Greetings from The Woodlands, Texas!

Hi everyone! We have arrived at our final destination, The Woodlands!

This is where Kristin's parents are going to live now. They are very excited. Yesterday they drove me and Kristin around the area where they are going to live. It is very nice. Kristin says The Woodlands is a "planned community." That means shopping areas can only be in certain places within the city. Who knew?

Kristin's parents don't officially move into their new house until next week. So I only got to see the outside. Here it is:

It sure looks nice, doesn't it? Kristin says if I am lucky I will get to come back later this year and see the inside. I promised Kristin I would be VERY good. I love Texas and I want to come back.

So this marks the end of my latest adventure to Texas. Kristin and I are flying back to Iowa today (yes...I got to go through the x-ray scanner again. I LOVE going through the scanner!).

Until next time....bye!

Greetings from Texas

Hi everyone! I am writing to you from the great state of Texas. I have been here several times and I know Kristin is excited to be back in Texas.

Today was a LONG day in the car. It took EIGHT hours to get from Olathe (where we stayed last night) to Gainsville (where we are staying tonight). We started at at 6:20AM and ended late this afternoon.

Whew! That's more than 450 miles! Now I am glad Kristin got me a toy and a game yesterday. It really helped to pass the time in the car. But I also spent time looking out the window. In Kansas I saw a HUGE field of yellow flowers. Kristin told me they were sunflowers. She also told me that Kansas is known as "The Sunflower State." I had no idea!

Today we also drove through Oklahoma. I was really excited when we arrived at the first stop in Oklahoma. I've never been in Oklahoma...so now I can cross it off my list of states I still need to visit. :)

Here I am with Kristin's dad at our first stop in Oklahoma.


Gainsville, where we are staying tonight, is along the Oklahoma - Texas border. Tomorrow Kristin says we will reach our final destination, The Woodlands, Texas. It rained for much of the afternoon and I know Kristin is tired. So I am going to quietly play tonight and let her sleep.

Until next time....bye!

Greetings from Kansas!

Hi everyone. I am writing to you from Olathe, Kansas. See if you can find it on the map.


I am in Kansas with my friend Kristin and her parents (Campbell and Lynda). Her parents are retiring to Texas and are moving from Madison, Wisconsin to a place called The Woodlands (just north of Houston). See if you can find The Woodlands on a map.

Kristin is driving her Mom's car to Texas and they said I could come along for the ride. Awesome! I've never been in Kansas before.

Kristin warned me the trip might be a bit boring because our goal is to get to The Woodlands by Tuesday night (July 28). So Kristin says we will not be stopping very often. I told her that's OK. I don't mind watching the cars go by along the highway.

But Kristin did get me a game and a stuffed bear to play with in the car and to remind me of my drive through Kansas. Thanks Kristin!


The bear even zips up into a football. How cool is that?


That's all for now. Kristin says we need to head to bed soon because we have to be on the road VERY early tomorrow morning.

Bye for now....

Guess Who Visited Me in Muscatine?!

Hi everyone. I have VERY exciting news.

My friend Kristin called me this week and told me that one of my friends from New York City was going to be in Muscatine to visit me. Hmm....I have met many people in New York City. So I had no idea who was coming to visit. And of course, Kristin kept it a surprise until I arrived at her house.

So you can imagine my shock when I saw who was staying with Kristin. It was my old friend Mr. B (David Brancaccio)! You might remember Mr. B. worked with Kristin and my friend Keith on some radio programs. He is now the host of a television news program called "NOW" on public television. Here I am with Mr. B and Mrs. B (Mary) at Kristin's house.


I was so excited to see Mr. B that I almost forgot to ask him why he was in Muscatine. I never imagined I would see him in Iowa. It turns out that Mr. B rode in RAGBRAI (the big bike ride across Iowa) last week. His wife Mary was attending a workshop for writer's in Iowa City. Cool!

Thanks Mr. B for stopping by Muscatine and saying hello! Maybe I will get to visit you in New York again some day soon.

Until next time....

I'm Back!

Hi everyone! It has been awhile since I've updated you. Well that's because I haven't been out on the road. But I have some exciting news to report.

First, my alter-ego Michael spent all day helping my friend Kristin at the Muscatine Art Center's annual Ice Cream Social. Michael even wore a hat with flowers...and here is the picture to prove it.

How awesome is that photo?!

But the best news is that my friend Kristin has a new job. She isn't working in radio anymore. She says the bad economy has left many journalists looking for new work. I'm sad Kristin isn't working in radio (and I know she is sad too). We had so many fun adventures.

But, Kristin says her new job will take her to many places in Iowa. At first I wasn't sure traveling around Iowa would be all that much fun. But then I realized I have been all around the world but I don't know much about the state I live in! So, Kristin promises to take me on a few trips with her as she travels around the state. Cool!

That's all for now. I hope you are having a great summer!

Greetings from Turkey

Hi everyone! Greetings from Istanbul, Turkey. See if you can find it on the map. Kristin says it is the third largest city in Turkey.

It took a REALLY long time to get here. Two long airplane flights and a layover in London. I am SO tired and Kristin is tired too! Here is a look at her hotel room. It's is small and very "girly" (there are flowers painted on the woodwork). Kristin calls it "quaint." I'm not sure I really know what that means but at this point I am so tired, I'm not sure I care.

We arrived at the airport around 4:05pm on Monday afternoon. Everyone's luggage arrived with the plane. Whew! As soon as everyone in Kristin's group had gathered, we took a bus to our hotel. Here are some photos Kristin took from the bus window. The first one shows the flag of Turkey combined with the flag for a Turkish airline.


Here the flag of Turkey is flying along with several other important flags. Can you guess which ones? (Hint....the European Union, the United States, South Korea, China and Japan.)I learned from reading Kristin's guide book that Istanbul is a very old city that has lots of interesting buildings. Our guide called this building a "castle." I told Kristin it reminds me of the fort I saw in Prizren, Kosovo this summer. Kristin said it should. That's because rulers from Turkey used to control Prizren many, many, many years ago during something called the "Ottoman Empire." Maybe Kristin told me that in Kosovo...but if she did, I forgot.

Here's a street sign that proves I really am in Istanbul. :)

Kristin says most of the people who live in Turkey are Muslim. That's why there are so many mosques here. I had no idea. The mosque minarets (or towers as I call them) are really neat.

Halfway to our hotel I started to notice what looked like an ocean FULL of boats and HUGE ships! Kristin says Istanbul is located along something called the "Bosporus Straight."

Kristin says this is a very important body of water. That's because half of Istanbul is on the European Continent and the other half is on the Asian Continent. The Bosporus divides the two continents. Kristin says that's why Turkey is known as the country that bridges Europe and Asia. WOW! I had no idea?

I even saw a fish market from the bus....although I am not sure I would want to eat those fish.

We are staying at the Armada Hotel. After Kristin checked into her room, she took a walk around the hotel's neighborhood. Here are some photos she took during her walk.

I should tell you that Kristin found Pop-Kek's (the yummy ding-dong like cakes I had in Kosovo) and Coke Light at a little store near the hotel. She was VERY happy when she found both in the same small store!

That's all for now. I am very tired and need to head to bed. Don't forget to click on the links Kristin includes in the posts. They will give you even more information than we can about the things we are seeing. And check out the twitter feeds. Kristin's phone is working here so I should be able to keep you updated via twitter even if I don't have computer time for uploading photos.

Until next time....bye!

BIG NEWS! I'm Headed to Turkey!

Hi everyone! I have big news. I have been so busy with school and Kristin has been so busy with work since we got back from South Africa that we haven't had time to work on the rest of the photos from that trip.

Today I just found out I am headed to Turkey! Can you believe it? First, I can't believe there is a country named after my favorite Thanksgiving food. But beyond that, I can't believe I am headed overseas on another trip. How cool is that?!

Kristin and my friend Sean, who works with Kristin at the Stanley Foundation, are going to Turkey with a group of journalists. Kristin says it is similar to the trip we took to Korea last fall. I know this place called Turkey is in Europe, but see if you can find it on the map.

Kristin says we leave today and will spend the night in Washington, DC before catching another flight to Turkey. I have already seen Kristin's schedule and I know she is going to be BUSY! So watch the twitter section for updates and we'll get photos posted when we can.

Bye for now!

Elvis, Football, and More

Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. I am fine here in Johannesburg! But, I was WAY TOO tired from that jet-lag stuff to write a big story last night. So here are some photos of my first day in South Africa. I will fill in the blanks later.

Here are photos from the future site of the 2010 World Cup. It's the biggest soccer tournament in the world! Kristin says it is like the Super Bowl and the World Series...but MUCH bigger. And here, they call soccer "football." Very interesting.









Here I am with my new friend, Eben.


There were several of these mountains near the World Cup stadium. But Eben told us they are not mountains. They are called "mine dumps." Who knew?



I don't need to explain what this is!

Here you can choose a cup of corn or french fries with your Happy Meal. VERY strange!




There are many, many poor people here in South Africa. Some live in metal shacks.

Others live in new housing. These houses are being built for poorer people. The people with more money live in houses surrounded by tall walls....so you can't even see the house.


We visited a placed called Soweto. It used to be the poorest and most violent part of Johannesburg. Today it is much nicer. Keith was shocked when we visited Soweto. He was here in 1994 and said it was more like the shantytowns I saw in Brazil.

This is the house Bishop Desmond Tutu used to stay at in Soweto.


And this is the place where Nelson Mandela used to live. He is a very famous person that was once president of South Africa. I'll have to tell you more about him when I have time. The house in Soweto is being renovated for a museum so we couldn't see the house. But I can at least say I was there!

We ate lunch in Soweto....something Eben says would have been impossible 5 years ago. The restaurant lets people sign their menus. So Kristin helped me sign mine. I had grilled cheese. YUM!

Here is the Maponya Mall....a brand new mall in Soweto. It has a huge elephant outside of the main entrance.




Here are some more photos of Johannesburg.






And this is Elvis. He hangs just below the rear view mirror in Eben's car. :)


Bye for now.....

Greetings from South Africa!

Hi everyone! I have safely made it to South Africa.


I am currently in Johannesburg...or "Joburg" as the locals call it. See if you can find it on the map. If you read my twitter updates, you will know that King Tut was mad at Kristin again. Our plane was delayed 90 minutes in London. But once we were on our way, I slept most of the flight.

King Tut was still mad when we landed, however, because the equipment bag didn't show up with the rest of Kristin and Keith's luggage. After many phone calls, Kristin has finally been able to confirm the bag is on its way to Johannesburg now. Whew!

Our local "fixer" is a journalist named Eben. He is very nice. He picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel, the Hyatt in Rosebank. It is very nice. Here is the view from Kristin's window.

I was really tired when we got to the hotel just before noon....but Keith and Kristin were trying to stay awake in order to keep that jet-lag stuff away! It was Sunday here (we are 7 hours ahead of Iowa time). So we went to a nearby mall that has a Sunday market. It was a lot like other markets I have seen on my many travels with Kristin. Kristin bought some wooden masks and a painting and Keith bought this really cool hat.

They didn't have a hat in my size or I would have gotten one too. :(

Keith and Kristin have lots of people to interview tomorrow and I know we have to spend a lot of time in the car to get to the interviews. So I am not sure when I will check in again. But keep you eye on the twitter messages.

Bye for now!

My Next Adventure: South Africa!

Hi everyone! If you have been reading my twitter messages, you know that I have some BIG news.

My friends Keith and Kristin from the Stanley Foundation are going to South Africa and they are taking my with them! How awesome is that? Better yet...we are leaving TODAY!

Kristin says we will drive to Chicago and then fly to London, England. We will switch planes and fly to a place called Johannesburg, South Africa. See if you can find it on the map.

I have already seen Kristin's schedule. She and Keith are going to be VERY busy. So I will check in when I can. If Kristin's phone is working the right way (unlike in Kosovo), you can follow my twitter messages to stay updated on the trip.

Bye for now!

Kosovo Photos!

Hi everyone!

