Scott Ogden

July 19, 2021

Thoughts, Reflections and the Call of the Wild

Scott Ogden

July 19, 2021

Writing a travel blog is like playing with time. You want everyone reading to live the moment as if it was happening now. But in reality, by the time a blog gets published, time has past. Maybe even months.

Usually this is not a big issue, but sometimes something can happen that changes everything and your blog will be horribly out of sync with reality.

That is what has happened to us.

Right now I am sitting in a cafe in Crete. I want to tell about Kelly and my month and a half in Cape Town and our two month self drive safari through Namibia and Botswana. Sounds like fun right?

Except a month ago Kelly and I went our separate ways. She flew back to her family in Tulsa and I flew to Albania. Once there she decided that she was done with world travel. It took me by surprise.

But I can’t blame her. Travel can be tough and exhausting. Being away from family and friends for an extended time isn’t for everyone. After a year and a half she needed to stop.

But that’s not me. I’m loving my new world explorer life. The challenges of day to day travel are just part of the package. And instead of dragging me down, I feel like I’m just getting started. A window of opportunity has opened and I want to take advantage of it while I’m still young and healthy enough. I know it won’t last forever.

Asia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand are all on the horizon. These wildly different places are begging to be explored. I want to be there. See and experience them with my own eyes.

And I will.

Now back to our blog. This will be my last post on it. As Our Excellent Adventure comes to a close I want to share with you Kelly and my last great adventure together — through South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

CAPE TOWN

I’ve always heard that Cape Town was a pretty place. But when we got there we were blown away, instantly falling in love with this seaside town. We stayed a block from the water in Sea Point. A perfect location. I was ready to explore… kind of.

It must have been Ethiopia exhaustion. I started coughing in Addis and it only got worse in Cape Town. And then the tummy issues began. Without getting into nasty details, I spent the next two weeks basically in bed, recovering and resting. I needed it. Kelly didn’t mind, catching up on reading and writing. Chilling out in Cape Town was not such a bad thing we found out. Even when you have no choice.

Looking down on Cape Town from Table Mountain

After a trip to the doctor, I got better and we spent the next few weeks biking and hiking and of course trying out all the foodie experiences that Cape Town offers. Prices are cheap and great restaurants are plentiful. And with nature so close, it’s so easy to get out and explore.

Large kelp forests dot the rocky shoreline

We checked out the neighborhood…

and hiked…

and biked…

and explored nearby sights.

After a month we were ready to hit the road.

STOLLENBOSCH

We rented a car and drove a few hours to Stellenbosch. The beautiful wine country of South Africa. I loved driving into the valley and checking out a few of the extraordinary wineries. The quality of wine can’t compare to Napa Valley, but the surroundings were first class and the tastings were cheap.

An unexpected pleasure

What joy it was to find a nice e-mountainbike for rent and some great singletrack to ride. Mountain biking is one things I’ve missed most during our travels.

THE GARDEN ROUTE

After a few days we headed east along the Garden Route. This famous area lies along the southern coast, east of Cape Town. It is dotted by numerous small towns broken up by beaches and cliffs. Some liken it to Hwy 1 in California.

We ended up in a fantastic Airbnb in Sedgefield with a huge bath and kitchen. Kelly was in heaven. We cooked our own meals, baked banana bread, worked on our blog and went for long walks on the endless beach We could live in this little town called Slow Town for sure.

We also had our first interaction with elephants near here. Not too far away was an elephant sanctuary. We spent a lovely afternoon with these amazing creatures. Walking, feeding them and taking photos!

a gentle giant

You can’t get this close to these wonderful beasts in the wild.

OUR SELF DRIVE SAFARI

Our deadline to pick up our Land Cruiser was near. It was time to go on our true adventure of a lifetime. We were ready to see elephants in the wild! So we packed up and drove back to Cape Town.

It’s a long story how we ended up renting this crazy, hardcore 4WD vehicle. A year ago, we paid for an two month guided safari from Cape Town to Nairobi, but due to Covid it was cancelled. Our friends Joe and Josee suggested that we rent our own vehicle and explore at our own speed. That idea caught our fancy so we went for it.

Bushlore.com is who we rented this full-on African safari roadster.

The idea of driving ourselves across southern Africa was a little daunting. There was a lot to learn. For one thing, it was right hand drive with a stick shift to boot! I have to say the company we rented from didn’t do such a good job showing us the ins and outs. So learning on the road became our de facto school. I have to admit though, by the time we returned, we felt comfortable and, mostly, in control.

Over the almost two months we traveled, we stayed in 25 different campsites/lodges. Most for at least a few nights. I’d love to share all the places we stayed, but I’m trying to limit the scope of this particular blog. So I will highlight some of our favorites and just post pictures of others.

We started driving north towards Namibia. Before we crossed the border we spent a few nights camping along the South African coast.

Namaqua National Park

Can you imagine a more beautiful place to camp? We were (almost) the only ones there.

As we arrived a small storm passed through then left in time for sunset.

To say this was one of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve ever seen was an understatement. I mean, how many times do you get a sunset and a rainbow at the same time?

As the sunset was evolving I became aware of another couple down the beach. At first I felt they were invading our moment. But afterwards we talked to them and realized how special it was to meet a couple who would share the magic of our experience. We instantly bonded and became friends.

Louis and Leoni Van Sandwyk are from Johannesburg and were on their honeymoon. We’ve kept in touch with them. They are moving to Napa later in the year and I look forward to visiting them there.

Onto the splendor of…

NAMIBIA

We spent a month here. From the ancient deserts in the south to the animal filled bush in the north, Namibia is a dream.

Fish River Canyon. The second largest canyon in the world behind the Grand Canyon.

Some interesting facts to know about Namibia.

It is one of the least populated countries in the world — only second to Mongolia. There is a strong German influence — they ruled it at the beginning of the 20th century. Then South Africa took control until 1992 when Namibia became its own country. It’s barely 30 years old!

Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop is a must see in Namibia. It’s an abandoned diamond mining town built by some industrious Germans in the early 1900s. By the 1950 it had all but been abandoned, it’s fortunes left to the blowing sand.

The southern deserts of Namibia are hypnotizing. You can drive on these well maintained gravel roads for hours without seeing another car.

When I heard Elon Musk talk of living on Mars, I think he could save a lot of money and effort by just settling here.

More friends…

We met Dave and Wendy as we arrived in Namibia and safaried together for a week. They are from Stellenbosch South Africa and were on a three month adventure. They are amazing people and we fell in love with them. We shared food, bottles of wine and great stories. The best of what life can offer.

Namtib Desert Lodge

We spent two nights here. Miles from nowhere. So quiet. So many stars at night.

Sossusvlei

The most popular tourist spot in Namibia. These other worldly red dunes are fun to climb and explore.

Spitzkoppe

120 million year old granite makes this outcropping in the desert a must see. Reminded me of Joshua Tree with an arch.

As we traveled further north we finally reach what we’ve been waiting for…

Etosha National Park

A huge game reserve in the north of Namibia. If you are an animal, this is the place to be seen.

There is something special about seeing a wild animal in Africa. I mean this is where they live! Elephants. Giraffes. Hippos. Rhinos. Lions… the list goes on. And watering holes were basically where you find them.

Camping in Namibia is all about choices. Wild camping. Organzied campgrounds. And even luxury lodges. They all have a place for you to set up and enjoy.

bedroom water.jpeg — Ngepi Lodge

Sometimes we had to get away from the camper and get a real bed.

We met John and Bronwen Vearncombe while getting our Covid test in Katima near the Botswana border. We quickly became friends and met up with them a few more times. They are true nomads and are still traveling through Africa.

The morning mist coming off of the croc and hippo infested Cubango River. Looking towards Angola.

Getting into Botswana was supposed to be an easy affair — except Kelly got a positive Covid test and we had to scramble well into the night to get her retested. The second time it came back negative. Whew!

BOTSWANA

If you want to see wild animals up close, and we did, Botswana is the place to be.

I looked up and there he was, coming towards us. He paused to check us out, then slowly sauntered away. My heart was beating out of my chest.

In Namibia, when we wanted to find a place to stop and camp, we’d just show up and have no problem finding a nice spot. Not in Botswana. The secret is out and people book a year in advance to grab a coveted site in one of the national parks. We were encouraged to book ahead and were glad we did.

There are a few places in the world where wild animals are so accessible. The Okavango Delta is one of those places.

We decided to splurge and spend a few nights in one of the hard to reach luxury lodges. Budget busters, yes. But they offer a unique opportunity to see places that can’t be reached by 4WD. Also guides, a comfortable bed and great food is included as well.

Moremi Crossing Safari Lodge.jpeg — Moremi Crossing Safari Lodge

Deep in the Okavango Delta sat our home

Lodges in the Okavango Delta are special. For one thing they have to be constructed in a way so can be removed without any damage to the environment. At the same time they offer a level of luxury that you would not expect. Until you get the bill, I guess.

But on the other hand, the animals were literally at our doorstep.

brown owl.jpeg — Pel's fishing owl

People come to Botswana just to get a look at this owl. Very rare. We were lucky to find one.

Sonia and Eric were the only other tourists at our lodge. They were from Barcelona moving to Perth, Australia. It was fun to have company. And since Eric and the big lens, he got all the good shots!

nxai lodge.jpeg — Nxai Pan lodge

A beautiful lodge in the middle of nowhere

We hopped on another flight and arrived at Nxai Pan. A dry lake known the seasonal home to large herds of zebra and wildebeest. Since we were out of season, so we focused on giraffe and elephants. Though one night we were awoken to the huge roar of a nearby lion.

Kelly and I were the only guests at this lovely lodge. There were at least six people waiting on us at all times. They were sweet and attentive, but honestly it was a little strange to have someone constantly staring at you waiting to help. I missed having Sonia and Eric with us.

While we were there, a cold wave came through. Brrrrr. But as we retired to our cabin, the staff gave us huge hot water bottles to put in our beds. They thought of everything.

One day we saw over 60 elephants at this watering hole!

It was finally time to get…

BACK ON THE ROAD

We flew back to Maun where our Land Cruiser had a little damage control and got a wash. We had a day to go shopping and get ready for some hardcore camping.

We had two camping reservations. Three nights at Third Bridge in the Moremi Game Reserve. Then a nine hour drive to Camp Savuti in the Chobe National Game Reserve. Both these camps are world renowned. You couldn’t ask for a better place to see animals. And boy did we.

These hornbills were a bit of a nuisance.

Cooking

All in all we ate pretty well. Here is some homemade beer bread I made and of course Brai grilled chicken. After years of grilling on gas, it was fun to learn how to build a fire and use the coals to cook with.

I destroyed two tires on our trip. Here is Kelly showing me how it’s done.

If you look very closely, you can see elephants walking along the horizon

ALL THINGS MUST END

So here I am, back in Crete.

After camping in Chobe National Park, Kelly and I drove for three days to get to Johannesburg. Our original plan was to camp for another week, but things started going south. The cold nights, the tiny bed, the constant moving was wearing on us both. Kelly especially.

We started our journey together in a quest to see the world. And yes we did — over 550 days on the road, visiting 13 countries. So many places and people we will never forget. What started in Yelapa Mexico was about to end in Johannesburg South Africa.

Kelly was very homesick. And tired. It had been building for awhile. Maybe if we had moved slower it could have helped. Certainly my curiosity got the better of me as I was driven to see that next great place.

But our time together will never go away. We have this blog to prove it.

As a final note, I will be continuing my travels. I look at this time in my life with gratitude. I embrace it. There is so much still to see. There are new friends I want to meet.

The wind is at my back.

I would also like to continue blogging. It is a great creative outlet for me. And I hope it is something you will look forward to reading. After I put together my new blog, I will send the link out to everyone on this list.

Thanks to everyone for joining us on our journey. I hope you’ve been inspired and in some small way you bring this inspiration into your own lives.

Scott Ogden

June 30, 2021

Ethiopia

The Other Side of Ethiopia

Scott Ogden

June 30, 2021

Ethiopia

HAIL TO ETHIOPIA!

Now for some facts about this fascinating country:

A culturally rich, large and historically significant country. The ancient home of modern man. Archeologists have found human-like fossils dating back 4.2 million years and homo sapiens 200,000 years.

It is deeply religious. Most citizens are Orthodox Christians. Churches, some simple, some dating back 1600 years are everywhere. It is the home of the Ark of the Covenant.

It is the only African country to not be colonized.

English is widely spoken. People are friendly. And coffee is the national drink.

Though it is a poor country. It can be very cheap to travel and eat. But to visit it properly you will need a guide. And that can be somewhat expensive.

Kelly and I started in the south, visiting the tribes of the Omo Valley (see our earlier blog) and then flew to the north. The regions are very different.

But both share some similarities…

COFFEE

Ethiopia and coffee are one and the same. They grow some of the best beans in the world. And what you’ll find is that coffee is almost a religion to them. When you drink it you’ll partake in a coffee ceremony. This happens everywhere. It involves charcoal, incense, fresh cut grass and even popcorn.

The coffee is strong. It’s served in small cups. No milk. Add sugar (though I rarely did)

The ceremony is performed in their houses, on small coffee stands dotting every road you travel on, at hotels and restaurants.

With our guides Fitsum and Isreal we would stop and have coffee every few hours. It is the blood that makes this country work.

FOOD

As for food, Ethiopia is mostly a one trick pony. At least for the locals. It’s all about Injera. It is a sour fermented flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour — the most common grain grown throughout the country.

It comes on a large plate, on top is a collection of different bean stews (Shiro) and meats (Tibs). Sometimes it’s simple, other times it is a celebration.

You eat it with your hands and share it with whoever you are with. It’s a community experience.

The Ethiopians eat it three times a day and have been doing so for their whole lives.

We liked it a lot, but at the same time, being Americans, we like to mix it up with other foods. Like pizza.

