I just posted some photos from my adventures in Amsterdam and Libya in Flikr. I’m new to using Flikr so I can’t get it to display as I want. The photos show the trip in reverse order. If you want to see it in order, click on the ‘Amsterdam & Libya 2010″ photo in the box on the right. When my tech support returns, we’ll get this straightened out.
Camping Adventure in the Libyan Sahara
November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
To shorten our driving time, my British friends and I flew from
Tripoli to Sebha – a one hour flight – before heading out in 3 Land
Cruisers into the Sahara the next morning.
Driving for 5 hours on the highway was very uneventful, except for
frequent checkpoints where we gave the military personnel a formal
paper with a list of all the people in our party including the cook
and his driver.
Driving off-road into the desert sand was spectacular! The first two
days we drove through the Acacus Mountains, black rock structures
draped in pale orange Sahara sand. Our campsites were dramatically
beautiful with untouched dunes to climb and photograph.
While here we delighted in ancient rock art images dating from 10,000
years ago. I especially loved the giraffes and horses, although
everything was interesting. Fascinating to know these and other
animals used to call the Sahara home.
The last two days and nights in the desert we were surrounded the
gracefully undulating dunes, stretching as far as the eye can see,
with nothing else in sight. It was unendingly beautiful!
Highlights of the trip —
Our drivers, each with their own beautiful heart and playful
personality. Have you ever raced up sand dunes at 60 mph and then slid
down the steep side, 200 to 300 feet below? Two of the drivers were
like cubs, trying to out-do the other in speed and driving ability,
never passing the skilled lead driver. It often took my breath away
and was such phenomenal fun!
One of the other women and I went running down one of these steep
dunes, picked us so much momentum we were moving our legs as fast as
we could just to keep upright and then did a full-on face plant in the
next dune. Talk about momentum and propulsion. We never saw it
coming. Good thing about sand – it’s painless!
Another highlight was climbing a 400 foot dune of very soft sand in
the last light of day with our fantastic guide Dave so we could get
high enough to get cell coverage and send text messages to my family.
Then standing in the dark with the sand blowing at our feet and
pulling up a gps map of our location in the dunes. Totally cool! Then
retracing our steps going down, using our headlamps for light in the
now totally dark night!
Also, the last night we had a pretty strong wind so my tent was
blowing a lot during the night and then tried to take off with me in
it the next morning. Our guide posted a video of this on YouTube,
which I haven’t seen yet. I’ll post it when I return. The internet is
slow here so I can’t.
Not to be forgotten, our sweet, tender-hearted cook indulged us with
delightful, tasty meals of couscous, veggies, and camel meat for the
carnivores.
I will always treasure this fun adventure with my British friends!!
I’m in Libya!!
November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I’m here and I’m delighted! Much more Westernized than I expected. Similar energy to other Third World countries done in a Libyan style. Frontier feeling. Nice group of Brits – 7 of us plus 2 guides and a security person, although he wouldn’t intimidate me if I wanted to cause trouble. Kinda like the 2 guys with the sling shot in Guatemala who said they were protecting Doug and me several years ago.
Thrilling when we flew in over the Mediterranean and I saw Africa for the first time. An exotic land out of a storybook.
We walked around the medina – old town- before dinner. Beautiful mosques and my beloved arches everywhere.
Tomorrow evening we fly south into the Sahara and then camp in the desert the next 4 nights. I know I’m going to have fun!!!
I’ll write again when we return. I am in good hands.
A Day of Profound Encounters in Holland
November 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Today was awesome! I did exactly what I planned and went to the North Sea. It was overcast and no rain or wind. I walked the beach about 4 miles round trip. Loved being on the North Sea!
My day was a series of encounters – from the interesting to the fun to the difficult and challenging to the profoundly heart-touching to the ones that helped me grow. Actually all of them did that, including the tiny little snail I met at the side of the trail in the dunes, as she moved herself along about 1/4 inch at a time with no sense of rush and urgency. She reminded me of the horses – accepting wherever they are and whatever they are doing at the moment without judgment or resistance or desire to be somewhere else.
