In addition to the travel and surgeries we have posted in our blog, we still have been very busy both in our little Mexican church in Ixtlahuacan and the boy's home, Hope House. We continue to play in the worship band at church and are helping out as much as possible to get a more permanent place for worship. On some of our previous blogs we showed photos of our church and how we meet under a tarp hung by rope between trees. This last rainy season it became rather dismal as each Sunday that we showed up to rehearse before the service, the rain and wind had blown the tarp down and we spent precious rehearsal time rebuilding our "church". The other alternative was to use the original terrace, which, because of church growth, has become too small for the number of people who now attend, so people would go home, not finding a seat. We approached the pastor and said something had to be done. The upshot was that we were able to help out in getting a massive steel structure built, with a new and very durable covering over it. People have been getting motivated to beautify the (rented) property, painting and pruning. As part of this we asked pastor if he would like to have a platform to get the band and the speaker off the muddy ground. So Walt and some of the men built a platform and now the place is beginning to look more like a church. There is a lot more room under this new tarp and we add more chairs every Sunday now. Here are before and after photos of the old and new tarps. The new tarp, framework and platform can all be moved to the other property when we are ready.
The workshop is now fully functional and in operation. We were concerned that the high-end level of the power tools were beyond the boy's abilities. However, they have proven us wrong as they work with every tool in the shop. Of course we are very conscious of safety! Work began with building simple Christmas items such as reindeer and snow flakes. These are items that have sold well and we are beginning to earn some money for the shop. The boys have progressed beyond the Christmas items and have helped build workbenches for the shop. Now that it is fully operational they have successfully built five bunk beds, in reality ten beds, for another orphanage in the area. Funds for the material were provided by the local Rotary Club and the boys donated their labor. They, in fact, with the help of four adults completed construction of all the beds in four days. These are not full days as they still have to attend school. Not only have they become proficient with the tools they are very careful about quality control. If something is not routered properly they will redo it until they are satisfied. Same with sanding prior to varnishing. Here are photos of the workshop and the boys at work. If you enjoy woodworking and have a little patience, we welcome you to come on down for a week or two!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Israel Praise Orchestra Trip
God worked it out so that we both could be on this trip together. It was an incredible experience to have the opportunity to minister in the land where Jesus walked and talked. There will be very little narrative but plenty of pictures in this blog.
We arrived at Tel Aviv on 29 October and met the group, had dinner and then had our one and only rehearsal. Walt played bass and Nancy was the sound tech, a position sorely needed. Our first few days we stayed at Baptist Village, which was founded in 1952, just four years after the war of 1948. Many of the damaged Israeli Army vehicles still remain as monuments to that war along the road to Jerusalem. The first day, in addition to two concerts, we visited Caesaria Harbor, one of the many sites that King Herod was responsible for building. We know him as the king whose paranoia led him to kill all the firstborn babies in an attempt to kill Jesus. However, we saw a side of him we never knew, an incredible visionary genius who constructed many sites in and around Jerusalem. Here are pictures of arriving and our first day in Israel.
On Sunday we headed up to Jerusalem. It was much hillier than we had anticipated. Two concerts were held at the Baptist House in Jerusalem and the only tour this day was at the Prayer Center. The Prayer Center was a place to pray for the lost of this world. While in Jerusalem we stayed at Christ Church which is Old Jerusalem next to the Jaffa Gate. Here are pictures of our second day.
Monday was a strictly tour day and we got to see Masada, the Dead Sea and Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Of course we got to see all of the territory between all of them. A trip to the Ahava factory, where they make products out of the Dead Sea water and mud, was included as well. Our tour guide was excellent at pointing out the various features as we past them. Here are the photos for Day Three of our trip. That evening we also got to see a fantastic light show on the walls of the King David Citadel. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs but it is something we would want to see again.
On the fourth day we drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Field. Our tour guide, being a Christian, was quick to point out that this may not have been the actual location of the manger and so forth but it is representative of what it would have looked like. It is interesting to see how man would rather worship an icon or some site rather than the person of Jesus. An interesting fact about Bethlehem is it is in Palestine. At the security gate anyone is allowed into Bethlehem. However, on the way out they carefully check to see if there are any Palestinians on board your vehicle or if you are taking something out that someone may have given to you. This question is again asked by customs at the airport at departure from Israel. Apparently the Palestinians feel that since there grandparents lived on this land, it was rightfully theirs whereas the Jews believe that God promised them this land so it is rightfully theirs. So worshiping icons or sites or fighting over a piece of dirt does manifest the sinful nature of man. After Bethlehem we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the olive trees there date back to that time. Late at night we took a walking tour of the Western Wall under the Old City. One of the stones in the Western Wall has been estimated to weigh approximately 600 tons. Question is, how did they get such a thing into place thousands of years ago? Here are the photos for this days tours.
The fifth day found us on a walking tour of Old Jerusalem. This was totally fascinating. It seems like every site that had some traditional meaning assigned to it has a church built on it. Not only one church but several churches, for example, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Ethiopian, you name it. Again it points out how man would rather worship an icon or "holy" site rather than the person of God Himself. The ultimate in our minds was the church on the site where Judas Iscariot was assumed to have hanged himself! However, as our guide pointed out, each site may not be the actual place but it is indicative of what it might have looked like. So it does give some added insight about the area as described in the Bible. So from that point of view it was very interesting. After our walking tour of Old Jerusalem we went to the Garden Tomb. Now understand that in Old Jerusalem there is a Church of the Holy Sepulchre and now we were on our way to the Garden Tomb - two potential sites for the place where Jesus was buried. But, we really got to appreciate the narrator at the Garden Tomb. He laid out how this tomb is more likely to be like the actual since it was outside of Jerusalem and the features were as those described in the Bible. The high point of his narrative was when he exclaimed, "Whether its this place or within the city what does it matter? The tomb is empty, He is risen, He is no longer here". And that is what really counts. Apparently the British have been responsible for the Garden Tomb since the late 1800's and have had the freedom to make this statement for all these years. What a testimony the British have at that location! A high point for us as an orchestra was to have communion there. Later that evening we gave an impromptu concert at Christ Church, which turned out to be very special. Here are photos of our fifth day in Israel.
Our sixth day had us working our way to the Sea of Galilee. So we drove back along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The significance of this road is that it is the same valley that Jesus used in His illustration of the Good Samaritan. So we got to see what that area is like. Then we got to see the Sea of Galilee. Just like the Dead Sea, it is below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is fresh water because water enters and exits whereas the Dead Sea water only enters. One of the highlights was eating at a restaurant that served fish from the Sea of Galilee, probably very similar to the kind of fish the disciples caught in their time. We gave a concert outside the museum that contains the relic of a boat dated to the time that Jesus was in this area. The concert was special and then seeing the boat was fascinating. Later that evening we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. They had a band that played Jewish tunes and we danced to them. Then, as we docked, they put on Christian music and we all sang our hearts out. It was a very memorable moment to be singing with messianic Jews, Jews that have found the Messiah as we have, and praising God with one voice. That night we stayed at a very beautiful hotel in Tiberius. Here are the photos of this day. Someone also recorded several of the songs that we played in front of the museum of the "Jesus Boat".
Our final day of tour took us up to the Northern end of Israel to the Golan Heights where Israel borders on Syria and Lebanon. Here there were many signs of the struggles between these various countries. But we also got to see more excavations of interesting sites and some of the places that Jesus was, according to the New Testament. For example, the tour for this day included Capernaum where Jesus chose His first four disciples, James, John, Peter and Andrew. There are many references to Jesus' activities in Capernaum in the New Testament. So it was interesting to see the area that Jesus Himself saw. Of course, the Golan Heights is a tense area because of the neighboring countries and we saw the military presence, although things are peaceful right now. We also took a tour of ruins of the Temple of Pan, niches carved in the rocky cliffs, and of Agrippa's palace. The day ended with an exceptional meal in an Arabian restaurant. Some of us felt it was the best food yet. Here are photos of our last day of tour.
After this we left to go to the airport. Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv has got to be the most secure in the world. It took two hours to get through customs and security before even getting to the terminal. Everything was carefully checked and questions asked. We commented that Israel, that contains God's city Jerusalem, is the seemingly most dangerous we have been to. It's like the spiritual warfare is happening here. But satan has already lost that battle.
As usual this trip has been a real blessing to us and we have committed to take at least one trip a year of this nature. It is fun to use our old skills for His service.
We arrived at Tel Aviv on 29 October and met the group, had dinner and then had our one and only rehearsal. Walt played bass and Nancy was the sound tech, a position sorely needed. Our first few days we stayed at Baptist Village, which was founded in 1952, just four years after the war of 1948. Many of the damaged Israeli Army vehicles still remain as monuments to that war along the road to Jerusalem. The first day, in addition to two concerts, we visited Caesaria Harbor, one of the many sites that King Herod was responsible for building. We know him as the king whose paranoia led him to kill all the firstborn babies in an attempt to kill Jesus. However, we saw a side of him we never knew, an incredible visionary genius who constructed many sites in and around Jerusalem. Here are pictures of arriving and our first day in Israel.
On Sunday we headed up to Jerusalem. It was much hillier than we had anticipated. Two concerts were held at the Baptist House in Jerusalem and the only tour this day was at the Prayer Center. The Prayer Center was a place to pray for the lost of this world. While in Jerusalem we stayed at Christ Church which is Old Jerusalem next to the Jaffa Gate. Here are pictures of our second day.
Monday was a strictly tour day and we got to see Masada, the Dead Sea and Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Of course we got to see all of the territory between all of them. A trip to the Ahava factory, where they make products out of the Dead Sea water and mud, was included as well. Our tour guide was excellent at pointing out the various features as we past them. Here are the photos for Day Three of our trip. That evening we also got to see a fantastic light show on the walls of the King David Citadel. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs but it is something we would want to see again.
On the fourth day we drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Field. Our tour guide, being a Christian, was quick to point out that this may not have been the actual location of the manger and so forth but it is representative of what it would have looked like. It is interesting to see how man would rather worship an icon or some site rather than the person of Jesus. An interesting fact about Bethlehem is it is in Palestine. At the security gate anyone is allowed into Bethlehem. However, on the way out they carefully check to see if there are any Palestinians on board your vehicle or if you are taking something out that someone may have given to you. This question is again asked by customs at the airport at departure from Israel. Apparently the Palestinians feel that since there grandparents lived on this land, it was rightfully theirs whereas the Jews believe that God promised them this land so it is rightfully theirs. So worshiping icons or sites or fighting over a piece of dirt does manifest the sinful nature of man. After Bethlehem we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the olive trees there date back to that time. Late at night we took a walking tour of the Western Wall under the Old City. One of the stones in the Western Wall has been estimated to weigh approximately 600 tons. Question is, how did they get such a thing into place thousands of years ago? Here are the photos for this days tours.
