air travel - Curious Karibella

2024-03-212024-03-22

Yayyyy! We made it!

Wow! We made it to Switzerland!

After the most chaotic day of travel I have ever had in all my years of travel, I actually made it to my destination, which is pretty impressive to me! I will write more about that when I have more time, but for now, let me tell you about the Swiss airport and Swissair.

When we got onto the Swiss airplane, they welcomed us and celebrated with us that we actually made it and we went to go find our seats. When I sat down in my seat, I just sat there laughing, but almost half crying because I could hardly believe that we made it.

The service was very good and we got great food even in economy! Sleeping was not so good for me, but I made it through the night OK. When the plane started descending, they handed out Swiss chocolates which was quite the treat because it’s very hard to get European chocolate in America unless you go to special stores.

Going through customs in the Zurich airport was the smoothest customs ever! It took us about five minutes and we didn’t have to get our checked bags and re check them! We just showed them our passports and moved right through. It was very nice.

We stopped for a moment to catch a breath and find out whete to go. It turned out that we had time before our next flight so we wnet to get some chocolate.

I have very good memories of swiss chocolate from when I was little. When my mom did her masters program she did it out of Lausanne Switzerland, right on lake Geneva. We lived in Lausanne for about two months when mom had to do in person parts of her program. Me, my siblings, and my dad had many adventures in and around lake Geneva.

We bought two chocolate items. One was a bar of raspberry chocolate and the other was a box of real looking fruits that we thought were chocolate. We were most exited about the fruits but when I bit into a strawberry it was not chocolate. I thought it was cake but we google translated the ingredients and found out that it was mascarpone, which is sugar. It was…. Interesting. It tasted ( no joke) like play-dough! I think most kids know the taste of play-Doh. Honestly, it smells so good! When you’re like five years old and making little play-dough pizza it is really hard not to just try a little bit!

Now as I write I am sitting and waiting to go to the next gate. The next flight will be like 45 minutes. Stay tuned for more updates on my Europe trip!

P.s Here is a funny joke about switzerland.

Border Agent: What is your favorite thing about Switzerland?

Traveler: I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus! 🇨🇭

Wasabi Plant Moment

At lunch I had a plate with carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, green onions, and micro greens. The micro greens were the last on my plate and I usually eat them plane. I started munching on a little pile of them and about 3 seconds in…. Ahhhh I was so surprised!! These were no micro greens!! It was like wasabi in a plant!! I was not polite enough to finish eating them because they were the second most unpleasant plant that I have ever eaten.

My Lunch. The green stuff is the Wasabi Plant like thing. ( It’s not really a wasabi plant)

2023-12-212024-01-20

Quark Expeditions: Antarctica, Day 7

Thursday 21/12/2023

Location: Kind George Island, Antarctica to Punta Arenas, Chile, South America

Agenda: Going to Punta Arenas

Goodbye Antarctica

We woke up early to get out of our cabins so they could be cleaned. Today, a new group of passengers comes in on the plane that we leave on. The entire ship had to be perfectly clean for this new group while the old group is leaving! I ate breakfast and waited for the pink group to be called to the gangway. As I was waiting I went around the ship taking photos and videos of my favorite places. When pink group was called I went down to the mudroom and geared up for the last time. As me and my family waited to go down to a zodiac we said goodbye to all the guides that we knew who were in the mudroom. Ema helped me down to the zodiac which reminded me that she was also the person who helped me onboard the ship on the first day. The ride back to shore felt very long but also too short. I watched the ship get smaller and tried to freeze the moment.

On land, guides helped us get our lifejackets off and get into busses. We took busses up to the “airport waiting area.” It was just some container like buildings on stilts. It was impressive that there was a waiting area at all! I waited outside on the “porch.” When the planes flew in we had a first rate view of their landing! The busses went to collect the new Antarctic travelers. The funniest part was when they all drove past us looking out the windows in wonder. I waved at everyone and a lot of people waved back. I hoped that they were exited about their adventure. The funny thing about my first moments on Antarctica was that I didn’t know anything about what was going on. Like It was all just so new that it seemed funny. I just followed instructions staring around at all the beautiful things! These people were doing the same. Soon Busses took quark group 1 up to the first plane which was funnily enough painted to look like a gentoo penguin! Getting off the bus to the plane went Way too fast. I felt like as soon as I was on the plane I was cut off from Antarctica which felt so sad.

