Today we have hired a car and are driving round the island. I have checked out the itinerary of the many island circle tours on offer and plotted a similar route. Our route is 105 miles, but as I will be navigating (without the benefit of wifi), the actual distance could be anything really.
We collect the car at 8 am and set off for our first destination- Halona Blowhole. The car was cheaper than Read on...
We had the most beautiful walk today, following more passes and valleys than spectacular ridges. We started from the hotel and walked gradually uphill through the valley, then angled more steeply up to a pass. We crossed to the next valley by way of a pond called Blea Tarn(there are several by this name). To someone from Alberta, this tarn (small mountain lake) unremarkable, but it seemed to be a Read on...
Weve both had a decent nights sleep and Ians cold is feeling a bit better. Good job as there are no chemists open till Monday (the one in the last campsite close at noon on Friday) and weve discovered that they dont sell cough medicine in supermarkets here!
We decide to take advantage of the campsite shower before leaving. There is just one shower and one loo each for ladies and gents so there is Read on...
Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. ...the Garden of Gethsemane, a word signifying The garden, still a quiet and secluded spot, is surrounded by a wall and forms an irregular square, with a diameter of 70 paces. It belongs to the Franciscans. The earliest account of the place dates from the 4th cent.; and in this case tradition tallies with the Bible narrative. ... The garden co Read on...
Just the other day, someone asked about my best sandwich ever. I have given it some thought, and here are my answers. I had to categorize my answers, as the sandwich spectrum is just too broad.
Best Banh Mi Without a doubt, it was in Hanoi, about a block from my Old Town hotel. I have been there on two different trips, and the taste and quality are outstanding. Cars drive by, run in and pick up a Read on...
Later that eveningour first theatre show. The whole ship seemed a little subdued. We arrived only five minutes before the curtain raised and we were still spoilt for choice as to where to sit. What a difference a cruise makes. On our last trip, people were turning up an hour before the show to ensure they got a seat and now its a case of:
Khor Fakkan – the city time forgotor at least the city C Read on...
According to Historic Texas, members of a Baptist Church from South Carolina moved and settled in what became the Sardis Community in Cherokee County in about 1848. In 1854 they organized the Sardis Baptist Church. Their early baptisms happened in the Neches River and also Boxs Creek. Little is known about their first Sardis Baptist Church building. The second church structure served as a church a Read on...
Ho Chi Minh City has changed enormously since I first arrived in 2001. Skyscrapers – including the iconic Bitexco Financial Tower and Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam and the building in the world - now dominate the citys skyline. So many old buildings and shops have been demolished in the name of progress. One building whose demise I lament is the Saigon Tax Centre on the corner of Read on...
MY APOLOGIES- I have stalled on writing this up- I did finish! 49 days this time. Just as speccie as the first time- hope to finish writing up at some point!
Breakfast prep in the Caravan parks camp kitchen is unhurried, luckily, as it takes about 15 minutes to work out how to get the induction stove turned on for my egg boiling fiesta. Very nice to have a toaster and kettle too although I dont m Read on...
So, dinner last night was rather yummy. I had a Zebu dish cooked with cassava leaves and of course some rice. Gee was with us to make sure we didnt get up to any mischief and hed brought Isan with him as a side kick. Isan is one of the drivers, and has been ferrying me, Jessica and Jason around. Hes a lovely young man, and a very patient driver. My goodness hes been working hard this week. I did f Read on...