The last day of the trip. We got everything packed up and ready to go, and went down to breakfast. The car was due to pick us up at 8:55, and we were concerned that they'd come to the right place. TCS assured us on Friday they had our arrangements correct, but the sheet they gave us said we were going to be picked up at the Dorchester rather than the Rubens. But we brought our bags down about 8:30 and hoped for the best. The guy showed up right on time, but only had Sam's name. We weren't about to let him go with Sam and hope someone else showed up for us, though, and he didn't blink an eye at having two more passengers. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We had worried our bags would be overweight, but the lady at check-in didn't say anything and we just headed upstairs to the waiting area. We had quite a bit of British money still, and Jan can't stand for that so I spent a little on a couple of T-shirts and a key chain and then she took over and spent the rest. By the time she was finished, our flight had its gate assignment so we headed over there. There weren't many people at the gate, and as it turns out the flight was less than half full. That was OK with us. Plenty of room in the overhead bins and if he had wanted to, Sam could have laid down across the four seats in the middle section to sleep. He wasn't that relaxed, though, and sat up for the whole flight. They only showed two movies, "Get Smart" and "The Devil Wears Prada". It was an Ann Hathaway mini-festival I guess. They also showed several CBS shows. I'm sure it's nice for them to have a captive audience. Anyway, the flight was just a little bumpy in spots, but otherwise uneventful. When we got to RDU, there was a long line at passport control and only two officers to process everyone. There was one line for US citizens and resident aliens and another for foreign passport holders. The two lines were pretty even, but our guy was processing all of the flight crew people first. That didn't seem quite fair unless they were trying to make another flight, and I'm willing to bet they weren't. After passport control, we went down to Customs. We made our report of the things we bought, expecting to have to pay the import duties, they x-rayed our bags, and then said "Thank you, through that door please". That door led out to the terminal. So we got a cab and headed home. Everything was pretty much as we left it except that the house was covered in leaves. We dragged our stuff into the house and started getting settled back in. I'm just a little sad that I'll never be in the TCS jet with Rhys and Julie and Gail and Ann and Chris and Rachel and everyone again, but as Dorothy said, there's no place like home.
The End.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Day 26
Our last day in London was going to be busy. Our first stop was the Tower of London. The Underground lines were all running with no down areas, so getting there was much simpler than it was over the weekend. We had gotten fast pass tickets to the tower from Dave, so we didn't have to stand in line for that. We just went straight to the entrance. As we waited for the first tour of the morning, quite a crowd gathered. Even the Yeoman Warder that was our guide was surprised by how many people showed up on a cold Monday morning to see the Tower. We learned some very interesting facts about the Tower, and Bill the Warder was very humorous. Most people think of the Tower as a prison or site of execution, but in fact over its history it hasn't held that many prisoners. It was mostly a defensive structure where the kings and queens of England were housed and protected. To satisfy the crowd, though, Bill told about some of the more gruesome executions. Beheadings were reserved for nobility, while commoners that were convicted of treason were hanged, drawn, and quartered. I never quite understood why you would draw and quarter someone you've already hanged, but this wasn't a hanging like we used to have in the States where one dies from a quick snap of the neck. They pull you up so you strangle. When they're going to draw and quarter you too, they let you down before you're dead and revive you. Then they slice you open and pull out your entrails while you're still alive, and plop them into a sizzling pan. Then, they cut off your head and cut your body into four pieces. This is what they did to William Wallace (hero of the movie "Braveheart"). According to Bill, he passed through the Tower of London, but being a commoner, he wasn't beheaded and wasn't held in the Tower. He got the hang, drawn and quartered treatment. We saw the Crown Jewels, including the Star of Africa, set in the Scepter With the Cross, and the Koh-i-noor diamond, which came from India. Bill said that the British stole from everyone.
We also saw the Bloody Tower, originally called the Garden Tower, but the name was changed for marketing purposes (according to Bill). This was where Sir Walter Raleigh was kept prisoner, and tortured every day. His wife was locked up with him (another Bill joke). Then we went through the White Tower. This contains the ancient armaments and armor of the royal families and their defenders. This included the armor of Henry VIII. If you look at the pictures, you'll note that he was a man of considerable girth. You may also note what Bill referred to as "psychological warfare" in the construction of part of the armor. I'll say no more.
Our next stop was the London Eye. I had resisted this, and not planned on doing it. I'm not very comfortable with heights, and hate ferris wheels. I was assured I would be comfortable in this, though, as it's completely enclosed and safe. We took the Tube to Westminster Station, and crossed the bridge and it was right there. When we went through the security check, the officer asked if I had any knives or weapons, to which I replied no. Then she asked if I had any chocolates or sweets, and again I had to reply no, but promised next time I would be sure to have some. As we were going up, we could see rain heading our way, and while we were on the ride, it was raining quite heavily. After we rounded the top, though, it moved off and by the time we got to the bottom, it was no longer raining, and the wind had even died down somewhat. I don't think we got any great pictures because the capsule we were in was covered in rain drops, but it was an interesting view and at least we were out of the rain.
