Cozumel

The first island we would visit on our cruise was Cozumel. According to Mayan legend Cozumel was the home to th gods, with its stunning white sand beaches, crystalline blue waters and ruined Mayan temples.

We decided to spend the day snorkelling and visiting Passion Island Beach. Boarding the Catatermin named Fury we were off for a day of playing in the water.

Dressed in our finest snorkelling attire we headed out to the Chankanaab Reef, part of the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world. The water was warm, and crystal clear. The natural aquarium revealed dozens of tropical fish, coral and vegetation. Absolutely amazing! We were told to stick together and follow the large buoy, which would lead us along the reef.  It was all so very impressive.  

After about 45 minutes in the water, which seemed more like 15, we climbed back onto the Catatermin  for the trip over to the secluded Passion Island Beach. At this point the tequila started to pour and watching the people on our boat was almost as fun as the snorkelling had been. Almost! 

Passion Island Beach is outfitted with waterslides, banana boats, tons of other water toys and beach chairs.  Nicole jumped on a paddled board and quickly mastered the technique. She is a natural.

 Once she returned to shore we couldn't resist trying out the waterslides. The hardest part was the climb up. Thank goodness for all that training at the gym. But it was so much fun and we tried it more than once. 

After soaking up some rays and playing in the water it was time to head back to the ship in time for lunch.  First stop the ice cream bar for our first milkshake of the week. So Good!

Tonight at dinner we learned a lot about Mr John. 

He was born in Lativia in 1943, and escaped with his family to Germany in 1945. They immigrated to the US in 1952.  We also figured out that he had aspbergers, which explain his conversation awkwardness. Awkward or not I wasn't going to miss one dinner with him this week.  A very interesting, smart man, indeed, who has touched my heart. 

Tonight's entertainment was a comedian named Darrel Joyce.  He is so so funny, making fun out of so many realities of life. " Why he asked is everyone on the ship carrying cell phones - really if you need to talk to someone after being apart for only 36 hours maybe you should have brought them with you."  We laughed so hard and I wished he had continued for another hour. 

Next we were off to the Infusion Pub for the country music trivia contest. Surely Nicole would be a bit of a ringer for us? We didn't win with 28 out of 40 but we in the top 25%of the teams. Yes we are just a little bit competitive? How can you win against a team that got 38 out of 40.  Of course they were a bit older and got the answers to the really old songs lol. Even though we didn't win we had a blast and then stayed around to dance before heading back to our cabin for the night. 

It was definitely a fun filled day, snorkelling, swimming, tanning, and dancing our bodies were ready for bed! 

Rest and Relaxation

I can't believe it but we all slept in until 10:30am this morning. I haven't slept for 10 hours straight in I don't know how long, so not waking up until 10:30 was quite a surprise. Then we realized there was no rush to jump out of bed, so we didn't. What a treat!

Finally we were all starting to get hungry so we decided it was time to go for brunch.  It is still brunch even at noon if you didn't have breakfast, right? Finding a table out by the pool we devoured our lunch while trying to answer the movie and TV trivia questions projected on the big screen above the pool. Not having watched a lot of movies from the 30's and 40's I didn't do so well but Janet was a winner.

Then it was time to find lounge chairs for an afternoon napor to read our books and people watch. A chair in the shade for Janet, one in the sun for Nicole and the third one with the head in the shade and the rest in the sun for Cathy. Surprising enough we found the perfect spot. As usual I found myself reading a few pages, falling asleep for awhile, occasionally waking myself up with a little snore and then starting the whole process over again. A perfect afternoon and just what the doctor ordered.

Tonight was formal night and we all got dressed in our prettiest dresses, put on makeup and even curled our hair in preparation for dinner.  We were happy to find Mr. John dressed in his tuxedo waiting for us at the dinner table. At least we knew he hadn't been emergency evacuated from the boat last night. The meal was awesome, however the conversation quite strange and a little awkward as Mr. John shared his opinion on the need to have several guns in your home or with you in order to protect yourself and your family. "How can Canadians possibly protect themselves if they don't carry guns?" - he asked. Then he proceeded to tell us how to avoid letting the police search your car, because you never know if your teenagers may have left marihuana in your car the last time they borrowed it.  Now remember he is about 75 years old and his only daughter is around 50. We asked him if he lived in a rough neighbourhood or had ever had problems with his daughter to which he answered No to both. I think he is just a little strange and very socially awkward. Oh yeah with very weird opinions. 

