From Where I Sit
                                        Claremont Offers Restaurant Week & More!
In all the years I’ve been writing about restaurants I’ve never attended a city ‘Restaurant Week’. That changed when I traveled less than forty minutes from Anaheim, freeway 91 to 57 to 10 and arrived in an amazing location known as Claremont. This year it was held in January. Unfortunately I believe many write this city off as a college town not realizing it as a true destination spot.
I check into my hotel, Double Tree by Hilton-Claremont, then out for a walking tour of the area. As you begin your walk you soon learn this isn’t just another community, it’s almost family, inviting us to drop by and have some good eats and fun. This truly is America at its finest. I discover a place with a disgusting name, adjacent to the hotel. It’s called PianoPiano. This is a very adult location filled with live music, comedy, creating tons of laughter and featuring dueling piano’s, hence its name. Clever yes?
The next morning we tour the area and discover specialty restaurants and shops. The offerings include, bagles, pastries, finger sandwiches, candies, coffee’s, teas, wine and oils…did I mention scotch? You guessed it a store that specializes in Scotch,
oils and unique mixtures that come from around the world as well as here in the city.
We tried Tutti Mangia Italian Grill and literally were blown away by the food, its presentations all topped off with a team of servers that offered service absolutely unlike anywhere else. None of us could think of any location in California that offered such perfectly choreographed service. By the way they make one of the best Gin Gibson’s I’ve ever had.
While visiting Claremont we experienced stuffed dates and figs, Scallops, Escargot,
Jalapeno Bomb, Watermelon Salad, Soft Shell Crab Taco and a Rosemary Infused Lamb Rack.
We visited Packing House Wines, they offer over fifteen hundred wines and because this town works so closely together, you can tell the staff here where you plan to eat and they will pair your wines for dinner if the restaurant doesn’t serve what you desire. They offer tastings and you could spend hours browsing. Wine questions? Ask Sal Medina the proprietor. He can guide you easily thru the maze of wines. It’s an amazing store but difficult to explain.
The Folk Music Center is yet another highlight
as was my walk thru the city’s Botanical Garden and Butterfly Pavilion. Walking shoes, sun-screen, bottled water, a hat and a camera should be all you need and you’ll find benches shaded by huge trees along the walk.
You’ll find trash receptacles everywhere in the city but you will not find one parking meter.
I mention a small lists of the things you can do beside dine…did I mention live theatre productions? I do so because coming to Claremont just for dinner you do yourself an injustice. It is a destination, hometown style, as you walk the streets, greeted by locals and browsing the shops in the village you get the feeling that you are truly welcome. It is just minutes from almost anywhere in Southern California, freeway close, yet so relaxing, interesting and fun.
There’s one more item that must be mentioned. Claremont has a Chamber Of Commerce that really knows the city, the people and places, to wine, dine, relax, shop and stay. They are easy to find and eager to welcome you anytime you just want to escape to another area, close by but a world apart at least it seems to me from where I sit.

ISRAEL

My trip to Israel was over eight months of planning.  The day for departure had arrived and the bus from my departure point to Los Angeles International Airport had us there nearly four hours ahead of schedule.  There is nothing more exciting than the wait period at LAX.  The time for customs scrutiny had arrived and we waited and waited.  Snails moved faster than this line.  I’m thirsty and three people are in front of me.  Also in front of me is a very expensive water bottle dispenser.  I lean over put in my credit card and out drops my purchase, a bottle of cold water. “Next” a commanding voice heralds.  I step forward and the next thing I hear his voice demanding “What is that?”  I held it up and said it was a bottle of water I just purchased from the machine, almost next to him.  “You’ll have to step out of line and dispose of it then get back into line.”  No trash cans could be seen anywhere.  Almost forty-five minutes later I’m back with the same gentleman.  Step over to your left he says and points.  I’m escorted to a table where I have to take off my shoes, belt, empty my pockets and have my carry-on luggage and back pack torn into.  They unrolled socks, checked out my labeled medicines and unfolded every item.  It took two men almost fifteen minutes to find nothing of interest.  They looked at me, ran a wand over me then told me I was ok to move on.   I took my time reorganizing the mess they had created but I was now on the other side.  I had munchies in my back-pack for the flight so I ordered a sandwich and another small bottle of water to get me thru the waiting period.  My friends on this trip enjoyed my comment that the eight ounce bottle of H2O I had just purchased was almost twice the price of a gallon of gas.  We board the plane, get seated and now we are in flight.  Beverages were served, the water was free but I don’t think anywhere on earth you could find smaller cups.  A couple of hours later a meal was served.  If you’ve ever had a meal on a plane, no further comment is necessary.  We landed, I think, in
Amsterdam and chose to leave the plane for the ninety minute lay-over.  No smoking signs were everywhere and also everywhere were glass rooms with huge cigarette ads and they were filled with smokers.  When we went to get on our flight we discovered we had to go thru customs again.  Back on the plane we were again treated to another meal.  We played with our food asking each other what do you think this is…I think even the chocolate chip cookie evaded description.

