Mother's Day Falls

  The unthinkable happened...we were early for a plane ride.  I did not think it was possible, and quite frankly it probably would not have happened if the flight we bought did not exist and they put us on the next flight.  We spent  a couple of hours in the airport and then headed to the bird sanctuary.  Anabel thoroughly enjoyed our avian friends, but I think Daddy's excitement added to the experience.  The highlight was an open aviary of macaws.  There were a few times I thought I might lose my head literally.  We took a taxi to Argentina and added another stamp to our passport.

Anabel shopping for a new bird

Maybe a toucan, this one didn't mind letting us get 2 feet away

Maybe this one

I guess a macaw will have to do

Mother's day! We went to one of World's New Seven Wonders of Nature-Iguazu Falls.  I thought the walk to Iguazu Falls would be easy.  A bus, train and a coati attack later...we finally saw the falls.  The coati are an aggressive raccoon type animal which in the attack, jumped onto my bag of empanadas and screeched until I let go, then shredded it.  Fun! We decided the best way to see the falls was to take a short 12 minute boat ride under them.  Anabel was not impressed until everyone started clapping and we told her it was because she did so well.  She was then proud of herself.  We dried out on the beach and headed back home.  Tomorrow we head to Buenos Aires.  We are sad that we only have 3 weeks left.  Wow, time really has flown.

The small half of the falls

The large half in the distance as seen from our dinner table

The girls next to one of the shoulders before our drenching

In case you missed it, Happy Mother's Day

We finally found an airline that won't let us carry Anabel on, she's not happy

  Until next time...bye for now.  Love, JAM

Rio de Janiero

   Rio de Janiero is a city that you can not help but love..they have the beach and mountains.  We arrived early May 8th and made our way to the quaint village of Santa Theresa.  The town is known for their cobblestone streets and tram (which was currently out of service due to a tragic accident).  We decided the first day was a recovery day and we both enjoyed a massage and pizza.

  The next day we were excited to see the town.  We headed to Ipanema Beach and spent a lazy afternoon playing in the sand and water.  We tried several different snacks from vendors who passed by, most of which were interesting at best.  Our favorite was called "Globo" and tasted like air. Yummy!

  The following day we went to all the typical sights.  Our first stop was Christ the Redeemer.  Besides the incredible view from the statue we met a nice Brazilian family who was thoroughly entertained by Anabel.  They even offered to take our picture so you can see the magnitude of Christ the Redeemer.  Next stop was lunch right next to a park.  Josh and I enjoyed a typical meal called "feijoada" which has stewed meat, rice and beans.  Delicious!  We drove through a nearby forest, saw a waterfall and bought Haviannas.  Our last stop was saved for sunset... Sugar loaf.  We took two gondola rides before we arrived at the top (I felt likes James Bond).  We arrived 20 minutes before sunset and fell in love with Rio. 

   Josh woke up the next morning in hopes of getting a long hang gliding flight in.  Unfortunately, it was only a 10 minute ride because the winds were not in his favor.  We hung out at the pool with the owner's kids for the rest of the day. She had two kids, one of which Anabel was convinced was "Dora".  A very relaxing day...especially since we are off again tomorrow.  We were so very pleasantly pleased with Rio de Janiero...a must see. The pictures don't do the city justice. 

Christ the Redeemer in the distance

For scale purposes we are half way between the photographer and the statue, it's huge

Not sure if Anabel is the monkey they had in mind

Sugar loaf from the base of Christ the Redeemer

Top of the first gondola

View from Sugar loaf at sunset

View from the gondola after sunset

Bye for now. Love, JAM

Paris in a day!

  We arrived in Paris exhausted.  Anabel has just flown for the first time without her pacifier.  I would of paid someone 100 dollars to give me one.  She figured it out eventually, but it was not pretty.  We made it to our hotel and decided to sleep for a couple of hours since we were zombies.  After our little alarm clock (Anabel) woke up we wandered to Notre Dame since it was only 2 minutes away.  Anabel enjoyed feeding the birds and placing money in the offering on behalf of my grandma.  We took in a quick lunch and had crepes for dessert.  Finally, we tried finding a pharmacy and grocery store to pick up some necessities an hour later we succeeded.  We also managed to get post cards to everyone.  After feeling a bit accomplished we headed home to the Holiday Inn to rest.  We have another 11 hour flight ahead of us before we are eating Brazilian food.

