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BY Nancy Mueller 7 Comments ON April 30, 2013

Z is for Zihuatanejo Bay!

ZihuatanejoBayRoryFinnerenflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of Rory Finneren – flickr

To wrap up my participation in the April A – Z Blogging Challenge – and coincidentally the last day of National Poetry Month – I’m ending with three distinct travel destinations:

I.ZihuatanejoBaySunsetRoryFinnerenflickr (450 x 253)

Photo courtesy of Rory Finneren – flickr

Z zips us to Mexico’s tropical coast, Zihuatanejo Bay.
Come play in the surf, eat lobster, too, and practice
your Spanish – olé!

II.ZwingerPalaceTheLastMoorishKingflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of The Last Moorish King – flickr

The Zwinger Palace in Dresden is
capped by an onion-shaped crown.
With its beautiful setting and showcase for art
it’s a major landmark in town.

III.ZigZagRailwayBotheredbyBeesflickr (450 x 322)

Photo courtesy of BotheredByBees – flicker

Follow the Z in a series of switchbacks, dated 1869.
On Australia’s Zig-Zag Railway, we’ve come . . .
to . . . the . . . end . . . of . . . the . . . line.

 

Thank you for joining our A – Z journey!

But of course, dear Reader, we haven’t seen all.

So pack your bags and a sense of adventure –

there’s so much more to explore.

The whole wide world is waiting,

just as soon as you open your door.

Where are you headed next in your travels, wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Australia, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Mexico, Travel Experiences Tagged With: A - Z Blogging Challenge, Australia, Dresden, Mexico, National Poetry Month, Spanish, Zig Zag Railway, Zihuatanejo Bay, Zwinger Palace

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON December 13, 2012

Here We Are & There We Go . . .

As a child, Jill Dobbe imagined a life far different from the one she was living in her small Wisconsin town. She dreamt of one filled with travel, excitement and adventure.  After graduating with dual degrees in sociology and education, Dobbe set off with her husband Dan and their two children, both under the age of two, to make those dreams come true.

In her new memoir, Here We Are & There We Go: Teaching and Traveling with Kids in Tow,  Dobbe takes the reader along on her family’s journey over the next sixteen years as they settle first in Guam, followed by Singapore, Ghana and Guadalajara.

Recently I had the chance to ask Jill about her peripatetic lifestyle and its impact on her family. Here’s an excerpt of our interview:

Tell us about your memoir.

My memoir is not just about traveling with kids, but is also about the cultures we lived in and the crazy, humorous, and sometimes scary adventures that we found ourselves in.

For example?

On our first night in Accra, Ghana, we were taken to our new home in the middle of the night.  After unloading all of our suitcases we looked around and found no locks on any of the outside doors and no bars on the windows.  My husband stayed awake the whole night walking from one end of the house to the other, while my two kids and I slept in one bed locked inside a bedroom.

You grew up in a small town like I did. What inspired your wanderlust?

I always wanted to travel and I kept the hope alive all through college. I had a friend whose mother taught German at a local high school. I remember her going on a trip to China when her daughter and I were teenagers.  She was the only person I knew in our small town who had ever traveled.

When I graduated with my degree in elementary education I started investigating teaching overseas.  I married an educator and despite having two very young children, we went to our first overseas hiring fair and were hired as teachers on Guam.  That’s where it all began.  Our children grew up overseas and our daughter currently teaches with us in Honduras.  We all have wanderlust now and our kids continue to travel on their own now that they are adults.

What’s the value of living, working and raising a family abroad?

It is the best education that you can possibly give to your children.  Not only do they learn about the world firsthand, but they get to see in real life what their friends back home only see in school textbooks or on T.V.  Children can easily become global citizens as they travel and experience the sights of the world.  They learn the values of empathy, respect, and tolerance for others more readily, as they witness the importance of greetings, the value placed on extended families, and the importance of education. There is also much less emphasis on material possessions and more emphasis on the quality of life. Living and working abroad gives us all a much better perspective of our world and more opportunities to help others in need.

What has been your hardest adjustment to living and working overseas?

Sixteen years ago when my husband and I began teaching overseas was the most difficult.  I remember having to make expensive long distance calls to our U.S. bank from West Africa just to try and sort out our banking issues.  Sometimes we ended up unable to hear over fuzzy telephone lines, or getting cut off, or being unable to get through at all. There were absolutely no cell phones or computers then. We were unable to email, Skype, or Facebook with anyone during our first ten years abroad.  Snail mail was all we had and it took weeks to get letters/packages from the U.S.  Happily, it is a smaller world today with all the technology available.  Living overseas is not as traumatic or scary anymore and we can keep in touch so much more easily.

