April 2010 New Orleans
Donna REALLY knows her way around the City and the Jazz Festival.
Vegetarian Chick eats a huge Pork Roast.
Richie Havens does not impress.
Cute Shoes are purchased.
* Designates a link to more information about that location.
Donna REALLY knows her way around the City and the Jazz Festival.
Vegetarian Chick eats a huge Pork Roast.
Richie Havens does not impress.
Cute Shoes are purchased.
Kids playing pirate game freak out when Donna’s Spanish Governor character shoots his own daughter (to save her from a fate worse than death).
The Garmin Navigator changes its mind every few minutes.
Cindy & Kees visited – Route 66 Museum.
Huge quantity of groceries purchased, delivered to Janice and her grandkids.
Dickens Faire, Eddy & Melissa are visited for Christmas.
Mark & Colleen visited.
Amazing redwood trees.
Donna drives in deep, new snow.
Crater Lake viewed during a brief lull in the blizzard.
Tom Turkey gobbles furiously at his rival Chick.
Chick Meets Cheryl G, Homestead relatives and Tiny.
Introduced to ‘Robert is Here.’
Confederacy museum.
WWII museum.
Swamp Tour.
Doreen Jazz at the festival.
Filmed as extras for a Treme episode.
Marsha Ball at Lafayette Park.
Donna leaves her medicinal THC at home and spends much of each day nauseated.
Visited the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Vatican.
Blew off the rest of the planned trip to return home.
Sean & Stephanie’s wedding.
Hot Nova catches fire and is extinguished.
Larry and Claire visited.
Colonial Barracks wargame convention.
Donna becomes “Donna Khan” in the big Maiwand battle game.
Mississippi memorial service for Richard Stevens, who would have been 40 years old.
Cheryl DOMINATES at Scrabble.
10 nights in Homestead.
To the Everglades with Diane & Bob.
Corporon Family Reunion.
Something hits Chick’s forehead in the Hampton Inn “what was that? Hmph, panties.”
St. Peter’s tomb under the Vatican.
Spanish Steps.
Trevi Fountain.
Capuchin boneyard.
Galileo museum.
Leonardo machines museum.
Ethnographic and Archaeological museums.
Michelangelo’s David
Ice in the Grand Canal
St. Mark’s Cathedral
Glassblowing island trip
Leather masks purchased to frighten the tourists
Combat Commander against Simone and his sneezing nephew
Valentine’s Day with Frozen midnight walk ‘home’
The Fountain of Shame.
We both come down with the very nasty flu.
Siracusa
Donna’s birthday.
Flu recovery time.
Daring daylight sand robbery over the locked gate to stairs downward.
Sorrento
2012 March Blue Grotto
Blue Grotto
Pompeii visits.
Rome, and home.
Chick’s back goes out 2012
Yehoram & Christine Christine and Yehoram visit the Jazz Festival
Mothers announce no Substitutions and no Soy Milk
Bishop Museum.
Chick’s first bus tour!
Kona
Gekko Songs.
Chick sees the green flash for the first time.
Honolulu – Missed flight to Kosrae for bogus reasons, only 2 flights/week.
Donna’s first scuba dive in 20 years – untouched coral reefs.
300 spinner dolphins accompany the dive boat to welcome us.
Gobies, land walking fish.
2012 June Pohnpei Nan Madol1
Nan Madol, amazing seldom-visited megalithic site.
Lovely little girl offers her precious ice cream cone to a stranger named Chick.
Local scuba diving fails to impress.
We find the secret Sakau (kava) bar.
Donna dives on several WWII Japanese wrecks
Rai (Giant stone money) experienced for the first time. Hey buddy, do you have change?
Donna dives with giant rays.
2012 July Yap Donna and Fish
Traditional Yapese meal enjoyed, including betel-nut chewing.
Tour of Rumung “Forbidden” island – traditional culture, no modern amenities.
Donna’s injured shoulder diagnosed and medicated for free at the hospital.
Home via Guam.
Eddie and Melissa visited
Ten days of lectures, demonstrations, and exercise.
Dr. McDougall is NOT a charlatan!
He unaccountably picks a fight with Donna, to her dismay.
We change our way of eating forever, and for the better – Vegan No Oil Super Low Fat.
Colonial Barracks wargame conference.
Played “Hive & the Flame’ with 3 female, 2 male players, a first for The Sword and the Flame.
Obama is re-elected.
Donna flies to Texas for Todd’s play, and back to New Orleans.
Visiting Eddie on the way north and south.
Huge amounts of snow block the I-5 delaying our arrival by a day.
Brother Matt’s family delayed by flight cancellations.
Snow hikes and downhill sledding – Donna sets sledding distance record, also screaming record.
Fine Holiday celebrations, puzzles and games.
