Natalie Moore

Day eight: Cusco. In the morning we had a city tour including some Inca ruins just outside the city, a visit to the local markets and the 16th century cathedral of Cusco. The markets were an eye opener. We were all impressed by the little man carrying a whole pig over his shoulder through the markets. I also enjpyed the Cathedral. Many Peruvian and Bolivians are Catholic but also beliueve in Pacha Mama - mother earth. When the Cathedral was built the Peruvians left suble traces of their beliefs... In the art works inside the Cathedral Mary is shaped in a triangle which represents the mountains and Paccha Mama and my favourite... at the last supper they are eating Cuy (Guinea Pig!) This is a Peruvian delicacy (which I did not try) The afternoon was at ... read more

Day one: Arrival in Lima. Miraflores Park Hotel. I didn't get to the hotel until 11pm. Walking into my room I was shocked by the size and opulence. It's an Orient Express Hotel and one of the nicest rooms I have ever stayed in. There was a snack waiting for me which I ate as I looked out at the Pacific Ocean. Day two: Lima City tour including the Convent of San Pedro and the Cathedral of Lima. Lunch was at Casa Aliaga, Latin America's best preserved colonial mansion. Owned by the same family for decades, they open their beautiful home for select groups of tourists. It was a fabulous visit. Walking around I felt like we were at The Met in the area with old fashioned rooms - except here there were no ropes and ... read more

We left Toronto at 6.30 am on Tues 18th. An early start but we wanted to be able to get to Miami with time to enjoy the afternoon. It was pouring with rain when we left do we Weren't too sad about leaving. It was a three hour flight and as we left Miami airport we were hit with the heat and humidity. Our hotel, the Surfcomber, was in a great location - on the beach and 2 blocks away from the Lincoln Mall and Ocean Drive. We went straight to the pool and spent the afternoon there. Dinner Tuesday night was at Sushi Samba. We loved going there in New York and were keen to visit again whilst we had the chance. Wednesday and Thursday were spent relaxing by the pool, having coffees, shopping etc ... read more

Our tour started in Montreal on Sunday the 9th. We had no dramas with our transit from Washington DC and were glad to escape the DC heat wave. Rather like Sydney on a Sunday... There wasn't much going on in Montreal. We familiarized ourself with the area near our hotel and got ready for our tour introduction / briefing. I was not surprised to see that similar to the tour I was on last year, I was the youngest traveller by approx 25 years (which makes mum the second youngest). Our tour director John, was also a gentleman with considerable experience. The group size was 45 people. They were a very fun group and we had a great week getting to know everyone. Monday 10th: We did a Montreal tour in the morning and had free ... read more

Getting out of NYC was thankfully much easier than arriving! The train trip was just under three hours and most pleasant. It was the first week of autumn and DC was experiencing a heat wave - one last blast from Summer. I don't mind the heat (in my younger, less experienced days I travelled to the Middle East in the middle of Summer) but this was crazy heat with off the charts humidity. I hate to say it but it did affect our plans and what we did. The sights of DC are quite spread out and it would have been great to walk from one to the other but it was just too hot. We saw a lot but most of it was from the inside of the old fashioned trolleys. We all loved Georgetown ... read more

I love New York!! First thing on my to do list when I get home is to figure out how I can live there permanently. We are currently sitting on a train from New York to Washington DC and I have time to reflect on the past week and take some notes. We have been on the go non stop this past week which is why so few posts. Most of my exploring was done by foot. I could walk around the city all day every day for weeks and not tire from it. As the city is laid out in a grid it's very easy to get around and you very quickly lose track of how long you have been walking for. Our food highlights of our ten days include dinners at; * Tao * ... read more

After waiting for a taxi and sitting in traffic from the airport it was well after 10pm when we arrived at our apartment in New York. Our apartment is on west 44th st in between 6th and 7th avenue... I knew it was a decent location when we booked but was pleasantly surprised to discover its an excellent location! It is 50m from times square and a ten minute walk to Central Park. We debated for weeks about where in New York to stay and what type of accommodation to book (apartment or hotel) and we picked perfectly. It's a 2 bedroom apartment and we have everything we need for a ten day visit. Out first priority was to get food as there was none on the plane. We found a nice Japanese restaurant near Times ... read more

I love traveling but hate flying. The only consolation this time was having a young man with a superb resemblance to Chris Hemsworth sitting next to me... LA is a funny city. Parts of it are glamorous whilst other parts are downright grimy and ugly. The smog is inescapable and the traffic, although hard to believe, is worse than Sydney. I successfully got my pre booked shuttle and made my way to the hotel which is in a great spot between Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. I spent the afternoon by the pool, had a nap and walked to a great wine bar for dinner. Jet lag is not my friend and sleeping was tough. My back is an ever constant (and unnecessary) reminder that I am getting older and I have observed that every ... read more