I am sure you think I forgot to post my photos from Kosovo...but I didn't forget. I gave Kristin a vacation from her vacation. See, Kristin was supposed to be on vacation in Kosovo. But I've decided she doesn't know what the word vacation means. She was working ALL THE TIME taking photos, writing articles for the Muscatine Journal, and uploading TONS of information to the Kosovo trip blog.

Kosovo was amazing. I saw so many new things and met lots of interesting people. But I think Kristin did such a great job on the trip blog that I am going to link to her articles. Make sure to look for the highlighted words below so you can read her stories.

Here I am with my new friend Paul at O'Hare airport. He was taking video during the entire trip.

Here I am at the airport in Vienna, Austria. See if you can find it on the map. I had never been to Austria...one more country checked off my list!

Here I am on the bus right after we landed in Pristina, Kosovo. We were headed to the town of Gjakove. That's where my friend Liz has her music program.

Here I am with my good friend Jon at Slovene Village. Slovene was a very sad place...but the kids living there were always SO excited to see Kristin's group. Jon was helping to lead art classes during the trip. You can see more photos from Slovene Village here and here and here and here.

Here my friend Erza is helping me color at Novosell School. Erza went to Muscatine High School as a Rotary student and then graduated from Muscatine Community College.

Here I am in Aimee Wedeking's English class at Novosell School. Nearly every day, the youth and adults in Kristin's group would hold English, art, crafts, and music classes in places all around Gjakove. By the way, Mrs. Wedeking teaches at my school (Louisa-Muscatine). How awesome is that?

You can see more photos from Novosell School here and here and here.

Here I am in Prizren, Kosovo. I'm standing on top of a HUGE hill that used to be home to a big fort. It looks like a bunch of rocks to me. I thought Kristin was going to die walking up the BIG hill....I am so glad I have a ride in Kristin's bag. :)

You can see more from Prizren here.

Here I am with Kristin at the Newborn sculpture in Pristina, Kosovo's capital. This big sculpture that spells the word "newborn" was unveiled the day Kosovo declared independence (February 17, 2008).

Here I am with Kristin's special little boy, Hadji. He is really, really nice.

You can see more photos of Hadji (and Kristin) here and here.

Here I am in Rugova Canyon with my friend Keith!

Here I am with Kristin at a monument on the grounds of Camp Bondsteel, the US military base in Kosovo. It was SO cool to be on the military base!

You can see more photos from Bondsteel here.

Thanks Kristin for taking me along with you on your vacation!

That's all for now...hope you had a great summer! I know I did. Bye for now....

Big News! My Next Adventure Begins Tomorrow

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. My friend Kristin called me a few days ago and asked me if I wanted to join her on another great adventure. Of course I said yes!

This time Kristin is going to Kosovo. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin is going with a whole group of people as part of the Muscatine-Kosovo Project. Kristin says 37 people are going on the trip. Half are youth members of the Muscatine Children's and Youth Choirs. My friend Keith and his three children are also going. Cool!

Why Kosovo? Kristin reminded me that is where my friend Liz works with children affected by the 1999 war. At first I couldn't remember Liz...I have met so many friends with Kristin....but then she reminded me that I met Liz in Washington, DC a few years ago. And I met 12 Kosovar youth in Liz's program at O'Hare airport in Chicago two years ago. Now I remember!

Kristin says this is a "working" vacation. She says the choirs will be singing but everyone in the group will also be holding art classes, conducting eye and health clinics, and lots of other activities for children in a town called Gjakove.

Kristin is bringing a lot of gifts for the kids. I helped her pack....so did her rabbit, Jackson Harering.



Kristin says she is keeping a blog for the group and will be writing articles for the Muscatine Journal. Cool! But that also means I may not do as many updates on this trip (it is a vacation after all!). But be sure to check my blog occasionally for updates..and don't forget the Twitter section. Kristin says I can do Twitter updates as long as her cell phone is working correctly in Kosovo.

The trip blog address is http://www.muscatinekosovoproject2008.blogspot.com/

We are leaving Muscatine at 8:30am Sunday morning and driving to Chicago. Kristin says we will fly from Chicago to a place called Vienna, Austria. We will change planes and fly to Pristina, Kosovo's capital.

I'll keep you updated when I can. Until then....bye!

Meet My Aunt Lynn

Hi everyone! Today was a very special day. It was the annual ice cream social at the Muscatine Art Center. My Aunt Lynn works there and my friend Kristin is president of the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. Very cool!


I was busy playing baseball today but I did get to the Art Center at the end of the social to see Aunt Lynn.

Doesn't she look funny in that hat? Aunt Lynn said kids who attended the social got to make them and someone made one for her. And I guess my friend Kristin also had one made. Here she is with Aunt Lynn.

Too funny!

Baseball has been going really well this year. My alter ego Michael's team finished the season undefeated.

WAY TO GO! Keep up the good work!

I'm Now on Twitter!

Guess what? I am now on Twitter!

How cool is that? Don't know what Twitter is? It is an online "mini-blog" that allows people to post short updates from their phone! Each update is called a "tweet."

It might sound funny, but Twitter is really cool. Kristin has even helped me link Twitter to this blog. Check out the right hand column...right under the "hit counter." There's a section called "Twitter Updates."

Kristin and I have tested the new service....so you can see a few posts now. Kristin says this will help me keep you updated when I am on a big trip with her and she doesn't have time to give me on the computer. Basically, the Twitter updates will tell you what I am up to (when Kristin's phone has data service) and then you will know what to expect to see on the blog a few days later.

This is all very new, but I think it is worth the try. Kristin feels bad when she can't give me her computer to update you every night when I am on a trip with her. Maybe Twitter will help fill in the gaps.

That's all for now....enjoy!

Catching Up, Floods and More!

Hi everyone! I have been SO busy since school got out for summer playing with my friends and my new PlayStation that I haven't had time to update my blog. (Special thanks to Kristin's dad for giving me an awesome PlayStation and a bunch of games!!!)

So here's my update.

First, just a few days after I got home from Los Angeles with Kristin, I got to go back to California. Can you believe it? Kristin, Keith, and their friend Jennifer from the Stanley Foundation were going to San Francisco to talk to people about the Brazil radio program. I've never met Jennifer before. She is really nice. Here I am with Jennifer and Keith in San Francisco.

Can you tell where we are in the photo above? If you guessed a baseball game, you guessed right! Kristin, Keith, Jennifer and I went to see San Francisco play the New York Mets. It was REALLY cold outside for June....so I wore my Cardinals jersey to stay warm.

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I saw a baseball game in San Francisco last year too! So I won't bore you with more photos of the ballpark. But I can share with you this link to a video that Keith took of me. Look....now I'm a YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2iHlVFVIrk

The next day, we went to the lobby of the hotel and I saw some people I know. My friends Simon and David were also in town to talk to the same people about the radio program. How awesome it that?

Kristin, Keith, David, and Simon spoke at a World Affairs Council of Northern California event that Jennifer helped to organize. I was so busy watching the videos and audio slide shows Simon and Kristin put together that I forgot to ask someone to take photos. Trust me, the room was packed and the whole group did awesome!

After the event was over I saw someone else I knew. It was my friend Sherif! Sherif used to work at the Stanley Foundation (and I got to visit with him on a trip to Miami a few years ago).

Sherif now lives in the San Francisco area. It was so neat to see him again!

We were delayed on our way back to Iowa because it was storming (yes....King Tut was mad again). Kristin, Keith and Jennifer even had to rent a car at O'Hare and drive home from Chicago because our plane ride was cancelled.

At first I was mad that I was going to have to spend 4 hours in the car on the way home from the airport.....but a few days later, I was really glad Kristin drove us home. That's because it seemed to rain FOREVER!

It rained and rained and rained and stormed. And as you probably know already, the rain caused many of the rivers here in Iowa to FLOOD. I am very lucky, my house is not near the river. But I know many people lost their homes in the flood.

Last week (June 17), Kristin took me to the Muscatine riverfront so I could see the flood. I was shocked! I couldn't see the riverfront at all. It was under water! Kristin told me that the flood was one of the worst ever here in Muscatine. I had no idea!

Here are some pictures Kristin took of the flood.

This is the Pearl City Station.

Here is the riverfront playground....under several feet of water.

Kristin sometimes parks her car by these signs. Good thing she didn't park there when the water started to get high....her SUV would have been covered by the water!

Kristin says the worst flood in Muscatine history happened in 1993. I had no idea! There is a plaque on the Pearl City Station that shows how high the water got in 1993.

It is hard to see in the photo below, but the river reached over 25 feet in 1993. Flood stage is 16 feet. Last week, the river topped 24 feet in Muscatine. WOW!

Here's the view of the flooded Mississippi from Kristin's office.

Here I am by the water. Here the water is actually on the sidewalk at the Hotel Muscatine.

Here I am standing along the sidewalk of Mississippi Drive. There is supposed to be a street here...but as you can see....it was full of water!

Here's another view of what is normally a parking lot and recreation area on the riverfront.

The statue in the photo below is called "Mississippi Harvest." Kristin headed the group of people who helped get the statue built. How cool is that? Kristin told me the statue would be fine even though it was surrounded by water. Don't tell Kristin...but I could tell she was worried!

I've seen the statue when the river isn't flooded. It sits on a tall concrete base. The base sits on a small hill along the river. So you know the river is really flooded when the water is in the statue's boat!


Thankfully the flood is starting to go away. Today Kristin says she can see the concrete base of the statue. She also says the water is no longer on Mississippi Drive. Whew! But Kristin says there is still a lot of mud and "gunk" on the street. She also says the parking lot is still under water and it will be at least another week before she can park there.

Well that's my update for now. Happy Summer Everyone!

Delayed in LA

Hi folks....I was supposed to be back in Iowa with you by now. But I am delayed here in Los Angeles.

Kristin told me earlier this week that we might have to stay longer. That's because it was taking longer to make the radio program than she originally thought. Well she was right, it did take longer. One whole day longer to make the show. But here's the good news. It is Friday night and "Brazil Rising" is DONE! Yay! Here I am with the "master CD" (that's the first CD made of the program).

Don't tell Kristin, but I was happy to be delayed another day here in LA. I LOVE riding around in my special spot in the convertible (even if it is just to Rima's house and back to the hotel). Plus, it gave me more time to play with Willa. Guess what? I got her to sit, lay down, and roll over for me! Don't believe me?

Here's Willa right after I told her to "sit."


Here's Willa right after I told her to lie "down."

And here's Willa when I told her to "roll over."


How cool is that?! The best part is that I got to give Willa a treat after she did her tricks for me. Here I am with her treat jar.

It took a lot of practice.....but it was awesome when I finally got Willa to do her tricks for me. See how few treats there are in the jar. :) Actually, I had to have Kristin help me give Willa her treats. I was afraid Willa might eat me otherwise since I am so small!

Rima must really like me. Can you tell why?

Look closer by Rima's computer monitors. It's my business card! :)


Late this afternoon, while Rima's computer was transferring files to Kristin's computer drive, Kristin and Rima took me to the See's candy factory. YUM!

Rima says See's is famous here in California. I had no idea! The factory wasn't giving tours. :( But I did get to pick out a box for Aunt Lynn. I sure hope she shares some with me.

Kristin says I need to pack my things now. Our flight leaves at 6:00 AM tomorrow. Man...that's early! But I guess that means I will be home early tomorrow. See you soon.

Bye for now!

My Surprise Saturday Night in LA

Hi everyone. I bet you think I got lost here in Los Angeles. Nope. I didn't get lost. Kristin has been very busy working on the radio program. And I've been very busy playing with my pal Willa, watching Kristin and Rima "mix" the radio program, and enjoying my special spot in the back seat of Kristin's convertible.

I forgot how much time and effort it takes to make a radio program. This week Kristin and Rima finally finished the first minute of the program. Whew! I know from my previous trips with Kristin that the program is nearly 54 minutes....so getting the first minute done is important. Actually, the first minute is called the "billboard" and Kristin is supposed to spend a lot of time on it. She says if people don't like the "billboard," they might not want to listen to the full show.

