Mata Rocks hotel
San Pedro, Belize.
no blog for yesterday, was too tired at the end of the day for it. Woke up to really bad weather on Sunday morning, and it was pretty evident that our catamaran/snorkel trip to Mexico rocks would be cancelled. The sea was just way too rough. Of course, 2 hours later (after the trip was cancelled) the sky cleared up. We decided to golf cart to the south end of the island, about 5 miles, to see the new resorts that are being built. Stopped at the crocodile landing, where the locals used to feed the crocs in the evening, but there was no one around. had a yummy lunch at the Sandbox, and then headed back north.
The power was out again - this time front street was closed to pedestrian traffic for most of the day. San Pedro has three main streets. Front (sea side), Middle (ummm.. the middle street) and Back street (lagoon side). With Front street closed, we cruised the other two looking for shopping or anything else exciting, but it was a bust. Came back to the hotel to swim and nap and finally had dinner at Rico's at Banyan Bay.
Today we were up early (again) to go bonefishing in the flats. I've wanted to do sport fishing for a long time, and havent really had a chance, so it was a real treat. It was so much fun. We didnt catch a lot - maybe a dozen, but each one was fun to land. I even managed somehow to catch a conch. He was HUGE, and would have made a delicious lunch, but conch is only in season in February, so back to the sea he went. Saw a bunch of man o'wars in the water on the way back - they're so pretty. too bad they'll kill your life. There was also a couple of dolphins near our hotel. VERY cool to see.
Lunched at George's kitchen. Usually we're only here for breakfast, but its the last day and I had to get my fry jacks fix on, so it was an easy choice. Finished up souvenir shopping, which suprisingly was very light this time. After we got back to the hotel I CRASHED hard and slept for about 2 hours. I've been super tired on this trip. Not sure if its from the heat, or if being away from work makes me relaxed enough to actually sleep like normal people should.
Dinner at Hidden treasures again. So good. shrimp and lobster ceviche, pineapple bbq ribs and coconut pie. I'm definitely going to miss the food here.
flying all day tomorrow...no fun.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
SP day 5
Mata Rocks hotel
San Pedo, belize
9:45pm
Lazy day today. no planned activities and the island was without power from 7am until almost 2pm due to some "upgrades"
they are doing at the south end of the island. read, napped and swam as there wasnt much else to do.
once everything went back online we went downtown and did some shopping and had a nice dinner at Antojitos. a small diner frequented by locals. a nice change from the touristy places. big plates of bbq pork and rice and beans for less than 20usd for two.
tomorrow is another snorkel and sailing day. i'm concerned about more sun exposure - my back is still hurting from yesterdays sunburn - but hopefully we'll manage ok. its that or stay home, and the power is scheduled to be out again, so the choice isnt too difficult.
now there's a perfect rainstorm outside. even in bad weather this place is paradise.
San Pedo, belize
9:45pm
Lazy day today. no planned activities and the island was without power from 7am until almost 2pm due to some "upgrades"
they are doing at the south end of the island. read, napped and swam as there wasnt much else to do.
once everything went back online we went downtown and did some shopping and had a nice dinner at Antojitos. a small diner frequented by locals. a nice change from the touristy places. big plates of bbq pork and rice and beans for less than 20usd for two.
tomorrow is another snorkel and sailing day. i'm concerned about more sun exposure - my back is still hurting from yesterdays sunburn - but hopefully we'll manage ok. its that or stay home, and the power is scheduled to be out again, so the choice isnt too difficult.
now there's a perfect rainstorm outside. even in bad weather this place is paradise.
Friday, July 24, 2009
day 4 - manatees
up early for the belizean manatee adventure. took a quick boat with 4 other families (three couples from Ohio - midwest represent) to the coast of Goff's caye to look for the elusive manatee. Luckily our guide found a young one quite easily and we followed it for about 30 minutes. In that time we were treated (?) to maybe 4 nose sightings. Watching manatees is even with whale watching. its fun for a minute...then it becomes a snoozefest. A quick rainstorm chased both the manatee and us away - and it was on to Goff's caye for a snorkel and some lunch.
Snorkeling Goff's was nice, its pretty shallow and clear, but not a lot of action. Had a great beach bbq, then boated back towards Caye Caulker. About halfway btwn Goffs and CC we stopped for a quick snorkel at Hol Chan. We got there early, way before the afternoon rush of tourists, and the rays were quite active. We had no food for them, and nothing to lure the sharks in, so they got bored with us after 10 minutes or so.
Caye Caulker was its usual rasta self. its a younger crowd that stays on this island, and its far less developed than Ambergris Caye. Small shops and hotels/hostels line the beach, along with trinket stands. Shopped for a bit and then met back up with the group. Before leaving the CC waterway, our guide stopped along the mangroves and caught a couple of sea horses as a special treat. However given the lackluster response from the group he realized that it was past time to get back to Ambergris, as everyone was pretty much worn out from the day.