Back on the Tube, it was only a couple of stops to Victoria Station. This time, we knew which way to go but wanted to head down Victoria Street to see what kind of shops were there. I kind of wanted a clean shirt to wear on the trip home tomorrow, but we only found one store with men's clothes and I didn't really see anything I liked so we headed back to the hotel. Jan had to stop and look for some souvenirs of London for a few people, and I went to see if Dave could call the Dorchester and make sure our package got sent off alright. They assured me it had, so when Jan showed up we headed up to the room to rest up before our "Jack the Ripper" walking tour.
We bundled up for our night on the streets and headed to Tower Hill station to meet up with the tour. There were a lot of people gathering. I couldn't believe that on a cold, wet night like this so many people would want to go out on a walking tour. I guess I'm not the only nut in London. It turned out there were two guides, so they split the group up. We went with the first guy because it didn't seem like many people were going and I preferred a smaller group. He didn't seem like he must have been very experienced, though, because we were walking along a fairly busy sidewalk and he turned off and most of us didn't notice and kept walking. Someone finally asked where the guide was, and we walked back a short ways and found him down a side alley. The group was rather smaller than when we started, so he ran back to the street and flagged down the rest of the group. He was giving us all the gory details of the Ripper murders, and Jan was clearly not comfortable with it. When it started raining, that was the last straw. We left the group and walked back to the main street and flagged down a cab. In just a few minutes we were back at the Rubens and heading back up to the room.
The rest of our party were all going to the theater, and we were cold and tired so we just went upstairs and ordered room service. The food was pretty good, and it was nice to just relax and watch television and eat together.
We also saw the Bloody Tower, originally called the Garden Tower, but the name was changed for marketing purposes (according to Bill). This was where Sir Walter Raleigh was kept prisoner, and tortured every day. His wife was locked up with him (another Bill joke). Then we went through the White Tower. This contains the ancient armaments and armor of the royal families and their defenders. This included the armor of Henry VIII. If you look at the pictures, you'll note that he was a man of considerable girth. You may also note what Bill referred to as "psychological warfare" in the construction of part of the armor. I'll say no more.
Our next stop was the London Eye. I had resisted this, and not planned on doing it. I'm not very comfortable with heights, and hate ferris wheels. I was assured I would be comfortable in this, though, as it's completely enclosed and safe. We took the Tube to Westminster Station, and crossed the bridge and it was right there. When we went through the security check, the officer asked if I had any knives or weapons, to which I replied no. Then she asked if I had any chocolates or sweets, and again I had to reply no, but promised next time I would be sure to have some. As we were going up, we could see rain heading our way, and while we were on the ride, it was raining quite heavily. After we rounded the top, though, it moved off and by the time we got to the bottom, it was no longer raining, and the wind had even died down somewhat. I don't think we got any great pictures because the capsule we were in was covered in rain drops, but it was an interesting view and at least we were out of the rain.
Back on the Tube, it was only a couple of stops to Victoria Station. This time, we knew which way to go but wanted to head down Victoria Street to see what kind of shops were there. I kind of wanted a clean shirt to wear on the trip home tomorrow, but we only found one store with men's clothes and I didn't really see anything I liked so we headed back to the hotel. Jan had to stop and look for some souvenirs of London for a few people, and I went to see if Dave could call the Dorchester and make sure our package got sent off alright. They assured me it had, so when Jan showed up we headed up to the room to rest up before our "Jack the Ripper" walking tour.
We bundled up for our night on the streets and headed to Tower Hill station to meet up with the tour. There were a lot of people gathering. I couldn't believe that on a cold, wet night like this so many people would want to go out on a walking tour. I guess I'm not the only nut in London. It turned out there were two guides, so they split the group up. We went with the first guy because it didn't seem like many people were going and I preferred a smaller group. He didn't seem like he must have been very experienced, though, because we were walking along a fairly busy sidewalk and he turned off and most of us didn't notice and kept walking. Someone finally asked where the guide was, and we walked back a short ways and found him down a side alley. The group was rather smaller than when we started, so he ran back to the street and flagged down the rest of the group. He was giving us all the gory details of the Ripper murders, and Jan was clearly not comfortable with it. When it started raining, that was the last straw. We left the group and walked back to the main street and flagged down a cab. In just a few minutes we were back at the Rubens and heading back up to the room.
The rest of our party were all going to the theater, and we were cold and tired so we just went upstairs and ordered room service. The food was pretty good, and it was nice to just relax and watch television and eat together.
