Forty Twenty Four

Peru Trip Planning

2013-06-03T04:41:00.001-07:00

After months and months of planning, we finally have a solid itinerary, all the hotels booked and plane tickets purchased. We have about 2.5 weeks to send in Peru which isn’t enough time to see all the highlights. It was hard deciding what to put in and what to leave out but I think we are both happy about our choices.

Top Left to Right: Machu Picchu, ChanChan Bottom Left to Right: Lima, Jesuit church Arequipa

Here is our itinerary

Day 1 – Fly all day. This couldn’t be avoided but we’ll be in first class which is good. Thank goodness for Alaska Airlines miles

Day 2 – Arrive in Lima at 4am (!!) and catch a flight to Cuzco at 6:10am. Then, because we are crazy, catch a taxi to Pisac (an hour away) where we will be staying for 2 nights. Sleep.

Day 3 – Explore Pisac, particularly the market and surrounding areas.

Day 4 – Explore the Sacred Valley en route to Ollyanta where we will be overnighting and celebrating our anniversary.

Day 5 – Early morning train to kilometer 104 where we will start our day hike to Machu Picchu. Overnight in Aqua Calientes as part of the tour.

Day 6 – Explore Machu Picchu more and afternoon transfer to Cuzco.

Day 7 – Explore Cuzco

Day 8 – Explore Cuzco

Day 9 – Morning flight to Arequipa

Day 10 – Explore Arequipa

Day 11 – Explore Arequipa and night flight to Trujillo then transfer to Huanchaco

Day 12 – Tour ChanChan and Huacas del Sol y de la Luna

Day 13 – See Trujillo and hang out on the beach depending on weather

Day 14 – Day bus trip to Lima

Day 15 – Explore Lima

Day 16 – Explore Lima

Day 17 – 3am flight home.

Hotels: We decided not to do hostels when we could help it. While we want to do things on the cheap, we don’t really want to rough it too much.

Pisac – We heard about Casa del Conde from friends living in Venezuela. We’ll be in the middle of high season when we are in the Sacred Valley, so this place wasn’t super cheap at $80 a night but includes internet and breakfast.

Ollyanta – We are staying at the eco hotel El Albergue. There is a great restaurant at the hotel where we plan to celebrate.

Agua Calientes – Not sure where we are staying but I bet it’s going to be bare bones

Cusco – Tierra Viva Saphi Hotel. I actually booked this place on Hotels.com after reading about it on Trip Advisor. It was $100 a night but I bet well worth it after the hike.

Arequipa – Las Torres del Ugarte. Another friend recommended this place. Again, it looks pretty basic but it centrally located, includes internet and breakfast and was under $50 a night.

Huanchaco – Casa Amelia Hostel. It’s a small place with just 3 rooms and 11 beds. We rented a private room with private bath. This place got amazing reviews on Trip Advisor. We got this place for less than $20 a night. We decided to stay 10 minutes outside of Trujillo for a different change of pace.

Lima – Casa Adina Select in Miraflores. This was a hard decision. So many hotels in the Miraflores area of Lima and so many varying reviews. After some thought, we decided on this place. The reviews seem good and we got another deal via Hotels.com. This is the most expensive hotel of the trip at $130 a night but again it includes breakfast and internet.

Activities: I have literally booked nothing. Actually, I booked the Machu Picchu tour because only a limited amount of tickets are available for the trail daily. We have a list of things we can do in each city and will mostly play it by ear.

Transportation: I didn’t really think about domestic transportation before booking this trip. Because of distance and terrain, traveling from one city to another can take all day on a bus. We are taking a bus from Trujillo to Lima and that will take 8-9 hours while flying takes just a little over an hour. Flights generally cost between $100-150 per leg per person. 3 flights add up fast but in the end are worth the expense given all the time we save. I guess what we saved on international airfare we are spending on domestic airfare. I am kind of excited/interested in the one bus we are taking from Trujillo. Check out the first class digs on Cruz del Sur. There are meals, TVs and waiters.

Have you been to Peru before? Suggestions of things we shouldn’t miss, places we have to eat, tourist activities to avoid?

Laughing With Me, Not At Me

2013-05-23T10:27:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t going to post this because my friend Anne was going to do something with it but I sent the list below to a couple friends, who without my knowing, were having a tough day. Apparently laughing with me (never at me) helped. I decided to share anyway. Sorry Anne.

A little background. My status update yesterday on Facebook was, “This is not going to be my day. First the power goes out (and internet) and now there is no water.” I posted that after I mentioned that I was up at 4:20am because of howling dogs and loud roosters. Anyway a hilarious conversation took place between me, Anne and another friend about how ridiculous “normal” can be when you are travelling/living abroad – particularly Africa in our cases. Anne said the whole conversation reminded her of the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Anne decided she had to collect more stories that are funny but ironic situations you find yourself in when abroad. Below is my contribution. All of these have happened to me (except one) in the last 6 years of traveling for my current project. Enjoy!

1. You wake up to find that a mosquito has bit your eyelid and you now look like you've been in a fight in your sleep. This has happened to me 3 different times in Addis including this morning. It usually gets worse as the day goes on. Last time it was so bad I could barely open my eye and my co-worker wanted to take me to the hospital.

2. You need to pee in the middle of the night but power is out again and you bang your leg on the massive bed frame (takes up two-thirds of the room) which results in bruise that is exposed when wearing half the the outfits you brought. Also happened this trip.

3. Speaking of bruises, you get 8 shots for an upcoming trip, 4 on each arm. A couple days later both arms are blue and your new Ethiopian co-worker is trying to have a conversation with you about domestic violence. It takes you 30 minutes to figure out why.

4. Because of a shortage, you can't get the yellow fever vaccine until day before you are set to fly. En route to Addis, you develop a fever on the 16 hour flight and the guy next to you asks to be moved because he thinks you have some strange tropical disease he will catch. You don't blame him because you've changed colors and are sweating buckets.

5. You get out of the car and immediately fall into a hole. The entire parking lot is covered in holes. Your knee is bleeding so bad that the guy, a doctor, you are meeting with is distracted and says he won't continue with the meeting until he can clean and dress your knee.

6. You have to decide between dehydration and peeing in the tall grass where, according to the locals, is full of snakes. The other option is a pit toilet even the men won't use.

7. You FINALLY find an outhouse at a health facility only to be chased out of it by goats who have claimed it as their home.

8. You have watched the movie Australia 10 times in 2 days because you've read every book you brought, the phonebook and chapters of the bible. They are showing it on repeat on the only channel you can get in Malawi. You are thinking of turning it into a one woman show and taking it on the road.

9. While researching local benefits packages, you find out from Ethiopian insurance companies that they won't cover pregnancy because its an unnatural disease. You also learn you'd only get $20 if you loss any of the toes on your left foot. What is a natural disease? A broken arm.

10. You are that weirdo with your arm in the air, phone tilted so you can see the screen, standing on the hood of the car which park on top of hill yelling, "I think I have 1 bar." The driver is yelling out a number for you to call. All the villagers have come to watch this spectacle.

11. No one believes that you are not Ethiopian and some have decided to introduce you as the American that was adopted but doesn't know it. And they are completely serious.

12. You wake up to find that the grass roof of your room is on fire because of an electrical short. The response from lodge management is, "oh, again." This happened to a co-worker, not me.

13. You are hiding in the lab because the director of the agency where you are working has literally been chasing you around all day asking for a ream of paper for the printer. You wonder how he intends to print because earlier you noticed that none of the computers are plugged in at agency because none of the outlets work.

I started typing these up when I was awoken by the dogs and rooster at 4am again this morning and realized the power was out so I couldn't watch Al Jezeera (only channel in English). Luckily, my ipad was charged.

Now, if you will all excuse me, I have to ice my swollen eye with a Green and Blacks chocolate bar I accidentally froze – in the mini fridge, not a freezer. I am actually being serious about that.

Additions To My Suitcase – Under $30

2013-05-22T03:31:00.001-07:00

Last year I blogged about some of my travel must haves. It wasn’t comprehensive, just the highlights. I find that I am constantly modifying what I pack – changing things, taking them out. Here are some of my latest additions.

GoGear Containers. I’ve wanted some Gotoobs for a while but was too cheap to drop $7-9 a bottle. I was at Walmart last summer (long story) when I found GoGear (fake Gotoob). I wasn’t sure they would last but at $2 each, I thought I could risk it so I bought 2. Five international and four domestic trips later and they are still going strong. Not spills, no drips.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. I don’t really wear lip color. I have a few nude/sheer lip glosses but in general, I haven’t worn real color in about 10 years. Last year on a whim I bought a bright red lip stain and loved it. I brought it on a few trips and putting it on instantly made me look a little more put together. I invested in a darker, more work appropriate color that I now travel with. A little swipe is all I need to make a causal outfit look more professional.

iHome travel speaker. We got this at TJ Maxx for $10. It weighs nothing and it’s worth the little bit of room in your bag. Besides using it for music, I really like it for movies. Makes me feel like I’m not watching a movie on my laptop. You charge it via USB, so there are no batteries.