Donna and Carol Caldwell visit Michael in London
Boca Raton, then Homestead to visit, Diane shows up solo
Donna treats Marge & Don Erway to a helicopter tour of Volcano and deep valleys.
Keck Observatory visit.
Volcano Park.
Seahorse farm
BlueGreen Scumbags are Embarrassed by Donna.
Her signature DECLINES their ‘points for weeks’ exchange scam.
Very cold year, bought hoodies!
Kathleen visits for the Jazz Fest.
Tapas Bar Chef: “I just can’t make you BAD FOOD!”
Plantation tour.
Fly to Vancouver – beautiful Ammonite jewelry ordered online.
Stern cabin on the Zuiderdam for Kathleen and Conrad as a thank you for getting us together.
Juneau – Photo studio ripoff – never received our photos.
Skagway – walking on the glacier tour.
Ketchikan – poor Conrad gets really sick.
Archaeology and Gold museums
New friends Alex the tattoo artist and Stella, German girlfriend
By Bus.
Flight over the Nazca Lines.
Subterranean aqueducts.
A sudden Earthquake breaks our hotel wall.
By bus – very long ride.
Quoricancha - impossibly fine stonework.
Home-brewed chicha corn beer.
By taxi and rail.
Loud all-night festival.
The rain floods our room.
Early morning first bus up to Machu Picchu.
Amazing ruins and views.
Humming Llamas.
Memorial for Walt and Roberta Lewis, who never quite got to Machu Picchu.
Chick enjoys the thermal baths.
Return to Cuzco.
By air
Museums and Sipan ruins
By bus.
Kuelap ruins day trip.
Donna to Cavernas, can’t get to cliff tombs, but visits waterfall and a friendly local fiesta.
By bus
Ruined Huaca temples and Chan Chan ruins.
By share taxi.
Day trip to Chavin de Huantar ruins.
By share taxi
Day trip to the amazing Caral ruins – pyramid building before pottery!
As our taxi is the only return option, unhelpful Aussie-Peruvians suddenly know English.
By bus.
We bump into Alex before flying home to LA.
Colonial Barracks #3 – Linear games, no subtlety, and no hope of victory.
WWII museum visit and really lame submarine experience.
Donna solo to Homestead, slightly too late to help nurse aunt Fay, stays to help.
Two trips for Lewis reunion
Donna treats with beachfront lodging for all.
Sandcastles on the beach under Mark’s direction.
Piano winerack at Goodwill for Rob Rio.
Charni and Rick participate!
Matt spends many hours taking Sue home, missing celebrations.
Donna defeats Colleen, Chick, and Katie in Scrabble!
Fine New Year’s Eve and Day.
Big Family Reunion at Mary Lou’s
Diane appears!
Donna leads an expedition to capture giant Windfall Avocados
We stay on the coast at the Kona Tiki.
Day boat trip to Captain Cook Memorial – Donna watches an octopus hunting.
Princeville, Kauai, Donna learns to surf and stands up all the way to the sand.
Donna learns to paddleboard, never falling off.
Nice helicopter tour of Kauai.
Dinner cruise, Donna BLASTS the conch, loud and long, outperforming the boat crew.
Too hot for Donna who goes to New Orleans instead.
Tours and museums
Registan public square, Takhtakara Pass.
Varaksha Ruins
Amazing reconstructed walled town.
Long hike with all luggage plus some from others in 110 deg heat & full blasting sun.
Very strange vibes in this empty, flashy city – flight to near Gonur Tepe.
Bus to ancient Merv, flight back to Ashkabad
Bus to the ancient fortress of Nissa.
Layover for shopping – Basilica Cistern visited (spotted in 1987 on honeymoon)
We bump into Alex before flying home to LA.
Girls trip - Plenty of Jazz Festival
Flight to Cancun, bus to ferry to Cozumel Island.
Wrong ‘El Cid,’ we are booked 1000 miles away at El Cid Mazatlan (!!) Chick’s error.
Donna again gets to scuba repeatedly.
Chichen Itza by bus – Amazingly interesting ruins.
Cozumel again by bus.
Big, bold, bragging Dive Club men trumped by soft-spoken Donna, who has dived Truk lagoon.
San Jose – watermelon-flavored beer! - Museums & huge iridescent blue butterflies.
Donna adopted by tame boars on Turtle Island.
By bus – Rain forest visits
By bus to Papagayo Hilton and Dr. McDougall’s lectures.
Boring scuba for Donna.
River rafting tour.
Chick gets lots of credit for befriending and sequestering a crazy, aggressive homeless guy.
By air – Tours of scenery and wildlife – We see a wild platypus!
The cultural center shows newly-invented rituals and dances.
Live aboard by Mike Ball out to the barrier reef, weather nixes the Coral Sea.
Donna quickly completes Nitrox certification, and really likes Nitrox breathing gas mix.
