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The weather was beautiful in Pensacola, all 4th of July weekend to the fireworks. Early Monday morning, all hell broke loose, the heavens opened and it poured rain.
In spite of the good weather leading up to the Fourth, the droves that usually invade the beaches to celebrate didn’t materialize. One restaurant owner said his business was down 80% from last year at this time. We decided, in spite of the rain, to head over to the beach for lunch, do our small part for the Pensacola Beach economy.
LLLOOOLLLL! The first place we tried, Peg Leg Pete’s, (“Our Latitude Will Change Your Attitude”) had such a crowd that the wait was 25 – 30 minutes, standing out in the rain, so we passed. Our second choice, Crabs – We Got ‘Em was closed until 4 pm. Oh AAARRGH,, but there is still the brand new Jimmy Buffet hotel, Margaritaville and we’ve been eager to take a look so in we go.
Bad news is that you can’t use the underground parking lot, even on a rainy day, unless you are a hotel guest. Good news is that if you are dining in the restaurant, valet parking is free, and when you have a baby and car seat with you, valet parking is very very good. 
Margaritaville is beautiful, and fun. As soon as you walk in, it is beachy; beautiful sand and sea colors, a faux straw mat floor and comfy beach-home furniture. Beach music, too.
The view of Pensacola beach, even on a rainy day, is glorious. Please note that the beaches are CLEAN. Come to Pensacola! Save the economy!
Our original plans had been to find one of the beachy restaurants, you know, family restaurants, full of kids, one more little baby wouldn’t even be noticed. The main demographic in the Margaritaville restaurant was couples, mostly 50-ish, women in sundresses they were a little too big for, and men in big bright flowered shirts, drinking fancy beach drinks (There is a whole page of them ). There was one baby, and few other children.
We only had to wait about 15 minutes to get in, and there was a nice lounge where we could wait. We had the popcorn shrimp for starters, and we liked it. The bacon cheeseburger was good, according to my son, and the crab cake sandwich disappeared in a heartbeat. Baby Q was good as gold and had is first taste of dill pickle. He liked it! My seafood salad had macaroni in it. Aargh. Service was good, unobtrusive and friendly.
It’s a nice place. I would stay there. I love the clean lines and the sea colors. There are other places I would rather eat.
Happy Birthday, United States of America! Happy Fourth of July, AdventureMan.
Wishing all my Kuwait friends all the blessings of liberty, and independence.
I always remember February in Kuwait as being one of the nicest months of the year – so how is it this year? My friends in Doha tell me they are having a heat wave!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
As we are visiting in Pensacola, we often come across wreaths on doors, and here Christmas is long past. “What are these wreaths?” we wondered, only to learn that they are Mardi Gras wreaths, that near to New Orleans the Mardi Gras culture prevails and shiny glass beads and Mardi Gras parties abound.
Of course, we are having our own celebration these days.
Meanwhile, I took a photo of one of the wreaths for my sister, Sparkle, who loves New Orleans, loves masques and loves . . . SPARKLE!
البقيات والبانشيات للتأجير
العاب لليهال
وصلنا المخيم بالسلامة
تغدينا كباب ومعدس
بالليل قعدنا يم الشبوب
وحطينا الجاي والكستنه
وباجي العدة لوول
كان يوم حلوو وان شاء الله ناطرين عطلة الربيع انقضيها في البر 
البقيات والبانشيات للتأجير العاب لليهال وصلنا المخيم بالسلامة تغدينا كباب ومعدس بالليل قعدنا يم الشبوب وحطينا الجاي والكستنه وباجي العدة لوول كان يوم حلوو وان شاء الله ناطرين عطلة الربيع انقضيها في البر :)Last week, at the MegaMart, I saw some boxes of true peppermint candy canes. I grabbed three, did not even look at the price. There have been candy canes around, but weird – fruit flavored, even chocolate flavored. At Christmas, I am a purist when it comes to a candy cane. It has to be peppermint!
And then I look for recipes to make a little peppermint candy cane go a long way. This is one of them, from allrecipes.com:
Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients
• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.
2. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.
3. Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.
A warning – meringues work a whole lot better if you DO NOT make them on a rainy day. The humidity in the air interferes with making a good dry meringue. You can make these and keep them a short while in an airtight container, but in humidity, they lose their crispness.
We are having our third full day of intermittent, drenching rain in Doha. Thanks be to God.
Last week, at the MegaMart, I saw some boxes of true peppermint candy canes. I grabbed three, did not even look at the price. There have been candy canes around, but weird – fruit flavored, even chocolate flavored. At Christmas, I am a purist when it comes to a candy cane. It has to be peppermint!
And then I look for recipes to make a little peppermint candy cane go a long way. This is one of them, from allrecipes.com:
Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients
• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.
2. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.
3. Bake for 1 1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.
A warning – meringues work a whole lot better if you DO NOT make them on a rainy day. The humidity in the air interferes with making a good dry meringue. You can make these and keep them a short while in an airtight container, but in humidity, they lose their crispness.
We are having our third full day of intermittent, drenching rain in Doha. Thanks be to God.
According to today’s Gulf Times Qatar National Day Events will be carried live on television, Al Doha TV
National Day events to be telecast live
Al Doha TV, the official National Day television station, will be offering live broadcasts of National Day activities plus cultural, entertainment and documentary series through December 18.
Free-to-air Al Doha TV is an initiative of, and funded by, the State National Day Celebrations Organising Committee (SNDCOC), made its debut on December 18 last year, on the occasion of National Day.
