Travels

My hubby and I were talking about travels we have taken. I am amazed by all the places I have been in the last 14 years. I never dreamed I would have ever traveled out of the country. I remember growing up in a medium sized city in Illinois, listening to the song, "If you're going to San Franciso...". I couldn't imagine ever traveling that far. It seemed like everything was happening in the west and here I was stuck in the Midwest. Now I live near San Francisco and have traveled so many places. I remember the first time I flew over - that is FLEW OVER Japan. We could see the lights of Japan from the air. I started crying. My husband wanted to know what was wrong? I told him I couldn't imagine ever actually being in this place. Mind you it was later when we actually did visit Japan. I can't remember where we were flying to on this particular trip. I remember once when we were driving around the Tahoe area and we decided to take along my mother and my daughter to Germany with us on a trip. Once again, the tears started. I couldn't imagine in my youth ever actually going to Germany, the land of my mother's ancestors. And now I was, and I was taking my mother with me. And my daughter too! My husband could sing that song from Aladdin to me. "I could show you the world..." because he has certainly done so. He had broadened my horizons. I am more aware of what is going on in countries that I never knew existed before. I pay more attention to world news. When I am overseas, I watch Reuters news on the television, and they show news from ALL over the world. I think actually most countries of the world see more of what is going on in ALL the world. Here in the US, we seem to only see the US news. Naturally, the US news is what is most important to us. But, I feel we need to be less isolationists, and be aware of what is taking place elsewhere in the world. We don't see that in our US network news. My friends in Australia can tell me all that is going on in the US as much as I know. I couldn't know what is going on there? At least not from our national news networks. They know how our election works as well as I do. I wish I could say the same about theirs. I know more than I used to. But what is going on in Malaysia and Sumatra? In Japan? etc. I come home from each overseas trip vowing to follow the world news more and keep track of what is happening elsewhere. Then I fall into the habit of just watching the television news and before you know it, I have no idea of what is going on elsewhere. Only the little bits we hear here and there. My newly found world awareness slowly fades until the next trip.

I used the reasoning that I grew up in a smaller city in the midwest and that was why I didnt know much about countries elsewhere. I mean California seemed foreign to me and couldn't imagine ever going there. But I have found that we just don't know much about the rest of the world period, no matter where we live. If someone comments on a bag I am carrying and I say I bought it Kuala Lumpur, they seem flabberghasted that KL would have a store that carries a well-known brand. They have no idea that KL is a HUGE city with more fancy department stores than San Francisco. But 20 years ago, I wouldn't have known that either.

Oh the things I have seen and done in the last 14 years. It amazes me. I have been the luckiest girl. I hope my children get to see more of the world. My daughter has some overseas trips under her belt and my son too, during his service years. But I hope they can continue to travel and open their horizons and minds to all the world.

I have been to Canada and Mexico. Amazingly Mexico only recently.
Alaska (only recently) and Hawaii. I have been to Midway Island which not many people have had that pleasure. What a treat. The most amazing white white white beaches. The most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. And all the gooney birds everywhere. You had to watch not to step on them. That will be the subject of another post some day.

I have been to Australia a number of times. Sydney and Melbourne, of course. But Brisbane and Cairns, Darwin in the North shore and Aledaide down south. Went to wineries in McLaren Vale out of Adelaide and loved it. Crossed the Great Australian Bight and visited Perth.

I've been to Bali and would love to go again. This was before the bombing of the night club.

I've been to Tahiti and Bora Bora. Beautiful but HOT. Had a drink at Bloody Mary's in Bora Bora. Le Truck.

I've been to Singapore 3-4 times. I love this place. Shopping! Having a Singapore Sling at Raffles in a tradition. One of the easiest subway systems to get around. Going late winter is better climate. Best place to buy electronics. Wonderful Chinatown. So colorful. Think of Rodeo Drive times 10.

Japan, The Great Buddha. Right in a neighborhood. Some people there wake up in the morning and look out their bedroom window upon that peaceful face. Walked up many stairs to an ancient temple not far from there. Actually went to several temples not far from there. Remember all the small statues of Buddhas, one after another. Thousands of them. Riding the trains and subways there. Climbing the many stairs. Once again buying electronics. Next trip I am bringing home a fancy toilet seat. haha. Sleeping in a traditional bedroom suite with mats on the floor, low tables and chairs, sliding rice paper doors and duvets on the floor to sleep on. Wonderful experience, but hard on our backs. :) Eating from street vendors and having no idea of what we bought. Would go again in a heartbeat.

