"Zdravo" from Montenegro

Montenegro is a newly independent country. The citizens voted to be independent in June 2007. But people have been living in the area for over 2000 years. Once it was part of a country called Yugoslavia that was divided into several countries and one is Montenegro. Can you break the name of Montenegro into two words and figure out what the name means?

Today the city of Ulcinj is a pretty town on the Adriatic Sea. The mountains of Montenegro become hills that end at the shore so there are a lot of steps to the beach and the walled city. The walled city is high on a cliff surrounded on three sides by water and there are a lot of little coves so the area was a favorite hideaway for pirates. Being a pirate may sound exciting but it was illegal and dangerous. From the 14th century to the 18th century pirates would attack ships on the Adriatic Sea, steal their cargo, and then sail off to their hideaways. Some of the pirates became very famous. There were large rewards for anyone who could catch the leader of more famous pirate groups. Sometimes one pirate would kill another pirate to get the reward. It is easy to see why the walled city of Ulcinj was a popular hideaway as it was possible to see in all directions in case anyone tried to sneak into the area. At one time there were as many as 400 pirates in Ulcinj. It is hard to believe that this peaceful, pretty bay and walled city was once filled with dangerous pirates. A city has grown up outside the walls. Today people enjoy the beach and strolling through the quiet walled city.

We took a bus to another area on the coast where there is another walled city. Why do you think people build a wall around their city? We liked walking around the walled city and try to imagine what it was like to live in a walled city. We visited the walled city of Budva and while we were walking down the narrow streets we heard singing. We followed the sound to a restaurant with a pretty outdoor area. There we saw a group of women in traditional costumes singing traditional Montenegro songs so we stayed and listened. We thought their songs and costumes were beautiful.

There are many lovely beaches along the coast so the area is popular with tourists who love to swim, sun bathe, and fish. In the middle of the summer it is very, very busy. Someone told us, "You can’t even see the sand on the beach – just tanned bodies sunbathing." I think he was exaggerating.

The food in this part of the world is very good because it is so fresh. There is a lot of fresh fish to eat because they are so close to the sea but also lots of vegetables. Chef Jovo Medin invited us into the kitchen so we could watch him cook some traditional foods. Our favorite dish is called muckalica, which is a mixture of meat and vegetables that makes a delicious stew. We noticed on the wall of the kitchen there were colorful pictures of each of the dishes they serve with the recipe below. Not only would everyone cooking know the exact recipe they also know what it should look like when it is served. We thought that was a great idea. When we left we said, "Hvala," which means, "thank you."

Learning about Albania

Pershendetje! That is how we say "hello" in Albania? Luckily many people speak English.

Can you find Albania on a map of Europe. Find the Mediterranean Sea. Connected to the Mediterranean Sea is the Adriatic Sea and Albania is on the East Coast of the Adriatic Sea. It is about the size of the state of Maryland.

Until about 10 years ago Albania was a closed country which meant they didn’t accept visitors and Albanians could not leave the country. It was one of the poorest countries in Europe. Then the government changed and today it is easy to visit the country. There is a nice new airport. Things are changing fast. Fifteen years ago there were almost no cars and people used horses but now there are many cars and new roads being built.

The capital city of Tirana is a nice safe city. In the center of the city there is a large statue to Skanderbeg, the national hero of Tirana. He is honored in many countries for driving the Ottoman Turks out of Albania and keeping them out of the rest of Europe. That was way back in the 1400s. We had never heard of him and were surprised to learn that a huge statue of him was put up in Rochester Hills, Michigan in 2006. We seem to know very little about most people’s history while they know a lot about the United States. We have a lot to learn. We saw a sign that said "Obama We Love You" and several American flags. Many Albanians have relatives in the United States. Satellite dishes, the Internet, and cell phones are very common here so it easy to stay in touch with the world.


One of the museums we visited was in an old house that showed how people lived one hundred years ago. Albania is quite mountainous so houses were often built on the hillside. The lowest level was for the animals and where people did their work like making olive oil. There are many olive trees in this part of the world. The second level had two living rooms, one for the men and the other for the women and children. The floor above was for sleeping and cooking. It was very comfortable and they had many beautiful handmade rugs and lace curtains.

We visited the city of Berat, which is considered one of the oldest cities in Albania. People have been living in the area for 4,000 years. Berat is in a river valley, which made it an important route for transportation including invading armies so they built a walled city on top of the high hill. From there they could see if anyone was trying to attack. Today the walled city of Berat is a beautiful quiet area with cobblestone streets and lovely old buildings. In 2008 the United Nations named the city a place of special heritage so it will be preserved. Our guide’s name was Flutura, which means "butterfly." We thought it was a very pretty name. We had lunch with her and she explained, "All our food it natural. We don’t use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers because they have to be imported which makes it too expensive for the farmers. Everyone loves our tomatoes because they have so much flavor." We agreed and enjoyed our lunch of stuffed peppers, lamb in yogurt, and spinach casserole. We are glad we had the chance to visit and learn about Albania.

Exploring the culture of Detroit, Michigan

There are so many interesting places to visit in the United States. Recently we were in Detroit and learned about the people who settled there.

Detroit is located across the river from Canada. It was very important in the 1800s as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was not underground and not a railroad but a secret route used to help slaves escape to freedom in Canada. It was very dangerous and had to be kept secret because it was illegal. At The Museum of African American History we learned a lot about the slave trade. Our guide led us through displays that started with what life was like in Africa when there were many kingdoms to the awful experience of being kidnapped and to arrival in American where Africans were sold into slavery. Many died crossing the Atlantic on the slave ships. When they got to America they were branded and sold to people who wanted them as workers. Many tried to run away and were helped by people like Harriet Tubman. Harriet was an amazing woman who escaped from slavery but continued to put herself in danger by helping other slaves get to freedom. We visited the First Congregational Church where slaves were safely hidden until they could cross the river to freedom in Canada. They have a path set up in the cellar of the church to show what the trip was like for slaves who ran away from a plantation in Louisiana and traveled in the dark through swamps and woods for over 1000 miles in order to get to freedom.

We took a group tour of a neighborhood where people from Poland settled nearly 100 years ago. At the Polish Arts Center, Joan, the owner taught us how to make wycinankis. Wycinankis are similar to making paper snowflakes but much more complicated. When finished they are very delicate and colorful. Wycinanki started with shepherds who cut designs out of tree bark and leather. They were used as decoration in their homes. It takes a lot of skill and patience to make beautiful designs. Our tour was a lot of fun because we listened to Polish music played on an accordion. We also watch a dance group dressed in beautiful traditional outfits perform Polish dances. At the Polonia Restaurant the owner, Janusz Zurowski, taught us to how to make potato noodles. Grinding the cooked potatoes was fun. But the most fun was eating the Polish food, especially the stuffed cabbage and pierogies. Pierogies are small pockets of dough with a variety of stuffing.