The fifth day found us on a walking tour of Old Jerusalem. This was totally fascinating. It seems like every site that had some traditional meaning assigned to it has a church built on it. Not only one church but several churches, for example, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Ethiopian, you name it. Again it points out how man would rather worship an icon or "holy" site rather than the person of God Himself. The ultimate in our minds was the church on the site where Judas Iscariot was assumed to have hanged himself! However, as our guide pointed out, each site may not be the actual place but it is indicative of what it might have looked like. So it does give some added insight about the area as described in the Bible. So from that point of view it was very interesting. After our walking tour of Old Jerusalem we went to the Garden Tomb. Now understand that in Old Jerusalem there is a Church of the Holy Sepulchre and now we were on our way to the Garden Tomb - two potential sites for the place where Jesus was buried. But, we really got to appreciate the narrator at the Garden Tomb. He laid out how this tomb is more likely to be like the actual since it was outside of Jerusalem and the features were as those described in the Bible. The high point of his narrative was when he exclaimed, "Whether its this place or within the city what does it matter? The tomb is empty, He is risen, He is no longer here". And that is what really counts. Apparently the British have been responsible for the Garden Tomb since the late 1800's and have had the freedom to make this statement for all these years. What a testimony the British have at that location! A high point for us as an orchestra was to have communion there. Later that evening we gave an impromptu concert at Christ Church, which turned out to be very special. Here are photos of our fifth day in Israel.
Our sixth day had us working our way to the Sea of Galilee. So we drove back along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The significance of this road is that it is the same valley that Jesus used in His illustration of the Good Samaritan. So we got to see what that area is like. Then we got to see the Sea of Galilee. Just like the Dead Sea, it is below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is fresh water because water enters and exits whereas the Dead Sea water only enters. One of the highlights was eating at a restaurant that served fish from the Sea of Galilee, probably very similar to the kind of fish the disciples caught in their time. We gave a concert outside the museum that contains the relic of a boat dated to the time that Jesus was in this area. The concert was special and then seeing the boat was fascinating. Later that evening we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. They had a band that played Jewish tunes and we danced to them. Then, as we docked, they put on Christian music and we all sang our hearts out. It was a very memorable moment to be singing with messianic Jews, Jews that have found the Messiah as we have, and praising God with one voice. That night we stayed at a very beautiful hotel in Tiberius. Here are the photos of this day. Someone also recorded several of the songs that we played in front of the museum of the "Jesus Boat".
Our final day of tour took us up to the Northern end of Israel to the Golan Heights where Israel borders on Syria and Lebanon. Here there were many signs of the struggles between these various countries. But we also got to see more excavations of interesting sites and some of the places that Jesus was, according to the New Testament. For example, the tour for this day included Capernaum where Jesus chose His first four disciples, James, John, Peter and Andrew. There are many references to Jesus' activities in Capernaum in the New Testament. So it was interesting to see the area that Jesus Himself saw. Of course, the Golan Heights is a tense area because of the neighboring countries and we saw the military presence, although things are peaceful right now. We also took a tour of ruins of the Temple of Pan, niches carved in the rocky cliffs, and of Agrippa's palace. The day ended with an exceptional meal in an Arabian restaurant. Some of us felt it was the best food yet. Here are photos of our last day of tour.
After this we left to go to the airport. Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv has got to be the most secure in the world. It took two hours to get through customs and security before even getting to the terminal. Everything was carefully checked and questions asked. We commented that Israel, that contains God's city Jerusalem, is the seemingly most dangerous we have been to. It's like the spiritual warfare is happening here. But satan has already lost that battle.
As usual this trip has been a real blessing to us and we have committed to take at least one trip a year of this nature. It is fun to use our old skills for His service.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Balloon Festival in Ajijic
Years ago Walt went to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, and was in awe of the size and intricate design of many of the balloons. So when we moved to Ajijic 3 years ago we heard that the Saturday prior to Dia de Independencia, which is 16 September, they have a local balloon festival. So we had to go check it out and have tried to go every year since. We went this year again and thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike the hot air balloons in Albuquerque, these balloons are totally different. They are not powered by propane gas, nor do they carry people. They range in size from a few feet across to over 20 feet. The biggest difference is they are not made of fabric but simply tissue paper. The source for the hot air is a wire ring wrapped in cloth that is soaked in kerosene and then lit. This actually works, and the balloons can attain a tremendous height, in fact, we have seen them go well above the mountains behind our house and these mountains are 3,500 feet above the lake. The greatest amount of excitement though is the fact that you have an open flame contained within a balloon made of tissue paper. You guessed it, a very flammable situation. Even though the balloons are made of tissue paper the designs rival those of Albuquerque and the size may not be as big but some do get as large as 20 or 25 feet in height or even diameter. So they are pretty awesome. It is a unique event to our village, and of course you can buy all kinds of food and drinks, cotton candy and palletas (fruit popsicles).
To give a flavor of this event we took a few photos and videos that we want to share. First of all, the event takes place in the soccer field about a quarter mile from our house towards the lake. If the wind is favorable, the balloons sometimes sail right over our home, but not this year. This year the wind sent most of them over the lake. We went to the soccer field not only to see the balloons but join in the festivities down there. There are typically around a dozen groups that bring their balloons and each group has a large number and variety of balloons. Here are photos of one of the groups and some of the activities taking place as they begin to launch. This was at the early part of the event so the soccer field didn't have too many people yet. A couple of hours later it was almost wall-to-wall people and people still streaming in. You can see the large number of balloons on the tarp for this group. Also in this series of photos you see some of the other groups beginning to launch their balloons. Many of the balloons are sponsored by local businesses, and have their name prominently displayed. One year when a balloon burned up a corn field this was a bit of a problem, as the farmer knew exactly who to speak to for restitution....
Getting set to launch the balloons can be rather exciting. Remember, there is this large tissue paper structure that requires hot air inside to make it float. Rather than lighting the kerosene some use a chimenea first and when the balloon gets partially full, then they will light the kerosene ring. Since some of the balloons are so large they use ladders or even scaffolding and then strings or long poles to hold the balloon away from the fire and vertical so that it doesn't catch on fire prior to launch. However, we saw our fair share of those burning before they even took off. Here are some photos of launch preparation.
One huge advantage of tissue paper balloons is the ease of repair. More tissue paper and packing style tape is all you need. Here is a photo of a balloon that had a hole in the top. After this photo was taken it unfortunately got another hole in top and they managed to get it down for repair. However, after that hole was filled the next thing we saw was this balloon go up in flames before it even got off the ground.
Watching balloons launch successfully is always a thrill and the crowd always cheers. Here are some photos of successful launches. Here is a video of a successful launch. Note the water bottle can be seen keeping the balloon from swaying and at the last part of the video the kerosene flame can be seen. The ballast has to be sufficient to keep the balloon from swaying but not so much as to keep the balloon from flying. The kerosene fire in the rocket, in this series of photos, burned out and the rocket landed intact and we saw it on our way home and took a photo of it that is shown at the end of this blog.
One of the most exciting things for the crowd, but not for the folks that spent untold hours making these balloons, is when they catch fire and crash. Some don't even get off the ground. Here are some photos of balloons that didn't make it. Here is a video of what most look like when they burst into flames after launch. Looking carefully the kerosene ring can be seen falling first. If this happens above the soccer field, the kids love to chase after them, with their parents hollering warnings to be careful. As can be seen at the end of the video, the burning remains often do fall into the local residential areas. Nothing fun in Mexico is without a certain amount of risk! There were a couple of spectacular disasters that we managed to catch in video. Here is a photo of a large Happy Face taking off and here is the video shortly after. Here is a photo of a rocket made up off three boosters. Here is the video shortly after. In the video it is clear that the green booster is the first to fail. The music, a Mexican Anthem in the background, appears to be very fitting.
So now the question is where do they land? In the earlier video clearly one was landing in a residential area. We saw one burning kerosene ring land on a roof and keep burning. But since everything is concrete and tile there is no danger of a house burning down. Here are two photos of balloons that have landed. The first landed in flames on the power lines. The second, landed intact in someones yard. This particular balloon was the large rocket that was in one of the earlier photos. It was interesting to watch because its kerosene fire went out and it just slowly drifted to earth intact and landed in this neighborhood.
To give a flavor of this event we took a few photos and videos that we want to share. First of all, the event takes place in the soccer field about a quarter mile from our house towards the lake. If the wind is favorable, the balloons sometimes sail right over our home, but not this year. This year the wind sent most of them over the lake. We went to the soccer field not only to see the balloons but join in the festivities down there. There are typically around a dozen groups that bring their balloons and each group has a large number and variety of balloons. Here are photos of one of the groups and some of the activities taking place as they begin to launch. This was at the early part of the event so the soccer field didn't have too many people yet. A couple of hours later it was almost wall-to-wall people and people still streaming in. You can see the large number of balloons on the tarp for this group. Also in this series of photos you see some of the other groups beginning to launch their balloons. Many of the balloons are sponsored by local businesses, and have their name prominently displayed. One year when a balloon burned up a corn field this was a bit of a problem, as the farmer knew exactly who to speak to for restitution....
Getting set to launch the balloons can be rather exciting. Remember, there is this large tissue paper structure that requires hot air inside to make it float. Rather than lighting the kerosene some use a chimenea first and when the balloon gets partially full, then they will light the kerosene ring. Since some of the balloons are so large they use ladders or even scaffolding and then strings or long poles to hold the balloon away from the fire and vertical so that it doesn't catch on fire prior to launch. However, we saw our fair share of those burning before they even took off. Here are some photos of launch preparation.
One huge advantage of tissue paper balloons is the ease of repair. More tissue paper and packing style tape is all you need. Here is a photo of a balloon that had a hole in the top. After this photo was taken it unfortunately got another hole in top and they managed to get it down for repair. However, after that hole was filled the next thing we saw was this balloon go up in flames before it even got off the ground.
Watching balloons launch successfully is always a thrill and the crowd always cheers. Here are some photos of successful launches. Here is a video of a successful launch. Note the water bottle can be seen keeping the balloon from swaying and at the last part of the video the kerosene flame can be seen. The ballast has to be sufficient to keep the balloon from swaying but not so much as to keep the balloon from flying. The kerosene fire in the rocket, in this series of photos, burned out and the rocket landed intact and we saw it on our way home and took a photo of it that is shown at the end of this blog.
One of the most exciting things for the crowd, but not for the folks that spent untold hours making these balloons, is when they catch fire and crash. Some don't even get off the ground. Here are some photos of balloons that didn't make it. Here is a video of what most look like when they burst into flames after launch. Looking carefully the kerosene ring can be seen falling first. If this happens above the soccer field, the kids love to chase after them, with their parents hollering warnings to be careful. As can be seen at the end of the video, the burning remains often do fall into the local residential areas. Nothing fun in Mexico is without a certain amount of risk! There were a couple of spectacular disasters that we managed to catch in video. Here is a photo of a large Happy Face taking off and here is the video shortly after. Here is a photo of a rocket made up off three boosters. Here is the video shortly after. In the video it is clear that the green booster is the first to fail. The music, a Mexican Anthem in the background, appears to be very fitting.
So now the question is where do they land? In the earlier video clearly one was landing in a residential area. We saw one burning kerosene ring land on a roof and keep burning. But since everything is concrete and tile there is no danger of a house burning down. Here are two photos of balloons that have landed. The first landed in flames on the power lines. The second, landed intact in someones yard. This particular balloon was the large rocket that was in one of the earlier photos. It was interesting to watch because its kerosene fire went out and it just slowly drifted to earth intact and landed in this neighborhood.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Shoulder Replacement, Mexico Style
Walt has had pain in both of his shoulders for many years, and gradually has lost the ability to lift his arms much. Well, a month ago Walt found out the reason was that he had no cartilage at all in his left shoulder and has very little in his right shoulder. Our doctor sent us to an orthopedic specialist who immediately recommended shoulder replacement surgery.