930p now - super tired and way sunburned. Stayed in tonight and ordered chinese takeaway. Tempura'd lobster is a total win.
tomorrow is an off day, fortunately. I look forward to hopefully sleeping a bit (insomnia is a bitch) and taking it easy.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
of mayans and mud
day 3
San Pedro
Ambergris Caye, Belize.
We got up way too early today to visit the Altun Ha ruins. Same routine as last years trip to Lamanai, a 45 minute boat ride on open water, then through the mangroves along the old northern river, finally arriving in the village of Bomba (population1800).
I saw my old pal Raines, who was kind enough to participate in my 100 strangers project last year. Raines, along with 3 or 4 other families have small souvenir stands along the dirt road that leads through the village. Their product is about the same in each hut - wooden bowls carved from mahogany or iron wood.
From Bomba, you take a 30 minute bus ride along the old northern highway to the village of Maskall. Unlike Bomba, Maskall has enough population and income to support the cost of electricity, and there are proper schools.
Altun Ha was occuppied by the Mayans from about 200 BC until sometime in the 12th century. It wasnt "discovered" until about 1963 and since then has had most of the site excavated and restored. Although the story of Altun Ha is interesting, the ruins themselves were a bit of a disappointment. Overall its a small site and very touristy.
We spent about an hour here, then got back on the bus and drove to Maruba Lodge for lunch and relaxation. The resort is fabulous. We had decided in advance to have a mud massage while we were here, so after lunch and a quick swim two young women came to claim us and take us the the massage rooms. At least I thought we were going to individual rooms. Silly me. Where we ended up was in a open air couples massage room. open windows and doors. Now, I'm no prude by any stretch, however I tend to draw the line at public nudity when the nudity is my own. So it was a bit unnerving when my masseuse directed me to undress and put on a pair of papery thong panties. Dave didnt fair so well, no panties for him. It took about 5 full minutes for the laughter and tears to subside so our massages could start.
I'll spare you most of the humiliating details, and say that aside from the intense fear I had of someone walking by our hut and seeing me in all my glory with only a few hibiscus flowers covering the naughty bits, it really was a fantastic massage. the delicate scratchiness of the oil and mud mixture felt fabulous. I had just about drifted into that sweet, pre-sleep zone when my gal said "okay lady - we take some pictures then I will take you to the baths." Sure thing sister. Wait. What? Pictures??
She snapped away (with my camera fortunately - DELETE) before I had enough sense to realize the full scope of the situation.
As my inner -and outer - fat girl cringed in humiliation, I was lead out of the spa room, down a path,(have I mentioned that I'm STILL NAKED at this point?) about 200 feet to another open air, tiled building. A lovely claw footed tub in the center of this gorgeous room awaited. And this nice, young, permanently scarred for life girl is now charged with giving me a bath. If I could have relaxed enough to enjoy it - I'm sure it would have been divine, but I was so over the nakedness at this point that I hurried along to have the "experience" come to and end. I'm not sure how Dave's massage ended as I didnt see him in the tubs and he was already dressing when I returned to the cabana, but I'm sure the sheepish, somewhat guilty look on his face meant that he enjoyed the care he received....
we dressed QUICKLY and got back to the rest of the group. back in the bus and then the boat and finally back to our hotel about 5pm.
showered the rest of the mud away and headed to Hidden Treasures for dinner. We have always heard good reviews of this restaurant, but hadnt taken the time to find it for ourselves. Its pretty far south from town, but after dinner tonight I can say that its well worth the effort. The restaurant is GORGEOUS and the service is the best we've had here so far. Cool towels upon arrival, an extensive drinks menu and complimentary bug spray. What more could you ask for? The Chef's special was a plate of grilled snapper, shrimp and lobster tail with garlic roasted potatoes and vegetables for 35 usd. It was the perfect meal to end this crazy assed day.
So now to sleep. Tomorrow is another full day of sailing and snorkeling.
San Pedro
Ambergris Caye, Belize.
We got up way too early today to visit the Altun Ha ruins. Same routine as last years trip to Lamanai, a 45 minute boat ride on open water, then through the mangroves along the old northern river, finally arriving in the village of Bomba (population1800).
I saw my old pal Raines, who was kind enough to participate in my 100 strangers project last year. Raines, along with 3 or 4 other families have small souvenir stands along the dirt road that leads through the village. Their product is about the same in each hut - wooden bowls carved from mahogany or iron wood.
From Bomba, you take a 30 minute bus ride along the old northern highway to the village of Maskall. Unlike Bomba, Maskall has enough population and income to support the cost of electricity, and there are proper schools.
