolds the history of this bit of coast line. It will be l89ft long when completed next year....40 ft are on display in a small house museum now...we saw that display then were invited downstairs to see the work in progress. What an accomplishment in so many ways!

So, this ends our sabbatical of travel......what a fantasic experience! We have traveled over 55,000 miles in a period of l64 days; we have taken 35 flights, stayed in 70 various accommodations; Kristen and I have had 534 meals together; we have had untold laughs; met memorable folks; eaten pizza in every country visited and also, alot of peanut butter; shared some awesome sights: Iguazu Falls, ARG; looking at the night sky thru telescopes in the Atacama dessert /Chile; landing on Easter Island--just a speck in the big Pacific--the list is long.

And, if you would like to know where all of this has led, take a look at

www.kdavistravels.com

Thank you for reading along with our journey....and happy trails to you,

Karen

Canola field, Jasper Lake, dressed for lunch & mosquitos, & my best buds

2009-08-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Rockies & field

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Flowers of the Canadian Rockies

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West Glacier thru the window

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Lewis & Clark Territory

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the Montana Cabin

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What will we have for supper?

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Montana-Western Canada pics

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Traveling North America: June-August 09

2009-08-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Long time since I was here..cause I was driving from Tennessee to Montana to British Columbia+3 more provinces then to Nashville; home for about 10 days then flew to Newfoundland and did a couple of weeks of driving there! That is 6,000 mi +1,000mi. All of this was made more fun because I had my dog, Bonnie, and my travel bud, Kristen with me for the 6,000 then Bonnie had enough of it and only Kristen for the last 1,000.

Rather than a mile by mile description, I am going to resort to highlights only. I did like Kansas but really it is alot the same--wheat fields--when you are driving east to west. Montana, however, is a different story. We had a great week near Wise River(down the road from Wisdom) in SW Montana at Kristen's family cabin. Bonnie loved that place--comfortable chairs to sleep in, walks, but could have done without those big thunderstorms. Wise River is near Big Hole--a famous trout fishing area.

Our route then took us north through Helena (beautiful state capital bldg with a huge Charlie Russell painting in the House chamber), then Great Falls and a visit to the fantastic Lewis & Clark Museum right on the Missouri River. How did they make that expedition??

Thru beautiful West Glacier National Park, across the Canadian border to Yoho National Park and to the little community of Field--our base for great hikes in the Canadian Rockies. Waterfalls, emerald lakes, rivers, wildflowers, great trails and we loved being based in Field--totally untouristy. Bonnie was happy here too---she liked Canada--impressed with their health care, too! The big icefields near Jasper, an elk with a sporting a hugh rack---how can he manage a walk in the woods?. We headed east across Saskatchawan-Manitoba and miles of wheat fields and the huge yellow fields of canola. At Winapeg we turned south crossed the US border into N. Dakota. Now there was just Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky to cover before Nashville.

Driving across the US was a good thing...I don't need to do it again for awhile though...

On to Newfoundland...later..

2009-06-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2010

Hope you enjoy these last posted photos from Spain, Wales and Ireland. These were only a few out of the hundreds of photos! We had a great time...now on to Montana and Canada-east and west parts.

More to come....and out of this year of travels will come the 2010 KDavis Travels schedule..stay tuned...

karen

2009-06-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Kristen-dressed for spring

in Ireland!

Ireland-cross at Kells
Ireland-Cliffs of Moher
"what are you doing

in our field?"

Ireland..Sleahead path

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Wales beautiful coast
Welsh prime rosesKristen along the

Wales coastal path

Wales-White Sands Beach
Wales-coastal path

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The men in Black-a French

rugby team-how did I get in there?

Puffins on Skomer Is.--

1 of 100 photos!
Razorbills & Guillemots

on Skomer Is.

Snowdonia National

Park--N. Wales

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Calla Lily--perfectionKristen picks oranges-fresh

orange juice at our finger tips!

Snow capped Sierra Navadas
Sheep traffic jam- Cappilleria, Spain
Alhambra

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Granada--

Alhambra-column capital
Alhambra-best preserved

medieval Arab palace

in the world

Door knocker -- Ronda, Spain
Ronda-Plaza de Toros

built 1785-Hemingway's

favorite

I prefer bull rings

without the bulls.

2009-06-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2009

I have just added some photos without titles--so here they are.

Kristen stands spanning the space where we have just driven our car!

Photos from where bullfights began..Seville, Spain..beautiful arena, beautiful bullfighters, and we left after the first bull! I don't need to do this ever again.

In Cordoba, Spain, Columbus reports his discoveries to Ferdinand and Isabella

In Cordoba, Spain the beautiful Mesquita mosque

2009-06-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Arcos de la Fronteria Spain..we like the tiny roads!

2009-06-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

June 8, 2009

This entry comes to you from Nashville, TN ...a few weeks after my last trip which ended May 21...and currently I am waiting for my car to be serviced (not too exotic a place!)preparing for my next journey. That will be a car trip to Montana and Alberta, Canada...with my dog, Bonnie, as my travel buddy !

The April-May trip to Southern Spain, Wales and Ireland was "brilliant" as the Welsh say.

Landing in Madrid, we took the fast train directly to Cordoba, then to Seville, Ronda, Granada and to the lovely white villages of S. Spain.

