10 Days of Silence in Thailand, Part 1
Suan Mokkh Monastery Retreat, Day 1 Imagine waking up to the sound of a bell at 4am, not a jarring bell, but a beautiful melodic one, gentle but insistent. You wonder where you are. Your wooden pillow & straw mat in a cement room are good reminders that you are at Suan Mokkh Monastery in southern Thailand. You shine your flashlight out of your white veil of mosquito netting, scanning the floor for spiders before you set foot on the cool cement floor – you’ve already escorted a big black one out of your room the previous night....
read moreWelcome to Thailand – Hua Hin
Heading to Hua Hin, in Southern Thailand… After traveling in English speaking countries, it can be a bit of culture shock to find yourself in a huge airport in Bangkok, where you don’t understand most of the conversations around you! But never fear, Thailand is exotic but also very tourist friendly, and many people speak at least some English, especially those in tourist-related jobs. The kind young clerk at the money exchange wrote me a note to show at restaurants about my mushroom allergy. (It’s a good idea to get at least...
read moreNew Zealand – Scene in Between
One of my favorite parts of New Zealand was the scenery in between the “big” destinations. The South Island, where I took a 22 day journey in a loop, covering about 3000 km, or 1864 miles, is one of the most scenic places I’ve ever been. The colors of the water are unreal, varying from bright, clear aquamarine to sea green to turquoise to powder blue to ultramarine and cobalt, with too many shades in between for even an artist to name them all… Along the rocky coastline, you can see furry brown seals frolicking amidst...
read moreNew Zealand – Excursion Envy
New Zealand abounds with opportunities for excursions – you could participate in a different one each day for weeks and not do them all: bungy jumping, jet skiing, horse back riding, boat cruising… …There are gondola rides, bike tours, paddle boarding, historic train trips, hikes on glaciers and ice climbing, helicopter tours, aqua biking, river surfing and rafting, rock climbing, whale watching, fishing, zip lining, panning for gold, kayaking, wine tasting, zip lining, sky diving, guided hikes, kite boarding, star gazing...
read moreNew Zzzzzealand – Places to Lay Your Head
You’re traveling to New Zealand, so where in the world are you going to sleep? There are more variety of accommodations than I think I’ve seen anywhere, so the hardest part is deciding. From renting a van or RV, to hostels, hotels, holiday parks, B & B’s and tents, to the more unusual, including farm stays, teepees, yurts and silos, New Zealand has a multitude of choices, something for everyone. I’ll show you some of the places I stayed… Hostels are everywhere, and are definitely a good budget choice for a...
read moreSounds of New Zealand
Love astounding scenery? New Zealand is a place for you!! Milford Sound has been on my list of places to go for years, and then I found out about Doubtful Sound and had double the pleasure. The best way to see the sounds is from the water, and there are many companies who are more than happy to take you out on a cruise, either a 2 hour scenic or nature cruise, or if you’re a big spender, an overnight on Doubtful, including a gourmet meal. Since I’m on a budget trip, I took the day cruises, one on each of the sounds. Milford is...
read moreNew Zealand on Ice – the Glaciers
A visit to Fox and Franz Josef glaciers is a great way to chill out, literally. They are melting rapidly though, so head there sooner rather than later! A friend told me not to bother going if you can’t see them by helicopter, and although it’s truly the best way to view them, it’s still worth going even if you don’t go up in the sky.That being said, I did opt for a helicopter flight as one of my few special excursions in New Zealand. I’d planned to hike on them, lugged my wool beanie hat, long underwear, fleece,...
read moreNew Zealand Tracks
One of the best ways to see New Zealand is on foot. The country is full of fabulous “tracks,” or what many people call hiking trails. When you head out in your hiking boots, it’s called “tramping.” There are countless day hikes, but if you have the time and are more ambitious, you can keep tramping for several days. My first hike was in the north of the South Island on the Queen Charlotte Track, not too far from Picton where the ferry connects the two islands. I just had time for a day hike, but even though it...
read moreWine About New Zealand
When you think about wine in New Zealand, mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir come to mind. New Zealander’s do make other lovely wines, however I have to admit I love their SB’s and Pinots, and had fun exploring 3 of the wine regions on the South Island, including Canterbury/Waipara, Marlborough, and Central Otago. Heading north out of Christchurch on my way to Blenheim, a town in the heart of the Marlborough region, I first passed through Waipara, and had been advised of a great winery there to check out, Pegasus Bay. I was not...
read moreNew Zealand: Christchurch Rising
Scenically speaking, New Zealand has one of the most stunning series of landscapes I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to know where to start and there’s a lot to share! But I want to begin with the city where I started out, one that is struggling to recover, even 4 years after several devastating earthquakes shook it to its core. Then I’ll give you a brief overview of the counter-clockwise loop I took around the South Island over the course of 3 weeks and 1800 miles. Due primarily to expense (Australia & New Zealand are the...
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