TAWAU BORNEO I stayed at City Garden Hotel in Tawau. I have been to Borneo three times, once in 2013 and again in 2014, but I never spent any time in Tawau. During the first trip I had some diver’s ear problems that caused me to miss my reservation to climb Mount Kota Kinabalu, but only temporarily. My hiking guide was a fourteen year old boy who could do the climb twice in one day. I am sure he was fed up with this slow old lady. I did a couple of other tours and then went to Semporna to dive at Sipadan, one of the top ten dive sites in the world. The second time I took a taxi straight to Semporna and dived with several dive shops so I could dive more than once ... read more

My flight from Seattle to Shanghai was three hours late, so I missed my first connection, Shanghai to Denpasar, Bali. It had been a long flight and my legs were really aching and I was a little rummy; you know...a little fuzzy headed. I Arrived in Shanghai and went to Immigration. Oops! By accident…I meant to go to Transit. From there things got a lot more interesting. You remember that time four years ago when I got punished in Beijing? Well…don’t mess with the rules, Folks. I was told to step off to the side. A few more officials arrived...lots of head shaking and talking. The gentleman holding my passport asked me if I had overstayed my transit visa four years ago? I answered yes, right up front. I still wasn't alarmed, but getting a little ... read more

LAST STOP, VANUATU Vanuatu… I love the name; it just rolls off my tongue. When I got to Vanuatu, as usual, I was tired after traveling and just wanted to rest. Beautiful weather and a beautiful swimming pool still could not lure me from my room. I ate and browsed the internet looking for a dive resort. Many people fly to Espiritu Santo Island for diving but I had limited time and even more limited energy. I saw there was a little island resort nearby, Hideaway Island, so I packed up my luggage and changed hotels. Hideaway is only a five minute ferry ride from the mainland. The ferry runs all day. If it is not moored on your side there is a signal to press and the boat driver will return quickly to pick you ... read more

THE RAIDERS HOTEL While I was reviving at the Lime Lounge I came to a decision. When I first arrived I made reservations for the Raider Hotel. It was reasonable and I liked the name because the Raider’s football team is THE football team in my family. My late husband grew up next to the Raider’s home field in Oakland and spent a lot of time there as a boy. My three daughters are huge fans. Then I found out it was on Tulagi Island. I had no idea how to get there so I cancelled my stay. Now the Raider Hotel looked like the best choice for me until I could get on the liveaboard. I took a taxi back to the hotel for my luggage and then asked to go to the yacht club, ... read more

PAPUA ABOARD THE GOLDEN DAWN This trip was to deliver the Golden Dawn to her winter berth in the Port Moresby yacht club. We had a good time diving, eating and talking. Only three days to dive, but it felt like plenty. Craig, the captain, had lots of good stories. Owning the largest personal yacht in Port Moresby, he is often asked to aid in rescuing boats and boaters who run into trouble. He has been attacked by a shark twice. These are terrifying tales. He is concerned about diving safety and is helping to get a new hyperbaric chamber for Port Moresby. He is a great skipper and his boat is well designed as a dive boat, but due to government restrictions it isn’t profitable for him to run dive charters so now he hires ... read more