Nine days later, we flew Ryan Air to Liverpool, picked up a rental car and drove to North Wales..driving there is no simple matter as it is on the left side of the road, sitting on the opposite side as usually the driver sits, and shifting a standard shift with your left hand. It require ALOT of concentration! Luckily, during the 2 weeks of driving in Wales and Ireland, we lost only two side mirrors!

We had beautiful hikes in Snowdonia National Park and along the coastal path near St. Davids in west Wales. Lots and lots of flowers and sea birds...including those cute, cute puffins on Skomer Island.

Taking the ferry from Fishguard, Wales, we landed about 3 hrs. later in Rosslere, Ireland for our 10 days in Ireland. We picked up our rental and drove across southern Ireland to Dingle.

It had been 10 yrs. since I was last there...still as beautiful as I remembered with the people as friendly and funny as I remembered. We had beautiful walks, lots of fun conversations in the local pubs with names like "Foxy Johns", "Dick Macks". These were the old styled

pubs with "snugs" just inside the entry door that women use to sneek into for their drinks. These pubs use to double as seed stores or shoe stores in the daytime when the pub biz was slower.

As we drove up the west coast--Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Doolin, Clifden and Westport...

we heard great music, saw fantastic coastal scenery, yelled at trucks and buses who took much more than their share of the skinny roads, meet some very interesting and oh sooo nice B&B hosts, and had beautiful walks.

During this journey we were moving pretty quickly so little time for stops at internet cafes to do writing to this blog. Also, there seemed to be many fewer internet cafes than what we had experienced in Central and South America....we supposed that more Europeans have the internet in their homes than do people in S. America so the need for the public internet is much

less. And, we found them to be much more expensive than on our earlier trips.....so posting didn't happen!

I did get some good photos and will post them in the next day or so...

2009-03-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

View from our patio....
Our patio.....breakfast is served..

We were not in the water with this one...

Fisherboy was intrigued with the turtle, too.

2009-03-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

R apa Nui man rides the range...

Rapa Nui surfer boy ...

One morning we woke to find this big ship outside our door...

15 moai in a stunning setting...

15 moai and 1 seattle woman

2009-03-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Birdman Island in the Pacific...the cult that followed the tribal warfare on the island.

A bunch of guys...a part of a line of l5 moais...some with decorative ears..

Getting up close and personal...a big taboo...

The biggest caldera on an island formed by volcanoes

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Ancient statues...moai they are called...nearly 800 of them on the island in various states

These 7 moai...called Akivi...are the only ones that look out to the sea.

Surfer dude

One of the few moai with a topknot in place .

Our next door neighbor...

2009-03-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Easter Island, March 6, 2009

This is our second full day here.....very amazing....starting with flying 2,500miles across the Pacific and then landing on this little spot of land that is 12x24 kilometers in size!! Two planes a day land here....one coming from Santiago and the other from Tahiti....this island is about equally distant from both. We deplaned onto the tarmac, it was a beautiful time of day...early evening, a soft breeze --and everyone just stayed on the tarmac taking photos and not wanting to go inside the terminal. I looked up to the pilot...he had his window open, so I waved and he returned the wave....kind of like he had brought us to paradise and everyone was just kind of dazed....a very memorable experience.
Our host from the b&B met us outside the terminal with a lei for both of us....where were we? Today we had a fine early morning walk to see moai...7 of these statues all lined up looking at the sea...they are so mysterious. They are in fields, scattered on hillsides, some lie sleeping the the quarry where they were only partly finished.
I think I have never been in a more isolated part of the world....about 4,000 people live here....only one village. We have a lovely location with bedroom and kitchenette, and the waves of the Pacific take us to sleep each night. This was the perfect place to end our trip.
I wrote a long blog on Monday from Puerto Mott, then the computer lost its connection to the internet so it was all lost!
For a short recap....we had beautiful scenery in the Chilean and Argentine Lake District...we moved from one to the other via a lake-land crossing of a series of buses and boats. While in Chile we had one night on a Mapuchi farm....a night we can now laugh about, but at the moment was hot, noisey, a number of farm animals around our supper picnic table, and we left early the next morning. Throughout our round of the Lakes we were driving a very powerless Puegot...a lot of driving was in first and second gear...a alot of rocks along the ubiquitous gravel roads grew very familiar with the underneath of the Puegot! There is more but may have to relate that in person.
We are here till Tuesday a.m.....and, depending on if the plane coming from Tahiti can find this little piece of earth...we will fly that day back to Santiago then home Wednesday night to arrive on Thursday...
I hope to get back to this computer to post some photos...
Bye for now...

2009-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Palafitos...Chiloe houses on stilts

Off to see the penguins..or to find true love..

The curanto cooking..fish, meat, potatoes

Chiloe church..one of many board and tin ones

Yellow is a favorite Chiloe color...

2009-02-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Chiloe librarian showing us his wheels..

Black neck swans....real Chiloe beauties..

The moon of the Attacama desert...

Chiloe ferry....our first of many..