Altun Ha was occuppied by the Mayans from about 200 BC until sometime in the 12th century. It wasnt "discovered" until about 1963 and since then has had most of the site excavated and restored. Although the story of Altun Ha is interesting, the ruins themselves were a bit of a disappointment. Overall its a small site and very touristy.
We spent about an hour here, then got back on the bus and drove to Maruba Lodge for lunch and relaxation. The resort is fabulous. We had decided in advance to have a mud massage while we were here, so after lunch and a quick swim two young women came to claim us and take us the the massage rooms. At least I thought we were going to individual rooms. Silly me. Where we ended up was in a open air couples massage room. open windows and doors. Now, I'm no prude by any stretch, however I tend to draw the line at public nudity when the nudity is my own. So it was a bit unnerving when my masseuse directed me to undress and put on a pair of papery thong panties. Dave didnt fair so well, no panties for him. It took about 5 full minutes for the laughter and tears to subside so our massages could start.
I'll spare you most of the humiliating details, and say that aside from the intense fear I had of someone walking by our hut and seeing me in all my glory with only a few hibiscus flowers covering the naughty bits, it really was a fantastic massage. the delicate scratchiness of the oil and mud mixture felt fabulous. I had just about drifted into that sweet, pre-sleep zone when my gal said "okay lady - we take some pictures then I will take you to the baths." Sure thing sister. Wait. What? Pictures??
She snapped away (with my camera fortunately - DELETE) before I had enough sense to realize the full scope of the situation.
As my inner -and outer - fat girl cringed in humiliation, I was lead out of the spa room, down a path,(have I mentioned that I'm STILL NAKED at this point?) about 200 feet to another open air, tiled building. A lovely claw footed tub in the center of this gorgeous room awaited. And this nice, young, permanently scarred for life girl is now charged with giving me a bath. If I could have relaxed enough to enjoy it - I'm sure it would have been divine, but I was so over the nakedness at this point that I hurried along to have the "experience" come to and end. I'm not sure how Dave's massage ended as I didnt see him in the tubs and he was already dressing when I returned to the cabana, but I'm sure the sheepish, somewhat guilty look on his face meant that he enjoyed the care he received....
we dressed QUICKLY and got back to the rest of the group. back in the bus and then the boat and finally back to our hotel about 5pm.
showered the rest of the mud away and headed to Hidden Treasures for dinner. We have always heard good reviews of this restaurant, but hadnt taken the time to find it for ourselves. Its pretty far south from town, but after dinner tonight I can say that its well worth the effort. The restaurant is GORGEOUS and the service is the best we've had here so far. Cool towels upon arrival, an extensive drinks menu and complimentary bug spray. What more could you ask for? The Chef's special was a plate of grilled snapper, shrimp and lobster tail with garlic roasted potatoes and vegetables for 35 usd. It was the perfect meal to end this crazy assed day.
So now to sleep. Tomorrow is another full day of sailing and snorkeling.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
san pedro day 2
8:30p
San Pedro
today's itinerary was short and sweet.
eat breakfast
swim
read
snack
nap
shop
eat lunch
swim
read
get drunk over dinner.
I'm proud to say that I accomplished all of these tasks. We made it back to George's Kitchen for breakfast. George's offers my most favorite treat of all time.... Fry Jack. Half moon shaped pastry, deep fried and served with fresh honey. Basically eggs, bacon and Elephant Ears. To. Die. For.
Shopped a bit in town, and basically did nothing the rest of the day. No phones ringing, and a couple of times I managed
to forget what day it was. Island living at its finest.
Dinner was an amazing plate of grilled snapper and rice, accompanied by a yummy glass of rum, sugar and limes.
The world famous Chicken Drop at the Spindrift finished up our big night on the town. The premise is you gather a bunch of tourists around a large square with 100 numbers randomly painted on it. Kinda like a big bingo square. Charge them a dollar a number, then drop a chicken on the board. Whomever holds the number that the chicken poops on wins 100 dollars and the opportunity to clean up the poo. You clean before you get the cash, of course. Fortunately we didnt win.
tomorrow - Altun Ha.
San Pedro
today's itinerary was short and sweet.
eat breakfast
swim
read
snack
nap
shop
eat lunch
swim
read
get drunk over dinner.
I'm proud to say that I accomplished all of these tasks. We made it back to George's Kitchen for breakfast. George's offers my most favorite treat of all time.... Fry Jack. Half moon shaped pastry, deep fried and served with fresh honey. Basically eggs, bacon and Elephant Ears. To. Die. For.
Shopped a bit in town, and basically did nothing the rest of the day. No phones ringing, and a couple of times I managed
to forget what day it was. Island living at its finest.
Dinner was an amazing plate of grilled snapper and rice, accompanied by a yummy glass of rum, sugar and limes.
