Guten Morgen Tyrol

Folks, my apologies for taking soooo long to post these photos. It is crazy how time flys when you are a procrastinator. Regardless, here are some photos of our most recent trip to Austria and Germany. We were fortunate to meet up with our friend Josh in Germany, and tour some of the sites in Munich. The photo above is the Glacier in Hintertux, Austria. We skied a few days there, unfortunatley it was more like skating. The euros loved it and carved the heck out of the hill. Our big fats skis didn't make for as fun of a day. Ryan took a hard fall on his hip so we hit the pub for some more wieners and beer. While in Hintertux we learned you can eat sausage, sauerkraut and beer for every meal of the day, techno music and very bright neon one piece ski suits are still very alive in Austria....yah!




The alps (if you squink really hard you can see Italy).

Spectacular views at the top!

Enjoying the view. You can see a fence build probably century ago to separate two valleys used for pasture. Hiking up the mountain, you could hear cow bells echoing through the valley.

See the face carved into the tree stump? These troughs were a common site on the hike and on the hillsides. Nice spot to take a drink for a thristy cow, don't you think?

The start of the hike, very steep switch backs.

This patio is where we stopped for a few beers and some really really good sauerkraut, nothing like having a spot like this to rest your tired legs on the way down.


One of the many beautiful sites in Munich.

Endless Summer: Nigeria

I wanted to share some surfing photos with you all... yup, that's right - surfing in Nigeria. I won't lie, there is some trash, pollution, shipwrecks hidden below the surf and the waves are not quite the North Shore of Hawaii, but hey, it's better than rollerblading.

So there are two main areas where we typically go - both are by boat.

Tarquay bay is the closest to Lagos and there is a cool local beach there, so when the waves aren't good you can sit and eat fresh fruit and drink beers.




Maybe if you are lucky, at Tarquay you'll get to see a snake charmer...


Yup - that's a cobra. I guess they take the fangs out, 'cause that guy got bit like 5 times.



The other cool spot is Shipwrecks - named after the obvious tanker which ran a ground here and has created a cool break when the conditions are right. So to get to Shipwrecks requires a 45min boat ride followed by a cool hike to the beach - you wander through he jungle along this dirt path for 10mins - you pass through a couple villages before arriving at the beach. It really feels like you are searching for the most elusive surf spot ever. Here are some shots of the walk in...

So here you can see the old shipwreck - or what's left of it. I guess guys came and salvaged a lot of the steel from the ship so not too much left -but it is still kinda eerie to be paddling out next to that wreck! Note George is sitting away from the rubbish.

Here is my pal Francois at Shipwrecks - not too shabby, worth the hike!

Defn of Oxymoron

I laugh every time I see these:

I mean, COME ON! Obviously the person who wrote those had never been in Nigeria. I mean if Lagos is the "Centre of Excellence", I'd hate to see the "Centre of Chaos". Read a bit about the upcoming election and you'll fully appreciate the irony in "Centre of Unity" - You can't just fire the Vice-Pres because you don't like him can you?

Nigeria Travel Article

Check it out - I agree, Lagos is crazy and unpredictable - but it is exciting too!

http://travel.independent.co.uk/africa/article1442028.ece

Pacelli School For The Blind

Since Desi is back in Canada filling her belly with Thanksgiving turkey, I figured I should make a couple posts and show what we've been up to.

Since school is now back in session after the "summer" (it is always summer here) break, swimming lessons are back on at the Pacelli School. The school is run by a Catholic Sister and several teachers for 100+ students. The children all have severe sight challenges - but it is incredible to watch how easily they cope with in their school yard.

I went to the school with a lady I work with. She has been able to help raise $30,000 for the school over the past year through corporate donations. She heads out often and the children love her - they sang with her when she saw them again after being away for the break. As you can imagine, music is huge with these guys.

Anyway - here are some photos of us trying to get the kids to float on their backs and practice kicking in the water. As you can imagine, swimming is a crazy sensation for the kids... they lose their tactile senses, can't feel the ground etc so it can be very scary for many of them. Often after floating for a while, you have to guide their feet back to the bottom of the pool because they have lost reference while floating around.