This is how the process went. We tried convincing our doctor in the US about Walt's shoulder pains. He was not terribly interested, and told him to take Ibuprofen. Then our doctor here in Mexico tried exercise and medication almost to no avail (although we have to say that the medications available here are often more effective than some in the US, thanks to the FDA). We were both in for a regular checkup one day and Nancy said to our doctor, "This is only as far as he can lift his arms". He immediately said to see an orthopedist. The orthopedist is one of the many specialists that come down to our local clinic from Guadalajara on different days of the week, so two days later, Walt was talking to the specialist. He asked about arm movement and the like, then said, "Lets go across the hall to get x-rays", looked at the right one and said, "You should think about replacement surgery" then saw the x-ray of the left one and said, "Right away". This was all in the same 20 minute appointment, not waiting weeks and weeks for x-rays or permission from insurance to see a specialist! We then sought council from our regular doctor, mainly to see if Walt was healthy enough and whether we should do it with our Mexican government insurance, IMSS, or not. He said if we can afford to pay for it ourselves we can control who does it and when. So we did our internet homework comparing Medicare costs, out-of-pocket cost and IMSS, which would be no cost, since we are now fully vested (although it would be put off for many months). Since we had the money we decided not to go through IMSS. Then we looked at the cost difference between out-of-pocket and Medicare - if we had even kept up the policy payments. The specialist here said it would cost around $10,000 USD and it actually came out to be $9450 USD. Finding what we could about Medicare allowable expenses, deductibles and then including payment of a Medicare Part B and supplemental policy, we figured we easily saved $10,000 to $20,000 USD. This is based on that we saw that shoulder surgery in the US can cost as high as $40,000 and it looks like Medicare may have taken care of around $10,000. Then, of course, you have to add in the $5,000 we would have spent on the cost of a policy and, just like with IMSS, you don't know who you would get or when it would be scheduled.
Now here is the beauty of the whole thing. We went back to the specialist on his next Friday visit to the clinic and he said, "How about scheduling it a week from this Monday?" What? Not 6 months from now? Then the following Friday he called us in the evening to say only one of the two prosthesis parts had come in (delayed from the US) and he didn't want to operate twice and didn't think we would want that either (that is a joke, btw). A few days later he called again to say the part was in and rescheduled us for a week later. It was the surgeon who called us personally at home to apologize for the delay and to reschedule the surgery. It was not the secretary of the assistant nurse to the specialist's assistant. It was the specialist himself.
So, one may ask, who is this specialist that can give you this kind of attention? After all you are way down in Mexico and they just are not qualified.... Here is his own personal home page, in English yet. His "Curriculum" page is the most interesting.
We went to Guadalajara Wednesday morning, had the surgery around 11:00 am and apparently the surgery was about an hour and a half long. The socket was replaced with a plastic one, and the shoulder ball was replaced with titanium. The doctor came in several times after the surgery to see how things were going. Nancy stayed overnight in the room (she had a nice couch to sleep on), which is the custom here. The surgeon returned Thursday morning with the anesthesiologist in tow. With Walt's three previous surgeries he never got to see the anesthesiologist. In fact, he had chatted with Walt a little bit before the surgery. Walt's last words to the anesthesiologist, surgeon and nurses before he dozed off were "Hasta luego" (See you later)- that got a good laugh.
The clinic we were in is only nine years old and very modern. It is really a tiny hospital more that what one would call a clinic. In fact, the operating room looked like it was some space age place. Here are pictures of the clinic and of Walt recovering.
Walt began physical therapy the day after surgery and, when he was at the specialist Friday here in town, got some more exercises to do. Next Friday the staples will come out and we should be on a full road to recovery. Already the fact that there is no pain whatsoever in the joint is huge! God is good!! Work with a physical therapist should hopefully improve mobility in the muscles that have atrophied over the years.
So this is proof that in places where malpractice suits do not exist, affordable quality health care does exist. The next surgery will be scheduled around our missions trip to Israel at the end of October, plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas and our yearly trek to Thailand, depending upon how fast the recovery process is. So it may be the beginning of November or as late as February of next year.
This is how the process went. We tried convincing our doctor in the US about Walt's shoulder pains. He was not terribly interested, and told him to take Ibuprofen. Then our doctor here in Mexico tried exercise and medication almost to no avail (although we have to say that the medications available here are often more effective than some in the US, thanks to the FDA). We were both in for a regular checkup one day and Nancy said to our doctor, "This is only as far as he can lift his arms". He immediately said to see an orthopedist. The orthopedist is one of the many specialists that come down to our local clinic from Guadalajara on different days of the week, so two days later, Walt was talking to the specialist. He asked about arm movement and the like, then said, "Lets go across the hall to get x-rays", looked at the right one and said, "You should think about replacement surgery" then saw the x-ray of the left one and said, "Right away". This was all in the same 20 minute appointment, not waiting weeks and weeks for x-rays or permission from insurance to see a specialist! We then sought council from our regular doctor, mainly to see if Walt was healthy enough and whether we should do it with our Mexican government insurance, IMSS, or not. He said if we can afford to pay for it ourselves we can control who does it and when. So we did our internet homework comparing Medicare costs, out-of-pocket cost and IMSS, which would be no cost, since we are now fully vested (although it would be put off for many months). Since we had the money we decided not to go through IMSS. Then we looked at the cost difference between out-of-pocket and Medicare - if we had even kept up the policy payments. The specialist here said it would cost around $10,000 USD and it actually came out to be $9450 USD. Finding what we could about Medicare allowable expenses, deductibles and then including payment of a Medicare Part B and supplemental policy, we figured we easily saved $10,000 to $20,000 USD. This is based on that we saw that shoulder surgery in the US can cost as high as $40,000 and it looks like Medicare may have taken care of around $10,000. Then, of course, you have to add in the $5,000 we would have spent on the cost of a policy and, just like with IMSS, you don't know who you would get or when it would be scheduled.
Now here is the beauty of the whole thing. We went back to the specialist on his next Friday visit to the clinic and he said, "How about scheduling it a week from this Monday?" What? Not 6 months from now? Then the following Friday he called us in the evening to say only one of the two prosthesis parts had come in (delayed from the US) and he didn't want to operate twice and didn't think we would want that either (that is a joke, btw). A few days later he called again to say the part was in and rescheduled us for a week later. It was the surgeon who called us personally at home to apologize for the delay and to reschedule the surgery. It was not the secretary of the assistant nurse to the specialist's assistant. It was the specialist himself.
So, one may ask, who is this specialist that can give you this kind of attention? After all you are way down in Mexico and they just are not qualified.... Here is his own personal home page, in English yet. His "Curriculum" page is the most interesting.
We went to Guadalajara Wednesday morning, had the surgery around 11:00 am and apparently the surgery was about an hour and a half long. The socket was replaced with a plastic one, and the shoulder ball was replaced with titanium. The doctor came in several times after the surgery to see how things were going. Nancy stayed overnight in the room (she had a nice couch to sleep on), which is the custom here. The surgeon returned Thursday morning with the anesthesiologist in tow. With Walt's three previous surgeries he never got to see the anesthesiologist. In fact, he had chatted with Walt a little bit before the surgery. Walt's last words to the anesthesiologist, surgeon and nurses before he dozed off were "Hasta luego" (See you later)- that got a good laugh.
The clinic we were in is only nine years old and very modern. It is really a tiny hospital more that what one would call a clinic. In fact, the operating room looked like it was some space age place. Here are pictures of the clinic and of Walt recovering.
Walt began physical therapy the day after surgery and, when he was at the specialist Friday here in town, got some more exercises to do. Next Friday the staples will come out and we should be on a full road to recovery. Already the fact that there is no pain whatsoever in the joint is huge! God is good!! Work with a physical therapist should hopefully improve mobility in the muscles that have atrophied over the years.
So this is proof that in places where malpractice suits do not exist, affordable quality health care does exist. The next surgery will be scheduled around our missions trip to Israel at the end of October, plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas and our yearly trek to Thailand, depending upon how fast the recovery process is. So it may be the beginning of November or as late as February of next year.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Brazil Praise Orchestra Trip
From June 1 through June 12 Walt had the privilege of joining a group of some two dozen American Musicians on a trip to Brazil to give concerts and hold Masters Classes for the Brazilians. So this is Walt's personal blog on that trip.
First of all I feel honored and privileged to have joined this group of what I consider professional musicians under the able leadership of Camp Kirkland. Most of us met for the first time in Atlanta, GA for the final flight to Sao Paulo. Then, depending on where and when a concert was, Brazilian musicians would join us. I believe the largest orchestra may have been as large as 50 or 60 players and a couple of times we accompanied large choirs. So it was a real thrill, especially given that we don't have orchestras like that where we live.
We gave thirteen concerts, I believe (I actually lost count), in the nine days we were in Brazil and we toured the very last day. So all in all it was an excellent experience. Here are some photos beginning with our first rehearsal, first concert and going on through almost every concert. At the very first concert at a gated apartment complex my bass did something it never had done in all the years that I have played - it never kept its tune during the first two songs. I loved Nancy's response "The devil was in your bass so great things are going to happen." She was absolutely right as the trip was a total success for many reasons. To hear what we sound like here are some videos of concerts. This was "Jericho" at our first concert in Sao Paulo. Here is "Days of Elijah" in Brasilia and here is "Jericho" in Brasilia. You may want to use earphones or good speakers. My laptop speakers didn't do the songs justice (i.e., you couldn't hear the bass ;-)). You can hear that the Brazilians absolutely loved to join in singing.
One of the reasons the trip was successful is meeting new friends. This includes both people from the orchestra and Brazilians that we met. I was somewhat apprehensive at the thought of leading the rhythm class as we had no idea who or what to expect but we came prepared as much as possible. To me the greatest blessing that I received was a whole new set of rhythm player friends. Yes, I know, we are a strange lot! I am still receiving e-mails from the Brazilians thanking us for the pointers we gave. Here are photos of all my new friends.
However, not only did I teach Master's Classes in Rhythm, the Brazilians taught me to play some "interesting" rhythms. They actually allowed me to play in one of their worship sets. I mentioned this to Nancy as well and loved here response again, "So you are getting more out of this trip than you expected again?" Absolutely! Here is a video of just one of the worship songs they did. My new buddy Marcos is playing the bass in this particular song and my long time Brazilian buddy, CG, is playing drums.
One of the lesser reasons (right!) I enjoy going on these trips with Camp Kirkland is that he likes to eat like I do. I think we both might eat a little more than we ought to just by egging each other on. But it was well worth it. I only took a few photos of our eating sessions because I was more interested in eating then photographing. Here are the photos I took. For those of you who don't know what churrascaria is, you need to find out. They continue bringing different cuts of meat, mostly beef, on skewers or swords until you turn the little green tag to red. It always took me a long time to turn it red. Then I believe we had Brazilian pizza who knows how many times. The chief characteristics of Brazilian pizza are they use little, if any, sauce but substitute the sauce with "large" amounts of cheese. Also, when you have had your fill of pizza they bring dessert pizza - a delicacy to die for.
Our trip to Brazil this time included half the time in Sao Paulo and the other half in Brasilia. The only real touring we had a chance for in Sao Paulo was a special treat to the concert hall to hear Brazil's best symphony orchestra. That definitely was a highlight for all of us. Here are some of the pictures of Sao Paulo. Brasilia was a city planned in the 1950's to be the new capital of Brazil. The main part of Brasilia is very thoughtfully laid out. However, 50 years plus a large migration of people gravitating to the capital have changed the original main concepts, especially in the many towns now surrounding the main part of Brasilia. If you go to Google Earth, you will see that the plan form of the main part of Brasilia is an airplane. Here are photos of some of the highlights of this city.
