Medflies FAQ

Head of our FAQ Desk

Dana and I were talking the other night about questions people might ask us when we got home.  It occurred to us that we could answer many of them for you now. So here are our answers to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about our trip.

Which country did you like best?

We liked all of the places we visited but each stood out for different reasons. We loved the warmth of the Sicilian people, the fantastic open-air markets with 10 different kinds of tomatoes from specific country towns and being surrounded by the history of the Romans and the Greeks.  We  loved South Africa for its natural beauty and incredible flora and we loved hiking through all of it. We loved Adelaide for the people we made friends with and for the vibrancy of this wonderful (undiscovered) small city. And we loved Valparaiso for its rhythms and its art and its corazon (heart.)

What country would you go back to?

All of them. To Italy for the food, people and quiet of the countryside. To South Africa for the majestic scenery and to Cape Town to find out what the weather is like other seasons of the year. To Australia to see other parts of it. To Valparaiso to see the rest of Chile.

Where would you live if you could?

Sicily.

Where was your favorite cuisine?

The food in Sicily is divine. The fresh tomatoes, cheeses, marinated olives, eggplant, cookies, coffee and seafood were delish.  Breakfasts in South Africa were uncommonly good, plentiful and cheap.

What was your favorite meal and where?

Eating the thinest crust pizza made with the freshest of ingredients with Giglioa and Donatella in the late evening on a beautiful patio watching the sunset over Siracusa.

How did you find the places that you lived?

On the Internet through TripAdvisor and HomeAway mostly.  It took a lot of digging to come up with the best choices. We started planning eighteen months in advance and rented our apartments one year before we left on the trip.

What do you think is the most important factor in choosing a place to stay?

The owner by far.  The best are those people who love other people and the place that they live.  They are gracious hosts who expand your thinking and your experiences of the place you are getting to know.  Secondarily, a stable net connection. And finally, a washing machine.

What was it like for the two of you living in one bedroom apartments for a year?

We became much better friends. We learned that we really function well in small spaces with the contents of two small carry-ons. We’re having a big yard sale when we get home.

Did you rent a car or did you just use public transportation?

We took public transportation; buses, electric buses, collectivos, trains, boats and taxis whenever we could. We rented cars in each of our locations. In Italy we had a Smart Car, in South Africa a 1984 Mercedes Benz, in Adelaide a gray car and in Valparaiso (2 weeks only) a dark gray car.

What was the weather like?

A Mediterranean climate means warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. It is our favorite climate. Even the winter in South Africa was temperate and beautiful though the rainiest of the four locations. Our best weather was Spring in Sicily.

Since you were on a coast every place you stayed, did you swim in the ocean?

No. But we went to the beach and watched people swim. Does that count?

Did you miss home?

We missed our dog Trolley a lot and wished he could have come with us. We missed our friends and family and we missed the natural beauty, quiet and dark starry skies of New Mexico.

What does your blog title Medflies mean?

We are Mediterranean Fliers i.e. Medflies.

What did you do when you weren’t sightseeing?

We read books, we grocery shopped, we photographed where we were, we grocery shopped, we wrote the blog, we grocery shopped, we talked to people, we talked endlessly to each other and we grocery shopped.

What technology did you take, which worked and which didn’t?

We took an International Smart Phone (marginal as a phone and great for access to the Internet, also great as a camera.) We took a tablet to blog (didn’t work) ended up using it as a book and email reader.  We bought a Kindle e-reader the day we left (used it all the time.) We bought a laptop in South Africa (used it all the time.) We bought country-specific, throw-away phones (always worked.) We bought a camera because transferring the photos from the phone to the computer was a big hassle. We bought the new camera in South Africa and it takes great pictures. Travel power-adaptors were easy to buy in every country.

Did you have any trouble communicating?

Not really. Two or three times there was some detail in Spanish or Italian like getting our charge card number taken off a cell phone, mailing a package and not always being sure of what we ordered for a meal but we like everything so it didn’t matter.

What was your biggest travel snafu?

Flying from Dubai to Sydney a day late because of an airline delay and finding they were having a big deal soccer game in Sydney so there were no rooms. We spent all night in a MacDonald’s talking to an Orthodox Jewish man on his way to get married in Israel.

Why did you choose to only stay in four locations and not travel more in the countries you visited?

Dana and I are not big fans of being rushed. We like to take our time absorbing new things. Rather than see many places and spend a lot of time traveling between them with all of the attendant travel connection worries, we chose to stay in one place and travel out for day trips.  We call this infinitesimal travel as we spent three months in each location getting to know people and the culture. We love traveling this way. Next time we may take two months in each place for a six months adventure.

Would you do it again?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Do you have any questions we didn’t answer? Just send them in and we will.

New Questions…

From Ursula: Please explain the dead pig head if that is even possible!

You’re right. It’s a mystery. Blanche (our FAQ checker) says she doesn’t want her full name out on the net as she might get spammed (pardon the pun.)

From Dede: Will Dana be starting a new career in photography upon your return?

I think he should but he is not so sure. He says he needs something to inspire him. Another adventure?