The world famous Chicken Drop at the Spindrift finished up our big night on the town. The premise is you gather a bunch of tourists around a large square with 100 numbers randomly painted on it. Kinda like a big bingo square. Charge them a dollar a number, then drop a chicken on the board. Whomever holds the number that the chicken poops on wins 100 dollars and the opportunity to clean up the poo. You clean before you get the cash, of course. Fortunately we didnt win.
tomorrow - Altun Ha.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
la isla bonita
mata rocks resort
san pedro town
ambergris caye, belize
bloggers being wonky - short post
up early - fly, fly fly. got to san pedro about noon (2p detroit)
mata rocks isnt super posh, but its nice. upgraded to a junior suite because the regular room was just too damned small.
drank, had a fabulous lobster salad for lunch. swam for a bit. frolicked (oh i said it) in the sea. grocery shopped - note: if you ever find yourself here DO NO shop at island grocery. its big, and looks really clean and nice, but its way over priced, and their food is within minutes of expiring, if it hasnt already. i had read some sketchy things about the store, but didnt notice so much on our last trip. this time i payed closer attention. milks and juices in the cooler 2 months expired. creamer cartons that were
still within date, but bulging. all kinds of mess there.
dinner at the incredible Elvi's kitchen. black bean dip and chips to start and shrimp in watermelon sauce for dinner. the watermelon reduction was so so so yum. not as sweet as i expected, more of a full, spicier flavor.
back at the hotel now and pretty much worn out from the day. a nice storm is coming in, so there's a good breeze off the water.
more tomorrow.
san pedro town
ambergris caye, belize
bloggers being wonky - short post
up early - fly, fly fly. got to san pedro about noon (2p detroit)
mata rocks isnt super posh, but its nice. upgraded to a junior suite because the regular room was just too damned small.
drank, had a fabulous lobster salad for lunch. swam for a bit. frolicked (oh i said it) in the sea. grocery shopped - note: if you ever find yourself here DO NO shop at island grocery. its big, and looks really clean and nice, but its way over priced, and their food is within minutes of expiring, if it hasnt already. i had read some sketchy things about the store, but didnt notice so much on our last trip. this time i payed closer attention. milks and juices in the cooler 2 months expired. creamer cartons that were
still within date, but bulging. all kinds of mess there.
dinner at the incredible Elvi's kitchen. black bean dip and chips to start and shrimp in watermelon sauce for dinner. the watermelon reduction was so so so yum. not as sweet as i expected, more of a full, spicier flavor.
back at the hotel now and pretty much worn out from the day. a nice storm is coming in, so there's a good breeze off the water.
more tomorrow.
Friday, July 17, 2009
synchronous
saturday 1am.
work
over this past weekend I spent the day with Amy and the darling Tatiana. After the baby went to bed Amy and I were talking, when I noticed her will laying on the table. We discussed it a bit, and I realized that although my wishes are pretty much known by my family, I really need to put everything in writing so there's no confusion about accounts and plans later. That was pretty much my train of thought for the ride home. Do I have enough life insurance? Does my family know where I want to be buried? And most importantly, how will I be eulogized? You can't dictate memories in a legal document, you create them with the life you live. So, am I living the life and creating the memories that I want repeated by friends and family at the end of my time here?
about 30 minutes into the drive, I stopped for gas. I was only out of my car for a few minutes, but in that time I missed a couple of phone calls from friends. earlier that afternoon, one of my coworkers had died suddenly. On this perfect summer's Sunday, Ted went to play hockey and had a heart attack, and died shortly after. It really took until the funeral today for reality to set in. The pomp and circumstance of a police funeral is awesome in itself, but the words of Ted's family during his eulogy was what really hit home with everyone. Ted loved life. He loved his family. He loved hockey. He lived a life that created positive memories for others. He'll be missed, certainly, but his spirit will remain with everyone who knew him.
The following poem was also shared today. Regardless of your views of an "afterlife", I think everyone can find commonality and perhaps solace in the words.
***
I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.
***
work
over this past weekend I spent the day with Amy and the darling Tatiana. After the baby went to bed Amy and I were talking, when I noticed her will laying on the table. We discussed it a bit, and I realized that although my wishes are pretty much known by my family, I really need to put everything in writing so there's no confusion about accounts and plans later. That was pretty much my train of thought for the ride home. Do I have enough life insurance? Does my family know where I want to be buried? And most importantly, how will I be eulogized? You can't dictate memories in a legal document, you create them with the life you live. So, am I living the life and creating the memories that I want repeated by friends and family at the end of my time here?
about 30 minutes into the drive, I stopped for gas. I was only out of my car for a few minutes, but in that time I missed a couple of phone calls from friends. earlier that afternoon, one of my coworkers had died suddenly. On this perfect summer's Sunday, Ted went to play hockey and had a heart attack, and died shortly after. It really took until the funeral today for reality to set in. The pomp and circumstance of a police funeral is awesome in itself, but the words of Ted's family during his eulogy was what really hit home with everyone. Ted loved life. He loved his family. He loved hockey. He lived a life that created positive memories for others. He'll be missed, certainly, but his spirit will remain with everyone who knew him.
