Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Update on the intruders
Well, if you have been following the blog, you know that earlier we had unwanted intruders in our backyard and then a burglary in our house. Since then, the Embassy hired contractors and they built a gigantic wall all the way around the house with anti-climb fencing on top of the wall. They also installed metal grates on all of our doors and windows and installed slide bolts on all doors and windows. We feel much safer now but don't see anything but white wall. No more view of the park, the sky or anything! My sun time is now limited to a few specific hours in the afternoon when the sun hits a certain angle in the sky. We now call our building "Supermax" since it is like living in a prison. But, I am not complaining.....I will deal with the wall and not worry about anymore intruders!
Thanksgiving 2013
Since we had traveled in September and October, we spent Thanksgiving in Algiers. We ordered a small turkey breast from our butcher and ended up with a humongous turkey breast that still had feathers and quills in it! Oh Butterball we missed you!
My dear friend, Nicole, joined us for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner. We laughed like crazy about the turkey feathers and how I didn't really know how to clean it! I should have waited and let Nicole do it since she is a good Southern girl and I had no clue! LOL I made pies, gluten free rolls, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes. Nicole made a wonderful gluten free dressing and we naturally enjoyed some decent wine (decent after we poured it through the aerators)!!
I dragged out the Christmas decorations and tried to get in the holiday spirit, which isn't easy to do in the land of no Christmas. It took me a week to get motivated to decorate but I finally did.
My dear friend, Nicole, joined us for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner. We laughed like crazy about the turkey feathers and how I didn't really know how to clean it! I should have waited and let Nicole do it since she is a good Southern girl and I had no clue! LOL I made pies, gluten free rolls, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes. Nicole made a wonderful gluten free dressing and we naturally enjoyed some decent wine (decent after we poured it through the aerators)!!
I dragged out the Christmas decorations and tried to get in the holiday spirit, which isn't easy to do in the land of no Christmas. It took me a week to get motivated to decorate but I finally did.
Greek Island Cruise October 2013
After our exhilarating but exhausting trip to Kilimanjaro, Kirk booked a cruise to the Greek Islands for some rest and relaxation.
Venice (Italy); Corfu (Greece); Santorini (Greece); Mykonos (Greece); Olympia (Katakolon) (Greece); Venice (Italy);
We spent an extra day in Venice before we boarded the ship. It was great. We watched the gondoliers from atop the bridges and had a wonderful day wandering around the city. We had a wonderful Italian dinner in a small local restaurant on one of the canals. Our hotel room was actually in a an apartment building. We registered, had to walk back outside to the building next door, schlep our suitcases up 3 flights of narrow stairs to our room. It was a nice little room, not as nice as Rome, but nice.
We went to 4 Greek Islands. Mykonos was nice with the old windmills. We climbed up some rocks to enjoy the sun near the beach. It was a beautiful spot to relax. Olympia and Corfu were interesting with lots of history but by far, our favorite was Santorini. The ship docked out in the bay and we tendered to the edge of the island. The town is perched on the top of a very steep hill. The islands are actually the remaining portions of a collapsed volcano, called a caldera. There are two ways to get from the dock to the town: cable car or up the hundreds of stairs. We, of course, chose the stairs. There are two ways to take the stairs: by foot or on a donkey! We walked up to the top, zig zagging up the stairs, avoiding donkeys and donkey poop! It was quite an experience. The donkeys were in small groups, owned by old Greek men who were guiding them up and down the hills. Once we got to the top, we rented a 4 wheeler. Kirk drove us from one end of the island to the other. We stopped at a deserted beach to explore the area. We found a wonderful winery on top of a hill with a stunning view. We sat and tasted some local wines and enjoyed each other's company.
We returned the 4 wheeler and wandered the streets, enjoying the whitewashed stone buildings with the bright blue roofs and the quaint churches with the bells high above in the steeples. We saw a young couple getting wedding photos taken. As the sun started to set, we found a hotel on the edge of the hill and went up to their rooftop bar and had a local beer and watched the sun set behind the cruise ship in the bay. We hiked back down the stairs and back to the ship after what I think was one of the most fun and romantic days we have ever spent together.