We very nearly lose a diver at Pixiewall due to rip currents, only the radio saves him.
Donna swims back to Spoilsport alone.
Donna sees a Disco Clam.
Lizard Island visit.
Cod Hole – friendly giant Potato Cod.
Gotham City – Donna sees and photographs sea snakes mating.
Pixie Pinnacle.
Lighthouse Bommie.
Donna makes an unprecedented 5 dives in a day, 4+ hours underwater.
Georgia John tells Chick: “She’s Goin’ Back In, yore wahf is HARDCORE!”
Ribbon Reef – Donna photos tiny frogfish.
After 2 weeks aboard, we can’t lose our sea legs for days.
By air.
Rental car - Donna remembers how to drive on the left side of the road.
Byron Bay.
Donna does paddle boarding.
We get to hold a Koala Bear.
An Emu falls in love with Chick’s dark green T-shirted belly (Emu eggs are dark green).
Photos of big ‘flying fox’ bats in the trees.
Donna and Cheryl G. take a road trip including a visit to Niagara Falls.
Donna flies from Florida, overcoming multiple schedule challenges.
She meets Chick at the airport in Charlotte Amalie, St.Thomas.
Bluebeard’s Beach Club Lodgings are good.
Visit Chip and Janet witness some tensions.
Snorkeling on St. John, Donna re-connects with Ranger Patty through acquainted Rangers.
Kingman by road, overnight stop, to lodging in Sedona.
Jason Voss shows us around, we take some short hikes.
Watched the meteor shower in the early morning, 6 in quick succession, then nothing.
Jeep tours of the local sights.
Ghost tour by Jason, Donna photographs ghostly feet on a fire escape!
Returning, visited Montezuma’s castle.
.
Carlsbad Caverns visit walking down the back entrance – quite amazing.
Very Large Array Radio Telescope visited.
Pinetop Arizona Lodging
Fort Apache Day Trip
Petrified Forest visit,
Newspaper Rock visit,
Donna buys meteorite earrings.
Donna to Georgia Christian School’s 50th reunion.
Aborted reunion – Drove to Visit Eddie and Melissa, then on to Windsor.
Brother Mark’s passing torpedoes planned Lewis Family reunion, 3 apartments booked.
Eddie & Melissa, plus Ken Long & Jessie, come to visit with free lodging.
Christmas celebration with Eddie’s kids and families.
Mark’s memorial, attended by 600! Best memorial service ever.
Kona
McDougall’s convention.
Many whales were seen breaching, including a baby whale learning.
Our submarine tour is canceled due to bad visibility after a storm.
Then to stay at the Kona Tiki.
Hilo by car for planetarium shows.
Dinner cruise, Donna BLASTS the conch, loud and long, outperforming the boat crew.
Rio de Janiero for Carnival - SUPER hot and muggy!
Ipanema Beach day trip – celebrating Brazilians are nuts!
Pierrot Clown outfits enhance expensive viewing of the parade at Sambadrome.
Board the Ruby Princess for a 31-night cruise around South America back to Los Angeles.
Buenos Aires, early morning walking tour.
Montevideo
Cathedral and Independence square all shut down Sunday morning.
Donna befriends very strange Jack Pinto, who lives on cruise ships, and decided to have all his toenails removed surgically so he wouldn’t need to carry clippers to cut them!
Stanley
Whalebones and no trees, quiet and bucolic
Ushuaia
Fin del Mondo, Southernmost town – Prisons museum and glaciers.
Good views between sleet storms.
Punta Arenas, sheep shearing show.
Valparaiso, many in-city funiculars.
Coquimbo, Archaeological museum.
Pisco, Tambo Colorado ruins – Donna gets MS Hugs! We cut down on guacamole-fests.
Callao, Lightning foray to Lima where after negotiation, Donna buys 13 Alpaca shawls.
Puntarenas
Puerto Vallarta, Excursion to circular-dome ‘Hidden Beach.’
Good views of the battleship Iowa coming into port.
A very fine cruise – our starboard balcony gets colder and colder to discomfort, then warmer and hotter to discomfort, then again more pleasantly cool to home.
Donna solo start, Chick arrives 2nd Weds - Meets Joan briefly
Marcia Ball at Lafayette Park
Carol S. and Jason visit and Jazz Fest
Chicago headlines at the Festival
Donna and Diane attend McDougall’s 10 day food school.
Chick solo to help empty out Colleen’s garage & barn – good companionship.
Met Ranger Patty and her strange crew at the campground.
Team showers at our motel.
Classical music concert.
First visit to a legal dope store.
Flew to Tokyo > Jakarta > Yogyakarta
Gamelan strikes up unexpectedly at the ancient little Hindu Temple.
They prepare 6 special dishes for us for a single meal – other tourists are jealous.
