Last stop on our around the world journey before heading back to the U.S. is Marrakech, one of my favorite cities. We arrived in the early evening and checked into La Mamounia, a Moroccan art deco styled hotel with a hundred year history of accommodating royalty, celebrities and politicians. We had a fabulous dinner in…
Bedouin Feast and Wadi Rum
We celebrated our final night in Jordan with a Beadouin feast! The event was held inside the atrium of our hotel due to the cold temperatures but fabric was hung to simulate dining in tents. Dinner consisted of a variety of salads, vegetables, lamb and chicken but the most delicious food by far was kanafa!…
Petra, Jordan
Couldn’t have ordered better weather for our day at Petra. It’s clear, sunny and although cold enough for winter coats now, the sun will warm us as the day goes on. Per the hotel staff, the prior few days had been cold and overcast with intermittent showers but today there was not a cloud in…
Aqaba, Jordan
It was a bright, sunny day, and as our plane approached Aqaba, we had clear views of the surrounding mountains and desert. Aqaba is Jordan’s southernmost city and sits on the northeastern tip of the Red Sea. As the country’s only port city, it plays a vital role in commerce and transportation, but Aqaba is…
Baboonzzz & Elephant Trek
Our intruder from yesterday still had fruit and chocolates on his mind! He figured if we were dumb enough to leave our patio door unlocked yesterday, we might do it again today. As soon as he heard the patio door slide, he hopped on the deck for a closer look. We were camera ready but…
Serengeti Balloon Safari
We were on the road at 4:45 am, well before sunrise. It was an hour drive to the field where we would meet our balloon pilot. This gave us a chance to do an informal ‘nocturnal’ game ride. The Serengeti park service only permits outfitters to operate vehicles for game viewing one hour before sunrise…
Serengeti, Tanzania
Today is a full day of wildlife viewing! We started out before sunrise and immediately spotted a herd of impala. There is one dominant male in the herd easily identified by his large antlers – the rest of the herd is made up of females (without horns), adolescents and babies. The sun rose shortly after…
Seronera, Tanzania
We arrived in Kilimanjaro airport mid afternoon and then immediately caught a flight to Seronera airport in the Serengeti. Our game lodge, The Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti was about an hour from the airport so this gave us an opportunity for our first game drive. Of course, the first animal we saw leaving the…
Indian Village Life
We spent an afternoon in the Harijan village of Kachhpura located near the Baby Taj. The visit was sponsored by a local NGO that is bringing commercial work to the village, providing schooling for village children and helping villagers improve their infrastructure and sanitation; all while preserving the Harijan culture. Kachhpura is an agricultural community…
Taj Mahal and Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah
We left the hotel at 6:15 am and took a short electric cart ride to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. All transport vehicles in this area of Agra must be electric to minimize pollution and discoloring of the marble. It was dark and we waited in line with many other tourists, intent on seeing…