BURMA/MYANMAR

[Pop.-47,373,958....av.yr. income$1,000]

DICTATORSHIP STILL EXIST IN BURMA......I WAS IN AND OUT IN A DAY............. AT THE MARKET THERE WAS GREAT SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES.........THERE ARE NOT MANY CHEERFUL PHOTO IMAGES OF THIS COUNTRY.

BURMA ROAD

PERU

[Pop.-28,674,887...av.yr. income-$8,400]

DAY I.............. FLEW TO PERU

DAY 2 ..............FLEW TO CUZCO [10,909 FT]
........................VISITED-INCAN QORICANCHA SUN TEMPLE

DAY 3-..............VISITED SACRED SPRING OF TAMBO MACHAY AND THE ..................SACSAYHUAMAN FORTRESS

.DAY 4-.............TOOK TRAIN RIDE INTO URUBAMBA RIVER GORGE THEN UP ......................TO MACHU PICCHU [AT 8000 FT] IN ABOUT 4 HOURS.
DAY5 .............. REVISITED MACHU PICCHU .
...........................EXPLORING INCA BRIDGE,.........HUAYNA PICCHU ..........OR ....GATE OF THE SUN.

DAY 6.................FLEW BACK TO LIMA -EXPLORED GOLD MUSEUM ,DROVE THROUGH MIRAFLORES NEIGHBORHOOD

ANTARCTICA

I WAS QUITE FEARFUL OF TRAVELING TO ANTARCTICA BECAUSE THE SHIP WOULD HAVE TO CROSS  SOME OF THE ROUGHEST OCEAN WATERS ON THE PLANET........HOWEVER SOME FRIENDS OF MINE WHO HAD MADE THE VOYAGE SAID ........IT WOULD BE WORTH IT I TRUSTED THEM AND .......THE CROSSING HAPPENED TO BE QUITE MILD...........I FELT PRIVILEGED TO HAVE BEEN IN A POSITION TO TRAVEL TO A PLACE THAT RELATIVE FEW HAVE........I WAS REWARDED WITH INDESCRIBABLE BEAUTY AND AWE.........TO BE ABLE TO BE SO CLOSE TO THE PENGUINS WAS ALSO A PLUS

THAILAND

[Pop.-65,068,149....av,yr, income-$8,500]

IN BANGKOK ,YOU CAN SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP,PLOP OR STOP ONCE A WEEK AT THE NIGHT MARKET..........MOST MALES IN THAILAND STUDY AND LIVE AS A MONK SOMETIME DURING THEIR LIFETIME.......... I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE SOME RICE AND DONATED IT TO A LONG LINE OF MONKS COMING OUT FOR THEIR DAILY FOOD QUEST.........I HAD A GREAT TIME INTERACTING WITH THE ELEPHANTS.......WHEN THEY ASK FOR A VOLUNTEER TO HAVE AN ELEPHANT STEP ON THEIR BACK ...I SHOT OUT OF MY SEAT TO GET THE ONCE IN A LIFE TIME PHOTO OPP   [ROW-2,......3RD COLUMN]........SIAM WAS THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY UNTIL 1939....THAILAND MEANS LAND OF THE FREE........AN EXPRESSION OF THE BUDDHIST IS...[THE ONLY THING THAT IS GOOD TO KILL IS ANGER ]

TURKEY

[Pop.-71,158,647...av.-yr.-income-$12,00]

THESE WORDS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MY TRIP TO TURKEY......ISTANBUL....ANZAC [WW-2] CEMETERY.......CAPPADOCIA -  [CITY BUILT OF VOLCANIC ASH].........EPHESUS -[PAUL FROM THE BIBLE]........TROY- [REMEMBER HELEN].......IZMIR- [HOMER'S BIRTH PLACE]  .... ATATURK--[HE  MODERNIZED TURKEY]........THE BLUE MOSQUE.......THE GRAND BRAZAAR......PAMUKALE.....

