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Uganda and the Gorillas

We arrived in Entebbe from Istanbul at 3:30 in the am. Customs was a breeze and our driver from the hotel was waiting for us. There is a large military presence which our driver felt was due to some diplomatic VIP in town. Entebbe has the only international airport in Uganda, but it is not the capital. We were stopped at the gate to our hotel and a military person examined the car and underneath the car. There was a metal detector at the door to the hotel. We slept until 7 when a driver rode us through the dirt streets on Entebbe to a ferry where we crossed a portion of Lake Victoria. We continued driving dirt roads for a total time of 2 hours. We arrived at Mabamba marsh where we jumped into a large canoe with our guide and driver who took us through the small waterways pointing out various birds along the way. We reached a distant finger in the marsh where we came upon the ’elusive’ Shoebill bird. Stands 4 feet tall and has a head from prehistoric times. We saw 4 of these amazing birds before returning to our hotel for a nap.

We flew to Kihihi about 2 hours away. We drove an hour to our lodge Mahogany Springs which is just outside the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where the Mountain Gorillas live. Apparently the gorillas were on our lodge’s property just a week before our arrival. Beautiful lodge with large and comfortable rooms and a gorgeous panoramic deck off the main lodge where Katie and I tried the local beer and a Hendricks G&T. This is the rainy season and they say it rains almost every afternoon. Sure enough by 1pm there was unending thunder and pouring rain. Sitting on the covered deck looking out over the jungle with the thunder and rain was/is spectacular. We were up early for breakfast then off to the forest. Our group consisted of a guide, Felix, 3 trackers that went up the mountain at 6:30 that am, 2 men with rifles to guard our front and back, and several porters (Katie and I each hired one as we were told they all are local people who earn some money being a porter). It was nice to have them as they helped push and pull you up the slippery slopes. It was a slow walk up the mountain but after 2 hours we came to where the gorilla family were eating. There was the Silverback male (200kg), 4 wives, and 4 children. We stayed with them for an hour getting as close as a foot from some of them. They posed for pictures, put up with our slipping about the hill, and eventually stopped to take naps after a morning of eating for them. Fantastic guide and help from all. We have now assumed our positons on the panoramic deck, the thunder and rain has begun, and we’ve had our first beer while contemplating the wonderful setting and culture of this area.

Thoughts on Turkey

A melting pot of people, so many different middle eastern people. Religious and non-religious. One guide told us almost all are muslim but only 10-18% ever go to pray in a mosque though 5 times a day there is a call to prayer. There is an underlying current of anger with politics blaming the current economics on the President. Several guides told us the average salary for 60% of the people is $350 per month. The average rent is the same. The country has absorbed over 6 million Syrian refugees over the past several years. Many believe the current President is working towards a crown and will even start a war to stay in power. The strong divide in politics does not sound terribly different then at home.

There are a lot of people in Istanbul, some 26 million inhabitants and a ton of tourists. Walking about the touristed areas was always a challenge, trying to avoid walking into people. Middle eastern people seem to have a need to get in front, even if it really makes no difference. Lines are always vague and morphing from one moment to the next.
As one guide said, ’We like tea’ They drink 10 cups a day and some add on 5 cups of Turkish coffee. When you see the way they drive and attack lines, it makes sense. Katie and I were always worried about being hit walking, whether it was a car, bus, scooter, or vespa. We did see a young man run into a 70ish year old woman in a crosswalk with a vespa and then start yelling at her. She apologized. Surprisingly, the cars are remarkably dent free! We took a taxi ride as we were late for a food tour and it was an ’A’ ticket at Disneyland. Like a rollercoaster and nobody got hurt.
The people of Istanbul are smokers! Smoking is very popular with the youth and the elders are always sipping tea and smoking a cigarette. I think the country is perfect for a study on cancer rates.
I was torn at first with all the cats and large breed dogs that are on the streets. These are the cities animals! People put out food and water for them and bring them into their house in inclement weather. They all appear happy and healthy and they all seem to get along. Katie made a friend of a nice cat at the Rabbithole.
Turkey did seem very affordable though you know the US dollar is running at its strongest in a long time. Beers were $2.50, wines in the $20. Dinner was often in the $30-40 range including wine. Getting around town was easy using the Metro. You buy a universal card to add money to and it is good on trains, subway, ferries, buses, and even WC’s. Rides were $0.5 per ride no matter the distance. Went from Europe to Asia for $.5!
Finally, Istanbul is a city of 26million and almost all live in apartments or condos. We saw a few houses on our trip out in the country but they were generally farm houses.

No More Turkey!