One highlight while in Brasilia was to attend and observe a rehearsal of the Brazil National Symphony Orchestra. As musicians we really enjoyed this treat. Here are photos of that rehearsal.
As with all these trips, they too soon come to an end. Here are some photos of our departure back home. A video of one of the songs that the group did for us can be found here.
This is not the end yet of a rewarding trip of this nature. Nancy is going to join me in October as we do this in Israel again. This will be her first time and I know she will receive more out of it than she is expecting. For that trip we both would appreciate your prayers. Also at this point I need an additional $1,500 and Nancy needs and additional $2,000 as well. If you feel led to help go to this link.
First of all I feel honored and privileged to have joined this group of what I consider professional musicians under the able leadership of Camp Kirkland. Most of us met for the first time in Atlanta, GA for the final flight to Sao Paulo. Then, depending on where and when a concert was, Brazilian musicians would join us. I believe the largest orchestra may have been as large as 50 or 60 players and a couple of times we accompanied large choirs. So it was a real thrill, especially given that we don't have orchestras like that where we live.
We gave thirteen concerts, I believe (I actually lost count), in the nine days we were in Brazil and we toured the very last day. So all in all it was an excellent experience. Here are some photos beginning with our first rehearsal, first concert and going on through almost every concert. At the very first concert at a gated apartment complex my bass did something it never had done in all the years that I have played - it never kept its tune during the first two songs. I loved Nancy's response "The devil was in your bass so great things are going to happen." She was absolutely right as the trip was a total success for many reasons. To hear what we sound like here are some videos of concerts. This was "Jericho" at our first concert in Sao Paulo. Here is "Days of Elijah" in Brasilia and here is "Jericho" in Brasilia. You may want to use earphones or good speakers. My laptop speakers didn't do the songs justice (i.e., you couldn't hear the bass ;-)). You can hear that the Brazilians absolutely loved to join in singing.
One of the reasons the trip was successful is meeting new friends. This includes both people from the orchestra and Brazilians that we met. I was somewhat apprehensive at the thought of leading the rhythm class as we had no idea who or what to expect but we came prepared as much as possible. To me the greatest blessing that I received was a whole new set of rhythm player friends. Yes, I know, we are a strange lot! I am still receiving e-mails from the Brazilians thanking us for the pointers we gave. Here are photos of all my new friends.
However, not only did I teach Master's Classes in Rhythm, the Brazilians taught me to play some "interesting" rhythms. They actually allowed me to play in one of their worship sets. I mentioned this to Nancy as well and loved here response again, "So you are getting more out of this trip than you expected again?" Absolutely! Here is a video of just one of the worship songs they did. My new buddy Marcos is playing the bass in this particular song and my long time Brazilian buddy, CG, is playing drums.
One of the lesser reasons (right!) I enjoy going on these trips with Camp Kirkland is that he likes to eat like I do. I think we both might eat a little more than we ought to just by egging each other on. But it was well worth it. I only took a few photos of our eating sessions because I was more interested in eating then photographing. Here are the photos I took. For those of you who don't know what churrascaria is, you need to find out. They continue bringing different cuts of meat, mostly beef, on skewers or swords until you turn the little green tag to red. It always took me a long time to turn it red. Then I believe we had Brazilian pizza who knows how many times. The chief characteristics of Brazilian pizza are they use little, if any, sauce but substitute the sauce with "large" amounts of cheese. Also, when you have had your fill of pizza they bring dessert pizza - a delicacy to die for.
Our trip to Brazil this time included half the time in Sao Paulo and the other half in Brasilia. The only real touring we had a chance for in Sao Paulo was a special treat to the concert hall to hear Brazil's best symphony orchestra. That definitely was a highlight for all of us. Here are some of the pictures of Sao Paulo. Brasilia was a city planned in the 1950's to be the new capital of Brazil. The main part of Brasilia is very thoughtfully laid out. However, 50 years plus a large migration of people gravitating to the capital have changed the original main concepts, especially in the many towns now surrounding the main part of Brasilia. If you go to Google Earth, you will see that the plan form of the main part of Brasilia is an airplane. Here are photos of some of the highlights of this city.
One highlight while in Brasilia was to attend and observe a rehearsal of the Brazil National Symphony Orchestra. As musicians we really enjoyed this treat. Here are photos of that rehearsal.
As with all these trips, they too soon come to an end. Here are some photos of our departure back home. A video of one of the songs that the group did for us can be found here.
This is not the end yet of a rewarding trip of this nature. Nancy is going to join me in October as we do this in Israel again. This will be her first time and I know she will receive more out of it than she is expecting. For that trip we both would appreciate your prayers. Also at this point I need an additional $1,500 and Nancy needs and additional $2,000 as well. If you feel led to help go to this link.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
California Visit
At the end of May we visited San Diego for a few days. Adam, Cindy, Isaac and Anica came to CA to attend Cindy's sisters wedding so we felt it an excellent opportunity to see them and especially our new grand daughter who we had not seen in person yet as well as spend Kirstin's birthday with her. For the Thai and Mexico Heine's the temperature was quite cool.
We managed to do quite a bit while in San Diego. Here are some photos of Adam and Cindy reporting back to their church, Coast Vineyard, and of some of the fun we had relaxing at Kirsty and Will's house and at the park and some time we were able to have with Adam and Cindy's friends, the Wyatts, from Napa CA. We loved meeting and spending time with our new grand daughter, Anica. Here are some photos of her. Then we went to the beach with everyone. Isaac had already been at the beach in Thailand but probably too young to remember it. It was fun watching his and the dogs' reactions to the waves coming in. Here are photos of that day. Here is a video of Isaac challenging the mighty Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately our visit with Kirsty and Will coincided with Kirsty's birthday. Here are a couple of photos of her babies and the time we spent with them. The visit was entirely too short, but Nancy had already been away from home for over 2 weeks prior, visiting parents in Oregon and kids and friends in the Bay area....and Walt had a trip to Brazil in just a few days...More about that in the next blog.
We managed to do quite a bit while in San Diego. Here are some photos of Adam and Cindy reporting back to their church, Coast Vineyard, and of some of the fun we had relaxing at Kirsty and Will's house and at the park and some time we were able to have with Adam and Cindy's friends, the Wyatts, from Napa CA. We loved meeting and spending time with our new grand daughter, Anica. Here are some photos of her. Then we went to the beach with everyone. Isaac had already been at the beach in Thailand but probably too young to remember it. It was fun watching his and the dogs' reactions to the waves coming in. Here are photos of that day. Here is a video of Isaac challenging the mighty Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately our visit with Kirsty and Will coincided with Kirsty's birthday. Here are a couple of photos of her babies and the time we spent with them. The visit was entirely too short, but Nancy had already been away from home for over 2 weeks prior, visiting parents in Oregon and kids and friends in the Bay area....and Walt had a trip to Brazil in just a few days...More about that in the next blog.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Final Shore Excursion - Barcelona and Montserrat
After twelve wonderful days we returned to Barcelona. Our ship arrived at 5:30 in the morning and our flight was not until 11 pm that night. So we decided we would take a different tour in the Barcelona area to use up most of the day. Still, we ended up spending nine hours in the airport. One thing we forgot to mention on our first stop in Barcelona was the fact that we felt, since have learned Spanish in Mexico, that we could converse with the locals. We soon discovered that all stores and restaurants were using a different language. Then we learned that Barcelona is in Catalonia and the language is Catalan, Spanish is second. And even that Spanish was noticeably different than Mexican Spanish. But we had no trouble with the cab driver - she spoke very little English and we carried on a conversation in Spanish and learned quite a bit about Barcelona.
Since this was a quick bus tour, for the most part, this blog will be shorter than the others. The main part of the tour consisted of visiting Montserrat, a mountain top monastery built more than a thousand years ago. It still is being used as a spiritual retreat for priests but more so as a retreat for young people involved in studying music, including a boys' choir.
The first set of photos are some more generic views of Barcelona. Since we were on our way to Montserrat we were driving through the suburbs of Barcelona, which are distinctly different than the old part that we visited at the beginning of our trip. The photos of some of the outskirts are shown here.
Most of the photos are of Montserrat. The surrounding area is very reminiscent of Yosemite because of the large granite cliffs, a favorite of rock climbers. The monastery is perched way up at almost a 4,000 foot elevation. The photos of the monastery and surrounding areas, including the drive up and down are shown here. A video of a service taking place in the main church is shown here.
We were overwhelmed by the size of the airport in Barcelona. So while we were killing time we took a couple of photos. These are shown here.
Hopefully you enjoyed our little travelogue. If nothing else, when we sit out on our terraza in 20 years we can bring out our computers and reminisce about an extremely enjoyable time in our lives together.
Since this was a quick bus tour, for the most part, this blog will be shorter than the others. The main part of the tour consisted of visiting Montserrat, a mountain top monastery built more than a thousand years ago. It still is being used as a spiritual retreat for priests but more so as a retreat for young people involved in studying music, including a boys' choir.
The first set of photos are some more generic views of Barcelona. Since we were on our way to Montserrat we were driving through the suburbs of Barcelona, which are distinctly different than the old part that we visited at the beginning of our trip. The photos of some of the outskirts are shown here.
Most of the photos are of Montserrat. The surrounding area is very reminiscent of Yosemite because of the large granite cliffs, a favorite of rock climbers. The monastery is perched way up at almost a 4,000 foot elevation. The photos of the monastery and surrounding areas, including the drive up and down are shown here. A video of a service taking place in the main church is shown here.
We were overwhelmed by the size of the airport in Barcelona. So while we were killing time we took a couple of photos. These are shown here.
Hopefully you enjoyed our little travelogue. If nothing else, when we sit out on our terraza in 20 years we can bring out our computers and reminisce about an extremely enjoyable time in our lives together.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Seventh Shore Excursion - Malta
After another day at sea after leaving Egypt we came to Malta. We really did not know what to expect as we thought it just an island out in the Mediterranean. It turns out it was very interesting and different than we had expected. Our first view was a harbor surrounded by impressive fortresses. They used the cliffs as part of the walls. In many cases there was a road outside the walls and running along the harbor. Here are views of the Port of Valletta as we entered it.
Once we entered the harbor, we left ship for our jeep safari. There were at least 20 jeeps and we all stuck together in one long line. So it was kind of fun. Unlike the jeep safari in Egypt, these drivers kept "pedal to the metal". The back roads are pretty rough so we had a blast. We went on the roads that the big tour buses can't go on.
Here are some generic views, primarily of Valletta, the main harbor we docked at. But there are some other interesting photos taken from the back of the jeep as we drove around.
The cities seemed to consist mostly of condos and apartments with a few single family homes sprinkled here and there. But the single family homes tended to be attached. The country side was what was really interesting with the many produce farms with stone walls seeming to meander all over the place. The farmers' homes tended to be very "square" and small. Here are views of the country side as we drove around.
As usual on all our ports of call were buildings that appeared interesting to us because we have never seen anything like them. Here are some of the interesting buildings we saw in Malta.