Tonight's show was "I've got the Music" featuring Cher, Lionel Ritchie and Neil Diamond songs. As the Emerald singers and dancers preformed the songs the audience sang along to some of the artists best known hits. 

Energized by the performance we headed off to the "Infusion Pub" for an evening of 50's and 60s rock and roll. Within minutes we were up dancing including a lot of twists. I am sure we burnt more than a few calories.  While we didn't win the twist-off or participate in the hula hoop contest ( mostly because we weren't picked to be contestants) we danced to every song they played excepted for the slow romantic ones. During these songs I really missed my sweetie! 

A little before midnight it was time to head back to our cabin for bed. We had a great day and tomorrow we will explore Cozumel, which means we need to be up at 7 am. 

Cruising in the Caribbean 2015

We were up bright and early on March 22, 2015. OK maybe not so bright but definitely early, it was 5:00 am Sunday morning. Nicole, Janet and I were heading to the airport for a flight to Houston where we would board the Princess Emerald Cruise ship for a week in the Caribbean. In desperate need of rest and relaxation, we were excited and ready to go. 

Clearing customs in Calgary was the quickest I have ever experienced. There was absolutely no one in line in front of us as we approached the custom officers and they were even friendly. Then through the X-ray machines where we got to keep our coats, shoes and belts on, and keep the liquids in our backpacks. It was really nice not to have to get undressed to get through security for a change. In just over an hour we had left Nicole's, parked at the "Park and Jet", cleared customs and were sitting at the gate waiting to board our plane. We had an hour to spare. I am sure though if we had left Nic's a hour later things wouldn't have gone so smoothly and we might have missed the plane. 

We arrived in Houston 15 minutes late and realized that we only had 45 minutes to check-in to the cruise ship. Jumping into a cab, we were headed to Bayport Cruise Terminal.  The only challenge was the cabbie wasn't sure were it was but he knew it was a long way away. No problem though- he would phone a friend and hopefully have us there by 3pm.  "No" we said, we need to be there before 3. He would try but he still wasn't sure where he was going.  To say the least I was just a little bit stressed, but refused to keep looking at my watch because that really wouldn't help us get there any faster.  Finally, I was able to locate the route using the GPS on my iPhone.  I know we will ge getting a hefty phone bill for that one but at least we were now confident we were heading in the right direction. With Nicole confirming the directions to our taxi driver he sped towards Houston's Terminal Port.  Thank goodness there were no police cars on the road because he definitely exceeded the speed limit getting us to the terminal without a minute to spare. We jumped out of the taxi and gave our driver a handsome tip. Hopefully he doesn't have to use it to pay any photo radar tickets! 

We weren't the very last passengers to check-in but it was close. We were so late we didn't even have to pose for the official welcome to the cruise ship photo. Just think of the time we will save not looking for the picture we don't want to buy.

I am not sure how it happened or why but we are scheduled for "traditional" dining at 5:30pm, table number 442, every evening. I think this is a good thing. Upon arriving at our table we were introduced to John.  During the introductions John told us his wife died a year and a half ago so he was cruising alone. Turns out Mr. John (as the cruise staff call him) has been on the ship since January 4th, 2015, but this would be his last week.

Now I am thinking that's the way I want to spend my latter years. Travelling around the Caribbean, having people look after me, a medical doctor that will come to my cabin if I feel ill and lots of entertainment to keep me occupied.  Sounds pretty good to me. Unfortunately for Mr. John, it doesn't appear to have been such a fun experience. In the past three months he hasn't left the ship at any of the ports, he doesn't go to any of the shows and really doesn't have much of an appetite. On several occasions the medics have had to help him get from the dining room back to his cabin because he didn't feel well. The whole situation sounded very sad.  It is very clear John deeply misses his wife to whom he was married for over 50 years. 

On a positive note we learned he was a high school math teacher prior to retiring.  Turns out that Mr. John brought 10 bottles of champagne with him when he first boarded the ship back in January. However that is a bit of a no, no.  Cruise lines don't allow you to bring your own alcohol, or any other beverage for that matter onto the ship. What the cruise line did do was confiscate the champagne and each Sunday they give him back a bottle with dinner. So tonight thanks to the generosity of Mr. John,  we all had champagne with dinner. A nice way to start the vacation and toast our new dinner companion.

