February 2020

Rafting the Nile was one of the most enjoyable things we did on our tour of Kenya and Uganda; it wasn't nearly as scary or difficult as rafting the Zambezi

Lee and his guide taking the plunge (literally); the nearby town of Jinja has become the adventure capital of Uganda with a range of fun activities available

Our raft looks like it's going to flip here but we managed not to; the raft company had a photographer follow us to capture moments like this

Lee was the only person in our group to sign up for extreme rafting; apparently we didn't quite understand how exhausting this would be for Lee

One good thing about our rafting trip is we couldn't see the Nile from this angle; the day was quite warm so getting wet actually was very refreshing

The source of the Nile is sometimes considered to be Lake Victoria (close to where we were), but the lake has feeder rivers of considerable size; Brazil says the Amazon is the world's longest river but the Nile usually gets this recognition

We managed not to flip the raft and discovered that it's much easier to flip a small raft (just ask Lee); we are near the headwaters of the 4,130 mile long Nile

Lee's guide had them not paddle down this rapid but they ended up flipping anyway; the light raft was no match for the powerful forces of water

The freshly cut pineapple was delicious!; unlike the Zambezi, this stretch of the Nile has long portions with no rapids so much more paddling was required

In 2010, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda signed a new agreement on sharing the Nile water even though this agreement raised strong opposition from Egypt and Sudan

These water birds found a placid place to rest; we stayed in a nice, new dormitory at the campground here on the banks of the Nile

The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the $4.5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile — Africa's largest, with a reservoir about the size of London – has become a national preoccupation in both countries

Certain families of golden monkeys have been habituated to humans and tend not to be immediately scared off; this group was constantly on the move and hard to keep up with

Porters we paid to accompany us are from communities displaced from the mountain due to the formation of the national park; paying porters supports the community and increases awareness of the importance of conservation

We had a steep uphill hike to the monkey habitat and paid the porters $15 each to carry our bags; the golden monkeys tend to live in the bamboo groves while the gorillas prefer more forested areas

In an astounding feat of intelligence, golden monkeys actually weave multiple bamboo plants together to make beds each night; nearly 50% of the Ugandan population is under the age of 14

Gestation for a baby golden monkey is 5 months; interestingly, the baby golden monkey is born with all of its fur and wide-open eyes

We all ended up with sore necks from looking up at the monkeys; one male in the pack will mate with nearly all of the females (but it is actually the female that must initiate the mating process)

Montane side-striped chameleon; we didn't see many other animals while hiking through the park but our guide spotted this one

The golden monkey is a genetically distinct species and lives primarily in the mountains of Uganda, but also portions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania

The golden monkey is an endangered species with an estimated population of only 2,500-3,500, and this population is dwindling

3700 Ugandan shillings equals one US dollar; I found shopkeepers would often try to shortchange you so you had to pay attention

The golden monkeys eat new growth bamboo shoots in the rainy season with leaves and fruit in the dry season; they jumped across the tree canopy unlike gorillas

To visit the golden monkeys we booked a $90 excursion plus $25 transport and $15 for a porter; to reach the hike start we were on an incredibly rutted road that took forever to traverse

We used hiking sticks to navigate the steep mountainside; approximately half of Ugandans live on less than one dollar per day

The tails of the golden monkey are bright, vibrant, golden orange, as are its cheeks, and patches of its back and torso; the golden monkeys share the same mountain with the gorillas but they tend to avoid each other

The golden monkey’s have few animal predators so the main threats to its life are humans who may set illegal traps and snares, or cut down the bamboo that golden monkey’s lives depend on

We crossed the equator repeatedly driving through Uganda; in terms of population, Uganda is the second largest landlocked country in the world (after Ethiopia)

Golden monkeys usually live in packs of 30-80 individuals (out of this group, there is typically only one adult male); golden monkeys typically live up to 20 years

The Shard is easily the tallest building in Western Europe but would look scrawny next to the Lotte World Tower in Seoul; to access the viewing platforms costs $42 if you don't have a London Pass

This 38 story building, completed in 2014, is usually called the Walkie-Talkie Building; in 2015 it was awarded the Carbuncle Cup for the worst new building in the UK in the previous 12 months

The Monument was designed by Christopher Wren and completed in 1677; the Doric column commemorates the 1666 Great Fire of London which destroyed most of the medieval city

This building designed by Norman Foster is commonly called The Gherkin; it stands on the former sites of the Baltic Exchange and Chamber of Shipping, which were extensively damaged in 1992 in a bombing by the Provisional IRA

Norman Foster designed London City Hall which opened in 2002; even with new tolls for driving in Central London, the streets were often clogged

This beautiful Georgian building, called Apsley House, was the London home of the first Duke of Wellington and has changed very little since his great victory at Waterloo in 1815

There is so much exceptional architecture in London, such as the Royal College of Organists building; the most efficient and fastest way to get around London is by the tube (1.3+ billion people ride the London subway each year)

At nearly 25 meters tall, the Victoria Memorial remains the tallest monument to a King or Queen in England; completed in 1924, the memorial stands right in front of Buckingham Palace

The Wellington Arch was built in 1830 and connects Hyde Park with Green Park; It originally supported a colossal equestrian statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington but a bronze chariot has topped the arch since 1912

During World War II, Buckingham Palace was bombed nine times, the most serious and publicized of which destroyed the palace chapel in 1940; the forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for Changing of the Guard, a major ceremony and tourist attraction

Construction of the present Westminster Abbey began in 1245, on the orders of King Henry III; since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have been in Westminster Abbey

Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria, and completed in 1912; in 2012, the government sold a 125-year lease over the building for redevelopment into a Waldorf Astoria luxury hotel and four apartments