The most interesting site in Malta was the City of Mdina. It is an historic city perhaps dating from the Bronze age, although the cathedral was rebuilt by the Normans in 1090 AD, and is now predominantly a tourist site with little shops. The city is fortified by an extremely thick wall and is characterized by very narrow streets. After wandering down one of these streets we noticed doorbells on the doors. So we asked the proverbial why? The answer? People live here. In fact, approximately 350 people inhabit Mdina. We then asked how someone could buy a home. The answer was that there is no way as the homes are handed down generation to generation. If one did become available it would be very expensive and probably out of reach financially. Legend has it that Apostle Paul stayed in Mdina when he was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. Here are views of the city of Mdina.
We didn't realize this but when they filmed Popeye starring Robin Williams, they built a special town on Malta as a set for the movie. Today it is just restaurants and shops - what else do you do with a cutesy movie set? Here are views of the set. The last picture captures the size of our jeep caravan.
We then left Malta for a last day at sea on our back to Barcelona. Here are views of the departure and what awaited us in our stateroom.
Next and final blog will be Barcelona but a different tour. Our final Barcelona tour was to Montserrat.
Once we entered the harbor, we left ship for our jeep safari. There were at least 20 jeeps and we all stuck together in one long line. So it was kind of fun. Unlike the jeep safari in Egypt, these drivers kept "pedal to the metal". The back roads are pretty rough so we had a blast. We went on the roads that the big tour buses can't go on.
Here are some generic views, primarily of Valletta, the main harbor we docked at. But there are some other interesting photos taken from the back of the jeep as we drove around.
The cities seemed to consist mostly of condos and apartments with a few single family homes sprinkled here and there. But the single family homes tended to be attached. The country side was what was really interesting with the many produce farms with stone walls seeming to meander all over the place. The farmers' homes tended to be very "square" and small. Here are views of the country side as we drove around.
As usual on all our ports of call were buildings that appeared interesting to us because we have never seen anything like them. Here are some of the interesting buildings we saw in Malta.
The most interesting site in Malta was the City of Mdina. It is an historic city perhaps dating from the Bronze age, although the cathedral was rebuilt by the Normans in 1090 AD, and is now predominantly a tourist site with little shops. The city is fortified by an extremely thick wall and is characterized by very narrow streets. After wandering down one of these streets we noticed doorbells on the doors. So we asked the proverbial why? The answer? People live here. In fact, approximately 350 people inhabit Mdina. We then asked how someone could buy a home. The answer was that there is no way as the homes are handed down generation to generation. If one did become available it would be very expensive and probably out of reach financially. Legend has it that Apostle Paul stayed in Mdina when he was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. Here are views of the city of Mdina.
We didn't realize this but when they filmed Popeye starring Robin Williams, they built a special town on Malta as a set for the movie. Today it is just restaurants and shops - what else do you do with a cutesy movie set? Here are views of the set. The last picture captures the size of our jeep caravan.
We then left Malta for a last day at sea on our back to Barcelona. Here are views of the departure and what awaited us in our stateroom.
Next and final blog will be Barcelona but a different tour. Our final Barcelona tour was to Montserrat.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Sixth Shore Excursion - Alexandria
On Monday, 5 April, we took a bus tour of Alexandria. It was mostly a bus tour with a few stops. As usual we were interested in typical scenes throughout the city. Here are some photos of various streets and buildings. As with the other cities that we toured it seems everyone lives in condos or apartments. There definitely is an absence of single family homes. Here are photos of the apartment buildings and condos. As we said in the last blog, we saw a lot of trash along the streets. Clearly one of the buildings seen all over the place are mosques. Here are photos of a couple of mosques, the one is the largest in Alexandria. Here are some photos of other interesting views in Alexandria.
There was one major stop that we made that was very interesting. However, we were not allowed to take pictures. These were the impressive catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa, an enormous complex of underground burial chambers, was built by the Romans in the second century A.D. They consist of three levels cut in the rock to a depth of 100 ft., connected by staircases. At the highest level is a rotunda entrance with a well in the center covered by a type of kiosk. To get down to the catacombs was a winding staircase consisting of 96 steps surrounding the central shaft. The corpse was lowered to the burial chamber through this shaft and passed through an opening at the appropriate level in the catacombs. The rotunda opens into several rooms with rock-cut niches with false sarcophagi and bas-relief wall decorations in the Pharaonic style, showing ancient Egyptian deities. The heads of statues discovered in the complex are in the Greek style, while their garb is traditional Egyptian. The large room to the left of the entrance is the funereal triclinium, the banqueting hall, where relatives and friends of the deceased assembled for the funerary meal. Poorer family members were buried in corridors leading off the main chamber. Some rooms and corridors were added in later periods. The names and ages of the deceased were marked in red paint on the stone slabs which sealed the niches. The interesting thing is that the catacombs were discovered when someone's donkey stepped in a hole that turned out to be the entrance to the shaft.
An absolutely mind-blowing spot we had some time to see was the Alexandria Library. What amazed us was how modern the library is and the high level of technology available. Here is a link to their home page. It has two million volumes and growing. Everything can be accessed by computer and translated as necessary. There is even a book printing and binding system. Here are photos of this library. We were lucky, this was the day after Easter and a holiday. However, many of the workers chose to spend a few hours of their holiday to let us see the place. After seeing it, we were very grateful.
Montaza (Translated: "The Park") is a neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt. It is distinguished by its beautiful gardens and royal palaces. It is often visited due to the beautiful sceneries that can be seen there and is considered one of the most beautiful places in Alexandria. Here are photos of the two largest palaces, one now a hotel, in this area. You can also see that the park surrounding the palaces are used by the public for family picnics and the like.
The park was rather full of families because it was Easter Monday and a holiday. So no one was working and everyone was out playing. You could see the many families spending the day around the palaces. Alexandria is right on the Mediterranean so many people were also spending the day at the beach. Here are photos of a resort hotel and then the many people we saw on the beaches. The beaches go the full length of Alexandria and so is very large and, as we saw, very full of people. There aren't any captions because they are just repeated views of the beaches. Note that people sit in plastic chairs under umbrellas, totally different than in the US.
A couple other items of interest were the various head coverings the women wore and the many men that sat outside stores and coffee shops smoking their hookahs, Arabic water pipes. We alluded to the head covering situation in Egypt in our last blog. Here are photos of the wide variety we saw. Notice that in most cases the head covering matches the outfit the lady is wearing - very stylish. As for the hookahs, we observed that there were many tables and chairs outside. Then we saw that this is where the men smoke their hookahs. Trying to take pictures while riding in the bus made it difficult but we managed to capture a few. Here they are in these photos. The hookahs are the large water pipes sitting on the ground and the gentleman is smoking it through a long hose.
Next port of call is Malta.
There was one major stop that we made that was very interesting. However, we were not allowed to take pictures. These were the impressive catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa, an enormous complex of underground burial chambers, was built by the Romans in the second century A.D. They consist of three levels cut in the rock to a depth of 100 ft., connected by staircases. At the highest level is a rotunda entrance with a well in the center covered by a type of kiosk. To get down to the catacombs was a winding staircase consisting of 96 steps surrounding the central shaft. The corpse was lowered to the burial chamber through this shaft and passed through an opening at the appropriate level in the catacombs. The rotunda opens into several rooms with rock-cut niches with false sarcophagi and bas-relief wall decorations in the Pharaonic style, showing ancient Egyptian deities. The heads of statues discovered in the complex are in the Greek style, while their garb is traditional Egyptian. The large room to the left of the entrance is the funereal triclinium, the banqueting hall, where relatives and friends of the deceased assembled for the funerary meal. Poorer family members were buried in corridors leading off the main chamber. Some rooms and corridors were added in later periods. The names and ages of the deceased were marked in red paint on the stone slabs which sealed the niches. The interesting thing is that the catacombs were discovered when someone's donkey stepped in a hole that turned out to be the entrance to the shaft.
An absolutely mind-blowing spot we had some time to see was the Alexandria Library. What amazed us was how modern the library is and the high level of technology available. Here is a link to their home page. It has two million volumes and growing. Everything can be accessed by computer and translated as necessary. There is even a book printing and binding system. Here are photos of this library. We were lucky, this was the day after Easter and a holiday. However, many of the workers chose to spend a few hours of their holiday to let us see the place. After seeing it, we were very grateful.
Montaza (Translated: "The Park") is a neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt. It is distinguished by its beautiful gardens and royal palaces. It is often visited due to the beautiful sceneries that can be seen there and is considered one of the most beautiful places in Alexandria. Here are photos of the two largest palaces, one now a hotel, in this area. You can also see that the park surrounding the palaces are used by the public for family picnics and the like.
The park was rather full of families because it was Easter Monday and a holiday. So no one was working and everyone was out playing. You could see the many families spending the day around the palaces. Alexandria is right on the Mediterranean so many people were also spending the day at the beach. Here are photos of a resort hotel and then the many people we saw on the beaches. The beaches go the full length of Alexandria and so is very large and, as we saw, very full of people. There aren't any captions because they are just repeated views of the beaches. Note that people sit in plastic chairs under umbrellas, totally different than in the US.
A couple other items of interest were the various head coverings the women wore and the many men that sat outside stores and coffee shops smoking their hookahs, Arabic water pipes. We alluded to the head covering situation in Egypt in our last blog. Here are photos of the wide variety we saw. Notice that in most cases the head covering matches the outfit the lady is wearing - very stylish. As for the hookahs, we observed that there were many tables and chairs outside. Then we saw that this is where the men smoke their hookahs. Trying to take pictures while riding in the bus made it difficult but we managed to capture a few. Here they are in these photos. The hookahs are the large water pipes sitting on the ground and the gentleman is smoking it through a long hose.
Next port of call is Malta.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Fifth Port of Call - Alexandria and on to Cairo
On Sunday, 4 April, we arrived in Alexandria. Here are some photos of our arrival into Alexandria and some first views of Alexandria itself. However, we didn't tour Alexandria until the next day and will have additional photos of that city on our next blog. On 4 April we took a three hour bus ride to Cairo to see Giza and the wonders of that place. As usual we took photos to give a feel of the country. Here are some photos that we took as we entered Alexandria and then on our drive to and from Cairo. Something we observed in the cities visited so far like Barcelona, Rome, Athens and Izmir, they were all very clean. However, our impression of Egypt was the exact opposite, lots of trash thrown out all over the place.
An interesting feature we saw repeatedly on our drive through the country side were pigeon houses. Apparently the Egyptians build these houses for pigeons so that they can retrieve the droppings as fertilizer. Talk about organic. Here are some photos of a variety that we saw. By the way, they are all over the place.
Another characteristic that our tour guide pointed out was the large disparity between rich and poor. She said that we would really notice it as we travel to Cairo. Sure enough, there would be a large elaborate mansion with a shack right next door. Obviously no zoning laws. But we have seen the lack of those kind of zoning laws in all the countries we have been to. Here are some photos demonstrating the economic disparity.
