Dashing Through Dubai

One weekend in Dubai was not long enough. We found this relatively new city was clean, orderly, service orientated, glitzy and grandiose, friendly, and a welcomed breath of fresh air. Canadians now need a visa to enter the UAE and because we are 'residents' of a Gulf country, we were able to pick it up at the Dubai International Airport. We were fingerprinted, received our eye scan and four line-ups later we were through! The metro is a couple of years old and took us right from the airport to our hotel area.



tv swivelled (to watch it  in the tub) and mini fridge underneath it

 The Al Manzil Hotel was beyond our expectations. Classy, clean, contemporary, a five minute walk to the Dubai Mall, delicious buffet breakfast, comfy bed and they offered us service with a capital letter 'S'!  We had two letters and one phone call during our short stay to ensure everything was satisfactory. The bell hop asked us if we needed anything. He brought us toothpaste, shaving cream, a special plug for the laptop and extra towels (within minutes of our arrival).

chandelier and skylight in the Dubai Mall



The Gold Souk - ahhhh




check out the little moving stars on the ceiling (Dubai Mall)




base of Burj Khalifa tower - dancing fountain in the fore ground




Burj Khalifa tower "At the Top"




Jemeirah Emirates Towers




lots of green in Dubai




very large Egyptian sculptures




world trade center



metro stations look futuristic



lost city of Atlantis - ceiling in one section at the Atlantis on the Palm Resort




this hotel is called The Palace (we walked through it several times to get to the Dubai Mall)




orderly - everyone drives in his/her own lane



We travelled on the Big Bus, a double decker British style bus and saw many amazing sights while listening to a running commentary of the city’s history. The Big Bus allowed us to jump off, see a site and then catch the next bus to take us further along the route. The red route was the ‘old city and shopping area’ and the blue route took us to the beaches and the famous Atlantis on the Palm Hotel and residential area.

While the retail opportunities are a shopper’s paradise, we focused on seeing the world famous architecture. We did make a few purchases; one was a birthday present for me. I am now learning how to run my new DLSR camera.

The Dubai Mall had lots to offer every shopper, and if one gets tired of shopping, other adventures are varied and plentiful. We went to the Dubai Mall aquarium and while the sea life was not new to us, we were reminded why we love to be near the water.We watched the amazing dancing fountain several times.The shooting water sways, explodes, swirls and is choreographed to different pieces of music. It was so stunning and beautiful to watch.



one of the many wonderful decorations!! (referring to the handsome and adventurous hubby)

 Another attraction inside the Dubai Mall is “At the Top”. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building (828 m) in the Middle East and it can be seen from 95 miles away. The elevator moves fast - 64 km per hour and is so smooth!  I think they told us it covers 10 stories per second. The public observation deck is on floor 124 with more floors beyond the public observatory. The view is of course stunning and when looking around, it makes the 60 story buildings look like baby lego buildings! This building and others were build to diversify the economy in UAE. One of the reasons it was built was to boost the tourist  traffic and attractions in Dubai.



View from 'At the Top' - Elaborate dancing fountain equipment in the pool, a part of the Dubai Mall on the far left, The Old Souke in the middle (connected by a bridge across the water), The Palace on the right. Behind the palace you can see a large pool with a 'cross' in it. We walked on the middle sidewalk of this pool to get to our hotel. The Inuksuk is there.



Canadian inuksuk in the middle of the 'cross pool' and Burj Khalifa in the background 

Watching folks skate on the indoor rink brought back ‘hockey day’ memories. Of course the mall had amazing restaurants, movie theatres, stores of every kind, and beautiful decorations too.



mama on the ice rink in the Dubai Mall



While Dubai is a bustling cosmopolitan city today, it started as a humble fishing village. The men dove for pearls and they fed their families from the Gulf. These old metal bowls were in the Dubai Museum and measured the size of the pearls. The pearl industry died off once cultivate pearls became popular and easy to produce in the Far East.





While our time in Dubai was short, our dashing and depositing dirhams everywhere we went let us see and experience many architecturally amazing sites. Dubai is definitely worth a second visit and although it was very hot and humid, it was a breath of fresh air from our 'home base' in Saudi Arabia.





Mother's Day in the Kingdom

Mother’s Day in Canada is a day where we honour our precious moms. In Saudi Arabia, it is a day where mothers provide fun activities for their children; demonstrating their love through their generosity.  I equate a Mother’s Day school event with a GIANT fun fair!



