http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Lauralee/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Lauralee en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:27:14 +0000 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:27:14 +0000 I was immediately curious when my friend Ariela wanted to take me to a new Manhattan park she described as cool and trendy. I had never heard of the High Line Park before and it actually opened only a few weeks earlier. I was immediately envious of people who worked in the Chelsea area who were able to take advantage of the food shops and bakeries at Chelsea Market and enjoy their lunches outsi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-York/New-York/Manhattan/blog-415114.html I wasn't initially impressed by the island. This may have had something to do with the fact that it was pouring rain after our time in Halong Bay. With nothing to do in the morning when our hike got cancelled we spent time drinking Vietnamese iced coffees eating lychees and deflecting crude pickup lines from selfpurported Vietnamese playboys. Thankfully the weather cleared up and I got to spe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Cat-Ba-Island/blog-415129.html Most of you including myself would be surprised that I ended up back in China since my last visit didn't leave me with a burning desire to go back it may have had to do with the 40 degree heat and the all city tours. I wanted remote China and this trip through Guangxi southern China gave me just that. No other foreigners in sight for days and it was delightful to be able to stare blankly http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guangxi/Chengyang/blog-411817.html Here in Yangshuo one of the tourist highlights is renting a bicycle and checking out the countryside and karst limestone formations in a leisurely fashion. My first and last real attempt at riding a bike 6 years ago at a festival in the Nevada dessert. It was either learn how to cycle or walk in the sweltering heat across the miles of playa. Flash forward 1 month ago in Copenhagen. It was http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guangxi/Yangshuo/blog-412405.html Any money earmarked for museums and tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh went to eating instead. Not out of any sense of traveller poverty but because I could eat and eat well. I delighted in eating breakfast second breakfast lunch midafternoon snacking and dinner. There is a wide variety of food choices ranging from the plastic chair street food stalls frenchinfluenced bakeries and wes http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-400612.html Aside my neverending complaints under my breath about the heat I had a really good time in Cambodia. It was a brief visit hitting up the highlights in Angkor Wat and in Phnom Penh before taking a speedboat to Chau Doc in Vietnam. Life was a bit more laid back in Siem Reap as it was a smaller urban centre and also low season for travellers so taking tuktuks was a pleasure comparatively to Ba http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-406887.html Having fallen for the the so sorry temple closed... you will like nice gem shop Bangkok delight last time around I was determined not to believe any person that came up to me on the street. This would seem obvious but your guard is lowered when everyone around you is friendly and appears genuine or helpful the intense heat profuse amount of sweating. As a result I got a nice farmer's ta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-404502.html Note This blog is a little late but its better than never... especially when it has to do with foodI'm not sure how food became such a big part of my travels... but food was definitely a focus on the Arizona trip with Keely and I sometimes having first and second dinners depending on the number of eateries we wanted to hit up on any given day. I'm not a restaurant reviewer but here's a list http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/blog-375473.html It was like the prodigal son had come home when the Ms Eurodam sailed into Rotterdam. Although the headquarters of Holland America are now in Seattle there is still a strong tie with Rotterdam and the cruise. The cruise terminal we docked at was located on Holland America AvenueStreet and the old headquarters of the company were located nearby now turned into an upscale hotel. As we saile http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/South-Holland/Rotterdam/blog-400581.html I admit that I've turned into a neurotic eater and the potato has fallen victim to this. A summer of eating nothing but bland boiled potatoes has turned me away from this starch... with the exception of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are something of an elusive craved dish as they have never been made at home... not even when growing up. They're just not a Chinese thing to make. Friends are http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Kerry/Killarney/blog-400333.html It was a really cloudy day for our stop in Bilbao but the day was still enjoyable nonetheless. We didn't have a chance to stop but passed the Guggenheim museum along the way to the Casco Viejo old town area. I felt like one of those ridiculous tourists who becomes trigger happy pointing and clicking at anything that comes along my way. We wandered through old town and sadly I didnt' really l http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Basque-Country/Bilbao/blog-398620.html I was ecstatic that Portugal was the warmest place of all our port stops. Unfortunately our time at these places was brief so the blog is mostly about the pictures and not so much on profound experiences I've had with this country. Sao Miguel Azores The island of Sao Miguel was our first port stop and break from crossing the Atlantic. Ponta Delgada was a cute town with black and white mosaic c http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Azores/blog-398603.html Many would probably shake their heads at me hellip first the Mexican allinclusives then the Vegas tripshellip and now cruising. I was initially skeptical and would sneer at those who chose these travel options. Its still true that I donrsquot believe that you have ldquoseenrdquo Europe by cruising alone but itrsquos a great way to have a tastes of Europe and determine what yoursqu http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Fort--Lauderdale/blog-398597.html Spokane seems like an odd road trip destination from Calgary but the taxfree shopping for out of state residents restaurant variety charming historic Downtown core Washington Wineries has its appeal. We didn't get a lot of studying done this past weekend but Keely got some real life experience for her upcoming Criminal Procedure exam when her car trunk was opened and searched without conse http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Spokane/blog-387515.html Tubac The area was originally an Indigenous settlement that was later overtaken by the Spaniards. Nowadays its a charming area with an artist colony featuring paintings sculptures pottery and other delights. I found a great local pottery shop and met the potter herself who was proudly emphasized that all of her wares were still made in the U.S. Keely also found a great colorful desert sce http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Sonora/Alamos/blog-374753.html The weather let up for a few days in Phoenix while we were there allowing us to take advantage of miniskirts and possibly the only clean laundry we had left in our luggage. The sight of two females in their 20s was an unusual sight at touristy attractions frequented only at this time by families or retired seniors. We got some shifty looks and most probably wondered why we weren't contribut http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Phoenix/blog-375468.html There was certainly a wild west theme with our visits on this trip and we were trying to figure out ways to incorporate Giddyup into normal conversation similar to the meow scene in Super Troopers. Old Tucson Studios TucsonWild West theme park and working movie set. Having not watched any western movies the only movies I recognized that were filmed at Old Tucson Studios are 310 to Yuma http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Kartchner-Caverns/blog-374744.html Most people why I would start the trip in Palm Springs since I didn't golf nor was I retired. We made the best of it crashing hotel pools outlet shopping and eating at dives and delis. Dives DelisSometimes the best food comes from the most unlikely of places. The Crazy Coyote Taco stand was located near the turn off for the Cabazon Outlet Mall. I initially made fun of it since they had l http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Palm-Springs/blog-374748.html Santiago de Cuba was a 3 12 hour drive from Guardalavaca but well worth the long trip. The city is rich in history and colorful architecture. What the city lacked was product advertising. Surprisingly I found it refreshing not to be bombarded with product adverts or CokePepsiFritoLays advertisements in the smallest rural of tienda stores or gas stations. Instead your eyes were drawn t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Este/Santiago-de-Cuba/blog-359411.html People always says that a visit to Cuba is similar to being transported back to another time period. This was most definitely true shortly after leaving the airport. As we made the one hour drive to our hotel it was perfectly normal and common to see horse drawn buggies individuals on horseback and many people waiting on the side of the road to hitchhike. Little did I know until this exper http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Este/Holgu-n/blog-359402.html