9/1/2000 - 9/23/2000
Where: Ireland
Lodging Info: Celtic Guesthouse - 81-82 Talbot St, Dublin 1; www.celticlodge.com
Flight In: LAX-LHR 8/31 8:25pm-2:45pm (British Airways 268); LHR-DUB 9/1 5:25pm-6:40pm (British Midland 131)
Flight Out: DUB-LHR 9/23 5:10pm-6:25pm (British Midland 130); LGW-NBO 9/23 10:15pm-8:40am (British Airways 2069)
To See: Dublin + musical pub crawl, Book of Kells, Guinness Brewery, Dublin Castle, Old Jameson Distillery, Phoenix Park, Kilmainham Jail, Kildare, Clonmacnoise, Tara Belfast + Ballycastle, Rathlin Island, Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery Galway + Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, Inaishmaan, Liscannor's Holy Well of St Brigid
9/24/2000 - 10/13/2000
Where: Kenya
Lodging Info: 9/24 and 10/12 : Fairview Hotel - 10 Bishops Road, Nairobi; www.fairviewkenya.com
Earthwatch Study: Saving Kenya’s Black Rhinos, Ol Pejeta Ranch on Sweetwaters Research Centre - PO Box 167, Nanyuki
Flight Out: NBO-TNR 10/13 10:15am-2:30pm (Air Madagascar 739)
To See: Animals on Sweetwaters Game Reserve, Goodall Chimpanzee Reserve, Hike Mt Kenya, Nairobi
Notes
- Nairobi - We stayed in Nairobi on the first and last nights – a very crowded and dirty city.
- Sweetwaters Reserve - I stayed at the Sweetwaters reserve while doing the black rhino Earthwatch study. It was incredible!
- Mount Kenya - To top off my Kenya experience, I climbed Mt Kenya – it was very tough and I got lost at one point!!
10/13/2000 - 10/20/2000
Where: Madagascar
Lodging Info: 10/13 and 10/19 : Hotel Colbert - 23 Rue Printsy Ratsimamanga, Antaninarenina Antanananarivo 10/14-15 : Vakona Forest Lodge - Andasibe / Perinet 10/16-18 : Relias du Masoala - Ambatomasina-Andranonangozy BP10 Maroantsetra
Flights: 10/16 : Toamasina-Sambava-Maroantsetra (Air Madagascar) 10/19 : Maroantsetra-Antalaha-Antanananarivo (Air Madagascar)
Flight Out: TNR-NBO 10/20 5:30am-8:45am (Air Madagascar 730); NBO-MRU 10/20 10:20am-3:20pm (Air Mauritius 535)
To See: Parc National d'Andasibe-Mantadia (Perinet), Nosy Mangabe, Masoala Peninsula, lemurs!
Notes
- Antananarivo - Madagascar’s capital city is noisy, dirty and shockingly poor.
- Toamasina - We drove from Tana to Toamasina through Perinet Reserve.
- Maroantsetra - I stayed in a wonderful hotel across the bay from Nosy Mangabe.
10/20/2000 - 10/21/2000
Where: Mauritius
Lodging Info: Port Louis
Flight Out: MRU-PER 10/21 10:20am-9:30pm (Air Mauritius 940)
Notes
- Port Louis - I just stayed overnight here – and it was a bit too much of a European playground after my weeks in Kenya and Madagascar.
10/21/2000 - 10/22/2000
Where: Australia
Lodging Info: Perth
Flight Out: PER-SYD 10/22 11:25am-6:20pm (Quantas 64); SYD-CHC 8:00pm-12:55am (Quantas 65)
10/23/2000 - 10/25/2000
Where: New Zealand
Lodging Info: Christchurch
Flight Out: CHC-AKL 10/25 11:10am-12:30pm (Air New Zealand 516); AKL-TBU 2:00pm-5:50pm (Royal Tongan 213)
To See: Swim with dolphins in Kaikoura, Christchurch, snowboarding at Mt Hutt, jet boating
10/25/2000 - 10/28/2000
Where: Tonga
Lodging Info: 10/25 : horrible guest house, Nuku'alofa 10/26 : Hilltop Guest House, Neiafu, Vava'U 10/27 : International Dateline Hotel - Vuna Road, Nuku'alofa
Flight Out: TBU-NAN 10/28 10:20am-10:50pm (Royal Tongan 305)
Notes
- Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu - I spent a miserable first night in a rooming house, and a better night in the dorm-like Dateline Hotel. Beautiful, but the locals are a little too friendly.
- Neiafu on Vava’u - I had a nice few days here, wandering around the island and meeting Kiwi fishermen!
10/28/2000
Where: Fiji
Flight Out: NON-LAX 10/28 10:00pm-1:20pm (American Airlines 739)
Notes
- Nadi - I only had an afternoon here, and went on a pretty tense driving tour – they were gearing down from a coup a few months earlier.
