Where's Mary? Welcome to my Web Log!

Stop in, meet my family and friends, and join me in my adventures around the world.

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eric: Nice journal, have a great week!

Christy Davidson: You're not going to stop the blog now that you're home are you? I bet it feels strange to be back home. Good luck figuring out what to do next.

Christy Davidson: I can't believe your time is almost over either! You've had a lot of fun and it has been neat to live vicariously through your journal. Enjoy your last couple of weeks!

Greg Wegler: Mary,I was looking at your fantastic website. It appears that you are having the time of your life. Your friends at Harbortown Rotary all envy and miss you. Stay safe and we look forward to your return to hear about your adventures. Good luck!Greg

Mary: Not many virus problems on a Mac, but not many programs, either! I'll check out Foxfire next time it rains!

tom besore: Maybe you should invest in a Macintosh?? Very few virus problems on that platform.Have you tried the Firefox browser yet? It is great.Another solution might be to read all your e-mail through www.mail2web.com. This would avoid downloading the e-mail to your computer, but would keep it on the server, letting you read and delete without getting viruses on your own machine.

Eileen: Hi Mary,I missed hearing from you today. Hope the peace walk was fun. Your pics are great and it's fun reading about all your adventures! Keep 'em coming!Love, Eileen

Tom Besore: Yeah! Photos at last. That bridge in Brasilia is cool. Is it for sale?Also love the street scenes with architecture. Just like home.

Tom Besore: Oh, I am so confused. What I meant to say was I think you are at GMT - 3, which is three ours ahead of our own GMT-6 here in Illinois.

Tom Besore: The link for the incorrect time zone calculation was http://www.brol.com/trv_cty02weather.asp?ID=18

Tom Besore: Mary, this link states that goiania is GMT -6, but other sites say GMT-3. Which is it? I think it's GMT-6 which is three hours ahead of our time now.Also, do you have broadband web access or just dialup? Would be fun to send you a webcam and try a videocall sometime over the internet.

Tom Besore: Okay, time to get a Brazil photo album going. Enough about laying by the pool and relaxing. How about getting up and taking some pictures of your surroundings???

khawer: mary! are you back?! enjoyed looking the pictures! welcome back!

Angela Nery: Mary, just today I had the opportunity to read your journal trip. I was delighted to read the news of your trip. I foresee I writer here. I think you could think about it. It took me just some minutes to read all your reports. It was a great experience. I know who will be my partner in my trips around the world in the next years. Beijos do BrasilAngela.

Seollee: Wow~ there are some great pictures from Japan!!I'm so happy. There are really cute ones of mine too! Thanx~♡ I love reading your journal too especially when it's my experience also. I miss you and Luv ya!!

Leonardo: Hey Mary! I am very glad to know and "see" how amazing your trip has been. I haven't had much time to write to you but as your time to go home get closer and closer, I can't even wait to meet you again and carefully listen to your brand new experiences. Once again I look forward to learn what you have to teach. More than ever. Miss you.

Ricky: I have enjoyed reading your adventures! The blog is a great way to keep in touch! Love, Ricky

Cindy: Mary, Don't deposit all of those dollars. We haven't had any donuts for some time now.PS It's encouraging to know that even the savy traveler can do an "Oops" now and then.

Cindy: Such great photos. And it is so much fun to live a little through your adventures. Sure wish I was with you instead of at my desk worrying about who is to follow in your footsteps. I am so happy that you are having such a wonderful time. Call us when you get back.

Kyle: Great Blog Mary!! We have been following along back here at the office, sounds like you are having a great time. We will make sure to forward on a appreciative thanks to Mike F., Keith N., and Rick V. on your behalf for allowing you this experience. We miss you already enjoy the rest of your travels.

Ricky: WOW!!!! You are having an AWESOME experience in Korea... I have enjoyed a lot reading all about your adventures, the pictures are SUPER GREAT! There are so many and I want to see them all tonight! HUGS to you, to Seollee and Seollee's family!

Christy: Neat photos! Can't wait for the journal! Why not post it here? You are more than welcome to create a journal at plastic-castle like mine, too. Just register and email Tom to be sure you get activated.

Ricky: Where are you? How are you doing? How is Korea? How is Seollee? Please write! I want to know how is your trip going... I want to see pictures also... I wish to be there... HAVE FUN MARY!

Ricardo Dominguez: Hello Mary! I love the idea to have an online journal, I will enjoy to read all your adventures around the world! Ricky

Tuesday, May 10th 2005

11:39 PM

My Last Few Days!

Maybe I'm down to my last week in Brazil, but after the last couple weekends, I'm seriously considering the possibility that I should just stay here! Angela, Edmo, and I stayed at Pousada Bambu inside a National Park called Chapada dos Veadeiros this weekend. NASA reports that this plateau is the most luminous point seen from earth's orbit. Other people have reported sightings of aliens and various mystical properties of the area. We arrived at the park headquarters at the EXACT MOMENT as the Rotary GSE team from Holland. We had spent a lot of time with them a couple weeks ago when they were in Goiania, but neither we nor they had any idea that each other would be there. It was a serendipitous introduction to our experiences inside the park.

We found that Chapada dos Veadeiros has amazing hiking trails, rock formations, flowers, waterfalls, and canyons. The lodging and the people we met were awesome! We hiked Trilha dos Saltos for about 7 miles on Saturday to a 400 foot high waterfall, a 260 foot waterfall, and a set of massaging rapids. The next day, we went to Salto do Raizama, Morada do Sol, and Vale da Lua. I took almost 500 photographs, and I have posted only a few on two pages of my photo album. I would highly recommend this area to anyone interested in ecotourism and natural beauty.

http://www.mdurward.com/chapada1.htm
http://www.mdurward.com/chapada2.htm

I have only three more days in Goiania. I miss everyone at home (especially Maggie), but in many ways, I can't imagine leaving here. Everyone is asking why I need to leave and when I'm coming back.

I'm going shopping tomorrow morning, having lunch with Leo, spending the afternoon with my friends Sebastao and his family (they will be meeting me in Chicago in June), and making dinner for some of my extended family here tomorrow night. Thursday will be my last salon day, more shopping, and my last Rotary meeting that night. I'm taking a bus to Sao Paulo on Friday night and meeting Lenora at the rodoviaria on Saturday morning. We'll take a taxi together to Dante's apartment, and the three of us will spend my last weekend together.

I'll arrive in Chicago on Tuesday morning, and I'll turn on my Duluth cell phone as soon as I clear Customs. I'm driving to Minneapolis that day in time for a class starting on Wednesday. I'm taking five Prosource classes in the next few weeks because it's the cheapest and fastest way possible to get my Minnesota Appraiser license. I'm thinking that's probably my best option at the moment for employment. If anyone reading this has any good suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them. I'm looking for interesting, challenging work in Duluth with plenty of flexibility. And no, being a local assessor is not going to be one of the options!

I'll be back in Duluth the night of Thursday, May 19. The hot tub will be open and I'd love company. I'm going to Salsa Night Friday night at the Blue Note Cafe in Canal Park.

For those of you in Duluth, take a look at the new AFS web site that I have been working on from Brasil. It's http://www.afsnorth.org. If you have enjoyed following my experiences, you could also have children from all over the world by opening your heart and your home to one of our new students.