Help! My plans for Kenya are falling apart and I have 2.5 weeks of vacation and a ticket to France. Where should I go?
Jan 13th, 2008, 04:12 AM
#21
Hi rose,
How about Egypt?
it's reasonably easy for your DD to get to, and pretty cheap too. and it's the best time of year to go ,as it is warm there, but not too hot, like it is in summer.
there's a recent trip-report on the africa board for Egypt, including a cruise up the nile. you ought to be able to get a good deal booking last minute.
Jordan, for Petra, would be good too.
good luck,
regards, ann
How about Egypt?
it's reasonably easy for your DD to get to, and pretty cheap too. and it's the best time of year to go ,as it is warm there, but not too hot, like it is in summer.
there's a recent trip-report on the africa board for Egypt, including a cruise up the nile. you ought to be able to get a good deal booking last minute.
Jordan, for Petra, would be good too.
good luck,
regards, ann
Jan 13th, 2008, 04:28 AM
#22
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just another Morocco fan here. We spent the majority of a trip in Morocco and then crossed the ferry into Spain. Someone could easily see a bit more of Spain and less of Morocco than we did. We had an open jaw flight into Casablanca and out of Granada. If I'd suggest just one place in Morocco, it'd be Fez. Chefchaouen and Essaouira highly recommended too.
Jan 13th, 2008, 08:59 AM
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Right now DD is still in Kenya. She just emailed that she spent the day at the spa getting a massage, etc. Wow! They have the volunteers from western Kenya gathered together at a safe resort until final decisions are made. I expect that she'll be there for at least a week.
DD doesn't know yet where her next assignment will be. When she knows, I'll be sure to post that in the lounge for everyone. She assures me it will be someplace nice to visit!
Ann - my MIL suggested Egypt - I was a little worried about cost so now I'll look more closely at that.
I'm hoping the Peace Corps will get her a ticket to Paris, then through to Seattle so that she can travel with me. I'd like her to meet my friend and me in Paris--our apartment is big enough for 3, sort of. Then she and I could continue on and travel together elsewhere. She may leave Kenya up to a week before I arrive in Paris and she has no winter clothes. That would add a new challenge.
Sally Jane - I'm so glad your daughter loved Kenya. It sounded fantastic and DD really enjoyed her experience.
I'll look into Egypt and Morocco a little more and be back with more questions.
DD doesn't know yet where her next assignment will be. When she knows, I'll be sure to post that in the lounge for everyone. She assures me it will be someplace nice to visit!
Ann - my MIL suggested Egypt - I was a little worried about cost so now I'll look more closely at that.
I'm hoping the Peace Corps will get her a ticket to Paris, then through to Seattle so that she can travel with me. I'd like her to meet my friend and me in Paris--our apartment is big enough for 3, sort of. Then she and I could continue on and travel together elsewhere. She may leave Kenya up to a week before I arrive in Paris and she has no winter clothes. That would add a new challenge.
Sally Jane - I'm so glad your daughter loved Kenya. It sounded fantastic and DD really enjoyed her experience.
I'll look into Egypt and Morocco a little more and be back with more questions.
Jan 13th, 2008, 11:57 AM
#24
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi, rose, DD is now employee at embassy in Congo. Got an email today saying she has conversed with friends in Kenya. SAD, SAD stuff going on. Said she was told that 35 western-Kenya PCV's were safely evacuated to Tanzania about 1.5 weeks ago.
DD asks that everyone pray for some of the Kenyans who "used to have basically nothing and now have absolutely nothing."
If your DD is indeed in Dar es Salaam, my DD says you would love the place. Any possibility of going there?
sal
DD asks that everyone pray for some of the Kenyans who "used to have basically nothing and now have absolutely nothing."
If your DD is indeed in Dar es Salaam, my DD says you would love the place. Any possibility of going there?
sal
Jan 13th, 2008, 12:24 PM
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi sallyjane,
DD wasn't with the group who evacuated--even though her site is in Bungoma, she went to the coast to visit with 4 other volunteers there for Christmas. Thank goodness! So she ended up waiting there for a couple of weeks, moving to Mombasa, and now there's a group of them waiting north of Nairobi. And there's the other group waiting in Dar es Salaam! So...lots of decisions yet to come.
I have thought about Tanzania and may look into that once we know what's going on, but many travelers are now getting rebooked into safaris in Tanzania and I believe it would be easier to stay in Europe at this point. Especially since decisions are going to be fairly last minute.
How many years ago was your daughter in Kenya? Does she enjoy her job in Congo?