Puerto Varas, Chile

2009-02-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we drove into this very neat little town on the coast of Chile....after having spent 5 days on the island of Chiloe (SA second largest island after Terra de Fuego)....We loved the greeness of Chiloe after our week in the very arid Attacama Desert....a breath of moist,green air was welcomed. We have been on alot of car ferries in the past 5 days...the ferry to Chiloe..about 30 min. with huge trucks, buses, and cement mixers all packed in with us....then ferries to smaller islands off of Chiloe...my main memory of Chiloe will be the many little wood and tin churches scattered thru the south part of the island..mostly built while the Jesuits were there..before l867 when they were made to leave SA. Several of the chuches are now UNESCO sites and are being refurbished. By looking at them you can tell they were built by boatbuilders...the ceiling often looks like the hull of a boat. They are painted bring blues, yellows, greens with a steeple that can be seen from the sea...a kind of beacon for the fishermen of each village. All are dedicated to a different saint....my favorite had stars painted on the ceiling.
We took a local tour on Sunday...a bus of 11 very friendly Chileans and us.... the most memorable event of the tour was our lunch...curanto..it is called.....This happened at a small ¨¨end of the world¨¨village...a homehosted lunch....a room is dedicated to cooking the curant which consists of digging a large pit..3 feet deep, lining it with hot rocks, then layeringwith clams, mussles, sausage, pork, chicken, potato patties..then convering that with huge gunnera leaves and dirt!! Then a platter of this was served to each person....more meat than Kristen or I would eat in a month!! But we made a valiant effort... (this was followed by eating wild Boar today....maybe we will become carnivores).
On leaving the island yesterday we made one last detour down a very muddy, washboard road on the north end of the island to go see the Magellan penguins and the Humboldt penguins---we finally arrived at the place..seas were pretty rough but smallboats were taking folks out...dozen of us at a time....and we not only saw penguins but sea otters as well...and we were told about a German woman who came there as a tourist a few yrs.ago, fell inlove with one of the boatman and now lives and works at the little restaurant there. The boat went too fast and the water was too choppy for either Kristen or me to get enough focus on the boatman to fall in love...
After a few days here in Puerto Varas,we head north to the Chilean lakes.....first to Valdivia(you might be familiar with Pedro Valdivia..the Spaniard who conquered and claimed Chile.....or you may have read the Isabelle Allende book..Ïnez of My Soul¨¨¨.
I thinkthe last entry I made is the evening we were going to stargaze in the Attacama desert....wow! was that a treat.....total darkness just before the moon rose...the milky way was bright and huge and the constellations were outstandingly bright....then we looked thru telescopes to see Saturn & rings, the Seven Sisters(all 7 of them), and then the MOON...it was huge and so bright thru the telescope I had to step away fromthe scope. That evening was a highlight of the whole Attacama week for me!! I hope I can get a photo thru the scope of the moon for you onto this site...
This long thin country is so diverse that as we move from one location to another it feels like we are in another country...very fascinating. Another fascinating thing: today we meet the two guys who we have worked with in doing some planning for us for this trip...had lunch with them...they have a company here....Perry is from Midland-Odessa, TX, went to U of TN, and was a customer in Davis Kidd in Knoxville....this 6 degrees of separation idea is true!!
Now to photos...

2009-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

2009-02-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

Andean Flamingo....

Lake Chaxa in the Atacama...

Valle de La Luna (Valley of the Moon) at sunset...

2009-02-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

San Pedro Attacama, Chile

2009-02-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to upload some more photos from our past few days here in San Pedro....this is the most arid place on earth....less than 1.5 in. of rain a year....today our taxi (truck) driver said it rained 5 drops last year. But there are some oasises here...some snow melt must come down from the Andes to permit life.
We have seen 2 people from the US here...most are German travelers or from some other place in Europe and alot of Argentines and Chileans..this is their summer you know.
We have seen beautiful sunsets, ran down very steep and deep sand dunes in the Valley of Mars (Valley of Death we called it), seen beautiful Andean and Chilean flamingoes, avacets (birds), salt lakes, volcanoes....we do a wash in our lavatory , hang it out to dry...and usually in one hour bring it in....
Tomorrow we go see the gysers in the early a.m. and at 9pm go into the desert to see the stars...a guy has telescopes set up...really excited about that..
now to try photos...
karen

2009-02-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

Our adobe abode in San Pedro....the local traveler

Who could eat alpaca..after seeing this little one?

2009-02-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Beautiful----and inquisitive faces

Putre & Altiplano country

2009-02-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Iguazu Falls from Argentina side More Falls

Argentina side ..Zodiac into falls and from Brazil side thru trees..our 1st sighting

San Pedro de Atacama

2009-02-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the Atacama desert...google ¨"Atacama Desert" to take a look....I think this must be the Katmandu of SA...and desert instead of peaks.....LOTS of young people with big backpacks here...Just met a couple from Marietta, GA..first Americans we have talked to..they are doing a 3 month backpacking tour of SA..They were at the post office mailing a box of clothes,etc home...every ounce counts when it is on your back..
We had some culture shock when we arrived here last night having come from a little town where maybe we would see 5 people in the street at night...and here the street was teeming. It is a very little town...well, 5000 people, dirt street,adobe buildings, lots of tour shops, cafes, crafts, hostiles...and some 5 star out of town accommodation, too.
We elected not to rent a car for here, but take guided group tours..today we go to the Valley of the Moon, another day into Bolivia to see the lakes (were told we may or may not have to get a visa at the border...all based on the border patrol mood at the time we arrive at the border...they may wave us thru, may charge $10 or $25???

