Kicking it in Africa, Seven Continents Achieved - WTRD 35, Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016

Kicking the Bucket List - Seven Continents Achieved 

Today we will step on continent number 7 (Africa), tonight we will sleep on continent number 7.  A big part of our bucket list has been to travel to all of the seven continents. North America where we were born #1; Europe #2 1970; Australia #3 2011; Asia #4 2013; South America #5 2016; Antarctica #6 2016; Africa #7 2016.  This year has been a big year for three continents.  

More Bucket List to Kick!  It's All About Making Friends Around the World.

One of our learnings is that when you achieve your dreams, you need new dreams and new goals.  We have been privileged to see great portions of our beautiful earth, historical landmarks and attractions, and to meet wonderful people that encircle the globe.  We love the adventure and experience of novelty, but hold dear the relationships of the people we meet.  Our travel has always been a balance of both with a lean toward places.  I think our bucket list will begin to shift more toward experiencing personal relationships and community both at home and abroad.

We started the relationship building while cruising the South Pacific, supporting fellow cruisers and communities,

bringing eyeglasses and school supplies to remote villages,

teaching classes in schools, celebrating Diwali with Hindu friends,

drinking Kava with Fijian friends,


engaging an entire village in blackout Bingo for a potpourri of cruiser donations,

holding classes in professional development for teachers and hands on training on generator, solar, engine (chain saw, weed eater) equipment maintenance.

After selling our cruising boat in 2013,  Russ and I included AirBnB accommodations in our travel mix and found that this was a great way of incorporating authentic, relationship experience to our travels.  We have spent many hours with hosts around the world, living in their homes and getting to know them, some more, some less, and all informally.  We have shared meals, drinks, and stories.

Poland

Argentina

Lithuania

Latvia

Chile

When we were in Thailand in 2013, we met an American couple slipping on their sandals as we were slipping ours off, outside of the reclining Buddha statue in Bangkok.

We struck up a conversation and learned that they belonged to an organization call SERVAS, it is an independent cultural, peace building exchange started in 1949 after World War II.  This couple had traveled all over the world staying in private homes and meeting people (free of charge).  

SERVAS is an intensely rich experience for independent travelers.  Fascinated by the concept, we researched the organization and joined as travelers after a lengthy application, letter of introduction, letters of character reference, and interview.  The lengthy part of this was not due to the process, but the length of time it took for character references from our traveling friends to be written and received.  Then we ourselves had to postpone the interview for several months as we were traveling ourselves.

Since joining SERVAS in 2013, we have stayed with several host families in cities around the world including New Orleans, Finland,

Finland

 Poland,

Warsaw Day Host

Warsaw, Poland

Opole, Poland

Wroclaw, Poland

Wroclaw, Poland

Turkey,  

and the United Kingdom.

Our hosts have been atheist, Christian, and Muslims, with children, singles, and couples.  It has been a very enriching experience for us.  SERVAS hosts also go through a vetting process and once a host, if you request a stay with them and they agree, they host you for two nights and provide meals.  It is a given, that travelers pitch in where needed with household tasks.  If their schedules permit, they may invite you to stay longer.  If you accept, you become a contributing member of the household for a few more days...cooking, contributing to groceries, telling your stories as well as learning about theirs.  Basically, you become a member of the family.

There is time to sight see and often the hosts will accompany you, drive you to the airport or train station, take you shopping, help you interpret the language.  SERVAS host generosity has often left us feeling guilty as a traveler, thinking we are taking more than we are giving.  But most of these hosts appreciate the world landing on their doorstep as they may not have the time, ability to get visas, or financial wherewithal.  Often we have been thanked vigorously for a visit and cultural exchange.

Reciprocated Hosting and Traveling, SERVAS Wroclaw Poland

Since 2015 Russ and I have become hosts as well as travelers and have had two visitations, and requests for a few more.  Unfortunately, as active travelers it is not always possible to host, but when we do it is exciting for us to share our environment and culture with new eyes.

