Country #25 Monaco

India was the 5th country I had every been to and now that I get to travel more, I have made a goal of getting to 50 countries by the time I am 50.  I am fortunate that I get to travel a lot for school.

I joined a Math Specialist program that requires us to meet 5 times in two years and I just had a meeting in Nice, France (country 24!).  My friends and I took a 40 minute bus ride that cost 1.50 Euros to go to Monaco.  It was dark so we didn't get to see much, but it is exactly like I pictured. A symbol of wealth.  We really didn't see any "normal" stores.  We did have a reasonable dinner there. Nice was nice  - My hotel was a tower - Villa la Tour.  It was very close to the Acropolis where our conference was.  It was also in the middle of the old town which consisted on wonderfully narrow, winding streets with cute shops.  The weather was perfect - bright sunny skies and cool temperatures.

So now I am halfway to my goal and should be to 30 by the end of this summer.
*plan to go before the end of July

1)  The US.
2) Canada (a cruise stop)  sad.  Will need to travel more there.
3) Mexico - a high school Spanish trip  It was my first flight!
4) Ecuador - 3 times for missionary work
5) Peru - Hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu

6) India - I live there!
7) The Maldives - a whole week basking in this paradise.
8) Thailand - went to visit friends
9) Hong Kong - went to visit a friend

10) Israel (3 times including the Jerusalem half marathon)
11) Jordan - Petra!
12) Oman - a school conference
*13) Bahrain - a school conference this January
*14) UAE - Math Counts competition this February

15) France - math conference
16) the Netherlands - one night layover
17) Austria - math conference
18) Poland - twice for a math conference
19) Greece - twice on Cruise stops
20) Cyprus - cruise
21) Italy - Venice, Rome, Pompeii
22) Vatican City - smallest country
23) Monaco
24) Croatia - cruise stop and a Math conference
*25) Bosnia - hoping to go when I go to Croatia for a math conference this spring
*26) Montenegro -  hoping to go when I go to Croatia for a math conference this spring
27) Turkey - 4 times cruise stops and visiting friends in Istanbul
28) Ireland - spent a total of 9 weeks there over 2 summers going to grad school.
29) England - spent a week in London, Bath, Stonehenge
*30) Spain - going on a cruise this summer with friends
*31) Andorra - hoping to visit this summer when I am in Barcelona

I am well on my way to my goal.

I am so blessed to see so much of the world!

Week Without Walls - Gujarat, India

Every year our students go on a week long field trip called Week Without Walls.  It is usually outdoor adventure stuff - zip lining, rappelling, rock climbing, etc.  Our 8th graders study the Indus Valley Civilization in Social Studies and our teachers wanted the kids to go see some ruins since we are in India.

On Monday morning we met the kids at the airport at 7:30 am and flew to Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat.  It is on the upper left corner of India, on the Pakistan border.

We had 53 students, 8 teachers, a teacher's wife, a nurse and 3 security guards.  We arrived in Ahmedabad (with all of our luggage!!)  and drove to the Ghandi's Ashram(Sabarmati Ashram)

After the Ashram we took half the kids to check in at the Novotel and half he kids got McDonalds for lunch (then we switched)  I am not fond of McDonalds in India because there is no beef - veg burgers and masala - yuck.  The Novotel was super nice with great bathrooms and comfy beds.  We gave the kids free time and they used the pool and gym.  We played some games, ordered dominos pizza, and started planning skits.

On Tuesday we loaded up 6 mini busses each with 9 kids, 2 adults and a driver and drove to the Adalaj Stepwell It is over 500 years old and is gorgeous.  Monsoon just ended and I assumed we would see some water in the well.  I thought all areas of India got monsoon every year, but this part of the country hasn't had ANY rain in 2 years.  It was soooo dusty.

We started on a LONG 7 hour drive to Dholavira.  On the way we went through the Wild Ass sanctuary.  Hunting for wild asses kept the kids busy for awhile.  We drove on a lot of dirt roads and got lost a few times so it took quite awhile to get there.  This is the first time I have ever driven straight across desert with no roads.

