Around The World & Jet Lag

Well, I have to say...this last trip of ours was a doozy! Traveling around the world is so much different than driving across the United States! Airplanes, language barriers, different time zones...and of course, the need of very smart & efficient packing! Thank heavens we each had our very own piece of vintage luggage to fill, and to decorate with travel stickers, as we pleased.

Our very first destination was Japan, a country very near and dear to my heart. We wanted to honor them somehow and decided to explore their unique food culture. I was surprised how many students had actually tried sushi...and liked it!

Then it was on to China, since we happened to be in the neighborhood! Many of us had always wanted to see the great Chinese Lantern Festival and it was just our luck that they happened to be having it right then because normally, it's held in February...at the end of the Chinese New Year...how fortunate were we?!

After the basking in the glow of the beautiful Chinese Lanterns, we said our goodbye's to Asia and decided it was time to switch continents. Heading into the deepest, darkest part of Africa, we went in search of one of the cutest, most beloved, yet most dangerous of African creatures...the hippopotamus!

We searched many lakes and rivers before finally coming across this little guy hiding in the reeds....and by being extra, extra careful, we were able to get really close without disturbing him...although from the looks of it, I think he saw us despite our attempts at being sneaky.

We felt elated and just a touch soggy after our hippo adventure, and thought it would be wonderful to head north and dry out in the arid deserts of Egypt while searching for yet another impressive creature...which also happened to be very dangerous, but was much smaller than our previous conquest, and not particularly very cute....the Egyptian cobra!

We ended up finding quite a few as we wandered near the pyramids...and as chance would have it, they all happened to be females!

Our captivating cobras enjoyed glamming it up big time, and were in no way afraid of using color to enhance their special beauty...just look at how carefully they applied their make-up and picked out their clothing...Cleopatra surely must have been inspired by these Egyptian Queens!

When we were finally done being charmed by the lovely desert ladies and admiring all that Egypt had to offer...it was time to place the last of our travel stickers on our luggage and head for home.

Where one more vacation awaits us (this Monday!)...one, thank goodness...that will be the perfect antidote for the inescapable jet lag that has already started to set in...