The following poem was also shared today. Regardless of your views of an "afterlife", I think everyone can find commonality and perhaps solace in the words.
***
I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.
***
Monday, March 30, 2009
monday - again
after sleeping til noon, and pretty much being in a funk after I woke up for the day,
i started calling the local number for lost baggage at DTW. 30 calls in about 3 hrs. the line was busy on each stinking call. Finally about 4pm the line rang. IT RANG!
Immediately upon connection it went to auto hold, where I remained for almost 20 minutes. When the lady finally answered, I was told that my bag had "just arrived" from Chicago and would be delivered sometime later. Of course by this point I had convinced myself that everything would be missing, or broken or some other awfulness - but at least I knew it was back in Detroit.
I met up with Tina for some quick eyebrow maintenance and to shoot. Had a lovely dinner with Meghan and Nicole and by the time I got home the airport delivery people had already called to say they were enroute with my stuff.
The (very creepy) delivery guy got here about 9. After a bunch of small talk he finally left and I could get down to the business at hand.. checking out my shit.
Much to my delight, upon opening it I could tell everything was intact. tons of chocolate, hello kitty stuff, and most importantly many bottles of booze. yay!
I finally feel like the trip is complete. Now, the laundry starts.
i started calling the local number for lost baggage at DTW. 30 calls in about 3 hrs. the line was busy on each stinking call. Finally about 4pm the line rang. IT RANG!
Immediately upon connection it went to auto hold, where I remained for almost 20 minutes. When the lady finally answered, I was told that my bag had "just arrived" from Chicago and would be delivered sometime later. Of course by this point I had convinced myself that everything would be missing, or broken or some other awfulness - but at least I knew it was back in Detroit.
I met up with Tina for some quick eyebrow maintenance and to shoot. Had a lovely dinner with Meghan and Nicole and by the time I got home the airport delivery people had already called to say they were enroute with my stuff.
The (very creepy) delivery guy got here about 9. After a bunch of small talk he finally left and I could get down to the business at hand.. checking out my shit.
Much to my delight, upon opening it I could tell everything was intact. tons of chocolate, hello kitty stuff, and most importantly many bottles of booze. yay!
I finally feel like the trip is complete. Now, the laundry starts.
home
monday 4am
my own bed
changing time zones is a treat. you spend the first few days of a trip "in the future", not really knowing what day it is, or what time it is and pretty much exist
in a fog.
coming home is kind of magical. a chance to go back in time. a chance to redo things that you may have messed up the first time around.
we woke up early Sunday morning in Seoul and had breakfast, then did some power shopping. I was really limited on space in my carry on stuff (our luggage had been checked in Vlad - so we wouldnt see it again until customs in chicago) so it was a bit of a challenge getting my purchases to fit, but it worked out and i ended up with just one extra small bag.
the flight from Seoul to Chicago was LONG. Poor sweet baby T was up for all but about an hour and a half of it. when she finally got to sleep, the turbulence was bad so she had to be put into a seatbelt, which woke her up and she was never really able to get back to sleep.
we got to chicago about 10:30a chicago time. Customs was quick. Tatiana became a citizen before the luggage even arrived. We got our bags, took a minute to shove a bunch of the new souvenirs into luggage, and then had to recheck them for the flight to Detroit. Had a quick lunch at the gate then we were off again to Detroit. Arrived to a very nice homecoming with Amy's family. Of course, I was feeling pretty much like a zombie at this point, and writing this now I have little recollection of the conversations. Sorry guys!
The Sunday that went on forever should have ended on an up note at this point..but no such luck. Leave it to good old Northwest to mess things up. Amy's bags came out pretty quickly, but mine was no where to be seen. The customer service was anything but, they claim they can't track bags with Korean Airlines tracking numbers (although they are a partner airline, and more importantly TRANSPORT THE DAMN BAGS!)
So now, 12 hrs later, I still have no bag. Hopefully it will turn up later today - and a greater hope that everything is intact inside.