Well Katie and I are once again sitting in a lounge at the airport. This one is the Turkish Business Class lounge in Istanbul. Unbelievable! We showered in a room that was almost as big as our hotel room in Istanbul. I didn’t use the robe or slippers provided but the rain shower was much appreciated. We spent all day yesterday going to Bursa, the former capital of the Ottoman empire and apparently the happening skiing resort. We were picked up from our hotel and after picking other people up and transferring busses, we were finally on our way to Bursa. After 4 hours in traffic, we stopped in an industrial town at a crappy souvenir shop. Were they related somehow to the tour operators? I don’t know, but you could buy the same Turkish Delight, like every 20’ in Istanbul, coffee makers, refrigerator magnets etc just like every 20’ in Istanbul. What the hell! Another 2 hours and we stopped at a 600 year old tree. What? Then we stopped at the tour guides grandfathers coffee shop but nobody would get off the bus so on to lunch. It’s 3 pm now and we are having a cheesy tourist lunch at a place with no views except tourist buses that routinely come in. People are getting angry on the bus. Everyone can see this is a ripoff. Anyway made it back to our hotel at 11pm. I forgot to say we smuggled beers aboard the bus so all was not lost. Today we walked 7 miles exploring sights we hadn’t seen. Who knew the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church was in Istanbul. A modest church though there strikingly more gold and chandeliers than in a Mosque. We hustled back to our hotel for our airport shuttle, but managed to stop at a bazaar and by some Kilim pillow covers. excellent buy at $10 a piece. Now on the airplane headed foe Entebbe.

More Turkey, please

Coffee at the Rabbithole led to a walk across the peninsula, through the streets near the Grand Bazaar, to the Spice Market. so much spice, so much Turkish Delight. We bought some Delight but I’m sure we paid double as we were in the Market. From there we walked across Galata Bridge and up to Galata Tower. Good city views but not much else. Up into Istiklal for some lunch then back to the hotel. Katie is not feeling that great. She has a sore throat and some laryngitis. We rested up as we had a Bosphorus Dinner Cruise scheduled. We were picked up at the hotel and taken to a large boat in the harbor amongst many other boats doing the same thing. We cruised for 3 hours while served a traditional Turkish dinner and entertained with various folk dances. Got home about midnight. Today we caught a boat to Prince Islands for some beach time. Beaches are more the European flavor where you pay for a lounge chair and umbrella. Sunny warm day and the beer is cold.

Turkey Time

Despite an economy flight, heaven forbid, to Taipei, we ended our journey to Istanbul on Turkish Airways in business class and it was great. Seats not quite a cubicle but they lay flat and plenty of room to move around. The service was excellent and the food great though we have been constantly full most of this trip. We started with Tattinger champagne, mushroom raviolis with a Bordeaux Red, I tried a Burgundy Chablis and a vintage port with desert. We arrived early to Istanbul, 4:30 in the am, but our driver was still ready for us. Night and day difference getting into Japan vs Turkey. We basically just walked in! An hour drive to our hotel which was and is stunningly bad despite 4.5 stars. We would have changed hotels but we have a number of pickups from our hotel which would complicate things. We checked in, dropped our bags and set out in search of coffee. Met a bombastic Kurdish restauranteer who kindly provided coffee, 2 types of Baclava, because why not, wifi, and persistent conversation. While trying to read the home newspaper we learned all about the Kurds, the Turks, the Syrians, and the politics of the day.

We met our tour guide in the Hippodrome that morning. His name Salahattin. His English, excellent, His knowledge, extensive. The tour was Katie and I and a young man from New York. Ended up to be a 5 hour tour with a number of hidden gems most tourists don’t see. Sights included the Hippodrome, the Egyptian Obelisk, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, and many other places.

That evening we went back to one of our guides hidden gems, The Palatium, where we had a great mezes (tapas) plate, lamb dishes and a very good bottle of turkish syrah. Apparently, a Hookah after dinner is the thing and people would pass it around the table changing to their personal mouthpiece each turn. In the am we found ‘our’ coffee shop, the Rabbithole, a couple blocks away and that has been our newspaper reading spot ever since. We began our 30-60 min Segway tour that am after showing up, saying our name, not signing a thing, and practicing for 2 minutes. We were off touring the city stopping to hear our guide talk about the history and culture, note he is on his 12th year in the University there! Again a crazy wealth of information both historical and cultural. We were dodging crowds, cars, scooters, and trams. Turkey has some of the most aggressive car, scooter, motorcycles drivers we have ever seen. The rules seem very vague and mainly are just suggestions. The only imparted wisdom for riding was if you fall you will probably get hurt. After 3 1/2 hours riding we were way up on a hill at a Mosque (of course) looking over the city when I had to tell the guide we got to go. We have a food tour on the other side of the Golden Horn that is supposed to begin in an hour! We had an assistant lead the two of us past the Grand Bazaar, driving on the metro lines ahead of the tram and going backwards down one way streets. We jumped off and immediately a taxi driver came up and asked if we needed a ride. Why yes we do. Do you take cards. Yes I do. We drove taxi-style through the narrow streets, honking all the way. Narrow winding roads that we were convinced he couldn’t make it up. Cars passing with less than an inch between them. Needless to say, one of the best things to do in Istanbul. Getting out with minutes before our tour began, my credit card wouldn’t work and we had no cash. Katie went in search of an ATM.