Benefit They’re Real Travel Size Mascara. My must have make-up item is definitely mascara. I generally use a drugstore brand that I love but the packaging is bulky. I like my carry-on make-up bag to be small which means every inch and ounce counts. It was $10 which is more than my drugstore brand mascara, but I was paying for size. I am glad I made the investment. I like the mascara as much as I like my cheap one and it fits easily into my bag. It perfect for our trip to Peru. I won’t be bringing much make-up on the trip but this is coming with me.

Kind Nut and Spices Bars. I came down with a horrible case of food poisoning at the end of my last trip (likely from the flight back or layover). It developed into an infection and basically wrecked my digestive system. I have to be really careful about what I eat which means I have to pack way more food than a couple of snack bars. My favorite is Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan. Kind bars are gluten and dairy free. They are perfect on days when my stomach is upset but I find myself hungry.

Headphone Adapter for Airplanes. I hate using the headphones they give you on airplanes. They aren’t noise cancelling and usually hurt my ears after 1 movie. I’ve noticed that KLM and Emirates have 2 prong headphone plug jacks so I bought a little adaptor for $2.

Cabella Multitool. The last few trips, I’ve found myself wishing for little things like a screw driver to or scissors. Over the holidays we ventured into Cabella’s and found a multi-tool on sale for $6 (usually $13). Micah picked one up for our camping kit and suggested I get one for traveling. I can’t carry it on but if I am checking a bag, it’s in there. I’ve already used it and I’ve only been here a couple of days.

Samsonite Travel Adapter with USB ports. My old Samsonite travel adapter finally died after 5 years of heavy travel. On a whim (and after reading reviews), I ended up with another Samsonite adapter with USB ports for charging. How did I ever live with just a traditional charger? Now I can plug my laptop in and charge my iphone (aka camera, calculator and alarm clock) and ihome speaker simultaneously.

Eco Silicone Collapsible Lunch Box. I’ve had this for a while and find it really useful. If I order room service and can’t finish it, I have a little lunch box to store leftovers in the fridge. I also put things like chocolate in it to keep bugs and critters out when I am somewhere without a fridge. It comes with a spork also. I got it at Marshall’s for $4. They always have them.

Each item was under $30 and I consider most of them a bargain. The make-up was pricey but it will last me a really long time (at the rate I use it). What small items have you recently added to your suitcase?

A Little 101 in 1001 Progress

2013-05-20T12:10:00.001-07:00

Way back when we put together a 101 in 1001 house list. We made some progress, did nothing for months and then recently made a nice dent on the list.

1. ~~New Couch~~ April 2013

We needed a new couch because the old one was hurting Micah’s back and my hips. We ended up getting this from the Kasala Outlet (which we love and need to stay away from). We got a killer deal and the couch comes with a 5 year guarantee. Of course, when we put in the couch we realized we needed to rethink storage in the room. That’s a post for another time.

13. ~~Install peep hole for backdoor~~ March 2013

Why did it take us so long to do this? It took Micah 15 minutes to install a peep hole in a metal door.

33. ~~Hire gardener for “neighbors” yard~~ May 2013

The neighbors (my sister) actually did this. We are having her gardener build us another retaining wall. I hear it will be done by Wednesday. I can’t wait to see it.

42. ~~Create salad box planter for deck (Moved to Alley Door),~~ May 2013

We were going to do this for the deck but then decided front (alley side) door needed something. It was a great idea. We love the way it looks. This may be the bulk of our summer veggie garden. We planted 2 kinds of chard, 3 types of lettuce and some radishes. I took this picture last week and Micah says it’s already almost doubled in size.

48. ~~Organize pantry,~~ February 2013

I didn’t take the best picture because you can’t see the lazy susan but that thing is amazing. I put all the bottles on it. Now I can access any bottle easily (without taking everything out) and I have more room for containers. I want at least one more lazy susan for the vitamins in the bathroom.

Here is the before:

And the after:

96. ~~Finish Earthquake kit,~~ February 2013

This took a long time too. I want to do a post on this when I get home and can take pictures.

The next few items I want to tackle are:

55. Finish toilet area in master bath

68. Create organizations system for all upstairs closets - I already started on this.

88. Shampoo area rugs annually (x3)

How are you doing on your 101 in 1001 list?

Back to Blogging–Brain Dump

2013-05-17T13:11:00.001-07:00

Wow, it’s been 5 months since we ( I ) blogged anything. Honestly, it’s been a crazy year that has run me ragged. I mentioned in a previous post that I joined a few new projects at work. They have kicked my ass. I am learning so much and am genuinely interested in them but catching up has taken a lot of energy. Both project existed before I joined. At times I have doubted my decision to join these new projects – new disease area, new funding mechanisms, new team members with different styles than I am used to – but on the whole, I am glad I joined and didn’t bail when I things got tough. Already, I have learned new skills and the year isn’t even halfway over yet. My role on the malaria project I continue to work on has changed so much in the last 6 months. I went from administrative backstopping, staffing and personnel to actually contributing technical content. It sounds small but in my non-profit world, that’s huge jump. I am really excited about the opportunities but also worried about the new responsibilities. Actually being in charge of something is different than being a contributor.

On top of all that, I was asked to join a year long training/mentoring program in an area I have been dabbling in (monitoring and evaluation) for the last year. At first I mainly did it because the team leader on my two new projects really pushed it on me. I was interested but could have held out until next year. Now I am finding it so useful and actually enjoying it. Shhh, that’s a secret. If he finds out, he will never let me live it down. And strangely, I am enjoying and really learning from the mentor relationship. I feel really lucky to have two people at work really vested and interested in my growth and career. That said, all these new opportunities, along with the travel, has had me running to play catch up since the beginning of the year.

I was looking through our/my goals for 2013 and thought give a progress report on how it’s going.

US:

1. Snowshoe, snowshoe, hike, hike – Um yeah, we tried. We went snowshoeing once and hiking about 3 times. I honestly have been on the road 7 weeks already (not including personal trips) and am on my 3rd day of a 5-6 weeks trip. We do have plans to get in as many hikes as we can before August.

2. Save, Save, Save – Again, we haven’t sat down to sort out his 401K. I think that needs to be a priority when I get home.

3. Eat at the table – HA! Actually, this is my fault. The table has been covered in articles I need to read for months.

4. More Family Time – Well, we did get down to ABQ to see the nephews and we have been spending a lot of time with my sister and brother-in-law. Micah’s parents will be back in the area this summer and I bet we see a lot of them too.

5. Go to more shows – Um, yeah. We tried but there is this long story about how we missed a concert because of a bad VRBO experience. One day I will share. I doubt we get to any shows before fall.

Verdict? Not great. Luckily, the year isn’t over yet.

Me:

1. Unsubscribe – I have been really good at this. Yes, I am proud of myself.

2. Power Down – I was really doing well with this until I return from my last trip around Easter. I am hoping I pull it together on this trip and get back to powering down an hour before bed.

3. Organizing myself online – I have started cleaning up my Pinterest boards. One of my goals this trip is to go through my Fitness board and maybe subdivide it. I want a board that is just exercises that can be done on the road. By that I mean no weights, no machines and no balance ball. I also want to delete the ones that don’t help or I will never do. Stay tuned for that. Also, I am still loving iAnnotate. I brought 20 articles to read and didn’t print a single one out.

4. Homemade – I haven’t done this yet. Micah’s birthday is coming up and I will start there. I have some ideas.

5. A pin a month – I have done this and more! I’ll try to post on some of my pinning successes.

6. Swim, Swim, Swim – I wish. I got really sick at the end of my last trip and am only starting to get over it. I am hoping I can hop back into the pool when I am back.

7. Vitamins and water – I have been doing really well on this. Better at the vitamins than water unless I am on the road. I will admit, that being sick has a lot to do with taking my vitamins regularly.

8. Learning a little Amharic – I looked for resources at the library before I left but didn’t find anything. I am hoping I can find some resources in Addis

9. Read 24 books – I’ve read 5 this year and am currently halfway through my 6th. I also have 3 paperbacks I want to get through during this trip. I’m a little behind but I bet I catch up by the time I get home.

10. Visit 3 new places – I did go to Bahir Dar in Ethiopia earlier this year. I didn’t see much beyond the training center, but I should be headed back there in the next few weeks. I may also go to Uganda this trip. That will be new. We have Peru on the books for sure.

Verdict? Not too bad. I definitely need to work on a few items but I don’t think I am too far behind.

Have you been able to stick to your resolutions or goals for 2013?

I hope to work on a couple posts this weekend which means a week of regular posts starting Monday. Have a wondering weekend everyone!

