Ballooning Down Under

Several years ago while watching "Survivor Africa" a couple of the participants won a hot air balloon ride over the Massai Mara area.  It looked very exciting.  I made a promise to myself that someday.....  Well, someday arrived when I was visiting Australia.  When we arrived in Cairns there was an opportunity to go for a hot air balloon ride one morning.  I didn't even have to think about this.  I signed up and paid my money.

We were picked up about 4:30 AM and driven to a cliff where the balloons lift off.  It was pitch black outside, yet there were dozens of people running from balloon to balloon.  There must have been 10 balloons, completely deflated and lying on their sides.  And, it was cold!  We stood around and watched as the balloons slowly began to take shape and came to life.

Once the balloons were ready for flight, we were allowed to "board."  In order to take a flight on a balloon, one must be able to get themselves in and out of the gondola without assistance.  Climbing into that basket required some real gymnastics.  The sun was coming up and the sky was getting lighter every minute and it was still cold!  But, up we went.  What an exciting moment it was.  I was surprised at how quiet everything was once we were about 75-100 feet in the air.  The only sound was the burners sending heat up into the balloon to keep us flying.

As we watched the earth recede, we had a fantastic view of the ocean and the hillsides; the cliff where we had started and the farmland below.  We were even above the marine layer at times on our flight, but it was a beautiful and very ethereal sight and feeling.  We also spotted the chase car under us following along so that we could be picked up when our ride concluded.  There were several balloons up at the same time. 

Once our ride was finished and we were back on solid ground, we each had to climb out of the gondola, again, unaided.  Much easier than getting into the basket.  Then our work began after the thrill and fun of the balloon ride.  Everyone had to work together to deflate the balloon and fold it up, ready to be hauled back to the takeoff site for the next day's rides.  

The final part of our journey was a champagne breakfast served at a local country club.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect ride!

Snorkeling Around the World

When I travel to a place known for its beaches and water sports I am always asked if I dive or snorkel.  I snorkel and have done so in some phenomenal spots around the world.  There are very differing opinions on the best place to snorkel.  I have been amazed at some places and disappointed in others. All are beautiful, but very unique.  One of the most beautiful I have snorkeled is Trunk Bay in St. John, USVI.  One can wade out for several yards before reaching the coral beds and finding fish, but the water is crystal clear and the beach is gorgeous!  One of the unique things about Trunk Bay is that there is a snorkel trail over 600 feet long, complete with fifteen underwater plaques describing the fish and coral that inhabit the bay. This trail guides snorkelers on their exploration.  The one drawback for the experienced swimmer and snorkeler is that everyone must wear a life vest that really inhibits the ability to dive under the water. 

Swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman was something we really loved. .  These incredible fish are very tame and nuzzle the swimmers seeking food.  Their skin is soft and they are gentle.  Stingray City, as it is known, is off the shore a little distance, but the water is only three feet deep and there are dozens of tame stingrays that inhabit the area.  In addition to the stingrays, there are many other fish and a coral reef in the area. 

Also in the Caribbean one can swim with the Barbados Turtles off the coast of that island.  Like the stingrays, they are gentle and used to human beings.  Their primary mission as they swim around is looking for food.  When one snorkels with the turtles, it is done without fins, as the fins can cause damage to the turtles.  Their shells are hard and leathery and we were warned not to try to touch their heads, tails or feet (flippers) as they are very soft and the turtles don’t like that. 

A trip to Australia is not complete without a visit to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.  Having snorkeled in so many fabulous and beautiful places, I looked forward with anticipation to my opportunity at the Great Barrier Reef.  We boarded a boat and traveled about 45 minutes after leaving shore.  We arrived and “docked” at a floating pier, donned our snorkel gear and dove in.  I looked all around and didn’t see many different kinds of fish.  There were a few, but not that many.  I continued looking and found some bleached coral, but none of the beautiful and colorful fish or coral that the pictures portray.  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.  I had been led to believe that this was the most amazing place in the world to snorkel and it wasn’t.  While others in the group oohed and aahed about what they were seeing, I kept my mouth shut and kept trying to find the beauty that was supposedly there.  I never did.  The Great Barrier Reef has been over snorkeled and too many divers, so it is an endangered area which may account for the lack of fish and the pale and ordinary looking coral.  Though disappointed, I was glad to have the opportunity and it allowed me to put my other snorkel adventures in perspective. 

From my experience, the very best snorkeling I’ve ever done was in Sharm el Sheik, located on the Red Sea.  Talk about beautiful!  Wow!  The water is so clear that one can see the fish from the pier before ever entering the water.  The many varieties of fish are tame and tease the snorkelers as they swim around darting between your legs and arms.  The varieties and colors of the fish and coral are magnificent!

Customer Service, Please!