Finally we landed in Israel, easily went thru customs and headed to our hotel.  Once settled in we gathered for our first meal.  As far as meals went the food was always good but the laws of Judaism were very much the rule…especially with regard to dairy products.

We visited several historical sights every day finding friendly people everywhere.  At the Wailing Wall I discovered the men had access to areas woman didn’t.  Some men seemingly in deep prayer were actually banging their heads against the wall. 

On the men’s side rooms were filled with gentlemen praying, some chanting and others totally oblivious to us tourists.  We sailed on the Sea of Galilee and stepped barefooted into the muddy waters of the River Jordan.   Across the river about twenty feet away was Palestine and several guards sat smoking while visible holding guns.  Signs were everywhere warning ‘DO NOT CROSS THE RIVER’.  As we put our shoes and socks back on I picked up a rock and decided it would be my souvenir, a remembrance of this day.  As I walked away I passed a woman who was struggling among all her packages.  I asked her if I could help her.  She pointed to a small rock at her feet and indicated she wanted to take it home.  I picked it up and dropped it in one of her bags. 
She thanked me and asked if there was anything she could help me with.  I smiled and said actually there was a small rock I passed earlier and would like to take home…she agreed.  When we reached the rock I said this is it.  She looked at me smiled and told me I had made her day.  She started to laugh and then said…’you are crazy but you know that already don’t you?’  she laughed some more and again thanked me for helping her.  The small rock is very interesting instead of describing it I’m offering a photo

.

We went by a cemetery, the site was cement like tombs, in some cases piled up. Many of the locations we visited were undergoing restoration.  We walked where Christ walked and looked into the well type room where he was once shackled to the wall.  We visited a church and school where we left a large amount of gifts for the youngsters.  The four young boys that were altar servers for our mass eyed the donated items constantly and as quickly as they could get there they picked up baseball  caps (both  LA Dodgers & Anaheim Angels), T-shirts and a book or two. 
When the school children appeared they all got one or two of the gifts from our group and outside they waved their items and said ‘Thank You’ over and over.

Israel offers modern cities and yet around a corner you can run into a historical site almost everywhere.  We found a stairwell and five of us decided we should go to the top to take photos.  Half way up we encountered a gate and were told we needed to go back down and purchase a ticket.  We got our tickets, climbed the stairs to the top and found ourselves standing on the top of a wall that went in several directions.  We took lots of photos from this area and decided to leave.  A voice called out no exit here.  So, we began a walk along the top of the wall soon discovering steps going down and we followed them.  As we walked along the lower level there were what appeared to be gun turrets obviously to defend the city.  This path took us to another set of stairs and we again found ourselves on the very top of the wall and the walkway became extremely narrow.  What was at one point nearly a two foot walk-way had become one less than a foot wide.  The wall on one side was about three feet high and on the other side it was an easy drop straight down several stories.  The wall took us up and down around a corner here and a stair case there.  Plenty of photo ops and at one point a costly lens fell from one of the cameras and we listened as it loudly collided with stones on its way to total destruction.  It was so far down we couldn’t see it.  We finally heard the sound of children playing and as we turned the corner we discovered an extremely narrow stairway that ended at ground level and a small patch of green grass where they were playing.  We learned at that point counting the numerous staircases we had walked almost five miles and we were very close to our starting point.

I found Israel filled with history, religiously and historically.  The people were extremely polite and caring.  Some of the tourist souvenir stands offered unusual Israel items…for example, a huge display of t-shirts all bearing the letters UCLA.

On the flight home we discussed some happenings that will remain forever with us.  The new friendships made and how fortunate we felt having the opportunity to walk in the steps of Jesus.