Visit Sultan’s palace and museum.
Wearing sarongs, we crawl into the holy of holies Sultan’s tomb up 441 stairs.
Borobodur – great temple, incredibly intrusive vendors and touts.
Donna rescues ‘lost and panic-ing’ Roy.
Wonosobo on the Deng Plateau – Gedung Songo Temples.
Solo town – Candi Sukuh temples, Candi Ceta temples.
Soerabaya – flight to Ujung Pandang (1).
Pare-Pare by bus – a meal at the harbor overlook – Chick remembers the place.
By bus.
Traditional houses and cliff face tomb effigies visited.
Ancient and brand-new megaliths consecrated.
Return to Ujung Pandang (2) on the coast by bus.
By air
Ubud by bus – Astonishingly luxurious Hotel Royal Pita Maha.
Giant Beds, tall mosquito nets, our own infinity pool, on the river valley edge.
Donna’s first mangosteen, replenished every day.
Many, many performances of the Ramayana get boring after a while.
Marching Gamelan Band accompanies us to the Farewell Feast.
By transfer
MUCH changed from 1977 – now we are on our own.
Quiet Hindu ceremonies take place on the beach.
Too many motorbikes – we jump through hoops to extend our visa for the 2nd month.
By air
We find lodging and book scuba.
Awakened by the world's LOUDEST Gekko !! > ejected from the tiled ensuite bathroom.
‘Komodo Dive Shop’ REJECTED by Donna for disrespect for the coral.
Paradise Bar we meet Greg, ‘Dive Komodo’ owner, and friend Volker, arrange a boat tour.
Morning speed boat trip to Rinca Island – plenty of Komodo Dragons on display.
We discover Volker is the world’s expert on Komodo Dragons, brought him accidentally.
Snorkeling is good on the speedboat trip home.
Denpasar returns by air, then on to Ujung Pandang (3) air hub.
Manado by air – 2 Fish Bunaken Divers take us by launch to Pulau Bunaken – dive resort – Plenty of divemasters and helpers.
On 1st Dive, Donna sees 5 Bars for the first time ever!
2 or 3 dives per day follow.
Divemaster rescues Donna from a very strong current by towing.
She plays with a big, curious cuttlefish
Manado return, then flight to Ujung Pandang (4)
Ambon by air – local contact and guide ‘Michael’ is nowhere to be found.
Morning, he meets us at the airport with our impossible-to-prebook air tickets.
Banda Neira by air, Motorbike drives goats off the tiny airstrip in the remote Banda Islands.
We are the only foreigners on the twice-per-week-flight to the original ‘spice islands’.
Donna scubas with Blue Motion Dive Center.
Boat trip to Rhun island, traded by treaty in the 1700s for Manhattan Island.
Spice tour to Banda Besar
Return flight with a night’s layover searching for remodeled ‘Benteng Portugues.’
Sorong flight – race to make the last grotty ferry ride to Waisai, Gam Island, where Biodiversity takes us by launch to Raja Ampat.
Donna dives many sites, claiming her 2 best dives of all time (!)
She dives many of the world’s top-rated dive sites, including Chicken Reef.
Chick regularly tells stories after dinner to good response.
Sorong by launch and ferry, with a one-night layover.
Jakarta flight via Ujung Pandang (5).
Car tour of the National Museum, and visit to Kota the old Dutch center of the city.
Istanbul flight – Archaeological Museum, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Giant covered market, getting over jet-lag.
Addis Ababa flight – Meet up with Tour, National Museum, and National Cathedral
By flight
Museum in Wukro, tame archaeologist Jackie’s Dig.
Picnic under an ENORMOUS tree, with lots of kids visiting to be photographed.
Donna’s first Najera.
By van
Midnight foray Donna uses cleaner’s cart, disables multiple screaming smoke detectors.
Huge Stele park including the largest broken stele.
St. Mary of Zion Cathedral.
Basket Market.
Touts take Chick’s photo to try to find “Teeling.”
Hillside Lion bas-relief.
‘Detectives’ later return with “Tesfay”, Chick’s guide to Axum from 40 years ago.
Jackie invites Tesfay + detectives to lunch with the tour, Tesfay invites the tour to dinner.
Donna quietly slips Tesfay $200 for taking good care of Chick long ago.
We have a lovely, ‘legal’ dinner in Tesfay’s compound with Jackie.
Ark procession viewed
By van – We view the monkeys.
‘Thrumming’ big sling stone shot out over the escarpment.
Gondar down from the mountains by van.
Debra Birhan Selassie church.
29 different lunch dishes prepared, we can eat only raw bananas and bread.
Julie gets some contact testosterone.
Tej sampled and enjoyed.
By air, others on tour had a nine-hour drive due to air scheduling conflicts.
Beta Emanuel and St. George’s rock-cut churches.
