Are we there yet week 4 2015.

How do I participate?

I would like to challenge you to take pictures of signposts of your holiday/travels and post it in a blog.

1. Title the blog: Are we there yet? and add a photo of a signpost or your holiday.
2. Please add a link to this page in order for others also to find this page and be part of the fun. (create a ping back)
3. Add this badge to your page (If you’d like).  
4. Post a link to your page in my comments box as well as your e-mail address if you’d like me to add you to the Pinterest board.
5. We will post the top 10 posts every week on our various blogs and promote them on Social Media. (With 2 hosts that means that your post will reach many more people)
6. Visit the person that linked up before you and comment please. If you have time please visit some of the other blogs as well.
7. Please visit the blogs of the hosts and/or follow them on the social media platform of your choice.
8. Like our Facebook page by clicking here.
9. We also have a Pinterest board so please feel free to add your post or any other related pins to the board.

Meet the co-hosts

Kim Hine blogging at http://kimlhine.wordpress.com/ You can find her here:

Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest

Amanda  blogging at Livinginafrica.net  You can find me here:Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

 

 

 

Are we there yet? Week 3 Top post

Our VIP for this week is Barbara from Barbara’s blog. Her post took us to Sweet Pete’s in Jacksonville.  Thank you so much Barbara for letting us visit with you.

 

Will we see your post here next week? If you’d like to know how you can take part please click here.

Tips when traveling to….Guatemala

Miranda over at Graceandgravy wrote this post for us about her travels to Guatemala. Enjoy!

 

Traveling is a passion of mine, which if you ask my close friends and family they will say is preposterous.

Preposterous you say?

Yes, Preposterous!

See I have a fear of traveling.

Sounds insane right?

It actually is.

I have a fear of interstates. I have a fear of semi trucks. I have a fear of other drivers.

I don’t mind trains, or planes, but automobiles, yes!

And the problem is, in the rural area I live, you must drive even if it is just to catch a train or a plane.

See the Catch 22 of the situation?

But I love to plan trips. I love to find new places to visit, sites to see and mission work to do. Once I can get over the fear of getting there, I am good to go.

I was asked by Amanda @LivingInAfrica to write a post about a travel experience and answer a set of questions to go with it.

I chose to write about my engaging and remarkable travels to Guatemala. What an eye opening experience it was. I hope you enjoy and plan a trip to visit soon!

Questions from Amanda:

Question: Why did you decide to travel to Guatemala?

Answer: I chose to travel to Guatemala for mission work at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage and service work in the community of Monjas.

Question: Did you do any research online about Guatemala and what where your challenges?

Answer: Yes I researched and the biggest challenges I faced was that the villages had inadequate information.

Question: What information was hard to find?

Answer: Road conditions and driving directions and what to except from the town as far as lodging and restaurants.

Question: What places did you visit in Guatemala?

Answer: I flew into Guatemala City and spent a night at a local La Hosta. I then traveled four hours to the community of Monjas where I spent the majority of my time doing mission work. At the end of my trip I spent the day in Antigua shopping the local markets.

Question What was a highlight on your trip?

Answer: The highlight of my trip was serving the girls at Shadow of His Wings. Seeing the joy on their faces for the little things that we take for granted everyday.

Question: What was a disappointment?

Answer: Leaving the beautiful country and the girls at Shadow.

Question: How would you describe the food in Guatemala?

Answer: Amazing! I LOVE Hispanic Cuisine. Guatemala food is not as spicy as the food we find in the areas I live, which was a bonus. I love the flavor but not so much heat. How could you not love homemade tortillas, guacamole, rice and beans.

Question: Was is easy to exchange foreign currency?

Answer: Yes, very. The airport had a station to exchange, but if you waited til you arrived in the community, it was harder to exchange but cheaper. I also found ATM’s in Antigua that I used for money. Had to shop more!!

Question: Name a place in Guatemala that you would recommend visitors to see.

Answer: Antigua for shopping and local culture, but any small village or community to see how a Third World Country lives. It is an Eye Opening Experience.

