Travel Stupidity

So I'm home from the Canaries again, but as with most of this trip, it couldn't help itself but end in some sort of travel stupidity. So here we go.

On Sunday afternoon after a spectacularly late night out with Kerry and Suzie, I raced around packing and climbed into the cab to head to the airport and go home. The airline had changed the flight time to an hour later so I had plenty of time and my trip home started out well enough with the airline checking my surf board bag in without any additional charges (Yeah!). So bag checked and tickets in hand I headed to the gate. So far, so good.

Unfortunately it all went downhill once I arrived in Barcelona. Although I didn't know if for a good hour. When I arrived I took a look at the flight board to see where I needed to go. Checked the time and thought, 'Oh good! Now, I've got 90 minutes to sit, grab a drink, make a phone call or two and write some emails." Which is exactly what I did, I figured with a 90 minute layover I could spare a little time to relax before heading to the gate. So 60 minutes later, I stroll casually up to the gate to find absolutely NO ONE there. Yup, somehow I hadn't realized that Barcelona was actually an hour ahead of where I was coming from. Instead of an hour and a half layover I had actually only had half an hour. And there were no more flights to Frankfurt that evening. Brilliance.

So after some panicked racing around the airport and some heavy negotiating on flight prices (they originally wanted to charge me for a full ticket at 742 euro, but I got them to do a ticket change for 98 euro instead), I hauled myself to a hotel for a few hours sleep before heading back to the airport at 5am to track down my luggage. An utter disaster, but it all worked out in the end.

Hard to believe I'm sure, but in all of the travel I've done in the last year I have never come close to anything quite this ridiculous. Oh well, lesson learned. I'll never, ever do this again. At least I'm finally home.

Surf School Stories Part II: Last Night Out

What a week it's been, new board, no clothes for 8 days and a couple of wonderful new friends.

Before I get to our big night out, I supposed I should elaborate slightly on my 8 days without clothing situation. When I arrived in Lanzarote last week, I was amazed to discover that while the airline had managed to deliver my surf board to me in one piece, they had some how left my duffel bag with everything else in it behind. Keeping in mind that the plane I flew from Frankfurt to Madrid and the plane I flew from Madrid to Lanzarote were the exact same one I was pretty amazed it had happened, but oh well. So after a few days of being told the bag was on the island and would be delivered only to have it never show up, the airline finally confessed on Sunday that they had NO IDEA where my bag was. So I called. Every day five times a day until finally they asked me for a list of "Identifying Objects" in the bag so they could put out a search to the entire European network to see if they could locate it.

Long story short, after calling for days on end, the owner of the surf school finally just swung by the airport on Friday only find my bag and have them telling me that it had been sitting there for at least THREE days. Yup. Three days, and every time I had called the airline had claimed that they had no idea where my bag was but they were looking for it throughout the European network. I hate to say this, but honestly, so Spanish. Fortunately I got everything back just in time to leave, but it did mean that I was able to spend a day surfing on the fin set-up that came with my board. So much better. I am in love with my new board.

So last night, my very last evening in Lanzo, I went out with a couple of new girls, Kerry and Suzie who just arrived on Thursday to this bar/restaurant/club kind of thing called Lago Mar. Apparently this place was built for the actor Omar Sharif and before he ever moved in he lost the house in a bridge game. I don't know much about that, but the space was incredible. It was built into the lava flows and is this huge complex of tunnels and lagoons and caves.

Plus the bar was fantastic. The bartender, Nino, was from Columbia but learned English from some American that had taught down in South America. Such a funny guy, and he made absolutely excellent capirinhas and mojitos. Who doesn't love a tasty drink on a Saturday night?

George and his newest girl showed up around 11pmish, just in time for the DJ to get things going in the bar. A few shots of rum, a few capirinhas and a lot of pictures of shoes later and I managed to find myself lounging down by one of the lagoons staring up at the stars. I guess there was only so much excitement I could handle in one night.

I have to say, it was a totally different Lanzo experience than Christmas/New Year's was, but it was still a good one. Quiet, reflective, sans my own clothes (you learn a lot about yourself when that happens by the way), and major progress in my surfing, or at least that's what I thought. I did learn to do a flick jump this time around! For those who don't surf that means I can now get up with out using my feet, I can basically just kind of flick myself into the air. Pretty exciting.

Anyway, I'm off now, already at the airport, and although I didn't manage to get a morning surf in today with Kerry, I did manage have breakfast with George, his new girl, Suzie and Kerry before heading off today. I do love the fact that I keep coming away from these surf trips with new friends. I'm hoping to get to Croyde this June with Kerry before I have to head back to the States. Oh well, gotta board the plane now, I'm homeward bound to rainy Frankfurt.

Surf School Stories Part II: Learning to Ride the Egg

So I've been back in lovely Caleta de Famara now for about a week with Tim, Simon and George attempting (and I used that in the broadest possible way) to learn how to ride the rather expensive piece of sporting equipment I purchased after my last trip here over Christmas/New Year's.