Don't worry....Kristin and Rima have come up with the first "draft" of most of the radio program. The first draft is kind of like the first draft of a paper I write for school. I always have to go back and improve my first draft. Kristin and Rima are now working on making their first draft better.

Kristin told me if I was really good this week she would take me out on a special adventure on Saturday night. Well I must have been REALLY good, because Kristin told me to get my things ready late Saturday afternoon so we could go pick up Rima. Kristin also told me to bring my Cardinals shirt and hat because it might get cold. Hmmm...I wonder where we could be going??!!


Kristin picked up Rima and then she drove to one of the freeways. For those of you who follow this blog, you know Kristin doesn't like to drive the freeways in Los Angeles. I knew right then we were going somewhere very special. :)

Kristin exited at a place called "Dodger Stadium." I've never been to Dodger Stadium and I asked Kristin what it was. She told me that's where the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball. Cool! We were going to a baseball game. I love baseball!


It was kind of chilly outside, so I was glad I wore my Cardinals jersey and hat. But as we were walking into the stadium, I saw lots of other people wearing Cardinals shirts. Hmmm....I think Kristin forgot to tell me something. So I asked her who the Dodgers were playing. That's when she smiled and said they were playing the Cardinals. How awesome is that?! The Cardinals are in town and I get to see them here in Los Angeles! This is an awesome surprise!

Here you can see me with Rima's ticket.

Our seats were in the "loge" section (one level up from field level) on the first base side, near the right field foul pole. They were really good seats! Here you can see me with Kristin. Right field is behind us.

And here I am with right field behind me.

Kristin says Los Angeles has not always been home to the Dodgers baseball team. She says the team moved here from Brooklyn, New York in 1958. Who knew? That means the Dodgers are celebrating 50 years here in Los Angeles. Interesting.

We were some of the first people in the ballpark. I like getting to the park early. That way I get to watch the players practice before the game. Here you can see some of the Cardinals players at batting practice.



Here you can see starting pitcher Kyle Lohse warming up in right field with catcher Yadi Molina. Kristin reminded me that Molina was catcher the night I saw the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006. Awesome!

There was still plenty of time before the game started after practice was over. So I spent time looking at the ballpark. It is very interesting. Kristin says Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. I had no idea! It is not like any other baseball park I have ever seen. Here's a photo of most of the field.

And here are a few photos that show why this park is different. I've never seen a baseball park with a view of palm trees.



There is also this very interesting sign on the hill behind center field. It says "think blue." Kristin says it is supposed to be like the famous "Hollywood" sign. OK...I am going to have to trust her on that.



Here's a really cool photo that Kristin took of the big California state flag in the outfield.

Just before the game started, several former Dodger players from the 1960s came out onto the field with kids for some celebration. I wasn't really paying attention to what the special celebration was, but Kristin pointed out that someone named Steve Garvey was standing on first base. Kristin says he is a really famous baseball player. I've never heard of him, have you?


FINALLY, the game started. I was super excited to be sitting where we were because we got to see Kristin's current favorite Cardinals player, Albert Pujols, play first base (he's wearing jersey #5 if you don't already know who he is).


Kristin likes Albert Pujols because he reminds her of Mark McGwire. I know Mark McGwire is one of Kristin's favorite all-time favorite Cardinals players. Her last bunny was named after Mark McGwire.

I was so excited when Albert Pujols came up to bat that I wanted my picture taken with the playing field in the background. Here it is. Trust me, Pujols is at the plate.


Don't believe me? Here's a close-up.

And here you can see Pujols swinging at the ball. Look carefully and you will see him swinging his bat AND the streak of the ball.


Is that a cool photo or what?!

Albert Pujols hit a double and helped some people score. The next batter, Rick Ankiel, also hit a double and more people scored. It was very exciting. And in the end, the Cardinals won the game 4-0!

I'm sure the Cardinals won because I wore my jersey (the same one I wore to the winning game of the World Series!). Here I am celebrating the win with my friend Rima.


Before we left the ballpark, Kristin bought me a baseball with a picture of Dodger Stadium on it so I can add it to my collection of baseball stuff. She also let me pick out two more baseballs for my sister and brother. Thanks Kristin!

Well that's the story of my exciting (and surprising) Saturday night in Los Angeles. Kristin is going to need her computer soon. Don't worry if you don't hear from me again for several days. It just means Kristin is super busy. I'll be fine. I will be with my pal Willa!

Hope all is well with you. Until next time....bye for now.

Living the Los Angeles Life

Hi everyone. I hope all is well with you. Life is GREAT here in Los Angeles.

Kristin has been very busy working, so this is the first time I've been able to have some computer time since we arrived on Tuesday night.

When we arrived, we got our rental car and checked into the hotel. We are staying at the same hotel we normally stay at when Kristin is here in Los Angeles...or LA as they say here....for one of these long trips. The hotel is nice. It has a separate living room, small refrigerator, microwave, and TWO televisions!

As soon as Kristin finished unpacking, we went to the grocery store. And just like she promised, I got to pick out a box of treats for my furry friend Willa.

I could hardly sleep Tuesday night because I couldn't wait to see Willa and give her my gift. Willa must have known I was coming, because she barked right away as soon as Kristin got to the door. Willa is 10 years old now...but she still acts like an excited puppy. She was jumping and barking to greet me. It was so awesome. And she LOVES my treats. Willa is a bit shy when it comes to taking photos, but here's a great shot Kristin took of me and Willa this week.


This is my third trip to LA with Kristin so she can "mix" the radio program. So I know this means she will be working TONS. I know she always worries I will get bored, but I told her not to worry. I have my own TV in the hotel room at night. And, I get to play with Willa all day when we are at Rima's house.

As you know, Kristin always rents a car when we are in Los Angeles. That's because you can't get anywhere without one here. And yes, the traffic is as bad as ever! But this year, Kristin surprised me when she picked up the rental car. This is the car she got.

How cool is that?! I've never been in a convertible before. I have noticed that there are a lot of convertibles here in LA. Kristin told me she's never driven a convertible but decided she wanted to live the "full LA experience" on this trip. I'm not sure I know what that means, but she does look like she fits in with the other drivers here who have convertibles. (Note to Kristin's co-workers....she is personally paying the extra cost for the convertible).

Riding in the convertible is SO MUCH fun. It has a really tiny back seat. Kristin says she's not sure why there is even a backseat because she thinks someone basically has to be "flat" to fit into the back seat. Well that makes it PERFECT for me!

Can you see me in the photo above? Kristin has even fixed the seat belt so I can ride in the back seat all by myself. How awesome is that?!

I really like riding around in the convertible. I like having the sun on my face. And I really get to see a lot more than I normally see when I am riding in the car. But I have learned that I have to take my hat off or it will blow right off my head!


Yesterday (Saturday), Kristin and I went to a nearby mall and a Walgreen's store so she could get some medicine (more on that in a minute). Kristin was shocked when she pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Traffic was a mess! She was surprised because it was Saturday and normally the traffic isn't so bad.

While we were waiting in traffic, Kristin told me part of Interstate 105 was closed and that's why cars were moving so slowly. As we got closer to the highway, I noticed that there were lots of satellite TV trucks, big semi trucks, and lots of people walking around on the closed freeway. I also saw people eating. I thought this was strange so I asked Kristin if there was some type of festival happening on the highway. Kristin said she didn't think so. I pointed out the food truck and then she told me that she thought the interstate might be closed so it can be used in a movie. A movie?! Kristin reminded me that we are near Hollywood and many TV shows and movies are made here in California. How cool is that!?

Kristin told me not to get too excited. She promised me she would check her computer as soon as we got back to the hotel just to make sure she was right. Guess what?! Kristin did look it up on her computer and the interstate WAS closed for a movie shoot. Kristin can't find which movie...but I don't care. I got to see a real live movie shoot. That's WAY awesome!

Kristin had to go to the drug store because she is really sick. She thinks her ears got infected on the plane ride here and now her sinuses are icky (and she lost her voice). She sounds just like my Aunt Lynn when she gets sick. :( Kristin told me she was sorry she didn't feel like taking me anywhere special this weekend. I told her not to worry. I will go anywhere she wants to go....just as long as I can ride in the convertible with the top down. In fact, I don't care if she just drives around the block. I LOVE riding in the convertible.

That's all for now. Kristin is still working really hard (despite feeling bad) so she needs her computer back.

Bye for now

Back from Austin...Headed to Los Angeles

Hi everyone! I've been so busy traveling (and trying to keep up with Kristin) that I haven't had time to tell you about my most recent adventure.

Last Tuesday, Kristin called to ask me if I wanted to go to Texas with her for a few days. Of course I said yes! Honestly, I don't even know why she still asks me whether or not I want to travel with her. I always have great adventures with her!

We flew to Austin on Wednesday morning. And King Tut decided to make himself known again. Both of our flights were delayed. Oh no! Somehow Kristin was still able to get us to Austin, Texas before dark. Whew!

Austin is the capital of Texas. See if you can find it on the map.

We were in Austin so we could visit my friend David Brown. You may know he is hosting the newest radio program Kristin is working on. David has a really cool office/studio in the basement of a building on the University of Texas campus. His office is part of the radio station he works for, KUT. Here I am with David as he works on cutting the script.

Normally Kristin and I travel to New York for the radio program host to voice the script....but I'm glad my friend David is in Austin. I didn't get to spend too much time there, but it seems like a pretty neat place.

Just before we left, Kristin bought me a stuffed armadillo with the word "Texas" on it. Thanks Kristin! I will add it to the rest of my travel collections.

And guess what?! I am super excited to tell you that I am leaving with Kristin tomorrow for Los Angeles. Why? Because that's where Kristin does that thing she calls "mixing" the final radio program. If you've read my blog before, you know this means I get to see my friend Rima and her dog Willa! How cool is that!?

I know Kristin is going to be super busy working on her radio program, but she promises to take me to the store so I can buy Willa some special dog treats before I see her on Wednesday.

Well I had better get packing. I won't be home until May 30th.

Bye for now....

Rio de Janeiro

The day after we visited the farms outside of Brasilia, the entire team got on a plane and we flew to a place called Rio de Janeiro....or "Rio" as the locals say it. Rio is big city along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin says Rio is famous for its beaches including ones named "Ipanema" and "Copacabana."
I've never heard of these beaches, have you? I'll have to ask Aunt Lynn if she has heard of them.
It was pouring rain when we landed at the airport. It was also really late at night, so I didn't get to see the beaches. But I did get to see the beach the next morning from Kristin's hotel room. This is "Leblon" beach.
Here you can see me and Flat Gabby with Keith. Leblon beach is behind us.

There were people swimming in the ocean and I wanted to swim too. But Kristin said we didn't have time. :(

But we didn't have time because we had to take a cable car to a place called "Sugar Loaf Mountain." How cool is that?! It's like riding a cable car except the cable is ABOVE my head instead of under the street like in San Francisco.

Here you can Sugar Loaf Mountain from the ground.

Kristin says the mountain...which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean....is almost 1300 feet tall. WOW! That's really tall. She says it is named Sugar Loaf because people think it looks like a loaf of sugar. A loaf of sugar? I've heard of a loaf of bread but I've never heard of a loaf of sugar, have you? Kristin says many years ago, sugar used to be packed into the shape of a loaf to be shipped. I had no idea!

Riding the cable car was REALLY fun! Here I am with Keith and Flat Gabby on the the cable car.

When we got off the cable car, this is what we saw. How cool is this photo!?

I could also see this really interesting statue that I had also seen from Kristin's hotel room. She told me it is called "Christ the Redeemer" and it is a very famous statue in Brazil.

The clouds kept moving over and across the statue while we were on Sugar Loaf. Here is another view of Christ the Redeemer.

I also noticed a number of small houses packed along some of the hills across from Sugar Loaf Mountain. Kristin says these are some of the "favelas" of Rio. She says the people who live there are poor just like the people we saw in Sao Paulo. This makes me sad.

Just as we were leaving I saw this lizard on the rocks. It was the first lizard I have seen on the entire trip. And yes...Keith was NOT super happy to see it.