All in all, this was a wonderful way to relax and enjoy my birthday! Gold star for the hubby!
Venice (Italy); Corfu (Greece); Santorini (Greece); Mykonos (Greece); Olympia (Katakolon) (Greece); Venice (Italy);
We spent an extra day in Venice before we boarded the ship. It was great. We watched the gondoliers from atop the bridges and had a wonderful day wandering around the city. We had a wonderful Italian dinner in a small local restaurant on one of the canals. Our hotel room was actually in a an apartment building. We registered, had to walk back outside to the building next door, schlep our suitcases up 3 flights of narrow stairs to our room. It was a nice little room, not as nice as Rome, but nice.
We went to 4 Greek Islands. Mykonos was nice with the old windmills. We climbed up some rocks to enjoy the sun near the beach. It was a beautiful spot to relax. Olympia and Corfu were interesting with lots of history but by far, our favorite was Santorini. The ship docked out in the bay and we tendered to the edge of the island. The town is perched on the top of a very steep hill. The islands are actually the remaining portions of a collapsed volcano, called a caldera. There are two ways to get from the dock to the town: cable car or up the hundreds of stairs. We, of course, chose the stairs. There are two ways to take the stairs: by foot or on a donkey! We walked up to the top, zig zagging up the stairs, avoiding donkeys and donkey poop! It was quite an experience. The donkeys were in small groups, owned by old Greek men who were guiding them up and down the hills. Once we got to the top, we rented a 4 wheeler. Kirk drove us from one end of the island to the other. We stopped at a deserted beach to explore the area. We found a wonderful winery on top of a hill with a stunning view. We sat and tasted some local wines and enjoyed each other's company.
We returned the 4 wheeler and wandered the streets, enjoying the whitewashed stone buildings with the bright blue roofs and the quaint churches with the bells high above in the steeples. We saw a young couple getting wedding photos taken. As the sun started to set, we found a hotel on the edge of the hill and went up to their rooftop bar and had a local beer and watched the sun set behind the cruise ship in the bay. We hiked back down the stairs and back to the ship after what I think was one of the most fun and romantic days we have ever spent together.
All in all, this was a wonderful way to relax and enjoy my birthday! Gold star for the hubby!
Safari - Tanzania September 2013
We had one day of rest in Moshi, Tanzania before we headed out for a 3 day safari. We were in search of the "Big 5" - lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and water buffalo. We had a private vehicle and tour guide.
Our first day was to Tarangire game preserve This was about a 4 hour drive and it was hot and dusty. We had to register before going into the park and while we waited for our guide to get our permit, the baboons were coming right up to the cars. They were not afraid of all the people and cars outside waiting. The guide had told us to keep the windows up and the doors shut because the monkeys would get in the vehicle and steal our food!
We ate our box lunch at a picnic area before heading into the game park. Within 500 feet, we encountered two rather large elephants right next to the road. The driver stopped and we were right next to the elephants. The smaller one didn't like us being so close and started snorting, dragging his foot in the dirt and throwing dirt up with his trunk! We had the roof of the Land Rover open and were standing up, watching through the roof. I think in a battle of Land Rover vs. elephant, the elephant would definitely be the winner so we moved on. :)
We saw lots of zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, and a couple of giraffes far off in the distance. There were also lots of birds.
We stayed in the Highview Hotel which is owned by the same company that did our tour of Kilimanjaro. It was definitely no frills! Twin beds with mosquito nets. They did have a group of local youths performing native dances and music after dinner.
The next day we drove to Ngorongoro Crater which is remains of a collapsed volcano. It was incredible. We drove through thousands of zebras and wildebeests and saw lots of water buffalo. Some of the animals were so close we could have reached out and touched them. There was a family of elephants, marching in a line with the largest elephant in front, in descending order with the smallest one in the back. It was so cute. There was a lake that had so many flamingoes in it that it looked like shimmering pink silk instead of a lake (it was beautiful but the smell was terrible!!). We ate our box lunch parked by a lake full of hippos. It was fun to watch them playing and sunning while we ate. We had to eat inside the Land Rover because the birds were swooping in trying to steal our food. It was very windy and we had a little bit of rain but we still had a great day. The only downside to the day (other than our guide talking on his cell phone most of the time) was that it was too windy to see the black rhinos. This is one of the few places to see them in the wild. I guess we will have to go back again someday!
