On The Road

Elma

Two posts to finish up. Just a reminder that we did not do the whole thing. We joined the ship in Amsterdam in August after it had already been sailing for nine months. We sailed into New York City, up the Hudson River on the morning of September 3rd. We were docked there at Pier 88 until the afternoon of September 4th. The President of Royal Caribbean came on board now, to finish the cruise and celebrate with the world cruisers. It was at this point that I started to feel like I had walked into the wrong party by mistake. There were many events exclusively for the world cruisers. Still, there was plenty to do; and you never have to cook, or wash a dish, or make your bed, so life was good.

On The Road – Elma – New York, New York on the Ultimate Around the World Cruise on Serenade of the SeasPost + Comments (14)

Botswana

Recently I submitted a couple of posts about animals along the Boteti River in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. This one is based on a driving safari into the heart of the park.  

This area of northern Botswana was once a giant lake. The lake is long gone but the park contains several dried salt pans connected by grasslands. During the rainy season flamingos breed along the pans but we visited during the dry season and didn’t see any.

On The Road – lashonharangue – Botswana – Makgadikgadi Pans National ParkPost + Comments (14)

Albatrossity

I had a Monday free of any OTR responsibilities, and it seems like the stock market took the week off as well. Sheesh! Well, I’m rested and back to a regular schedule, even if the stock market is still in a funk.

On The Road – Albatrossity – In the Chiricahuas – 2Post + Comments (17)

The rally was great, but I didn’t take as many pictures as usual because I had recruited a group of people who don’t go to protests frequently. Recruiting was one of the main points of this rally, so that was good, but it was a bit like taking third graders on a field trip. But I still got a few good ones.

On The Road – Redshift – Hands Off! DCPost + Comments (17)

Auntie Anne

Our last day of the tour started with a trip to Chuong Village, which is famous for producing ‘Non La,’ or conical hats.  In feudal times, the conical hat was worn by royal queens and princesses; today they are used to protect folks from sunlight and rain, or as a fashionable accessory of Vietnamese women.

Once we returned from Chuong, we visited Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.  It’s near the Old Quarter and a pleasant and easy outing for families on Sundays.

On The Road – Auntie Anne – Southeast Asia – Chuong Village and Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi – Vietnam 5 of 5Post + Comments (8)

Auntie Anne

Hanoi Train Street is a narrow train bypass in Hanoi which sees a twice-daily train pass close to buildings on either side of the tracks (the railroad tracks take up nearly the entirety of the “train street”). The track was built by the French in 1902 and is still an active rail line.

There are bars and restaurants on both sides.  When the train comes through, half of the street needs to move because the train comes by REALLY close.  It was exhilarating!

On The Road – Auntie Anne – Southeast Asia – Train Street, Hanoi – Vietnam 4 of 5Post + Comments (15)

Auntie Anne

As I said, Hanoi is a vibrant, interesting city.  I ended up taking a lot of pictures!

We also visited the Ho Chi Minh Complex. I am interested in learning more about him because he is a revered figure and not the vaguely evil villain I thought he was when I was growing up.

On The Road – Auntie Anne – Southeast Asia – Hanoi – Vietnam 3 of 5Post + Comments (13)