Question: Any advice to future visitors to Guatemala?

Answer: Take it all in. Enjoy your visit and get to know the people in the community. Their stories will amaze you. Be prepared for CRAZY Drivers and Chicken Buses, steep mountain roads and lots of construction. Do not drink the water. Only bottled water and drinks. Don’t be scared but be aware of your surroundings. Leave your heart open for all the situations that you may be faced with in areas where you can help.

*

 

*Through the ministry of the James Project of Latin America, orphans and widows at risk will receive the support needed spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally to become solid citizens in the Kingdom of God, ultimately for the glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdom.

Click here if you would like more information on how to become involved and support Shadow of His Wings.

**If you would like to support Miranda and her family on their journey back to Guatemala for Mission Work this November, click here.

 

If you would like to share your ideas and tips with us please let me know in the comments section.

 

 

Tips when travelling to…..Senegal

Mary Ellen over at http://www.jamessproject.com/ wrote this stunning post for us. Thank you so much Mary Ellen. I really enjoyed the post and it made me miss West Africa even more!

Visit her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter– It’s worth it 🙂

Over to Mary Ellen:

What moves you?

Think about it. What truly MOVES you?

What motivates you to get up? Get moving? To explore and discover places that you have never been; people you have never met; with languages spoken you do not understand?

What can get you to go there?

For me, it has been my children.

What else would give a middle aged suburban soccer mom who nearly failed high school French the guts to travel solo to West Africa?

That’s right. Her child.

My teen age daughter is living in a village in Senegal for the school year as part of her bridge year as a Fellow with Global Citizen Year. When the decision was made that she would go, the expectation is we would not see her until she returned in eight months to American soil. As life would have it, some gifts and hard work offered me the opportunity to visit her new home away from home. Only I would be travelling solo until we connected. And then still, it would be this not so continental middle aged mom and one young and growing American teen.

But my children move me. My daughters inspire me. It was time to say hello to the young traveler inside me that I had left on the side of the road of early motherhood some twenty years previous.

I started my journey to Senegal by doing a ton of online research. As much as I varied my search terms: Senegal, solo travel, woman travel in Senegal, developing country, best ways for Americans to travel; safe travel, etc – the google results were TripAdvisor and a couple of individual blogs including “LivingInAfrica”.

Unsure about what was more reliable I ate it ALL up! During the trip I realized that these websites that had landed on were quite reliable and I was anxious to help another a new traveler to Senegal have a positive experience too. Senegal is VERY do-able for any new traveler. You just need to be prepared.

Hopefully my experiences will help push anyone sitting on the fence about visiting Senegal to go ahead and book their flight. It’s an adventure worth having. It’s one that you will continue to discover new parts to it long after you have returned home, too. Here are Five Things to know About Westerners Travel to Senegal.

1. Where to Stay: Booking.com & Trip Advisor are your best friends. The reviews on these sites are quite accurate which can help you determine what your non-negotiables are on hotel stays in a developing country. Senegal IS a third world country. There are power outages at times and the shower head usually is not affixed to the wall. Yet, the power always comes back on and its better than a bucket shower!  There are a couple five star, very expensive western hotel chains in Dakar, Senegal. However, if you are hoping to experience the feel of the host country I would encourage a stay at a locally owned hotel. I found Hotel Sunugal via the reviews at Booking.com. While it did not receive rave reviews for its wi-fi, they did have it available at the hotel restaurant and I just didn’t want to be glued to the web anyway. I did appreciate that the Hotel had a reputation of cleanliness and comfort. In addition, while there I much appreciated the respectful way the hotel staff allowed me to try my limited French and understood when it was better for us to communicate in English.

