INDIA: KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, DAY 2

 December 18, 2024

We got off early in the morning and were welcomed to the Jeep by hot water bottles for our laps/feet and a nice warm blanket. There were also hot water bottles in our beds at night. Luxurious.

We didn't get very far before Bob saw a bird, or our guide saw a bird, and we had to stop for a look-see.

For those of us who stayed in the Jeep, there was plenty of entertainment on the road. We saw dozens of these large cargo trucks that were painted in bright colors with interesting designs. This seemed to be unique to the State of Assam (where Kaziranga is) as we didn't see them elsewhere. Or maybe they just stood out more in Assam because it wasn't wall-to-wall traffic.

We also got a kick out of all the animal warning signs. 

NORTHERN IRELAND: DERRY/LONDONDERRY, PART I (CITY WALLS, ST. COLUMB'S CATHEDRAL, AND MORE)

 July 9, 2024

We drove from Drumcliffe Church outside of Sligo to Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland, actually part of the United Kingdom and therefore a different country than the Republic of Ireland. Brits call the city Londonderry and Irish Republicans call it Derry. From here on out, I will refer to it as Derry for ease of typing.

There was no indication that we had left Ireland and entered Northern Ireland--no signs that said  "Leaving the Republic of Ireland" or "Welcome to the United Kingdom" or even "Change your euros to pounds here." We made it into Derry and parked the car near an interesting series of photos on the city walls near the Heritage Tower. 

"The Wall Museum Project" presents the words of local women who endured "The Troubles," a 30-year period of religious and nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland in the 1960s through 1990s. It's worth your time to click on the picture below and read the background of these photos as well as the thoughts of the women who lived through them.

Then take the time to read the childhood memories of the survivors. I can't imagine growing up in this environment.

IRELAND, DAYS 1-2: TRAVEL, ARRIVAL, AND EXPLORING KILKENNY

 July 3-4, 2024

We left home at about 3:00 PM and made it through downtown LA and to our parking garage in about two hours.  Not bad.

We had an uneventful check-in for a non-stop flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus, a new airline for us. We were seated on the 3rd or 4th to the last row in the center section of a 2-4-2 configuration, but the last five rows or so only had three middle seats, making the aisles wider in the back near the bathrooms. Genius. Anyway, we both had aisle seats with an empty seat between us. Miraculous! And another miracle--I slept for a good part of the 9 1/2 hour flight, a rarity for me. We did have two meals. Dinner was tortellini with tomato sauce, salad, a roll, and chocolate mousse that was pretty good. Breakfast was a hot bagel with melted cheese and a sausage patty--not so good.  I watched one movie, Disenchanted with Amy Adams, sequel to Enchanted. Worst move I've seen in a long time. You can't win them all.

For a relatively small airport, we had a long walk between getting off the plane and passport control, but by then our suitcases were waiting for us. We walked to the car rental area to get our car from Budget and discovered why our rental (and every other rental we looked at) had been so cheap. They REQUIRE customers to buy insurance, which added $400, plus we had to put down a $2,000 security deposit. They must have lots of problems with people who can't drive on the left side of the road and with a steering wheel on the right. We had a very small Renault Clio with a manual transmission, but Bob, fortunately, is an absolute pro at shifting with his left hand and driving on the left side of the road.  

Our plan was to immediately leave Dublin and drive to Kilkenny, a distance of about 80 miles, which we thought might take an hour and a half. However, traffic was very heavy leaving Dublin, and not long after leaving the car rental place, the car began beeping at irregular intervals. Then the tire light came on, so we figured the low tire pressure caused the beeping. We got off the freeway, found a gas station, filled the tires, then figured out how to turn off the tire warning light. Sixty seconds into our drive, the beeping came back. Ultimately, I figured out that it was a sensor for lane control. Every time Bob began to drift towards a line in the road without signally, it beeped--and that was often. I found the instructions for how to disable that feature, and we continued our drive in peace.

INDONESIA - BALI TO LABUAN BAJO TO KELOR ISLAND

 July 11, 2023

We got up at 4:20 AM, feeling sleep depreived, and were in the lobby at 5:30 as instructed. Our guide and driver were 15 minutes late, but we had plenty of time at the airport. 

I liked the reminder to stand to the left on the escalator so those in a hurry can get past you.

Another practical feature are the child-sized toilets in the "mother's stall."  Why don't more public restrooms do this? 

The photo murals are unique . . .

. . . as are the swirling fabric fans suspended from the ceiling.