http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/D-MJ---Binkley/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from D MJ Binkley en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:26:22 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:26:22 +0000 Throughout the world there are many common things that bind us together as part of the human race on this planet. One is that almost everywhere people answer the phone with hello no matter what language they speak. You can be on a plane sitting on the tarmac in India and the Burmese gent next to you takes a call and begins by saying hello. Another common aspect of everyday life is th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Santa-Rosa/blog-782078.html The return from a grand journey puts one in a reflective mood as there was so much to remember and cherish about each experience. 14 countries were visited on this global adventure.The anticipation of the event itself was exhilarating surpassed only by the actual travel itself. To sit and put pen to paper taxes the mind as thoughts skip randomly and sometimes are only loosely associated. F http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-774362.html Exploring Trinidad a stop over in Cammaguay and on to Santiago de CubaLeaving behind a vibrant city like Havana was sad and inevitable but nonetheless we picked up our little Kia rental car and made our way south and east. Driving in this island nation isnt challenging from automobile traffic standpoint but rather from keeping an eye on everything else like horse carts hitchhikers pot ho http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Centro/Trinidad/blog-769296.html There are so many wonderful things to share with you about Cuba. The revolutions life in everyday Cuba and the reminders of the Soviet Union all make up what is the Cuba of today. This island nation of some 11 million people has taken a unique path to arrive where there are today yet they still hold many traditions that make them very special and unlike any other nation.ltstrong stylemsobid http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Oeste/La-Habana/blog-767259.html Whats new in Havana Not much actually. Imagine taking a trip back in time.where the time on a clock actually is not a major factor but living life to its fullest takes on an importance all its own. You look at the buildings and the vehicles on the streets and come to the conclusion that time has almost stood stilland for the most part it has. Welcome to Havana Cuba. When you get off th http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Oeste/La-Habana/blog-766556.html Sheer genius. Thats what it was. Merry Jo came up with the idea far in advance and now we were reaping the benefits. Such foresight and wisdom. Factor in the notion that the trip would be ending right before the Christmas holiday and it takes on an even bigger significance. Anyone who has traveled an extended period of time remembers that reentry into their homeland usually involves a sudd http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Oahu/blog-762319.html ltstrong stylemsobidifontweight normalgt Lurking just on the precipice of being a total slug is where we find ourselves at this point in the fivemonth journey weve undertaken. One minute you are taking a sevenkilometer hike up to see a glacier in Greenland totally amped up because the scenery is beyond breathtaking and the next you are next to a rather large pool in a resort in http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/Puerto-Princesa/blog-761262.html After five wonderful days on the Island of Malapascua it was time to carry on the journey to a new locale. Continuing our pursuit of rest relaxation and the ultimate tan we headed to Bohol and the Peacock Garden Resort. Yes our plan required that we stay the course and not overextend ourselves in order to achieve our goal of total relaxation and enjoy a bit of opulence. Gritty stuff but we ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Bohol/Tagbilaran/blog-759127.html We have been on the road exploring the world since August and quite frankly we are tired. Mentally and sometimes physically we have extended ourselves for days on end rarely staying in one spot longer than two or three nights. We did stay in Berlin six nights and truly enjoyed it. We do not seek sympathy but only to provide a state of being as we begin the next segment of our adventure. It has http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Malapascua-Island/blog-758952.html We feel incredibly fortunate in that while in Manila we were welltaken care of by our friend Lili who not only has been a resident of Manila for decades but is also a wellknown contributor to TravelBlog. She immediately disproved what at least one blogger had written about this fine city. It would be easy to dismiss Manila as a place worthy of interest if you read and believe all the blogs an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Manila/blog-758677.html Burma has really captured our attention. Weve spent 16 nights and 17 days exploring and feel like we have seen a good bit of the country. We are told it has grown leaps and bounds politically with the country starting to move away from 50 years of strict military rule. This may be reflected in the recent visit by President Obama and earlier in the year by Hillary Clinton sure signs that thing http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-756687.html Each country that you visit seems to have at least one incredibly beautiful place that will stick in your mind for a long long time. Youll find yourself in some boring meeting at work or perhaps just driving along the highway and your mind will wander to an experience that is engrained in your memory. Burma has many of these but it was Inle Lake that really captured our interest. After the am http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Inle-Lake/blog-756336.html This latest entry requires that we first set the scene for you. It is October of 2007 and we are standing in our hotel room in Kuala Lumpur with backpacks all but ready to head downstairs to jump into a cab to take us to the airport. For the past few days there had been unrest and rumblings in Myanmar. Rising petrol prices and general unrest was afoot. The night before on the television we see sma http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Yangon-Region/blog-755544.html Weve enjoyed our short stay in India. One of the advantages of traveling for an extended period of time is that you may find yourself wanting to change some of the plans you have made for one reason for another and discover that this is something you can do without remorse. Youve got the time and the initiative so you just make it happen. Case in point we arrived in Kathmandu over a month http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-752941.html Passing thoughts on two weeks in Shangril La At some point your mind sends you the message that the repository is full. Its not unlike a memory chip where youve maxed out the storage space. Our minds are saturated with knowledge and stories concerning Buddhism Buddha the second Buddha The Tibeten Master the Tantric Master the Crazy monk and various other deities. Turns out they ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Bhutan/Paro/blog-752279.html As you fly into Bhutan you are quickly reminded that this is a country of mountains. Most of the towns are built in the valleys between the mountains but a few villages are perched high up in the clouds. This country is green and lush due to the many evergreen trees along with a smattering of deciduous trees that are now currently turning soft fall colors. It is such a treat. Not that much snow fa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Bhutan/Bumthang/blog-751771.html ShangriLa has become synomous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia a permanently happy land islolated from the outside world. Bhutan seems to fit this definition.Happiness is the Kingdom of Bhutan Bhutan has a philosophy they call Gross National Happiness. They define this by creating a world of wellbeing and happiness. This means they live life in balance. S http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-750879.html ltstrong stylemsobidifontweight normalgtltstrong stylemsobidifontweight normalgtA note from both of us Just a reminder that this blog is full of personal opinions and impressions and in no way meant to offend anyone but to share our honest feelings. We are of the impression that almost every reader of TravelBlog does not want any wind blown up their skirt and wants to kno http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/blog-749587.html It doesnt always turn out the way you plan it. Sometimes you learn to just roll with it despite the obstacles you face. Our time in Pokhara turned out to be a bit different than expected. Okay maybe more so. We left the mountains of Tanzen and headed towards the more mountainous enclave of Pokhara. At this point it would be great to regale you with some fabulous tale but the short of it is t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-749250.html We managed to get out of Kathmandu finally more on that in later blog a week ago and have since traveled among the farmlands countryside and jungles of Nepal. Today we drove up into the mountains and are enjoying the slightly cooler weather. The intent of this blog is to begin to tell you about some of the things we have seen on our drive and the observations weve made and the impressions we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Tanzen/blog-748408.html