One final interesting characteristic which we observed in both Alexandria and Cairo, but most noticeably Cairo, since it is more rural, are the head coverings of the women. They varied from no covering whatsoever, as was the case with our tour guide to Cairo, to a scarf with a little bit of hair showing, as our tour guide in Alexandria wore, to a scarf that totally covered the hair and finally covering their face totally with a Niqāb, the traditional face covering with just a slit showing the eyes. The more traditional garb was seen more in Cairo than Alexandria. However, the head coverings in Alexandria tended to be very fancy. We will show more of those in our next blog. But here are the first of the head coverings we saw. There is an interesting story that goes with this. Because of the variations we saw, we asked our Alexandria tour guide, the one with partial hair showing, what the difference was. She said it had nothing to do with how "religious" you were. So the complete covering did not indicate being more devote than no covering. As for herself she said she likes to have a bit of style so wanted some of her hair showing. With regard to the women wearing Niqābs over their faces she said "that is purely a 'man' thing". The husband just wants to show his control over his wife. But it ended on a humorous note. Apparently when they buried the pharaohs they removed all the organs except the heart. They left the heart in the body because once the pharaoh crossed over to the other side, ie the afterlife, one of the Egyptian gods puts the heart on a scale with a feather on the opposite side as the balance. If the heart is lighter than the feather then they go to a good afterlife, designating a kind heart. But if the heart is heavier it goes to a bad afterlife. So I asked her, because she was showing part of her hair, how the balance would go for her. She said, "I hope my heart is lighter" and laughed.
After 3 hours of driving, we got to Cairo and then on to Giza to see the pyramids. Our original desire, when we were looking for a cruise, was to see the pyramids so this really represented the highlight of our cruise. The pictures of the Pyramids of Giza can be seen here. After walking around the pyramids we got on the bus for a short trip to the Great Sphinx. Here are pictures of the Sphinx. All we can say is that pictures do not do these marvels any justice. You have to stand beside them to appreciate where you are, what you are looking at and how old they are and the engineering that had to go into building them. Incredible is the only way you can describe it.
After the Giza attractions we went further South for our jeep and camel safari. We signed up for this shore excursion not only for the pyramids but the camel safari. We have ridden elephants in Thailand now it was time to experience another form of travel. Pictures of these two safaris are shown here. After the camel ride we had lunch and then headed, by bus, to Sakkara where the oldest known pyramid exists. This pyramid is called the "Step Pyramid". There were several interesting temples and other things to see, but again, because of time limitations we didn't spend much time at any one location. Here are photos of the Sakkara pyramids and temples.
Subsequent to this was the three hour bus ride back to the ship. It was dark when we got there but had an excellent dinner on board again.
The next day we toured Alexandria. This will be the subject of our next blog.
An interesting feature we saw repeatedly on our drive through the country side were pigeon houses. Apparently the Egyptians build these houses for pigeons so that they can retrieve the droppings as fertilizer. Talk about organic. Here are some photos of a variety that we saw. By the way, they are all over the place.
Another characteristic that our tour guide pointed out was the large disparity between rich and poor. She said that we would really notice it as we travel to Cairo. Sure enough, there would be a large elaborate mansion with a shack right next door. Obviously no zoning laws. But we have seen the lack of those kind of zoning laws in all the countries we have been to. Here are some photos demonstrating the economic disparity.
One final interesting characteristic which we observed in both Alexandria and Cairo, but most noticeably Cairo, since it is more rural, are the head coverings of the women. They varied from no covering whatsoever, as was the case with our tour guide to Cairo, to a scarf with a little bit of hair showing, as our tour guide in Alexandria wore, to a scarf that totally covered the hair and finally covering their face totally with a Niqāb, the traditional face covering with just a slit showing the eyes. The more traditional garb was seen more in Cairo than Alexandria. However, the head coverings in Alexandria tended to be very fancy. We will show more of those in our next blog. But here are the first of the head coverings we saw. There is an interesting story that goes with this. Because of the variations we saw, we asked our Alexandria tour guide, the one with partial hair showing, what the difference was. She said it had nothing to do with how "religious" you were. So the complete covering did not indicate being more devote than no covering. As for herself she said she likes to have a bit of style so wanted some of her hair showing. With regard to the women wearing Niqābs over their faces she said "that is purely a 'man' thing". The husband just wants to show his control over his wife. But it ended on a humorous note. Apparently when they buried the pharaohs they removed all the organs except the heart. They left the heart in the body because once the pharaoh crossed over to the other side, ie the afterlife, one of the Egyptian gods puts the heart on a scale with a feather on the opposite side as the balance. If the heart is lighter than the feather then they go to a good afterlife, designating a kind heart. But if the heart is heavier it goes to a bad afterlife. So I asked her, because she was showing part of her hair, how the balance would go for her. She said, "I hope my heart is lighter" and laughed.
After 3 hours of driving, we got to Cairo and then on to Giza to see the pyramids. Our original desire, when we were looking for a cruise, was to see the pyramids so this really represented the highlight of our cruise. The pictures of the Pyramids of Giza can be seen here. After walking around the pyramids we got on the bus for a short trip to the Great Sphinx. Here are pictures of the Sphinx. All we can say is that pictures do not do these marvels any justice. You have to stand beside them to appreciate where you are, what you are looking at and how old they are and the engineering that had to go into building them. Incredible is the only way you can describe it.
After the Giza attractions we went further South for our jeep and camel safari. We signed up for this shore excursion not only for the pyramids but the camel safari. We have ridden elephants in Thailand now it was time to experience another form of travel. Pictures of these two safaris are shown here. After the camel ride we had lunch and then headed, by bus, to Sakkara where the oldest known pyramid exists. This pyramid is called the "Step Pyramid". There were several interesting temples and other things to see, but again, because of time limitations we didn't spend much time at any one location. Here are photos of the Sakkara pyramids and temples.
Subsequent to this was the three hour bus ride back to the ship. It was dark when we got there but had an excellent dinner on board again.
The next day we toured Alexandria. This will be the subject of our next blog.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Fourth Port of Call - Izmir & Ephesus
On Friday, 2 April, we arrived at Izmir, Turkey. We didn't need an At Sea day for this. Izmir is the modern name for the city of Smyrna, one of the seven churches listed in the Book of Revelations in the Bible. The first thing that struck us, and continued to impress us, was how clean and modern Turkey is. We expected it to be old, run down and dirty. However, we soon learned that Turkey has been busy rebuilding since the 1950's to recover from WWII. Living where we have, we have not experienced a requirement to rebuild of this nature. So most of what we saw is only a little more than 50 years old at the most. As usual we wanted to find out the price of gas. The service stations did not have gas prices so we asked. Apparently it is $9 per gallon. At one of our lunches we sat with a very proper couple from Norway. At the end of lunch he made a revealing comment. He said, "One thing that really bothers us about Americans is when they complain about their price of gas - they have nothing to whine about". After telling us the price of gas our tour guide went on to say that is why you don't see many cars more than 1.4L and if they are bigger they are only 1.6L. There always is a solution.
Here are some photos as we entered the Port of Izmir. As usual we took photos of typical scenes in the city.
Getting to Ephesus require a 45 minute bus ride but it did get us out into the countryside. Here are some photos of the typical Turkish countryside between Izmir and Ephesus.
At Ephesus we were welcomed by an incredible piece of history. Most of Ephesus has been buried under sediment for many centuries. It was discovered by chance in the late 1800's and excavation begun. It continues to this day. But it was a major Roman City for trade. Apostle Paul visited Ephesus and wrote the Book of Ephesians to the church there. Legend says that Mary, the mother of Jesus died here as well as Luke and John. The Island of Patmos, where John wrote the Book of Revelation is just off the coast. In fact, Ephesus was another of the seven churches that John wrote about in the Book or Revelations. Here are photos of Ephesus and they begin from entering the city on the East side and working down to what used to be the old harbor.
Our tour guide gave us several interesting insights into Turkey. Education, all the way through college is free and health care is free. Tourism is the second most important industry so tour guides have to get a bachelors degree, then three years of tour guide school and then they have to work as interns for six months in the area that they will be operating as tour guides. Since tourism is high and the fact that the government does not want to lose indigenous art skills, they operate Turkish rug making schools and facilities throughout the country. Turkish rugs are made of silk or cotton, both of which they claim are some of the strongest in the world. Silk on silk rugs are obviously the most expensive because they have the most knots per inch. The rugs are not woven but knotted and, with the most expensive, double-knotted. Here are some a few photos of the rug making facility we visited and the rug we purchased. As part of the tour of this facility we saw some of the most amazing and expensive rugs (like $40,000) you could imagine. Some of the designs are incredible.
Finally we had to say goodbye to Turkey. We were pleasantly surprised and pleased with our visit there. Here are a few photos as we left.
Next Port of Call is Egypt where we spent one day in Cairo and another day in Alexandria.
Here are some photos as we entered the Port of Izmir. As usual we took photos of typical scenes in the city.
Getting to Ephesus require a 45 minute bus ride but it did get us out into the countryside. Here are some photos of the typical Turkish countryside between Izmir and Ephesus.
At Ephesus we were welcomed by an incredible piece of history. Most of Ephesus has been buried under sediment for many centuries. It was discovered by chance in the late 1800's and excavation begun. It continues to this day. But it was a major Roman City for trade. Apostle Paul visited Ephesus and wrote the Book of Ephesians to the church there. Legend says that Mary, the mother of Jesus died here as well as Luke and John. The Island of Patmos, where John wrote the Book of Revelation is just off the coast. In fact, Ephesus was another of the seven churches that John wrote about in the Book or Revelations. Here are photos of Ephesus and they begin from entering the city on the East side and working down to what used to be the old harbor.
Our tour guide gave us several interesting insights into Turkey. Education, all the way through college is free and health care is free. Tourism is the second most important industry so tour guides have to get a bachelors degree, then three years of tour guide school and then they have to work as interns for six months in the area that they will be operating as tour guides. Since tourism is high and the fact that the government does not want to lose indigenous art skills, they operate Turkish rug making schools and facilities throughout the country. Turkish rugs are made of silk or cotton, both of which they claim are some of the strongest in the world. Silk on silk rugs are obviously the most expensive because they have the most knots per inch. The rugs are not woven but knotted and, with the most expensive, double-knotted. Here are some a few photos of the rug making facility we visited and the rug we purchased. As part of the tour of this facility we saw some of the most amazing and expensive rugs (like $40,000) you could imagine. Some of the designs are incredible.
Finally we had to say goodbye to Turkey. We were pleasantly surprised and pleased with our visit there. Here are a few photos as we left.
Next Port of Call is Egypt where we spent one day in Cairo and another day in Alexandria.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Third Port of Call - Athens
After another "at Sea Day" we arrived at Piraeus, the port city associated with Athens. During our "at Sea Day" we transited the Messina Straits with Sicily on the right and Italy on the left. The straits are pretty narrow so we had to have a pilot come on board and steer us through them. Also, since there isn't much to do during an at sea day unless you like shopping, gambling or art auctions, Walt went up to the bridge viewing area to take photos of the bridge - kinda looks like the USS Enterprise. Photos of the Strait of Messina are shown here.
We talked to one of the ship's crew about how impressed we were with how they can maneuver these large cruise ships without help from tugs. He told as to watch for Piraeus, the port to Athens. He said it was an extremely busy port but were we in for a surprise. Not only is it very busy but we went deep inside the harbor. The captain then turned us on a dime to fit into a slip. We were sure there was not more than 50 feet between the stern and a dock on the other side of the harbor. But they did have tugs cruising around just in case. Photos really don't do justice to the maneuverability of these ships but here are some photos attempting to capture this.
Piraeus and Athens were pretty close together so we didn't get to see the countryside until after visiting Athens when we drove for about 45 minutes along the Greek Coast to the Temple of Poseidon located on the Cape of Sounion. We were in Athens on 1 April and it was our fourth day of the cruise.
As we did in each port, we took photos of what typical streets in the city looked like as well as some of the other interesting sites as we toured on the bus. Photos of Athens and some other interesting sites are given here. Note that the price of gas is higher than in Italy.