What’s been the most challenging cultural difference you have had to overcome?

Right now I am trying to learn Spanish and that is challenging!  We have had to learn the basics of Hindi, Arabic, Twi, and more. Despite working in English speaking schools, we still found that we needed to have a translator when getting our cable hooked up, paying household bills, getting a driver’s license, etc. because the average workers didn’t always speak English.

How would you advise parents to prepare their kids for a move abroad?

Prepare them by talking about where you are moving to.  Find it on the map and read books from and about the country that you will be living in.  Tell them about the new school they will be attending and find out as much as you can about the extra-curricular activities that they can take part in.  Communicate with them as much as possible about the move and find out their concerns and fears about their new lifestyle.  Allow them chances to say goodbye to their friends, cousins, grandparents, and classmates. Let them know they will not lose touch and will be able to keep in touch through Skype.  Buy them a camera or journal or both to record their experiences while living overseas.

If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently?

We first moved overseas when our children were only one and two years old.  We took chances with their health and safety that when I think about it today, was sort of risky.  Waiting until they were at least school age would have been more ideal.  They would have experienced and remembered more and would have been more interested and excited in the amazing sights that we saw.

What advice can you offer to others who want to follow in your footsteps?

For teachers who are interested in teaching abroad I tell them that they must be open to everything, interested in other cultures, be able to accept frequent change, and practice patience with all of the inconsistencies.  Teaching overseas is not for everyone, but once you try it and get sucked in it is hard to stop going from school to school and country to country.  It is a unique lifestyle and one that has many rewards if you can handle the occasional power outages and/or lack of school resources.

I am always interested in speaking with others who want to know more about teaching overseas.  It is a great lifestyle and one that I can highly recommend.

Thanks for sharing your travel journey with us, Jill!

Photos courtesy of Jill Dobbe.

Have you ever taught overseas, Wanderboomers? Any future plans to do so? Please share your experiences with us here.

Filed Under: Activities, Africa, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations Tagged With: Arabic, China, culture, education, German, Ghana, Guadalajara, Guam, Here We Go & There We Are, Hindi, Honduras, Jill Dobbe, living and working abroad, memoir, Singapore, Spanish, teaching overseas, travel with kids, Twi

BY Nancy Mueller 12 Comments ON December 26, 2011

2011 – Oh, What a Year!

Guard at Palacio de Gobierno Yours truly with guard outside Palacio de Gobierno in Quito, Ecuador

As 2011 comes to an end, I’ll be posting a series of blogs this week, highlighting my travel adventures over the past year.

First up: a look at a few new friends I made along the way . . .

When you’re traveling solo in a foreign country, it makes a world of difference to have helpful guides who can tell you about the history of the region, drive you safely from one area to another (in this case, up and over narrow passes in the Andes), fill you in on the local cuisine, or keep you company, even if you don’t speak each other’s language. It was my great fortune to have had the assistance of my tour guide and interpreter, Giovanna, and my driver, Manolo, on my trip to Ecuador.

Having not one, but two, naturalists aboard the MV Evolution for my small-ship cruise of the Galapagos Islands, was an unexpected luxury.

On alternate evenings Jorge and Alex presented an overview of the next day’s activities, throwing in salient facts and fun anecdotes about the local landscape and wildlife. Their enthusiasm was infectious on our daily expeditions  to the islands – and they scored extra points for helping with my photography and snorkeling.

Muchas gracias por todo, mis amigos!

What new friends did you meet in your travels this year, Wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Food & Dining, Galapagos Islands Tagged With: amigos, Andes, driver, Ecuador, friends, Galapagos Islands, Government Palace, guard, interpreter, language, muchas gracias, naturalist guides, naturalists, Palacio de Gobierno, Quito, Spanish, tour guide, travel, trip

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON August 31, 2011

Who Was That Unmasked Man?

What is it about a man in uniform? Or the sighting of a famous actor that turns otherwise sensible movie-lovers into mush?

“Did you see him?” asks my guide, Giovanna.

“See who?” I wonder.

“Well, you know, I was having breakfast in the dining room. At first I wasn’t sure it was him. So I asked my friend who it was. He told me the man was supposed to be a famous actor but he didn’t know who. But when he told me his first name, I knew it must be him.”

“And you didn’t come to get me!?” Hmm . . . Maybe that explains the strange dreams I had last night.

I’m staying at Hacienda Cusin, a beautifully restored country estate in the northern Andes. Just the name hacienda stirs up romantic fantasies. Am I the only one who remembers (sing along with me here): “Out of the night, when the full moon is bright . . . ?” But I’m pretty sure there have been no reported sightings of Don Diego de la Vega, aka Zorro, in this country. Spain, Mexico and California, yes. In Ecuador? Not likely.

