Going to The Tucson Gem show – 2016

Ok, now to the nitty gritty.

Overview of the Show

The Advice

Things to consider

How to plan your time

>3 days on the ground – Holidome and Gem Mall 1 day, GJX and Days Inn* 1 day, To Bead True Blue and JOGS 1 day.
>5 days on the ground – Holidome and Gem Mall 2 days; GJX 1day and AGTA if you can get in; Days Inn and Riverpark Inn 1 day*; To Bead True Blue (now Colours of Stone) and JOGS 1 day. If you finish early, on any day consider the Kino Gem & Mineral Show, the Best Bead Show. *There are 3 shows situated between the Days Inn and the Riverpark Inn. If you are driving, park at one end (probably the Riverpark end) and walk it.

How to buy

How to pack

The Bottom Line

Back to the blog…

This is in part from 2010 with present day notes (2015). I thought it would the best way illustrate what I was saying about the ever changing Show.

2010

Every year as Tucson approaches I hear the comment, "It must be sooo fun to go to Tucson!." The reality, Tucson is as much fun as someone could possibly have looking at beads 8 hours a day, having to decide which is the best buy, the best quality and what is enough? While working through more than 300 vendors in those 8 hours without rushing. Fun? Suuurrre. I really do enjoy the job, really, how bad could it be to have to go shopping for 10 days? But it is still work.

[2015 Tucson continues to be work for us; however, without stores to buy for, there is much less pressure on that point. One set-up day, six days of show, one day to actually enjoy the show, two days of travel. I do wish we could spend more like 2 days at the show, but I can not justify it. I am actually a little afraid for my pocket book. ]

Tucson this year was a challenge even for the someone with experience. No one was taking risks nor were they making investments. The vendor/distributors were only selling off old inventory. While new was few and far in between, old and mundane was rampant. I felt very sorry for everyone who was new to the show. Vendors were reporting all kinds of challenges. There was even a rumor that several vendors were hospitalized for heart conditions brought on by the stress of it all.
[2015 Five years later and this has only gotten worse.]

Adding to my schedule this year were 2 classes, 1 day as a vendor (helping out my husband at his show), 2 cocktail parties and 2 extra shows I usually don't attend. The 10 days went very quickly and as much as I was glad it was over, I would have felt more comfortable with another 2 days. I think I say that every year. In the end, I had to assure myself that I did my job and I got a lot of great stuff.

Buyer attendance was noticeably down. Not only did I catch vendors sleeping in their chairs, I almost stepped on one sleeping under the table! Yes, a full grown adult. For me this was a good thing. Less people meant less competition for beads, and less people I had to kill which equals less stress.
[2015 One vendor admitted to me that there were a few days when he only made $20. (He paid $6k for his booth, the smallest booth he could rent.) Walking through the show it felt very sad. I had never seen so few buyers. Prospects for 2016 is not looking good.]

Buyers in Tucson, much to my dismay, are considerably STOOPID! I have been to this show 7 times and it has not changed. I keep thinking that it should get better as more people join the industry but it hasn't. Here is story which will explain what I mean.

The Blue Ribbon of Stoopid, I hope you can appreciate this story. This is me ranting and yes, it is a bit harsh...

So there I was finishing up a buy from a vendor I knew when this so called "buyer" walked up. In her hand was Thai Hill Tribe flower pendant. (If you are reading this blog you know what color that is, SILVER. And you would agree that Silver goes with almost everything.) She handed the pendant to the vendor and asked, "Do you have anything that goes with this?" OMG, did I really hear her ask that? She is suppose to be a buyer, everyone who walks into this show needed a vendors license to get in. Which means you are suppose to be a designer or even a store owner. Ok, maybe you are guest of someone who has the license, don't you think you should ask them? Really!? Did she think that was a bead store?
[2015 This has not changed, in the least.]

One of the most challenging things to buy in Tucson is Silver. There a lot of vendors selling the same thing. The ones who are selling anything different are too expensive to buy for wholesale (at least my store anyway). Additionally, the question of whether or not it is really sterling silver plays at every booth. So who do you really buy from? Apparently there were so many complaints by buyers that one show promoter asked every vendor to declare the silver quality. They were all given a cute little sign that said something like, "This Vendor Sells _______ Silver". I did not even noticed these 8.5x11" signs until one of the vendors pointed it out. He told me about the show promoter and how not everyone was really selling "silver" and that now they are all legit because they had these signs. The next vendor was very proud of his sign and made sure I knew about it as soon as I was in the booth. (Funny how these two thought it was important to let me know, as I was a very long time customer. And trust me I spend an obscene about of money with them.)

I went home that night and thought about it and then there was the AHA! But wait this doesn't seem right to me. The next day I went to one of those vendors and a very frank conversation that started with, "Let me get this straight..." blah, blah, blah and ended with "Who is to prove you did not lie about the fact that it is Sterling?" To which he replied, "That is true." Are you following this? What a crock of pooo.

I was also told by the vendor who seemed very trustworthy (and remember I am a long time customer) that the reality is, there are only 3 manufacturers of silver beads in India. So basically everyone was buying from one of the 3. AND, according to the manufacturer, he was the only one asking for his beads in 92.5% while all the other vendors are buying at 80%...huh? wah? Really? "That is why everyone's prices are less than mine, " he said. Wow. I am definitely impressed.

But only for the moment. Shortly thereafter I confirmed the "story" with another party who had no vested interest. I asked this also long time vendor, who deals in stone, whom I consider a friend. He had some beads manufactured for me as a favor several years ago, lives in Jaipur and is an established international business. According to him there are quite a few manufacturers of silver beads in Jaipur and the fact is, unless you start testing this stuff, there is no way to know who is telling the truth. And the reality is these people are working on a very narrow margin; a margin that most US wholesalers will not work within.

The question remains, who do you trust? What do you look for? For the first time I made the decision that cheapest is not the best way to go. I looked for quality and if the quality was good enough I was willing to pay the higher price. Maybe by next year I will be organized enough have a silver testing kit with me to Tucson. Then I will really know. [2015 To date I have never purchased silver testing kit. I suck. The problem of silver scammers has not changed through the years. This became especially problematic when the price of silver went through the roof. Interesting that is has not changed even though the price of silver has been somewhat stable for the past couple of years. ]

Now that the buy is complete and I have processed about 80% of the silver I am absolutely sure I made the right choices. Bead Q! has some of the best silver beads I have seen to date and at the best prices. The gem show was in town this past weekend and customers have already confirmed that our silver is less, by almost 17%...I WIN! I am so happy I can not even begin to tell you. Happy day. :) CAWABUNGA!

[2015 When I returned to the Show in 2011, the same silver vendors I had purchased the great silver from were no longer carrying the same quality. I had a nice discussion with them to find out that the margin was too low and not enough people appreciated the quality. Therefor they were unable to continue with the kind of silver line. To make sales they had to lower their quality and price to meet the demand.)

How to Make Soap...sorta

I know this is sort of funny, but my friends have loved it so much and have been asking me about that I thought it would be fun to share. I’ll start with the “how to first”, because it is more fun that way. But for the back story, go to the bottom.

First of all, why is this Making Soap, BUT not really? Because we are not starting from scratch. (So I don’t want to make any pretenses about that.) We are going to use existing soap; if you are really, really making soap you would start with lye, yup all soap start with lye, can’t get around it. Onward…

What you will need

Soap about 4 cups of it (I would use soap that has the least about of scent, like Ivory or the like. The cheap stuff or the ones you get from hotels are a good choice. This is a way of making cheap soap into the good stuff.)

Water
Essential oil of choice
Oatmeal, optional (it is really good for your skin, so up to you, it also acts as an exfoliant.)
Lavender seeds, optional (also works well as an exfoliant.)
Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, or whatever you want to add for moisturizer, optional

Directions

Grate your soap with a cheese grater, the large is fine. I you don’t want to do this that is not a problem. It will just cook down a lot easier if you do.

Place all of the soap into a small pot with water, but not to cover the soap. On medium heat, heat the mixture stirring with a wooden spoon until the soap turns into a smooth mush. It should be really thick, about the consistency of thick oatmeal. While it is heating, add lavender seeds, essential oil and moisturizing oil. This is really up to you how much you put in. For me I put add about 20 drops, put my nose to the pot and when it smells like I like, I am good. As for the oil, I don’t know to feel slippery so I put in about 2 tbsp, because it sort of freaks me out to put in more.

yes, I collect my soap in a vase	not too much water, it will take too long to dry and will shrink	no need to boil, ,but simmer and keep stirring until it is smooth.
When your soap has broken down and smooth. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of oatmeal. I do this when it is off the heat so that I don’t “cook” the oatmeal.	add lavender	stir it all together
Pour your soap into some sort of a mold. I just happen to have aluminum can in the recycle bin, so I cleaned them out and cut off the tops with a pair of scissors. You can also line a bread pan with parchment paper and use that.	Fill your cans with soap. I fill it all the way to the top because it will shrink as it dries.	Allow to cool and settle over night, remove your mold. If you are using a can you can simply “peel” away the can. Slice the soap to size. The longer you allow the soap to dry the less it will break apart when you use it.

The Story

Over the years with all of the traveling and the hotel stays we seem to have accumulated a lot of soap. But as I have become more and more aware of post-consumer waste I have decided not to use the hotel soaps until I used everything that is in my closet. This in addition to the awareness that I had soooo much body soap that I made a conscious decision NOT to buy soap until I have consumed everything that is in my house.

How is this working out for me? It has been almost 9 years since I have paid for body. As if it was not enough that I had this inventory; people keep giving me soap for “thank you” gifts! I think I am in soap purgatory. (I must be really stinky.)

Aside from getting rid of soap there are the pantry items. About 2 years ago I assessed our pantry and decided I needed to deplete everything except for staple items (salt, pepper, garlic, basil, etc…). And to date, we are still going. How does this play into soap making? The lavender seeds! (No, the oatmeal did not count as it is a staple in our house.)

So soap making served several purposes. Deplete the pantry, reduce waste by using what we have, and make a few great gifts. Despite all of this effort I think it will be a never ending effort. Even though I now travel with my own soap, from time to time Andy still forgets and opens a new bar. (And me being me, I take those home.) I am also pretty sure that my friends will continue to give me soap, don’t ask me why. For now I am going to be simply amused by how long this is going to drag on before I allow myself to buy a bar of soap.

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint in the Studio

Conservation is not just about recycling, but it is FIRST about Reducing, then it is Reusing and finally recycling. If you are working to reduce your carbon footprint here are a few things you can do in the studio.

