Even driving out of the airport, one of the first things we noticed was how excellent the roads were. Then, we noticed how clean everything was. We repeated those two phrases many times as we drove around Tenerife and Gran Canary. True, we don´t usually travel by car, but the roads really were outstanding. Especially when you consider the terrain. Most roads are clinging to steep, rocky cliffs over looking the ocean or snaking through steep ravines and high mountain passes. That said, don't even talk to us about the parking issues! Tenerife was our favorite of the two islands we [View Full Entry]

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This isn´t your standard tour through Europe. Ron has put together a most interesting trip for us. During the next 3 months we will visit England, Canary Islands, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, and the Greek Islands in that order. It should be quite a trip. Our England itinerary was also a bit unique. We really went so I could see Stonehenge. So, we stayed in Bristol instead of dealing with the high costs of London. It turned out to be a delightful city with much recent renovation that was revived the city tremendously. Sorry there [View Full Entry]

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It's not your average desert city! The city skyline is a marvel of modern buildings, all of which were built since the year 2000. The Burj al Arab, shaped like a giant dhow approaching the city, is the world's largest hotel. There's Burj Dubai, which will be the world's tallest building at 808 meters or 2626 feet. Then, don't forget the malls! The Mall of the Emirates has "Snow Village" with a ski slope, ski lifts, sled runs, and tons of snow. Over at the Dubai Mall there is an aquarium and an ice rink. Both malls have indoor versions of [View Full Entry]

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Intricately carved wooden doors, exotic spices, and a stunning mix of architectural styles assault the senses on Zanzibar. Stone Town is a jumble of narrow alleys filled with souvenir shops, old British hotels, impressive museums, funky restaurants, and a busy beach port for the dhows that navigate between the nearby islands. There are people in all manner of colorful dress, interesting and fragrant food stalls, old grand palaces, and too much traffic. The town that was once the home of spice and slave traders, Arab sultans, and Dr. Livingstone is now a busy tourist destination with non-stop touts, dirty streets, and [View Full Entry]

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Missing Madagascar wasn't so disappointing when it turned into a trip to Kenya. It was a thrill to return to one of our favorite countries. We spent very little time in Nairobi due to safety issues and spent as much time on safari as possible. We had a great driver/guide for our 8 days of safaris. Jim tackled the dreadful Kenyan roads and the long hours of difficult driving to deliver us to Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboselli Game Preserve, and to The Ark and Treetops Lodge in the Aberdare National Park. All the locations we chose were nostalgic returns to [View Full Entry]

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Of the 115 Seychelle Islands, we visited 3: Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue. Each of these islands has a distinctive character all its own. We toured Mahe by rental car, Praslin by public bus and La Digue by foot. All were beautiful, just some more than others. Mahe, with one of the world's smallest capitals, Victoria, was more commercial and the people were more aloof. The island is a beautiful combination of small villages, steep granite mountains, thick jungles, and beautiful beaches. We explored most of the island by car which led us over some precarious roads. One in particular was [View Full Entry]

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Singapore was basically a social visit. We stayed with our friend, Kathy, who is an adjunct professor at Ngee Ann Polytechnical. We had a fun time meeting her friends, touring the campus, and exploring the city. Together, we rode the cable cars to Sentosa Island, visited the zoo and wild bird park, went jade shopping, and hung out at the old Raffles Hotel. Since our visit coincided with the Super Bowl, we were treated to a 6:00 a.m. Super Bowl Brunch with her faculty friends. Another treat for us was meeting up with Isabel, one of our former Brazilian students. We [View Full Entry]

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Stepping into Myanmar was like stepping into the distant past. In many ways it reminded us of China in 1983. Yangon has many crumbling images of its colonial past. Houses, sidewalks, and roads show little signs of maintenance. Buddhist pagodas dot the landscape and in many cases are the tallest visible structures. The two lakes within the central city provide some scenic beauty to the dilapidated and dismal apartment buildings. The roof of Aung San Suu Kyi's house on Lake Inya was pointed out to us, but we were not allowed to go down the street. It's hard to believe that [View Full Entry]

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We no sooner stepped foot off the "pick-up-truck-bus" than we were snagged by our first Patong hawker. What an aggessive, persistent group they are!! This was a constant occurrence no matter where we walked in Patong. It was enough to send us directly to the beach which was a wonderful alternative to the walk through town. The beaches are beautiful with lovely, warm, cobalt blue water and hard packed sand. One piece of advice that we received from an Aussie lady, who once worked in an Outback iron mine, was not to get stuck with a pink shopping bag. Apparently, if [View Full Entry]

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Seeing the Orang Utans was so special that we went to the Semenggoh Sanctuary three times!!! These gentle creatures, that match our DNA at 96.3%, are called "The Man of the Forest" with "Orang" meaning man and "Utan" meaning forest. Whether it was rainy or sunny they arrived to eat the 60 pounds of fruit provided by the rangers. I can't begin to describe the experience of standing on the viewing platform and hearing the trees of the rain forest bend and crash as they made their way to the feeding area. At first, they were impossible to see, only the [View Full Entry]

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