Donna befriends and has dinner with the ‘Nice Boys’ at their home Yemrehane Kristos Monastery in an open cave mouth.
A spontaneous visit to a big open-air market by the road, obviously 1st tourists ever.
Bashar Dar by bus – the source of the Blue Nile.
Boating on Lake Tana, visits to the island churches.
Long walk to see what remains of the Blue Nile Falls after hydroelectric installations.
Addis by air, then home to LA.
Staying in Kahana
Whale watching boat.
Helicopter tour.
Elvis impersonator.
Waterfalls.
BIG Banyan tree.
Drove up and up to see the crater and the curved horizon.
Visited Eddie and Melissa
Marin – visited Grace and Larry
Donna ocean dives, unimpressed, then Donna dives into a cenote.
Aunt Helen met at Vegan Planet.
Cirque de Soleil with Helen and Andy.
Tour to Ek Balam, with a swim in a big cenote.
We moved to near Tulum, which we visited on foot.
Chichen Itza – we magically arrive for the descent of Kulkulkan shadow.
Scorpion in his shoe stings Chick.
Eddie and Melissa arrive for the Festival.
Palm Court Jazz visited often.
Red Hot Chili Peppers perform and stink.
Vampire walking tour is 2nd rate
A small boat swamp tour is good.
Kermit performs at Lafayette Park.
Torrential Rain cancels Saturday Festival.
Garden District Tour.
Donna gets a new ‘Steampunk’ hat
Singha Thai preps Chick’s declared ‘best meal of all time’
Chick solo – Dedication of Mark’s memorial bench.
Sharing cheap lodging with Charni.
Multiple feasts at various McMenamins.
Mical’s Rogue Folklore department graduations.
Katie’s Theater Arts graduations.
Sweden
Finland
Russia
Estonia
Poland
Germany
Denmark
Norway
Iceland
Natadola Beach – Yatule Resort has removed its kitchens
Bogus ‘Cannibal Cave’ and Kava drinking.
Scuba is lousy and canceled.
Banzai Gekko drops on Donna
Port Vila by air – Friendly folks
Scuba dive for Donna is 91 minutes underwater, a record for her.
Van tour around Efate island.
Wreck dive judged very bad.
Taxi driver Willie stands us up for his son’s circumcision celebration.
Our plane comes in on only 1 engine, onward canceled.
We are calm, polite, patient, & miraculous air taxi ride carries a few to Tanna Island.
Kastom village visit – Firewalking.
Open-air Food Market where we could eat everything which was for sale.
Volcano soup for lunches & dinners.
Mt Yasur visit – Amazing eruptions from the crater rim.
We were driven down by the rainstorm.
Strong Kava purchased on the way home
Port Vila return flight.
Flame dances are impressive
Suva by bus – good museums
By air
Maritime and Auckland museums are very interesting.
Rotorua by rental car – Donna driving on the left.
Maori cultural show.
Drive to Waitomo at dusk, black sand beach.
Marocopo waterfall, 130’ tall.
Piripiri cave, Donna climbs, then descends into the dark
Glow-worm cave tour in a rubber boat, eerie and lovely.
Auckland return
Staying waterfront Taaroa Lodge owned by surfing champ Ralph Sanford
Donna enjoys snorkeling
The magic tablecloth on the porch generates Baguettes and Pomelo
Moorea by ferry staying at the Tapu lodge
Scuba is ugly and disappointing here
Island truck tour to vanilla and pineapple farms, and distillery
Lagoon tour provides snorkeling with rays and sharks galore
Abandoned by tour operators, we walk home in the heat
Donna’s foot is injured by the boat ladder
Return to Tahiti by ferry
Chick makes a replacement dive stick for Donna from bent rod
Bora Bora flight – cheap beachfront lodging with adjacent kitchen, constant breeze.
This is declared the Perfect Polynesian Paradise
Diving is enjoyable for pretty coral
Rangiroa flight – HUGE lagoon, the runway fills narrow perimeter island
Booked diving, but they made Donna surface with 120 bars of air left – FIRED them
Snorkeling was better
Boat trip to the Blue Lagoon – hundreds of tiny sharks in ankle-deep water.
Very uncomfortable overpowered scow, bouncing
Beautiful sunsets over the lagoon, and immense full moon
Redeye flight (Rapa Nui)
Warned away from the badly eroded but genuine roadside Moai.
Good Island tour – Moai platforms, topknot quarry, Moai quarry, crater.
Scuba is bad but photographed by the phony underwater Moai.
A rental car self-guided tour is great.
Tahiti return redeye + brutal 1am > 7am airport layover
flight – airstrip is on the opposite corner of the island, a 1.5-hour drive to lodging.
The dive shop and all 3 Chinese stores are never open when posted.
Donna dives with Pipapo, but scuba is not exciting here.
