Intrepid Mom

India – Another world

Tony — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:53:52 +0000

India is more than just another country, it is another world. We first got a sense of this other world when we applied for a travel Visa in the dusty basement at the Indian Consulate in Rome (our second attempt to get our Indian visas while on route!) Melissa had to use the washroom and...

A visit to the highlands of Kerala

Tony — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:27:08 +0000

Earlier this month we visited a rubber plantation in the foothills of Vagamon, Kerala. Vanilla County Plantation offers tents and rooms to tourists who are looking for an alternative to the hotel experience. Homestay accommodations are often way-off the tourist track and therefore offer meals as part of their package. Our experience has been that...

India – what a bargain!

Linda — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:13:48 +0000

Yes India is fascinating and exotic and chaotic and exasperating and everything I thought it would be but I hadn’t counted on it being so cheap! Where else can you book a driver for a day for $30.00? Other bargains…. Pop or water, 20 cents Bag of groceries – veggies, fruit, bread, milk, eggs, $3...

Christmas in South Africa

Linda — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:29:04 +0000

December was our month to sadly say good-bye to Petra and Sammy and all our wonderful friends in Kenya and move down the continent to South Africa. Read below to see what each of us remembers and catch the slideshow at the end: Linda: We had already confirmed that we would be helping out Paul...

Maasai Mara

Tony — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:58:22 +0000

Our last few days in Kenya were spent on a Safari in Maasai Mara, one of Kenya’s finest game reserves. When we planned our RTW going on a safari in Africa was at the top of our list, a life long dream! We traveled with Petra and Sammy, our hosts from Sandai Lodge and guides...

Salabwek

Melissa — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:33:25 +0000

Two years ago, Kew Beach, my school in Toronto, built a well in Kenya through a charity called Free the Children. I went with my family to visit it and the village is called Salabwek. First we saw the old school which the village parents had built because they wanted their kids to learn. It...

The Greening of Kenya

Linda — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:06:21 +0000

At the end of this blog post, please click through to our Christmas appeal! I’ve always known trees are important. In Canada, one of the greenest countries in the world, we’re constantly defending our forests from overzealous logging, urban encroachment and evil developers. In Toronto, you can’t even cut down a tree on your own...

Elephants Up Close

Christopher — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:39:11 +0000

When I got to Kenya the first thing I wanted to do was visit the elephant orphanage where our family had adopted a baby elephant named Chemi Chemi. At this orphanage named “The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust” they rescue abandoned elephants whose mothers are usually killed by poachers and the babies are also injured defending...

Rescuing animals in Egypt

Melissa — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:25:18 +0000

When we were in Luxor, it was crazy. People, tourists everywhere but the thing that caught my eye the most was how the people treated their animals like the horses and donkeys pulling sugar cane and people on a cart. I saw scratches and how skinny the horses and donkeys were. I really did...

What I Learned About Jordan

Linda — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:00:53 +0000

People are friendly “Welcome to Jordan!” We heard it from everyone we met, our hosts, taxi drivers, shop-keepers, the man who made the pizzas at the bottom of our street. And Jordanians truly mean it. They are very proud to serve you and show their hospitality. Our hosts, Dima and her parents Bashir and Abla,...