1   Stop using paper towels. I realize that there are time when the only thing that will work is a paper towel, however, for everyday things like drying your pieces as they come out of the tumbler, use a rag. In my studio, I have a stack of old dish towels, this way I don’t care about how I stain the towel or the potential chemicals that might be on there. For really messy jobs, I keep a pile of cut-up old t-shirts. I use these t-shirts like you would a paper towel, one use. BUT lets be honest, they are still not “one use”. After I have used these rags, they go into a bag for recycling. Yup! Rags can be recycled. Simply put them (dirty) in a bag marked “SALVAGE” and put them in those bins for clothing donations to help world hunger (or the like). Almost all of them send unwearable clothes to textile mills to be made into rags sold to hardware stores. Really! If you are skeptical, call the 800 number on the bin and ask them. I did. 

2   Recycle ALL of your metals. Aside of from saving gold, silver, and copper, people forget about brass and steel. It takes a little more effort to recycle the other metals but they are ALL recyclable. I recently learned that all metals that are not collected by the city for recycling can be turned into the scrap yard. The best part is, they will actually give you money for all of this stuff; granted they are pennies, at least it will pay for your gas money and you will feel good about doing your part. 

In my studio, I have a container for brass and “other” metals. “Other” metals would be worn out drill bits, staples (yes, I said staples!), lids from jars, any non-working electronics, etc. (I will take apart ANYTHING that has metal and put it in this jar.)

3   Reuse ALL plastic bags until there is a hole then put it in the recycle bin at the grocery store with the shopping bags.

4   Reduce waste. We have all purchased more than we should have with really good intentions for future projects. But then 5 years go by and it is still on a shelf. Instead of throwing it away consider giving it to an art teacher, Girl Scout troop or a local art center. They love this stuff and you might be able to take it off your taxes!

5   Use less water. Too often people run water unnecessarily. Consider simply turning it down and not running a faucet at full power.

6      If you are shipping your work, use recycled envelopes and boxes. I know that it is nice to send a pretty box but is it really necessary? Though some people still frown on this, I have found that by adding a little sticker that says something like, “we support recycling for a healthier environment, please join us in this effort…etc” goes a long way and people will appreciate your efforts. Additionally, it saves you a little money.  

It is not lost on me that my profession is a complete contradiction to a conservation lifestyle so I do my best where and when I can. Trying is better than not.

Starting From the End

click on the image to see complete album of the sites

I thought it would be best to start at the end of my trip because it was the most non-controversial part of the trip.

Mary, my friend from Tokyo had previously mentioned that she wanted to go to India. Considering she was so “close”, I thought it would be nice to invite her to join me after I was done with the “tour”. But even this was not quite how it happened. At the end of the trip I thanked Mary for agreeing to join. To this she quickly corrected me and pointed out that she invited herself! She remembered how emboldened she felt for such a bold move. Ha! However it happened, I was most thankful for her presence and giving me something to look forward to; to salvage my trip.

We kicked off her part of the trip with the Taj Mahal. We hired a tour guide for our excursion, and in the words of Mary, “He was worth every penny.” For me it was doubly so. I had already been there a week before and was given a different perspective (doom and gloom) of the king who built it. This time, we were guided by a Muslim who would share the beauty and the loving story from which the site was built. It was a blessing to see it from a perspective of appreciation. Shortly after we arrived Mary found herself in tears of happiness. This had been on her list for as long as she could remember and she was finally there. Wow, what a great feeling to be a part of that with someone. For me, the Taj was more than I had expected, amazing and beautiful.

My trip with Mary was the kind of traveling I like to do. The opportunity to stay with local people, sharing home meals and being able to participate in gatherings with locals is the best way to experience a foreign country. Luckily for us we had a mutual friend who happened to be in Jaipur during our stay and invited us to stay with his family. We experienced local food the way that everyday people enjoyed it. Despite the gas we enjoyed every moment. We also went to a couple of “western” restaurants because I was desperate for a break from Indian food. But they were not so “western”, there was always something that was a little “Indian” to it. Just like in China, there was always something “different” about it. Meh.

We got to go shopping at local markets instead of just tourist markets. Where according to Mary, the men were all staring at my legs because I was wearing shorts! It was winter in India too and it was cold, like 60˚F cold. Oh, my. We found the jewelry market but didn’t buy any jewels. We got to visit a couple of manufacturers of gemstones to see how business was conducted in India.

Then there were the magnificent sites found in coffee table books. Along with site images, never before had I enjoyed street photography as I did on this trip. This was the first time I couldn’t get enough of taking pictures of people. The color of our surroundings was amazing. India never disappointed with hundreds of photo opportunities. I came home with more than 2k images. Despite all of the pretty pictures to be had there were just as many of real life that were not taken. It was only on the second day of the trip that I had decided how unfair it would be to be taking pictures of the piles and piles of filth and the poverty that was present almost everywhere.

In the conclusion, India is rich in history, though you can say that about any place in the world. India has amazing sites, I was lucky enough to visit about 5 Unesco World Heritage sites. India was not as hard to navigate as I had assumed. With the right planning and private drivers we were able to navigate our way fairly easily. I made a few mistakes along the way, but was able to remedy them before they became problematic. Like many tourist destinations, in such countries, we had to be on our guard for scammers at every corner. It is just a fact of being a tourist. Poverty and grime is just a part of life there. It is not a country for the timid or first time travelers. Life there is hard and it is a hard trip to take. I had mentally and emotionally prepared for poverty and begging that we would encounter. I believe that being resolved before arrival allowed me to less conflicted.

click on the image to see complete album that tell more of the story

Would I go again? Mary and I did agree that we would meet in India again for a wedding. Something we would both like to experience. Indian weddings are notorious for being over the top and quiet the party. Aside from that, my verdict is still out. It is unclear to me how different other parts of India would be. But I think that for most tourists, India is much like Jamaica, if you don’t leave the resort everything is great. Similarly for people who visit India, they stay within the confines of tourist locals which makes it much easier than venturing out with the locals.

The Pilgrimage – not really a travel blog, more like a journal.

click on the image to see complete album

I would be the only person to travel alone to meet up with the group. This simple act would have the monks overly concerned. And despite best efforts to assure them that I would be fine on my own to make my way to the agreed hotel, they stayed at the airport until my arrival…without communicating it with me. But as luck would have it, I accidentally left the airport and was made to stand outside where I bumped into the Vietnamese looking monk and Vietnamese looking people, who ended up being the group.

Though I was willing to wait 2 hours for the arrival of Co Hoa, they insisted on transporting me to the hotel so that I may get proper “rest” in the meantime.

Now that you are ready for Big Girl Torch

 After much consideration and some research I decided that the most economical approach to getting into a professional torch was natural gas. But is it? Welllllll, I am still unclear.

If you are ready to join the big girls and upgrade from handheld butane torches here is what I have come to discover through research and experience.

There are many gases and as many arguments for and against each one of those gases. Most jewelers will opt for either propane, acetylene, or butane. (Unless you are a glass worker, Mapp is usually not part of this conversation.) If you are one of the unusual people then you will have natural gas, like me.

The argument for butane. I have actually heard the following argument so bear with me.  You should use butane because it is a cleaner burning, greener gas. Really? Cleaner yes, but greener? You can not buy butane in larger refillable cans. You can only buy disposable cans. So my question is, you would trade off how many cans? to landfills versus the minor molecules that you are putting into the atmosphere? Really? Your choice but I call cow manure. But that is a personal choice. Most people who are using butane torches do it for the convenience and the perceived “safety” and the self-ignite mechanism of those torches. I have been successfully using butane for over 10 years. Some would argue that butane does not work, well, just look at my portfolio.

Then comes propane vs. acetylene. Which? There is a temperature difference between them, but for all practicality they are more or less the same when are talking about jewelry making. The argument for or against is in the soot. Acetylene is considered to be quite dirty, which means that your studio will suffer its consequence. Both gases require a tank of some sort. For most people it would be an “R” Size tank which needs to be refilled at the local welding/gas company.

What about natural gas? Why would you go this route? If your home has natural gas, then this is a viable option. Coupled with an oxygen concentrator you will never have to refill anything. Natural gas is a greenhouse gas, however, a clean burning one, which puts it into the realm of propane.

How do all of these work?

First and foremost, a torch. For any of the gasses, the torches are specific to the gas. However, many times the propane can be used with natural gas, you will want to check with the manufacturer. (Just call them, this is a simple question with a simple answer, they have ALL been easy to talk to.) The torch you purchase (aside from the gas determination) is determined by the kind of work you want to do. If you are benching vs. casting there are all different kinds of sizes to consider.

Once you have a torch, then comes the tank or not. There has to a gas source from somewhere. The most common being tanks. When you purchase a tank, don’t get all attached to that new shiny tank and don’t expect it to come filled. It will come empty (sort of illegal to ship filled). Once you receive it, you will need to go the local gas/welding company and ask them to “fill” it. But they really don’t fill it, they hand you one of theirs of the same size. Essentially, you are swapping the tanks like you do the propane tanks for your grill. (Say bye-bye to your new tank.)

The other option for attaining gas is to have it piped in. Whether it is from your 200gallon propane tank outside or from your natural gas line from the street, both are viable options. If you are already have gas from one of these two sources call the local hvac guy to add a line to your studio. What you need to be aware of here is the PSI. In a residential natural gas situation it can not be adjusted from the gas company (but in a commercial location it can be, for the most part). The key to this installation is the pressure. You will need anywhere from 5-8PSI. If you tell the hvac person this, they will likely laugh at you. But this is real, I promise. More than likely they will not be able to help. You will need to purchase a natural gas booster. http://www.gas-tec.com/TB15TB30.html (Unfortunately, I don’t know the pressure of a propane tank, but if it does not reach the correct PSI you will need a gas booster also.)

You have your torch and your gas, now you need oxygen, or not. By adding oxygen the temperature will go up significantly and you will be an even happier jeweler. But if that scares you, consider just air. Which means that the torch your purchase has only one hose and it brings in (sucks in) the ambient air to make it work. Butane torches work in this manner. Choosing to go with oxygen means you must choose between a tank system or a concentrator (a machine that makes the oxygen). If you choose a tank you should consider a flashback arrestor. This little device basically keeps the flame from going back down to the tank and well, exploding. According to my research, you will not need this with an oxygen concentrator and piped gas.

Lastly, the ignite. Most people using a butane torch like because it feels safer. The cans are smaller and the torches self-ignite. For the other systems you will need to find some sort of ignite mechanism. There are quite a few choices out there. Unfortunately, this will boil down to comfort. Hard to say which will be best for you.

All that said, this is how I set up my studio.