Al Doha TV channel can be seen on Bader4 (Arabsat), Frequency: 12111mhz
Qatar celebrates its National Day on December 18 in commemoration of the historic day in 1878 when the country’s founder Sheikh Jasim, succeeded his father, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Thani, as a ruler and led the country toward unity.
The event is considered as an opportunity for all Qatari nationals and expatriates to recognise and celebrate what it means to live in modern day Qatar.
The 2009 schedule features programmes produced by Al Doha TV in its state-of-the-art production facilities or outsourced to renowned Qatari and international production companies.
Al Doha TV is to telecast documentaries which capture aspects of traditional and modern Qatari life.
‘Mosque Tales’ tells the history of Qatari mosques and reveals fascinating stories behind them. ‘Sport’ shows how the country is investing massively to create a culture of sporting participation amongst its citizens.
‘Destination Doha’ discovers how Qatar Tourism Authority attracts record numbers of business and vacation tourists by investing in hotels, museums, parks, new town and cultural attractions.
‘Health’ visits hospitals, health centres, and research centres to interview doctors and hospital managers and get the lowdown on the most up-to-date equipment and health techniques.
‘In Vision for Education’ depicts men and women who have the responsibility of graduating Qatar’s first generation of doctors, designers, and diplomats, and how the independent schools are helping raise standards and grades.
Qatar’s long-term economic prosperity is the focus of ‘Qatar Is Booming,’ a 60-minute documentary examining recent developments and future plans in Qatar’s energy, industry, commerce and agriculture sectors.
The complete list of National Day 2009 events and activities is available on the official website, www.ndqatar.com
Qatar National Day 2009 sponsors are the following:
Qtel (official sponsor)
QNB (official bank)
Barwa, Commercialbank, Qatari Diar (platinum sponsors)
Qatar Petroleum, Teyseer Group, United Development Company(gold sponsors)
Doha Bank, Ezdan, Qatar Airways, The Diplomatic Club (silver sponsors).
Dizzee Rascal is one of those interesting artists out of the UK Hip Hop scene, and this is one of his more recent songs. I’m really hooked on it, I didn’t even see the video until the other day and I heard the song on the radio in the UK. The beat feels fun, and the lyrics are pretty funny if you listen to them.
After all these years living here, I still have so much to learn.
Jet-lagging, wide awake and the sun is just up – it’s Eid, and I am betting that with everything closed, the roads will be mine.
Almost immediately after leaving the compound, I get the idea that I am very very wrong. Cars are racing past our entrance as if it were night-time, when I rarely drive if I can help it. There is a feeling of unrestrained energy in the driving, a release. As I circle the nearest roundabout, I watch two cars crash. One, a woman, is exiting the roundabout, the other, a man whose car was parked just outside the roundabout which is also outside the mosque, just drove right into one another. Neither would yield.
All this, and it is not even six in the morning. It’s kind of like everyone is up for sunrise service on Eid in Qatar.
But I really want to capture some of the early morning light. Not taking the hint, I head downtown, and traffic is heavy. I get to the old spit Where-Bandar-restaurants-used-to-be, and as soon as I exit the car, my camera lens fogs up and I have to wait for the camera to heat a little before I can shoot anything. Oh yeh – me and all the other camera-toting people with the same idea. I shoot The Pearl, and then I shoot a young man just coming from prayers with his very nice camera – a Nikon digital.
The spit is crowded – everyone is there. Some guys in cars are just sitting there smoking in public, just because they can. Entire families are all out enjoying the breezy morning temperatures (LOL, in the 90’s Fahrenheit)
This is my absolute favorite shot:
Actually, I love the water in this one, but I can’t take any credit for that.
This one I call Scrambled Eggs, because there is so much going on, but it is definitely a Doha kind of chaos:
This is taken where Al Rayyan Road begins, at the mouth of the entrance to Souq al Waqif, sheer chaos:
And this is my own palm tree shooting out some new shoots – maybe it is a sign that winter is on its way?
One of the great blessings of visiting our son and his wife is just spending time together doing the normal things that families do when Mom and Dad don’t live many time zones away in a far and distant land earning a living. This last weekend, we were able to attend church together, which was one of the highlights of my visit with them.
We found a lovely church, Christ Episcopal, in downtown Pensacola. It has organ music, and as my husband says “they sing REAL hymns!” We smiled to see so many families there, from the youngest babies to older folk – the church welcomes us all.
And then AdventureMan spotted the Lutheran Church next door and said “Oh! They have a church souk!”
It was a truly glorious day.
For my fellow book lovers – this is what the Amazon.com headquarters looks like. A long time ago, it was a veteran’s hospital, then it was de-militarized and Amazon bought it. They have a lot of other locations and warehouses, but this is the central Amazon, overlooking Seattle and I-5.
No lives were endangered in the taking of this photo – it’s Labor Day weekend, and the traffic was stopped on the highway, inching north, as I took the photo.
Touching. They both were icons of a very special time of pop music. I wonder if this is just for the 02 arena or an on-going thing for the rest of her extra “leg” of the tour. She must’ve really loved him, or just wants the attention. Keep in mind this is the same woman who formerly refused to appear in Michael’s “In The Closet” video unless Jackson appeared with her in public in complete drag.
Posted in Beats, Brit Brit Brit, Clip, Yankee Panky Tagged: concert, holiday, jackson, madonna, michael, new, o2, tour, tribute, video
“I have no agenda,” I said to AdventureMan as we walked the streets of Strasbourg, yesterday, walking and walking, through throngs of Strasbourgois, “but tomorrow I really need to go by the shoe store.”
He knows I love one particular shoe store.