When we joined SERVAS in 2013, our interviewer was also a member of another organization called Friendship Force.  Similar in principle of making global friends and being an ambassador for goodwill and peace, Friendship Force differs from the independent informal travel of SERVAS to a more formalized, small group club to club, hosting and reciprocity program.  We were introduced to Friendship Force, Sacramento, and this too looked like a fun group to join, but we would have to be at arms length for a couple of years until we had check a few more items from our bucket list.

FLYING to MORCCO - Continent #7 and Friendship Force World Conference.

Russ and I completed our first Friendship Force Exchange a few weeks ago in Chisinau, Moldova.

We had a wonderful time in a small country with a big heart.  Our home host and her daughter were fun to be with and we were impressed with the coordinators of the Chisinau exchange.  They were a small but mighty group.  Moldova is a sister city to Sacramento, and is trying to start a Friendship Force club by building a core group of interest and home hosts.

We are now headed to the Friendship Force World Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, where will meet up with some of our FF exchange travelers and meet new friends from around the world.  After three years and the BIG SEVEN under our belt, we are finally able to participate more fully in Friendship Force.

TODAY, September 13, 2016

Our trip today, started at 4:15 am with the alarm, ride to the Santarini airport, 6:40 flight to Athens, 9;05 flight to Madrid, and late afternoon flight to Marrakech.  It's only 11:30 and I am exhausted from late night packing, early awakening, long lines of basically unhappy jostling travelers, security checks - metal bracelets stowed, cell phones and electronics in plastic boxes, conveyor belts, metal detectors, passports, boarding passes, boarding busses, climbing stairs with luggage, stowing luggage.  Ugh.  I still love the metaphor, although it was probably not said by an air traveler, "It's about the journey, not the destination".  Honestly, I'm liking the destination much better than the journey these days.

We looked at these kids enviously.  This is exactly what we wanted to do.

Once aboard the aircraft, we can relax.  Having written this much,  I'm taking a nap.......well that didn't work.  Closed my eyes but opened them as we hit some turbulence.  We were starting our half hour descent into Madrid through the tops of giant columns of cumulous clouds.  The plane grew quiet as we tossed about in the updrafts for 20 minutes.  As soon as we dropped below the clouds, passengers released their tension with spontaneous applause.

Yep...done with the journey...just get me to the destination.  We had to collect our checked bags as we are changing carriers from Madrid to Marrakech.  So once again we must check in, get boarding passes, recheck our bags, and go through the security rituals, and passport control.

We boarded our plane.  It is raining, warm, and humid.  Our flight to Morocco is 1hr 40. Getting excited.  The bucket list of 7 continents is about ready to be kicked!

Landed 4:05 pm.  Yeah!

Once we checked into our hotel, we spent the rest of the day relaxing.

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's Kicking It in Africa!

On Land Again - Perissa and Fira, Santorini WTRD 33 and 34, September 11-12, 2016

On Land Again - Perissa and Fira, Santorini

Sunday, September 11

Russ and I were packed and ready to jump ship by 8:00 am when breakfast was served. We said our goodbyes, disembarked at 8:50, walked to the pickup point, and were met by the van from Honeymoon Beach Hotel.  

Our driver and owner of the hotel, loaded us into the van and we were in Perissa and installed in our very nice accommodations by 9:30.  

Downstairs, we have a small kitchen and dining/sitting area with bathroom, and doors that open up to patios with table and chairs.  Upstairs is a bedroom with queen bed and a single.

We spend the day doing laundry, working on the blog (me), swimming in the pool, eating moussaka for dinner, and taking a moonlight walk along the ocean front.  We are in a great location to relax.

Monday, September 12

This morning we caught the local bus to Fira.

 This is the town we saw while swimming in the caldera a few days ago high up on the cliffs.  The bus ride takes about 30 minutes and passes by several vineyards that look quite different than those in California. 

 There is so little water here, that the vines are swirled in a circle on the ground and are watered only by nature, the scant rain and the ocean dew that forms at night.  It is incredible that these plant survive, and produce grapes.

We spent our morning walking the pedestrian paths in Fira, visiting churches, 

shopping, 

enjoying the beautiful vistas, 

and watching people on donkeys ride up the steep hill 

or take a cable car 

from the port at the bottom of the cliffs.  Russ and I ate lunch and returned to the Honeymoon Beach Hotel, where we packed and weighed our bags, relaxed, swam, and I backed up photos.