We stopped twice to use the "restroom"  The kids were not happy with squat toilets with no doors.  The camp at Dholavira was not as nice as the Novotel :) The huts held 6 kids and had a running tap for a bucket shower.  We stayed there two nights and as we were leaving we heard kids complain about no hot water.  I asked them if they had turned on the geezer.  In India we do not have automatic hot water.  Whenever you need hot water for dishes, laundry, or a shower, you have to flip a switch to heat the water 15-20 minutes before you need to use it.  NONE of the noticed the geezer and did not have hot water.  crazy!

On Wednesday, we split the kids into two groups and half went to the fossil park and half went to the excavation sites of Dholavira - a Harappan site.  I went to the archeological site first ( it is 30 miles from Pakistan) and the kids got to see all the ruins which were really cool.  We went back to the campsite for lunch then went to the fossil park.  

one of the cabins

We are looking at Pakistan in the distance!!

ancient seals

The kids found fossilized wood and shells etc in the fossil park.  The Rann of Kutch is where we were and the salt flats was the coolest part!  the kids LOVED it.  Salt as far as the eye could see and it crunched like we were walking on snow. It was sooo hot and the flies were bothering us, then 5 people got stung by bees so we hightailed it out of there.  The morning group had no problem so maybe the bees only come out in the afternoon?

some of the teachers - Aanchal (the second from the left was my roomie on the trip)  I am the second from the right

On Wednesday night they played man hunt in the dart and Kabaddi.  On Thursday, we drove back to Ahmedabad.  It was supposed to be a shorter drive because we skipped the ass sanctuary and drove all on highways.  Even though it was only 220 miles away, it took 7 hours because highways are not the same in India. I could have taken a thousand photos of when we had to stop/slow down/swerve due to animals on the road, but here are a few.

a camel hauling hay

goats

water buffalo?

cows

About two hours in the van in front of us blew a tire.  Thank goodness the driver maintained control of the vehicle, but the tire was shredded.  Two vans had already gone ahead, but the other three stopped with the disabled van.  I was torn apart by thorns trying to pee on the side of the road!  The spare was flat so we went a few km to pump it up, then we stopped at a "rest stop" and waited there for over an hour for all the tires to be filled/fixed and we went on our way.  the first vans got to ahmedabad a good hour before us.  We stayed at the YMCA and it was awesome!!  huge pool, volleyball, space to run around etc.  The kids love it!

I am allergic to Indian food so for pretty much every meal I had an apple or a banana, a handful of banana chips, and a granola bar.  I was hungry and ready to go home!

We got up Friday morning and flew to Mumbai.  We made it back safe a sound with lots of good memories. 

Disaster Averted

I taught all day yesterday and flew all night so I was a little tired when I got to Amsterdam.  I went to the transfer area to get my boarding card for Warsaw.  I went through passport control and security.  I only had about 45 minutes until my flight.  I was debating whether to get some Lindor chocolate. On the one had they are yummy and cheaper here than in India.  On the other hand I am fat and need to say no to chocolate!!

Fortunately in this case I lacked the willpower to say no to the chocolate.  When I went to pay for it, I realized my wallet was gone!!!  Did I lose it at Security?  Did it fall out of my bag on the plane?  As I started heading back to security, I remembered that I had it at the transfer kiosks when I got my boarding card.  I told security what had happened and they took me to passport control.  They were worried about how soon my flight was and since my passport had already been stamped, they had to get a security officer to take me to look for it because I was no longer allowed to roam the airport on my own.

Patrice was a very nice lady and took me to the transfer kiosks.  No wallet.  They asked what it looked like.  I told them it was garbage- literally - it was made of recycled milk cartons. The nice ladies there looked around and went to the nearby desks to check.  No wallet.  They felt terrible for me - they helped me dig through my backpack to make sure I didn't put it in there instead of my purse.  I tried to stay calm as Patrice walked me back.  I had an emergency $20 bill in my backpack, but I wasn't sure that was going to be enough to get me to my hotel once i got to Warsaw.   I didn't know if the hotel would let me check in if I had to credit card to verify.  I figured this was the modern version of survival of the fittest.  I was about to head to Poland with no cash and no credit cards. I had my passports and boarding card so I figured I could get on the flight and have that time to figure out a plan.