2013

2013-01-11T03:23:00.001-08:00

Well, it’s a new year and with that comes some new goals. Micah and I haven’t spent too much time talking about goals for 2013 as I left for Ethiopia two days after we got back from Santa Barbara. Yes, Izzy is mad at me about this. We came up with a few that I think are a good.

1. Snowshoe, snowshoe, hike, hike – we are going to Peru in August (!!) and need to get ourselves ready for all the hiking we are going to do particularly the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I don’t think hiking will be our problem, it’s going to be hiking at such a high altitude that will get us, particularly me since I have asthma. We are aiming to go snowshoeing at least twice a month until all the snow melts and then hike in the spring and early summer.

2. Save, Save, Save – Micah’s new school hooked him up with a great retirement plan and now we need to take advantage of it. We are sorting out the best way to save for the future and take advantage of the flexible spending money they gave him. We have had so many changes in our take home pay and need to adjust our budget.

3. Eat at the table – This was on last year’s list but once fall hit, we stopped eating dinner at our gorgeous table. I don’t like it and we are going to break that bad habit. We did decide Micah doesn’t have to eat at the table when I’m away. He says it’s super depressing.

4. More Family Time – We don’t see Micah’s family enough and we never really spend a ton of quality time with my whole family outside of the occasional meal or DIY project. We are going to see Micah’s nephews this month and his parents will be moving back to the area in the summer (we think). We hope that we will see the boys again sometime in the summer or early fall and we know we will definitely see everyone at Christmas. We are also hoping that we can do a long weekend with my family at a cabin this winter. Momager and the neighbor (my sister) seem excited for it. If that works well (ie we don’t all kill each other), it’s likely we’ll try to do something similar in the summer.

5. Go to more shows – We went to some really great shows last year. Beirut was definitely my favorite though I did really enjoy The Bad Plus. I hope we get to go to more shows and at smaller venues.

That’s pretty much it. Of course there are house projects we want to get done, but don’t we always have house projects we want to get done?

I have a few goals for myself this year that I hope will become life long habits.

1. Unsubscribe – I get SO much junk mail, it’s crazy. I swear that for every 20 emails I get, only one or two are of interest to me. I decided that each day I would unsubscribe to a few listservs. So far, so good. I’ve been doing it for 10 days and the number of new emails I get has been cut in half. It’s great.

2. Power Down – I am on too many devices during the day – iphone, ipad, laptop, tv, etc. I decided that every night I would power down one hour before bed. No checking my phone or ipad and no e-books or Pinterest. TV is OK, for now. It means I have to have a real book at my bedside which has been nice. I will make the exception for the occasional work related things like a late night Skype call (Ethiopia is 11 hours ahead and late night can be more convenient) or working on a document that has a tight deadline.

3. Organizing myself online – Strange that I would put this after powering down but oh well. I cleaned out the bookmarks I have on my laptop and pinned all the recipes and ideas to Pinterest, and added all the blogs and sites in My Favorites to Flipbook. Eventually I’d like to move all the recipes I really like to a virtual cookbook and meal planning site. I also started using Dropbox for more than just work. I’ve installed iAnnotate on my iPad which was a lifesaver on this trip. I read through a 80 page lit review on the flight here without having to carry a single piece of paper. I can make handwritten notes and highlight on PDFs. iAnnotate has no idea how many trees it’s saving.

4. Homemade – I want to try to make at least ½ the gifts we give this year. I like the idea of food gifts which has been a big hit in the past. We’ve gifted homemade ginger vodka, beer, smoked salmon, bacon, parmesan, biscotti, lime curd and lemoncello. I have hopes of making (to gift and consume) our own pancetta, bitters, ginger beer (non alcoholic), new cheeses, crackers, jarred pestos, spice rubs, caramels, vanilla extract, and maybe even sausage. Micah got the Kitchenaid mixer grinder attachment for Christmas, so I know he’ll be busy and we’ll be eating well. There are also some more traditional crafting projects I’d like to make.

5. A pin a month – At least. I pin a lot of things on Pinterest and I think I actually do a good job of tackling some of the recipes on my boards. I want to clean up my boards and also attempt at least one pin a month. It could be reading a book from my Books to Read board or trying out one of the exercise routines that looks doable. It also means deleting the pins that are unsuccessful or that I will never, ever attempt. If you are interested in following me, you can by going to www.pinterest.com/forty20four I warn you, I go pin crazy when I am on the road (which is a lot)

6. Swim, Swim, Swim – I’ve been swimming for the last few months and love it. I have some personal goals like cutting down my strokes per lap, getting faster and cleaning up my stoke in general. The Neighbor (my sister) got me some new swimming accessories for Christmas which I am excited to use. I think the key to this goal will be increasing the strength training I do outside of the pool.

7. Vitamins and water – Not vitamin water. For some reason I can’t get myself to take vitamins regularly and I only drink enough water when I travel. Micah is really, really good about always taking his vitamins and drinking more water than any human being, ever. I am going to try and follow his lead.

8. Learning a little Amharic – I know, learn a language is like saying my resolution is to lose weight. For the most part, I think most of my malaria project related travel will just be to Ethiopia. I am excited about that. I really like my team here and like the country. I used to know a handful of words but I forgot them. I will be spending time in some of the regions this year and I think a few key phrases in Amharic would be smart. Let’s be clear, I am not crazy enough to think I will learn the alphabet, I just want to be able to say a few key phrases like, ‘I don’t speak Amharic’ or ‘No, I am not Ethiopian,’ or ‘yes, I am sure I wasn’t adopted from Ethiopia.’ Key phrases.

9. Read 24 books – This is always on my list and I always get to tick it off.

10. Visit 3 new places – Same as above, this one is also a gimme. We already have Peru booked. It’s likely I will get to go to Uganda and/or Bangladesh this year with my new projects. Micah and I are also hoping for a trip to the Methow Valley to go snowshoeing with Izzy. I’ve never spent much time in that part of the state and am looking forward to it.

That’s a lot but I think they are all doable. What are some of your goals for this year?

2012 and a Letter From Izzy

2013-01-10T03:37:00.001-08:00

I know, it’s 2013 already but we didn’t really have time to reflect on 2012. 2012 was a big year for us. Micah left a school he had been teaching at for 5 years for a school in the city. No more hour long commutes! His new school is pretty awesome and I am not saying that because I went there. They treat him and the other teachers so well. It’s amazing what a change of venue/employer can do for your teaching.

I also went through some career change. Last year was really busy and bumpy for me. I took on some new responsibilities, spent a lot of time on the road and eventually got to place I wasn’t so sure I liked. Right when I was starting come apart a bit, a couple great opportunities fell into my lap. I am so grateful. Latter half of December was stressful but it was a good stress as I was learning so much.

We FINALLY got the barn door installed in our TV room. I’m pretty sure we have been planning/talking about it for over a year. We had the pleasure of hosting lots of guests, of both the human and canine variety, which we really enjoyed. We took some great trips in including one to Maui and a New England road trip we have yet to really blog about.

We had some great times in 2012 and some very low points but I things are on definitely on the up and up as a whole. we hope all of you have a wonderful year. For those of you who didn’t not receive Izzy’s annual Christmas letter, here it is:

Dear human friends and family,

Guess who? Yes, it’s your favorite beagle/basenji 4-legged lady. Another year has passed and there are still one too many cats living next door. Despite the cats, my humans and I have had a good year. I went on my first beach adventure and I loved it. I ran free on the beach with the wind in my ears and sand in my paws. There was also an incident involving a bird-bath filled with pancakes, but we don’t talk about that anymore. Despite that, I think I am definitely more a beach dog than a rainy city dog. Now, if my humans would just win Powerball then we could buy a private island to live on.

My humans had a big year. Man-human, Micah, got a new job and is really enjoying it. He’s at a new school in the city. The school is very different from his old one. He’s no longer faced with questions like “Can I turn my paper in late? My driver left it in the other Bentley?” and “No, I’m not wearing shoes, my nanny put them somewhere and I can’t find them.” Luckily, man-human still gets the opportunity to mold young minds with thrilling lesson plans about: The Etruscans, Ancient Hebrew Kings, The Stamp Act, and perennial-favorite Comma Splices and Ellipses.

Lady-human, Catherine, has been very busy. She’s been all over the place this year and has managed to have survived four months on the road without me. I know, I didn’t think that was possible either. She seems to be in very high spirits about work next year. She is splitting her time with a couple of new, non-malaria projects. It’s all she’s been talking about for the last few weeks. The new projects will mean less time on the road, but trips to new countries. I say it’s a win-win for us both. She’s also taken up cheese making. I am really excited about the parmesan wheel aging in the fridge. I have developed a parmesan scrap habit thanks to lady-human’s dad (aka dadtractor). He’s the best at sneaking me forbidden treats.

As usual, the humans are still working on the house. They haven’t made a ton of progress this year and that’s fine by me. I am not a fan of saws, hammers or being restricted access to certain areas of the house because of wet paint. They have given up on their little veggie garden because the pesky cats next door have taken it as their own.