My intention after getting home was to see megan for a little bit, then try to get a coffee with Tina, but after a shower and the silly assumption that I could just close my eyes "for a minute" I was asleep. Sorry Tina, Monday is all yours - promise!
enough for now
g'night (again)
my own bed
changing time zones is a treat. you spend the first few days of a trip "in the future", not really knowing what day it is, or what time it is and pretty much exist
in a fog.
coming home is kind of magical. a chance to go back in time. a chance to redo things that you may have messed up the first time around.
we woke up early Sunday morning in Seoul and had breakfast, then did some power shopping. I was really limited on space in my carry on stuff (our luggage had been checked in Vlad - so we wouldnt see it again until customs in chicago) so it was a bit of a challenge getting my purchases to fit, but it worked out and i ended up with just one extra small bag.
the flight from Seoul to Chicago was LONG. Poor sweet baby T was up for all but about an hour and a half of it. when she finally got to sleep, the turbulence was bad so she had to be put into a seatbelt, which woke her up and she was never really able to get back to sleep.
we got to chicago about 10:30a chicago time. Customs was quick. Tatiana became a citizen before the luggage even arrived. We got our bags, took a minute to shove a bunch of the new souvenirs into luggage, and then had to recheck them for the flight to Detroit. Had a quick lunch at the gate then we were off again to Detroit. Arrived to a very nice homecoming with Amy's family. Of course, I was feeling pretty much like a zombie at this point, and writing this now I have little recollection of the conversations. Sorry guys!
The Sunday that went on forever should have ended on an up note at this point..but no such luck. Leave it to good old Northwest to mess things up. Amy's bags came out pretty quickly, but mine was no where to be seen. The customer service was anything but, they claim they can't track bags with Korean Airlines tracking numbers (although they are a partner airline, and more importantly TRANSPORT THE DAMN BAGS!)
So now, 12 hrs later, I still have no bag. Hopefully it will turn up later today - and a greater hope that everything is intact inside.
My intention after getting home was to see megan for a little bit, then try to get a coffee with Tina, but after a shower and the silly assumption that I could just close my eyes "for a minute" I was asleep. Sorry Tina, Monday is all yours - promise!
enough for now
g'night (again)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
the long way home
Air Garden Hotel
Incheon Airport
Seoul S. Korea
10:30pm Saturday night
Left Vlad today about 3pm. Although I'm glad to be on the way home, I will miss Russia and the people there.
Perhaps my dream of taking the Trans-siberian will work out and I'll return to Vladivostok some day.
The flight to seoul was pretty uneventful. Tatiana was a real trooper, never fussing a bit. Now, we keep our fingers crossed that she'll do as well on tomorrows flight to Chicago. 10+ hrs is a damn long time to be on a plane. We have a short layover in Ohare, and then its home home home.
I've spent the past few hours shopping at the duty free stores, and i'm worn out. there are no sounds coming from the room next door, so I'm guessing that Amy and the baby are fast asleep. I should be too.
more tomorrow
Incheon Airport
Seoul S. Korea
10:30pm Saturday night
Left Vlad today about 3pm. Although I'm glad to be on the way home, I will miss Russia and the people there.
Perhaps my dream of taking the Trans-siberian will work out and I'll return to Vladivostok some day.
The flight to seoul was pretty uneventful. Tatiana was a real trooper, never fussing a bit. Now, we keep our fingers crossed that she'll do as well on tomorrows flight to Chicago. 10+ hrs is a damn long time to be on a plane. We have a short layover in Ohare, and then its home home home.
I've spent the past few hours shopping at the duty free stores, and i'm worn out. there are no sounds coming from the room next door, so I'm guessing that Amy and the baby are fast asleep. I should be too.
more tomorrow
Friday, March 27, 2009
last day in Vlad
Saturday 9:45am
Vladivostok
Our last morning in Vladivostok. This week has flown by. Tatiana has changed so much in just the few days that I've been here.
She's so comfortable in her surroundings now. I'm sure the transition at home will be smooth for her.
We had a great Friday night. Kate, our translator from the first trip came for a visit and had dinner with us. She wasnt available to be the translator for Amy on this trip due to commitments with school, so it was a nice treat to be able to spend some time with her. She's a great girl. I hope that she will be able to come to the US and visit us there. Make it happen KATE!
We leave for the airport shortly, for a 3pm flight to Seoul. Due to the restrictions that North Korea has imposed (some silly threats of shooting down passenger planes in their airspace) the flight now takes a bit longer - about 2 hrs. We'll spend the night at the Air Garden Hotel inside Incheon Airport, and then have a 12pm flight to Chicago on Sunday.
Its a long layover in Seoul, but it shouldnt be too uncomfortable. Incheon is rated one of the top 5 airports in the world.
Its beautiful inside. Plenty of dining, play areas for children and SHOPPING! Its shopping galore there. Unlike russia - the prices are quite similar to the US, so no real savings, but lots of fun products to look at. My one hold back is that I'm very limited on room in my carry on bags and i'd really hate to buy a second bag to carry home, so I'll have to make due.
more from Seoul later.
paka
Vladivostok
Our last morning in Vladivostok. This week has flown by. Tatiana has changed so much in just the few days that I've been here.
She's so comfortable in her surroundings now. I'm sure the transition at home will be smooth for her.
We had a great Friday night. Kate, our translator from the first trip came for a visit and had dinner with us. She wasnt available to be the translator for Amy on this trip due to commitments with school, so it was a nice treat to be able to spend some time with her. She's a great girl. I hope that she will be able to come to the US and visit us there. Make it happen KATE!