When we arrived back at LAX we had to again go thru customs.  As I approached the final customs agent I was again detained and asked if I would step thru a door into another room.  I walked thru a corridor and found myself in a big room with an agent approaching me.  Put your luggage up here he said.   Two additional agents approached…’are you Mister Woodin ‘ one asked.  We’ve been watching you since you handed the first agent your passport.  Is your passport totally accurate one asked.  I assured them it was, they made several comments and asked if they could shake my hand.  After that exchange they picked up my luggage and walked me to the exit door where the others in my party anxiously awaited.   Another round of handshaking and they departed.  ‘What was that about?’ they queried.  I smiled and said it was nothing.  ‘No’ one said,  ‘they were giving you special treatment’.  “What happened?’ another asked.  I promise you you’re going to laugh.  I then told them they questioned my birthdate on my passport and questioned my age and then they said they hoped they looked as good when they reach my age. Everyone smiled and laughed.  ‘Just how old are you?’ someone asked.  I smiled and began walking away.  Looking over my shoulder I replied, ‘Old, very old!’

            The year, 20 something, as I boarded a plane headed for Africa via Amsterdam, I thought of the eight months I had spent planning the trip and the newspaper headlines heralding the uprising in Kenya.  Everyone advised me not to make the excursion at this time, but the excitement I had won out and I was heading for a Third World Nation.

            The long flight was at the least boring and the food served on the plane was totally indescribable as to what it was and was as bland as one can imagine.  The airline did serve some nice beverages and that was a great help in making the flight at least a little tolerable.

            Arriving in Kenya, their airport is not exactly state of the art, the arrival area was comfortable warm, surprisingly clean and painted a Dijon Mustard yellow.  Stepping into the terminal, before we reached Customs, we encountered our first African.  He was obviously a soldier as he approached us with a loaded rifle hanging from his cami uniform.  “Welcome to Kenya.  Where are you from?”  Some in California should speak such good English!  “The United States” we replied.  “Which state?”

“California.” A knowing grin spread across his face. “Anaheim.” “Disneyland” he said.  I asked had he ever been there and he said he had never been out of Africa. He mentioned the current political situation and thanked us, putting out his hand and again thanking us for coming during this most trying of times.  We sailed through customs and stepping outside we were greeted by our tour guide who whisked us to a local hotel for the night.

            The next morning we began the tour of a lifetime…Africa.  We first learned that the company that was in charge of the next two weeks or so had assigned us a local tour guide that had never been out of Africa and he spoke eight languages fluently.  They also limit the number of people on any given tour to the number in your party.  Two, just two and the tour guide….WOW.

            For the next two weeks we traveled the country sleeping in the most elegant tents you have ever experienced.  They offered two Queen size beds, hot showers, flushing commodes, electricity for our computer and digital camera recharge units.  Most of the electricity was generated via Solar panels.  The first two nights our beds contained hot water bottles and as we moved across the country we found chocolates on our turned down beds and on one occasion we actually had a chandelier in the tent.

            We traveled to Nairobi, Amboseli, Ngorangoro, The Serengeti, Masai Mara and Naivasha.  Our first day out our guide promised a genuine African Massage.  Little did I suspect that meant a very bumpy ride on dirt roads that featured numerous trenches created by running water. 

            All of the food was prepared by cooks stationed at the final destination of the day.  We assume carrots are a major agricultural feature of the country as we find them in every form for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Breakfast usually consisted of eggs cooked to order, scrambled regardless, dry cereal, delicious fresh juice concoctions, rolls, potatoes and of course, carrots with fresh delicious red tomatoes. Lunch was almost always fried chicken, a hard boiled egg, some fruit, a cookie and something sweet that consistently liked to stick to the roof of your mouth and a cartoned fruit beverage, similar to Hi C but with basically no outstanding flavor.  Dinner varied nightly from steak, veal and foul with a crisp salad, soup and dessert.  Cream of carrot soup was delicious as was many of the other soup creations we encountered.  Dinner was always at 7:30 when the darkness takes over and although you have a lantern to guide you, seemingly from no-where a Masai Warrior escorts you to the dining area only to disappear into the night until you are ready to return to your tent.  Our most delicious meal was near the end of our journey when we had Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Outside of what Grandma made, we never had it so delicious.  Delicate flavors of various spices and fresh tomatoes could be identified as we tore through this dinner and our second helping.  Our final night found us at a tourist trap called Carnivores.  The food here was excellent and was brought to your table by various staff carrying huge kabobs with such treats as beef, chicken, ostrich, alligator, veal---you get the picture and they kept returning until you removed from view a small flag on your table.  Then they topped off dinner with dessert, ice cream was my choice but they offered some devilishly good chocolate treats, which I kind of sampled.  The restaurant had what we would consider house cats walking around everywhere, but I truly believe they were actually appetizers for the wild animals you could hear in the area. 

