INDIANA: Attending a Travbuddy Meet-Up in Indianapolis

MINESOTA: Attending a Graduation at University of Minesota

The reason I, traveled to Minnesota, was to attend the graduation ceremony of my oldest and truest of friends. Agnes and I, are childhood friends. We went to two schools together and continued to nurture our friendship through the years, it has grown stronger both socially, emotionally and professionally. I could ask for no better friend. A year ago, Agnes was one of only ten Ugandans who were awarded scholarships under the Fulbright program to pursue Master’s, PhD, Post-Doctoral Research and Hubert Humphrey fellowships in 2010. Agnes was attached to the University of Minnesota as part of the Hubert Humphrey International Fellowship Program. If any of you know about fellowships, you know that the selection process is grueling, and only the best of the best get chosen. My friend Agnes has served 14 years in the Government of Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. I still remember when she got the job. She is currently a senior immigration officer/training coordinator for the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control in Kampala. .She is responsible for planning, designing, and conducting training activities on such topics as irregular migration and counter trafficking, passport/document fraud, organized crime, and effective boarder management.

On arrival in Minneapolis, I was picked up at the airport by Agnes’ boyfriend Don. I had arrived 5 hour later than previously scheduled due to delayed and canceled flights by US Airways. This was the second time in 7 years that US Airways had delayed a flight I was on, and ten rescheduled it for 5 hours later. I cannot begin to describe my frustrations at the situation that day. Nonetheless, I made it to Minneapolis on the same day. I had called Don ahead and explained the change in arrival time, which apparently worked pretty well for both Agnes and him. Both had spent their day running around trying to meet deadlines: Don, for tax filling, while Agnes needed to submit in her paper.

I waited patiently at the airport upon arrival, as Don made his way through the rush hour traffic to pick me up. My wait was not long; soon we were headed towards Minneapolis. As we approached the city, the Minneapolis Skyline came in view, unfortunately due to the bad weather; the sky was gray and gloomy, making it impossible to take a good shot. We had to pick up Agnes who was still at the University finishing up with some assignments. When all was done, the three of us headed off to get a bite before going to watch a play at Guthrie Theater.

ARIZONA: Celebrating My daughter's 11th birthday!

She wanted a pool party, and my thought was OMG!
We live in Tucson, and if you have been to Arizona in summer, you know being by the pool can be a challenge unless it is indoors. I asked her to write a list of 5 birthday locations for me to choose from as I was not sure the pool should take precedence over other locations. She wrote down 4; pool, peter Pipper, skate country or the bowling arena. Guess which one won? yes, you guessed right. The pool won and I decided right away, that the party will have to be sooner than July. Besides her friends would be on summer break and getting them together would be that much harder. So we decided to have the party at the YMCA pool the last weekend of school. She was to invite up to 10 friends. The YMCA actually hosts birthday parties, you can host smaller or larger groups. For $175 we were able to have up to 10 people at the party, the cake and drinks were provided as well as music for the occasion. I was glad not to have to do all the work.

Since the scheduled time was between 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm, Mark and I, decided to order subs from subway for the kids. We picked up a few drinks, mainly punch and caprisan. Well now I know little girls love punch, we brought home all the caprisan because no one touched them, neither did they eat the popcorn. Most of their time was of course spent in the pool where they played and laughed like there was no tomorrow. The drive bar was made available for them with 2 lifeguards to keep an eye. It was hot of course, but nothing compared to how hot it gets in July. As I write this we are in the 3 digits already. June is yet to begin and I should not be going out to the pool or hiking. The birthday girl had 5 friends in total, I was glad we did not have 10 because the 5 were as active as 10 would have been. They ate so much that I was afraid we did not have enough sandwiches. I guess it was the fact that they were swimming and burning enough calories (smile!)!

Grand Canyon 2011

Mark, Desire and I, traveled from Tucson, to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix to pick Agnes up. The drive is about an hour and a half with flowing traffic, but during rush hour, it could take up to 2 hours. Mark was anxious to leave Tucson, while I was reluctant to go early because there is not much to do at the airport. Besides, I had an unfinished blog to write about the Mardi Gras themed New Year's Party. With Mark and Desire both nagging at me, I decided I was fighting a losing battle. I succumbed and off we went. The freeway was not as busy as we had expected, even as we approached Chandler. We were at Sky Harbor 15 minutes before the plane landed. Agnes went through arrivals check point and was soon beaming at as as we run to greet her. Time was not on our side so we decided to catch up on the excitement in the car. We had a 4 hour drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff; it was 6:30 pm before we drove out of the parking garage.
Our bags were packed for an overnight in Flagstaff. We will leave Flagstaff at the crack of dawn for Grand Canyon National Park. Mark pre-booked accommodation at the Ramada Hotel. I was particularly impressed with the rooms and the amenities. We paid a reasonable price for what would cost a little over a hundred dollars in New York or Washington. It had snowed the night before, so there was snow on the ground, the air was dump and the temperature was below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. I was cold naturally (I'm cold when temperatures drop below 70 degrees), well I live in Arizona, it is the desert. We called it a night at 11:00 pm after I had warmed the room enough for Mark to get no sleep at all (smile!).