But an unmasked actor? You never know.

My visit to Hacienda Cusin comes at the recommendation of friends who dream of returning here for a week without the kids (not that they didn’t have a wonderful time here with the kids). With one panoramic glance, I can understand why.

After clattering across cobblestones, our car comes to rest in an intimate, lushly landscaped courtyard. Inside nearby scattered cottages, the first evening lights begin to flicker, creating a warm and welcoming way station for any wandering travelers off the beaten path.

Historically, these large estates were working ranches deeded to well-connected families during Spain’s colonization. The properties have long since been divided and sold off, leaving the main house and smaller buildings as lodging for travelers. Walking into my cottage room is like stepping into a time capsule. With its beamed ceilings, antique furnishings and kiva fireplace, the setting is stunning. A vase of ever-present Ecuadorian roses, colorful paintings and bed coverings complete the tableau.

The dining room is cozy and equally lovely. I overhear guests planning their next day activities, including horseback riding, Spanish classes and tour of a craft village nearby. While I love the traditional Ecuadorian meal of pork, potato cake, fried bananas and corn, my favorite meal is breakfast for its abundant fruit juices, jams and breads.

In the morning I stroll through the gardens on my way to the Establos (stables) and Monasterio (monastery) before our departure. The area is so peaceful and lovely, so restorative, that I leave with much less baggage than I had brought with me. It’s hard to ask more of my hosts than that, except maybe an introduction to that famous actor.

So who was that unmasked man? Well, even famous actors need somewhere to unwind without worrying about being recognized. And I never really saw him myself. Perhaps it’s best to leave our story with a bit of mystery and a place where our imaginations can play.

* Zorro photo courtesy of Flickr – PopCultureGeek.com

* Z photo courtesy of Flickr – LosAnheles

Next Up: The Galapagos Islands!

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations Tagged With: actor, Andes, antique furnishings, beamed ceilings, California, cobblestones, cottages, Ecuador, establos, estates, famous actor, fantasies, Guy Williams, Hacienda, Hacienda Cusin, horseback riding, imagination, kids, kiva fireplace, Mexico, monasterio, monastery, mystery, off the beaten path, ranches, romance, roses, Spain, Spanish, Spanish colonization, stables, tour, Zorro, Zorro song

BY Nancy Mueller 18 Comments ON August 27, 2011

Off to Otavalo

Our eyes meet.

We don’t speak each other’s language, but that doesn’t prevent us from connecting.

Her glance moves from my face to the camera hanging around my neck. “Go ahead,” she seems to say. “Go ahead.” “Can I take your picture? You want me to to take your picture?” I ask. “Yes, go ahead.” So I do. I wait for the pitch to purchase one of her creations, but it never comes. She simply smiles and goes back to her handicraft.

If you think Rumpelstiltskin was special for his ability to spin straw into gold, just wait until you meet the artisans of Otavalo Market.

The market merchants spin and weave their dreams into woven shawls, scarves and bags saturated in the most brilliant blues, riveting reds, deep forest greens and harvest moon yellows imaginable. For a Seattlelite like me used to living in a landscape painted in a palate of grays, the intensity of colors here is almost blinding.

As I turn the corner, I come across artisans selling stone tortoises, wood carvings, embroidered dresses, silver jewelry, tapestries

and colorful hammocks – the quintessential symbol for rest and relaxation. The only thing missing in this photo is me rocking in one, which come to think of it, would be a smart marketing strategy for the merchants. Who could resist the urge to bring one home after watching someone napping in one?

Otavalo, about a two-hour drive north of Quito, is well worth a visit, just to admire the color and craftsmanship of the merchandise alone. But I intend to do more than that. It’s time to do some serious damage – shopping!

While it’s possible to find the merchandise at other locations throughout Ecuador, you will find the best bargains at Otavalo, plus have the fun of talking with the artisans about their trade.

Before arriving, Giovanna explained that merchants expect buyers to bargain. Common practice is to offer just above half of the price, and ultimately try for seventy percent of the asking price. I decide to give it a try.

A merchant calls out to me in much better English than my Spanish as I walk by: “Look. Only $20. for this scarf. Good color for you.” When I smile and start to move on, the game begins. “How much you want to pay for this?” We bargain in a spirit of fun, and I leave with several treasures to take home.

Happy siestas, Wanderboomers!

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Shopping Tagged With: artisan, bags, bargain, bargaining, bargains, color, embroidered dresses, English, hammocks, language, nap, napping, Otavalo, Otavalo Market, Rumpelstiltskin, scarves, shawls, shopping, silver jewelry, Spanish, spinning, stone tortoises, tapestries, tortoises, treasures, weaving, wood carvings

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Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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