We were up for breakfast by eight this morning – still nine, body time, Kuwait time, so it really felt like sleeping in. We are staying in a very exclusive hotel in Strasbourg with wonderful parking, we come, we park the car, and we just walk and walk and walk. We have a code to get into the hotel if we are out too late and the front door is locked. The rooms are simple, but bright and clean and stocked with shampoo and soap and spacious closets. The loo is separate from the shower room; I really like that. This hotel is so exclusive you probably couldn’t stay here – unless you, like us, are formerly military. The military hotels here have an agreement that people from other country’s forces can stay. There is a special rate for us former-military, a very agreeable rate that includes breakfast with the lightest, flakiest croissants in the world. I think it has to be the butter of the Alsace.
We were lucky to get a room. There was a huge crowd of people, a group, staying here, too.
So we headed out, taking our time, heading for the shoe store and an antiquities store AdventureMan wanted to visit. In the shoe store window are about six different pair of shoes I could happily scarf up, if only the store were open, but there is still a half an hour. We kill time, I tell AdventureMan I will catch up with him, and I stand in front of the shoe store waiting for it to open. Half an hour, I am still waiting, and AdventureMan comes; his store hasn’t opened, either.
It is very quiet in Strasbourg, this Friday morning, and we are marveling at how relaxed the French are about getting up. Hmmm . . . even my favorite pharmacy is very late opening. . . several of the bakeries are not open . . . the historic post card store AdventureMan wanted to visit is closed . . .
Remember I told you I can be slow sometimes? So can AdventureMan. Around 11, we start wondering if it is a holiday. When we go to lunch, we ask, and they say “oh yes! It is the day of the end of the war! It is a holiday!” and the light bulb goes on. We will have to stop by our favorite stores tomorrow, and today, we are having a wonderful, very quiet day in the heart of Strasbourg, it is wonderful having the city mostly to ourselves. Well, we are sharing it with several thousand other tourists arriving from Germany, from Italy, and from other parts of France.
It smells so good here. There are lilacs blooming everywhere, and other wonderful smelling flowers:
We love it that the French signs for picnics show a baguette and a bottle of wine in the picnic basket:
Walking in Strasbourg is so lovely; no matter where you look, there is something marvelous:
We had lunch at Le Pasha, a Tunisian restaurant. It was absolutely delicious! Sorry, we were so hungry I didn’t remember to take any photos. We had brik, a lamb stew/ lamb chops, and Tunisian pastries. It was a sweet restaurant:
And now, AdventureMan is snoozing, music to my ears. We need a little down time as much as we need the walking, the lilacs, the vistas and the sips of wine.
Today is the most beautiful day in the church year, Easter Sunday. Mary and Mary go to the tomb where Jesus was laid, only to find the 2 ton stone rolled away from the entrance, and angels waiting there, telling the women that Jesus was not there, that he had arisen. If you have been reading this blog for any time at all, you will know that it delights my heart that women were the first to know, and that Jesus, resurrected, appeared first to a woman. If the Bible, she tells the men and they don’t believe her. LLOOLL.
It is a glorious Easter morning:
As part of her Easter greeting today, a friend sent the following, which I love. Since all three traditions, Jewish, Christian and Moslem, celebrate Noah (Noh) I thought I would share it with you.
Noah’s Ark
(Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark. )
ONE: Don’t miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you’re stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Have a great day, a blessed day, Kuwait.
In yesterday’s e-mail, thank you old friend!
Diary of a Six Day Bahamas Cruise
DEAR DIARY … DAY ONE
My husband and I are all packed and ready to get on the cruise ship. I’ve packed all my pretty dresses and make-up. I’m really excited.
DEAR DIARY .. DAY TWO
We spent the entire day at sea. It was beautiful and we saw some whales and dolphins. What a wonderful vacation this has started to be. My husband spent most of the day gambling. I met the Captain today and he seems like a very nice man.
DEAR DIARY … DAY THREE
I spent some time in the pool today. I also did some shuffle boarding and hit some golf balls off the deck. The Captain invited us to join him at his table for dinner. I felt honored and we had a wonderful time. He is a very attractive and attentive gentleman. My husband spent more time gambling.
DEAR DIARY … DAY FOUR
Went to the ship’s casino … did OK .. won about $80. My husband wanted to stay and gamble more. The Captain invited me to have dinner with him in his state room. We had a luxurious meal complete with caviar and champagne. He asked me to stay the night but I declined. I told him there was no way I could be unfaithful to my husband.
DEAR DIARY … DAY FIVE
Went back to the pool today and got a little sunburned. I decided to go to the piano bar and spend the rest of the day inside. The Captain saw me and bought me a couple of drinks. He really is a charming gentleman. He again asked me to visit him for the night and again I declined. He told me that if I didn’t let him have his way with me he would sink the ship. I was appalled. My husband spent most of the night gambling.
DEAR DIARY … DAY SIX-
My husband spent most of the day gambling.
I saved 1600 lives today …. twice !!!!
Just to be perfectly clear - this is a JOKE! It is not me, Intlxpatr, that went on the cruise. It is a joke!
St. Patrick’s Day is coming - tomorrow - March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day is not, as it would sound, a particularly religious holiday. While it is a huge celebration, in the United States it is more about being Irish than it is about St. Patrick. Most of the Irish, when they came to America, had about as much status as the Bangladeshis in Kuwait - they were at the bottom of the social heap. It was a long long struggle to achieve respectability; even longer to be free of the prejudices against them.
The Irish celebrated the election of John F. Kennedy the same way the African Americans celebrated the election of Barak Obama - it was the ultimate sign of being part of a united America, full citizenship - “one of us” could be President.
