True stories of our world-wide journeys interspersed with bits of my real life journey, retired now in Silicon Valley
Bula! A smiling man named Peter meets our car and extends his hand in greeting. “Bula,” we repeat as we introduce ourselves to this muscular guy in a bright turquoise blue and black shirt. A black sarong covers his thighs, similar to the brown ones worn by the male employees at the resort. We’re on … Continue reading Fiji Village Lunch
Fiji! The last few days of our trip "down under." Brother-in-law Bob heads for the money exchange desk at Nadi airport, and comes back with––a $7 bill? We laugh. "They have a seven-dollar bill in Fiji? Who knew?" A couple of days later, buying a $1 coconut trinket at a shop on Denarau Island, Bob … Continue reading Lucky Sevens
We're recently back from Australia, where a trip would not be complete without seeing the Sydney Opera House. From the outside, that is. This structure is perhaps the most photographed in the world, and justifiably so. It is beautiful. On the outside. We did our share of picturing––from viewpoints, from the bridge, from the ferry. … Continue reading Two Opera Houses
We fly from Ushuaia into Buenos Aires' domestic airport denoted as AEP (for Spanish Aeroparque). I love when we use this hectic little airport because it is right in the city, on the banks of the Rio De la Plata River, which looks like the ocean. The … Continue reading Buenos Aires Revisited
A few years ago, I wanted to see Antarctica and my husband wanted to see Patagonia, so we compromised and took a pre-trip to Bariloche on our way to Antarctica. We loved Antarctica and liked Bariloche very much. Our primary take-away: we want to see more of Patagonia. That's what prompted us to sign up … Continue reading Patagonia!
The Stella Australis is a small ship, built to withstand the turbulent waters near Cape Horn. We board in Punta Arenas. On our way to Cape Horn, we see glaciers and more glaciers. Along what is commonly called Glacier Alley, the Beagle Channel boasts a series named for European countries. As our ship passes each of … Continue reading Bahía Wulaia
We will walk on Cape Horn! Maybe. We won't know until 7:15 in the morning, which is the time we are to be in the lounge where we wait to board the zodiaks. The captain will decide if it is a go or not, based on general weather conditions and after the sailors measure the … Continue reading Cabo de Hornos
Ushuaia: the southern-most city in the world and a favorite place I was most happy to visit again. This little city impressed me the first time we stopped on our way to Antarctica; that time we flew in, and left on a small ship to Antarctica. The second visit impressed me even more; we arrived … Continue reading Revisit to Fin del Mundo: Ushuaia
I want to go back: Hida Furukawa. We spent only a few hours that charming little town, and this is how it happened. We're planning the Japan itinerary for March 2016 when I google “Gifu,” and see small mountain villages filled with thatched roof cottages, a major tourist attraction. What catches my eye, though, is … Continue reading Hida Furukawa
Day 8 in Japan is "Iya Valley Sightseeing by taxi" from the hotel Oboke Manneken Ryokan. We are on our own now, without friend and neighbor Kaori here to translate, so I rely on the detailed itinerary prepared by our state-side travel agent Noriko. My hand-written notes on the spreadsheet: "10:00 Guide, front of … Continue reading Iya Valley Visit
