The Gilligans’ Island Experience

Internet Hut: After receiving 3 or 4 completely different directions for getting to the only Internet access on Little Corn Island, we traipsed through the jungle to the East side of the island and after ten minutes came to a tiny Gilligan Island style hut with two old computers. We… Continue reading

What You Need to Know About Europe’s Trains – Especially Lesson 4

To get to our house sitting assignment, near Toulouse, first we had to catch the hotel shuttle bus from the hotel to the Marseille Airport, next catch the big bus to Marseille, St. Charles Train Station, a 25 minute ride for 8E (12C) each, with a bus driver that liked… Continue reading

Only Heros Climb The Great Wall of China

  My friend, L, arranged a car and driver to take us to the GREAT WALL – not to the touristy rebuilt sections but to the original authentic Great Wall, unrestored, fewer tourists, 120 km NE of Beijing, called Simatai.    We were anxious to see the countryside in China,… Continue reading

Bored With Typical Travel?

Are you totally bored with typical travel? Bored with canned, packaged, same-old holidays? Longing for something a little different?   Are you tired of walking half a mile down corridors, waiting for elevators, then walking another half mile of paved walks to get to an over-stuffed pool or a crowded… Continue reading

Our Favourite Bastille Town in S. France

  Our third visit to a Bastille town was to Sarlat-la-Caneda, a Bastille village dating back to the 9th Century, North of Toulouse, in the Dordogne region.   With Romanesque and Renaissance architectural buildings looming high overhead, it is a maze of narrow lanes, picturesque alleys and shady squares… The streets… Continue reading

Lombok Island, The New Bali

  Everyone dreams of going to Bali, the exotic island in Indonesia, but we were shocked to discover that dreamy Bali is not what it used to be. Now Bali is dirty and touristy with beaches full of garbage. Move over Bali – here comes Lombok.   Bali since 2017…… Continue reading

Valentine’s Day On A Dangerous Island

  We didn’t want to go to crime-and-drug-ridden Big Corn Island but we had no choice. It was the only way to get to gorgeous Little Corn Island on the virtually unknown Caribbean side of Nicaragua.   First we had to fly from Managua to Big Corn Island, then take a small… Continue reading

El Nido Videos: Above and Beyond To Cruel and Unusual

    Arrival El Nido Airport   The Philippines were gorgeous. We can never forget the amazing colours of the ocean or the sweet people, but something else pops into our heads as soon as someone mentions El Nido, Philippines. The lovely welcome and the not-so-lovely departure from El Nido Airport…. Continue reading

Amsterdam: Chocolate, Bicycles and Canals

  Our plane left Canada late because they had to put air in the tires. Hmph, I chuckled to myself, ‘I thought we were flying, not driving’. As long as we were leaving the frigid cold of a Canadian winter, either mode would be excellent.   On our way to… Continue reading

Spread A Little Happiness

Spread A Little Happiness

  Something Happens to People at Christmas   It happens to people when they start thinking about the joy people will experience from the gifts they will give.   They suddenly feel kinder, more generous, more caring. They want to spread a little happiness!   It should happen all year round, but the… Continue reading

Borneo River Safari: Gigantic Butterflies and Tree-Climbing Crocodiles

  Gigantic Butterfly   Relaxing on the deck before our Borneo River Safari, something moved beside my chair. I looked, and made a small gasp. There was a huge creature fluttering on our patio window a foot away from me! I stood up, stepped back… and took a closer look…. Continue reading

Latest Gadgets For Travel

SOLAR LAPTOP The world’s first truly solar-powered laptop. It never needs to be plugged in! It “plugs” into the sun. When the sun isn’t there at night you can run it all night long with its powerful battery. With a rugged design & durability, you can take SOL with you to… Continue reading

Mr. T is Mr. Christmas – He’s At It Again

  Mr. T is Mr. Christmas.   You’ve heard about his smart remarks and wry sense of humour in previous posts, but I think we shall reveal a little more of his character, since he is always the silent partner in our escapades around the world.   Did you ever in… Continue reading

Ireland: Playing In The Rain

  Even if it was raining all the time in Ireland, we loved it. I’m sure you’re wondering how anyone could love rain, but just wait a minute; there is some real evidence of the beauty of the Emerald Isle.   After spending a few days in Limerick, we drove the… Continue reading

Venice: The Grand Seduction

  The approach to Venice by train is seductive in itself…    Just seeing a city floating on water is astonishing. How did they do that? Why did they do that?   Apparently it wasn’t intentional. It happened sometime around the fall of the Roman Empire when the mainland was invaded… Continue reading

Bird’s Nest Soup: Most Expensive Soup in the World

Travelling through the mountains of Borneo, we made a stop at Gomantong Cave, known for its ancient Bird’s Nest harvesting. A delicacy in this part of the world is Bird’s Nest Soup.  [spacer height=”20px”] Inside the Cave [spacer height=”20px”] The first half-kilometre into the cave is a beautiful forest.  … Continue reading

Music Echoing Across The Austrian Alps

  It wasn’t the yodeling through the Austrian Alps that was impressive, no, – though I’m sure yodeling would be equally amazing – but it was the music!   We can understand much better now, how incredible it is to experience sound resonating across the giant alps and how dramatically it floats… Continue reading

New Year’s Eve in the Streets of Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel

  There was considerable contrast between the smaller islands and the island of Sao Miguel, especially in the main town of Ponta Delgada. Suddenly we were in a bustling metropolis! Whoa! The noise, the horn-honking, so many people. We weren’t used to this after the quiet peaceful Azores countryside.  … Continue reading

Kicked Off The Train in Milan

  Managing the trains in Europe is not so easy as one might expect. Nice to Venice through Milan was $120C, changing trains three times with only 10-12 minutes each time to change trains.   Now when you have to find a new train, on a new platform, usually requiring you… Continue reading

French Villages, French Art, Forests & Farms

  Provence is full of quaint French villages and towns, and gorgeous landscapes. If you’re wandering around Southern France, do just that – wander.   Wander… meander…. stray… stroll… sit on a bench…. stop for lunch… have a coffee… get lost… this is the best part of travelling in France.  … Continue reading