We left Cairo today to go out to the ancient sites of Memphis and Sakkara. First though we had to get through the horrendous Cairo traffic. We left right at “rush hour” since Sunday is the first day of the week in Egypt (Friday and Saturday are the weekend). Egyptians drive with no rules, no lanes, and it is very helter-skelter. Pedestrians take their lives in their hands. Very stressful driving through Cairo. Memphis is the old capital of Egypt built more than 5,000 years ago, and was destroyed in an earthquake which apparently ended its reign. Not much left at the site and we got very close to the remains found there; my favorite was the alabaster sphinx. From there we went to the necropolis at Sakkara. This was the necropolis for Memphis and contains ... read more

Arriving at Cairo airport my nephew Jim and I were met by a local agent who secured our visas $15 US per person and we sailed through immigration. Retrieved our bags and were handed off to driver and local agent. Quick drive through the city as it was Friday at noon; Friday is the start of the weekend in Egypt. We checked into the Cairo Marriott & Casino and had a great room; enjoyed the hotel. Tips, tips, more tips. Take lots of small money for tips. Small Egyptian money is hard to come by. US dollars at this time are widely accepted. Nearly all toilets require a tip. Drivers, porters, guides, agents, etc. all require a tip. I would like to see the travel company in Cairo take control of the tipping (add to the ... read more

We had two full days in Tortuguero for exploring the tropical rain forest by boat, and just hanging out by the pool. The first day we started out at 8:30 which was too late. It got very hot, very quickly, and there had not been any rain. We took a boat trip down the river into the park and around the park. We saw all manner of wildlife, lots of caimans, a river otter, monkeys, and birds. We were in the full sun and I got overheated. I was miserable by the time we were finished. I took a cool shower to try to cool off. We had an afternoon outing at the Caribbean Conservation Corporation Museum to learn the history of how the area became a national park. We then walked down the very hot, ... read more

After watching the lava flow the night before (but I missed the 1 am eruption), we got up for a hike in the hanging bridges reserve. Another private property with outstanding views of the volcano, and lots more flora, fauna, and wildlife. This was a tough hike for me as one part was very steep. It takes me a little longer but I got there. The hanging bridges swing and are quite high up. The highlight of this hike was the strawberry poison dart frog, howler monkeys (they sound like dogs), and the yellow eyelash viper we saw at the last bridge. This night we went to the Hidalgo Family Hot Springs which is a family run operation on private property with springs heated by the volcano. The pools begin with a small very hot one ... read more

Into the cloud forest today; we have been so lucky to not have rain. Even though it is the cloud forest, it is unlikely we would have seen the famous resplendent quetzal if there had been rain. We entered the cloud forest with our private guide, Carlos (he is seen in the Lodge video referred to on 20 May), and he was on a mission to have us see the quetzal. There is a bricked path through the forest which is a little difficult to walk on but helps you keep your footing. Carlos showed us many insects and birds, but always chasing the quetzal whose call he could easily identify. The guides all know all the individual bird songs and usually mimic them pretty well. If you call a bird, it will answer because most ... read more