Here's a photo of the radio team during our visit to Sugar Loaf. From left-to-right: Kristin, Simon, David, and Keith.

After our visit to Sugar Loaf, we stopped at a gas station. This was a cool gas station. It was in the MIDDLE the road.

I thought we were there to get gas for the van. But Keith told me we were there to look at the station itself. That's because the station sells "Alcool" or ethanol. Now I understand why we visited the sugar farm and the place where they make machines that make ethanol earlier in the trip.

Keith told me that 90% of the new cars in Brazil run on ethanol. I also learned that the taxi cabs in Rio can also run on natural gas. I had no idea!

Here you can see the gas pump. The ethanol pump is on the right. The gasoline pump is on the left.

While we were waiting for Steve and Simon to finish filming at the gas station, Kristin walked down the sidewalk in the middle of the road so I could see this really cool sand castle. It shows some of the famous places of Rio.

Not very far from the sand castle, I saw these interesting buildings along the beach. Kristin says they are food stands.

But the food stand on the right in the photo above isn't just any food stand. It's a McDonald's! This is the most interesting McDonald's I've seen yet!

I really wanted to go to McDonald's to get some ice cream (it was HOT outside). But Kristin told me we didn't have time. :(

We didn't have time because Kristin and Keith had to get into cab so we could get to the airport for our flight back to Chicago. Bummer...I really wanted to spend more time in Brazil. I definitely want to come back here again.

I want to thank Kristin and Keith for taking me on another great adventure. I also want to thank my friend Simon and my new friends Steve and David for being so nice to me.

That's all from Brazil. Until my next adventure....bye!

On the Farm

Hi everyone! I must apologize for not finishing my Brazil updates until now. I have had SO much homework since I got back. And Kristin has been so busy with her computer that she hasn't had time to help me with photos. So please accept our apologies.

The same day we rode on the boat in Santos, we got on a plane and flew to Brasilia. Brasilia is the capital of Brazil (I guess that makes sense). See if you can find it on the map.

Brasilia is a very interesting place. All of the buildings and bridges look very modern. Kristin says that's because the city was built in the 1950's by "modernist" architects. I'm not sure what Kristin means by "modernist" but I can tell you that many of the buildings look like they were taken straight from the Jetson's cartoons.

I also learned that Brasilia is something called a "planned' community. That means there are specific places for everything in the entire city. For example, ALL of the drug stores were in one block. How strange is that?

Like in Sao Paulo, we spent more time in our van than actually visiting the cool buildings, so I only have a few photos to show you. This is a really cool bridge that goes across a lake that was built when the town was built.

And this is one of the many interesting buildings I saw from the van.

The morning after we arrived in Brasilia, Kristin told me we were going to drive outside of Brasilia to visit a farm. At first I thought Kristin was kidding, but then I started to see this as we got further away from Brasilia.

Can you tell what's growing in that field? If you guessed soybeans, you are correct! I didn't need to fly all the way to Brazil to see soybean fields. I see them everyday in the summer back in Iowa. I even saw the same seed corn signs I see in Iowa. Can you believe it? Look closely and you will see Kristin is holding me in the photo below.

I could tell Kristin didn't think I was too impressed with the soybean fields. So she asked me to look closely and tell her what was different about the fields here in Brazil. Hmmm....they look the same to me. That's when she pointed out that many of the fields we saw were brown and ready to harvest. So? Then Kristin reminded me that the farmers in Iowa had NOT planted yet this year. She's right! Now I was really confused! Kristin smiled and told me that because Brazil is south of the equator, it is fall here right now. And because Iowa is north of the equator, it is spring at home. Who knew?!

Kristin also told me that Brazil is the largest "exporter" of soybeans in the world. That means Brazil sends more soybeans to other countries than any other country in the world...including the US. I had no idea!

The first place we stopped was something Kristin called a "farming cooperative." That means several farmers were working together to make as much money as possible. Don't tell Kristin, but it was kind of boring at this place. No one was really working. I did get to see an interesting "elevator" or place where grain is stored.

A few miles up the road we visited the site of something called "AgroBrasilia 2008." It wasn't open yet, but workers were setting up all sorts of displays including small fields of different crops. I could also see where tractors were going to be on display (but they weren't there yet).

I told Kristin that "AgroBrasilia 2008" looked similar to something I've seen before...I just couldn't name it. Kristin told me it reminded her of the Muscatine County Fair. YES! That's exactly what it reminds me of! I had no idea they had fairs here in Brazil.

Since there wasn't much for me to do at the ag fair (there were no rides for kids), I was bored again. But Kristin told me to be patient. She told me we were going to visiting a working farm in a few hours. Plus, she said I might even get to ride a combine if I was good. I promised to be REALLY good.

Well I must have been good, because Kristin kept her promise. Soon we visited a farm not far from the ag fair location. Here they were harvesting soybeans.

I was really exited to get to ride on the combine....but I'm not sure my friend Flat Gabby was excited. I convinced her it would be OK to ride with Kristin. Flat Gabby still wasn't convinced so I told her I would even hold her hand. She agreed. Now before you say anything...I don't like to hold hands with a GIRL, but it was the only way Flat Gabby would ride with me. In the end, it wasn't SO bad to hold her hand.

Kristin would only let us ride in her pocket because she was worried we would blow away. At first I was upset, but it really was windy on the combine since the driver had the door open so Kristin and Steve could tape the ride. Don't worry, Flat Gabby and I did get to see through the top of Kristin's pocket. Here you can see a photo Keith took while we were riding the combine.


And here I am with Kristin and Flat Gabby after we got off. It's a good thing I have some spare clothes because we were COVERED in dust!


Here you can see the combine transferring the harvested soybeans to a truck that will take them to an elevator like the one we saw earlier in the day.

If you look closely in the photo above, you will see Kristin near the rear of the truck with her recorder and microphones. She sure looks funny there, doesn't she?!

Here's what the field looked like after the combine was done.

Kristin says the sky looked amazing. Well I'm not so sure about that, but it did look interesting. What I thought was amazing was the farmer's truck. It's a small Chevy truck. How cool is that?!


Well that's my review of my visit to the soybean farms near Brasilia.

Until next time.....

Port of Santos

Hi everyone. Here's another update on my many adventures in Brazil.

Today (Sunday, April 6), Kristin woke me up early and told me to pack my bags because we were going to be leaving Sao Paulo later in the day. But first she said we were going on another great adventure.

After we piled all of our bags into the van, we drove to a place called Santos. We have to drive down a steep and winding road to reach Santos. Here you can see the city from the winding road.

Kristin says Santos is important because the largest "port" in Latin America is located there. I had no idea! I wasn't sure I understood what a port was. Kristin told me to be patient. She said we were going to visit the port. Man, it is SO hard to be patient.

It seemed to take forever to get to Santos, so I was really excited when we finally stopped. First, I got to get out of the car. More importantly, I saw this really cool boat. That's when Kristin told me that we were going to take a ride on the boat. How cool is that?!

The boat was named "Master of the Seas." Don't believe me? Check out the pirate on the front of the boat.


How awesome is that pirate?! Once we got on the boat, I noticed that no one outside of our group got on. That's right. We had this HUGE boat all to ourselves.

There was one new person in our group today. His name is David Brown. He is going to host the new radio program (my friend Mr. B in New York was busy). The new Mr. B is really, really nice. I'm really glad he was able to join us in Brazil.

The boat ride was really neat. There were other boats like ours out on the water (except they were full of people...and we had our boat all to ourselves).

At first it seemed like we were boating through a lake. But then the captain told us we were actually going to go through the port! He also told me the port leads straight to the Atlantic Ocean. I had no idea!

It was really cool. I saw some of the biggest boats I have ever seen!

I asked Kristin why the boats were so big. That's when she told me the boats..or ships...carry items like food, cars, televisions and other electronics, and even toys from one part of the world to another. Who knew?

I learned that the items are put into these HUGE colorful boxes that Keith calls "containers."

The containers remind me of the trailers I see on the back of semi-trucks on the highways in America. Keith agreed and told me that sometimes the containers are used with big highway trucks or are placed on trains. But in the port, the "containers" are loaded onto the ships using cranes and other big machines.


Do you see how big the cranes are in the port? I don't think I've ever seen cranes this big in my entire life!

Here you can see me with Keith. Look closely and you will see some big cranes behind us.

Since the Port of Santos is the largest in Latin America, Kristin pointed out there were ships from all over the world in the docks. This one has a flag that I've seen before. Can you tell which country this ship is from?

If you guessed North Korea...you are right! I had no idea ships from North Korea visited places like Brazil. Did you?

It was cloudy during our boat ride. It was also VERY windy. So I spent most of my time looking at the port from my special place inside Kristin's purse. I was too afraid I was going to blow away!

Halfway through our boat ride, I saw something that looked like the large buildings farmers store grain in. Kristin said I was right. There were several "grain elevators" in the port like this one.
Kristin told me that Brazil sends more soybeans to other countries than any other country in the world and that's why there were are grain elevators in the port. Who knew?

I saw a few other interesting ships. This one is something Kristin calls a "cruise liner." That's a HUGE boat that takes people on overnight trips on the ocean. Cool!

I wanted to take a cruise on a big ship like the one in the photo above, but Kristin told me we didn't have time. :( Oh well, at least I got to spend some time on the "Master of the Seas" in Santos.

Just before we got off the boat, I noticed a huge Brazil flag.

I told Kristin I really liked the flag because it was so colorful. Kristin told me she was glad I liked the flag because we were leaving Santos to head to the airport so we could fly to a placed called "Brasilia." Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. See if you can find it on the map.

That's all for now. I'll update you again once I get to Brasilia.

Bye for now...

Riding with the Police of Sao Paulo

Hi everyone. I have had another very exciting day.

Today (Saturday, April 5) Kristin woke me up early and told me to be ready to spend most of the day "out in the field."

Our first stop of the day was a small police station and community center in a neighborhood called "Jardim Ranieri."

I was really excited when we arrived. I think police stations are cool. Kristin told me if I was really good, I would get to watch the police officers in action. Awesome!

But then I heard the commander tell Kristin that this neighborhood was, "the most violent neighborhood in the world," in 1999. Oh no! Suddenly I didn't feel very safe. Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she told me that we were going to be fine. She said the police have helped the neighborhood become much more safe. I still wasn't so sure, but then I saw how many police officers were working and I felt a little better.

Here you can see me and my friend Flat Gabby with Kristin standing near the police station.


The police station is on a very busy street. It looked like another busy street to me.

So I asked Kristin why this neighborhood used to be so scary. She says in the past 50 years, millions of people have moved from the rural areas of Brazil to big cities like Sao Paulo. Who knew? She says many of the people who moved here were very poor and sometimes people would fight over money, food, and property. I have seen many poor places on my adventures with Kristin and it makes me sad when I find out some people don't have enough money to buy food and have a safe house.

Kristin always tells me it is OK to be sad. But she reminds me that I should be grateful that I have a nice house and a loving family. She is right.

While we were visiting the police station, I learned that the people in this neighborhood didn't always like the police. But when criminals moved in and made Jardim Ranieri a scary place, the community asked the police for help. The community and the police worked together to build this police station and a library. The station commander says the police then put many bad people in jail and that's why Jardim Ranieri is much safer today.

Kristin says the way the neighborhood and the police worked together reminds her of the community police program in Muscatine. That's pretty cool.

After Kristin, Keith, Simon, and Steve interviewed the police commander and some people who live in the neighborhood, we got to see the police officers in action. There wasn't enough room for people to ride in the police cars (darn...that would have been really cool!) so we rode in the van.

I was still worried that some bad people would see us, but then I saw we had at least three police cars full of police officers around us at all times (sometimes there were even more police vehicles). We also had a police officer riding with us in our van.

I noticed the streets here are very narrow.

At first I thought the houses were narrow apartment-like buildings, but then I realized that some houses were built on top of other houses. Very interesting.


I was busy looking at the different houses when the van suddenly stopped. The police officer jumped out. Before I could figure out what was going on, Steve jumped out of the van with the video camera and Kristin jumped out with her digital camera. That's when I saw the police had stopped some men who were walking on the street.