Back In The Real World

Antarctica felt like a wonderland. Punta Arenas felt so normal compared to the ice landscape. It almost felt weird. The landscape in Antarctica feels so natural because there is not human life but in Punta Arenas there are humans everywhere and buildings. I prefer barren nature places to cities because it feels like a little safe haven.

At the Airport in Punta Arenas we got our bags and boarded a bus that took us back to the hotel. For the rest of the day me and my siblings worked on sorting bags to prepare for our drive to Puerta Natales. It felt so weird to not be in Antarctica. We went to a fun dinner in town and tried to sleep before our next adventure.

Photos from today!

A great qout they played on the program the day we left

2023-11-062024-01-15

Nine Days Until Takeoff!!!

By the end of the year, I will have gone to all of the continents!

So today was the day that I packed up all my things and made my room “renter ready”. On Thursday, I go with my mom, dad, and older brother to the Spies Lies and Nukes Conference. Then, on the Wednesday after that, we go to New Zealand. (My little brother and older sister will join us after the conference) In New Zealand, we will stay in Auckland for a month, and then we fly to Chile. From Chile, we fly down to Antarctica, then helicopter onto a boat, then sail around Antarctica for 7 days. After Antarctica, we go back to Chile and to Easter Island and we spend Christmas there. After Christmas, we come back to Raleigh.

Every time we go on a big trip, it is like jumping into the deep end of a freezing pool. You just have to do it and get it over with. I am never totally sure what it is gonna be like in international countries, and I can do all the imagining I want, but it is always different. Every time, though, it makes good memories and broadens my perspective of the world. It’s nervous excitement that I get going to all the new places. But it is super fun and worth all the obstacles. I can’t wait for New Zealand, South America, and Antarctica! I will be posting about my travels, and I will be making a video for Antarctica, so look out for new posts!

2022-10-032023-10-01

My Last Day in South Africa

Starting Off with Signal Hill Paragliding

I woke up sad, not feeling ready to leave Africa. In addition to packing, we were all getting ready for paragliding. I was not going to participate in the activity because I was too scared, but I was happy for my siblings and parents to do it.

First, we drove to the top of Signal Hill. At the top, the wind wasn’t right for launching the paragliding, so we got some rooibos tea and waited. When the wind was good, I got in a car to be driven down to the bottom and my family got geared up to fly. I talked to the driver all the way down and when I got to the bottom, I arrive just in time to see mom land. The landings were so smooth! You just floated right to the ground and stood up.

In hindsight I wish I had done the paragliding now that I know that it is fun and safe to do. I just get timid sometimes about new experiences that sound scary, like running as fast as you can towards a cliff overlooking the city and jumping off of it (which is what you do to launch paragliding off Signal Hill). Sounds very safe, right? Next time though, I think I will be up for it.

Before Africa I did not really have a favorite place in the world. Before Africa I was sure that Africa would be the last place our family went and we would all be bitten by snakes. Just FYI we did not see a single snake besides the snakes in the museum. I have decided that Africa is my Favorite Place in the international world! The people are amazing, the food is great, the climate does not completely kill you and it is an amazing continent!

Heading Off the Gluten Path

After Paragliding we started walking back to the house we had rented, but then mom remembered that there was a gluten free bakery nearby called Off the Gluten Path. It was a little far to walk, so we got an Uber, but when we arrived at the place, it was just an apartment complex. We figured out that the location on Google Maps was outdated and the real bakery location was on the opposite side of Cape Town, about a 30 minute drive away. When we arrived, it was not an apartment complex – it was heaven! I kept asking “is that gonna be gluten free?” because I wasn’t used to things like croissants, French bread, donuts, cupcakes and cake being gluten free.

For lunch I shared some pizza with Zeb and Bardez. I also got a slice of the red velvet cake. Me and Bardez were allowed to get some little things for the plane ride later that day, so I got a carrot muffin and a croissant. When we had to go, we were all sad, but I really did have to pack, so I was kind of glad to go.