We leave for the airport shortly, for a 3pm flight to Seoul. Due to the restrictions that North Korea has imposed (some silly threats of shooting down passenger planes in their airspace) the flight now takes a bit longer - about 2 hrs. We'll spend the night at the Air Garden Hotel inside Incheon Airport, and then have a 12pm flight to Chicago on Sunday.
Its a long layover in Seoul, but it shouldnt be too uncomfortable. Incheon is rated one of the top 5 airports in the world.
Its beautiful inside. Plenty of dining, play areas for children and SHOPPING! Its shopping galore there. Unlike russia - the prices are quite similar to the US, so no real savings, but lots of fun products to look at. My one hold back is that I'm very limited on room in my carry on bags and i'd really hate to buy a second bag to carry home, so I'll have to make due.
more from Seoul later.
paka
Thursday, March 26, 2009
vlad day 4 (I think)
Thursday 9pm
Vladivostok
another relatively quiet day. lots of play, too much eating and a couple of naps for everyone today.
for those of you curious as to what my current neighborhood looks like, i've added a couple of photos of our surroundings.
the hotel is about 20 minutes from the city, in the middle of a small residential area. There are some really big houses and a HUGE private school - all surrounded by very high (20+feet at some points) fences. So, all you can really see are rooftops and a couple of tall windows.
There is a train line behind the hotel that goes into town, but I havent been confident enough to take it yet. Normally while traveling I dont have an issue with public transport, but not being able to read the lettering here is really daunting and I've let it hold me back.
about a 5 minute walk from the hotel is a small grocery store and what I think is a restaurant or bar. The store has three short aisles, maybe 15 feet long, tops. a little dairy, a little chocolate, some snack food (BACON PRINGLES!) and a whole lotta alcohol. hundreds of bottles of booze on the wall. Today I bought a couple of large chocolate bars, three bottles of vodka, a box of wine, a ramen bowl, crab flavored rice crisps and a little kinder bar for a grand total of 700 rubles.
700 = about 21 dollars. not too shabby at all.
Kate, our translator from last visit was supposed to come for a visit tonight, but wasnt able to make it. hopefully she'll be free tomorrow to come have dinner. She's a nice girl with a great future, and I really look forward to seeing her again.
The door on the left is the entrance to the market -I dont know what the door on the right is.
bbq restaurant
Vladivostok
another relatively quiet day. lots of play, too much eating and a couple of naps for everyone today.
for those of you curious as to what my current neighborhood looks like, i've added a couple of photos of our surroundings.
the hotel is about 20 minutes from the city, in the middle of a small residential area. There are some really big houses and a HUGE private school - all surrounded by very high (20+feet at some points) fences. So, all you can really see are rooftops and a couple of tall windows.
There is a train line behind the hotel that goes into town, but I havent been confident enough to take it yet. Normally while traveling I dont have an issue with public transport, but not being able to read the lettering here is really daunting and I've let it hold me back.
about a 5 minute walk from the hotel is a small grocery store and what I think is a restaurant or bar. The store has three short aisles, maybe 15 feet long, tops. a little dairy, a little chocolate, some snack food (BACON PRINGLES!) and a whole lotta alcohol. hundreds of bottles of booze on the wall. Today I bought a couple of large chocolate bars, three bottles of vodka, a box of wine, a ramen bowl, crab flavored rice crisps and a little kinder bar for a grand total of 700 rubles.
700 = about 21 dollars. not too shabby at all.
Kate, our translator from last visit was supposed to come for a visit tonight, but wasnt able to make it. hopefully she'll be free tomorrow to come have dinner. She's a nice girl with a great future, and I really look forward to seeing her again.
The door on the left is the entrance to the market -I dont know what the door on the right is.
bbq restaurant
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
lost in the fog
Tuesday 9:30pm
Vladivostok
sounds romantic, doesn't it?
not so much.
i think i'm still suffering from silent jet lag. i dont feel tired, no headaches, nothing. plain nothing. no feelings at all.
no appetite really, so I dont feel hungry, but never really feel "full" either. I didnt think i was sleepy earlier, but then noticed
that the wall seemed to be moving. that was my clue to take a nap (amy and baby T were out on the town doing paper work)
the most annoying part of feeling this way is finding myself staring off into space. the other people here have to think
i'm a total headcase. course, they're probaby correct :)
Tatiana (and Amy) had a much better day today. routines are starting to form, which makes life a bit easier for everyone.
Baby T went to bed about an hour ago and she's been sound asleep ever since. Hopefully, for Amy's sake she'll stay that way
overnight.