I continue to teach on butane even in my studio because most people have the same torch. This will allow them to be more comfortable in their own studio. I had an HVAC guy come run a pipe from one side of the house to the other ($150) where my studio is located. At the termination he installed a shut off valve and a brass connector. I hooked up my gas hose to the termination, the oxygen to my oxygen concentrator and voila! I was up and running. No booster.

Of course that was not enough for me. I started experimenting with casting. It didn’t work. Turns out you need a “rose bud” torch. It sort of worked. This is when I discovered that I needed more pressure. To date I have not purchased a booster ($1500) because things have worked fine without it and casting is not a priority.

So that’s it. That is all I know. I am getting ready to repeat this process again because I moved my studio. Check back in a few weeks and I will report on how that went. 

The connection for the gas line.

Jamaica 2015

The story of my first world problems

Lets start from the end first. We both concluded that we would never come back to Jamaica. There was nothing there that we felt was worth our time and effort. The food was good, but the guy in Cleveland seems to do just as good a job as anything we had while were there. And if we were to pick a beach vacation, there are better options.

For me, this was the first time that I can remember feeling so unsafe. From the very first day I felt like I needed to be careful of where I was parking my car, how I was holding my purse where we were driving. Driving up to the local market (Charles Gordon Market) we kept on moving. Little outlets for food on the street, never once stopped. (And I live for this stuff.) Driving through the inner part of Mobay, wow. I felt like we might get car jacked.

Never before have I been scammed immediately. The first night we stopped at a strip of “bars” along the highway in search of food. There I met a seemingly helpful man. I was obviously out of place among the locals. He asked what I was looking for and was more than happy to help. He walked me down a couple huts, introduced me to his friend who sold me some dinner. Walked me out to the car and told me that the right thing to do for his help was to buy him a beer. Really? I hate that kind of crap. The next day on our drive to Negril the same thing happened. A man on a motorcycle starts pointing at our tire and tells us to pull over. (I had a bad feeling about it, but went ahead and did it.) There was no imminent problem, the hub cap was a little loose but was held on by zip ties. I said thank you and started to walk away, at which time he told me that the right thing to do was to buy him a beer. Uggggh.

Food, where do I begin. We had our list from the internet, we got a list from the locals and where the two lined up we went there. Seemed like a good plan, but nooooo. I don’t get this one. Usually when we arrive in a new place we find out where the locals go and it all works out. This time we were pointed to nothing but tourist restaurants.

*Scotchies, the number one place to go for jerk chicken in Mobay, why??? There were quite a few tourists there, but there were equally the same number of locals. We were a bit underwhelmed. Our guy in Cleveland does a better job without the fancy bbq and wood.

*Juici Patties, on the list of must haves for native Jamaican food. Meh, it was like any other pattie I have had in the Bahamas. This particular place was equivilant to any other fast food place in the US.

*Then came The Pelican, on the top 5 of every list. Highly rated. Why??? This equivalent to a Jamaican version of Denny’s. (I will say this, the spinner was very good. Basically a dumpling that was in with the oxtail stew. Did you notice I said spinner, not spinnerS? Yeah, about that. It about an inch long.) Mediocre at best.

*Chillout Hut, recommended by several locals, was on several top 10 lists. We were told we would pay more for the view but that was ok. We are always willing to pay for good food. We were on the hunt for good seafood. Again a place for tourists. The food, meh. Expensive for a whole lot of mosquito bites. Oh, they did not have conch or lobster, or oxtail, or curried goat. We had the fish, escovitched. The guy on the streets of Thailand with his little wok did a better job.

*Pork Pit, on several top 5 lists for jerk. Ok, so this is pretty local. Did not see any tourists there even though it was on the hip strip. If you stick to the jerk it was good. The shrimp tasted like left overs, the roti was unappetizing, they were out of chicken wings and corn.
*Lobster Trap, on several top 5 lists for seafood. On this last night we decided to take an early dinner and drive 30min to what should have been a great meal. For a place that was so highly rated with a website, it felt a little peculiar that the street leading to the restaurant was in such disarray. But why not right? It was supposed to be next  the water where the local fishermen had their boats, so I assumed it was like a little fishing village, seemed to make sense. Pulling, there were no cares nor people. Hmmm. So I went in to check it out. There were tables without chairs, I walked past and open kitchen, nothing on the stove, no one around. In the “dining” area I found a woman sweeping the floor. (She gave the look of, why are you here. I get the fact that I stick out like a sore thumb, but really?) Me: Are you open. Her: Yes. Me: For food? Her: Yes, but you need to call ahead. Me: huh? Her: You need to call and they bring. Me: Ok, I’ll go get my husband. On our return, Her: Do you have a cell phone, you can call. Me: No. Her: Ok, you can use mine. (She dials and hands me the phone.) Me: The operator says the number does not work. Her: (she tries again) Ok, it work now. Me: There is an answering machine. Me to Andy: Lets to Pier 1.

*Pier 1, on several top 5 lists for seafood (probably number one.) Having looked at the menu and reviewed it online, it was clearly another tourist restaurant, but we don’t care. We want food and are willing to pay for it. We pulled in behind the chain link fence which went around the parking lot of the restaurant (there is a reason I mention this). We are approached by a security guard, who asks us, “are you here for the restaurant?” (Well no shit Sherlock, there ain’t nothing else here!) Me: Umm, yes. (politely) Him: I’m sorry but the restaurant is closed for a private function. OMG!! Nexxxxt…

*Jerkies – on several lists, suggested by locals. We had driven by several times and knew
where it was. It looked really busy with locals. Me: I’ll take the brown stewed chicken. Her: Sorry, no more. Me: Ok, I’ll take the curried goat. Her: Sorry, no more. Me: uhhh, I’ll take the curried chicken. Her: Sorry, no more. Me: Fine, I’ll take the jerk chicken. I’ll also take the conch, grilled. Her: that will be an extra 30min. Me. Ok, I’ll take the curried conch. Her: that will take an extra 15 min. Me: Fine.
In the end, this would be the best jerk we would have and the curry was amazing. We ordered more for lunch the next day. We were not about to let go of this one for sure thing.
It was exciting and disappointing to find out that the Jamaican restaurant in Cleveland was about as good as it gets. Now we know.
Our trip did not have a good start and hindsight is 20/20. (We should have cancelled.) 36 hours before the trip we received notice that our Airbnb reservation was cancelled. The host stated that she was in a dispute with her husband over the property. Oy. But after some hustling, I found another unit at the same location, for about 30% more chaching. What are you going to do? Right. So off we went.

The flight was a quick reminder that we were going to a third world country. I guess I had forgotten and was not quite in the mindset for such a trip. But reality is a like a slap it face wake up call. And there it was, I rented a car to drive in a third world country on the Other side of the street. Holy cow. All I wanted to do was pee my pants. What??? What was I thinking. Oh, that’s right, I had not done ANY research about this trip until the night before and had not gotten that far because I was busy trying to get a new reservation. The stress of driving on the opposite side of the street was amazing. The entire time, the only thing in my mind was left, left, left. The honking, the reckless passing, the pedestrians who don’t like the sidewalk, the motorcycles, the constant honking, oh, and the cars arbitrarily stopped on the street. I know it is far worse in China, Thailand, and many other places, but the difference was I was driving. Driving is in NYC is less nerve racking than this was. At least in NYC I didn’t have pedestrians walking in the middle of the street, cars passing illegally come right at me, and cars just stopped all over the place. Never again.

We reserved a condo on a property called Palmyra. I had read a little about the property but its reality did not hit me until we were there. Palmyra was built over 10 years ago with the intention of being a 5 star resort. The property is made of 3 buildings over 100 units per building. But construction had stopped on the third building at about 75% to completion because the money had dried up. It was such a shame because whoever designed the property did a fantastic job. The only other place that I have been to that was so well designed was the Ritz Carlton in Marco Island, FL. And even then I would argue that this was far superior. It was very well thought out. Unfortunately, at only about 40% sold and no income, all of the services had disappeared. The pool bar, the restaurant, the spa services, all unavailable. The place was like a ghost town. (Perfect for us.)

As you talk to the locals, they seem to all know the story and how sad it was that it is just rotting away. This story was unbeknownst to us until the last day. Which then explains everything. The wear on the carpeting, the peeling paint, the lack of employees.

So what about these first world problems I am speaking of? The truth is, we still have options and we are going back to a roof over our heads, food on the table and the option of taking another vacation. How bad could our lives be? My take away from Jamaica?  I have a lot of first world problems that can should only be viewed as comical. Going home I get to reflect again on my life and put it all in perspective. But just for fun here is the rundown of our first world problems in Jamaica man.

Lasagna Soup Recipe

Lemon Garlic Dressing

• 1 1/4cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4cups canola oil (you may use olive oil but it changes the taste completely)
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash® Original Blend 
• 1 tsp sugar adjust to taste
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper finely ground 
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh crushed garlic
  

Through the years, Metal Immersion has become THE event that I look forward to most. Being the first event of my calendar year, it is a great way to kick off my teaching schedule. 2019 would be no different. How great it was to gather with likeminded people to exchange laughs and our crafts.

After the success in 2018 the attendees unanimously asked to create a charitable project. So once again attendees were asked to collect unused toiletries from their travels throughout the year for a project which would be donated. My heart is warmed by the overwhelming response in which were able to create over 130 packets of toiletries to be donated to Women's Center of Montgomery County in need. Additionally, there were generous donations of full size toiletries which will be used at local shelters. The contribution of time, craft and product was completely overwhelming. During the Friday Night Social and without direction, everyone found a corner to which they could best pitch in to this effort and got the job done. I could not have asked for more from this wonderful group of people.

Though the focus of Metal Immersion is teach/learn with all the classes that are offered, for me it has become much more. As a group we communed and learned so much about one another and the power in being around positive attitudes. We shared stories, laughs and even some tears. I learned more about myself and much about humanity from which I will grow. I can only hope that others got the same.

I am excited for 2019 and what will come in 2020 as I begin to prepare for next year’s events. I know I sound like a broken record when I talk about Metal Immersion, but I can not help myself. Thank you everyone for making it a Success. (I know I don’t do this often enough, but I WILL put a feather in my cap for this success!)

Until we meet again.

Always,

Kieu

Banana Bread Recipe, The Story

This recipe was given to me 20 years ago from my then boyfriend’s sister in law. If you know me you will know that I don’t eat bananas, ever. But I will from time to time make and eat banana bread. (I do realize this is a little weird.) But after having tasted her BB I had to have the recipe. Upon receiving the recipe my then boyfriend said, “That was way too easy, she doesn’t share that easily. I am pretty sure that will not be the right recipe.” So I took it a friend of mine who is a food science major and asked him to review the recipe. And so there it was, she left the baking powder off the list of ingredients. With the fix in hand I now owned the world’s best banana bread recipe.

