CAROL'S BACK FROM THE AMAZON JUNGLE

I'm back from my cruise up the Amazon River and am feeling like the three-toed sloth I saw on the Amazon River (see photo), no energy, no will to attack the piles of unread mail, or the new proposal I have to write or even to unpack the suitcases.   Transitions are so hard.  I was just getting used to seeing new sights and meeting new people every day and now I'm back to face reality.   

Aboard the cruise ship I taught a few writing classes.  Some of the passengers had great ideas for travel articles - after visiting Devil's Island one is going to write "Prisons I have Visited" and include Alcatraz, another was thrilled to see the royal yacht in the same harbor and is going to write about how Charles and Camilla's cruise compared to ours.  Another passenger is going to write the true-life story of how he saved his wife's life.  So many stories, so little time!

THE THREE-TOED SLOTH!! Does  he remind you of anyone you know? 

If you were to write a travel article, what would it be about?  Perhaps you'd talk about your own home town, where to go and what to see there? Or some exotic spot you've never been to?  Or an animal you saw there who posed for pictures for you??

Comments

[Jane]

Did you encounter any anacondas on your trip? If I were to write a travel article, it would be about Egypt. It would include stops in the Valley of the Kings and a cruise on the Nile.

[KateMoore]

Carol, Glad to have to you back. I'm off today to Fog City on the ferry from Larkspur, maybe I'll be inspired by both San Quentin and Alcatraz on the way or by the sun rising over the Berkeley Hills or the fog drifting in through the Gate or by the Blue Bottle Coffee Company's exquisite drip at the end of my voyage. Then I'll hustle up Market St. to the Marriott Hotel for the Popular Culture Conference to defend Romance novels from their leagues of detractors. Just another great day in Fog City, but it's not the Amazon, so I expect to hear about the great river when you're feeling less sloth-like.

[Terry Odell]

I was in South Africa not long ago. Fascinating, and I kept a journal and blogged about it. The game drives were the highlights, although we covered a lot of "civilized" territory as well. But driving from one place to another, through rural areas, we still saw people who looked like they were on movie sets -- traditional garb, carrying things on their heads, cattle roaming by the side of the road, simple dwellings of various shapes. We forget people still live hand-to-mouth, I think.

[Jami Alden]

Carol, great to have you back! your adventures always sound so awesome and amazing! I think right now if I were to write a travel article, it would be about places with the best babysitting - and the best cocktails!

[Carol Grace]

Jane, I did see an anaconda, it was wrapped around a cute little child who wanted money to take his picture with it.
Jami, you must write an article about how to travel with children. You're an expert now! Or maybe your husband should write it. Kate, I think San Francisco is everyone's favorite city, so you should share your priceless impressions and inside tips. Terry, I would LOVE to go to South Africa on safari.

[Nicole North]

I can't wait to hear more about your trip, Carol. What a cute sloth! If I were to write a travel article it would be about Scotland.

[Kathryn]

One of my favourites was not actually an animal, but a sign warning about an animal. There are rhinos at the San Diego Zoo and there is a sign at the edge of the enclosure warning "Rhino Blast Zone". Apparently rhinos spray urine to mark their territory and it can travel up to 20 feet -- keep your distance!! We photographed two of my daughters with the sign.

[Terry Odell]

Kathryn, tapirs do that, too. When I worked for the Zoological Society in Miami, we offered classes to teachers on how to use the zoo in their curricula. One tour included the tiger night house, and to get there, you had to walk past the back of the tapir enclosure.

Of course, we always warned any tours to stay on the path, especially near the tapir enclosure. Without meaning any offense here, the teachers were the WORST at listening, following directions -- doing all the stuff they expected their students to do. So, when one strayed and got sprayed -- well, you can imagine what we talked about the next day at the office.

[MonicaMcCarty]

Carol, your trip sounds amazing. If I were going to write a travel article, it would probably be about traveling to the UK with kids. :)

[Carol Grace]

Monica, you should do it! All about how you've introduced your kids to history and culture "Mom, I LOVE London." Isn't that what she said?

[Candice Hern]

Welcome back, Carol. I could write guide books to London, I've been so many times. I've often written mini-guides for friends who are going for the first time.

[Carol Grace]

Candice, that's a great idea, especially paired with your wonderful pictures. It would make a fantastic guide book, marketed on your web site!