Of course, the main attraction in Athens is the Acropolis. We spent quite a bit of time here as there is so much to see. Some of the many photos we took are shown here. Many of the pieces of the ruins are lying on the ground, as you can see, waiting for proper cataloging and replacement during the restoration process. In some of the photos, if you look closely, you will see that some of the marble is much whiter than others. This is where they have taken new marble and carved it to fit perfectly in place of a missing piece.
After spending a good amount of time at the Acropolis we went out for authentic Greek food for lunch and then off to Cape Sounion that contains the Temple of Poseidon. This gave us an opportunity to see the countryside. Photos of Cape Sounion and some of the countryside are shown here.
Next Port of Call Izmir, the modern city of Smyrna, and Ephesus in Turkey.
We talked to one of the ship's crew about how impressed we were with how they can maneuver these large cruise ships without help from tugs. He told as to watch for Piraeus, the port to Athens. He said it was an extremely busy port but were we in for a surprise. Not only is it very busy but we went deep inside the harbor. The captain then turned us on a dime to fit into a slip. We were sure there was not more than 50 feet between the stern and a dock on the other side of the harbor. But they did have tugs cruising around just in case. Photos really don't do justice to the maneuverability of these ships but here are some photos attempting to capture this.
Piraeus and Athens were pretty close together so we didn't get to see the countryside until after visiting Athens when we drove for about 45 minutes along the Greek Coast to the Temple of Poseidon located on the Cape of Sounion. We were in Athens on 1 April and it was our fourth day of the cruise.
As we did in each port, we took photos of what typical streets in the city looked like as well as some of the other interesting sites as we toured on the bus. Photos of Athens and some other interesting sites are given here. Note that the price of gas is higher than in Italy.
Of course, the main attraction in Athens is the Acropolis. We spent quite a bit of time here as there is so much to see. Some of the many photos we took are shown here. Many of the pieces of the ruins are lying on the ground, as you can see, waiting for proper cataloging and replacement during the restoration process. In some of the photos, if you look closely, you will see that some of the marble is much whiter than others. This is where they have taken new marble and carved it to fit perfectly in place of a missing piece.
After spending a good amount of time at the Acropolis we went out for authentic Greek food for lunch and then off to Cape Sounion that contains the Temple of Poseidon. This gave us an opportunity to see the countryside. Photos of Cape Sounion and some of the countryside are shown here.
Next Port of Call Izmir, the modern city of Smyrna, and Ephesus in Turkey.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Second Port of Call - Rome
After an "at Sea Day" we arrived at Civitavecchia, the port city associated with Rome. So we had a nice ride through the countryside on our way to Rome. This was 30 March and our second day of the cruise. In all our port calls we tried to get a few photos of what the countryside was like and then what the cities themselves looked like by random views up side streets. Here are a few photos of "generic" Rome and vicinity. The other piece of info we liked finding out was the cost of gas in each country. It does vary quite a bit. In Italy it is like 1.28 euros/liter, or $3.65/gal.
First major stop was at the Vatican. One thing we found out was one day just does not do justice to Rome. Because of time constraints and the large number of tourists, even at the beginning of April, most time is spend in the bus or walking quickly around some highlight. For example, in the Vatican apparently 20,000 people pass through on an average each day and given we were coming up on Easter, it made it even worse. We walked through a part of the museum, through the Sistine Chapel, then the Basilica and finally St. Peter's Square. Photos could not be taken inside the Sistine Chapel and so it was a matter of trying to remember the incredible paintings of Michaelangelo, especially the scenes depicting the Creation and then the final judgement. Also, where you could take pictures it is difficult after the fact to recreate what objects were being photographed. One place that we were able to take photos, but not flash because of the sensitivity of the material, was the Gallery of Tapestries. Unfortunately the still photos came out very dark. However, video, without light, yielded excellent results. Here is a video of a tapestry depicting the ascension of Jesus. Here is another video of the ceiling of the Gallery of Tapestries. By the way, the ceiling is a painting and not a three dimensional relief as it appears to be. If you pause the video you can see the detail in the tapestries - totally incredible. By the way, with the sound on you will also get a glimpse of tour guides talking and how noisy it was. Even with all these limitations, it was an amazing experience. The photos we managed of the Vatican are given here. The impression we came away with was, this edifice is so grandiose, which is more important to God, the building and all its trappings and statues or what is in our hearts relative to worshiping Him?
Next was the Coliseum. The first impression was its immense size and the fact that it still survives after 2,000 years. Because of lack of time we couldn't participate in the tour of the interior of the Coliseum. Afterwards we found out that if we walked a little bit further we could have seen more of the Palatine Hill ruins but we didn't know they were there. A suggestion is to do a lot of homework before taking a tour. Our photos of the Coliseum are shown here.
The rest of the Roman ruins we saw were based on trying to snap photos from the tour bus while listening to the tour guide. Turns out to be quite a challenge. But here are the photos of some of the other ruins that we were able to get.
Next Port of Call, Athens, Greece.
First major stop was at the Vatican. One thing we found out was one day just does not do justice to Rome. Because of time constraints and the large number of tourists, even at the beginning of April, most time is spend in the bus or walking quickly around some highlight. For example, in the Vatican apparently 20,000 people pass through on an average each day and given we were coming up on Easter, it made it even worse. We walked through a part of the museum, through the Sistine Chapel, then the Basilica and finally St. Peter's Square. Photos could not be taken inside the Sistine Chapel and so it was a matter of trying to remember the incredible paintings of Michaelangelo, especially the scenes depicting the Creation and then the final judgement. Also, where you could take pictures it is difficult after the fact to recreate what objects were being photographed. One place that we were able to take photos, but not flash because of the sensitivity of the material, was the Gallery of Tapestries. Unfortunately the still photos came out very dark. However, video, without light, yielded excellent results. Here is a video of a tapestry depicting the ascension of Jesus. Here is another video of the ceiling of the Gallery of Tapestries. By the way, the ceiling is a painting and not a three dimensional relief as it appears to be. If you pause the video you can see the detail in the tapestries - totally incredible. By the way, with the sound on you will also get a glimpse of tour guides talking and how noisy it was. Even with all these limitations, it was an amazing experience. The photos we managed of the Vatican are given here. The impression we came away with was, this edifice is so grandiose, which is more important to God, the building and all its trappings and statues or what is in our hearts relative to worshiping Him?
Next was the Coliseum. The first impression was its immense size and the fact that it still survives after 2,000 years. Because of lack of time we couldn't participate in the tour of the interior of the Coliseum. Afterwards we found out that if we walked a little bit further we could have seen more of the Palatine Hill ruins but we didn't know they were there. A suggestion is to do a lot of homework before taking a tour. Our photos of the Coliseum are shown here.
The rest of the Roman ruins we saw were based on trying to snap photos from the tour bus while listening to the tour guide. Turns out to be quite a challenge. But here are the photos of some of the other ruins that we were able to get.
Next Port of Call, Athens, Greece.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Barcelona - Beginning of Cruise
We were in Barcelona for a couple of days prior to the cruise and took a one day tour and also walked around on our own.
As in most of Europe, parts of the city are ancient, with layers of reconstruction after various natural disasters and wars. When we did our homework with Google Earth to see where our hotel was, and so on, we noticed a unique feature of the layout of Barcelona. In the mid-19th Century urban planning they used a strict grid pattern. In the photos you will see that all the blocks are square and the buildings at the intersections are cutoff at an angle. This intrigued us and as we got there not only did we notice the strict grid pattern but that all the buildings are the same height. These photos are shown here with other generic views around Barcelona. Another thing we noticed of Barcelona is its cleanliness. It turns out that prior to the 1992 Olympics all of these buildings, which were black and rusty, were cleaned up and now it looks immaculate. The other noteworthy side issue is the importance of Christopher Columbus to Barcelona. When he returned from his first voyage to America he returned to an island off the Atlantic Coast only to be told the King of Spain was in Barcelona. So Columbus took his boats and all the goods on the boats through the Straights of Gibraltar and into Barcelona where he managed to get funding for his next journey.
A place of particular interest to Nancy was the church Santa Maria del Mar, a church built by the Barcelona Mariners in honor of the Virgin Mary. It was close to our hotel so we walked down to see it. For Nancy it was fascinating because of a book she had read. Unfortunately Walt read the book during the cruise but still, seeing it now made the book very interesting. The book, entitled "Cathedral of the Sea" written by Ildefonso Falcones, gives a snapshot of the history of this area in the 14th Century and is an excellent read. Photos of Santa Maria del Mar can be seen here.
Our formal tour began with a walk through what is known as the Roman City since some of the structures date back to that period, but also includes a lot of Gothic structures of the 14th and 15th Centuries. Of interest here was the main Cathedral of Barcelona, the Jewish Quarters of the 14th and 15th Centuries and the King of Spain's residence where Christopher Columbus came to request additional funds. Photos of this area are shown here.
For the International Exposition of 1929, Barcelona constructed an entire village to show the different architectures throughout all parts of Spain. The village is all facades with empty buildings except for the first floors that have shops and restaurants. The village, Poble Espanyol, is on Montjuic which also is the location of the Stadiums of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Here are a couple of photos of the Poble Espanyol. By the way, our Spanish did little to help us in Barcelona; first of all, we speak Mexican Spanish, not Spain Spanish, and secondly, in Barcelona they speak Catalan. Barcelonians are very proud to point out that they are part of Catalonia. It took us a little while to figure out why we couldn't read the signs....
By far the most interesting aspect of Barcelona was Gaudi's architecture. Without question it is unique. One of his driving factors was to design everything as close to nature as possible, resulting in many interesting architectural features. There are several buildings throughout Barcelona that have his architectural stamp. But of high interest was his Park Güell. Here are various photos of some of Gaudi's work.
Although the buildings we have just shown are very interesting, the one outstanding architectural building associated with Gaudi is El Templo de Sagrada Familia or the Temple of the Sacred Family. Currently it is listed as a temple. Sometime this year the Pope is coming to bless it and it will become cathedral. It is a building dedicated to the Sacred Family, in other words, Jesus, His family and His disciples. Architectural drawings were started sometime prior to 1853. Because of some conflicts with the architect, Gaudi asked to take over the design in 1853. So the building has been under construction for some 125 years. The current architect continues to use some of Guadi's original drawings. It is being built totally through donations. Here are photos of some of the significant features. To show all the intricate details would require significantly more photos. Look on the internet if you are interested in more.
Our last day in Barcelona was Palm Sunday and we didn't need to board the ship until later in the afternoon. So we decided to take a walking tour of La Rambla , a wide avenue with pedestrian traffic in the middle and vehicle traffic in lateral lanes on either side. We didn't know what to expect but needless to say, it was interesting. First of all we witnessed a parade representing Jesus entering into Jerusalem. We were under the impression that this was a joyous occasion. However, here is a video of the parade showing how somber it was. But what was most fascinating in La Rambla were the living statues - people who used makeup and elaborate costume to appear like sculptures. They would sit or stand frozen all the time unless you put money in the buckets they had in front of them Then they would perform in some manner. Here are pictures we took as we strolled along La Rambla.
Finally we had to say goodbye to Barcelona but only for twelve days as we were returning again. Here are a couple of goodbye photos.
Next installment will be Rome.