The Masai are really not warriors, rather they are farmers, but at night they stood watch, silently in the darkness ever aware of the many animals that would drop by during the night.  In the morning before they cleaned the area, they would point out where lions, zebra’s, elephants, giraffes and numerous other animals had ‘dropped by’.

            Everywhere we traveled we would see children tending cattle what seemed like in the middle of no-where, which it was with no sight of housing anywhere.  Most of the youngsters were dressed in school style uniforms while others were colorfully in blankets that depicted local native garb.  From the age of two, this ‘Third World Country’ requires all children to attend school and they all learn two languages and speak them both fluently.  The kids are shy but if we waved from our vehicle, they would give us a great smile and wave feverously.  We walked with the Masai to a local school about a mile away and found a bare building, with only a chalk board, with a lot of English on it, a couple of desks and chairs.  The floors were dirt and a dry warm air flowed through the windows that had no glass, just an opening for air flow.  About forty kids stood around waiting to walk home.  They were extremely shy, but when spoken to, they did so showing excellent manners and huge smiles as they showed off their English speaking skills.  This particular school had a sign declaring school supplies, books, pencils, tablets and sporting equipment was supplied by a Baptist Church program in America.   As the rain begins to pound the earth and thunder and lighting required our immediate attention, the Masai retrieved a colorful cell phone from his belt and called for a vehicle as the storm was too unpredictable for us to walk back to our base camp.

            Finally, the trip was really about the animals and here our tour guide excelled.  We were challenged by an enormous elephant as we entered his territory and marveled at the gentleness the lions showed as they played with their cubs.  On more then one occasion we were face to face and that means less then a yard away from many of the lions we encountered and they glanced at us never showing fear and they were never intimidating. 

We floated past hippo’s in a huge pool and were constantly entertained by baboons which were everywhere.  Zebras were everywhere and gazelles seemed to gracefully float by with rapid speed.  We stopped for a baby, about six inch, turtle as he walked along our road and marveled at a sea of flamingos as they stood silently in a lake created by a dead volcano centuries ago.  There was a strange beauty in fully matured warthogs that crawled on their front knees in search of food and hyenas that tore into their prey unfretted by our proximity to them.  There is a beauty to this vast dirt bowl that was best seen after the sun had beautifully set in the distance with those tiered trees that grace the land creating a silhouette that will never be forgotten.  Then on the horizon you see against the darkness elephants slipping by in a silence that yells out to you.  The silence of the evening is broken by the sounds of the animals and we are amazed at the voice of the zebra.  It is high in pitch and very distinctive.  Alligators study us as we walk across a bridge the locals use to get to the nearest town.  It sways with every step and you hold on so you wont fall below into the water and the waiting gators. 

            As you travel the area and learn to enjoy as best you can the daily African Massage, you can’t help but asked why would anyone want to destroy or harm these amazing animals that adorn this country.  A final encounter only intensified the question as I came face to face with a full grown giraffe, which by the way is considered the most dangerous of animals.  I hand fed him and gave him a hug and his huge neck lowered its head and gave me a big, wet, sloppy kiss.

 Wild animals, of course, but being next to them, in their territory, sometimes with vultures quietly eyeing us as they passed overhead, you gain an appreciation that nature can be gentle and kind and that an adventure of a lifetime, even with humans fighting each other nearby, is coming to a close filled with pictures tattooed on ones brain for life, hospitality totally unexpected and children filled with love and the amazing ability to live in a third world nation, supposedly filled with poverty, and yet you listen to their ability to speak two languages, and see in their faces their desires, their hope for a brighter tomorrow.  I will probably never return to Africa but look forward to another time, soon that I will visit Israel.

