trip to my birth place hi mary, thank u so much for ur lovely aritcle.. it took me back to my memories... i wish i can go back one day to DD, i left dire dawa during 1976 ie when i was 8 years old , my dad was a teacher there then. But it always thrills me to read anything about harrar, diredawa......may be b'coz thats my birth place... once again thank u for literally taking me to DD... God bless
Wanderlust in our blood... Hey Hannah! This is your long-lost cousin Erik from Austin, TX. Oma told me about your website - wanderlust is in the Cockrell/Wilner blood!!!! Since we last saw each other at the family reunion in Texas, I have been able to visit Russia, China, Hong Kong and India. It's amazing how my viewpoint about America and my gratitude for the quality of life I have shifts dramatically after traveling abroad. I would love to meet your fiancee sometime!
I got divorced 3 years ago and am now getting remarried to an amazing woman named Theresa on April 4, 2009. I now have 2 kids (Jordan - boy - 9 and Autumn - girl - 6). Theresa has Nicole - girl - 6. I have never been happier.
Austin is great place to live compared to anywhere else I have been. Please know you all have a place to stay here anytime!
Love, Erik (and Tabatha - my cat that you met in D.C. long ago!)
Mud Fashion Queen My daughter, ever the fashionista....even spreads mud in exactly the right places around her black bikini to make a very fashionable statement! Don't think she learned it from me, but we can ALL learn from her!
hi all your fotos are really nice i am also in love with kefalonia i am cypriot but build a house there near lixouri 5 km from petani beach a 2bedroom one big garage and i am selling it at a cost price 120.000 euros because i found a plot next to the sea if anybody interested i can send you fotos 00357-99603450 my email neoptolemos.michael@cytant.com.cy
Bad Timing?! I would argue and say it was perfect timing that you guys got out of the region before the bombing started.... Phew, glad to see you in South America. Love, Mom
Beautiful timing for your visit & message What a beautiful message at a wonderful time. Love to you both, and such a wonder that you have come to these understandings at such an early age. Where will it lead you!
Chef extraordinaire! I'm amazed that you could find the ingredients for an American-style Thanksgiving dinner, and cook them in a kitchen that probably is not terribly traditional! Bravo! But I want to try your souvlaki! I'm turkeyed out!
Cyprus Souvlaki Wow, the Cypriot souvlaki looks delicious! Hope you can make it for us when you get back. Hannah, the Thanksgiving dinner looked excquisite! What a great way to introduce the family to one of the most meaningful holidays celebrated in the States.
Love, love, love. Mom
Please come back This is Darren and Jane - let me say to anyone that has Nico and Hannah come visit them, that you are in for a treat. They are the best house guests and we enjoyed every minute with them. I'm sure Nico's family in Greece did not want to let them go. Neither did we! We all had a blast, even little Nugs. PS - Nugs is short for Nugget, which was Matthew's "official" name prior to being born - looks like it is a name that has stuck! Have fun in Cypress!
Response to above I don't think we described the Malay as the least populous in Malaysia, nor do we have anything against them or any of the groups. On the contrary, the diversity of the culture in Malaysia is one of the things we appreciate most about the country.
"KL (like the rest of Malaysia) is characterized by three main cultures and their religions: the Chinese Bhuddist or Taoist, the Indian Hindus, and the Malay Muslims.
Seems like you describe the Malay is the least populous people in Malaysia, or you may have issue with them.
I think it's better be corrected.
You renew good memories The Greek Islands were wonderful ... and, as I was kayaking there, I noticed that I never saw a Grecian flag that wasn't flying in the wind. A windy place, challenging kayaking, but the most wonderful people in the world. Thanks for renewing my memories!
Euro-hugger I have to admit that I love the Euro Huggers. I just got back from a beach in Florida and I don't know what the point is of wearing boxers followed by 'shorts' that fall almost to your ankles!
It's downright Puritan and I think the American look is completely ridiculous (I'm an American). Long live the Euro huggers and may they come back to America soon!
Ouzo and St. Nicolas I miss my ouzo and orange juice! They don't serve it on the airlines here. Imagine that! I'll have to stock up for when you guys get to the east coast of the USA. Nico, you may not be a saint yet, but I continue to hear reliable reports that you are one stellar young man! Keep on taking good care of my girl, and you'll both stay at the top of my BEST list! Love, Mom aka MaMa T
The Un-fat Greek Family Or is it the Big Phat Greek family? All I can say is that I didn't see any particularly fat people in your family, Nico. And it's a wonder, given the fabulous food and pastries! Great pictures, too. I especially liked the one of Hannah towering above the yiayias "out for a walk with the ladies"...and all looking very stylish! You can be proud of ALL your women!
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiico! Haha, I can still remember how your grandmother used to call out your name in her thick greek/italian/ethiopian accent. Tell yaya hello for me.
Response to above Interesting comment above (not from a friend or family of ours). We been out in the evening in many cities, including Manhattan, Bangkok, even Mumbai. Hire a guide? We prefer the real experience where possible... just an opinion.
Its perception and the "preparation" done back home :) You would not dare to go to a Manhattan alley alone after 7 in the evening, would you?
Like all places (including the US of A), you do not, should not, try to be adventurous in certain regions of a country or city. You should have hired a "guide" (he would've "fleeced" you; in Indian rupees, which would still be pocket-change in American dollars) and seen Rajasthan with his help.
An amazing story! Mary! I am so happy that you had the opportunity to celebrate your 5oth birthday with deer friends and family! Thank you for sharing this amazing adventure with us, going back to our roots it's a good way to find ourself deeply and appreciate ourself.... I read this message late (I don't know know why.) but sincerely...
Happy Belated Birthday!
Athens Dang it--you know I got a sudden need to take a bit of a trip and come meet up with you for a few days in Greece...and there you are. Maybe next time you take a world trip? I guess I should pay attention to your itinerary in the future. Hope you are having fun!!!! Maybe you are going to Paris? Ha ha...I crack myself up...that was for Hannah. ;)
and the journey continues........ Hi there,
always a pleasure to read about your travels, glad to see your having a great time too, lamu is hot now with occassional breezes but generally very warm, we had a great event on the 18th, stand up take action campaign, we planted trees in the schools in lamu, this is towards the millenium campaign goals, it was wonderful, the big show was at the town square, we had acrobats, skits, comedy, a dance and even a rapper!!, at the end of the day 5690 participated and within the whole week 650943 trees were planted in lamu alone, imagine if we all did this!!!!, ciao more from lamu soon, will send you the pics sometime, one love
thank you I am an Ethiopian living in London and i just want to express my appreciation for your interest in Ethiopia, a poor but potentially rich country which unfortunately, and may be rightly suffers from bad image. But I found your story nonjudgmental well balanced unlike most travelers who are in the habit of making a mockery of other people's culture and misfortune!
thanks for sharing your story any way!
I am no longer monitoring this travel blog on a regular basis. If you would like to send myself or Hannah a note, please send it to one of our personal email addresses or by using the messaging service from this site. Since I am required to review all comments before they are posted, if you post a comment on this blog, there will likely be a very long delay before that comment is published. For this reason, I encourage you to send a note directly rather than post any more comments. -Nico (December 03, 2009)
"Who lives sees much, who travels sees more."
And so we begin our jo... full info
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trip to my birth place
hi mary, thank u so much for ur lovely aritcle.. it took me back to my memories... i wish i can go back one day to DD, i left dire dawa during 1976 ie when i was 8 years old , my dad was a teacher there then. But it always thrills me to read anything about harrar, diredawa......may be b'coz thats my birth place... once again thank u for literally taking me to DD... God bless