Love it! Ever since my childhood friend introduced me to the world by pretending to mail ourselves somewhere every time we passed a mailbox, I have been intrigued with cultures and wildlife of different countries.
My mother-in-law is in Antartica right now and a good friend of mine is from Bahia ( Brazil), which are both on the list, ” The 31 Places to Go in 2010.” Happy to say, I have visited many of the places on the list ( like walking around Cali, Columbia, alone as my husband lay sick in our hotel - maybe not safe but I survived and it was interesting!) Embarrassed to say, I needed to grab an atlas for some places and finally, some I have always dreamed about going to ( Sri Lanka!)
My husband would love to go to South Africa to watch the games in the World Cup ( summer 2010). And I would love to get my feet in African soil again ( LOVE this country!) I was surprised not to see Buenos Aires on the list, although they are calling Cartegena the next Buenos Aires and the architecture is so beautiful there!
Well, I will keep dreaming and trying to stock away some money because I look forward to seeing more of the world… especially with the kids!
Your kids will love this article! I loved the article - it brings me back to my childhood and my twenties. One of my truly amazing life highlights was seeing the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda overland from Nairobi, Kenya with 2 good friends. It was 1990, so the place was alive and full of tourists. However, most of the tourists were on planned trips and we were some backpackers just rolling into town to see the famous Dian Fossey gorillas. Luckily, Colin, loved to speak the 3 languages he knew and that the Rwandans spoke, and as we stood in the middle of a dusty road, we could hear Colin and our future tour guide make some deals in French, English and Swahili.
The next day we began our hike into mountain gorilla territory. It was rainy and actually quite miserable. The gorillas were usually seen within a 2 hour hike and we were hitting that mark. But when our guide turned to us with his index finger to his lips, I didn’t care if a storm broke out! All of a sudden, right in front of me, 2 black hands gently pushed away the branches that covered his face. And there, framed with greenery, was the magnificent creature’s beautiful face.
The clouds drifted away and the sun began to shine as we watch this mountain gorilla family eat and play in the dewy bushes. It was a sight and the feeling of true natural bliss, I will never forget.
OK, back to this article in the New Your Times. The article talks about all the different voices/calls monkeys have for predators and such. Maybe monkeys could talk if they wanted too but are choosing not too. Interesting! And it would not have surprised me if one had said hello to me…they are brilliant.
I stumbled upon this website, natural doctors international, (actually I think I stumbled upontheir video first – see below) and was blown away with what they are doing.
This is directly from their site:
“Natural Doctors International delivers natural medicine to underserved communities throughout the world and works with local peoples and international agencies to advance natural medicine and fully integrate it into global health care. NDI focuses on primary healthcare delivery, global health education, global health policy, research in natural medicine, and socially responsible volunteerism and service. Our medical rotations and global health courses are for licensed naturopathic physicians & acupuncturists, chiropractors, nurses, herbalists, midwives, and conventional medical doctors with an interest in natural medicine. Undergraduate students and lay people are encouraged to apply to our programs as well.”
I wish I had known about this when I was in school. I love to travel and am always amazed at what the third world countries are doing for their healthcare. I love that NDI is helping them be more proactive (and even re introducing) in their own botanical medicines and teaching so much more. It is very empowering for these people and for the people of the organization.
If you have a moment, please watch their video and if you have some time to donate or have some monies, please contact them.
I just returned from a trip to Vancouver. I grew up in Toronto so Vancouver is pretty new to me. I was blown away with what this city has to offer and how environmentally friendly it is!
Here are my top reasons that a road trip to this part of Canada is well worth it:
1. All the taxis are Toyota Priuses (totally cool!)
2. The Sutton Place, right downtown, has apartment type rooms to stay in. Perfect for families.
3. Stanley Park – WOW! Beautiful and stunning. Definitely go to the Aquarium.
4. If your coming from the states the US dollar has a good exchange rate.
5. There are recycling bins everywhere. This was so new to me. I even saw a food/compost bin.
6. A trip up to the Sunshine Coast would blow anyone away with the spectacular scenes and kids would love the ferry ride!
7. Imax, science centre are walking distances form the Sutton Place and right on the water. And Granville Island is so much fun with stores, restaurants and food markets and entertainment.
8. The snow-covered mountains are majestic and gorgeous.
9. Whistler is a close drive and is where the winter Olympics will be next year.
10. The people are super friendly!
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Love it! Ever since my childhood friend introduced me to the world by pretending to mail ourselves somewhere every time we passed a mailbox, I have been intrigued with cultures and wildlife of different countries.