Here are previous posts I have written telling more about St. Patrick, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:
St. Patrick and the Wearing of the Green
We visited Ireland several years ago, a visit AdventureMan recounts with relish. I made all the arrangements, bed and breakfasts, travel plans, etc. and AdventureMan was uncommonly unenthusiastic. Once we got there, I understood why. Being THE MAN, when we are in the car together, most of the time, he drives. Arriving in Ireland, you have to drive on the “other” side of the road (I did not say the “wrong” side!) Many roads in Ireland are narrow. Cool calm AdventureMan had met his match. He HATED driving in Ireland.
The part of the trip I loved the most was going to Cashel, one of the St. Patrick sights in Ireland:
It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The weather was glorious, warm and sunny without being too hot.
From Cashel, Ireland, website:
Cashel has a very ancient history, albeit only documented since the 4th Century. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland’s most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward.The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac’s Chapel , perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St.Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. The Vicar’s Choral has been restored and the site, one of the most visited in Ireland, now provides an interpretative centre, (multi lingual) an interesting museum, guided tours and superb views over the extensive and beautiful plains of Tipperary.
We were visiting in Mid-July. It rained a lot, but the day we drove to Cashel was gorgeous. Even on the rainy days, there were periods of blue sky and sunshine, and the air was crystal clear and sweet. I guess the rain is the reason Ireland is so green, so piercingly beautifully green. I would go again in a heartbeat, but I think this time we would hire a driver!
Just one entry from Bu Yousef, but oh, what a great one! Thank you, Bu Yousef and Umm Yousef!
You know, I think I am going to skip the voting. The photos are all so different, and all so good. Thank you, all, for your participation. You had some truly spectacular photos.
Wow. Mathai, you captured the magic of the holiday lights, and the sheer joy of being outside in this wonderful weather of Kuwait-in-”winter”.
Gorgeous!
Woo HOOO, NWB, and love the photos!
Q8Dutchie gave permission to add this one National Day Holiday Challenge photo, which in my heart I call Sheer Bliss. Grown-ups think the foam thing is awful. Children think the foam thing is wonderful (unless they get some in they eyes, or some jerk is spraying insecticide, or hair removal creme, or . . .)
OOps! Not the time and place for my soapbox! Especially with the joy in this photo!
I love the way she captured the action going in the background while, for one instant, this one little girl stands still. Well done, Q8Dutchie!
Don’t you love it? All these different view, what the eyes are seeing? People around the world who have never been here are catching a glimpse of the two day - and in this case, because it was added on to a week-end, a four-day extravaganza of a holiday, for Kuwait National Day and Kuwait Liberation Day.
Thank you, Q8Dutchie, for sharing your eyes with us!
The best photo of all I can’t share - Q8Dutchie’s child, covered head to toe with foam, eyes gleaming and grinning from ear to ear/
Woo HOOO on you, Ansam! Thank you for some truly fresh perspectives on Kuwait National Day and Liberation Day:
When I first saw this one, I thought it was the roller-coaster ride in that little park by Jarir Bookstore:
I love this one; it is the draped flag in the middle that captures my heart:
True Kuwait Magic - sushi in the shape of the Kuwait Flag:
Just awesome:
Good morning, Kuwait, or is it afternoon? I know most of you are sleeping in a little, after the exhausting celebrations of National Day and Liberation Day.
I stayed home!
Last year, it wasn’t the foam, although I hate the foam. For me, it is parents who allow their children to hang outside the car.
You know me. You read me every day. I’m not an angry person, but seeing parents with children on their laps, children in the front seat and most of all - children hanging out of windows, or with their heads / bodies out of skyroofs - it makes me see red. I want to get out of my car and scold people. It makes me SO angry that people would endanger their children.
There must be a safer way to express all the celebratory exuberance.
It is mostly cloudy outside.
Gooood Morning, Kuwait!
You are going to have a glorious Liberation Day Holiday! It is a new dawn!
The sun is up, and there is not a cloud in the sky.
Party Hearty, and be safe.
The sun is there, you can see it reflected in the clouds, but not yet able to break through the clouds. LOL, the weather report for today says “Clear.” We had one big huge lightning strike, and a little rain last night, and - at least where I live - there are a lot of big fluffy clouds in the sky - it is NOT clear. If these clouds gather together, it could get rainy again - not such a bad thing, but definitely a damper on Independence Day celebrations.
Is Kuwait going to have any fireworks - Independence Day or Liberation Day? I mean the official kind, the great big kind?
OK, OK, the rest of you might as well just give up. It will be really, really hard to find more adorable children than these celebrating Independence and liberation! Thank you, Nadine!
Just kidding - the children are adorable AND I want more entries!
شلوووووووووونكم ؟ ولهانه عليكم من زمان مانزلت بوست
I just love this photo, from today’s Al Watan
A Saudi man shows how members of the Saudi vice squad (Religious police) crush red roses with their feet as they enforce a law banning Valentine’’s Day celebrations in the conservative kingdom at a flower shop in Riyadh. The Western version of Valentine’’s Day ـ lovers raining flowers, chocolates and toys, all with a red theme, on each other ـ would be a challenge in Saudi Arabia at any time of the year. Strict Islamic religious rules keep men and women separate until they are married ـ and marriages are usually arranged by their families. There is no taking a girlfriend out to a coffee shop or restaurant: the cafes and restaurants all have separate sections, one for single men and the other for women and families. (AFP)
Last updated on Sunday 15/2/2009
Happy Valentine’s Day!
What did the caveman give his wife on Valentine’s Day?
Ughs and kisses!
What did the boy sheep say to the girl sheep on Valentine’s Day?
I Love Ewe!
What did the stamp say to the envelope on Valentine’s Day?
