TURKISH BATH VISIT

                                            Turkish Bath Experience

     Sometimes when one is in a place there are just some things one must do. This was true for  me on  my first visit to Budapest, Hungary, when a Turkish Bath visit was in that category.

     One afternoon a young  English speaking gal from a local travel agency volunteered to accompany 4-5 of us to the Szechenyi Baths. Riding the subway, we exited at City Park in the heart of Budapest.

     We also thought about a massage, but when we were quoted a price triple the going rate we decided to pass. We were grateful for our interpreter as no one spoke  any English and no one was a bit helpful---a left over from the Communist era. All signs were in Hungarian, no surprise but no sub titles anywhere either at that time.

     With our guide’s help we paid the entrance fee and proceeded to the locker area. Once in bathing suits we headed outside to the pools where we found  several pools of different sizes and temperatures. We all agreed on a time and meeting place so the guide could go off and do her own thing, as could we.

     I entered several pools and in a large pool swam following a circular  whirlpool around a center island. Passing one pool, that was about waist deep, we watched people standing around a floating chessboard. Here, people go to the baths for the day like we go to the beach.

     Inside an enclosed bathhouse were 2-3 smaller pools with much hotter water. There was a faint sulfa aroma and a slight yellow tinge to the water in the hottest pool. Unable to read the signs, I just hoped we wouldn’t unknowingly wander into a male only area.  We didn’t!

     When leaving we had to exit through a turnstile where a rather sour-looking man wanted the plastic tokens returned we had received when paying and which I promptly put in a pants pocket. But now a couple of hours later  I couldn’t remember what I had done with it. I was the last to exit, so my friends watched on the other side as I frantically searched each pocket of my cargo pants and finally found the elusive token hidden in a lower pocket corner. I had visions of it having fallen out of my pocket in the locker. Happy to have the token in my hand I passed it to the fellow who never as much as gave me a nod, but provoked clapping hands from my friends once I was on the outside!

     What would have happened if that had been so or if I had totally lost it; would I still be captive and stay there forever?

Fence Climbing

                                              Who Would Ever Guess

     I quickly learned England,s Lake District was quite hilly and that the small mountains were called fells. The sometimes badly eroded paths wove up and down everywhere we hiked. English National Parks are very different from our National Parks in the U.S. In England many people live in the parks and farm their plots. However, the right of way laws prohibit them from secluding the public to trespass their lands. It was not unusual for us to find a sign  reminding us to shut the gate, or to head us in the right direct: as in follow to the beck. (Small stream.)

     I walked through many sheep pastures with sheep most of the time ignoring our presence. Sometimes we entered a pasture through a gate in a fence. Many of the gates were kissing gates which have two sections and two gates to them. You can only enter one section at a time and shut that gate before proceeding through the second gate. These gates are very effective as the gate really can’t be left open.

    I climbed over more than one fence in the several days of hiking while in England.  Most times there was a step, frequently a large rock or  log, to make it easier to swing a leg over the fence. Most of these fences were about four-feet high. I had not climbed a fence since I was a child ---at least 50years ago—so this was a bit  of a surprise, but one I conquered easily.

     The cantilever stone walls took a bit of concentration until I mastered the climbing technique, Stones protrude on each side of the wall providing a foothold as one progresses up the wall. At the top is a space between two rocks wide enough for one foot, so one  can swing around and step down on the protruding rocks on the other side.

     The combination of climbing fences and the constant undulations made hiking through the English Lake District a bit more than a stroll, more what Americans consider a hike, but less than a trek. But the lakes, lovely scenery and views from up high were wonderful. Walking through the bracken, a fern-like plant, was pleasant. At times the plant grew 3-4 feet tall, so all one could see  of the hiker  in front was his upper torso. Bracken is an aggressive plant and is threatening sheep pastures in some areas.

     Our lead hiking guide was a sweetheart with a great since of humor. He enhanced this wonderful interesting trip.

Rainforests Stays

                                                Lovely Rainforests

     Besides visiting, seeing and playing in several rainforests over the years I have had occasion to stay and live in three. Each experience was a wee bit different but all were fantastic !

    The Daintree Rainforest, a World Heritage Site in Australia, is a coastal rainforest that runs in pockets for 450 kilometers, and as an upland rainforest the area protects 70 animal species, over 200 bird species, including the cassowary, which I’d never seen, plus many flower and plant species.

    My large cabin had lovely wooden floors and a large sitting area with huge picture windows—the equivalent  of glass walls that provided views of nothing but thick lush greenery. I woke early in the morning to the sounds of nature and enjoyed my coffee sitting on the couch watching dawn arrive and the small birds and critters shake off sleep and eat breakfast. Eventually I waved a fresh cup of coffee under my friend’s nose to wake her so she could also enjoy the beginning of a wonderful day.

     Great care had been taken designing this resort to blend in with its surroundings in an ecologically sensitive way.  Meant to have minimal impact on local flora and fauna, all cabins  were built high on set poles, that required minimal removal of trees. Boardwalks eliminated the impact of pedestrian traffic  that can damage the forest floor. The facility had its own water supply and generated its own electricity.

    We hated to leave this fabulous peaceful place, but Australia is a huge country  and after  a couple of days it was necessary, as we still had much to visit and see.