James Woodin

‘FROM WHERE I SIT’

2017 TRAVEL & ADVENTURE ANYONE

The dates,February 18-19, 2017.  It’s the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  This year it’s billed as the world’s largest, much bigger and better than in past years with more destinations inviting you to come visit.  They will offer entertainment, demonstrations, seminars and even the opportunity to taste flavors from across the globe.  To catch your attention, many of the countries representatives are in local dress---fun photo ops.  Plus you can enjoy cultural performances from distant lands.  If you’re planning a trip to most anywhere in the world, tomorrow, this summer or even next year, this show is a must.  There are plenty of pamphlets to peruse and take with you and throughout your visit you’ll have the opportunity to pick-up a couple of new travel aids, pens, decks of cards and most important a bag to carry all of the exciting information you’ll obtain to aid in planning your next excursion be it by car, plane or ship.  There’s always lots of drawings and if years past is an example there probably will be an offer to spend a complimentary night at a hotel on Catalina.  Travel suggestions are everywhere and it’s the show you can gather information for destinations that you might not have ever considered.  There is always lots of guest speakers and the one I recommend you not miss is Andrew Zimmern.  He is always full of information and humorous, his program is worth your time.  This year’s show, returning to Los Angeles is the trip you must make before your next trip… at least …from where I sit.

James Woodin

‘FROM WHERE I SIT’

MEET JOHN KELLY

Confession  time…I’m a chocoholic!  Pure and simple.  I love Peanut Brittle but when it comes to chocolate, that’s another story.  You can’t walk by John Kelly Chocolates in Hollywood without being drawn in.    When you get inside this boutique you’ll find yourself debating what do I want to taste.  While in this condition you might find a celebrity or two dropping by to pick up some of the amazing chocolates available.  I snuck into the production area and learned everything is hand-made, 12,000 pieces, minimum, each day.  For some items five individuals are involved in the making of a single piece.  Even the packaging is piece by piece.  I watched a lady checking every item as it passed by and if she saw something that didn’t meet their standards for quality and appearance it was removed before it reached packaging.  Another gloved lady was placing a nut on top of each piece.  I sampled several of their specialty chocolates and really enjoyed one made with jalapenos.  They offer all types of chocolate; Milk Chocolate, Semi-sweet Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate.  Some pieces are filled with a Caramel filling or Peanut Butter. They will create a special package for you, two pieces to a big box. Their products are created from scratch utilizing the finest ingredients available carefully blended for a balance of sweet rich flavor.  They are certified Kosher (dairy).   John Kelly Chocolate’s  even have special sculpted pieces available.   When you visit the Hollywood location you might ask if John Kelly is available to answer a question or two.  You might get  an answer  like he’s kind of here.  Somewhere in the production area or perhaps behind the counter the man behind the name will be there.  Actually, John Kelly is the first name of the two founders of the company, John & Kelly. 

They have a shipping department and can handle your gift boxes but there is a catch.  They actually have an office in the building that checks weather conditions to the area your gift is headed.  To have the quality, texture and flavor of your gift perfect when it arrives, they will calculate the very best time for shipping.  They ship so your gift doesn’t sit for days while in transit and in a high temperature area waiting for delivery.   

I’m positive you believe you’ve tasted good chocolate but once a piece of John Kelly Chocolate melts in your mouth exposing to your taste buds an exciting flavor filled experience you’ll never think of chocolate candy again without the adjective…John Kelly.  You can visit the factory boutique in Hollywood at 1508 North Sierra Bonita, it’s just around the corner from Sunset Blvd. near La Brea. They have an additional location in Santa Monica at 1111 ½ Montana Ave.              If you’re looking for an exceptional gift, (maybe for me) , you can visit either of their stores, Hollywood location is closed on Sundays and the Santa Monica store is open daily or check them on line @JohnKellyChocolates.com.  (They are also featured on Amazon.com)  One bite is all it takes to enjoy their melt in your mouth quality at least from where I sit.

A WISH COMES TRUE IN MEXICO

The trip aboard our ship included stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Los Cabos.  These cities surprised me as they are more like small little communities, filled with friendly people that seemed to care about your enjoyment of their area.  Each offered at least one major state of the art hotel and some spectacular views.  I personally couldn’t, in fact didn’t, stop eating the meals prepared for us and nothing came close to what is served to us in the states as true Mexican faire.  The blend of spices, fresh meats, fruits and veggies and their presentations were like nothing I was expecting.  To put it correctly….the food was perfect, full of the flavors of Mexico and had the eye appeal like I’ve experienced in very few restaurants.  The countless Margaritas and Tequila shots weren’t bad either.