I know I will - its nice and quiet in my room :)
Vladivostok
sounds romantic, doesn't it?
not so much.
i think i'm still suffering from silent jet lag. i dont feel tired, no headaches, nothing. plain nothing. no feelings at all.
no appetite really, so I dont feel hungry, but never really feel "full" either. I didnt think i was sleepy earlier, but then noticed
that the wall seemed to be moving. that was my clue to take a nap (amy and baby T were out on the town doing paper work)
the most annoying part of feeling this way is finding myself staring off into space. the other people here have to think
i'm a total headcase. course, they're probaby correct :)
Tatiana (and Amy) had a much better day today. routines are starting to form, which makes life a bit easier for everyone.
Baby T went to bed about an hour ago and she's been sound asleep ever since. Hopefully, for Amy's sake she'll stay that way
overnight.
I know I will - its nice and quiet in my room :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
back in the (former) ussr
almost 10pm monday night
vladivostok motor inn
man, what a long day. two days really, as i still havent slept. the flight from seoul to vlad should only take a little more
than an hour, but its currently taking 2 hrs because north korea is limiting its air space, so instead of flying a direct route
over n.korea, you now have to fly a big circle around it. boo to them.
and the turbulence was rough. btwn the rolling flight saturday night, lack of sleep and food, and the hard bounces today,
i was really feeling motion sickness by the time we finally landed. fortunately i had plenty of down time while waiting on
passport control in russia... they dont talk to you, or explain what they are doing that takes so long. the just type. and frown
occasionally, and then you're given your papers and sent on your way.
sergei my secret russian boyfriend slash driver slash bodyguard came solo to pick me up from the airport. not a problem really, except that sergei speaks no english (although i think he understands it, but refuses to speak it) and my russian is limited to da, nyet and vodka. needless to say, it was a quiet ride through the country to my hotel.
so now, the important part. Tatiana is so so so stinking cute. and a good girl. she's got a slight case of the new family/terrible twos/interruption in routine sickness right now, but she'll be okay. and i have all the confidence that Amy is going to be a great mom. we played most of the afternoon, then had a pretty unremarkable dinner. Amy put the baby to bed and then we (okay, maybe just me) ate way too much chocolate for one evening.
i'm all about sleep now.
vladivostok motor inn
man, what a long day. two days really, as i still havent slept. the flight from seoul to vlad should only take a little more
than an hour, but its currently taking 2 hrs because north korea is limiting its air space, so instead of flying a direct route
over n.korea, you now have to fly a big circle around it. boo to them.
and the turbulence was rough. btwn the rolling flight saturday night, lack of sleep and food, and the hard bounces today,
i was really feeling motion sickness by the time we finally landed. fortunately i had plenty of down time while waiting on
passport control in russia... they dont talk to you, or explain what they are doing that takes so long. the just type. and frown
occasionally, and then you're given your papers and sent on your way.
sergei my secret russian boyfriend slash driver slash bodyguard came solo to pick me up from the airport. not a problem really, except that sergei speaks no english (although i think he understands it, but refuses to speak it) and my russian is limited to da, nyet and vodka. needless to say, it was a quiet ride through the country to my hotel.
so now, the important part. Tatiana is so so so stinking cute. and a good girl. she's got a slight case of the new family/terrible twos/interruption in routine sickness right now, but she'll be okay. and i have all the confidence that Amy is going to be a great mom. we played most of the afternoon, then had a pretty unremarkable dinner. Amy put the baby to bed and then we (okay, maybe just me) ate way too much chocolate for one evening.
i'm all about sleep now.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
seoul plane
monday march 23 - 6am s. korea time.
finally got to seoul about an hour ago. super long flight from LAX but relatively uneventful. the plane wasn't as
crowded as the last time we flew this route, but the turbulence was bad. there were several times i did the whole
"life assessment" thing. Fortunately we landed smoothly and now i'm in one of the rest areas of the airport. and when they
say rest, they arent kidding...there are about a dozen people sprawled out in the chairs snoring away.
this is one of the only open areas in the airport right now, so its busy. Everything else opens at 7. that gives me a full 2 hrs of duty free fun before the trip to Vlad. Unless I decide to nap along with my new cafe mates.. sleeping on the plane was a goal that went unachieved. boo.
i predict a lunch and a HUGE nap in my future.
finally got to seoul about an hour ago. super long flight from LAX but relatively uneventful. the plane wasn't as
crowded as the last time we flew this route, but the turbulence was bad. there were several times i did the whole
"life assessment" thing. Fortunately we landed smoothly and now i'm in one of the rest areas of the airport. and when they
say rest, they arent kidding...there are about a dozen people sprawled out in the chairs snoring away.
this is one of the only open areas in the airport right now, so its busy. Everything else opens at 7. that gives me a full 2 hrs of duty free fun before the trip to Vlad. Unless I decide to nap along with my new cafe mates.. sleeping on the plane was a goal that went unachieved. boo.
i predict a lunch and a HUGE nap in my future.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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