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Oh the Places I’ve Gone in 2014

It’s been a great travel year for me and I am grateful for the opportunities, new friends, old friends and for a family that supports me.

In 2014 I returned to a country I love – South Africa, not once but twice! I visited in May and my dad came along. I also returned in November and my family (husband, 4yo & 9yo sons) came with! My dad joined us a week later. My visits to South Africa are always so inspiring and wonderful and never long enough.

St. James Beach - Cape Town, South Africa.
St. James Beach – Cape Town, South Africa May 2014. This image was chosen to appear in Pocket Vistas, a Mobile Photography exhibition of Landscape, Nature & Wildlife.
Sons & penguins at Boulder's Beach in Cape Town, South Africa.
My sons & penguins at Boulder’s Beach in Cape Town, South Africa November 2014.
My son enjoyed seeing the penguins and playing in the water at Boulders Beach, Cape Town, South Africa.
My son checking out the view at Boulder’s Beach May 2014. Both my boys enjoyed seeing the penguins and playing in the water. Cape Town, South Africa.
Street art in the Woodstock neighbourhood in Cape Town, South Africa.
Street art in Woodstock. Cape Town, South Africa November 2014.
Zebra in Black and White. Taken with my Olympus em1 mirrorless camera while on safari in South Africa. .
Zebra in Black and White. Taken with my Olympus em1 mirrorless camera & M.Zuiko 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens while on safari in South Africa with Naledi Enkoveni December 2014.
Bird silhouettes against a South African sunset. Taken with my Olympus em1 & 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens.
Bird silhouettes against a South African sunset. Taken with my Olympus em1 & 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens while on safari with Naledi Enkoveni December 2014.

The reason for my return to South Africa was because of a women’s mobile photography development initiative I founded and started there in November 2013, The Heart of a Woman Project. I visited in May to launch phase 2 and my father came with to meet the ladies and offer some help. I returned once more in November to celebrate our 1st anniversary with an exhibition and cultural celebration and was very happy to have my husband & 2 sons (9 & 4) with me.

The Heart of a Woman Project South Africa
The Heart of a Woman Project South Africa #thoawSA May 2014.
An instameet in Khayelitsha with Instagramers Cape Town and the ladies from thoawSA.
An inaugural #instameetEKASI in Khayelitsha with Instagramers Cape Town and the ladies from thoawSA June 1, 2014. Photo by Ockie Fourie.
A collage of the women's work over the last year. The Heart of a Woman Project.
A collage of the women’s work over the last year on display at eKhaya eKasi, The Heart of a Woman Project. Debuted at the 1st anniversary exhibition & cultural celebration November 2014.
My 4 yo learning isiXhosa games from the kids in the eKhaya eKasi community. We spent 6 days there. They played with the kids while I taught.
My 4 yo son learning isiXhosa games from the kids in the eKhaya eKasi community. We spent 6 days there in November 2014. They played with the kids while I taught the ladies and they can’t wait to return.

On the way to South Africa, we had an overnight layover in London, England. Mostly we stayed near the airport in hopes that my sons would adjust a bit to the time difference so they could handle the further 2 hour difference between GMT and SAST. It seemed to work and they adjusted well. It also helped to avoid 2 back to back overnight flights. We took off to Windsor  before checking in for our flight. Windsor was about 25 minutes from Heathrow, it’s a quaint town and a good layover visit. We saw Windsor Castle from the outside only and had lunch in a local pub. It was my son’s 1st visit to Europe, we’ll have to go back for a proper one.

My sons in front of Windsor Castle, a layover stop before our flight to South Africa.
My sons in front of Windsor Castle, a layover stop before our flight to South Africa November 2014.
Gemma, Andrea, Kelly & Mariellen - WeGoSolo
Gemma, Andrea, Kelly & Mariellen of WeGoSolo at Women’s Travel Fest in New York, NY March 2014.

I went to New York City in March for the Women’s Travel Fest and again in October for National Geographic Traveler’s seminar on Storytelling Photography with Ami Vitale and Melissa Farlow, two well respected National Geographic photographers. I’ve been a professional photographer since 2003 and have been following Ami’s incredible work since that time. It was great to meet her in person and to learn from her.