ZIMBABWE

[Pop-59,109,107...av.-yr-income-$200]

WINTER DOES STARBUCKS,...BRIAN DOES NATIONAL PARKS,....IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN DOING SPECTACULAR WATERFALL,...VICTORIA FALLS IS CERTAINLY A GOOD PLACE TO START........OUR TOUR CONSISTED OF A CRUISE ON THE ZAMBEZI RIVER.....[A FEW CROCODILES AND HIPPOS WERE SIGHTED,]....AND A DRIVE THROUGH THE ZAMBEZI NATIONAL PARK TO A VIEWING SITE OF THE VICTORIA FALLS.......ALONG THE WAY A SMALL ARRAY OF THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE WERE ALSO SIGHTED........AT THE FALLS,THERE IS A STATURE OF THE MISSIONARY  DAVID LIVINGSTONE......THE STATURE WAS BUILT ON THE SITE WHERE HIS HEART WAS BURIED.......THE NATIVES SENT HIS BODY TO BRITAIN WITH THE MESSAGE..... YOU CAN HAVE HIS BODY,...BUT HIS HEART BELONGS TO AFRICA.....

THE NEW YORK HERALD FINANCED HENRY MORTAN STANLEY TO FIND LIVINGSTONE AFTER HE HAD NOT BEEN HEARD FROM FOR 6 YEARS......THE WORDS .."DR. LIVINGSTONE...I  PRESUME" WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN UTTERED WHEN THEY MET.

TANZANIA

[Pop.-39,384,221...av-yr-income-$1300 ]

Well I didn't see the thousands of wildebeest crossing the river.... but after visiting 1-Tarangire National Park
2-Lake Manyara National Park
3-Gibbs Farm
4-Ngorongoro Crater
5-Serengeti National Park
6-Arusha National Park

I realized I should have been very careful what I wished for...........I saw.....ELEPHANTS...LIONS......CHEETAHS..........OH MY......BUFFALOS...HYENAS....ZEBRA.....WILDEBEEST....THOMSON'S GAZELLES.....REEDBUCKS.......DIK-DIKS....ANTELOPES....BABOONS...MONKEYS......OSTRICHES ......FLAMINGOES.....AND....AND...HUNDREDS OF EXOTIC FLORA.....AND......OTHER FAUNA.

WE WERE TRANSPORTED IN A JEEP WHICH HAD AN OPEN TOP....THE NOISE OF CAMERAS CLICKING WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD.......AT ONE POINT ,I WAS CLICKING AWAY TO MY RIGHT ,THEN TURN LEFT TO LOOK OUT OF THE JEEP'S WINDOW..AND CAME FACE TO FACE WITH A LION WHICH WAS STANDING NEXT TO THE JEEP......I THINK THAT MY FELLOW TRAVELER SAW A VERY RARE PHENOMENA........A BLACK MAN TURNING INTO A WHITE MAN

ONE BIT OF TRIVIA....ON THE WAY TO SERENGETI,.... WE STOPPED AT OLDUVAI GORGE ...THE PLACE WHERE LOUIS AND MARY LEAKEY DISCOVERED THEIR VERY IMPORTANT FOSSILS.

KENYA

pop-36,913,721...av income-$1,600/yr
I saw on Nat Geo..... the millions of wildebeest crossing the river and ducking the crocs...... And I said to myself..."I'd like to see that"...So off to Kenya I went.
Upon arriving in Nairobi Kenya I was very soon aware that there were......Blacks ....in the house,......coming from a culture where blacks had minimum ownership of the country.......this was a house of a different color.
After checking into the the hotel the guide suggested to us not to go out of the hotel after dark....I thought.... well... it probably isn't any worse then my Washington D.C...which meant keep your butt inside.

Our tour consisted of visiting [1] The Karen Blixen museum[Out of Africa Author], [2] touring the Amboseli National Park ,where we could see Mt Kilimanjaro as well as a multitude of wild animals.[3] feeding giraffes at the Giraffe center,[4] a Kenya classroom were a student ask me what tribe I belong to in America..I told him Washington dc or maybe I said the Washington Redskins....[5] a Masai reserve,where I got into a height jumping contest with one of the fellows.