After dinner it was time to go to the first show of the cruise. We were welcomed by the Emerald singers and dancers. Then the Cruise Director and the Assistant Cruise Director did the "Welcome to the Cruise" dog and pony show. The real entertainment for the evening was a comedian named Darrell Joyce. Now he was funny!  Mostly because everything he spoke about was so very close to the truth. Women needing a suitcase just for their shoes, how men could get away with just packing 3 pairs of underwear for a 7 day cruise and clothes people just should not wear; speedos, yoga pants.....

We were laughing out loud. 

As we were coming out of the show the captain made an announcement over the intercom system. Unfortunately there was a medical emergency on board and he was turning the ship around to meet up with the coast guard who would then transport the patient back to port for medical assistance. All three of us immediately thought of Mr. John and we hoped we would see him tomorrow at dinner(?).

It has been a long day and we decided it was time to retire to our cabin. Maybe with a good night's sleep I would get rid of my cold and be ready for a hard day of relaxing tomorrow. 

A Day in Morocco

It seems a bit strange that we would take a tour to Africa while visiting Spain, given we now live in Africa, but a day trip to Morocco  was something we couldn't miss.  So at 8:05am Wednesday morning Randy and I were standing at the entrance to our resort along with 16 other tourists waiting for the tour bus to pick us up. 

In total there was 37 people on our tour with more than a third of them from Canada, which really surprised me. I had no idea so many Canadians travelled to Spain, especially in the off season. The makeup of the group was quite interesting with most of the people over the age of 45........ A few young couples, and a few single girls who were traveling the world. You do have to ask yourself "why 5 sisters, who have trouble walking would book themselves on a walking tour?" They were all over 50, all very, very over weight; one needed a cane and one needed someone else to carry her very " heavy" bag. Honestly it wasn't so heavy as I picked it up and swung it over my shoulder. Anyways seeing them struggle was certainly motivation to keep exercising so that I don't have to quit going on walking tours anytime soon or hold everyone else up.

The bus was right on time and fortunately we were the last resort stop to be picked up. Once boarded we drove through the countryside heading to Tarifa, where we would catch the ferry to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.  The trip across the Strait was approximately 45 minutes and according to our tour guide we had the special privilege of travelling Business Class.   Not sure it was really Business Class but we did have the entire section at the front of the ferry to ourselves. The seats were a little worse for wear but overall comfortable.

When we left Spain is was windy and cool (only 15 degrees) but arriving in Tangier Morocco it was sunny and warm.

We were herded off the ferry onto a tour bus that would drive us through the different areas of the town. Tangier is a melting pot with numerous ethnic districts coming together to make a gorgeous city overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Our Moroccan tour guide spoke very clear English. He told us they learn English in school and speak Spanglish at home. When he was speaking to the Moroccans it didn't sound like Spanish or English...lol. 

The first stop on our tour was for a short, (and I do mean short) 2 minute camel ride. The tour buses stop along the side of the road where several camel pullers anxiously wait for tourist to disembark. For a mere 2 euros we each had an opportunity to mount the camel and ride around in a small circle. Of course there was a man with a camera taking pictures which we would meet up with later. Even though I had ridden a camel before I wanted to enjoy the adventure once again. Plus the baby camel was so cute! 

Back on the bus we were headed to the the point were the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. Cap Spartel is a pure tourist  spot with all the normal souvenir venders ready to releave you of your money. However I escaped without spending an euro. 

Next stop was at the Kasba. A  Kasba is a type of medina, Islamic city, or fortress.

It was a place for the local leader to live and a defense when a city was under attack. A kasbah has high walls, usually without windows. The Tangier Kasba was built at the entrance to the harbour, on the side of the hilltop so that it could be easily defend the residence against attack. We were off to Rock the Kasba.

Walking through the Kasba the route was complicated, with lots of turns and very narrow streets. I am sure without the help of our guide we would never have found are way about. But how cool. The venders would jump out on front of us trying to sell their wears but we didn't have time to stop or we would be left behind and everything they were trying to sell was probably fake. Sterling, leather, jewellry, etc. Stopping to see the snake charmer was not quite what I expected. The cobra snake was small and placed on the road, while one man played the tambourine and the second encouraged the snake to dance. After a few minutes the cobra was stuffed into a wooden box with a lid and a second snake was pulled out.  Did I want to hold it? Naturally my first thought was "NO", but then I thought why not try. This was definitely a safe controlled opportunity. 