As far as an alcoholic drink, they love their honey wine. Served in a bottle you’d see in a lab, it is a great companion to Injera.

Northern Ethiopia

But once we arrived in the north, we saw that there are also differences too…

Much cooler (in the 70s and 80s), beautiful natural landscape of rolling hills and Acacia trees. People seemed to be better fed, happier and working together on building homes, farming, The north is also much greener, more developed and has much more available water — for agriculture and for people’s everyday needs.

And God is everywhere. In the churches, in the jewelry and in the landscape.

In some ways I wished that we had started in the north, then headed south. I think we would have been more prepared. The south is raw, naked. The north more forgiving.

RELIGION

The tribes in the Omo Valley in the south primarily practice Animism. But in the north it is primarily Orthodox Christian, followed by Muslim. But to an outsider Christianity reigns.

And with that was an amazing collection of churches. From wooden structures filled with scripture based art to the famous rock churches of Lalibela.

It was inspiring to be able to explore these houses of worship.

There are eleven churches carved out of rock. Truly impressive. And still being used for worship today.

JEWELRY

Northern Ethiopia has its unique handcrafted jewelry that can be found near temples and in the markets. Kelly was enamored by their beautiful and unique designs. She started to buy a few pieces for herself, then quickly started to make a gift list. She didn’t stop until her bag was full.

BAHIR DAR

We started our Northern adventure in Bahir Dar. A nice modern town on the shores of Lake Tana. It was fun to explore its restaurants and bars.

After I recovered from my hangover, we spent the next day in a boat exploring Lake Tana. It is the source of the Blue Nile, one of the major tributaries of the Nile. It was strange to think that only a few weeks ago we were in Egypt, where this important river emptied into the Mediterranean Sea, 1300 miles away.

Across the lake are a few remote islands, where a few 16th century monasteries stood. Our local guide took us on a hike through the forest. An unassuming round building stood in a clearing.

But once inside, its beauty emerged. So peaceful and quiet. Kelly and I immediately felt a special connection with them. On the walls were the story of christ painted on parchment. It was colorful and well preserved.

The second monastery was equally as nice.

GONDAR

The next day we drove to Gondar — three hours away. Our driver must have been in a hurry as we hung to the railings as he hurled us through the countryside.

Gondar is the old capital of Ethiopia. It had a bustling downtown, but for the most part we didn’t care much for it. It might be in part because directly across from our hotel was a church that every evening blasted scripture out of speakers for the entire night! Even with earplugs I couldn’t sleep.

We did enjoy our tour of the old walled castle, built by Emperor Fasilides in the 17 century.

We also visited one of the only retangular churches in Ethiopia.

Look below and you can see a huge empty pool. This was built by an early king who wanted a place to chill (literally).

Now, once a year, the city fills it up with water and allows everyone the chance to cool down and play. Now that sounds fun!

Simien Mountain National Park
Certainly one of the highlights of our trip was our visit to the Simien Mountains — only a few hours outside of Gondar. At eleven-thousand feet, you get a chance to get above the valleys and get some otherworldly views.

We stayed at the Simien Lodge, the highest lodge in Africa. A friendly place with very good food. We were alone except a small group of scientists from South Korea. Small world for sure. We enjoyed our evenings drinking wine in front of a fire built to keep the cold temps at bay.

To get into the park, Fitsum (our guide) had to hire a driver, a local guide and a “park ranger” who hauled around a rusty rifle. We all piled into the 4WD and headed deep into the park.

The local guide pointed to a trail which we followed along the upper side of the canyon. Being so far away from everything, surrounded by so much vastness we walked in quiet. It was a feeling that I’d like to keep with me.

Our local guide told me that he takes tourists on 4 or 5 day overnight treks into these mountains. Now that would be something special.

GELADA BABOONS

These creatures are only found in the Ethiopian highlands. Though they are not really baboons. Humans don’t seem to bother them so you can get amazingly close. They graze on all that grass you see here in the pics. As you can see, the males especially are very majestic.

At night to avoid predators, they scale down the cliffs and sleep between the rocks. It’s actually steeper than it looks.

These mountains also contain the Walia Ibex. It is rare to see one of these in the wild, but it didn’t stop us from looking. Vertigo anyone?

You never know what you’ll find so far away for civilization.

WEDDING/VILLAGE

We came across a small village near our lodge and decided to stop. It turned out a wedding was in process. So we joined in! Everyone was happy we were there. We all just got together and had a good time!

LALIBELA

Our next stop was Lalibela. A very long eight hour drive away.

Along the way, we stopped and took photos of some Olive monkeys and a few vultures feasting nearby.

Arriving at Sora Lodge in Lalibela was wonderful. Perched on a cliff above a small village, its beautiful rooms and sunset bar were a welcome relief to Kelly and I. We upgraded our room and added a few more days to our stay. We didn’t want to leave.

View from the Sunset Bar. They made a hell of a Negroni.

We also met Jean-Baptiste Huynh who was also staying at the lodge. He is an amazingly talented Paris based photographer who was traveling around Kenya, and now Ethiopia photographing the local people and tribes. You must see his work: jeanbaptistehuynh.com/en/series

We became friends and had some nice drunken dinners together.

As you can see, Ethiopia is a photographers dream — especially portraits. Everywhere you go you find yourself taking once in a lifetime pictures.

The Rock Churches

Lalibela is the most popular tourist spot in Ethiopia. (Not that we saw many. We were pretty much alone.)

You can easily see why. Lalibela is the home to most of the famous Rock Churches. These subterranean monoliths, hewn out of a single rock, are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Built during the 12th century, they are a true testament to faith.

The Cave Church

An hour drive away was the church of Yemrehana Krestos, or Cave Church.

No skeletons in the closet here. They kept them in a corner of the cave.

ADDIS ABABA

Our last stop before leaving Ethiopia was where we started. Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

The highlight here was to go to the National Museum of Ethiopia where I could see “Lucy” up close.

She of course was an ape-like creature who walked upright and lived in this area 3.5 million years ago. She is considered an important link from early man to homo sapiens.

That just shows you how much history is in this unique country.

ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES

The things I didn’t know about Ethiopia could fill a book. Here’s my attempt at capturing what caught our eyes:

Even at an airport they use their crazy time system.

For the entire country, the day starts at sunrise and ends sunset. Since the country is located very near the equator, winter and summer are just about equal day lengths. Which means that 6 am equals 1:00. Noon our time is 6:00 their time. And sunset is approximately 12 hours later 6 pm equals 12:00. Confused? So were we.

Over 45 different languages are spoken within Ethiopia. Luckily for us, many speak English.
Their calendar contains 13 months. The 13th month captures the ‘forgotten days’ in leap year and contains 5 or 6 days.
Toilet paper is mostly not available except in hotels and touristy restaurants. If there’s running water, you’ll often find a spray nozzle near the toilet to be used in lieu of toilet paper. When there’s only a concrete hole in the floor, there’s often a bucket of water and a pitcher to be used to flush.
Very few Ethiopians own cars. Most ride donkeys or, if they have money, the can hire a “bajajs” (tuk tuk) to get around.
The bigger hotels will take a credit card but the rest of the country is cash only.
We noticed very few people smoke cigarettes.

During our month-long visit, most of the country was observing lent, so many of the restaurants served only vegan meals. Also pork is rarely eaten.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE…

I would like to add that traveling with Fitsum Ashebir (and Israel Legesse our driver through the southern region) the owner of Omo Valley Tours was definitely the best thing we could have done. Fitsum truly gave us an objective introduction to his world. And took care of us in so many ways.

We will be friends forever.

Kelly Dixon

April 30, 2021

Ethiopia

The Omo Valley, A World Apart

Kelly Dixon

April 30, 2021

Ethiopia

I want to let you know that this isn’t our usual blog post where we share photos of pretty cocktails, beautiful meals or our once-in-a-lifetime unique COVID experiences. This blog pertains to the first half of our month-long trip in Ethiopia — visiting the ancient tribes of the Omo Valley.

When Scott suggested that we go to this off-the-grid country, I didn’t know what to expect. The one or two documentaries I had watched years ago about tribal living certainly didn’t prepare me.

I didn’t understand that while visiting each tribe, we would be sitting in their huts, attending their most important ceremonial rituals and talking with the children and family members about their day-to-day lives. And I certainly didn’t expect the emotional impact this experience would have on me.

Without a doubt this is the most challenging blog post I’ve written.

To set the tone:

Grab an Ethiopian beer (St. George or equivalent),
Turn on Spotify‘s Traditional Ethiopian Instrumental Channel with Mesele Asmamaw (the music we listened to during our daily road trips)

Now let’s dive in.

SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
THE OMO VALLEY

Arba Minch, Konso, Turmi, Omorate, Jinka

February 25th - March 9th, 2021

THIS ONE

As soon as I got out the the truck, this little darling latched on to my hand and wouldn’t let go. She looked at me and I looked at her and off we went to visit her people of the Karo Tribe.

We spent the morning walking around her village, located on a ridge above the Omo River.

At times she held on to me so tightly that I had to shake her loose to take pictures and talk with the other children. But she never left my side.

As we sat in one of the huts chatting with a local family, pretending to drink coffee from a gourd (a mix of hot brown river water steeped with coffee husks), I removed my hat and she and I played hide and seek. She giggled constantly — my little spark of sunshine.

Her name is Arsema Kale. I guessed that she was 5 or 6 years old — though tribal people don’t actually track age so it’s hard to know for sure.

There was something about her, I couldn’t say what. We had visited many other tribes before hers and held many other hands, but she was different.

Before Scott and I left that day I gave her a small string bracelet with a gold circle that I purchased for myself in Istanbul.

She had won my heart.

WHY ETHIOPIA?

Realize that most people who visit Ethiopia, go for an experiential trip (not a typical vacation) — intrepid travelers, photographers, missionaries and members of the United Nations. We were none of these. Just curious human beings exploring the world.

Scott’s friend, Bruce Stanley, was the only person I knew of who had traveled to Ethiopia. He suggested that it was “a truly unique experience.”

An understatement I would later discover.

But, as I am prone to respond repeatedly on this adventure, I quickly said, “Yes!” when asked if I wanted to go.

Bruce also suggested that we hire Fitsum Ashebir, owner of Omo Valley Tours, to be our guide. It’s pretty much a requirement to hire a guide while traveling here, and Fitsum was awesome (more on him later).

OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

From Cairo, we flew into Addis Ababa and stayed one night. At six the next morning we jumped in our Toyota Land Cruiser with our driverIsrael Legesse and Fitsum and headed out on a day-long drive south towards Arba Minch to start our journey.

When we asked our new team how long our drive would be that day they said seven or eight hours — it took twelve.

That was when we first discovered that Ethiopian time was quite different than our own.

The road conditions were brutal. Cattle finally let us pass.

This road was the main connector for everything from people and livestock to water transportation. When we stopped to take pictures of the cattle, these lovely ladies invited us into their hut nearby for coffee. Inside we were introduced to our first peek into another world.

ARBA MINCH

When we finally arrived at the Haile Resort in Arba Minch that evening, we were sweaty and road-worn. The daytime temperatures were hovering around 100 degrees. And, you guessed it, no AC in our truck.

We thought there had been a mistake.

We’re on a budget trip but we had pulled up to a luxury resort. Fitsum assured us we were in the right place. It was beyond a welcome relief — air conditioning, wifi and a shower awaited us.

Scott and I enjoyed a nice meal on the terrace overlooking Nechisar National Park and Lake Chamo. It looked like a good place to swim. Later we found out that the lake is infested with crocodiles.

Welcome to Africa!

We took the next day off to recover from our road trip and to prepare ourselves for the next 25 days.

The sunrise that next morning over the distant mountain range was beyond a dream. It made me want to paint a picture because no photo would capture the beauty we were seeing.

THIS IS BREAKFAST?

Our first stop heading out of town was touted as a gourmet breakfast. I’m not sure how we got talked into this but Fitsum introduced us to this special Ethiopian delicacy — freshly butchered raw meat (and no I’m not talking steak tartare) — usually from a cow, and sometimes a goat. He described this as “date food” since meat here is very expensive and you’d be impressing your date with a splurge like this.

Since the animal is butchered early in the morning and the meat is best eaten fresh, breakfast is the ideal time to indulge. I had a hard time wrapping my head around this.

Walking into this crowded restaurant first thing in the morning was a bit of a shock, but not as much as seeing “breakfast” show up at our table. The platter looked like something you’d prepare to take to your grill.

Scott managed to eat his share, but I politely declined.

THE TRIP AHEAD

Our plan was to visit eight or nine different tribes over the next couple of weeks. This would allow us to understand the similarities and differences of these tribes and their customs.

Many of our visits were planned so that we would arrive in their village at dawn so we could meet as many people as possible before the tribal men left to farm or herd livestock that day — and to take advantage of the coolest part of the day. We often drove an hour or more over long gravel roads into these extremely remote locations.

Fitsum would also hire local tribal guides to join us to introduce us personally to the tribal members and to show us around the villages.

Scott and I settled into the back seat of our Land Cruiser with Fitsum and Israel in the front. This bumpy and dusty hot view would be our vantage point to this part of the world for the next twelve days.

Beads, pineapples, goats, cattle, people, potholes and 100 degree temperatures are the best ways to describe our daily travels on these dusty roads through the Omo Valley.

LIFE IN THE OMO VALLEY

Let me see if I can properly paint the picture…

Tribes have lived along the Omo River for thousands of years. Archeologists even found a jawbone here from ancient man dating back 2.5 million years ago! It’s shocking because life is so challenging here. Know that back then when mankind settled in this region it was much greener and lush. Now it’s not.

Also, many of the tribes were nomadic — moving with the seasons, to wherever there was adequate food and water. Now, tribes have grown and expanded to reach their borders keeping them in place, and local resources are much more limited.

