Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  – Jane Goodall

Since we decided to make this trip, there has been some guilt over the carbon footprint of the air travel involved.  A recent editorial argued that the travel industry – especially in areas on the edge of poverty – injects not only needed cash, but also a sense of stewardship for the resources that are worth traveling to see.  Case in point – Africa.

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If travelers did not go there to view incredible wildlife and awe-inspiring landscapes…. what would happen? More than likely – endangered animal populations would be allowed to vanish, and their habitats would be converted to cattle farms and/or sold to indifferent foreign powers, exacerbating the very conditions that have contributed to the climate crisis and socio-economic imbalances.  And too many people would still live and die in conditions of starvation and disease,  in ignorance and hopelessness.

So what kind of difference do we want to make?  

What is accomplished by staying at home?  Realistically…. not much.  

Or we can go – invest our assets in organizations and for adventures that provide employment for proud citizens who are passionate about the history, flora and fauna of their environment, resources to help them nurture these things, and education for those who wish to make a difference……. and then try in our own way to show our care for these places and societies through the stories we tell.  

(Okay – and it’s a lot more fun than staying at home…..)

Hats off to Greta Thunberg – her position is admirable and she displays astonishing courage in relentlessly getting her message out.  Agreed, too, that mankind needs to seek out ways to make travel more sustainable… but the answer is not necessarily to just stay put.  

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

We will continue to visit places near and far, by land, sea and air, promoting those who make change for the better in their regions, and spreading our appreciation and understanding of the connectedness we have with other countries and other peoples – all a part of this precious planet we share.

Lecture over… convincing no one perhaps of anything, but finding some satisfaction in putting down a few thoughts.

So – there was a gap between 2019’s road trip to the West, Canada and Alaska….. and the planned trip in 2020 down under – to Australia and New Zealand.  We decided to try the “National-Geographic-Does-All” trip around the globe in 23 days, touching down in intriguing places that we would be unlikely to ever visit on our own.

The journey starts in Washington, DC, on 9 January.  Assuming WiFi connectivity at every location, we hope to post a short blog entry for each stop (there are 12).  Our return to DC is scheduled for 31 January…..  so don’t blink, folks, or you’ll miss it!

Our preparations are relatively easy – basically making sure we have the clothes needed for each of the environments we will visit….. without overdoing.  Also, I went a little crazy making potholders, gifts for the kindnesses I know we will receive from so many along the way…..

Please stay tuned.  And happy new year!

Our nation’s capital – Congress is just returning from its holiday break, the President has been impeached, and the country may be on the brink of war.  Should be an exciting time to be in Washington!

But the wheels turn slowly – Congress gets a slow start due to the threat of a winter storm; the impeachment process is bogged down in political squabbling, and the hostilities segue into what seems to be name-calling and posturing (thank goodness).

Especially for those of us who infrequently visit, the city has a mystique and appeal that tend to cause a surge of pride in the history and culture of our country, which has truly always been great.

The Hay-Adams Hotel is right across Lafayette Park from the White House, with views that demand recording.

Our elected congresspersons are supposed to represent all of their constituents, be they Republican or Democrat…..

So we decided to drop in on our district’s representative, Louie Gohmert, to see about getting a pass to watch the action in the House.

Henry was excited to see a poster that featured blueberries he and his son Clay grew for the 2005 blueberry festival on the wall of the waiting room!

But after waiting some time for help, we were informed that most government offices were closed due to an imminent snow storm, although we did get passes to the House gallery, as they would be convening shortly.

They convened and immediately adjourned…..probably because the congresspersons also didn’t want to get stranded in the traffic due to bad weather.   So we saw an empty House chamber, and took the opportunity to reminisce fondly over some of the historic events that had occurred there…. for about 5 minutes.

The next day was glorious…… a good time for a protest….

Unfortunately, the view of our leader’s residence is obstructed due to renovations – a much higher and impenetrable fence is being built on the southern side of the White House.

We were able to spend a good amount of time with an old friend and colleague of Henry’s and her husband – Margaret and Rob – who live part-time in DC and have the insider’s view of what’s going on.  Thanks to them for their kind and generous hospitality!

Our last night we went to National Geographic’s headquarters for an introduction and overview of our trip, and a chance to meet the experts and our fellow travelers.

