El Gringo Viejo's Guestbook

We're very interested in your cruising experiences, since we are taking our first in April, from Istanbul to Venice...only 7 days. It was so good to get your year end letter..ours will be out soon. We are both doing well....Love to you both...Lynn and Bill

Bon voyage!
You should have a wonderful time. And best of all--a full eight days at sea, uninterrupted by ports of call, with nothing to do but stretch out on a deck chair, sleep, read, work crossword puzzles, and wonder what time the next meal will be.

Promise to visit
Looking forward to seeing what you did with the attic. If I don't get there when I come in for my yearly visit with my tax accountant in February, I'm sure I'll be there this summer. Eric's still living and working in Plymouth.

Wow!
I'm so glad to finally sit down and go through these, Dad!! I believe I'm all caught up, and it sounds like a truly fantastic trip. What gorgeous photos too. And very interesting historical bits. I might forward the link to my friend Sandra Delgado. Her family is from Medellin, and I think she would find the blog really interesting. She actually just won a $50,000 grant to create and produce a play about a nightclub there that she's heard many stories about from her parents and relatives. Travel safely, and we'll see you in Chicago in the Spring! R xox

ORCHIDS
Hello Carol and Martin Oh what beautiful orchids. New Zealand has quite a range of native orchids, but they are all very small. The larger varieties will also grow extremely well here. We spent 3 weeks in Australia in January. Flew to Perth (liked it very much), then took the Indian Pacific train across the Nullarbor Plain to Adelaide. Watched our NZ amateur golf team (Girls - two of whom are members of our golf club), then drove to the "outback" at Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy is an opal mining town - very different from anything we have seen before. Did some "noodling" and found a couple of almost presentable opal-looking rocks! Took a day trip with the rural delivery mailman - about 600 km in 12 hours - and visited some outback towns and stations to deliver the mail. A great day if you are ever in the area. Then to the Flinders Ranges for a couple of days, and a leisurely mooch back to Adelaide to catch a flight back to NZ. Did two things I have always wanted to do - the train and Coober Pedy. Great to read all your blogs, thanks so much. We hope you are not buried too deep in snow - we could actually send you some sunshine if you want it!!!! Have had a splendid summer, which is still not over. Regards Gay and Don

Monoliths
Every people need legends and wonders and unsolved mysteries. Pablo was the Jesse James of Colombia. Any idea how many steps in that stairway to the top of the monolith? Thank you once again for all the glimpses.

Genuflection!
Martin, you are the Master of tight, clean, informative drollery. I grin in astonished gratitude every time.

Do you think Botero drew inspiration from the hippo garden? ;)

Curioser and Curacao!
I always wondered how they made Curacao. Now I wonder how you make that little squiggle under the second c. It probably involves a certain amount of suffering

Medellin
enjoyed Medellin blog immensely. I have opposite problems--learned my Spanish in Colombia, cannot understand the Mexicans. Colombia alleges it speaks the most "pure" Spanish (like Spain) of any Latin American country. I believe that to be true as many people have told me how well I speak (in the past, it is really rusty now). I hope you've found the outdoor Botero garden in the city center somewhere. I had fun taking photos of locals with Boteros when I was in Medellin several years ago. Also Botero museo in Bogota but it all gets to be too much Botero. There's a great Botero sculpture in Cartegena as well, in a plaza in front of a church of which I now forget the name. I first visited Medellin in 1968, it was lovely, old colonial homes, charming people, no high rises. All changed now. Have you ridden the public metro? I liked the boarding system in which riders are forced to line up. Have fun! Don't recall whether I sent notes from my last Colombia trip. I'll attach them to an email as I may not have sent them.

Keep them coming
Won't comment each time, but look forward to reading your descriptions. They are so fun and I learn lots!

Sounds intriguing!
Now I want to go to Curacao! Any chance of some photos? We really wish we could have joined you on this trip....looking forward to more blogs.... We are off to the coast in 10 days for some storm watching and rainy beach hiking....Fondly, Lynn

What are the Aruba social groupings, and other vaguely related questions.
What people, for instance, did Nicole's family hang with when they were on Aruba? Any actual Arubians? (Is that a word?) Why are all the waiters American?? Just naturally curious about what there is to know. Enjoyed your analysis of the language in your first blog entry. But then how many people know what Tagalog is? (I'm sure you do; just pointing out that not all languages are well known). Enjoy.