Jeep tour of the island is interesting.
Landlady’s informal museum visited.
Tahiti return flight – home to LA.
Included Diane, plus visiting with Eddie and Melissa
Six weeks stay, 40-day water-only fasts, 20 days refeeding
Stunned by The Donald’s election.
Plenty of lectures and demonstrations.
Plenty of napping in the wan sunshine.
Met and befriended Lawrence, booked a future East African tour with him.
Met and thanked Dr. McDougall and Mary.
Annoyed by Chef AJ and the self-absorbed ‘holidays’ guests.
Diane feels sick, but overall huge improvements in health and outlook for Donna and Chick.
We launch Diane bussing to Oregon to visit newly re-connected Vern Perkins.
Miami to Jamaica – Dunn’s Falls.
Grand Cayman – Postcard from Hell, snorkeling at ‘stingray city.’
Cozumel – stayed aboard.
Nassau – Bahamas - City tour and boring island beach.
Miami – Visit Cheryl, drove to Homestead to visit, taught Scott Combat Commander.
Flew directly from Fort Lauderdale to Kona.
Kim Sweeney’s Magic Act.
Swam with the big Rays offshore from the Sheraton.
Plenty of visiting the Erways.
Donna, Diane, and Vern arrive first, Chick later.
Stevie Wonder performs on Saturday.
Chick solo
At Pittsburgh Airport baggage claim, meet courier, pass off BtMoM translation.
Hiking around Butler visiting scenes from the 1950s.
Great watermelons.
Uncle Lee’s memorial service and celebrations afterward.
Driving north with Kerry Johnson, visited Eddie both ways in passing.
John Johnson gifts us wonderful fruit and veggies upon arrival.
Only 1 room reserved, believed 2 were booked.
Inflatable beds for Matt and his family, including exchange student Leo
Chick visits Colleen in Eugene
Air museum visit and Spruce Goose.
Water park visit.
John shows everyone around the town and the gardens.
We sit by chickens & bees for perfect viewing of an amazing total eclipse.
Chick beats Colleen 2 of 3 in Scrabble, 7-letter plays in all 3!
We meet Melissa’s parents on the way south.
Lodging again at El Cid la Ceiba.
Donna dives often with ChaChaCha.
Nice massages also enjoyed.
Chinese style breakfasts – recovering jet lag.
Skewered giant black scorpion yummy treats!
Giant delicious Chinese pomelos – we eat one or more nearly every day.
Forbidden city – Tiananmen Square.
Summer Palace – Great Wall visit.
Cycle rickshaw tour of ‘Hutong’ traditional area.
By rail – Yide hotel, traditional residence.
Day trip to Wang family compound.
City wall tour.
Super noisy wedding celebrations.
By air
Musician/Guide ‘Jimmy’ adopts ‘whole food plant-based no oil’ for the duration.
Tianshan high-altitude lake.
A special meal in a Yurt.
We learn to eat well at ‘hot pot’ restaurants.
The regional museum has red-headed mummies.
By air – Police omnipresence is heavy – gotta keep the Uigur down.
Discovered ‘Qini Bagh,’ formerly remote Brit consulate for Macartney.
The famous Sunday animal market is canceled for the National Conference 5000 km away.
By car
Security checkpoints everywhere, lighters and scissors are dangerous contraband.
Silk and Jade factory tours.
We did swing dancing at dusk in the Unification park.
Drove trans-Taklamakan Desert highway! Rolling sand dunes.
Kizil 1000 Buddhas Cave.
Kuqa by car -
By car –
By car – Bezikelik caves + Flaming Cliffs scenic area and theme park.
Very HOT and overrun by enthusiastic Chinese tourists.
Turpan museum and mummies.
Drive to Jiaohue ruins + Karez underground irrigation system.
Grape valley tour with performances triggered by disinterested local VIPs.
By bullet train and car – Robin takes over as guide/translator.
Mogao grottoes - We see the famous ‘hidden library.’
Expensive fancy cultural show in the evening – 77 in the cast, only 83 in the audience.
Bactrian camels ridden at Singing Sands.
Jade Gate visited, and another bit of the ‘Great Wall’ with 2000-year-old reed mats.
Only we 2 foreigners at huge staged historical performance.
Jiayuguan reconstructed the fortress by car.
Long car trip – Street signs translated into Russian Cyrillic script.
Kara Khoto – Black City picturesquely being reclaimed by blowing sand.
Dead poplar forest in the gritty wind.
Photographed big camel herd with minders on motorbikes.
Back 6 hours to Jiayuguan for an overnight stop – Big gray dust storm overtakes us.
We dance again in the central square and are photographed by curious locals.
By air – New guide is Helen
Terracotta Warriors and museums
A little boy gives Donna his precious, wrapped cookie.