The next day, on the way to Lake Manyara, we saw elephants on the side of the road. It was really cool. This was our last game preserve. It was okay but we didn't see too many animals, lots of birds but not a lot of animals. There were giraffes but you had to use the binoculars to see them.
All in all, our trip to Tanzania was wonderful. The climb up Kilimanjaro, the safari and the experience of walking through the local markets in Moshi was an adventure for sure.
Our first day was to Tarangire game preserve This was about a 4 hour drive and it was hot and dusty. We had to register before going into the park and while we waited for our guide to get our permit, the baboons were coming right up to the cars. They were not afraid of all the people and cars outside waiting. The guide had told us to keep the windows up and the doors shut because the monkeys would get in the vehicle and steal our food!
We ate our box lunch at a picnic area before heading into the game park. Within 500 feet, we encountered two rather large elephants right next to the road. The driver stopped and we were right next to the elephants. The smaller one didn't like us being so close and started snorting, dragging his foot in the dirt and throwing dirt up with his trunk! We had the roof of the Land Rover open and were standing up, watching through the roof. I think in a battle of Land Rover vs. elephant, the elephant would definitely be the winner so we moved on. :)
We saw lots of zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, and a couple of giraffes far off in the distance. There were also lots of birds.
We stayed in the Highview Hotel which is owned by the same company that did our tour of Kilimanjaro. It was definitely no frills! Twin beds with mosquito nets. They did have a group of local youths performing native dances and music after dinner.
The next day we drove to Ngorongoro Crater which is remains of a collapsed volcano. It was incredible. We drove through thousands of zebras and wildebeests and saw lots of water buffalo. Some of the animals were so close we could have reached out and touched them. There was a family of elephants, marching in a line with the largest elephant in front, in descending order with the smallest one in the back. It was so cute. There was a lake that had so many flamingoes in it that it looked like shimmering pink silk instead of a lake (it was beautiful but the smell was terrible!!). We ate our box lunch parked by a lake full of hippos. It was fun to watch them playing and sunning while we ate. We had to eat inside the Land Rover because the birds were swooping in trying to steal our food. It was very windy and we had a little bit of rain but we still had a great day. The only downside to the day (other than our guide talking on his cell phone most of the time) was that it was too windy to see the black rhinos. This is one of the few places to see them in the wild. I guess we will have to go back again someday!
The next day, on the way to Lake Manyara, we saw elephants on the side of the road. It was really cool. This was our last game preserve. It was okay but we didn't see too many animals, lots of birds but not a lot of animals. There were giraffes but you had to use the binoculars to see them.
All in all, our trip to Tanzania was wonderful. The climb up Kilimanjaro, the safari and the experience of walking through the local markets in Moshi was an adventure for sure.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Kilamanjaro Sept 2013
We trained for months and finally September arrived and Kilimanjaro loomed large!!
We traveled from Algiers to Cairo to Nairobi to Kilimanjaro (total travel time of about 20 hours). This was right after the airport in Nairobi had burned so the transfer through there was interesting to say the least. There were huge tents set up outside to handle waiting passengers. Since we transferred through in the middle of the night, we were inside. Talk about high tech & high security...the connecting flights were written on a dry erase board and they had chains on the doors but the glass in the doors was broken out so you could just climb through the doors!
We stayed one night in a hotel in Moshi, Tanzania where we met the rest of our group (total of 11 of us) and prepared for our hike the next day. The hotel is probably what we would rate a one star in the states but it was considered one of the nicer ones there. We had to switch on the hot water heater 15 minutes before we wanted hot water and when we did take showers it was a drip! The hotel offered laundry service which consisted of the maids washing your clothes in a bucket and hanging them outside on bushes to dry in the sun.