     In Costa Rica, Chachagua’s hotel was located in the depths of the rainforest on a private preserve, relatively close to Arenal volcano and adjacent to the Monteverdi Cloud Forest Reserve.

      We crossed a waterfall and walked through lush vegetation to reach our cabin. Because the cabins are hidden in their environment, our guide walked us to our cabin the first time. Our cabin was large and the bathroom floor was slated wood;  there were many potted plants and greenery inside under the high windows. The wet rainforest created a lot of mildew on walkways and stairs. The scenery was exquisite and I fell asleep to the sound of running water. Howler monkeys woke us early in the morning, then the singing birds followed and they were a lot more melodious!

    One evening while walking back to our cabin I heard this loud noise that sounded like a single knock on a clay pot, which I learned the next morning was a ting frog talking.

     The lodge dining room was a large railed patio, roofed but all open otherwise with lovely wooden floors. Nature was all around us at every turn!  The resident green macaw, would perch on the patio rail,  almost always visiting close to mealtime. He was free to fly anywhere anytime. He was a bit cantankerous as its mate had died a few years before. Macaws mate for life so more than likely she’d be alone for the years ahead. The food was fantastic—a huge surprise for hotel/lodge fare.

     This pleasant Costa Rican jungle and its lovely eco-lodge provided us an authentic immersion with nature without sacrificing quality or luxury. We could have stayed a lot longer!

   

    In Panama we stayed in the rainforest at a new eco-lodge.  Our patio with its nice big easy wooden rockers and slung hammock looked out on a cove of the Panama Canal river. The facility was large with a large dining building, A short hike in the back was a lovely orchid  and botanical gardens. The butterfly house fascinated my grandchildren. This facility was close to a Eros village with easy access by boat. Some American money had been invested in this native village and I'm not sure the easy access is necessarily good for the native peoples as slowly but surely their culture is being impacted. My grandchildren did have a wonderful time playing with the small native children. This rain forest was the least interesting and was located in a less dense environment than some others.

Gooney Birds

                                                 Fascinating Bird

    The October day I arrived on Midway Island one gooney bird had returned to the island. I couldn’t understand why everyone was so excited.

     At that time I did not know that goonies fly off to sea in July and stay for the next four months. The second day ten birds returned, then 25 on the third day. After that they arrived so fast it was impossible to count them. Each morning when waking I opened the curtains to see how many birds were on the lawn in front of our barracks. When I left the island three weeks later there were a million and half goonies  on the island!; they were everywhere!

     Gooney is a nickname for the Laysan  Albatross, one of the fifteen albatross species. In the air the birds are beautiful appearing to glide effortlessly on thermal air currents.

     Midway is home to  70% of the world’s Laysan population, They mate for life and every year return to Midway to the same spot to await their mate’s arrival. Their mating dance is fascinating to watch and we watched them a lot!

    Mama lays  one half-pound egg each year and both  parents take turns every couple of weeks sitting on the egg. The non- sitting parent goes to sea to fed until it is time for its return to resume parenting duties. It takes both parents to raise the chick and if something happens to one parent the chick cannot survive.

    It is unusual for birds to mate in winter, but the summer is very hot in the Pacific and this may be one of nature’s adaptive behaviors.

    When the chick fledges it goes to sea for 3-5 years before returning to the island of his birth to find itself a mate.

    Landing is another story. They come gliding in like a plane and if into the wind he’ll land like a bird should.   But, if the wind changes or he misjudges it he will lose his balance, nosedive or turn a somersault. It can be very comical and no doubt helped label them as the Gooney Bird. They were a lot of fun to watch come in and land on the beach’ Talk  about being lucky to be able to experience this wonder event!.

Beautiful Flowering Quarry

                                                 Beautiful  Quarry

    Who could ever imagine that a huge hole in the ground, a defunct 50-acre quarry, would ever become one of the most famous gardens in North America?

    Jenny Buchart, although happy with the income the limestone quarry and her husband’s cement plant provided, thought the big hole was a blight on the landscape in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

     In 1904, when she envisioned a garden, no one thought she she’d be successful in getting anything to grow. Tons of dirt were trucked into the quarry site while she designed the curves and hills of the gardens.

     During the Bucharts’  world travels, they bought statuary and brought home seeds and plants, obviously before the strict agriculture importation rules of today.

     Slowly the garden took shape and a century later the gardens still remain in the possession of the family. Fifty gardeners are kept busy full time, all year, to insure the gardens are always in bloom. No matter the season there is always a rainbow of color.

     In spring 60,000 tulips bloom in vibrant color everywhere. In fall the colors of many trees are spectacular. The rose garden is a mass of color when 2500 rose bushes bloom in summer.

     Many benches are situated around the gardens where one can rest or just sit and enjoy the surroundings as well as the peace and quiet of the entire area.

     Tacca, a large bronze boar, is positioned on the patio and appears to have just awakened, maybe from the sound of a hunt. His well burnished nose is  the result of all the good luck loving strokes given to it over the years as visitors and children bid farewell to the lovely gardens.  I have made several visits to  these gardens, but it was on my first visit years ago that Tacca was my first bronze to start my collection of  good luck brass rubbings.

     Cruise ships, especially to Alaska, run buses to Buchart when stopping in either Victoria or Vancouver. In such a case it’s a worthwhile side trip.