This morning it was another early start and a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren we also had a quick stop in Ennistymon before heading to Doolin for lunch. We liked Doolin so much that we decided to spend the rest of our day there. We found a really fun pub with live music that conveniently had a B&B next door. Since we wanted to visit the Aran Islands the next day and there was a ferry that left right from Doolin we decided to spend the night in Doolin too. Unfortunately when we woke up the next [View Full Entry]

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We set out early and decided to stop in Ros Mare for breakfast. We ordered two traditional Irish breakfasts and the disappointment in Kevin’s face when he found out that black and white pudding was not the Jell-O pudding that he was used to was truly priceless. From there we headed to Waterford and took their factory tour. It was very interesting and the skill and time that it takes to make each piece was amazing. From there we drove on to Blarney. We walked through the castle and grounds and even kissed the stone despite the rumors we had heard [View Full Entry]

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After our overnight flight poor Kevin had to adjust to driving stick on the opposite side of the road through downtown Dublin. Luckily he had some practice while we were in South Africa so after only one minor mishap we made it safely to our hotel. We decided to splurge for the beginning of our trip and stayed in the Westin at College Green which is directly across from Trinity college and pretty close to Temple Bar. After quickly checking in and ditching our bags we decided to start our trip with a tour on one of those double-decker hop-on/hop-off buses. [View Full Entry]

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So the airline lost our luggage--didn't lose it exactly as much as decided not to bring it on the plane because it was so hot that the plane with everyone's luggage was too heavy to take off. They left 70 pieces of luggage behind however they did not tell us this until the plane had landed. Luckily we had packed some extra clothing in our carry on bags. We stayed at Capetown Hollow right next to the planetarium and found it to be very convient for everything that we wanted to see and do. With so much to choose from we [View Full Entry]

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After one night in Johannesburg we flew into Livingstone. We were picked up at the airport and taken back to the Zambezi Sun which was to be our home for the next 3 days. We looked around the room briefly threw down our stuff and decided to get a look at the falls. It was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel and although it's the dry season we still thought they were awesome. By the time we got back to our room it was trashed. Apparently one of the housekeepers had left the balcony unlocked and the baboons decided [View Full Entry]

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While at the adventure travel expo in NYC I came across a really cheap whale watching package in Virginia Beach. It included two nights at the hotel, breakfasts, one dinner and one lunch, tickets to a whale watching tour and admission to the aquarium and marine science center and an imax movie all for less than $150. We were sick of the cold and the snow so Kevin and I decided to make the trip down. We drove and it was a long ride from NJ. As we got closer it began to get warmer and warmer- when we left we [View Full Entry]

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Today we are flying back to the States. In Tai'an we spent a day visiting the Dai Temple complex and traveling to the summent of Mt. Tai, a mountain that has been considered holy for centuries by Taoists, Buddhists, Confucianists and Maoists. This was my favorite part of the trip. We took a cable car to the top and the views were spectacular. Are Tai'an we visited Daming Lake in Ji'nan and traveled over the Yellow River on an overnight train to Suzhou, a city filled with cannels that many refered to as the "Venice of the Orient" We went to [View Full Entry]

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We left Beijing to explore the Great Wall. It wasn't what I expected at all. I knew that it wasn't flat but I had no idea how uneven the steps would be. By the time I got to the top I was using my hands to get up to the next step. I enjoyed the veiw and a cold drink at the top before heading back down. Our next stop was the Sacred way leading to the Ming Tomb. The next day we visited the Tempale of Heaven and then took the train to Ji'nan which is the capital of the [View Full Entry]

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We finally arrived after three days of traveling. We almost thought we wouldn't make it because of the hurricane on the east coast so we left for San Francisco a day early. The plane ride was long and I had the displeasure of sitting behind a women who decided to sing opera throughout the flight. Who does that? Once we arrived we found out that we would be stuck with her for the next 14 days because she was part of our tour. Luckily everyone else seems very nice. They are a bit older than the people that I'd normally choose [View Full Entry]

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Last week I was in Nairobi for a Technology conference. It was pretty uneventful but nice to be able to catch up with a lot of other volunteers. This week I'm back at site busy writing funding proposals. I have a temporary roommate which is nice because I was beginning to get a little lonely living by myself. She'll only be here for nine weeks and most of that time I'll be traveling so the arrangement worked out well for both of us. Tommorrow a few other volunteers are coming to visit and we are all going out dancing. Saturday we [View Full Entry]

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