DD wasn't with the group who evacuated--even though her site is in Bungoma, she went to the coast to visit with 4 other volunteers there for Christmas. Thank goodness! So she ended up waiting there for a couple of weeks, moving to Mombasa, and now there's a group of them waiting north of Nairobi. And there's the other group waiting in Dar es Salaam! So...lots of decisions yet to come.
I have thought about Tanzania and may look into that once we know what's going on, but many travelers are now getting rebooked into safaris in Tanzania and I believe it would be easier to stay in Europe at this point. Especially since decisions are going to be fairly last minute.
How many years ago was your daughter in Kenya? Does she enjoy her job in Congo?
Jan 13th, 2008, 01:16 PM
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm starting to narrow down my choices. I want to go to Spain (as DH doesn't and, well, he's not along.)
I'd like to go to Barcelona and then to Andalucia. Given the amount of time we have, we could take the train to Barcelona and spend 3 or 4 days there, 4 days traveling through Andalucia, and then on to Morocco for about a week (Will2Travel's Sahara trip sounded amazing and tempting. Plus Fez & Marrakesh.) Fly back to Paris from Marrakesh.
Or, we could take the train to the Dordogne (would that be nice to visit in February???)then on to Andalucia, then to Barcelona, then to Paris.
Or, we could spend 2 weeks total just in Spain.
Thoughts?
I'd like to go to Barcelona and then to Andalucia. Given the amount of time we have, we could take the train to Barcelona and spend 3 or 4 days there, 4 days traveling through Andalucia, and then on to Morocco for about a week (Will2Travel's Sahara trip sounded amazing and tempting. Plus Fez & Marrakesh.) Fly back to Paris from Marrakesh.
Or, we could take the train to the Dordogne (would that be nice to visit in February???)then on to Andalucia, then to Barcelona, then to Paris.
Or, we could spend 2 weeks total just in Spain.
Thoughts?
Jan 14th, 2008, 03:46 AM
#29
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello rose. DD was about an hour away from Mombasa from July 2003 to Sept 2005. Then,she and I met in Amsterdam, with a side trip to Brussels, as a way for her to move slowly from the African world back into the differently-paced USA. BUT, the weather was different at that time of year so I'm not suggesting those cities right now!
She loved Kenya. Enjoying current job but Congo is not Kenya.
Wherever you go, enjoy yourself. Make some memories. And be proud of that daughter of yours!
sal
She loved Kenya. Enjoying current job but Congo is not Kenya.
Wherever you go, enjoy yourself. Make some memories. And be proud of that daughter of yours!
sal
Jan 14th, 2008, 02:03 PM
#30
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I suggest reading, at least some, of this very wonderful account of a trip into Morocco.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...dvic&fid=2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...dvic&fid=2
Jan 14th, 2008, 02:08 PM
#31
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, let's try that again; trying to post a link to Laarista's wonderful Moroccan adventure titled
"A Very Berber Birthday." Hopefully this link works. If it doesn't e-mail me. E-mail me anyway if you have any questions.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34944264
"A Very Berber Birthday." Hopefully this link works. If it doesn't e-mail me. E-mail me anyway if you have any questions.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34944264
Jan 14th, 2008, 02:17 PM
#32
<i>I'm starting to narrow down my choices. I want to go to Spain (as DH doesn't and, well, he's not along.)
I'd like to go to Barcelona and then to Andalucia. Given the amount of time we have, we could take the train to Barcelona and spend 3 or 4 days there, 4 days traveling through Andalucia, and then on to Morocco for about a week (Will2Travel's Sahara trip sounded amazing and tempting. Plus Fez & Marrakesh.) Fly back to Paris from Marrakesh.
Or, we could take the train to the Dordogne (would that be nice to visit in February???)then on to Andalucia, then to Barcelona, then to Paris.
Or, we could spend 2 weeks total just in Spain.
Thoughts?</i>
I can't speak for Morocco (on the list but not at the top) but can on Barcelona, Andalusia and the SW of France for that time of year.
I would not hit the Dordogne; as Michael says it can be a bit dreary that time of year (and the last times we've been there in late winter/early spring half the rivers have been at or over their banks, making travel a pain.)
However, the Camargue, Languedoc and the coastal areas near the Spanish border, all the way down to Barcelona, can be sunny (if not warm, tolerable) and empty of tourists then. Perpignan, for instance, is a lovely and quite interesting town, so you could stop there en route to Spain.
Barcelona will be similar (there's no place near the Med where one can promise no cool/wet weather, but less likely) and Andalusia will probably be quite nice. If you haven't been to either Barcelona nor Andalusia, I think you'd find that four or five days in each might be a little short; certainly I think that would be the case in Andalusia. Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Granada, white villages... wow. Add a day in Gibraltar for a bit of colonial British weirdness, apes and great duty-free, and you could fill your days and how.
