Macjava
Richard McIntire Joined: June 22nd 2006
Logged in: December 5th 2011
Logged in: December 5th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
The train to Narita
We were returning to California on Japan Airlines and our connection was in Japan. Because of the scheduling, we found ourselves with a 10 hour layover in Narita. Rather than spending all that time at the airport with nothing to do, we decided to see if we could pick up a one day tour of the area. We checked at the information desk and found no short tours available. Speaking only English, we were a little nervous about leaving the airport without a guide but decided to give it a try. We hit the ATM and got some Yen, managed to get tickets and proceeded to the train platform. There were a few signs that had enough English for us to get on the right train, we proceeded to board and find a seat as ... read more
The Northern Territory
Again with Bransby and Jessica we left Singapore on a late flight and arrived in Darwin after midnight. We caught a cab to our hotel on the Esplanade, checked in and right to bed. In our original plan, we were going to rent a car and do our touring on our own. At the last minute we decided it might be better to join a commercial tour to see Kakadu Park. As I will explain later, it turned out to be an excellent idea. Even though we went to bed late, we were up at an early hour to meet out tour guide at 6:00AM. It is about a 3 hour drive from Darwin to Kakadu so a good time to catch up on a little sleep. Shortly after a stop at the Bark Hut Tourist ... read more
Komaneka
After a day in Singapore to do laundry and relax, we left for our next side trip with Jessica and her husband Bransby to the beautiful Island of Bali. We had a late flight and arrived in Denpasar quite late. We were met by our driver, gathered our luggage and headed for our hotel upcountry toward Ubud. After about a 40 minute drive, we arrived at our destination, the resort hotel Komaneka at Tanggayuda. We signed in and were led through the garden to our villas. With the darkness, we could not see much but upon entering our room we were very impressed. What we saw is what you would expect to see in a romantic movie showing a honeymoon suite. Mosquito netting hanging over a bed with a red and white heart made of flower ... read more
Grand Palace
Our first side trip from Singapore was to visit Bangkok. We were met at the airport by our driver Mr. Boonya and our first stop was at the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace covers an area of about 60 acres. The palace compound can be divided into three sections: the Outer Palace, the Middle Palace, and the Inner Palace. The Outer Palace includes the Royal Temple (Wat Phra Kaeo) and some administrative offices. Wat Phra Kaeo has no resident monks but it is one of the richest artistic sites in Thailand. It houses the Emerald Buddha -- a Buddha carved in jade. The Inner Palace, built in a Western style in 1903, serves as the home of the current king. The nearby Borom Phiman Mansion is a Royal Guest House. We were not able to tour ... read more
Garden flowers
Our Granddaughter and her husband had been living in Singapore for almost two years and we decided it would be nice to visit with them as our vacation trip for 2007. We were a little slow in making our decision and by the time we got our new passports and reservations, we had to schedule our trip for March 2008. Leaving from San Francisco, we arrived in Singapore via Hong Kong around midnight. A driver was waiting for us and we were taken from the airport to our Granddaughter's home. After hugs and kisses, meeting their dog Boomer (a labradoodle) we finally fell into bed around 2:00AM. At breakfast the next morning we started to make our plans, where to go and what to see. We decided to make Singapore our base and take side trips ... read more
The line waiting at the Vatican
We arrive in Civitavecchia and the end of our cruise. From here we go to Rome for a couple of days before heading home to California. The cruise line assigns disembarking time based on a variety of things. Making early flights takes priority and it goes on from there. We had signed up with Princess for a tour of Rome so we were assigned a fairly early time. Our bags were picked up around midnight the night before docking and we are informed that they will be placed on a truck for delivery to our hotel in Rome. We did not expect this and it is quite nice not to have to worry about collecting the luggage and moving it to the bus. After a short delay, our bus is loaded and we left the dock ... read more
The city of Pisa
Driving toward our destination, we could see the city in the distance with the top of the tower rising above. Due to congestion in the city, tour buses must park outside the city in a parking lot and the passengers then walk. When we pulled in, there were more than 15 buses already parked with others coming behind us. The walk to the tower city is about one mile winding through city streets. I am not sure just what I expected the Tower of Pisa to be but it was not what I expected. Other than the crowd, the first thing visible was the Baptistery and the Cathedral framed in a beautiful green lawn. We could see the Tower in the distance beyond the Cathedral. At our first clear view of the Tower, I experienced a ... read more
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (El Duomo)
The ship docked at Livorno but our tour for today is a trip to Florence. As we headed east toward the hills of Tuscany, the countryside along our drive was covered with many farms growing nursery stock. We could see rows and rows of shrubs formed into different shapes. Then there would be rows and rows of trees of different heights in containers. It was quite a different sight. Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno River and has a population of around 400,000 people, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000 persons. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore known as The Duomo because ... read more
The Golden Princess at anchor
Today we anchored at Cannes and had to take a tender into the dock. Called “Cane Harbor” by the Romans because of the abundance of reeds in the nearby marshes Cannes today is the center of the French Riviera. We did a tour to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Although less than a square mile in size, Monaco is a sovereign state. In 1308, Genoa sold this tiny principality to the Grimaldi family, which still rules it. We went to the Palace but because the Prince was in residence, we could not tour. We were able to watch the changing of the guard. Saw the St. Nicholas Cathedral where Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) is buried but did not go in due to the crowds. After walking the old town, it was time to take a few minutes ... read more
A street in Barcelona
Today we were in Barcelona, Spain. What a neat city. Has a lot of old buildings and narrow streets like most places in Europe but they have also modernized and have some beautiful wide streets with walk areas in the middle and vendor stalls. Like most of the cities we have visited, big mode of transportation is motor scooters. Actually with the narrow streets and lack of parking, you can not blame the people for their choice. Quoting from the Princess daily guide, “Although it is one of Spain’s most lively and dynamic cities, Barcelona is really not Spanish at all. As the capital and cultural hub of the autonomous region of Catalonia, the city has a long and glorious history all its own. The Catalan language is similar to Spanish, but also has much in ... read more
Maroon 