I’m stuck on you!
Knock knock!
Who’e there?
Frank
Frank who?
Frank you for being my friend!
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Howard
Howard who?
Howard you like a big kiss?
What did the boy owl say to the girl owl on Valentine’s Day?
Owl be yours!
What kind of flowers do you never give on Valentine’s Day?
Cauliflowers!
What do you call a very small Valentine?
A Valentiny!
What did the boy squirrel say to the girl squirrel on Valentine’s Day?
I’m nuts about you!
What did the girl squirrel say to the boy squirrel on Valentine’s Day?
You’re nuts so bad yourself!
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Sherwood
Sherwood who?
Sherwood like to be your valentine!
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Pooch
Pooch who?
Pooch your arms around me, baby!
Thank you, KitKat!
The Chinese really know how to celebrate New Years. This is footage from Chengdu, China, taken as the Year of the Ox came in at midnight. Well, from a minute before midnight to several minutes afterwards. You cannot begin to imagine 180° of fireworks continuously, minutes on end. A spectacular display.
(The US Postal Service has issued a Year of the Ox postal stamp, above)
To our great surprise, there are several very good Chinese restaurants in Kuwait - if you don’t think so, check out the number of Chinese people eating in a place, and eat what they eat. Several Chinese restaurants in Kuwait even have honest-to-God Chinese cooks!
Chinese New Year’s is a great excuse for a party, and wearing your favorite red dress. It’s almost here - January 26th.
Chinese New Year
The Year of the Ox
by Holly Hartman
from InfoPlease website on Chinese New Year
4707 (or 2009) is the year of the ox
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4707 begins on Jan. 26, 2009.
Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.
An Obstinate Year
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal’s year would have some of that animal’s personality. Those born in ox years tend to be painters, engineers, and architects. They are stable, fearless, obstinate, hard-working and friendly. Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Walt Disney, and Anthony Hopkins were all born in the year of the ox.
Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children “lucky money” in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.
The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other’s homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year’s Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.
The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.
In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.
We heard in church a couple weeks ago that the Chinese labor force is the fastest growing segment of the expat labor force in Kuwait, did you know that? The come in, they focus, they work hard, they produce what they have promised and then - they go back to China. They bid competitively on the contracts, they speak English fairly well, and they get the job done, with none of this human rights baggage that many of the Western countries carry around. Nope. No problem, says the Chinese embassy.
احتفالنا الصغير بالسنه اليديدة :)
اليوم ركبناا بانشي وناااسه
ورود الوفـرة سيتي
بطيطات الوفرة
شرايكم بالنعامة الحلوة هذي
وهذا حشاكم الحمار بس مو البطل الصامت :P
رحلة خفيفة وظريفة :)Good Morning, Kuwait!
There are tiny, fleecy clouds in the sky, nothing to speak of, no rain in sight. The scum on the horizon is diminished. It is going to be another gorgeous “winter” day in Kuwait. Light sweater weather - my favorite!
Christmas is all put away, and we are readying to welcome in the New Year. Happy New Year (already) to my friends who celebrated the Islamic New Year yesterday. May God richly bless you in the year to come.
(As I write that, I realize with a start that we don’t think the way God does. What if the economic crisis, our dwindling investments, the rising prices - what if these are all a part of God’s blessing, and we don’t see it? What if he is demonstrating that we can live more simply, more happily, with less? What if he is telling us we can be happy eating less, spending less, what if he is telling us our greatest blessings are family? good health? moderation? Hmmmmmmm. . . . . . )
Another gorgeous winter day dawning in Kuwait, with a high expected around 77°R/25°C today, while my poor family in the US is shivering with cold. I have a good friend who had three different family members stranded in three different airports, trying to get home for Christmas, and snow accumulating up to 18 inches while she prays for their safe arrivals.
Have a sweet day, Kuwait.
I will spend the day preparing for major meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Mom, I am making your Cranberry Salad.
Those little eyes look SO innocent, don’t they?
Don’t believe it for a moment!
Every morning, I have to gather up ornaments that have been knocked off. I have to glue them back together (I don’t hang anything very valuable on the lower branches, but it is annoying to have to glue things back all the time.)
He had his eye on one ornament and I said his name. He looked at me. His eyes said “Whaaaaaaat” you know, that three syllable what that means “why do you think I would do something like that” when you are thinking of doing something like that.
You don’t fool me one bit, Qattari Cat.
I’ve been making rosettes for over 30 years now; I can’t remember a Christmas I haven’t made them. I’ve gotten pretty good, but yesterday, when I couldn’t find my traditional recipe from my Mother, and I didn’t want to take the time to boot up my laptop to retrieve it, I used one from the very traditional old Joy of Cooking and it totally threw me off.
My FryBaby doesn’t work here; I don’t have a transformer big enough and I don’t want to buy a 220 appliance I only use once a year - for rosettes - so I use a thermometer. Normally, you aim for a temperature around 370° F, but yesterday, maybe the batter was a little thinner, but the normal temperature was too high, and I found the best temperature was around 350 - 360°. All these years, and I’m still learning new tricks.
Arriving at the next airport, we find our flight is delayed, while a seat is found for every single passenger. As I look around, I feel dismay - this flight is like 3/4 college students. We thought with Eid having ended, the plane would be half empty - NOT so! The lounge is packed with twenty-somethings headed home to Kuwait on Christmas break from their universities in the USA.
I used to be one of those. My parents lived in Germany; my sister and I would travel home. One difference, we were flying military planes, so they would wait until a whole planeload of college students had gathered and then send us all off to Frankfurt on one plane. It was party party party, card games, laughing, talking, catching up with friends from all over Europe, some flying on to bases in north Africa and Greece . . . I don’t think we had any bases in the Middle East at that time (It was a LONG time ago!)