The Neo-Classical St Martin in the Fields Church sits on the edge of Trafalgar Square; the church is famous for its work with young and homeless people

There are 230+ theaters in London; it's often possible to get cheap tickets on the day of performance through an office in Leicester Square

At the time of its construction in 1860, the Victoria Tower was the tallest square tower in the world; the Victoria Tower was purpose-built as a fireproof repository for books and documents after the fire of 1834

Having opened in 1897. the Tate Britain houses a substantial collection of the art of the United Kingdom since Tudor times, and in particular has large holdings of the works of J. M. W. Turner, who bequeathed all of his collection to the nation

The Nine Elms area of Vauxhall on the south bank of the Thames is being totally transformed; the English seem as impressed with Boris Johnson as most Americans are with President Trump

This Georgian quadrangle, which was built on the site of a Tudor palace belonging to the Duke of Somerset, was designed in 1776 and now hosts an ice skating rink every winter; scenes from Golden Eye and Tomorrow Never Dies were shot here

The Guildhall, built in 1440, has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative center of the City of London

Marble Arch was designed in 1827 to be the state entrance for Buckingham Palace; it was later moved to allow the road to be widened and now sits in a busy traffic circle

This cute zebra is only 3 days old!; since 2013, Lake Nakuru has seen vastly increased rainfall which has closed the former roads around the lake (there is no outflow from the lake)

We camped at Lake Nakuru in very primitive conditions and I think that discouraged Lee from ever wanting to camp again; when our guide woke up there was a lioness and her cubs right next to our camp

Leopard; how our tour guide spotted this leopard we couldn't figure out; despite being relatively small, Lake Nakuru National Park provided one of the best safaris on our travels

Cape buffalo; we saw 4 of the Big 5 here (elephants aren't found at Lake Nakuru National Park)

Marabou stork; you've probably heard of the Big Five but the Marabou stork is one of the Ugly Five (along with hyena, warthog, wildebeest and vulture)

Rothschild's giraffe; beginning in 1977, the giraffes were relocated here from western Kenya in order to ensure their safety

The giant eland is the largest species of antelope and can run at up to 70 km/h (43 mph); native to Central Africa, this species is listed as vulnerable but not yet endangered

Baboons were plentiful; Lake Nakuru is only 164 kms north of Nairobi so tourists often visit it from there as a day trip

Black and white colubus monkey; Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level

White pelicans; the lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore but with increased rainfall the flamingos have migrated to a saline lake in Kenya

Lion and lioness; despite being far away, we were thrilled to get our first lion sighting (they would be far from our last though)

Impala; Most young impala are born around mid-day as this is the safest time to give birth since most of their enemies are resting; sadly, half of newborn are killed by predators within the first few weeks of life

Rhino with child; eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have been introduced into the national park

Grey crowned crane; Lake Nakuru National Park was established in 1961; it started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannas

Grey-headed kingfisher; nests in holes in steep riverbanks and is aggressively protective of its nest by repeated dive-bombing of foraging monitor lizards

I'm glad I didn't know at the time that the park has large sized pythons that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the roads or dangling from trees

Vervet (blue ball) monkey; the cost to enter the national park was $60 US for foreigners but significantly less for locals

Lake Nakuru National Park is only 188 sq km so there is a great diversity of mammals and birds in a fairly compact area

Float Boat 2007; I visited this collection last year and wanted to share it with my parents

Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier 2010; this permanent collection is housed in 11000 sq ft museum in St. Pete's Central Arts District

Blue Neon Tumbleweed 2009; perfect piece for a Texas ranch house; Chihuly has done commissions for Bill Gates and Bill Clinton

Silvered Gilded Scarlet Piccolo Venetian with Curls 2000; started series with idea of replicating Art Deco vases

Mille Fiori 2010; Italian for thousand flowers; this large installation creates a mystical garden of glass

Macchia Forest 2010; pieces are created by a team enabling such large glass, architectural art to be crafted

Cobalt and Lavender Piccolo Venetian with Gilded Handles 1993; Chihuly has a retail store at the Bellagio in Las Vegas; artist is impressive marketer

Morean White Seafoam Set, 2010; his largest permanent exhibit can be found at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Aquamarine Spotted Venetian Piccolo with Emerald Prunts 1998; Chihuly would draw design with Italian glassblower executing the piece

This is my favorite of the Macchia Forest pieces; admission to the Chihuly Collection is $19.95 with seniors getting a $2 discount

Included in the price of the Chihuly Collection is a visit across the street to the Morean Arts Center where we watched gorgeous glass pieces being made

Gorgeous vase by Tim Soluna; Tim narrated the glass making demonstration we attended and helped us understand the complex process required to make these pieces

The Morean Glass Studio (across the street from the Chihuly Collection) features reasonably priced pieces done by local artists

This glass bowl by Chuck Boux was astonishing; he has done commissions for the New York Yankees, the Smithsonian and Time Warner Communications

My Dad liked hearing about how the pieces are made as glass artists across the street narrated the process as they worked

Silver Gilded Lemon Piccolo Venetian with Curling Fronds 1999; small, original pieces sell for $10000+ while large installations go for many millions

Silvered Piccolo Venetian with Teal and Aqua Spotted Flowers 2009; fantastic variety of colors

Verdant Green Ikebana with Emerald Leaf and Two Stems, 2002; there are different videos showing how these large pieces are made as well as key Chihuly installations around the world

Carnival Chandelier 2008; Dale Chihuly is an American who earned a Fulbright Fellowship and trained on the Venetian island of Murano

Black over Orange Venetian with Chartreuse Coil, 1991 and Chartreuse and Black Venetian with Orange Coil, 1991