New York is a great city for solo travel and I love to see a show on broadway, discover a restaurant and observe what’s happening around the city. While walking back to my hotel after seeing a show on Broadway, I came across this scene in Times Square. At first it was just this young man with his sign and then this half dressed man came by and started dancing, things got interesting.

Only in New York City?
Only in New York City? October 2014.

I am also grateful to have been able to get in a short visit but with quality time with dear friends in Vancouver (my home away from home) and Saskatoon in Canada in April.

Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver.
Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver April 2014
Saskatoon, Canada
Saskatoon, Canada April 2014.

Between all the travel both solo and with family, I also managed to visit some our family favourites nearer to home – Niagara Falls in February and June and the Kawartha Lakes in August.

The American Falls as seen from the Canadian side. Visited Niagara Falls with the family on Family Day.
The American Falls as seen from the Canadian side. Visited Niagara Falls with the family on Family Day February 2014.
My oldest son enjoying the view in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.
My oldest son enjoying the view in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario at a cottage we rented for a week August 2014.
Sons enjoying a ride on the Skywheel in Niagara Falls.
Sons enjoying a ride on the Skywheel in Niagara Falls June 2014. We had an overnight there shortly after I returned from South Africa.

Lastly, I added 2 new cities to my travels, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico in July. I was in Santa Fe for the International Folk Art Market that hosts artisans from around the world. From their website – “Celebrates the humanity of the handmade that empowers communities through monumental earnings.”

There were so many talented artists with their incredible handmade work. It was like travelling around the world in a day. The highlights were visiting the artists and learning more about the work from Myanmar (Burma), South Africa and Haiti. I met a man and his family that represents the last 30 puppeteers of Myanmar. It’s a dying tradition that dates back 600 years. You can read about it here.

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Fabrics from Myanmar.
Fabrics from Myanmar at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baskets made of telephone wire in South Africa.
Baskets made of telephone wire in South Africa at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Art from Haiti, with a strong belief in voodoo.
Art from Haiti, with a strong belief in voodoo at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Puppeteer from Myanmar
Puppeteer from Myanmar, a 600 year tradition at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I also got a chance to drive a bit of Route 66 in Albuquerque.

Route 66 - Albuquerque, New Mexcio.
Route 66 – Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2014.
Route 66 - Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Route 66 – Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2014.

It’s been great to go through my photos of the last year and relive some memories. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some images from the destinations I visited in 2014.

Sharing 2 quotes I love and perfect for starting the new year –

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Wishing you new beginnings, magic, dreams and safe travels in 2015, the best is yet to come!

Until next time,

Andrea

…and my wandering iPhone

The Last 30 Puppeteers of Yangon, Myanmar

The puppeteers of the Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet show in Yangon, Myanmar.
The puppeteers of the Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet show in Yangon, Myanmar.

The International Folk Art Market (IFAM) is the largest of its kind in the world, bringing Folk Art artists and their cooperatives from all corners of the world to Sante Fe, New Mexico. In the past ten years, 780 artists from 80 countries have participated in the Market generating more than $19 million in sales, 90 percent of which has gone home with the artists. For one weekend in July, you meet the world.

I met Khin Maung Htwe and Tin Tin Oo, a husband and wife team from Myanmar who specializes in traditional Myanmar puppetry. Khin Maung Htwe and his cooperative, Htwe Oo Myanmar are based in Yangon where they also have a puppet theatre in downtown Yangon. They travel the world to share their art and participate in puppetry competitions. 

Htwe Oo Myanmar’s puppetry follows 600 years of tradition and represents the less than 30 remaining puppeteers in Yangon. The puppeteers make the marionettes featured in their shows and for sales in their on-site shop and markets such as IFAM.

Traditionally the puppets were used for education and entertainment and played a role in media, reporting sensitive events to the king through stage performance.

Htwe Khin Maung and Tin Tin Oo brought their 10-year-old son, Thet Paing Htwe Oo to Santa Fe as they have passed down the traditional art form to him. The mother and son duo performed on the stage at the Market
throughout the weekend.

I can’t wait to travel to Myanmar for the first time with my father in October 2015 and plan to isit Htwe Oo Myanmar when I am there.