Continuing on we finally reached the restaurant where we enjoyed an authentic Moroccan meal. Soup, meat, kebabs (maybe it was goat?), couscous with some type of meat and vegetables, and baklava soaked in honey. It was extremely tasty and plentiful. Definitely more than I could eat.

Then the serious shopping began as our guides took us to a carpet, leather, jewellry shop where he insisted we could buy quality goods. While we were told that we should negotiate hard for any item we were interested in and that no one would be offended regardless of how low we offered, they really didn't negotiate that hard.  I saw a wonderful silver bracelet with a jewelled butterfly on it. The sales person offered it to me for a mere €290 or $420. We were told to offer a fifth of the price so I indicated $100.  The sales person told me I have expensive taste and his best price was €240. Then he let me walk away.  I certainly didn't need it not did I want to spend even a $100 on a bracelet, so it was easy decision to walk away.

Each of the five sisters, plus several others bought beautiful carpets, that would be shipped to the States. Us- I bought a pair of leather ballet slippers for a whole €18. All I really needed and very comfortable.

Last stop on the tour was the spice shop. As we entered the store we were all asked to take a seat. Then the owner put on a small presentation of all their products and their uses. Saffron, eucalyptus black seed, argon oil, orange oil, and white musk to name a few. We smelled, looked at and past around each of the samples. Then came the sales job. We were each given a clear plastic bag as the presenter and his team asked "how many of each item we would like?" "€5 each or buy 2 and the third one is free. Within minutes each of us had a bag full of goodies and we lined up to pay.  They really had the sales process down to a fine art and I am positive everyone bought something.

Then it was time to hustle back to the ferry to start the voyage back to Spain. We rushed and hurried, avoiding the street venders, who continued to jump in front of us as we walked, and were back on the boat waiting to go. Then we waited, and waited some more. Turns out there was a problem with a few stowaways. An hour later the boat was moving on our way back to Tarifa. 

Once back in Spain we needed to clear customs. Our guide kept saying "keep together. If we go together as a group we will get through in 2 minutes. If not it can take 10 minutes per person and we will be here over an hour. So keep together". When we got to immigration we were all together but the agent seemed to be taking his time. Next thing you know our guide is yelling at the agent. I am thinking "oh no", but the agent stands up and starts pushing the group through. I don't think he even looked at my passport. 10 minutes later we are all back on the bus heading down the A7 towards our resorts.

It was an awesome day, full of gorgeous views, exotic animals, good food and some interesting shopping. So glad we took the tour! 

A weekend at Lake Kivu

Friday night at the Rubengera compound was Alaskan night. One of the expats is from Sitka, Alaska and she had just returned from vacation at home bringing with her ten pounds of fish, shrimp and four cans of smoked salmon. We were definitely in for a feast tonight's celebration of Alaska Day.

1. Alaska Day marks the anniversary of the formal transfer of the territory from Russia to the United States and the raising of the United States flag at Sitka on October 18, 1867. It is usually celebrated on October 18 each year.

 The drink of the evening was White Russians curtesy of Randy, which kept him very busy mixing drinks all evening.  After filling our bellies with bread and salmon dip, ( I could have licked the bowl clean, however refrained and someone else did), and seafood it was time for games.

The first test was to walk the log. Now normally this would seem fairly simple, however there was a complicated twist to this log walk. The coordinator had found a 25 foot long log and trimmed it of all branches and bark, then the log was greased with cooking oil. That is were the real challenge came to play. Members of the team took of their shoes and socks and attempted to walk the log. Not only was normal balancing a component of the task, the oil made the log extremely slippery and participants struggled to stay on for even 2 feet. As people slipped and fell it was apparent it would only be a matter of time before someone fell and seriously hurt themselves, but fortunately no one did. After numerous attempts by lots of people, one individual finally mastered approximately 8 feet and was declared the winner. 

Next we were treated to a play focused on a reenactment of the sale of Alaska from the Russians to the United States. I am sure that other than the consumption of a lot of vodka and that the sale was actually transacted very little else in the play was anywhere near accurate. We laughed our heads off as the four actors attempted to teach us about the history of Alaska.

