Ireland - Scotland | May-June 2009

We (Norm and me, my sister, Stacey, and her girlfriend, Tara) just returned from a 10-day adventure in Ireland and Scotland. Stacey and Tara met us in Ireland. We landed in Shannon, and visited County Cork (Blarney Castle, of course) before heading west again, travelling up the coast, and ending in the northeast corner, in Belfast. Our agenda was packed as was our vehicle. The journey was long and our nerves grew short. Despite everything, we enjoyed Ireland's fantastic heritage and landscape. The moist escape (from the desert) was super as I was able to leave the body lube at home.

Driving on the other side of the road/car was interesting - what's up with those Brits ... We managed just fine ~ only one minor incident that involved me behind the wheel. Hopefully Alamo won't look too closely at the left-side hub cabs.

The weather was spectacular. I returned to the UAE with a tan. We experienced light rain on days 1-2 in Ireland, but nary a drop until the morning of our departure. We experienced Scotland's entire week-long summer, which is a miracle I understand.

We took a ferry from Belfast to Stranraer, Scotland. There were several hiccups along the way (missing our first ferry, which resulted in our not being able to pick up our rental car in Scotland), but everything worked out. We hired a car to take us from Stranraer to Rothesay. Rothesay (the Isle of Bute) is the birthplace of Stacey's great grandmother and it was truly paradise. A haven stretching from the sea up a hillside. Architectural styles include victorian era homes and some bauhaus inspired structures. Our stay here was the highlight of the trip. We rented bikes and circuited the 25 miles around most of the island.

Ireland: stops/sites along the way included Cork (Blarney Castle), Killarney (the Ring of Kerry, Balleybarbury Castle, Staigue Fort), Dingle, Adare, Galway, Ballymote, Sligo, Donegal (Donegal Castle), Giant's Causeway, and Belfast (Belfast Castle) .

Scotland: stops/sites along the way included Dean Castle, Rothesay (Rothesay Castle [captured by vikings in 1230], St. Blane's Chapel), Edinburgh (the Museum of Edinburgh, National War Museum of Scotland, and Edinburgh Castle). The palace was closed as Prince Charles has visited the morning of our tour. During our tour around Rothesay we visited Scalpsie Bay (with the Isle of Arran in the backdrop), which is home to a pod of sea lions, stone circle of Ettrick Bay, and the stone circle near Kilchattan.

Check out our photos: http://s716.photobucket.com/albums/ww169/lagalag000/Ireland_Scotland/?albumview=slideshow

What I did with my day off

Da crib ... 4 living in happiness. Still trying to figure out how to lash down the palm. My entrance is not very sexy or practical.

I shared Arabic coffee and fresh dates today with Sama and her friend. Despite the language barrier, the crystal-clear nature of the conversation had to do with my childless existence. How could it be? Sama's friend repeatedly told me to go to the hospital. She was 36, had 4 children and wanted 6 more. The way they both spoke, 10 seemed to be a magical number, unlike the number of dates you consume, which should be at least 3, 5 or 7.

Tortoise Love

Two of the four tortoises - Sammy and Mr. T (Ms. T??). I came upon Mr. T a few months ago. He was leisurely walking on the sidewalk in front of our home. I collected him and he has been living in our courtyard ever since. About 2 weeks ago, I adopted 3 tortoises from the Al Ain Zoo: Sammy, Tortuga and Mo. These torts, along with many others, were turned over to the Zoo by border patrol. The torts were to be euthanized because of the surplus.

The clan of desert tortoises appear to be happy and healthy. I believe we have one male. At least, he is the only one demonstrating male tendencies.

Gracie

Gracie, my adopted feline, has vanished. Gracie was loving and gentle and allowed me into her wild existence for some 7+ months. As much as she would tolerate, I cared for Gracie ~ I hope you are in a better place.

Our Safaris - Jan-2009

Lewa Downs and Kichwa Tembo Safaris, Kenya ~ Jan-2009
Norm, Dustin, Nick and I just returned from an awesome holiday in Kenya. Landing in Nairobi, a short flight to Lewa Downs. The most amazing place. A conservation established by a wealthy, preservation-minded English woman ... more than we ever imagined. The brief stay was packed with sights, an attentive guide, and extraordinary scenery, not to mention the plush digs. We then caught several cessna flights (less than 2 hours total time) to Kichwa Tembo, located on the Maasai Mara Reserve (SW Kenya, on the border of Tanzania). My gosh. Two wonderful safaris.

We saw so many animals (in both locations): elephants, zebras (Grevey's and ordinary or mtn), mongoose, hippos, giraffes (reticulated and Maasai), Thompson Gazelle, impala, topis, elands, water buffalo, hyena, lions (lioness, lion & cubs), leopard, cranes, bustards, a slew of beautiful birds, white and black rhinos, HUGE crocs, wort hogs, a serval cat, bush baby, aardvark, jackals, ostriches (the underrated lovely female and the male), olive baboons, blue monkeys, vervat monkeys ~ I think that's it. Amazing. We saw babies, encounters with elephants and lions, baboons and hyeenas. We saw beautiful creatures early in the morning, mid-day, dusk and in the evening. In the water and on land. Eating, stalking, sleeping and sunning.

Day 1 at Kichwa Tembo - Our guide, Moses, responded to a call of a sighting ~ lions feeding on the carcass of an elephant who had been killed 5 days earlier during a fight with another bull. We arrive to find two big lions resting under a scrubby bush: one bloated was asleep on his back, feet turned toward the sky. The other was also resting, but alert. Shortly after our arrival, he got up and headed back to the elephant for more - hard to imagine. The sight of the lion tugging at the rotten flesh of the elephant was dreadful. The sight of the elephant, who had his tusks removed by the ranger, was dreadful. We watched this for a short while. Off in the distance, we saw a herd of elephants, however, a sole elephant was headed straight towards the lions, and the body of their fallen family member. The lone elephant reached the body. It semi-circled right, then left, looking for the lion. Sensing the lion, it retreated, seemingly to wait for the herd to arrive. When the herd closed in, the elephant aggressively charges and chases off the feeding lion. The intense chase, you see in the clip, puts the lion on a direct and close path to our open rig. At the last minute, the lion makes a sharp left, and runs the length of our 3 safari rigs, meeting up with his buddy in the tall grass. As the lion was running towards our vehicle, I imagined him leaping through the rig to escape the elephant.

With the lions at a safe distance, the elephants begin to grieve. This unforgettable scene draws in the entire herd - 21 elephants in total.

See this link for our pictures: Kenya Safari - January 2009.

Credit for the below video clips belongs to Nick and Dustin.

The chase:


I hope you noted that the car doesn't turn over the first time its started ...

Paying homage: