Worrall Travel R's

Worrall Travel R's
Roz and Russ

Worrall Travel R's - Kicking the Bucket List

Tuesday, February 06, 2024

 



Saturday, February 3, 2024 - And away we go to Costa Rica

We are finally ready to go to Costa Rico.  Getting ready seems to have taken along time, the planning, getting enhanced driver’s license, renewing our trusted travelers status, dealing with technology issues (new phone, new hotspot, pairing all of our gear, getting all the right cords for older tech, and newer tech, changing passwords because of a data breach, ugh), packing all the bags not the way we want them but the way TSA wants them, trying to eat up all the perishables before we leave, closing up Donner for the winter, taking care of household issues that never fail to pop up just before we leave….and the list goes on.


Our flight tonight from Sacramento  is at 11:57 pm on American Airlines.   We upgraded to business class hoping to have more room for our long legs, big feet,  and a little more comfort.  We arrive at the airport about 7:00pm , plenty of time to check in, eat dinner, relax, and board the plane.


Airport departures on Saturday night are not very busy, nevertheless we wear our face masks.  We have  heard too many stories from friends who have gotten Covid after an encounter with the airport and air travel.  We don’t want to start our time here unwell.  Just in case, are leaving a couple of days before our tour with EF Go Ahead Travel,  so that we can relax, recuperate, and get better in the event we get sick.  So many things to think about.


We easily drop off our 1 bag, and breeze through security with our personal item and carry on.  We love being a trusted travelers.  We haven’t traveled since 2019, and  forgot how nice it is not to have to take off your shoes, pull out all your bottles (even though we packed for it), batteries, laptops, take off your jewelery, belt, etc. So we clear, yes! 


Now dinner, hmm….the only restaurant open is the Iron Horse Grill. Happy there is at least one place where we can eat….and drink.  We would have stayed longer, but the wooden seats in the restaurant are obviously  intended to be uncomfortable enough to dislodge you and turn the table over. We move out to the waiting area for our flight.  It starts to rain, just as we board the plane.


Sooo, first class and business class are all lumped together on this flight.  We have limited leg room but only two across with a console in between.  We got a small glass of juice or water, a bag of pretzels and two small cookies.  I’m really worried now about the next leg of the flight on coach, given the puny amenities of business/first class. Oh well, we are going to sleep most of the way anyway.


We arrive in Miami, about 8:00 am, and head to a restaurant across from the second gate change for our breakfast. We didn’t even get a morning cup of coffee…apparently you had to wake up really early for that and ask.


We chow down in the event our flight to Costa Rica is as sparse or worse than our business class flight.  Russ and I decided during the planning process, that we would book coach on the day flight, but did book the exit seat that typically has more room, and 1 window, 1 aisle seat…..this works more than 50% of the time so that the seat in the middle is usually not chosen…and that was the case this time too.  But before we boarded the plane,  our gate and departure times changed two more times so we yo-yoed between gates….at least we got our “steps” in.   Our flight kept getting delayed which was too bad because some bad weather was moving in.  





Had we left earlier it wouldn’t have been a problem. But crikey, just as we were boarding, sirens went off and there was an emergency tornado warning.  All personnel had to take cover indoors, and the runways closed.  That didn’t stop us from boarding though, and we sat in the plane for over an hour until the tornado warning was cleared.  We didn’t see signs of a tornado, but the sky was dark, wind was fierce, and the rain poured down….perfect flying conditions.


Russ and I put air tags in our bags, and at least when the luggage was finally loaded on board, we were happy to see that our one checked bag was on the same plane with us..one less worry.  Oh my gosh we were so happy with our seats.  No one in the middle, an amazing amount of leg room. We were sitting in row 16 and this new plane only had restrooms in the back of the plane.  Guess they don’t want anyone going forward towards the cockpit and main door.  


I don’t know how this works during good weather, but it was very inconvenient when most of the flight was turbulent and we were confined to our seats, for a short period of time when the seat belt signs were off, the beverage cart which started from the back and moved forward, blocked the passage for those who need to use the bathroom.  Geez!  Too bad they didn’t think about that when designing this plane.  When the beverage cart passed us we got up to “go”, but there was a line in front of us, oh…..and the beverage cart was coming back, and the seat belt sign came back on and we were instructed to take our seats…maybe we should have considered diapers. Sigh!


When we finally arrived, at least we were some of the first passengers off and rushed to the restrooms.  Our 1 checked bag was on the carousel (always a relief) to see it!

We collected our bag and went through an easy-out customs.  There was a  line of taxi drivers with name signs….we hunted for our name but, couldn’t see it after traipsing back and forth three times.  When we finally contacted our driver, he told us he was eating in the cafeteria and would be out soon.  We were well over two hours late.  He had been waiting a long time.


At last we arrived about 3:30 at our hotel in San Jose.  We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and repacking our bags in a more convenient manner to our travel needs, ate a late dinner in the hotel restaurant, and crashed into bed.  Day 1 finally over!



All is well with the Worrall Travel Rs in San Jose Costa Rica.



















Day 2 Tour













Sunday, May 02, 2021

Photography at Home While Not Traveling

Photographing the Moment

Like most of you, it has been  two years since I have traveled far from home.   This is one of the last photos I took while traveling in Madagascar in 2019.  This is certainly  the most dramatic photo, I have ever taken and I was so thankful to have my iphone along with my other camera gear. My cell phone has a panoramic feature allowing me to  pan from east to west across horizon.  The dawn was breaking through the clouds of a storm that had just passed and still darkening the west with rain and rainbow.

While I may never see anything quite as spectacular as this again in my lifetime, I still find magical moments everyday to photograph at home.  





 

Saturday, May 01, 2021

Breath in the Beauty of our Earth. Earth Day Photos 2021 - At home and WPA Garden, Landpark, Sacramento

 

 
 
On  April 22, 2021, Earth Day, Russ and I  awoke to wild turkeys and hummingbirds on our Weimar property before traveling  down to Sacramento and meeting up with our photography cluster from Friendship Force of  Sacramento.  We spent the afternoon walking through  the WPA gardens in  Landpark, sipping  wine, and  being in the company of one another.

Helen, Ray, Linda, Ned, Chris, Russ, Terry

Helen, Roz, Ray, Ned, Chris, Russ, Terry









Friday, January 29, 2021

Atmospheric Landscape Photography - Find Your Wonder in the Mist.

 Sharing with you a short video of atmospheric photography of some places we have traveled and lived, where the mist, smoke, fog and the clouds hug the earth.  Enjoy! 3:48 min.



Thursday, December 31, 2020

 Happy and Healthy 2021!

So  ready to Kick 2020 and COVID-19 out the door along with the political chaos and discord of the last four years.  Hope 2021 is a better year for everyone!

We are planning on "hitting the road "in 2021in our new travel trailer that we have named the WanderPod. Woot,  woot!   WanderPod's first adventure  and  ours  too, was navigating  up our narrow, steep, and twisty driveway to her new home. Here is a little commemorative video of that adventure.

All is Well with Worrall TravelRs waiting for vaccines, and local shelter in place orders to lift.


 


Monday, November 23, 2020

 Good people need to stand for Good Trouble

Russ and I belong to two international organizations.  One is SERVAS and the other is Friendship Force International.   Both organizations strive to create understanding and peace through personal relationships and friendships.  We love both of these groups because of their forward thinking.  Yesterday, Sunday, November 22, 2020,  a small group of masked, Friendship Force member-photographers of Sacramento, went on a walk to see and photograph statues and art around Capitol Mall in Sacramento. I made a short video of the art work and murals 

 The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed our lives in 2020 and most likely into mid-end of 2021,  and  perhaps forever.  If there is a silver lining to quarantine and sheltering in place, it is the time we have had for self-reflection and critical thought. What do we value?  Who do we trust?  Does the virus care about our skin color, our political affiliation, our beliefs, our prayers, our gender, our age, how much money we have or our occupation?  It doesn't care because we are all human beings, our DNA being over 99.9% similarity with small insignificant differences, like skin color.  Race is a figment of our imagination not a reality, and yet so much hatred is based on lies intended to elevate some and push others down. 

Ten years ago,  I retired from the CDE in Sacramento so I welcomed the opportunity to return to the Capitol.   While we enjoyed the company of our friends (from a socially acceptable distance) and appreciated the beautiful sculptures and murals that we had come to see, Russ and I, along with our FF friends, were saddened and disturbed to see the homelessness, remnants of riots and violence, closed businesses, vacant streets (with the exception of a fair-sized group of die-hards protesting the 2020 election results and Pandemic curfews).  We saw people who were mentally ill living on the street, and a few freshly-minted homeless that looked like they had just showered before wrapping themselves in fresh blankets on the sidewalk under an overhang.  We came away haunted and sad.  How can we live in one of the greatest nation's in the world, and not take care of our citizens?

Our greatest understanding as world travelers is that we now know how privileged our lives have been as a people of European ancestry who immigrated to America and were given opportunities because of the whiteness of our skin.  My ancestors may have been poor when they arrived in America, but they had unparalleled access to opportunities over the years that native Americans, other immigrants, indentured servants, African slaves did not have (and still do not have) like jobs, homes, education, and discretionary income, and respect.

 I am not ashamed of who I am, and no one should be ashamed of who they are because  of who their parents are, where they were born, the color of their skin or what they look like.  We can't change our past, but we can change our future.  Those of us who have had privilege are in the best position to help and uplift those who have not had privilege.  We cannot continue to live in a hypocrisy of believing that we have equality and justice for all while inequality and injustice prevails.

What to do?  We don't know what we need to do, but good people need to do something beyond donating to charitable causes, praying, casting their ballots, and building global relationships one person at a time.  These are all good things to do, but these things alone are not enough to stem the tide of inequity, injustice, and deep divisions on our doorsteps.  We need to be brave and stand for good.  Yes it takes bravery to speak up when there are those who are pointing their guns at you.  How else will peace prevail?  Violence is not the solution to peace.

I hope that the next administration can bring sanity, compassion, and dignity back to our federal government.  I hope that SERVAS and Friendship Force can help us bridge the divides we have at home and abroad by combining their resources with other humanistic non-profits, educational institutions and work in partnership with our government.  We must help the needy, but focus our attention on our children, the next generation. Our world depends on the next generation growing up without prejudice and our survival on our planet will only occur if we are united and work together to solve whatever comes our way.


 



Wednesday, May 13, 2020

COVID - 19 Is Contagious - But So Is Joy

Yes, we have to be apart for right now!  Hold on to a "tomorrow" when we can be together again.  In the meantime, try to stay upbeat and be a vector of kindness and joy.
via GIPHY

Saturday, April 20, 2019

New York Day 4, Rainy Morning, Waitress the Musical - Matinee on Broadway, Saturday, April 20


 New York Day 4, Rainy Morning, Waitress the Musical - Matinee on Broadway, Saturday,  April 20, WTRD 35 of 36

Today is our last full day in New York City. It started to rain last night and is supposed to rain until early afternoon.  We take advantage of staying out of the rain and indoors this morning to relax and for me to catch up on blog posting.  Late tomorrow morning, we will be catching a train at Penn station, three blocks from our studio.  We are headed to Essex Junction, just outside of Burlington Vermont, where we will be staying with our son and family until late May.





Russ and I eat last night's pizza leftovers for lunch and head for TIme Square at 1:00 pm.  We are going to see a Matinee at 2:00 pm just a block off Broadway and TIme Square.  The rain has ceased, the sky has cleared,  and the streets are crazy crowded with pre-Easter-Sunday tourists.  We can't even imagine what it must be like here on New Year's eve as we walk single file through the shuffling crowds as we approach Time Square and 47th Street.  

We arrive at the theater just as they open the doors to the theater.  Russ and I bought our tickets online Thursday morning.  We are five rows from the front and almost center to see Waitress the musical starring Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan.  We had a great time watching the play and the unfolding of the story.  

After the play we worked our way through the crowds back to our studio.  We plan to  eat at the Chocolate and Wine Bar across the street later this evening.....they have some other food too, but wine and chocolate sound like a perfect meal for our last night in New York.

This concludes our blogs for the Africa, Madagascar, New York City Travels.  We left New York City by train on Easter Sunday the following day to visit family in Vermont.  Met some ladies on their way to the Easter Bonnet Parade before we boarded the train.  Goodbye New York!

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's the last night in New York and Worrall Travel R  Day WTRD 35 of 36. 

New York Day 3, 9/11 Twin Towers Remembered, High Line Walk, Friday, April 19, WTRD 34 of 36


New York Day 3, 9/11 Twin Towers Remembered, High Line Walk, Friday,  April 19, WTRD 34 of 36

We were up early again this morning and couldn't sleep in beyond 4:00 am.  Again we chose to walk south through Greenwich Village and Soho to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  
















We had tickets for an outside guided tour of the area where the twin towers once stood.  Our guide David was six years old when America's centers of commerce, military, and politics were being attacked by terrorists.  At a tender age, he learned about terrorism.  He became a historian of the 1970's and now works for the 9/11 Memorial organization.

The memorial is a powerful reminder of both extreme evil 







and extreme courage.  David walked us through the pre-history of the tragic day, the tragic day, and the personal stories of individuals whose names are engraved on the symbolized ponds where tears of water fall into an abyss of negative space.  Most of us were choked up and reliving that horrible day that changed our loss of innocence, the way we perceive the world, the loss of so many lives, and the unsung heroism of civilians and first responders who showed extraordinary courage.  


TEARS

Today the memorial and the museum are a shining testimony of human resilience and hope.



The mood in the museum is quiet, reverent, and a flashback of terror for those of us who were old enough to remember the devastating attack.

We walked back to our studio along the Hudson River and the High Line (an abandoned overhead railway that has been converted to a green belt walking trail, providing a high ground perspective of the city.  It's a beautiful walk.















 A walking sculpture

We log in another 10 miles and our feet feel it.  We stop for pizza on the way home.

All is Well with the Worrall Travel Rs in NYC