We went to see the tigers today at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, Thailand. What an incredible experience!
Southeast Asia
I love Southeast Asia!
Here is what I have done and where I have traveled so far.
TUESDAY October 24 – I stayed at Jackie & Fred’s house in Toronto, Canada.
WEDNESDAY October 25 – I left Toronto International Airport. I was up early (1:30 AM) to take the taxi to the airport. When I fly internationally, I always like to get to the airport early because you never know . . .
I flew from Toronto to Washington Dulles, which was only one hour and 40 minutes. After a couple of hours there, I boarded another flight: the 13.5 hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. Then I met up with my traveling buddies, Dwight and Shari. From there we boarded another flight to Saigon, Vietnam.
THURSDAY NIGHT – we arrived in Saigon, rather exhausted to say the least. And I slept well that night.
FRIDAY – I had a two hour massage and it was followed by a facial. It cost me $14.43. The price has gone up from over the years. No complaints as North America can never match these prices.
SUNDAY October 29 – We took our next flight. This time to Chiang Rei, Thailand, where we arrived at night time. I have never been to Chiang Rei before. It’s inexpensive and less Western.
THURSDAY November 2 – We are taking a three hour bus down to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We got the deluxe bus which cost us six dollars. It has comfortable seats, a toilet and air-conditioning. Yippie! The weather at the moment is 20 Celsius and no humidity.
Love it!
map from depositphotos.com #51662503
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas is a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula.
This is my first vacation since I moved to Canada.
. . . where we went swimming with a school of Manta Rays!
Farewell!
Farewell Saudi Aramco and John Hopkins Healthcare Centre.
I have had the most incredible amazing experience and I am forever grateful.
I have traveled the seven continents, scuba dived around the world, sky dived and traveled to so many places, but it is time to say goodbye. Now I will spend time with my family and friends in Canada.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.
Uganda and Gorillas
Over Christmas, I traveled to Uganda to see the gorillas.
Here, I am 10 feet away!
This was so incredible. Once they spot the gorillas, we can only stay for one hour. I am on an adrenaline rush!
Here is our lodge.
Here I am standing on the equator with my sister’s book, ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING.
And around the lodge . . .
This is what it says:
LANDSCAPE
Uganda generally lies on a plateau, more than 1000 M above sea level. The northern end parts of the eastern lie on a plain covered by savanna grasslands; the extreme eastern area of Bugisu, Kapchorwa, Tororo is dominated by the volcanic conditions of Mt. Elgon while on the far west border of Congo, the snow capped Rwenzori Mountains (mountains of the moon) occupy it. The central area is low lying occupied by Lake Victoria with the sources of the great Nile River. Lake Victoria and River Nile are very important natural resources to Ugandans because of the economic activities here which include agriculture, tourism, power generation, fishing, etc
map from bigstockphoto.com #27188159
Romania on a Motorcycle
I rented a BMW 1200 GS motorcycle and am touring Romania.
Here I am on the Transfagarasan, one of the most famous roads in Europe because of its height, switchbacks and beautiful scenery.
I brought along my sister’s book: On the Way to a Wedding.
This is Dracula’s Castle.
Bran Castle (CASTELUL BRAN) is a medieval fortress located on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia.
I got caught in the rain yesterday. That happens with motorcycle riding.
Bran Castle from Bigstockphoto.com # 68573164
In the desert camping
Behind the camp, we had a picnic and bonfire for five hours. This is out in the sprayfields where we walk the doggies. It is the dessert but it is on our camp.
The weather on this night was excellent, about 12 Celsius. It is cold for us, but I have my Canada goose jacket. That coat is worth every dollar.
Players on the piano
Here I am at the Budapest restaurant in London, Ontario, Canada.
My brother Steve is a Real piano player, but in this video, we are pretending to play.
Watch the video here.
Polar Bears
We are on the MS Expedition and have sighted Polar Bears in the Greenland Sea.
Landing in Norway
My friend Louise and I have landed in Svalbard Norway, ready to begin our Arctic Adventure. This is me at the airport in Longyearbyen in Svalbard. I am holding a copy of ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING, written by my sister Sue.
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It is halfway between continental Norway and the North Pole.
These maps are from http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/
Longyearbyen is the largest settlement on Svalbard, Norway. The town has a population of about 2,000.
We are on a Gap Adventures tour and this is where our journey will take us:
We will spend 14 nights aboard the MS Expedition travelling from Spitsbergen to Greenland to Iceland. You can read about the tour on the Gap Adventures website here. I have also copied the itinerary here. We are hoping to see Polar Bears!