But payback is hell. Now I am about to board a flight full of young people like I used to be. I can kiss a good night’s sleep goodbye! Every single seat on the plane is taken, and it is a BIG plane. I prepare for the worst. I remember those days . . .
Here is what really happened: this was the nicest, most polite group of college age students I have ever met. When they gathered at the food places, they talked quietly. Most of them slept or quietly watched movies the entire flight. The flight was one of the quietest I have ever been on. The bathrooms stayed relatively clean. I was so totally impressed.
If there are Kuwaiti parents reading this blog whose college students are flying home around now, you can pat yourselves on the back. You raised young people with excellent manners.
I have just arrived from Amman last night, it was a pretty cool and a fast trip.
Scene 1 - in Mc Donald’s:
Me: Can I have a Hamburger please?
Him: Jaj wala Lahme? (Meat or chicken)
Me: A HAMburger please
Him: I know, bs jaj wala lahme? (meat or chicken)
Me: Ok! Meat!
Scene 2 - in the Cenima:
Me: 7 seats please.
Him: What row?
Me: J
(He clicked in G)
Me: J please
Him: This is J!
Me: No, it isn’t!
This is from today’s New York Times. You can read the rest of the article by clicking HERE.
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Published: November 27, 2008
Black Friday, long the Super Bowl of shopping, is at hand, but it may have become nearly irrelevant. Check out the deals that were already on offer earlier this week:
Diamond earrings at Macy’s were chopped to $249 from $700. A Marc Jacobs bag at Saks, originally $995, fell to $248.45. And for men, a Ted Baker suit at Lord & Taylor was selling not for the usual $895, but for $399.99.
Such crazy prices are a sign of the times, and analysts expect many more such deals during one of the toughest holiday seasons in decades.
Laden with excess inventory, hungry for sales and worried because of five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, the nation’s retailers went into a price-cutting frenzy long before the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. For weeks, they have been trying to outdo one another to capture the attention of consumers who have become numb to run-of-the-mill discounts. As the latest T. J. Maxx slogan goes: “Every day is Black Friday.”
In fact, retailers have had so many early “doorbusters” — jaw-dropping deals usually reserved for Black Friday — that “it’s almost not necessary to get up at 5 in the morning,” said Bill Dreher, a senior retailing analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities.
But the retailers are just getting warmed up.
The Toys “R” Us chain is planning the deepest discounts in its history on Friday, with 50 percent more doorbusters than last year. Other retailers are promising that their deals will be even more striking than the sales they have already unveiled — with Wal-Mart, for instance, promising large flat-panel televisions for less than $400.
Such bargains are likely to set the tone for the shopping season to come.
“There’s no reason to suspect this will end,” said Dan de Grandpre, editor in chief of Dealnews.com, which has been tracking Black Friday deals for about a decade. “This kind of heavy discounting will continue until we see some retailers start to fail, until they start to go out of business.”
Indeed, the intense competition could erode profits at many chains. Some retailing analysts even fear it could condition consumers to shop only when merchandise is deeply discounted.
Still, stores plan to pull out all the stops on Friday and through the weekend. After all, November and December sales make up 25 to 40 percent of many retailers’ annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation, an industry group. (The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because it was, historically, the day that many retailers moved into the black, or became profitable for the year.)
The deals were laid out in circulars tucked into newspapers on Thanksgiving Day, on retailers’ Web sites and on sites dedicated to sales and shopping strategies, like bfads.net and gottadeal.com. Many stores planned to open just after midnight Friday morning, and others — including Wal-Mart, Sears, Macy’s, Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys “R” Us and Old Navy — set their openings for 5 a.m. Target will open at 6 a.m. and BJ’s Wholesale Club at 7 a.m.
Read the entire article HERE.
Visited Amazon’s website lately? They have long list of toys and fun products for you to buy this holiday season. But the neat thing about it is that they’ve created a flash page where you can scroll along and watch videos of the products you click on. Go on, give it a whirl, it’s very pleasing :)
Posted in General
Please forgive me, dear blog-friends, but we are traveling and I am not always able to connect. I know, I know, you are wondering, as I did “is that even possible? Are there places where you cannot connect in the whole world anymore?” and the answer is yes. There are times and places and circumstances where you cannot connect - or where you are just too absorbed in life itself. We are moving from spot to spot and I won’t know about connections until I get to each location.
I know many of you will also be travelling soon, or enjoying the new “Staycation,” where you stay at home for your holiday. The weather in Kuwait could not be more perfect for exactly that kind of vacation! Lucky, lucky you! Visiting friends and family, celebrating Eid with all those delicious foods! Maybe a little shopping, with gold down to around $743/oz.
We will also be celebrating with family and friends along the way, and I will keep you informed as best I can. Meanwhile, I will check in on you, too, when I can, to find out how you are doing.
Just when I thought nothing more was going to happen - Someday(Red) sends in this total WOW and asks if it is appropriate for the Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge.
Appropriate? Readers, what do you think? Remember, in this round, it does not have to be taken in Kuwait (remember the last one it was a CHALLENGE to find a great sunset in Kuwait) but it has to be taken by someone connected in some way to Kuwait. Or living here. Or Kuwaiti. Or someone who lived here and is now away at school. It’s a little looser this time.
As for me, it just totally knocks my socks off. I feel like I am THERE. Someday(Red), where is this taken? I can hear the waves!