THE ROADS

The roads we encountered varied. Close to the cities we had decent paved roads but as soon as we turned off the main highway, gravel and potholes were the norm. We often drove in the ditch alongside the road because it was a smoother ride. The combination of road dust and our own sweat mixed with the heat of the day added another layer to our adventure.

LANGUAGE

There are more than 120 different languages throughout Ethiopia and each tribe has a slightly unique dialect. There are no written languages for these tribes, only spoken words. Very few people speak English.

TRANSPORTATION

Walking or riding donkeys are the main modes of transportation in this area — though we did see a few tribal members on motorcycles.

WEATHER

A very dry hot 100 degrees every day with almost no shade.

Rainfall can accumulate to as much as 40 inches per year, however, it tends to come in torrential rains and then is dry for much of the remainder of the year.

HOUSING

Many huts are constructed to resemble animals. This one is an elephant.

Most people live in huts — some more beautiful than others. Some round, and the more modern homes are square. Regardless of shape, they are all built with the same locally sourced building materials: eucalyptus tree limbs, mud and straw walls, thatched or tin roofs and dirt floors.

UTILITIES

No running water. No electricity. No plumbing.

There are very little resources here. In the cities, more so, but not in the remote tribal areas.

Termites are a huge issue in this area and the locals have learned to build to accommodate their appetite by building very tall huts. They just keep adjusting the door heights as the huts get shorter.

We were able to get limited cell service in some areas near town and along the paved highways.

WATER

Water is a big issue here with the tribes throughout the Omo Valley. Some say it’s the biggest single issue they deal with — with the threat of COVID being a non-issue.

There are two rainy seasons every year. A short season in April with the more intense rainfall in September/October.

With no infrastructure, water must be collected from the river or harvested from dry creek beds by digging down to find ground water. It is then filled into yellow containers and transported to the villages strapped on the backs of women and children or carted in on donkeys.

They drink this water unfiltered, straight from the container it was collected in.

FOOD

They primarily farm. Their main food sources are grains like kir and sorghum and, on special occasions, goat, beef and even camel. They trade what they don’t consume at the weekly markets.

The cattle graze on anything green, which is extremely limited during dry months — and most months are dry.

There is no irrigation, so only rain water sustains plant growth.

MONEY

A barter system is in place — currency is in the form of cattle and goats. The limited cash that does come into these tribes usually comes from tourists.

As tourists, cash is king and credit cards are rarely accepted anywhere. We were surprised to know that ATMs weren’t that hard to find.

EDUCATION

Only 1% of tribal children attend school. This is due to the lack of available transportation and the long distances to the nearest schools. But also, tribal parents discourage formal education because they know that everyone is needed to help sustain life here — to herd livestock, transport water, cook, and help raise the children. It requires a team effort to stay alive.

They also know that children who get an education tend to leave their tribe.

HEALTHCARE

Most tribes do not have access to medical care unless missionaries or humanitarian organizations provide this service, and typically they focus on child birth and communicable diseases.

Anyone who is sick or wounded goes to a tribal healer for blessings and ointments. Honey, tree sap and prayer are the typical remedies used.

Life expectancy is around 50 years old.

THE PEOPLE

TRIBAL MEN

Yep, those are goat intestines laid out on a gourd. The elders are reading the “signs” and advising the man in the striped serape (lower left) about whether he had been cursed.

The men we met all seemed to have similar traits.

They are the known protectors of their villages. As well as mediators to help settle conflicts between families or other villages. They also focus on the markets where they buy and sell their animals.

We often didn’t see many men around the villages, and were told that they were out with the cattle or working in the fields.

Often you would see men holding a rifle or a finely sharpened stick — a symbol of power and authority. Fitsum assured us that, more than likely, these guns had no ammunition and likely posed no threat.

The elders, on the other hand, seemed to spend their time wandering around the camp, not in a hurry to do much. They were often grouped together discussing deep issues — we didn’t really find out what — or playing board games.

TRIBAL WOMEN

The roles and rituals of the girls and women seemed far more vast and harsh.

From the age of 4 or 5, little girls learn to take care of their younger siblings. They wrap them on their backs and keep them busy while their mothers prepare food for the families. They only take them back to their mommas during the day to nap and nurse.

Children raising children

In general, tribal women typically have 5 to 15 children, which means they are breastfeeding for the better part of 10 to 20 years. And still, tribal women perform the majority of the work around the village.

They haul water, grind grains, farm and are required to keep a fire burning in their home day and night so that it’s possible for them to make a meal or fix coffee for men returning from herding or market trading.

Separating grain seed heads

A young girl mills grain

TRIBAL CHILDREN

These babies!

So sweet. Happy. Full of life. Playful and carefree.

They loved us. Our light skin. My blonde highlights. Our blue eyes. Scott’s gold fillings. His sunglasses. Our clothing. Everything about us was unique to them and they wanted to know more.

Our iPhones were a great way to connect. They were mesmerized by seeing pictures of themselves and they loved getting our attention.

We didn’t walk anywhere that we didn’t have a large group of children around us — both hands busy with little ones attached.

THE TRIBES WE VISITED

THE DORZE

Our first stop was to visit the Dorze tribe. They build the most amazing huts and are known as master weavers.

We enjoyed a trip through their local Saturday market and totally stood out. Children followed us as we walked through the rows of vendors — the adults looked at us with total skepticism.

We visited their tourist village where we were able to tour the interior of one of the huts, to try my hand at weaving, and we even sampled some local moonshine. They were obviously accustomed to hosting tourists, showing off their best talents by performing some of their traditional songs and dances.

The local chef (and local hipster)

A hut interior furnished with animal skin-covered chairs, gourds for cooking and carrying water

Me testing my weaving skills

Just down the road we met with the ambitious Konso tribe.

THE KONSO

Taking advantage of the hilly terrain, the Konso’s discovered the best way to farm this land was on terraces. For miles we saw these terraced landscapes.

The Konso are considered one of the hardest working tribes in the Omo Valley - with some very talented masons. Many of these dry laid walls have stood for thousands of years.

Their village was one of the prettiest we visited. Shaded by beautiful Oak trees, each home had very neatly kept dirt yards surrounded by artfully arranged dead wood branch fencing.

We also discovered that the Konso people were very creative. As we walked through their village we marveled at their artwork, jewelry, handmade soaps, and wood carvings and structures.

We enjoyed giving pens to the kids — which they happily snatched from our hands.

Check out Barak Obama’s picture on the box. How random is that?

THE DASSENCH

As we drove up to the village, we noticed a lot of naked, barefoot children running around kicking a wad of paper through the dirt as if it was a soccer ball. I was surprised by how many children there were.

And as we got out of the car, Fitsum casually told us that this tribe practices “Dimi” (female castration). From some National Geographic documentaries I watched years ago I understood that some tribes still practiced this ritual, however, I didn’t think we’d actually visit any who do.

And even through I heard Fitsum’s words, I quickly blocked them out of my head and immersed myself in the busyness of the visit.

The Dassench are located in the hottest region of the Omo Valley. Their huts are covered with scrappy pieces of tin sheeting to reflect the effects of the harsh sun. The area around the huts was barren with the exception of animal dung everywhere.

They are one of the last nomadic tribes in the valley. It is now very hard for them to survive as they can not move around to find better access to food and water.

They also do not have an established system of farming. The Ethiopian government has sent people to help teach them, but as we walked around, we could tell that they were struggling to provide basic resources.

My “Angelina Jolie” moment. I totally get her now. I wanted to take all of these babies home.

THE HAMER: PART 1
Introduction to Hamer Life

The Hamer Tribe is largest tribe in this area around Turmi — about 50,000 members. And there are many Hamer villages spread out over this large area.

As we entered this first Hamer village, we noticed how clean and organized their huts and yards were — certainly compared to the Dassench. No trash or animal waste anywhere. All was swept clean.

They welcomed us warmly into their village and a local family invited us into their hut for coffee. It’s customary to share a meal or beverage — or anything you have — with your guests, whether you have enough for yourself or not. No one will leave without a little something in their tummy.

And of course, we couldn’t walk five feet without a young child grabbing onto our hand.

I couldn’t help but notice the blank stares from these tribal women.

THE HAMER: PART 2
Marriage Ceremony

Fitsum told us that we were lucky to be visiting on this day — that we could attend an important ceremony — the ceremony celebrating trading a young Hamer women to another tribe to be married. Since he called it a “celebration,” I thought “Oh OK, this should be fun.”

The celebration started at sunset, but we arrived earlier that day to walk around and meet some of the locals before the festivities began.

You could tell there was a buzz in the air. Children running around. Women preparing food and drinks. Young boys bringing their goat herds in for the night. Other tribes arriving on foot from the nearby villages.

As the sun began to set, we walked by one of the huts where the bride-to-be was living. We got close enough to hear her wailing. Not sobbing or crying, but wailing. It honestly didn’t sound human.

As darkness fell, she was coaxed out of her hut by her family and female tribe members. Arms around her, they transported her lifeless body as they chanted their support. We quickly understood that everyone but the bride was celebrating — as the tribe gains about 40 cows in trade.

They moved her to an open area nearby that was completely covered in sheets of cardboard, and then came to a seated circle where their supportive chanting continued.

The locals and visitors came to her with kinds words and cash to send her on her transformative journey.

The bride has the white blanket around her shoulders.

We left after a couple of hours of chanting, but were told that this would continue throughout the night. At sunrise, the family and tribe members would walk the young woman to her new village — never to see her again.

THE HAMER: PART 3
Bull Jumping Ceremony

On the next day, Fitsum informed us that we were again lucky to be in this area at this time. A rare bull jumping ceremony was on the agenda for the day.

I thought, “OK, surely we won’t see any traumatized women today.”

This is a huge event in a tribe and certainly in a young man’s life (in this case, he was the chief’s 18-year-old son).

This coming-of-age ceremony will determine whether he becomes a man, can marry and have children. Or will he be shamed?

This ritual involves him running naked across the backs of ten bulls being held by other tribesmen. He must run back and forth and not fall.

And if he makes it, he passes his test.

This is a huge event for the tribe with so much preparation. Other tribes come from miles around to witness this event.

The entire village was alive — singing, dancing and cheering.

But there was another part of the ceremony that I wasn’t prepared for — the whipping ceremony.

For women, this is where they prove their bravery and worthiness to their tribe. Fitsum told us that the motivation of these women is to show the men of their tribe what they were willing to endure — by doing so, the men are forever obligated to protect them.

WTF?

Yes, we witnessed this whipping.

Now in my own strange fascination and WTF reasoning I said…”OK, if we’re going to see this, I want to know…Are they forced into this (surely they are because who would ask to be whipped)? How do they withstand the pain? And who the hell came up with this idea?”

The women, quite frankly, look the whipper (the Maza) straight in the eyes and beg to be whipped!

This all happens after each woman has spent the morning gathering and preparing 4 or 5 of her own whipping branches, stripping them down into long pliable whips. Then a large group of thirty or so females gather to support each other in a dancing frenzy — chanting, laughing and drinking fermented sorghum in the hot desert heat.

When the dancing slows down, they circle around the whipper and taunt him, saying things like “Prove you’re a man,” “I love you, whip me harder!”

When he whips them the women never blink and their smiles never leave their faces.

The dancing and whipping continues through several rotations over the course of a 24-hour period until the women’s backs are bloodied to their satisfaction (that said, they wear bras to protect their breasts). This continues until the women run out of whips or the Maza gets tired and refuses to go on.

After spending ten hours that day in the hot sun, experiencing all that we had experienced, we shuffled back to our truck and drove back to our lodge.

I was totally numb.

THE ARBORE

Arbore bead work

It took us several hours to get to the Arbore Tribe. Being off the beaten path, this tribe doesn’t receive a lot of visitors.

The Arbore are known for their bead work, which they proudly display around their necks and wrists. Each piece of art represents their talent and wealth.

As we approached, Israel honked the horn and the children came running. Everyone seemed happy to see us.

And as we got out of the truck, Fitsum mentioned that this is another tribe that performs Dimi.

Shit!!! Really? Another tribe?!

After a brief tour of the village, we were invited into a hut and treated to some hot coffee (which we pretended to drink) — and were soon joined by a couple of tribal elders.

I was surprised when the conversation turned to Dimi.

One of the Arbore women sipping coffee from a gourd as another woman looks on. Their dark black skin in indicative of the harshness of the sun.

We talked about how the government forbids this practice (with pressure from the global community) and will jail anyone caught performing this cutting ritual. But one of the tribesmen said that the law won’t change anything. He said that the custom is very old and that everyone in the tribe accepts it as a necessary practice. At the same time he admitted that the need for Dimi may stop as more young people are educated.

Know that this cultural tradition is supported by the tribal men, but it is supported and performed by the women! They see this as a way of keeping the women from shaming their families by having affairs outside of their marriage. If a young teen refuses the “ceremony,” they won’t be allowed to marry or have children, and they will be ostracized from their tribe — because they will be seen as nothing more than a wild animal.

I started asking Fitsum a million questions. He answered with matter-a-fact answers, in the same tone as if we were talking about the weather. My female western mind was truly unable to comprehend the reasoning. The pain. That’s when I really started noticing with acute awareness the women’s expressionless faces and blank stares — the I-checked-out-of-my-body blank stare.

THE KARO

We arrived here early the next morning. I was getting tired — emotionally and physically. A new tribe or two every day. How many more do we need to see?

But the Karo tribe was special. Not only was the village beautiful — being perched above a bend in the Omo River, but it was greener and shadier than most. And the people were truly unique and interesting.

They are the first tribe we visited that really embraced body painting. I thought they were playing dress-up for our visit, but this is their norm.

They use ground limestone and water, or river mud and cow manure, to bless their bodies — the substance also acts as sunscreen.

They asked us to join them and, of course, how could we say no? With the limestone mix, that is.