Day 25
The day started with snow. A few flakes, anyway. There was a little on some cars, but nothing on the streets or buildings. Today is forecast to be rainy and cold, so we thought it would be a good day to go to some museums. We got together with my brother's family and headed to the British Museum. Dave told us which bus to take and the driver told us which stop, but there were no signs pointing us to the museum. So we stood out in the rain trying to figure out where we were going, and finally stopped a man on the street and asked him where the museum is. He pointed the way, and it was actually quite close, but there are no signs and it doesn't stand out very much. Probably the most interesting part of the museum were the exhibits about the places we had visited on the tour. They had a moai, but it didn't look quite like the others we had seen. The oddest part was that the back was carved out. I don't remember any of the ones I saw on Easter Island being carved like that. There were also exhibits from Papua, New Guinea, and Africa. I offered to loan them my "museum piece" dagger, but they weren't interested for some reason. Rather than go out in the rain to find a place to eat, we decided it was easier to just eat at the museum. The section where the cafe is located was closed, but they opened it almost immediately so we ran in to get at the front of the line. It looked like there was some sort of problem like a bomb scare or something because an older couple was complaining that they had left two desserts on their table, and they had been removed. The food wasn't very good, but that was OK. We had reservations for a great dinner at Rules Restaurant. After lunch, Dad decided to get a cab back to the hotel and the rest of us headed over to Trafalgar Square to go to the National Gallery. The building itself is a work of art. If you only notice the paintings, which are stunning, you miss half of what the Gallery has to offer. Every room is different, and the main hall is just breathtaking. I won't waste your time trying to describe all the amazing art work. Suffice it to say if you get to London, the National Gallery is a must-see stop.
When we finished at the National Gallery, we headed back to the hotel on the tube. When we got to Victoria Station, it wasn't nearly as obvious which way to go to get back to the hotel as Jan and Sam thought. We looked around the station for a while, and discovered that they have a Krispy Kreme stand there. I had no idea that it was an international company. I hope they actually make the donuts there and don't actually ship them from the US. Finally we asked the guy in the information booth where Buckingham Palace Road was and he pointed us in the right direction. We headed on down to the Palace gift shop to look around before heading back to the hotel room to rest up before dinner.
Jan got out the iron and pressed our shirts and ties and got Sam and I looking as good as we could after a month on the road. We met everyone down in the lobby and the concierge flagged down a couple of cabs for us. Rules restaurant was pretty close by, and we were shown to our table, and Lonnie's family to theirs. Dinner was very good (we all had the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes), but dessert was fabulous. Jan and I shared a rich chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce, and Sam and Dad shared a chocolate soufflé with cream sauce. Both were just incredibly good.
Rules let us down after dinner, though. We asked them to call us a cab, and what showed up was what's called a mini-cab. It's not a proper taxi at all, and the guy didn't know the Rubens Hotel or how to get there. He at least knew where Buckingham Palace Road was, but he turned the wrong way. We informed him of his mistake, but it took him several blocks to get turned back around. When we arrived at the hotel, he told us how much we owed and it was almost twice what the taxi to the restaurant charged. I gave him as close to the exact change as I had and we went inside. Dave the concierge said we should have refused to get into the car, but that would have meant finding our own taxi, which would have involved walking at least a block and a half in the cold to get to a main street. I didn't think Dad was up to that. In hindsight, I should have gone to get a taxi and brought it back to Rules and picked everyone up. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. We were glad to be back at the hotel safe and sound, anyway.
When we finished at the National Gallery, we headed back to the hotel on the tube. When we got to Victoria Station, it wasn't nearly as obvious which way to go to get back to the hotel as Jan and Sam thought. We looked around the station for a while, and discovered that they have a Krispy Kreme stand there. I had no idea that it was an international company. I hope they actually make the donuts there and don't actually ship them from the US. Finally we asked the guy in the information booth where Buckingham Palace Road was and he pointed us in the right direction. We headed on down to the Palace gift shop to look around before heading back to the hotel room to rest up before dinner.
Jan got out the iron and pressed our shirts and ties and got Sam and I looking as good as we could after a month on the road. We met everyone down in the lobby and the concierge flagged down a couple of cabs for us. Rules restaurant was pretty close by, and we were shown to our table, and Lonnie's family to theirs. Dinner was very good (we all had the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes), but dessert was fabulous. Jan and I shared a rich chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce, and Sam and Dad shared a chocolate soufflé with cream sauce. Both were just incredibly good.
Rules let us down after dinner, though. We asked them to call us a cab, and what showed up was what's called a mini-cab. It's not a proper taxi at all, and the guy didn't know the Rubens Hotel or how to get there. He at least knew where Buckingham Palace Road was, but he turned the wrong way. We informed him of his mistake, but it took him several blocks to get turned back around. When we arrived at the hotel, he told us how much we owed and it was almost twice what the taxi to the restaurant charged. I gave him as close to the exact change as I had and we went inside. Dave the concierge said we should have refused to get into the car, but that would have meant finding our own taxi, which would have involved walking at least a block and a half in the cold to get to a main street. I didn't think Dad was up to that. In hindsight, I should have gone to get a taxi and brought it back to Rules and picked everyone up. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. We were glad to be back at the hotel safe and sound, anyway.
