Ubud, Bali proved to be as magical as we had heard. Our days were spent strolling the back streets in awe of the local culture, eating amazing local cuisine, visiting temples and cultural events such as the Fire Show, and simply sitting on the patio of our gorgeously carved cabana and wondering how we ever got so lucky as to be spending time in this enchanting town.
The fascinating Masai culture and people were all around us in our time in East and Southern Africa, protecting our camps at night, selling gorgeous beaded jewelry, and entertaining us with dance. Here are some of the lovely ladies we met along the way.
Happy New Year!!! We spent our long weekend camping at the Oregon Coast. Crazy you ask? Well, perhaps, or, as our friend Ron says… we’re freaks! Our 4 nights proved to be exactly what we expected for the coast in late December; just a little bit of everything.
We have seen many of the wonders of the world, both natural and man-made, but my favorite moments and memory snapshots of our travels always comes down to the normal, day to day goings on. This woman in Egypt heading home from the market on her donkey is my perfect type of street scene.
I love flowers and, much to Jim’s dismay, stop often along a hike to snap pictures. This beauty was seen at the botanical gardens in Sydney, Australia
While waiting for our train to Alexandria, Egypt, I spotted this woman waiting with her goose. Bored with our wait we talked over several possibilities..was it her pet that traveled with her? Was she on the way to the market to sell the goose? While we will never know the story, the picture always strikes me as a perfect example of what makes travel in other countries so appealing to us…the differences in culture keep us constantly intrigued and inspired.
The weather forecast said it all; highs in the low 50’s, 100 % chance of rain, and 60mph wind. What better weekend for camping at the coast? Some may say we were crazy but I was itching for a weekend in Tequila. It had been nearly two months since we’d cuddled into our cozy cocoon and enjoyed nature and I was more than ready, the weather forecast be damned.
Vietnam- that one word still has the power to create mixed emotions and adamant reactions from many Americans. What we found was a fascinating country, a crossroads of French and Asian culture, and a complicated history. With none of the pre-conceived ideas that taint our parents feelings for this SE Asian country, we were more able to fully appreciate both the remaining traumas from “the American War” as well as a society with strong ties to it’s French colonialism and location in Asia.
Laos is one of our favorite countries, and one of the joys of wandering it’s back roads is the lack of mass tourism. Luang Prabang, an exceptionally gorgeous town in Northern Laos is certainly ON the tourist path, but is so amazing we, nonetheless, spent a fair bit of time there and enjoyed every minute of exploring this UNESCO World Heritage City.
Foto Friday comes to you from the enchanting country of New Zealand. Hiking in the Mt Cook National Park in the Southern Alps is something everyone should experience.