I'd like to go to Barcelona and then to Andalucia. Given the amount of time we have, we could take the train to Barcelona and spend 3 or 4 days there, 4 days traveling through Andalucia, and then on to Morocco for about a week (Will2Travel's Sahara trip sounded amazing and tempting. Plus Fez & Marrakesh.) Fly back to Paris from Marrakesh.
Or, we could take the train to the Dordogne (would that be nice to visit in February???)then on to Andalucia, then to Barcelona, then to Paris.
Or, we could spend 2 weeks total just in Spain.
Thoughts?</i>
I can't speak for Morocco (on the list but not at the top) but can on Barcelona, Andalusia and the SW of France for that time of year.
I would not hit the Dordogne; as Michael says it can be a bit dreary that time of year (and the last times we've been there in late winter/early spring half the rivers have been at or over their banks, making travel a pain.)
However, the Camargue, Languedoc and the coastal areas near the Spanish border, all the way down to Barcelona, can be sunny (if not warm, tolerable) and empty of tourists then. Perpignan, for instance, is a lovely and quite interesting town, so you could stop there en route to Spain.
Barcelona will be similar (there's no place near the Med where one can promise no cool/wet weather, but less likely) and Andalusia will probably be quite nice. If you haven't been to either Barcelona nor Andalusia, I think you'd find that four or five days in each might be a little short; certainly I think that would be the case in Andalusia. Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Granada, white villages... wow. Add a day in Gibraltar for a bit of colonial British weirdness, apes and great duty-free, and you could fill your days and how.
Jan 14th, 2008, 07:54 PM
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I appreciate the advice!
Floyd - thanks for the link - I just read the whole thing including looking at photos. Wow! What wonderful women. I had just read jgg's account of Morocco last night. Did you go back in April?
I was especially inspired by La's trip to Lisbon. This afternoon several people told me "Portugal." Not bad advice.
So I am leaning towards either just Spain or Spain/Portugal. I think my husband would love Morocco and I think I can talk him into that for a later trip.
Floyd - thanks for the link - I just read the whole thing including looking at photos. Wow! What wonderful women. I had just read jgg's account of Morocco last night. Did you go back in April?
I was especially inspired by La's trip to Lisbon. This afternoon several people told me "Portugal." Not bad advice.
So I am leaning towards either just Spain or Spain/Portugal. I think my husband would love Morocco and I think I can talk him into that for a later trip.
Jan 14th, 2008, 08:03 PM
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I should mention that Plan B is still Plan B - I don't know yet what DD will do. She may stay in Kenya to help which will be hard on her friends and family.
If she does stay...then I have to decide if I travel alone, or cancel this leg of my trip and go home early (yes, I hear the cries of horror), or go visit her in Kenya.
If she does stay...then I have to decide if I travel alone, or cancel this leg of my trip and go home early (yes, I hear the cries of horror), or go visit her in Kenya.
Jan 15th, 2008, 08:37 AM
#35
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, I made a quick visit to Marrakech and Essaouira last April.
As a general observation (based on two trips to Morocco) the big destination cities of Marrakech and Fez probably inspire more awe but I believe I enjoyed myself more in the smaller destinations (Rabat which is the modern capital and has a nice set of ruins (Roman and from other periods) and a medina as picturesque as any and Essaouira which is a much smaller seaside city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essaouira While both Rabat and Essaouira have abandant tourists both cities seemed more laid back and easier to just wander about as a stray tourist.) I will give the same advice many people have given; Tangier may be best viewed as an acquired taste and should be avoided as much as possible, in my opinion. I was not in Casablanca but I believe the same advice commonly applies.
Looking in my notes I found a link to a very nice riad in Marrakech.
http://perso.wanadoo.net.ma/arahanta/ The owners are very nice and speak English which can be a big help in Morocco where French is paramount
For Spain there are many many travel sites and reports but one of the best (in my opinion) is Maribel's guides. http://www.maribelsguides.com/
I do like Toledo a lot more than Ms. Maribel but still her guides are quite exquisite. Spain is a great country to travel by rent car as it seems full of small interesting towns. On one trip ten years ago driving north up the coast from Gibralter I stayed at a small hotel right on the Mediterranean in a tiny town (sorry, can't figure out the exact name anymore). The room was plain but had a balcony looking out on the Med not fifty feet away. The cost (in those days the dollar hadn't collapsed) was under $20 for two. Unfortunately when in Spain last April one could seriously feel the damage to the dollar everytime one paid for anything but, on the whole, I still think Spain affordable if not the bargain of past years. I certainly recommend, if it appears of any interest at all to you, visiting Toldeo, Segovia, Cordoba and Granada.
In closing please note I am not an expert but am certainly willing to answer any question that I can.