Just remembered a story from our stay in Putre early this week...we were warned over and over DONNOT RUN OUT OF GAS..so although we weren´t really low decided we should get some before going to the lake at the highest elevation (there are literally no service stations for 200 km). A man in Putre said there was gas there and pointed a couple of streets away...we drove and drove in this little town looking for a gas pump thinking ..as in Nashville..a pump would indicate a service station..right? We were totally flumuxed (sp)...finally a guy says while pointing to a tiny grocery store..that is where you get gas. Kristen went inside and asked if they had gas..the guy said "Yes, how much do you want?" She said making a guess, "20 liters" he said, "sorry, I have only l5"...still no gas tank in sight. So he comes to the car..I am parked in the street...he has two large jugs and a tube. He siphons gas out of the jugs into the car....maybe I can send a photo of this...it was almost as memorable as seeing the vicunas at l4,500ft!!

Under the "est" category..we saw the oldest mummies in the world at a museum in Arica on Thursday..the day we returned the car...older than the Egyptian ones..and there is not idication these were especially honored folks..just regular ones who were mumified with mud that has minerals that do the work..
We are here in San Pedro for 5 days, then head to Chiloe Island. Hopefuly I can get some good photos of this unusual scenery....

Antofagasta, Chile

2009-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Waiting in the airport here for our flight to Calama, Chile and our shuttle on to San Pedro Atacama...google that place...sounds incredible: geysers, mudpots, starfilled night skies, ...and one of the driest places anywhere...will write more about that after I have seen it.
Been waiting to get to a computer where I can upload some photos...but all computers seem to be very old here and don{t take camera chips...
We started over a week ago in Buenos Aires, ARG then onto Iguazu Falls in the very north of ARG....incredible, powerful, take your breath away, awesome...are just a few words that inadequately describe Iguazu Falls...bigger than either Victoria or Niagra..there are l27 individual falls there covering about 2 miles...we stayed on the Brazil side and walked that side then spent a day on the Argentine side..at every turn I would say [ I think this is where the scene in MISSION was filmed[ then I would round the path and another similar scene !! To get a fuller experience we took a zodiac ride into the falls...well the spray anyway...enough to scream alot and get really soaked!
Unlike what I might usually do, we visited a dam/hydroelectric plant on the Brazil and Paraguay border...think it is 5 miles long...anyway until the China dam is completed, this is the biggest dam in the world. But the most amazing part is the cooperation that built the dam....50/50 everything Brazil and Paraguay....the builders, the current employees, supervisors, and the electrical output goes 50/50 to each country...Paraguay doesnot need all it gets so sells some back to Brazil!! They even created their own language ParaÑol. I think that is amazing story.
The past 4 days we have been in the most norther part of Chile...the town of Putre in the Altiplano...the part between the foothills of the Andes and the Andes peaks. Elevation at the highest we went was over 14,500 feet....thanks to diamox we had no problem--just tingling of fingers, toes, lips due to diamox and soft drinks tasted very flat....but that is easy choice over what here is called puna..altitude sickness.
Putre seems much more Bolivian than Chilean to me...the people are short, dark and weathered skin, fedora black hats, sturdily built, and women with several layers of skirts on...We went to Lake Chungara ..saw lamas, vicunas.. must go to the plans..more later...
Unli

Tikal, Guatemala

2009-01-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

January 9, 2009...nashville, tn

2009-01-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hello--not much to blog about from nashville, but did want to write about our last days in Guatemala...December 19, we flew from Guatemala City to Flores..which seems to be the staging area for visits to Tikal Mayan ruins. After seeing the beautiful markets at Chichi and Atitlan, Flores had little to offer..glad we had only an overnight there.
Although you may not know it, you likely have seen Tikal....scenes for STAR WARS were shot there. 600BC--900AD is the period of Tikal; 90,000 people lived here, covers 50 sq. kilometers--6 temples have been excavated and based on the hills we saw, there is more excavation to be done. The major excavations began here in l956. The temples here mark the tombs of the kings who ruled. Wooden staircases have been built that allowed us to climb to the top of some of the temples..90-125ft high...fantastic views across the jungle from one tomb to another. We weren't surprised to find out that building the temples took hundreds of years...and in this heat!! Parrots, currassow, great kiskadees woke us with their morning songs....and howler monkeys startled us with their gruff howls...yes, we were in the jungle.
Back to Guatemala City the night of Dec. 22 then home for holidays...
I will write next from Chilie in early February...

2008-12-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Girls....our last puffs....good-by to our Cuban cigars..

More last puffs.....mmmmm good...

Working girls in San Pedro de Atitlan..

Camera shy...in San Pedro.....

Girls play with dolls the world over....San Pedro..

2008-12-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

A very heavy load....Chichi

Statues in Santiago de Atitlan church..

Loved these stripped pants....Santiago de Atitlan

Santiago pier.....

A dishpan of laundry en route to the Lake to wash...

2008-12-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

2008-12-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

Wash day in Lake Atitlan....Santiago

Chichi market...

Selling machetes, shoes, etc at the Chichi market..

Beauty at the Chichi market...

2008-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Chichi market day..

Chichi market...

Chichi market....

Fresh ground at the Chichi market...

2008-12-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Loading a bull the hard way....Chichicastenango

Our room with this view in Chichi..

Loaded down...Chichi

Want a ride...local bus to everywhere....

Sonya...and her beautiful weaving...

2008-12-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

Young marimba players..in Antigua The love of la abuela..