Day 24
Our last meal on TCS is breakfast, and we made the best of it. We got Eggs Benedict and orange juice. It was very good. We tried to coordinate with my brother and his family and my father. In the end, though, Jan, Sam and I transferred to the Rubens Hotel before them. We got in a cab, and they got our luggage in with no problems at all. At the Rubens, we registered and were offered an upgraded room for a nominal charge, so we took them up on it. The upgraded room was ready, so we had our luggage moved up and we unloaded a few things and then headed out into London. Dave the Concierge here at the Rubens recommended we go to Portabello Road and see the antiques sale. It only happens on Saturday, so we decided to head there and see what they had. We bought a travel card that gives us access to the Underground and buses and we got on the number 52 to head to Notting Hill. What they had was a whole lot of people in small streets, and loads of junk. Anything that was a legitimate antique was overpriced. It's cold here (high in the forties) so Jan bought a wool scarf to put around her neck. That was our big buy in Notting Hill. Jan had heard about this restaurant called Wagamama and wanted to try it. We had seen it (one of many around London as it turns out) from the bus, so we went back to the bus stop to wait for the returning number 52. Every other number that came to that stop came by at least twice, and we gave up and started to walk toward an Underground station. Just as we turned the corner, our bus showed up so we ran back and jumped on and started watching for the restaurant. Shortly before we spotted it, a crazy woman got on the bus and took offense at the driver asking to see her travel card. She started shouting at him and he was shouting back thank you. I still don't know what she was so upset about. I guess a crazy person doesn't need a good reason. Thankfully, the restaurant was just past the next stop so we jumped off and went in. I was put off immediately. It was loud and chaotic. Everyone was sitting at long tables, and waiters and waitresses were running around like crazy people. Jan and Sam were not deterred, though, and we went in and got a seat. Our first encounter with our waiter was when he asked Sam to move down so another party could sit at our table (the tables were marginally divided at groups of four). He eventually came back to take our order, and Jan and Sam's food showed up pretty quickly. For some reason, mine took longer. The food was so-so, but after we finished, we couldn't get a check from the waiter. We walked over to the cashier, and they weren't there, and the lady showed up about the time our waiter noticed we had left and ran over to get us the check. Needless to say, he didn't get much of a tip.
Next up was the Tower of London. We headed to the closest Underground station, which was not as close as I had thought. We did get to walk past Kensington Gardens. There were some guys playing roller hockey in the park. It looked like they were having fun. We finally managed to find the station at South Kensington, and thought it would be a simple matter of getting to Tower Hill. Unfortunately, the Circle line was down completely and the District line was down from Earl's Court to Embankment, which means we couldn't just get on and ride where we were going. We had to go up to Picadilly Circus and change lines to get down to Embankment and then change again to go from Embankment to Tower Hill. By the time we got there, it was 3:30 in the afternoon and the tower was closing in an hour, so we just went into the gift shop and looked around the area a little, and then headed back to the hotel. We had to switch around Underground lines again on the way back, and when we got to Green Park, they said it was the stop for Buckingham Palace. That sounded like it should be our stop, so I said we should try to get off there. As it turned out, it's a lot further to the hotel from the Green Park station than it is from Victoria, and we took a very indirect route which made it even further. Jan and Sam said Victoria Station was right next to the hotel, and said it often as we walked through the cold and gathering darkness.
Dad wasn't up to going out to dinner and Lonnie's family wanted to go to Covent Garden, so Jan and Sam and I went looking for an Indian restaurant that Dave told us was nearby (Quilon). We found it pretty easily and went in and discovered quickly that we were under dressed. They were very nice to us, though. The place was empty when we got there, and thought it was funny that they asked if we had reservations. The food was excellent, and by the time we left, it was almost full. So the reservations question wasn't as silly as I thought.
Next up was the Tower of London. We headed to the closest Underground station, which was not as close as I had thought. We did get to walk past Kensington Gardens. There were some guys playing roller hockey in the park. It looked like they were having fun. We finally managed to find the station at South Kensington, and thought it would be a simple matter of getting to Tower Hill. Unfortunately, the Circle line was down completely and the District line was down from Earl's Court to Embankment, which means we couldn't just get on and ride where we were going. We had to go up to Picadilly Circus and change lines to get down to Embankment and then change again to go from Embankment to Tower Hill. By the time we got there, it was 3:30 in the afternoon and the tower was closing in an hour, so we just went into the gift shop and looked around the area a little, and then headed back to the hotel. We had to switch around Underground lines again on the way back, and when we got to Green Park, they said it was the stop for Buckingham Palace. That sounded like it should be our stop, so I said we should try to get off there. As it turned out, it's a lot further to the hotel from the Green Park station than it is from Victoria, and we took a very indirect route which made it even further. Jan and Sam said Victoria Station was right next to the hotel, and said it often as we walked through the cold and gathering darkness.
