Travel The World

I'm sitting here at the San Antonio airport getting ready to begin the long journey.  It's going to be about 36 hours in transit before I arrive in Djibouti.  It will be very surreal arriving in a place I never thought I'd see again.  I'll try to post again during the layover in Johannesburg.

I'll be departing for Djibouti in a few days flying via Atlanta, Johannesburg, and Nairobi.  I feel like I'm well prepared for the trip and have all my affairs in order. How do I feel about the trip?  On the one hand, I'm not apprehensive at all because I've been there before.  On the other hand, I'm very apprehensive because I've been there before.  It's a really tough country to live in!!!

Also in the Kyoto area, this particular temple seemed to be the most surreal of all.

I just received my itinerary for the flight to Djibouti.  It looks like I'll be going via Atlanta, Johannesburg, and Nairobi.  A roundabout yet interesting route to say the least.  The last time I went there, I simply flew through Paris.

I recently found out that I'll be going to Djibouti again.  It was not my first choice but Georgia's not available now and Egypt, well you know what's happening there.  At least this time, I'll be able to hit the ground running and make the most of my time.  I just hope it's not too hot this summer. Patrick, are you still there?

Some more similar to the ones below.  Very therapeutic!

I'll be posting more pictures of these over the next few days.  There is more information on this topic under the Japan heading in the left margin.

Way back in '07, I traveled to Nagoya, Japan for my employer.  I was fortunate enough to live there for six months and participate in all facets of the culture.  I developed quite a taste for Japanese food as well and ate it whenever I could.  Not only was it delicious but it was also very healthy.  Many medical problems in American would be eliminated if we followed a similar diet. The picture shows the food we were served at a traditional restaurant in Kyoto.  Tomorrow, I'll post some pictures of the temples I saw there and the surrounding area.  Another great memory in my life:)

For the first time since I've lived here, I saw snow in San Antonio.  Amazingly, there was about an inch on the ground when I woke up this morning.  But, I wasn't affected too much since I'm orginally from Kentucky where they have much more snow than this. Anyway, after getting ready I began the journey to work at 0530.  I could tell right away that something was wrong as the roads seemed too slippery for such a small amount of snow.  Well, what I eventually discovered was that the storm had begun with freezing rain and then the snow covered the sheet of ice that it left.  Furthermore, San Antonio doesn't have snow plows so the roads were in their natural condition.  I was about three-quarters of the way to work when my boss called me on my cell.  He told me that the reporting time was now 1200 and I need not leave home till then.  Since I was almost already there, I decided to go on in.  After arriving, the boss called again to say work had been cancelled for the day

. . . and grapes!  Where else can you find grapes growing in a downtown area for all to enjoy?