I would like to be clear, I am in no way saying that I am the only person to have such recipe. So if your recipe looks like this one, you too have the world’s best banana bread recipe.

To date everyone who have contended this fact has lost and gracefully asked for the recipe. And after an event I had last week I decided it was time to just put it at a central place for everyone, as I have become tired of having to remember who all I promised the recipe to.

For years I have made this as just straight up banana bread. But earlier this month I saw a recipe on Facebook where they added a layer of cheesecake on top. Upon reviewing the recipe I decided to use my banana bread recipe with their cheesecake recipe and it was a hit.

Here is the banana cake recipe and at the bottom you will find the cheesecake recipe.

Banana Bread Recipe

Cream together

1 stick butter
1 1/4 cup sugar

Add the following ingredients

2eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas
4 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour

Pure into a loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 350F

If you want to remove the bread from the pan the easiest way to make it release is to line the bottom with a piece of wax paper.

Banana Bread Cheesecake

Start with the recipe above, but instead, pour the batter into a 9” round cake pan lined with wax paper on the bottom. Bake for about 45min or until you can pull out a clean bamboo skewer. Allow to cool about 30 minutes. Flip out onto the bottom of a 9” spring form pan and remove the wax paper. Place back into spring form and lock in place.

Cheesecake Recipe

 32 oz (900 g) cream cheese, softened
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 mL) milk
1 tablespoon gelatin powder

In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

Microwave the milk until hot for about 2 minutes, and add in the gelatin powder.

Quickly stir until gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Pour the gelatin mixture over the cream cheese and whisk again until smooth.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked banana bread.

Cool for 3 hours or overnight.

Thanks to a student for not only sharing these delicious cookies in class but also the recipe. Yeah, she actually came prepared with the recipe in hand. This was in her mother's recipe box going back to the 60's and enjoyed it throughout her childhood. She recently discovered that it was GF and wanted to share it. How cool for us!

I have since made it about a dozen times and everyone has enjoyed it and asked for the recipe. Sharing it here makes it much easier for everyone to always have it.

Cream together:

1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. butter

Whisk:

3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla add butter/sugar mixture add
1 ½ c. creamy peanut butter

Mix:

4 ½ c. oatmeal
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Add wet ingredients and stir well

Stir in:

½ c. chocolate chips
½ c. mini M&M’s

Chill overnight before baking for a more chewy texture.

Spray cookie sheets, scoop by the tablespoon and lightly flatten dough before baking. Bake at 350˚F, 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown. Let set for 1-2 minutes, cool on racks. 

Paris/Dubai 2010

October 2009 - Planning

After weeks, and I do mean weeks, of planning and manipulating, I was finally able to score 2 business class tickets to Dubai...and Paris! For 2010. Our flights required stops in Europe and Andy has never been AND it did not cost extra so we expanded our trip to include Paris. Coincidentally, our 10th wedding anniversary would be in the middle of the trip.

Despite having an entire year to plan, it would not be until July 2010 before I would find time to plan. And I barely made that happen. Thank goodness my girlfriend got a teaching contract in the UAE and my brother in-law was studying Arabic. Together they would give us all the info we needed. Ha!

July 2010 A Nugget

While researching our trip, I came across a little nugget...The International Jewelry Show of Dubai was happening in the middle of our vacation!! Wooohooo. The trip is now a write off..at least partially.

September 2010 China
An unplanned trip took me to China. There was definitely no time to think about Dubai. We will just have to wing it.

Sept. 25 - Chinatown, NYC
And we were off. Packed it in the car and headed for NYC. Andy wanted to drive so that we could be more leisurely about our travels. Try as we might to miss NYC traffic, the last hour took 2.5 hours. We arrived just in time for dinner.

We picked up Mike (my brother in law) and headed to Chinatown in Flushing. This is the first time I had been to Chinatown since my visit to China. The similarities were shocking. I never realized how similar the two places are. The biggest shock to my system was being around so many Chinese people who spoke ENGLISH. I had to remind myself I was in the US and not to insult someone by asking, “do you speak English?” Which, almost passed my lips several times. Ooops.

Dinner was at a food plaza my sister had been geeked about for the past year. She has dying for me to go. I think I would have been much more impressed if I had not just come back from China 10 days before. The dumplings sucked, what can I say.

Sept. 26 – Reservations
Spent the day in Stamford, CT at an artshow then went shopping for a cricket cage in Chinatown which we never found (long storie). Then I spent the rest of the day looking for a hotel reservation in Paris. This was suppose to be the easy part of the trip. But for some reason (the UN in session), all of Paris was booked and I can not put my hands on a reasonable rate. My brother in law suggested the IBIS hotel and to my surprise was able to immediately find a hotel, IN Paris! phew.

Sept. 27 – Take off

Up to this point I had not been excited in the least about this trip; arriving at the airport, the excitement finally kicked in. I had butterflies in my stomach and I was just excited. This is the first real adventure I was taking with my husband after 10 years of marriage. No idea what took so long.

Arriving at the airport I immediately flashed back to previous European trips…Hoards of people trying to do ALL do the same the at the same time and NO one to direct them, and NONE of them wanting to play nice. There were at least 75 people violating 6 ticketing kiosks. I don't think that "forming a line" is a European's vernacular.

My best efforts to avoid the hoards of people at the kiosk was in vain. The guy at baggage check-in just pointed us to the kiosks to get our boarding passes before he would let us enter. (I did try to tell him we were flying upper class but it fell on deaf ears.) Not helpful.

Like a good girl I joined the swarm. (more like a lemming) and quickly discovered a machine that was not being used, even though there were so many people standing around. (not my problem) Me being me, I asked the guy in front of me why the computer was not in use. He didn’t know, so I urged “him” to step forward. Low and behold, it worked! Ta, ha!. I guess my line just got shorter. My triumph was short lived. A French women stepped in front of this guy and pushed him off…huh? Let me just say she got out of MY way! I was glad for this first experience. It reminded me to prepare for “European” attitudes in large groups. Note to self, brace yourself and defend your position.

At baggage check I looked around for the “special” line. When I did not see it I resigned myself to the fact that there was not a separate line for “upper class” travelers. (“upper class” seems to be the designation of choice in periodicals when talking about business/first class travel.) I was wrong. When we got to the counter the attendant immediately said, "do you know there is a line for upper class across the way?" We do now. She agreed to check us in anyway. I can't get my 15 min. back. Oh well.

This is Andy’s first trip overseas, longest flight, and first time flying business class so we wanted to soak up all the amenities. We headed directly to the executive lounge. International carriers really know how to do it right! The buffet was a great spread of French “snacks”. Unlike the sucky domestic carriers where you only get bags of carrots and peanuts, and paid for your drinks, this was very refreshing.

While there, I noticed a woman traveling with a baby and of course the thought was, she is about to make a bunch of upper class passengers very unhappy. I knew that as soon as that thought crossed my 2 brain cells I was doomed. Lemme just say, doomed I was. She was sitting in my seat! Not a problem! We were willing to wait for her to move or figure it out. So she got up, placed the baby on the seat and proceeded to ask me to watch the baby while she fetched her ticket from her bag which was already in the overhead compartment. (really?) Gee, surprise, she was in the wrong seat! Now she was ready to move. But along the way she asked me to help her (move the water bottles, the baby bottles, the stuffed toy, the pillow…dear gahd! did she move in?) and then she asked Andy to get her bag from the overhead. Did I mention that she was spread out between TWO seats?

The flight attendant who was making his way up the aisle noticed the exodus and Andy reaching for her bag (which I am sure HE had put there in the first place). He look confused the realized what was happening. He quickly grabbed her bag from Andy with a horrified look. ( I am sure it went something like this… “OMG, a passenger is moving bags for another passenger?) eeegads.

So again she spread out in two seats at her new location, only to find out again that the seat next to her was about to be occupied. Oops. I was feeling sorry for that passenger. Funny, when he arrived (he was on his cell phone), he slowed down at his seat, checked out the situation and kept on walking. (I overheard him say on the phone, “there is a baby in the seat next to me…) He cased out the area and found another seat. Lucky him, business class was not full.

The first course, cheese plate, cold cuts, pesto, scallop souffle.

Second course, boullabaise.

Andy's second course, steak.

Day 1 – Paris

Charles de Gualle airport is not at all as I remembered it. I suppose things do change after 20 years. (Hard to believe it has been that long since I have been in Paris.) It took us 3.5 hours from the time we arrived at the airport to the time we arrived at the hotel, which was only 30min. from CDG! Wah? Huh. Well, smart me wanted to take the train (supposed to be cheaper and faster, conveniently located at the airport). But to reach our “final” destination there were 2 train changes, 3 flights of stairs (maybe more, lost count) UP! then 3 flights down! I thought Andy was going to kill me. Then one final flight up to the street.

When we finally made it to the street, a taxi took us to the “rest” of the way…sort of. The taxi stopped at the right address but there was no hotel, but instead an apartment building? My brother in law mapped the wrong location. We were in southeast Paris but the hotel was actually outside of Paris. North! 27km to be exact. OMG, just kill me. This added 45 minutes in a taxi.

We finally arrived in the right place at 3pm and passed out, as either of us slept on the plane.

On our first day we discovered that French people could be really rude, however, they could be nice too. Three people stopped to help me with the baggage up and down the stairs in the subways stations. They saw Andy’s disposition and offered to help carry the luggage. One guy went so far as to ask if I needed help beyond that point. Wow. Good Start.

Day 2 - More steps

People really don’t know until they know. Having been to Paris and Europe before I was very leery of how well Andy would cope, as stairs and steps are particularly challenging to him. And I was right.
Despite the fact that Paris is a metropolitan city, it is a very old one. There are few ramps, escalators and elevators. When there are escalators there are still steps to get to them or they were only available going UP? huh? I don’t get it. Most of the old monuments have nothing to assist handicapped people. And bathrooms in restaurants are mostly down winding steps. Travelers with handicaps take caution.

These are all things I had considered before I committed to this trip. But of course there were other people’s opinions, “It’s a modern city, you’ll be fine.” “There’s lots of transportation, it’s easy to get around.” … Bastards! They just don’t realize that even high curbs and cobblestone can cause problems.
Whoever told Andy we should go to Bastille Sacre Coeur should be taken out, stripped, and beaten! (I believe it was his doctor who should have known better.)
Going to Sacre Coeur was suppose to be an easy trip with only one subway change…that is until I screwed up and put us on the Wrong platform. Resulting in extra steps. Ugh. Down an extra set of stairs and up an extra set of stairs we went.

