Blogs from Oceans and Seas - page 169

The following is a running compilation of local chocolatiers we have discovered in different cities around the world. Please feel free to post comments with your own opinions or recommendations. We have additionally listed cities where we have tried local chocolatiers but were not impressed. United States Madison, WI - David Bacco Chocolats - located in the upscale Hilldale Shopping Center across from Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas, a great artisanal shop where most of the chocolates are wonderful and flavorful. Avoid the spiced and liqueur varieties, they overwhelm the chocolate. They have just brought in new boxes to replace the flimsy cartons they used to provide. The way David classifies his chocolates is very similar to that of Richart in Paris - following the flavor profile. Columbus, OH - url=http://www.pistaci... read more

Rahnee's in town from Sydney.....working on some project, but with time enough to join a 5 night cruise with me around Vietnam, Sanya (in china) and Hongkong. We took an early flight to Singapore where we were met by our travel agent who then took us to the pier to board our boat. MV Virgo is a huge cruise liner, the biggest in the fleet run by the same group who owns the Genting Resorts. I have long been curious about this cruise liner which offers 2 night to week long cruises around Asia. There was one I particularly liked which sails to Phuket, Langkawi Island, etc. But instead, we are joining this cruise which sails out of Singapore and calls on Ho Chi Minh, Sanya and Hongkong. The package we got allows for another night's ... read more

The Indico Project is complete! 3 months and about 15000 km after squeezing through the Torres Straits, we rounded the Cape of Good Hope on the South African coast and slipped into the lee of Table Mountain. I have now sailed 72% around the world. The night before, we rounded Cape Agulhas, Africa's southernmost point and the true divider between the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and cool currents of the South Atlantic. That night, during a sudden squall of 25 knots, the water became ablaze, the phosphoresence glowing all around us and illuminating the wave tops, eeiry white horses galloping by in the black night. A week earlier, we reached the African Continent farther up the coast at Richard's Bay after crossing the Mozambique Channel, which separates Madagascar from Africa. The channel offered up ... read more

We left Sydney International Airport at 9pm Wednesday after seeing John Butler! After a long 10 hour flight we finally arrived in Honolulu International Airport where our passports are stamped. The weather is a warm and humid 27C. When buying lunch hot dogs are $1.39, coffee is 89c and a 800ml cup of coke is $1.18!! ... read more

On our "operation see all of the Pacific",the journey continued further from Vanuatu with a week stop-over in Fiji before heading for Samoa. Since Børre has been island jumping the islands of Fiji a couple of times before, we decided to find a small island and just relax for the week,and enjoy the great island-life. The tiny little island of Bounty,were the televisionshow"Celebrity Love Island"is filmed became our destination. Not easy to make a choice, when Fiji consists of some 332 islands with white sandy beaches, crystalline seas, world class snorkeling, diving and surfing. And all of this make Fiji a magnet for travelers from all over the world. Arriving Nadi late at night meant we had to spend the first night on the main island Viti Levu. We found a shitty (but cheap) room at ... read more