The afternoon food tour was ho hum for the food but ended up being a 5 hour city tour by all means of transportation from subways, trains, cable cars, and ferries. Our second day. was a day of transportation

The first part of the following am was our coffee shop fix. We went over to the Basilica Cisterna for a guided tour. Fortunately renovations were completed 3 weeks ago and it was now open to the public. Again a fantastic guide and the place is spectacular both in lighting and the installed art. The story of building this cistern to hold water for the new roman capital was boggling and apparently 20 years ago they had a 7.4 earthquake and all is still standing.

We also toured the Topaki palace later but really it was just too crowded and all in all not that interesting except the enuchs and harem stories. We rode the metro up to the Grand Bazaar which has over 3000 shops, but we didn’t buy anything. Later in the evening we did a food tour of the Pera or Istiklal area. We had walked this area before. It is jammed with people strolling and shopping. Crazy drivers intermittently cross the mall and it is always a close call with the walkers. The tour was great with many back street venues just off the bustling mall but quiet and only populated by locals. A yogurt covered tantuni was a favorite but to be honest all foods were good even the stuffed mussels! I had two. Katie and I bailed around 11:30 before the baklava as we were not only exhausted but stuffed.

Tokyo Day 3 & 4, now we are walking on the wrong side!

We met Haru after breakfast and we visited Tokyo Tower, a replica of the Eiffel Tower but a little taller. a good viewing day as the rains have stopped and there is intermittent sun

We travelled south the to the Sunshine Observatory which turned out to be in a mall that was extremely popular. Thousands of people in the streets. The mall escalators were jammed with people coming in. Turns out it is a mecca for Anime. There was a live show on one floor with people acting out the anime characters and hundreds of people, parents, and kids lining the railings of 4 or 5 floors to look down on them. One floor was dedicated to Pokemon and the kids were ecstatic, like seeing Disney characters. We had Sushi while waiting for the observatory to open and Katie again was full of ’yums’ and humming. The Observatory was very similar to Tokyo Tower but very kid oriented, so we didn’t spend a whole lot of time there. Good views though.

We then traveled to Shinjuku Goyeon Garden near our hotel to look at formal and landscaped gardens. Many locals out on the greens but no jogging or sports as it is a garden not a park. They have rules, many of them. Nice Koi ponds but only the Roses were in bloom.

We retired to our hotel briefly. Then across the street for an IPA and to catch up on our email and write the blog. Later we went to a rooftop bar close by for a mediocre G&T but a good Suntori 12 year old whiskey. We walked the streets filled with walkers, musicians and lights in order to find our ramen place ’Ichiran Ramen’. What a treat and experience Select from a pictorial electronic menu, Select some toppings, degree of spicyness, garliciness, and onioniness. Then wait in line until you reach the front, then assigned a 2 foot slot with a shade in front. When your ramen is ready, the shade goes up and your food is delivered. it was surprising how efficient this was though by the time we left there was a line up the stairs and out into the street. Great meal and crazy atmosphere. We walked through the busy and lively streets back to our hotel

Today we were picked up after breakfast at 8am for a train trip to Sensoji Temple in the Asakura ward. 1200 year old Buddist temple with a Shinto Shrine on site as well. Learned about the gates for entry that were guarded by the gods of Wind and Thunder(reminding Katie of BI). The large lantern at the entry is a lantern that started in use at peoples homes to light the way home for loved that had passed. There were fortune telling spots for a few yen, wish spots to help with future events, smoke inhalation pots to cleanse the sole and hand washing sites to wash away evil. A large pagoda was on site with 5 stories representing water, earth, fire, wind, and sky. Many young Japanese youth visiting in Kimonos. Protection for the temples and shrines was provided by statue animals of dragons and dog/lion combos. We saw 4 young girls purchase a number pulled from a shaker which led to a drawer of fortune written on a paper(magic 8 ball!). 3 of the 4 got fortunes of ’bad luck’ which led to screams and laughs. Turns out you tie this paper fortune to a string that is setup which allows you to leave your bad luck behind. No sore losers here!

