Latest adventures of 2012

Hello Everyone.    I haven't written in a good long while.
 
2012 started off with a bang on New Years Day at 11 AM by a phone call from my sister.   Since most of you know the story..   I won't go on here.  

Since New Year's Day, I have been to the Philippines 2 times for 3 weeks each, 5 trips to Iowa to be with my mom and ultimately with her as she died on May 25th.  

Then life took on a new course of being without my mom.   Lets see.  highlights..     fell 2 weeks later walking the dogs and got 9 stitches in my left eyebrow.  Did something to my right leg which feels like a Sciatic nerve that is pinched which has given me pain from my butt to my heel in varying degrees of pain and craziness.  has gotten better with massages and thinking of eventually going to a chiropractor and see they can do anything.   Also since I have always wanted to go to an Acupuncturist this may be a good time as well.  I started getting ringing in my ears which is taking a course of its own. and then all kinds of work issues.   But they are ok for now.   My mom always said she was going to haunt me which I did tell her I was looking forward to it..  BUT if this is her way???    OK Mom..  you can stop now. :)

So I had this ringing in my ears for about 2 to 3 weeks now.  which made me absolutely CRAZY.  But 2 to 3 weeks into it my hearing started to degrade.   It felt like I had an earplug in my right ear along with the ringing..  then my left ear feels like it has a 1/2 an earplug in my ear.    People's voices would go up 3 pitches..    I would be in public and would hear some things and not others..  like when people spoke to me.  

I went to my regular Dr and they referred me to a ENT Dr.   I went today to see him and they gave me this battery of hearing tests.   I was put in this small sound proof booth..  kind of like a mini recording studio.   They went thru a battery of tests of beeps, voices, high to low sounds/noises etc.    Thru it all I have some kind of inner ear happening.  Both the woman that did the test and the Dr told me that there is a small window of opportunity for treatment for inner ear and I should be glad I came in when I did.

So I guess it is something in my inner ear that is either swelling up and closing up or there and pressing against the inner ear and shutting it off.   So as of tonight..  this is the beginning of I am not sure what.  But I will look for the positives, and a good story and write it down for you all.

Starting tomorrow I start on Prednisone 60 mg a day for 7 days..  then 50 mg for 2 days, 40 for 2 days etc until I am done.   He said to me..   "You may experience a little more energy than usual" which I laughed and replied..   if there is ONE thing I don't need is MORE energy.   He said "you may experience insomnia"..  which I thought to myself I am averaging 4 to 5 hours of good sleep.. how much worse can it get...   and the best one..  "you may feel like cleaning my house at 1 AM"..  which I replied..    if I ever feel like cleaning my own house ever..   then there is SOMETHING really wrong.   I hate cleaning my house.  and Thank God for Yizhar who does clean our house.   I told him I could see myself running 5 miles at 1AM.. but will never be cleaning my house.. :)  

Tomorrow night I go for a MRI.. to see what is in my head.   this could be a little scary (and I am joking) knowing my history and genetics of my family.  My paternal grandfather died at 52, my father had a brain hemorrhage at 52 along with cranial aneurisms.   My brother and I kind of joked about me turning 53 first.    It is ironic that one week to my 53rd birthday I am now going in for a MRI.   too funny.   I am not sure if my brother is shaking any more or not ... :)

So we will see what the meds do.. hopefully reduce the swelling and maybe reduce the ringing and the feeling of wearing an earplug, and the results of the MRI.  either way life goes on..   I said to my mom a lot the last few days of her life..   This is not fun mom.. I get it..  but in the big scheme of it all, it is all good.  I felt that then for her and I feel that way now for me.  

So until tomorrow and a new day of adventure..    life continues ..   welcome along the ride of my crazy life.  

A few pics that I promised...

Hello All:

it has been since last Friday that I have had a chance to write in my blog. The time in Cape Town has been a fast but slow world wind of a time. I am not sure if I said what Tim was doing here but let me give a short synopsis. This Education International Congress was a group of educators, mostly unions or where countries didn't have or don't allow unions, the countries themselves getting together to discuss education issues. There were approximately 155 countries represented with very diverse opinions on the same issues. It is also a congress that lends support to those countries that don't have it as good as other countries like ours. I met a lot of folks from a few different countries as well as I saw a lot of folks from the NEA that I have known as well as new folks as well. We did go out to dinner at night in groups and or partied the night away in local clubs which was fun.