Special cake, special school!





one of two chocolate fountains



Like every other social function I have had the privilege to attend, our Mother’s Day afternoon at school possessed the same glitz, glamour and giving nature of the Arab culture. Our Mothers came bearing gifts, food, Arabian coffee and amazing crafts. Their collective effort pleased every taste bud and creative design!

Whenever there is a gathering, the party starts early! We have many wonderful moms, one who is particularity kind to the staff members and nourishes us with not only juice, Arabian coffee and tea, pastries and croissants but with her love and hugs. She adores how her daughter is learning and growing in our school and thanks us by bearing offerings to start our day off!  



boys first trip to the soft ice-cream machine!



steamed corn on a stick



so beautiful to look at - Discipline with a capital letter "D"





the finishing touches



The food; oh my the food!  Every time I attend an Arab function I have opportunities to try new food. The newest dish I tried is called belaylah. (This is phonetic; no doubt spelled incorrectly) Marinated chick peas are the main ingredient, served with various spices and crunchy red diced pickled beets. Moms brought cakes, platters of pastries decorated with fresh flowers, fresh Tunisian treats (really – bought in Tunisia the day before especially for our Mother’s Day), salads, spring rolls, samosas, dishes kept warm with their own little burners, 7 large boxes of Crispy Cream donuts, donuts from the House of Donuts, stuffed grape leaves, snow cones, soft ice-cream maker, corn on a stick, chocolate fountains, fancy sandwiches, cupcake decorating, popcorn, and many containers of every shape and size holding piping hot addictive Arabian coffee.



Arabian coffee served in tiny cups



The crafts were as varied as the food. One mom had a little souke market! She set up in one corner and gave each child so many gifts they couldn’t carry them all! We had children fishing for their own live fish and making their own special aquarium. Children enjoyed beading and making jewellery, decorating containers and filling them with candies, creating sand art and making wooden spoon puppets. Students painted with brushes and their hands, they painted ornaments, planes, stained glass and decorated picture frames. Some had their face painted and others enjoyed playing with the clown and participating in her tricks.



mini souke



future pilot?



sure way to catch a fish!

All in all, our school was buzzing with happy kids and mothers alike! Regardless of where we are in the world when we celebrate Mother’s Day, the one reciprocal similarity is, "I LOVE YOU!"

Many Blessings and Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Springtime in Istanbul, Turkey

Quaint, old, organic, modern, safe, a labyrinth of small mazes, friendly, entrepreneurial, huge city and a joining of the seas are words that we would use to describe our impressions of Istanbul Turkey.



buildings are vertical and go below ground too

The weather was definitely spring like; crisp, clear, showers, and much cooler than Jeddah. Layered up, we explored every day. On our first day, we navigated our way to the waters of the Marmara Sea. Following the great wall around the Topkapi Palace we found ourselves at another waterway called The Golden Horn. The Horn is an inlet shaped like a horn. There are many ferries, passenger tour boats and cargo ships all using the waterway.

Tired after our 10 km. hike, we stopped for a rest and a drink and enjoyed a ridiculously good (bad) pastry. When he asked if I wanted sugar, I said, “Sure”. Opps!! Yummy layers of warm filo pastry accompanied with a delicious cappuccino rejuvenated our tired legs.

Weaving our way through narrow streets and various vendors, we stopped in a shop to purchase some famous Turkish Delight.  There was little resemblance to the Turkish Delight I use to eat as a kid. Authentic Delight is a chewy consistency with or without nuts. Personally, if I am going to eat countless calories, I would pick another item. Street vendors are common. We purchased a small bag of roasted chestnuts from a street merchant. Cooked on a tin plate until they split, they proved to be interesting. The nuts were warm chewy. Don’t try to eat them a few days later; they harden to be teeth breakers!!



vendor selling roasted chestnuts and roasted corn. Blue Mosque in the background.

