Yellowstone NP 1 Day 2

May 20, Monday Day 2

After retrieving the car from its electric charging station, eating some breakfast  of fruit and cheese in our suite and putting on most of the clothing layers we had, it was 29 degrees at 7:00 am, we headed back into the Park destined for the Mammoth Hot Springs site.

The Park entrance had a long line of cars and it took us about 10 minutes to get to the Ranger kiosk' She waved us through upon showing my senior pass and did not even ask for ID.

Yellowstone was the first national park in the US, and also the world. It was established by President Grant well before the National park Service was established, so for many years it was administered, and protected, by the US Army. It is the largest Park in the Lower 48, roughly equivalent in size to the state of Connecticut, and the largest intact ecosystem. That means that all of the species that had roamed this sweeping mountain plateau are still (or as is the case with gray wolves, are once again) in residence. In 1988 there were large wildfires in the Park that impacted a third of its land, but nature has largely refurbished those areas.

We got to the Springs about 10:00 am and there were a surprising number of visitors. Not crowded, but more people than I expected for a cold day before Memorial Day. The first thing I saw was Liberty Cap, a large cone that once was a hot spring but is now dormant and from which all the surrounding rock, except the cone, has been eroded away.

Liberty Cap

We walked around the amazing geothermal features for 2 1/4 hours marveling at the colors, the steam and the tiny creatures, thermophiles, that thrived there. These thermal features are an indication of this area's volcanic past, present and probably future. The geology is constantly changing as the hot water seeps to the surface creating new formations and small earthquakes alter the path of the underground water. Since this is a limestone formation the rock formations are not strong enough to hold the water down, thus no pressure builds up and there are only a few very small geysers here. The travertine rock terraces are constantly growing, some as much as a foot each year, as

minerals are deposited on the existing rocks. This sometimes causes the need to reposition the boardwalks that the public is supposed to stay on.  The travertine looks like an enormous cream-colored confection.

Travertine limestone

We climbed up to the top of the formation alone the wooden boardwalks and along with taking in the sights we took in the smells of the emerging gases.

We the did a quick stopover at the visitors center to get some maps and directions. We drove east along the northern loop where we saw lots of wildlife, buffalo, elk and deer. Buffalo are technically called bison and as they can weight up to 2000 lbs, they are the largest land mammal in North America. It is amazing that they can get so big when their primary food source is grass and sedges. We saw many calves Their orange fur makes them easy to spot.

The presence of the wildlife makes for "bear traps" on the road. Seemingly whenever there are animals visible from the road, visitors stop their cars, sometimes they pull off to the side, but if that is not possible they simply stop on the road. This creates traffic tie-ups and I imagine in the summer it must create gridlock on the two lane park roads.

We turned off the main road to view the petrified tree and hike to Lost Lake. There was a short hike to the tree. It was OK. Then we started up the hill on a loop trail to the lake. As we attained the summit after a steep incline we found two buffalo astride the trail. They were very slowly moving around all the while grazing and then one just plopped down on the trail. It was obvious that they were not moving quickly so we turned around and went back down to hike the loop in the other direction. On that loop we soon encountered a large steam that was difficult to cross and it began to rain, so we returned to the car.

We drove past Tower Junction where on a trip 6 years ago I left my Blackberry in the bathroom. The Park Service returned it to me about two weeks later.

We stopped at Tower Falls and hiked about .5 mile out to the falls. The water cascades 132 ft into the Gardiner River and a very impressive canyon.

Falls and 3 towers

Canyon below Tower Falls

At this point the road was closed until May 24  so we could not go up to Dunraven Pass. Instead we tuned around to make our way back to the Visitors Center. On the way we encountered a few bear traps and took a few short hikes to view the canyon. Pretty awesome scenery.

On the way out we stopped off at the Albright Visitors Center again to look at the wildlife and history exhibits, and the usual Park movie. This one had scenes of visitors being attacked by wildlife. One showed an elk tossing a person up into a tree. There were animals walking around the outside of the Center  There was also an art gallery that contained reproductions of Thomas Moran's watercolors from the late 1800s that popularized the site and lead to its designation as a national park.

We also briefly walked around Ft. Yellowstone, which is a collection of buildings built by the Army when it ran the Park from 1886-1918. The buildings are still in use.

We then returned to Gardiner, plugged in the car and ate dinner at K Bar. Enjoyed a big pizza, local beer and conversation with the bartender who had relocated from Texas.

The Trip Commences with the Drive

May 19, Sunday Day 1.

We finally got our summer trip started, a day and hours late. (The delayed departure cost us time to visit planned sites in Idaho and Bozeman MT. and the planned entrance into Yellowstone from the north) It is planned to be an expansive trip through the Midwest and east coast with an interruption for a flyover with the grandson to France for a wedding celebration.

Nice day for driving and there was no traffic. As we sailed up, north, on I-15 there was intermittent light rain. Not enough to wet the pavement, but enough to create a psychedelic dance of raindrops dancing and moving on and up the windshield. We drove through a very flat valley that I imagine was once part of the Great Salt Lake and is now farmland surrounded by steeply rising mountains. The valley narrowed as we entered and drove through Idaho. We passed through Pocetello and south of Idaho falls we exited I-15 and turned northeast toward Yellowstone NP.

