Tabacon Resort and Spa

Thanksgiving dinner and 3 nights in Costa Rica in the shadow of Arenal volcano.  Sadly, the volcano has been inactive since October 2010 so we didn't see any lava flows.  The thermal springs are still flowing hot and strong!



Soaking in the thermal springs with waterfall massage

 

We also enjoyed the other amenities at Tabacon Resort and Spa.

 



The Grand Spa

Soaking in the jacuzzi before
 we got massages at the
Grand Spa




The pool was heated with water from the thermal springs.

 

An eruption of Arenal Volcano in 1968 was a suprise to the locals and the first activity since the Spanish arrived there in 1500 A.D. The eruption demolished the nearby towns of Pueblo Nuevo and Tabacon and killed about 78 people and 45,000 cattle. In addition, the lava flow ruined nearly six square miles of land.  The volcano maintained a steady pattern of eruptions every day emitting puffs of smoke and oozing lava until in 2010 the lava ceased.  Vulcanologists believe that the volcano is entering a more dormant or less active phase, and could remain quiet for years to come. (Source: International Expeditions)

The volcano is 5, 357 feet tall.

 



The volcano is still seismically active 5 km underground.







Space Shuttle Launch

On Friday, July 8, 2011 the final flight of the NASA space shuttle program is scheduled for lift off.  One of the perks of living on the coast of Florida has been watching the space shuttle launch from the beach.  When we moved to Florida in 2004 the shuttle program was still suspended following the investigation of the Columbia explosion in 2003.

Flights resumed in 2005, and we witnessed our first launch on July 4, 2006.  The Independence Day launch of Discovery was significant for several reasons…at the time we didn’t know just how famous crew member Lisa Nowak would become.

STS-121           07.04.06          Discovery 

The July 4 launch was originally scheduled for several days earlier.  Some accused President Bush of manipulating weather patterns to hold off the launch until the holiday to give the nation a supersized fireworks show.

We learned that the shuttle rarely launches on schedule.  Once we drove all the way to Cape Canaveral, only to hear on the radio that the launch was postponed until the next day.  There was nothing we could do then but turn around and drive back to Amelia Island.  After that, we stuck close to home where we could just walk back from the beach if the scheduled launch time passed and we hadn’t seen the tell-tale plume of vapor on the horizon.

The most spectacular launch I ever saw was in the early morning on April 5, 2010.  My friend Mary was on Amelia Island for her annual Easter visit.  We got up before dawn and were rewarded with an incredible view.

STS-131    4.5.2010  Discovery

This past February, my Mom was visiting Amelia Island and watched the final launch of the shuttle Discovery.  I think it launched on the day it was scheduled.  Winter weather is more predictable.  In the summer, afternoon thunder storms are an almost everyday occurrence.

STS-133  2.24.11  Discovery

That makes it hard to say whether Friday will be the last space shuttle launch or not.  I’ll keep checking the weather and hope to be on the beach when the Atlantis blasts into space.

Longwood Gardens

Visited the 1000+ Longwood Gardens last week and also got to experience the largest lily display in North America with 10,000+ stems of colorful and fragrant lily varieties.  The gardens were once the home of philantrhopist Pierre S. duPont who purchased the property in 1906 to save the trees.  He added conservatories and cultivated many varieties of plants from around the world.  duPont was heir to the E. I. du Pont de Nemours chemical company and an an early investor and eventual president of GM motors.

(Mom and me in front of the Italian Water Garden)

Ironic,  isn't it, that while he was saving the forest, Dupont chemical was building a reputation for environmental degredation.

(Stained glass window in the Children's Garden)

(Purple Martin Houses in the Idea Garden)

Click for more photos on picasa!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104205883366368468071/LongwoodGardens?feat=directlink

Kentucky Bluegrass



The stockings were hung...imagine if all 13 grandchildren were there for the holiday!



#750 on the list of 1000 places:  Kentucky Bluegrass

We took a trip during the holidays and meandered the back roads of the Lexington, KY suburbs.  The bluegrass was mostly covered with a crust of snow.  It was a pretty drive, up through Tennessee, into Kentucky for an overnight stay.  Then across West by gawd Virginia, to southwest Virginia.  Snow on the mountains, but the roads were clear. 