Tomorrow is the official Canadian Thanksgiving, although our Canadian friends have been partying and dining in splendor throughout the weekend. If you have any Canadian friends, be sure to greet them on their special holiday.
Wikipedia says:
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day (Canadian French: Action de grâce), is an annual one-day holiday to give thanks to God for the things one has at the close of the harvest season. The holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians might eat their Thanksgiving meal on any day of the three day weekend. Thanksgiving is often celebrated with family, it is also often a time for weekend getaways for couples to observe the autumn leaves, spend one last weekend at the cottage, or participate in various outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and hunting.
I saw several references to the Canadian Thanksgiving deriving from the American Thanksgiving, but Wikipedia says otherwise:
The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey.
This feast is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America, although celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops had been a long-standing tradition throughout North America by various First Nations and Native American groups. First Nations and Native Americans throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Cree and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America [2]. Frobisher was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him — Frobisher Bay.
At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed ‘The Order of Good Cheer’ and gladly shared their food with their First Nations neighbours.
The centerpiece of the Canadian Thanksgiving is the turkey and stuffing, surrounded by dishes made of root vegetables and gourds - beets, turnips, pumpkin, squashes, etc.
Those Canadians with French roots add special dishes to the mix:
Tortiere (a fabulous meat pie)
Maple Syrup Pie
I grabbed these photos from a fabulous Quebec blogger page where she has included recipes for the above, and for many other Canadian specialties. I wish One Whole Clove were still blogging. In the meanwhile, visit her pages for some delicious and out-of-the-ordinary delights.
Wishing all of our Canadian friends a delicious and delightful Thanksgiving, with many many blessings for which to be thankful, and for an abundant year to come.
Well today brought no joy re the long Eid holiday issue-question-rumour.
Latest is, nothing official….but surely if the Minister Al Subeih announced it? Anyway Al Bayan Bilingual School do not ( well staff anyway ) have a two day holiday kick off… what’s the story folks?
The rumour mill is up and running. RSA, Qatar and other Gulf states are giving the last 10 days of Ramadan as a holiday and will Kuwait follow suit?
So far no confirmation- some people saying yes and some maybe but no official link.
شاليهات الجون .. الجليعه .. طريق 245My holiday had started 2 months ago, I have spent some of it in Jordan (which was cool) and now I’m in Kuwait bored with this weather we have. Traveling again is not the best idea since Ramadan is very soon!
الريوق عصير برتقال المراعي <-- موذاك الزود
وبيض عيووون
بعدها لهيت شوي مع عيال اختي والاب توب وغيره 
ديــاي
عيش مشخول
أجــــــار
تشريبة ديــاي
واكيد لبــــن
وبعد ساعة .. يالله البحر ناطرنا
كان جزر والماية مو شي .. بس عجبتني هالخطوط اللي على الرمل
يحليلهم الزبابييييييط .. يتحركووون
خدامتنا مسوية نفسها فاهمه ودشت البحر وقزها القنفذ 
ولد اختي وولد رفيجتي حدهم مكيفين
ورفيجتي ماقصرت شاريه لهم العاب بحر بدعووووو فينا صرنا كلنا رمل
حتى بطل الماي ماسلم من لعبهم
هذي دووول
وهذا سيد قبقب وصــــل
عجبتني هذي جنها بار ككاو وسط الرمل
مسكينه رفيجتي امس سهرانه تسوي بهالكب كيك آخر الشي الخدام قلبووه وصار لوووية :(
عشانا اليوم فطاير 
السويت كان انجليش كيك
وبوظة الفـارس
بال 1 رحنا البحر وقعدنا على اليال نسولف خوووش جو مشاء الله براد والقعده حلوة
وبعد صلاة الفجر كل واحد حط راسة على مخدته ورااااح بسابع نومة
وهالريال اللي يصيد
الصبح كان عندي شغل فنزلت الديرة وخلصت اشغالي ورديت وقت الغدااا
ولازم الرطب
اليوم الجوو موذاك الزود هوواا وموووي على شوية غبار بس مالنا غنى عن البحر
عاد اليوم الخالة يايبه وياهاااا البردددد
واليهال ابددددد على طووووووول عالبحر
الطيور تمر فوقنا اسراب مشاء الله
بردد بنت اختي زلق من ايدهااا وبالرمل روااااسي
زوج اختي مايحلاله البحر الا مع زقاير .. الله يفكه منها وجميع المدخنين قولوا آميـــــن
شرايكم بالقمرة .. يازينهــــــا وينااااه
العشا نسيت اصورة لكم .. بس السويت تذكرته .. تسلم ايدج صافي <-- صديقتي :)
اما الغداااا فكان من كباب الحجة
يازيــــن الكباب مع الطماط ولا تنسون الفاكهه بصل لووول
بعدها مايبيلة اكيد البحر
هذا الجوتي بعد ماطلعناه من ريله
كيك سرالي عجيب في البحر
واحنا نسبح ولا هالمزايين يتمشووون خوفوا اليهال
قطينااا باقي الخبز مال الغداا حق السمج وماصدقوا يووونا طايرين
والظاهر ريحة الكباب اللي بالخبز دوختهم واخيرااااااااااا صدنااااااا
هذا صيد اليوم :)
شوفوا انيتاا مفنتقة بخبز الحجة مسويته بيتزاا
ومعدس
وبطاط
ومرقوقة من اداا
وبعد السوالف والهذرة كل واحد راح فراشة :)
ومربين
واحلى شي الرطب المنصف :)
بعد الغدا لازم المفرحاااات <-- جاي وحـَـــب
وبعدها ننطلق للشاطىء
اليوم شريت شي يديد 
بعد ماشفنا اقبال السمج على الخبز ومشتقاته .. شريت لهم جيس كامل شسوي كسروا خاطري 
يكون بنصيد يكون
بغيت انبهكم عن شغلة يا امهات
من هالسباحات :( ديروا بالكم واخذولهم السباحه اللي مثل التيوب او ال لايف جاكيت احسن بعد
نظارتي شبعت ملح