Every encounter was a story, which I’m sure I will share in the coming weeks and months.
Tomorrow -Saturday – is the Big Libya Day! I have my train tickets and plan already set to get to the airport tomorrow morning. I fly out at 10:30am.
I met a man on the beach today who has been to Libya 2 or 3 times on business. He said there are so many police in Tripoli that it is one of the safest places I can go. Excellent! Interesting how many people have said they thought Libya would be dangerous. I can certainly understand why based on the media and international news.
I’ll write more as soon as I can. We leave to go camping in the desert on Monday evening.
Blessings to you all!
I love Amsterdam!
November 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I am loving Amsterdam! It is the most relaxed, friendly cosmopolitan city I have ever experienced! Everything seems to be on a small scale compared to the States. Small streets, small cars, small homes, intimate, small restaurants. Bicyclists everywhere – all without helmets. It feels leisurely compared to the SF Bay Area.
I have experienced so much in the last two days. I’ll give you a quick rundown. BTW, I haven’t experienced jet lag at all! The techniques I’ve developed worked wonderfully.
I’ve met so many friendly people, all willing to take the time to help me, to talk and laugh with me. This includes the wonderful couple with whom I am staying. Jelmar and Annette are amazing!
Wednesday was a beautiful fall day here with many moments of sun. I walked all the way downtown and back – at least an hour each way plus all my side paths and detours- so I was pretty tired by the end of the day.
My visit to Anne Frank’s house was much more interesting and compelling than I anticipated. Her story was much more profound being here, and I appreciated the questions they raised about the freedom of speech and what should and should not be allowed. They made no judgments – just raised thoughtful questions in a multimedia experience at the end of the visit.
I love all of the canals, many with cute houseboats. There is water everywhere. I also love all the small, intimate ethnic cafes and shops. Delicious bread. I am surrounded with an unlimited choice of ethnic foods and everything I’ve eaten has been nourishing and delicious to my body and my soul.
Today – Thursday – I slept in until 9:15 after a very sound sleep of almost 10 hours. Then went to the Van Gogh Museum, which was a short walk. His art is interesting when seen in chronological order and his story is even more compelling. Very inspiring really, even though it had a tragic ending. He was so courageous to follow his dream to be a painter and to leave a legacy of his painting that expressed real human emotion.
He painted for the last 10 years of his life without any previous painting experience or training. In, fact, he taught himself! As I walked through this museum honoring his work, I was touched that his dreams came true, even though he didn’t live to see it. This museum is one of the most-visited in all of Amsterdam and people from all over the world come here to see his work and relate to this complex man. If you haven’t read a detailed account of his life, I invite you to do so.
Then I ventured downtown via the tram and made my way over to the famous Red Light District. I was definitely out of my element! If you visit Amsterdam, you have to visit the Red Light District. Even here I felt totally safe and I did see the lovely Old Church, which is the oldest building in Amsterdam. One highlight of the Red Light was a store that sold exclusive condoms. I’ve never seen such creative and funny ones. There was the deep sea diver, the elephant, a skull, Big Ben, plus many more I can’t recall right now. I did take a photo to help me remember.
I had a delicious Thai dinner – it was comfort food for my soul.
Tomorrow I’m taking the train out of town to the North Sea coast and then on my return stopping in the small town of Haarlem for some sightseeing. There has been virtually no rain the last 3 days and tomorrow they are expecting rain most of the day. I’m going anyway. I love Mother Nature in her raw power and I can always opt to get inside whenever I want. Plus I’m borrowing a raincoat since the wind at the sea would probably destroy my umbrella!
I LOVE experiencing other countries! It’s always easier and more wonderful than I imagine when I’m planning my adventure. Everywhere I go I meet interesting people, most of whom are heart-touchingly kind and friendly. Being a global citizen enriches my life in so many ways and makes me a wiser, more understanding person.
Happy trails to you all!
Just a little bit about me -- I'm a coach for parents, visionary guide, insightful trainer, and powerful consultant.