We had a big buffet breakfast and then the porters piled our duffle bags onto the top of our bus, we piled into the bus with our backpacks and set off to the trail head. It was an interesting ride to say the least! I am amazed that the bus made it up those narrow, rutted, dirt roads to the trailhead! That was an adventure in itself!
We went through 5 different climate zones as we ascended. We chose an 8 day climb up the Lemosho route. This route allows you to acclimatize more gradually and have less chance of getting altitude sickness.
The first night at camp, the tents were very close and it was noisy. We listened to the monkeys chattering back & forth all night! We had Diamox to minimize the effects of altitude sickness but I unfortunately felt the effects that first night and they were not pleasant! Thank goodness we brought a first aid kit. Neither of us slept well the first night. We had to leave the tent several times to use the bathroom, which by the way, was a small tent with a 5 gallon bucket in it. At least there was a lid attached to the bucket! You can imagine how pleasant that tent was by morning after 11 people used
it all night.
Because of the symptoms of altitude sickness symptoms, breakfast was out of the question for me. Kirk was awesome & carried both backpacks for the morning hike ( his on his back and mine on his front)! After lunch & water, I was able to carry my pack for the rest of the day.
We had a guide named Chambo, 2 assistant guides, & about 40 porters with our team of 11. In the
morning, when we broke camp, we would take our backpacks loaded with all the gear we needed for the day and the porters would take our duffle bags and tents and dining equipment. The porters hiked the same trails we did and they passed us by quickly, loaded with equipment on their heads & backs, many of them wearing sneakers or sandals!
Each day, we were woken by one of the guides bringing hot tea and a bowl of hot water to wash up
with. We got dressed in the tents, packed up our gear for the porters and went to the dining tent
where we were served more hot tea, porridge, some form of eggs, some form of bread, and fruit. Our
water canteens were filled with boiled water before we headed out. We added water purification tablets just in case! It gave the water a metallic taste but when you are thirsty, you will drink it! We also brought Gatorade tablets and lemonade powder to give it some flavor. We had to drink about 4
liters a day.
Each day, we met up with the porters at lunch time for a hot lunch. They would set up the dining tent and the outhouse tent for us. We ate a hot soup (more like thin broth), bread, some meat, more fruit. Water bottles would be filled and off we would go for the afternoon hike. When we stopped to camp for the night, the porters had our tents set up with our sleeping bag mats. We were given another bowl of hot water to wash up with before eating. We were given tea and popcorn or cookies each day while dinner was cooked. Dinner was usually more soup, meat of some sort, bread or pasta (which was usually over cooked), fruit and tea. It was nothing to write home about but it was filling and very carb heavy to fuel us up for the hiking.
I have never been so DIRTY in all my life! No showers, no washing hair, dust everywhere. I gave up trying to stay clean...it was impossible! We learned to use our wipes at night to get clean before
getting into our bags & how to get our clothes warm before getting dressed in the morning. It was rather cold when the sun went down and got colder as we went higher.
Each day was a new adventure with different environments and different challenges. The first full day was the rain forest and we got just a sprinkling of rain for part of the day, just enough to put on our windbreakers & backpack covers. My favorite day was called "hugging the wall" at Baranco
wall. It was more like rock climbing than hiking.
Day 6 brought summit day. We had the afternoon to rest because we had to get up just before midnight to start the ascent to the top. We awoke to our usual hot tea at 1100 pm. We put on every layer we had and prepared our packs. We put our headlamps on, grabbed our trekking poles and set out for Uhuru Peak.
We started out at about 15,000 feet. I got slower & slower as we ascended. Our group split into 3 smaller groups after a couple of hours. We were physically prepared but you can't train for altitude! It was just step by step after a few hours, concentrating on just moving my feet. I have never been so cold in my life. I had ski gloves on but my hands were frozen before we got to the summit. Someone
had the instant hand warmers but they activate using oxygen & since there was not enough oxygen, we couldn't get them to work. My hands were literally frozen around my poles!