The next morning, our dedicated jet was waiting, and we took off…. with an appropriate libation of course!

Next stop – Cuzco, Peru.

Such beautiful things Henry sees from the windows of planes!

Cusco is located at high elevation – almost 12,000 feet.  Here for only three days (our longest stopover on this trip), it’s not quite enough to get over the sluggishness from the altitude.  Soldiering on nonetheless.

A welcoming sight at our hotel after our long air journey – hot water bottles warming the bed, dressed up as llamas…

Perfect weather…. here’s an Incan terraced agricultural site:

Then a salt mine…

A stop in a village with carved doorways (behind which live real people)….. evidenced too by the red plastic bag displayed over a doorway, which signifies the bar is open!

A quick stop on the road to buy a tchotchke, and an encounter with a real llama and an alpaca…… and some Peruvian folk.  (The little boy is crying because the National Geographic photographer traveling with us just took his picture while using a light reflector that burned his eyes…)

On to Machu Picchu…. via the Hiram Bingham railway (named for the European who first saw the Machu Picchu site in 1912 or so)…

Finally, the real star of the show….

It was impressive, and again – such great fortune to have a sunny day!

Bad fortune was the bug that struck me earlier, which made me want to completely eschew food and seek sleep.  Not Henry’s problem, thank goodness.

Although miserable, these maladies usually only last a day or two……

Next stop – Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island, Chile.

Mostly recovered from the Peruvian stomach bug… and a quick purchase in Cusco before getting under way – negotiating the purchase of textiles from a friendly and enterprising weaver.

Rapa Nui is almost 2,000 miles from its nearest inhabited neighbor. The approach reveals one of several caldera on the island…

…this one the starting point for the Birdman cult, an annual competition that determined allocation of power in the society… not practiced since the mid-1800s.  Participants had to run from the heights to a mid-point on the cliff, leap into the ocean, swim to the smaller island (seen here just under the aircraft wing), secure an egg from the sooty tern nesting site there, swim back to the main island and scale the cliff with egg intact.

The winner was awarded a virgin and other special rights for the following year.  Quite a feat!

Use of the land our hotel is on has been contested by a group of indigenous residents, who believe that this and several other parts of the island are sacred to ancestral spirits, the presence of tourists and commercial interests violating their sanctity.  For what it’s worth, the hotel folks say they won the legal challenge.  Sorry for those who are still unconsoled.  

The island is made of volcanic rock, with only one teeny little beach conducive to swimming.  Henry found a fine bunch of coconuts there!

Of course, the big attraction here are the moai, statues built between about 1200 and the mid-1700s, representing the ancestors who were thought to protect the people from harm.

Most of the statues were never set upright, or had been toppled by residents (the actual reasons are unclear) or natural disaster.  Almost all of those now seen erect had to be resurrected in massive projects over the last few decades.  The vast majority remains recumbent.

And of course, tourists have to be cautioned….. NOT TO WALK ON THE MOAI!

Local dance troupe.. incredible energy and enthusiasm, fun music…

But this type of performance invariably goes on way too long, requiring constant clapping and manic grinning – culminating with the dreaded recruiting of often elderly and/or overweight tourists from the audience to convulse awkwardly to the music with the tautly-muscled performers.  Yuck.

As someone said, from the ridiculous to the sublime – a sunrise visit to the largest stand of moai, pulled from the messy residue of a 1960 tsunami by a task force in the mid-1990s.  A colossal feat!

A truly fabulous bit of Rapa Nui history was the presence of tablets with hieroglyphic writing on them, making this the ONLY island in the entire Polynesian chain with any sort of history of a written tradition. (Pictured here a replica.). No one seems to know when they were created or what they say.  Another apparent mystery for the ages.

And so, mimicking departures of notable characters past and present, we board the plane for our next destination – Samoa.

Just an overnight stop in Samoa…. enough time for some brief impressions.

Like this one of beach sand…. very arty!

An island dinner and festivities, complete with the traditional dancing..

These guys were obviously very good, and did some fire twirling later.  Exhausted, we called it a night before the dreaded tourist group dance at the end.

Henry picked up a friend on the way to breakfast in the morning….

A visit to the home of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island) included this incomprehensible ceremony of welcome.

The Samoans have also been welcoming another group over the last decade or so….

So far, China has helped them build their new airport, a hospital and a museum…. and the friendship is continuing.

