http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/K K/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from K K en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 00:26:39 BST Fri, 16 May 2008 00:26:39 BST It's important for me to praise the master drummers who taught me so generously in Bamako at the Djembe Hotel and to tell aspiring djembe players in America about the value of going to Mali and learning from masters like Sega Cisse and Matche Traore. It's hard to put into words how grateful I am to the drummers I played with and learned from in Mali. I got to have an excellent first time experien http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/blog-237380.html Hi FolksWhat Kevin forgot to mention last night is that I am being treated for Malaria and not dying really Thanks for all the love and support. I generally feel a bit better in the morning and I think maybe the drugs are working fingers crossed so I'm up now writing in a slightly dizzy goingbacktobedsoon state. Kevin and others here at the Djembe Hotel are taking fabulous care of me. D http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-236369.html We've been a long time on the road all the way up to Timbucktou the fabled city and Essekane to see the festival in the desertit was a most bumpy road our bodies are rocked to the core wiped out and sore the dirtiest dustiest drive deep in the desert it's like we drove from Michigan to California but back in time the sunsets and sunrises made the trip all worth it. We got to see a lot mor http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/blog-236268.html We have had an amzing past couple of days. Thanks to Jeremy and Sega we have had a fantastic journey to Sega's village 3 hours NW of Bamako. Yesterday morning we loaded up our gear into a minibus drums back backs etcs and went off for an adventure...which started with drumming the whole way there As we passed villages and roadside communities we drummed and danced and sang the whole way invo http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-233495.html The last few days here have been busy busy fun. Jack and Sharon are here with us now settling in to African life. Its great to see them and to share this experience with them Yesterday we went to see the National Ballet practice awesome dancers and drummers They gave us our own little show very cool. We came back to Jeremy's compound for lunch and a short rest. After a break I had a reall http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-232768.html January 2ndhere in Bamako playing drums everyday learning a lot classes in the morning and afternoon and into the night hanging out with great teachers at the Djembe Hotel. Jeremy and Tewa have been great hosts helping us absorb the often overwhelming atmosphere of Africa. The internet has been down for a few days. We're mostly hanging out at their home adventures outside require effort an http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-232256.html Hi EveryoneSo we've been here for a few days now how many It's easy to lose track of time in a way. We all keep forgetting what day it is. We're really happy staying here with Jeremy and Tewa and their family at the Djembe Hotel we heartily recommend it They are lovely lovely people welcoming us into their home bringing in excellent drum and dance teachers taking us to interesting things http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-230703.html We've finally made it to Bamako and are settling in to a new space languages and yummy food. We had a really long trip here but it was very cool. After a great send off by the Liskas and Colleen and friends just two hours of sleep we flew to Casablanca. We arrived in the morning knowing that we had around a 16 hour layover and that there are neat things to see in town but not sure about how http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-230108.html Happy Holidays We are in the final stages of planning for a new adventure a new continent a new year. Next Friday Dec 21 we leave our beloved and comfy home in Davis for time with the LiskaRockwell's and a farewell party in San Fransisco then early early in the wee hours on Saturday we depart for Africa. We'll land briefly but not momentarily in Casablanca hopefully spending the day on th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mali/District-of-Bamako/Bamako/blog-227838.html Hope you enjoyed our blog hearing of our journies togetherwe are back in sunny california trying to process our trip and get ready for homelife again. Kevin's going to massage school for 12 straight days and Kara will work on her dissertation both jetlagged and happy to have had such an exciting adventure. Our honeymoon in the third world. It has been a great learning experience. One of the bi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Davis/blog-74962.html Hello friends and family Namaste we're on our way out of the country today after a crazy car ride fearing we wouldn't get here in time for our plane. Our driver seemed like he was on crack and of the top ten things you can hit on the road here he hit one at least it wasn't a cow. It was a pigeon. We are sad to leave but ready to go. Kara got a little sick the last week but bounced back in gr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-73968.html Hello namaste asalaam malequum we at last saw the Taj Mahal this morning at 6 am. The people here have been waiting for the monsoon and the heat to break and it hit just in time for us at 6 in the morning underneath the grand marble tomb built all for love. It was wonderful to view the Taj with only a few indians umbrellas and total downpour hard for pictures but soaked we walked around an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-72830.html Wishing you all well in Leh Ladakh Northern India. Julay That's what all the sweet Ladakhis say for hello goodbye and thankyou. We're in Leh which is beautiful and calm compared to Manali. We wish that we had longer to stay actually. The bus ride here was pretty intense. it was a really really long trek pretty grueling But think it was a wonderful thing to do once in a lifetime we're http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Jammu-and-Kashmir/blog-72282.html Greetings fellow travelers on the way. It seems whether we're traveling the world or just hanging out in one spot we're always in transition. We are getting ready to leave the cloudy lands up here with the Dalai Lama. We will have to leave behind our comfortable bed and breakfast appropriately named Shanti with the special view and Grover's eggs in the morning. We would really like to see more http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-70124.html So here we are in McLeod Gang which is the seat of HH the Dalai Lama and nearly the same town as Dharamsala. The monsoon has finally hit tonight. The folks here have been waiting for it the last couple of weeks. The rice patties are all dry and wilted and fields wanting the rain. It thundered much of the day today rained a little too but tonight as we ate dinner next to a window we scarfed dow http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-69023.html Our journey has become something new and beautiful Delhi is like a nightmareoverload memory. We traveled by overnight train from Delhi to Pathankot which was a little weird but nice to have first class and ac our own little cabin. And we woke up got off the train to a much different place but still the crowded barrage of stimuli that is India. We met some other travelers from Canada who wan http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Dharamsala/blog-68211.html Greetings from DelhiWe had a nice time in London for a couple of days its a wonderful city We exhausted ourselves by walking its streets and riding the tube and the busses. We rode the london eye went to the tate modern saw Titus Andromicus at the globe...Then we bid London goodbye we could have stayed longer and took the plane to Dehli arriving yesterday at nearly midnight. Our guest hou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-67714.html Hello Loved OnesKevin and I are getting ready to fly off towards India on wednesday morning. We're hoping to be able to travel blog a bit on our journeys for the next month this is trial number one. We'll see how easy it is to maintain when we're not sitting in our comfy living rooms. Especially the photos thanks to Mitchella and Marty for the blog idea. If you'd like to not get bloggy emails http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Davis/blog-66040.html