1. Getting Around: I went the “easy” route and hired a driver. The quotes imply there is no easy way. Taxis and buses abound are very do-able. Taxis are reasonable so long as you feel confident haggling the price with the taxi driver before you get in the car. The reception staff at Hotel Sunugal where we stayed was very helpful finding a reliable taxi driver for us for an evening outing. However, daily use for extended driving it is probably best to get a driver for those days. Again, haggling the price is important before you go. Make sure that there is clear mutual agreement on who is paying for gas and what gas. I agreed on $40,000 CFA ($80 USD) a day plus gas. My understanding was I would pay for the gas needed for driving me places. Not the gas the driver used up going other places without me in the car. Buses are another option but certainly are not for the faint of heart.
2. While On The Subject of Money: The best and easiest way to go here is to use your VISA/MC debit/credit card. Call your bank a few weeks in advance of your trip and ask your bank to mark the dates you will be travelling out of the country. Let them know what countries you will be in so there will be no difficulty in taking money out of an ATM machine. Keep in mind that sometimes the ATMs may be out of money – especially if it you arrive on a holiday or near a weekend. I arrived the day before New Year’s Eve and found that six different ATMs did not work. In this case, you may want to exchange a small amount of money at the airport just to make sure you have some case ($50,000 CFA) will be enough for taxi fare and getting settled in your hotel. You can always try to withdraw a lesser amount as well if it does not work at first.
3. Religious Pilgrimages: These actually should be a sub section of “Getting Around”. When I visited, there was a religious pilgrimage to Gamu the same day we wanted to travel to Lac Rose and then on north to St-Louis. As the infrastructure is still being developed this meant we would run into all the traffic of this pilgrimage. It took us twice as long to make the journey as expected. Just something to keep in mind – check the Senegal Public Holiday calendar when setting an itinerary!
4. Mosquitoes and Visas: You will want to set up an appointment with a travel doctor leaving ample time for a yellow fever and typhoid vaccination. While there talk to the clinician about what type of anti-malaria medication they would recommend for you. There are three possibilities at this time with a variety of side effects. Something for everyone! Most hotels will offer a mosquito net and you will want to use them. Learn how to properly tuck the net under the mattress. A little insect repellant should suffice throughout the day to keep the bugs at bay. The Senegalese Visa is also a process to allow time. Approximately one month before you travel you will apply for your Travel Visa online. Follow this link and follow the directions closely. You will be printing out your receipt. You will pick up your Visa once you get to the airport.
5. Oi de toilette? There are a few common phrases you will want to understand while visiting Senegal. Americans are terribly insular – to our disadvantage. It is not only polite to your host country but quite helpful to you as a citizen of the world to at least TRY to communicate in the native tongue of where you are visiting. The official language of Senegal is French. “Ca va?” and “Cava bien?” are perfect ways to communicate – especially in the urban areas like Dakar. “Nange daf” is a nice greeting in the native tongue Wolof spoken by a large amount of the Senegalese. They will be surprised to hear you say it and their smiles will broaden. It’s a great way to show respect for their culture and give you a chance to explore in depth. A phrase book is a great help.

 

• Leaving Dakar: It’s not easy. Chances are good you will not actually be ready to go. You will want to explore Goirree Island a second time. You will want another day at Lac Rose. You will wish you could have made it to Ngor Island. Then there is the night life – alive and vibrant in what is actually the wee hours of the morning! However, all good things must come to an end. Have your passport out and ready to show several times. You will show it to be able to enter the airport. You will need to show it at the enrance to the Check in line and at least another three times before you even get to the Customs Officers. Once you get through and to the other side. Don’t get that bottle of water and think you can bring it on the plane. You have to drink it all before going through ANOTHER luggage inspection. You will head out of the building, onto a bis and head to the place for your final departure. Watch your step leaving the Dakar airport building. The last step is a doozy! I know. I got to fly the 9.5 hour flight home with a sprained ankle on a full flight! (Ahem, Delta has a direct flight to New York but not the best customer service. That’ll be another post someday!)

If you’d like to share your ideas here please let me know in the comments section 🙂

If you’d like to read about more tips when visiting different places please click here.

Have a great day!

Are we there yet? Week 2 Top posts

Thank you so much to everybody that took part in the challenge this week! It was a lot of fun to look at.

Gypsy road added a few posts about their holiday. Thank you for taking us with you!

They took us to Arizona.

Then to the Great lakes.