We left Flagstaff early enough (about 8:00), for the Canyon. We arrived at the Imax theatre at quarter after 10:00 am. Just 15 minutes before the start of the 10:30 am show time of the Grand Canyon movie. The movie, now enhanced to give a 3D effect, is nothing you have ever seen. It makes you part and parcel of the Canyon. I highly recommend seeing the movie prior to going to see this wonder of the world. Nothing prepares you for what you see when you arrive at the Grand Canyon. After 5 visits, I'm still awed by the majesty of this Canyon. We had completed a short viewing of the Imax Grand canyon Movie which left Agnes feeling a little woozy, and Desire wanted to make snow balls from the snow at the Imax theater parking lot. It had snowed the night before and the previous night too, so the plough trucks had been busy at the Park. We have a 1 year all National Parks Access Card, so we did not pay entrance fees. For $89, it is worth having the pass. The ages have worked their way on the land that is now the Canyon. Nature's forces working in combination have curved the walls in meticulous layers and colors that beam with the sun's rays. The Colorado River drained in many years ago, and still runs through the Canyon. "Deus Creavit"

Las Vegas Travbuddy Reunion

Returning to Las Vegas two weeks after we had been there was much too much for, Mark. He confessed he would rather have gone to San Diego or somewhere new. "I feel like I have come to Las Vegas too many times, I'm not a party guy" he said. Of course this is only his third time in Las Vegas in 9 months (smile!) I reminded him that the people he was going to meet, he had not met before with the exception of three. I had talked him into coming with me, only because I did not want him to spend his weekend gambling away our fortunes (smiles). Initially we had agreed I would travel with Desire, Mark would have a weekend all to himself; he had therefore planned to meet a couple of gamblers to gamble with on Saturday, then watch the game on Sunday. Nevertheless, he agreed to come with us; he rather sleep in a warm bed, than a cold one with his pockets empty (smile!). Well, Friday came sooner than later. I worked four hours (06:00 am - 10:00 am). I was back at the apartment by 10:30 am, Mark had gone for a massage between 9:00 am - 10:00, putting him back home fifteen minutes after ten. We left the apartment at a quarter after 11:00 am. It has been a little over three years since my very first meet-up, which happened to be the Las Vegas Travbuddy Meet-Up.

Our road trip was pleasant. We listened to Brandon Sanderson's acclaimed book "Elantris", which I absolutely enjoyed. I had previously read his other Sci-Fi novel the "War Breaker", equally engaging and imaginative (both are science fiction). I recommend them both. The audio discs were borrowed from our local library and had a total of 24 discs. We did not of course finish all 24 discs, but managed 12; 6 on the outbound and 6 on the inbound. We made fewer stops than we normally do as I wanted to make the scheduled 5:30 Friday pre-meet-up at the Rock. Mark made excellent time. We were inconvenienced once we were in town; first by the unexpected delay due to an accident, and second, by the hour long wait at the hotel check-in. We reserved 2 nights at the Imperial Palace hotel.
We managed to get checked in and even make it to the meet-up in time for dinner. It was exciting to see Eric especially since I had last seen him at the Kansas City Travbuddy Meet-Up. Mario from Canada was in attendance too. After three years of chatting on Travbuddy, I finally met him, quite a cheerful and fun guy. Sven, Sal, Mark, Melanie, Sue, Alicia, I had met before. Alicia and Sue I meet way before they ever became Travbuddies, through the Southern Arizona Adventure Company on Meetup.com. The PBR Rock bar was a great meeting place, it offered us the convenience of a restaurant and bar all in one. I should like to be there during the day to people watch and enjoy the great food and service.

2011 New Year Party

My family and I, successfully ended 2010 and began 2011 with celebration of life, laughter and good health. To begin 2011, I attended a Mardi Gras themed party at the invitation of my friends Strom and Margo. Initially, Mark and I, had talked of spending New Years in Las Vegas, but we decided traveling over the holidays was not what we wanted to do. I'm glad we stayed, the party was outstanding. The Mardi Gras theme, gave Mark and I, an opportunity to go costume shopping, which in itself was exciting considering I had not been to any costume parties in 2011. I bought beads, a mask, a Disney character hat (the wicked witch in Sleeping Beauty). The party was a 'Bring your own Booze' and some Cajun food. All of this brought back memories of my time living in Mississippi. I attended the Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 1999, an experiences that I never could forget.

For drinks, Mark and I, decided to go shopping for wine. We headed to 'Trader Joes' an exclusive grocery store that carries a variety of wines from all over the world. We chose from Spanish, Italian, French, Argentine, South African, Chile and California wines. I particularly dislike California wines, they give me headaches. After a recommendation from one of the store assistants, and Mark deciding he wanted to try a particular California wine with a smiley face on it, we dropped California wines all together. We were then left with Argentina, France, Spain, Italy, Chile and South African. We picked 2 of each country with the exception of Spain.