We stopped in Rexburg for some gasoline and eats. After years of watching the ads for "we got the meats" and saving, but never using their coupons, we ate at an Arbys. At 4:00 pm it was empty. We had a couple for various beef sandwiches, a shake (I guess there was insufficient milk in it to label it a milk shake) and a large cookie.  The latter two were the best. The meats were good and plentiful by fast food standards, but the buns were soft and tasteless..

We reached Yellowstone NP about 6:30 pm. Our senior pas again gained us free admission. (A benefit Trump and his now discrased Interior Secretary prospectively, significantly increased the cost of. ) It is overcast and very grey. Lots of snow on the ground. As we drove through the park to our hotel on the north side of the park in Gardiner MT, we passed lots of rushing rivers. The temperature is 40 degrees. Where did our summer vacation go?

Not much auto traffic in the park, and what there wasseemed mainly to be exiting the park. We came upon a backup that was present on both sides of the two lane park road. I guessed either an accident or animal crossing. It was the latter. A herd (how many needed to constitute a herd?), many 20 buffalo were ambling down the roadway. Lots of calves and horns. They were not moving fast, but they calmly walked very close to the cars. Up close they are very big.

Commuting buffalos

They were moving in the opposite direction we were, so our delay was minimal. For the people going in the opposite direction, I don't know how long their wait was.  We also saw many mule deer and a few elk.

When we arrived in Gardiner MT, site of the northern entrance to the Park

and our rented condo, it was cold, but still light. The young girl at the condo office, a Ukrainian immigrant, was waiting for us. We have a nice little suite with kitchen in the middle of town at the Victorian Inn. After settling in and adding many layers we took a walk around town. Not much here, but to my delight I discovered an electric car charging station. Free usage no less. I moved the car there.

We ate some leftovers we had brought from home for dinner and watched the final episode of GoT.

Stone Town in Zanzibar Town

November 9, 2018

We began the day with a luxurious breakfast spread at the hotel. Lots of fresh tropical fruits and juices, local breads, chicken curry and a made to order omelet. We ate outside with the ocean over our shoulder, but it was already getting hot and humid. No sense complaining about the weather when you come to an ocean island near the equator, but it sure does feel sticky, especially when I was wearing my recently purchased clothes that are far less than ideal for the weather.

We left the hotel about 10 and almost immediately were approached by what became a stream of papaasi, people who wanted to guide us, tour us , drive us, or otherwise sell services. There are also the product sellers. One has to be polite in saying hapani (no), but also firm.

We walked over to Forodhani Gardens again. This time it was largely deserted, except for the many cats and the papaasi. It was pretty looking out onto the ocean and seeing the boats, from the small doaws, to the ferry, this was the Kilimanjaro VI and the large freighters.

We walked through the gardens to the Old Fort, also called the Arab Fort. At  the entrance was an office of the Zanzibar Tourist Office. After a bit of haggling about the prices we signed up for two tours the next day, a morning spice tour and an afternoon boat tour to Prison Island. $90 for both including my daughter. I put half down and the rest to be paid the next day. I wanted to use the Eco+Culture  company I had spoken with the prior day which had been recommended in the travel book, but they were quite a bit more expensive and the agent I spoke with seemed enthusiastic.

We then entered the Old Fort. It is a large structure containing large open courtyards, one of which now has been covered into an open air amphitheatre that is used for music and dance events and the Zanzibar International Film Festival.  

Amphitheatre

Artists

Fort courtyard

The Fort was built from 1698 to 1701 by the Omani Arabs after they had defeated the Portuguese who had ruled for 200 years. The fort was used to repulse efforts by the Portuguese to retake the island as well as attacks from a rival Arab group based in Mombasa. It was built on the site of a Portuguese church the remains of which were visible in the main courtyard.In the 19th century the fort was used as a prison with the execution site being just outside the east wall of the fort.  The Swahili word "gereza" means prison is thought to be derived from the Portuguese word igreja, meaning church. In the early 20th century it was the southern depot for a railroad that ran north to Bububu. It was rebuilt in 1949, but it fell into disuse in 1964 after the revolution.

We walked through the courtyards and on the battlements. there were several art galleries, Colors of Zanzibar and Collective Art Gallery in the towers. Despite the artists obvious willingness to bargain over prices, we did not purchase anything. There were local spice and craft shops, and a good toilet.

We left the fort after about 1.5 hours and returned to the gardens. Engaged in a conversation with 4 teen age girls. They were very animated and questioned us about the US. They are learning English in school and asked us about our trip. 