This was where we met Arsema (the little girl who latched on to me and wouldn’t let go) and where I learned about Mingi children — children deemed “cursed” by the elders and either killed or left to die in the bush.

Unblessed children. Children out of wedlock. Malformed babies. Twins, and babies who’s top teeth break through their gums before the bottom ones do — this criteria determines if a child is Mingi!

Elders believe that a cursed child will bring drought and famine to the area, so they choose to eliminate the child rather than to suffer the consequences.

And to think that this has been going on for thousands of years.

This is becoming all too much for me. Am I taking it too personally? I’m trying not to judge, but it’s not working.

Then I found a bright light….

Nadin Hailo. Operation Smile repaired her cleft palette when she was a baby.

Meet Nadin.

She was a Mingi child.

Born with a cleft palette and one eye. And her mother died during her birth.

If you’re wondering if one person can make a difference in this crazy world, as I did, here’s a man who absolutely did. Lale Labuko. Born into this Karo tribe. He grew up with the notion that Mingi was wrong and must be changed. And he’s doing just that. We didn’t get to meet him but Fitsum shared his story.

Lale and his wife founded My Omo Child Orphanage. They save Mingi children. They save them, give them a good home, food, clothing, education and love.

Nadin was a saved Mingi child — the direct result of Lale’s work!

I was curious to know more about Mingi, Lale’s work and what could one person like me do to help, so I watched Omo Child: The River and The Bush and Lale’s TedX Talk. Both were fascinating resources, and they gave me hope and an outlet to help fund their work.

— If you’d like to know more about The Omo Child Orphanage, you can read about it here —

MORNING SURPRISE

So, we’re into this journey 10 days so far. I’m ragged and worn slick and I’m not sleeping well, but I feel like I need to journey on.

Fitsum and Israel say they have a special treat for us. They want us up and out the door by 5 a.m.

Here we go again.

So the next morning we drug ourselves out of bed in the dark and climbed into the truck. We had a long drive ahead of us.

We drive for what seems like an hour up a steep hill, and then pull over and park. The boys get out, drag stuff out of the back and set up this amazing picnic breakfast — hot coffee included. How sweet is that?

Scott and I sat and ate in silence — watching the sunrise over the distant mountain.

Then, boys being boys, they climb on top for this photo op.

THE MURSI

The Mursi’s are one of Ethiopia’s better known tribes. The women are famous for their decorative lip and earlobe plates that are cut and stretched into their skin, and a unique cutting technique that resembles a raised tattoo.

In a sign that the old customs are changing, we were told that the younger generation is shying away from lip stretching and prefers to only decorate their earlobes.

The Mursi tribe is nomadic. They don’t have a permanent village. In fact, they live in a national park — one that the government allows them to inhabit. But looking around we noticed was how trashy it all was. There wasn’t a sense of pride or permanence in their surroundings.

These huts are elevated to keep them from being flooded during heavy rains.

With no trash pick-up, plastic trash gets set aside at the perimeter of these villages.

Even with no electricity, a few people have cell phones. This is how they charge their phones.

MY FINAL STRAW

Again, it was hot. The flies were intense. It was dirty. And I kept thinking that the tribe members posing for us were only doing it for the money.

It all seemed wrong.

I found myself wanting to leave. Immediately. I had hit a wall. Too many tribes in too few days. Between the weird food, the hot, sleepless nights and way too much emotional input to process without some down time, let’s just say, I snapped.

My head and stomach hurt. I thought I was going to throw up. I couldn’t breathe. I was on the verge of a panic attack. I told Scott I was going to wait in the truck and for them to finish their visit. But he knows me well enough. When I say I’m done, I mean it. He pulled Fitsum aside and before I knew it we were out of there. Whisked away. Headed back to the lodge.

I cried the entire way.

All I could do was focus on getting out of Ethiopia. This place wasn’t for me. I thought about hiring a driver and heading to the nearest airport. Get me out of here!

Everyone gave me space that day. I think Scott was afraid of hearing what was on my mind. I rested for a few hours. Took a shower and laid down to rest. I started feeling better. I talked to Scott. He told me that we were leaving and heading north and it would be much different there.

And so we did.

AMAZING CONNECTIONS

THIS YOUNG MAN…

When we visited his tribe, Sisay Simon, was one of the first young men we met.

While visiting the Dassench Tribe, one of the mothers brought us her baby and we quickly noticed his eyes were matted and swollen shut. Scott asked what was wrong and could he help.

Sisay, an 8th grader at the local school said he’d be happy to take the mother and child to the local doctor but that he needed money to pay for medicine. Scott gave him some cash and asked him to report back. Later that day, Sisay texted pictures of the child at the doctor’s office, along with photos of the prescribed medicines.

He and Scott had a nice connection and they continue to stay in touch. Scott has also decided to help him financially so he can progress in school.

AND THIS ONE…

We met Ayele Gade at the local market near Omorate.

He very quietly stood beside me that day and said, “I’m studying English, and I’m wondering if you could help me buy an English book?” In a place where almost no one speaks English, I was beyond impressed and very quickly said “Yes!”

Ayele is an 8th grader and self-studies English. He really wants to stay in school.

We continue to stay in touch via WhatsApp and I have provided some funds for Ayele’s books, food and clothing so that he can continue his education.

AND FINALLY…

Our guide. Fitsum Ashebir.

Fitsum’s story shook me. As travel guides go (and we’ve had a lot of them), he’s a pretty damn fine guide. The tribes all know, love and trust him, and they welcome anyone he brings into their world.

But there’s another layer to Fitsum that took us a couple of weeks to uncover. One that had to be coaxed out of him. He grew up in the Omo Valley and was born and raised in these eucalyptus mud huts. He’s a member of the Hamer tribe.

Fitsum is an Omo Child.

He didn’t talk a lot about his personal experiences, however, when he told tribal stories, he seemed to talk with such a depth of knowledge that I wondered how he memorized all of the details. He didn’t. He lived them.

Fitsum’s success story began many years ago when he walked up to a Frenchman visiting a local market and held his hand. This man, who with no real cause, saw something in Fitsum he liked and decided to fund Fitsum’s schooling.

Fast forward, twenty years or so, Fitsum now has a university degree in public health, and owns and operates Omo Valley Tours.

Fitsum is educated and successful and, because of the kindness of this one stranger, he now owns a business and several touring trucks and employs staff.

This opportunity isn’t available to so many of the Omo Valley children.

Fitsum and the Frenchman kept in touch over the years until the man’s death just a few years ago.

When I asked Fitsum if his parents taught him to hold hands with strangers, he said no one told him, he just knew that this was a way to connect.

OUR GRATITUDE

Many thanks to Fitsum and Israel for this part of our journey. Believe me when I say there’s a stark difference between being a tourist who throws money at children for some Instagrammable photo ops and being allowed into these tribes to hear their intimate details as a trusted friend. These guys were our non-judgmental liaisons and tribal gurus into a world of non-sugar-coated tribal living.

OUR ACCOMMODATIONS

IN KONSO

We had some truly unique accommodations along the way.

The Kanta Lodge. Similar to local huts, but with indoor plumbing.

IN TURMI

As some of their only guests, we were treated like royalty.

As we got deeper into the valley, we settled into the lovely but basic Buska Lodge.

With nighttime temps in the 90s and electricity produced only by generators (which were turned off at 10 p.m. along with the wifi), we spent a few sleepless nights in our mosquito-netted beds hoping for a breeze.

IN JINKA

Also their only guests, we opted for “luxury” accommodations — which meant we weren’t sleeping in their tents. We had running water, mosquito netting and a fan! And the electricity ran all night.

Their restaurant catered to our every need and the owner allowed us behind the bar to fix our own drinks. Just what the doctor ordered.

WHAT TO DO WITH THESE EXPERIENCES?

I ask myself this question everyday.

It’s been hard to put into words all of my feelings. The judgmental feminist in me is extremely angry at these women for putting up with this treatment for so long, and the other side of me feels absolutely helpless in not knowing what to do with the information.

And now that I know about all of these sweet and hopeful faces, it’s hard to sleep knowing they will soon face the same harsh realities as their parents.

Writing this blog has been a huge help in organizing my thoughts and feelings. That said, there’s so much I left unsaid.

NEXT STOP?

Northern Ethiopia

Scott Ogden

April 21, 2021

Egypt

Pearls of the Nile

Scott Ogden

April 21, 2021

Egypt

How could we spend time in Egypt without visiting the great historic sights? It was on both Kelly and my bucket list to see them, so after our relaxing month in the Sinai off we went with a short flight to Luxor — the ancient city nestled along the Nile.

THE NILE RIVER

Spanning over 4,000 miles and crossing eleven countries, the Nile meanders northward from the Ethiopian highlands to Cairo, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. But it is Egypt that truly gives the Nile its magic. The annual flooding created a fertile valley that allowed the Egyptian culture to emerge 4,000 years ago — eventually dominating the ancient world and our imaginations.

Along the Nile, three cities stand out like pearls on a necklace, tying together this powerful civilization — Aswan, Luxor and Cairo. To visit Egypt and see its splendor means exploring all three.

And that’s exactly what we did.

LUXOR

Kelly and I were excited to see the sights that Egypt is famous for. After spending a month in dirty, dusty Dahab, we splurged on a nice hotel. It just so happened that I had rewards points from a Hilton Amex card that I opened just for this purpose. Luckily in Egypt, we got an entire week at the nicest hotel in Luxor.

The Luxor Hilton was a wonderful hotel nestled directly on the Nile. We got spoiled with the sunsets, our king sized bed and superb service. As darkness fell, we could see the lights exposing the cragged cliffs of the Valley of the Kings.

Once there, we didn’t want to leave!

A little American luxury in the middle of this crazy country

Sunset dinner cruise

Kelly doing her thing

Random pretty dress. They have a lot of weddings here.

We gave ourselves a few days to settle in before exploring.

We got connected to a wonderful driver named Mohammed — recommended by our fellow world travelers, friends Joe and Josée. He took great care of us during our stay.

OUR FIRST HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE

We wanted to find a fun way to get started and couldn’t think of anything better than an early morning balloon ride over the nearby sights. We missed the opportunity in Cappadocia, so we jumped at the chance here. Getting a sunrise view over the Valley of the Kings was a great way to understand the interconnectedness of the ancient cities and temples.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS

The next day we drove to the expansive Valley of the Kings — about an hours drive out of town. We didn’t know what to expect as we drove up a well-paved canyon towards a large parking lot. Normally it’s packed with tourists, but of course due to Covid, it was empty.

Egypt has definitely felt the pinch from lack of tourists. You can see and feel this in that no matter where you go. Upon arrival you get constantly hassled by vendors trying to sell you their whatever they have to offer. To say this gets tiring is an understatement. I found the best way to deal with it was to put on my mask, pull down my hat, add sunglasses and walk briskly without making eye contact. Harsh? Maybe. But if you don’t, you’re likely to get sucked into buying something you’ll later just throw away. Just ask Kelly. :)

But once through the tout madness, we were in for a treat. The Valley of the Kings is a magical, if somewhat expensive, journey into the tombs of the ancient kings and queens of Egypt (tickets with a local guide $175).

Keep in mind that the magic is underground — hidden in mine-like shafts dug deep into the hills. They were built this way to hide and protect their treasures from robbers and even other royalty. Hearing stories from our guide, I began to realize that the kings and queens of the time were a vengeful bunch, often erasing the memory of a rival and placing their “signature” at the tomb entrance — ensuring that they would deserve an eternal life of abundance.

TEMPLE OF DENDERA

Forty-five minutes in the other direction is the awe-inspiring Temple of Dendera. This site is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. It was known as the “Castle of the Sistrum” or “Pr Hathor”— House of Hathor, the goddess of love, joy, and beauty.

It was that and more.

The main chamber has been cleaned and restored. We didn’t find a more impressive temple throughout our Egyptian travels. To see a hint as to how colorful these places were, set my imagination ablaze.

KARNAK TEMPLE

Closer to home was the huge Temple of Karnak.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. It was built (and rebuilt) over 2,000 years and still never finished. About thirty pharaohs contributed to its construction, enabling it to reach a size and complexity not seen anywhere else. It is quite overwhelming.

Exploring this large complex was a great way to spend the afternoon. We were a bit surprised at how many tourists were there. What we discovered was that Egyptians love their country too and like to get out and see these sights as much as we do.

NILE CRUISE

Pretty much everyone we talked to told us to take a Nile cruise. They usually last between 3 and 4 nights and sail between Luxor and Aswan (or vice-versa). They are a bit pricey but, if you’re flexible, you can get a good deal, which is what we did.

We’ve never been on a cruise before and it turned out to be a bit of a shock to our system (digestive, that is). We were treated to three large buffets every day. Happily, the food (and deserts) were good and the trip turned out to be relaxing. Our only complaint was that the weather didn’t behave and it was quite chilly. We spent most of our time downstairs working on our blog and staring out the window.

But twice we stopped and had a guide waiting for us to explore some lovely out of the way sights.

This should answer the question “what else do you do on a cruise?”

ASWAN AND ELEPHANTINE ISLAND

Debarking in Aswan, we were in for a treat. It is smaller and lower-keyed than Luxor. We decided to stay at the Mango House, a small, funky hotel with a local boho vibe on Elephantine Island — one of the smallest islands off the coast. It was a treat to walk around this tiny island dotted with huge Mango trees. I only wish the mangos were in season.

We had no idea why these chicks were different colors or how they got that way

THE NUBIAN VILLAGE

We were now in Nubian country.

The Nubian culture is centered in this part of Egypt (and northern Sudan), and are the indigenous people of the area. Darker in skin and mellow in temperament, they reminded me of the Bedouins in Dahab.

Our island had many colorful Nubian houses, but to get the full Nubian experience, we had to motor upstream to their famous village.

We were in for a treat.

The Nile near Aswan was very different from what we saw in Luxor — not as wide and broken up by small islands and rocky outcroppings. In certain places the river’s current caused cascading rapids — very intimate and beautiful.

