A tour of Africa (aka Albino Bowler nabs his 6th Continent)

December 3, 2012    Category: Albino Bowler    2 Comments »

Kimberly and I took the bowler on a 16 day excursion to Africa. We flew to Kilimanjaro and from there traveled to the major wildlife parks in Tanzania via Land Cruiser. We went to the Ngorongoru Crater, The Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks for safaris over the next 7 days while staying in the most interesting and beautiful resorts we’ve ever seen, basically a different one each night. Seeing lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and dozens and dozens of other animals all up close and in their natural habitat was even more incredible than I had pictured. We saw the entire horizon in all directions dotted with antelopes, impalas, zebras and wildebeests. It was an experience that just seemed to be from a different time or a different world.

After our safaris we flew to Zambia to visit Victoria Falls. The falls were truly remarkable and are recognized as the largest falls in the world by being over 1 mile wide. We were there during the dry season so although there was much less water coming over the falls, they were even more beautiful because we were able to get up close and see the entire gorge and not just mist coming out of a hole. Next we went to South Africa to stay in the Cape Town area for 5 days. Cape Town is a beautiful seaside city. It is pinned in with the sea in front and Table Mountain in the back. There are areas of the town that were built in the 16th century and areas just a few blocks away full of glass skyscrapers. One of our days in the area was spent in Hermanus – the whale watching capital of the world. It was incredible to see so many whales just off the shore. We decided to take a whale watching trip thru a local boat guide and saw many whales very close up. Another day was spent driving thru the wine country visiting wineries and quaint towns like Stellenbosch and Franschoek.

We spent a another day riding buses thru the city and suburbs stopping along the way at places of interest in order to plan where we would spend the bulk of our remaining days. Those days were spent visiting museums, Table Mountain and the waterside shopping area. In the end we decided it was our favorite trip ever (as it seems the last one always is). We would both love to go back to South Africa and spend a few months in Hermanus.

Just two more continents left for us, but only one remains for the bowler! Look out Antarctica.

Some other pictures from the trip are posted here… http://qberryfarms.com/content/view/52/31/

–Chad Quesenberry

Africa VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Tags: Africa, Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoru Crater, Serengeti, South Africa, Tanzania, Tarangire, Zambia

Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany… whew!

August 1, 2012    Category: Albino Bowler    No Comments »

      Every time we go somewhere new, I come back thinking “that was probably the coolest trip we’ve done”… and this one certainly felt that way as well.  This trip was different though; this trip was about something bigger than myself.

       A couple months ago I wrote on my personal blog that after ten years of traveling, Holly and I were going to try something new.  We had signed up to go on a trip with our church and do a kids camp in Poland.  It was a little out there for me, specifically, because I haven’t had much interaction with kids outside of relatives.  I wasn’t quite sure how this would play out given my lack of experience… BUT, I did want to do something to help someone other than myself, so I went all in… and it was awesome!  Turns out kids don’t really care if you have a degree or not, or how much experience you have… they just want someone to play with them and pay attention to them.  Who knew?   Holly and I had an absolute blast on the trip and made some friendships along the way that I truly hope last a lifetime.  We experienced a culture more than ever before, and we got to know new people on a much deeper level.  Incredible.

   In addition to the camp, we also got the opportunity to travel around a bit in Poland as a group.  After saying our goodbyes to our new friends, we headed off to Krakow.  What an amazing city!  Around every corner was seemingly something new and interesting to discover.  Between the street performers, the architecture, and just all the different things going on, you were sure to find something to entertain.

    While in Krakow, the team took the opportunity to travel out to the two concentration camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau.   There isn’t a lot to say here that hasn’t already been said… but wow.  The camps were the type of place it takes a minute to wrap your head around where you’re standing; and then it hits you like a ton of bricks.  There were times walking around that I felt physically sick at the realization of what had happened there.  As terrible of a place as it is, it is definitely something everyone who has the chance should go visit and bare witness to.  The events of the holocaust are certainly something that all of humanity cannot afford to forget.

    The day after visiting the concentration camps, Holly and I again said goodbyes; this time to the group of people we’d traveled to Europe with.  We took of on our own on what would become a bit of a whirlwind trip through Czech Republic and Germany.  I have, for years, wanted to see Prague.  Everything I had heard and read about this city just sounded amazing… and it did not disappoint.  Through an unfortunate series of events, our day in Prague got reduced down to about 4 hours in Prague.  We weren’t going to let missed trains and broken trains spoil our fun though, so we set off down to the Charles Bridge and just hung out for a while.  We found a restaurant right beside the bridge and sat outside to watch the sunset and watch the city move around while we watched.  It was a nice relaxing time and we saw enough of the city that we know we HAVE to go back one day.  Truly beautiful city.

     From Prague we took a bus to Munich and started our quick tour of Germany.  We walked in the shadows of some amazing buildings and shopped in its open air markets.  We saw King Ludwig’s castles in Fussen and experienced the beautiful Alps near the Austrian border.  Hopping on an off a tour bus we took in the sights of Berlin and touched a remaining section of the wall. 

    I can’t quite say what was my favorite part!  The mountains were of course awesome as was the rest of Bavaria.  Berlin was fascinating because I saw things in person that I remember seeing in history books or watching on TV as was the case with the wall.  I think that is, at the core, why I like traveling so much.  Beauty and history.

Till next time!

–Dan Thompson

Tags: Auschwitz, Berlin, Birkenau, Czech Republic, Dan Thompson, Fussen, Germany, Krakow, Munich, Poland, Prague, Szczecin