Have made lots of trips to and through bluegrass country, but this is the first time to notice Quilt Barns.  First became aware of these when a friend blogged about adding a quilt block decoration to her barn in central Kentucky. 

http://zebraquilter.blogspot.com/2010/09/barn-quilt-block.html

When we spotted an 8 x 8 design on a barn overlooking I-75, knew what it was and then kept a lookout for more.  Saw another one right in Jessamine County.

http://kentuckyquilttrail-jessaminecounty.com/



Merry Christmas, Sissy!



More "Folk Art" spotted on the trip.



5 More Places to See Before You Die—Istanbul

Besides the Hagia Sophia, another church made the list.

Kariye Museum, built in the 11th century originally as the monastery of St. Savior in Chora.

The interior is decorated with some of the oldest Byzantine mosaics known to exist.

The images depict Mary’s ancestry and the geneology of Christ.

Christ pulls Adam and Eve from their graves.



Geneology of Christ depicted in mosiac in a dome of St. Savior in Chora


Also on the list:

Suleymaniye Mosque, built for Suleyman the Magnificant in 1550-1557 is one of the most important monuments of Turkish architecture.

The mosque is located on a high point in Istanbul and its domes and minarets dominate Istanbul’s Skyline.

Click here for More photos of Suleymaniye Mosque

Perhaps more famous, but not on the list of 1000 places: Sultanahmet Mosque, one of the most beautiful in Istanbul with 6 minarets, and know popularly as the Blue Mosque from the effects of the light filtering through the stained glass windows and the dark blue tiles and paintwork.



Dome of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey


Click here for more photos of The Blue Mosque

And three more on the list:
Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest covered markets in the world and known for jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. There are special areas for different types of goods: e.g. leather, gold, brass, etc. The bazaar has 22 doors and four main gates. 

Shopping at the Grand Bazaar

Click here for photos of Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

Topkapi Palace, one of the first buildings constructed after the Turks conquered Istanbul and the seat of the Ottoman empire until 1856. Built by Mehmed the Conqueror between 1472 and 1478.

Gate of Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey

Treasures of the empire including the 83 karat Spoonmaker’s Diamond, a collection of the sultan’s robes, and gold and jeweled thrones are displayed here. The rooms are lavishly decorated with tiles.

The Chamber of Sacred Relics displays articles that belonged to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), a footprint of the prophet, and hairs from his beard. Part of the skull the arm of of John the Baptist are encased in gold and on display alongside the rod of Moses.

The palace is situated on a hill overlooking the Marmar Sea and Bosphorus, behind the fortifications of the city walls.

View of the bridge over the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia and old city wall of Istanbul.

Click here for more photos of Topkapi Palace.


And last but not least, Pera Palas Hotel, built in 1892 for passengers arriving from Paris on the Orient Express train.

Agatha Christie stayed in room 411 and is rumored to have written "Murder on the Orient Express" while a guest here. Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, stayed in Room 106. Other notable guests include Mata Hari and Ernest Hemingway, and most recently, the Martins who were spotted having drinks in the Orient Bar.

The List of places in Turkey to see before you die....#557-562 in Istanbul...been there, done that, got the photos.

556. The Roman Ruins of Ephesus
557. The Covered Bazaar and Cagaloglu Hamam
558. Hagia Sophia
559. Kariye Museum
560. Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent
561. The Pera Palas
562. Topkapi Palace
563. The Whirling Dervishes of Konya
564. The Blue Voyage

1000 Places to See Before You Die—Istanbul

Haiga Sophia, built between 532-537 A.D. The original church built on this spot in 360 was destroyed by fire in 404. The church was rebuilt and destroyed by another fire in 532.



The interior is decorated with mosiacs dating to the 6th Century.



When Istanbul was taken by the Turks in 1453, the church was converted into a mosque. Four minarets were built, and the interior was decorated with calligraphic inscriptions of verses from the Koran.