Arriving at the “base” of the church there was suppose to be a funicular to take us to the top…Uh, someone (his doctor) failed to mention there was a cobblestone street, UPHILL BEFORE the funicular. He Also failed to mention that there was also 1.5 flights of stairs before the church STEPS. (I always assume there is a set of steps in front of a church so I’ll give him that one.)

Then what about the ass at the top of the funicular who told us that the bus transport was at the bottom of the hill? I should take him out too. Because halfway down the hill, a women told us the bus we wanted was at the top! Just beyond where the ASS was. Just a little tormented?

Bastille Sacre Coeur. Paris

View of Paris from Sacre Coeur. This is the best place to see all of Paris

Just a really pretty candy store along the cobblestone walk uphill.

Despite all of these challenges we did find our way to the Arc de Triomphe, where we bumped into our first tourist scam. (You might want to take notes.) Standing on the sidewalk looking through my purse a guy stopped in front of me, bent over, picked up a gold ring, handed it to me and said, “For good luck.” And walked away. Five seconds later he turned around and said, “Do you have money for food, to eat?” and pointed to the ring. Can we all say SCAM? So I handed it back to him and told him to go buy himself some food! Make no mistake our getaway was not that simple.

Immediately after this incident a well dressed young man approached me and asked, “how do get to the middle?” pointing at the Arc de Triomphe, which is in the middle of a very busy traffic circle. By assumption I pointed to the closest set of stairs that looked like the led to an underpass. Uh, no? We got to the bottom, he looked at me, I looked at him and we agreed we would walk around the circle to find another passage. As he would put it, “Crossing the boulevard seems a little dangerous.” Ha, ha. No kidding. A traffic circle in the middle of Paris with 5 spokes feeding into it, dangerous? Ya think?

Along the walk I learned that my companion was in Paris for a grant/job interview. He is an Iranian, living in Berlin, who speaks English, German and Persian. None of which were helpful to our cause as either one of us spoke or read French.

Next on the tourist path, the Eiffel Tower. Andy was underwhelmed. All I have to say is, wasn’t it red at one time?
On the way to the top we met a group from Toronto who’s comment was, “Cleveland, that beautiful country.” Then came the Australian, Claire, from Brisbane with the vertigo husband. (He didn’t go past the second level so we accompanied her to the top.) Andy offered to hold onto her belt if she wanted to lean over the edge for a look, her husband was not so amused!

On the way down we met guy from Kansas City, MO, which is where Andy and I first met. He said we were first people to ever ask, “Kansas City, Kansas or Kansas City, Missouri?” Really? He was impressed.

My cliche lunch, or should I say quiche lunch.	Andy's lunch, dried salami sandwich and the best fries we have ever had!	In the underpass.
		"ahhhhhhhh."
Arc de Triomphe, picture taken by my new friend.	The Eiffel Tower from the Arc.	Mohin my tourist pal for the moment.
	Those are crystal embedded stairs.	Just pretty.
I thought this was ironic, as Cleveland has one of the largest collections of Monet. And I had to go all the way to Paris to see it? Not.	National Museum	National Museum of Art
	Can't remember.
	More military.	This is suppose to be a pix of pigeons pooping on tourists passing underneath.
The park in front of the Eiffel Tower.	Another view.	Arc de Triomphe from the Eiffel.
Claire, from Australia.	Look closely, that is the US flag, pointing in the direction of NYC, 5849KM away
So I decided to sneak in a pix of these guys in uniform. Didn't think they would notice. But then he approached me and started pointing to my camera.	Then he asked if it was good pix. As he noticed I was looking at my screen. Fortunately for me the play back was other pix. He was a little embarrassed so I scammed him into standing for another picture! LOL!

Day 3 - Welcome to Paris!

After a very long night of jet lag and rowdy 15 year old Dutch kids in the room next door, we finally dragged ourselves out of bed for more tourists stuff.
At the train station we asked for assistance to ride on a “special” elevator to the platform which required an attendant with a key. On the way down, there was a very distinct odor of uh-hum. The attendant made a sniffing sound and said, “ouf” (so French) then he said, “Welcome to Paris!” It was a good laugh.

So away we went to the Bastille, underwhelmed. Then the Louvre, completely outstanding. Then St. Chappelle, oh so beautiful, and finally Notre Dame, not as big as you think but still big. Is it over yet?

The Louvre
More military detail to my right.	River Seine	Look familiar? The french version of the cow in China. ha!
Another cliche meal. French onion soup.	Stec au pomme frite	St. Chapelle, near Notre Dam
Outside		Inside
Notre Dame	Inside, during mass.	Hotel bathroom. Notice the lack of shower curtain and shower head.

Day 4 – Onto Dubai

Another day, another airport. We knew that flying upper class afforded us a few privileges but this next one takes the cake. Despite being told that security check was to the right, after receiving our boarding passes at the “elite line” we were instructed to the left. Where 2 nicely dressed attendants opened a roped area and allowed us to proceed…to the “private” customs and security gate. Just for the upper class flyers. Nice.

It is always interesting to people watch at the airport. Regardless of where you are there is always free entertainment. The boarding area was particularly crowded, standing room only. Air France really needs to expand their terminal. It was so crowded that the upper class and coach lines were really marred, which, I am sure, is the reason we got the complete stair down by a fellow upper class passenger. Little did he know, ha! we were flying with him! So hard to believe.

Arrival was a gasp, literally. Since when do Men spritz cologne in public…in an airplane? My head was just swelling. Then came the brick wall of heat that hit me as soon as we walked outside. Desert heat comes with humidity? Gag.

Starbucks	Chocolate Camels. They made me smile.	The ski slope inside of The Dubai Mall. Doesn't look real does it?
	Chicken Curry and flat bread.

Day 5 – It’s so Clean

As luck would have it our hotel was located 3minutes walk from the metro station. But man, even those 3 minutes were brutal in the mid-day sun. wow. I am really starting to wonder if I am going to survive the heat!

Upon entering the metro station it became very clear that Dubai was going to live up to everything the press had reported. The metro station was equipped with elevators, escalators AND people movers AND it boasted ZERO emissions trains. Did I mention how clean it was? You could practically eat off the ground. Andy and I even agreed that the 10second rule applied here. (This is not even thought in NYC!)

First stop, the Dubai Mall to find a bikini and a power cord for my laptop. My bikini went missing before we left then I left my power cord at my sister’s house. At the electronics store I approached a gentleman and proceeded to ask, “do you speak English?” answer, “Of, course, why shouldn’t I?” “I don’t know why.” Huh, not what I expected. Okay then. This is going to be a very easy trip.

The famous indoor ski slopes were located at this mall and yeah, it is exactly like the pictures. Everyone was dressed in ski wear issued by the facility. So the women were in full length, black ski jackets with their black head scarves and the men in blue with their which scarves. This was just hilarious to me! The only thing I could think was, in the US we think of snowmen when we are all bundled up like that in white; what do you call one that is black?

The mall was simply impeccable, from the selection of stores and restaurants to the cleanliness. I have never been to a mall this clean before. Attendants in the restrooms to dispense soap for you and squeegee the counters when you are done? Trash cans were so pretty we had a hard time distinguishing them from the art. It was endless.
In the afternoon we headed to the spice souk, a market we had read so much about. It sounded so exotic. Clearly this was a tourist market, but it was fun anyway. Most of the spices are from other places, so we only bought spices that were from the region.

Tonight we had the best dinner so far. Directed to this area by a vendor at the spice souk, we found ourselves down a back alley where there were several local restaurants. We chose the busiest restaurant that looked the least like a tourist trap. It was filled to the brim with local men, not a woman or tourist in sight. As much as we looked like tourists, we tried to not act like tourists. I was careful to watch the other patrons to figure out the protocol. But I am sure that my handi-wipes turned a few heads. I could have saved myself from the stares had I been observant enough to notice that there was a wash basin in the restaurant for washing your hands! Smart. Clean up after our meal was easy.

Lack of a picture menu we were clueless so we pointed to the table next to us and indicated that we wanted what they were having. Couldn’t be bad, most everyone was having the same thing. It turned out to be chicken curry (not curry chicken, and definitely nothing we had EVER had before). OMG was it good. YUM. It was accompanied by a dish of raw vegetables and fresh flat bread directly from the oven to the table, we were in heaven. Did I say YUM? YUM! The waiter was so kind, he watched us the entire time and if it looked like we needed something he just brought it; more sauce, more vegetables, more bread. It was so good we both considered licking our plates but resisted since no one else was licking their plates.

I am always worried of being ripped of when I am in a place where I can’t speak the language so I also tried to be mindful of how much people were paying for their dinners. The check was about $7 for both of us! I guess we got a good deal.

Fogged up camera from the Dubai humidity.	Burj al Kahlib (10 min. later) The talles buildig in the world.	Mall of the Emirates
The Dubai Aquarium at the Dubai Mall. This is the "world's largest panel of acrylic".	Taking pictures outside were always a challenge because of the humidity.

Day 6 – Sites

We headed to the Mall of the Emirates and the Burj al Khalib, both are amazing. It is so hard to believe that Dubai can support so much shopping. We have now been in 2 malls and they were both stacked with the best of the best of stores and brands. Chanel, LV, Fendi, Tifanny, Cartier, Bulgari, and the list goes on, and on. And they were all in duplication. If there is one Chanel there are SEVEN, Louis Vuitton – THREE. And So on. Wow. Is there really that much shopping in this town to support that many high end stores? This completely dwarfs Rodeo Drive in Hollywood or even Fifth Avenue in NYC.

As an American, you could not want for anything. It seems as if EVERY American brand was represented here. If you missed food from home, it is all here. Baskin Robbins, TGIF, Johnny Rockets, I can not even think of a chain that I did not see. (Well, I didn’t see IN n Out, but anyway...) The only thing that was really “missing” was the dirt. Every place we have been to, has been is so clean. We at the food court at the mall and there were people to pick up our trays. Really? I thought this was fast food? I almost felt guilty handing someone my tray.

I was in desperate need for a tall, icy, cold Coke tonight. So, on our walk back to the hotel I made a pit stop at Burger King which was at the gas station across the highway. I knew that BK would come through with ice. They don’t seem to like serving it here. I think that was the best Coke I have ever had.

Day 7 - Abu Dhabi

The bus station was probably the grungiest place we had been to in all of Dubai. But we were rewarded with another great meal. The restaurant was hot and steamy but the waiter was kind enough to turn on the A/C unit that was near our table. For both of us $6 got us grilled chicken and rice, chicken curry and 2 drinks. YUM!