The police made the men stand against the wall until they checked their identification cards. The police officers actually had their guns out, so I decided to stay inside of Kristin's bag. I watched the action through a small opening.

Then just as quickly as the men were stopped, everyone got back in the van and we continued driving through the neighborhood. Five minutes later, we stopped again. This time, the police stopped a man riding a motorcycle.

Here you can see one of the police officers calling the police station to check the man's license.


And here you can see an officer making sure the man didn't have anything bad in his pockets.

I noticed while the officers were checking the man's pockets that they also made him show his tattoos. The police officer riding in our van said certain tattoos would tell the police if the man was a gang member of had been in prison.

I was so busy watching the police officers that I didn't realize that we were attracting a crowd.


I was starting to worry about the crowd when the police officers let the man on the motorcycle go. Whew!

Next, the officers took us to a place where we could get a better view of the neighborhood. Wow! I knew I had counted a lot of houses, but I had no idea how many houses were in the neighborhood.



Here are a few more shots of the neighborhood.

Did you see the painting on the wall in one of the photos above? I've seen just about every place we have visited in Brazil. I asked Kristin why I kept seeing the same image and she told me that it is Brazil's flag. Who knew?

After spending another hour (or so) with the police officers, we left the neighborhood and our driver took us to another neighborhood about an hour away. This neighborhood is called "Parelheiros." I could tell right away the people who live in this neighborhood don't have very much money. The streets weren't even paved...and we were still in town. I thought everyone who lived in a city had paved streets.

We were visiting this neighborhood to meet Deise and her daughter Silvia. They own a beauty salon.

The salon is located in a converted garage. It sure doesn't look like a salon in Muscatine. Kristin agreed but she told me the salon is really important. That's because Deise (pronounced "Daisy") and Silvia got money from the local government to go to school so they could open the salon. Now they make their own money and soon they will not need aid from the government to buy groceries and the things they need for their family. How cool is that?! The salon was busy the entire time we were there, so Deise and Silvia must be good.

We left the salon just before dusk and went back to the hotel. I must have been really tired because I fell asleep in the van!

That's all for now. Until next time....

Meet My Friend Flat Gabby!

Hi everyone! I have exciting news! I have a new Flat friend! Her name is Gabby and she is friends with Keith.

Flat Gabby is SO flat that she arrived by e-mail this morning (April 4).. How awesome is that?! Even though Flat Gabby is a girl, it is nice to be able to share my adventures with another flat person.

I first met Flat Gabby at a place called the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange.

Kristin says the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange is very similar to BOVESPA, the stock exchange I visited earlier this week. The only difference is that instead of trading stocks, people at the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange trade "commodities." Kristin says corn, soybeans, sugar, and ethanol are some of the "commodities" traded here.

Kristin tried to explain that commodities are traded differently than stocks, but I forgot what she told me because I was too busy watching the trading floor. It is a CRAZY place. There were hundreds of men in several circles screaming, shouting, and watching electronic boards like this one.

Kristin says the prices for the commodities like corn and soybeans are displayed on the big boards. I couldn't really read them so I am going to have to trust her on this.

The men on the floor sounded angry, but Kristin told me they were just doing their job. Hmm...I think it is cool that the floor traders here get to scream and shout. Maybe I should become a commodities trader?!

That's all for now...bye!

Sugar is Sweet!

Hi everyone. I hope all is well.

Today (April 3) Kristin woke me up early and told me we were going on a long van ride. Yuck! It seems like it takes FOREVER to get anywhere in Brazil. Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she told me that the van ride would be worth it. I'm not sure how she can top Embraer, but I decided not to complain.

In the end, the day was pretty cool! I got to visit a sugar farm. I LOVE sugar!

At first I was very confused about the sugar farm. I didn't know sugar came from a farm. I told Kristin I thought sugar came from bags at the grocery store.

That's when Kristin told me to look closely at the tall, green leafy plants growing in the fields. It is a plant called "sugar cane" and it was everywhere!

Kristin told me that sugar comes from "sugar cane." Who knew? But I quickly learned it isn't easy to make the sugar that my Aunt Lynn buys at the store.

Kristin says when the sugar cane is ready to harvest, each stalk (like the one in the photo below) is taken from the field.

Here I am with Keith "tasting" a stalk that was cut down in the field. It does NOT taste like sugar. It tasted more like dirt than anything else!

Once the stalks are harvested at this farm, they are taken to a processing facility like this one.

The stalks then get put into big machines that squeeze the stalks so all of the liquid comes out. Kristin says this sugar liquid can then be turned into many different things including the sugar that my Aunt Lynn makes cakes with.

I really wanted to see this process but Kristin says it isn't the right time of year for harvesting the sugar cane. :( At least I got to see one of the sugar processing facilities.

I really liked visiting the sugar farm, but I wasn't really sure why we were there. That's when Keith told me that one of the things made from sugar cane is something people in Brazil call "alcool." He says "alcool" is called "ethanol" in the United States. He also told me that most "ethanol" in the United States is made from corn (not sugar cane). I had no idea!

I also didn't realize that "ethanol" can be used as a fuel in cars. Keith says many cars in Brazil run on ethanol made from sugar cane instead of gasoline. Very interesting. Kristin says the gasoline she puts in her car at home is a mix of gasoline and corn ethanol. I'll have to ask Aunt Lynn if she uses this ethanol stuff in her gasoline.

That's all for now. Bye!

Bandag in Brazil...Who Knew?

Hi everyone. I am SO excited. Today (April 3) I saw a sign along the road with a logo that I know from Muscatine: Bandag. How cool is that?

I never thought I would see a sign from a company based in Muscatine here in Brazil. Here is one of the signs just outside of the town of Piracicaba, about two hours outside of Sao Paulo.

It was raining when I saw the sign so it was hard for Kristin to take my picture.

A few minutes later I saw another Bandag shop near Piracicaba's shopping mall. Wow, two Bandag places in one day!


Kristin was also excited to see Bandag. Her husband, Eugene, works for Bandag. She told me Bandag has many shops and offices in Brazil. I had no idea!

Until next time...

Planes, Planes and More Planes!

Hi again. I hope all is well.

I always know I am going to see interesting places when I travel with Keith and Kristin. But on Wednesday (April 2), we visited the coolest place ever!

It is a business called Embraer.

Embraer is located a couple of hours from Sao Paulo. It seemed like it took forever to get there, and I was pretty bored in the van. But Kristin promised me that Embraer was worth the wait. Guess what, she was right! Embraer makes airplanes and we got special permission to watch the workers build planes. How cool is that??!!!

Do you see the Embraer sign on the building in the photo above? It is the same logo that I saw at BOVESPA yesterday! Now I know why Kristin wanted me to pay special attention to that sign.

Kristin says Embraer is the third largest airplane builder in the world. I had no idea! Kristin told me a lot of other things about Embraer, but I really can't remember what she told me. I was too busy watching people build airplanes. I LOVE watching airplanes when I am waiting at the airport but visiting the factory is even better.

Here I am just outside one of the HUGE buildings where the airplanes are under construction.

How cool is that photo above?!

I don't remember how long we spent in this building, but it was long enough for me to see how some of the plane pieces go together. It is hard to show you photos of how the pieces go together but here are some of the photos Kristin took in the hangar.

Below you can see what the inside of a plane looks like before the wires, walls, seats, and pilot controls are added.


If you look closely in the photo above, you can see me sitting on the nose of this plane. How cool is that!?
Here I am with Keith and the part of a plane where the pilots sit.

At some point, everyone in our group went to another part of the building where different parts of planes are built. It was REALLY loud so Keith and Kristin had to wear earplugs (they didn't have earplugs in my size so I just covered them with my hands). And, since it was a construction zone, Keith and Kristin also had to wear these really funny plastic glasses. Kristin says they are called "safety glasses."

Don't they look funny with those glasses!? They didn't have any of the funny glasses in my size, so Kristin made me stay in her bag most of the time so I wouldn't get hurt. She did let me look out through a small opening and sometimes she took me out for photos (but only after she knew we were in a safe area).

Here you can see me with Kristin. Can you tell Kristin was having a hard time holding me and the equipment too?

Here are some more photos that I think are really cool.




After our visit to the construction hangars, we had lunch with Embraer officials. Later my friend Simon interviewed a company executive for a television story. And just before we left Embraer, we went back to the first hangar we saw so Simon could do something he calls a "stand up." During a "stand up," a reporter reads a script on camera at the location he/she is reporting from. Very interesting. Kristin and Keith don't have to do this for radio (but they do talk to their recorder all the time, so I guess they are doing something similar).

Here you can see Simon and Steve recording Simon's "stand up." Kristin says I will likely see this on TV and the Web when the project is done. Cool!

It seemed to take Simon and Steve a really long time to record the "stand up" and tape all of the pictures they need for TV. I forgot from my trip to Djibouti that it takes MUCH longer make a television story. But I didn't mind. It gave me more time to watch the workers.

Well that's all for now. Until next time....

A Place Called BOVESPA

Hi everyone! I had another very exciting day on Tuesday (April 1).

That morning Kristin and Keith took me to a place called BOVESPA (Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo). Kristin says it is Brazil's largest stock exchange.

Kristin says BOVESPA is similar to the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. But BOVESPA is for companies doing business in Brazil. Who knew?

I don't really understand how the stock market works so Keith tried to explain it to me. He says when a company wants to get bigger or needs more money, it sells small pieces of the company to people who are interested in helping the company. Those small pieces are called "shares of stock." And the people who buy the stock are called "investors." Sometimes investors decide they want to "trade" their shares to someone else. I think this is similar to trading baseball cards with my friends. Keith agreed it is similar except people use the stock exchange to trade their stocks.

We spent most of our time at BOVESPA on something Kristin called the "trading floor." It is a big room with a wooden floor and LOTS of big television monitors and BIG message boards. I couldn't understand what the boards were saying, but Kristin says they were showing the progress of today's trading.

Kristin says people used to trade their stocks on paper and that the "trading floor" we visited used to be full of men yelling as they bought and sold stocks. But today the "trading floor" is a museum. That's because the trading is now done by computers. Very interesting.

The museum has demonstrations to show how stocks are traded on the computer. Here you can see men showing the museum visitors how the process works.

When they were done, Kristin let me try to trade stock on the computer. I'm not sure I did anything but the colors and the buttons were really cool.

As we were leaving BOVESPA, Kristin pointed out this sign.

I'm not sure why she wanted me to see this sign, but she told me it was really important. Hmm...I wonder what she is up too?!

I am still not sure I understand this stock stuff but BOVESPA was a really cool place to visit.

Later that night after we got back from dinner, there was someone waiting in the hotel lobby that I knew! It was my friend Simon from Washington, DC. Kristin says he is going to work with us for the rest of the time we are in Brazil. How cool is that?

Simon is going to make TV stories so he brought along his camera person, Steve Mort. Steve lives in Florida, and he is very nice.

That's all for now. Bye!

Sao Paulo Update

Hi everyone! I hope all is well in Iowa. Keith and Kristin have been SO busy that I haven't had any computer time. But don't worry, I have had many great adventures this week.

On Monday, we drove around Sao Paulo to look at famous places and to see different neighborhoods. Our first stop was a place Renata called the "Japanese Neighborhood." Kristin says there are more Japanese descendants in Sao Paulo than anywhere else outside of Japan. I had no idea!

Can you see the street lights in the picture above? They look a lot like the lanterns I see in the temples in Asia. Very interesting.

I was so busy looking at the lantern lights that I forgot to ask Kristin to take my photo. Oh well, she probably wouldn't have been able to anyway. She is helping Keith with a video camera. I thought they were making a radio show. Kristin says they are making a radio show but also getting video for a Web site. It is very strange to see Keith with a video camera.

One thing I did see was a McDonald's that served ice cream, but Kristin said we didn't have time to eat ice cream. :(

I noticed a number of interesting paintings on walls and buildings all over Sao Paulo. Kristin says it is "graffiti."
Kristin says it isn't nice to paint things unless you have permission. I think she is right. But it looks like many people in Sao Paulo like to paint anything and everything.