Dressed up to celebrate dia la Virgen of Guadalupe

Just waiting.....Antigua

Volcano smokin'......Antigua

2008-12-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

December 18, 2008 Antigua, Guatemala
We are back in Antigua tonight after spending the past 5 days away around Lake Atitlan...about 2.5 hrs. west of here. ( so nice to return to a place we know..even though we were here for only two nights before). Tomorrow we leave here to go to Guatemala City and fly north to Flores..our gateway to seeing the Mayan temples at Tikal...
In the past 5 days we have been surrounded by people of Mayan decent...I felt soooo tall. We felt like we lived pretty large the past days...we stayed in Chichi at the Mayan Inn...a beautiful old lodge(we had a bedroom with a fireplace, a sitting room, and a large bathroom and we had Manuel assigned to us to wait on us in the dining room...and to build our fire. We both wanted Manuel to continue with us the rest of the trim. Plus Manuel dressed in the Mayan style..beautiful handwoven knee pants, shirt, sash, and a hat.. Chichi is the big market town for the area and Sunday was market day with vendor after vendor selling eveything from pig`s feet and turkeys to beautiful handwoven skirts, blouses, sashes...This little town was packed..
Sunday afternoon we took a van to Panajachel..on Lake Atitlan. Although we had been told by many to skip that town, we found it quite ok, especially since we were using it as the launching site for our trip across the Lake the next day to Santiago.
In all of these towns there are markets whether it is market day or not...the streets are lined with vendor stalls..and persuasive sellers. The kids can be the most persuasive...."buy ..from me...it is a present for your mother, your grandmother, your friend...or your enemy(a new phrase)...I can buy notebook for school if you buy this from me". Then in Panajachel a teenage girl used a new line on us "this is just business to business"...we both got a laugh out of that...and she made a sale.
On Monday we took the boat across Lake Atitlan to Santiago...the Lake is a volcano crater and is 12 miles across and about 60 miles around...beautiful with 2 volcanos rising above it..and 6-7 villages on the edge of the Lake. This is a corn, coffee, and avocado growing area. I don´t see how the farmers work these fields on the steep slope of these volcano mountains. Almost every other person you see has a load on their back...wood, coffee, corn, etc. ..and these are heavy loads! The women carry all matter of things on their head...balancing a dishpan of all kinds of stuff and most often they will have a small child on their back held there by colorful shawl. The tool of life is the machete...every man seems to carry one.
We stayed in Santiago for three days...took a boat across the Lake to another village one day, had a horseback ride another day to a mirador (lookout point) that if it had been clear we were told we would see the Pacific.
The religion in the Atitlan area is a mix of Mayan and Catholic (Protestant religions are now a greater part of the population than Catholic we were told). The Catholic church in Santiago is built over an old Mayan sacred site . And inside the church along the walls are statues of l8 people..we could not recognize them...they were dressed in a variety of clothing from pink and blud beauty shop smocks to housedresses to velvet robes and all had Hermes scarves around their neck. We were told that the clothing is changed every week. Then there is a kind of sacred guy called Masiman...this is a 5 ft statue..that is moved from house to house, has a cigar in his mouth, and a hat and is dressed in an unusual style with a scarf around his neck. Someone has to take you to see him..only the local people know where he is. There was too much mystery here for us to understand!
Behind this summary I have given of the past 5 days there are many stories....I will have to tell you those in person...
These people are beautiful and sweet and the hardship of their life, including the wars they have suffered over the past several years, really cannot be told.
We are looking forward to Tikal...and looking forward to seeing you very soon...
karen

2008-12-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Trinidad "pepto bismol" casa particular...

another beauty....

Trinidad in its many colors...

Merry Christmas!!!!

2008-12-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

Vinales is tobacco capital

tractor is for the field or for a taxi..

prized pair....

rolling cigars is a fine art...so is smoking them..

2008-12-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Vinales taxi....

thankful for peanut butter....

Che...Camilo....Castro

surveying from the steps of the Capitolo

2008-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Coco taxis in Havana--our first ride costs us 4 bucks for 5 blocks!

Interesting to see these tags..

..and this well waxed car!

Havana's Central Park

Wings for flying....what year was this?