We also learned about another group that lives in Detroit, the Arab Americans. At the Arab-American National Museum, Nadia, our guide, showed us a map of the Arab world. Nadia said, "There are 22 Arab countries. They all share a common language but may have different religions and nationalities. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all began is what is today the Arab world." We also visited a mosque where people of the Islamic religion worship. We learned there are five important parts to the Islamic religion. They must believe in God, pray five times a day, give money to the poor, not eat during daylight hours during their holy month, and try to visit the holy city of Mecca. There is always a lot to learn.

Ni hao from Hong Kong

Ni hao! That’s how we say "hello" in Hong Kong. It sounds like "knee how." Many people speak English because Hong Kong was an English colony just like the United States. In 1997 it became part of China, again. Hong Kong is a city of skyscrapers and can be expensive but there are many free things to do. One free place to visit is the Law Uk Folk Museum, which is a 200-year-old house. It gave us an idea what life was like in Hong Kong before it became one of the most modern cities in the world. The original owner, whose last name was Law, moved to the area and built the house in the 1700s when the area was farmland. They would be surprised to see all the tall buildings surrounding their house today. We thought it was interesting that they had some things similar to what we have today like a walker with wheels for toddlers and a cradle hanging from the ceiling that they could swing gently to rock the baby to sleep. There must have been a lot of mosquitoes because they had mosquito netting around the bed. Even though the city is one of tall buildings they have some very nice parks. One of our favorites is Hong Kong Park, which has an aviary, a lily pond, and several waterfalls.

To learn more about life in Hong Kong we went to the Hong Kong Museum of History. On Wednesdays most of the museums are free. We were surprised to learn that before Columbus sailed to America, a Chinese captain, Zheng He, led seven voyages that made it all the way to the Red Sea near Egypt. His ships were much bigger than any other ship at that time. They were called Treasure Ships because they brought back many interesting items. The amazing Treasure Ships were over 400 feet long and 165 feet wide. Zheng’s voyage consisted of 62 vessels and 27,800 sailors. Columbus sailed with three small ships, the largest, the Santa Maria was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide and his entire crew numbered 90. I wonder how the world would be different if the Chinese had "discovered" America. For several reasons after the death of Zheng He the Chinese stopped exploring. The museum had many interesting things to see and learn about Chinese culture. Next to the History Museum is the Science Museum where there were many children enjoying the hands on exhibits. We could have been in any science museum in the United States.

One day we took a free tour called Cantonese Opera Appreciation Class. Cantonese opera is unique Chinese art form that started more than 700 years ago. We learned that the voices are so high pitched because it made it easier for people to hear them in the time before microphones. We love the artistic face makeup on the actors and learned that it made it possible for people in the back of the crowds to see facial expressions. The opera groups would travel by boat from village to village. Thousands of people would come to see their performances.

We love Chinese food, especially dim sum, which means "little hearts." They come in such small portions so we can try many different kinds. Chef Wah at the Peninsula Hotel taught us how to make dim sum. We found making the neat little packages of dim sum more difficult than it looks. Like everything else it takes practice. Chef Wah makes 400 a day and has been doing it for many years. Hong Kong is a amazing with many skyscrapers but it is still possible to experience the heritage of the the people.

Kum de buc from Bali

Kum de buc is how people say hello in Bali, Indonesia. However, we visited a school for children who can not hear so we said "hello" in sign language. The sign for "Hello" is the same in many languages. We don’t know a lot signs, however we found it easier to communicate by signing than we did in schools where we did not know the local language and the students did not know English. We carry a map of the world and the United States so we can show people where we live. The students were impressed that we traveled so far to see them.

In one of the classes the children were learning how to sew articles that they can sell. In another class they were learning to repair machines. The younger children were attending regular classes. The classes were very small. We arrived as the elementary school was getting out.

Bali is an island in the country of Indonesia. Most of the people in Bali are Hindu. The Balinese Hindu people have an interesting way of naming their children. The first child is called Wayan, the second Made (pronounced Ma-day), the third is Nyoman, and the fourth child is called Ketut. If there are more children then it starts all over again. So we met many "Wayans!" They also have a second name but they don’t have a last name like we do in America. So if we were Balinese Hindu we would be Wayan Annie and Wayan Blue, but our friends would just call us Wayan.

Our hotel offered classes to help visitors learn about Balinese arts. We went to a Balinese dance class. Here we are learning to dance Balinese-style with Mathilde. One night we went to a dance show that told a very old Hindu story called Ramayama. We saw some of the dance movements we learned in our lesson. Ramayama is a love story but also a story of good conquering evil. The music is very cool! The orchestra is made of gong-style instruments of various sizes and xylophone-type instruments called a gamelan.

We also attended a Balinese flower-arranging lesson. We made a little basket of woven coconut palm fronds and then arranged flowers in it. Even though the Balinese people are Hindu, it is practiced a little different that in other Hindu areas. The temples here are not as colorful as in other countries and they don’t have all the statues. But they make offerings to their God everyday in the form of the little baskets we made. We saw the baskets everywhere including in front of stores, under trees, and even on the dash of our taxi. Each morning the offering is put out to keep the bad spirits out and the let the good spirits in. Usually the basket contains flowers, incense, and water.

Bali is a popular tourist destination so there are many hotels with beautiful beaches and plenty of "fun-in-the-sun" things to do. It was very, very hot and humid.

Greetings from the Bahamas

We are in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Find Florida on the map and just to the east you will see the Bahamas. There are about 700 islands in the Bahamas. Just like the United States the Bahamas were once part of England so they speak English. They got their independence in 1973. Many Americans visit the Bahamas. The Caribbean Sea around the Bahamas is very beautiful with many different shades of blue, green and turquoise.

There are three old forts on the island that were built nearly 300 years ago to protect them during wartime and from pirates. Forts were the Homeland Security of the 1700s!



The ancestors of many Bahamians came to the Bahamas to work as slaves on the plantations. Slavery was abolished 1834. Before the slaves were freed they were allowed three days off and it became a celebration of their African heritage called Junkanoo.

They still celebrate Junkanoo on December 26 and January 1 with a huge parade through the streets. Groups compete for prizes so they spend months creating brilliant costumes out of cardboard decorated with colorful strips of crepe paper, glitter and beads. The music is a vibrant mix of drums, brass instruments, and cowbells. We could feel the beat and had to dance with the music. Junkanoo is colorful and exciting. They also have Junkanoo in June so tourists can experience the exciting festival.