On behalf of both my humans, we’d like to wish you Happy Holidays. Please remember that all peanut butter or beef related gifts can be addressed to Izzy or left in the dog bowl in the kitchen.

Lots of love and doggy kisses,

Izzy

Close the Door

2012-12-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

A long, LONG time ago we talked about how we really wanted to install a barn door in our TV room. We spend a lot of time in the room and love it but it was hard to keep the space warm because of the open floor plan. After a lot of talk, research and trial and error, we (Micah and Dadtractor) finally got it made and installed.

I wish we could give a proper tutorial but honestly I didn’t participate in the assembly. I painted and sanded but got out of the way when it came to the heavy lifting and assembly. Micah said that installing the track was pretty easy. The door assembly was simple once they reinforced the heavy door. The hardest part was moving the finished door and hanging it.

The isn’t the most finished door but we feel like it does the job, looks good and was a deal compared to what we were quoted.

In total we spent about $200 for a 8’x5’, 250lb custom made door. The costs are as follows:

Barn door tracks and hardware: $60.
Wood: $100
Paint: $25
Misc. Supplies: $10

We still need to buy and install handles but that will come soon. The door has created a few storage issues in our TV room but we think we can solve that pretty easily.

One big project down, so many more to go.

Food Crafting

2012-10-26T10:01:00.001-07:00

Where has October gone? I feel like it was just September yesterday. Two weeks ago I made what was probably my best batch of cured bacon. I threw together an experimental rub of sugar, white pepper and black salt in ziplock bag with a 1/4 lb of pork belly (with skin). It was delicious. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the finished product and all I have is a picture of the rub.

Last weekend, I went with our friend Darik to a cheese making class. I had dabbled in a little cheese making before, easy stuff like ricotta, cream cheese and mozzarella, but no hard cheeses. We got to take a shot at making parmesan and feta. The feta was good. I think mine needed a little more salt but the texture was perfect and the flavor nice. The 2lb parmesan wheel is currently aging in the crisper box of our fridge nestled among some fresh fall fruit. We won’t be able to eat the parmesan for about 64 days but it will be worth the wait.

In a few weeks it will start to turn yellow and have the tough, parmesan exterior. Next weekend Darik is coming over for some food crafting. I think we will be smoking some salmon, trying our hand at few other cheeses and curing more bacon. I’m excited about the salmon. We’ve done it a couple times before and it was scrumptious. I think we will also be making some pear and apple chips. What have you been food crafting?

Mrs. Fix-It

2012-10-01T10:22:00.001-07:00

Two Sundays ago I was making dinner when the oven timer went off. I hit the button to turn it off but it wasn’t working. The control panel has been peeling off since we bought the gas range. We got it on a huge discount because of the slight peeling, a small dent and the missing burner cap. I looked that panel and realized crumbs and other food was lodged in under the control panel. In an attempt to clean it out, I ripped the connection between the control panel and the electrical panel. Awesome. It’s gross, I know but don’t judge. I was trying to clean it.

After a little googling and call to Dadtractor, I decided I could fix it once I had the part. I looked online and found the part I needed. It was going to cost us $180. DOH! Getting it online was a lot cheaper than ordering it from a Seattle area store though. I wanted to be sure the part would come with installation instructions so the next morning, I called customer service to double check. The operator told me it didn’t which meant it was likely that a professional would have to make the repaid ($$$). A few calls later, I was getting quotes of $500-600 for the repair and the part. That’s more than half of what we paid originally. As usual, I went to Craigslist in search of a better deal.

I got 3 responses. The first wanted to charge me $300 for the labor and I’d have to buy the part. The second sounded person sounded sketchy and “thought” they could figure it out. The third didn’t actually ask for the job but said he was an apartment manager and makes this repairs fairly often. He said he was happy to walk me through the repair on the phone. I emailed him back but never heard from him. He did give me another idea. I knew someone who was a building manager and asked if he could help me out if I attempted the repair and got in over my head. He said the repair was, “easy peasy,” and that he’d be happy to help.

The replacement control panel arrived in two days (free shipping and no tax!) and was sitting in our living room for 3 days before I opened the box. I was going to tackle this project with Micah but out of sheer boredom (I was home sick with a bad cold), I decided to take on this project by myself. Dadtractor came by to pull the range out and to make sure I wasn’t going to blow myself up messing with the gas.

Having a cold (with flaring asthma) makes this repair more difficult than it should be. I was gasping for breath just trying to remove all the screws. When I finally got the control panel face off, I found this:

I was a little panicked at first. It wasn’t what I was expecting and I was worried I’d have to disconnect a bunch of connections and wouldn’t remember what went where at the end. With a little ingenuity (this is definitely a two person job), I managed to replace the ripped connection (sorry, I was sweating to hard to take pictures).

After screwing it back together (and a snack and rest break), I was finally done 1.5 hours later. Really, this should have taken 30-45 minutes. Who knew how much a cold could slow me down.

This isn’t a particularly exciting post or a real tutorial but I have to say, this repair might be my greatest house accomplishment this year. It would be even better if I hadn’t broken the range in the first place. All in all, we got a $700 discount on the range because of the problems. I spent $180 on the control panel part and $20 on a replacement burner cap a few months ago. In the process of changing out the control panel, I also got rid of the dent. A told savings of $500? Not bad. The satisfaction of making this repair myself? Priceless.

Anyone ever take on a major appliance repair?

Nothing Says Friendship Like Green Tea KitKats

2012-09-28T07:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone!

Yesterday I went to pick the last few tomatoes in the garden for dinner and found a package at our back door. I knew this package was coming but I had forgotten about it. Later in the evening I opened it up and found 6 Green Tea KitKat bars that Katie bought in Tokyo and mailed from New York. I’ve been home sick most of the week and this was the best pick-me-up. When I asked her to bring some back a few months ago, I was hoping for a bar or two – not 6! Nothing says friendship like a bar or 6 of Green Tea KitKats.

I didn’t eat any last night because I wants to enjoy the green tea flavor which is hard with a cold. I am hoping to have one this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

September Brain Dump

2012-09-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I did one of these posts and a long time since we posted regularly. We’ve had a long year – some things good, some bad or just trying. I feel like we are finally getting bad to normal so we are finally getting back to blogging.

Travel

Travel had a lot to do with all of the madness of this year. I have spent months on the road this year which I enjoy sometimes. It’s hard being on the road for weeks at a time, one trip after the other. By the time I take my next trip, I will have been home for 2.5 straight months. It’s the longest I’ve been home in almost 2 years. We have a few trips coming up but they are short and doable. I’m headed to Atlanta for a week for work then traveling on to New York to meet Micah for a wedding. At Christmas, Micah and I are meeting his family in Santa Barbara. We are hoping to make it to Albuquerque in the late winter or Spring to visit his nephews and in the summer we are planning a trip to somewhere in South America. I have no work trips on the horizon (besides Atlanta) which I am excided about.

Swimming

I tried running and my body hated it. I go to Pilates for my knees but I needed some cardio. I started swimming a month or so ago and I love it. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I’m up to swimming a mile at a time which doesn’t sound like much but feels like a lot when you are swimming 72 laps in a 25 meter pool. My favorite new (old) swimming accessory is the FINIS Swimmer’s headphones. I don’t know if they make them anymore but I love my pair. Micah’s Mom gave them to me a few years back and I haven’t used them until a few months ago. Swimming laps is so much better with them.

Beirut

We went to see Beirut (the band) and few weeks ago and I have been obsessed with them ever since. Actually, I have been waiting years to see them. If you want to see a good show, go see them. I feel like I’m in a movie when I have them on. They are also good to swim to.

My favorite Beirut song

What We’re Watching

It’s fall and the season of TV but Micah and I are excited by a few old things on Netflix. Have you seen the BBC show Sherlock. It’s so good. Sherlock Holmes like you have never seen it – modern, funny, edgy. We just found 4 new episodes and we’re excited. We also love ESPN’s 30 for 30. Even if you aren’t a sports fan, I think you’d enjoy these – sports, life, politics all together. I really liked the Pony Excess film about SMU college football and the Two Escobars which is about Pablo Escobar, Andres Escobar, Drugs, Soccer and life in Columbia. My favorite one so far is Once Brothers about Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac and the conflict in the Balkans that torn their friendship apart. Most of the 30 for 30 films are sad but if you want a good cry, watch Once Brothers. They are coming out with another set of films this fall which should be good.

P.S. I Broke That

I one week Micah broke (pulled out) a drawer on our garage work bench, I broke the gas range (just the oven) and we found out our mower was broken. Awesome. We think we may be able to fix the drawer, I had the mower fixed (rebuilt carburetors that cost $150) and I am pretty sure I can fit the oven. I bought the part (almost $200 yikes!) and I just need Dadtractor to help pull out the oven and sort out the gas line. I’ll let you know how it goes.

What’s on your mind?

