The first recorded mapping of what is now Geographe Bay and the eventual town of Busselton, was in 1801 by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, from the ships the Geographe and Naturaliste. The Bay was named after his ship whilst the river was named the Vasse after a sailor who went missing in mysterious circumstances. The area was settled in 1832 when families from the Augusta area, led by John Garrett Bussell, traveled north to farm the … [Read more...]
Royals Put Malta Back on Map
For a Mediterranean island with good year round weather, a friendly local English speaking population and facilities to rival that of any of her competitors, Malta is a surprisingly often forgotten island for many people planning a holiday in the Mediterranean. Malta missed some of her own government's tourist targets in 2005, but a recent visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh resulted in four days of positive media coverage … [Read more...]
Going Cal-ing in Ibiza
Every now and then, I'll combine English and Spanish words and come up with something that truly annoys my wife, who happens to be from Spain. These "Spanglish" concoctions are usually pretty cheesy, but I must say that I'm not the only one guilty of this. Spaniards themselves do it. For bungee jumping, for example, they've invented the word puenting combining the ing ending from English with the word "puente" (bridge) in Spanish to form a hybrid … [Read more...]
Arequipa, Peru – Colca Canyon
For those who are in decent shape, a trek in Colca Canyon is one of the highlights of visiting Arequipa. Choose from a variety of trekking itineraries ranging from 1 to 2 to 3+ days. The actual canyon is about 4-5 hours by bus from Arequipa (depending on which trailhead you use). We do not recommend doing this as a day trip - as the distances are to great, with very limited time at the canyon and extremely early departure and late arrival times. … [Read more...]
Las Vegas, NV – Restaurants
The following are restaurants that the author visited in Las Vegas during his stay there. Black Mountain Grill is part of the Tommy Rocker franchise of restaurants/bars. It is located at 11021 S. Eastern Ave in Green Valley. They have a full bar in the center of this restaurant. Dinners are quite good here. Sunday brunch is also served. For more information call: (702) 990-0990 Website: www.blackmountaingrill.com I Love Sushi is located … [Read more...]
Redding, CA – Museums
Redding is not a hot-spot for museums - there are only several in town that are open to the public. We have visited and highlighted a few below. Behrens-Eaton House Museum is highly recommended for a personalized tour and look back in time - to the life of prominent judge Judge Richard Behrens Eaton who lived here until he died in 2003. Upon his death a trust he established stipulated that his home and grounds be turned into a museum open to … [Read more...]
Redding, CA – Restaurants
Redding has a diversity of food - but is not necessarily a culinary hotspot. Any prices we list below are for dinner only. Prices are subject to change without notice. What are your favorite restaurants in Redding? Email dave@pon.net so that one of our team can visit and add a review here the next time we are in town. All phone numbers are in the 530 area code unless otherwise noted. Anthony's Mediterranean is located at 2475 Eureka … [Read more...]
Monterey, CA – Carmel Restaurants
Carmel has a great selection of restaurants, many known for their excellent European influenced cuisine. The one type of restaurant you will not find in town are fast food chain restaurants. Note that Carmel does not use street numbers for addresses - so when giving someone directions to a restaurant you have to include the nearest cross streets and or any other signifying landmarks. Some restaurants offer sunset specials - the meals are … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Weather
Sonoma County has many many micro climates, not only relating to temperature, but also with precipitation. For example Santa Rosa averages a little over 30 inches of rain a year, but if you travel 10 to 20 miles away, rainfall averages can be much higher. Cazadero, in western Sonoma County one year received 117 inches of rain! Sometimes for several years in a row Cazadero receives well over 50 inches of rain each year. Santa Rosa tends to have … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Golf Courses
Sonoma County is home to a diversity of golf courses - some 16 are listed here (every golf course in the county); we have personally visited 15 of them. Most are public, but some are private and a number are membership based. The private very prestigious Mayacama Golf Course is located just east of Windsor. Jack Nicholas (who designed the course) teed off on opening day in 2001 to many cheers from the on looking crowds. This private course was … [Read more...]