Fort Ticonderoga

They also gave some general tips for traveling

Our own Kim also did a post about her holiday.

 

Will we see your post here next week? If you’d like to know how you can take part please click here.

 

 

Are we there yet? week 3 2015

How do I participate?

I would like to challenge you to take pictures of signposts of your holiday/travels and post it in a blog.

1. Title the blog: Are we there yet? and add a photo of a signpost or your holiday.
2. Please add a link to this page in order for others also to find this page and be part of the fun. (create a ping back)
3. Add this badge to your page (If you’d like).  
4. Post a link to your page in my comments box as well as your e-mail address if you’d like me to add you to the Pinterest board.
5. We will post the top 10 posts every week on our various blogs and promote them on Social Media. (With 2 hosts that means that your post will reach many more people)
6. Visit the person that linked up before you and comment please. If you have time please visit some of the other blogs as well.
7. Please visit the blogs of the hosts and/or follow them on the social media platform of your choice.
8. Like our Facebook page by clicking here.
9. We also have a Pinterest board so please feel free to add your post or any other related pins to the board.

Meet the co-hosts

Kim Hine blogging at http://kimlhine.wordpress.com/ You can find her here:

Twitter/Facebook/Piterest

Amanda  blogging at Livinginafrica.net  You can find me here: Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

 

 

 

Tips when visiting…..Hawaii

I’ve decided to widen this theme a little in 2015. Bloggers where invited to to submit guest posts and I was thrilled by all the responses!

I will post a few posts from guest bloggers a few times per month.

This first post is from Richi Reynolds. We will visit Hawaii with her. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Find Richi here:

Facebook/ twitter/ blog/ pinterest  

Richi’s visit to Hawaii!!!

Question: Why did you decide to come to Hawaii?

Answer: We traveled to Hawaii last summer. The trip was a graduation trip for my son who graduated from high school. We chose to limit the trip to two islands: Maui and the Big Island

Question: Did you do any research online about Hawaii and what where your challenges? What information was hard to find?

Answer: I did a lot of research and since I had been to Maui before, I had somewhere to start. On our first trip to Maui we had stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui and loved it, so we decided to stay there again. Luckily, I got the idea to ask the conceirge to help me plan our trip. She was wonderful! She made reservations, recommendations and helped us get the most out of our time in Hawaii.

Question: What places did you visit in Hawaii? We visited Maui and the Big Island. On Maui, we took the road to Hana, which is a twisty 42 mile road full of 54 bridges and 600 hairpin turns through some amazing natural scenery. On the Big Island we traveled to Volcanoes National Park to see the active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

Question What was a highlight on your trip? There were lots of highlights, but two of my favorites were the authentic luau at the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui and night snorkeling with manta rays off the coast of the Big Island.

Question: What was a disappointment? The biggest disappointment was that we had to leave! Travelers to Hawaii should be aware that prices are high. We knew that, but a first timer might be shocked.

Question: How would you describe the food in Hawaii? The food in Hawaii can be as heart healthy or as artery clogging as you like. It just depends on the choices you make. If you stick to the fresh fruit and seafood, both of which are abundant and absolutely delicious, Hawaii can be one of the healthiest places to eat. But, if you eat some of the local favorites, such as the loco moco, which involves white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy and may also include chili, bacon, ham, Spam or kalua pork, you can pack on pounds pretty quickly. The shave ice in Hawaii is wonderful and should not be missed!

Question: Name 5 places in Hawaii that you would recommend visitors to Hawaii should see. 1) Hana 2) Volcanoes National Park 3) Snorkeling with Manta Rays off the coast of Kona on the Big Island 4) Sunrise or sunset from the top of Haleakala on Maui 5) Banyan Tree Park in Lahaina, Maui

Question: Any advice to future visitors to Hawaii? There is so much to do in Hawaii, it is easy to rush. Slow down, if you can and take time to enjoy the beauty of Hawaii. Do not try to visit too many islands in one trip or you will find yourself sitting in airports the entire time.

.

Steam rising from the steam vents in Volcanoes National Park.