Leaving for the Cape Town Airport

After getting back to the house from our Gluten Free adventures, I finished packing my bags. We had a lot to try and stuff in to our bags, and several boxes of souvenirs we had collected along our journeys in Africa. Dad got the boxes taped up and then it was time for goodbyes and calling an Uber.

It was sad to say goodbye to my dad and older brother and sister, who were going to stay for another week in Africa, but I was also kind of excited to have a break from them and go on an adventure with just mom and Bardez. We were heading back and going all the way to my grandparents vineyard in Oregon to help with the grape harvest which had just started.

22 Hours of Flying: Cape Town to Newark, Newark to Portland

Once we got to the airport and checked our bags and boxes we headed through security and into the airport. My mom was able to take us in to the British Airways lounge even though we were flying on United Airlines back to the US. The lounge was very nice and it was a great place to have a break before the long flight. They even had macaroons, delicious brie cheese, and Appletizers. You might be asking, what is an “Appletizer”? Good question. In the US we would call it sparkling apple juice. It’s like Martinelli’s. But, these come in convenient cans and are extra tasty. I was sad to say goodbye to Africa and Appletizers.

When it was time we boarded the plane for our flight to America. We were flying United Airlines this time, not Delta. The plane was great, but the flight attendants were not very nice. They were downright mean, as if they hated that there were customers on the flight. I did not like that. If I am ever a flight attendant, I would like to be a nice one. Maybe they were just having a bad day, or maybe they should not be working on a 16 hour long flight if they can’t be polite to their customers. Hopefully United Airlines will figure out how to get its staff to be happier, like Delta Airlines staff usually are.

Finally, Arriving at Zenith Vineyard in Oregon

After flying for 16 hours from Cape Town to Newark and then 6 hours from Newark to Portland we finally arrived to Oregon! We got in our car and drive to Zenith Vineyard. My mom said we had to stay awake until 7pm so we would not jet lag too badly. I tried my best, and made it just barely to 7. Tomorrow, it’s harvest time!

2022-08-212022-09-09

Plane Ride through Africa

Yesterday, we left for Kenya! I was sad to go Thulani. It was my favorite place in South Africa.

The airport in Hoedspruit was super small, and you could take liquids through security! The plane was not too small, but it was not huge either. The aircraft from Hoedspruit to Johannesburg was not long. When we got to Johannesburg, the sun was setting. We had to go out and come back to security because we were switching airlines. We went through, and dad found us a place to eat dinner.

As we were walking to the dinner place, we passed a bookstore! An actual bookstore, full of books! Mom said we could go back there when we had ordered our food. The restaurant was huge and empty, except for the birds and the sushi. I got salmon and tuna nigiri. I later found out they were out of tuna, so I got rolls instead. I asked my siblings if they wanted to go back to the bookstore, and they said yes.

The bookstore was sadly not as good as we thought. There were all the nature books about cheetahs and things. There were kids’ books in the back, but only ones like, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and we were not going to spend money on those.

I didn’t get any books, and when I returned to the restaurant, the food had arrived. I ate my sushi very happily, the salmon was good but not as good as Seattle salmon and tuna.

After dinner, we worked on blogs and other things. When we got on the plane, it was a pretty good-sized plane. Me and Emmy (my sister) were in one row together with me on the aisle and Emmy on the window. A guy was in between us, and while we were in the air, I discovered a whole open row in the front of the economy cabin. Emmy and I moved up there, and we were much more comfortable.

The flight went late into the night, and I only slept in the last bit. The airport in Nairobi was crowded. We had to get our bags and then go through customs. The line to customs was short, but it took over an hour! Going into Mexico is way easier! When we finally got to the front of the line, we had to go through it individually. The airport was super hot! After we got through security, we had to have our bags scanned. After that, we finally got outside.

The outside was not boiling. Thankfully, it was the perfect temperature. We did not have a ride to our hotel, so we got one. But before we could leave, we had to get sim cards. This took about an hour. It was late at night, and we were all tired. We had to wait for the guy to install every sim card on each phone. It took so long. By the time we got in the car, it was 2 am. When we got to the hotel, nobody was there. Except for the security guard. We had to wait in the lobby for someone to check us in. It took us a while to get to bed.