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Hello travel friends!

We are currently enjoying a beach holiday at a resort outside Alanya, Turkey. This is not the kind of trip we usually do blog posts about – if we do it right, there is nothing exciting to tell! However this trip has already resulted in several lessons that I feel the need to capture for posterity.

So watch this space for (possibly entertaining) tales of travel lessons learned the hard way.

Here’s the obligatory “I’m on vacation and you are not photo. 😁

It’s our last full day in Cape Town and we had another beautiful morning greet us. We took care of all the usual morning stuff: showers, breakfast, etc. And then just before 8am we headed down to meet our driver who would take us for the last event of the week: SAFARI! Now let’s be clear that this is really just a drive through a private game reserve rather than a fancy multi-day event in the jungle. But we’re happy to take what we can get!

We picked up our only other participant downtown – unfortunately, one other couple cancelled at the last minute as one of them got something dodgy to eat the night before. So with our new friend Deborah (marathon runner from the Yakima Valley in Washington) and our driver Kobus (who was originally from Namibia) we set out across the mountains to the Aquila Game Reserve. It took just over 3 hours with a stops for photos and comfort breaks. We arrived around 11:30 and had some time to kill before lunch at noon.

So while Deborah and I chatted about environmental compliance activities – her field – Frank was being adopted by an apparently lonely woman from Tampa Bay who seemed desperate to talk to people even though she was travelling with a group. So Divinia latched on to us for lunch and told us all about her life and how much connecting with other people was important and how the group she was travelling with was boring and how glad she was that she found us. And there were tears! It was a tad surreal – but gives me something interesting to write about because lunch certainly wasn’t interesting enough! Sadly Divinia was not on our safari tour so we had to say good bye after the meal – with the obligatory hugs – and we headed to the safari transport.

Kobus had recommended that we grab the front row just behind the driver to help block dust and make sure we could hear everything. It turned out to be a great tip given the amount of excess noise from our fellow passengers. I could forgive the Chinese guy who was obviously translating for two companions who apparently didn’t speak English. But the woman who answered her phone everytime it rang and even took a Facetime call while the guide was trying to tell us about hippos was just too much. Grrrrrr.

But regardless, we rumbled over newly created creeks that have sprung up since flooding rains hit a few weeks ago and then thumped across eroded ground and rocks and other interesting aspects of the terrain in search of “the Big Five.” I didn’t know this until doing some Googling but in Africa, the Big Five refers to the 5 animals that have traditionally been difficult for big game hunters to bag: African buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion, and leopard. We were lucky enough to spot 4 of them. (We knew the leopard was a no go since the reserve didn’t have any on site.)

In addition, we saw hippos, zebra, giraffes, baboons, springbok, and ostritches. The day was unbelievably beautiful and the sky impossibly blue while we went in search of Instagram moments. We learned a LOT from the guide about the mating habits of giraffes (which we were apparently interrupting!), the protective stomach enzymes of zebra, and the eyesight problems of rhinos. The only really disappointing aspect of the day was the lions who were kept in a separate enclosed part of the reserve ostentsibly to preven them from snacking on the horseback and quad bike tourists. Regardless, it was a fairly small enclosure with few places for the lions to be (or hide) so it did have a bit of a zoo feeling to it. We also got to take a bathroom break at a small cafe where we could grab a drink – including MCC bubbles in a stainless steel wine glass. Very fun but not very wilderness-y. (All was forgiven when Nigel the safari guide filled a water bottle up with additioinal bubbles for me!)

That zoo-ness feeling vanished when it came time to spy the elephants. They had free reign of the entire reserve and were so RUDE that they didn’t come anywhere close to where we were. Luckily Frank had the right lens on his camera so we did sneak a photo in where others weren’t so fortunate. After 2 1/2 hours of organ-rattling driving, it was time to depart. Which meant it was time for more driving but this time on highways in our air conditioned mini-van. We took the Hugenot Tunnel on the way back which made the return journey slightly shorter but then we hit Cape Town at rush hour so it was a wash. Still it was just over 2 hours telling stories and listening to South African tall tales and dad jokes. A most enjoyable way to spend the day.

