02-28-23

 

Anastasia really wanted to experience the village ceremony.  At first it looked like we wouldn't be able to, but we were able to join an Australian couple, the more the merrier.  Wasn't sure what to expect, but was not expecting to participate in the rain dance ceremony with no instructions.  The women did not speak English and the men would not translate, so there was a lot of gesturing, imitating, and laughing.

02-27-23

 

Today was camel safari.

Two camels ran away, so we had two camels to rotate.  Some walked, some rode.  We had an armed warrier with us.

Our destination was sundowners rock, a great place to watch the sunset.

02-26-23

 

Enjoying an elephant family up close and personal during the evening game ride at Sasaab.

02-25-23

 

Yeah, this is pretty fun!  Great visibility, great fresh air, the only drawback is not hearing the driver and spotter.

02-24-23

 

A white rhino family.  And I wondered if we would really see very many babies...

02-23-23

 

Our first sundowners, when we get drinks and snacks to enjoy a gorgeous sunset.  

I was looking forward to these double decker safari vehicles and they did not disappoint.

First stop is Solio, the only lodge in the private game reserve to breed black rhinos.  The electric fences fences are to protect the village from the rhinos, but plenty of wildlife comes and goes.

02-22-23

 

Breakfast with the giraffes then a puddle jumper flight to start our safari experience.  It's so hard to choose just one photo!

02-21-23

 

Our flight was delayed, we finally made it to Giraffe Manor in time for tea with the giraffes.  I knew it would be cool, but I could not beleive the access we all had to the giraffes.  Want to kiss them?  Heck ya!

This was Eddy, the biggest and gentlest giraffe of the bunch.  Endless treats brings endless photo ops.

02-20-23

 

Another dorky photo, I stink at selfies.  I thought I had a good background, but you can't tell that I'm at the mosque and the cameras wreck the architecture.  Fun fact, Dubai has very little crime because they have a TON of cameras.  As silly as I look, I liked the vibes of this photo.  We decided the bugg wasn't respectful enough and added more head covering, but didn't take photos of that...

02-19-23

Greetings from 125 stories up the Burj Kalifa.  Tallest building in the world, but Dubai is already builing a taller building.

Yeah, I probably could look a wee bit more awkward if I tried... #DORK

02-18-23

 

Hello Dubai!

I was looking forward to our ride in a traditional abra water taxi and it did not disappoint.

We exchanged money to get the $0.25 fare in dirhams, but didn't need it.  Our tour guide paid one direction and we ended up missing the temple tour that would have taken us back in the other direction.  But it was nice to have local currency for tips.

The ride was really short, literally across the creek.  Abra means "to cross".  Mostly used by tourists nowadays.

02-17-23

 

And we're off on our grand adventure!  So thankful that we didn't need to get up at o'darl thirty to catch our flight.  

02-16-23

 

Walking around downtown marvelling that tomorrow we head for somewhere much warmer and much different.  Why is this guy so blue?!?

02-15-23

 

More artwork from work.  It is a forest, but in very non traditional colors.  Yesterday snow and ice kept people home, but today the building is a bit busier.

02-14-23

 

We spent Valentine's Day at church in a marriage course.  We know how to party!

02-12-23

 

Etta's reopened as a casual BBQ and we heard good reviews, so we decided to check it out.  A bit of heartburn, but tasted really good!

02-11-23

Spray party!  We all sprayed the majority of our Africa wardrobe with insecticide to try to keep the mosquitos from biting us.  Only problem is that it didn't dry very fast.

02-10-23

This sign on the fitness center door may as well have just said "Hey, Michele, no more 4:30 workouts for you!"  Deep sigh...

02-08-23

Another day in the office.  Our stairwell has forest art covering all eight stories.  Love it! 

02-07-23

Needed and wanted a short walk after a day in the office, we walked to the Valentines display at Westlake Park.

02-06-23

 

My only photo all eving, and a little too slow to capture Jacob's amazing camera bag full of toys.  Getting ready for Africa!

02-05-23

 Small group gathering tonight, fun to catch up with our friends for longer than a passing hello.  Little Lincoln is a ball of energy and amused herself all evening with a water bottle cap.

02-03-23

 

Joan and I headed to Fremont tonight for taco themed baked potatoes and maragaritas.  We went for a little walk and finally found the dinosaur topiary.

02-02-23

 

Packed and weighed my Africa luggage.  Had to cram it all in, but the two bags weigh 30.5 pounds against my 33 pound limit.  Woo-hoo!

02-01-23

 

Eye doctor fun, eyes dilated, looking stylish!