Dad wasn't up to going out to dinner and Lonnie's family wanted to go to Covent Garden, so Jan and Sam and I went looking for an Indian restaurant that Dave told us was nearby (Quilon). We found it pretty easily and went in and discovered quickly that we were under dressed. They were very nice to us, though. The place was empty when we got there, and thought it was funny that they asked if we had reservations. The food was excellent, and by the time we left, it was almost full. So the reservations question wasn't as silly as I thought.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Day 23
This is our last flight on the First Choice jet. I've been completely spoiled. The crew has been so nice, and so accommodating, and the seat is comfortable and I've gotten used to having a place to plug in my laptop and use it for the whole flight, it's going to seem like duty on a slave galley to fly coach on American Airlines back to Raleigh. I really can't say enough about the crew. The cabin crew are the nicest people you can imagine. I don't know how they can work so hard and smile at us all the time. I feel like I'm leaving all my new friends behind. The engineers and cockpit crew are great, too. They come through the cabin and talk to us and answer any questions we have. Chris the engineer has been a real blast to talk to. He showed us pictures of his family and told us some good places to go in London while we're visiting there. Eddie the first officer was also a lot of fun to get to know a little bit. It turns out he has family in Dubai, and took some of the crew on a special outing there. I think they had a better time than we did. I know they did the first day.
The crew are wearing clothing they bought at the souk yesterday. They've had a real flair for dressing up. They had asian costumes on after Cambodia, and Indian garments when we were leaving Agra. It really makes things fun when they mix things up like that. They seem to have a really good time, too. It was surprising to learn that they've never worked together as a group before. They seem so friendly and at ease with each other. Maybe you have to be that way to be a flight attendant.
We arrived at Luton airport, which is a private airport some ways away from London. It took about an hour and a half to make the trip into town, mostly because of traffic. The Dorchester is absolutely decadent it's so luxurious. Every fixture, every piece of furniture is absolutely as fine as it can be. It's a wonderful place to end our tour. Jan and I scrambled around to get our things together to have shipped back home because we didn't have room and available weight to get the carpet home. Since we were having to ship that off, we figured we might as well send the clothes we weren't going to use in London, and it ended up being quite a bit. We used my duffel bag to get it down to the concierge desk, and it was more than my big bag could hold. It's probably going to cost a fortune to send it. We told the man we wanted the slowest, cheapest transportation he could arrange, but it is still going to be quite expensive.
Once we got that straightened out, we went to dinner. The food was great. They had a prawn dish that was particularly good. Everyone was saying goodbye. Some were getting teary-eyed. I have to admit, even the people that I didn't think I would get along with seemed like old friends by the end of the trip. Everyone has their eccentricities. Except me. I'm perfect. Ha ha.
The crew are wearing clothing they bought at the souk yesterday. They've had a real flair for dressing up. They had asian costumes on after Cambodia, and Indian garments when we were leaving Agra. It really makes things fun when they mix things up like that. They seem to have a really good time, too. It was surprising to learn that they've never worked together as a group before. They seem so friendly and at ease with each other. Maybe you have to be that way to be a flight attendant.
We arrived at Luton airport, which is a private airport some ways away from London. It took about an hour and a half to make the trip into town, mostly because of traffic. The Dorchester is absolutely decadent it's so luxurious. Every fixture, every piece of furniture is absolutely as fine as it can be. It's a wonderful place to end our tour. Jan and I scrambled around to get our things together to have shipped back home because we didn't have room and available weight to get the carpet home. Since we were having to ship that off, we figured we might as well send the clothes we weren't going to use in London, and it ended up being quite a bit. We used my duffel bag to get it down to the concierge desk, and it was more than my big bag could hold. It's probably going to cost a fortune to send it. We told the man we wanted the slowest, cheapest transportation he could arrange, but it is still going to be quite expensive.
Once we got that straightened out, we went to dinner. The food was great. They had a prawn dish that was particularly good. Everyone was saying goodbye. Some were getting teary-eyed. I have to admit, even the people that I didn't think I would get along with seemed like old friends by the end of the trip. Everyone has their eccentricities. Except me. I'm perfect. Ha ha.