But as it is our last night here, we had laundry and packing to do. Then some dinner at an upscale diner along the road (GF pizza!!!) and it’s time to tidy up and prepare for the work part of this trip that starts tomorrow. But not before enjoying our bottle of blanc du blanc from yesterday while chilling to a documentary about Nigel Mansell.

Here’s a very small sample of the shots from today:

Data for today:

• Steps: 9,873 or 4.6 miles
• Kilometers on highways: Approx. 400
• Hectares on the game reserve: 10K
• Hectares we covered: about 4K

We slept so well in our temporary home and were greeted by breakfast being delivered. Because it’s a small hotel, there is no bar or restaurant so our breakfast came on trays that we could eat in the minikitchen. Scrambled eggs and gluten free bread for me, ham and cheese with freshly baked rolls for Frank. Plus a full litre of fresh pinapple juice, coffee, muffins and fresh fruit. YUM!

After demolishing that and packing up, we were headed slightly up the cost to the beach town of Viña del Mar. This is supposed to be the place where all of Santiago goes to get out of the city. It is a lovely beach town but since it is early spring here, the weather and the vibe are not really very beachy. We started the day with a visit to the Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock) – functioning clock garden built for the 1962 World Cup which Chile hosted. As the only major tourist attraction in town, it was quite busy but we got our obligatory snaps even though the day was pretty damp and grey.

Then we started to wander into and around town. We saw the cool castle that isn’t open and we saw huge rocks covered with pelicans (a pod of pelicans apparently). We were wandering much more slowly than had been the case in the past because Frank has started to come down with something. We thought the stuffy nose was allergies but the post nasal drip and scratchy throat indicate maybe it’s something more. (NOT Covid) Given the weather and the lack of interesting non-beach things to do, a full day in town may be more than we are really interested in. Of course the town is busy: apparently there is a big marathon on here tomorrow as there are banners everywhere. 5K and 10K runners were busy this morning and the packet pick up for the marathon was mobbed.

After we ran out of things to do, we grabbed some lunch. (Notice we have stopped planning to eat and now we are grabbing things. Ugh.) Then we changed our return bus ticket to come back earlier. Once we arrived in Santiago, we ordered an Uber – driven by Wendy – where my bad Spanish was very necessary. Apparently one of us needed to sit in front with her so it wouldn’t be “illegal” – okay, we’ll send the lurgy one up front. Then as we get close to the hotel we see police lights parked on the street RIGHT OUTSIDE the hotel. Then Wendy explains that *Uber* is illegal in Chile (how does the app even work then?!) so she needs to drop us off away from the police. I’m fine with that – avoiding embassy involvement is one of my prime rules.

We manage to saunter casually and not guiltily back to the hotel where Frank gets put to bed while I get some work done. (Apparently, disserations don’t mark themselves? Seriously?) He did manage to gain consciousness long enough to walk around the corner for food. Again, this was not a planned dining experience but a necessity to consume some calories. Of course, that didn’t stop him from having a sandwich that is basically a Chilean cheese steak. (No mas queso!) I opted for a simple pork tenderloin with baked potato. Nothing to write home about really except for the part where I am. 🙂

We have a late checkout tomorrow so he should be able to get plenty of rest and I might actually get a few disserations marked. And then it’s another “Work for San, Play for Frank” week.

Data for today:

• Steps: 16,369 or 7.6 miles
• Average pace: 26 min/mile
• Normal pace: 18 min/mile
• Number of times San actually translated from Spanish: 6 (not everyone speaks English!)
• Number of hours Frank better sleep: at least 10! (He’s terrible at being sick!)

Now that the official work part of the trip is done*, it was time for an easy day. We slept in and enjoyed a leisurely morning with a few Zoom calls with friends in both the US and Africa. Then we headed out to see what else Santiago had to offer.

Today wasn’t quite fair to Frank since he had spent the last two days covering miles of territory while I sat in a hotel conference room for hours on end. But he had things to show me and we had meat to walk off. Our fantastic meal at La Cabrera last night was weighing pretty heavy on both of us – demasiado carne! – so we were aiming to get some steps in.