وحده من الفيونكات كتبت عن الكاروت تان من سايت توصيل
هذا عشااا اليوم
وبطاط
والسويت بوظة بكداش الشام
والحين الفيوزات حدها ضاربة وجفوني بتسكر والكل نام وانا بلحقهم بس بعد البلوق القادم :)
الغدا كان مطبق زبيدي من ايد مرت خالي ادااااا <--- ندلعها
وبعد الغدا لازم الجويهه السنعه بس هالمره من ايد انيتا .. تذكرونها ؟ راعية الربيان :)
الحمدلله هضمنا شوي .. يالله الحين عاد دور البحر 
اليوم كان موووووووووي
ما خلصنااا من البلعه
اليهال مكيفين في البحر .. ماودهم يردون الديرة
القمر طلع .. وطلعنا من البحر بعد ما اذن المغرب
الحين دور العشــا .. كلاب ساندويتش وفرايز
الاهل قاموا يلعبون كيرم مادري كيرا وانا توكلت على الله وعلى الفراااااش
هذي نهاية اليوم الثاني :)
كلاب ساندويتش
اجبان وزيتون
الكرواسون وتوابعه
شرايكم بالمقارنة لووول انا وبنت اختي خخخخ
واول شي نكتبه على رمل الشاطىء اسمي طبعا Pink GirL
العاب اليهال
جكينااااااااه .. قبقب
كسرت خاطري .. سمجه ميته
ياحلووو هالسيقاااااااااان يا منمن
يقااااال انه قار قبقب .. صج ولا لأ مادري
صخرة
ان شاء الله بصور لكم صور اكثر في البوست الياي :)We had reservationsin Nkwali, the jumping off place for most of the Robin Pope Safaris, but we had to change the reservations by a couple weeks, and that meant a total reversal of the reservation. We started off in Tena Tena, then we went to Nsefu, then we ended up in Nkwali. We have always loved Nkwali, loved the cabins there, but this time we were happier than happy - they put us in Robin’s House.
Robin’s House is where Robin and Jo Pope lived before they built a gorgeous house on the other side of the camp.
It is perfect for two couples, or two couples and children. It is perfect in so many ways that I had to make a list of all the things I loved about being there.
* Space - spacious bedrooms, spacious, private bathrooms on each side of the house with a spacious common living/sitting/dining room in the center.
* Indoor/ outdoor living - the windows have screens on them to keep out critters, but indoors or outdoors, it all feels a part of a whole.
* Wrap around windows - a view anywhere you look
* Huge walk in shower, with animal prints molded into the painted cement floor. Love the whimsy.
* High, airy ceilings, with ceiling fans
* natural materials, canvas colored curtains, a neutral palette with beam accents
* great big soft fluffy bath towels
* all our favorite drinks stocked in the refrigerator, and a liquor bar, which we barely touched, that had Amarula, which I love.
* electricity! We could recharge our own camera batteries without going to the camp itself
* being taken care of by a hostess, a cook, a dedicated guide and Thomas and Amos, who took care of us without over-taking-care of us - they gave us plenty of privacy when we needed it, and were there when we needed them.
* variety of seating for people of different heights
* Tribal Textiles accents - pillows, covers, etc - in rooms
* a book case! With books! and games!
* multiple views of hippos, and hippo sounds at night
* grand, comfy beds with good sheets, good pillows and good mattresses
* kikoys provided for our use
* shaded porch with a variety of seating options
* a hammock with a view
* insect repellant - with a good smell and nice texture, and it really seemed to work
* ditto shower gel and shampoo and conditioner provided
* a drying rack for swimming towels, washed clothes, etc.
Our last day there, LawAndOrder Man and EnviroGirl had to leave for their 32 hour return to the USA, flying Mfuwe - Lusaka - Johannisburg - Dakar - Atlanta - Pensacola - imagine. And they had to work the next day. It was such a sad parting, and we were all glad to have had the last days together in this beautiful, very private location.
Photos:
This is the wing of the house where AdventureMan and I stayed
This was our room (sigh!)
And this is the shower we loved
This was the living room/sitting room where we would gather
This was the second bedroom - there were additional beds for kids
This is the pool. Other guests from the camp could use it, but no one did while we were there. It was separate from the house but very close.
These spaces for outdoor sitting were outside the other wing, where our son and his bride slept
They served our meals privately, too. What wonderful luxury privacy is
You know, the little Alaska girl is still alive and well inside me, and I am always fascinated with fishing techniques. This was right across the river from Robin’s House, and they caught quite a few fish.
Robin and Jo Pope have expertise, and also VISION. Problems, to them, are opportunities. Need to get tourists to the camps? Invest in an airline. Need to get them to the national park across a river? Build your own pontoon bridge - it gives Zambia additional park revenue, provides additional employment, and gives tourists a thrilling experience. When they solve a problem, everyone wins.
We crossed several times on this boat, and once, in pitch dark, got caught on a tree snagging us from under the water. It took about 15 minutes to maneuver us off, and to get across, but it is not like this ferry is on a schedule. It goes back and forth when vehicles are going into or coming out of the park.
How the boat is pulled across the river
We had some fabulous game drives; I will only bore you with this one. The hippo ponds are covered with nile cabbage, and I just loved this hippo with his nile cabbage blanket
Video!