Day 22
Our only full day in Marrakesh started with me waking about 3:30 am with a headache. It wasn't bad, and I was very thirsty so I assumed if I drank some water, I'd be OK. After laying awake for a long time, I finally got up and took a shower and got dressed and went downstairs to see about using the Internet. I got the information with the username and password and signed on and was able to get to gmail and a couple of other things, but couldn't get to my blog or picasaweb. I was able to upload pictures, but I had wasted so much time trying to get connected to the other web sites that my laptop was running out of power, and it was getting close to time to start the excursion. And my headache was getting much worse. After uploading several sets of pictures, I went upstairs and took three Advil. I grabbed my backpack and Jan and I went downstairs to catch the bus for the city tour of Marrakesh. The tour would have been really interesting but my headache was not getting much better and my nausea was getting worse. The first place we went was to an old market area with raw meat hanging up and being butchered right there, cars and motor scooters going by putting out exhaust, and people doing metal working, banging on their little anvils. It was sensory overload, and just about the worst place you could be with a budding migraine. Even with that, though, seeing the craftsmen making shoes, belts, the metal lamps and other items was fascinating. The butchers I could have done without. We went through a Marruseh, which is a Muslim university, and is different from a Medrasseh which is a primary school. We also went inside a bakery. These are very primitive looking facilities, with a large wood-fired oven. The local women bring their dough and have it baked, which seems odd to me, but I guess you get to have bread made by your own recipe. It certainly smelled good. Some of the other groups got to try it, but no one offered any to us. I wasn't up to eating anything at the time anyway. After looking around at a few other places, we headed back to the bus to return to the hotel. Cathy gave me some real medicine. Excedrin Migraine. I took them and laid down. I missed lunch, but by the time I got up to go to the Souk to go shopping, I was feeling almost completely well. That was good stuff.
Our first stop was a government run store selling traditional craft items. The prices were supposed to be set, but it turned out some people managed to negotiate better prices. I think everything is negotiable in Marrakesh. I immediately started looking at the daggers. I picked out a camel bone one, and had the salesman set it aside while Jan continued to shop. She was looking at jewelry and Sam and I were looking at some daggers in a case. I wasn't even sure they were for sale, and the man told us they were museum pieces, very nice. I asked how much and found out that a museum piece of real silver can be had for a few hundred dollars, so I bought it. I guess I can start my own museum now. Jan made her choices and we paid and got out before he sold us something else. The salesmen in Marrakesh are not as pushy as other places, but they can be very persistent. They are very good natured about haggling, though. Some places don't like to haggle, but these guys do.
The next stop was the souk. The souk (a traditional marketplace) was quite a sight. Where we first entered, there were stalls selling more modern things like baby clothes (there was a set that was actually called "Baby Iman"), cell phones and other modern items. As we got further in, though, we got to the more interesting shops. There were shops selling carved wooden items. The boxes were beautiful, but as Jan pointed out, what would be do with it when we got it home? Other stores sold cloth items. Some had daggers (in fact, it seemed like everyone sold daggers, no matter what the main stock of the store was), some had carpets, some had clothes, some had jewelry. The first order of business was helping my father's friend Admah find some necklaces for the ladies in his family. We stopped at a couple of place, and finally found a man with some nice looking things that was willing to dicker. He started at a hundred dollars for each necklace, but finally came down to fifty-one. He still seemed happy when we left, so I'm not worried that he took a loss on the deal. Next stop was a place that had lots of odds and ends. Sam was looking for a dagger, and they had some (as did just about every place, as I said). He picked the one he liked and struck his bargain. The next order of business was getting Jan a carpet. Someone asked what we were looking for, and we said carpets, and he directed us toward a carpet shop. An old man waved us on into the shop, and I think he was going to ask for a cut for getting us in there, but we were heading there anyway. The man laid out a couple of rugs, which Jan didn't like, and said she wanted something thicker. Then he unrolled one she liked but said it was too big. So he got out a smaller one, but she liked the colors on the larger one. He pulled out several more, but every time she said she really liked the colors and design of the bigger one, so I just asked the price of the big one. We worked it down to an acceptable figure and walked out with our rug. I should say I walked out with our new rug, and my daggers. And Sam's dagger. I am, in fact, the family pack mule. It was getting close to time to meet back at the rallying point to head to the main square so we started back that way. Sam was eying some local clothing, so we stopped in a shop that had some very nice caftans and he started looking at them. They were pretty expensive, but Sam talked them down somewhat and he walked out wearing a hooded caftan they call a jalapa, and looked like one of the natives. He should have gotten the cap or a fez to go with it, but we were pressed for time. When we rejoined the group, we headed to the main square of the souk and saw the snake charmers, and the monkey trainers. People were having their pictures made with the monkeys so Margaret had to get in on that. Jan wanted to stay and shop, and I wanted to get back to the hotel with the carpet because it was getting heavy. So Sam and I headed for the bus and Jan went with Lonnie's family and kept shopping.