Later we went to a place called Praca de Se... or "Cathedral Square"... in the center of downtown Sao Paulo. Renata says this place is like a "town square" in America. Carlo, our driver, was very worried that someone would try to steal me out of Kristin's bag, so I stayed inside and looked out from a small opening.

The Praca da Se is a really interesting place. There is a large Catholic Church in the square called the "Catedral da Se."
Kristin says the Catholic church is very popular in Brazil. Who knew? But Renata told us that other religions are starting to become more popular. So much so that sometimes preachers from another church will stand in the square and shout their beliefs to the people who walk through the square. That's what this man was doing when we walked by.

There were also many men waiting to shine shoes in the square. Very interesting.

Keith says Brazil's leader, President Lula, used to be a shoe shine boy. Wow! He must have been a smart shoe shine boy. Just as we were leaving the square I noticed someone had set up a place to cut hair. I saw the same type of "salon" when I was in India with Kristin and Amy earlier this year.

Carlo then drove us around town so we could see other interesting places like this colorful shopping street called, Bom Retiro.

Then we stopped at the Museum of Modern Art. Kristin said we didn't have time to actually visit the museum (whew!) but Kristin and Keith did take a lot of photos and video by the museum.

Here's the view from the museum's patio.


Everywhere we went that day I kept seeing these funny looking lime green bubbles on the sidewalk.




I finally asked Kristin what the green bubbles were. She says they are phone booths. Wow, those are the funniest looking phone booths I have ever seen!



Kristin says many people in Brazil cannot afford cell phones so they use these pay phones to call people. Renata says people who use the pay phones buy a special card with minutes on it. Kristin says this is like the prepaid phone cards we can buy in the US. Here I am by one of the phones.

That's all for now.

Greetings from Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Greetings from Brazil!

Keith, Kristin, and I arrived yesterday with no problems. Did you read that last sentence closely? We had NO problems getting to Brazil. I guess King Tut wasn't mad at Kristin yesterday. :)

Since we took a direct flight, we didn't have to change airports. The flight left Chicago around 9:30pm on Saturday and we landed in Sao Paulo just after 10:00am on Sunday. Since it was an overnight flight, I slept most of the way.

A journalist named Renata and our driver, Carlo, met us at the airport. They are both very nice! Renata is helping Kristin and Keith during the trip. Kristin calls her our "fixer." Now I remember...Kristin and Keith have had "fixers" help them on our other trips too.

Renata and Carlo immediately took us to the hotel so we could check-in. We are staying at a Marriott in what Renata calls "the nice part of town." Kristin's room is like a mini-apartment. Smaller than the room we had in Seoul, South Korea last fall...but still nice.

Kristin's room has a small kitchen and a dishwasher!

Isn't that the strangest dishwasher you have ever seen? I asked Kristin if we could use it because I think it would be fun to watch. But Kristin said we will likely eat out most of the trip. :(
Kristin's room also has a balcony that overlooks part of Sao Paulo.

Kristin says Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and all of South America. More than 10 million people live here. I had NO idea! (Note...Kristin is helping me find links for my messages like she did for China and India, so don't forget to click on the colored words if you want to learn more about Sao Paulo).

It was raining when we landed but the sun came out later in the day. The temperature is nice and warm (in the 70's). MUCH warmer than Iowa. I like Sao Paulo already! Here are a few more photos from Kristin's balcony.



When we first met Renata, I could hear her on the phone talking in a language that sounded a little bit like the Spanish I hear in Iowa. Kristin says people in Brazil so speak Spanish, but many also speak Portuguese. Kristin agrees both languages sound similar, but she tells me they are different. I am going to have to believe her on that since I can't understand anything Renata is saying when she talks in Portuguese. Here I am with Renata and Keith.

Kristin, Keith, and Renata spent most of yesterday working on making appointments and checking on things for our stay in Brazil. We didn't get to go out and do much since they were busy working. But we did stop at a local convenience store to buy water. We also had to buy diet coke for Kristin. And guess what? They have diet coke (or coke light as they call it here) with lime flavor...Kristin's favorite! You should have seen how happy Kristin was when we found this bottle at the store.

It is kind of hard to see in the photo above, but the bottle actually says it is coke light with "lemon." I thought Kristin was wrong when she said the diet coke had lime flavor since the bottle says "lemon." That's when she told me that people in Brazil call limes "lemons" and the yellow lemons we have in the United States are "limes." Are you confused? I sure am! Kristin swears her drink tastes like lime...even though it says lemon on the bottle. Strange!

That's all for now. Tomorrow Kristin says we will get to visit different places in Sao Paulo. Plus, she says later this week someone I know is going to meet us here. WOW! I wonder who that could be?!
More later....

My Next Adventure....Brazil!

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. I am getting ready for another grand adventure.

My friends Keith and Kristin are going to Brazil to make another radio program and they've invited me along. How cool is that? See if you can find Brazil on the map.

I've known about the trip to Brazil since Sunday. The Easter Bunny left plane tickets at Kristin's house. But Kristin asked me to keep it a secret until her visa was approved. (Kristin told me it was NOT easy to get her visa and the special permission I need to travel). Man...it is really hard to keep a secret this long!

Kristin and Keith's visas arrived yesterday. Whew...that was close! We are leaving tomorrow! Here I am making sure my special place in Kristin's bag is ready for the trip.

Well I guess I had better get back to packing. Kristin says we are driving to Chicago and will fly from there to a city in Brazil named Sao Paulo. And guess what? We don't have to change planes! It is a direct flight. I know Keith and Kristin will be busy working in Brazil (and that means Kristin's computer will be busy), so I will update you when I can.

Bye for now!

My Newest Fan

Hi everyone. I want to introduce you to my newest friends.

This is Aseem and his daughter Kriti. They live in Noida, just outside of Delhi, India.

Aseem and his wife, Ekta, helped Kristin and Amy while we were visiting India. Kristin and Amy met Aseem because he is friends with a man named Ammit. Amit works with Kristin's husband, Eugene in Muscatine. How cool is that?! When Amit heard that Kristin was going to India, he called his friend Aseem to see if he could help her. And Kristin says Aseem and Etka were a big help. They found us our car and driver and they gave Kristin and Amy tips of places to see and visit while in India.

On one of our last nights in India, Aseem and Ekta invited us to their house for dinner. That's when I got to meet Kriti. She is REALLY nice. Actually....everyone in Aseem's house is really nice!

Here I am with Kriti and Ekta.

Kriti liked me SO much that Aseem asked Kristin to send him a photo of me so Kriti could have my picture. How cool is that?!

During our visit we ate lots of great Indian food. We also got to meet Aseem's mom and dad. Here's a photo of Kristin and Amy with Aseem, Ekta, and Kriti.

And this is a photo of Aseem, Ekta, Kriti, and Aseem's parents.

I think it is really nice that Aseem's family invited us over to their house while we were in India. I am really glad they were able to help Kristin and Amy. BIG THANKS! Kristin says I also need to thank Eugene's friend Amit. THANKS AMIT!

This is my final post from my big India adventure. I hope you had fun reading about my trip.

Until my next adventure...bye!

The Contrasts in Gurgaon

During our last few days in India, Kristin and Amy twice drove through a city named Gurgaon. It is a suburb of Delhi. It isn't very far from Delhi but it sure looks VERY different.

Gurgaon is full of shopping malls like the ones we have in the United States. It also has lots of really cool looking buildings.

Kristin says she wanted to see Gurgaon because of the modern buildings. Kristin says India is growing FAST and Gurgaon is a good example of how India is growing. Kristin also says there are many BIG American companies like Microsoft with offices in Gurgaon.

Kristin wasn't kidding when she said Gurgaon is growing fast. Everywhere I looked I could see construction cranes, construction workers, and partially finished sky scrapers.

Here you can see workers with bright yellow hats working on one of the many buildings under construction.
All of the really tall buildings looked very new and modern in Gurgaon. But everything didn't look new. I still saw old cars, trucks, and even tractors on the streets in front of the new buildings.
During both of our trips to Gurgaon, Kristin and Amy had a very hard time taking photos. That's because there were security guards everywhere! I wanted to show you pictures of the inside of one of the malls but the security guards wouldn't let Kristin and Amy take photos. :(

So Kristin and Amy decided to have our driver drive up and down the main streets of Gurgaon. He would stop when Kristin or Amy asked him to and then they would put down the car windows and snap as many photos as they could before they would attract guards.

It was really interesting to see how the buildings were being constructed. Some had very modern looking materials like steel beams. But some buildings were using what looked like big sticks as support. Kristin said the sticks looked like bamboo. And while I saw lots of modern looking construction equipment like cranes and concrete trucks...

...I also saw people working in small, crowded shops like this person who was welding what looked like a small motor.

I also noticed at some construction sites that the workers didn't have modern tools. Here you can see women using their heads to carry baskets of rocks.

At another building site this man was one of a team of workers using their heads to carry baskets of sand.

Here you can see a team of men working together to move large metal poles from the ground to the top of a building being constructed. Very interesting.


After Kristin and Amy had taken photos on the main streets of Gurgaon, our driver took us down some smaller streets until we reached a new road under construction. You could see many of the modern and new buildings from this street. But I noticed there were several tents (or poles covered with tarps) along the road.

Kristin said many of the construction workers live in these tents. I had no idea! Kristin reminded me that many people in India are very poor and cannot afford to live in a real home like I do in Iowa. This makes me sad.

Here are a couple of other interesting things I saw on the roads in and around Gurgaon. A few times I would see a single chair sitting in front of a tree with a mirror on it along the side of the road. Kristin says it is a roadside barber shop. Wow! This sure doesn't look like the place where I get my hair cut.
I also saw many different animals along the side of the road IN THE CITY. I think it is strange these animals don't live on a farm. They were just roaming along the streets. Here are some piglets...some of them were so small that they could barely open their eyes!

At one point when we were driving down one of the roads under construction, we came across an entire herd of cows. I was actually a little scared when I saw all of these horns headed toward the car (shh...don't tell Kristin but I hid in her purse while she took this photo).

And I stayed in her purse as she was taking photos of the bulls like this one as they got REALLY close to the car.
This baby calf could barely stand when I saw it. It didn't scare me like the big bulls!

I finally asked Kristin why I kept seeing so many cows in India. She says a majority of the people who live in India are Hindu. Hindu is the third largest religion in the world (Christianity is the first and Islam is the second largest). I had NO idea! Anyway, cows are very important in the Hindu religion. Kristin says they are so important that many Hindus do not eat beef. Who knew?

Finally, I saved the best for last. Yes...I saw another camel! I love camels! Maybe someday I will actually get to ride one.

That's all from Gurgaon. Bye for now....

The Road from Agra to Delhi

The day after our visit to the Taj Mahal, Kristin and Amy packed up their suitcases and we headed back to Delhi. But this time they didn't leave until after the sun came up (whew!), so I was able to see more things on the road between Agra and Delhi.

The first thing I noticed in Agra was another large red building complex. Kristin says it is the Agra Fort. It is also known as the Red Fort of Agra. Well that makes sense because it is red!

I was surprised their was a Red Fort in Agra since I had already visited the Red Fort in Delhi. Kristin says the fort in Agra is very important because at one point it was where the Mughal government ran the country. I had no idea! You can learn more about the Red Fort of Agra by clicking on the colored words above.

I wanted to stop and see the Red Fort of Agra but the driver told Amy and Kristin we needed to keep moving because the traffic was going to get really bad between Agra and Delhi. Well the driver was right. Traffic was really jammed at times! It took us a long time to get out of Agra.

Once we were out of Agra and on the highway, I could see there were a lot of trucks on the road. These trucks are not the same as the big semi-trucks I see in the United States. They are smaller and most of them look very old.

These trucks are much smaller and sometimes are REALLY overloaded. Sometimes I could even see people sitting on top of stuff in the back of the trucks. Can you believe it?


I noticed several trucks with what looked like long sticks like this one passing us on the road.

