15.- Because of the skyline. 14.- The cupcakes from cup & cake. 13.- Because you can get a cold orxata (drink made from tiger nuts, typical from Valencia) at the best place of the city ("Sirvent" c/Escorial, 94-100) and take it to drink under a tree at the lovely square Rovira I Trias. 12.- The football team and national pride : FC Barcelona. 11.- The indie-pop music temple: the Sidecar at Placa Reial. 10.- You can practice … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2012
Nisela Safari Lodge Swaziland!
We arrived at the Nisela Safari Lodge after crossing one of the smaller southern border post crossings. We immediately found ourselves on dirt roads before reaching the main tarred highway leading north. Swaziland is very small and driving distances are not what we had become accustomed to in the much larger country of South Africa. The Nisela Safari Lodge was the perfect stop for us - reaching it at dusk. At first it appeared somewhat … [Read more...]
Visiting Narita and Tokyo
Narita Airport is a major hub airport for both Japan and all of the Asian Pacific rim. Hundreds of flights arrive and depart daily. We have flown here a number of times and on long layovers enjoy visiting both nearby Narita and the Tokyo metropolitan region. The airport itself has two major terminals (1 and 2) and a bus provides transportation between each one. The airport is modern, has free WiFi in a number of selected WiFi stations and for … [Read more...]
Southern Mozambique
We arrived in Kosi Bay after about 10 hours of at times stressful driving - from near the Lesotho Border in the Free State of South Africa. We arrived here in the dark of night and promptly made a beeline for the beach on the sandy roads in our 2wd Honda Jaz- looking for lodging - big mistake. There were no lights - and signs indicating hotels located just down the road were misleading as we later found out we were many kilometers from the beach. … [Read more...]
Traffic Riots
Its been a crazy few days in South Eastern Africa! Sitting with John and Trish at Rose House Inn plotting our drive to Mozambique we were discussing how there are no guarantees in Africa. 30 minutes after we left their idyllic location we experienced this "no guarantees" first hand. Our route took us back through the small touristy town of Carens. Only this time as we approached the city limits we were greeted by large rocks strewn across the … [Read more...]
The appearance of the gun
Today we drove to the northern part of the country, passing small villages, rural fields and many sheep and cow herders. Walking seems to be the preferred form of transportation and one always has to keep an eye open for people on the side of the road. Driving can be challening yet fun. Some of the roads were full of pot holes - or perhaps potholes is not the appropriate word - craters might be more sufficive! So you come up on a crater in your … [Read more...]
10 Best of Everything
10 Best of Everything by Susan H. Magsamen This is the ultimate guide for both travelers and travelers with families. This book is published by National Geographic and is chock full of valuable information. Regions of the USA are separated into "10 best" lists including chapter one which provides mostly low cost or free activities including, favorite ice cream spots, farmer's markets, regional specialties and more. There are a plethora of … [Read more...]
Moon Yucatan Peninsula
Moon Yucatan Peninsula From Cancun to Cozumel by Liz Prado & Gary Chandler to cenotes, Moon's Yucatan Peninsula has you covered. We've traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula several times and authors Prado and Chandler have done a terrific job of researching out all the details that helps move a trip from Grade B to Grade A. The ruins should be a big part of anyone's visit to the Yucatan and this book has some excellent maps and descriptions ranging … [Read more...]
Near drowning in Lesotho
We headed out of the lodge today on a long meander to a river. Along the way we picked up 8 children who were delighted to see us and show us around their village. They accompanied us down a steep cliff to a huge valley below. Along the way we met a sheep and goat herder dressed in native attire. Eventually we reached the bottom of the valley and the river. It was wasn't the cleanest water in the world - but it was running and most of the kids … [Read more...]
Peach Cigarettes in Tokyo
The first time I ever smoked a peach cigarette, I was wearing a dinosaur suit and sitting on my friend's balcony in a Tokyo suburb. My friend had a dinosaur suit because he'd gone to a fancy dress party the week before, and I was wearing it because I was cold and it was made of fleece. I'd never been much of a smoker, but the vending machine sold dozens of different flavours and what was the point of traveling halfway around the world if I wasn't … [Read more...]