A clean, air conditioned luxury bus took us to Abu Dhabi for about $4 each.

Abu Dhabi is much crowder than Dubai. The buildings are older and it was not as clean.

We made our way to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the eighth largest mosque in the world. It accommodates 40,000 worshippers. I can not begin to imagine a larger or more beautiful mosque. This is truly the most beautiful man made facility I have ever seen/been in. The serenity there warmed my heart and immediately brought me peace. It was amazing. I can not even put what I felt into words.

When we arrived there were abayas for the women and robes for the men. I was a little concerned to put on someone’s sweaty robe but to my delight they were freshly laundered. When we were done they were put into a laundry bag.

Our timing could not have been better. The taxi driver told us that there would not be tourists there as most tourists came in the morning. He was so right. We also arrived while it was still daylight, but by the time we left it was nightfall so the mosque was beautifully lit up. Did I mention how amazing it was?

Not surprisingly, it was so clean I took off my shoes and enjoyed walking on the cool marble. The bathroom was equally as beautiful. The ablution was amazing. But out of respect I chose to not take a picture. There were attendants everywhere.

On our way back to the bus station we were overcome by the sweet smell of a bakery. I chased it down and found a lovely local bakery. It was hopping with activity. Having no clue what anything was and trying hard not to make trouble, I took two of everything. How bad could it be, right? Then I noticed the bakers working feverishly on what looking like calzones. People were buying these by the dozen, so of course I had to have one. The guy asked which one. I said one of each. He was clearly amused. They turned out to be freshly made flat bread with melted feta cheese, spinach and combinations of. Oh so yummy. If we had not just had dinner I would have finished it.

Sheik Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi		The world's 8th largest mosque.
	The courtyard.	We were required to cover.
	Even the restrooms were beautiful, I could not help taking a picture.	The other side of the sinks. All in layed marble.

Their idea of Hommos. The peas were so tender they melted in your mouth.

Arab pizza? Feta and spinach. There was a line for these yummies.

Day 8 - Shwarma

Today we had lunch reservations at the Burj al Arab Hotel, probably the most famous and most photographed hotel in Dubai. It looks like a sailboat on the water’s edge. To get on the property you must have a reservation of some sort. Since we simply could not afford the $1500/night rate, we opted for the cheapest meal we could get, lunch at the Japanese restaurant. It was the worse and most expensive meals we had. We actually paid $20 for a bottle of water. Eek.

At the restaurant the hostess is Malaysian, the waiter is Chinese, the manager is from the Philippines and the cooks are all Chinese. Huh. This explains why there was so much Chinese food and it tasted a bit lacking in the Japanese department. Where is the Japanese in all of this? Oh, the guests. The best part of our meal was the Wagu beef, the Aussie version of Kobe beef. Geez, even the beef was a knock off!

The hotel was, well, tacky and did not impress. It was like one big cliché. The oddest part was that there were NO Arabs to be found. 98% of the people I saw were Asian and I only saw one white person other than Andy. The staff was Asian too. The manager informed us that of their guests, Americans made up less than 2.5%.

The haze across the city made viewing very hard, we could barely see anything. We really only got to see a little bit of the Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Both are great sites, but so disappointing not to be able to see anything else.

For dinner we headed to Al Mallah for shwarma, meat grilled on a vertical rotisserie. This was the one of two planned meals on this trip. We can now officially say, “WE are NOT shwarma people”. Up to this point we had had it a few times on the streets but were not impressed. So we thought that going to Al Mallah, the oldest and best shawarma house in Dubai, would finally satisfy our palate. Not. Uck!

At Al Mallah, we bumped into an American couple from Philly! Jeff was born in Dubai and his wife was from Philly. They had just moved to Dubai a few months before she got a job in Dubai. (Much to his parents’ delight but her parents’ chagrin. So funny how things work out.)

Jeff was so impressed that we were eating at Al Mallah because it was such a local place. According to him, 15 years ago there was nothing there but Al Mallah, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr. Really? Al Mallah, Pizza Hut, Carl’s Jr. and the desert? That’s it. Really? I could not even imagine. This area was so built up, you would have thought you were in NYC. I still can not get over Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr.? Of all things.

He was clearly excited that we were eating at one of his favorite places. So we lied and told him the shwarma was GREAT!

Jumeirah Mosque	Though beautiful, this mosque paled in comparison to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.
Burj Al Arab Hotel	Lobby view looking straight up.	Sister property, Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Day 9-11 – Atlantis

Our last three days were spent mostly at the Atlantis Dubai Resort. Located at the top of Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis is an architectural marvel. We were impressed from the moment we walked in. From the greeter who sprinkled rose water into your hands to the 30ft Chihuly sculpture. I had a hard time figuring out where to start.
We chose to stay on a resort for our final days so that we would not need a vacation from our vacation when we got home. So we indulged ourselves at the beach and the pool. There is nothing like laying out on a bed of cool water on the pools edge with a fountain trickling in your ear. Somehow I stopped feeling hot. Did I mention the guy who came around to wipe off your sunglasses for you? Really.

The lunch buffet was one of the best I have ever had. (I hate buffets, usually.) Hard to believe that on this buffet I had bread that was as good as what we had in Paris and pasta that was simply out of this world. This buffet was so big I don’t think there was anything missing, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, American, Italian, and it went on. The desserts were also international. I left quite full.

The property also had boasted some pretty impressive shopping. I don’t think I have ever been in a place that had its own Tiffany’s store. Not just a counter inside of a gift shop but an actual store. Here I was introduced to Paspally Pearls, let me just say, Mikimoto has nothing on them. The manager was kind enough to educate me on his store and introduced me to a one hundred and thirty thousand dollar strand of pearls! Yes, that is $130,000! And these were the “cheap” ones. Apparently there was a $300K strand over at the Dubai Mall.

At some point we figured out that it was less expensive to take a 20min. taxi off the property to eat than it was to eat there. So we ventured back into the city for our final meal at our new favorite chicken curry restaurant. Being our final meal we had to completely indulge, so we had drinks, chicken curry, lentils, and chicken tikka…for $8! I was so sure we were not screwed the first time we were there. Although, $7 was a cheap meal the first time we were there, it became clear that we were screwed.

Day 12 – Departure

4am came so quickly this morning I opted out of a shower. Was there a good reason to wake up? We were only getting on a plane for 6 hours to Amsterdam. We had a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam so there was a lot of time to kill. First order of business, a shower. I had discovered that the airport lounges were usually equipped with showers, so I took advantage. That was a nice surprise. The showers were equipped with all the amenities so you don’t have to provide anything. Which was a good thing because I did not have anything. Shampoo, razors, toothbrush…etc. I fully expected locker room style showers but was surprised with a private shower room. Not just a stall but a room with a security key. I can not believe there were TEN of them. I wonder how many people actually took advantage. It was so nice to be fresh for the next flight to NYC.

Final thoughts.

There are no Arabs in the UAE. We only now know that Arabs make up 20% of the population. Had I known that I would have never bothered with learning Arabic! Ala wu sahalan. I love saying that.

Dubai was the most civilized place I think I have ever been. The people there were incredibly nice and kind. I do not remember ever being uptight with anyone. Nor do I remember ever witnessing anyone being upset or any kind of altercation. Women appeared to be well respected in this country and it wasn’t just me. I watched how other people were being treated and it universal.

All of the taboos you hear about seem to be over-rated rumors. You should expect to be arrested if you are doing something disrespectful, but if you are reasonable person this should not be a challenge. I would definitely never wear daisy dukes outside of the resorts, but you could wear spaghetti straps and sun dresses.

The heat AND humidity was incredible. I thought I was surely going to melt. For an Asian girl who doesn’t really sweat, I sweated. It did not take long to figure out that even the slightest bit of snug clothing was too snug. My sun dress was the best thing I could have packed. This is not an ordinary desert.

Andy and I decided that we would like to go back in about 15years to see how much it will have changed. To see if Dubai’s charm is still intact or if the world will cast its influence upon it. To see if they follow through with their vision and be able to sustain it.

A traditional wind tower.
Atlantis, Dubai	View from our room.
Our room. Such a contrast to Paris

Patina, The Dark Side of Metal

Ask 10 people about patina and you will get 10 different answers on how to patina metal. For me there a lot of considerations before I choose a process. I have my favorites but that does not they are the best choices for everyone. I find that patina is a personal preference.

Chemical patinas DO have a shelf life. My assumption was that acids do not have a shelf life. But apparently, they do. Now for me, the rule of thumb is one year. I do not keep a liquid patina for more than a year. But this is sort of a sticky wicket because you do not know how long it has been on the distributor’s shelf. So, the safest thing to do is to buy the product from a supplier that has a high-volume turnover (meaning a high rate of sales), because it is less likely to sit on their shelf for very long. Unless you are working in high volume production, buy the smallest quantity of patina available. This will ensure that it can be used before the shelf life renders it ineffective.

Listed in order of what I use most commonly:

*Midas Black Max™ Oxidizer, available at Rio Grande exclusively.

*Black Max™ Oxidizer produces an intense black color and is my favorite to use on silver. It may also be used on copper, but it is quite aggressive.

Ensure that the surface of your piece is clean and free of steel wool residue before applying. Apply it directly onto the metal with a Q-tip® or small brush. Rinse thoroughly with clean water. Store it at room temperature in a dark place. I recommend placing the bottle inside of another plastic container to help retain the off gas which may corrode any nearby metal. The shelf life is approximately one year.

*Liver of Sulfur (LOS)

On silver, liver of sulfur produces a dull color. If used after pickling, it may produce blues and purples. I prefer to use LOS on copper. The longer you leave it in the solution, the darker it gets. To produce funky colors, I have been told that you can use well water or add Styrofoam to the solution. The biggest problem is the smell; consider doing this outdoors.

Apply by making enough solution to submerge your entire piece. I would use a plastic pair of tweezers or create a hook from copper wire to dunk the pieces. Trust me, you don’t want your fingers to smell like LOS. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Store at room temperature in a light-proof, air-tight container. Shelf life will vary. I have had dry nuggets for more than three years that still work. But the shelf life on liquid LOS is less. You can tell that LOS has gone bad simply by looking at the color. If the nuggets are white, it is done. I prefer dry LOS because it lasts longer and I don’t have to worry about spillage when traveling. Additionally, when I liquefy dry LOS, I can store it for a month in a closed jar, in a dark place, before it goes bad. Diluted liquid LOS will only last two days.

