I escaped from Paris this morning, and I already feel better! I was so tired of the smelly, hot, crowded Metro, so I found a taxi and went to the train station in style. What a nice place! Air conditioning, shopping, restaurants, and trains to anywhere you could want to go! Fearing that it might take me a while to find my way, I arrived about 50 minutes early, so I sat in a nice Panera-type cafe and ate a pain au chocolat. I also had some tea, but of course it was hot. They have yet to discover ice in Europe. I found my train with a little help from a couple of Americans who knew a little French. I was on a TGV train which is one of the high speed trains in Europe. ... read more

After having unhappy feet all day yesterday, and not sleeping much last night due to the nap I took in the afternoon, I decided to take the lazy way today. I walked to the Notre Dame area and got on L'Open Bus. It's a hop-on-hop-off bus that has 4 different routes and takes you all around the different areas of the city. There was a decent narration explaining things as we drove along. It was a hot, but beautiful day, and I rode around the city seeing most everything! Paris is beautiful, and it looks "so Parisian". Silly? Well, it looks just like I expected, based on seeing it in movies all of my life. Instead of telling you everything I saw, just figure if it's a sightseeing spot in Paris, then I saw it. Instead, ... read more

I'm packed and as ready as possible. Eight months ago, I planned this trip and tried to convince some other people to go with me. I had a few friends who would be great travel companions, but it just wasn't going to work out for them. I had to decide if I was going to forget about the trip or just go by myself. It was so hard to make the commitment, but one day in February, I decided I just had to do it. I bought the airline tickets just so I couldn't back out. Well, the day has arrived, and I'm just going to close my eyes and jump in!... read more

Day 12-Arusha and Mt. Meru Craft Market Sleeping in until the sun hit our faces was so nice! We weren’t scheduled to have Francis’s services today, but he said he would borrow a friend’s car and take us shopping. We went to a large craft market to buy some things. The shopkeepers were very aggressive, but we just had to smile, say “No, thank you”, and keep moving. The open air stalls were filled with African ebony carvings, Tingatinga paintings, batik, and beaded jewelry made by the local people. We purchased several things and had a great time meeting the people. Although Kiswahili is their language, many of them speak enough English to communicate with tourists. They’re very friendly, happy people. When Len explained to Francis that he is the director of an Assisted Living facility, ... read more

Day 10-Maasai Schools Our cook made a good, hot breakfast for us the next morning. We shared it with our Maasai guide and then went to his boma. We met one of his two wives, one of his 6 kids, his mother, and his 105 year old grandmother. He invited us in to one of his huts. What kind of compliments can you give when visiting one of these places? What a life! Before we left to visit the school, our guide wanted Sally to show the gathered people her knee replacement scar. In their language, he explained the surgery to them. Their eyes got big, and they all wanted to touch it! They were very concerned about the pain she must have endured. Apparently, they don’t know about anesthesia. Someone showed up with a pickup ... read more