Italy: Rome – A 3 Day Itinerary for the Eternal City
Rome, the “Eternal City” is a fascinating place to visit and there are so many places to visit. We were lucky enough to be able to spend 3 days exploring this amazing city.
We loved our time in Rome but there are, as with many of the major cities, multitudes of tourists which makes the main tourist attractions very crowded. It is worth checking out tours that enable to bypass the lines – these can be pricey but if you don’t like getting up at the crack of sparrows and camping outside hours ahead then you might want to consider this option.
Oregon: Florence and Yachats
The Oregon Coast is beautiful and rugged, but even in the height of the summer there are few days where you would describe it as a “beach” holiday in the true sense. The Pacific Ocean crashes hard into the Oregon coast, especially in the winter when the waters are stirred up but frequent storms. It has more than it’s fair share of rain and wind.
Book Review – Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read
This is the incredible story of a group of mostly young and inexperienced men who find themselves stranded in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet with very limited resources on which to live and how they found the spirit and desire to survive despite the odds stacked against them
Oregon: Lewis & Clark National Monument
Back in September 1803, US President Thomas Jefferson decided he ought to find out more about the territory he had just acquired for the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. He commissioned Merriweather Lewis and William Clark to go and explore and in November 1805 after a gruelling trip they sighted the Pacific Ocean and set-up shop at Fort Clatsop near Astoria, Oregon
Sri Lanka: The Highlands – Tea Plantations and Nuwara Eliya
Ceylon Tea is known throughout the World and is grown extensively in the Highlands of Sri Lanka. We visited the Damro Labookellie Tea Factory to see how tea is processed and sampled some of the tea, before heading to the hill city of Nuwara Eliya.
Malaysia: Borneo – The Rain Forest Discovery Centre
A great insight into the fauna and flora of Borneo. There is a well thought out inside exhibition centre and extensive grounds with a canopy walk-way.
Book Review – Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
This book captures a remarkable story of bravery, grit and determination. In August 1914 the 28 man crew of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914–16) left England under Shackleton’s leadership aboard the Endurance. Things did not turn out as planned and the tale becomes not one of achievement and success in the traditional sense but an incredible journey into the unknown and a battle for their lives.
Malaysia: Borneo (Sabah) – Cruising the Kinabatangan River in seach of Proboscis Monkies
The start of a journey down the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Borneo. This is the perfect place to see several species of monkeys, including the proboscis monkey and the rare Bornean pygmy elephant.
Washington: Cape Disappointment State Park
Cape Disappointment is home to a wide selection of trails, whether you’re looking for elevation gain or a paved outing. The most-frequently photographed lighthouse is North Head, with a precarious position on a steep bluff above the crashing waves.
Malaysia: Borneo – A chance meeting with pygmy elephants
Whilst I was laid up in my room at the Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort from my fall the night before (I was later found to have 5 broken ribs) Karen headed out on a morning cruise (thinking my injury was not quite so serious) towards the ox-bow lake in search of monkeys and other wildlife.
Idaho: Craters of the Moon
Located along US 20 between the small towns of Arco and Carey in Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. We decided to stop and explore this barren and unwelcoming landscape during our road trip from Oregon to Minnesota.
Book Review: Blood River by Tim Butcher – Following in the footsteps of Henry Stanley
In 1874 the journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley navigated the River Congo for the first time (as a foreign explorer). It was King Leopold of Belgium who expressed the most interest in his adventures as he was looking to build an empire. Hence the Belgium Congo was born! Tim Butcher, who also worked for the Daily Telegraph decided to follow in Stanley’s footsteps – not a simple task as the country is as dangerous as it was in Stanley’s time.
Malaysia: Sabah – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
The sun bear conservation centre in Sandakan has a mission to rescue these small and endangered bears from captivity and return them to the wild. We were lucky enough to get the chance to visit these charming and cuddly animals during our visit to Sandakan. The centre is just opposite the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.
Idaho: Arco and Experimental Breeder Reactor #1 (EBR-1)
The eastern reaches of Idaho, north of Idaho Falls are pretty bleak and remote which makes it an ideal place to site dangerous things such as nuclear reactors. Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the world’s first breeder reactor, is a decommissioned research reactor and U.S. National Historic Landmark located near Arco, Idaho
Malaysia: Borneo (Sabah) – A visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
For as long as I can remember I have had a love affair with orangutans. so a trip to Borneo has long been on my bucket list. I felt the urgent need to do this visit sooner rather than later because of the threat to primary rain forests.
Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur a facinating city full of hidden gems
With half a day in Malaysia’s capital city, we had to choose carefully what to do. Top of my list was the iconic Petronas Towers, but we also got time to explore the shopping malls and markets.
Montana, Missoula – Veera’s Donuts (Review)
There are a growing number of options for vegans in Bend, Oregon. We recently decided to celebrate the breaking of the COVID-19 lockdown in Oregon and head to a new restaurant, Deeply Rooted, that had opened its doors amidst the craziness on the pandemic. It was a great opportunity for us to support a local business.
North Dakota: Regent – The Enchanted Highway
The Enchanted Highway, is a 31 mile stretch of highway designed to draw in tourists to the town of Regent. It features some of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures.
Iceland: The land of fire, ice and water.
Iceland is a land of volcanoes, geysers, glaciers and powerful rivers, all of which have carved the physical and cultural evolution of this Northern land. It is a fabulous place to stop over for a few days on the way to or from Europe to North America – or just make the trip in its own right!
Oregon: Sumpter
Tucked away in the trees and nestled in Oregon’s Elkhorn Mountain Range, located at 4.424 feet lies the historic gold mining town of Sumpter, with a year-round population of approximately 191. A far cry from its heyday when gold was being mined and the population was near 3500.
Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park’s 3,468.4 square miles is made mountains, canyons, rivers and lakes. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. It was the first National Park in the United States and probably the first in the World!
About The Hoblets
We love to travel both near and far, for us it is all about the experience. You will not find us lying on a beach in Bali, we’re more likely to be found wrapped up in warm clothing walking into a bracing gale along a wind-swept beach in Oregon, or exploring the back streets of a new city.
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