Tiim & Kathy

Johannesburg

It is a little more difficult to get around Johannesburg than we thought, so we took advantage of the hotel recommended driver. He spent the entire day with us and he was very nice and accommodating.

The Apartheid Museum

We learned so much about the history of South Africa, both their struggles and their triumphs. The entrance began with this quote from Nelson Mandela.

‘To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects the freedom of others.”

We were each given an entry ticket with either “white” or “non-white” written on it. We then had to enter in the appropriate door.

Throughout the museum we saw and read about the injustices, racism and all the laws inacted to keep the non-whites separated and in their place. Following are some images.

A nation of signs, a nation of injustices and a few honorable men standing up for the rights of all people.

Our guide drove us around to some other sites of the city.

Nelson Mandela House after he was president.

Amsterdam: Anne Frank’s House, Rijksmuseum and Flowers 🌹

We visited Anne Frank’s House yesterday afternoon. We neglected to take photos. We had an excellent talk before entering the house giving us the history of Anne and her family. We learned that they went into hiding in an annex above Otto Frank’s business. It was interesting to hear how they spent their days. After two years they were discovered and they all were transported to concentration camps. Otto was the only one to survive. One of the ladies at the business that helped them survive in hiding found Anne’s diary. What a treasure for the world to get an insight into this era.

Westerkerk Church near Anne Frank’s house. She would have been able to hear the bells each day.

Friday morning we take a short walk to the Rijksmuseum. It is a huge beautiful building that houses the art of Dutch the master artists. We were able to enjoy the paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer and a few Van Gogh. We could have spent all day there.

Unfortunately the famous Rembrandt “The Night Watchman” was being renovated, so difficult to see.

Our next mission was to find Rudi’s Original Stroopwafles. It is located at the Albert Cuyp Market. It was worth the walk! The fresh stroopwafle was so delicious! And the market was several streets long.

Next stop, the Keukenhof to see the flowers. We were early in the season so many more Tulips to bloom. We saw lots of crocus and daffodils and a few tulips. Here are a few photos of the beauty.

Amsterdam: Canal Cruise and Anne Frank House

We began the morning early with an 8:00 am cruise on the canals with Captain Dave. He has an historic boat that is over 100 years old, the Jonckvrouw. Our Pilate was Tony and he did an amazing job sharing the history and highlights of the city and the canals of Amsterdam.

After our canal ride we walked around the historic center of the city. Here are a few highlights.

Lunch at a Pancake Restaurant located in one of the very narrow houses with the steep stairs to the upper floors.

The challenge walking around Amsterdam is watching out for the bicycles, trams and cars. There are bikes and bikers everywhere.

Creative garden in the Jordaan neighborhood

We finished the afternoon with a visit to the Anne Frank House.

Amsterdam March 19, 2025

We arrived in Amsterdam yesterday morning, but didn’t get settled in our hotel room until mid-afternoon. We took our jet-lagged selves on a walk around the city. Here are a few photo highlights.

The most interesting place we visited was the Beginhof. It began as a home for a community of Catholic women who dedicated their lives to serving God. They were called Beguines. When Protestantism came to the Netherlands, it was not lawful to practice their Catholic faith. The church in their community became a Presbyterian church. But the Beginhof had a secret Catholic Church on the property inside a building with a plain facade.

Stained glass window in the Presbyterian church depicting the Pilgrims setting sail to America. The pilgrims had escaped persecution in England and had come to Amsterdam. It is thought that they worshipped in this church while in Amsterdam.

Quito, Ecuador

October 12, 2024

We spent the last day of our trip in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.

We began the day at the equator outdoor museum. Intiñan Museum.

The museum had a little history of the Incas and interesting science about the equator.

Tim in southern hemisphere, Kathy in northern hemisphere

Tim and I were the only ones in our group to balance the egg at zero latitude. What a claim to fame!

Old Town Quito

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the historic center of Quito. This is the first city to be named a UNESCO world heritage site. It was founded in the 16th century by the Spanish on top of an Inca site. The San Francisco Plaza is where we began our tour. It is dominated by the San Francisco church and convent.

Just a block away is the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus.

Gold leaf Interior of Iglesia de la Compañia

There are many churches all within blocks of each other.

We had lunch at La Negra Mala, a restaurant named after the song that was composed in the house. This lovely lady cooked for the whole group and served the best empanadas we had on the trip!

Our farewell dinner was held at the lovely Mindalae Museum.