Hawaiian sunset

Rainbow eucalyptus trees on the road to Hana.

Old Lahaina Luau

Banyan Tree Park in Lahaina, Maui. This is all ONE tree.

Shave ice in Maui.

Coastline on Hawaii’s Big Island as we were leaving Volcanoes National Park.

That is up to you! This part of the blog is 100% dedicated to you and you decide where we will go and what we will see. If you have any ideas or want to be a guest blogger please let me know in the comments section or send me an e-mail.

Culture?

What does that mean? Recently a post made it’s way around cyber space that was written by an American lady living in South Africa. You can find it here and I strongly suggest that you read it alongside this post.  That post inspired this post.

You see I love my  culture and language. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like other cultures. It is just a fact I enjoy braaivleis and I enjoy melktert and most of all I enjoy speaking Afrikaans. Don’t even talk about a lekker kuier in Afrikaans. (a very nice visit-this term is untranslatable I’m afraid-come to South Africa and we’ll show you.) I am an Afrikaans teacher and I even have a blog dedicated to the teaching of Afrikaans. I love the diversity of South Africa and I even grew up in a homeland and can speak English, Afrikaans, Setswana and a bit of Xhosa and Zulu.

I believe that everyone is equal before God and He created everyone. This post is to thank Annie Erickson for her letter. I know of a lot of Afrikaans people that needed to read it.

A BIG announcement! Are we there yet?

I am happy to introduce you to the Are we there yet? Co-hosts!

Kim Hine blogging at http://kimlhine.wordpress.com/ You can find her here:

Twitter/Facebook/Piterest

Amanda  blogging at Livinginafrica.net  You can find me here: Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

 

 

 

The Are we there yet? Challenge is still the same in essence but there are more chances for you to share your post and ideas.

We also have a Pinterest board so please feel free to add your post or any other related pins to the board.

How do I participate?

I would like to challenge you to take pictures of signposts of your holiday/travels and post it in a blog.

1. Title the blog: Are we there yet? and add a photo of a signpost or your holiday.
2. Please add a link to this page in order for others also to find this page and be part of the fun. (create a ping back)
3. Add this badge to your page (If you’d like).  
4. Post a link to your page in my comments box as well as your e-mail address if you’d like me to add you to the Pinterest board.
5. We will post the top 10 posts every Tuesday on our various blogs and promote them on Social Media. (With 3 hosts that means that your post will reach many more people)
6. Visit the person that linked up before you and comment please. If you have time please visit some of the other blogs as well.
7. Please visit the blogs of the hosts and/or follow them on the social media platform of your choice.
8. Like our Facebook page by clicking here.

Click here to see what happened the previous weeks.

 

Introducing Book Review Wednesdays: On Route in South Africa

As of Today I will host a book review on this blog. I am really excited to share all the great books out there with you! If you click here you will be guided to all the book reviews on this site. Our first book will be:

On Route in South Africa

The 3rd revised of this book was published in 2014. When I think about this book I think of my grandfather and road tripping. He got the first edition as a gift and I’ve enjoyed paging through it when I was in high school and dreaming of all the wonderful places South Africa has to offer. Later we bought one for our family and I’ve had this copy on my lap through Meiringspoort, Kuruman, Stellenbosch, Ugie and a flight to Cape Town  just to name a few places. This book always goes into the car right next to the padkos (padkos direclty translates as “food for the road” snacks etc) and the camera. I’m so glad that it is in e book form now but there is just something about a book that’s been read so many times that it’s lost one cover.

As a family we enjoy history and knowing why a place got a certain name. It also keeps you busy in the car because you can choose a route and follow it and there will be something to say about each place on that route.

It has 27 chapters and includes detailed regional maps, incorporating up-to-date place names, and complemented by route directions within the text.

If you don’t have this book already please get yourself a copy and head out to discover South Africa.

Click on the pictures below to find out the prices and where you can buy it.

 

Op pad in Suid Afrika Printed Edition

Op pad in Suid Afrika E book

On Route in South Africa Printed edition

On Route in South Africa E book