Santa Catalina convent is a city in and of itself. Visitors can choose a guided tour from one of several languages, wander among the convent individually, or as I chose to do - combine self touring with guided touring. Guides are all women, smartly dressed in gray/light blue suits. There is no set fee for their guiding services; visitors decide what to pay them at the end of the tour (lasting approximately 90 minutes). I spent 3/4 of my time … [Read more...]
Pozo Saloon, Pozo CA – May 2002
Pozo Saloon is located about 40-45 minutes by car from downtown San Luis Obispo. This saloon is located in the thriving metropolis of Pozo - at last count population 52. The town's population wasn't always this low - gold was discovered in the late 1870's in La Panza (east of Pozo) and the population of the town had swelled to over 850 by 1882. The saloon is a historic landmark dating from 1858; the building is a fine example of old 'western' … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Temples & Shrines
Bangkok is home to hundreds of gleaming golden temples - many of which are centered around the old part of town and along the banks of the Chao Praya River or along other waterways within the city. Buddhists believe that monks should be ordained on or near water. Some are more memorable than others for a variety of reasons (size, architecture, unique artifacts, unique Buddha statues, location etc). Some of our favorites are indicated by the … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Museums
Bangkok is many things to many people, but it is not necessarily a museum town. A number of the museums are fairly dated and fail to provide a fun, educational, modern and engaging atmosphere. However with that said, there are still plenty of good museums to keep one occupied for at least a week if not longer including some rather intriguing, esoteric and hidden away ones. We have visited and reviewed the following 50+ museums in Bangkok. And … [Read more...]
Xcalak, Mexico – Tierra Maya Lodge
Mentioned as one of the top ten places to stay in Mexico by the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Hotel Tierra Maya opened in December of 1998; the name of the property was later renamed to Tierra Maya Lodge (contact information here). This is a beautiful self-contained fishing resort not yet discovered by the droves of people that frequent more popular regions of northern Yucatan. As their brochure states, "a vacation here is a union of luxury and … [Read more...]
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Mammoth Lakes is a year round playground offering world-class high altitude skiing over a diversity of terrain in the winter months and sometimes even into early summer, rugged natural beauty, a variety of lakes and unique geological formations including Devils Postpile, numerous fishing opportunities, hiking and hot springs. Mammoth Lakes has two distinct seasons, summer and winter. Highway 120 (Tioga Pass) is used as a primary highway for … [Read more...]
Key West, FL
Key West is the southern most city in the United States. It sits on the last major island at the end of the Florida Keys. The weather ranges from balmy, hot, & humid to quite pleasant in the winter months. The rainy season is in the summer time. The dry season is during the winter months. Temperatures in Key West during the middle of January often are in the low 80's when the rest of the nation is being blanketed by snow drifts or is fighting … [Read more...]
Mt. Shasta, CA – Hotels
The following are select Mt. Shasta City hotel accommodations - most of the town's hotels are located along Mt. Shasta Blvd in the south part of town. Prices are subject to change without notice. All Phone Numbers are in the 530 area code unless otherwise noted. A1 Choice Inn is located at 1340 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd. Family owned and operated - by an elderly couple. Very basic accommodation. All rooms are pet free and are non … [Read more...]
Reno, NV – Attractions
For a town of this size there are a fair number of attractions that are worth seeing. BaseCamp Reno is extremely unique; it is the world's tallest climbing wall (either indoor or outdoor) - in this case it is located outside on the east wall of the Whitney Peak Hotel (tall is a theme here - this hotel is appropriately named for the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, Mt. Whitney - located in neighboring California). The climbing … [Read more...]
Reno, NV – Casinos
For those serious gamblers, for those who perhaps just dabble in gambling, and for those who don't gamble but want to see the action - Reno offers a pleasing diversity of casinos. And most of these casinos feature a large hotel, often in a separate building from the casino (sometimes connected by walkways). The majority of the casinos feature doors that must be pushed open - and once you push through a second set of doors, you are deposited into … [Read more...]