The people of the Bahamas want visitors to learn about their culture so they have a People to People program. They match tourists with local volunteers with similar interests. We signed up for the free program and told them we wanted to meet children in a school.

We visited the Carmichael Primary School and spent the morning with Miss William’s third grade. They use the same textbooks as the students in the United States. Their classrooms had many of the same decorations and posters. In fact, they knew a lot about the United States. Many of the students have relatives in the U.S. and they fly to Miami to shop. The island is small so they have to import most things. The students thought we were cute and wanted to know all the places we had visited. They were really interested in Alaska because it is cold and has snow. It is always hot in the Bahamas and they all wanted to see and feel snow!

When class was over some of the students brought their lunch back to the classroom. Most of them had chicken with rice and peas (which look more like reddish beans). It is a traditional Bahamian dish served with most meals. It is delicious. Bahamians love conch, which lives in a huge shell - the kind that people can blow into like a horn. Johnny Cake is a favorite dessert. It was also a favorite with American Indians and early settlers because it was easy to make and lasted a long time. It was originally called Journey Cake because they took it along when they went on a journey. The American version is made with corn but they make theirs with wheat.

Native Americans in Arizona

Arizona has a very large Native American population. We wanted to learn more about some of the Native Americans who lived in this desert state before the Europeans arrived so we visited Pueblo Grande just outside the city of Phoenix. Pueblo Grande is the ruins of a Hohokam Indian village that is more than one thousand years old. All that is left of a village that was home to hundreds of people are the crumbled walls of some of the buildings. The museum director, Mr. Lidman said, "Archeologists dug up the site so they could learn about the Hohokam. When they had learned all they could they buried most of the village to prevent more damage to the buildings from the wind and rain."

We could see the outlines of some of the buildings, the platform mound that was the center of the village, and the ball court. The Hohokam were expert farmers even though they lived in the barren desert because they built hundreds of miles of irrigation canals. They were able to grow corn, beans, squash, and cotton. We climbed the ruins the platform mound, which archeologist think was used for ceremonies. It was very hot and there was one else around so we tried to imagine what the village was like with children playing and people working in the fields. The archeologists built full-scale reproductions of prehistoric Hohokam homes so we tired to picture the women grinding grain or weaving and little girls learning by watching the women work.

The Hohokam abandoned their villages more than 600 years ago. Scientists are not sure why. What do you think would make people leave their village? Maybe there was not enough rain for the crops or maybe they didn’t feel safe any more. When Spanish explorers arrived in the sixteenth century, they found the Hohokam villages in ruins.

About 100 miles north of Phoenix, we visited the remains of another Native American group, the Sinagua, which means "without water." One of the places they lived is call Montezuma’s Castle but it is not a castle and Montezuma, the Aztec leader, was never there. Early settlers were so impressed with the Sinagua cliff dwellings that they thought it had to be part of the great Aztec Empire of Mexico, but it was not. It is thought that in the Sinagua may have been Hohokam people who moved north and then developed their own culture.

Montezuma’s Castle is a five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling that was like a "high-rise apartment building." It is well preserved because of its protected place in the cliff. Other Sinagua dwellings are not so well preserved. Ranger Larson told us that there were many Sinagua dwellings in the area. He said, "They are all about three miles apart located on high hills or in the side of a cliff. They were all in sight of one another. If there was a problem they could send a signal from one village to another using mica mirrors." We thought that was very cool.

We think it would be very difficult to live so high on the cliff because they would have to lug everything up to their homes. They used wooden ladders to get to their houses. If they didn’t want people to get into their village they would just pull up the ladders. They must have felt very safe. The "castle" is locate above a small river so building on the cliff left the fertile land along the river free for farming. It was cooler in the "cave" houses and they had a beautiful view. The Sinagua lived in there villages for about 250 years and then something happened because they abandoned the village just like the Hohokam did. It is thought that the Hohokam and the Sinagua may have moved in with other Native American groups but they don’t know why the villages were abandoned. Maybe they no longer felt safe, or they died of disease, or maybe their crops failed.

Today Arizona has 250,000 Native Americans who belong to 21 recognized tribes. So much of the Native American history has been forgotten that today people are trying to preserve what they do know about the first people to live in Arizona by talking to the old people and sharing what they learn with others.

Hola y Abujevete from Argentina

Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country but they also have aboriginal people, the Guarani, and "Abujevete" is the way they greet each other. "Hola" is "hello" in Spanish.

It is amazing that we can stay in the luxurious Grand Hotel and drive for 30 minutes to a place where people still live much like they have for years. Our Guarani guide, Carai, said, "Our people don’t speak much and we don’t have a word for ‘no.’ If a man asks a women to marry him and she doesn’t want to, she says nothing. Saying nothing means no."
Carai is a hunter. He showed us some very clever ways to catch animals. When he wants some fish he takes a two-foot section of a thick woody vine and puts it in water like a post. It attracts the fish but something in the wood puts the fish to sleep and then he picks the fish out of the water.

He explained, "Now it is difficult to be a hunter because we do not have much land. When I was a young boy we lived in union with nature, there were no country borders, we were free, and lived to be very old. Now we know about money, we buy things to eat, and our bodies are not use to it. We buy medicines instead of using the natural ones. We are not as healthy."

Carai told us many interesting things about his way of life. He pointed to a plant and said, "When it flowers we know it is the beginning of a new year." Their houses are made out of wood, mud and reeds. They only cut the wood for their houses during the full moon. Wood that is cut during the full moon is stronger and protected from termites." When we were ready to leave the children sang some Guarnai songs. They giggled when they saw us! I think they thought we were cute!

The Guarani live very near one of the world’s most incredible waterfalls – Iguazu Falls, which is on the Brazil-Argentina border. It is about the same height as Niagara Falls but has more than 250 separate falls spread out for nearly two miles in the rainforest. On the way to see Iguazu Falls we met Oriana Rios. She is studying to be an English teacher. We complimented her on her command of English. Oriana said,

"Learning English is very difficult because there are many sounds for the same letter." We think learning Spanish is difficult.

The food in Argentina is very good. They are famous for their excellent beef. The food is similar to the food in America but they have some different items that we really love. One is empanadas, which are like turnovers filled with meat, chicken, cheese, or dulce de leche. We love dulce de leche, which means "milk candy." It is a bit like caramel. They spread on toast and use it as a filling in pastries. It is also a flavor of ice cream. Yummy! The one thing we find difficult is the time people eat their dinner in Argentina. Most people eat around ten PM so most restaurants do not open until 8 PM. But there are places like McDonald’s that are open all day and sell empanadas for about 40 cents each.