Yummy Yummy, Raw Meat in My Tummy

2012-09-26T09:53:00.001-07:00

What? A blog post?! No, you are not dreaming it is true.

Back in April I was in Addis Ababa for a few weeks. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I love working in that office. I love the staff like family. I am always so happy to spend time with them and they seem to like me too. On my last day in Addis, the fellas (that’s what I am calling them) decided they needed to take me out to lunch.

The offer was a very sweet gesture. The fellas had to drive into the city on a Saturday and I knew they were not going to let me pay for anything. It’s a big deal when some don’t make more than $5000 a year. Despite all this, I was dreading lunch. I knew what we were going to be eating and I knew it was something I wouldn’t order on my own.

Kifto is raw minced beef that is marinated in clarified butter with herbs and mitmita. Mitmita is a chili powder spice blend. It’s served with a crumbly dry cheese, a nutty powder, ingera and a cake made of false banana. I won’t even start on what false banana is.

After Kifto we had Gored Gored. Like Kifto, it is raw, unlike Kifto, it is not minced or marinated. It’s just raw cubed beef. It was served with the horseradish like sauce. Yup, that’s it. Yup, it looks like a streak you’d buy at Whole Foods.

To round out lunch, we had fried beef which I’m pretty sure was Special Tibs. After all the raw meat they finally served cooked meat. It was really good but I don’t know if I felt that was just because it was cooked.

The verdict? I am not sure I would order the Kifto or Gored Gored but if I was offered it, I would accepted it. I think one of the reason the fellas like me so much is because I am willing to give most food a try and food is very important to them. Unlike many visitors, I always eat with the staff and eat (most) of what they eat. It’s important to them and that’s important to me. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I took cipro before and after lunch. I know you are not supposed to do but I was going to be getting on a plane that afternoon and I didn’t want to get sick.

Being in Ethiopia this last Spring was one of the best work trips I’ve had in years. We got our work done, I made some new friends, I got out and saw more of the country and I had to deal with no drama. A success on all levels.

Has anyone ordered or had Kifto or Gored Gored here in the states? The fellas asked me if they serve it in Ethiopian restaurants in the States and I told them I wasn’t sure.

A Pinterest Vacation Stop

2012-08-20T22:17:00.001-07:00

I know. It’s been a long time. A real post will come soon but until then…

I found this picture of Watkins Glen State Park and instantly decided we NEEDED to go here.

image from …with luvey via pinterest

I know what you might be thinking, did Watkins Glen really look like this? Well, you tell me. Here’s a shot we took on our hike around the park.

Our picture is more blue than the one on Pinterest but I’d say were pretty satisfied with the inspirational pin. Watkins Glen was great. The trails around the gorge (not sure what it’s called) was stunning. Lots of steps and lots of tourist but totally worth it.

I loved walking through all the waterfalls and exploring all the paths. I wish we could have spent more time there but we decided to cut out early because folks were turning out for all the Nascar festivities. Not really our cup of tea.

Pinterest for vacation planning? Yes, I say do it. Have used Pinterest to vacation plan?

Road Warrior(s)

2012-07-10T12:37:00.001-07:00

It’s taken me a long time to get myself together enough to have projects to post (which I am still doing). To be honest, nothing that exciting has happened over the last few weeks besides the weather being amazing and us laying around and basking in it. I felt completely exhausted for a couple weeks after all the Spring travel and work conferences. We both recently had great birthdays and are now ramping up for more travel.

Micah leaves soon for Columbus where he will be spending a few weeks learning about Central Asia at Ohio State University. He’s attending an institute for teachers. He’s gone on their programs before and has really enjoyed. I’m hoping Micah will fall in love with Central Asia and will finally agree to travel there. He has an aversion to all places once Soviet – it’s a long story.

After Columbus, Micah and I will be meeting up in Boston and finally embarking on our New England trip. We’re both super excited especially since we recently found out his parents will be moving to Burlington. His Dad took a 1 year assignment there. After a lot of thought, we finally have our itinerary. It’s packed but we think we will enjoy it.

Day 1 – Arrive in Boston

Day 2 – Portsmouth, NH

Day 3 – Portland, ME and farm

Day 4 – Portland, ME and farm

Day 5 – Head to Acadia

Day 6 – Acadia

Day 7 – Acadia to Mt. Washington

Day 8 – Mt. Washington and eventually head to Burlington

Day 9 – Burlington

Day 10 – Burlington or maybe a day trip to Montreal

Day 11 – Head to Watkins Glen State Park

Day 12 – Watkins Glen State Park

Day 13 – Head to Sarasota Springs

Day 14 – Head back to Kittery and then to Boston

Day 15 – Fly home

Instead of staying in hotels or lugging around a bunch of camping gear, we decided to do something different. We rented a VW camper van. I had wanted to do this in Hawaii but we decided to go the more traditional route for my first trip out there. Here’s the layout and what is included:

via Maine Campers

Our van includes:

2 double beds
2-burner propane stove
Sink and onboard water tank (10.5 gallon/40L)
Refrigerator
Storage cabinets and clothes closet
Water and electrical hook-ups
2 dining tables and swiveling front bucket seats
Full set of privacy curtains and insect screens
pots, pans, cooking utensils, and knives
dining plates, cups, and eating utensils
can & bottle openers
coffee maker or tea pot
cleaning supplies
fire extinguisher
first aid kit
flashlight
road maps
campground directory
folding camp chairs
sheets & towels
propane

Basically everything you need for adventure. We won’t have to worry about hauling stuff around in our suitcases, checking in and out of hotels or rushing to our campsites so we can pitch our tent in daylight. I think the only nights we’re in hotels are the first two and the last night. Friends of ours have a farmhouse vacation home outside of Portland that we plan to visit. Portsmouth is a recent unintentional addition. We added a day to the trip because there was a last minute change to Micah’s institute but our van wasn’t going to be ready in for pick up a day early. If this goes as well as we’d like, I think a camper van is how we are going to see the Big Island in Hawaii.

A week after we get home I have to head back to Zambia. I know, I wasn’t going to travel for work this summer but as usual, something came up. Luckily, it will be a short, short trip (10 days). I am definitely home for September though I don’t know about October. In November I’ll be in Atlanta for a week for a conference and then Micah will meet me in New York for a wedding over a long weekend. We haven’t been back to New York since we moved back to Seattle 6 years ago. We’re really excited to visit.

There also might be a trip to Ethiopia in the winter too. All this travel is exciting but definitely very overwhelming. Somewhere in between all this Micah will start a new job, we are hoping to install a barn door in our Family Room, I will have to throw a baby shower and my sister will be having a baby boy. Phew. Oh, and there is our everyday regular life.

I hope to have some projects started, completed and posted soon. In the meantime, who has suggestions for Columbus, Portsmouth, Burlington/Montreal and Atlanta? Anything we have to do in Brooklyn that wasn’t around 6 years ago? We’ll be in Brooklyn most of the time.

Call Me Maybe?

2012-06-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

It’s been a really, really long last few months. Actually, the last year has been exhausting. I haven’t been home for more than a month straight since last August. I’ve been on the road so much that I am near platinum status for 2012 on Delta and June isn’t even over yet AND I only fly coach. Actually, the last month has both been intellectually and emotionally challenging and I am so glad is tough part is over. I’m home for the summer (apart from our vacation) and really excited to not be on the road.

Before we settled into our summer routine of house projects, Micah, Izzy and I, head down to Rockaway Beach in Oregon for a last minute mini vacation. Despite being home for 10 days, I had only seen Micah for about 8 hours total in the time leading up to the getaway. Micah was finishing up at his job for the year (and for good!) and went from the road to 10 days of long meetings. Poor Izzy wasn’t seeing much of either of us.

The 3 day vacation was perfect. We did nothing and that’s exactly what we needed to do. Izzy ran leash-free on the beach, Micah read and I did a jigsaw puzzle. Micah and I also visited the Tillamook cheese factory where we picked up some delicious cheese curds and I bought “supplies” for our beach vacation ornament.

We’re back to real life with lists of things we need to get done, meetings and practices scheduled and all rest. What this also means is that we’re back to posting regularly.

To celebrate summer and me being home, I’m going to share this video introduced to me by some of the teachers at Micah’s old school. I don’t know when this song got so popular but I came back from Zambia and I heard it everywhere. Micah said it was some sort of theme/joke song for the teachers at his school.

I’m pretty sure ?uestLove is using is afro pick to play his instrument. Why don’t I watch Jimmy Fallon more? Have you seen his version of Downton Abbey?

My Travel Rules

2012-05-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

TGIF! I’m so excited it’s Friday because it means that today was my last day in the office here in Addis Ababa and I’ll be heading home tomorrow. I had a great time here in Ethiopia and will miss my co-workers but I am SUPER excited to go home. This has been the best work trip I have had in years. I’d be happy to come back to Addis anytime. To end the week of travel related posts, I thought I’d finish up with sharing 10 travel rules I live by.

