Life...workflow

6am

Oh am late

dash off to nm lane

reach 8am

type away

oh, its nearly 2

better get something to eat

oh its nearly 7

better leave now

repeat motion each day

thursday

oh am tired

and this cough!

i need a vacation

Amazing Jordan

So I went to Jordan for a week - the heat!!! Thank God i carried my hat :)

I was excited about the trip especially since I have really longed to see River Jordan and all the history around it. I missed a trip to Israel some time back and my sis has taunted me for this for years!!

The hotel we stayed in was simply amazing, what these guys have done to recover dry land and made such an oasis, only God knows! very impressive!! and the infinity pools? let me just stop there

So.........on one of the evenings, we went town to the beach and simply floted in the Dead Sea, plastered mud all over our bodies, took a shower (some went back to the sea) and finished with a swim at the glorious infinity pool - amazing experience...and i will not even start on how the sunsets look like over the deadsea...

By day 4 we took a drive to the river and saw the place where Jesus was baptised. It has been fenced and the river no longer passes there....it changed route... two people in the group actually dipped themselves in the river, where it now passes overlooking an imposing Israel border, symbolic of being baptised (one needs to but a special white robe for this)

The fifth day we took off to Petra....on the way there we saw the statue that's believed to be Lots wife, the one who turned to a pillar of salt.... I must say I had never heard of this place before! Petra that is

From the name it means rock (remember Peter, being called rock). The place is one rocky place and it is an ancient city that was built on the rocks! Those guys curved out amazing tombs and stadium from the rocks....waaaaaaa...yaani just google for more information

Then we were reminded that Petra was featured in TinTin and Indiana Jones movies...imagine that!

Ah Jordan! amazing place

Enchanting Zanzibar!

So, I have a large notice board in my room which I call a Vision Board

The idea was to put up images of places we would love to visit as a family - and you can be sure the first picture was that of Zanzibar

...and so it has come to pass!

From August 11-13 we visited the enchanting island....the planning had been in the works since Easter! We travelled to Zanzibar by the ferry and this was a unique experience! we sat the inner deck and the aircon was maximum so was very chilly!! Around 90min later we landed in warm Zanzibar and made our way to the hotel Zanzibar Beach hotel....the hotel is ok with a great swimming pool, but looks run down...though there was a lot of activity geared to sprucing it up - am sure it will soon look magnificent again.

That evening we had dinner at Forodhani...open air food market serving delicious ready to eat eats....of course with cholera back home we wondered how this concept can be adopted in a city like Mombasa! anyways, we enjoyed it kabisa

The kids loved the swimming pool ..and so the second day we took off into town with older kid only and toured Stone Town! oh what history! it pays to have a guide, then you don.t miss the rich story this island has. The doors just blew me away....I simply had to get a fridge magnet to remind me of their majesty. We had heard a lot about Lukeman and so we had lunch there - its a cozy restaurant that serves local dishes at the most affordable prices; and its full of tourists too!

Soon it was time to head back home...this time we sat in the upper deck of the ferry....

I would go back there!


and recommend that if only adults that the hotels inside stonetown are good....since you are then within walking distance of everything including the ferry terminus.....but if you have tiny tots, maybe the hotels mashambani (further in) would be better!..

Now thats a big tick on the Zanzibar postcard on the vision board

Next??

I wonder!