*Jax

There are is a wide variety of colors that you can purchase in this line to create colors from brown, to black, to green patina. The only solution I really like is the green patina as it produces an intense green color on copper.

This is a water-based product, ships non-hazardous.

Apply using a Q-tip® or brush. You will need several applications for a good result. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

*Topical products like a Sharpie® marker, alcohol inks and Gilder’s Paste®

All of these products have a proprietary formula and are typically considered non-hazardous. My challenge with using these products and the like, is that they are only semi-permanent. Thus, given enough time and environmental changes, they will wear off. There are many ways to “seal” them, but this too, is questionable. If using Gilder’s Paste® that has dried out, apply a few drops of mineral spirits to re-hydrate.

Products that you can find in your kitchen

Salt and vinegar potato chips, a hard-boiled egg, fresh cat urine (no kidding it has to be fresh), bleach, etc., all work, but clearly, you can see the problem with them. Usually, they are messy and smelly. The only time I would use any of these is out of desperation.  Additionally, they are not as effective as I would like.

Tip: Place your metal in a Ziploc® bag with the patina of choice, seal and wait. I would probably work with the urine, outside, and not in my kitchen or studio. Just a suggestion.

Patriotism

This being the 45th anniversary of the fall of Vietnam, many people have noted on social media that there is lack of awareness for the sacrifices that US veterans have made during the Vietnam war. This meme touched soft spot and I felt compelled to share my story. 

I would like to first share a question that was asked of me about a year ago, “What do you think about the US involvement in the Vietnam War.”

My first question was, “Are you asking me as an American or as a Vietnamese refugee?”

I don’t think my friend ever thought that there could be two sides to this questions. But I think for people like myself, if we were thoughtful there would always be two answers. I could never disown my race nor my heritage, I was born that way. But I could never deny the country of which I have pledged my allegiance as I am a citizen.

So to him I answered the following:

As a US citizen, I have a hard time with sending our young men and women into harm’s way to assert what we (Americans) believe is right.

As a Vietnamese person I am grateful for the US involvement. Had it not for this participation, I would not be writing this today. More than likely, I would have already lost my life at 5 years old.

I remember when I met the first Vietnam Vet in 1998. His name is Terry Barnes. After much conversation, we discovered that there was a very high probability that he was directly involved in our (my family and I) escape from the conflict. Terry was a pilot during the air evacuation of Vietnamese citizens; we were one of those people. To Terry I simply said the words, “Thank you”. I was the first person he had ever met since 1975 whom he had a direct impact. And in silence we held each other and became friends. We have since lost touch but I will never forget him nor his twin brother.

So on this 45th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, I would say this, Thank you for giving us life. Know that I will not squander what I have and all of the privileges that comes with being a US citizen.

To those who choose to judge us Brown people, think again, I am as much if not more of an AMERICAN than many who believe that they are protecting this country from foreigners.

When you say "go back to your country" YOU have dishonored all of the sacrifices veterans have made for me and countless other people.

Peru 2015

Day 1 – and away we go

It has been 2 years since my last trip out of the country, and for some odd reason, I am nervous. I find myself with a knot in my stomach, hmmm. I am quite unclear what it is. Am I worried about a new country, am I really prepared, did I pack the right equipment, the right shoes? Or is it because this is the first time I am taking this kind of trip? What about the altitude? What if I am the one who ends up on that horse? Oy. Onward.

Day 2 –

First breakfast in Lima provided by the hotel. Well, that was interesting, you would have thought we were in China again. There were plenty of Asian food on the buffet (about half of it) and I suppose that would be appropriate because there were plenty of Asians in the restaurant, hmmm. So strange. I skipped it and opted for eggs to order and some toast. On the list for our short stint in lima, see downtown, royal palace, find a bead store and the catacombs…(hmmm, why don’t I have any pictures of that? Because they did not allow us to take pictures. So imagine 20K skeletons.) Much of what we saw in Lima reminds me of Mexico, not surprising. Before heading off to the airport for the next leg of our trip, I was able to have our driver take us to his favorite restaurant. Oh, what a treat. I love going to restaurants frequented by taxi drivers, it always seems like they go to the best places. Today the specialty was ceviche de mar. Ok, lets admit it, I was really apprehensive about eating raw seafood in a foreign country, but it seems to be the national dish. And Guillermo told me that the specialties of the house were: 1. Ceviche and 2. Arroz con pata (rice and duck NOT chicken). After a moment of deliberation and reasoning in my head, I decided to go for it. Of course I enjoyed it, but the question was, would I come to regret it later…. It was the best ceviche of my life. At first real meal Karen learned a tortilla as we know it is not a tortilla in Peru….it’s an omelet. She ordered a dried skate tortilla. I think she was expecting a fish taco. Welllll, not so much. She got an omelet of dried skate. (Not clear that even I would eat that.) All was made right with Pisco Sours. That’s one way to kick off this adventure…onward to Cusco.

Day 3 – Cusco

Holy cow last night was fuuhhreezzing. The house is a 2 story condo where the heating unit was a small, portable propane thing that was on the first floor. The second floor had nothing but blankets. Argh. I could not get comfortable all night. Waking up, the altitude has already hit me, the light headedness, the pressure in my sinuses and headache…The decision, to take the altitude sickness pills now or wait? Perhaps my body will catch up and I will acclimate. Should I give my body a chance to do it’s job?…Lets see what my Facebook friends have to say….That lasted about a half hour before I decide to take the freaking pills.

Nothing like basket of warm rolls at the convenience store next to the rental.	Plenty of tourist goods,
Lots of locals means, it has to be good.	Noodles for breakfast. No matter where I go, this is the ultimate comfort food. This was an amazingly fresh bowl of soup. I am pretty sure it was only $1USD.
Best seat in the house.

Went to the trekking tour office for our mandatory orientation meeting. There we met our fellow trekkers and our fearless leaders. Our counterparts seemed like nice people ready to have fun and meet the challenge. The guide, not so much. I was completely unimpressed. But perhaps it will be better on the trail.

Cusco at night	Oddities
Random door decoration.	Hmmmm, Out?

	The ChocoMuseo would provide our fun for the day. There we took a chocolate making class and learned all about the cacao bean and its process from farm to table. It was a great opportunity to learn about something at its origin. By the end we all had a bunch of chocolate to take home with us. Pisco Sours would end our early night as we prepared for our big adventure.
I guess there was going to be a concert.

Day 4 – Salkantay Trek – 1

Pick up at 6’ish from our condo, this was not to be as easy as it sounds. The roads were too narrow for the bus make up. So we had to walk to the bus with our tote and equipment, luckily they sent people to help us carry the bags, phew! On the bus we met Tom (29 years old from San Francisco). This would be his first adventure of this kind. He had a nice demeanor about him and seemed very happy to be there. Next would be John and his kids Lauren (26 years old) and Remi (22 years old) from London. Lauren was immediately a ray of sunshine. She introduced herself to everyone and went directly to the back of the bus, where the bad kids sit. ;) Then came Neil and Katie (dating couple of 8 years from Liverpool). As soon as Neil got into the van he said “funny, and we thought we would be first.” Yeah, so much for me trying to figure out the timing of the pick-up at the orientation. Chris (from Australia, can’t remember which city) would be last. He really was out of the way and the only one who was staying at a hostel. He was the iconic hostel type toting a small guitar and what seemed to be his entire life in a heavy canvas backpack. He was on holiday in South America for THREE months.

(Karen is already passed out. teehee)

Our second stop, on the 4 hour bus ride to the trailhead, would be at a little town where we were told we could use the toilet and were “invited” to half a piece of bread and coca tea. (The "invitation" came with a price.) This stop would also yield the first incident of the trek, and yes, I would bear the burden of that. On the short walk up the road to the facilities, I stepped into a drainage grate. Where I stepped was exactly enough separation between the grates for my foot to go through (no other area on this grate was bigger) and my leg went all the way down to the point where my crotch actually hit the grate. Oy. Once again, we are in a foreign country and Karen had to witness this. It happened so fast, I am not even sure who all pulled me out of the hole. (I knew that was going to bruise in more than a few places.) I was lucky that this fall only resulted in some bruising, this could have been the beginning and the end of my trek. I was most impressed by the concerns that was expressed by Neil and Tom. Both of whom individually pulled me aside to asked me how I was. Wow, I didn’t even know these people yet and they were so genuine. It was not until here that the group would officially come together and formerly meet one another. I get a feeling this is going to be a good group of people.

We arrived at our first site where we would have a beautifully cooked meal of trout and rice (started carb loading in anticipation) for lunch. After lunch we were given the option to take a side excursion to see a lagoon (1.5hour hike) or just go directly to our first campsite. Well duhh, of course I am going to take the lagoon. Any opportunity to see more, right? We are in Peru, we are in the Andes, I have to see everything I could possibly see. So the group split up. Maruja (the second guide) would lead the slow group (Emily, John and Katie) directly to the campsite, while Fabian would lead the fast group to the extra hike. I assessed the hike by site and decided that it would not be problem and was not different from any other hike I had done in the recent past. ¾ from the top I quit. I had had enough. I couldn’t breathe, my muscles were tired and I just couldn’t go on. And there was still another 3 hours to go to get to the campsite. But noooooo, my fellow trekkers were not going to let me quit. So I pushed on and made it. On the way back down I asked Karen if she thought it was worth it, I didn’t get an answer.

The fun was just beginning. We were to hike 5km uphill to our destination. I did the math and decided that it should be a piece of cake. I had recently hike 7.5km uphill in Alaska without a problem. This would prove to be a very different kind of hike. Altitude was now the game changer. Something that I did not anticipate at all. At first it was about every 20 steps that I would have to stop to catch my breath, then little by little it would become, every 10, then every 3. I had become so fatigued that I started questioning my body. Would my legs support my body weight enough to keep me from falling backwards on a rock climb?

Day 5 – Trek 2, the longest trekking day

After a very cold, restless night of sleep, riddled with the sounds of animals and an avalanche, we were awaken by a cup of coca tea at 6am, frost on our tents and “personal” wash bin. All of which I could give a shit. All I knew was that I am freezing my ass off, my head hurts and I am still in the same clothes as yesterday. I guess I was so exhausted and cold it never occurred to me to change. (So much for the pj’s I packed.) But I was in good company, Karen was in the same state of freezing. At breakfast I discovered that we were all in the same boat. No one slept well, no one was warm and half of the people skipped dinner as Karen and I had. And though I felt better, I was still in no mood to eat. Eating was now a chore. Knowing what we had ahead, I forced down what food/fuel I could muster. After yesterday, I would have to change my plan of attack. This would be a mental game and I would have to move forward at a pace that my body could handle. All I had to do was make it through the first part of the trek, an uphill hike for 2 hours. Then the rest of the hike would be easy, a downhill hike to lunch.