Tonight is our last official night of the tour, and we're having a special dinner to celebrate. We went to an old residence that's been converted into a restaurant. We had to ride in cabs because buses can't get down the street to reach the entrance to the riad where the restaurant is. The traditional architecture is called "hidden architecture" because it's supposed to look unassuming from the outside so that it doesn't inspire envy in other people. Inside, it can be very beautiful and ornate. This one was. It had a very small courtyard, but it had a little pool and was very pretty. We climbed the stairs to have a look at the view from the roof. It was a beautiful clear night and the stars were out, glistening on the satellite dishes that were on the roof of almost every house in sight.
Dinner started with fried dumplings. They had chicken and lamb. They also had a large variety of other items. Sautéed green peppers, sweet tomatoes, olives, carrots, and many other things. Everything I tried was delicious (I didn't try the olives). Next up was chicken. The chicken was baked until it was almost falling apart. It was served in a large dish in the middle of the table, with the chickens still whole. I was wondering how we were going to serve it and my sister was reaching for the utensils when the waiter returned and pulled off the leg and thigh, and pulled the breast bone out with no trouble at all. Serving it was easy then. We thought that dessert was next, but then they brought a large joint of lamb baked in the same style, and the waiter pulled most of the bones out we dug into that. I thought it was delicious, but several people passed on it. Dessert was next. It was a large wafer with some sweet creamy sauce. Again, it was delicious. That wasn't the end, though. They took that away and brought a tray of cookies. I hadn't planned on having any, but when the others started making yummy sounds, I couldn't resist. Time enough to diet when I get home, I suppose. Dinner ended with no fanfare. We just got into taxis and went back to the hotel. We have one more buffet dinner in London, but this was the big send off. We did get to eat with Lynn Garrison, our tour leader. It was nice to get to talk to her about something other than dumb tourist questions. We had to get our big bags out for collection by ten pm, and it was getting close to that when we got back so we got our dress clothes off and packed and put out bags out with minutes to spare.
Our first stop was a government run store selling traditional craft items. The prices were supposed to be set, but it turned out some people managed to negotiate better prices. I think everything is negotiable in Marrakesh. I immediately started looking at the daggers. I picked out a camel bone one, and had the salesman set it aside while Jan continued to shop. She was looking at jewelry and Sam and I were looking at some daggers in a case. I wasn't even sure they were for sale, and the man told us they were museum pieces, very nice. I asked how much and found out that a museum piece of real silver can be had for a few hundred dollars, so I bought it. I guess I can start my own museum now. Jan made her choices and we paid and got out before he sold us something else. The salesmen in Marrakesh are not as pushy as other places, but they can be very persistent. They are very good natured about haggling, though. Some places don't like to haggle, but these guys do.
The next stop was the souk. The souk (a traditional marketplace) was quite a sight. Where we first entered, there were stalls selling more modern things like baby clothes (there was a set that was actually called "Baby Iman"), cell phones and other modern items. As we got further in, though, we got to the more interesting shops. There were shops selling carved wooden items. The boxes were beautiful, but as Jan pointed out, what would be do with it when we got it home? Other stores sold cloth items. Some had daggers (in fact, it seemed like everyone sold daggers, no matter what the main stock of the store was), some had carpets, some had clothes, some had jewelry. The first order of business was helping my father's friend Admah find some necklaces for the ladies in his family. We stopped at a couple of place, and finally found a man with some nice looking things that was willing to dicker. He started at a hundred dollars for each necklace, but finally came down to fifty-one. He still seemed happy when we left, so I'm not worried that he took a loss on the deal. Next stop was a place that had lots of odds and ends. Sam was looking for a dagger, and they had some (as did just about every place, as I said). He picked the one he liked and struck his bargain. The next order of business was getting Jan a carpet. Someone asked what we were looking for, and we said carpets, and he directed us toward a carpet shop. An old man waved us on into the shop, and I think he was going to ask for a cut for getting us in there, but we were heading there anyway. The man laid out a couple of rugs, which Jan didn't like, and said she wanted something thicker. Then he unrolled one she liked but said it was too big. So he got out a smaller one, but she liked the colors on the larger one. He pulled out several more, but every time she said she really liked the colors and design of the bigger one, so I just asked the price of the big one. We worked it down to an acceptable figure and walked out with our rug. I should say I walked out with our new rug, and my daggers. And Sam's dagger. I am, in fact, the family pack mule. It was getting close to time to meet back at the rallying point to head to the main square so we started back that way. Sam was eying some local clothing, so we stopped in a shop that had some very nice caftans and he started looking at them. They were pretty expensive, but Sam talked them down somewhat and he walked out wearing a hooded caftan they call a jalapa, and looked like one of the natives. He should have gotten the cap or a fez to go with it, but we were pressed for time. When we rejoined the group, we headed to the main square of the souk and saw the snake charmers, and the monkey trainers. People were having their pictures made with the monkeys so Margaret had to get in on that. Jan wanted to stay and shop, and I wanted to get back to the hotel with the carpet because it was getting heavy. So Sam and I headed for the bus and Jan went with Lonnie's family and kept shopping.