One of the surprising moments was when we stopped along the river at an open-air coffee bar. Under a large tent in the middle of a huge expanse of rugs was “the barista.” Kelly and I sat cross-legged in front of him as he roasted green coffee beans in a small pot over an open fire. As the smell of freshly roasted beans filled the air, he ground them with a mortar and pestle, and then placed the still warm coffee in a beautiful ceramic pot, then added ground ginger and hot water. The magic concoction was poured into a small cup. Adding ginger was the true surprise. Unlike any coffee I’ve ever tasted.

ABU SIMBA TEMPLE

One morning we woke before dawn and jumped into a van to be whisked away through the empty desert. Located a long 5-hour drive from Aswan are the impressive Temples of Abu Simba.

It was cold and windy when we arrived. We bundled up and headed to its imposing entrance. We marveled knowing that the entire structure, including the tombs, were relocated to this spot.

In the 60’s, the new High Dam was being finished. Engineers knew that the rising waters of Lake Nasser were going to flood these sacred tombs. In a massive relocation project lasting five years and employing 3,000 workers, the entire complex was broken down, piece by piece, and moved 600 feet inland and 200 feet to higher ground.

Now it can stand here for eternity.

Going inside the quiet and warm tombs was a welcome relief.

Kelly exploring one of the ancient Egyptian mysteries.

CAIRO

To finish our trip, we flew to Cairo. Home to the Great Pyramids.

We were warned about Cairo. It’s big. It’s congested. And it’s filthy. I have to say, we were not convinced otherwise.

To buffer ourselves, we booked into another Hilton Hotel on Zamalek Island. This tiny island in the middle of the Nile shielded us from the Cairo’s chaos. Still we found ourselves, when not with our guide, cocooning in our hotel — only venturing out once for pizza.

THE GREAT PYRAMIDS

Cairo’s magic is a short drive out of town. There we were, treated by getting up close and personal with the icons of ancient Egypt. They were as beautiful and breathtaking as you would imagine.

What fun we had adding a camel ride to our adventure. Once the camel got up that is.

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

We were hopeful that the new Grand Museum would be open for our visit, however due to Covid, the completion is delayed until later in 2021. We did visit the original museum which was well worth it — even with packing boxes stacked in the aisles.

All-in-all we were in awe of seeing these wonders. Our guides were wonderful in explaining the nuances of this complex ancient world.

And it allowed us to take another place off our bucket list.

Next stop…

The Tribes of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia!

Scott Ogden

April 10, 2021

Egypt

Dahab Bums

Scott Ogden

April 10, 2021

Egypt

DAHAB

January 11th - February 7th, 2021

It wasn’t like I didn’t hear it coming.

Off in the distance a low rumble echoed off the water as the skies flickered. A large thunderstorm was heading our way. In the thirsty Sinai desert, this was an EVENT!

I ran to the backyard. The smell of ozone permeated the air. Outside our house, large drops of rain started pouring from the sky.

But inside was also a spectacle. A few drops began to hit the floor, then a moment later began to gush — down through the ceiling light fixtures and the vent above the stove. Water was everywhere. Kelly and I quickly threw down towels, sheets, and blankets, brought out buckets and grabbed mops, all in a futile attempt to fight back the flood.

It was hopeless. We called the landlord and a few minutes later he showed up. The look on his face told us that his house, too, was under siege. We surrendered, managing to push our bed to one side to avoid a particularly persistent leak. Cautiously falling back to sleep, we would deal with the pond inside our house in the morning.

DAHAB? WHERE IS THAT?

I have to admit I had never heard of Dahab. When I think of Egypt I think of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the pyramids, of course. But when I was researching a warm place for us to stay for the month of January, this little village on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula kept popping up.

And why not? An easy flight south from Istanbul, it sported warm winter temperatures and an ocean you could swim in. It was originally a Bedouin fishing village and is still populated by many free spirited Bedouins who have led the charge to develop it as a water sport mecca. With a steady on-shore breeze, it attracts kite and wind surfers as well as hordes of scuba and free divers who want to discover it’s colorful seas.

Its laid back vibe and low cost only added to its allure. And the fact we could get a PCR test on arrival sealed the deal.

So off we went.

When Kelly and I arrived, we discovered that Dahab, as a beach resort, is not Hawaii or the Yucatan. And it’s certainly not Brazil. It’s seriously a desert. The coast is rocky, the mountains are barren and the locals share their town with camels and goats. Without a doubt, staying here would be a third world experience — it’s a bit trashy and the smell of sewage often permeates the air. Only the main road is paved and there are flies everywhere. But none of that has detracted from its popularity. Visitors from Russia and Germany have been coming here for decades. Americans, not so much so.

As we walked around and got used to the chaos, we too started to get in the groove.

There were lots of open air restaurants serving healthy, inexpensive food. People were open and friendly. There were kids everywhere. And there was even a yoga center.

As far as the pandemic, it was like it didn’t exist. Except for a few shops and the bigger restaurants, we rarely saw anyone wearing a mask. As far as we could tell, Covid never arrived here.

FRIENDS WE MET ALONG THE WAY

What really stood out for Kelly and I were the people that Dahab attracts — a collection of dusty misfits seeking a low-stress vacation and young families from all over the world call this home.

And then there’s Joe and Josée Parsons….

Joe Parsons (brother from another mother) and his lovely wife, Joseé (Kelly’s soul sister)

Joe and his pipe

Pretty Josée

They arrived in Dahab a few weeks before us. Josée saw one of my posts on a mutual Facebook group and reached out. As soon as we met we knew we had met our match and instantly became friends. They are world travelers, like us, but are doing their journey a bit different. Most of their travels have been had in a 4WD camper truck.

They started their journey in Alaska and spent five years driving south through Central America into South America — finally making it to Tierra del Fuego. They would stop along the way for months at a time. They even visited Galapagos, Easter Island and took a boat to Antarctica.

Eventually they sold their camper and switched to suitcases and airplanes and made their way to Turkey. It turns out that we had visited many of the same places within months of each other. We were blown away night after night sharing all of our experiences. We’ve met so many amazing people during our travels, but meeting a couple who share our same lifestyle vision was a real treat. We look forward to meeting up with them again in other faraway lands.

To follow their journey, click here to read their travel blog.

Joe and Josée feeding the neighborhood goats with kitchen scraps.

SCUBA DIVING

This is where Dahab shines. Situated on the Red Sea, their beautiful clear water, bright coral and colorful sea life are a spectacular contrast to the monotone desert — and a global draw for divers from around the world.

Around town we constantly saw people walking around in wetsuits carrying diving tanks. It’s known as one of the cheapest places in the world to dive ($25/dive). Since most dives start from shore, there is a big savings by not needing to hire a boat.

I originally received my open water diving certificate over ten years ago and haven’t been diving since. So since we knew we’d be here for an entire month, I decided to try it again.

I got connected to Barracuda, the owner of Red Sea Tribe, a highly recommended diving company, and signed up for a refresher course.

I have to say it felt awkward at first getting into the water with all of the equipment and especially breathing through a regulator. However Gomaa, my instructor, was patient and by the end of the dive, I was back in my comfort zone and wanting more.

I signed up for my advanced diving certificate and after completing my coursework and five prerequisite dives, I was able to dive in the world famous Blue Hole (also known as one of the deadliest dive sites in the world.) My instructor, Ali, assured me I’d come out alive and thankfully I did.

Josée got inspired by my exploits and joined in and got her advanced certificate as well.

Daily dive conditions

My dive buddy Ali

The off-shore dive group

Impressed with the boat

Trucking to the Blue Hole

Blue Hole

Josée entering the Blue Hole

The Blue Hole dive experience (we lived to tell about it)

When divers don't decompress

Divers memorial wall at the Blue Hole

Wonder woman!

Diver's humor

MORE DAHAB FRIENDS

Kelly and Brigitte and way too much food!

Joe and Josée introduced us to Brigitte Gosselin, a fellow Canadian. She moved to Dahab three years earlier to start life with her new Egyptian husband. But when things didn’t work out for them, she decided to stay. She became our go-to gal for all things Dahab.

SIDE TRIPS

The High Desert

Our first trip together was to drive out into the desert towards the ancient St. Catherine Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai (where Moses found the burning bush and the Ten Commandments). So, early one morning we jumped into a 4WD truck with our Bedouin guide and headed out.

There is one thing about driving in Egypt that was new for us — military checkpoints. They’re all over the place. Usually they’re manned by bored soldiers staring at their phones — after one look at us, they would wave us through. Sometimes it took a little more convincing with our driver jumping out and having an animated conversation with one or more of them.

At one point, Kelly took a picture of one of the checkpoints. The guards called us over immediately and demanded that she delete her photo right in front of him! Photos of any military or police are not allowed. No argument from us.

Our rig

Sand for miles

Entry to the tombs

4,000 year old tombs still standing

The only tree within miles

Desert Rats

Joe being Joe

The subtle beauty of the desert

Our local Bedouin guide

Desert bums

Random art in the desert

Wondering how to get out

Within a few hours we were miles from nowhere. It is hard to describe the vastness of the Sinai desert. Our 4WD basically turned off the main road and onto a sand wash where we continued for many miles on a road only our guide could decipher.

When we eventually “arrived,” Brigitte and our guide prepared a lovely meal which included freshly made bedouin bread. Who would have thought that flour, salt and water mixed together, kneaded into a patty and buried in ashes would be so good. Yum!

The Mountains

Simply sweet hotel and a full moon night.

That afternoon we proceeded onto Saint Catherine’s. Brigitte found us a quaint hotel nearby. But at 5,000 feet in January, it was cold! They gave us a heater for our room but neither Kelly or I warmed up that night.

After a simple breakfast the next morning, we headed out to the monastery.

Saint Catherine’s is a Greek Orthodox monastery dating back to the 17th century. It is the oldest continuously inhabited Orthodox Christian monastery in the world. We went through three police checkpoints to get to the parking lot, and then walked up to the ancient site.

It’s possible to hike to the top of Mt. Sinai. Many tourists start at 4am in order to witness the sunrise. But when we checked, nighttime temperatures were hovered below freezing, so we happily passed.

The Blue Lagoon

Another fun trip was out to the Blue Lagoon. We took a taxi to the end of the coastal road and then hop into a boat to get there.

This large, shallow lagoon, as its name states, is very blue. It’s a famous kitesurfing site (although we didn’t see any that day due to no wind), and also known as a major hookup spot for locals — as pre-marital sex is frowned upon in this Islamic culture, somehow hooking up out here doesn’t count. And the beach shacks rent for almost nothing.

A sweet child selling her bracelets on the beach

Josée modeling Kelly's hat

Always a good time for a swing

Beach love huts

The bumpy ride back into town with Scott and Brigitte

A few years ago there wasn’t much out here, but as the tourists and locals came, so did the restaurants. We were told that Germans like to come down here and spend the winter, renting out their flats back home and having money to spare.

We spent an enjoyable day out under the blue skies walking around and exploring.

Beach furniture

The local vibe

Notes to visitors

There's always a mosque close by

Being us

Kelly modeling her new necklaces

Josée connecting with the local kids

Beach life

Our Furry Friends
We rented our 2-bedroom house in Dahab for $600 for the month. Of course we had to deal with a leaky roof and slept on what I deemed as “sandpaper” sheets. This wasn’t a place to rave about. That said, it had a nice backyard area and, soon after we arrived, a few local kitties started to show up.

Now if you know Kelly, you know she has a soft spot for kitties (and chocolate labs). She started feeding them and before we knew it, we had a constant stream of companions stopping by at mealtime.

We started with “Snowball.” A sweet, way-too-fluffy, white boy cat who loved to sit by our side — until one day I found him spraying the couch, so he was banned to the backyard only.

Soon “Rocky” appeared. He was one of the ugliest cats we’ve ever met, with his gooey infected eyes and mangy fur. But he turned out to be such a lover and appreciated our attention so much, he was welcomed anytime.

But sadly, there are no replacement for our dear Gus (@foriamgus), but it was nice to have some furry love just the same.

THE FOOD

Egyptian food is similar to Turkish food, but simpler — fewer mezzes, less meat, but large portions of falafel or chicken, all with a side of tahini. Always cheap, fun and mostly healthy. It was easy to get a nice beetroot juice and a veggie pizza.

RESTAURANTS

Our friend “Smiley” at Athanor Cafe always took good care of us.

At the amazing Zanooba Slow Cook Restaurant, we enjoyed a delicious duck meal.

Coral Coast Hotel was the place for happy hour and yoga classes looking over the ocean. You can’t beat that combo. — *Coral Coast Hotel* *was the place for happy hour and yoga classes looking over the ocean. You can’t beat that combo.*

The Vegan Lab was also great, but we couldn’t get Joe to eat there with us. That man’s gotta have meat!

Italian food at Dai Pescatori Italian Restaurant. Most agreed that this was the best restaurant in town.

We loved everything at Red Cat, but specifically the honey cake, all of the soups and their smoothies.

Coffee from Ralph’s German Bakery everyday.

Delicious duck at Zanooba Slow Cook Restaurant

One of Kelly's favorites

Roasted chicken with all the sides ($6 per person)

Abo Ahmed's Falaffel lunch ($5 each)

Mezes at Shark Restaurant

One of our favorite restaurants

Mezes at Nemo Restaurant

Veggie Pizza from Athanor (our fav!!!)

Yummy beetroot juice

ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES

Speaking the local language - Most locals speak English. However, drivers have their own language. Honking is the equivalent of talking to a pedestrian. A honk could have a number of meanings based on the shortness of the toot, multiple toots or a longer blow: “Hello,” “Coming through,” “Move over!” “I like you,” “I really like you!” or “Taxi?” And sometimes drivers honk for no reason at all.