We like Argentina. The people are friendly and they have many interesting things to see and do. To get to Bariloche, Argentina we traveled over the Andes Mountains from Puerto Montt, Chile by a route they call "Sail the Andes." The trip included four bus rides and three boat rides. It was very beautiful and we saw several snow-covered volcanoes. The world is very interesting.

Xin chao from Vietnam

Xin chao! That is how we say "Hi" in Vietnam. It sounds like "sin chow."
Vietnam is a fascinating country. It suffered from war for hundreds of years including the war with the United States. Now the country is at peace and a wonderful place to visit. The largest city in the south is called Ho Chi Minh City. It used to be called Saigon but when peace came they renamed the city after the first president of the country, Ho Chi Minh. At the War Remnants Museum we saw photographs that made us very sad but we liked all the pictures made by students celebrating peace. There was a whole room of peace pictures plus a peace statue.

Walking back to our hotel we saw students getting out of school. Their parents pick them up on a motorbike. A new rule required them to wear a helmet. Also people often wear a facemask if they have a cold or are riding a motorbike. They don’t like to breathe the fumes.

We love Vietnamese food so we took a cooking lesson. Our guide, Ms. Phan showed us fruits and vegetables that they have in Vietnam. Some we had never seen before. She explained that most kitchens have a special place for the Three Kitchen Gods. These gods see everything that takes place and once a year report to the Jade Emperor in Heaven. On that day the Kitchen Gods are offered the best food and are presented with gifts. We made a whole meal and liked everything but especially the Sweet Green Bean Soup with Seaweed. It is a dessert and delicious. It can be served hot or poured over crushed ice. Sometimes looks and names can be deceiving.

We visited the city of Dalat which is different than most of Vietnam’s cities. It is located at 5000 feet so it is not hot and humid like most of the cities in the southern part of the country. The higher the elevation the cooler the weather. Another interesting fact is that it was never bombed during the war. There are many interesting things to see and do in Dalat. We took a long cable car ride to a mountaintop where there is a Buddhist monastery where people enjoy dressing up like royalty of years ago. The cable car went high over the forest that looked like the evergreen forests in America. Another fun experience was getting down to see the beautiful waterfalls. We sat is something like a sled attached to rails that curved first one way then the other making for a roller coaster-like ride to the bottom. It was exciting. Luckily we could use the brakes so we didn’t scare ourselves by going to fast. The waterfalls are beautiful so it was easy to understand why a local legend says it is where the fairies from heaven came to bath. Going back up on the coaster wasn’t as exciting but it was sure better than the 15-minute climb up the steps.

Our favorite building is called The Crazy House. It looks like Dr. Seuss created it. There are unexpected twists and turns. One part looks like giant tree roots have grown over it. The creator included a huge giraffe in one area and spider in another. It is a fun place to visit and it is not finished. We would like to return to see what else the architect creates.
The world is so interesting. Don’t you think so?

Visiting Guam "Where America Meets the Day"

Guam is an island in the Pacific and it is a territory of the United States so the people like to say it is where "America greets the day." Look on the map and you will see that it is near the International Date Line. The International Date Line is an imaginary line where the date changes by 24 hours. If you were standing on the line and it was 10 in the morning on Monday, then stepped over the line to the west it would be 10 in the morning on Tuesday. However, the line goes through the water so that is doesn’t go through any land. Guam is the first American property to the west of the line so it where "America greets the day." Guam looks very American with malls and fast food places.

Our friend Ezequiel and his mother, Cindy, volunteered to take us on a morning tour of the island. Along with their friend, Jackie, we set out to explore the island.

Our first stop was Gef Pago Chamorro Cultural Village, a living museum of thatched huts featuring activities associated with the daily lives of the Chamorro, the native people of the Mariana archipelago. There were demonstrations on cooking, rope making, and basket weaving. Tony, the guide, explained that the coconut tree is the "tree of life" and showed us how easy it is to open a coconut. Various parts of the coconut palm are used for clothing, food, shelter, beauty aids, and as fuel. He went on to explain, "Coconut milk is so pure that it was used to sterilize surgical instruments during WW II." We even got to ride a carabao, the native water buffalo.

Ferdinand Magellan was the leader of the first voyage that sailed around the world. His voyage stopped in Guam. When the voyage landed in Guam in the spring of 1521 they had not seen land for 100 day. The sailors were sick or dying and the food was gone or spoiled. The men helped themselves to food they had never seen before like coconuts, sweet potatoes and bananas (which they thought were some sort of fig). They later sailed on and reached the Philippines where Magellan was killed. Guam became part of the Spanish Empire, like the land in the Southern part of the United States from Florida to California. From the Spanish Fort, Nuestra senora de la Soledad, we had a panoramic view. Forts were always built so they could see if any enemy were coming.

Guam was became part of the United States in 1898. During WWII the Japanese occupied the country. When the war ended Guam was again part of United States. We stopped a WW II site where there is statue of several men from Guam who participated heroic acts during WW II. One of the men preserved in bronze is Jackie’s father, who after killing an enemy soldier, and donning his uniform, was able to gain entry to the enemy camp and blow it up.

One morning we visited Ezequiel’s school, Tamuning Elementary School, do a program on schools around the world. It was multi-cultural week at his school. We did a power point program on the many schools we have visited around the world. The schools buildings may be different and the students may speak different languages, but they all learn to read and write. And, they all like to play with their friends after school and enjoy holidays. After our presentations we were invited to the auditorium to see a nature presentation by Miss Cheryl from the Guam Department of Agriculture. The high point was seeing the flightless Ko’ Ko’ bird. There are only about 100 in captivity. She also showed us the brown tree snake. It is rather harmless to people but has killed nearly all of the native bird population on an island. The snake has no natural predators on the island. Before introduction of the brown tree snake, Guam had 12 species of native forest birds. We hope the students learned something from us because we learned a lot from our visit to Guam.

Alii from Palau

"Alii" is the way people say "hello" in Palau. Get out a world map and see if you can find Palau. It is a group of islands east of the Philippines and west of Hawaii. Palau has over 500 islands most of which are completely covered by trees. There are only 2000 people in Palau and only nine of the islands are inhabited.

Museums are the best place to learn about an area. Years ago the people of Palau used beads and turtle shells for money. That isn’t as strange as it sounds because American money is really just paper. The men had their own special meeting house called a Bai. They would make plans for their community. The decorations on the Bai are like storyboards that tell about their history and legends.

We love to learn about local legends. The taro plant is important to the Palauan people. The root is an important source of food. One of their legends tells about the taro goddess who created taro patches on all the islands. She brought back samples from all the patches and placed them in the area where she got married. We hiked to this special place where the taro from the various island are now stones that stick up in a dry creek. To harvest the taro the women have to wade in deep mud, sometime above their waist.