With no sense of direction or desired destination, we ended up in the Egyptian souk which is also known as the spice bazaar. Oh my, one can purchase everything from Indian to Turkish saffron to belly dancing costumes! Of course each shop owner offered us his ‘best price’. This souk resembles a farmer’s market. The shops each sell their own specialty. Outside you could purchase, cheese, bread, fish, nuts, fruit juice and meat. Inside the market, the shops cater to the tourists with packaged products, costume and custom jewellery, ceramics, and Istanbul souvenirs.  



cheese, sausage and olive store




one of the alleys inside the Egyptian Bazaar




donar chef

 Taking the tram around the city was easy. In fact, one of the ways we like to explore a city is to jump on the rapid transit, ride it to the end of the line and then make our way back. We did that on day two. We discovered the city has an enormous textile section. Stores covered many blocks and offered a multitude of colours and textures of bolts of materials. We also discovered the Kale Outlet mall, to be investigated another day.



a beautiful domed tile roof inside the Grand Bazaar

 Returning to the Grand Bazaar tram stop gave us a new appreciation for the Middle Eastern souk shopping experience! The building itself covers several kms. It originated from a single shopping site under a domed roof and grew over the years. The old shopping site is completely covered and has 28 points of entry, offers work for 30,000 people, has over 60 inside streets and claims to have over 4000 shops.  Scarves, leather goods, jewellery, pottery, gold, silver, carpets, nick-knacks, shoes, belts, spices, Turkish Delight,  hats, fabric and the list goes on.  It proved to be an adventure as we wandered and bartered.  The best line of the day came from a young entrepreneur. He asked with a smile on his face, “Can I sell you something you don’t need today?”  We laughed with him. Most shop keepers are pretty intense. Don’t look like you might be interested in something – you will spend the next five minutes politely saying “No thank you!” Aside from things to purchase, you could also find restaurants, shoe shiners and even a place for Muslims to wash their feet prior to going to pray at the massive mosque located just outside the Bazaar. We were completely lost inside the souk and found a point of exit. We ‘shopped’ our way through outside streets until we found the tram again.


shopkeeper inside Grand Bazaar - heavy negotiations - win win - everyone is smiling!

 On Sunday we got up early and made our way to the Topkapi Palace. Some people are just too rich!! This palace is atop a hill overlooking the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait leading to the Black Sea).  It was the Imperial residence of the Sultans from the 15^th to the 19^th century during the Ottoman age. Sprawling grounds with many separate buildings make up this spectacular castle. To give us a perspective of how many residents and how busy this castle was, the kitchen alone had 1000 workers! At present the kitchen(s) were being renovated. We were fortunate to see the treasury! One diamond that was bigger than my fist sparkled like the sun! Emeralds, sapphires, jade, diamonds, rubies, and gold were displayed in four separate rooms. There were two gold candle sticks taller than me and as wide as me which were inlaid with thousands of diamonds.

The library, courtroom, bedroom, harem and sitting rooms all had their own buildings. The grounds must have been an incredible sight of beauty when operational. Today there are still flower beds, fountains, sun dials, balconies and spectacular views of the enormous city of Istanbul.

From the Palace, we visited the Kale Outlet Mall. The shopping was quite disappointing. What we found interesting was this modern mall amidst what we had been immersed in – Old Istanbul. Somewhat different than haggling over a scarf price!

Tomorrow we go to Europe!

The European side of Istanbul had more modern stores on a street called Istiklal. It is blocked from traffic apart from one old red tram and emergency vehicles. We found a pair of runners for Glenn, a Starbucks coffee shop and some fresh nuts, figs, and mixed fruits. Off of this modern strip, are more narrow hilly side streets. One never knows what merchandise will be for sale on any one street. We have seen streets dedicated to rope lights, rivets of all sizes shapes and colours, ironing boards, men’s shoes, wholesale shoe section and knock-offs of every kind.

In Europe, we got caught in the rain. Bartering over umbrellas was fun. One man wanted to sell us one lime green and one purple umbrella. Not really Glenn’s colours! Tucked under a couple of regular umbrellas we made our way back to the Asia side of Istanbul. We had lunch in a quaint little restaurant, with Turkish tea and homemade soup to warm us up.



coffee man before his sore neck!

 Every space in Istanbul is creatively used. We walked across one of the bridges that connect Asia to Europe. Off the top deck, the fishermen catch fish to sell to the local markets. There were several different types of fish and they were kept in various containers. One man who was selling coffee to the local fishermen, was sternly reminded (by a whack on the back of the neck) that he was imposing on another man’s coffee territory. He quickly scooted off to the other side of the road rubbing his sore neck. The local vendors walk back and forth across the bridge selling bread, coffee and sweet buns to the fishermen. Under the bridge there are different restaurants, probably selling the fresh fish.