Also, as we ascended, my vision started getting blurry in my right eye. I kept feeling like I had
something in my eye but no one could see anything. I started to see with a brown haze through that eye. Luckily, we had some more experienced climbers in our group who said I was experiencing
altitude blindness in my right eye! I could barely see by the time we reached the glacier.
We reached the peak (finally) at 6:46 am (over 19,000 feet). We missed the sunrise but I was just happy that I made it. I have never felt that cold or tired!!! The sun shining off the glacier and the
tops of the clouds was absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, I was so cold I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.
The descent was tough on our knees, thank goodness we had the trekking poles. I also had to hold onto Kirk's arm because I could only see out of my left eye! There was a lot of loose scree and rocks that we had to climb over. It was an interesting trip down! We made it, slowly but surely back to base camp but no rest for us. We had a meal and we had to pack up and continue descending for another 5 hours or so. The good news is that as we descended, my vision started returning to normal and because there was more oxygen, we were feeling much more energized.
We stopped to camp for the night, had a celebration dinner and spent our last night in the tent. (My vision was back to normal by this time.) We made it back to the bus the next day, checked in at the ranger station and headed back to Moshi to the hotel. It was so nice to shower even though we had
no water pressure! After we all got clean, we met in the hotel courtyard with our group to have a Kilamanjaro beer together ( yes the local beer is called Kilamanjaro....the motto is "If you can't climb it, drink it"). We did both! We received our certificates from our guide and we had the rest of the night to relax and prepare for our safari trip.
The hotel advertised massages & pedicures for those who returned from the climb. Kirk booked a massage & I booked a pedicure....we should have known better! The massage was in like a storage area outside and my pedicure consisted of someone putting my feet in a mop bucket and scrubbing with tools that I am sure have never been cleaned properly! Good thing I was up to date on my shots!
I will continue the safari story another day. :)
We traveled from Algiers to Cairo to Nairobi to Kilimanjaro (total travel time of about 20 hours). This was right after the airport in Nairobi had burned so the transfer through there was interesting to say the least. There were huge tents set up outside to handle waiting passengers. Since we transferred through in the middle of the night, we were inside. Talk about high tech & high security...the connecting flights were written on a dry erase board and they had chains on the doors but the glass in the doors was broken out so you could just climb through the doors!
We stayed one night in a hotel in Moshi, Tanzania where we met the rest of our group (total of 11 of us) and prepared for our hike the next day. The hotel is probably what we would rate a one star in the states but it was considered one of the nicer ones there. We had to switch on the hot water heater 15 minutes before we wanted hot water and when we did take showers it was a drip! The hotel offered laundry service which consisted of the maids washing your clothes in a bucket and hanging them outside on bushes to dry in the sun.
We had a big buffet breakfast and then the porters piled our duffle bags onto the top of our bus, we piled into the bus with our backpacks and set off to the trail head. It was an interesting ride to say the least! I am amazed that the bus made it up those narrow, rutted, dirt roads to the trailhead! That was an adventure in itself!
We went through 5 different climate zones as we ascended. We chose an 8 day climb up the Lemosho route. This route allows you to acclimatize more gradually and have less chance of getting altitude sickness.
The first night at camp, the tents were very close and it was noisy. We listened to the monkeys chattering back & forth all night! We had Diamox to minimize the effects of altitude sickness but I unfortunately felt the effects that first night and they were not pleasant! Thank goodness we brought a first aid kit. Neither of us slept well the first night. We had to leave the tent several times to use the bathroom, which by the way, was a small tent with a 5 gallon bucket in it. At least there was a lid attached to the bucket! You can imagine how pleasant that tent was by morning after 11 people used
it all night.
Because of the symptoms of altitude sickness symptoms, breakfast was out of the question for me. Kirk was awesome & carried both backpacks for the morning hike ( his on his back and mine on his front)! After lunch & water, I was able to carry my pack for the rest of the day.
We had a guide named Chambo, 2 assistant guides, & about 40 porters with our team of 11. In the
morning, when we broke camp, we would take our backpacks loaded with all the gear we needed for the day and the porters would take our duffle bags and tents and dining equipment. The porters hiked the same trails we did and they passed us by quickly, loaded with equipment on their heads & backs, many of them wearing sneakers or sandals!
