Valentines Gift at Dubai's Gold Market

Golden Arches is everywhere

We made our Valentines Day January 18 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . . . a remarkable new city in the Middle East.  Part of the afternoon was spent at the "Gold Souk" where we saw an unbelievable amount of the precious yellow metal.  The Gold Souk is created for tourist shoppers, and isn't really where the local people buy things.  Even so, with Valentines Day approaching, Shelly found a beautiful white gold necklace that now adorns her neck. Happy Valentines Day, Shelly!

Chic and the Sheiks

Today's Gold Prices

Lincoln's Birthday at the Theater

  

Mauritius Attorney General and Embassy Political Officer

Ambassador Introduces Lincoln

There is a fascination around the world for the 16th President of the United States.  Our Ambassador and Embassy hosted the Mauritius premiere showing of the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln on February 12.  We welcomed some of the country's political elite, including cabinet ministers, the Attorney General, members of Parliament, and the President of Mauritius.  All agreed that the movie was a terrific depiction of President Lincoln and the last 4 months of his life, including the legislative battle to end slavery.  Daniel Day-Lewis richly deserves the Academy Award for Best Actor.  He absolutely captured the Lincoln role.  For us, it was a delight to share this extraordinary President, his values, and the fight to end slavery with a world audience anxious to learn more.   

Magic Mauritian Skies

Being from New Mexico, we could be considered sky connoisseurs, even sunset snobs.  Nothing on the planet is quite like a New Mexico sunset.  Even so, the Mauritius sky keeps us in awe.  Sunrises are powerful events, replete with sunlight streaming in shafts through billowy clouds, and rainbows reflecting from the heavens onto the ocean.  Then, sunsets!  Look at these.  A dear friend has said these sunset photos are "as beautiful as New Mexico, and that is saying a lot."  Need we say more?

Auckland is Tops in Falling Down

Auckland, New Zealand has a very clean, nicely designed downtown, adjacent to a beautiful harbor---the most prominent part of the skyline is the 1,000 foot high Sky Tower----so we had to ascend and take a look around.  We enjoyed a beautiful day and a 360 degree view seeing miles into the distance.  They offer tethered drops from the top of the tower called SkyJump . . . Shelly wouldn't let me jump . . . but we did watch several brave souls take the drop.  Six seconds to go a 192 meters down! For mere daredevils, they offered a SkyWalk---basically a tethered stroll on a 1 meter wide ledge without a railing. For some reason, I didn't get permission to do that one either.  Maybe next time!

At the top of Auckland's Sky Tower

Looking up from down

Auckland's beautiful harbor and bridge

A pretend sensation of falling

A real sensation of falling---they do harnessed drops
from the top of the tower down to the ground!

Flowers Down Under

Shelly and I were amazed by the number and variety of flowers we found in New Zealand and Australia.  Some, like the hibiscus, we have here in Mauritius.  Others, like hillsides and hedges filled with morning glories or petunia-laden flower beds, were reminders of our flower friends in the northern hemisphere.   

Maori War Canoes for Waitangi Day

In New Zealand, we went north to the Bay of Islands where early British settlers made a treaty with the Maori warriors throughout New Zealand.  It was signed in a little peninsula town called Waitangi, just near where we stayed.   Known as the Treaty of Waitangi, it settled land and sovereignty disputes between the settlers and the Maoris in 1840, but its enforcement and meaning remain a matter of some controversy even today.  See this link for more information.   While we were there visiting the quaint town of Russell, teams of young Maoris were practicing their synchronized rowing on traditional Maori war canoes, or Waka.  We got to watch as they carefully placed three long canoes in the water, practiced their synchronized strokes on the beach, then took off for water-borne practice.  This was all in preparation for a big celebration on the February 6 national holiday, Waitangi Day.  It was a very impressive demonstration of traditional skills by a cultural group proud of its heritage.

Practicing for Waitangi Day ceremonies

    

Dawn was chilly in the Bay of Islands, but we found
dolphin statues in the middle of town to warm us!

Heather at the Inauguration

Chase and Heather at the Inaugural Ball

While we were off playing in Australia, Heather and her boyfriend Chase were enjoying the festivities of the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC. They were up early in the morning for the Inaugural Ceremony on the National Mall in front of the Capitol, then hours later were invited to attend the Inaugural Ball.  It all happened the day before Heather turned 25 years old!  What a special birthday for our big little girl!

Beautiful and Happy!

Early morning at the Inauguration

The Earth's Hot Middle

Finally, something grayer than my hair!  On our way back to Auckland last week just outside Rotorua, New Zealand, we stopped off at Hell's Gate . . . the appropriately named site for major thermal underground sightings.  There we saw steam pouring out of the earth, and bubbling water and mud oozing up from the middle of the earth.  These pictures unfortunately don't do the scene justice, as you don't get the smells and the heat of this very active thermal area.  We were stunned and delighted at the demonstration of this active earth just under our feet.