There are so many things to purchase. What looks like the same thing, has different price ‘tags’. Of course few things are marked or labelled with a price. It really is overwhelming! We bought a beautiful tile from the Egyptian Spice Market. It is actually a piece of certified art. Glenn plans to put a few pieces in the home that he wants to build. I have decided to purchase some scarves from the old ladies who set up shop in front of the Blue Mosque in the early evening. We have looked at leather jackets, jewellery, bowls, rugs, spices, teas, watches, shoes and the list goes on. High on my purchase list is a pair of Turkish leather shoes.



Galata Tower - look up, way up . . . .





dinner at the Tower - only Canadians!



Enough shopping! Tuesday evening was time for more history. We visited the Galata Tower for dinner and a Turkish Show. It is one of the oldest towers in the world. Built as a lighthouse out of wood in 528, it was reconstructed in 1348 using stacking stones. In 1964 it was closed for 3 years and completely restored. Walking around the narrow ledge outside, the tower seemed to be swaying. It was somewhat unnerving but offered an amazing view of the sprawling city. The evening also included belly dancers, twirling Dervish dancers, a folk singer, and one Sultan feeding his harem girls!



another artistic roof - this one at the bath house





A final cultural piece I participated in was the traditional Turkish bath. (Glenn wasn’t feeling well so I went solo.) What a lovely experience! Shuttled to and from the Gedikpasa Bath was a bonus! Wrapped in a rough cotton towel, I went into the depths and steamy marble bath room. The bath room is made up of many little rooms with one large marble slab in the middle. The multiple domed rooms were made completely of marble. WOW~ every room had low lying benches and three or four marble sinks. Sitting on a marble bench, the woman poured warm water over me and then off I went into the hot sauna room. Toasted up, I was hailed out of the sauna and asked to lie on the heated marble slab. The large square was big enough for four women to enjoy their ‘bath’ which included a peel (exfoliation scrub), soap massage and relaxing. The women masseuses of every shape and size were clothed in skimpy underwear. The hamam is no place for the shy or humble! The soap massage was delightful. The masseuse used a wet pillow case full of soapy suds in a most unique way. Occasionally they opened it up to let the air in, twisted the top to make a ‘balloon’ and then while putting the air bubble on me, they pushed the air out. This created more bubbles and the cloth felt much like silk. I highly recommend a Turkish bath experience to anyone who travels to Turkey!



old building in Old Istanbul (outside our hotel room)

amateur Turkish rug weaver!

Our adventures were not over when we left Istanbul. Flying into Medinah for a connecting flight to Jeddah, proved to be an eerie experience. It was dark but not black night dark. Neither was it cloudy, foggy or misty. As we descended the unfamiliar darkness continued. We quickly discovered what brought the mysterious haze. It was the sand storm that originated in Kuwait a couple of days earlier. After spending a couple of hours breathing very dirty air inside a dusty airport building, amidst the Middle Eastern chaos, I was informed we could catch a plane at 4:00 a.m.  I went directly back to the supervisor and asked for a hotel room. “No problem Miss.” We were whisked off in a cab at about 10:00. We both wondered what kind of hotel we might get . . . .  Oh my goodness, it was just short of the palace we had visited in Istanbul!! The elegant room gave us ideas of how our new bedroom might unfold!

mosque in the middle of the hotel

We requested a wake up call at 2:00. With no incoming call, I woke up at 3:00 and we scurried to the lobby, bags in tow. We needed to walk a country mile because there were weddings going strong and ‘the man’ can’t be near the women’s party room. Reception explained they didn’t call us because the airport was still shut down. Back to bed we went.



fresh flowers taped on car, window visibility only through butterfly!

 We continued to enjoy the hotel and their service for another day and night. We were told over and over, “No communication from the airport.” Saturday morning we packed up, found a seat to Jeddah and closed the chapter of our extended trip to Istanbul Turkey.

Arabian Party Time!

Glitz, glamour and gorgeous women blend to make an unbelievable engagement party.  While I thought I was going to a wedding, in actuality, it was the public splashy commitment of both families who endorsed the arranged coming together of two young lovers.

Unlike Cinderella, Arabian parties start rockin’ after midnight. The party started at 11:00 p.m. and went until daybreak. Six women with only their voices and hand drums sang as the women danced a traditional Yemen dance. Their feet took teeny tiny steps while their hands swayed and their necks moved in a different direction than the rest of their body.