I saw the cliff divers.  They really scared me as they barreled into the water missing the rocky terrain by inches before sliding into the shallow water below.  Amazing to say the least.

My visit was made perfect and the story behind it began over fifty years ago.  In December 1938, Broadway impresario and showman Earl Carroll opened a theatre on Sunset Blvd., just east of Vine Street in Hollywood.  In 1953 it became Frank Sennes’ Moulin Rouge.  Mr. Sennes presented some of the greatest performers from all over the world at this location.  Years later,  Mr. Sennes produced an outdoor spectacular at Marineland Of The Pacific in Rancho Palos Verdes.  I was involved in that show and I became a fan of one of the most intelligent mammals on this earth---dolphins.

At this time in my life, I was involved in a local television show and proposed to everyone I could that my TV character should visit the park and I could get into the water and visit with the dolphins.  The idea was turned down as the powers that be felt it was too dangerous and possibly to costly.

We jump ahead to the present and while traveling along the Mexican Riviera I’m asked if I would like to get into a dolphins pool for an hour.  This generated an excitement and visions that kicked my energy levels way to high and all I could talk about for the next two days was how I was filled with anticipation for this hour.  I called every relative and friend I could think of and expressed how much I was looking forward to this event.

Upon arrival I was met by the staff and they told me they could see the excitement I was filled with.  They fitted me with the equipment required and I marched, I actually ran, to the pool entrance.  The sun was overhead and it hitting my untanned body set off a glare that nearly caused total blindness for those around me. “Mr. Jim” the trainer called out, stand still, hold your arms out and place your hands on the surface of the water, palms down.  The trainer blew an inaudible whistle, I spotted her, this sea creature coming close, then stopping, my hands now against her smooth skin.  She swam away then turned, coming towards me.  It’s the eyes, she has piercing eyes, you’d think they can see into you.  She stops and I stare, it’s not my imagination running wild, the eyes have a quality that explodes with love and gentleness.  You feel comfortable, it’s best explained by saying it’s like holding a baby in your arms, looking into the child’s face and feeling the love that engulfs you.  She again swims away, but now you feel bonded like you do with a new puppy except there appears to be a sense of understanding, a sense of caring and I’m overwhelmed with the

feeling she really cares.  We swim a little together and then in water, slightly deeper, she moves ahead of me and the trainer instructs me to grasp a fin.  I can almost hear her tell me to hold tight as her head turns slightly to check me out and the eye has a twinkle in it.  We’re off, she’s taking me around the pool faster then I could ever begin to swim it.  We go a second time and I think I’m yelling louder then ever.  “Let go Mr. Jim!” I do and the dolphin disappears from my view.  I’m then instructed to float on my stomach, cross my legs, feet together, hands joined in front of me.  I did and felt nothing, then suddenly I am bolted threw the water with an incredibly strong yet gentle force.  My screams of excitement have now become deafening.  Around and around we go, my body is actually being lifted out of the water by my speed, propelled by the nose of the dolphin pressing against my feet.  This is an adrenalin rush like no other.

This is an experience that everyone, especially youngsters, should have. Your appreciation for these amazing animals, who I truly believe communicate to you without saying a word, is worth the price.  We did some other fun things together and then it was time to leave the pool, she swam over, then her body running parallel to mine, her fins came forward and we hugged.  She gave out a couple of squeaks, we’ve all heard them before and then she sank slowly into the water and swam away.

When this day ended I received a color photo of myself and the dolphin and a DVD of my encounter.  It’s a lifetime treasure!

Visit Mexico, take a ship, a bus, a train or fly in and experience, not the country, not the people, not the food, not any of the negative things your

mind and negative reporting has described, but a community filled with caring people, a great history, real freshly prepared Mexican faire with flavors and textures that delight ones palate.  You’ll find world class accommodations filled with amenities and walking trips over streets and walkways steeped in Mexican lore.  Everywhere I found nothing but people that seemed to care, to welcome with open arms, to help, suggesting side trips, a walk thru a church, the town center, a historical theatre, the seat of government and so much more.  Do yourself a favor; treat yourself and your family to a real glimpse of our neighbors to the south.  If you have time, go inland and you’ll find so much more to see and experience.  Check out a Jai Alai game, a bull fight or visit the pyramids of Mexico, just don’t ask, after walking very narrow steps to the very top of a pyramid, without hand rails, how the elderly lady reached the top of the pyramids with a fifty pound block of ice and cases of water and soda, that couldn’t appear at a better time.  You’ll look down from this amazing structure and decide

another water or soda is going to be required for the trek down. I remember reading about the Inca’s and their pyramids but for some reason never associated Mexico with either.  Pyramids in Mexico are so very close and are a part of history, a man made marvel that still baffles ones mind. 

