Nov 1-2 UK to Egypt

Oct 31, Halloween,  was our visit at Stonehenge. I think it was my fourth or fifth time there. The weather was really really cold but thankfully there was no rain. The New museum at Stonehenge was very well done! We also went to Avebury, where there were additional stones. I had never heard of the place and it was interesting to see how it was similar and different to Stonehenge.It was Halloween but we hardly knew it. We only saw a few children in costumes.In the morning we are boarding our airplane for the first Time to fly from the UK to Egypt.

Nov 1 we boarded OUR plane for the first time.  Here are some highlights:
—We had our own private terminal for security screening & awaiting flight.  Just us!  (And the ladies who served us tea, coffee, etc.  ). It really felt like we were in a whole different class. We found our our plane has been rented by such people as The Rolling Stones & Guns & Roses.  Crazy!
—First view of plane:  it has “Road Scholar “ painted on it!!
—Inside, they have a map of our trip on the wall.
—Our seats are beautiful!  Feels like a private jet.  There’s a socializing area, bar, etc.
—We have a chef on board!!  At meals we get a specially made menu with 2 choices for each course; a real gourmet meal! And extensive beverage menu.
—The on board entertainment options weren’t really working.  I expect they’ll fix it later.
My voice sounds husky whenever I’ve been outside.
As we flew over Austria I had a great view of the snow capped Alps.  I felt like that’s  when  I said farewell to Europe & all things familiar, ready to embark on all things new!

Our hotel in Giza has a view of 2 pyramids! The air quality if horrible & My lungs quickly felt like they did when we had the bad California fires. My voice sounds husky whenever I’ve been outside.But the hotel rooms are very nice.

As I am writing this, it is now November 2. I had a ton of trouble getting onto my blog, but it just occurred to me that I need to use chrome instead of Safari. Now it works!. I will try to get caught up.

Today we visited the pyramids, the sphinx, and the Egypt museum. Nothing can describe the amazing experience of seeing how huge the pyramids are and realizing how old they are. Today was a big holiday here, the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. So our guide said there were way more people here than usual. It was an exhausting day but very worthwhile.
I’m writing fast so there may be goofs. I’ll try to add pix either now or later.

London Oct 30 day 2

I had an excellent night’s sleep and felt ready to be on local time.  Since our breakfasts will be in the hotel the next 2 days, I ventured out to a funky neighborhood cafe for eggs & latte.  My travel friend Merle arrived later this morning, and we had the day free, so we walked to the Victoria & Albert Museum.  Didn't stay too long, but enjoyed what we saw—and we got in some walking—about 2.5 miles.  (Yesterday I got in 4.5 miles!).
At 5pm the whole group convened for an orientation & dinner.  There are 46 in our group.  We learned that the first group who took this trip (and returned home a couple days ago) had 45 in their group.  They said they loved the plane—-it’s well appointed, and has a bar and socializing area—-and they had a terrific trip.  (Though we doubt we’d have been told if there were any bad things that happened!  We agreed that it’s good the first group went first—to work out any kinks in this itinerary!)
We met our 2 guides—-Chris(tine) and Kevin.  Very interesting people—both British.  And we chatted with a number of our co-travelers.  But everyone was pretty tired as they’d arrived today.
We take off early tomorrow for Stonehenge and Avebury Stone Circle.
It was another very chilly day here, but happily not rainy!
And we’re off!  :-)

London Oct 29. Day 1

I arrived this morning after a pretty fast flight from SF. Steve Wozniak was on my flight!  Shortly after I arrived at my hotel about noon, our family friends from England met me and spent the day with me.First we had a pub lunch ( fun) then we walked to Harrods. People watching there is so fun!  We had some afternoon tea— which I needed to keep going —then went to the museum of natural history. My hotel is in Kensington , so there’s lots to see nearby. It was surprisingly cold here.
We parted company about 6:00 pm. I’m having a beer at the hotel, planning to turn in Very early!
Tomorrow my travel buddy Merle arrives and tomorrow evening the group convenes.
It’s very exciting to be here and to contemplate the trip that will follow! Here is us at the museum today —( I’m writing jet lagged & fast here so excuse any typos!  )  

Itinerary Oct-Nov 2019

My previous posting in September gave the overview & background about my trip.  Here is the day-by-day itinerary.  Each post gives slightly different info.

As always, I will post when I have time and internet access.  It might not be daily!  I hope I’ll be able to write while on our plane.  We’ll see. . .

ITINERARY OCT-NOV 2019

DATES

Oct 28             Depart SFO

Oct 29             Arrive London in morning.  Spend day with David & Jenny

Oct 30             Free time on my own until 5 pm when group first convenes

Oct 31             Motorcoach to Stonehenge & Avebury. (This is the only site I’ve already seen)

                        Halloween night on our own in London!

Nov. 1             Board “our” plane & fly to Cairo.  Lecture on Egypt.

Nov 2              The Pyramids, Solar Boat Museum, Sphinx, Antiquities Museum

Nov 3              Fly to Jordon.  Visit Wadi Rum & Valley of the Moon. Hotel in Petra

Nov 4              Lecture on the Bedouin people/culture.  Walking tour of Petra.

Nov 5              Fly to New Delhi

Nov 6              Visit Taj Mahal & Agra Fort.  Visit local market.

Nov 7              Visit Old Delhi, including mosque Jama Masjid.  Visit Sikh temple.

Nov 8              Fly to Shijaziashuang airport, China (near Beijing). Coach to hotel in Beijing.

Nov 9              Great Wall of China & Temple of Heaven. Later, visit Tiananmen Square Beijing.