 

Oo Tin Tin of Htwe Oo Myanmar

Htwe Oo Myanmar

Htwe Oo Myanmar

Oo Tin Tin of Htwe Oo Myanmar

 

 

 

Htwe Khin Maung and Oo Tin Tin of Htwe Oo Myanmar
Khin Maung Htwe and his wife Tin Tin Oo

 

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

 

UPDATE: 

On October 31st, 2015 — While in Yangon, Myanmar visiting family and travelling the country, my family and I went to the Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet show. The theatre is located on Sule Pagoda Road near the Sule Shangri-La hotel. It was easy to make reservations which can be done by calling or emailing.

We were treated to a 45-minute show as well as a history of puppetry. After the show, we got to try our hand at puppetry. They make handling the marionettes look so easy, but I can assure you it’s not.

My family in Yangon had never seen a Myanmar puppet show before and enjoyed it as much as I did. We had many laughs as we each took turns trying the puppets. It is an excellent show and a fun night out in Yangon. If you’re ever in Yangon, be sure to visit the family-run Htwe Oo Myanmar.

My cousin and father trying their hand at puppetry at the Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet show in Yangon, Myanmar.
My cousin and father trying their hand at puppetry at the Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet show in Yangon, Myanmar.

I Remember – International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day as designated by the UN.

I am honouring my grandfather, all those that perished – 6 million+ and those that survived and lived to tell the truth.

My maternal grandfather Majer Fisczel Gorewicz from Kielce, Poland survived 4 camps including Auschwitz, his mother and 5 sisters did not. I never met him as he died 3 years before I was born. For years, my mom and I researched in our attempts to trace my grandfather’s family. There is no trace of them. It is believed they perished in Auschwitz.

In August 2011, I travelled to the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC (my 2nd visit) and donated whatever we had of my grandfather on behalf of my mom. We did so to preserve our documents, and so others would never forget. At that visit, I put in a request to have research on my grandfather done. Amazingly, they were able to trace my grandfather’s steps and tell us which camps he was imprisoned at, his Auschwitz and Flossenberg prisoner numbers and the camp he was liberated. He was liberated from Dachau on April 29, 1945.

I went to Germany for the first time in March 2012, so I could visit the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. After many years of purposely not visiting Germany, I felt it was time. My maternal grandmother was born in Germany, my mom was born in Germany, and my uncle still lives there, but I couldn’t help but feel hurt and some anger. My grandparents met at a displaced person’s camp near Munich, Germany as my grandmother was a nurse during that time. It’s been said that my grandma nursed him back to health and saved his life.

On arrival in Munich, I went directly to the train station as I had planned to spend the night in Salzburg, Austria. I knew that it would take some time for me to prepare for a visit to Dachau and to spend time in Germany. Over 1 1/2 weeks, I travelled by train from Munich to Salzburg to Vienna to Prague and then by bus back to Munich. I saved Dachau for the end of the trip.

As I looked out the train window during those first few train rides, I imagined all the people that walked beside the train tracks in death marches or that rode the rails to their fate and couldn’t help but feel emotional. I learned that my grandfather was one of those that walked in a death march. He walked from Flossenberg to Dachau in 1945.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I walked to the gates of the Dachau camp from the remnants of the old train tracks. The gates read “Arbeit Macht Frei” which means “work makes you free”.

I walked the grounds, looked at photos and took photos. As I stood inside the Jewish Memorial with my thoughts, I looked up towards the stream of light coming in. There was an opening, and it looked like an angel with the way the light spilt in. Suddenly, the feeling of anger began to lift.

At the ‘Never Again’ memorial, I placed a rock that I found on the ground on the top. It joined the many other rocks that were there. It is customary to place rocks on headstones and memorials of Jewish people and places of remembrance. It symbolizes the strength and endurance of a rock; it says that we were there and it is a way to preserve the love and memory of those that have died.

These are some of my photos of Dachau. It has taken me almost 2 years to write this post.

B-3058, your name was Majer Fisczel Gorewicz. I remember.