Saturday I got up and had breakfast and then went to start to tour the city of Cape Town. They have this bus tours both red and blue that go to different routes. I got both tours over a 2 day period which gave me a discount. The Red Tour goes on 17 different stops. You can get on and off at your leisure which was a great way to see the city. I have posted 4 sets of pictures already on facebook. I would suggest going there and seeing them all there. I will post some here to give you a few of the best shots. One of the stops was Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a huge flat mountain that sits and looks down on Cape Town. The unfortunate thing for me is that the cable car to the top of Table Mountain was closed from July 18th to the 31st. My trip to Cape Town was from July 20th to July 30th which meant if I was going to get to the top of Table Mountain this trip, I was going to have to hike up to the top. You can hike up there and it takes about 2.5 hours each way. The bad thing is since the cable car was not running to due annual maintenance, the shops and restaurants and bathrooms etc.. were also closed. Saturday I didn't have time to hike up there or was I prepared to do so at that time. So I kind of thought that instead of doing the Blue Tour on Sunday, I would go back to Table Mountain and hike up to the top. The Red tour takes you on the tour of the Cape of Good Hope and also to Cape Point which is stunning views.

I got back after a good day of touring.. the weather was GREAT. This is winter here in Cape Town which usually brings cooler temps and RAIN!!!! But this winter has been perfect for tourists... warmer temps than usual... and Sunny skies. Saturday night the EI Congress had this huge private catered dinner even planned for us at this amusement park. This park had a huge entertainment area kind of in the style of a dinner theater. They had it covered with these big tent like tarps... with heat lamps.. it kind of reminded me of a Hawaiian Luao ... the food was great, with some local flair and some great local entertainment. I had ostrich that night for dinner which tastes like.. NO not chicken... but it did taste like beef :) We had 2 groups for entertainment... 1 was a mixed group of local music/dancers with horns .. they were very good. The 2nd group were 3 women called "3 Tons of Fun" They came out in red sequin gowns and blew the crowd away. It was a night of letting loose and just having fun. This was one of the nights that I was able to talk to people and get to meet some from other countries. It was a great evening. Then the guys went out to the local clubs and had more fun after that.

Sunday ......

My goal was to get back on the red tour and get back to the base of Table Mountain and go hiking. I didn't have the proper clothes really but I did the best I could. I wore layers, wore my running shoes and had a scarf, jacket, gloves and borrowed a back pack which I took water, some apples and made sure I had a big breakfast. I thought I am going to need everything I had to make it to the top. This is not up some hill.. The problem was .. this was the day the winds came. Cape Town has Table Mountain, another peak called The Lions Head, and then these other peaks called the 12 disciples. In reality, there are 17 peaks not 12. Well the winds are quite common that come down the mountains and thru the peaks right on into the Atlantic Ocean. It had not been windy as well as not cold and not rainy up until this day. Now when I say windy.. it was on average I would guess to say 50 mph. I was determined to get to the top of Table Mountain. I got on the red line and go to the base where the cable car is located and was going to go. Now on Saturday there were a lot of folks hiking up to the top of Table Mountain. They say that you should never go alone, take water, sunscreen etc.. Well here I was very determined to go and I started. Now up until this moment I wasn't sure what the terrain was like on this path. They have 3 types of paths from rough to what they called stairs. Since it was so windy.. I thought best that I take the best path. Now this day at the base it had to be more than 50 mph.. it was hard to just stand still let alone hiking up to the top. On top of everything there was NO ONE hiking that day.. not one person did I see which was not a good sign. Well I went to the base of the path.. which was basically steps of rocks.. rocks of all sizes, some sturdy and secure into the ground and some loose. The only shoes I had to wear was my running shoes which are great for running but not for hiking up a hill/mountain. I was still determined. I took off against all common sense and away I went. I was careful but the rocks were loose and I was getting blown around and I had to stop a few times and rethink this decisions. I was so determined.. here I was this close.. and yet so far away. I would say I got a 1/4 of the way (of the bottom part of the climb) and said to myself.. at best I am going to twist my ankle, or break a leg... or at worst I am going to get killed hiking to the top and not to mention getting down. I sat there for about 10 minutes.. arguing with myself on going, wanting to go.. and the thought of being so close and yet so far away. Common sense won out, and I went to plan B... which was the original plan A and got on the Blue Tour. The Red and Blue tour have some joint stops and since I had the the 2 day ticket for both tours, I could get on and off either tour at any time on Sunday.