Tonight is our last official night of the tour, and we're having a special dinner to celebrate. We went to an old residence that's been converted into a restaurant. We had to ride in cabs because buses can't get down the street to reach the entrance to the riad where the restaurant is. The traditional architecture is called "hidden architecture" because it's supposed to look unassuming from the outside so that it doesn't inspire envy in other people. Inside, it can be very beautiful and ornate. This one was. It had a very small courtyard, but it had a little pool and was very pretty. We climbed the stairs to have a look at the view from the roof. It was a beautiful clear night and the stars were out, glistening on the satellite dishes that were on the roof of almost every house in sight.
Dinner started with fried dumplings. They had chicken and lamb. They also had a large variety of other items. Sautéed green peppers, sweet tomatoes, olives, carrots, and many other things. Everything I tried was delicious (I didn't try the olives). Next up was chicken. The chicken was baked until it was almost falling apart. It was served in a large dish in the middle of the table, with the chickens still whole. I was wondering how we were going to serve it and my sister was reaching for the utensils when the waiter returned and pulled off the leg and thigh, and pulled the breast bone out with no trouble at all. Serving it was easy then. We thought that dessert was next, but then they brought a large joint of lamb baked in the same style, and the waiter pulled most of the bones out we dug into that. I thought it was delicious, but several people passed on it. Dessert was next. It was a large wafer with some sweet creamy sauce. Again, it was delicious. That wasn't the end, though. They took that away and brought a tray of cookies. I hadn't planned on having any, but when the others started making yummy sounds, I couldn't resist. Time enough to diet when I get home, I suppose. Dinner ended with no fanfare. We just got into taxis and went back to the hotel. We have one more buffet dinner in London, but this was the big send off. We did get to eat with Lynn Garrison, our tour leader. It was nice to get to talk to her about something other than dumb tourist questions. We had to get our big bags out for collection by ten pm, and it was getting close to that when we got back so we got our dress clothes off and packed and put out bags out with minutes to spare.
Day 21
This was set to be a traveling day. We left the lodge at 7 am. We got Donald for a driver again, and while we rode he told us about the four ethnic groups of Tanzania. He was Bantu, of the Chaga tribe (I think that's what he said). There were also the Nile peoples, the Khoizin and one other I can't remember. The bushmen were part of the Khoizin group. I wish I could remember more details, but it was loud in the jeep and I didn't even hear all of it. We saw some lions crossing the road, actually they had just crossed the road and were walking away when we got there, but I think I got some decent pictures of them. We saw the hippos in their pond again, but they wouldn't come out for us. One of the later jeeps said they saw one walking along the road. Bad timing, I guess. We got to the air strip at Seronera early, so we waited for the planes to arrive. As expected, a group of people ran to the smaller planes. The same people that ran to the larger plane the first time, no doubt. We didn't have any problem with it being too hot on the plane, though, and we didn't waste a lot of time on the ground so there was no issue with the plane being uncomfortable on the ride back to Arusha. We saw a couple of mountains, but Kilimanjaro was right in front of us and when we finally turned so we could see it, it was obscured by clouds.
When we landed in Arusha it was a shopping frenzy. They had some great stuff there in the shops, and most of it was very reasonably priced. Even the tee shirts were only ten dollars. Jan bought several beaded baskets, including one that was being used in a shop to display some other wares. Jan offered her ten dollars for it and the lady said "No, five". Jan didn't argue and paid the five dollars.
On the plane, Cathy asked if anyone else still had their departure cards and Jan and I answered that no, they took them when they stamped our passports. She hadn't had her passport stamped either, so I guess officially my brother Lonnie and his wife are still in Tanzania.
The rest of the day was traveling. It took almost fifteen hours altogether to get to Marrakesh. We touched down about seven pm local time (three hours behind Arusha). We processed through immigration and boarded our buses to the Sofitel Hotel. The dinner buffet was more interesting than most, but the food wasn't very good, at least to my taste. We were exhausted from our day of travel, so we turned in early.
When we landed in Arusha it was a shopping frenzy. They had some great stuff there in the shops, and most of it was very reasonably priced. Even the tee shirts were only ten dollars. Jan bought several beaded baskets, including one that was being used in a shop to display some other wares. Jan offered her ten dollars for it and the lady said "No, five". Jan didn't argue and paid the five dollars.
On the plane, Cathy asked if anyone else still had their departure cards and Jan and I answered that no, they took them when they stamped our passports. She hadn't had her passport stamped either, so I guess officially my brother Lonnie and his wife are still in Tanzania.
The rest of the day was traveling. It took almost fifteen hours altogether to get to Marrakesh. We touched down about seven pm local time (three hours behind Arusha). We processed through immigration and boarded our buses to the Sofitel Hotel. The dinner buffet was more interesting than most, but the food wasn't very good, at least to my taste. We were exhausted from our day of travel, so we turned in early.
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