City wall walking tour, Great Mosque, Bell and Drum Towers
Tibet by air – the new guide is Jack – our window view of the Potala Palace is perfect.
383 steps up to tour the Potala – City temples, locals do devotions and prostrations.
Sera Monastery – Donna overcome by tears of joy, comforted by worried Tibetan ladies.
Long road trip to the Friendship Highway 5000 meter summit – our high-altitude record.
World’s greatest outhouse view - ‘BabyGoat’ ladies enjoy a gift of Pomelo.
Downhill by air – transfer to
Our new guide is Mei Ling with her dragon-lady granny.
Reed Flute cave, with lots of flowstones – Donna’s favorite cave EVER!
Boat tour of amazing rocks and scenery.
We are photographed with MANY unsophisticated Chinese tourists.
Fancy ‘Impression’ outdoor show with a cast of 600.
By air – William is our guide – Mag-Lev train ridden from the airport.
Suzhou day trip and Tongli – traditional seafront canal water-town.
Evening hotpot meal is our best in all of China.
Only 2 foreigners at Nat Hist Museum, displaying animated ‘terror chicken’ dinosaur.
We ascend the Shanghai tower, 2nd tallest building on earth.
New guide Daniel takes us out of town to Yu Gardens, with amazing Koi ponds.
Walking tour of the French concession and the Bund.
Night subway ride to the acrobat circus.
Donna and Debra
Vern and Diane picked up at John Wayne. Diane is desperately sick.
Diane recovers, Donna, Diane, and Vern drive Ellis for Southwest sightseeing.
A week at the timeshare in Pine Top, Arizona, as a base for day trips everywhere.
Donna dropped off at an airport and has flights canceled, coming home a day later than planned.
Diane and Vern drive home without major challenges.
Holistic Holiday at Sea #2 onboard the Divina.
Donna goes first to visit, 4 days later Chick follows, meeting at the ship.
Dr. Klaper remembers our names!
St. Thomas stop, teashop internet connection used.
Basseterre St. Kitts & Nevis historical museum.
Fort de France Martinique closed historical museum, Archaeology museum accepts only Euros.
Bridgtown Barbados – taxi to the lame Historical Museum.
Onboard, at dinner, Donna politely demolishes the false Diabetes beliefs of a practicing female physician. (Incredulously: “You don’t really think it is BAD INSULIN ?!?)
Pointe a Pietre Guadaloupe – decided not to go ashore
High adventure with the dynamic duo. Kathleen hunting skills explored.
Girls trip, Chick stays home.
Bouncing Addis Ababa – met by Lawrence, Jua, Jenga, & Juba.
To Maua (flower) mission in Kilimanjaro foothills – recovering jet lag.
Hid $9K in the secret Toyota pipe safe.
Tarangire game reserve – SO many animals! - Hiding from Tsetse flies.
Ngorongoro Crater – Donna identifies Lawrence’s passive-aggressive behavior.
Plenty of interesting birds and lots of game in the crater
Serengeti game park in Kenya – Border crossing is very expensive.
Our guide can really find the animals, we see all of the big 5.
Toyota engine overheats, radiator leak sealed with elephant dung.
Lawrence picks fights with Donna, disrespects her, things are very tense and bad.
He wants to re-negotiate our agreement, so we comply by ending the trip a month early.
Lake Natron – a great view of the southern cross.
Visit the hunter/gatherer Hadzabe tribe.
1000 pelicans perform in-formation.
Eyasi, then to Arusha, retrieve our papers and cash, then home via Dubai and the North Pole.
Our flight layover is in Moscow.
Yerevan, Armenia – the hotel is on the central square – we swing dance to applause.
Pat Gearhart*, govt. researcher re-met from Ethiopia ArchTour decides to change her diet.
Day trip to hear unexpected singing in the cave monastery.
Yerevan historical museum.
Armenia’s central ancient church
Areni Cave archaeological site – traces of cannibalism.
Selim caravansarai, with rock slab roof.
Dilizhan, into Georgia
Tbilisi city tour.
Davit Gareja Monastery.
Stalin museum.
Borjomi – Vardizia cave monastery.
Kutaisi – to Batumi resort on the Black Sea.
Home via Istanbul.
Montego Bay, Jamaica – boarding the Royal Clipper.
Port Antonio, Jamaica – watch the crew set 43 sails – Boring Bob wants to impress Chick.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – visit the first church in the new world.
Hunted down a ‘museum’ which was actually a day-care center.
Donna climbs the ratlines!
Gustavia, St. Barts – Entire town is shut down Sunday afternoon.
Falmouth, Antigua – visit to ‘Nelson’s Dockyard’.
Isle des Saintes – Donna: ”What did you do when you were 18?” Lizzie: ”I got older”.
Cabrits, Dominica – Climbed to restored Fort Shirley.