1. Take a chance. Micah and I always like going somewhere new. The old standbys are nice but exploring somewhere new is an adventure. You never know what you will discover.

2. Better safe than paranoid. The water at my hotel in Lalibela smelled a little funny. I felt silly for brushing my teeth with bottled water but I decided I’d spend my entire trip in Lalibela worrying about stomach problems. Any hint of something not right in my belly would have me regretting the brushing decision. In the end, I brushed with bottled water and didn’t give it a second thought. Sometimes it’s better to be a tad over precautious if it means you’ll be able to enjoy yourself.

3. Trust your gut. I was supposed to go on a weekend trip with some co-workers to Awash National Park a few weeks back. The morning of the trip I was up early because I didn’t feel good. I could have pushed through but I was feeling crummy and really jetlagged. I decided to sit it out. The trip went south (bad) fast and the group returned to Addis as soon as they could. I also found out later that the park was in a malarious area and I didn’t bring any anti-malarial drugs because I knew I wouldn’t need them in Addis or Lalibela. It would have been bad if the girl who works on the malaria prevention program got malaria. I think sitting the trip out was the one of the best decisions I’ve made while here.

4. If you can’t live with a substitute, bring the real thing. Some people have very specific products they have to have (think feminine or hair products). Anything different will not do. Bring those with you. You may find what you are looking for but you may not. You don’t want to waste time looking. I have a thing about a certain type of floss. I’ve never seen it in Zambia and anything close to it costs 10 times what it goes for in Seattle, so I always bring it with me. I feel the same way about deodorant.

5. Go prepared. Recently, a person from my organization (but different office) came to Addis for a meeting. She was here a week and literally didn’t eat anything but bread and cookies. She was a picky eater and unwilling to try the food. She should have come prepared with nutrition bars, instant foods like oatmeal and soups, or brought a couple bags of nuts. She didn’t eat which contributed to her getting sick which made her cranky which affected her attitude throughout the trip. She had a miserable time and everyone knows it. The local staff were upset/hurt/sad that she now thinks so little of their country and doesn’t want to come back. If she had been honest with herself and brought a few provisions, it could have changed the entire trip for her.

6. Don’t bring anything you would mourn losing. Ok, besides your iphone and your passport. Well, even losing your iphone (which I have done) isn’t the end of the world. Leave the fancy engagement ring at home, don’t bring your custom made dress that needs to be dry cleaned and I’d avoid wearing the Prada sunglasses. Things get lost, ruined or stolen. You don’t want spend your trip crying about the crushed sunglasses or worried about being mugged.

7. Careful with the camera. I was talking to some co-workers in Zambia and here in Ethiopia about foreign visitors and everyone brought up the issue of pictures. They all mentioned how weird it was that foreigners take pictures of people without asking. I know there have been some places I’ve been where it’s really disrespectful. If you are taking a landscape picture or a crowd where you can’t really see faces or are at an event, then it’s probably OK. If you want to take an individual picture, I’d ask first. I always ask and have never had a problem. And, when I do take pictures of individuals, I make sure to either buy something they are selling, donate to their church (like the priest in Lalibela) or at the very least, show them the picture.

8. Shit Happens. Sorry for the language but it does. You just have to roll with the punches. I am much more laid back when I travel than when I am at home – a completely different person. If you compare where ever you are to home, you’ll never be happy. The food will never taste as good, the hotel will never be as clean, etc. I forget too sometimes and get frustrated but once I remind myself of where I am and why I am there, things are better and seem easier.

9. If you really like and can carry it, buy it. I don’t know how many times I’ve passed on something because I thought I could find it elsewhere for cheaper only to never see it again. If I like something, can carry it and think the price is fair, I will buy it. I don’t like shopping regrets.

10. Speaking of shopping, don’t forget to visit the grocery store (or equivalent). Some of the best presents I’ve picked up on my travels have been from a local grocery store.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Guest Post at Married Up With Wine

2012-05-10T02:20:00.001-07:00

Check out my guest post on Married Up With Wine. The theme is, “what vacation means to me,” and you know I have a lot to say on the subject.

Also, check out earlier posts on Lalibela, my carry-on essentials and my must haves for every trip.

Take It With You

2012-05-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

I seem to be a on travel kick this week so I’m just going to stick with it. After putting together yesterday’s board, I decided there were a few more things that always find their way into my checked luggage. Again, I’ve spent years perfecting this list and I’ll admit, it’s never quite final.

Before I talk about these items, I want to say that I consider almost everything on my carry-on list essential. If I am traveling domestically, it’s likely most of the items in my carry-on bag end up in my checked bag anyway.

Top Row

Motion Sickness Bands: This is new on the list since our trip to Maui. I’ve been known to get carsick once or twice so a friend recommended these for the Road to Hana. I don’t know if I had a particularly strong stomach that day or if these really worked but the Road to Hana was sick free. I used these in Lalibela and they definitely helped with the altitude.

Asics Tigers: I wear my pair at least 3 times a week at home and take them with me everywhere. They are really good walking shoes and you can hike in them in a pinch. My pair will not be coming home with me from Ethiopia. The sole is finally peeling and they have definitely seen better days. No regrets though because they served me well for 4 years.

Sanuk Flip Flops: I used to be a die hard Reef fan. I’d only wear Reef. I had a pair that lasted 7 years. They changed the composition of the sole/foot bed part and I’m not loving them as much. I picked up these yoga mat flip flops by Sanuk on a whim and I’m now a convert. They are REALLY comfy. Perfect for lounging around your hotel room or going to the beach. They work as shower shoes too.

Everyday Earrings: I don’t bring a lot of jewelry with my when I travel. I love these studs because they can both stand out or be understated. Again, I get a ton of compliments on them.

Travel Wedding Ring: I don’t actually wear a wedding band back in Seattle. I was given a beautiful antique engagement ring with amazing detail that I feel shouldn’t be covered by a wedding band. If I lost that ring, I’d be devastated. It’s one of a kind and really couldn’t be replaced. When I travel I wear this ring I had made which actually used for our wedding. I have it in silver. It’s actually a beautiful ring. I get a lot of compliments on it. I don’t wear all 5 bands, just 2 or 3. Sometimes when you are a woman traveling alone, you need a little proof that you are really married with drawing too much attention to yourself.

Middle Row

Travel Bag: If I’m taking a long work trip or going to visit family for more than a week or so, I always pack this bag from Timbuk2. It folds up nice, it’s really durable and it’s fairly stylish. You can secure it with a lock if you need to which comes in handy when we’re coming back from Christmas with the family and have more than we originally brought. It can take the roughness of being checked. As a couple, I think we own 3 or 4 Timbuk2 bags and love them all.

Born Sandals: I don’t have this exact pair but I had one very similar that I absolutely love. They are stylish, super comfy and really versatile. I wear them with a dress and nice sweater to work and then later with shorts and tee shirt. I’ve walked in them for hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week and they never gave me a blister.

REI Hiker’s First Aid Kit: It’s always good to have a few supplies and this little kit has everything I need. I take it with me on hikes at home and on weekend trips too.

Leggings: These are cheap, everyday legging from Target. They are great for lounging in or work under a dress. I’ve even exercised in them when my other workout clothes were dirty.

White Camisole: This is staple in my everyday wardrobe. Great for wearing with the boyfriend sweater and perfect for under dresses or tops that may be considered too low. I always pack a few in a couple basic colors.

Mini Row

A good distraction: Sometimes you are stuck on a bus, or in a hotel room with no TV or radio or you just need some mindless entertainment which is when my iphone fits the bill. I have a couple of games on it that are great distractions. My all-time favorite is Ticket to Ride for the iphone. The best $0.99 I’ve spent. Micah and I will play this on our iphones or his ipad on the plane. He’s also a fan of Monopoly for the ipad.

Good Chocolate: Theo chocolate is a must have. When you are having a rough day and don’t have your husband or dog to comfort you in the evening, a few pieces of Theo chocolate will do the trick.

Bottom Row

Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets: This is also new on the list. I used to drag around liquid detergent in a bottle but a friend introduced me to this and it’s change my laundry in a sink life. I cut 3 or 4 sheets in half, throw it in a ziploc bag and I’m good to go. I don’t have to worry about leaking and the sheets make my suitcase smell nice.

Hydration Drink Tablets: After Tikal, these are a must have. Micah and I drank 3 liters of water each over 7 hours and still were completely dehydrated after a day of hiking in the humidity. My last trip to Zambia included a few days in a rural area where there were no toilets (unless you count the ones the goats occupied) and few places to pick up more water. A couple Nuun tablets really saved me.

Quality snacks: I always pack a few snack for international trips. It’s not uncommon for me to get into my hotel after midnight and find the hotel kitchen is closed. I also like having something I know my body can handle when I’m having stomach problems. Instant soups or oatmeal are good too.

REI Raincoat: I am from Seattle, I know raingear. Believe me when I say that this is the best raincoat I’ve ever owned. It’s actually my everyday raincoat at home. I’ve tried North Face, Patagonia and Marmot and none of them come close to this one.