More photos of Hagia Sophia from our trip to Istanbul in November 2010.

Istanbul Airport

The blogger is back!


Didn't realize how long it had been since Atlantic2Gulf had a post. For readers who followed Leo and Al (leoandal.spaces.live.com), I'm revitalizing this blogspot and plan to update regularly with photos and comments on our travels and adventures. MSN is not hosting the Spaces blogs after March 2011. :-(





We're still maintaining the Dubai (Persian Gulf) and Amelia Island (Atlantic Ocean) residences and met in the "middle", Istanbul, Turkey, to celebrate our 35th anniversary the week of Thanksgiving, 2010. Saw six sights that are listed in "1000 Places to See Before You Die." Check back here for photos and comments soon.






These butterflies were on display at the Istanbul airport. They were pinned and in cases behind glass. 100's if not 1000's of them from all over the world. More photos at:
http://cid-dbc4cfd93d44732e.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?page=play&resid=DBC4CFD93D44732E!1554










Fly little flutter-by!

Joburg, Jozi, Engoli, Gauteng Maboneng a.k.a. Johannesburg

Recently, I made my first visit to Johannesburg, South Africa (Joberg). I had been to Africa in the past and was interested to see and compare. A country of approximately 47 million people, South Africa is approximately 80% black, 9% white and the rest mixed or Asian. Joberg has a population of about 4 million. Unemployment in South Africa runs about 40% with slightly less unemployment in Joburg so many people are seen at intersections and elsewhere begging or selling all manner of items. There appears to be quite a large underground economy of transportation and commerce the officially unemployed use to meet basic needs. South Africa has a well developed infrastructure, especially in cities like Joburg but neglect and lack of planning are resulting in decay of same and periods of planned electrical shutdowns (power shedding) have to be planned for in daily life. All the tourist sites, while encouraging people to visit Joburg, have strong warnings about crime in the city so I was a little unsure what to expect from that standpoint. While there are reports of high crime, bars on windows, guards and controlled access to almost all businesses, it is not unusually so when compared to other similar cities.

Arriving at the airport, I was suppose to have a car arranged, however that did not materialize and I had some time to survey my surroundings where the temperature seemed a little cool to me as April in the southern hemisphere is approximately like October on the other side of the equator. Though no one was able to identify how to contact my local transportation (including those in Dubai who had arranged it) I was struck by the friendliness of black South Africans in the airport who helped me find alternate transportation.

I had a suite with a balcony overlooking a lake at the Courtyard Eastgate which was complete with kitchen. The hotel offers "room service" frozen foods as well as grocery service to stock your kitchen. Due to the lake there were a number of ducks and other birds on the property. As the South African winter is approaching, I was surprised at the number of young birds that were seen. However with an average low of 42F not occurring until June and July, perhaps there is still time to mature and migrate or even just stay the winter.

Though Courtyard Eastgate uses the same logo as Courtyard Marriott it is apparently a separate company. Prices were cheap by European or Middle Eastern standards with the room going for approximately $100. A nice four course dinner in a restaurant could be had for about $30.00 including wine.

The Joburg area is hilly with natural hills and those made from the mine spoils of the early gold mining days. Vegetation grows on the spoils (heaps) but wetting down the heaps during the dry winters is necessary to geek the dust down. Many of the old heaps are now being cut down and re-processed to reclaim gold that could not be processed using older methods.

As the week progressed, the weather improved each day until by the end of the week “perfection” is the word that comes to mind with nighttime temperatures in the high 60’s to low 70’s and daytime in the 80’s with sunny blue skies. I can’t wait till the next trip when I can possibly tie in a safari trip Kruger National Park!

RUMORS!

Those who see the press about Dubai only see what the media presents. In a fast paced city like Dubai where decisions are made by a small group and things happen quickly, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction so no rumors are to be discounted immediately. Some recent ones – we’ll see what comes true – some already are in the making…

Rumor has it that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai (sometimes affectionately referred to by his subjects as Sheikh Mo) recently flew over the newly constructed Dubai Metro in his helicopter. As he surveyed the lines he exclaimed, "This is an eyesore! It looks like a rollercoaster! You have 5 years to get this moved into a bore hole under the desert!"