What a kaleidoscope of colour, collection of jewels, sensual dark eyes accented with beautiful make-up and sculpted hair! Short dresses, silky, long, trains, lacy, strapless, halter, princess cut, figure fitting, jewelled, velvet and oh the shoes, the shoes that matched!! I was privy to this ballroom blitz because only women descended to the closed basement, no men allowed! Bye bye abaya.



each individual chair  and table was so elegantly decorated



Aside from the dancing, the ongoing gifts and treats were fun and entertaining. Arabian coffee, (unlike no other coffee), steeped black tea, silver boats of multi-coloured wrapped candies and platters of colourful foil wrapped tiny rolled sandwiches seemed to be the first custom. Some of our Arabian staff members knew exactly what to do! Following several sips, (definitely no chance of any shut eye after that), and tasting savoury and sweet, came a very cold foil wrapped chocolate. It was a chocolate with ice-cream inside. More dancing and singing followed by a large glass of cool mango, strawberry or banana smoothy! Yummy, mango is my favourite.



gifts from the groom

 

Following the drinks and eats to cool the vibrant dancers down, came the gifts. Every guest received one diamond ring that weighs in at about 20 carats and a bottle of traditional Arabian fragrance presented in small heart shaped box with potpourri flowers. The bride-to-be had a table full of gifts that arrived before she did. Those were compliments from her soon to be husband. Several bottles of perfume, a jewellery box, money, flower vase, silver Qaran cover and more.



my new Arabian diamond

At 2:00 a.m., the lights dim and drumming and singing cease. The local women know what comes next. They start their high shrilled pitch and prepare for the engagement ceremony. A big screen comes to life and the image of the bride-to-be is illuminated. She stands like a Barbie on the carpeted stairs in her pink lace gown with a train three times as long as she is tall.

She descends one step about every two minutes and stands while the women from afar cheer for her. After about seven steps, her father and mother and two brothers join her. Her finance comes up the stairs to greet her and take her from her family. Enthusiastic cheers erupt when he gives her a peck on each cheek and a kiss on the hand! Together they continue the very slow descend down the other seven steps.

Once into the buffet room, still cordoned off from the other women, they place the rings onto each other’s fingers. When they are engaged, they wear the ring on the right hand. Once married, the ring moves to their left finger. She gets a very glittery bracelet and he receives a fine watch. After the rings and gifts to each other, they cut their engagement cake. Similar to North America, they feed each other a piece of cake. Following feeding each other with different arrangements of forks, they drank fruit juice together from a gigantic glass goblet.

 

Next they separated; she came into the women’s room, he went to get guy congratulations. She walks through the door to an ovation of cheers, clapping and waving. Slowly down she comes three more steps, taking another six minutes! She moves to a decorated landing and stands for more time. Oh no, more steps – what a long time she takes to make her way to the front of the room. She inches her way to the raised walkway which had served as the dancing platform. There is a tremendous sense of joy on her momma’s face as her daughter moves up the walkway. Once she has finished her entrance, friends and family congratulate the newly engaged princess.

At 3:00 the buffet opens!! What am I doing eating prawns, rice, smoked salmon and other delicious things at 3:00 a.m.??

the fruit platter!

Hallas, the Arabian engagement party is over for this working girl. Is crawling into bed for one hour of sleep better than no sleep? What does it matter? I feel very fortunate to have been invited to attend a party which clearly demonstrates Arabian women really know how to put on the glitz and ritz!

Safari, Swimming and Sipping in Sri Lanka

Egypt will have to wait as the Arabian Canadians are experiencing a new adventure in Sri Lanka (SL). Boarding the plane in Jeddah in the early evening, Cheryl shed her abaya and it will reappear upon our return on the 11^th of February.  Our night flight touched down just outside Colombo (SL’s capital) at Bandaranaike International airport, at 4:30 am.

Given we had less than 18 hours to book a holiday; we didn’t have all the details worked out at departure time. One of those details was how we were going to get to Nuwara Eliya in the wee hours of the morning. Ahh, God is so good! We negotiated a price for a driver and car for our four day tour through the SL Mountains and then back to the beach. Nana (our driver) was promptly hailed and we were on our way.

Through the rain drizzle, we experienced ‘rush hour’ travel as the local folks and children were preparing for their day (Wednesday February 2). Children were in starched white uniforms, some with ties, white socks and white sneakers; a British tradition. The scenery was new to us and very beautiful – so green and lush; unlike Saudi. Because of traffic volume and road conditions, it took us a full six hours to drive the 150 kms. To Newara Eliya. We really appreciate Vancouver Island’s new

Inland Hwy.

where we cover this distance in a much shorter time. There is no way to describe how people drive here. The roads are very narrow and filled with busses, cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks, people, and stray dogs. Nana was outstanding in getting us to all our destinations with only a few near misses!