The best experience was simply riding along the road and watching people go about their everyday lives, often with a smile for a visitor.

Onward from here to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

As noted, this trip moves quickly…. a new destination every two days; a deep dive into perhaps a single one of its interesting aspects, and then on to the next.

Mother Earth, however, is a constant companion – and rarely fails to impress as we go along.

There is a huge sensitivity to environmental matters as we move from one place to the next, and our plane is regularly fumigated……

Upon arrival in Cairns, Australia – no welcoming leis, no ukuleles strummed at the airport, NO DANCE TROOP after dinner!!!!!  A nice change, actually.  And this lovely creature (not dressed in a sarong!) waiting to greet us.

I swear she looks exactly like some one I used to work with…… anybody recognize the face?

It’s very humid and hot here.  The area that has been plagued by wild fires is much further south, and the good news is that substantial rains have fallen there, helping to relieve the immediate danger.

Our day on the Great Barrier Reef included a fish feeding…

A semi-submersible ride along the reef (which was quite disappointing except for the fly-by of a single turtle)….

And a snorkeling session, which absolutely did not disappoint…  We are dressed in Lycra skins, protection against potentially fatal stings from the box jellyfish, one of dozens of venomous creatures in Australia that are capable of doin’ ya’ in!  (Got to love these skin suits – not only do they shield us from the sun, they hide unsightly jiggly bits and pale, sagging flesh, a blessing for which we were all profoundly grateful.  Few, if any, of those of us on the trip are unafflicted….)

The abundant marine life on the reef was dazzling, and (having snorkeled in many wonderful places before), we were reminded how delicate is the existence of these marvelous structures.  We should never take them for granted.

Onward from here to Siem Reap, Cambodia……

Siem Reap is the site of Angkor Wat, a huge temple that was the centerpiece the Khmer culture about 1,000 years ago. Ancient buildings include not only the main temple, but also palaces and lesser sacred spaces scattered about the area.

Across from our lovely colonial-era hotel is a public park.

Still celebrating the new year….

A group of Korean music teachers presented a music and dance program for hundreds of public school children.

The visit to Angkor Wat started with a reminder of the tragic civil war that devastated the country for years, killing and maiming many citizens.  Millions of live land mines remain in sparsely-populated areas.

Often dreamed of, only a part of the complex was open…..

A pretty Japanese visitor….

Negotiations with a local urchin and a nun….

A boat ride to a village on one of southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lakes showed a sad resident population doomed by the degradation of the lake’s environment…

Exploiting a child, begging for dollars with a gentle but still enormous snake ….

And again on the flip side, a gorgeous finale at another ancient temple..

 Hard to pass up a goofy photo op…

And now we’re going to Kathmandu!  Can anyone in our generation hear that without also hearing the beat of the Bob Seger song?

Not sure why Bob Seger was so excited about getting here.   Nepal certainly must have some peaceful and beautiful natural settings, but Kathmandu could give Madagascar some competition if they gave out prizes for filth, squalor, and apparent waste of human life.

But our stay was only a single day, the initial impression is no doubt an unfair judgement, so we will concentrate instead on the colorful and spiritual side of things.

A street scene shows a city that looks like many others…..

A visit to an historic area brought out “entrepreneurs” and beggars, who singled Henry out as an easy touch right away…

This young woman claimed to need money for a school book, but her eyes kept cutting away, a clue that someone else was directing her activity.   Too bad, as she was articulate, engaging and spoke excellent English.  Could have been a great tour guide, but something else was clearly going on.

Another lucky vendor got some of our business.

Most national flags are rectangular, but Nepal’s consists of two separate triangular pieces, which makes for a unique style.

A group of spiritual characters greeted us at the hotel.

The one on the right looks like he’s having a cup of Joe, but he is actually blowing a shell horn of some sort.

The main temple along the river is the spot where families bring the corpses of loved ones for cremation.  First they bathe the bodies in river water, then incinerate them on the platform, and finally sweep the ashes into the aforementioned river.

Cremation sets the soul free from the body so it may be reborn.  It is a sacred and loving rite – in the Hindu form a little too elemental for Western sensitivity – but truly hands-on and intimate.

A few more vivid impressions from the street…

A lot to see in a single day!  From here we make a short hop to Paro, Bhutan.