Now that we had seen the play it was time to test our knowledge of Alaskan facts and trivia. Turns out my one trip to Alaska was of little help. Divided into three teams the questions started to roll. Even with some good guessing our team managed to come last. Lol. Who knew that Alaska was sold for 2 cents/acre or the name for Alaskan boots? Apparently mukluks isn't  right. The prize for the winning team was of course bragging rights, which we definitely heard.

For some members of the team is was time to head off to their individual homes, for others it was time to dance and party. We stayed for a short time and then called our taxi driver to take us down to Kibiriz House. It was a fun night with tonnes of laughs. Just not sure I am ready to dance and drink all night anymore. Plus we were spared the terrible hangovers some of the others sported the next morning.

One of the expats rents a gorgeous house at Lake Kivu, Kibuye, Rwanda and graciously offered to let us use it for the weekend. Having been to Comoran Lodge which is right next door on Wednesday afternoon I knew the location was beautiful and would provide a relaxing atmosphere for Randy to rest.

With the generous offer from our friends we offered to look after their dog for the weekend. Buster turned out to be the best behaved dog ever, who stayed by our side and never barked the whole time.

Arriving at the house we were totally impressed. The yard and lake were absolutely breathtaking and the house was almost exactly what we would like in our dream home. The livingroom and master bedroom are on the main floor looking out over the property and lake. The second floor is an open loft looking over the living room and out over the lake. Simple, cozy and comfortable. 

The back of the house features a huge deck with an amazing, open turret fireplace on the side.

We spent the afternoon walking down to the lake, exploring the property and relaxing on the deck. At least until the thunderstorm started. As the rains started to pour down and the thunder cracked through the sky, we headed indoors with Buster cowering under our feet afraid of the thunder.

After a filling dinner of spaghetti, we couldn't think of anything better than to sit on the deck with a nice fire to warm our souls. But where would we find wood? Then Randy found the owners instructions indicating if we went up to the gate of the compound and ask the attendant (for a few francs),

someone would come light a fire for us. So with flashlight in hand I wandered up the path looking for the attendant. Remembering that everyone in Rwanda speaks French and mine isn't that great Randy suggested I take a pack of matches with me. It turned out to be a good idea. After a bit of sign language and an attempt at saying "feu, si vous plat" I lite a match and literally the light went on for all of us. Three young men said "oui" and raced off to get wood.  A few minutes later they were back with several long logs, a box of matches and a machete. Back at our house one young man climbed into the fireplace, a second chopped the wood and the third "supervised".  Before long they had a roaring fire going, we would enjoy for the rest of the evening. We probably overpaid but the whole experience and evening by the fire was more than worth it.

Next Stop Rwanda

One of the last things my dear friend Raid said to me before leaving for Africa was "travel safe and don't go to Rwanda". So when Randy said we were going to Rwanda for two weeks, I felt that internal fear rise up inside me. However, Randy had already been there once before and assured me the country was now one of the safest countries in Africa. OK, but my guard was still up.

Arriving at Kigali airport, the customs process was very straight forward and the agents actually "welcomed" us to Rwanda. The airport has been recently upgraded and the architecture quite impressive. As the city unfolded before our eyes I was totally impressed. Clean beyond your imagination, not a scrap of paper, garbage or debris could be found on the roads and the countryside.

First a quick stop at the One Acre Fund (Tubura) guest house in Kigali to pick up an interview candidate that needed a ride to the Country Directors home. A quaint home with a great view overlooking the valley and city of Kigali. 

The trip from Kigali to Rubengera was about a 3 hour drive through gorgeous countryside. We quickly understood why Rwanda is known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills", as we drove through the twists and turns of the curvy mountain roads. Looking out across the valleys the hills are tiered to prevent crop and soil erosion creating a truly artistic view of the landscape.  

Today was Sunday and the side of the road was filled with Rwandans walking to and from the small towns along the way. I of course made the assumption that they were heading to or from church. At one point our driver stopped to let us take pictures. We were immediately meet by several young boys eager to tell us the history of the area and valley. The boys ranged from about 8 to 14 years of age. One of the older boys proceeded to tell me the legend of the valley while a younger boy recited the same rendition to Randy. It was as if the younger boy was following the lead of his older friend to help learn and memorize the presentation.  After finishing the story the boys broke into song, with one young fellow playing a hand made musical instrument. Although I knew they were performing in hope of receiving  a tip, the whole experience made my heart sing, even if I had no idea what they were telling us.  Something about big rocks is all I got out of the translation. Of course we happily gave the group a reward for their efforts. I only hope the entire group was able to share the cash we handed to the oldest boy (?). For the rest of the trip we simply sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

Once we arrived at Ruebengera, there seemed to be a bit of confusion on where the driver should take us. The main compound, the office, or the Kibirii House (which would be where we sleep each night). So first we dropped our bags off at the Kibirii House and then headed over to the main compound. 