Kristin told me the sticks were something called "sugar cane." Kristin says sugar is made from sugar cane. I had no idea! I LOVE sugar.

Our driver pointed out that the trucks loaded with the sugar cane were driving to sugar cane plants like this one.

It is probably hard to tell but in the photo below there are dozens of trucks loaded with sugar cane waiting to enter the sugar cane plant (just look for the big piles of sticks...that's where the trucks are). Here is a picture Kristin took from the car of a sugar cane field. I'm glad she told me it was sugar cane. I thought it was a corn field!

It takes more than three hours to get to Delhi from Agra (and even longer in traffic), so I had plenty of time to look out the car window. Sometimes I could see interesting little buildings that reminded me of the mud huts I saw in Africa.

Here you can see one Amy took with her camera's long zoom lens. Kristin says it looks like the roof is made out of sugar cane. I couldn't tell if people were living in these huts, but Kristin says people probably do live in them just like they live in the huts I saw in Africa.

If you look really closely at the photo above, you can see the walls of some of the houses look like they have patterns in them. I asked Kristin how the patterns were made. She told me they were made from mud patties like the ones you see below.

I saw fields full of these mud patties. Kristin said the patties are made from mud taken from the fields where cows live. Hmm...I think I know what's in the mud. YUCK!

I stopped thinking about the mud houses a few miles away. That's because I started to see camels. I LOVE camels! I had no idea there were camels in India. Kristin says the camels are sometimes used to pull large carts overloaded with items. This camel was getting ready to pull one of those large carts. And guess what? They walk along the same road as the cars and trucks!

These camels were taking a rest. Look closely and you will see there are patterns shaved into the fur coat of the camels. Very interesting!

About halfway through the trip we stopped at a rest stop along the side of the highway. Kristin said we stopped at the same place on our way to Agra. I guess I must have been sleeping when we stopped before. Anyway, the rest stop was a lot like some of the rest stops along the highways in Iowa. It had bathrooms, a small restaurant and a place to buy crafts and food for the car.

I really wasn't interested in looking at the crafts. I was more interested in the field next to the rest stop. It was FULL of sheep.

It is probably hard to see the sheep because they blend in with the field, but trust me there were HUNDREDS of sheep in the field. I also saw two boys watching after the sheep.

I got sleepy after the rest stop and I slept until we got to the outskirts of Delhi. Here are a few more photos Kristin took from the car as we made our way to the hotel in Delhi. Here some rickshaw drivers were taking a rest.

This is one of the modern gas stations I saw along the road.

And right before we arrived back at the Hyatt in New Delhi, I saw a train near the road. Kristin says traveling by train is very popular in India. I guess so! This train car was packed with people!

That's my trip from Agra to Delhi.

Bye for now....

Review of My Visit to the Taj Mahal

Hi everyone! I am slowly getting back to normal from this jet-lag stuff. Man, it really makes me tired!

I promised to tell you more about my trip to the Taj Mahal and Agra. Here's a recap of my day.

First, Kristin woke me up REALLY early (4:30am) and told me that we were checking out of the hotel in Delhi and going to a place called Agra. She told me we were going to see one of the most famous buildings in the entire world, the Taj Mahal.

Kristin told me is would take more than three hours to get to Agra in the car. I have no idea how long it really took to get to there. I was so tired I slept most of the way.

We brought out guide, Satyender, with us. Just before we got to Agra, Satyender had our driver stop at a place called the "Tomb of Akbar the Great."

I have already seen SO many tombs this week that I've lost count. Kristin says Akbar the Great was the son of Emperor Humayun. I visited his tomb earlier this week. Anyway, Akbar became the leader of the Mughal Empire when he was only 13 years old. Wow...that's close to my age! I can't imagine running a huge country at my age. Anyway, Satyender says Akbar was one of the best Mughal rulers and that's why his tomb is important.

Kristin and Amy really liked the bright colors and patterns on the south gate that leads into the tomb itself.


The colors were nice, but I was too busy looking at something else. Monkeys! There were dozens of monkeys running all around. Actually, Kristin told me they were baboons. OK....I really liked watching the baboons. They have REALLY long tails!

Look...they even wanted to take over the place where the people fixing the tomb usually work!

Kristin and Amy decided to take a few more photos of the gate area before heading back to the car. They were anxious to get to the Taj Mahal. Here are a few more of the photos Kristin took at Akbar the Great's Tomb.


As we were heading to the car, Kristin and Amy suddenly stopped to look at some colorful birds in the trees near the gate.

Can you see the bird? Guess what it is? It's a parrot! Can you believe it? I've never seen a parrot in the wild before. Have you?

I wanted to stay longer and look at the baboons and parrots, but Kristin said we had to go. While she and Amy were taking photos, our driver heard that the Taj Mahal was going to be closing early today. Oh NO! The driver wasn't sure when the Taj Mahal was closing or why, but I could tell Kristin was really worried. We had driven a long way to see it. So our driver tried to get us to our hotel as fast as possible.

But I think King Tut was mad at Kristin again because we ran into a traffic jam. It seemed like it took FOREVER to get to the hotel. At one point our car had to stop for a herd of cattle that was being led through one of Agra's main streets. Can you believe it?

We finally reached the hotel, but Amy and Kristin only stayed long enough to check-in. While they were checking in, they learned the Taj Mahal was going to close at 2:30pm. It was only 11:30am when we arrived at the hotel...so we still had time to get to the Taj Mahal. Whew!

Our driver took us to a place near the Taj Mahal and then we had to get into a rickshaw to get to the entrance gate of the Taj Mahal. Our guide says most motorized vehicles are not allowed close to the Taj Mahal to try and reduce the pollution around the Taj Mahal. I guess this makes sense. Kristin snapped this photo of Amy in her rickshaw.

Kristin and I could see a large white dome while we were in our rickshaw. Kristin says the dome is part of the Taj Mahal. Cool!


When we got the to entrance gate, Kristin and Amy had to make sure they had NO food and NO extra batteries in their bags. Kristin says this is to help keep the grounds of the Taj Mahal clean. I guess this makes sense. And they are SO serious about this rule, that people inspected Kristin's bag. I was worried they wouldn't let me in, but Kristin told me that she made special arrangements so I could get it. Whew!

Once Kristin's bag was checked, we walked toward this very big building that looked a lot like Akbar the Great's tomb gate. Satyender told us that it was the main entrance gate to the Taj Mahal.



The entrance gate was interesting, but I really wanted to see the main building. So did a LOT of other people.

Kristin took this photo as we were walking through the gate. I really didn't want Kristin to stop to take this photo. It is SO hard being patient.....

....but it was worth the wait. This is what we saw as soon as we made it through the gate. WOW! It is really a cool looking building. And it is HUGE. Now I see why it is one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Kristin said it was "breathtaking." I'm not exactly sure what she means, but I think it means it is awesome! Here are a few photos of me at the Taj Mahal.


And here is one of Kristin and Amy.

Amy and Kristin noticed there were a lot of people pinching their hands and having their photo taken. I thought this was very strange and asked Kristin why people were doing that. She wasn't sure at first, but then she figured out that if someone was standing at just the right spot, it would look like they are actually holding the Taj Mahal. Here's a photo of Kristin "holding" the Taj Mahal.

How cool is that photo? I noticed that just about everyone visiting the Taj Mahal wanted their picture taken. Kristin says that's because this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many people.


I also noticed many women wearing colorful saris like I saw in Delhi. Kristin says the photo below is one of her favorite "people" photos of the day.

Kristin and Amy were at the Taj Mahal to take photos of the buildings and the grounds. I guess they weren't the only ones!

Kristin says the Taj Mahal...or Taj for short.... is made of white marble. She also explained that the Taj Mahal is a tomb. It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz after she died. He must have really loved her to build her such a grand tomb. Kristin says Shah Jahan was buried next to Mumtaz after he died.

Here are some of the more than 200 photos Kristin took during our visit.

This is the ornament...or spire as Kristin calls it...on the top of the main dome. Kristin says it used to be made of real gold but now it is made from brass.

There are similar spires on the top of the other Taj domes and towers. Satyender told us they are supposed to help keep the building from being damaged by lighting. Who knew?

Kristin really liked taking photos of the towers....or minarets as she called them. It is hard to tell from the photos but our guide told us the four main minarets are actually leaning AWAY from the main building. He says they were built that way so they would fall away from the building if there was ever an earthquake. I had no idea! Here are some of Kristin's favorite tower photos.

In order to climb the steps to get closer to the Taj, people had to take off their shoes....

.....or cover them with these funny white shoe covers. Kristin and Amy chose to cover their shoes. They didn't have any shoe covers in my size, so I stayed in the outside pocket of Kristin's bag (where I could still see out).

Below people are lining up to walk into the main part of the tomb. This is where Mumtaz and Shah Jahan's bodies are interred...or buried...in above ground marble tombs that look like caskets. I would show you photos but Kristin wasn't allowed to take pictures inside. But you can see some photos of inside the tomb and learn more about the Taj Mahal by clicking on the colored words.

Here are some young girls who kept waving and saying hello to Kristin and Amy.

This is a view of the Yamuna River. Kristin says the Yamuna river is a tributary of the famous Ganges River. Kristin says the Ganges River is as important to India as the Mississippi River is to the United States.

It is hard to tell from far away, but when you get closer to the Taj, you can see that parts of the marble are decorated with brightly colored stones. Kristin says some of these stones are "semi-precious" which means they are very expensive.

You will also find something Kristin calls "caligraphy" on parts of the buildings. She says the caligraphy includes passages from the Koran and other religious texts.

Here are some photos Kristin took of the interesting people and shapes we saw during the visit. This is the main lawn leading up to the Taj (taken from the first level of the Taj balcony).

Here is a photo of the sidewalks surrounding the base of the Taj building....

...and here are people fixing the sidewalks...

....the sidewalks connect to these buildings on either side of the Taj. One is a mosque and our guide says the second one was built on the other side of the Taj to "balance" the view of the Taj.

After we walked around the buildings, Kristin and Amy decided to walk through the gardens. Amy and Kristin looked at the flowers, but I was more interested in the animals running around. I must have seen a HUNDRED chipmonks running around in the grass and trees. Some would even let Kristin get really close so she could take a photo.

Others would let people feed them. Can you beleive it?! I wanted to feed the chipmonks but Kristin said that it probably wasn't a good idea to let the chipmonks eat human food. Besides, Kristin reminded me that she couldn't bring food into the Taj Mahal.

Suddenly I started to see parrots in the trees and on the ground. This one was playing with the chipmonks!

I like this photo because you can see the reddish-pink color of the parrot's beak.

Here Kristin was trying to take a photo of another parrot when it suddenly flew away. I think the photo is still really cool, don't you?


After walking through the gardens and stopping to take a rest, Kristin and Amy took a few final photos of the Taj and the main gate.

As we left the main gate, I noticed there were hundreds of soldiers and policemen with large guns and other security equipment. That's when Kristin reminded me that the Taj was going to be closing soon. Kristin and Amy later found out that a very important person...or VIP...was visiting the Taj and it was being closed just for him. Satyender later heard the Prime Minister of Hungary was visiting but Kristin says she can't confirm that's who was visiting. Whoever it was...he must have been really important or I don't think there would have been that many security guards.

I didn't dare ask Kristin to take any photos of the security guards. I figured she would get in trouble.

On our way back to the hotel, Kristin had the driver stop so she could take a photo of me outside the local McDonald's. We didn't go inside because Kristin didn't want to eat there. I think she could tell I was disappointed but then she reminded me that I can eat at McDonalds at home any day. She is right.

Whew...I am tired from writing this long post. Plus I still have that jet-lag stuff. So I am going back to bed soon.

More later....

Home Again!

Hi everyone. I am safely back in Iowa from my adventures in China and India.

Kristin, Amy, and I made it to Muscatine just before Midnight on Wednesday, January 23rd. Our flight from Shanghai was late getting into Chicago. Then Kristin had to drive through rush-hour and icy roads to get home. It is a good thing she had THREE seats to herself on the plane. She was able to sleep most of the flight. I'm glad because otherwise she would have been too tired to drive us back to Iowa.