Each day, we were woken by one of the guides bringing hot tea and a bowl of hot water to wash up
with. We got dressed in the tents, packed up our gear for the porters and went to the dining tent
where we were served more hot tea, porridge, some form of eggs, some form of bread, and fruit. Our
water canteens were filled with boiled water before we headed out. We added water purification tablets just in case! It gave the water a metallic taste but when you are thirsty, you will drink it! We also brought Gatorade tablets and lemonade powder to give it some flavor. We had to drink about 4
liters a day.
Each day, we met up with the porters at lunch time for a hot lunch. They would set up the dining tent and the outhouse tent for us. We ate a hot soup (more like thin broth), bread, some meat, more fruit. Water bottles would be filled and off we would go for the afternoon hike. When we stopped to camp for the night, the porters had our tents set up with our sleeping bag mats. We were given another bowl of hot water to wash up with before eating. We were given tea and popcorn or cookies each day while dinner was cooked. Dinner was usually more soup, meat of some sort, bread or pasta (which was usually over cooked), fruit and tea. It was nothing to write home about but it was filling and very carb heavy to fuel us up for the hiking.
I have never been so DIRTY in all my life! No showers, no washing hair, dust everywhere. I gave up trying to stay clean...it was impossible! We learned to use our wipes at night to get clean before
getting into our bags & how to get our clothes warm before getting dressed in the morning. It was rather cold when the sun went down and got colder as we went higher.
Each day was a new adventure with different environments and different challenges. The first full day was the rain forest and we got just a sprinkling of rain for part of the day, just enough to put on our windbreakers & backpack covers. My favorite day was called "hugging the wall" at Baranco
wall. It was more like rock climbing than hiking.
Day 6 brought summit day. We had the afternoon to rest because we had to get up just before midnight to start the ascent to the top. We awoke to our usual hot tea at 1100 pm. We put on every layer we had and prepared our packs. We put our headlamps on, grabbed our trekking poles and set out for Uhuru Peak.
We started out at about 15,000 feet. I got slower & slower as we ascended. Our group split into 3 smaller groups after a couple of hours. We were physically prepared but you can't train for altitude! It was just step by step after a few hours, concentrating on just moving my feet. I have never been so cold in my life. I had ski gloves on but my hands were frozen before we got to the summit. Someone
had the instant hand warmers but they activate using oxygen & since there was not enough oxygen, we couldn't get them to work. My hands were literally frozen around my poles!
Also, as we ascended, my vision started getting blurry in my right eye. I kept feeling like I had
something in my eye but no one could see anything. I started to see with a brown haze through that eye. Luckily, we had some more experienced climbers in our group who said I was experiencing
altitude blindness in my right eye! I could barely see by the time we reached the glacier.
We reached the peak (finally) at 6:46 am (over 19,000 feet). We missed the sunrise but I was just happy that I made it. I have never felt that cold or tired!!! The sun shining off the glacier and the
tops of the clouds was absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, I was so cold I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.
The descent was tough on our knees, thank goodness we had the trekking poles. I also had to hold onto Kirk's arm because I could only see out of my left eye! There was a lot of loose scree and rocks that we had to climb over. It was an interesting trip down! We made it, slowly but surely back to base camp but no rest for us. We had a meal and we had to pack up and continue descending for another 5 hours or so. The good news is that as we descended, my vision started returning to normal and because there was more oxygen, we were feeling much more energized.
We stopped to camp for the night, had a celebration dinner and spent our last night in the tent. (My vision was back to normal by this time.) We made it back to the bus the next day, checked in at the ranger station and headed back to Moshi to the hotel. It was so nice to shower even though we had
no water pressure! After we all got clean, we met in the hotel courtyard with our group to have a Kilamanjaro beer together ( yes the local beer is called Kilamanjaro....the motto is "If you can't climb it, drink it"). We did both! We received our certificates from our guide and we had the rest of the night to relax and prepare for our safari trip.