Who needs sleep lets see this thing

Maybe she's a little terrified, the bird didn't seem to mind

Mommy and Anabel praying for GiGi

Where are you grocery store?

So this is what mom has been going on and on about

Bye for now, JAM

Cape Town I love you...

  We arrived in Cape Town a little tired, but excited to be in an apartment. Yeah for space and a kitchen.  The first day was spent grocery shopping (fun with a toddler) and going to Table Mountain.  Table Mountain is ranked #1 on Trip Advisor with good reason.  After taking a rotating gondola you reach a flat stretch of mountain overlooking the city.  I am loving the contrast between mountains and ocean in one place.  I cooked spaghetti which was the first non-restaurant meal we had in a month.

A very cranky baby after waking from a blast of cold air on the rotating gondola

  The next day we decided to head to Boulder's beach and Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope.  Anabel was less than thrilled to be back in a car seat (many of the countries we have been travelling to do not have them).  However, she was excited to see the African penguins on Boulder's beach.  She would follow them around and  wanted to see all the babies.  After a short visit with the penguins we headed to Cape Point (erroneously known as the point where the Atlantic and Pacific ocean meet).  It was extremely windy and quite chilly.  We walked around shielding Anabel from the wind, then made our way to an ocean front (indoor) lunch.  The food was superb and the warmth even better.

Why do they get tuxedos and I get a purple warm up?

Dramatic coastline of Cape Point

Note to airlines...the quickest route to Rio is not through Paris

  Today was Anabel's favorite day.  It was raining outside, so we decided to check out the aquarium.  Anabel loved staring at the fish and interacting with the penguins.  She especially enjoyed the clown fish's domed aquarium which allowed her to get right in the middle of them.  The aquarium was set up for kids and even had a play area in the cafeteria.  The whole family was happy.

Amazed by the clown fish

Guess we both like fish

Cliché, but she actually asked to do this

  The next day Josh woke up early to try and hang glide.  He made it to the site, but the conditions were not cooperating.  Later in the day we ventured to Kirstenbosch gardens-the first garden to be a World Heritage Site.  I am sure that the grounds are massive and beautiful, but we do not know because we spent most of time throwing Pooh bear in the air and catching it for Anabel.  Anabel found this much more interesting than flowers.

Forget the scenery, how are you making this bear fly?

Apparently the secret is to tickle his tummy

  The last full day in Cape Town we decided to go sky diving.  It has always been on my bucket list and I figured the view would be spectacular.  I was a little apprehensive to leave my daughter with a stranger named "Mess" while both of her parents jumped from an aircraft, but I still wanted to go.  We jumped from 9,000 feet and saw the ocean on one side and Table Mountain on the other.  I loved the surreal experience of floating and falling. Would love to go again...Sorry, no pictures from skydiving, just a video. We didn't bring a DVD player with us so we can't capture and upload the video until we get home.
   We are off to Rio de Janiero, Brazil next but we have a 12 hour layover in Paris before we get there. 'Till we meet again. Bye for now, JAM

Leggo my Eggo!