Long Boyfriend Sweater: This is good to have and I usually wear it on the plane to save space in my suitcase. Again, you can do a lot with it.

Columbia Armadale Dress: I know I already mentioned this dress yesterday but I have to mention it again. It is a staple in my suitcase and for me in Seattle in the summer. I have this dress in 2 colors and I’m thinking of picking up a couple more. Quick dry, UV repellant, versatile and comfy? Could you ask for anything more?

Obviously, these aren’t the only things in my suitcase but they are the ones that are always there. I might leave behind the sandals if I’m going somewhere cold and replace them with some ballet flats and tights but that’s about it.

Do you have items you always pack no matter the weather or destination?

Keep Calm and Carry On…

2012-05-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

…the plane. After many flights and hundreds of hours on planes, I think I’ve finally nailed down my essentials for air travel. I tend to go light (one bag, no carry-on suitcase) when I travel internationally. I usually am going to be gone at least 2.5 weeks and will making at least 2 flight transfers, so I don’t want to be bogged down with bags. Everything else I need gets checked. Here are my in-flight must haves:

Top left:

A reusable 1 quart bag for liquids: I was tired of having to replace the Ziploc one I used to use every other trip. I don’t actually have the one on this board (mine was a freebee from a conference) but this one seems good. I usually fill it with any make-up that’s essential (mascara, blush and eyelash curler), mini deodorant, hair bands, lotion and lip balm.

Crest Wisp brush: This is no substitute for a real brushing but using one of these will work in a pinch.

Pills and Pill Case: I bring all the medications I’ll need, including aspirin, with me on the plane. You don’t want to be without them if your bag doesn’t arrive.

Face/baby wipes: 10 hours on a plane, 2 hours layover and another 8 hour flight will make you feel grimy. A few wipes go a long way to helping you feel a little less disgusting.

Toothbrush and toothpaste: self explanatory.

Top Right:

Kindle: I am a convert – enough said.

Camera: I don’t have a DSLR, just a small point and shoot which I don’t always bring. I know, I’m bad.

Noise canceling ear buds : Micah swears by these so I bought a pair and they are amazing. These drown out the noise of chatter, crying and engines really well and are comfy even after 10 hours.

Retractable iphone charger : I have an iphone, again self explanatory.

Laptop : I wish I didn’t have to bring this but little work would get done without it.

International All in One Adaptor: This is a must have. Unlike other continents, Africa seems to use any number of plugs. Sometimes the outlets are British, sometimes European, sometimes from the Middle East. I cover my bases with this baby.

iPhone: This is my alarm clock, camera, phone in an emergency, calculator, source of entertainment and access point to internet when wifi is available. I don’t know how I ever traveled without it.

Card reader: This is a must have if I do bring my camera. It also works as a standard flash drive.

Bottom left:

Compression socks: I’ve noticed my feet and legs swell up more than they did a few years ago. I wear these on any flight over 4 hours and they really help. I have this exact pair in this exact color.

ExOfficio travel underwear: I always bring a pair of these quick dry underwear in my carry on. I don’t want to be stuck wearing the same pair for more than a day if something happens and I have unplanned overnight or my bags don’t make it.

A scarf: This is a must have and the one I use is the Bamboo Ruana in black by Echo Designs. It’s big enough to use as a blanket but versatile enough to be used as a scarf or shawl. I’ve also used it as a pillow. I love it.

Columbia Armadale dress: I love this dress. I have it in black and teal and it comes on every single one of my trips. It’s really versatile. You can dress it up with some nice shoes, a necklace and a wrap. Dress it down with flip flops and a light sweater. Wear it to work with a blazer, flats and some jewelry. It’s quick dry (so you can wash it in the sink) UV repellent and very flattering. I carry this dress in case my bag doesn’t make it.

Bottom Right:

A Magazine: You know that period right before you take off and right before you land when you can’t read your Kindle? That’s when a magazine (preferably Sunset) comes in handy.

Kids Clif Bar: Let’s be real, airplane food isn’t always edible. I carry a few bars just incase I can’t bring myself to eat what’s served. I like the kids Clif Bar because it isn’t as sweet as Luna Bars.

Ginger Candy: This perfect when you are feeling a little nauseous for what ever reason.

Pens: Yes, that’s obvious but having 2 pens is essential. You are bound to lose one and it’s always good to have a spare just incase your seat neighbor needs one.

Collapsible water bottle: I love this bottle from Playtipus. I fill it up after I go through security and hydrate as needed. The best part is that when you finish the water, the bottle takes up almost no room in your bag.

Middle:

The bag: I used to use the market tote from Timbuk2 but after a few trips, I decided I needed something more professional. I still bring my Timbuk2 bag with me on side trips but this bag (in grey) by Kristen Bell (of Veronica Mars Fame) for Erica Anenberg is perfect for all my needs. I can fit everything on this collage in the bag and it’s still comfy.

For the most part, I pack all of these things with me on a trip. Obviously, I always carry my passport, international immunization card, cash and a credit card in my wallet. If it’s a domestic trip, I’ll leave things like the international travel adaptor. If I am traveling for pleasure and don’t have to telecommute, my load is lightened by getting rid of the laptop.

I hope this is useful for everyone. Links to all these products are available through Polyvore so just clink on the collage to get there. What are some of you must haves when traveling?

Weekend in Lalibela

2012-05-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I finally ventured outside the city by myself and headed to Lalibela. Lalibela is the second most holy city in Ethiopian Orthodox church. It was established by King Lalibela sometime after 1187 AD. The King built Lalibela to be the new Jerusalem since “old” Jerusalem was captured in 1187.

The amazing thing about the 13 churches of Lalibela are that they weren’t built, they were carved from stone. The outside is carved from the top to the bottom and the insides are carved from the bottom to the top. When you think about it (and see it), it really absolutely amazing.

The church above and below is St. George, the most famous of all the Lalibela churches. It is a monolithic church meaning is is freestanding and carved out of one rock.

I can’t tell you have mesmerizing it is to stand in front of this beautiful building and think about it being carved out of stone. There is so much detail and precision in each building and to think it was all done with hammers and chisels.

Each church is unique and has it’s only special characteristics. I love all the windows and arches of this church in the Eastern Group.

My guide Abby told me each person adopts a church as his own. It the church he or she prays in and takes care of.

This is me outside of Abby’s church. He insisted on taking a picture so I would remember him and his church.

In each church, there is a priest that sits and guards the church. This is the priest in St. Mary’s church. He offered to pose for a picture.

The churches of Lalibela are obviously old and prone to damage both naturally and by man. The Italians paid to have these covering placed over many of the churches to preserve the their roofs from the elements. They aren’t very pretty but they seem to do the job.

Lalibela is located in the mountains of Amhara which are almost 10,000 ft above sea level. This is the view from my room at the Mountain View Lodge.

So, are we thinking about a visit to Lalibela? If so, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Wear sturdy shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Shoes are not allowed inside the churches so you are constantly taking them off and on.

2. It’s hot and sunny there but there are almost no toilets around. I suggest adding hydration tablets to your water so you don’t have to drink as much.

3. Ladies, cover those shoulders and legs.

4. You can do it in a day depending when you arrive. I got in at 8:30am and spent the night. I was done with my tour by 6:30. We had a 3 hour break at lunch. If there is a 6pm flight to Addis, I’d take that. There isn’t much to do in Lalibela beyond the churches.

5. Get a guide. I know, I’m not really a guide person either but it’s worth it. Entrance in the churches is 350 birr (about $20) so for a little more you’ll get a history lesson and more importantly, someone to help you navigate all the rocky paths and show you the shortcuts and passageways between churches.

6. Mind the altitude. It’s really high and if you aren’t used to it, you’ll be huffing and puffing after a few uphill steps.

7. They don’t tell you this but you should be in good shape to tackle the churches. There is a lot of uphill hiking, climbing over rocks and negotiating steep stone steps. Below is an example of one of the easiest “stairways” we had to negotiate.

Lalibela was the perfect weekend trip. I got some exercise, learned a ton and got to take in these amazing example of rock architecture.

Eating and Walking in Vancouver

2012-05-02T05:48:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Micah and spent a weekend in Vancouver. We wanted to get in some quality time before I took off for Addis. Unlike most of our trips, we had no agenda. The things we wanted to do were eat and walk. It turned out to be perfect weather for both.

On the way up to Vancouver we stopped at Taylor Shellfish Farm. We buy their oysters in Seattle but we wanted to check out their farm store on Chuckanut Drive (yes, that’s really what it’s called).

The store is like oyster heaven. I just wanted to try everything. We didn’t have our cooler, so we ended up with smoked oyster we could have as a snack with crackers.