Teenage girls

We were repeatedly approached by papaasi and after much haggling with one we agreed to a walking tour. Agreed to $20 for 2 hour tour.  What followed was a leisurely stroll through the Old/Stone Town area.  He started with a history lesson about the Old Fort and the Gardens. We then walked over to the House of Wonders, Beit al Ajaib. This was a state of the art building when it was built in 1883 as a ceremonial palace for the Sultan Barghash, and remains one of the largest buildings on the island. It is a perfect rectangle, topped by a large clock tower. It was built with marble floors, steel pillars and girders, was fitted with electric lighting and had an electric elevator. Hence the name House of Wonders. It served as a palace until 1911, then as a British colonial office for 50 years and the housed government and political party (there was only one political party so co-location was convenient) offices for 30 years until it was abandoned in the 1990s. It reopened as a museum in 2002, but the roof collapsed in 2016 and so it is not currently open to the public as it undergoes repairs. In front were two Portuguese cannons from the early 16th century.

A few hundred yards up the road we visited the Palace Museum. A large white building built close to the sea in the late 1890s it was originally called the Sultan's Palace, but was renamed the People's Palace after the 1964 Revolution. It became a museum in 1994. The exhibits included a lot of furniture, clothes and art from the sultans and British colonial period. There was a gigantic banyan tree 100 meters up the road. It was planted in 1911 and is known as The Big Tree. We then walked into the interior of the city and passed or visited old hotels, galleries, small businesses, restaurants, and mosques and churches. While the art in the galleries was locally produced, some of it seemed formalistic. 

Most of the buildings we saw were built in the 19th century when Zanzibar was an important and affluent trading center. Many of the buildings were three or four stories and their stone construction consisted of locally mined coralline rock. It is a good construction material, but it is soft and easily eroded if not maintained. While virtually all of the buildings are still inhabited or used for commercial purposes, many are in a state of disrepair. However we saw some structures that were being restored to their original appearance through a UN and government program. (Reminded me of the restoration that is occurring in Old Havana.)   The buildings were predominately of two architectural styles, Arab, with plain outer walls and a large door which lead to an inner courtyard   (which we usually could not see), and Indian, with an open facade and large balconies decorated with ornate railings and balustrades designed to catch sea breezes and dispel the humidity. Very similar to what we saw in India, albeit much of that seemed to be based on the Mogul, Islam empire architecture. 


Many of the buildings had large wooden doors with elaborately carved frames and panels decorated with large brass studs, spikes and heavy locks. The studs and spikes were allegedly designed to prevent war elephant attacks. They are mostly decorative since while elephants were abundant on Zanzibar when Marco Polo passed through in the late 13th century, they were long extinct when  these structures were built in the 19th century. The greater the wealth and status of the owner, the more elaborate were the door carvings. Many of the doors had chains carved at the side which indicated that slaves were held in the house. We also saw, and sat on, many baraza benches. These are thick benches of solid stone, not very comfortable, built into the walls of the structures and also in the courtyards. They permitted Islamic men to receive visitors at or in their homes without compromising the privacy of the woman folk.

 Arab Style

 Indian style

At the Swahili House hotel we took the lift (added in 2015) to the roof top restaurant/bar for drinks and snacks on a baraza bench. Terrific 360 degree views of the Zanzibar Town, the Zanzibar Strait and the land outside of Stone Town. This was a 19th century Indian merchant's home that in 2008 was renovated into hotel. However it is not fancy and retains a local feel with a very calm environment.   

The Market at the east end of Stone Town along Creek Road  (the creek has been paved over) was built in 1904, and looks as if little has changed since then. (Viewing the photographs from the early days of the market in the market's museum confirmed that.) The market is essentially a long hall with traders inside and out selling their wares from small stalls or simply with their goods spread out on the ground. It was especially active today, since it was Friday. There were an amazing variety of goods available for purchase that included books, CDs, furniture, clothes, car parts, and even sewing machines. Of course there were also all manner of foods available. Speaking with some of the shoppers, mostly women who were very colorfully dressed it seemed as if they had come from many parts of the island.  

At the end of the Market was the seafood section. There were active auctions going on to sell batches of seafood and lots of filleting of the fish. Pretty big smells and lots of flys. 

I purchased more spices.

On the way back to the hotel we walked past the East African Slave exhibit. Did not go in at this time since we had used up our two hours. 

After the tour we visited several galleries and finally picked out three paintings. As usual there was a lot of bargaining and because the owner wanted cash I had an actual limit on my spending. We walked out with a very large cardboard tube as I wondered if I would be able to get that on our future flights and if so, without any damage to the paintings.

After shopping we returned to the roof top of the Swahili House to meet our daughter who was joining us for the weekend on Zanzibar . More  views, sun downers and snacks

and then we walked through town to the Monsoon restaurant. This serves Mediterranean and Zanzabari food. You doff your shoes upon entering and sit on rugs and cushions, I needed a lot of the latter, and essentially sit on the floor, Kasbah style. There was live taarab music and after dinner we spoke with the musicians for a while. The food was good and the price was a great value. However after dinner I had to return to the back machine for another infusion of local cash.

At the hotel we had some dessert on the beach side patio followed by an evening swim in the pool

Overall Stone town is a very vibrant and charming place. Unlike Dubrovnik, from which most of the residents have moved and is essentially now a giant outdoor museum, Stone town is a living community where the residents live, work and play, along with the many tourists.