I was returning from Bangkok, Thailand and had a fairly long wait in the airport prior to boarding the plane.  The Suvarnabhumi Airport is like a city within a city.  There are what seem like miles and miles of shops.  Some carry souvenirs of Thailand and Southeast Asia.  Others are high end designer stores that offer very expensive merchandise like Coach, Versace, Gucci, and Juicy Couture.  There are also several restaurants and food courts to explore while waiting.  So, I spent quite a while wandering in and out of the various shops once I had checked in and passed through security.

With about 45 minutes until boarding time, I decided to make my way to my gate and relax.  There was an additional security checkpoint prior to arriving at the boarding gate.  When I got to my gate and started to find a seat I realized I was missing some pictures I had purchased during my trip.  They were rolled up in a brown paper tube, about 30 inches long.  I had my backpack, camera and purse, but no tube of pictures.  I went to the gate agent and told him what I was missing and asked if I could go back up to security to see if I'd left them there.  "Of course, and we will watch your carry-on while you look."  Wow, I thought!  That's nice and proceeded to return to security.  They had nothing and even helped me look.  They allowed me to exit the security area and go back to see if the tube had been left in the restroom or at a store.  After spending about 15 minutes looking I gave up, figuring someone else must have needed them more than I did.  The good news was that I hadn't spent a great deal of money on the prints.  So, I returned to the boarding area. The airline personnel said the'd go look and see if they could find the tube.  They, too, came back empty handed.  I thanked them profusely and told them how much I appreciated their efforts.

Just as we were boarding the plane and I was about to go down the jet-way, one of the gate agents came running up and called down to me.  In her hand was the tube with my prints.  I never had a chance to find out where she found them, but I did thank her profusely as she dropped them down to me from the floor above.  I was so impressed that I emailed the airline as soon as I returned home and thanked them for their outstanding customer service.  I have never had such a wonderful experience as I did with EVA Airlines on this trip.

But Is It Safe?

The date was February 2002.  It was just 5 months after 9-11 and I had been asked to be part of a school accreditation team in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  As I talked on the phone with the Director I mentally pictured the map.  The UAE was on the Persian gulf, across from Iran and on the Arabian peninsula.  "Yes, I'd love to be part of the team," I responded.  That afternoon when I told my daughter about this invitation, she was not happy.  All she could think was that it was an unsafe part of the world to visit.  She didn't want me to go. Then she decided if something happened to me, she wanted to be with me, so she asked if she could come along.  I told her I was sure it would be okay, that she'd have to pay her own airfare and expenses, but could stay with me.  So, she asked for a week off from her teaching job to accompany me on this trip in March.  

We flew to London where we had less than 24 hours, but made the most of our time there, visiting Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and all the important sites.  We ended up having a hamburger at the original Hard Rock that night before returning to our hotel.

The next day it was the 2nd leg of our flight and we arrived in Dubai in the middle of the night.  7:30 AM the next morning came way too quickly and we were off to visit the school. What a fantastic school it was!  An international school with all subjects taught in English except high school social studies.  It was fun to watch the Pre-Kindergarten (3 1/2 years old) children arrive at school.  Their first lessons were in French.  They sang, danced and responded in French, all while learning vocabulary.  Later in the morning they switched to Arabic, and before the day's end, they were using English for all their lessons.  By the time these youngsters reached 1st Grade (in two years) they would be fluent in three languages!  Perhaps the most unusual thing about this school was in their history classes.  All maps of the Middle East identify Palestine, but not Israel!  The students all knew this was incorrect, but because the Minister of Education dictates the maps, that is what the children see and are taught.  Despite this one rewriting of history, the school was really wonderful to visit.  The high school science classes were equipped with state-of-the-art equipment; there was technology throughout the school; and students were preparing for post-secondary educational options.

While our days were spent visiting the school, the evenings were taken up investigating the surrounding area.  A visit to the gold souks was great. We all left a few American dollars after purchasing beautiful jewelry that was very reasonably priced.  A tour of the Dubai Museum gave us a snapshot of the history of the city and its environs.  And a trip into the desert where we went dune bashing (riding in a jeep over the sand dunes), ate a true Bedouin dinner, had henna painted on our hands and rode a camel added to our memories of this beautiful and friendly country.

One afternoon we took a taxi to the Burj al Arab Hotel, the world's first, and at that time, only 7 star hotel.  It cost us $20 each just to go inside and we were limited as to where we could go: the lobby, the restaurants and bar, the top floor restaurant and the mezzanine where there were shops.  However, we did enjoy a drink for our $20 fee!  While there we waded in the Persian Gulf.

Our trip was over far too soon, but we found Dubai to be one of the safest and most enjoyable places we had visited.  As you can see from the pictures, we did not need to wear the abaya or veils, just dress modestly.  We often felt safer there than we sometimes do at home in the US.  The taxi drivers were all business and their cars were metered.  There was no one trying to entice us to go with them or get our attention or sell us anything.  This visit was very much of an opportunity to see a very positive side of the Middle East.  We both agreed that we want to return to Dubai some day, especially now since they have built so many new and interesting hotels on reclaimed land.