Hi Everybody! Before I talk about the Ukraine, I want to say again how wonderful the people in the Republic of Georgia are. They constantly tried to give us things and do kind things for us. They would throw money back in our purse, hand, pocket, etc. At the hotel, they would bring us fruit, sweets, etc. They would say things like, "I love you!" It was very touching. Georgia and Armenia are two places that I would encourage you to go. There are many wonderful countries in Eastern Europe that I would like to go back to someday. - Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary, and Czech Republic are a few of those. Then, there are places that I am glad we visited, but I would NEVER encourage you to make as travel destinations. I may change ... read more

Hi Everybody! Wow! We are having a great adventure. If the rest of the trip goes sour, Armenia and Georgia will make it worth while. We left Tibilisi, Georgia yesterday by marshrutka, a privately owned minibus. This is the way that people in many countries of the world travel. We used them in Central America and found that they are the main form of transportation in this part of Eastern Europe. To catch one between towns, you go to the Central Bus Station. You will see men standing around by a bunch of vans. Each van holds about 15 people and has a sign in the window with the destination. When the driver has enough passengers, he leaves. There is no timetable. It costs us $18 US each to ride from Tibilisi to Yerevan and it ... read more

Hi Everybody! Walt and I had a long journey (27 hr.) to get to Tbilisi. We had to wait 7 hr. in Istanbul for the daily flight (11:30 PM) to Tbilisi. Needless to say, we were pretty tired by the time we arrived. We were immediately impressed with the friendliness of the people and the beauty of the city. The terminal and subway station were brand new and modern in every way. The metro had not opened so we took a taxi to our hotel. The driver actually took us to the wrong hotel. He was ready to get our luggage out and leave. I refused to get out of the taxi. I couldn't see a sign for the hotel. We insisted that go inside to be sure that we were at the right place. He ... read more

Hi Everybody! Today is our last day in Panama. The airport is 15 miles out of town. We decided to move to a resort type hotel in that area since we have a very early flight tomorrow. Our hotel has several pools that are connected and a very tropical atmosphere. We went by the airport to check on our flight. I bought a few craft items there. They are my first purchases in this country. Guatemala and Costa Rica have had more handmade goods than any other country. I am sure that they all have items of this type, but I haven´t always been able to find them. When we were at the airport, Walt met a soldier serving in the Air Force. He was just coming from Baghdad to meet his family for a cruise. ... read more

Hi Everybody! To me, Costa Rica is a step above the other Central American countries. The government years ago realized that their greatest asset was the natural beauty of the country. Today, one fourth of the national land is in national parks and other protected areas. Throughout the country, I have observed bins for recycling plastic, glass, and aluminum. I have not seen as much litter here as in other countries. More people speak English here than in most of the places we have been. We also found English widely spoken in Belize. All Central American countries are willing to take the U.S. dollar. We have found that it is wise to have some of the local money. You are rarely offered change when you pay in U.S. It is great to get up everyday to ... read more