TravelStream™ news feed for member metruff on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/metruff en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:53:36 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218517200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218517200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218517200/tpod.html Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:53:36 -0400 To Africa - Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia via London

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Casper, Wyoming, United States

Today was just long flights.  Departed London about 10AM.  Flew Air Canada to Vancouver, BC, Canada.  Then United to Denver, CO and on to Casper, WY.  Collapsed in bed about 11pm.
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London, United Kingdom

On our last day in London and last day (seeing things) on this trip we attended church services at Westminster, visited Big Ben and the Thames River.  We then took a cruise on the Thames to Greenwich and visited the Maritime museum, saw a show at the planetarium, a short living history performance about a female pirate and took our photos on the prime meridian! 
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London, United Kingdom

Our first activity in London was to go to the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.  It seemed as if every tourist in London was there.  Watching the police handle the crowds was as interesting as watching the guards.  Rain threatened a bit, but the show went on.  We later went to Trafalgar Square, an art museum, Saint Paul's Cathedral for a service and then out to Abbey Road.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218254220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218254220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1218254220/tpod.html Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:17:23 -0400 To Africa - Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia via London

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London, United Kingdom

Spent the day flying from Addis Ababa via Rome to London on Ethiopian Airlines.  Ethiopian Airlines is reasonable.  Not fancy, but appears to be well maintained.  We were able to secure exit row seats which was very nice.  The only unique feature with Ethiopian is they don't really announce the flight, you just watch the crowd in the gate and when there is some sort of signal everyone heads for the door.  Just follow the crowd and everything works!  We landed at Heathrow about 8pm and took the tube into London.  We had to change trains at one station to get to our hotel.  We rushed to a train and I was able to hop on, but the doors closed before Michelle could make it.  Separation!  I proceeded to the next station and waited for her, but she never showed so I went to the hotel.  I checked in as just as I was heading out to look for her she pulled up in a taxi!  Late night but all was well.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1216950900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1216950900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/metruff/1/1216950900/tpod.html Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:16:06 -0400 To Africa - Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia via London

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Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania

On our drive from Tarangire NP to Gibbs Farm we stopped at the Watoto Care Orphanage to deliver a suitcase of donated clothes and toys.  Holly Michaud and friends put the suitcase together and we delivered it.  The orphanage is 116 km west of Arusha town on the Dodoma, Singida Road.  It provides shelter, food, health and educational support to 18 full boarded boys and girls and supports 10-15 more. 
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We spent the day touring Addis.  We visit the national museum, a church, the markato and had dinner at a fun Ethiopian restaurant.  The national museum contained "Lucy" and some interesting historical and anthropological exhibits.  The church was largest Orthodox Coptic Christian church in Ehtiopia and the site of Haile Selassie's tomb.  The markato, Italian for market is the largest open air market in Africa and is gigantic, chaotic and a bit overwhelming.  We went to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner.  Very inexpensive, quite good with music and dancing. 
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We spent the morning shopping in Kigali.  Our taxi driver from the hotel to downtown Kigali was an enthusiastic Barack Obama supporter with bumper stickers all over his cab.  We flew to Addis Ababa in the late afternoon.  The flights were late, but uneventful.  We arrived in Addis after sunset and went directly to the hotel.
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Ruhengeri, Rwanda

Our second day to see the gorillas was very similar to the first.  Volcano NP has a tight system in place and seemingly runs it day in, day out.  You arise early, report to the HQ and are assigned to a group of no more than 8 tourists to 1 ranger/guide.  We had 2 guides this day, Patience and a trainee.  The hiking this day was easier because the gorilla family was closer to the trailhead.  Patience showed us various plants used by the gorillas.  After we rendezvoused with the trackers they moved us up slope of the gorilla family which was resting in tall grass and brush.  The guides work very hard to insure that we have good views of the gorillas.  This family was very lazy and most of the time they were naping.  The young ones were playing and rolling around.  After we completed our gorilla viewing we hiked down and then drove to Kigali, arriving about 6pm.
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Ruhengeri, Rwanda

It rained most of the previous evening so we knew we'd be hiking in muddy conditions to Dian Fosey's grave, but we learned a new level of mud today.  By the time we were done everything was wet and covered with thick gumbo mud.  Another early morning departure, organized into groups with a ranger and soldiers.  All hiking in the park is with an armed escort and rangers.  Two women from Australia and ourselves were the party going on this hike.  A long and muddy trail to the location of the first research center and the graves of gorillas and Dian Fosey.  We heard gorillas on the way down, which was a bonus.  The graveyard is very peaceful with large trees and low underbrush.  They say gorillas regularly visit the area.  The research center has been moved out of the park so only tent sites, a few decaying buildings and graves remain.
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Ruhengeri, Rwanda

We arose at 0530, dressed, ate breakfast and met Moses, our guide, at 0630 and drove to the Volcano National park HQ.  We signed in and were assigned to a treking group.  5 UK teenagers, 1 UK teacher and us.  8 tourists + 1 guide (Francis) + 2 porters + 2 soldiers with weapons.  We drove from the HQ to the trailhead and began walking.  Very slowly up and up.  First through fields of potatoes and other vegetables then to the rock wall and into the park.  Then the rain forest jungle.  Very thick, sometimes you see for 1 meter, sometimes 5, rarely more than 10.  After 2 hours of steady hiking we linked up with the trackers who had been talking to our guide on the radio.  Each gorilla family is assigned 5 trackers for monitoring and protection.  They stay with the family from dawn to dusk each day.  After rendezvousing with the trackers we left our packs and hiking poles.  With the guide and 1 tracker we found the family of gorillas.  This day we were lucky and saw members of two families who were visiting each other.  A silverback, blackbacks, females and babies.  You get remarkably close to the gorillas and are allowed to stay with them for 1 hour.  The gorillas are very powerful, capable of moving very quickly through jungle that we believe impassable, remarkably peaceful and quiet.  They are vegetarian and essentially live in a gigantic salad.  They eat the plants throughout the jungle.  After we left our group and were moving away a juvenile ran up to two of the British teenage girls and invited them to play by slapping one on the back and grabbing the other by the leg.  The guide, Francis, knew exactly what to say and calmed the girls while the tracker chased the young gorilla away.  Contact is not good for them or us!
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