And steps we got! We started with a walk along tha Mapocho River all the way across town to Santa Lucia hill, the remains of a volcano and where it is said that Santiago was born. We climbed to the top to appreciate the views of the city – a bit of fog/smog hung around so the mountains were not nearly as impressive as they generally are. Then off to see the rest of the sights.

We wandered around the Plaza de Armas, the main square of Santiago, where I think every Chilean 4th grader was on a field trip. There were SO MANY smallish children as well as old men, possible sex workers, stands selling galletas magicas (yup, homemade edibles!). We wandered into the cathedral which was beautiful – and also hosting a mass so no photos were in the cards. (Side note: it’s amazing that although I haven’t been to a Catholic mass for decades – probably my wedding! – and it was being conducted in Spanish, I still knew exactly what was going on! )

Eventually it was time to find some food. I hate to say this but I’m tired of eating. Sacrilege, I know. But when we are at home, eating is easy: walk into the kitchen, find something appealing which will most likely be there because it’s your house and you buy the food. You don’t ever think about the fact that you likely eat very similar things in the same place most days. When you are travelling, it’s an entire PROCESS that doesn’t always make you happy. I’m not even getting into the issues involved with special diets because it will just make me weep openly. This is just the finding somewhere to eat, deciding what to eat, paying for what you ate, and then doing it all over again several times a day. And there is an underlying assumption that you don’t eat at the same place multiple times, as you would at home, because somehow that’s wasting an opportunity. {sigh}

It’s not that there isn’t a multitude of options here because there are. You can have empanadas from any store in any flavor in any size. There are fancy places, takeout places, Chinese food (so funny!), sushi, McDonalds, Little Caesers (!)…. the list goes on. But that is exactly the problem: too. many. choices. </soapbox>

We found a nice cafe/bar near one of the universities – of which there are SO many – and had a pretty simple lunch. Which we ordered entirely in Spanish. And that meant that Frank had no idea what kind of sandwich he was getting. (Turned out to be a kind of pulled pork which was delicious). We sat outside and tolerated the stupid smokers so we could watch the world go by. We were visited by one of Santiago’s many street dogs, watched people beg for food scraps from the table next to us, and then were serenaded by a misplaced Chilean lounge singer who really wanted us to like him. So interesting!

We headed back across the river to see if Barrio Bellavista was any different on Thursday than it was on Saturday. More aimless wandering through small sidestreets, peering in shop windows, and just taking in the scenery. And then…. we were done. It was like a bolt of lighting hit and we were no longer interested in just about anything. Especially walking around the city so we wanted to stop walking. But we had a good 2 miles to get back to the hotel. So walk we must.

I’m pretty sure we looked a bit like zombies as we trudged back east. Not much witty conversation, stumbling over the occasional tree root, desperate to find a gelato place that wasn’t creepy. Eventually we managed both the gelato – yummy! – and the trudge home. A cheap bottle of Chilean rosé was procured from the local shop and we crashed into the room. Of course I had work to do but Frank napped while I drank the rosé. And then it was time to do the eating thing all over again.

After a brief respite, we managed to hobble around the corner to the place we had lunch yesterday. We had the same camarera bonita who smiled and forgave our bad Spanish. A much more reasonably sized meal (with a full bottle of carmenere from the Maipo valley) was enjoyed. A little familiarity feels nice sometimes.

*I still have lots of work that needs to be done but it doesn’t involve a suit, powerpoint, or a microphone.

Data for today:

• Steps: 28,622 or 13.7 miles
• Hills climbed: 1 (Google says it was 12 floors but then Google said Porto was “mostly flat”)
• Glasses of sangria: 1
• Hours of work accomplished: 2
• Degree of exhaustion: 12/10

Minimal post to assure folks that we are still alive. These are the days that required my business attention. Luckily, my business clothes had finally arrived. First a full day of conference sessions about the data challenges for the statistics function at central banks. (VERY interesting BTW). Then an official dinner where Frank got to charm the central bank data folks – I was quite proud.