At night, drivers turn off their headlights and only use running lights as it’s considered rude to blind someone with your headlights. That said, drivers don’t have a problem running you over on the street, as pedestrians do not have the right-of-way.

In Dahab, cash is king (and the only way to pay for 99% of everything). No one takes credit cards.

Local transportation - We rented bikes for the entire month. This was the best way to get around town and get a little exercise at the same time.

COVID notes

Negative PCR tests are required to enter the country. Infection rates are so low in Dahab that locals do not wear masks unless they work in restaurants, and then, not always. That said, we were required to wear masks through all military checkpoints.

Kelly was delighted to attend in-class yoga sessions at Coral Coast Hotel overlooking the ocean. Her first pandemic class. Class size was small and social distancing wasn’t a problem.

When we weren’t being tourists…

We were delight to watch the first woman Vice President sworn into office!

Our next stop?

Luxor, Egypt!

Kelly Dixon

February 23, 2021

Turkey

Istanbul Reunion

Kelly Dixon

February 23, 2021

Turkey

ISTANBUL

December 14th through January 10th

To set the scene…hit Spotify’s Holiday Classics and mix yourself an…

Aperol Spritz

In a pretty glass add…

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol

1 part Club Soda

Add ice, a slice of orange. Give it a stir. Drink up!

OK, now you’re ready. Merry Christmas! Read on…

Waiting for The Girls

It’s been a long time coming. All year Scott and I had been planning on having Heather and Summer join us for the Christmas holiday. And all year, and e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y, I’ve had to listen to Scott say, “I miss my girlzzzz!!!” He hadn’t seen Heather since February and it had been over a year since he’d seen Summer. Way too long for this family.

We arrived in Istanbul one week prior to their arrival to settle in and prepare our small but lovely Airbnb for the mega female energy to come. I wondered what celebrating Christmas would be like in a muslim country. Whether there would be any resemblance to our traditional Christmas.

The local grocery store answered our questions and had just what we needed for Christmas decorations — even a wreath for the door. Potted red cyclamen and holly branches completed our home holiday decor.

The girls seemed ready for a chance to get away from all the craziness the States. 2020 will certainly go down in the history books as an extremely traumatic year.

Summer had just completed her fall trimester finals and Heather had been working non-stop at her new job. So under Covid travel restrictions, they braved the critics and their own fears and arrived exhausted and jet-lagged after an eleven-hour direct flight from Chicago.

The Istanbul weather didn’t help ease their arrival. Cool, gloomy and rainy. It took a few days for them to adjust. But none of that dampened the joy we all had in being together.

THOUGHTS FROM HEATHER AND SUMMER

Istanbul, COVID-19 and A Family Reunited
by Heather Ogden

Summer and I spent many 2020 nights reminiscing about and missing our dad. Any year without him would have been difficult, but talk about an unpredictable and scary time. Throughout my entire life, I could picture exactly where he was at almost any given moment: reading an outdoor magazine in our backyard, biking through Griffith Park, commuting to his office, napping in the hammock with Gus, our cat, grilling a new meal and sipping great wine... you get the picture. Now, where was he? I track my dad and Kelly’s locations on ‘Find My Friends’ but it’s not the same. I can’t picture their surroundings, or what they’re eating for dinner, or where they sit to drink their morning coffee.

That’s why meeting somewhere out in the world was a must. It took a lot of mental and physical preparation (Traveling during a global pandemic? Pushback from family members? Masks and goggles? Copious amounts of hand sanitizer? Keeping our distance on a flight?). Turkey was our best option since there was no quarantine and entering the country would be straightforward. Also no Covid test was required (at the time), but Summer and I did a self-quarantined and received three negative Covid tests prior to our departure. We wanted to be safe and sure.

Our flight looked empty when I originally selected our seats. Entering the airport nearly confirmed that belief: deserted check-in areas, short security lines, and mostly-vacant terminals. But as it turned out, our flight was packed. Summer and I ate a large meal before flying and slept the majority of the way in order to avoid lowering our double masks. Luckily before we knew it, we were navigating the giant maze that is Istanbul airport and heading to meet our driver. We were dazed, tired, but mostly just excited to see our dad and Kelly for the first time in a year.

I instantly felt tears in my eyes when I saw them outside the car window, and then, there we were: hugging, laughing, recording, chatting, hugging some more. We spent the first night in our cozy Airbnb, drinking mulled wine, snacking, and catching up. It felt like a long awaited dream.

Traveling through a foreign city during a pandemic was, of course, different from anything I’ve experienced before, but something I’ve learned about travel is to be flexible. We couldn’t see local faces through masks, or chat with an informative bartender, or experience a true Turkish breakfast. Given all that, we made the most of it and were ultimately there to spend time together, no matter how that time was spent. We watched Christmas movies on our laptops in the apartment, went on morning strolls to get coffee and pick up Simit (a Turkish bagel), explored different neighborhoods and small shops, pet many, many street cats, arrived and marveled at mosques, and simply enjoyed each others’ company. We can’t wait to explore the city again one day when the world opens back up.

As I grow more and watch my dad and Kelly travel the world with so few belongings, my concept of “home” has changed. Home used to be a sense of familiarity, bringing comfort and consistency. Years of both anticipated and unanticipated change have shown me that sipping morning coffee with my dad in a foreign land, both of us reading something, is home. Speed walking with Kelly through the narrow and curved Istanbul streets and chatting about life, is home. All four of us sitting on the waterfront, drinking wine, snacking on mezzes, belly-laughing about some joke my dad made, is home. To put it simply, being in Istanbul for 10 days was like finding another home, far away from my current one.

The worst part about saying goodbye as the trip came to a close was that we did not, and still do not, know when we will be together again. All I do know is that part of my home is off traveling the world, and someday, hopefully soon, I’ll find myself sipping early morning coffee next to my dad and Kelly once again.

Istanbul Dreams
By Summer Ogden

The idea of my upcoming Istanbul trip was keeping me afloat for months. In a time that is both very static and very scary, I wanted to see my dad and Kelly, especially since it being over a year since our last reunion.

Aside from my eagerness to see my family, Istanbul is one of those cities I’ve studied for years and always wanted to visit. As an Art History major at UCLA, I have studied the Islamic culture for what feels like forever. The immense history of the buildings alone made me want to visit the city. The one building in particular I was most excited to see, the Hagia Sophia. Seeing it now was important since there had been so much press about its conversion from a museum into a mosque. My fear that the government would remove or destroy the Christian artifacts was unfounded. They only covered them with cloth sheets.

I have also been following a local Istanbul tattoo artist on Instagram for a few years. When I realized I would finally be able to get one of his designs, I was quick to reach out to make an appointment. It was a fun way to commemorate my trip and add to my slowly growing tattoo collection.

Finally, the lack of travel has been one of the hardest things to give up due to COVID. I know it’s something we all miss, but the prospect of finally going to experience a new culture made me even more eager to hop on that 11-hour flight and leave America.

Once Heather and I landed in Istanbul, everything I had hoped for was right in front of me and more. The feeling of seeing my dad for the first time and finally giving him the biggest hug is something that I would daydream and it still makes me want to cry. Hearing Kelly’s sweet laugh in person made my heart warm. Trying all the new foods was exciting even though they didn’t always agree with my stomach (spoiler alert, I’m gluten free now).

Exploring a new city by tram and foot was something I didn’t realize I missed so much. Staying up late, catching up with my dad and window shopping with Kelly as we gossiped felt like no time had passed between our little family. As grand as this new city was, it was the little things that made the trip so special.

Now I’m here, sitting in my cozy apartment in snowy Chicago reminiscing about the whirlwind of a trip that I took two months ago. Although there is no trip to look forward to on the horizon, the sweet memories I made are what bring me comfort. The happy tears I couldn’t stop when seeing my dad and Kelly, the kitty love that I could find at any corner, the way my heart skipped a beat when walking into the grandiose Hagia Sophia, the mouthwatering mezes from the corner store, the way the sun felt during our little wine-filled picnic on the Bosporus… and so many more.

As hard as it was so say goodbye, I just know our next hello will be even more special.

The Same but Different

This trip to Istanbul is different from when Scott and I were here last July. The government had finally gotten serious about Covid, and restrictions were in full force with “locals” under strict curfew beginning on Friday night and ending on Monday morning. Only tourists were allowed to roam the streets during the weekend. But not much was open and the girls didn’t seem to care.

Food and Restaurants

Since most of our favorite restaurants from our last visit were closed, we had to improvise. Street food (döner wraps) for lunch — literally everyday. Chinese take-out for Christmas eve dinner. Indian food. Roasted chickens and pita. Scott and Summer even cooked on Christmas day — a lovely meal of grilled lamb chops, roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli.

We had looked forward to taking the girls to our favorite cocktail bars, and luckily one was open — Geyik — but with a twist (pun intended). They served cocktails in clear plastic Solo cups and asked us not to stand in front of the bar as we drank them. So we did the only thing we knew to do. We walked across the street and sat on the curb.

On one of the better weather days, we caught the ferry over to the Asian side of Istanbul. After walking through mostly deserted streets, we stumbled onto a deli and liquor store and decided to put together a picnic to enjoy at the park along the Bosphorus shore.

We will our backpacks with local wines, mezzes (baba ganoush, garlic cucumber yogurt, marinated vegetables), sandwiches and sweets, and walked to a nearby park along the Bosphorus shore. Everyone was happy. We got to enjoy the nice weather, our delicious meal, the local cats, a great sunset and lots of laughs.

Family Adventures

We took a lot of walks around our neighborhood and dropped into a few little boutiques dotting our neighborhood. We ate more street food. But the highlight was our trip to the Grand Bizarre where we selected our own Christmas gifts — everyone, even Scott, got jewelry from a local artist.

We also dropped by a local vendor’s shop to look at beautiful clothing. While the girls and I modeled beautifully woven Turkish frocks, Scott got called over to a lively backgammon game where the locals were anxious to have “an American” join their group.

Since he hadn’t played in years he was reluctant, but eventually accepted their invitation and ended up beating the local champ with a backgammon. I’ve never seen him so happy and proud.

Galata Towers was also a hit. The moment we reached the top lookout platform, every mosque in town simultaneously started their call to prayer. From all directions, the city sounds vibrated through our bodies.

Last but not least, we squeezed in a photoshoot with our good friend Alpay Erden. This was the best way to capture the look and feel of Istanbul and grab some family photos — something so hard to come by these days.

And then, in a blink of an eye, it was time to say goodbye.

It ‘s never easy to let them go. Tears were shed. Hugs clung too long. We vowed not to wait so long until we see them again.

Just the Two of Us Again

In a split second, the apartment was silent. No more sweet voices. No random hugs. No discussions about where to eat next or who wants coffee.

Scott and I had major empty nest syndrome. We took the next day to sit in the quiet and absorb our thoughts about their trip and to remember the experiences we had shared. We slowly got back into our usual routine, however, with a bit of quiet sadness in our spirit. We felt lucky to have had the time together. Honestly, I don’t know how parents do it.

New Year’s Eve was a welcomed distraction. We celebrated in our oh-so-laid-back-way — just walking the streets after dinner, seeing the city night lights.

And once again, like a recording, I get to hear that familiar sound, “I miss my girlzzz!”

What’s next?
Egypt (and some warmer weather)

Scott Ogden

January 27, 2021

Italy

Italian Time

Scott Ogden

January 27, 2021

Italy

November 9 - December 13, 2020

I couldn’t believe what I was reading — Italy was opening for international travel. As US citizens, as long as we spent at least 14 days in Croatia and received a negative PCR test, we were good to go. We hadn’t thought about spending time there, but there was a five-week hole in our calendar so why not fill it with pasta?! We also liked the idea of traveling a bit south to catch some warmer weather. Southern Italy seemed like the perfect place to explore.

Of course in the time of Covid, you can’t rely on anything — good and bad. By the time we left, the PCR test requirement had been dropped and southern Italy was on lock down. Time to pivot. Rome was more or less open — so that’s where we began. Kelly had been before. I had not, though it was on my bucket list.

The Eternal City

When I think of Rome I think of ancient ruins, massive crowds and piles of great food and wine. But what would we experience in these Covid times?

The lonely view of St. Mark’s Square from the dome atop St. Peter’s Basilica.

There were restrictions in place — restaurants were open though had to close their dining rooms by 6pm (open for take-out after that). Museums and cultural sites were closed, but churches were mostly open. Though I soon discovered that Rome in and of itself is an open-air museum — just by wandering around the city we could experience thousands of years of layered history. It was an otherworldly dream…

The Pantheon (closed to visitors, but still an iconic sight, especially at night).

And Trevi fountain without the tourists (except us).

Typical street scenes.

Classic Rome street scene

Delivery to the local meat market.

Italian groceries

Laghetto di Villa Borghese Park

Kelly's obsession with scooters continues.

Talking tummies.

The ancient Roman aqueduct.

The famous Piazza Navona.

Night scenes

Rome bridges at night.

Rome at night over the Tiber River.

Every night around sunset the larks would emerge from the Plane trees along the Tiber river to fill the skies with their magical dance.

Food and Drink

And then there was the food.

Roman cuisine is not as refined as I had remember from Florence, but it was a delight. Pasta and wine accompanied most every meal. And fried artichokes hearts! Like crispy potato chips — a bonus. We threw out our low-carb diets and dug in.

For drinks, I mostly settled on a half litter of local house wine and Kelly found a new addiction — Aperol Spritz (now a request in every country we visit).

Surprisingly, gelato wasn’t as prevalent as I had remembered. I’m thinking it was due to the cold weather and the lack of tourists, as many places were closed.

History in Stone

As I mentioned, all the museums were closed including the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Forum. But that didn’t stop us from wandering around the cobblestone streets day and night to visit these magnificent places — WITHOUT CROWDS! How crazy is that? Rome was more or less empty of tourists. Only locals shared the streets and restaurants with us. I’m not sure when or if this will ever happen again.