One day we went kayaking in the mangroves, which grow in salt water. Our guide, Mary explained, "Look at the leaves. Almost all of them are green but every once in a while you will see a yellow one. The salt from the water is collected in a few leaves, which turn yellow and die. They allow the rest of the plant to live. The mangrove trees have many roots that are a great hiding place for baby fish. We would sit real quiet in our kayak and listen to nature. One of the birds sounds more like a monkey than a bird. Another day we went on jungle boat and saw crocodiles.

We love to snorkel. We saw so many incredibly beautiful fish including bright blue starfish and even giant clams, which are nearly three feet across. Our guide, Jefferson, said, "I have seen clams so big a person could lay down in it!" We would like to see that. But the most amazing thing was Jellyfish Lake. We took a boat to one of the Rock Islands. We had to climb a very steep trail up a hill then down to a hidden lake. The trail is covered with sharp coral so we had to be very careful. Luckily, there was a rope to help us pull ourselves up. It was worth it. We went snorkeling with a zillion pale pink jellyfish. It was like watching a jellyfish ballet. A scientist studying the jellyfish told us the lake became landlocked about seven thousand years ago. The jellyfish were trapped in the lake and had no natural enemies so they no longer need their tentacles with stingers. It was an amazing experience.

Today Palau is a nature lover’s paradise but it wasn’t always so peaceful. During World War II it was a battleground. There are ruins of Japanese forts and remains of airplanes that were shot down. In fact, one is called "George Bush Wreck" named after the first President Bush. Today Palau is a beautiful, peaceful country where people can see many of nature’s wonders.

Bon Dia from Brazil!

Bon Dia is how we say "Good Day" in Portuguese! We didn’t think we would be able to visit a school on this trip. When it is winter north of the equator it is summer south of the equator so the schools in South America were on summer vacation during the greater part of our trip.

We were lucky because when Mr. Zachari, the manager of the Sonesta Hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil met us he said, "Would you like to visit the International School here in Sao Paulo? I know the vice principal there." We were very excited and said, "Ta Bon! (Great!) We would love to!" The Graded School of Sao Paulo has a thousand students from pre-school to twelfth grade. While we were touring the school we saw a display of covered wagons made by the third grade students. They were studying the Oregon Trail. We told Mrs. Soriano, the vice-principal, "We went on a wagon trip on the Santa Fe Trail. We have a power point presentation with us that we can do for your students."

She thought that was a great idea. The next day we went to the school told the students about our trip on the Santa Fe Trail. The students had a lot of questions. Emma asked, "What was the hardest part of the trip on the Santa Fe Trail?" We said, "When the trip was over. We wished our trip was longer than two days." The students at the school come from 35 countries including America. Their parents work for American companies in Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world.

We also went to Rio de Janeiro. It the most famous city in Brazil because of it’s beautiful location and Carnaval. Rio has many ocean beaches, bays, and rocky outcroppings. To get to one famous rocky peak called Sugar Loaf we had to take two cable cars. Another peak called Corcovado has a 90-foot tall statue of Christ the Redeemer on the top. Corcovado is often covered with a cloud. We could see it from our hotel room. One morning it was cloudless so we took a taxi to the top, but when we got there a cloud had moved in and covered the statue. We waited until the cloud went away. When the statue was revealed everyone clapped.

Rio is known for Carnaval, an annual celebration held before Easter. Carnaval celebrations are held all over Brazil but Rio’s is the most famous. The biggest event takes place in the Sambodromo where the Samba schools put on the most amazing parades. Samba schools are neighborhood groups that work all year to prepare for Carnaval. Rio built a special Carnaval stadium, the Sambodromo, with seats on both sides of a half-mile parade route. Seven Samba schools were in the parade. Each school’s parade is about 1 ½ mile long. They have 90 minutes to parade through the Sambodromo. Each samba school has a special song to go with their theme, which is played over and over during their parade. Everyone in Rio knew the samba songs so when the schools entered the Sambodromo all 90 thousand spectators stood up and started singing and dancing. Each school’s parade starts with fireworks, followed by several dance groups, and many floats that presents the school’s theme. Each samba school has about four thousand people marching or on the floats. The costumes and floats were amazing. The parade started at 9 at night and ended at 8 in the morning!

Our friend, Joao, told us, "Carnaval is a uniting influence. It brings rich people and poor people together. Everyone loves Carnaval!’ We agreed!

Selamat from Melaka, Malaysia

Selamat is how we say "hello" in Malaysia. Malaysia is located between Thailand and Singapore. We took a bus from Singapore to Melaka, a port city in Malaysia. On the four-hour bus trip they showed a movie. We were surprised because it was an American movie in English. Melaka is a pretty city on the Straits of Melaka (also spelled Malacca). Because of its unique culture, UNESCO, which is a part of the United Nations, has declared it a place of special historical importance. The Portuguese, Dutch, British, Japanese, Indian, Arabs and Chinese traders have left their imprint on its culture.

In the center of the historic part of the city there are several brick-red buildings built by the Dutch settlers in the 1700s, including a beautiful church. A fun way to tour the city is in a brightly decorated trishaw. A trishaw is a bicycle with a sidecar where one or two people can sit. Another way to see the city is by taking a boat tour on the Melaka River. On the boat we made friends with Maddie. Just like Maddie, we liked it on the river because we saw many interesting sites and it was cooler. It is very hot and humid in Melaka.

There are many museums in Melaka including one about a Portuguese treasure ship that sank offshore and one dealing with kites but the most interesting one was The Museum of Enduring Beauty. What we saw was amazing. There were pictures of the ways people in other countries have decorated or changed their bodies to look beautiful. We saw pictures of people who had pierced their lips then inserted big objects in the hole so it looked like they had a plate on their bottom lip. Others had done the same thing with their ears. We decided it was like having pierced ears only more extreme. Others were images of people with a lot of tattoos but it didn’t seem so different because today many people have tattoos. It was very interesting even though some of the beauty treatments are no longer in practice. The objective of the museum is to help people realize that different cultures do things differently. People in different countries have different ideas of what is beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

When we went on a tour in a trishaw we stopped at several houses of worship and also at Mr. Sam’s Shoe Shop. His family has been making shoes for many generations. He showed us very tiny shoes, some only 4-inches long, made by his grandfather. Many years ago the Chinese thought that women with the smallest feet were the most beautiful so females would bind their feet to keep them small. It was painful and some ladies had feet so small they couldn’t walk. We remembered what we saw in The Museum of Enduring Beauty, and even though we are glad women don’t bind their feet any more, we understand that everyone wants to look beautiful.