Update: After years of searching we finally learned the fate of a member of our family. His name was Zygmusz Gorewicz, and he was 3 years old. He was my mother’s brother, born during the war and before her. He was 1 of the last 45 children of Kielce. His story was found on the Yad Vashem website.

My grandfather's papers that showed where he was imprisoned and liberated from during the Holocaust.
Papers that showed my grandfather was imprisoned at Dachau, Flossenberg, Blizyn and Auschwitz during the Holocaust and his photo.

 

 

Getting around in Paris

Paris is a large metropolis, divided into what they call, arrondissements. There are 20 to be exact. On my most recent trip there with my niece (see Her First Trip Abroad: A journey from Paris to Marrakesh), we stayed at the Pullman Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement near Gare Montparnasse. It turned out to be a good location as it was fairly easy to get back to. Getting around in Paris can be daunting at first glance, but we navigated the city like experts in a variety of ways – hop on/hop off bus with L’Open Tour, local bus, taxi and even by a classic Vespa. 

This trip, (my 3rd time to Paris in 3 years) I tried new ways to get around. I find Paris to be a very walkable city for the most part, but getting from one arrondissement to the next can sometimes be a long distance.

We had finished some touring, shopping and dinner in the St. Germain area and wanted to go see the Eiffel tower for my niece’s 1st view of it at night. We decided to get there by metro, but the metro in that area was closed due to construction, so we took a surface bus near Notre Dame to Musée d’Orsay where the Metro was open again. The bus was free as it was a shuttle between stations.

If you aren’t familiar with Paris, both Notre Dame and Musée d’Orsay are by the Seine River. I noticed that there was a lot of activity by the river so I wanted to check it out instead of going into the Metro right away. Although it was 9:30pm, I felt that it would be quite safe to wander around as there were many people strolling, sitting and socializing on the river’s edge and it was well lit. Most groups were on blankets and accompanied by some sort of wine or champagne, baguettes, cheese and other picnic type fare. As we walked down the stairs from the street level to river level we noticed a Velib station.

View from Quai D'Orsay
View from Quai D’Orsay

In the last few years, many large cities have adopted a bicycle transportation system. The city stores a number of bikes at stations throughout the core of the city. You rent a bike from one location and can return it to the same location or drop it off at another. If you do so within 30 minutes, the ride is free and you pay just a few dollars for access
fees. In Paris, the system is called Velib

Velib bikes in Paris
My niece on a Velib bike in Paris

We decided that we would take a Velib bike from Quai D’Orsay where we were to Quai Branly where the Eiffel Tower is located. I found the system simple to use as there were instructions in English and you only needed a credit card to use it. We had a few blips getting started, but we got it all sorted out fairly easily and were on our way. The terminals offered instructions in English and several other languages.

view from a Velib bike
view from a Velib bike

 

Riding a Velib bike in Paris
Riding a Velib bike in Paris

It was about a 20 minute bike ride as some areas we passed were congested with large amounts of people picnicking or sitting at the bars and restaurants.

Wednesday night by the Seine River in Paris
Wednesday night by the Seine River in Paris

 

I highly recommend the Velib system in Paris as a way to get around. It was an enjoyable and easy ride along the river’s edge and I felt like a local. Although tourists use the Velib system, many locals use it too. After that first trip we were hooked, but it may or may not have something to do with competing against the clock for a free ride.

We lost to the clock due to some technical difficulties with the seat adjustment, but in the end, this moment and shot, priceless!

My niece + a Velib bike + her 1st view of the Eiffel Tower at night
My niece + a Velib bike + her 1st view of the Eiffel Tower at night

We decided to rent the bikes once more for a ride to the Peace monument which is at the other end of Champs du Mars in front of the École Militaire. So glad we did.

Here’s my niece enjoying the view

view from the Peace monument, Paris
My niece, enjoying her view from the Peace monument, Paris

Read More:

Our Family Trip to Paris in 20 iPhone Photos

Her First Trip Abroad: A journey with my niece from Paris to Marrakesh

Life on the road from Paris to Marrakesh with my 17-year-old niece…

I believe in all kinds of travel:  solo travel, family travel (with my husband and 2 sons), with friends, for business or with other family.