Rumor has it that the bid requests are on the street.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2069

Arabian Ranches is an exclusive ex-pat residential development "steeped in the beauty and mystery of the desert" offering golf course and lake front homesites. Rumor has it, the developer, Emeer, has filled in the lake and plans further construction on that site. Homeowners who complained that they paid a premium for water front properties were reminded they were "guests" in the UAE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Ranches

Land next to Dubai Marina has become so valuable that rumor has it that DUBAL (Dubai’s industrial flagship and the largest single site aluminum smelter in the western world) and the adjacent power plants are being relocated out into the desert so that the current site adjacent to the marina can be developed. One can only guess that first the real estate along the Arabian Canal will be developed and sold as prime waterfront property. Then it will become the Arabian INDUSTRIAL Canal and used to ship aluminum from the DUBAL desert site to the sea.

http://www.dubal.ae/
http://realestate.theemiratesnetwork.com/developments/dubai/dubai_waterfront.php

Much of Dubai real estate has been purchased by Saudi's as Sharia (Islamic law) compliant investments. The owners have no intention of living in or renting out the properties, but plan to hold and later sell based on the growth of property value like gold or any other commodity. Rumor has it that very few Jumeriah Beach Residence properties are occupied or are even up for lease.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

In the UAE emirate of Sharjah even the store mannequins must adhere to the local standards of modesty. Lest they display any facial expressions that may drive the local bachelors wild with desire, they are decapitated by local decree. Store owners harboring mannequins with loose morals risk fines and store closure. However now that the local newspaper has written the states they are also “forbidden to wear underwear”, local bachelors may not be thinking so much about the missing heads. Keeping ones thoughts pure is difficult enough without such scandalous information being published in the local newspaper!

SuperBike Opener in Qatar

March 23 saw the first SuperBike race of the year which has recently been held in Qatar. SuperBike has some talented riders and though less technical than MotoGP is within 4 seconds of MotoGP times on a high speed track like Qatar. With Toseland off to MotoGP this year, there was no question of the reigning SuperBike champion winning the opener. As usual, rule changes during the off season had many – myself included wondering if the current rules wouldn’t favor Ducati too much since the up to 1200 cc rule would allow them to run their 1098 cc motor against the 4 cylinder 1000 cc motors. However early qualifying saw the twin Troy’s from Australia (Courser – Yamaha and Bayliss – Ducati)

swapping fastest laps leading up to the weekend. An unfortunate decision by Bayliss to do SuperPole on the back-up bike on qualifying tires saw Bayliss qualifying back in 7th and seemingly ending his chances for the weekend. Like many bike races though, it was to be decided by tires and timing and a calculated and inspired ride by Bayliss say him take the lead and the win on the final lap of the first race. Race 2 saw a much more determined Courser lead much of the race only to eventually lose to a patient and tire nursing Fonsi Nieto on a 4 cylinder Suzuki GSXR-1000 who waited until the end to come alive and win in a convincing manner. A great day for Ducati and/or Bayliss fans as well as those who hoped SuperBike would be able to avoid rules infighting as to whether the new rules favored the 2 or the 4 cylinder bikes.

There was some local entertainment?

but the last lap of Race One was a thing of beauty for Bayliss fans.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1431578992

Winter in the Middle East

It is winter in the Middle East and though those in the rest of the northern hemisphere won’t shed any tears when they hear the temperatures, there are weather issues that create problems. Winter is the “rainy season” in the desert and this year record rainfall occurred in UAE. Because it seldom rains, the drainage and roof leakage problems are quite serious for the short time it happens. Because of the dry weather and the geology, it doesn’t take much water to cause flooding.