As we were running through the airport Patrice saw an information booth and suggested we stop there.  She rattled off my predicament in Dutch and the lady at the counter bent over and pulled out a plastic bag that had my wallet!!!!!  Patrice jumped for joy and hugged me!  I opened it and my Indian debit card, American credit card, US dollars, Euros, and rupees were all in there!!  My driver's license was not in there.  She said it is routine for the police to take it when there is a lost wallet.  Patrice and I went to a police counter - no license.  We went to the next one and she rattled off the information and I heard the (very handsome) Dutch police man said "Bobbi Jo - Texas??" Patrice and I both squealed and jumped for joy!  We took it and ran through the airport.  She breezed me through passport control.  They made me go through security again but they did it quick and the whole lot of them were cheering me on and having Patrice recount how we found my walled WITH ALL MY MONEY STILL IN IT!  She escorted me all the way to my gate and hugged me.   She was seriously an angel.

I travel through many airports and I will have to say that the people working at the Amsterdam airport at the nicest people ever!!!!

Imagine, if I wouldn't have gone to pay for the chocolate, I probably would not have noticed until I got to Warsaw that it was gone and I would have been up a creek!!

Moral of the story - Being a chocolate addict has its benefits.  and God is Good!

Dhobi Ghat

I finally got to go to the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai where they do a ton of laundry!  5000 people work here - it used to be 10,000 people, but electric washers have contributed to people losing their jobs.  About 90% of the workers are men and 10% are women - some are couples with children.  They come from all over India to work 18 hour days for 200-300 rupees a day ($100 a month)  and go home to see their families once a year. 

This is a space that 20 men share.  the tin boxes are where they keep their personal belongings and the sleep in the top in shifts. 

Each cubicle is owned by a boss and there are 5-10 employees for each box.  some one picks up the laundry, someone soaks it and gets out stains, someone washes, some one dries, and someone delivers the laundry. 

Most of the laundry is from hotels, hospitals, the railway lines, and factories that make new clothes.  The factories pre-wash the clothes before importing them to the US, UK, etc.  The said the people that work here are very well dressed although they are very poor because they take the clothes.  She said the companies treat it as an expected, acceptable loss.  If they send 10,000 pieces to be washed, they expect to get 8500 back.  

After the tour, we took the train to Churchgate station and saw the dabbawallas delivering lunches.  If you have never seen a documentary on dabbawallas, then you should! 

and I think this is the funniest sign I have seen in Mumbai!

Last days of the cruise

Our last stop was Split, Croatia.  It was a nice city and the people were glad that Game of Thrones stopped filming there.  It puts a real damper on their tours - things are closed off and tourists aren't allowed to take pictures of major sites.  They were filming earlier in the summer and now they are in Dubrovnik and things were closed off when we were there.  I went to change some USD into Kuna and the letters next to the American flag were SAD. The initials for how to say United States of America in Croatia and SAD - like USA.  For some reason I found this HILARIOUS!!

Two women came up to me and asked if I was Irish - this happens to me all the time!  I think some of it is the freckles, but several people say I sound Irish.  I didn't know the Irish had a Texas drawl and said "y'all".  They were from Ireland and we talked about my summers in Dublin and Galway.  After the tour, I went home and napped and read - seriously the best way to spend a vacation.  many of the older people I meet are shocked I travel alone and say I'm "brave" but cruises are easy!  It would be much hard to trek through Cambodia on my own!

On Saturday, the ship docked in Venice and I booked a tour so I could see some of it before they took me to the airport.  The Irish women found me and wished me well on my journey home :)

I was wearing my Goofy challenge long sleeved t shirt because Venice was chilly and this woman asked me what year I did it.  She had done it several times!  Once was enough for me! (you run a half marathon (13.1 miles) on Sat and a full marathon (26.2 miles) on sunday.  I talked to her and her husband for quite a bit - this woman is my hero.  She ran her first marathon at 50! and runs 15-18 a year!  She has done all the major marathons - Berlin, London, Dublin, Belfast, Bucharest, Vienna, Athens, NYC, Chicago.  She picks the race and her husband follows along for vacation.  Last summer she did the Camino in Spain.  All 500 miles of it in 33 days.  wow.  I can only dream of the things she has done.  They were fun to talk to and I want to be her when I grow up!!