However I did say to myself, that I am definitely coming back to go to the top of Table Mountain some day. The Blue tour was also great fun and it went to a few different places outside of Cape Town the city. One of the highlights of the Blue Tour was that it took you to the wine country. I went thru to 2 places and did a wine tasting at Eagles Nest winery. I am not so keen on whites like I am red wine. However I have to tell you the white wine of South Africa is WONDERFUL. It is so refreshing, light and very tasty. Don't get me wrong the reds were great as well. But I was pleasantly surprised that the whites were as good as they were. I plan on looking at whites from now on from South Africa. My friend David Hokey had said that the same thing... in fact he has his favorite white shipped from here now.

Sunday night we went to a wonderful dinner with some folks from the NEA. It was a fun filled evening with various personalities. We went to this wonderful restaurant on the waterfront. Now one thing I didn't mentioned is that at 2 restaurants they had on the menu for starters Chicken Livers which you rarely see on menu's in America. This menu had about 3 to 4 items on each section that I wanted. I don't remember having such a hard time choosing my meal. I went for the scallops and mussels in 2 different sauces instead of the chicken livers... which I was kicking myself. however I had a great meal of Cod and Seafood chowder along with scallops and mussels. For desert I had this Cream Caramel which was to die for.. along with great wine. We got back from dinner and we hung out at the bar at the hotel and more people came up to me and asked me how the climb went that day. I had to tell them I didn't make it and was quite disappointed. People that I knew as well as I didn't know said to me that they were concerned for me since it was so windy that day. Sometimes you just don't know the impact you have on others.

Monday

Monday brought another day of sightseeing. The day was sunny and somewhat warm, and NO wind.. I could have tried to do Table Mountain but I slept in and then timing was bad... and I thought I would save it for the next time I come back. I ended up walking around town and scoping out the neighborhoods downtown and near by. I went to the waterfront and also Green Point. I got back Monday afternoon late. I did some running in the gym at the hotel. That night was the EI awards ceremony and dinner night. They awarded 2 teachers with 2 awards. A french woman from Quebec won one of them and she was there to accept her award and the 2nd woman was a teacher from Turkey. That country is not so good and she had been arrested for going against the government and wasn't able to leave the country. She is awaiting her last appeal which will take place in September. 2 of her colleages were there to accept the award. This dinner was basically the entire congress and was quite a dressy affair. Some of the countries in Africa have some wonderful native dress up clothes. I really felt like I was a part of something so much bigger than just America... that we are part of the world.. and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to talk to folks, and learn a little bit of their world and culture of their country. That night the guys and I went out to the clubs for some fun. Only a few brought what we were calling the + ones.. spouses or boyfriends etc. I had kind of started joking to other NEA folks that I was going to start a caucus for + ones... it kind of took a life of it's own when strangers that I didn't know started calling me + one. One of the NEA wives which is also a teacher was with me and you never know.. maybe one day there will be a real caucus of the NEA for + ones.. with Diane and I as co chairs!!!!. One of the highlight of the dinners was the entertainment for the evening. They had these 4 black men called Gugulethu Tenors which sang. You can search on You Tube for them. They were MAGNIFICENT!!!! They brought the house down... standing ovations... One thing about these dinners... they had top notch professional local entertainers that were the best ever in this country.

Tuesday

Tuesday I started my day with a quick breakfast and a 2 hour massage at this salon. The Taj Hotel where we were staying was a little expensive and I had found this salon a few blocks away on the weekend but it was closed. So Monday I made an appointment for Tuesday AM. It was supposed to be a 90 minute massage but it turned out to be a 2 hour one after all. The guy that did the massage was named Bulond. He was a young guy of 1/2 Turkish and 1/2 greek decent. If he was 30 he was a day. His face was a ruggedly masculine face but his body and personality was very boyish. Now like all foreign countries I am never surprised at anything that doesn't happen quite like it does in the United States. So here I go.. very nice place.. hair salon that does everything else etc.... I go upstairs into the little massage room, and he says that i can take off my clothes and start on my front. ok.. I say... the same as what I am used to. Well the unique thing was that in this case he didn't cover my body up with a sheet or a towel. I was just laying there naked. I thought ok.. lets see how this goes. Well he had a touch that was so wonderful. He was strong in spots and then so tender in others. I was putty in his hands. The way he massaged was more left side/right side but also firm but yet soft and tender when it came to my feet and hands. He also had a technique that was sensual but not sexual... I was in heaven. Well then it came time to turn over... and still no covering. At first for about 5 seconds it seemed a little weird... but then that feeling went away. After 2 hours I was MUSH!!!!! it was only 500 Rand which is about 80 dollars which is pretty cheap for a 2 hour massage. I also had a manicure which I needed and that was great and cheap at the same time.