  We headed to Zambia after our time on Safari. It was only a 2 hour flight from Johannesburg and a 15 minute car ride to reach our resort. We were actually staying in a national park right next to Victoria Falls (5 minute walk from our room) and on the Zambezi river. When we arrived we were greeted by zebras and monkeys.  They wander around the premises and say hello to the new guests. Anabel likes to call the zebras "not horsies".  We decided to take a sunset cruise that night in hopes of finding a hippo. We saw his eyes briefly...sort of.
  The next day we walked to Victoria Falls.  I imagine the experience similar to walking though a tropical storm.  Anabel just kept on saying "no more big one".  The view was worth it...I see why it is one of the wonders of the world.  In the afternoon Josh and I took microlight flights over the falls.  We saw buffalo, hippos (finally), elephants and warthogs.  The ride was exhilarating and a little scary at the same time.  Josh talked to the guide about what it takes to fly one..who knows if that is our next venture.  We took the night off and hired a babysitter for dinner.  Anabel was asleep the whole time and did not even notice we left.
   In the morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with some guests.  Anabel and I were minding our own business and eating some waffles when a monkey decided to jump on the table next to us.  He was larger than Anabel and really wanted the fruit.  Ok, a little nerve racking but doable.  Just when I thought it could not get any worse he hopped onto our table and took the waffle from my plate.  I held Anabel back not sure what I would do if he came at us.  With that we left Zambia and headed off to Cape Town...

Sorry in advance, a lot of these pictures are very dark (cell phone shots, didn't want to risk the nice camera getting soaked).

Sunset on the Zambezi

Tickle time

View from our sliding glass door

Quick stop to say "hi" to the "not a horsie" before being soaked by the falls...notice no bathing suit for Mom or Anabel 

Our last dry moments and a very small glimpse of the falls

Anabel reliving the days when she was Godzilla

Mom getting ready for her microlight flight

Anabel considers becoming an African tribal dancer, but decides against required uniform

All for now. Much love,

JAM

Toddler on Safari

-Part 2 of the catch up entries...We have finished Zambia and are at our apartment in Cape Town for the week. We will try to get a Zambia/Cape Town entry out soon.

  Sorry, for the delay in journal entries.  We arrived in Greater Krueger Park late Monday night to find out we do not have internet; a blessing and an inconvenience at the same time.  Our drive into the park was full of anticipation.  Luckily, we did not see any animals while driving the 30 minute trek down a dirt path in our luxurious Kia circus car.

  We rested most of the next day and our adventure began that night.  We decided to take Anabel on the 3.5 hour safari drive just to see how she did.  Surprising the animals and Pooh Bear kept her attention.  She fell asleep on Josh about 2 hours in and that was it.  YAY!  Safari with a toddler…check.  Josh and I decided to stay an extra night at this amazing resort, so we were there 5 days and 4 nights.  The resort offers two safari tours per day (6am and 4pm).  As a family we have gone to all the afternoon/evening tours.  Josh and I would take turns on the morning drives.  Together we have seen the following animals, some very close and personal: African Lion (walked right by car)-Anabel said “come here kitty cat”, African Elephant, Wildebeest, White Rhinoceros, Chacma Baboon, Greater Kudu (Anabel thinks it is Bambi), Impala (also Bambi), Nile Crocodile, Southern Giraffe, Baboons, Warthog, Porcupine, Giant Eagle Owl and a very personal night spotting of a leopard as we got between it and its prey mid-hunt. We even had a tree squirrel sipping on my spilled hot chocolate this morning. Overall, Krueger Park has been an amazing experience for all of us.  We love South Africa. Tomorrow, we drive back to Johannesburg to spend the night and then head to Zambia. Our goal is to microlight over Victoria Falls.

View from the front of our chalet, the fence is for elephants, but didn't stop lions the last night there

Anabel on her first game drive, a bit nervous, looking for what might be chasing the giraffe

Anabel takes her cue from the lions and settles in for a nap

Mom and dad took the last morning off and gave Anabel to a sitter...it netted some free time with this guy

And now some animals:

Maybe they won't notice us behind these bushes

The tracker is very comfortable with the lions, of course he doesn't have much choice

Now tired from spending the morning rolling in elephant dung

The lionesses don't seem bothered by us either

Michaele gives being a tracker a try

Anabel can now:

Count to 10.

Use the potty (for number 2).

Identify 30 animals.

Sleep while a lion is 10 feet away from her.

Oh yeah, fun fact about Turkey: dinner for two with drinks and dessert, $5…freshly squeezed orange juice, $0.55.