On the one side, I'm utterly relieved to know that my passion for surfing was not simply a passing fancy. I completely adore this sport. I think it's one of the first times in ages that I've fallen so completely for something this quickly and enjoyed it this much even though it takes a incredible amount of effort. But there you go, I'm in love with surfing and particularly my lovely red board.

So about this board. It has been so much harder to learn to ride it than I thought it would. Compared to the big long boards (all over 9ft and super heavy) that I learned on last time with Tim my board is a Takayama 7'6" Egg and it's super, super light and much more maneuverable. I think it's taken me full five days to just learn how to paddle out and sit on my board let alone ride it with any sort of grace, but I tell you when I do get those few and far between waves and I'm up and ride, it is a sweet, steady and FAST board. It's perfect. I have this odd feeling that many of my vacations in the coming years will be surf oriented. Fortunately lots of the places I want to visit also happen to have good surf. . . .

Unfortunately the last few days have been pretty miserable conditions, everyone in the school has been having what Tim calls a good "grovel" out in the onshore mush we've been seeing. I'm off today, but think I'm going to go have a surf with Tim, his girlfriend and his youngest son at one of the other breaks on the island. Should be fun. It looks pretty miserable and cold out right now but that's what wetsuits are for.

Speaking of wetsuits now that it seems the airline has completely lost my duffle bag with all of my clothes in it, I believe I may invest in a wetsuit. Might as well if they'll have to pay for it, right?

Violence in Kenya

Eight years ago, after I graduated from college I had my last hurrah as an undergraduate student and traveled to Kenya for three weeks to sit in lectures, stay with families and bring all of the classroom studies I had been doing the previous semester to life. That experience instilled in me a passion for and unending interest in Kenya and its developments as a nation and a people.

This December in the face of a disputed election, Kenya, arguably one of the most stable African nations erupted into rioting between the Luo and the Kikuyu that has still not fully dissipated. Randy Bell, a friend of mine from high school who is now a documentary filmmaker focused primarily on the slums in Nairobi, was on site at the end of December as the riots boiled around him. This is the short film he made about what is happening on the ground in Nairobi.

Lost in America: Beautiful babies and old friends

So ever since we were skiing in St. Anton I've been waiting for the chance to meet my lovely friend Claire's newest addition to her family, Baby Jack. And now that I'm home I finally had the chance. He is beautiful! And so is Claire's new house.

I think it's kind of like seeing your friends play dress-up when they move into their first "real" house. I mean like a house in the suburbs like what our parents raised us in. It's a sign that we're all getting older, growing up, starting our own families. You know, turning into real adults.

Not that we haven't been adults before this, but the babies and the houses somehow make it that much more tangible. Anyhow, Claire and Jack look amazing. He is a beautiful, beautiful baby. And I can't believe that it's only been a month since Claire had him. She looks incredible!

Can't wait to see both of them again. Hope it isn't another year until I do.

Lost in America: Gorgeous Philly Gelato

Okay, I admit I'm a sucker for any kind of ice cream. Even in the deepest depths of winter you can usually get me to get at least a scoop. So when I arrived in Philly to hang out with my brother and Denis mentioned that there was supposed to be this amazing gelato store in the city, you know I was completely game.

So after dinner off we went to Capogiro Karl, Jack, Denis, Lisa, Marc, Blair and myself. In the years since college, Denis has somehow turned into a bit of a gelato fanatic. And he wasn't wrong about this place, it was as good as some of the gelaterias I've been to in Italy.

On Saturday night I had this amazing Burnt Sugar Gelato, an scoop of deep, black Chocolate with a little Italian Blood Orange gelato to finish off the trio. Let me tell you. It was worth every calorie.

In fact it was so incredible, we went back the very next day to have a second round. Delicious! Not so good for my upcoming surf trip though. . . .

Lost in America: Mosaic Madness and Other Philly Moments

So we've spent the day wandering around Philly, Marc, Blair and I. I'm kind of sorry I hadn't had a chance to visit before. There are some very cool neighborhoods around here plus the history is pretty thick which is a nice change from some other U.S. cities. I saw Benjamin Franklin's grave and the foundations of the original Presidential house that they just dug up which is near the Liberty Bell. It reminds me a little of Europe in some ways.

We met up with Jack this afternoon and he brought us to this crazy Mosaic maze on Philly's South corridor called the Magic Garden. Apparently this artist, Isaiah Zagar, had returned to Philly in the 60s after a stint in the Peace Corp and opened a gallery. Over time he began to mosaic the interior and then the exterior of the building. He stretched into the empty lot next door (illegally I might add) and expanded his creation. You can walk through the entire space and he's still working. He had this great quote about the garden, when asked if he would ever be finished the artist said: Only I will know when it is complete, but to you who are seeing it right now, it is complete.

Very cool.

Anyway, we're off to dinner with Jack, Karl, Denis and Lisa soon. Should be a fun evening. I miss these guys. It's good to have a chance to catch up with them for a little while.