A look back

We traveled half-way around the world in 2013.  We celebrated New Years Day 2014 in Cambodia and continued on to Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Tanzania, Istanbul, Rome, Madeira, Porto, Netherlands, Morocco, and Barcelona. At the end of October we boarded a ship to slowly cruise back to the U.S. where we visited friends on the East Coast for a month. December was reserved for visiting the kids and their kids in California. If all goes well we’ll continue traveling in 2015 on the West Coast and up into Canada.

Great Moments:

• Hiked for three weeks with cousins, Susie + Tom, on the South + Stewart Islands (New Zealand)

• Had a Chinese feast at the Reilly family’s home (Australia)

• Sailed on a dhow in the Indian Ocean to snorkel at a far-off reef (Zanzibar)

• Walking safari (Tanzania) and hiked in the High Atlas Mountains (Morocco) – both with friends (and amazing guides!)

Porto, Portugal

 

Craziest Moments:

• Beth took a shortcut across mud flats heading for a café but not before she fell forward into the mud (New Zealand)

• Navigated through dark, dingy lanes at night in Marrakech’s Old Medina (Morocco)

• Slipped (and fell) our way down the Samaria Gorge, an 11-mile hike down to the sea (Greece)

Joe and Beth with crew of dhow in Zanzibar, Tanzania (photo by Jack Honderd)

 

Unanticipated Great Finds:

• Went on guided bird walks with Duncan + Dianne (NZ); John + Allison, and Barry (AUS) resulting in our seeing 258 new birds just in those countries

• Appreciated painted doors of Funchal, Madeira and public art in Porto (Portugal)

• Explored Citania de Briteros, an Iron-Age fortified city (Portugal); and Hohe Veluwe National Park+ Kroller-Muller Museum (Netherlands)

• Photographed interior architecture/design (Morocco) and Gaudi buildings (Spain)

Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef off Port Douglas, Australia

 

Things We Couldn’t Have Anticipated Before This Trip:

• Stood in a totally dark field at midnight to catch a glimpse of a kiwi (New Zealand)

• Drove up to KeriKeri (New Zealand) for a long weekend with new friends, Cliff + Ruth

• Collected little stones and seashells as our trip souvenirs (New Zealand, Australia) as well as sea glass (Spain)

• Heard kookaburras “laugh” (Australia)

• Visited a Barbaig family in their boma (Tanzania)

Joe hiking in Manapouri, South Island, New Zealand

Sleeping On The Road

• Awoke to views of the ocean at Barbara + Rod’s in Whangaparaoa (New Zealand)

• Took an unexpected camping trip to Freycinet NP in Tasmania with Gretchen + Phil (Australia)

• Camped in Maasai Steppe Wilderness and then stayed in luxury tent camps (Tanzania)

Medersa Ben Youseff in Marrakech, Morocco

 

What We’ve Learned:

• Scallops are served with roe in most all other countries (New Zealand); Joe doesn’t like Madeira or Porto wines (Portugal)

• Tasted durian fruit and observed bubbler crabs (Australia), learned about spices (Tanzania)

• Saw new animals: Tasmanian devils, wallabies, kangaroos (Australia); safari animals (Tanzania); Crete goats (Greece)

• Soccer is a sport viewed worldwide and we watched games in Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, and Arusha (Tanzania), cafes in Istanbul (Turkey), airport in Athen and cafes in Crete (Greece)

• We won’t fly on Royal Air Maroc through Casablanca ever again (Morocco)

Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Wishing you a peaceful holiday as 2014 draws to a close and a happy new year for 2015,

Joe and Beth 

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