KeepInToucher

Safeco....

If you know me, you know I love baseball.
(And if you don't know me, now you do.)

Up until now, I have only been to the Astrodome ("oh, that's why they call it astro turf,") and the Sky Dome ("oh, this place is really concrete and sort of ugly.)

On the August long weekend, I went to Vancouver, and took a little overnight trip to Seattle.

The trip was fantastic and one of the highlights was going to a game at Safeco.

Now, the Mariners weren't playing so well, and the A's are just okay too this year , but the day was beautiful and the stadium feels like what an old time baseball field should feel like.  Only clean....and with waiters who run around with a number on their back you can text message so if you are so lazy you can't walk ten feet to the bar, they will bring you whatever you need.

Beefy Goodness....

On my way back to Toronto, I decided to stop off in Calgary to visit my family and take my grandmother Florence to the movies.

I always joke the reason I had to leave Alberta is because I stopped eating beef six years ago and they asked me to leave. But I recently took it up again (in Nairobi) and let me tell you, I am glad its back in my life. I have to give up my self-satisfaction whenever mad cow comes up, but in return I don't have the awkward "oh I can't eat that" moment that used to drive everyone crazy. I went to my cousin Matt's house last night to meet his ten day old daughter Claire, and we had steak. It was really good.

Back to the movie- I always take my grandmother to the movies when I am in Calgary and I always make the wrong choice: King Arthur was too violent, Chicago was too loud, Finding Neverland was  too depressing, and 50 First Dates had sex jokes in it she laughed at and had me thinking, "Does she get it or is she laughing because every one else is??" So this time, I looked up the "family movies" on the net.

We ended up at Failure to Launch- which was not only a terrible film devoid of any character development, Matthew Mcconaughey almost always talking with his mouth full (it was sort of sexy in  How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days) and SJP apparently has no range beyond Carrie Bradshaw. Worst of all- the dialog was not about tacos and hot dogs like in an Adam Sandler movie- but about testicles and orgasms.

So to sum up, (and change the subject) here's what I learned in Calgary this time:
- Beef is good
- Saskatoon pie is better
- I only have a poker face while playing poker (which sucks because I wish I had it the rest of the time, even if I did win $11.50)
- My family here always makes me feel welcome and loved
- When you go back to your old elementary school to pick up your little cousins who now go there you may feel like a giant even if you aren't that big (assuming you have grown in the last 20 years which, thankfully, I have)
- Even though I live in Ontario, my friends here think of me as the friend who doesn't come out that much because I am here so often
- You should only take your grandma to animated movies

Rachel and The Lions

Here is a picture with Rachel and some lions. Pretty cool.

More pictures

I uploaded some more Africa photos on your left. Feel free to check them out.

African Photos

I took some time to upload some of my African pictures- and I wrote the stories that go with them if you click here or the "Africa" photo on your left.

Stay tuned for more- I am still trying to figure out how Photoshop Elements works so I can post the most bad-ass panorama photo of Ngorogoro Crater.

I'll also post more when I get the photos Rachel took.

Finally some pictures from Africa

Starting with the lamest one ever- this in me and my friend Rachel wearing the matching t-shirts our other friend Natalia sent us for our trip.
The problem: a civil war in Chad made us feel like wearing "Chad is Rad" might  be a bit socially inappropriate.

Lucklily a flat tire gave us a little time at the side of the road for us to take this picture when no one was looking.

You may notice how dirty the bottom of our pants/shoes are. We were supposed to go to Ngororgoro crater- the world's largest caldera. This photo was taken from the lodge at the top.

But after our safari guide, Raymond (the almost-silent, Bob Marley mix-tape on a loop playing, but very solid driver) told us the road may be a bit dangerous: "Sure, sure it's dangerous- just last year this truck went over the edge and a French tourist broke his arm" we went on a "hike" through Masai country. By "hike" I mean a three hour walk in ankle-deep mud where Rachel and I finally figured out why people who live out in the country there don't wear shoes. We did choose to go during the rainy season, and it worked well in that there were way fewer tourists and the weather wasn't digustingly hot- although it was very muddy.

Besides all this fun- my trip was incredibly rewarding. In fact I am still thinking about it and so I am having a hard time trying to write about it. I think Rachel says it best on her site if you want to check it out.