Marigot Bay, St. Lucia – Staged Photos of the ship and crew.
Kingstown, St. Vincent – Meteor shower 2 am, lots of meteors + inebriated Lizzie.
Bridgetown, Barbados – Layover 2 nights – Little soft frogs make rhythmic squeaking noises
By air
Visit Chip and Janet.
Ranger Patty visited to see new digs and have a nice communal dinner.
Home to Day Street for the 1st time.
Jamaica - Seas flatter than Chick has ever seen.
Aruba – Museum closed for remodeling.
Cartagena, Colombia – Taxi tour in Hideous Traffic, we never step out of the car.
Colon, Panama – Ashore for brief shopping.
Fish have passed the self-awareness test!
Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico – stayed aboard.
Miami – Chick returns directly, Donna stays a week in Florida to visit.
Chick’s GOOD knee acts up.
Visiting with Marge and Don.
Snorkeling at the Tuesday beach.
Saw a green flash with 4 conchs sounding.
A defending surgeonfish bites donna’s leg.
Kathleen brings Edward, prevents Chick from being invited.
Donna attends Isaac's graduation.
Danube river tour with Don & Carol.
Bucharest Romania – City tour and wheelchair wrangling.
Old-fashioned Racist displays in the Natural History Museum.
Tour to Vlad the Impaler’s tomb
Bran Castle, Transylvania by bus
Brasov – Lunch in the sun on the Hottest day in many years.
Visit the Black Church.
Bucharest – We board the Passion and head west.
Saint George – Danube Delta small boat tour.
Constanta resort town.
Rousse, Bulgaria.
Vidin.
Iron Gates – Lepenski Vir archaeological site – Sturgeon-mouthed anthropomorphic statues.
Beograd, Serbia – museums.
Mohacs, Hungary.
Budapest – City tours and bus tour to Slovakia.
Beograd, Serbia – museums
Mohacs, Hungary
Budapest – City tours and bus tour to Slovakia
After bouncing in Taipei - Central Gondola hotel.
We walked around the lake, helping hundreds of schoolchildren with English homework.
Ho Chi Minh’s tomb.
Museums visited.
Buddhist reincarnation cartoons equate disloyalty to the government with damning Sin.
Discovered excellent V’s Home Vegan Restaurant.
Imperial Citadel with underground War Command Bunkers.
By bus/boat – amazing karst pinnacles, Flow-stone cave.
By air – found a good cheap vegetarian restaurant with limited English.
Guide Mr. Bean took us on a Citadel tour, then out of town to the emperor’s mausoleum.
Private river cruise by tatty dragon boat.
By car – scenery and defensive positions – Squeaking Sand Sample.
Custom tailoring and wacky frog noises (“Quark Quark Quark”)!
Banana blossom salad.
Day trip to My Son Temples of the Chamba people interspersed with bomb craters.
Otherworldly prevalence of butterflies and dragonflies.
Mr. Tony guides us to the Cu Chi Tunnels – sobering displays.
Propaganda movie about a “Killing Americans Hero”.
To the floating market for sea coconuts drink.
At the War Remnants museum, Donna is overcome by sadness.
Side tours of Cambodian towns and cottage industries, fish farming
Dangerous cyclo ride through one nameless town
debarkation – new guide/translator Mr. Keam
Fine art Museum
Genocide Museum – VERY grim, but interesting.
US Dollars are in circulation everywhere!
We walk along the river every evening with the locals – watch exercise and soccer.
Day trip to remote 7th century Sambur Pre Kuk temple.
Sa Aen is only for lodging
Preah Vihear hilltop temple overlooking Thailand.
We visited plenty of other overgrown jungle temples.
Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat and dozens of nearby ancient temples.
National Museum.
We bump into friends from the cruise who continued on towards here.
Pakse, Laos by air.
Visited Wat Phou – new guide “TK” is very pro-American.
Overnight trip drive to Muang Khung with lodging on the riverbank.
Motoring up and down the Mekong to cave a temple and various villages.
Viewed Liphi waterfall, really more like steep rapids.
Vientiene (political capital) by air – Mr. Sonny is our new guide.
Tacky Buddha Park visited.
We walk through many city temples – Donna is blessed at one.
Luang Phabang, (spiritual capital) by air – the new guide is Mr. Tuo.
We give dabs of cooked rice to pre-dawn processions of monks.
Another riverboat ride takes us to interesting villages and waterfalls.
Return to Hanoi by air – layover allows a farewell meal at V’s Home.
Donna gets her ears cleaned at “30 Shine” barbershop.
Road trip to Arizona for shopping, mostly minerals, with Hari and Diana.
2020 April - Covid-19 Staycation instead of New Orleans.
2020 June – Kona canceled, stayed home.
2020 August – Cozumel canceled, stayed home.
2020 October – Central America Postponed, stayed home