A maturing couple who believe getting old is all in the mind!
Mystic Seaport, a museum of the sea, in Connecticut is a fantastic day out and for those who have not been before we would recommend it highly. You can climb aboard tall ships and visit reconstructions of 19th-century houses and shops.
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Our second day in Varanasi started with a more in-depth exploration of Hindu culture, including a visit to the New Vishwanath Temple at Banaras Hindu University and several other temples in the Varanasi area. In the afternoon we visited the weaver district where most of Varanasi’s famous silk is manufactured. This a poor and primarily muslim district and work conditions are horrible. Later in the day we ventured into one of the city’s main bazaars.
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The coastal redwoods are associated with northern California, so we were surprised to come across a forest of redwoods in Rotorua in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island. So, we had to take a hike. Afterwards, we headed to Rainbow Springs, a wildlife sanctuary to learn more about the Kiwi, New Zealand’s unique national symbol.
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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.
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Despite his lack of experience of water adventure, in 1995 Joe Kane joined a group of adventurers intent on being the first American to travel the full 4,200-mile length of what may be the world’s most treacherous river: the Amazon.
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A journey of discovery into the explosive power of mother nature that grips New Zealand and a shallow dive into Maori culture. We visited the volcanic pools and vents of Hidden Valley before visiting the Maori Cultural Centre in Rotarua.
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When planning our trip to India I was determined to visit Varanasi, the holiest of cities for Hindus on the banks of the sacred Ganges River. I had seen countless TV programmes and read many stories about Varanasi but I wanted to see it for myself.
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We had the chance to spend a day exploring the beach towns and attractions north of Galle along Sri Lanka’s south-west coast. This included taking a river safari, a sea turtle hatchery, a tsunami memorial and a gemstone mine.
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“The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard sets out to tell the story of Roosevelt and his partners in their journey on the previously unexplored river, the Rio da Dúvida, or River of Doubt in the dense Amazon rainforest of Brazil. If you like stories of adventure and exploration then this is a great read.
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A day tour of the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, with its delightful colonial architecture. We also visited the Inti Ñan Solar Museum, dedicated to the culture of Ecuador and the equator.
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The City of Córdoba is the capital of the province of Córdoba and has a colourful history. It also has the highest temperatures in Spain and Europe, with average high temperatures around 37 °C (99 °F) in July and August. When we were there it was indeed hot, not quite to those levels, but still toasty.
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We have had the opportunity to go on several whale tours over the years and have loved every minute. Sadly, the tour we took from Mirissa in Sri Lanka was put if frankly horrible due to the unpleasant way that the flotilla of tour boats stalked and hounded the poor whales.
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The documentary, Pedal the World, available on Netflix is the amazing story of a young German, Felix Starck who undertakes the huge personal challenge of cycling around the World for a year. In that time he covers over 11,000 miles and 22 countries and along the way discovers the soul of humanity and himself.
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We spent the day travelling along the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, stopping to snap some photos of the stilt fisherman before visiting the UNESCO listed Galle Fort which was founded by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century and has since been added to by Dutch and British colonists.
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I had visited Jurong Bird Park 25 years earlier and loved it, I wanted to return to see if the passing of time had romanticised my memories. Sadly, some of the birds were in enclosures that I would say have not been updated for years and had wire meshing that made it hard to clearly see the birds. I did enjoy the visit but I don’t think I will be going back again.
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“Food Evolution” the movie looks at the controversial subject of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) from the perspective of the food science community. My personal bias, through the media I gravitate to, has made me anti-GMO so I watched this movie with an open mind to get a different perspective.
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Arches National Park is just a few short miles from Moab, UT. Here the full forces of nature have taken their full toll on the Navajo sandstone, creating a number of large, spectacular arches in the rocks formations.
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Yala National Park is a large wildlife conservation area found in the south-east of Sri Lanka bordering the beautiful Indian Ocean. It is a fabulous place to see all sorts of wildlife, birds and reptiles. What it is best known for are leopards and is the best place to view these timid big cats in the wild.
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On a previous visit to Singapore, I had visited the Botanical Gardens and the image of these amazing UNESCO listed verdant gardens had stuck with me over many years. So, when we returned to Singapore I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to revisit the gardens.
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Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka and is home to 700 elephants. We had come to Udawalawe not to go on another safari but to visit the Elephant Transit Home, a facility that takes care of orphaned elephant calves.
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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!
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