On the way to Vancouver, we decided to stop in Richmond, BC for lunch. We had stopped at here on the way to Whistler and had the best Ramen we’ve had in years. For some reason Ramen in Seattle is few and far between. We couldn’t find the place we visited before but we heard good things about Shibuyatei on Sexsmith and Bridgeport road.

We started with the best gyoza I’ve ever had. Seriously. It was a pork and shrimp combo.

We both ended up getting the Larmen (Toyko Style ramen) in the Soy Sauce Flavor. It was delicious. Nice and porky with a little sweetness from the corn and pickled mushroom. Yum, Yum, Yum! Two huge bowls of Larmen a combo order of gyoza set us back $20 with tax and tip. Shibuyatei is better than the last place we went to in Richmond and is definitely going to be a regular stop for us when we head to Vancouver or Whistler.

I love driving into Vancouver. That’s all.

We spent all of our first day at Stanley Park. I love Stanley Park – it reminds me of my childhood. We used to come here all the time when we visited every weekend during Expo ‘86. I am not exaggerating. We came every weekend that year. I’m pretty sure I was temporarily a Canadian citizen that year.

There’s a great path that will take you around the perimeter of the park. I think it’s 4 miles (or so long). We leisurely spent the afternoon walking. It was perfect.

The next day we spent the morning exploring different neighborhoods around the city. We also discovered the Labatt’s and Lululemon main offices. I have no idea what this little submarine is but it was very cute.

image

Micah and I spent the afternoon walking along Robson street window shopping when we happened upon a random Japanese mini mart. It was in this mini mart I discover what is now my favorite candy bar, the Green Tea Kit Kat. It was AMAZING!!!! It anyone is going to Japan and wouldn’t mind picking up a bar or 20 for me, let me know. I only bought a few bars but I hoarded them for weeks.

One of the things we wanted to try in Vancouver was the famous JapaDog. Lucky for us, there was a location about 3 blocks from our hotel. I had the Terimayo (left) which is a hot dog with Japanese mayo, Teriyaki sauce and seaweed sprinkled on top. Micah has the Oroshi (right) which is a hot dog with grated daikon, a special soya sauce and green onions. I liked mine but I liked Micah’s better. I think the seaweed was a little too much for me.

We went on one last walk before we left the city the next day. Again, the weather was perfect. We got everything we wanted out of the weekend. Walking, food and each other. I love the quick weekend getaway.

Where did you go on your last weekend getaway?

Daily Life in Addis

2012-05-01T04:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, maybe not daily life but my daily (hotel living) life in a few pictures

Everyday I get picked up (they insist) and we brave the crazy streets of Addis. Two traffic lights in the whole of the city, people just making a turn across traffic that hasn’t yielded, pedestrians weaving between roadwork, goats and cars – that is commuting in Addis.

Three times a day the best espresso outside of Italy is served. OK, this may not be the best in the city but it’s pretty good. I don’t drink coffee in Seattle but I have an espresso twice a day. The macchiatos here are the best – better than what I’ve had in Italy.

This is a pretty traditional rug in Ethiopia. It doesn’t go with out house at all but I really want one. Very 1960’s. Don’t worry, I won’t be bringing one back with me.

This is the view from our office – it’s 5 stories up and there is no elevator. Addis is about 7,500 ft up which makes climbing to my desk feel like a slow death (I have asthma).

This is the inside of a taxi. All taxi’s here are blue and white Russian Ladas. I’m pretty sure you can’t find this make of Lada anywhere in Moscow or St. Petersburg but there are thousands of them in Addis. As you can see, drivers like to decorate. This was one of the best interiors I’ve ever seen.

I’ve been to Addis three times before so I feel like I don’t really need souvenirs. I say that but then I picked up this silver bracelet and these necklace (which I will restring).

I know what you are thinking, what is this. It’s Genfo. Genfo is a barley flour mixture that’s cooked and filled with clarified butter and red pepper paste. Expectant mothers are fed genfo right before the birth to give them strength. When you visit the newborn, you are served genfo. One of the guys in the office just had a baby and the entire staff went to visit him and the new baby. They insisted I come. It was really nice and I was glad to be included. So, genfo. It has the texture of raw dough and kind of resembles a tangy polenta. It was OK. I could have done with just a quarter of my serving. It left me really full and kind of sick later in the evening. I think it was really having to consume a quarter cup of clarified butter that did it to me. That said, I think it was worth it to get to be part of real Ethiopian life.

So far, the trip has been really good. I’ve been productive and the work environment has been amazing. I don’t always have the luxury of saying that. The city has really changed in 3 years for the better and for the worse but isn’t that always the case? This Thursday I’m hoping to go out and observe a few activities at a health post outside the city and this weekend I’m headed to Lalibela!

World Malaria Day

2012-04-25T04:39:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone. It’s World Malaria Day so I thought I’d share this very handy and informative infographic with you. Malaria is still prevalent in many countries, still kills millions of people and is still completely preventable. “A child dies of malaria every minute,” tell me that doesn’t break your heart.

image via MACEPA

If you do want to help, there are some amazing organizations out there that take donations. A few are listed here. Also, check out last year’s World Malaria Day post to see pictures of the Malaria work my project did in Malawi.

Reading on the Road

2012-04-24T03:57:00.001-07:00

If I didn’t already mention it, I’m in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and will be for another 2.5 weeks. In total, I’ll be away from home for a little over 3 weeks. It’s a long time in general but compared to my last two trips (4.5 and 5 weeks), it’s manageable. One of the great things about being on the road and having time in the evenings (which I should use to blog) to reading. I know I was sort of anti-Kindle before but that little devise has changed my travel life. I read so much more on trips because I can load a bunch of books on before I go and even access library books and Amazon when I’m on the road. But that’s enough with the love, let’s talk books.

I think I’m a fairly eclectic reader. I’ll read most anything though I tend to stay away from Fantasy (does Harry Potter count?), Sci-Fi and real Romance novels. I go through phases where I read only weird non-fiction (History of Cod anyone?) and then go on a fiction bender. Right now I have a pretty diverse range of books I plan to read this trip which include the following:

We’ve been neglecting the blog a bit. I know it needs some help so I thought while I had a bit of time, I’d do some blog related reading. I randomly picked this book because I like the title, it had good reviews on Amazon (where the image is from) and it was available for checkout at the library with no wait. I hope it’s helpful.

I love a good female comedy writer and after reading Tina Fey’s book, I decided I probably needed to read Mindy Kaling’s too. I know some may not agree but I liked Mindy’s (I can call her Mindy because I know her – I did read the book) book better than I liked Tina Fey’s. I think Tina Fey’s book had more laugh out loud moments but I think Mindy’s was consistently more funny and more relatable to me. Maybe it’s the Asian upbringing, or the fact that I make that same face she has on the cover or because I feel the same about one night stands as she does, but I liked this book better. I finished it in 6 hours.

We’re going to Maine this summer. I mentioned it before but you should check out the post if you missed it – we need recommendations. We’re doing a road trip and we are spending over half our time in Maine. I actually am really excited for Maine – more than I thought I would be.

I think this may be the only fiction book I have on my list to read this trip. I actually don’t know too much about the book except it takes place in the 1870s in the Ottoman Empire. I think I picked this book because Amazon recommended it based on my reading history and again, there was not wait for it at the library. I hope that isn’t a sign.

I am in the middle of this book and Dr. Hodes is an inspiring and amazing person. I saw a documentary early last year about Dr. Hodes and was moved to tears. If you know me, you will probably will say that’s not a huge feat but if you read this book or watch the documentary, you’ll be moved too. If you are not, then you are a robot – just saying. The short of it is that Dr. Hodes saves lives everyday. He’s selfless, and giving and accepting of all people. I’m only about 40% into the book and I think I’ve shed a tear 2 or 3 times already. If you don’t have time for the book, check out his website. It’s full amazing stories of the people he’s helped.

Early last year, I started taking on some new responsibilities on my project. For most of my time on the project, I’ve been what I’d call an Administrative Coordinator or Administrative Jill of all Trades. I work on budgets, opens new field offices, administratively supporting large field activities in a couple of African countries, dabble in recruiting and hiring and manage consultants and personnel issues. Last year I had some time and starting working on project documentation. It was only supposed to take up 15% of my time. Eventually, I was asked if I wanted it to be 50% or more of my time. I was really interested in the work and the guy leading it seemed happy to just have some staff time to utilize. Let me just say that I have no experience in documentation unless this blog counts. I had and have a lot to learn and luckily my team leader (we are officially a team of two now) has been happy (maybe) to coach me. He recommended I read The Checklist Manifesto because he said that if I could master lists, I could do this job. Clearly he doesn’t know me or he’d know that I LOVE lists. This is clearly the book for me. I’ll tell you how it is when I finish it but apparently it’s supposed to change the way I do things. I say bring it.

Man, I love me a themed travel memoir. Eric Weiner travels around the world to learn what makes people happy and who is actually happy. I think we could all use a little bliss and to remember what makes us happy.

So that’s what I’m reading this trip. What’s on your nightstand?