Tomorrow morning at 5:15 am we leave for the airport in Santorini and fly via Athens, and Madrid, to Marrakesh, Morocco.

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's - Our Last Night in  the Cyclades Islands, Greece

Last Night in Santorini - WTRD 32, Saturday, September 10

Our Last DAY &  NIGHT Aboard 

The morning of our last full day dawned.  We ate breakfast and started the travelers' farewell ritual of exchanging contact information of our fellow crew mates.  They have all been great sailing mates.

The morning sail to Santorini, was picture perfect, blue skies, consistant wind, barely any swell.  Santorini is an island group around an ancient caldera.  The volcano blew about 1400 BCE wiping out the Minoan civilization and created a huge tsunami that devastated part of Crete.  Scholars believe this catastrophic event is what gave rise to Aristotle's theory of Atlantas as a lost city.

By 2::00 pm we had reached the ancient caldera area across from Thira where we found a place to moor, lunch, and swim. 

Cass swims to shore and ties off the stern

Circling the caldera area are islands, the largest being Thira or Santorini.  Tall cliffs of sandstone and lave rise hundreds of meters above the sea.

Look at the tall masted ship below and the height of the cliffs

Our swim was in water over 30 meters deep, beautiful blue seemingly bottomless pit with tall volcanic cliffs partially encircling the boat.

To reach our port destination, would require motoring into increasingly large natural and ferry made swells between the the island straits.  We wallowed through and bucked a bit.  The forward stateroom hatches were open and got drenched in saltwater requiring the occupants to hang out their laundry as we pitched along.  Everyone is on deck keeping their stomachs in check and enjoying the last day.

AAARRRHHH!

The small boat harbor of Vlichada was busy with day charters and fishing boats.  There was little room to spare.  We managed a side tie to a spot vacated by a fishing boat for the night.  Two other sailboats rafted up to us. We commemorated our trip with wine sundowners and snacks.  By 8:00 pm we were ready for dinner, and enjoyed a nice meal at Dimitris on top of the cliff.  Farewell friends.  We had a great time.

L to R, Cass, Rory Russ, Lynne, Chris, Debra, Roz, Natty, Matty

All is Well With the the Worrall Travel Rs in Santorini.

Beautiful Sunset in Chora on the Island of iOS - WTRD 31, Friday, September 9

Floor Mosaic of Black and White Stones

Beautiful Sunset in Chora on the Island of Ios

The morning was cool warming by 10:00 as we got underway to Ios.  Ios is the home of Homer's mother and he is entombed here.  We stopped for a long lunch and swim in small cove on the northwest side of Ios.

Cass preparing lunch

After lunch we motored around the peninsula to the port of Chora.  The town itself is on the other side of the mountain.  Russ and I lingered on the boat until 6:00 pm, drinking wine, and reading our books.  Finally, we caught a local bus that climbed the mountain for us.  Once on the ridge, there was a small valley and another hill behind that.  The old, windy walkways of stairs and paths led up to the windmills on one side and the church on the other.

We chose the windmill path, explored that and hoped we could see the sunset from there, but we could not.  Retracing our steps, we asked a person who was trying to entice us into his restaurant where the best place was for a sunset photo.  He directed us up to the church.  Ugh!   It was 7:15.  Sunset would be about 7:30.  We really had to chug up the hundreds of stairs to the church.
We made it! 

Waiting for the sunset.  Natalia and Matias, lower right

There were probably 30 other people at the upper level of the church and surrounding rocks  including Natty and Matty from our crew.  We had a beautiful panoramic view. 

The sunset was nice but a bit disappointing as the sun set behind a layer of clouds. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience sitting high over the port enjoying the last rays of the day.  Tomorrow is our last full day and night aboard the Malma.

Russ and I decided to walk down the steps to the port, but along the way we met up with Rory, Cass, and Chris in an Italian restaurant and joined them for dinner.  Then we walked down the hill, took cool showers, and are just turning in.

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's in Ios.