In the meantime- here's the best animal picture:

hotel, motel, Holiday Inn

So I am sitting in the Holiday Inn in Dar Es Salaam waiting around to go to the airport to leave for home. Last night I stayed in a beach banda- basically a little hut on a beach, where I could hear the ocean and was devoured by mosquitoes. I wanted a hot shower, clean bed and reasonably nonthreatening place to hang out because Rachel left very early this morning.

I think it will take me a long time to reflect upon what I have learned here- not only about the people of Tanzania and Kenya, but also about myself and having faith in people.

I also learned a lot from my friend and super-solid traveling companion Rachel. I learned all about Ghana (really, I feel like I spent some time there too,) and about patience- which she has enormous amounts of.

When I get home, which right now seems further away then yesterday (Dar-Amsterdam: 9 hours. Amsterdam-Toronto: 8 hours Toronto-Vancouver: 4 hours) I will start posting pictures and writing more about our trip.

I look forward to getting home soon.

Giraffe Feeding

I fed a giraffe today- he ate pellets from my hand.

I saw some baby elephants who were orphaned by poachers.

Tomorrow we are going to do some more Nairobi sightseeing, and then we will move on to Tanzania.

I can't really send pictures, and the internet is really slow, so I won't be able to update this blog too much- it's nice here though and I am really enjoying catching up with Rachel.

I'll send pictures when I get home (unless I find some awesome super fast internerd cafe.)

I'm on my way

So despite being completely overwrought before getting on my KLM flight to Amsterdam (and just about loosing it when a "sticky but clear"substance started raining down from the ceiling during take off- maybe pouring is a better word for it.) It looked like someone had put a bottle of something in the overhead bin and it had burst- only it was doing that in more than one place. It was the A/C apparently.....

So now I am in Amsterdam on my layover- I took the super efficient train downtown, went to the Van Gogh museum, saw and incredible exhibition comparing the style of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and the permanent Van Gogh collection- where I saw every Van Gogh painting I have ever wanted to see (including sunflowers, Gauguin's chair, and wheat field with crows.) I couldn't figure out why everyone was frowning while I was walking around and on the train until I realized it was 8am on a Monday.

I then took the canal bus over to Ann Frank's house but did not wait in line for the museum, but instead went into church where they were playing organ music. Since I haven't slept more than two hours and I am trying to stay up to minimize my jet lag, all my photos (save one or two) suck so far. And even if I had the cord with me that would connect my camera to this computer- I sure don't have the brain power to put pictures up today.

I'm heading back to the airport now, to get a massage and try to stay awake somehow until I get on the plane. We are flying at night so hopefully I will sleep through and not be so screwed up tomorrow.

This time tomorrow I will be in Nairobi! It's so strange- 15 hours ago (or so) I was in Toronto- right now I'm in Amsterdam, and 20 hours form now, I'll be in Africa. This international travel thing can really bend your mind. Jet lag has obviously had an effect on mine!

Off I go....and I am ready to come back

This time tomorrow I will be in Amsterdam.

The day after that I will be hanging in the cradle of humanity.

For three weeks my friend Rachel and I are going to see what East Africa has to offer.

I'm packed: I have my travel scrabbe (for rainy days,) sunscreen and the dorkiest hat ever (for the rest of them) and enough clothes to get me through a week- which is why Rachel is also bringing laundry detergent.

A little more than 20 years ago, my mom and I were supposed to go on a Safari in Kenya. For some reason, the trip was cancelled and we ended up in Hawaii instead. It was a different kind of adventure than Africa would have been. I think my dad still has the picture of me in the blue, pink, and white bikini on a surfboard barely able to stand on it with "Waikiki 85" blazed accross the bottom. I may have even been giving the hang ten. Maybe he'll lend it to me someday to post here- you'll giggle for sure.

When I come back, I have a new home to settle into. I picked up my keys Friday and although there's not much in there but an abandoned dresser and some bear spray under the sink, it's all mine. (As is my interest with the previous owner...why one can of bear spray and three of shoe spray???)

When I went to the corner store downstairs yesterday to pick up some English Muffins, I had this really great feeling when I realized that's my corner now- I should learn the layout of the store because I'm going to be buying stuff from them for years. For someone who lives all over- and especially in the last year-knowing I have a place that I have chosen to call home, and come home to when my stint in Vancouver is done, is pretty fantastic. I haven't stayed at any one address for more than two years in longer than I care to count- I am excited to try it out.

So off I go- I'll try to post some pictures along the way- and I'll be checking when I get near an internet cafe- but in the meantime, I am going to explore Kenya and Tanzania with the bravest girl I know.