So, we finally made the flight and arrived in Antananarivo (Tana for short), where our guide Nolavy was waiting for us once we left the ridiculously time-consuming immigration formalities. Nolavy recommended we change our money there, about $150 - $250 USD. So, I had $160 to change. We were taken out to a pretty nice red bus that was quite comfortable, much better than our transport in Zimbabwe. We loaded up on snacks at a nearby gas station, the nicest one by far we saw the entire trip. Since we had missed a day due to our missed connection, we had had to condense our schedule, which meant a 9 hour drive to our destination. 9 hours. It started out well enough, we were chatting and getting to know each other, listening to music, enjoying the ... read more

I made a few friends on my trip to Africa this past summer and we have kept in touch, including going to Kyrgyzstan together. AC organized a short trip with some of her friends and invited me along. It was an overnight stay on a dhow, the traditional boats of the Middle East. I said I was interested a few weeks ago, but the trip was not confirmed until the week before, which was perfect since my work schedule was so up in the air at this point. Friday morning, we met at her house and took two cars, including mine, to the northern tip of Oman, about a 2.5 - 3 hour drive. I rode with two girls I never met before, M (American) and R (English), both of whom had just run in the ... read more

The last day had arrived and it was time to say goodbye to our charming cottage and village. We packed and cleaned, taking some last photos, and leaving some of our leftovers in the wagon outside the honesty store (apples, oranges, drinks), which were gone by the time we left. Good! We were able to lug all our stuff in one go down the gondola and to our car. Then we were on our way to Bern, with me driving. This was our last stop before getting to Zurich. My flight left that night and they left the next morning, but were staying in a hotel near the airport. Bern was a good hour drive away and, after we had picked up our cuckoo clocks, we drove along the equally scenic south side of the lake ... read more

Hiking was one of the goals of this trip and this was our planned day for a bit longer of a hike, up higher in the mountains above Grindelwald. Initially, we planned a hike to an area in the glacial valley called Chilchbaum, which was supposed to be about 4.5 miles round trip. Then maybe a smaller hike later nearby. So, we packed our stuff for the day, including thermals beneath our clothes and Dana made and packed us a lunch of hard boiled eggs, cheese, jerky, and leftover vegetables. Chilchbaum We made our way to the edge of Gimmelwald and along a trail to the valley, south and then west of town. The hike was relatively easy, mostly along a road during the early parts. Then we started to gradually climb uphill, along a swift ... read more

After leaving Lucerne, we headed towards our cabin for the week. We drove through many more tunnels and made a stop in Interlaken, where we stocked up on supplies (expensive of course). This would be the largest grocery market around, so we figured to get as much as we could here, which included, bread, pasta, meat, fruit, veggies, and drinks. Gimmelwald We then drove through the Lauterbrunnen valley, past the quaint Swiss villages and towering waterfalls, on the way to Stechelberg, where we were to ride the gondola up to Gimmelwald. After finding the parking area (expensive), we found a nice lady at the gondola ticket booth who recommended a pass of 6 rides for each of us for 30 euros. Dana and Lindsey were a little nervous about the gondola, but I was excited! It ... read more