When we finished sightseeing we went to the mall, which is just like the ones in America. We bought ice cream at Baskin Robbins and enjoyed watching the people. Most of the young people had on blue jeans and t-shirts but there were many different styles of dress including Indian saris, teenagers in short shorts, and others completely covered in a strict Moslem manner. People from many countries settled in Melaka and many have stayed true to their culture. We decided there are many ways to look attractive. That’s what makes the world so interesting.

Hello from Singapore

Hello! That is the common greeting in Singapore. Singapore was once an English colony just like America. Singapore has been a crossroads on the trading routes for hundreds of years with people from India, Malaysia, China, Holland, Portugal, and England. There were so many different languages it made it difficult to do business. When the English came they brought their language and over the years the people developed a language called Singlish. Singlish is a combination of English and words from all the other languages. The government has promoted the Speak Good English Movement because they think that when business people arrive in Singapore and hear Singlish they don’t take the businessperson seriously.

Because so many different people came here to work and live there are interesting walking tours. We took a walking tour of the Chinese neighborhood where the traditional homes have been beautifully restored. They are called shop houses because they had their shop on the ground floor and lived in the top floors. Many of the shops have bamboo eaves above the shop because bamboo symbolizes luck and success.

One day we took a cable car to Sentosa Island. At one time there was a fort to defend it from invaders especially during World War II. After the war the island was developed as a recreation area and named Sentosa, which means "peace." It is an improvement over the former name, which meant "death from behind." We made two friends, Summer S. and Evelyn B. They are students learning to be tour guides. They told us about things to do on Sentosa. Our favorite was the Images of Singapore where we learned about life in Singapore past and present. One display showed Malay children playing hopscotch and playing with a top. Seems that all children like the same things. Our guides told us that in Singapore, "The World becomes one because it is where the four winds come together. From the East we get our strong sense of family, from India we get our idea of peace, from Malaysia our sense of community and from Europe our need for harmony."

One of the most exciting things to do in Singapore is to go on Night Safari. Many jungle animals are nocturnal. From the tram tour we saw lions, hyenas, jackals, and other night animals on the prowl. The lights are dim like it would be a full moon night and fences were so well disguised that we couldn’t see them. They also had a native group from Borneo that did an incredible fire-eating show. We could feel the heat from the flames and couldn’t figure out why they didn’t get burned.

We also went to the Science Museum with amazing optical illusions and educational displays. They even had an area called Snow City. It is very hot in Singapore and it never snows so people are fascinated by snow. They love to touch it to experience how cold it is. They can’t imagine living someplace where it snows.

Singapore has the world’s tallest Ferris wheel called The Flyer. It is 541-feet high. Each "car" can carry 28 people. The view of the city from the top is amazing. There are so many things to do in Singapore that we want to visit again. But, we must remember not to bring any gum. It is against the law to bring chewing gum into Singapore because people where spitting it on the sidewalks and sticking it places. Singapore is a very neat and clean county. Maybe this is not such a bad idea.

Mingalabar from Myanmar

We are in Myanmar and Mingalabar is how we say "hello." Myanmar was once a British colony just like the United States. We have 50 states and Myanmar has 14. We visited the western state of Rakhine to learn about Mrauk U, one of Myanmar’s oldest Buddhist historical sites. Most people in Myanmar are Buddhist. We had to fly one hour from Yangon, the largest city, and then take a boat up the river for six hours. We visited a temple with over 80,000 statues of Buddha but saw many other interesting things.

We were surprised to see many American Willys Jeeps. They are left over from WW II. We thought it was amazing that vehicles more the 60 years old were still in use. Myanmar has many interesting things to see and do. We liked driving along the streets of the village in the Jeep. The children would rush out to meet us and shout, "Bye Bye." We stopped to watch people making hats and fans out of bamboo. There is always something interesting to see.

One day we took a boat up another river to Chin State. We love boat rides because the scenes along the river are so interesting. There were ladies washing their clothes in the river because they don’t have running water in their houses. Many people were fishing. Everyone stopped to wave to us. We visited two Chin villages. It is very hot in Chin State so most people live in bamboo houses built on stilts. It allows the air to flow all around making it cooler. Also it keeps the animals out. The older ladies have beautiful designs tattooed on their face. We asked, "Why do you have tattoos and the younger women do not?" They explained, "Many years ago there was a king who would take the prettiest girls to his palace so we tattooed our face so we would not look pretty. We did not want to leave our families." We wanted to know if it hurt to have the tattoos. One lady explained, "Yes, it hurt a lot and I was sick in bed for one week."

We visited a Chin school. We saw hopscotch squares drawn in the dirt. It is a game that children all over the world play. There was only one room in the school but five grades. That was all they needed because there were only 23 students. Each grade had their own table and benches plus a blackboard with their assignments on it. Notice some of them have light yellow powder on their face. It is very common and called thanaka. Men, women, and children wear it to protect them from the sun. We were surprised to see they were learning English. The children sang "Frere Jacques" in English. The French lady in our tour group, said, "It is a French song, not an English song." She tried to teach them the French words. We explained that in America children know the song in French and English. Then the students stood at attention and sang a song in their own language. It was a very nice song about how important it is to study hard and do good work in school. Notice some of them are wearing long wrap around skirts. It isw called a longyi and worn by men and women. It is perfect for the hot climate in Myanmar.

When we returned to Yangon we visited the International School of Yangon. It is like the schools in the United States. Cars were lined up outside with parents dropping off their children. The teachers are from Australia, England, and the United States. The students use all the same books as in the United States. The halls were decorated for Valentine’s Day and there were posters on the walls. One poster said "Don’t Run in the Hall." We did a power point presentation about schools around the world. When the teacher wanted everyone to be quiet she clapped her hands once then all the children joined in and together they clapped their hands in rhythm five times. All was quiet. We liked that. It seems that students in Myanmar have many things in common with students in the United States.

Many people from all over the world come to visit Myanmar. They like to see the historical sites, meet the people and to enjoy the beautiful beached. We spent five days relaxing at Amazing Resort in Ngapali Beach. Just like all it Myanmar it was amazing.

Salaam Alakium from Dubai

Salaam Alakium is "hello" in Arabic but most of the people in Dubai speak English. Dubai is one of the seven United Arab Emirates located on the Persian Gulf. It is extremely modern because everything is quite new. The people were fishermen, traders, or nomads until oil was discovered in the 1960s. Oil made Dubai very rich. Everywhere we look we see new roads and buildings being constructed. People come from all over the world to work in Dubai. There are many amazing things in Dubai. They are building the tallest building in the world. They are running out of land to build on so they are creating new land in the ocean. The new lands are very imaginative. Three are groups of islands in the shape of huge palm trees but the biggest land-creating project is in the shape of a map of the world. Each individual island will have many homes, hotels, and be like a village. The have built the world's most expensive hotel.

