Globetrekker
Keeping in contact with family and friends has become a lot easier these days with the advent of sites such as this. As an intrepid traveler, when not on the road to some wild and exotic location, I'm dreaming of my next adventure! I've managed to travel throughout all continents (except Antarctica), and have so much more to see and explore. globetrekker2008
Cheers! Salud! Prossit!
Travel Blog Posts
March 7th 2011
Three weeks in the Philippines provided me with only a brief glimpse of this very diverse, fascinating country of 7,107 islands (at low tide). Back in Canada now, reflecting on my Island hopping experiences, this is a country worth more than tertiary explorations. My journey began on February 17th, landing in Cebu City, spending a few days there sightseeing, trying to decide where to go next. I stayed downtown initially at the GV Tower Hotel, until moving on to the more pleasant uptown location at the Mayflower Inn. The use of English is prevalent in the Philippines, which makes travelling in this God fearing country of some 93,000,000, fairly easy and enjoyable. I also haven’t been called “Sir” so often since my time in the military years ago. Every sentence is punctuated with Sir. Yes Sir, ... read more
January 24th 2011
Well, I’ve just lost two hours of work due to a “save as” malfunction”, so here goes again! I’ve just spent an all too brief ten days in Myanmar (formerly Burma) but I was able to learn a fair bit of the people and culture in such a short time. After landing in the former capital of Yangon, I was greeted by a deluge of rain that flooded the streets to knee height in places! Fortunately, I was picked up at the airport by the Ocean Pearl Inn shuttle bus. Cost of accommodation is only $13/night. Transportation and accommodation are priced in US dollars, whereas local goods and services are priced in Kyat (pronounced chat), exchange rate of 820 kyat/USD. The exchange rate is falling in favour of the kyat, so the locals no longer hold ... read more
December 19th 2010
Well, I haven't made any headway yet in clearing out of the lively metropolis of Bangkok. This is due to a series of issues associated with one mistake at the airport upon my arrival. My intention was to withdraw some Thai Baht at the airport ATM after a very long travel day from Bali, Indonesia, and a 5 hour layover in Surabaya. I was a bit dopey so wasn't concentrating, and as I discovered, Asian bank machines dispense cash before returning your bank card. This caught me unawares, so after retrieving my cash, I simply walked away from the ATM. Not noticed until the next morning, I phoned the airport lost and found, but not a chance. So, ever since that time, I've been trying to repair that mistake. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia cannot get ... read more
December 13th 2010
Salamat datang! Welcome back to Bali. I am now staying in Sanur, on the SE coast this time. A much more laid back atmosphere than the chaos of Kuta Beach. Mostly an older, middle aged crowd (wait a minute-I am middle aged as well!), and a much more sedate atmosphere. I also decided to splash out on more upscale accommodation at the Alit Beach Resort, right on Sanur Beach. I get functioning air conditioning, a queen sized bed with mosquito net, television with english channels, swimming pools, resort living and daily breakfast. And all this luxury is costing me about $33/night. There's time for tightening the budget later. My journey to Komodo Island began on Sunday, December 5th, on the Peramatour Boat #212, with 12 other adventure seekers. I booked deck class, which meant I would ... read more
November 28th 2010
First impressions of Kuta Beach, Bali? The place is packed with young Aussies running amok in this hedonistic destination! I landed at the Denpasar airport at 2350 hours on Tuesday, November 23rd and it took over an hour to travel the 5 kilometres to the Aquarius Star Hotel on the main party strip, Jalan Legian! There are constant traffic jams from the proliferation of cars, taxis, mini-vans, and motorcycles plying the narrow streets dodging hoards of tourists. I hadn't realized that I was so close to Ground Zero from the 2002 Bali bombings and a memorial wall created just down the street from my hotel. After checking in I decided to explore the local entertainment, having beers in the recommended bars down the street. First stop was the MiniBar just as the local band was wrapping ... read more
Perth, Western Australia
Published: November 20th 2010Oceania » Australia » Western Australia » Perth » Perth City
November 19th 2010
Well, I'm on the move once more, currently writing from the State Library in Perth. It is a scorching +39 degrees today and hot all week so far! Yesterday, it was only +37 degrees and a nice pleasant day was spent at Cottesloe Beach, south of Perth with my Austrian friend, Doris. Three days ago, that very beach was closed when a 2.5 metre Great White shark showed up to run everyone out of the water and spoil the festivities! The sand is so white and the water is so blue, it's like a postcard. Not the peak of summer yet, so the waters of the Indian Ocean were a little, how shall we say, refreshing. But a great way to beat the heat all the same. We continued walking along the esplanade ending up at ... read more
Costa Rican Adventure 2009!
Published: December 17th 2009Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Guanacaste » Liberia
December 14th 2009
Bienvenidos a Costa Rica! I'm already back in Edmonton, Alberta, freezing my butt off, after spending an action-packed, fun-filled week of R & R, at the Allegro Papagayo resort, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica. Mother Nature provided a record-breaking welcome back to Canada, of the cruellest kind, on the night of Saturday, December 12, 2009. The second leg of our journey home from Liberia, was interrupted over Winnipeg, Manitoba, when the Captain informed passengers that we were turning back to Toronto, due to the extreme cold conditions in Edmonton that exceeded the aircrafts minimum operating temperatures of -41 degrees C! It actually got as low as -46.1 degrees C and -59 degrees C with the wind-chill at Edmonton International Airport, the second coldest location on the planet that day, after an obscure weather station in Siberia! What ... read more
October 5th 2008
Well, my journey home wasn't without incident, so perhaps I will recount these misadventures before concluding my Morocco journal. I showed up at the Marrakech Airport on Tuesday, September 30, at 0550 for my return flight home at 0750. Problem was, the flight was from Casablanca, not Marakech! Who booked this itinerary anyhow? I took the next flight to Casa at 1110, as the airport staff said I was too late for the 0630 flight. Upon arrival a scant 35 minutes later, I checked into the expensive Atlas Airport Hotel, so there would be no difficulties making check in the next day to try again. While dining at their fine establishment, I picked up a case of food poisoning, compounding matters. Funny how things go from bad to worse when you don't need it. I was ... read more
Morroco, Part 1.5
Published: September 29th 2008Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » MarrakechSeptember 29th 2008
My journey ends today, as I fly home to Canada tomorrow. I had an inclination to put in for another week or a month off from work! But don't worry Diane, I won't do that! It would have been nice though, to have gone to the coast with my new Slovenian pals, Oliver and Rudi, just to relax and chill out. The computer connection speed is too slow here, the keyboard too difficult to operate, and just not a lot of fun spending my time like this. I'll complete the entry when I get home. Next time I travel abroad, I'll bring my own laptop. You won't want to miss my adventures at the "Million Stars Hotel" in the Sahara Desert at Erg Chebbi, partying with the Berbers, drinking Slovenian Schnapps, listening to authenitic Berber music ... read more
September 22nd 2008
I arrived in Morocco several days ago now, and I want to say, "Welcome back to the sights, smells and tastes of the 3rd World!" On Friday the 19th, we boarded the Tanger Jet for the supposed 1:00 pm departure for Tangiers. While waiting, we received an announcement that due to mechanical problems, we would have to take the 3:00 pm ferry instead. It felt like a refugee exodus with everyone lugging personal belongings, as we all abandoned ship! There were many day trippers from Spain, going over to Tangiers for some shopping. I met Andy and Dora from London onboard, and decided to also go to Chefchaouen, set beneath the Rif mountains, rather than stay in the port city of Tangiers. We found the local bus station, and a 2.5 hour, smelly, sticky, local bus ... read more
Countries Travelled 
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