I got back to the hotel at noon... but not before I made another 2 hour massage appointment for the next morning. :) A few of us had lunch at noon time and then we went to the 6th district Museum here in Cape Town. Up to now I haven't talked about the history of Cape Town, or South Africa for that matter which I will towards the end. The 6th district (which you can google I believe) was a part of the city pretty near the center of the city. The subject of Apartied is a huge piece of their history which was one of the worst periods of our time. To make this a shorter story.. the 6th district was a part of the city that maybe lived about 60,000 people at one time. They had a vibrant commercial district, movie houses, stores, and many streets of homes. This was a predominant section of town of black people. To this day there are black people, colored people (mixed races basically) and of course the minority white people. Well back in 60's the minority white people were in power and they basically made the 6th district a white person district and slowly over time forced people out of their homes and businesses and forced them out to the suburbs which were mostly into the townships. A lot of people took money to leave but nothing what they deserved. They had grown up in this district over generations... families, friends, churches their lives were in this district. Once they were being displaced they were going to all sorts of places where they had no history, not connections, and in some cases didn't know anyone. Not all left on their own free will (with some forceful ness behind it) and eventually the city literally bulldozed down the entire section block by block, building by building with the intent of building a new section for whites only. The only thing was the indignation of the people of the area, the continent as well as the world made them change their plans. For many years since aparteid ended, they have left that district the way it was left.. which now is an vast open area of grass, some trees, weeds to remember the atrocity of what happened to so many. A couple of side stories.. They tore down all the buildings and some were many stories, and a downtown section etc.. along with many homes on many streets... but one thing even the white government couldn't do was to destroy any churches. There were 3 churches and 1 mosque i believe that was not torn down and still stand today. One of the churches is the 6th district museum today along with another building 2 blocks away. There is a long and interesting story of the 6th district along with somber story of so many lives that were displaced, and in some instances that died... all because they weren't white. I encourage everyone that reads this to do some reading on the 6th district history and stories. One other story I read about in the museum was about this family of a man and wife and 2 small children. He had means to go to a suburb and not to a township and bought a small house. He also had 50 homing pigeons when he lived in the 6th district. He took all 50 pigeons with him to his new house. Eventually it came to the day to let the pigeons out of their cages. He wasn't sure they were going to come back to this new house after so many years of living in the 6th district. He let them out.. and they didn't come back... not even one. After being forced to leave the 6th district he used to drive thru the area on his way to work. A couple of days later after the release of the pigeons, he drove by the plot of land that his house where he lived once stood. That morning there they were ... all 50 pigeons on the plot that plot of land...... with a look in their eyes of not knowing what had happened. That was one of the many stories I read about on Tuesday.. so many more of lives torn apart, some destroyed, some forced to townships where there were gangs, no water, or electricity and in a lot of cases deplorable conditions. To this day there are townships that don't have electricity or running water. This is 2011 and all because of the color of their skin. Now today there are plans.. slow and in political quagmire of rebuilding the 6th district. The ones that didn't take any money have been promised a new house on their old land. I met a man on tuesday that is in that situation... but they built a technical college back in the 70's that started out for whites only but today is for all that is where his house stood. They have promised him a house somewhere else. So far they have only build 13 houses, a couple of apartment buildings and there still stands in the center of the city near downtown.. a barren piece of land that still stands starkly reminding the city, country and the world what happened in history. Oh and that man I met.. has no idea when that house the government has promised him will ever come to being. He had to be at least 70 years old and what a story he told... and the stories I am sure he could tell for hours and hours.

It was one of the most moving afternoons I have had in my life. Like my times in the Philippines as well as here it is one of the most moving times to be physically in a place where history that effected more people in a negative way took place in my life time. You look around and talk to people, see people how they live today and hear and get to know the stories of their lives and the experiences they went thru to get here in 2011..... and not be moved, not be grateful for your own life... because I don't know too many people in my life that have gone thru so much just to live their lives like I have lived mine. No matter what we have, what we don't have, what we have gone thru in life..... there is no way to compare the differences of my life and some of the people that I have met and know today in these countries. I come away being grateful for everything I have, and also a renewed energy to always treat people the way I want to be treated... to give back to the world thru any means possible and to just think of helping someone else in the world. It doesn't have to be across the world in a different country, it can be someone in our own cities. look around and give a dollar, an hour, but try to think of helping someone else have a better time at life. One more thought which I will share after I talk about Thursday that relates to this feeling.