Nov 10            Forbidden City.  Lunch at home of local families.  Fly to Xi’an (Chinese plane)

Nov 11            Xi’an International Studies University for lecture & visit Terra Cotta Warriors.

Nov 12            Fly to Shijaziashuang airport, then board our plane to fly to Cambodia.  Evening dance performance

Nov 13            Pre-dawn visit to see sunrise at Angkor Wat.  Visit Angkor Thom (Buddhist) . Visit Banteay Srei, Hindu temple.

Nov 14            Visit Ta Prohm, (“Jungle Temple”).  Fly to Myanmar.  Fly to Bagan (Burmese plane

Nov 15            Visit Bagan temples & pagaods.  Irrawaddy River cruise.   

Nov 16            Visit Kuthodaw Pagoda, Golden Palace.  Fly to Oman.

Nov 17            Visit Muscat, Grand Mosque, Al Alam Palace, Mutrah Soukmarketplace.  Lecture on Omani culture.  Dinner cruise

Nov18             Fly to London.

Nov 19            Fly London to SFO.  Then sleep for a month!! ;-)

Coming Attractions: “Around the World” Oct-Nov 2019

Now that Telluride is over, I am focusing attention on getting ready for my big trip Oct 28-Nov 19 with Road Scholar). I’m going with my Nashville travel friend, Merle, with whom I’ve gone on two other Road Scholar trips: the Netherlands & Southwestern France (prehistoric painted caves.) She & I are getting quite excited now!

Here’s the 3 week itinerary:
1. London —-to see Stonehenge. (Circa 3000 BC).  (It’s the only place on this trip where I’ve already been (4 times!)
2. Cairo—-to see the pyramids, Sphinx, etc.  (circa 2570 BC)
3. Jordon—to see Petra (the ancient city built into the rocks) (circa 9,000 BC)
4. Delhi— to see the Taj Mahal (circa 1632) & old Delhi.
5. China—to see the Great Wall (circa 1600s), Xi’an, Terra Cotta figures (circa 210 BC), Forbidden City, Silk Road
6. Cambodia—to see Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom, Hindu & Buddhist temples (circa 1100s)
7. Myanmar—previously British Burma—to see Bagan—(with miles of Buddhist temples, pagodas & monasteries). (Circa 9th century)
8. Oman—to see Muscat’s Islamic architecture

All of the details are planned for us.  We will have our own B-767 plane to take us from place to place, with British flight crew.  (About 45 in our group). We’ll stay in 4-5 star hotels and have local experts prepare us for each site.  As you can see, the theme is architecture from ancient times, as well as the cultures and religions of the regions.  Amazing!
I’ve gotten lots of vaccinations as well as bug repellent for clothes & person, to (hopefully) not pick up any unwanted souvenirs on the trip!

That’s all for now!
Jane

Telluride Final Day, Labor Day Sept 2, 2019

Fortunately this morning we decided not to see the first film so we could sleep in (as last night I went to bed at 1:30 a.m.)
 Got to see 3 more today:

1. “Uncut Gems”. We were not too sure about this one, as it’s an Adam Sandler film in which he plays a risk-taker / con man jeweler in NYC.  But then we started hearing from folks who saw it already at the festival (all films have multiples screenings —-at 9 different venues) and they said it was good. Boy were they wrong. It was painful. Sandler’s acting was believable but the character was so rotten & it was so relentless to watch him screw up everything he touches, we all agreed it was at the bottom of our list.  Ugh!

2. “Motherless Brooklyn” starred Edward Norton (who wrote & directed too) as a private eye in the early 50s ) NY trying to solve the murder of his partner.  It’s a murder mystery that goes in many directions ...very well done!  I highly recommend this one.  I’m sure it will get lots of critical acclaim.

3.   “Marriage Story” is the 2nd film Adam Driver had at the festival, also with Scarlet Johansson & Laura Dean.  It’s a serious divorce story but the acting is excellent.  Well done.

So in total, I saw 14 this year!

When I have a chance later, I’ll list them according to most/least favorite.

Telluride day 3 Sunday Sept 1

Wow, another fun day!  I don’t think I’ve ever gone to 5 movies in a day but did today! Michelle says I can’t count the one I left half way through but I say I get credit for enduring that much!

1. A tribute to Adam Driver—with clips from his films.
Then the film “The Report.”  This was about the report of the senate intelligence committee led by Diane Feinstein that exposed the torture covered up by the CIA after 9/11. Adam Driver was the lead.  This movie will be big. It’s like other recent films exposing wrong-doings like “the Post”  (Watergate).  Besides Driver, the filmmaker was here as well as the actual man who Driver was playing.

2  “the climb” — You should skip this one!!  It’s 2 young men’s amateurish tale of their friendship shown through a series of vignettes.  Felt like a student film.  I left 1/2 way through. Gave it a chance...

3 “The aeronauts”. Great!  Eddie Redmayne & Felicity Jones play 2 curious adventurers in the 1860s London who take a hot air balloon higher than anyone had ever done. This will be popular. I love Eddie. So talented. Both of the actors & the director introduced the film to us.  We also saw him as he entered the theatre, walking past us.

4 “Pain & Glory.”  I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one but it was excellent!  It centers on Antonio Banderas, who’s an aging filmmaker who suffers for an array of ailments (one wonders if some are self inflicted) and struggles with the fact that he’s no longer who he was.  He was super!  It’s in Spanish with subtitles.  Antonio was at the festival but unfortunately he left before our screening.

5 “Ford  v Ferrari” stars Matt Damon (a car inventor) & Christian Bale (a famous real life race car in the 60’s when Ford wanted to develop a car that would beat Ferrari at Le Mans.  This will be commercially seen.  It’s good but not great.  Certainly worth seeing but not at the top of my list.