As in most of Europe, parts of the city are ancient, with layers of reconstruction after various natural disasters and wars. When we did our homework with Google Earth to see where our hotel was, and so on, we noticed a unique feature of the layout of Barcelona. In the mid-19th Century urban planning they used a strict grid pattern. In the photos you will see that all the blocks are square and the buildings at the intersections are cutoff at an angle. This intrigued us and as we got there not only did we notice the strict grid pattern but that all the buildings are the same height. These photos are shown here with other generic views around Barcelona. Another thing we noticed of Barcelona is its cleanliness. It turns out that prior to the 1992 Olympics all of these buildings, which were black and rusty, were cleaned up and now it looks immaculate. The other noteworthy side issue is the importance of Christopher Columbus to Barcelona. When he returned from his first voyage to America he returned to an island off the Atlantic Coast only to be told the King of Spain was in Barcelona. So Columbus took his boats and all the goods on the boats through the Straights of Gibraltar and into Barcelona where he managed to get funding for his next journey.
A place of particular interest to Nancy was the church Santa Maria del Mar, a church built by the Barcelona Mariners in honor of the Virgin Mary. It was close to our hotel so we walked down to see it. For Nancy it was fascinating because of a book she had read. Unfortunately Walt read the book during the cruise but still, seeing it now made the book very interesting. The book, entitled "Cathedral of the Sea" written by Ildefonso Falcones, gives a snapshot of the history of this area in the 14th Century and is an excellent read. Photos of Santa Maria del Mar can be seen here.
Our formal tour began with a walk through what is known as the Roman City since some of the structures date back to that period, but also includes a lot of Gothic structures of the 14th and 15th Centuries. Of interest here was the main Cathedral of Barcelona, the Jewish Quarters of the 14th and 15th Centuries and the King of Spain's residence where Christopher Columbus came to request additional funds. Photos of this area are shown here.
For the International Exposition of 1929, Barcelona constructed an entire village to show the different architectures throughout all parts of Spain. The village is all facades with empty buildings except for the first floors that have shops and restaurants. The village, Poble Espanyol, is on Montjuic which also is the location of the Stadiums of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Here are a couple of photos of the Poble Espanyol. By the way, our Spanish did little to help us in Barcelona; first of all, we speak Mexican Spanish, not Spain Spanish, and secondly, in Barcelona they speak Catalan. Barcelonians are very proud to point out that they are part of Catalonia. It took us a little while to figure out why we couldn't read the signs....
By far the most interesting aspect of Barcelona was Gaudi's architecture. Without question it is unique. One of his driving factors was to design everything as close to nature as possible, resulting in many interesting architectural features. There are several buildings throughout Barcelona that have his architectural stamp. But of high interest was his Park Güell. Here are various photos of some of Gaudi's work.
Although the buildings we have just shown are very interesting, the one outstanding architectural building associated with Gaudi is El Templo de Sagrada Familia or the Temple of the Sacred Family. Currently it is listed as a temple. Sometime this year the Pope is coming to bless it and it will become cathedral. It is a building dedicated to the Sacred Family, in other words, Jesus, His family and His disciples. Architectural drawings were started sometime prior to 1853. Because of some conflicts with the architect, Gaudi asked to take over the design in 1853. So the building has been under construction for some 125 years. The current architect continues to use some of Guadi's original drawings. It is being built totally through donations. Here are photos of some of the significant features. To show all the intricate details would require significantly more photos. Look on the internet if you are interested in more.
Our last day in Barcelona was Palm Sunday and we didn't need to board the ship until later in the afternoon. So we decided to take a walking tour of La Rambla , a wide avenue with pedestrian traffic in the middle and vehicle traffic in lateral lanes on either side. We didn't know what to expect but needless to say, it was interesting. First of all we witnessed a parade representing Jesus entering into Jerusalem. We were under the impression that this was a joyous occasion. However, here is a video of the parade showing how somber it was. But what was most fascinating in La Rambla were the living statues - people who used makeup and elaborate costume to appear like sculptures. They would sit or stand frozen all the time unless you put money in the buckets they had in front of them Then they would perform in some manner. Here are pictures we took as we strolled along La Rambla.
Finally we had to say goodbye to Barcelona but only for twelve days as we were returning again. Here are a couple of goodbye photos.
Next installment will be Rome.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Our New Grand Daughter
We have a new grand daughter born in Thailand on 15 March. Here are photos of this new gorgeous little Heine.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Construction of Baños has Begun
In our April 4, 2009 blog, seen here, we talked about a church project we wanted to help get going, and several of you generously responded. We received approximately half the funds we needed and they have now begun working on the much needed baños, so that we can meet at the new property. Today´s blog gives a glimpse of the building process as it is beginning. We are still about $12,000 short of the estimate but that doesn't prevent getting underway.
First a few pictures of the property as it is today. They have already built a nice brick entrance to the property. Also with heavy equipment coming in and out, the driveway on the property has become packed down firmly. Here are the pictures of the current property. In support of the work at the church property, a prayer meeting is scheduled every day except Wednesday and Sunday when other meetings are scheduled. Sunday dinner at church also continues each week to help raise funds.
Here are photos of the beginning steps of building the baños. It may not look like much but we are just excited about the fact that it is actually beginning. That is one thing we have learned down here with regard to many things - patience. Mañana does not mean tomorrow, it just means "not today".
During the last few months we ran into a hiccup with regard to the new church. In January, while we were in Thailand, a major windstorm came through the area here and did quite a bit of damage. The damage we sustained at the new church property was that the original (used) tarp was torn off and destroyed. Pictures before and after can be seen here. The cost of a new and more durable tarp is on the order of $2,500. If any group or individual would like to sponsor a nice little project, here you go!
First a few pictures of the property as it is today. They have already built a nice brick entrance to the property. Also with heavy equipment coming in and out, the driveway on the property has become packed down firmly. Here are the pictures of the current property. In support of the work at the church property, a prayer meeting is scheduled every day except Wednesday and Sunday when other meetings are scheduled. Sunday dinner at church also continues each week to help raise funds.
Here are photos of the beginning steps of building the baños. It may not look like much but we are just excited about the fact that it is actually beginning. That is one thing we have learned down here with regard to many things - patience. Mañana does not mean tomorrow, it just means "not today".
During the last few months we ran into a hiccup with regard to the new church. In January, while we were in Thailand, a major windstorm came through the area here and did quite a bit of damage. The damage we sustained at the new church property was that the original (used) tarp was torn off and destroyed. Pictures before and after can be seen here. The cost of a new and more durable tarp is on the order of $2,500. If any group or individual would like to sponsor a nice little project, here you go!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thailand 2010
This blog will mostly consist of pictures of our annual trip to Thailand. This year we spent a whole three weeks there and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We did not take as many pictures as we would have liked but here are some to give a flavor of what we did.
The first Saturday that we were there was "kid's day" in Thailand. There are all sorts of festivities, free air shows, free rides at various places and many other things. When we arrived at the place where they had rides we not only enjoyed the rides but to see Thailand in true form again. Here are some pictures of what we saw. You will notice some of the things like plastic oil cans used for fuel for the various motors as well as electrical cords all over the place lying on the ground and no guard rails or fences anywhere. One picture we didn't take was of a redundant gas engine sitting next to the one being used just in case. However, the kids enjoyed all the rides and no one was hurt. Here is a video of Isaac "driving" the train. Notice he is steering, an engineer the whole way, must be in his genes. Here is another video but of him waving this time.
Talking about the Thai way of doing things, here is a picture of bamboo scaffolding lashed together with rope. This was a house being built in the development that Adam and Cindy live in.
Cindy has been running three dance classes per week, all different ages. A week after we got there Cindy had a recital for her students. Here are photos of the recital and her classes.
Emmett Blue, a friend of Adam and Cindy's from San Diego, was staying at their house while we were there. However, he was on his way to Africa so we went with the boys to see Emmett off on the train to Bangkok. For $15 USD he took the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, an eight hour train ride. Here are photos of Emmett getting on the train and then his train leaving the station.
Our two little three year old grandsons are now attending preschool in a co-op. Here are photos of the school and the boys in the school. They absolutely love it. Speaking of school, Cindy home schools the boys and Sean and Prang's two year old daughter each day. Here is a video clip of Cindy teaching the kids.
One day we took the boys to the elephant farm to see the show and to ride elephants. Here are some photos of that adventure. Here is also a photo of a proud nana and her grandsons at Adam and Cindy's house. Here is a video of our boys feeding an elephant.
Adam and Cindy are in the process of trying adopt a new little girl. She is two years old and was born premature. As a result a couple of months ago she had just begun sitting up and apparently is blind because of being in an oxygen tent too long. Believe it or not, her Thai nickname is Pancake. Here are a couple of photos of Pancake. From watching her, we would say she can see something because she was reaching out directly and grabbing things and was not just responding to noise. She has started standing with help. Here is a video of her actually walking as she pushes a chair around.
One of the last nights that we were there, we went to the Christian Communications Institute, CCI. They had a display of various dances from Northern and Southern Thailand. Here is a video of part of the program. There is narration along with this video in English. It is about five minutes long but it is interesting to see the Thai culture through dance.
The first Saturday that we were there was "kid's day" in Thailand. There are all sorts of festivities, free air shows, free rides at various places and many other things. When we arrived at the place where they had rides we not only enjoyed the rides but to see Thailand in true form again. Here are some pictures of what we saw. You will notice some of the things like plastic oil cans used for fuel for the various motors as well as electrical cords all over the place lying on the ground and no guard rails or fences anywhere. One picture we didn't take was of a redundant gas engine sitting next to the one being used just in case. However, the kids enjoyed all the rides and no one was hurt. Here is a video of Isaac "driving" the train. Notice he is steering, an engineer the whole way, must be in his genes. Here is another video but of him waving this time.
Talking about the Thai way of doing things, here is a picture of bamboo scaffolding lashed together with rope. This was a house being built in the development that Adam and Cindy live in.
Cindy has been running three dance classes per week, all different ages. A week after we got there Cindy had a recital for her students. Here are photos of the recital and her classes.
Emmett Blue, a friend of Adam and Cindy's from San Diego, was staying at their house while we were there. However, he was on his way to Africa so we went with the boys to see Emmett off on the train to Bangkok. For $15 USD he took the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, an eight hour train ride. Here are photos of Emmett getting on the train and then his train leaving the station.
Our two little three year old grandsons are now attending preschool in a co-op. Here are photos of the school and the boys in the school. They absolutely love it. Speaking of school, Cindy home schools the boys and Sean and Prang's two year old daughter each day. Here is a video clip of Cindy teaching the kids.
One day we took the boys to the elephant farm to see the show and to ride elephants. Here are some photos of that adventure. Here is also a photo of a proud nana and her grandsons at Adam and Cindy's house. Here is a video of our boys feeding an elephant.
Adam and Cindy are in the process of trying adopt a new little girl. She is two years old and was born premature. As a result a couple of months ago she had just begun sitting up and apparently is blind because of being in an oxygen tent too long. Believe it or not, her Thai nickname is Pancake. Here are a couple of photos of Pancake. From watching her, we would say she can see something because she was reaching out directly and grabbing things and was not just responding to noise. She has started standing with help. Here is a video of her actually walking as she pushes a chair around.
One of the last nights that we were there, we went to the Christian Communications Institute, CCI. They had a display of various dances from Northern and Southern Thailand. Here is a video of part of the program. There is narration along with this video in English. It is about five minutes long but it is interesting to see the Thai culture through dance.
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