2008-12-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

December 12, 2008..Virgin of Guadalupe Day
Writing from Antigua, Guatemala where we arrived yesterday...and glad to be here where we can basically understand the Spanish.
That was not the case for the past 11 days while we were in Cuba.....we were never quite sure what was being said...they cut out syllables, change endings and rolls words around before they come out of their mouth. So about Cuba....it was interesting, fascinating, we learned alot, sweet people, unforgettable experiences, and beautiful countryside. It was expensive, everything seemed in short supply...including food and we had alot of meals of bread, peanut butter brought from Mexico, cheese(taken extra from our hotel breakfast buffet)--the food was pretty bad...even when we splurged with a dinner a Ambos Mundos..Hemingway`s hotel hangout. Everytime we did see a menu and request something from it..."sorry, we don`t have that"...or "the hurricanes ruined the vegetable crops, so we don´'t have vegetables" and we ate some things that definately were in the mystery food. Shortages were throughout....we stopped into some stores in Havana...within one store a great variety of things would be sold: tablecloths, paint, pants, frig, outdoor table, doorknobs, etc..yet they would have one or two of each..
They survive on a ration card issued yearly....combined with a few pesoes one can get cooking oil, rice, flour, beans, pasta, limited toilet rolls (tiny ones)...not included was soap, dish detergent, lotion, etc. So we were asked repeatedly for soap...just one of the several things we were asked for...
There are two currencies in Cuba....the peso which most of the local people live on and then there is the Cuba Convertible (CUC) that is what the tourist get when they change money. It makes for a very confusing system ...especially for travelers. Since we could not use our credit card or the ATM, we were daily counting our money. We were very surprised at the expense of things. An hour on the internet cost over $7, for comparison here in Antigua it is about 75cents for a hour. Everything costs....and because income is so low...$15-$20 per month, everyone is looking for how they can make a buck.
Seeing the l950's cars was a novelty for awhile, but the air is filled with exhaust...the car may look like a l956 Chevy, but under the hood something has happened and it spews dense exhaust. On the highway there are many, many, many people trying to get rides...buses are overcrowded and always late...maybe a couple of hours...lots of bike riders, motorbikes with sidecars, Russian made tractors, old trucks with 20 or so people hitching a ride in the bed of the truck. The tourist buses are Chinese made and were quite comfortable.
While outside Havana...in the far west: Vinales (tobacco growing country..those Cuban cigars...which I did get to roll) and in Trinidad (sugar cane area on the south coast) we stayed in homes...called "Casa Particulars" . That is the primary accommodation outside of Havana...and many in Havana also....The family rents out a room in their house for about 20-25 CUC per night, then will do you supper for 8CUC and breakfast for 4 CUC. (1 CUC =$1.20 US) They pay a license fee of $70 per month to the government to do this. There are not many restaurants in the smaller towns, so eating in the casa is almost the only choice. We had a variety of experiences with these meals!
Havana was once a beautiful city..with beautiful architecture..but much is crumbling. We met alot of European tourist there....and, according to a guide we had extended conversation with, the government will say that nickel and tobacco are biggest industries, but really it is tourism.
And just as in Mexico and here in Guatemala, tourism is also way down in Cuba...here in Antigua it is half of what it was last December....the world financial situation reaches all.
I am very glad for the eleven days we spent in Cuba....it was an important experience...but I left there feeling very sad .
Everywhere we have been the expression is the same "we have great hopes for your new President".
I hope to add some photos when I get to a better computer.
Looking forward to these next 10 days in Guatemala....
karen

2008-11-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving....Dia de los gracias
This is the second time today I have tried on this....the first posting disasppeared much to my frustartion, entonces this will be a shorter entry....
We had our next to last day of spanish school today...the school is being decorated both for the US students (garlands and plastic fruit and beads) and for the spanish students (nacimento--manger scene)...the later is much more interesting..
Since I last wrote we went to Queretero on the bus on the weekend....that is a town , very historical (Maximillan) was executed there before a firing squad...and the town has a beautiful aquaduct very old that is still in use. Maybe one of the most memorable parts of our day was the return bus home....it was a second class bus, very crowded, many stops and hot. We entered the bus and asked the driver if we could sit on the front seat...I proceeded to speak some and pantomime some of how I got motion sick and could vomit --acting this part out for more dramatic effect. No deal.....he said the front seat was for ninos....come to find out his ninos. His wife, mother-in-law, and 3 ninos climbed onto the bus. Ninos were probably 9-7-5 yrs. The women took the seats and the children: the 9 yr. son lay down on the dashboard, the 7 yr. old son sat on a stool by his dad and helped him shift gears, the 5 yr. girl played on the entry steps to the bus. We held our breath that the driver would not have to slam on his breaks, much less have an accident. This does not seem atypical of la vida here....less notice given to safety , especially in cars. On the other hand, I didn´t vomit, but Kristen almost did....nice to get our feet on solid ground...
Our Thanksgiving will be with a couple in our school from Oregon....may quesodillas, or fajitas followed by a wild game of Spanish scrabble...those rr, ll, ñ are something else to work with...
Tomorrow night we are taking the Lopez-Flores family out...this is the family I lived with when I studied Spanish here years ago.....a lovely family...and even more I can understand their Spanish.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.....maybe the next posting will be from Cuba after our arrival there on Monday....
Hasta luego,
karen

2008-11-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

A little tortilla maker...

Another beauty with confetti hair...

Maybe future Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders...?

Ready for the revolution....

These streets aren't made for this...but they don't mind....

2008-11-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Ninos dressed as ex-Mexican presidents for today's parade....

The Revolutioninsts...

More of them...some of the girls had bably dolls on their back...

Another parade beauty...

Ana Valeria..my student--she is only 14!!

2008-11-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Rope tricks in yesterday's parade....

Waiting for the parade....

The transit police preparing to do their 5 man riding on a motory cycle trick sans helmets...

Only one of the many local beauties....

Our tourism students at the universidad technologico...with Kristen( back) and Cody (far left-hipster from NYC)... these girls tourism attractions themselves??

2008-11-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Mexico for O!
My view on my walk to school..turn your head, please..

San Martin Iglesia..San Martin Iglesia Circus!

The blessing of the cabaleros......

November 21, 2008

Yesterday and today have been a day of parades in celebration of the Revolution of maybe 1910....lots of celebrations of revolutions here...because there have been many. These parades were mainly of school children and town services: transit police force doing acrobatics sans helmets on their motorcycles, the bomboderos (firemen) setting a fire in the street then putting it out, older school children doing drums and bugles, younger school children today dressed as Poncho Via, and others as various Mexican presidents with fake beards, kids carrying arts/crafts rifles, little girsl with babies on their back, children doing tumbling on mats in the street and running thru hula hoops...quite a scene. One that you can't tear yourself away from even though it gets repetitious....There was even a marathon yesterday with Kenyans running!

