We traveled for thirteen days along the east coast of Australia which is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. Bill Bryson wrote a book about Australia titled "A Sunburned Country". That is so appropriate--unless you are at the top or the bottom of this country--everything in the middle is brown. The first leg was a trip... Continue Reading →

We started our trek to the "hot spot" of Australia in our little g Adventures bus. The bus held 22 persons and we were only 10 so we had plenty of room to spread out. Our luggage followed in its own little trailer. We shared play lists and rolled along for a good many kilometers.... Continue Reading →

I don't usually write a whole blog about one place but Melbourne (pronounced by those in the know "Melbin") has found a soft spot in my heart and moved into my list of top five favorite places in the world. The facts: general population in the greater area is 5 million, central business district is... Continue Reading →

The north island is the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. There are a few mountain pecks but mostly rolling hills covered with a carpet of green grass. The grass looks like it has multiple ledges which is caused by the ash settling down over the years. By the way, I learned how... Continue Reading →

I often heard that New Zealand is beautiful--it truly is! I took this picture of Mt. Cook--it is not a post card. This little country made up of two islands is rugged and calming at the same time. Driving by hundreds of kilometers of grass with grazing sheep (with lots of little lambs--ewes often have... Continue Reading →

New Zealand doesn't have an Independence Day but received permission to "self govern" from England in 1852. The peoples' nick name "Kiwi" refers to the indigenous bird that is about the size of a chicken, has nostrils at the end of its beak and doesn't fly. I have to confess that I thought they called... Continue Reading →

I traveled to four islands on my trip in Fiji. The high speed ferry is great and spends the day zooming from island to island. Along the way there was only one pier and all the other stops are at sea. I was a worried they might drop my suitcase "in the drink" because the... Continue Reading →

I figure that you can't "do the world" if you don't go "down under" so I set off on my journey September 17 and will not be back to the "burg" until November 13--on my way--with a carry on bag. I packed very strategically since I will probably have many weather/climate changes. Anth dropped me... Continue Reading →