Even though Dubai is in a desert it is possible to go snow skiing. One of their shopping malls has an area called Ski Dubai. It is very big with ski slopes so long skiers have to take a chair lift to get to the top. They also have two toboggan runs and places to slide on tubes. Because most of the people do not have cold weather clothes they provide coats, boots, mittens, ski outfits, and even the skis and snowboards.

Many people come to the United Arab Emirates to enjoy the beaches. We went to the beach in Furjairah, one of the other emirates. It was only two hours from Dubai where there is less tourism. There was a huge rock in the water not too far from shore called "Snoopy" because it looked like a sleeping "Snoopy." We enjoyed our relaxing stay at Sandy Beach. It was a great place to go snorkeling.

Another fun thing to do in Dubai is to go on a desert safari. It is exciting as the vehicles go dashing over the sand dunes. We went to the top of one of the largest dunes to watch the sunset, then went on a very short camel ride, followed by a BBQ in a traditonal nomad desert setting. There were many other people there.

Islam is the religion of Dubai and their house of worship is called a mosque. We visited Jumeirah Mosque where they explained many things about the Islamic religion. There are five main duties for Moslems: They should believe in one God, pray five times a day, give to the poor, fast (that means to go without eating from sunrise to sunset) during their holy month, and visit Mecca, their holy city, once during their lifetime. The lady explained how and why it is important to wash before praying and entering the mosque. When entering a mosque people remove their shoes.

Moslem females in the Dubai wear a long black, lightweight coat called an abaya over their regular clothes and a black scarf called a sheyla. Today many females have decorated their abayas and shelya with lace and sparkling sequins and crystals. Some of the women also wear a covering on their face. It is their choice. The men wear long white coats and a red checked scarf with a black band. The style of dress is traditional from the days when they were nomads in the desert. In fact, the men’s clothing looks like what the shepherds wear in our manger scenes at Christmastime.

Even though Dubai is very modern the Shiekhs (which means "leader" or "elder") want people to remember their history so their museums are very good and only cost $2 to visit. We learned many interesting things like how they were able to keep cool in the hot desert by creating wind towers on their houses. A wind tower is like a chimney with material inside designed to catch the wind. If the material is damp the wind blowing over it will cause evaporation creating cool air in their house.

One evening we went to a Heritage Village where ladies were cooking traditonal treats and making handicrafts. There were camel rides and a beautiful white Arab horse. They love their horses. We enjoyed watching the school girld doing traditional dances. There were many families there enjoying the cool evening.

With all the building going on we wonder what Dubai and the other emirates will look like in 20 years. We are sure it will be amazing.

Thailand: River Boat Cruise

Sawadee is how people in Thailand say "Hello."

Thailand has many interesting things to see. In Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the Chao Phraya River, the country’s main river, flows through the city. It is a busy and fascinating working river with small colorful tugboats pulling three to five heavily loaded barges, water taxis crisscrossing the river, and many other boats.

We drove about one hour from Bangkok to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya and boarded a rice boat on the Chao Phraya River. Boats are no longer used to transport rice down the river so some boats were converted into restaurants and houseboats. Our boat could accommodate 12 passengers; however, we were lucky because there were two other guests along with our two guides, a cook, and the boat’s pilot.

We traveled the river for two days and one night stopping to visit small villages along the way. Many people still grow rice but during the time when they are not busy in the fields some families started small businesses to make extra money. Everyone in the family works together. We saw them making bricks, drums, charcoal, and growing mushrooms. Mainly they make things that can be used by people in their community.

Most of the people in Thailand belong to the Buddhist religion. Our houseboat usually tied up by a Buddhist temple, which is the center of the community. Buddhist monks live a very simple life without any personal belongings so the people of the community give them what they need including food. One morning we got up before the sun and with food our cook had prepared waited for the monks to walk by so we could give them the food. The monks in Thailand wear saffron colored robes, sandals, and shave their heads. We had a bowl with rice and the cook had put a soup-like mixture that contained chicken and vegetables in small plastic bags. In a show of respect for the monks we took off our shoes, bowed our head, then divided the food between the four monks. After the food was distributed the monks thanked us by chanting a blessing and went on their way. Buddhists believe that if you do good then good will come back to you. If you do bad then bad will come back to you.

One day we visited an orphanage with 1400 children. It was dinner time so one group at a time chanted a prayer of thanks and then got in line for their dinner of rice and a mixture of vegetables. We saw many boy scouts helping to distribute the food.

We also visited a school. The children we so excited to see us. They all wanted to have their picture taken with us. Before we entered the classroom we took off our shoes. Thai people do not usually wear their shoes inside their homes, temples, or schools. Surprisingly the students knew how to say many words in English including how to count. We wonder how many people in America know Thai words.

When our houseboat was traveling down the river toward Bangkok we relaxed, waved to people on the shore, and watched the activity along the river. People were fishing, watering their crops, and just relaxing by the river. The barges were especially interesting because families live on little houses on the barges. They were cooking meals, doing laundry, and other daily chores. It was an amazing trip. We were sorry when it ended.

Selamat Detang from Malaysia

"Hello" is the common greeting in multi-cultural Malaysia. Many signs say Selamat Detang, which means "welcome." The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, which most people call KL. KL had the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers, until Taipei 101 was completed last year. At 1,483 feet, they are still the tallest twin towers in the world. The double-decker Skybridge connects the towers at floors 41 and 42.

From KL we drove four hours to a jetty where we got on a boat and went three hours up river to Taman Negara National Park which they say is the oldest rainforest in the world - 130 million years old. We thought we were going to be roughing it but the resort on the edge of the park has about 100 cottages with air conditioning, which was good because it is very hot and humid in Malaysia, especially in Taman Negara. Even so we like the rainforest.

We went on several hikes and saw a lot of plants and insects, plus we learned what some of the plants can be used for. The members of the cat family, the wild elephants, and other big animals of the jungle have learned to stay away from people and mainly come out at night, but the monkeys and monitor lizards come into the resort area. Taman Negara has the world’s longest canopy walk - about 1500 feet long. A canopy walk is a walkway that hangs in a net high in the trees so people can see what it is like to be at the top of the rainforest. The walk was a bit scary. You can see us trying to decide who should go first. We had to stay 15 feet apart. The canopy walk actually goes from tree to tree and even had parts where we had to climb up a ladder. It was fun being up in the treetops. At night we went to a "hide" which is a room on stilts. It overlooks a waterhole and a natural salt lick where the bigger animals come at night. We saw samba deer.