Though my niece has been to Vancouver and New York City and has already started a love for travel, this will be her first trip abroad. I am happy to be the one to take her on her first trip to Europe and Africa. We have talked about doing a trip together when she graduates high school since she was a young girl.

We will embark on an amazing trip over 16 days that will take us from Paris, France south to Marrakesh, Morocco in North Africa by plane, train and ferry.

We’re doing it alone, in other words, without a tour company. Our schedule has been set as far as transportation that we need to catch and when, but I left the itinerary open so that we can do whatever our hearts desire…within the cities I planned of course 😉

my niece at 5 years old in Wasaga Beach, Ontario
my niece at 5 years old in Wasaga Beach, Ontario

 

If you’d like to follow along, join us at wandering iPhone on Instagram Twitter and/or Facebook for images and thoughts from the road. When she was 2 years old she called me “Auntia” as she couldn’t pronounce Auntie Andrea, it  was a name that stuck for many, many years. In honour of that name that I’ve always loved, I will hashtag this trip as #TeamAuntia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

We arrive in Paris
next Tuesday, July 30th, 2013. I can’t wait to introduce her to life on the road, to see Paris again and to visit the other cities for the first time. In thinking about this trip I am reminded of all the mini “adventures” we’ve had together and the things we’ve done. She’s my ‘Arts buddy’ as she is usually the one I call and take when a theatre show comes to town or for Nuit Blanche and she’ll now become a travel buddy.

My niece and I
My niece and I circa 1996

 

We’ve walked the wee hours of Nuit Blanche, the route of a Zombie Walk and the track at Relay for Life and have had some fun and laughable antics along the way. Can’t wait to walk the streets of Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Granada, Tangier, Chefchaouen and Madrid together as we have stays in each of those cities.

My niece and I
My niece and I at Relay for Life

 

I am looking forward to sharing this journey with her before she sets out on her own as a young adult as she is off to university in September. I couldn’t be more proud of who she has become as a young woman and all that she has accomplished thus far in her young life.

I can’t help but feel that this trip is my little way of sharing some of life’s lessons and especially lessons in ‘globe-trotting’ to prepare her for her future travels!

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Don’t Let Me Go Africa

I tried to stop the tears that welled in my eyes from flowing, but they escaped, and I could no longer control them. I didn’t want to look like a fool on that small passenger plane from Johannesburg. The African wilderness was somewhere I had always wanted to experience, but it seemed like somewhere that only existed in my dreams, in the pages of National Geographic and on television.

As we flew over the northeast area of South Africa, memories of Sunday evenings on the sofa with my dad and Gran came to mind. As a child, I watched the Wild Kingdom and the television shows that featured the wildlife of Africa.

I saw mountains and valleys below and imagined the people that lived there and the animals that roamed amongst it. As we approached the Hoedspruit airport and flew closer to the ground, I looked for elephants and giraffes amongst the trees I saw below, but couldn’t see anything but dark green patches that dotted the ground. As we descended into the vast expanse that is the greater Kruger National Park, a feeling washed over me like none other, and I started to cry.

I worried that my cry would quickly become audible, so I worked hard at keeping it silent. Had I been alone, it would have been one of those cries that feel like you had been cleansed inside and had no more tears to cry, devoid of further emotion. I never had, in all my travels, felt like that before.

I went to South Africa with the intention of learning more about it and its people, enjoying beautiful scenery, stalking wild animals and by stalking I mean going on a game drive to admire animals in their natural habitats and having new experiences. I came back having fulfilled all of those things, but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I was somehow home.

It’s been almost 6 months since I was there and I still feel like I am trying to process it all. I write, ponder, leave the blog, look at my photos and come back to this unfinished post many times over.

I wanted to so perfectly describe the feeling I had and to perhaps make sense of it but have resigned to the fact that I don’t think I really can. Nonetheless, I wanted to share my experience. I will chalk it up to one of those profound experiences in my life that can’t be fully explained.

Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province
Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province.

The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true.
The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true

Update: In the last year (about 2 years since I first visited South Africa) learned that my paternal great-great-grandfather is buried in a cemetery near Johannesburg. I had no idea that any of my family had been to South Africa. I’ve since learned his history and that I have other relatives buried there as well and  have relatives that are still in South Africa.