Our days are full ...leaving the house at 8:30 in the a.m and returning at 7:00 or so in the p.m. It is amazing that the days can be so full with 2 hrs. in Spanish class each day, often an hour with teaching a student English, a film in the biblioteca (yesterday, the History of Mexico, and day before a docu about Freida Kahlo), a little lunch, a parade, and lots of walking.....

Yesterday we spent a good while figuring out how to load photos in this blog.....now to try some more.

Tomorrow we are going to try out luck on the local bus to go to Quretero...about 45 min journey...

karen

2008-11-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

Pilgrims to San Martin encounter a flea market...

Also pilgrims can enjoy all the thrills of a circus...

2008-11-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

2008-11-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

November 19, 2008
I think the above is the correct date....I seldom look at a calendar here...kind of refreshing experience.
It has turned unseasonably cold in San Miguel...all the locals talk about ¨frio¨"...while it is very sunny and warm in the daytime...with the sunset the temp plumets..about 35 last night. We have gas logs in our house, but frequently the pilot goes out! So we lie on the floor turning the pilot dial and pushing the "encensor" (or something like that)...and if we are lucky after much failed effort we get a pilot light....then heat!
Scene of the day: a young guy in the bed of a pickup with truck with a lama..and he is selling chances for 10 pesos for some lucky person to become the owner of the lama! I didn´t buy a chance on it although the lama was quite pretty...I would be the unlucky one to win it!
Kristen and I continue to each meet a student in the library two times a week to have English conversation...My student, AnaValeria Luna Colunga is 14...looks about ll. Speaking English is very, very hard for her...but yesterday I got a Beverly Cleary book from the library shelf and asked her to read...she did really well!! It is the "ed" on the end of the word that proves hard...she wants to pronouce all the letters so will say "laugh..ed", etc. Spanish is easier in that you pronouce all the letters in a word...but I can totally sympathize with her. She would meet me every day if I could...eager to learn. We meet 2 afternoons a week. She does watch the Disney Channel and another Disney channel that is mainly about animals....you may know it..
Our other teaching experience is 2afternoons a week inthe Universidad Technologico where students are studying tourism and gastronomy...in other words studying to be waiters, work in hotels, be receptionists, chefs, etc. We take 2 buses to get there...about 30 minutes away and costs us 5 pesos each for each bus..... in total that is less than a US $1 each. The road to the school finally becomes a dirt road...and much to my surprise just before we arrive at the school I realized we were on a airplane runway!! I saw a small plane the first day we went but none yesterday!
So, yesterday, we role played with the students....Kristen and I were the difficult American clients in a restaurant..all in English. Really the waiters, cafe manager, and chef did quite well. We gave them a pretty hard time with sending back food, wanting to smoke in a non smoking area, questioning what was in the food, asking for the manager, finding problems with the bill...
When Kristen demanded to smoke the waiter told her how bad it was for her health and that she would die from it...maybe waiters in the US should try that approach!! The school is a government school and costs $20a month for the students. Students are l8 - 22 yrs. old.
The economy is slow here...so much impact from the US...usually the school we are in may have 50 students, but now there are about l0 of us. The director has had to let several teachers go. She has hopes for Dec. Jan, Feb as that is the high season, but also has doubts...well founded, I think.
On the other side of the coin, we have a maid in our apt. 3 days a week....cleans the house, washes our clothes, irons--even our underwear and will cook if we give her the $ to buy food. We invited company last week so Mary Anna cooked enchiladas, Mexican rice, made a salad and guacamole......Kristen and I had 4 meals out of this!!
We are meeting people who have traveled in Guatemala and are giving us good tips. They suggest we go to see the ruins at Copan, Honduras while we are there. (Ellen, since you have been there, what do you think?) This would be instead of the ruins of Tikal, Guatemala.
We will leave here Dec 1 for C. then on Dec 11 to Guatemala and to the US on Dec 22.
Since Ihave been in this internet cafe, it has grown dark outside and the temp is quickly going down so must go to lite the pilot and turn on the logs! Cost of internet cafe computer time is about 85cents an hour! Many internet cafes here.....
Until later.....karen

2008-11-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2008
We think we have our tkts for the next leg of this journey, but will be uncetain until it happens??
That has been a real experience...
Have enjoyed this free day (Sat)...sunny, cool and clear here...this is another of those "celebrating another of the revolution weekends"..no fireworks yet, but sure they will come before the weekend is over...And there is an exhibition in the huge parking lot near our apt...the wool and brass exhibition.....lots of artisans there for the week with mainly wool things and music..but the music usually ends by 10 pm.....easy tohear from our apt.
We have not been very happy with our Spanish teacher, but have arranged for another to begin on Monday.....luckily the school is most agreeable place.
After much searching we finally found a Scrabble game in Spanish.....try that game in your spare time! I use the dictionary alot..just to look up words for ideas.....double "rr" is a real problem and words with"ñ"..
Think they are closing up shop here at the internet cafe....so more later...
karen