Luckily their churches were mostly open... imagine walking into St. Peter’s Basilica (as we did) with 10 other people in the entire church. For those of you who haven’t been, it’s a massive space, more than a football field long and high! Without a wait, we even snuck up to the top of the dome and peered out city city and across the empty square below.

It is a memory that will stay with us forever.

Friends Around the World

And what is a visit to a new town without meeting new friends?

Our Santa Barbara friends, Nancy and Neal, connected us with friends of theirs, Ilan and Caroline. We met them at a lovely Israeli restaurant in the Jewish section of Rome known as the Ghetto. We instantly hit it off.

They are world travelers, born in Africa, who had a ton of stories to share. Meeting and connecting with people like Ilan and Caroline is one of the greatest gifts of traveling; something we cherish.

We connected several times and even drove out of town to explore the countryside one day (and had a wonderful lunch). We continue to stay in touch with them and hope that our paths will cross again in the future in some other distant land.

A little evening fun with friends

E-bike Heaven

When we first arrived in Rome, we booked an e-bike tour of its greatest sites. It was a perfect way to see the city up close, get some exercise and have fun. Our guide Fabio was wonderful — full of enthusiasm and stories of Rome’s colorful history.

After our tour, we made plans to do an additional ride outside of the city — along the Appian Way. On that cool sunny day we headed away from traffic and out into the country.

Fabio knew of this great little market along the way. We picked up a delicious lunch of freshly carved pork sandwiches and grabbed two plastic water bottles filled with house wine. Everything was delicious!

The Appian Way

This storied road has had quite an impact on Rome. Starting around 300 BC, it was the main avenue connecting Brindisi on the coast to the royal city. Passing through layers of granite gates, this road has seen armies and a supply chain that fed an ever growing metropolis.

An artist’s view of the historic Appian Way

As a traveler 2,500 years ago, one would have passed by hundreds of Mausoleums (mostly built by wealthy Romans establishing their lineage) which lined the edges of the road. It must have been an amazing site to behold. Now, almost all of them are worn down to their bases, if showing at all.

It is still very much a magical place. On the day we visited, it was almost empty except for a few hikers, some bikers and a trail of sheep. Gazing along its potted surface, it disappeared into the distance. The ruins, reduced to rubble, stand guard along its length.

It doesn’t take much to imagine it’s once imposing grandeur.

We rode for miles along the bumpy road. I’ve never seen Kelly so happy. The weather was cool and clear and the day was magical.

After a few hours of biking, Fabio led us to a large municipal park edged with one of the massive ancient Roman aqueducts. We found a picnic spot and enjoyed our picnic — and then wobbled home.

Birthday in Venice

During our visit, the entire country of Italy was on a regional, color-coded COVID-restricted system. Red, orange or yellow were the designations, with yellow being the most relaxed with fewest regulations.

Yellow cities allowed us to dine-in at restaurants until 6pm and to move freely throughout the city without permits. Rome was yellow during our visit, and so was Venice.

Kelly’s birthday was coming up in a few days and I wanted to do something special. I asked if she would like to celebrate the beginning of her sixth decade in the romantic city of Venice? How could she refuse?

So off on the bullet train we went.

Our original thought of visiting Italy to enjoy some warm weather vaporized by the time we got to Venice. It was damn chilly! But hey, we were in one of the most romantic cities in the world. We could always cuddle.

For Kelly’s birthday, we strolled along the canals (what else!) and found a lovely restaurant near our Airbnb where we sat down to enjoy the sun on one of the warmer days to enjoy a nice glass of wine. At the table next to us, a waiter delivered a beautiful platter of food. OMG, we wanted it! It would turn out to be our favorite meal in Venice and a perfect plate of goodness to celebrate her special day.

Where Is Everybody?

Now this is where it all gets strange. Who has visited Venice in the last 50 years without wall-to-wall tourists? I mean, it’s insane. Especially when cruise ships arrive and 3,000 gawkers beeline to St Mark’s Square. But for us it was mostly empty.

Enjoy the view…

If you’ve ever wondered what life is like after the apocalypse

But the rest of Venice wasn’t dead. The locals were out. And what better way to spend our days than exploring the canals, popping into bars and restaurants — trying to get lost.

We did a few touristy things — we took a ferry to Murano to see the beautiful glass shops.

Another day we had a very expensive (and over-rated) martini at Harry’s Bar. We considered a gondola ride “$20 for 30 minutes!” someone yelled, but it was too chilly for that. Then the next day, the rains came and the tide rose, leaving water everywhere.

Our 8-day visit was drawing to a close. The weather continue to worsen. In fact on our last day, Kelly saw snowflakes. Brrrr. We didn’t pack for this. Let’s get the hell out of here!

Awww… SICILY

The Italian online newspaper I read every morning suddenly announced that Sicily had just switched from orange to yellow. It didn’t take much to convince us that this would be our next warmer spot.

Gangsta’ Palermo

I have to admit I knew very little about Sicily. It really wasn’t on my got-to-go list, but everyone we talked to raved about it. It’s such an interesting place, historically — jutting into the Mediterranean, seafaring cultures over the millennium couldn’t help but bump into it as they crisscrossed from Africa to Europe to Asia. The Carthaginians, the Greeks and, of course, the Romans all made this sizeable island their home.

The first part of our island journey started in Palermo — a city with a sordid past (think Mafia).

This island off the southern coast (just west of the boot ‘toe’) was off the radar of the Italian government for much of the 20th century, so the mafia was all too eager to step in and take control. The results aren’t pretty.

As recently as the 1990’s, Palermo wasn’t the sort of place you’d want to visit — it was dangerous, to say the least. But now the Mafia’s hold has retreated and we found it to be a fascinating and safe place to stay and explore.

Trapani

Sicily is a large island. To experience it fully you need at least three weeks. To make it easy, we decided for the second part of our journey to focus on the western coast closest to Palermo — the towns of Trapani, Erice and Marsala (home of the beautiful dessert wine).

We wandered along the northern coast in our rental car to Trapani — a beautifully preserved historical town — charming, but empty of life during our visit. And as soon as we arrived, the rains came and hardly let up the entire time we stayed. Was that a sign?

We had one amazing meal at Osteria Li Moro and enjoyed wandering the beautiful town and deserted streets, but were having our doubts about our choice to visit.

On our second morning we looked out the window and the rain was only getting worse. I hauled out my computer and noticed that the eastern side of the island was bathed in sunshine. It didn’t take much to convince Kelly to hop in the car and embark on the 5-hour drive across the Island. Once we left town the storm clouds moved to our rearview mirror, the sun broke through and we happily drove along uncrowded highways through rolling green hills. Life was good again.

Island of Ortigia

We had heard about the tiny island of Ortigia — just a bridge away from the seaside city of Syracuse. And without a doubt it turned out to be one of our favorite stops. One of those perfect places that blends reality with dreamy imagination. This ancient city was filled with magic — nice restaurants, dotted cobblestone streets and a few nice bars and restaurants. If you ever visit Sicily, it’s a must-see.

We spent our days exploring its narrow alleyways, and enjoyed meeting the young owner of one of the local bars, Dada. We enjoyed a few afternoon cocktails with him — spending time getting to know him and his city.

Taormina and the Road Home

In a flash, it was time to get back to Palermo for our flight to Istanbul. We prepped ourselves for the 6-hour drive, but had one last stop on our list — the ritzy hill town of Taormina.

This is the place where all the jet-setters go and hang out during the travel season. But by the time we arrived it was just us and a few other visitors. We had a delicious lunch and wandered through the parks and streets. Another place to put on your upcoming travel list.

ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES

Restaurants

We knew eating out in Italy wouldn’t be cheap, and rest assured it wasn’t. A simple but nice lunch with wine would cost us around $100. Because of this, we usually had yogurt for breakfast and then only a little snack for dinner (OK, sometimes maybe a pizza or two). Since the restaurants closed early, this worked out nicely.

Weather - This is always an important factor in deciding where we stay. Rome started out cool but comfortable (50s and 60s), but by the end of our stay, the weather had turned too cold and rainy.

We knew Venice would be chilly but we were willing to brave the cold since we were so close. We enjoyed a few lovely moments of sun but then the city quickly turned cold on us.

Palermo was nice until the rain hit. And we didn’t escape it until we hit Ortigia where we were finally bathed in sunshine and warmer temps.

Where we stayed

Rome - A large beautiful Airbnb apartment in Trastervere, our neighborhood ($52/night). We walked our legs off to sites like: Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Vatican and numerous bars and restaurants.

Venice - A large Airbnb near the train station ($47/night).

Sicily (Palermo, Trapani, Ortigia) - Airbnb apartments always located in the historic districts ($40 to $50 per night).

News back home

We watching the disputed election results unfold. Fielding questions from people who found out we were from the US,“What’s happening in your country?” We didn’t know how to answer that.

Parting Thoughts (Arrivederci Italia!)

Not long after we left Italy, the entire country went on lockdown. In our own lucky way, we had managed to see and explore this magnificent country without the chaos that is usually associated with it. Even though our waistlines took a hit, it was a beautiful trip and we felt lucky to have added it to our journey.

Back to Istanbul…

We could barely contain ourselves knowing we would be back in Istanbul for Christmas with Heather and Summer.

Kelly Dixon

January 1, 2021

Croatia

Split, Castles and Friends

Kelly Dixon

January 1, 2021

Croatia

Sometimes it’s not about the place, but the people.

Kelly Dixon

December 16, 2020

General Travel Info

Our Excellent First Year on the Road

Kelly Dixon

December 16, 2020

General Travel Info

I can’t believe I’m writing this but…

We’ve just passed our one year anniversary on the road!

One year from downsizing our life. One year since we said goodbye to all of you. One crazy year to be traveling around the world. It’s all gone so fast.

Before I recap, here’s a little time capsule of how it really began…

For Valentine’s Day 2019 I gave Scott a large poster-size world map. We pinned it up and started marking locations where we wanted to visit…someday.

I love setting intentions and watching them become real. Finding Scott was one of them. And seeing the world was another. Here we are, fulfilling that dream and still going strong. May miracles never cease.

One year in, we’ve made it only part-way around the world. In part due to COVID travel restrictions, but mostly because there’s no big reason to move faster or, for that matter, to turn back and go home. Aside from seeing our families and friends, there’s so much of the world left for us to see.

At the end of a truly shitty year for most people on the planet…and this is hard to say given the tragedy that so many have faced…. this has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life — during a pandemic! Who gets to say that?

Looking back, here are some memorable people, moments and food we’ve enjoyed this year.

Travel Statistics…

We visited 8 countries
Moved 42 times in 52 weeks (not so slow travel)
Took 13 flights
And spent a little over $60,000

Our biggest challenges were…

Without hesitation I would say that the time difference between the US and wherever we were was the toughest hurdle. Staying connected to everyone takes shear commitment. Especially when I’m ready for bed and my friends and clients are just sitting down to morning coffee.

Also for me, constantly changing locations was tougher than I thought it would be. I’m a nester. I love home projects and making everything comfortable and beautiful. Therefore, I have unapologetically moved furniture and rearranged kitchens in numerous Airbnb’s in the last 12 months. Let’s just say, they needed it. And you’re welcome. I should make a business out of this. :)

Travel days are stressful. Navigating new airport restrictions, calculating visa expiration dates, filling out pandemic statements and obtaining COVID testing — all while maintaining social distancing — is exhausting.

Eating in restaurants everyday gets old. And it’s not uncommon for us to plan meals around curfews and early closing times.

Getting regular exercise is a challenge. Getting off schedule by relocating and settling into a new apartment takes its toll. We do our best to do 10,000 steps a day, push-ups, sit-ups, squats and some yoga stretches just to be able to carry our backpacks, but it doesn’t happen often enough.

Any sort of computer or iPhone issues are a real drag to deal with.

And because of Covid, all travel blog-resources have basically become obsolete. Google restaurant searches, too, are somewhat useless. As in, when we find a restaurant that has great reviews and is close by, many times we arrive and it’s closed. It’s been that kind of year.

Many people ask…How do we pick our next destination?

Our original criteria was: warm weather, location and costs. Now we add COVID restrictions to that list. It can take hours and hours of research to find which countries allow us entry as US passport holders (restrictions seem to change daily and aren’t always clear), travel logistics, visas, and which areas are safe for travelers, before we can commit. Nerve-racking for sure.

Scott is our research guru. He loves it and is great at it. He’ll pitch a new location at me with web links and maybe a friend’s recommendations and, if we both get excited about it, he books it.

I can say without a doubt that one of Scott’s gifts is creating memorable experiences without breaking the bank. We would truly not be having the kind of travel success we’ve had without his exhaustive work.

What I have learned about world travel…

Packing light is an art form and an amazing benefit. The most important item to have is comfortable shoes. Basically, any shoes worth packing must withstand the 10,000 steps per day criteria. I had to give into my ego and limited fashion sense and pick a pair of gaudy sneakers, which I wear almost everyday.
Don’t cut your own hair (I’m still growing out my mullet).
I’m more of an introvert than I realized. I have never thought of myself that way but I’ve noticed that I do get intimated at times about striking up conversations with strangers.
The world is smaller than I thought and people are people everywhere —we are more alike than we are different.
It surprises me how much American music we hear. Funny and out of context at times.
People are delighted to hear that we’re from California and love hearing our story. We’ve even had a couple of people play “Hotel California” for us on their iPhones as if that song was saved in their favorites.
Health care outside of the US is relatively good and inexpensive. Pricing is posted, so no guesswork. I recently had a mammogram in Croatia for $80 performed right in the doctor’s office.
Breakfast — beyond coffee, a cigarette and a pastry — isn’t a thing in most other cultures. Three meals a day seems to be an American concept. We also don’t see many obese people.
It’s hard to purchase anything before 9 am anywhere — even coffee.
I’ve been impressed with how much people know and care about American politics.
Venice really is sinking.