Nuwara Eliya offered us an old English hotel, Saint Andrew, located in the high country. This mountainous area with acres and acres of tea plants, tea factories and little villages along the way was fascinating to view.  The tea factory tour gave us more insight into the making of tea. Watching the workers on the steep hillsides with baskets harvesting tea leaves, gives us a greater appreciation for our afternoon cup of tea.

acres and acres of well cultivated tea plants

As our trip carried on towards Kandy, we saw the SL entrepreneurial spirit is alive and flourishing. Small stands along the side of the road sell everything from local fruits and vegetables, to rice and colossal yellow coconuts, and even the kitchen sink if one should need one! All the vendors stand at the front of their shop and beckon you towards their wares with a friendly smile and a welcome wave. 

Once in Kandy, we visited the gem museum. The mining techniques are staggering and still very primitive. Everything is done manually, using the natural resources such as bamboo to support the shaft and ferns to stop the seepage in the mine shaft. They mine many gems; sapphires of three different kinds, rubies, and garnets to name a few. Their prize gem is the star sapphire, which is only found in SL. Although Cheryl was excited about all the sparkling gems, one of her best purchases of the day was a bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay and a wine glass to boot! She also found her first pair of shoes in the same mall as the wine store.

Winding up the collapsing mountain side because of all the rain, Nana skilfully found us our second hotel. The Tourmaline was a beautiful hotel which overlooked the city of Kandy. Our room was modern, large and comfortable with a spectacular view of the mountainside.

Walking in Mother Earth’s bountiful nature is always pleasant. The botanical garden in Kandy was a wonderful respite from our two days of driving. Not only did we enjoy the beautiful vegetation from all over SL and Asia, we also witnessed some amazing bats. These bats were huge! Their wingspan was just under a metre and they were flying, resting and eating during daylight hours. It was fun to capture a photo!

After the botanical gardens, we had a traditional massage. VERY INTERESTING! Note to self; look at premises and ask more questions prior to payment! We are sure it was a traditional massage, just not our tradition.

Our evening afforded us a chance to witness a time-honoured cultural dance show. This included the welcome dance, dance of the cobra (yuck), the mask dance and the finale being the fire dance. Next, we joined the very large crowd and walked to the Temple of the Tooth where we all respectfully entered barefoot, even though it was still raining! This is a Buddhist temple where we saw kilograms and kilograms of sculpted gold and a library with books as old as 1600 years. All was well guarded by monks in their orange attire and a host of security personnel.

Taking a chance, we asked Nana to take us to one of his favourite restaurants in Kandy. Indeed a local favourite, as we had the best fried rice we have eaten in years!

We named heading to the beach, Plants, Mammals and Reptiles. Our first stop was a herb garden where Sumeervi was passionate about how plants can heal our aches and pains. He was pleasantly surprised when we agreed with him! We learned much about herbal medicines. Sumeervi was so sweet and told Glenn he couldn’t help him grown his hair back because he was past the golden age of 40! This was one of our favourite stops to date.

Living large always challenges us and often reaps rewards. Enormous elephants were our next adventure! Believing we were getting a tour of the museum and able to photograph some of the elephants, we were surprised not only at how close we were to the elephants, but to find ourselves riding an elephant!  Have you ever ridden an elephant? Oh my, it’s a long way to the ground!  We found these huge creatures to be very intelligent and extremely gentle when we were feeding them by hand a short time later. An experience we will always remember!

Our last stop before the beach was a turtle hatchery and hospital. Here we met another passionate young man on a mission to save these magnificent creatures. Our timing was excellent as we were able to dig new hatchlings from the sand, and transfer them into the water tank. With our guide’s encouragement, we each held a yearly turtle. First reptile Cheryl has ever held and she still lives!

Albino turtle with black markings; simply stunning! This turtle will never be released because the sharks would have her eaten in a moment.



don't panic and drop the turtle Mrs.!



Reaching our destination at Neela’s Beach and Guesthouse, we said a fond farewell to our friendly driver of four days, Nana. We have reached the beach . . . . . . . SL Canadian adventure to be continued another day.