Tuesday Night we went to the NEA dinner. The NEA probably was the biggest group of people out of all the different groups at the congress. They held a dinner at the Bay View Hotel on Tuesday night. The Bay View Hotel is a big beautiful hotel on the water over in Camps Bay I believe. I had driven by a few times and thought to myself what a wonderful place to stay during the height of the summer. Little did I know that I would actually get to go inside. They had this rotunda for a dining room.. a huge beautiful chandalier.. and draped in white clothes from the ceiling to the floor but draped on the ceiling and hanging down from the walls.. it was a magical setting with an outdoor area for opening cocktails on the water at sunset.

The guys went out Tuesday night but I stayed in and packed and got all my stuff together since were were checking out the next day and going to another hotel for the rest of our stay.

Wednesday

Wednesday I started a little earlier, to make sure I got a good breakfast... and off to Bulond for another 2 hour massage. This time he was a little firmer on the firmer parts and more tender and sensual in those times. I felt almost like he was taking my body and making it a part of his as one. It is an experience that I can't describe and doubt I will ever have again. I felt the same way but in a much different way of Craig the massage guy I had in Amsterdam back in May. Got back to the hotel and it was a bevy of people leaving, checking out... saying good bye etc. All of the NEA delegation and staff stayed at the Taj Hotel. The Taj hotel is a great hotel that has been opened for only about a year. It is a 5 star hotel that was an old bank building that also had a tower of floors built on top of the original bank. Now that I have been living in a 5 star hotel in Manila, I had something to compare it to. There were some things I liked better and then there were somethings that they need to work on. The staff was the best and had no complaints. A couple of the folks I interacted with were of the best quality when it came to service. On my survey I gave them my constructive criticisms as well as commended both Faud and Chantelle. Over all though I gave them a 9 out of 10 and a few places on how to improve. Overall it was a WONDERFUL stay.

That afternoon Alicia who is a woman that is Argentinian, and John a NEA staff person and his wife, Tim and I went to Signal Hill. Signal Hill is one of the highest areas that you can see a 360 degree of all of Cape Town. Table Mountain and the Lions Head are in the background. It was one of the most stunning views I had seen. We spend the afternoon doing that and a couple of things that we hadn't seen in Cape Town. One note on Alicia, she was a foreign exchange student from Buenos Aires in high school to a town in North Dakota... some 40 miles from the Canadian border, some 20 to 30 years ago. Met this guy in high school and eventually married, moved to this town in North Dakota and now is a mother of 4 and a wife of a farmer.. She still misses Argentina as well as loves her life.. quite a story..

Wednesday afternoon we moved to the Glen Boutique Hotel over in Sea Point section of the city. It is one of the coastal parts of the city...more of a ritzier section and they have this promenade on the water where it is a runners and walkers paradise. It is a gay B&B and since it is winter here.. very cheap. We splurged and took room #1, the biggest suite with a balcony and everything.. Wednesday night we had a final farewell dinner with the guys ... friends from NEA that are all gay, and that we had been hanging out with. I know most of them and also met a couple of new ones. We had a great dinner, and talked about the week and just had a great time.

Thurday..

Today we got up and had tickets to Robben's Island. Robben's Island is an island that was used for a maximum as well as regular prison during the Aparteid era. Nelson Mandella spent quite a few years here along with other prisoners. Ironically the political prisoners were the ones that spent time in maximum area where the regular prisoners (murders, rapists, theives etc) were in the other parts. There was also a man that was detained for years there way back in the beginning also. Our tour guide on the island was a former prisoner from 1986 to 1991 that was a political prisoner. The story he told was first hand... which makes the story so much more real. Again I can't go into all the stories but I encourage everyone to research and read on your own. A couple of stories. They had a section between the maximum prison yard and the other side that was about 4 to 6 feed wide that they had dogs patrolling at times. The dog kennels were bigger than the cells in the maximum prison cells. This was again was a prison during aparteid for black people only.

Now the story that I want to mention that I referenced back when I went to the 6th district museum is this. Aparteid years when the minority white people ruled the government and the country, as well as this city, life was not fair to non whites... not only not fair, but was cruel and unjust, destroyed lives and broke spirits and all kinds of negative things that I can not put to words that even come close to the reality of what happened and why. But one thing I am in awe of.... is this. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on the earth that I have ever been to. Table Mountain, The Lions Head, the 12 Disciples, natural beauty as far as the eye can see... the ocean, animals, flowers you name it.... with all the awful negative things that happened to so many people I can't help but think that God gave these people a view every day so beautiful that gave them a small something so wonderful to help them get thru the day. A small view that no matter what people did, or took away from them.... they could never ever take that view away from them. I have always thought that no matter how difficult life is, or gets, or the negative things in life that happens, there is always a positive spot somewhere... maybe in some cases it is the smallest thing... and in some cases.. we really have to look high and low for those positive spots, but I think that if we just look around in the darkest of dark times, there is always a light of hope, the thought of freedom from our burdens and troubles that will help us get thru those times. That is what I think of now when I see Cape Town and that is what I will remember long after I am gone from this city.

