worldwanderer

Prior to our departure Fitch and I watched U2's video, Magnificent, as we tried to envision what Morocco would be like....  Thoughts and ideas swirled in our heads as we researched riads (traditional houses built around gardens with no external windows) and dars (traditional houses with an internal courtyard). We opted for riads in both Fes and Marrakesh, not knowing what to expect beyond some reviews we read online. Our experiences thus far have exceeded our expectations!  We were greeted warmly at the Casablanca airport by our driver Hassani, who has proven to be an awesome driver as well as a resource for all things Morocco.  In addition to his impressive driving skills, we learned purely by chance, that Hassani had been Bono's private driver (along with his two bodyguards) for both of his trips to ... read more

Yes, Warden Wendy...that's the "official" name of a woman park ranger here in Canada! And with a name like Wendy, how can you go wrong? Granted I have just a wee bit of a bias!! But in my humble opinion Warden Wayne and Wendy sound a lot better to me than Ranger Rick and Rhoda! But enough about Warden Wendy, the excitement of the day was seeing a BLACK BEAR!!! Along our travels from Banff en route to Jasper, in the Jasper National Park, we were ever-so-fortunate to see a BLACK BEAR! Granted, the furry creature only looks like a dot in my photos, but I have proof of the fuzzy guy! Sooooooo cool to see wildlife in their native environment!!! And in addition to the bear, today I also saw mountain goats with their babies, ... read more

When we last left off Chris & I were heading to Dingle and the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry was scratched from the itinerary due to time constraints. The weather was fabulous as we made our way from Limerick to the Dingle peninsula. En route we took the scenic drive through the Connor Pass, the highest mountain pass in Ireland. Through the narrow and winding one lane roads we drove arriving in Dingle. We wandered about the town which has a dolphin, Fungie, as the town mascot! In fact you can even take a boat ride to make a sighting of the famed dolphin. We opted instead to drive around the entire peninsula, after a Guinness of course, to see the breathtaking, spectacular scenery! While driving back to Limerick we managed to be in ... read more

Hola! Happy New Year again to all of you! I hope you all had fun and festive celebrations.! After our last installment, we took a boat across Laguna de Arenal to reach our transport which curved around and around and around on bumpy terrain with shear drops of unknown depth which made me gasp repeatedly! Happily we arrived in the cloud forest where we toured the rain forest with a local guide. And although I feared the swaying bridges I decided to embrace my fears and try ziplining! Why not, it's a new year for new things, right? It was breathtaking!! Although it was raining, the clouds hid the lines, and made it all the more exciting. An awesome way to ring in the new year! Now we are in Manuel Antonio where Fitch and I ... read more

Hola! Greetings and an early Happy New Year!! Although there were some major bumps in the travel adventures of Wendy Wanderer and her Companion Chris (thanks mom!), including a canceled flight, we were able to arrive in Costa Rica as scheduled. Miraculously!! We spent the first two days in San Jose, which is nothing special, although the warm, sunny weather was welcomed after the horrid weather we experienced last week. Yesterday we arrived in Arenal, where we are staying at a fabulous hotel with a breathtaking view of the volcano. And we were so fortunate to see the volcano, which is quite the rare occurrence at this time of the year. We were able to go on a volcano hike, see some native birds, and the volcano as it errupted. All incredible sights! Today we experienced ... read more

Yes, it is true, I am the stalker!! So this is the saga. I am in Vancouver, traveling around the city with my friend Lawrence, and I tell him about this place I have heard about that has not 31 flavors, but 218 flavors of gelato!! It's true and factual! So we make an extensive trek, not because it is far, but because we encounter one of the most unhelpful people here in Canada. Actually he might be the only unhelpful one, as people in Canada are exceptionally nice (see Nicki, I have found my place!!). Super uber nice...it's unbelievable how nice they are! Anyway, I digress.... So we made the three hour tour to the gelato place, the place that has 218 flavors...and I am super excited to be there. So we go on a ... read more

Hola from Mexico City--the epicenter of action packed adventure! As I send you this virtual postcard of sorts, the weather is just perfect...lovely in every way. The entire city is in full bloom, as the trees, called jacarandas, are dotted with small purple flowers. They are so pretty, I have remarked on them daily since we arrived two days ago. They are a fond remembrance of the time spent in Tokyo during cherry blossom season with my dear cousin! :) Where to begin? Well, both Brenda (of Brazil fame) and I had a rough spell due to the altitude, but alas, all is fine and well in that area. So Marina, we are not able to attribute all woes to the altitude as was the case in Peru. :) Although, I may be able to attribute ... read more

Happy New Year to Everyone!! Greetings from Puerto Rico (which interesting enough is not in Central America as my travel blog states, rather is is a commonwealth of the United States)!! At present I am on a small island just east of the main island of Puerto Rico where the weather is blissfully warm and sunny. Our adventures thus far have been spectacular!! Yesterday we took a 10 seater plane from San Juan to Vieques and saw an awesome arial views of the ocean and lush landscape. After landing we found our inn and took our rented jeep out for some exploration prior to our all-day kayaking adventure. Yesterday was my first kayaking experience ever, and one I shall never forget! A major source of excitement and anticipation was not only the kayaking but viewing and ... read more