I slept part of the flight but Kristin warned me I would still get that jet-lag stuff. She was right! I am really tired so I am going to take a nap. I still have plenty of things to share with you from India. I will update you when I am awake (and Kristin can help me edit photos). And I have to help Kristin unpack!

See how much stuff she brought back? Not all of it is hers...some of it is mine too! Kristin was kind enough to buy me some gifts along the way. I can't wait to show them to Aunt Lynn!

I want to thank Kristin and Amy for taking me on another great adventure. I also want to thank Amy's family (Mary, Steve, Peter, and Diane) for being so nice to me in China and Aseem, his wife Etka, their daughter Kriti, and his parents for being so nice to me in India. I know I am very lucky to have good friends all around the world.

Bye for now!

The Taj Mahal

Hi everyone! I've just returned from one of the coolest places I've ever seen! It's called the "Taj Mahal" and it is located near the city of Agra. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin and Amy are working really hard on their computers editing photos right now, so I don't have time to give you a full update on my trip to the Taj Mahal right now. But I promise I will update you when I can. In the meantime, here are a few photos. And don't forget you can click on the colored words "Taj Mahal" to learn more about it.

Kristin says we are leaving India tomorrow morning. We are flying to Shanghai and spending the night there before flying back to Chicago. I'm not sure if I will get to use the computer again before I get home. But don't worry. I will have a lot more to share with you when I get back.

Until next time...

Another Delhi Day

Hi everyone. Amy and Kristin are still keeping me very busy in Delhi!

On Wednesday Kristin and Amy asked our guide Satyender to take us to more of Delhi's famous places. We started the day at "Humayun's Tomb."


Kristin says this building was built for the Emperor Humayun after he died in 1556. This is a HUGE building surrounded by a large garden.

Here you can see the tomb of Emperor Humayun and some of his family members. It was really dark inside this room. The only light in the room came from windows like the one is this photos. But these windows do not have glass like the ones on my house in Muscatine.

Here you can see Kristin near the tomb.

Right after we arrived at the tomb, a HUGE group of school children showed up. They must have been on a field trip. I sure don't get to take field trips to places like this when I am in school! The school children were really LOUD! They screamed and shouted most of the time we were near the tomb. I know my teacher would not let me behave that way if I was on a field trip. I really think they should have behaved better. Kristin thanked me for being on my best behavior. :)

While we were walking around I noticed a man cleaning one side of the tomb.

Kristin says Humayun's Tomb is something she calls a "World Heritage Site." I had no idea! She says that means it is one of the world's most important buildings, just like Giza Pyramids in Egypt and Angor Wat in Cambodia. Kristin says it takes a lot of work to maintain Humayun's Tomb and other World Heritage Sites.

There is a mosque near Humayun's Tomb. Here are some of the photos Kristin took of the mosque and the buildings around it.

Our next stop of the day was a place called the "Lotus Temple." Kristin says it is called this because it is supposed to look like a lotus flower. I'm not sure this building looks like a flower but I wasn't going to argue with Kristin on this.

Kristin told me the Lotus Temple was finished in 1986. That makes it one of the newest buildings I have seen during my entire trip to Delhi. She also says it is a temple for people who follow the Bahai Faith. I think this means it is like a mosque or church.

It was getting warm standing outside in the sun, so we decided to inside the temple. But first Kristin and Amy had to take their shoes off. Then the temple guide told us we had to be very quiet while we were inside the temple. In fact, she said we could not even talk or whisper! It was nice and cool inside the building and it was REALLY quiet. Man, it is REALLY hard to be quiet for 10 minutes! I was really glad when we were back outside.

Our final stop of the day was a place called the "Qutb Minar Complex." The main feature of this complex is this really tall tower. The tower itself is called the Qutb Minar (or Qutub Minar).

This tower is almost 240 feet tall. WOW! That is really tall! Kristin says it is made mostly of red sandstone, the same kind of stone I saw at the Red Fort on Tuesday.

Here's a picture of the very top of the tower. Our guide says people used to be able to climb to the top of the tower, but they don't allow tourists to do that anymore. Whew! I was worried for a minute that Kristin was going to have to walk up more dark stairs to the top of the Qutb Minar.

As we were walking around the tower, I noticed that it is full of really interesting carvings. Our guide told us that the tower is inscribed with the words of the Quran (or Koran), the religious text of the Islamic faith. I was confused about this until Kristin explained that my faith has the holy book of the Bible and the Islamic faith has the Koran. Very interesting. Here you can see some of the carvings up close.

Kristin says the Qutb Minar is the most famous part of this complex. I can see why. It is hard to miss the really tall tower. But our guide told us the rest of the complex is also very important. (Click on the Qutb Minar Complex colored link above to learn more).

As we were walking around, I told Kristin I thought some of the complex ruins reminded me of the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt. I'll have to remember to ask Aunt Lynn if she notices the same thing when she sees the photo below.

Just like at Humayun's Tomb, there were people working on projects at the complex. I couldn't really tell what this woman was doing, but she was pounding the stone with a very heavy hammer.

These men were digging in a ditch with small shovels and picks.

As soon as they had dug up enough dirt, the men would load the dirt in large silver bowls. Then they would put the big bowls full of dirt on top of a woman's head. Can you believe it?!

These women must have really strong heads!

I asked Kristin why the workers didn't have wheel barrows and other tools like we do in the United States. Kristin says she wasn't sure why the workers at the complex were using the large bowls to move the dirt. She says sometimes workers can't use big equipment at historical sites. I guess this makes sense. But Kristin also pointed out that we've seen many places in India where people don't have nice tools. She says that's because many people can't afford them. I thought everyone had a wheelbarrow.

I also noticed a number of small children with old clothes playing near the spot where the men and women were working.

These children didn't have any toys to play with either. One girl was playing with a pair of sunglasses and another baby was playing with an old film container. This made me very sad. I could also tell Kristin was very sad. She was also worried because we didn't see any adults with the children and they were all much younger than I am. Kristin told me she hopes the children belong to the men and women working in the ditch.

Here's s photo of Kristin near the Qutb Minar. She looks pretty small next to that tall tower!

Just as we were getting ready to leave the complex, another large group of LOUD school children came into the complex. They were wearing red uniforms and they all wanted to talk to Kristin and Amy. Kristin managed to make her way through the crowd while I hid in her purse. But the kids swarmed around Amy and it seemed like every one of them wanted to say hello to her!
Whew...that's the end of another long day here in Delhi! Kristin tells me we are going to see even better places in the next few days. I will keep you posted when I can (and when Kristin's computer is working).

Bye for now...

Delhi Update

Hi there. I bet you thought I was lost in India!

Kristin and Amy have been so busy that I haven't had time to update you on my trip. Plus, Kristin has been having computer problems. She calls it "the blue screen of death." I have no idea what she is talking about, but I do know it is NOT good.

Right now Kristin's computer is working...so here it goes.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Delhi is the traffic. It is CRAZY! The roads are jammed full of cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and bicycles.


The streets are also packed with these funny looking green and yellow three-wheel things.

Kristin says these are called "auto-rickshaws" and they are basically a motorcycle in the front with seats in the back. I really wanted to ride in one but Kristin has rented a car and driver for our entire trip. :(

On Tuesday, Kristin also hired a guide to help guide us around Delhi. His name is Satyender and he is very nice. He told us about 16 million people live in Delhi. Did you know that more than 1 BILLION people live in India? I had no idea. That's a lot of people!

We spent most of the day on Tuesday in a portion of the city called "Old Delhi." Our first stop was a place called "Jama Masjid." Our guide says it is the largest mosque in India.

Our guide told us so many things about the mosque that I knew I would forget most of it. So Kristin helped me find Web links that tell you more about the mosque and all of the other places we've visited. Just click on the colored words in this post to learn more.

Everyone has to take their shoes off before they can go into the mosque. Kristin has had to do this before. She also thought she might have to wear a headscarf like she did in Egypt and Indonesia, but our guide told her and Amy they didn't need one.

The mosque is big and it is surrounded by tall red, arched walls.

The walls surround a huge courtyard. There were many people visiting the mosque when we were there. But there were hundreds (if not thousands) of birds also "visiting" the mosque. Here you can see some boys feeding a group of pigeons.

Sometimes people would get too close to the pigeons and they would all fly away really quickly. It is a good thing I have a safe place to hide inside Kristin's bag. I was afraid the pigeons would grab me! Kristin snapped this cool photo of the birds flying around us (and yes...I was hiding at this point!).

While we were walking around the courtyard I noticed a number of kids my age wearing old clothes. They would walk up to people and ask for money.

I was shocked at how the kids were dressed and that they were asking for money. Kristin says that many families in India are very poor....some don't even have houses. This makes me sad. Kristin reminded me that I should be grateful for my toys and my house. She is right.

Kristin and Amy walked around the courtyard and took photos for awhile and then our guide took them up a flight of stairs so we could get a closer look at one of the tall mosque towers. Our guide told Kristin and Amy they could climb to the top of the tower and take photos of the city. Kristin decided to walk to the top of the tower and Amy stayed behind. She took this photo of the tower while Kristin and I were climbing to the top.

I think Amy was smart to stay behind. Climbing to the top of the tower was REALLY scary. First, it was pitch black inside. Second, the stairs were so narrow that people walking down the stairs had to squeeze by Kristin. It is a good thing I am flat. I'm not sure I would have made it up the stairs if I wasn't! Kristin took this photo of the stairs. You can see them only because of the flash on her camera.

Kristin was REALLY glad when we made it to the top because she was out of breath! But, I think it was worth climbing the dark stairs. Here are some of the photos Kristin took at the top of the tower.



Here's a close-up of the buildings near the mosque.

And this is just one of the jammed-packed streets next to the mosque.

Kristin carefully walked down the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the bottom again. Whew!

After we left the mosque, our guide suggested we take a rickshaw ride. He told us it was the best way to see the huge market surrounding the mosque. I was SO excited. But we didn't take an auto-rickshaw. We took a bicycle one like this one.


I had SO much fun riding on the rickshaw.

It's a good thing we didn't take the car for this part of the trip. The market was very crowded and the streets were full of people and rickshaws. There was even a cow on one of the tiny streets!


Here are a few photos Kristin took during our rickshaw ride.

As soon as we left the market area, the rickshaw took us to a place called "The Red Fort" or "Lal Qila."


The outside walls of the Fort are made with red sandstone. I guess that's why it is called the "Red Fort." But some of the buildings inside the tall walls are made of white marble.

There are many different buildings inside the Red Fort. Here are some of the photos Kristin took during our visit.





I have noticed since we arrived in India that many women wear the brightly colored outfits like the ones the women are wearing in the above photo. Kristin says this is a traditional outfit called a "sari." Who knew? She says most of the bright fabric we saw on our rickshaw drive through the market area are for saris. I asked Kristin if she has worn one. She says she hasn't. She says the sari is one long piece of fabric and it has to be wrapped in a certain way....and she is certain that she doesn't know how to wrap it correctly.

After we left the Red Fort, our driver and guide took us back to the section of town called "New Delhi." I think it is strange that there is an "Old Delhi" and a "New Delhi." Kristin says "New Delhi" is the part of town where most of the Indian government buildings are located. She says it is also "new" because much of this section of town was built in the past 100 years. I had no idea!

This is a view of the Parliament in New Delhi. Kristin says the Parliament is where the people who help run India's government meet. I think this is similar to the Congress in the United States.

And this is the President's house. It is located behind a tall gate. Kristin had to take this photo from the gate. The security guards wouldn't let us get any closer.

On our way back to the hotel we saw something called the "India Gate."

Kristin the India Gate is a memorial for British soldiers who died in World War I and other wars. Kristin wanted to get closer to the gate to take a better photo, but there were lots of security guards and yellow gates along the street. Our guide told us "Republic Day" is January 26. It is a large military parade and that's why there is so much security in the area right now.

Whew! We've had a very busy day. I am tired and hungry. So I am going to have dinner and go to bed.

More later