Now... we have one more day to go.. we have a tour with our tour guide Selwyn (www.ILoveCapeTown.com) and he is taking us to his township for the day. I have a feeling that this will be another day in my life that I will never forget. Oh yea I forgot to mention, Wednesday night after we checked in to the Glen Boutique Hotel, I walked the Sea Port Promenade for about an hour at sunset.... and tonight I ran on the Promenade at Sunset... A run I will never forget as long as I live.

So I end this entry which was a long one.. which I apologize for... we have one more day and then back to my life.. one I am ever so grateful for... can't wait to see my friends, my neighbors, Molly big time.... and keep living life....

Til the next time... live life as if it is your last.. make the moments count!!!

Friday July 22, 2011

Today was kind of a down day. After travelling for 2 days and then a full day of touring around.. I was beat last night. I did get a good night sleep last night and was going to get up early and eat breakfast with Tim at 6:30…. But it just didn’t happen. I did sleep in until about 8:30 which was great. I went to the gym and walked my 3 Km which felt great. I had breakfast downstairs and then came up and tried to work with my computer and the electrical differences.

After a little work and a new adapter it was working just fine. The one issue I have with this hotel is they provide 30 mins free in a 24-hour period. Otherwise it is approximately 10.00 per hour which is pretty high. So I haven’t done much for facebook or my blog. I did get a good blog entry up yesterday and tried to get my pics uploaded to FB too. But I just heard there is a NEA rate of 125 Rand for 24 hours.. so that is much better. 125 rands is about 22.00 US.

Eventually I got up to the convention center by noon and had lunch with Tim and a few others. I had a Mozambique Peri-Peri pan fried chicken livers. Peri-Peri is a chile sauce usually pretty spicy. This was prepared in a more mild version. It was pretty good. I have had the opportunity to each so many things from so many places lately. I am just adding to that good fortune.

I came back thru the shopping outdoor mall back to the hotel. I am planning on taking it easy.. maybe take a nap, then go running in the gym, and then go to a reception back at the convention center. There are 155 countries represented at this Education International conference and so it will be a great opportunity to meet some people from other countries. I didn’t do much after all. I did meet Tim back at the convention center where they had this reception for all the delegates. It was more like dinner and drinks and entertainment along with a lot of talking to people. It was a free meal for me since I am on vacation… The entertainment was great. They had a group of South African dancers and muscians. The things that these dancers did.. was almost homoerotic… The food and drink was abundant and free for all the delegates. I have a visitors badge which affords me almost anything a regular delegate is afforded.

A little about this conference. There are 155 countries represented from around the world. They are mostly teacher union related and where the few countries that don’t have the union, the country themselves is represented. They have issues and resolutions that they discuss and vote on. I am thinking it is a huge network on education related issues. I have met a few people from Europe as well as Africa and of course met the NEA folks that I have known, as well as have met some new folks.

Got back to the hotel and partied in the bar a little and then finally went to bed.

July 21, 2011 Well I got here last night after a very long 29 hour of travelling door to door. Of all my tips in the last year this was the worst for a few reasons. The first reason is because there is only a 6-hour time change. The 2^nd is the duration of the trips. I flew from Philly to Detroit, 2-hour layover, 7-hour trip to Amsterdam (which is when I should have slept), 2-hour layover, and then 12 hours to Cape Town.

Well it was nighttime and so I thought I would naturally sleep and since it was only 7 hours total, didn’t want to take any Valium. Well the flight had 2 babies that cried the entire way to Amsterdam. They were both in my row and the row behind that one. I also had a small child that kept kicking my seat as well. I spoke to the father a couple of times but he wasn’t too bright either.

Well then go to Amsterdam and we took off at 10 AM and wasn’t going to get until 12 hours later at 10 PM and since were flying due south… there was no time change. I didn’t want to sleep all day or I would have been up all night etc.

I sat with 2 women, Ruth Ann which was going to the EI conference. She is from DC and is on the ESP staff. (32 yr old lesbian). Then there was Natalie who is a native Cape Town person. (42 yr old mother of 3 kids and a wife of a German national). And then there was me.. I ended up watching 2 movies, some reading, some talking etc.