I have never been to Portugal so don't have any suggestions about that country other than to observe it looks interesting.
As a general observation (based on two trips to Morocco) the big destination cities of Marrakech and Fez probably inspire more awe but I believe I enjoyed myself more in the smaller destinations (Rabat which is the modern capital and has a nice set of ruins (Roman and from other periods) and a medina as picturesque as any and Essaouira which is a much smaller seaside city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essaouira While both Rabat and Essaouira have abandant tourists both cities seemed more laid back and easier to just wander about as a stray tourist.) I will give the same advice many people have given; Tangier may be best viewed as an acquired taste and should be avoided as much as possible, in my opinion. I was not in Casablanca but I believe the same advice commonly applies.
Looking in my notes I found a link to a very nice riad in Marrakech.
http://perso.wanadoo.net.ma/arahanta/ The owners are very nice and speak English which can be a big help in Morocco where French is paramount
For Spain there are many many travel sites and reports but one of the best (in my opinion) is Maribel's guides. http://www.maribelsguides.com/
I do like Toledo a lot more than Ms. Maribel but still her guides are quite exquisite. Spain is a great country to travel by rent car as it seems full of small interesting towns. On one trip ten years ago driving north up the coast from Gibralter I stayed at a small hotel right on the Mediterranean in a tiny town (sorry, can't figure out the exact name anymore). The room was plain but had a balcony looking out on the Med not fifty feet away. The cost (in those days the dollar hadn't collapsed) was under $20 for two. Unfortunately when in Spain last April one could seriously feel the damage to the dollar everytime one paid for anything but, on the whole, I still think Spain affordable if not the bargain of past years. I certainly recommend, if it appears of any interest at all to you, visiting Toldeo, Segovia, Cordoba and Granada.
In closing please note I am not an expert but am certainly willing to answer any question that I can.
I have never been to Portugal so don't have any suggestions about that country other than to observe it looks interesting.
Jan 16th, 2008, 06:41 AM
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great news everyone!
DD is leaving Kenya in about a week! She is hoping to return in a month or so and do humanitarian work with the Peace Corps... But for now, she will meet me in Paris and then back home.
I've given her the option of going to Italy (cities + possibly Sicily) or to Spain (Barcelona/Grenada/Sevilla/Madrid) after our week in Paris with our friend. The food in Kenya has her fondly remembering our trip to Rome.
But I've been looking into Spain and it sounds beautiful, even in February.
I'm relieved! Thanks for all your planning help. I'll be back soon with our final decision and I'll ask for specifics on hotels/apartments then.
DD is leaving Kenya in about a week! She is hoping to return in a month or so and do humanitarian work with the Peace Corps... But for now, she will meet me in Paris and then back home.
I've given her the option of going to Italy (cities + possibly Sicily) or to Spain (Barcelona/Grenada/Sevilla/Madrid) after our week in Paris with our friend. The food in Kenya has her fondly remembering our trip to Rome.
But I've been looking into Spain and it sounds beautiful, even in February.I'm relieved! Thanks for all your planning help. I'll be back soon with our final decision and I'll ask for specifics on hotels/apartments then.
Jan 19th, 2008, 08:51 AM
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Latest update: DD flies out of Nairobi tomorrow evening headed for Brussels. A friend's son and daughter-in-law live there and they're taking our refugee in for a week.
They'll find warm clothes for her, feed her, and put her on the train to Paris next week. She's leaving Kenya with sandals, a cotton skirt and a new passport the embassy rushed through. No credit card, no coat, nothing! She was never able to retrieve her belongings. The Christmas gifts we sent her are now a charitable contribution to the postal workers. (Skittles, Celeb rags, lip gloss, flannel jammies...) I'll be so glad to see her!
In the meanwhile, we've yet to decide where to go post-Paris:
Barcelona and that area + Andalucia OR Cinque Terre, Florence, Bologna, Venice???
They'll find warm clothes for her, feed her, and put her on the train to Paris next week. She's leaving Kenya with sandals, a cotton skirt and a new passport the embassy rushed through. No credit card, no coat, nothing! She was never able to retrieve her belongings. The Christmas gifts we sent her are now a charitable contribution to the postal workers. (Skittles, Celeb rags, lip gloss, flannel jammies...) I'll be so glad to see her!
In the meanwhile, we've yet to decide where to go post-Paris:
Barcelona and that area + Andalucia OR Cinque Terre, Florence, Bologna, Venice???
Jan 19th, 2008, 09:08 AM
#39
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Goodness! I am very glad she's getting to go! I don't know where you'll choose, but I hope that it's someplace very quiet, relaxing and civilized. She may need it! And someplace with good shopping, given what she's able to leave with.