This is the end of our amazing trip with Overseas Adventure Travel to Colombia and Ecuador. Thank you to our wonderful Trip Experience Leaders, Dani in Colombia and Marcelo in Ecuador.

Also thank you to Juliana, our knowledgeable bird guide with Bogotá Birding and Colombia Wildlife Tours. We enjoyed the adventure.

Cuenca: Hats and an Unusual Artist

We began our day visiting an artist with a disability who learned to paint and draw with his mouth. He is a real inspiration.

We then went to a local family owned hat factory. Paja Toquilla Hats. These hats are known the world over as Panama Hats, but they are 100% made in Ecuador. Some of the family had moved to Panama and when the Panama Canal was being built many of the workers wore these hats to protect them from the sun. When Teddy Roosevelt visited the building of the canal, he decided he wanted one of these “Panama Hats”. The name has stuck. All the hats are hand woven by local women.

We flew to Quito and settled into our hotel. We finished the evening with a taste of the traditional food to celebrate The Day of the Dead in Ecuador. They have a warm red fruit drink , Colada Mirada and bread in the shape of a baby, Guagua de Pan. November 2nd is a day to remember relatives who have died and to celebrate new life.

Cajas National Park and Mirador Tres Cruces (Continental Divide)

We spent a lovely day in the nature of the Cajas National Park. We had a local guide, Juan, who educated us with his knowledge of the birds, plants and history. We walked a two mile path around the Llaviucu Lake.

Turquoise Jay (photo taken from Merlin Bird App)

We then drove to Tres Cruces, which is the point on the highway of the Continental Divide. The three crosses were erected to remember those that died attempting their trek over the Andes.

It is difficult to see the crosses as they blend into the landscape.

We are standing at 13,760 feet above sea level. The views of the lakes and terrain were beautiful.

We finished our outing at Dos Chorreras, a beautiful restaurant and lodge.

Cuenca, Ecuador (Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca)

Our hotel in Cuenca is in the middle of the historic district. Marcelo lead us on a walking tour in the morning. Our first stop was the large main plaza with a beautiful cathedral and the more modern city hall.

We visited the plaza with the local flower market. The plaza also was the location of a Carmelite convent where the nuns used provide a healing tea. The locals like it so much that the tradition is continued. It is called Agua de Pitimas (a little more) tea.

We got to experience a large produce market.

Cuenca has four rivers running through the city. The city is popular with expats from the United States, Canada and Europe. It is a beautiful city with local markets, weather that is temperate all year long and Ecuador’s currency is the US dollar.

We stopped at a local restaurant that prepared the pig and guinea pigs in the traditional way. Interesting, but not to our liking.

We ended the day visiting a local clay potter. He is Jose Encalada and he is 90 years old. Just like most traditional crafts around the world, he is one of the few left in his neighborhood.

Ecuador Road Trip Day Two

October 18,2024

We leave Riobamba and continue south on the Pan-American Highway. Our first stop is to see the oldest Catholic Church in Ecuador.

We made another stop at the small city of Alousí. It is a city that based itself around the train that went through the city. There are no more trains running in Ecuador, but this city wants to revive the train as a tourist attraction for their city.

Our next stop was at Pistishi. We were entertained by the locals with a traditional dance.

We had a visit to a local small farm nearby. Guinea Pigs are a common source of protein in the locals diet. These were being raised at the farm for consumption.

From here we had a three hour drive to Cuenca and our beautiful hotel, the Santa Lucia. It is a boutique hotel in the home of a former mayor of Quenca.

Ecuador Road Trip: Quito to Cuenca

Our trip leader led us on a two day road trip on the Pan American Highway from Quito to Cuenca. We were able to view a few of the 82 volcanoes that are in the Ecuadorian Andes.

Our first stop was at a rose farm, Rose Success. Ecuador is the largest producer of roses in the world.

Sorting, removing thorns and leaves and packaging roses

Ready to ship and send all over the world

Our next stop was to visit a local traditional artist. His name is Manuel and he gave us a tour of his garden. He explained his medicinal plants.

Manuel and our guide, Marcelo, interpreting

We visited Mabel’s art studio and were given a quick art lesson.

We had a stop at an ice cream shop in Salcedo to sample Helado de Sabores. It is a four flavor layered ice cream.

Our last stop before our hotel in Riobamba is to visit the daughter and family of the last ice merchant. His name is Baltazar and he died last week. His daughter, Carmen, talked with us about her father. He would climb up the volcano, Chimboraso, three times a week to cut ice from the volcano. He originally would have it sent to the coast so the fisherman could keep their catch on ice.

Road trip continues in the next blog post.