I got in around 10 and to the Taj Hotel by 11 and after a quick shower met Tim and company at the Bronx 22 a gay bar in the city. Luckily I was home in bed by 12:30 to die a quick death in that bed. The Taj is a nice hotel. Since it is a 5 star hotel (Indian chain), I was comparing it to the Shangri-La Makati in Manila. They are comparable in that they are both beautiful. The Taj is a much smaller hotel, and there fore the main things are much smaller as well. The shower door is a poor design, and the picture window from the bedroom into the bathroom is kind of weird. They do have a blind you can pull down for some privacy. It reminds me of the old room I had in Vegas at Caesars with a mirror above the bed and the round Jacuzzi at the foot of the bed. Oh well. It is very nice..

Got up this morning and we had breakfast which is part of the room rate which is nice. Since I am paying for this trip, I am making sure I eat there when I can! Today we had a full day with Selwyn (www.IloveCapeTown.com) and we did the Eastern and Western Cape. Here is a synopsis of the day….

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Peninsula Tour

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Let me start by telling you that this is MOST CERTAINLY a Cape Peninsula

Tour with a difference. See why when you read the itinerary.

Selwyn collected us at the Taj Hotel and we started off on a

Peninsula tour. Note there are quite a lot of stops on this route so as to

stretch legs, walk around and take in the beauty of the areas around one.

Leave for the southern suburbs.

Travel via Cape Town centre, Woodstock, Observatory, Claremont, Constantia

and Boyes Drive to Muizenberg. This is all part of an inland drive towards

the sea through a very "leafy" and green suburban area.

From Muizenberg move on to Kalk Bay. This part of the journey was all along

A most beautiful coastline.

From Simonstown we traveled to Boulders Beach so as to see its special secret

viz. the penguin colony.

After our visit to the Boulders we returned to Simonstown (3 km away)

where we took some free time to browse around and enjoy this quaint

Naval village; saw sights and had fun. We stopped in at a little coffee shop called Sweet Nothings where we purchased some local pies and pastries. From Simonstown we traveled on to a VERY SPECIAL spot that Selwyn found that he labels "the best restaurant n the world". At this spot we sat down and enjoyed our pies and pastries in what just has to be the best setting for any restaurant anywhere in the world. A Beautiful park on the water!!

After lunch at our special spot we traveled to The Cape of Good Hope

Nature reserve and then up to Cape Point. I felt energetic so I walked

up to the top however Tim and Selwyn took the funicular up the very steep hill.

At the top of the point we saw the incredible overview of False Bay.

From Cape Point we traveled on to the wonderful scenic coastline of

Scarborough & Kommetjie. We then traveled via the magnificent Chapman’s Peak, which was one of the highlights of the day

Drove on to Hout Bay.

From Hout Bay we paid the luxurious area of Leeukoppie a visit so as to see

how the super wealthy live in South Africa.

We then traveled back to the city via the Atlantic seaboard towns of

Llandudno, Camps Bay.

Unfortunately we were unable to ascend Table Mountain and take in the special Cape Town view. It is undergoing maintenance the entire time of our trip. One disappointment but I am sure I will live.

Selwyn dropped us off at the restaurant called Beef Cakes which is basically a Hooters but instead of girls, the waiters are boys in tank tops which then eventually they come off. One of the key fun things to do is a shooter on one of the boys of your choice. They pour a shot of your choice on the boy’s chest and stomach and then you proceed to lick it all up. There was also a drag show and a show of a drag queen singing as well. It was a great way to end a perfect day. The weather was perfect… sunny, blue skies, great sunset and just the right temp.. better than usual at this time which is nice.

Now it is about midnight.. off to bed. Tomorrow somewhat relaxing for me. Early Breakfast, then the gym later on and maybe running outside and coffee with Natalie from the plane. But it will be a low-key day.

P.S. pics of the trip today are on Facebook.

Until next time.

Tuesday Morning local time.. Well I am here.. 29 and 1/2 hours door to door.. This trip was by far the easiest so far.. Maybe I am getting used to it.. or it was easier. Due to the Earthquake / Tsunami in Japan back in February, I had to fly through Hong Kong instead of Japan. I also got to fly on Cathay Pacific vs Delta Airlines. I was kind of looking forward to this trip since I had heard that Cathay did a great job as an airline, and I also wanted to see Hong Kong. Of course there is always a downsize, and it is with Delta I got points.. and now I am a new member of World One which is Cathay and American Airlines among others. I think I will have to check out the airlines they are on before I choose my next vacation.. :)

