On the Dracula Trail, Transylvania, Romania

Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Brasov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle" it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle. There is evidence, however, that Vlad Tepes actually did use the castle during his raids into Transylvania.

There was a friendly campsite in the village, called Vampire Camping where Tuah was called upon to tow out a bogged down camping car who also had a car on tow.

Tuah tows out a bogged down camping car, who was towing a car
Vampire Camping, Bran
9 July2008

Dracula's Castle, Bran
Romania
8 July 2008

Adrian looks at the spire from inside Dracula's Castle
8 July 2008

I wonder if Dracula's hiding behind this door?
Bran
8 July 2008

Chilling Out At The Ice Hotel in Summer, Kiruna, Sweden

Ok, we were there in the height of summer, so we missed out on the frosty reception, but we still managed to have a warm welcome and a tour of the big freezer next door, where the huge blocks of ice harvested from the River Torne are stored for the coming winter.Whatever it was, Ghani was determined that we should visit the site, and we were not disappointed.

The Ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up of snow, sculpted blocks of ice, and some steel framing. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of destination hotels. Their lobbies are often filled with ice sculptures, and food and beverages are specially chosen for the circumstances.
All of the ice hotels are reconstructed every year, and are dependent upon constant sub-freezing temperatures during construction and operation. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice, and are held together using a substance known as snice, which takes the place of mortar in a traditional brick-built hotel.

Existing each year between December and April, the Icehotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi, about 17 km from Kiruna, Sweden was the world's first ice hotel.

The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River - even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 10,000 tons of ice and 30,000 tons of snow. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world while the snow is used for building a strong structure for the building. About 1,000 tons of what is left is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.

Ghani drinks from and Ice Hotel ice glass
Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi near Kiruna
28 July 2008

Space like capes before we enter the storage freezer at the Ice Hotel
Jukkasjärvi near Kiruna
28 July 2008

Stari Most of Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina

Stari Most is a 16th century bridge in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on November 9, 1993 during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it, and the rebuilt bridge opened on July 23, 2004.

It is traditional for the young men of the town to leap from the bridge into the Neretva. As the Neretva is very cold, this is a very risky feat and only the most skilled and best trained divers will attempt it. The practice dates back to the time the bridge was built, but the first recorded instance of someone diving off the bridge is from 1664.

Adrian poses with some of the Bosnian divers on the
Old Bridge, Mostar, Bosnia

Stari Most

The Baptism Site also known as Bethany Beyond The Jordan

Since 1948, the River Jordan has been within a restricted Military Zone. Now with the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, civilians can visit.

The Baptism Site also known as Bethany Beyond The Jordan on the Jordanian East Bank is a world famous archeological site authenticated by the Vatican and historians alike.

Our visit to the Baptism Site, as with all, was in a group, with an official guide.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1556/

http://www.baptismsite.com/content/view/1/3/lang,english/

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Adrian on the River Jordan
Bethany Beyond Jordan
18 Dec 08

Adrian in the River Jordan
Bethany Beyond Jordan
18 Dec 08

Isreli flag flies on the other side
River Jordan
Bethany Beyond Jordan
18 Dec 08

Mosaic explaining the Baptism Site of Jesus
Bethany Beyond Jordan
18 Dec 08

Steps leading into the River Jordan
at the Baptism Site of Jesus
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
18 Dec 08

New church at the Baptism Site
Bethany Beyond Jordan

Under watch that we do not make contact with people on the Israeli side of the River Jordan
Bethany Beyond Jordan

Adrian's Field Trip Report : Dino's Alive at The National Science Centre

We visited the Dino's Alive Exhibition at the National Science Centre on 25 January 2011, with a few fellow homeschoolers. The exhibition has been running since 1 Dec 2010 and will go on till 31 May 2011, however some of the side attractions, such as the Dino Train and Fossil Digging were closed, with no reason given. Here's Adrian's account of the outing :


Dino's Alive
By Adrian Ghani

The dinos were not alive. They were robots. Everyone knows dinos are extinct. Some robots made sounds and moved. Some were big. Some were small.

There was also other stuff we could play with and touch. I liked the wall pictures that changed when I touched it. We made dino keychains. We coloured a plastic picture of a dinosaur. Then, it was put in the oven and it shrinked (Mum's note : he meant shrunk) and became hard. Then a chain was put in it and it became a key chain.

We played in the park. It was fun. We saw some fish. Cahaya's mum had food for tortise in her bag. My mum only had food for me.

Adrian's Field Trip Report : I am A Zookeeper

This is Adrian's own composition about his field trip to Zoo Negara on 18 January 2011, when he joined a group of other homeschoolers on the 'I am A Zookeeper' program, organised by homeschooling mum, Shannon Ng and guided by Edwina Lim, of the Zoo's Education Department.




I am A Zookeeper
By Adrian Ghani

We started with the chicken dance. Then, we took a ride in a tram.


I saw giraffe. The elephants were letting their ears dry up. (Mum's note :The elephants had just been given a bath and were flapping their ears) The lion did not roar. The hippos were in a small and deep pond.

My friends and I prepared food for the hyena. We put it in a goat we made with boxes. We put food for the spiky porcupines in bamboo.



Later, we watched the animal show. It was a good day.

Adrian : I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance

Lee Ann Womack