http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/2labs1girl/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from 2labs1girl en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:20:00 BST Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:20:00 BST I felt bad that there were no photos of Guam so here are some of mine. Hope you enjoy. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Guam/blog-136421.html Underway on the USCGC WALNUTMy short fly by to check on the house in Alexandria and the fam in California done it was on to Hawaii.So what did I do in the first few days after I was out of the Coast Guard Well I was out on the 1st of July swore in to the Reserves on the 7th of July and flew out to Hawaii for a week underway with Meg on the WALNUT on the 15th of July. So much for flying solo. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Big-Island/Hilo/blog-97004.html ldquoOh my God itrsquos a dam slalom courserdquo Franchesca swore as we wound our little Ford up the back side of the mountain. She then mumbled a new mantra ldquoI hate yourdquo meaning me under her breath.I smiled and bit my lip trying hard to keep my always miss understood nervous laughter in check. I sunk lower in my seat deciding it was best not to tell her what lay ahead. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Campania/Amalfi/blog-91797.html I woke up this morning and showered in yet another amazing bath with a view of the gorge. Frankiersquos parents and a family friend had rented a small stone villa and we had invited ourselves to stay in one of the guest rooms for five days of rent free Tuscan sightseeing. The house was built into the side of a hill near the medieval walled Tuscan town of Volterra. The town was so near if yo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Volterra/blog-91776.html This again is going to be more of a photo journal until I have time to update the journal entry. Hopefully I will find the time. In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy the photos. The hotel I stayed at was Manta Ray Bay Hotel and I dove with Yap Divers a dive shop attached to the hotel. The staff at both the hotel and the dive shop where amazing. Alex my dive buddy was the greatest and got me to http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Micronesia/blog-84239.html A hundred different shades of green and blue. White foam of surf breaking on the reef the sapphire blue of the deep and the turquoise green of the shallow. Air that does not have the heavy scent of salt but the strange and unfamiliar luring sweet of the mangrove blossom. A breeze blows the faintest hint of plummera.I follow a village elder and a small group of tourists down a mossy stone path http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Micronesia/blog-84196.html Passport Control KeflavikHappy to finally be the next in line I stepped forward smiled and handed over my passport and onward ticket to the large blonde Immigration Officer in uniform. He looked to be in his mid 40rsquos his light blue shirt matched the color of his eyes. He took my passport and without looking up mumbled something to me in Swedish. I was a little surprised given he was hold http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Iceland/blog-76098.html After almost completing a long list of projects my pregnant sister in law became very dizzy. Whether it was the rapidly rising southern California heat or the paint fumes no one knew but after several hours at the local hospital the doctor prescribed home and lots of rest. My brother having gone back to school was in his last week of finals for the summer session which left me babysitter of ch http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/San-Fernando/blog-75310.html As we start our decent for BWI we fly low and slow over Annapolis. She is full in her summer beauty. It is early evening and the sun has just begun to set. The sky a golden yellow reflected off the water breaks into a million little dancing prisms. There are still hundreds of sail boats on the water. I do miss that sight. It is America at her most beautiful.The weather is in the 80rsquos http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-75309.html Ok everyone I have decided to make this more of a photo blog If you click on the thumbnail a larger pic will pop up with a short narration until I have the time to log my journal entry which at this point may take forever. Please check out the photos and the videos. The videos the second one is more like a mini movie tell the story well however there are a handful of good stories to tell fro http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/blog-74898.html Back in Botswana Makgadikgadi PansBack in Botswana and at the Makgadikgadi Pans. The pans still had water in them from the heavy rains so David our guide said it would all be mud and the truck couldnrsquot make it as it would get stuck. With the news Celine and I decided to content ourselves lying out by the lodge pool. As with all safari lodge and camp pools in southern Africa we had encou http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/blog-74600.html Marrakech to ParisHeather and I woke up early this morning to head to the Marrakech Airport. It was sad leaving the riad. With both of us on different coasts all grown up and competing demands there is precious little time together anymore. One week of crazy adventures every two years is not enough. On arrival the airport is scattered with tourists. It is the low season but flights for Nice http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/blog-74560.html Nikki Beach ClubHow to describe Nikki Beach Club We arrived around 4PM in attempt to escape the sweltering African afternoon heat to a high white painted wall with two white directors chairs and table in front of the entrance. There was a modern floral display of white calla lilies and grass on a table covered in a pristine floor length white tablecloth. Five men all clothed in white smiled at http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-74482.html From the packs of little baby mongoose and their mothers that ran around camp looking for food to working out by the waterhole before the afternoon game drive doing leg lifts with curious zebra and oryx watching. Whispering around the waterhole at night while watching shy black rhino though binoculars wishing my eyesight was better Etorsha the white dust.My eyes may never be the same with all http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Etosha-National-Park/blog-74463.html Milan to Marrakech 17 JuneMy traveling Moroccan familyFrankie departed early in the morning back to DC. I tried to go back to sleep knowing it would be a long grueling day of travel. I tossed and turned thoughts of Qatar DOHA Airport going through my mind. 4 AM ever so slowly became 8 AM no sleep. I got up dressed had breakfast and headed to the airport at 10 am.The flight to Casablanca wa http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Marrakech-Tensift-El-Haouz/Marrakech/blog-74417.html Sesriem and SossusvleiWe awoke early in the morning in order to get to the desert gates by 545AM. I had a hard time getting my contacts in and almost missed the truck but hoped on right as David was starting to drive off. As we raced down the road chasing the rising sun the desert was black bathed in the dim glow of an almost full moon about to set. There was a slightly perceptible glow of the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/blog-73974.html Fish River CanyonMay 9th 2006It is only day four and yet I am becoming familiar with the rhythm of the trip tents down 6 AM breakfast 615 AM on the road by 645 AM. Gone is my old morning routine wake up 545 AM walk dogs 630 AM at work by 7 AM get coffee and read emails 715 AM. morning meetings etc. I donrsquot miss it. This new pattern feels good comfortable. Climbing in and o http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Fish-River-Canyon/blog-73960.html I awoke to the high pitched hum of Vespas buzzing under our hotel window. Africa had the hippo honk as its lullaby Italy the Vespa. Frankie and I slept in both of us exhausted from the travel of the previous days. We were greeted by an overcast day. After a continental breakfast in our hotel morning room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea we drove up the coast towards France then inland t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Liguria/Sanremo/blog-66544.html Cape TownI awoke early to shower and eat breakfast before heading out to Table Mountain with the group. I had breakfast with a single girl from Belgium. She is the only single girl so I think she will be my tent mate. She seems nice but quiet although everyone is tried from the long flights. I don't speak French so I don't know that we will have a lot to talk about. She seems young. I met t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-Town/blog-66541.html Qatar AirportTired after an eight hour flight only to arrive in the epicenter of travelers hell. How many rings in Dantie's Inferno I think I am in the one with the stinging bees. Fighting a sea of humanity to find a place to sit turned into a game of duck duck goose. It took 20 mins and eight laps just to find a space to sit on the floor next to the ladies room. I have a woman sleeping bes http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Qatar/Doha/blog-64750.html