Getting to the Kibirii House is an adventure in itself. Let me try and explain. You turn into town off the main highway and follow a dirt road, crossing over wooden bridges until you come to a fork in the road past the blue gate. Then you turn right and follow the road until you find an open field on the left side of the road. At the open field which looks like a farmers field with a set of tire tracks running across it you follow the tracks until you see the tracks turn right.  Continue following the tracks past a few adobe huts and then after a few hundred yards you come to a cement house with a bamboo fence around it. Stopping at the gate the guard welcomed us to Kibirii House. The house is fairly new, with all the basic amenities of home and a maid that comes in twice a week. We were impressed and knew we would be comfortable during our stay in Ruebengera. We are a 25 minute walk to the main compound although a taxi is available at 7:30am each morning to drive us if we choose. So far we have walked 3 mornings and driven 2. We do take the cab home every night. I am still not sure about walking home in total darkness and there are no street lights.

In Rwanda there are 21 expats working for the organization. Lunch is provided each day by the kitchen staff and every night different members of the team prepare dinner for the entire group. While I don't believe it is actually deemed as a competition it definitely appears that everyone takes a lot of pride in producing a well balanced delicious meal. Lots of home grown vegetables, salads, meat and cakes made from scratch almost every evening. One night they were slicing a smoked ham hock imported from Spain as an appetizer. It currently is hanging over the kitchen table and individuals can be found slicing off a small piece for breakfast, lunch or snack.  

Monday afternoon we decided to go for a short run. The first half was quite easy as we ran along the trails going downhill. A kilometre in a young man joined in and ran with us until we hit the entrance to his home at which point he said " my home, good bye". Then we started to attract a following of children. Even though it was late afternoon, they all said "good morning, how are you, I am fine" and laughed and giggled as we tried to communicate with them. In Rwanda they speak Kinyarwanda or French, followed by a few words of English. The children thought we were quite entertaining as they ran in front,  beside and behind us. Coming back the children stayed with us until we reached the place they first joined us. Probably at the entrances to their adobe homes. Now we were going uphill and my paced slowed down considerably, often to a walk. I am sure the Rwandans we had past on the way down were laughing at me as I huffed and buffed my way back up to the compound. One great thing about not knowing the language is you can pretending everyone is laughing with you and not at you.

 

Retired and Heading Back to Kenya

Returning back to Calgary August 4th, I now had six weeks to pack up the condo, dispose of or store all my worldly possessions, sell the car, have eye surgery and finish all I could at the Women In Need Society. Where to start?

You would think that in a 600 square foot condo that you were renting out furnished there really shouldn't be that much to deal with. Yet with every single item we owned a decision needed to be made. Can I take it wIth me, give it away to WINS, put it into some kind of storage because it simply can't be replaced or has too many memories attached, or does it go into the garbage? I am sure ten boxes went to Jenn's including our whole liquor supply that had built up over the years. The scotch collection to some really good friends. More treasures went to my sisters, including clothes that now fit her better than me so with possession being nine tenth of the law I hope she enjoys wearing them as often as she can. The storage room in our condo is filled to the brim with souvenirs collected from our travels over the years, my dolls ( yes I kept a few) golf clubs and skis just to name a few items. At least 20 bags or more of clothes and household items were donated to WINS and even more bags found their way to the garbage. I may have personally been responsible for filling one full BFI garbage bin. Finally the condo was emptied, cleaned and ready for the renter to take possession.  Thank goodness for Skylar's help as he hauled bags, boxes and pictures down to the car or garbage.