Now we are on to Taipei then Istanbul. We just missed a Typhoon in Taipei which came thru yesterday resulting in many cancelled flights. 3-4 hours in Taipei airport then 10 hour flight to Istanbul. Goodnight

Tokyo, a city of 35 million people, all walking on the wrong side of the walkway :-)

Tomorrow is our last day in Japan. A very short stay! Too short of a stay, but still rewarding. Our guide Haru introduced us to Japanese culture and train travel. it would have been boggling to get thru all the train stations and trains without her. We had a good breakfast at the hotel, many options. Many Japanese options like miso soup, pork dumplings, goyza, mackerel, plum sauce, bean curd… I had bacon, eggs, rolls. somehow Japanese options do not taste as good with coffee. It rained most of the day, supposedly the rainy season is June but I guess this is monsoon season. We made it to an open fish market which was fascinating. We saw the Japanese version of the Statue of Liberty and had a traditional Japanese lunch, Soba noodles, Miso soup, and Donburi bowls of shrimp and vegetable tempura. We saw a huge statue of a Transformer, Dumdum? that may not be right! Visited the Ota museum, filled with 1800’s master woodblock works of daily life in the Edo period. Visited Harajuku, a young peoples area of fashion trends/styles. we saw coffee shops where there was an entrance fee that entitled you to pet dogs, cats and in one, otters, while you were there! Very elaborate sweets our guide kept trying to get us to buy, ice cream cones with a large cloud of cotton candy around the cone, or elaborately decorated crepes with fruits and sauces. Walked to the Meiji Shrine, which was built in honor of a modernist emperor of the 19th century. There are many traditions that involve helping your fate in life… for a few yen. You can buy Ema’s which you write a wish on and hang up in public. They also had many small packages of various sizes that you can purchase for various enhancements, like finding the right partner, scoring well on the entrance exams, and making lots of money to name a few. We ended the night first on top of the Park Hyatt for some Gin & Tonics with panoramic views of the city. We then found a small Sushi restaurant where Katie kept saying yum and humming.

Japan 2022, the beginning of our Adventure

Katie and I flew out of SFO on United. This was our first time flying business class. We stayed in the Polaris lounge at SFO before our flight and found it to be excellent. Good food, comfortable lounging, and a taste of Champagne maybe a little early in the am. Boarded the plane first and found we each had our own little cuby with lay flat seats, large monitor, and a welcome kit with socks, eye shades, ear plugs, toothbrush, and slippers.

Our guide Haru, met us on exiting customs which was a gaunlet of forms and QR codes that seemed to repeat the inormation over and over again. we took thesky express into Tokyo and to our hotel, the Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku. we showered and changed then met her in the lobby to do a bit of a walkabout. we went to Golden Gai and ’Piss Alley’ an area with small alleys cramped with tiny restaurants and bars. We had Sashimi and Sake at a restaurant, or some of us had Sashimi all of us had Sake. we walked further along many Neon lit streets with an overwhelming number of advertisements. Reminds me of a number of science fiction books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen. Shibuya crossing was kind of like Times Square, people everywhere, neon lights, huge video displays and even Godzilla on one of the buildings. Katie and I were pretty tired so skipped the kareoke that was planned.

Camping 2021

We have had very limited internet access in our first 2 1/2 weeks of camping, so I am posting the first blog of our trip very late! Well, we set off in early September. We headed North stopping in Bend Oregon to camp. On the advice of Steve we had dinner at Joolz. Turned out to be great Mediterranean tapas. We also found a great brewpub along the highway. we moved on to Walla Walla and after several wine tasting which were interesting? We moved on to Zillow Lakes. We had dinner at El Graso at J Bell wines and that was fantastic. We drove on to Coeur d’Alene which was beautiful but really nobody wears a mask indoors or outdoors despite no ICU beds left in northern Idaho. They don’t care. Give me freedom. We drove very carefully through Idaho on to Montana, probably not significantly different from Idaho. Here are some Big Horn Sheep we saw on the way to Glacier National Park.

Camping with the Boys

Had a great 4 day 3 night camping trip to Salt Point on the California coast. Managed to escape some heat and some smoke. We enjoyed some days hiking, some days playing frisbee golf. All days eating and sharing stories around the the fire pit. We played poker at night along with guitars and singing as the night grew dark. Cornhole tournaments throughout the day.