After visiting the original Ballarat in Australia about 90 minutes outside of Melbourne earlier this year, I got the urge to visit it's tiny relative in the Mojave Desert, California. I drove across what looked like a salt plane - some rare recent rain had muddied the road and left my windshield covered in white droplets. I pulled into the old town, originally founded in 1897, it's boom was a few short years before the nearby mine shut down in … [Read more...]
Leisure Time in Vinales, Cuba
Needing the spirit and calming influence of the countryside, I left Havana pinched between the driver and an accompanying passenger in the front seat of a green 1950s Chevrolet. Beautiful from the outside but quite uncomfortable on the inside - 6 or 7 of us were crammed like sardines in a tin can. Hard seats, no air conditioning, a middle front seat on the 'hump' with no leg room whatsoever and a suspect suspension system all made for an … [Read more...]
Why do I Climb Mountains?
For years I have wondered why I am obsessed about climbing mountains and being at high altitude. It has been difficult to answer. The obvious reason and it is very true, is the stunning visual beauty. But beyond that I never had an answer. And logically it makes no sense. All the hardships. The suffering from altitude sickness. And there has been loads of this over the years. And the ever present danger. One time we were high up on Rainier - … [Read more...]
Exploring the Island of Efate, Vanuatu
Circling the island of Efate by vehicle takes about 2 hours without stopping. I wanted a more in depth experience so I joined a small tour hosted by Atmosphere Tours, based in Port Vila. As we left Port Vila on the only road that circles the island (built by the Americans) our guide duly pointed out the last electrical pole some few clicks outside of the city. Beyond that, the villages do not have government provided electricity and if they have … [Read more...]
A Crazy Stop in La Paz, Boliva
Upon arriving in South America I entered a very familiar airport, Jorge Chavez International Airport. I lingered in Lima for a refreshing shower in the hotel directly across from the airport. Walked back to the departures terminal and tried to sleep for a few hours on the hard floor. Loud music playing at 130am followed by staff cleaning the floors. No sleep tonight. Boarded next flight. Arrived in Cuzco - exited the airport with just enough time … [Read more...]
Electric Mobility Scooters for Travel
What are mobility scooters? Mobility scooters are personal electric vehicles designed to aid the mobility-impaired. They're design to emulate the mobility of wheelchairs, but are usually utilized by people capable of a certain level of personal freedom. They are generally known as Electric Conveyance Vehicles (ECVs) or Power Operated Vehicles (POVs). Non-electric mobility scooters are less common, sometimes used by the 50-60% of wheelchair users … [Read more...]
Planning a Trip to Africa to see the Gorillas
I have been to Africa a number of times and always gravitate towards the sub-Saharan eastern part of the continent. One of the greatest thrills on the planet is to be on a big game safari in Africa. The wildlife is prolific at times from parts of Kenya down through South Africa but especially in the Serengeti - with herds of wildebeest, plenty of giraffe, elephants and other rarer sightings. But until now, a visit to see gorillas in the wild … [Read more...]
How my Trip to Haiti Came About
My trip to Haiti came about in the most random way. Haiti was my last country to visit in the Caribbean - it has certainly been on my radar for some time. A friend took a trip to Cap Haitien in the northern part of the country and spoke highly of his time there. I signed up for the American Airlines Aviator card - made a few purchases in the first few months triggering 60,000 miles. I soon turned around and cashed in those miles for this trip - … [Read more...]
Wineries in Thailand? Yes! A Visit to Thailand’s Smallest Winery, Alcidini Winery
Compared to our time intensive work of visiting hundreds of wineries in the world famous Napa Valley, visiting wineries in Thailand is a fairly straight forward endeavor. We were told there are only 6 wineries in the entire country, 4 of which are in the vicinity of Khao Yai; without spending much time at all, we have already visited 50% of the countries wineries. Our latest winery visit was to Alcidini (the latin name for a local Kingfisher … [Read more...]
Exploring Paramaribo, Suriname the Fun Way!
After a nearly 13 hour car + van ride from Georgetown in Guyana which began at 4am and included a 4 hour border crossing (slow ferry a big part of this), I arrived in Paramaribo in the late afternoon. Exhausted after eating only an energy bar I found tucked away in my backpack given to me weeks ago by Jacki Ueng I checked into the Guesthouse Zin & Grand Cafe. For only $23/night it included a private room with AC and use of their pool. I soon … [Read more...]
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