I left Philly and it was fine. A short trip to Toronto. Toronto is a newer airport and quite easy to navigate through. The issue was there was NO ONE in the airport. It was a ghost town. I asked someone and they said that it is busy in the afternoon but in the winter it is reverse and it is busy in the morning. Took US Air to Toronto but they did check my luggage thru to Cathay all the way to Manila.. so that was good. I did do a double check in Toronto tho just in case. Sometimes you have to get your luggage, go 50 feet and then hand it back in for the other airline. But it was very smooth. Had lunch at Toronto... had a egg and ham sandwich on a croissant and they served it with french fries. So I confess.. I had more than 2.. but didn't eat them all. I figured my eating habits will be different here (for the better) so I indulged a little. After lunch I went to the gate, and found a seat with a plug and started to waste the few hours I had to go before I got on the plane.

Well I got on the plane to Hong Kong and it was not a full flight. In fact I was in the window and there was no one in the middle or the aisle. It was a very comfy flight... This leg was going to be almost 16 hours.. so I was thrilled when I had no seat mates for this long leg. I didn't do much, ate, slept, read, watched a little of the Green Hornet.. I can tell how it ended.. but now I have to see it somewhere. hopefully on the way back I will watch the ending. Before you knew it i was arriving in Hong Kong.

This airport is very modern.. easy to get through and I had a few hours to look around. You can get a ferry boat right at the airport for Macau.. very handy, you can also get to the mainland and the transfer to the Manila flight was so easy. I now have dreams to come back to Hong Kong and Macau for a vacation.. So I just need to find someone that wants to go on an adventure.. and do some research on these 2 places. I got to the plane for Manila.. and had no one next to me on that flight either. So this was such a great trip, just very long. I met a young woman on the flight and we talked. She was born in HK, lived in Canada most of her life and now lives in HK, and Dubai as well. She works as a consultant in the rail industry. She was coming to Manila to bid on a MRT route. We talked the whole way and now have a friend in Dubai. :)

We landed in Manila.. and it almost felt like coming home.. so strange when you are somewhere a lot, it feels like home. Tonight though was the worst for immigration lines. I think 4 or 5 planes came in at once.. and we unfortunately weren't the first. It took us over an hour to get thru the line. This was the same way coming from Paris a few weeks ago in Philly.. that day it took me 1 hour and 1/2 to get thru the line. Well I said my farewell to Janet, and will try to email her and maybe see her while I am here. I got out thru the gate and there was Narcisco and the Shangri-La folks to help me with my bags, and get me out of the airport to the hotel.

Coming back to the Shangri-La was great. I knew all the folks out front, and most of the front desk folks. It is a nice feeling when they say it is good to see me and I know on some level they are not saying it because they have to. The people here are the nicest people and it was truly good to see them. So here I am getting unpacked, clothes pressed and put away.. I turned on my switch B mode and slowly getting back into that mode of timing. I was going to go in to the office for a few hours, but I find myself a little more fatigued than I thought I would. So I think I will rest up, get to the gym at 5, and get back on track for walking, running and then get a good night sleep for tomorrow nights work.

So that's it for now.. I am here, and again.. feeling like one lucky guy. I do miss home, Tim, Molly and friends and neighbors.. But you have to enjoy life as you get it.. and know that what is back home is always going to be there.

June 5, 2011

Well I never did finish out my European trip.. Sorry about that. I got back from Amsterdam on Friday, and then had dinner with Rosemary that night. and packed and went to bed.

I took the train to the airport on Saturday and that was so easy. I met this Pakistani man and we had a very stimulating conversation to the airport. Met this older couple from Maine and all the man could say was how Delta lost his luggage on his flight to Europe which had been a month prior. He did say he washed his one shirt constantly and wore it most of the trip. Was kind of weird.

Now today is Sunday June 5th.. I am off to Manila again in the morning. Due to the radioactivity in Japan, we can't fly there. So tomorrow a new flight pattern which I am sure will bring new adventure. I fly USAir to Toronto, have a 4 hour layover and then Cathay Airlines to Hong Kong with a puddle jumper to Manila. I get in Tuesday night 10 PM.. which is EST 10 AM on Tuesday. So it will be about a 30 day door to door.

I will go to the hotel, unpack, and get all settled and then get to the office for a good 1/2 day of work. I got my new computer finally, but the tech that did the data transfer was less than stellar.. and so now I have my new computer.. but it wants some kind of Network Login with an ID and password.. Never had that.. So that means at this moment.. I can't get into my computer at all. So I am sure that will get fixed.. but not quickly.

So tomorrow. another day, another trip and I am hoping that it will be another adventure..

I will be writing in the blog for the next few weeks while I am away.