Venice was lovely.  It got warmer and was a bright, sunny day.  we toured St. Mark's Square and saw the Bridge of Sighs and other landmarks.

When I went back to the meeting point for the boat to take us back to our luggage, a man asked me about Mumbai (he had heard me talking to the other couple) He and his wife run a NGO in Kenya called Organics for Orphans and they teach people how to grow their own food.  many poor people there depend on aid donations which is a "white diet" bread, rice, etc.  They help them create sustainable gardens and they eat the food and sell some to earn money to go to school.  They work with a lot of HIV people and their immune systems improve greatly after eating real vegetables and fruits.  He was a preacher for many years and now they run a business that funds their NGO work.  They were from the Toronto area and I was impressed they were Canadian missionaries - they are rare.  On the boat ride back, I sat with both couples and they talked about the Salvation Army. The Canadian couple now attend Salvation Army churches in Kenya since they aren't running their own church anymore. The other man was from Scotland and his grandfather was high up in the Salvation Army and he has pictures of him with William Booth (the founder).  So it was really cool to hear their stories and conversations about the Salvation Army.  I meet a lot of people traveling on my own that I might not meet if I was busy talking to friends!

day 4 Kusadasi and Ephesus

We arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey early in the morning.  I chose to go on an excursion to Ephesus.  My tour guide today was a thousand times better than my guide in Athens was yesterday.  He was very knowledgeable and loved talking about Turkey.  He had started being a tour guide in college to pay for expenses, but loved it so much, he stuck with it even after getting two degrees.  He asked people where they were from – a lot from Australia, UK, and Canada.  Apparently people were reluctant to say they were from the US and he said “My country is 95% Muslims, but we are bad Muslims because we like to drink”  He went on  about how they weren’t the kind of Muslims that you see on the news and they aren’t a threat to US citizens.  I thought it was kind of weird – I’ve been to Turkey 4 times and love it – I don’t feel the need to hide the fact I am American like I might in some other countries.  Apparently Turkey makes other people nervous and it was nice that he was trying to endear his country to other people.  He was really funny and gave us a lot of insight into Turkish history and culture. 

He said there are 4 Ephesus’s and we saw all of them.   Only 10% of the area has been excavated.  Everyone sees the same things, but he went out of order on the tour to try to spare us some of the crowds.  After the day I had yesterday, I’m glad he did.  We went to St. John’s Basilica first – He was originally entombed there, but later moved to the Vatican. When Jesus was crucified he told John to take care of Mary like his own mother so he took her to Ephesus and they lived there for a long time.  They lived there until she died (or assumed to heaven – Catholics don’t believe she died.)

baptistry

We went to Mary’s house which was basically a small chapel.  It is a major pilgrimage spot for Catholics and three popes have been there to confirm it is indeed Mary’s house.  History fascinates me.  They said that for centuries people celebrated a holy person every year – they had forgotten who, but knew they were worth celebrating.  It was on the feast day of Mary’s assumption which was a clue that this was indeed her house.

We went on to visit the city part of Ephesus which was typical Roman ruins – evidence of shops, baths, houses.  We saw the grand theater where Paul preached to thousands.  It is amazing how centuries collide – Sting held a concert there in 1991 in the same theater that Paul spoke!  The vibrations from the loud speaker causes some of the ruins to fall. No one was hurt thank goodness, but they stopped having loud rock concerts there.  They still have other concerts there, but no loud speakers J

Theater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians

They took us to eat a traditional Turkish meal.  It was this brand new tourist attraction with shops, cultural shows, and a huge buffet dining area to accommodate bus loads of tourists.  There was tons of meat!  Pork, lamb, chicken, veal, and turkey – yum!  And of course baklava which I love.