The second day was my day to shine, I mean present. I’m glad I didn’t know that it was being streamed/recorded or I would have been maybe slightly nervous (no, that’s not a thing!) I was quite proud that I hit my 20 minute mark right on the dot – so unlike me!

A few more meetings and the day was done! We managed to snag a table at a fabulous restaurant where we had WAY to much food (demasiada comida) and wine but we ordered it in fractured Spanish with a very jovial waiter who never made fun of our linguistic short comings.

Data for today:

• Amount of time I had for my presentation: 20 minutes.
• Number of times I practiced: 6
• Number of times I hit the time target during practice: 0
• Number of economist jokes I snuck in: 5

Okay team, it’s time to get ready for serious travel tenacity. We’re on a marathon run of 4 continents in 4 weeks. Mostly work and some play. Wanna follow along?

ABZ -> LHR -> GRU -> SCL (for 7 days) -> ATL -> DCA/IAD (for 6 days) -> AMS ->ABZ -> (for 42 hours) -> AMS -> JNB -> CPT (for 6 days)-> JNB (for 5 days) -> AMS -> ABZ

The game starts tomorrow – see you then!

Well Hurricane Isais made our decision simple:  we could leave a day early and drive through the outer bands of the storm on our way home, or ride out the tropical storm in a beachfront motel room and have a lovely drive home on Wednesday as we had planned.  No contest!

The 7 hour drive home was going to be boring already so having it be boring and wet was no major sacrifice.  But having to entertain ourselves in a beach town in the rain with high seas and heavy winds didn’t make sense.  So we packed up and hit the road home.  We took the direct route this time instead of the scenic one:  I-95 South to 495 then the Mass Pike to the NY Thruway.  Yawn.  We hit some traffic around Haverhill MA so we hopped off the freeway and headed to my childhood home town of Billerica.  I didn’t recognize a thing – including my old house! Granted it was a quick drive through and I shouldn’t expect anything to look the same after 37 years but I was hoping there would be one thing I could take a picture of that would be meaningful.  Nope. Other than the Market Basket at the mall where I worked in high school, nothing was familiar.  I did subject Frank to the litinay of “used to” tidbits:  that’s where Jane used to live, that’s where O’Conner Hardware used to be, that’s where Tiki Hut used to be, etc.

Then back to the road.  We were dry but cloudy until we just before we hit the NY state line. We had kept the top up to be safe and this was the longest span of covered convertible we had for the entire trip.  Luckily we had good cell coverage the whole way so we went through every Pandora and Google Play list that we could think of.  We drove through an active manhunt on the thruway outside Waterloo NY that we saw on the news when we go home. We stopped at Wegmans to pick up a rotisserie chicken and microwave fixings. And then it was home.

It’s quiet now since Buddy is still in the kennel and I’m still officially on vacation for one more day.  So I’m off to tend to my veggies and sit in the hammock and read a book. I’ll be back to work tomorrow.  Who knows when the next entry here will happen or where we’ll be.  Stay safe and stay sane.  We hope to “see” you soon!

Numbers for the trip:

• Total days away: 10
• Days without any rain: 1
• Miles driven: 2320
• Miles driven with the top down: ~1800
• Total steps recorded: 104K (avg 10K per day)
• Total steps taken: Way more than 104K
• Moose sightings: 2ish?
• Moose themed tchotchkes acquired: 6

Yes we are traveling but it’s not a typical travel blog type of trip so we aren’t posting here. If you are *really* interested in the few posts from this trip, visit The Cannon Chronicles where there will be a few tidbits and updates from the week.

Look here in late July for the grand road trip adventure!

Yes team – the travel blog is coming back!  I decided to keep the KC adventures (and philosophical navel gazing) posts separate from the travel tales.

So you are warned:  food follies, trek tallies, and descriptions of the  Cannon family adventures will appear shortly (even though all four of us won’t be in every adventure).  Watch this space!

Danger Will Robinson!  The entire Cannon clan will be heading overseas for this year’s adventure starting next week.  Get ready for posts from Italy and the family visit to  Scotland.  We have done less planning for this trip than any other so I expect the posts to be entertaining at the very least!