P2P Day 5: In Search of the Loch Ness Monster (and Other Things in Scotland)

Ohmigod! Is that her? Is that Nessie?

Today was the day they went looking for Nessie.
This is not a hard thing for a Santa Cruz girl to do.

We are always hippie and dippie and we trust in lots of things like the Universe, legalizing pot and respecting all sorts of lifestyles. Why looking for the Loch Ness Monster is just another day in paradise.

The kids stayed at the Youth Hostel in Inverness for another night and so I went on Google maps to get the lay of the land.

Lock Ness is just a jaunt down the road a bit and as I zoomed out, I noticed a rather interesting thing - clearly something most Californians would notice, or geologists - Loch Ness is sitting on a fault line (the red dot is the loch).

Sure looks like the San Andreas fault to me!

In fact, it sits on the Great Glen Fault, which is a strike-slip fault dividing the north and south of Scotland. Loch Ness is also near the Cairngorms National Park which is where you'll find Balmoral Castle (the place Queen Victoria described as her "dear paradise in the Highlands"). But the kids won't get to see that. They will be heading the other direction tomorrow - south to Glasgow on their way to Ireland.

The day included some other great things as well! I can't wait to hear stories about Scottish farming, sheepdogs, sheep shearing and the Highland Games!

They are still cut off from the Internet - I can't imagine the pain they must be in, poor sweeties.

From the People to People Itinerary

This morning we go hunting for Nessie! The worldwide fame of Loch Ness owes more to the legend of its famous occupant, the Loch Ness Monster - or 'Nessie' - than the breathtaking location of the loch itself. You will learn about the research undertaken in the past by explorers seeking the monster.

Spend the afternoon with a visit a traditional Scottish farm and learn about the training for sheepdogs as you observe them performing under full control of their handler in the beautiful surroundings of the Scottish highlands. 

As part of the sheepdog demonstrations, you will also get to see first-hand sheep shearing (watch because you can't understand a word he says), try bottle-feeding orphan lambs and watch the collie dog pups herd ducks (watch) instead of sheep as part of their training.

Take part in Highland Games with a Highland Chieftain and a prize for the winning team! You'll also be visiting a working farm, a traditional sweet shop and encountering life in a 1700s Highland township at the Highland Folk Museum (and look at these images, I couldn't decide on just one!)

Loch Ness

Day 2: Long Flight But They Finally Arrive In Auckland, New Zealand

Getting her upbeat text last night helped me zonk out knowing she'd board the flight to Australia at midnight and hopefully sleep.

They are touching down as I write this. It's 12:50pm our time and nearly 6am, Friday, their time. If they slept, they should be in very good shape!

I got the text below while I was sleeping. The part I love most is the photo showing the top of someone's head! She absolutely sounds more excited.


After they change planes in Brisbane (to say it, keep your teeth together and say the last syllable as "bin"), they hop on a flight over the New Zealand arriving at 2:45pm their time. It looks like a three hour layover in Australia and then a nearly three hour flight to NZ. I hope they get something "Australian" to eat while they are bopping around waiting.

When they arrive in Auckland, they head off to do the Hobbitron Movie Tour, checking out the movie sets from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. That sounds awesome - Sheldon, Leonard and the guys would be SO jealous! They end the day with their first "home stay" which will be on a farm called Matamata. The whole thing looks pretty darn fantastic.

From the People to People Itinerary:

Welcome to Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Auckland is known for its unique blend of harbor, islands, Polynesian culture, and modern city environment.

• Greet your Kiwi Delegation Manager upon arrival at Auckland International Airport.
• Witness Auckland's amazing suburbs, which sprawl generously over a narrow isthmus between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea.
• Travel south through the beautiful farmlands of Waikato to Rotorua.
• Explore the Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film sagas in a fascinating guided tour.
• Discover your inner hobbit acting out a scene from The Hobbit trilogy.
• Meet your farm stay family and experience a true taste of the rural community in “Middle Earth country”.