The hotel advertised massages & pedicures for those who returned from the climb. Kirk booked a massage & I booked a pedicure....we should have known better! The massage was in like a storage area outside and my pedicure consisted of someone putting my feet in a mop bucket and scrubbing with tools that I am sure have never been cleaned properly! Good thing I was up to date on my shots!
I will continue the safari story another day. :)
Monday, October 7, 2013
More unwanted visitors = Aug 2013
Just to catch everyone up on what has been going on in Algiers....we were robbed in August during the night, while we were sleeping in the house. Thank God we are fine and they only took stuff. We can replace "stuff".
I woke up one Friday morning (which is our weekend) to notice that some things are out of place by the bathroom. I woke Kirk up to ask him if he had gotten up in the night to move anything. He jumped out of bed knowing something was amiss. We realized, as we woke up more fully, that someone had been in the house. We went to call the embassy and realized all of our cell phones had been stolen. We used our radios to make contact and had security here within 10 minutes. We checked all the doors and windows only to find out they were all secured and locked....no broken glass, no tampered locks.
The local police showed up which was quite a show (think Inspector Clouseau from Pink Panther!!) The police kept questioning us like we were making it up!! They couldn't understand how there was no damaged locks or windows. I have never seen so many people in our tiny apartment. They had their version of CSI come in. I was cleaning up finger print powder for days!!! The thieves got away with my laptop, jewelry, cell phones and iPods. It was so unnerving to know that someone was in the house and we had no idea.
Thank goodness most thieves are stupid and the police were able to locate them by tracking my Blackberry. They arrested 2 Algerians who apparently had lots of keys and stolen merchandise in their house. They were targeting our neighborhood and had somehow gotten keys from the hardware store to enter residences. They will spend 3 years in jail.
We are finally getting bars and grills on all our doors and windows. They have reinforced the doors with slide bolts from the inside until the grills are all installed. They are also fortifying the outside perimeter wall, making it higher and adding concertina wire.
Never a dull moment!
I woke up one Friday morning (which is our weekend) to notice that some things are out of place by the bathroom. I woke Kirk up to ask him if he had gotten up in the night to move anything. He jumped out of bed knowing something was amiss. We realized, as we woke up more fully, that someone had been in the house. We went to call the embassy and realized all of our cell phones had been stolen. We used our radios to make contact and had security here within 10 minutes. We checked all the doors and windows only to find out they were all secured and locked....no broken glass, no tampered locks.
The local police showed up which was quite a show (think Inspector Clouseau from Pink Panther!!) The police kept questioning us like we were making it up!! They couldn't understand how there was no damaged locks or windows. I have never seen so many people in our tiny apartment. They had their version of CSI come in. I was cleaning up finger print powder for days!!! The thieves got away with my laptop, jewelry, cell phones and iPods. It was so unnerving to know that someone was in the house and we had no idea.
Thank goodness most thieves are stupid and the police were able to locate them by tracking my Blackberry. They arrested 2 Algerians who apparently had lots of keys and stolen merchandise in their house. They were targeting our neighborhood and had somehow gotten keys from the hardware store to enter residences. They will spend 3 years in jail.
We are finally getting bars and grills on all our doors and windows. They have reinforced the doors with slide bolts from the inside until the grills are all installed. They are also fortifying the outside perimeter wall, making it higher and adding concertina wire.
Never a dull moment!
Paris July 2013 Part 2
We drove from Normandy back to Paris and spent a wonderful 2 days near the Eiffel Tower. We walked miles!! We found the most wonderful sidewalk cafés where we had some great food while enjoying several bottles of wonderful French wine.
The weather was hot and we really enjoyed walking along the Seine River. We took a night cruise and took in the "City of Lights".
Nice "hat" Kirk! :)
The weather was hot and we really enjoyed walking along the Seine River. We took a night cruise and took in the "City of Lights".
Holding Paris in my hand!
Nice "hat" Kirk! :)
Outside the Louvre museum.
The Eiffel Tower all lit up at night with twinkle lights!
It looked even prettier in person (especially after a few glasses of nice French wine!!) LOL
Notre Dame
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