During the time I was preparing the condo, I also had Refractive Lens Replacement surgery on my eyes. After years of struggling to find a contact that could correct the far sightness, near sightness and sigmatism in my eyes it was becoming more and more difficult to find a suitable solution. New glasses were going to cost $1,400 and would probably need to be replaced numerous times over the rest of my life. RLR surgery, would last forever and cost ~$5,000, if I was a good candidate and it could all be done before September 15th, 2014. Between June 30th and Sept 2nd, 2014, I had two pre-operation   

exams, the eye surgery and three post-op exams. My regular eye doctor could not believe it happened so quickly. My vision for distances is now 20/20 or better and I will always need to wear reading glasses for reading and clear vision of anything up close. There are a few things I will never see again, like the fine hairs that grow under my chin or the eyelash that falls into you eye. However, my vision is a drastic improvement on my previous situation and I can buy a heck of a lot of pairs of reading glasses for $1,400 at $25 a pair.

Eyes done and condo rented I now had two solid weeks to focus on wrapping up my contribution to WINS, while spending time with family and friends. Jenn, Chris and Skylar had graciously offered to let me live with them and I thoroughly enjoyed their company and support during those last several weeks. Big Brother just won't be the same again without watching it together, that is if we actually can access it here in Kenya. I will miss reality TV. 

Spending time with my sister, mom, family and friends made the stress of "your entire life in transition" bareable. In all honesty it was definitely a bit overwhelming at times but I got through it without any major meltdowns.  I still think Mr. Coutts owes me lots of pampering for the next six months or more. 

Two days before I was due to leave WINS, my replacement was announced. At least we would have two days cross over time. Laura being announced as my replacement for some reason gave me a huge sense of relief. Not sure why but I now felt that I could leave and our programs and projects would continue to proceed and grow. I could leave with good conscience that I had left the organization set up for success and in way better shape than when I started.

Next was to sell my car. Again not sure why, but giving up my car seemed to be the hardest step of all. Maybe because it was the final step, or maybe because it had been the best vehicle we ever had or maybe selling it to a family member made me worry what's if something goes wrong with it or maybe ..... Who knows but it was hard. 

Now the only worry was how to get three suitcases of possessions into two, as I purged more dresses, coats and articles of clothing. At least Chris and Jenn gave me a closet to keep the balance of my clothing in so it would be there for my next trip home. According to the bathroom scale both suitcases were ounces less than fifty pounds and my carry-on was 26.6 lbs. All I could do now was hope my scale weighted in the same as the airport scale. 

Brad, Jenn and I stopped for breakfast at the new Deluxe Diner on the way to the airport and enjoyed eggs Benedict all away around. Always a favorite and a predictable order for me. 

At the airport one bag weighed in at 48.6 lbs and the second at 52lbs. I could just play $75 for the overweight bag or we could try and rearrange things within the two bags and then go to the end of the now long line-up and see if I could get both bags under the 50lb limit. Somehow even rearranging the math didn't quite add up and trying to get them both even would be almost impossible so I just made it easy for everyone, mostly me, and paid.

I am not sure if it was the agents first day or just a bad day, but she seemed frazzled and kept asking her peers how much weight was acceptable for the carry-on (of course I was over by 3/4 of a kg) and then sent one of my bags down the carousel without a baggage tag. Eventually she got up with the bag and set it aside to tag. We crossed our fingers that it got placed back on the carousel in time to make the correct plane.

The flight to Amsterdam was uneventful and I watched three movies. "Belle" - a great movie, definitely worth watching. "The Chef" - funny, entertaining and predictable. I enjoyed it. "The Normal Heart" with Julia Roberts. The film depicts the rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City (among gay people) between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.  A heart breaking film, a little tough to watch, but delivers an important message. 

On the flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi I got the entire row to myself, so was able to stretch out and enjoy. I slept most of the way and limited myself to only one of the two meals they served.  Then I watched a few episodes of comedy TV and I was there.  Being at the back of the plane, I was near the end of the que to clear customs. Fortunately the line was moving quickly, with six agents working the "Visa" lines compared to just three agents on my past trips. 

I either look extremely honest or the agent was getting tired as I passed him my documents and the $50 visa fee and within seconds he was waving me through. As I walked up to the baggage carousel one of my bags was right there and then I waited. Guess which bag was the last to hit the carousel. I stood there wondering if the bag actually did get tagged in Calgary correctly or made the plane, because it certainly appeared to be missing. Finally as most everyone had left the station my bag appeared. With a sigh of relief I headed out of the airport to meet Randy. I had arrived safely with all my possession intact. Tears of emotion fell from my eyes as I found Randy waiting for me at the entrance of the terminal. Back together again.