From Dry Country to Beer Country's blog

Regensburg

On the way home from pilzen Czech we made a small detour to the town of Regensburg. The town was once the capital of Bavaria and you can tell. Streets are made of cobblestones, old stone houses fill the altstadt and shops sell ledernhosen and dirndls. A nice city. Plus when we arrived, there were barricades set for the yearly marathon. I am going to research it for next year. A perfect time of year to race with the long light training days in the spring and getting fit for the beginning of summer vacation. Bonus.

Weekend getaway

We (Amy, andrea and I) went for a weekend getaway. Guess where....?

Kartoffel locken...mmm.

Another festival in Germany! Bands playing on four stages, rows of stands selling drinks and food. We drank kloster andechs dunkel Bier, kartoffel locken, and meat on a stick. :-)

Africa Savy Tips for traveling

It was my friend Amy's first trip to Africa. She came up with these Africa Savy tips and rules to live by on your trip to Africa.

1. Keep windows in cab rolled up.  People will reach in and grab your things!

2. Don't put your mouth on the glass coke bottles. They are dirty.  Always use a straw.  Hope that the straw isn't dirty.

3. Bring antibacterial wipes to wipe your glass coke bottle and straw with.

4. Watch out for ice cubes!  They may come back to haunt you...

5. Wash your hands ALL the time.

6. Antibacterial hand gel is a life saver when there is no sink.  Or for when the sink is dirtier than the toilet.

7. Ask where the plane is going before boarding a flight. (very important - they don't have the technology to scan your ticket)

8. If a wild animal sees you ... FREEZE!

9.  Don't turn your back on a wild animal.

10.  Don't leave the safari doors or windows open.  

11. Don't abandon your friends when a wild animal attacks.

12. Try and stay aware enough to notice when people have guns.  Even if they are part of authority.

13. Don't forget to wash your hands.  ALL the time!

14. Stay at a hotel that provides food and water.

15. Get used to sticking out like a purple alien.

16. Don't expect to buy souvenirs, Christmas presents or even postcards!  They are impossible to find. 

17. Bring snacks! (that won't melt)

18. Bring an open mind.

19. Leave any OCDness you have about cleanliness at home.

20. Be prepared to have people constantly in your face when you are in town.

21. Get used to everyone calling you Sista! (sister)

22. Learn a language besides English, Afrikaans or Swahili so that you can communicate with your friends on the DL.

23. People that look poor aren't necessarily hungry or unhappy.

24.  Wash your hands!  NOW!  Make bubbles!

25. When you find a toilet - USE IT!

26. Practice your squatting exercises for the squat toilet - which I actually came to prefer - no splashing back on you ;-)

The "Circle of Life" comes alive!

Driving down the steep canyon walls and among animals I almost burst into songs from the Lion King. It really is amazing. All the animals live together in harmony. Everywhere you look you see animals, sometimes close to the car or far off in the distance on distingushable using binoculars. The Ngorongoro crater is a wildlife haven with the rich volcanic soil from the caldera volcano hundreds of year ago. Animals live here in the canyon basin only distrubed by the safari trucks, thunderstorms...and they friends/predators.

Challenge: How many animals can you spot in the picture?

Challenge 2: How many animals can you name in the picture?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area

The thrill of the game

Oh how I missed bargaining. The thrill of the game. Asking a price, acting uninterested, smiling sweetly while asking for a discount, calling a bluff, and walking away as the price drops with every step....until....BINGO, you've got yourself a deal.

This is exactly how it worked with the airport taxi in Zanzibar.

"Taxi, need a taxi."

"No, where are the buses."

"I will give you a good price"

"Where are the buses?"

"Over there, but they're crowded and its about to rain. How about 10,000?"

"No thank you." Amy and I start walking towards the bus stop. The man is relentless and continues to follow"

"Ok, how about 8,000?"

We keep walking, waiting for the price to drop.

"Ok, 5,000" he mumbles as he stops walking. He has reached his limit.

We continue walking for a few more steps...calculating the conversion rate and surveying the bus stop. I know that the bus will cost us about 1,000 each, so 2,000 total, definitely cheaper. Then I think about the dark rain clouds about to burst and the 24 hours plus journey we have just taken. 5,000 (roughly 2.50 euro of 4 dollars) doesn't sound so bad. We turn back toward the taxis.

"Ok, we will taken 5,000"

"No, thats too low. How about 8,000?" He tries to deny his offer.

"No, you said 5,000. We want 5,000 total for both."

"5,000 is too low. I need more." He is trying to weasel the tourists, but I won't take any of it.

"I will take you for 5,000" another man volunteers and we are off in the taxi on way into town.

We did the impossible...almost.

After 24 hours in transit from Wiesbaden to Zanzibar we board our 4th airplane, a small 80 seater. We settle in, stow our bags, admire the window seat, take pictures out the window of the airport and are just starting to relax. Suddenly our names crackle over the loud speaker and we are summoned to the back of the plane. Squeezing past the still boarding passengers we make our way to the stewardesses. Apparently we were on a plane to Kilimanjaro, not Zanzibar. Oops. Our ticket had been checked 3 times, but without electronic checks and signs at the gate we had done the impossible in this day and age and board the wrong plane. Promptly we were escorted back to the waiting area until our flight boarded 10 minutes later. This time we asked each person who checked our tickets to make sure the plane was going to Zanzibar.

Morning run

The spring is an invigorating season when the days get longer and longer. Each day more spectacular than the day before. I love running in the morning. Starting the day with the sun as it comes over the horizon. No car horns or traffic lights just leaping deer and fields of rolling green. Sweating before breakfast and feeling a sense of accomplishment before the day even begins. :-)

Cherry blossoms

Spring has come and the trees are bursting with new buds and cherry blossoms. With a warm weather and sunshine also comes the pollen and allergies. Each day new trees are exploding with color and fragrance. I will add a picture of kellerskopf hill and it's new full green color and swastika spotted with white cherry blossoms. Another sign of spring is the fields of raps. I have been watching them all winter long holding their ground in the soil. For those if you who dont know raps, they look similar to broccoli, but form a much smaller bud that quickly goes to flower. This flower is a vivid yellow filling the fields with color and life. In my valley a few fields are starting to flower while others and just budding. Interesting to see where the cold and warm air settle in the valley. I will try add pictures soon.

Brugge or Bruges

A weekend away, five hours by train and across the Belgium border to the quaint city of Brugge. The city square, cobblestone streets and church basement pubs. We spent the weekend eating chocolates, waffles, and French fries and drinking Belgium beer. Sunday started at 11am with a brewery tour and following complimentary beer. :-)