Our favorite activity at Taman Negara was visiting the aborigines, or "Orang Asli," which means "original people" in the Malay language. They were the first human occupants of the Malay Peninsula. They continue to live a nomadic, hunter-gather lifestyle. They call themselves Batek. The Batek are gentle and shy. About 1000 Batek live in the park. Nomads don’t move every day but they move many times during the year. The group we visited had been in the same location for two weeks. The Malaysian government built them a school and houses but the Batek people want to keep living their way. They hunt and fish and make a little money by letting people visit their village. Instead of a permanent house they sleep in a lean-to covered with palm fronds and plastic.

It rained while we were there so we all sat on the mats in their "home" while one of the Batek showed us how they make fire without using matches and how he makes poison darts for his blow gun. The poison they use comes from the Ipoh tree. They hunt animals with a blowgun. A blowgun is very quiet so it doesn’t scare the animals away. In the "village" there were five families and about 20 people. When we first arrived the children hid behind their mothers but when we sat on the mat near them they smiled and came closer. Once a month the government sends a doctor to check on their health and give them medicine. Many of the children had coughs. We saw bottles of cough syrup but our guide said that as after the doctor leaves their take their own traditional medicine made from plants they find in the rainforest. We wonder how long they will be able to keep their old ways.

Malaysia is very interesting. It has the world’s tallest twin towers and the one of the oldest rainforests.

Enlisting in the Civil War

Hello! My name is Globee. Maybe you know my friends, Annie and Blue. Annie is from Mrs. Griffin’s class in New Haven. I am part of the Mrs. Griffin’s class, too. Annie has invited me to travel with her and Blue if I promised to write to you about our travels. What a great deal!

Annie, Blue, and I signed up for the Civil War Adventure Camp in Pamplin Historical Park, Virginia. We volunteered for the Army of the Potomac and received blue wool uniforms and others joined the Army of the Confederacy and received gray uniform. We were sworn is as privates and issued haversacks, canteens, cartridge cases, and cap pouch.

Sergeant Young barked. "Platoon Assemble! A sorry looking bunch of fresh fish if ‘er I saw one." "Fish" is the name for new soldiers. Sergeant taught us to say, "sir" when talking to him, the proper way to wear our uniforms, and instructed us in commands: "Form columns by platoons!" "Count off!" "Dress right!" "Right face!" "March! One! Two!"

We marched to our encampment where we were issued blankets and assigned our quarters (our huts). After our platoon assembled we were issued wooden muskets. Sergeant taught us to "load in nine." Following his commands we positioned our musket, took out a cartridge, tore off the paper with our teeth. He said, "All infantrymen must have at least four teeth, preferably two on the bottom and two on the top. Spit that paper out. I want to hear everyone spit!" We poured the black power into the barrel and rammed it in tight, moved the musket to our right hand, reached into the cap pouch, put a cap on the cone of the weapon, cocked the weapon, and aimed. We drilled and drilled some more. It was very hot in the open field. Then we marched to the firing range where we fired a real black powder musket and a mortar. That was very exciting. Then we marched some more.

By dinnertime we were hungry - and tired. We had a hearty dinner of beef stew, fruit, and hardtack. Hardtack is a very hard biscuit that often has bugs in it called weevils. Sergeant said, "If’n it has bugs dunk it in your hot coffee. The bugs will come to the top, then ‘em scoop off." After dinner we went on patrol. The moon was full. The only sound was an owl in the nearby woods. It was hard to stay awake because we very tired. We were happy when it was time to "hit the sack."

The morning tattoo – the bugle call to get up - sounded at 5:45. We barely had time to hike up the hill to the "sink" – military talk for toilet – before assembly. After assembly, we were issued field rations and marched off to battle. We were trying to break through General Robert E. Lee’s line near Petersburg, VA. Tension built. With a bloodcurdling rebel yell the Confederates broke out into the open. "Fire!" Using the buddy system we took turns firing and reloading. After a few scary minutes the skirmish was over. We marched back to camp where the "wounded" were treated by the company doctor.

Our 24 hours as a Civil War soldier was interesting but hot and exhausting. We gained a new respect for all soldiers.

Hola from Honduras!

Can you find Honduras on a map? Here is a clue. It is in Central America. The north coast of Honduras has beautiful beaches. The climate is tropical so there are a lot of banana and pineapple plantations along the coast. There are only two seasons in the tropics – the wet season and the dry season. However, it can rain in the dry season, too. That is why it is so green.

Most people don’t realize that Christopher Columbus never set foot on what is now the American continent until his forth and last voyage. The story goes that his voyage was caught in a storm that lasted for days and days and when the storm let up and he saw the mountains of Honduras he said, "Gracias a Dios." That means, "Thank God" in Spanish. The mountains Columbus saw are now called the Gracias a Dios Mountains. Spanish is the main language of the country.

We took a small plane to Roatan, one of Honduras’ Bay Islands. The flight was only 15 minutes. We visited Roatan Nature Park, which was being built to take in rescued wild animals. They already have a jaguar, anteater and many other animals. Our friend, Ollie showed us the mark on the anteater where a rope had rubbed into the anteater’s skin leaving a scar. Most of the animals can not be set free because people took them in as pets when they were babies and they never learned to live on their own. Now they will have a nice, safe home with excellent care at Roatan Nature Park.

At Anthony’s Key Resort they have a marine research center where they try to preserve and study Roatan's natural resources including bottlenose dolphins. The resort has 20 dolphins in a large open-sea corral. If they wanted to the dolphins could jump out and swim away but it is their home. Many of them were born there. If fact, one of the researchers said, "Sometimes we take the dolphins out to the deep ocean so our guests can dive with the them. It is more difficult to get the dolphins to follow the boat out to the open sea but it is no trouble to get them to return." The resort has several programs that let people interact with the dolphins. They feel the more people learn about dolphins the more likely they are to help protect them and help to preserve their habitat. We loved watching the dolphins. They seem to have a lot of fun!

We also visited another nature park called Gumbalimba. We met Pedro, one of several free-roaming capuchin monkeys. Our guide said, "Be careful, Pedro is a thief." Sure enough he tried to take something out of the bag of our friend, Mr. Scott. The other monkeys were better behaved. At the same park we saw a Monkey La La. But it wasn’t a monkey and sure didn’t look like one. It is a lizard. No one seems to know where the name came from but the lizard has a special talent. It can walk on water – for a little ways. They stand on their hind legs and, because of the webbing between their toes, they can run about 15 feet before sinking at which point they have to resort to swimming.

Our guide pointed out many interesting plants and animals. We thought the Traveler Palm, which looks like a big fan was interesting because it always grows in an east-west direction. Also, when it rains the water runs down the leaves and collects in the stem so that when the stem is cut the water inside is good to drink. It is truly a good friend to a traveler.

There are many interesting things to learn in Honduras. I think we learned a lot on this trip don’t you?