There is one thing I hope you don’t encounter, perhaps it’s my imagination, then again, I don’t think so…as I left the dolphin pool, I looked back and saw two dolphins whipping their tails, which allowed them to appear standing almost entirely out of the water, they seemed to be smiling and I believe I heard them exclaim as I walked out of sight…”That guy was as huge as Shamu!”.

     

AFRICA---I LEFT THE ANIMALS HUNGRY

            As I boarded a plane headed for Africa via Amsterdam, I thought of the eight months I had spent planning the trip and the newspaper headlines heralding political problems there.  Everyone advised me not to make the excursion at this time, but the excitement I had won out and I was heading for a Third World Nation.

            The long flight was at the least boring and the food served on the plane was totally indescribable as to what it was and it was as bland as one can imagine.  The airline did serve some nice beverages and that was a great help in making the flight at least a little tolerable.

            Arriving in Kenya, their airport is not exactly state of the art, the arrival area was comfortable warm, surprisingly clean and painted a Dijon Mustard yellow.  Stepping into the terminal, before we reached Customs, we encountered our first African.  He was obviously a soldier as he approached us with a loaded rifle hanging from his cami uniform.  “Welcome to Kenya.  Where are you from?”  Those residing  in California should speak such good English!  “The United States” we replied.  “Which state?” “California.” A grin spread across his face and he then asked a question we heard almost daily.  “How are Arnold and Trump?”  He mentioned the current political situation and thanked us, putting out his hand and again thanking us for coming during this most trying of times.  We sailed through customs and stepping outside we were greeted by our tour guide who whisked us to a local hotel for the night.

The next morning we began the tour of a lifetime…Africa.  We first learned that the company that was in charge of the next two weeks or so had assigned us a local tour guide that had never been out of Africa and he spoke eight languages fluently.  They also limit the number of people on any given tour to the number in your party.  Two, just two and the tour guide….WOW.

For the next two weeks we traveled the country sleeping in the most elegant tents you have ever experienced.  This is truly the middle of nowhere.  No buildings, no telephone poles or lights, darkness with stars glowing everywhere in the sky. They offered two Queen size beds, hot showers, flushing commodes, electricity for our computer and digital camera recharge units.  Three tents, one for us, one for our guide and chef and the third was the kitchen and dining room which displayed a full bar. Most of the electricity was generated via Solar panels.  The first two nights our beds contained hot water bottles and as we moved across the country we found chocolates on our turned down beds and on one occasion we actually had a chandelier in the tent.

We traveled to Nairobi, Amboseli, Ngorangoro, The Serengeti, Masai Mara and Naivasha.  Our first day out our guide promised a genuine African Massage.  Little did I suspect that meant a very bumpy ride on dirt roads that featured numerous trenches created by running water.

All of the food was prepared by a cook stationed at the final destination of the day.  We assume carrots are a major agricultural feature of the country as we find them in every form for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Breakfast usually consisted of eggs cooked to order, scrambled regardless, dry cereal, delicious fresh juice concoctions, rolls, potatoes and of course, carrots with fresh delicious red tomatoes. Our boxed lunch was almost always fried chicken, a hard boiled egg, some fruit, a cookie and something sweet that consistently liked to stick to the roof of your mouth and a cartoned fruit beverage, similar to Hi C but with basically no outstanding flavor.  Dinner varied nightly from steak, veal and foul with a crisp salad, soup and dessert.  Cream of carrot soup was delicious as was many of the other soup creations we encountered.  Dinner was always at 7:30 when the darkness takes over and although you have a lantern to guide you, seemingly from no-where a Masai Warrior escorts you to the dining area only to disappear into the night until you are ready to return to your tent.  Our most delicious meal was near the end of our journey when we had Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Outside of what Grandma made, we never had it so delicious.  Delicate flavors of various spices and fresh tomatoes could be identified as we tore through this dinner and our second helping.  Our final night found us at a tourist trap restaurant called Carnivores.  The food here was excellent and was brought to our table by various staff carrying huge kabobs with such treats as beef, chicken, ostrich, alligator, veal---you get the picture and they kept returning until you removed from view a small flag on your table.  Then they topped off dinner with dessert, ice cream was my choice but they offered some devilishly good chocolate treats, which I kind of sampled.  Several restaurants in Southern California now feature this style of service. The restaurant had what we would consider house cats walking around everywhere, but I truly believe they were actually appetizers for the wild animals you could hear in the area. 