Don't let the smiles fool you, they were faking it!

There was no problem at all…until there was problem. Having a good ole time, until we were in sight of the camp. Step by step it suddenly got harder and harder, the final 100meters felt impossible. I decide to take my time because we were at the middle of the pack and I would not be holding anyone up. Upon arrival Karen found herself a hill to pass out on. I followed suit on another hill. Again, I was ready to call it quits. I guess I had hit my wall. I was woken for lunch. OMG, is that fried food they are serving?…baarf. My mind told me I had to eat. I took one bite and that was over. I took myself outside as far as I could away from the tent to start dry heaving again. I returned to force down some soup but that would be my limit. Again I excused myself from the table to collapse on a pad of dirt outside the tent until I was woken after lunch And the siesta that was given. (Oh dear gaaahhhd, I just want to sleep for a year!)

Not sure what happened, but perhaps the nap did me good and I found my second wind. We were now heading into lower altitudes and into the jungle. Hmmmm, lower altitude = no more altitude sickness; jungle = bugs…the good and the bad.

Dinner tonight meant an opportunity to for re-fuel after almost 24 hours of little to none. We were greeted by 2 platters of glorious popcorn! It is the creature comforts that make hard trips easier. Tom, “I think I am going to finish this platter before everyone gets here.” Me, “I don’t think I care.” Shovel in more popcorn. Upon Lauren’s arrival to the table, “Popcorn!!!!”

Day 6 – Trek 3 – Hot Springs

When we arrive at camp it is ready to receive us.	By the time we are ready to leave, camp is almost packed up.

I think I can get onnnne more on there. Holy shit.	While we are at it, lets pack the hikers inside! (kepts my mosquito net on because it just m ake me feel that much more relaxed.

Oh the glorious hot springs. What a welcome relief. This would be the first time in 3 days that we would wash ourselves. I am grateful that our group, unbathed were not a stinky bunch. Having passed many other trekking groups it became apparent that I had not smelled anyone in our group like I was smelling the other groups. Again, thank gahhhhd.

Day 7 – Trek 4 – Ziplining

After such a hard 3 days of hard trekking, the majority of the group was done. Any option other than trekking seemed to be a good option. They decide to go zip-lining. Though Chris and I want to trek to see ruins, it was no longer an option.

The rest of day was spent at Hydroelectric (the train station) for 4 hours! Oh, yeah, there are things you are can do there. You can go the restaurant and shop around. Let me just say their idea of shopping around and mine are quite different. This is was tiny strip of shacks all offering the same thing, water, soda and snack items. Wow the shopping was great. *snark* Instead I found my way to the river nearby. All I wanted to do was soak my feet in cool running water. And there it was, ahhhhhh. My turn to find nirvana in a river. Unfortunately the river was a little stinky and Chris felt it wasn’t really safe to go swimming, but putting our feet in would be ok. And let me just say it was one of the best feelings I can remember having. Even better than the hot springs.

Despite the fact that our legs were in the water, the bugs were still attacking. I was constantly swiping black biting bugs off my legs Under water! Holy cow the bugs in this country are vicious. It was so disgusting. Needless to say, this is what made our time there short. I wanted to so badly to sit there longer.

Tonight we arrived at Agua Calientes, a small tourist town where most people stop on their way to Machu Piccu. Here is where we will finally get a real shower and a meal in a real restaurant. On the menu “loma” or otherwise known as alpaca. For all intents and purposes, it was red meat a lot like filet mignon but with a gamey flare. Like all other meals in Peru it was accompanied by French fries. For me it was a bit uninteresting. Tom benefited from my left overs. J

Day 8 – Trek 5 - Machu Piccu

4:45 am, in the bus line and ready to go see sunrise. 200 people in front of us thinking the same thing. 5:30am, the buses start filling up and in orderly fashion it all begins. One after another the buses fill with both locals and tourists making their way to the promise land. Arriving at the gate to MP was a bit surreal. I felt like I was in a mob of people, clutching their E-tickets at Disneyland, clamoring to get on this cool ride. Ascending a flight of stairs, where at the top they would check our tickets against our passports and allow us passage to the sacred land. After winding our way up along switch backs like ants in an ant farm we arrived as a group to a terrace that would be our viewing platform. Fogged in. sigh. You could hardly see the ruins.

It seemed as if everyone was done and we were now heading out of MP. But somehow, we agree to just go outside to get a bite to eat and use the WC. Phew, I had a moment to think about my next move. John was happy for a beer and dog.

Arriving at the gates (11:10am) I was denied entry. The attendant told me I was too late and that the cut off was 11am. (I had no idea there was a cut off.) She was clearly conflicted about her decision as she had closed out the sign-in sheet. Luckily she took pity upon me and allowed entry. With a stink eye, she told me I had to leave by 2pm. I was literally the last person allowed on the trail.

The top		Looking back at Machu Piccu

Day 9 – Back in Cusco

i
I think this almost killed Emily.	I couldn't leave Peru without trying the national dish.

Day 10 – Pisac

Day 11 – Salineras and Moray

First stop was Moray, an archaeological site. Now that we were back in high altitude the thought of walking up was just a challenge. I am unclear whether or not there were words between Emily and I when we arrived at Moray, but one this was clear, neither one of us were going to walk down to the bottom. A view from the top and few snaps of the camera we were done. I believe the exact description was that we pulled a “Chevy Chase’s Vacation”…”ok, lets go.” Lol. How nice to be traveling in agreement.

A very low key dinner. I don't think Emily could have handled another "national" dish.

Day 12 – Back to Lima

As if that was not enough for one night, we moved on to the Magic Fountains in downtown Lima. (More proof that altitude was not affecting us.) There we were greeted by water fountains choreographed to music. I know this is about as tacky sounding as it gets, but to my surprise it was a wonderful display. There is a good reason why it is on the top 10 things to do in Lima. Just fun to walk around all of the water exhibits and to watch other people interacting with it. (Yes, they made interactive water fountains.) What a great way to spend an evening with your family. Emily and I enjoyed watching the water as much as we enjoyed watching the people having fun with it. How refreshing.

Day 13, last day in Peru

Proats Recipe

(No Cook Oats)

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I use 1/4 c milk 1/4 c yogurt)
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 spoonful all natural peanut butter
3/4-1 scoop protein powder
1 squirt of honey to sweeten

Place all ingredients in a Mason jar or the like, shake and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Extra ingredients you might want to consider: 

*You will need to adjust the sweetness depending on the protein powder, some are sweeter than others.
*If you make alterations in the recipe with either liquid or dry ingredient you will need to adjust the other ingredients accordingly.
*Some options that I have made that has worked well.
*Replace the cocoa with vanilla.
*Replace the peanut butter with cherries or berries
*Add chia seeds for goodness and texture (but to me it does taste a little earthy)

Sara's Biscuit Recipe

The 50 states - a Re-cap Now that I have officially finished visiting the 50 United States all of the obvious questions have started coming in. What was your favorite state? What was your least favorite? Which state would you most like to re-visit? But before I answer those questions, here is the story…

A few years ago we were out to dinner with a group of friends and the question, how many states have you visited came up. At that time it occurred to me that I had visited about 30 states. Then shortly thereafter someone was critical of the fact that I had seen more of the world than I had of the US. At that point it became a new bucket list item. Afterall, when you have passed the halfway mark, why not just finished off the list and besides, I need to get back to seeing the rest of the world, right?

So the journey began, but it was not to be as easy as a layover in a state or just driving through. There had to be qualifiers; you have to visit something or at least have a meal, but it couldn’t be fast food. It has to be a local place or it had to be the birthplace of that fast food chain, if so, you have to do a tour. The first 30 or so states were visited, shall I say organically. When I was young, my parents liked going on road trips, so the first few were via my parents (5 states). Then of course there were the obligatory trips with ex-beaus to their homesteads (2 states). And then there was my first girls’ road trip in my twenties down the Eastern seaboard from MA to FL (7states). Throw in my first job that required travel (6 states). Sprinkle in a bunch of miscellaneous travel for fun because someone invited me (12 states).

For the final 20, Andy and I decided that we would make a concerted effort to finish them. Taking our time during business trips (3 states) detouring to neighboring states and driving the long way home. Let me say there are a quite a few states between Ohio and Texans (5 states added). Then there was the trip that we have lovingly named “The Great American Road Trip”. We flew to Denver, from there we made a circle heading east then back to Denver (7 states, 12 days.) Still counting? That brings me to Alaska, Minnesota and Iowa, the last three states, which required a very deliberate effort. Check, check and CHECK!

As you can see not all states were for pleasure which means that it was not necessarily at a pace that was conducive of enjoyment. Thus to answer the questions, which state did you like the most or least, I am unsure that it would be a fair judgement. I can say that there were bright moments on this journey of the 50 and there were some that did not shine as much.

Here are some of the most memorable.

Alaska – glaciers are amazing.
Arizona – The Grand Canyon and Sedona are more than what anyone could possibly describe in words or through pictures.
California – other than the traffic and the urban jungles, what is there not to like?
Maine – Sunrise at Acadia National Park, must go back for more hiking.
New York – Niagara Falls
Hawaii – Sunrise at Haleakala
Florida – Sunset in Key West Wyoming – Yellowstone National Park, Flaming Gorge
South Carolina – Blowing Rock
Tennessee – Graceland, yup, I actually said Graceland. Where would I like to return for more? Utah – I want to see and hike more of Utah Alaska – Denali and the northern lights Arizona – to hike the Grand Canyon Maine – to hike Acadia National Park Montana – Glacier National Park Wyoming – more hiking, more hiking, more hiking
Pennsylvania - Laurel Mountain State Park

Just for fun we started a list of all the iconic foods we have had in their birth places.
BBQ – Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City
Washington State apples
Idaho potatoes
Philly cheese steak, at both Pat’s and Gino’s
New York cheese cake and pizza
California wineS and oranges
Jucy Lucy – Minneapolis
Maid Rite – Marion, IA
Virginia ham and peanuts
Etouffe – NOLA
Maryland blue crab
Maine lobster Florida gator and oranges
Chicago pizza and hot dogs
Alaskan salmon
Kentucky fried chicken (at the original Kernel Sanders)
Hawaiian bread
New England Clam Chowder
Boston baked beans and cream pie

In Conclusion I can say that we live in an amazing country. And it is a shame that most Americans have never and may never experience it. My life has been incredibly blessed with travel and experiences and I completely revel in it. I wish that everyone was as lucky as I have been.