This year, schools were closed for 2 days because of the flooding. Because it only happens once a year, the drains are usually blocked and there is not a lot of motivation to fix the problem.

http://www.dropshots.com/tcontek#date/2008-01-15/04:17:06

and there are more than the normal number of accidents.

http://www.dropshots.com/tcontek#date/2008-01-15/05:08:51

Even if they made a real attempt to make a repair, another year has to pass before the results are known. In business areas like flooded loading docks, the water is pumped out where is seeps through the ground and floods again in a few days. The pumping and flooding cycle are repeated a few times until evaporation finally takes care of the excess water. When the water recedes, it is much like post flood anywhere else.

Another thing you notice is that any floor of a building that has a roof with sky usually leaks. The “beautiful” shopping malls are full of buckets during the rains. Parts of my apartment complex that have roofs were full of buckets and now after the rain, the ceilings have been torn out for repair of the water damage. A penthouse apartment or villa is not the place to live during the rainy season. Now the rains are mostly over and for the last few days we have had a sand storm. Dry is the normal state so it is nice to see a return to normalcy.

InterNOT access in the Middle East

Early this week in Saudi Arabia, the internet began behaving erratically and slower than usual. I didn’t think much of it having had to stay at a less than premier hotel that while having free wireless, only has 802.11B which is 4 times slower than what I have at home. By the last day of my trip, even leaving my laptop connected all night didn’t result in my emails being sent. When I got back to Dubai, there were rumblings of a cable problem in the Mediterranean. The next day they were saying it would be three days before the problem would be fixed. Finally, it came out that most of the Middle East as well as parts of Asia, particularly India were affected by the cable problem and it would be weeks before internet and phone services to Europe returned to normal. The western press attributed it to a ships anchor damaging the cable and alternate cables were being routed to improve the situation. Interestingly enough Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and countries in that area were unaffected by the problem. It hasn’t brought things to a standstill but it has pretty much taken service levels back to the 90’s with network timeouts and slow\aborted downloads plus some interesting things like having your pages only display in Arabic until you luck onto the correct button to change the language. You never appreciate how much you take things for granted until you experience a setback.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/31/dubai.outage/index.html?eref=rss_world

Pearl of the East

Beautiful Ocean Views

Sunset Beaches
Sumptuous Lodgings
Beautiful Nights

A recent trip to Sri Lanka revealed a great vacation destination filled with friendly people and a wonderful climate for laying about the beach.

For those not familiar, Sri Lanka, known as the Pearl of the East or Pearl of the Indian Ocean, lies off the southern coast of India close to the state of Tamil Nadu.

It is believed that until the 1400’s there was a land bridge between northern Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. The majority of people in Sri Lanka are Sinhalese who are believed to have come to Sri Lanka from Northern India. The largest ethnic minority are Tamils who migrated from Tamil Nadu in southern India. For the casual visitor at a resort, it seems an idyllic country populated by friendly people who have a pragmatic view of life. This attitude is belied by the ongoing civil war that will have been in effect for 25 years this summer. During a recent trip to Sri Lanka I unknowingly arrived on Hero’s Day, a day when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) honor those who have lost their lives pursuing the cause of establishing a state for Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island of Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam). In an attempt to eliminate the LTTE leadership, an air strike on the LTTE broadcast station was made to coincide with the broadcast recognizing that day. Within days, an LTTE suicide bomber made an attempt on the life of a Sri Lankan official and yet another bombing was carried out in Colombo. Rising hostilities have turned the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, into an armed camp with many areas off limits and Sri Lankan soldiers patrolling the land

and the sea.

After a reduction in hostilities after a tenuous cease fire brokered by Norway in 2002 as well as another very short term reduction after the 2004 Tsunami, by the end of 2005 the two sides were back to business as usual with mutual atrocities by both sides the order of the day.
Though it seems the 2002 cease fire only reduced the hostilities, the formal ending of the 2002 cease fire by the Sri Lankan government this January has result in an escalation in military action, suicide attacks and roadside bombings. The Sri Lankan government has stated they are now committed to ending LTTE activity through military force within 6 months.

Since 1983, the civil war in Sri Lanka over the creation of a separate Tamil State, has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people and the displacement of another 200,000 persons. For the sake of all those living in Sri Lanka, it is hoped that an end to this conflict and loss of life will come sooner rather than later.