2008-11-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2008
At last I got into my blog...guess you thought this blog thing was all a fake idea! Kristen and I are settled in our very comfortable apt. in SMA, Mex and have 3 days of Spanish school under our belt..We think we are doing pretty well until we go into a store and ask for a tea kettle or a Spanish game of scrabble (yes, they do exist), or try to get directions somewhere. Today, we began teaching English one on one to students that come to the library...after our first teaching experience some older kids approached us and asked if we would come to their class tomorrow for an hour of English conversation!! We will have to take the local bus for about 20 min to get there....so will see how that excursion and experience goes....welcome the opportunity to speak our native language!
The experience that has dominated our every day is our time at the travel agent trying to work out this next leg of our journey----muy complicado!! We should just move in there with the agent and his one helper. The agent swears he will meet us at the office at 12:30, 6:00, 2:00, etc, but only his assistant is there...luckily she speaks some English....she types, types, types onto the keyboard and we look, look, look...wait,wait, wait...for some explanation of what is happening..which is apparently not much. So, now we have a 6pm appt. with Antonio, the agent, with great hopes for leaving there with tickets in hand!!
The other outstanding event of this week was going to the pilgrimage to San Martin--this village has the church of San Martin---who is the patron saint of horses....riders come from thruout this region of Mexico to be blessed by the priest...they ride right up to the door of the little church for the holy water blessing....but that is only a minor part of what is going on ....This event is a combination flea market, state fair, carnival, and huge campout....There must have been over 1,000 people there selling everything imaginable: birds in cages, pots, hammocks, agave cactus, fruit, piggy banks, bras, toy horses, toilet paper, many animal parts, blankets...and you could ride a ferris wheel or miniature twin donkeys or a large white Brahma bull.....On relection, this is likely much like pilgrimages of yore....people selling things the pilgrims needed plus just taking advantage of the situation.....
Must go see Antonio...have high hopes for success this time!!
Hasta luego...karen

October 15, 2008--Nashville

2008-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since the last entry that you may wonder where I have been...I finished the KDavis Travel year with groups in Mexico and in Greece in October. All the while I have been making plans for the sabbatical year.....it's soon: November 5--had to wait to see the election returns here in the US on the night of November 4!
The sabbatical starts with an early departure on Nov. 5, meeting my sabbatical friend, Kristen-from Seattle, at the Dallas Airport. Our destination is San Miguel de Allende, MX for a month of immersion Spanish study in this beautiful central Mexico town. Beginning early December, we will be practicing our Spanish as we travel in Guatemala and other "habla espanol" places.. I have had Spanish on and off since high school, but living in a "gringo" world, I then forget because I don't practice.
We return to the US for "feliz navidad" then plan for more travel and Spanish practice in Argentina in early January 09.
My work for the next few weeks is to organize my home life for leaving, call credit card companies, my bank, arrange payments for various things while I'm away, get out the Obama vote, and very important--spend quality time with my dog, Bonnie.
The next entry may be Spanish!!! Or maybe not...
Thanks for reading and following along...

Hello Travelers

2008-07-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

After l6 years of organizing trips---walking in beautiful places, sharing time with some of the world’s nicest travelers, and experiencing unforgettable travel moments—I am taking a sabbatical in 2009. I want to spend the year traveling on my own and doing research for the future of KDavis Travels. I plan to do some volunteer work in some of the places I go and hope to improve my Spanish where possible.

If you would like to keep up with me in 2009, follow along with this travel blog …Having a blog will be one of my new experiences…

I am sure you will be doing some travel in 2009…can’t keep us travelers home! If you would like to go to Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Sicily (Italy) or Devon, England, then I have some information for you (below). I am leaving the 2008 trip descriptions on the website www.kdavistravels.com until early November as they describe these three trips. I won’t be involved in these trips. You will need to contact Patrizia Roncolato for the Spain and Italy trips or Mike & Alison Stubbs for the Devon trip.

I cannot thank you enough for the times you have traveled with me, the referrals you have given to KDavis Travels, and your friendship. I hope we have much more in store!!

Happy trails to you….

karen

If you are wishing to travel in the “style to which you have become accustomed” here are some options for you.

Patrizia Roncolato is organizing a trip of one week each to Sicily and to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. You can find the trip descriptions on my website www.kdavistravels.com …trip content is the same as the 2008 descriptions.

Santiago de Compostela is scheduled for the week of Easter—April 6-13, 2009. Patrizia’s fee for leading the trip (including transport needed for hikes and museum fees) will be 800 euros per person. The cost of Hotel Costa Vella per person per day including breakfast is 87 euros for a standard double and 62 euros for a single. The Costa Vella Hotel is holding rooms and you will make your reservations and payments directly to the hotel. www.costavella.com.

Sicily is scheduled for May 6-13, 2009. Patrizia’s fee for leading the trip (including transport for hikes and museum fees) is 900 euros per person. : La Tavernetta ( email: albergolatavernetta@libero.it) and Hotel Elimo www.hotelelimo.it. The cost of La Tavernetta (for May 6, 7 & 8) including breakfast and dinner is 59 euros per person per day sharing a room and 90 euros for a single room. Hotel Elimo (for May 9,10,11 & 12) is 80 euros per day per person (for either a single or double) including breakfast and dinner. Again, the hotels are holding rooms and you will make reservations and payments directly to the hotel.

There is a minimum of 10 people required for each trip. The deadline for reservations for the either trip is October 31, 2008. Please contact Patrizia for reservations, trip deposit and all the trip details: arcalena@alice.it.

If you are interested in going to Devon, England you can contact Mike and Alison Stubbs directly at walking@way2go4.com or www.way2go4.com/walking. Arrangements can be made directly with them for a hiking holiday at a time and for the number of days you might choose.

I hope you find this information helpful as you make your travel plans for 2009. It is best to contact Patrizia or Mike & Alison directly for trip arrangements and details as I will have no involvement in trip arrangements for 2009.