I have a deeper appreciation for…

Drinkable tap water.
Toilets that can flush toilet paper.
English speakers.
WhatsApp, Zoom, Uber/Uber Eats, Google Maps and Translator.
Facebook and friends who stay in touch.
Well-equipped Airbnb apartments.
Clothes dryers.
UNESCO World Heritage sites.

How are Scott and I doing?

We are together almost 24/7/365 with a few exceptions. We’ve learned a lot about each other and our pet peeves get put into perspective. For the record, traveling together for this length of time is truly more challenging than living together. We’ve had to adjust and learn what it means to be great travel partners. Occasionally we have a need for deep discussion about something that one of us is pissed off about, but for the most part we take deep breaths and keep our mouths shut. We look out for each other and keep things in perspective. It does take some practice but we’re doing great. And we say “I love you” a lot.

What do I miss?

In addition to my friends and family… our cat Gus. I miss lying in bed listening to him purr, cuddling him close to my chest. His new parents created an Instagram account for him so we can see him on a daily basis. No joke. We’re obsessed. You, too, can follow him here.

We also miss our home, our espresso machine, the Vitamix, bathtub and my closet full of comfy slippers, cute shoes and clothing.

And I miss driving.

When will we be back in the US?

For sure, we’ll be back in June, 2022 for Summer’s college graduation.

Are we looking for a place to live?

No, not yet. There’s too much of the world that we haven’t seen yet.

Here are some of my favorite moments…

Getting up at 4 am to see the sunrise and hear the Holler Monkeys wake the jungle (Tikal, Guatemala)

Watching the canal work and waving to the crew members (Panama)

Buying our maybe-2,000-year-old jewelry and trinkets in a restaurant parking lot (Selcuk, Turkey)

Doing yoga overlooking the ocean (Yelapa, Mexico)

Floating in the tide pools (Praia de Forte, Brazil)

Heather descending after hiking and camping on an active volcano (Antiqua, Guatemala)

Watching Scott enjoy a cigar with Marko Bilic at the Cigar Club (Split, Croatia)

Meeting Barbara Hart, Marko and Zelijana Bilic and enjoying meals, smokes, olive picking, drinking and island hopping (Split, Croatia)

Olive picking with friends (Drvenik, Croatia)

Riding ebikes along the coast (Rovinj, Croatia)

Nude sunbathing on the rocky shores (Rovinj, Croatia)

Spending two days here exploring and picnicking without any crowds (Plitvice Lakes, Croatia)

Riding ebikes down the Appian Way (Rome, Italy)

Listening to Rick Steves’ podcast on our iPhones with hardly any other visitors (St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome, Italy)

Yes, Venice really is sinking (St. Mark's Square, Venice, Italy)

This peaceful, serene setting (Lake Atitlan, Guatemala)

Skinny dipping in the Aegean Sea (Olympos, Turkey)

Doing a lot of nothing during the shut-down, having time to focus on my business and connecting with friends (São Paulo, Brazil)

Enjoying the high-speed train (From Rome to Venice, Italy)

Eating homemade pasta with white truffles with local wine in the truffle region during truffle season (Motovun, Croatia)

Surprising Scott for his 66th birthday (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

And some of our favorite food and beverages…

Addictive coffee lime gelato (Gelato Boutique, São Paulo, Brazil)

Ance's Caipirinhas (anywhere they are)

The best latte ever! (Folklore, Cartagena, Columbia)

Limonada de Coco (Panama and Guatape, Columbia)

The aforementioned white truffle pasta (Pod Napun Restaurant, Motovun, Croatia)

Basta's Pizza (Zagreb, Croatia)

I’m not a huge beef lover but damn this was good (Al Timons, Venice, Italy)

Pumpkin ravioli (Colline Emiliane, Rome, Italy)

An Aperol Spritz (anywhere in Italy)

We’re so grateful for…

Meeting friends who have opened their hearts and their homes. They have given us their best travel advice, provided home-cooked meals, helped with scheduling doctor’s appointments and maneuvering visa extensions. The fact that we have become friends with people who know we’ll only be in their lives for a short time, and yet friends forever…blows me away.

We’re sending love and gratitude to our new friends all over the world…

Mesa in Yelpapa. Cynthia in San Miguel. Anna Fiesta and Brendan in Antiqua. Eduardo, Bruno, Juliana, Ancé and Leo in Sao Paulo. Julian, Gaetan and Sierra in Medellin. Luka in Zagreb. Batu in Izmir. Çem in Cappadocia. Alpay, Mohammed and Veronica in Istanbul. Rene and Edith in Bodrum. Jenny in Selimiye. Barbara, Marko and Zelijana in Split. Favio, Ilan and Caroline in Rome. Kelly in Venice. Stephania in Palermo.

Saying that 2020 wasn’t exactly what we all hoped for would be a gross understatement. For the scrap book, here’s a short list of other milestones that we all shared:

January - Brexit and Kobe’s plane crash that killed all nine people on board.
Mid-February - COVID came into our awareness.
February - Harvey Weinstein found guilty and was later sentenced to 23 years.
Mid-March - We received stay-at-home orders in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
March - Meghan and Harry moved to the US.
April - My relationship gurus, Rachel and Dave Hollis, got divorced.
May - Unemployment hit a record high (highest since the great depression).
June - Black Lives Matter protests and violence broke out all across the world.
July - John Lewis died.
September - 120 degree temps in Los Angeles.
September - Ruth Bader Ginsberg died.
October - Trump diagnosed with COVID.
November - Election drama (most of the year).
November - Dow Jones reaches 30,000.
As of today, December 17th, US COVID deaths reached 308,000 people.
The last half of December is TBD….

Are we smart, brave or just plain lucky?

Who travels around the world during a global pandemic? Should we be traveling during a pandemic? Aren’t we risking our lives and the lives of others in the name of being mid-life nomads?

Believe me when I say we’ve asked ourselves all of these questions. This is the only thing we know for sure — when you don’t have a home to go to when things get tough, you just keep going — finding the safest place to visit, where we’ll be comfortable and welcome.

So…Onward! Let’s see what 2021 brings us. And Happy Holidays!!

Sending all our love from Istanbul,

Kelly and Scott

Scott Ogden

November 8, 2020

Croatia

Croatian Sunsets

Scott Ogden

November 8, 2020

Croatia

So, I’m riding my bike along the ocean bike path one day and I pass a sign I don’t recognize. It’s a image of men and women’s bathing suit bodies with a cross through it. Odd, I thought. A new hundred feet away I turn a corner and see the naked butt of an old guy bending over to pick something up, his balls hanging in the wind.

WHOA! I didn’t need to see that!

But, I digress…

Croatia is beautiful. I think everyone who’s been here knows just that. It’s just one of the many reasons tourist flock here each year (with the exception of this year.)

As much as we liked Zagreb, we knew we had to see more of this country to fully appreciate its specialness. So we headed west to where the pristine Adriatic meets the rocky shores. And where over 700 islands lay just a short ferry ride away.

And the sunsets… you can’t avoid them. They take your breath away.

We boarded a bus from Zagreb and headed northwest to Rovinj — a magical city nestled along the Istrian peninsula.

Rovinj

Rovinj is one of those towns that seem to spring from my imagination — narrow and ancient cobblestone streets bordered by stone houses. Battered green shutters and laundry lines swaying from window to window. The stories this place could tell.

Eighty years ago the Istrian peninsula was controlled by Italy. And it shows. The buildings look Italian. You hear people speaking Italian. And the food! Pasta, pizza and locally caught seafood is everywhere.

The weather was perfect when we arrived, so we immediately headed to the water for a swim. Rovinj doesn’t have typically sandy beaches. Just stone steps, rocky shores and cement platforms jutting into the ocean. No one cares. People here love hanging out on the warm rocks to sunbathe and swim in the clear, aqua blue water.

Our Airbnb was located right in the middle of old town, just above a bakery. Croatians love their pastries. It seems like there’s a bakery on every corner. Each morning that yeasty smell wafted into our apartment. It was all I could do to resist running downstairs to grab a fruit strudel or croissant. The few times I succumbed, I was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t overly sweet like so many American pastries.

Rovinj is a tourist town, filled with cute shops, fishing boats and a world-class superyacht marina. The Riva — or what we call a promenade — was lined with sidewalk-seated restaurants and colorful gelato shops all catering to tourists and locals alike. There is even a hilltop church and clock tower perched above this picturesque city.

But within days of our arrival the weather changed. The winds picked up, the temperature dropped and we experienced sporadic rain showers. Not what we had hoped for, but the clouds made for some wonderful pictures and sunsets.

One of our favorite pastimes was to bike along their amazing shoreline. This well-maintained gravel path ran for miles and became our daily obsession. We could easily stop to enjoy the breaks in the weather, take in the sun, picnic and go for a swim. What a life!

But there was so much more to see on the Istrian Peninsula than just Rovinj. We rented a car and drove inland to check out some of the small hill towns that make up this wondrous area filled with vineyards, olive groves and forests.

Hüm

If I told you that Hum is officially the smallest town in the world would you believe me? It’s true. Population 30!

Nestled in the middle of nowhere, at least that’s what we thought after Google maps took us off the beaten path for miles along a potholed one-lane road, through cow pastures and farmland. But there it was.

Upon arrival, a funny little man perched in a ticket booth charged us two bucks to park on the outskirts of town — you need to walk everywhere since the streets aren’t wide enough for cars.

There wasn’t much here; just quiet little streets. A locked up church. A souvenir shop. A few empty Airbnb’s and a sleepy restaurant where we stopped for a beer and spent an hour taking in the breathtaking views over the valley below.

Motovun

Perched on a hilltop high above the valley was Motovun. Home to Mario Andretti. And truffles. Those passion inducing fungi hunted by specially trained dogs in the nearby forests are coveted by foodies all over the world. The black ones are yummy, but the rare and expensive white ones are what we were after.

We parked on the outskirts of town. Hiked up the hill to look around. And perched on top of the hill overlooking the truffle forests was Restaurant Pod Napun.

Beautiful. We were hungry and ready to eat!

Homemade fettuccine with white truffles and local white wine. The meal couldn’t have been more perfect. Simple, rich and memorable

Pula

Another fun side trip was to the town of Pula; just an hour south of Rovinj. As you can see, it’s known for its well-preserved coliseum — known as the Arena. We had a lot of fun walking around imagining gladiator fights, and the life and struggles of the Romans who lived here many centuries ago.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

After 10 days in Rovinj, it was time to leave. So we headed southeast to Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is a bucket list must-see destination in Croatia.

The entire national park is 73,350 acres and an UNESCO World Heritage site. Its comprised of 16 terraced lakes with thousands of waterfalls, large and small. The park is brilliantly connected with an aesthetically- designed wooden boardwalk that makes exploring a ton of fun.

You have to see (and hear) it to believe it.

This park is typically overrun with tourists, but not on our trip. As our COVID travels have shown us, the crowds were non-existent. We took picnic lunches and enjoyed two days of hiking and photographing its remarkable lakes and waterfalls.

Aside from the lakes and falls, the park holds numerous other visual treats.

Our next stop…

Zadar

We spent a little over a week in Zadar; a lovely seaside town known for its walled old town and wide riva. At sunset, tourists and locals descend to the water’s edge to watch the sun dip behind nearby Ugljan Island.

Alfred Hitchcock was quoted as saying that Zadar had the most beautiful sunset in the world.

But what got my attention was its famous sea organ — a musical instrument powered by the waves hitting 35 organ pipes embedded in the concrete paving. The melodic sounds can be heard a quarter mile away, which has an eerily hypnotic effect. I could stay for hours listening to the otherworldly tones.

Listen closely to the music of the sea

Other than the sea organ, I had mixed feelings about Zadar. It was beautiful, with rich historic stories, but at the same time the walled city seemed to lack authenticity — a certain detachment from its past. Where do the locals live? Not in the center of this city.

Perspective on Croatia and its people

We met and made some friends here. They seemed eager to discuss what makes Croatia what it is. You have to go back in time to get perspective.

Croatians are strong and proud people. Due to their central coastal location in Eastern Europe and their ties to Catholicism, they have been pushed, attacked and inhabited by many different countries and religious groups over the centuries. But there are two recent events that have shaped their lives: the communist takeover after WWII and the 1990 Serbian War.

When you grasp that there was war on this soil only 25 years ago, it makes you stop and wonder — how does a country bounce back from that?

But they did. And not only did they bounce back, within the last 10 years their entire country exploded with tourism. Croatia seems to be on everyone’s travel radar.

But what about the Croats themselves? What are they like?

First, they are tall. Seriously. Everywhere we looked we saw men and women over 6 feet.

The locals, doing what they do. Having coffee and talking ‘Trump!” The world is watching.

Second, they do not smile a lot. Unlike people in other countries, when we walk down the streets, they rarely smile and say hi. But once you crack their outer shell, they open up and reveal their warm hearts and creative minds.

And yet, the locals whom we met were some of the harshest critics of themselves. The most common comment was that they thought their countrymen were lazy. Their constant coffee breaks are an excuse to do nothing. One friend describes this as an attitude developed from years under communist rule, where ambition and individualism was squelched. Why work hard when it’ll have no impact on your future?

And now that the Coronavirus has hit and the tourism trade has shrunk, how are they doing? A few told me they were actually happier. They have a unique opportunity to take back their cities and enjoy their heritage. They know the tourists will be back soon enough, but maybe next time it will be different. Tourism will come back at a more sustainable pace that won’t overwhelm their soul.

Next stop… Split.

SOUTHERN ETHIOPIATHE OMO VALLEY

THE PEOPLE

THE TRIBES WE VISITED

AMAZING CONNECTIONS

OUR GRATITUDE

OUR ACCOMMODATIONS

WHAT TO DO WITH THESE EXPERIENCES?

SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
THE OMO VALLEY