Hong Kong - have been many times and would go again and again and again and again. Luckily my hubby knows it well and we walk and walk and walk. The jade market, the bird market, Stanley market (shoes!), seeing the men go to restaurants for the noon meal, but the women spread little picnics wherever they are and eat outside. Pull out mats and food from shopping bags from fancy stores. Again, Rodeo Drive multiplied by 1000. Night Markets. Getting eye glasses there. The Marklin train shop - a tradition. Buying my strand of real pearls. Took days before they were ready. Going to see another Great Buddha. Hong Kong Disneyland!!!!!!
The Disneyland train. The Marriott hotel where we stay with the wonderful vista overlooking HK harbor. I can close my eyes and see it to the nth detail. The star ferries. My mahjong players in the building across the way. Repulse Bay. I could go on and on.

Thailand. The most picturesque food. Night markets. Witty cab drivers. We have been several different places in Thailand and want to go more. Bangkok is always a treat.

Taiwan. The changing of the guard. The huge hotel.

Korea. Walking everywhere. Buying my suitcase. Being in a mall when some young Korean rock star group was playing and everyone was going crazy, screaming and carrying on. We had no idea who they were of course, but it was fun to watch. Street vendors. The wonderful hotel.

Macau. Walking, walking, walking. The children getting out of school. All the little shrines near every doorway. St. Paul ruins. The hotel where we ate lunch on the balcony. Old old hotel.

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur - the twin towers. Magnificent. Once again, Rodeo Drive times 1000. Starbucks! Shopping for bags. That wonderful street. The vendor chasing me down the block to buy an Estee Lauder perfume. We have been 3 times and I would go again anytime. Beautiful city. Kelang. Dale teaching a class of Starbucks employees on the spur of the moment. Unbelievable. They were so amazing.

New Caledonia (Numea) Old French speaking city.

Il' de Pine - picturesque island with white beaches. Cracking coconuts on a tree knob and drinking the milk. My first taste of Pastis. Buying a basket just weaved by a native lady. picking up shells only to have hermit crabs crawling around our room all night. Put them back in the water the next day.

Vauatu - drinking with the natives. What was that stuff?

Sri Lanka. Guns in the port. Walking out of the mall to see men with uzi's in the street.
Taking a tut-tut around. Not feeling too safe.

India. Wonderful Bombay. going to a local market and through the sari market. Walls of colorful silks. The most amazing place. Silks hanging everywhere in every color possible. Many shot with gold. Amazing. The mass of humanity. The people on the street. Were they dead? The trees filled with pigeons. The topiaries. The steers in the street. The men pulling wagons themselves in the street. The people. The beggars. Chocin India. The colorful seaside.

Sinai. The most cosmopolitan place I have ever been. The clear clear seas. The hooka bars.
The desert. The yachts from everywhere in the world. The tourists from everywhere in the world. And yet, a sense of the holy mountain and the sandy hills just like the pictures in my Bible's and childhood catechism books. Just like it was pictured. The land of Moses. Mixed emotions. I could feel a sense of religious there. And yet see a string bikini, and a black burka next to it. One of the most amazing places I have ever been. Sharm el Shek,Egypt.

Cairo. Oh, Cairo. My amazement but disappointment in the pyramids. Not with the structures but with the Egyptian government which is letting these things go to ruin. They speak like they are so concerned but they let vendors and tourists climb all over them. The place was filthy. Every depression in the ground was filled with paper cups and wrappers and trash. No bins around. Vendors were allowed to assault the tourists. In your face so much that you couldnt' look at what you had come so far to see. disgusting. The Sphinx. Much smaller than expected but at least here, the vendors weren't allowed and it was kept pristine. Some palace - beautiful place but again the government is allowing it to fall into ruin. hadn't been dusted in years. Filthy. Won't be there in another 100 years. Egypt needs to protect these items. Cairo. Sailing the Nile in a Felluca. Cairo. The poor poor donkeys everywhere being abused. Broke my heart. The bombed out looking buildings everywhere. The City of the Dead. The masses of humanity. And I thought Mumbai was crowded. Cairo. I won't be back. I won't recommend it. But it was interesting. Seeing camels in the field working like a steer here, pulling a plow. But usually it was a poor small donkey carrying an overwhelming load. Depressing.

Greece. The Parthenon. Amazing. Egypt could learn a lot from you Greece. How to treat your antiquities. Athens. The most amazing jewelry from anywhere in the world. I will go back here sometime before my life is over. And I am gonna buy more jewelry when I do. ;-P

Rome - catching the train in. Seeing the Pope. What a unexpected delight. The Sistine Chapel. Buying my mother a rosary there. Dale getting his pocket picked on the subway by a young gypsy girls. The Trevi Fountain. The Spanish Steps. Almost missing the train back.

Paris - The naked girl playing ping pong statue on the way to Notre Dame. The Pont Neuf. The Champ Elysees. The public toilet on the Champ Elysees that had us laughing so hard. Kara buying a baguette because it was the thing to do.