I was disappointed that I did not see the volume of animals that I expected however my guide informed me that I would see more at my next stop Tanzania.....will Tanzania look like the scene below ?????????????????tune in to my next blog

JORDAN

[ population-6,053,197....av-income..5000/yr]
You can't visit Egypt without going next door to Jordan .what's in Jordan????? ?,well...the Jordan River......Our Grace Kelly was Queen until her fatal accident.......Mose's Mt Nebo.. which now has a memorial building.......and...DA...DAH....!!!!!.....the great ancient city of Petra.

An unbelievable phenomena occurred as I arrived in Jordan...IT WAS SNOWING...what was this...a record breaking sand storm in Egypt and snow in Jordan?????
The trip to Petra was dramatic .we walk about a block from the bus and entered a very narrow [pics--2nd -col,2nd-row]-canyon...... The canyon walls were about as high as the Washington monument.we trekked for about a mile .......Near the end, the guide told us to close our eyes ,take a few step around a bend and open them....In front of us stood a building narrowly view through the walls of the canyon called the treasury [pic on the right--4th col,2nd row]........my photos are a bit blurry..therefore Google images.......[ the larger ones ] supplied me with clearer ones... I have to learn to position them

  



MT NEBO BUILDING

      







































EGYPT-2

The visit to the pyramids at Giza was memorable. As the bus arrived at the parking lot of the pyramid, a strong sand storm was in full bloom.I could barely see the pyramids from the bus. Nevertheless, I embarked from the bus, struggled against the high velocity winds, to finally reach the base of the pyramids. I climbed up onto a step of the pyramid and screamed as loud as I could........RANDY  IN  THE HOUSE.....RANDY..ROCKS ON THIS ROCK' ...The howl of the storm competed with the volume of my announcement......The next day, most of the group went back to get a clearer view of the pyramids.....I refused to go with them because I did not wish to spoil the memory of my dramatic scene.

I always try to purchase souvenirs, gifts and keepsakes from each place I visit .I found a great chess set, some novelty pens, wood scuptures and beautiful cat figurines in Egypt.

EGYPT

Egypt was one country that I was always interested in visiting..... In school I learned that it was one of the first civilizations......The Pyramids of Giza was thought to be one of the 7 wonders of the world......Upon arriving in Cairo we were escorted to our hotel by the police, because a few weeks earlier there had been  a mass killing by some  terrorist,....The trip consisted of a cruise on  the Nile river  from Cairo to Abu Simbel......I viewed the traditional ruins...Memphis....Thebes,....Kamak,and the Valley of the Kings.....the Pyramids of Giza was a highlight ....[I thought that the pyramids were located several miles  into the desert]...However..they were just at the edge of town....Abu Simbel was impressive knowing that they had to cut it apart from the banks of the Nile river and reassemble it up on top of the banks, in order to keep it from being submerged after the Aswan dam was completed.....It was interesting to realized the Egpyt fostered the three major religions which exist today...... The conscept of one all powerful god Ra originated there..... The concept of life after death started there.....I was surprised that there was some racial distintion still existing....a dark skin egyptian said that he had heard that there were about 10 Nubian villages in America.I agreed......I later realized that he meant , LA,...Baltimore,...Detroit,...Philadephia, ...Newark ....Cleveland ....Oakland.....DC....etc....One afternoon while .looking out of my hotel window,... I remarked  to the guide that  the clouds appeared to indicate a coming storm... he said yes.....however,he remarked that they were dust clouds...and that there was a dust storm accuring as we spoke.
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WHERE RANDY ROAMED

I feel blessed in deed to have out swam 300 million of my other brothers and sisters to materialize on a planet,which might have been one of only10,000 earth like planets in the universe.I'm truly luckly to be one of the 106,456,367,679 that have ever lived on the planet.I feel unique that I have a sun,one of 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 sextillion x3 that has such properties as to support life.With such awareness,I vow to explore my planet and discover it's environments,cultures,people,fauna,and floras before I return to the chemical mix of the universe.

In this blog I hope to discribe my many experiences obtained from my travels to the far corners of the earth