Upright & Stowed

So Much For My Blogging Vacation

This was too brilliant NOT to post.  Talk about a travel-related political message.

God Bless Sarah Silverman.  :-)))

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Inverse Vacation

Most vacations serve as a break from work.  My first official blog vacation is in deference to work.   As in, I'm swamped now and need a sort blogging break.  Thus the inverse image above.  I'll be back on October 1st, with all sorts of goodies.  In the meantime, enjoy the dreamy early days of fall, wherever in the world you are.

Blogging Live At 35,000 Feet

This is not your typical blog post, though it looks like one.  No, you are reading  my first blog post sent LIVE from 35,000 feet.  Thanks to American Airlines' new GoGo inflight WiFi, (currently available on its trans-con flights), I have a super-fast internet connection, all for $12.95.   I left JFK about an hour ago, and I'll be in LA later today.  So far, I've checked the headlines, updated my Facebook status, I-M'd with friends Billy (in LA), Curtis (in NYC), Ingo (in Berlin) and Steve (in SF), and retreived my email.  Love it.  Love it.  Love it!

Small World

I have a mother and a father.

In the 50s and 60s they lived together in St. Louis.

My mother still lives in St. Louis.

My father now lives in San Diego

My father has a sister who lives in Washington DC.

My mother has a first cousin who lives in Tel Aviv.

My father’s sister became close friends in the late 70s in Washington DC with the woman here in black.  Her name is Nira.

My mother’s cousin went to college in the early 60s in Israel with the woman here in black.  Her name is Nira.

On Friday, my mother’s cousin came to NYC to celebrate the birthday of a friend.  When she told me that her friend’s name was Nira, I thought “Nira?  No frickin way!” 

It was the same Nira.

Thirty years of friendship with my paternal aunt.  Forty-five years of friendship with my maternal cousin. 

All discovered last Friday.  The day that Nira and I met.

In the picture above you can see me and my paternal aunt in the little picture, me and Nira arm in arm, and (unseen) my maternal cousin behind the camera.

My head is still spinning.  I love it when world's collide.  And I love Nira!

Surprise and Delight

As an adventurous traveler, I am as enthralled by a cot in a UN refugee camp compound as I am by a dusty sleeping bag at Burning Man as I am by a pampering 5-star resort.

My recent trip to Kenya was heavier on the spare than the plush, but I was able to squeeze in one blissful night at the amazing Bateleur Camp in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.   Bateleur is one of the most spectacular "tented" camps in Africa.  Gourmet food, attentive staff, spectacular surroundings, and tent-like rooms that are hard to leave, even when a safari calls.  Best of all, Bateleur delivers its luxury experience with wit and imagination.  

I am always on the lookout for lodging experiences that "Surprise and Delight," and Bateleur offered them at every turn.  Here, I offer you photos of the two most surprising and delightful moments of my stay.  Up top is plate of watermelon and gin delivered to my room shortly after arrival.  Down below is one of the two hot water bottles placed at the foot of my bed while I was eating dinner in the main tented lobby.  Talk about sweet dreams.  These are the little moments that we take with us when we've had a great lodging experience.    Have you had a small but sweet moment of lodging "surprise and delight" lately? 

About Last Night

After yesterday's moody (though important) post about September 11th, I wanted to share the gorgeous view from my deck last night.  This is the amazing Tower of Light, installed annually to honor the day.  It was particularly beautiful this year, with patchy clouds to catch the light and a glorious moon alongside.   Every year I've been moved by the power and simplicity of this artistic creation.  Well done.

Dark Days

Seven years ago today I was living in San Francisco.  My phone rang at about 6:25am.  It was my sister calling from New York. 

I knew the world had shifted that day.  I knew that there were forces of evil that had come closer to home than ever before.  But what I never could have imagined on September 11, 2001 was that my country would so tragically lose its way. 

Our current and disastrous administration has leveraged America's fears to press policies that are as shocking as the September 11th attacks themselves.   They have lied, bullied, baited, distorted and tortured.   These seven years have been so much darker than the needed to be.

But there is a way to the light.  And it happens in the voting booth in 8 weeks.  If you know someone who is undecided, now is not the time to sit back and say nothing.   If you have a mind and a heart, use them and advocate for change.  It's our country.  And it's time to take it back.

Free at Duty Free

On Saturday I had a two-hour layover at Heathrow.   My objective for this brief visit was simple: Forget that I just got off a 9 hour flight and pretend I was starting the day in London.  It's all part of the mental game I play to beat jet lag by placing myself in my new destination's time frame. 

Imagine my delight upon discovering that at Heathrow, they don't just sell every kind of duty free liquor ... they serve free mixed drinks with whatever they're promoting.  Here I am about to down a shot of Caipirinha, made with Sagatiba premium Cachaça.  This was followed by a few other shots, and then some conveyer-belt sushi.  By the time I was done with my layover, I'd slipped into a New York State of Mind.  It was almost enough to make me forget that my trans-Atlantic flight was on American.  :-)

A Thousand Words

My Mac has a new hard drive (whew!), so I can blog again ... with full facility.  Here are the photos to accompany my post from Sept 4th.   More to come.

This is the food I ate for six days while staying in the aid worker's compound in the refugee camps.  As you can see, lunch and dinner consisted of white rice, beige rice, fried potatoes, stewed potatoes/carrots, mixed carrots/peas and the occasional carnivorous item.

Here's a shot of the UN airplane I flew in to both refugee camps.  It looks official and important on the outside.  On the inside, my tray table was held in place by scotch tape.  Still, an incredible service.

 

This is one of the thorn trees which are the primary species in this part of the desert.  They're beautiful, but also something out of a certain nightmare.

Camels.  Cute, eh?

 

Note the mosquito net over my bed.  Unfortunately one hungry little critter got through on my first night in Dadaab. Fortunately, I've got my Malarone to protect me against malaria.

Here I am with a group of the amazing refugees who work with my organization, in the most challenging of environments. Inspiring.

Back Safe and Sound

I'm back in NYC ...  my computer is in the shop getting a new hard drive ... and soon I will resume timely posting.  Stay tuned. There's good stuff a-comin'.