The Masai are really not warriors, rather they are farmers, but at night they stood watch, silently in the darkness ever aware of the many animals that would drop by during the night.  In the morning before they cleaned the area, they would point out where lions, zebra’s, elephants, giraffes and numerous other animals had ‘dropped by’.

Everywhere we traveled we would see children tending cattle what seemed like in the middle of no-where, which it was with no sight of housing anywhere.  Most of the youngsters were dressed in school style uniforms while others were colorfully in blankets that depicted local native garb.  From the age of two, this ‘Third World Country’ requires all children to attend school and they all learn two languages and speak them both fluently.  The kids are shy but if we waved from our vehicle, they would give us a great smile and wave feverously.  We walked with the Masai to a local school about a mile away and found a bare building, with only a chalk board, with a lot of English on it, a couple of desks and chairs.  The floors were dirt and a dry warm air flowed through the windows that had no glass, just an opening for air flow.  About forty kids stood around waiting to walk home.  They were extremely shy, but when spoken to, they did so showing excellent manners and huge smiles as they showed off their English speaking skills.  This particular school had a sign declaring school supplies, books, pencils, tablets and sporting equipment was supplied by a Baptist Church program in America.  As the rain begins to pound the earth the thunder and lightning required our immediate attention, the Masai retrieved a colorful cell phone from his belt and called for a vehicle as the storm was too unpredictable for us to walk back to our base camp.

Finally, the trip was really about the animals and here our tour guide excelled.  We were challenged by an enormous elephant as we entered his territory and marveled at the gentleness the lions showed as they played with their cubs.  On more then one occasion we were face to face and that means less then a yard away from many of the lions we encountered and they glanced at us never showing fear and they were never intimidating.  We floated past hippo’s in a huge pool and were constantly entertained by baboons which were everywhere.  Zebras were observed daily and gazelles seemed to gracefully float by with rapid speed.  We stopped for a baby, about six inch, turtle as he walked along our road and marveled at a sea of flamingos, hundreds,  as they stood silently in a lake created by a dead volcano centuries ago.  There was a strange beauty in fully matured warthogs that crawled on their front knees in search of food and hyenas that tore into their prey unfretted by our proximity to them.  There is a beauty to this vast dirt bowl that was best seen after the sun had dipped away in the distance with those tiered trees that grace the land creating a silhouette that will never be forgotten.  Then on the horizon you see against the darkness elephants slipping by in a silence that yells out to you.  The silence of the evening is broken by the sounds of the animals and we are amazed at the voice of the zebra.  It is high in pitch and very distinctive.  Alligators study us as we walk across a bridge the locals use to get to the nearest town.  It sways with every step and you hold on so you won’t fall below into the water and the waiting hungry gators.

 

As you travel the area and learn to enjoy as best you can the daily African Massage, you can’t help but ask why anyone would want to destroy or harm these amazing animals that adorn this country.  A final encounter only intensified the question as I came face to face with a full grown giraffe, which by the way is considered the most dangerous of animals. 

I hand fed him and gave him a hug and his huge neck lowered its head and gave me a big, wet, sloppy kiss.  Wild animals, of course, but being next to them, in their territory, sometimes with vultures quietly eyeing us as they passed overhead, you gain an appreciation that nature can be gentle and kind and that an adventure of a lifetime, even with humans fighting each other nearby, is coming to a close filled with pictures tattooed on our brain for life, hospitality totally unexpected and children filled with love and the amazing ability to live in a third world nation, supposedly filled with poverty, and yet you listen to their ability to speak two languages, and see in their faces their desires, their hope for a brighter tomorrow.  I will probably never return to Africa but look forward to another time when I will again ask the people of Kensington Tours to provide me with another dream, a visit to China. I truly believe I got a bargain when I setup this trip, mostly on line, without utilizing a travel agency at least from where I sit.

(All animal photos by Garrett Donaldson---all rights reserved)