On our way back to the ship we stopped at a rug shop for then to give a demonstration.  This was a my fourth time in turkey and my fourth time at a rug store. I have always wanted one, but of course I don’t have thousands of dollars for a rug or room for a huge one.  They have wool/cotton ones and silk ones.  Small silk ones cost as much as big wool ones.  Turkish rugs are double knotted and are practically impossible to destroy unless you cut it.  They last for generations and actually gain value the more they are walked on  - walking tightens the knots and makes them stronger. The older they are, the more they are worth.  They showed a woman weaving a rug and talked about how long it would take to make one.  The skill is passed down from mothers, you can’t go to a university or somewhere to learn how to do it.  I finally decided to pull the trigger and buy a rug – a SMALL, WOOL one J  I forgot to take a picture of it before they wrapped it up for me to take home – I will post a picture later. 

I decided to go to the main dining area for dinner and was hoping to sit with others, but hey didn’t sit me with anyone so I ate dinner alone.  I was in line waiting for dinner to open and there were several pairs of old ladies – I should have asked them if I could sit with them, I guess I just assumed the server would sit us together.  This one lady seemed like a hoot. She was talking to a stranger telling her how her husband died a few months before her 50^th anniversary.  She wanted to take his ashes to Italy but didn’t know where to put them.  She was sitting in the Sistine Chapel and it was crowded and it just felt right so she pulled his ashes out of her purse and just left the bag under a bench in the chapel!  Ha!!  I wonder if people knew what they were when they found the ashes.  She seemed fun!! 

Tomorrow is a sea day!  Reading, walking and napping!

day 3 Piraeus and Athens

We pulled up to the port in Piraeus, Greece early in the morning.  I have been fortunate when I have done excursions in ports that they haven’t been too crowded.  When we were in Dubrovnik the other day, the guide said we were lucky because there were only two ships that day, but there had been many ships the day before and it was so crowded it was hard to enjoy.  That is how today was!  There were a ton of cruise ships in the ports so dozens of busses were going into Athens.  Everyone wanted to see the Acropolis and it was so crowded that it wasn’t a lot of fun.  It was warm and sunny and beautiful, but hard to see anything with so many people around. Our tour guide was not that great and seemed confused by a lot of things.  She pointed out important buildings as we drove by and then we stopped at the Old Marble Olympic Stadium. 

We drove up to the Acropolis and meandered our way through the crowds to get up there.  The walkways are so slippery and I was thankful that it wasn’t raining!  It always amazes me that people wear flip flops when touring ancient ruins.  They complain constantly about how uneven the terrain is, how hard it is to walk, etc.  Wear athletic shoes people!!  Our guide told us some things about the Acropolis (one of the most photographed and recongnizable hills in the entire world)  She told us about the Propylaea, Temple of Apteros Niki, Erectheum, and the Parthenon.  It was hard to hear her/understand her due to the crowds and her daffiness (even though we had headsets).  After she finished we had a couple hours to do what we wanted.  I walked down a charming road to Plaka, which is the old preserved district of Athens.  There were art and craft shops and restaurants.  I love Greek food and was excited to have lunch there.  The restaurant I went to was in a great area – outside with gorgeous sun and a breeze, but I was disappointed in the food. 

Athens from the Acropolis

The guide made a lot of jokes about the economy and said there was 26% unemployment in Greece.  Poverty wasn’t visible like it is in India though.  I saw one beggar in Athens and the Greek people wouldn’t let any tourists give money, said they were discouraging that kind of behavior.  At the port a woman was dragging a little girl behind her and trying to get people to put money in her cup.  No one gave her money and whenever someone turned her down she barked at them about how she only wanted 50 cents and would grumble out loud about “these people” giving her money – like she was entitled to it and the tourist were being rude to her.

According to the guide, Greece only has 11 million people and 6 of them are in Athens. I was a little disappointed in Athens.  I guess I thought it would be like Rome – lots of ruins and easy to see things, but Athens was not as nice as Rome.

I got back to the ship mid afternoon and read a book and enjoyed the rest of my evening.  The weather is absolutely perfect here and I am enjoying the sun and bree