Politics

Oh my gosh, politics. Do I want to tackle this subject? Can I say I hate politics? But you can't get away from it. No matter what country you live in. But here in the United States, I hate the way we have evolved. Somewhere, sometime, in the last 15 years, I feel our government servants stopped working for us, and only work for themselves. Suddenly everything, I mean, EVERYTHING, became party and politics. The left and right no longer even attempted to work together. If the Democrats suggested something, the Republicans hated it and visa versa. Here is California, in the state government, it has become ludicrous. One Democrat state rep did not vote as the rest of her party voted, and they kicked her out of her office. I mean literally made her move out of her office in Sacramento just because she voted her conscious and not the way the party told her too!

But everything now is so political. Everything is either left or right. And someone is either loved or hated based on whether that individual is Democrat or Republican. For example, QVC just announced that Elizabeth Hasselbeck is coming with a line of clothing. My word, the forums just went crazy. "I hate her! How could QVC do this?" and other ruder comments. "I won't watch! She is so awful." No matter that the woman has a background in fashion as a shoe designer and later hosted a television show on fashion. Fashion is her background. But the comments and horror of her coming on the QVC network with a line of clothing were outrageous. And all of it based on the fact she is a Republican. She voices a Republican point of view on the television show "The View". The majority of forum commentors did not care that she had a background in fashion. They absolutely did not want to watch her or see her, only because she was Republican. What does her political leanings have to do with it? I would hate to have my career be judged on how I voted or if I leaned right or left. Why did it even come into play? What did it have to do with her designing a fashion line?

I have to admit that most of the screaming that takes place does so within my party, the Democratic party. NBC, CBS, NPR all report with a leftish slant. A Democratic leaning. Those stations are very biased towards the left. But you do not hear many complaints about it. Fox Broadcasting takes a middle of the road, with some programs more to the right. Oh my gosh, the outrage you hear voiced about the Fox Broadcasting channel is everywhere! I feel it is more in the middle than any of the other networks that I mentioned above. But the fact it doesn't report with our Democratic leaning as the others is shouted about to the rooftops!

Back to Hasselbeck. Why is it that she is the one voice people complain about? The rest of the hostesses on "The View" all are Democrats. No one complains about them. Joy and Whoopie (and Rosie before them) can make all the comments they want, outshout the others and no one thinks a thing. Whoopie Goldberg and Joy Mehar both were on QVC. Nothing was mentioned about them. But Hasselbeck comes and the screaming begins. Why? What has it to do with fashion? Why are people defined by their political leanings and why are we tearing ourselves (and our country) apart by trying to box every one in as left or right, republican or democrat.

I live in the SF Bay Area. I would be frightened to place a republican sign in my yard for fear my house would be set on fire. I would be frighted to place a republican bumper sticker on my car for fear it would be vandalized. I wouldn't do either of those things because I am a Democrat. But the point is - why are we so polarized?

What has happened to us? I do not like the way we (the people of the US) are changing in this manner.

If I were a young actor or actress in the US, and wanted to make it. I wouldn't tell my political leanings. For if they happened to be Republican, I would be shunned and never make it. Why? What does your political leanings have to do with whether or not you were a good actor? But that is how bad it has become.

I wish we could start trying to all work together. I wish our government's servants would try to work together. Here in California, the separatization between the Dem's and Rep's has the state budget in a stranglehold. Agencies are going out of business, people are suffering, and yet those we elected won't change their votes or even attempt to work out a solution to the point that schools, cities, homes for the elderly, etc. etc. etc. are going under. But the PARTY is the everything, no matter the outcome.

If America doesn't change this separatization, I think we will go down. It scares me. What has happened to us?

Monterey

Last month my granddaughter, Emily, came down to visit us for a week. She lives in Washington State. How I envy friends who are able to see their grandchildren at any time. We tried to make the week special. We took her to 6 Flags Animal Kingdom. We watched shows like you can see at left. Her grandfather "Papa Dale" and Emily watching the sea lion show. She loved it. We had as much fun watching her as the show. We took tons of rides. And got very wet.

The following weekend, her Auntie Kara, Uncle Jason and I took her to Monterey. I had as much fun watching Uncle Jason (single) so enjoying the rocks and tide pools of Monterey and showing them all to Emily. It was a special time and I would have loved to have spent longer down there. It isn't far from us. Why don't Dale and I go down more often? I guess because we have a vacation home in Tahoe and spend our free weekends up there. But it was fun going to the coast. I used to live on the coast in Oregon. It took me back.

We also got to see our other granddaughter celebrate her 2nd birthday. Little Miss Katie is two. She is Emily's younger sister and it was such a special time for us to have them with us.

Granddaughters are very special, I think.