Dear Friends, "I can't leave this place. Africa is in my heart'I love the unpredictability here; today we have food, tomorrow we might not". These were the musings of Ivor, a white Zimbabwean grocery store owner we met in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Ivor was one of the few white Zimbabwe citizens left after the country's strong-man president Robert Mugabe changed the constitution to allow himself unlimited terms and, in 2000, instituted a series of … [Read more...]
Saddlebag Lake Resort, CA – February 2006
Saddlebag Lake Resort is located at over 10,000 feet in California's spectacular eastern Sierra Nevada mountains just off of Highway 120 (Tioga Pass). The access road leads off of Highway 120 about half way between the nearby Tioga and Ellery Lakes. The 2 mile drive up is mostly on a rocky dirt road (with two steep sections of pavement) all uphill (suitable for passenger vehicles). The lake was built in 1919 by the Southern Sierra Power … [Read more...]
A Week in Sunny Devon
It was six forty-five in the morning as our USA plane touched down at Gatwick airport. This was the start of my one weeks vacation in Southern England. As we drew up to the disembarkation gate the captain told us the weather forecast for the next few days was warm and sunny ... what a bonus no rain. Once we cleared customs and located our hire car which, as luck would have it, had a diesel engine. What a great reward, considering gas is around … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Ishinca Trek
During several attempts to climb Ishinca & Toclaraju Dave used Enrique Expeditions, based in Huaraz - as well as a number of guides who for the most part spoke primarily Spanish with only a few words of English. Spanish was the primary language we used when climbing. Guides Francisco and Julio have both been guiding in the mountains for many years - each man has significant experience climbing. Julio has reached the summit of Huascaran (the … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Trekking Companies
Numerous tour guides in Huaraz offer day trips - most are congregated around or just off of the main street near downtown. For day trips, typically you will be picked up at your hotel between 6 and 8am in the morning and dropped off at your hotel between 6 and 7pm in the evening. Travelers certainly can arrange independent travel for day trip activities by by hiring a private taxi or taking a mini bus called a "collectivo". For longer treks or … [Read more...]
New Zealand, South Island – Driving
Most all of the roads on the South Island are very narrow with little or no shoulder space. Driving is on the left hand side of the road - if you come from a country where you drive on the right hand side of the road, you have to pay extra attention to be sure you are driving on the correct side of the road. Bicycling is quite popular in New Zealand in the summer time, and with the narrow roads and no shoulders, you have to be extremely … [Read more...]
New Zealand, South Island – Christchurch
After driving around the South Island coming into Christchurch can be somewhat of a shock as this is by far the largest city on the island and it can be a bit crowded - especially in comparison to the empty roads found on most of the rest of the South Island. This is not a large city by global standards but is large by New Zealand standards - with nearly 400,000 people. One can't help but notice the intriguing looking Gothic type buildings and … [Read more...]
New Zealand, South Island – Gold Mining
Gold Prospecting is easy to do on the South Island, mostly in part because a large number of gold mines are scattered throughout the island. New Zealand's gold rush, in the mid to late 1800's was after the big rush in California. So called Fossicking, IE, gold panning is allowed in many areas - with special "fossicking" sites available for visitor's to use free of charge. There are still quite a few active mines - those who visit some of the … [Read more...]
New Zealand, South Island – Lake Wanaka
Lake Wanaka (www.lakewanaka.co.nz) is the gateway to Mt. Aspiring National Park - but one should also spend some time in town exploring the diversity of attractions and experiences available. Besides its scenic location near Lake Wanaka it is a bustling tourist town with plenty of shopping and small little cafes and restaurants. As with most of the popular tourist towns in New Zealand, lodging will be extremely tight if you do not have prior … [Read more...]
New Zealand, South Island – Mt. Cook
Mt Cook is by far one of the most impressive highlights of the South Island and New Zealand in general. A prominent peak with its jagged edges, angry looking glaciers and height, it towers above the nearby mountains. The beauty of this area is that you can experience to a small extent, what the Himalayas look like from only an elevation of about 500 meters. On clear days the panoramic vistas are absolutely stunning. Note that Mt. Cook is … [Read more...]
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