Anabel giggling at the idea that she is Cinderella on her carriage ride through Izmir

Much love.  Bye for now, JAM

Where have we been?

Hi everyone! Sorry its been a few weeks. We went without internet for a week while on Safari, then again for a few days in Zambia, plus a few days travelling to and fro meant no posts. We are trying to get two more posts out in the next couple of days to catch you up and pass on the photos. Here is the first one.

-The rest of Turkey

   We took a one hour flight to Cappadocia and landed in a new little world.  This cave town is known for their unique architecture (inside the rocks) and balloon rides.  The first day we wandered around the town and Anabel found some playground equipment to occupy her time.  We also saw our first “housed” cow.  They leave the cows in the house to help produce heat.  Anabel found it interesting to look in a room and see them playing “peek a boo”. 

    The next morning Josh and I woke up at 5am for our hot air balloon ride.  We had a local housekeeper watch Anabel while we were floating around.  The view is incredible and the feeling of standing while floating is surreal.  The hot air balloon ride was definitely the highlight for me.  Later that day, we went pottery shopping.  We are now proud owners of 6 handcrafted Turkish plates (Josh is ecstatic).  Oh, this sleepy little town also hosts my new favorite dessert-chocolate baklava.  I spent the next few days trying to find it before leaving Turkey.  Once again the airplane calls and we were off to Izmir.

We made the mistake of not checking the closet (which the maid placed our jackets in) so when we arrived at the airport-no coats.  No worries-Josh had them mailed but it was a close and cold one for a couple of days.  Oh, and the drive to the airport proved to be eventful as I can now add changing my daughter’s diaper on the side of the road in a construction site to my resume.  The rest of the day we walked around and got orientated to Izmir.  Our second day in Izmir, we decided to explore and try to find the market.  This was a bad idea.  About 30 minutes into our adventure it started to downpour.  Apparently, we had walked a little farther than we thought.  Hence, we were running through the streets of Izmir for 30 minutes.  Josh had Anabel in the backpack and I was running behind him as every store owner laughed hysterically.  Some tried to hand us umbrellas (they wanted us to buy them) or coats.  We ended up soaked by the time we got back, but Anabel had fun pretending she was on a horse while daddy was running. 

   Ephesus day finally came around.  We picked Izmir because it was close to Ephesus and we really wanted to visit the 2,000 year old ruins.  The amount of ruins was impressive itself.  Apparently only 20% of the ruins have been excavated and it is a slow process.  The highlights were Celsius Library, the Theatre and Terrace Houses.  The Theatre is referenced to in Acts 19 as a place shop owners rioted.  Our guide was very informative although Anabel was more interested in the “Little Mommy” story. Afterwards we went to a handicraft area afterwards to see how the carpets were made from silk worms.  All in all it was a great day. 

  The final day in Izmir we made it to the shorefront (we tried 2 other times).  We also took a carriage ride thru the foreshore and in the middle of traffic.  Anabel got a kick out of the horses, not literally.  Finally we had a nice time watching Anabel throw her stuffed animals in the square and laugh (this bought us a good 20 minutes).  The little things… Turkey, check. 

   We were not looking forward to the three plane rides it would require to get to Johannesburg, South Africa especially since we got delayed on the tarmac for 1.5 hours on the second one.  But, Anabel has learned to fall asleep on the airplane quickly; often she is out when we takeoff.  Thank the Lord.  She did not fail us this time either.  We arrived in JoBurg and picked up our super spacious (insert sarcasm) Kia Picanto-bright yellow at the rental shop.  We spent the rest of the time recovering and playing.  Yesterday, we drove up to Krueger park. I will write more on the park later.  

Taking off along side the "fairy chimneys"

Couldn't reach my arm out far enough to take this shot of our balloon, so you'll have to imagine we are on it

A good view of the cave homes carved into the hills

Happy couple enjoying a morning off...Anabel not as happy

Anabel oblivious to the 2,000 year old ruins, spots a cat across the street

Outside the library at Ephesus

Till then...much love from Africa.