From Flagstaff to Salome, AZ

Aloha Everyone,

After 3 wonderful days away from the summer heat of the Arizona desert, J.J. and I reluctantly left one of our favorite KOA Campground.

In spite of the cool 43 degrees morning temperature, there must have been at least 20 screaming children on the inflated jumping pillow with only a couple of adults supervising.

KOA Kamp Kitchen, a popular gathering place for breakfast, was noticeably quiet with only a handful of adults enjoying their pancakes and coffee.

J.J. and I left by 10:45 am to be on time for our 11:00 am appointment at Supercuts on Route 66 in Flagstaff. After a non-impressive lunch at a Chinese restaurant in downtown, we were on the road. J.J. decided to take the 303 South Bypass to avoid the afternoon traffic in Phoenix. By the time we found ourselves on a lonely Salome Road, we entertained ourselves by discussing how much land is necessary to sustain open range cattle and where they might find water sources. I was busy scanning the horizon hopping to spot a malnourished cow for our blog, but all we saw was warning signs every half mile interval to watch for cattle.

KOA Salome is at an isolated location. But one night stay here will get us closer to Torrance. Tomorrow we will be back at my Mother’s house.

Aloha -- Cathi

Girl Scouts Troop Teaching Senior Citizens About Smartphones

Aloha Everyone,

What a useful and relevant community outreach project! Girl Scout Troop 60013 from Arlington, Virginia came up with the idea of setting up a walk-in free clinic to assist senior citizens learn how to use their cellphones. 8th grader girl scouts thought of this ides based on their own personal interactions with their grandparents.

J.J. and I have adequate command of computer, iPhone and iPad usages. But the two of us readily admit our children and our granddaughter know far more than we do. Therefore, I tap into their knowledge whenever we are together. Our granddaughter grew up with mobile phone technology.  Her ease of using iPhone to access information, using iPad as part of her English class reading assignments and doing research for other classes assignments are taken as a norm. She even finds free sheet music online.

Many people who live in smaller communities will not be able to go to the Apple Store to take classes. Some seniors are even intimidated to ask questions to fast talking young techies. “TechBridge,” started by Girl Scout Troop 60013 may someday become a nation-wide volunteer program to help senior citizens learn how to use their cellphones.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/06/05/health/iyw-girl-scouts-smartphone-clinic-seniors-trnd/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&rm=1

Aloha -- Cathi

Over Tourism

Aloha Everyone,

We have recently seen videos of overcrowded mountain paths full of hikers ascending Mount Everest. Tragedies of cruise ship crashing in Budapest and Venice are painful reminder that how much is enough to keep up with the demand of world tourism. Ultimately, is it greed that propels tourism?

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, in 2018, tourism and travel spending grew 3.9 percent. That number surpassed the global economic growth of 3.2 percent and accounted for 19.4 percent of global economic activity.

Contributing factors of growing number of tourists include cheap airfares, building of more hotels, and new disposable income among rising middle classes. China is one of the big contributors to the current growth. For example, in 2018, a total of 149.72 million outbound trips were made by Chinese tourists. The number is up 14.7 percent from the previous year. This data is from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Countries are placing rules and regulations to control over tourism.

In the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhután, visitors are required to make reservations with a government accredited travel agency. A daily payment of US$250 a night covers basic accommodation, a local guide, food and transportation. No visa can be issued until the full payment is made in advance.

Last year, the island of Boracay in the Philippines was closed to tourists fox six months to clean up the damage caused by tourism. The 6-months closure cost the island US$1 billion in lost revenue. As of the December 2018 reopening, the island of Boracay is limiting the daily number of tourists arrivals to 6,400 a day. J.J. and I have taken our boys when they were still small. The only way to access the island then was either by banca (outrigger) or in our case we hired a veteran French bush pilot and his private plane. It was truly a pristinely beautiful island paradise, an adventure we will never forget.

The two of us are passionate about travel. We also try to be travelers rather than tourists. We visit countries and it’s cities and towns during off season months. J.J. and I study the language, history and culture so not only do we obtain new knowledge and understanding but hopefully, our brief encounters will also provide locals the opportunity to gain new insights.

Aloha -- Cathi

Cool and Green Flagstaff

Aloha Everyone,

With no traffic on I-17 from Ricky’s home to Flagstaff, it took us only 2 hours driving time. Compared to Phoenix’s elevation of 1,086 ft, Flagstaff at 6,909 ft elevation offers much cooler summer days. Just last month, KOA Flagstaff campground even had snow on the ground.

This week’s low temperature of 35 and high of 76 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal walking weather. Fresh scents of pine trees are very welcoming.

Delighted in occasional sightings of flowers, I was motivated to do more than my daily walking. However, I had to be mindful of the change in elevation and the uneven inclined walking paths. I also wanted to avoid altitude sickness. A sudden and unexpected shower ended my walk.

Aloha -- Cathi

Lumpia

Aloha Everyone,

Lumpia or spring roll, traces its origin to China. It is one of the popular dishes in the Philippines. Served either as a snack or a main course, its basic ingredients include a thin crepe skin and fillings of vegetables or vegetables mixed with mince meat or shrimp. Lumpia maybe as thin as your finger or as thick as a burrito grande. Served either fresh or fried piping hot, lumpia is ubiquitous whenever there is a Filipino family gathering.

In my opinion, I have now tasted the best vegetarian lumpia at Halo Halo Kitchen (3553 W Dunlap Ave, Phoenix). The savory fresh spring roll with peanut sauce was absolutely delicious. This dish is served on Sundays and the cook prepares it only after you place the order. I told Ricky and Farah that this dish is definitely worth a return visit to the restaurant.

Farah helped enhance my salad by adding mango slices. Her homemade dessert of Bibingka (rice cake) was delicious and flavorful. With her permission, I will share Farah’s recipe once I try making it myself. In the meantime, please enjoy the photo.

Aloha -- Cathi