At the party, almost every one brought food, there was more to eat than could be eaten. Some people brought their sleeping bags for the night. Margo and Strom had particularly advised that we bring sleeping bags so we did not have to drive home after drinking. We did not stay the night as we had a 10 year old to come home to. I must say, it was an exciting way to bring in the new year, it reminded me of Amsterdam in 2008/2009.

Seattle, Washington 2010

A view from inside the Monorail

October 07/2010: Phoenix, Arizona to Seattle, Washington.

Our flight out of Phoenix left on time as scheduled. The outbound journey included an eight hour  layover in Seattle. With a whole day to ourselves, we quickly devised a plan to go and tour of the Space Needle. Our flight out of Phoenix left on time landing in Seattle a few minutes before 8:30 am. With 8 hours to spare in Seattle, the adventurer in me could think of nothing better to do,  than to go tour the Space Needle. It has long been on my "to do" list. Mark was game, so off we took off from Seattle-Tacoma Airport after landing. We used two different rides from the airport to Seattle Center.  First on the Link Light Rail from the airport to downtown Westgate terminal. There are automated ticketing machines, with the rail route maps. Mark and I, purchased return tickets for $4.00 per person, which I thought was pretty reasonable. An airport shuttle would probably cost more than $30 each way. The train was just arriving when we got up to the departure platform. It took a little over 40 minutes to get us to the last stop, which happened to be Westgate.

Next, we took the Seattle Center Monorail from Westgate to Seattle center. Seattle Center Monorail is a public transport that runs along fifth avenue at Westlake center in downtown Seattle, to Seattle center where the Space Needle is. Mark and I, enjoyed a rather exciting and historic 1.2 mile ride as we headed for the center on a recent visit to the Space Needle. We had a 8 hour layover in Seattle, so we decided to travel downtown to see the Space Needle. The Monorail was the second of the public transports we had used, the first being the Link Light Rail. The Monorail was built for the 1962 World Fair, it runs a steady 1.2 miles and has recorded over 1 million miles since it started operating. It was a great experience, I definitely would do it again if I found myself in the Seattle area. I think all cities with tourist attractions like the Needle should provide public transport like the monorail. In some cities getting to see the attractions is so much of a hassle.
An hour later we were at the foot of this magnificent tower. The Monorail was built for the 1962 World Fair, it runs a steady 1.2 miles and has recorded over 1 million miles since it started operating. It was a great experience, I definitely want to return there when I have more time to enjoy and learn more. Nonetheless I’m glad we did that, so now I can say ‘been there, done that’.

Africancrab's Icelandic Experience: Part I

Day 1: October 07, 2010. The start of our Journey.
For four long years, I had Iceland listed among the top destinations on my "Bucket List". For four long years, I struggled to get it to the top, but Peru was a much more pressing destination seeing as South America is the last of the continents I'm yet to visit. Nonetheless the opportunity to visit Iceland presented itself in the form of a Travbuddy Meet-up organized by Lauro, my Travbuddy friend to take place at the Blue Lagoon at the end of their 10 days Iceland Expedition. It was October now and I, was jumpy inside as the days drew closer to October 07,2010. This would be the day we leave Tucson for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport where our flight aboard Alaska Airlines was to take off. Here is the rest of it:

The journey to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix could have been cut short or made more convenient if we have traveled the night before and spent the evening in Phoenix. However since we did not do so, we had to set our alarm clock for 2:00 am the following morning to allow us to be on the road by 2:30 am. We left Tucson on, the ride to Phoenix was uneventful. Mark did the driving, he was a little sleepy along the way, but nothing coffee could not cure. I had made an extra cup of coffee and put it in a to-go cup; that did the trick for my darling.  On arrival in Phoenix, we headed to the daily parking and waited for the bus to take us to the terminal. We would be gone for 5 days in total, so it was cheaper to do the day parking.  Alaska Airlines was scheduled to leave from Terminal 2. This was the first time either of us was using this terminal at SKy Harbor Airport. All my travels in the past 5 years have been through terminals 3 and 4. It was a busy morning at a quarter to 5:00 am. Many passengers were leaving to various destinations on 3 particular airlines. I remember Continental Airlines, and Alaska Airlines in particularly since the counters were next to each other.

We had printed copies of our itineraries and ticket numbers. We decided to use the electronic check in as an easier way, but the machine did not recognize our ticket numbers. Mark decided to try it for some reason not believing that I'm doing it right. I let him try it as he looked agitated with me for not getting the boarding passes. He asked twice if I had put in the right ticket number, I confirmed I had. He tried it once and then decided I was right. He asked the lady for help, she tried it and announced at once that our numbers are not recognized because we did not have our passport details entered in the system. She went ahead and input the information upon receiving both our passports. the reservations clerk issued boarding passes for both segments of travel: Phoenix to Seattle, and from Seattle to Keflavik International Airport and sent us on our way. Our one suitcase however was not meeting the 50 lbs requirement so we were advised to either reduce the luggage to 50 lbs or pay $150 to take it as is. Well we were not going to spend $150 on clothes. Markwas quick to remove my gray winter coast and ba'am! we were under 49 lbs and on our way to the boarding gates. The flight was on time, so off we went to Seattle.