How To Go Around The World

The Second Time Around

As many of you remember, four years ago,

two pair of siblings ~ my kids and my brother

and I set off to explore the world.  We 

circumnavigated the globe, we said it was a

trip of a lifetime.  We called it The Last Hurrah

Tour because my daughter Kate had just 

graduated from high school and my son Brennan

would graduate the following year.  We thought

this would be the end of travels with the kids,

they would be going off on their own adventures.

So when I started hearing talk of another big trip

to celebrate the college graduations, I thought to 

myself, "Didn't we already have the trip of a 

lifetime?"  Did this thought stop me from joining 

in?  Oh, of course not.

And here we are, four years later and ready to do

it again.  That brought up the question of where

should we go?  My brother said to me, "When we go

back to Cambodia..."  I questioned why we would go

 back there.  He said he thought we all loved it there

and wanted to return.  This is true we all want to go

back but I wanted this trip to be about discovery, not

revisiting.  So we all talked about it and agreed, we 

should not repeat the places we have already been to.

Now, for my brother, who has traveled everywhere, 

there are many places he has been before but he will

be discovering the places with us for the first time.

People ask us how do we plan all of this?  We will be

blogging about the process of planning a big trip in 

the weeks to come ~ there are many layers.

The first step is where you want to go.  We all gave

a list with ideas and then we started building a plan 

around that.  India was on everyone's list and we 

also wanted to visit Oceania since none of us had ever

traveled there before.  Here is the itinerary:

Prague,Czech Republic

Istanbul, Turkey

Mumbai, India

Delhi, India

Jaipur, India

Pushkar, India

Agra, India

Singapore

Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Ubud, Bali. Indonesia

Sydney, Australia

Auckland, New Zealand

Tokyo, Japan

Los Angeles, California, USA

Santiago, Chile

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rio de Janiero, Brazil

New York, USA

Eighteen cities, twelve countries, five continents.

The only repeat for me is Istanbul but the kids 

had never been there and it was a great deal so 

we put it on the list.

That is step one, know where you want to go.

Stay tuned for more layers... and adventures.

Where in the World?

Emails are flying, phone lines are burning up,

calendars are being checked, it is time again

for the Last Hurrah Tour members to make

some plans and pack their bags.  A year from 

now we will be returning from the far corners

of the globe.

Here is a list of some of the airlines we will use:

Air India

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Quantas

Turkish Airlines

Valuair

Virgin Australia

Very exciting and a bit frightening...

Stay tuned!

The Last Hurrah Tour ~ 1st Anniversary

One year ago today, a group of adventurers

set off to circumnavigate the globe.  It was

two pair of siblings, one pair under 20 years

old, the other pair, umm, over 20 years old.

We explored the world, used all sorts of

transportation, talked to people, ate the

local food and relished the experience.

From the land of the midnight sun in
Reykjavik, Iceland...

to the European elegance of Amsterdam...

to that magical time in Cairo between the

Revolution and the first uprising...

to the splendor of Bangkok,

to the peace and beauty of Chaing Mai, Thailand...

to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

to the majesty of Angkor Wat in Cambodia...

to relaxing in Pattaya, Thailand...

to the wonders of Hong Kong.

Where did the year go? 

 And where are we going next?

Cambodian Popcorn & the Important Things in Life.

Connections

It's Thursday and on Thursdays I often talk

about food, so I'm including the popcorn

 though this post is really about people.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what
is important to me in my life and my conclusion
is people.  What is it about some people that
brings about that instant connection?  Are we
destined to find certain souls in this world and
connect with them?  As we traveled the world
this year we saw ancient wonders and magnificent
scenery and sites but what mattered most to us
were the personal connections we made.

This is our friend we met in a restaurant

in Cambodia.  We went to that restaurant

every day we were there ~ because of her.

I got an email from her this week and it

has made me so happy.

This is a man we met on the streets

of Tangier and we ended up having such

a lovely conversation with him.

Late one night, just off Tahrir Square

in Cairo, sometime between the Revolution and

the uprising, Kate & I were trying to get

this shot when I was approached by a

handsome, well educated man who spoke

excellent English.  He pleaded with us

to be careful, he told us terrible things have

happened since the Revolution.  He was

right of course, and I appreciate his caring.

I feel I'm destined to meet or in some cases

reunite with people.  There is some deep

connection that needs to be explored.  It is

so hard to define but it is there.  It is as if

there are threads that spring from the heart

and our lives will be sewn together.  For those

of you that have connected with me already, I

cherish that and for those that will in the future,

I look forward to it...

As for the popcorn, I'm not a great popcorn lover,

the husks get caught in my throat and teeth and

I generally stay away from it but this popcorn in

Cambodia was the BEST I have ever had and I live

in popcorn country!  At home I have tried to make

it and this is the closest I can come.  Make microwave

Kettle corn and sprinkle with a pinch of granulated

sugar.  It's not as good but the closest I can come and

when I eat it, it always makes me think of  Siem Reap.



Ocean Park, Hong Kong

A Day of Fun!

One our last day of our Round the World Trip

we did perhaps our most "touristy" amusement

of the entire trip ~ we went to a theme park.

There was an aquarium.

A visit with the pandas ~ it is China

after all.

Then a hop on a gondola for a ride over the mountain.

What a beautiful view.

We were so hot, a heat I can't describe with words,

we kept going on rides that would soak us as much

as possible.

When we stopped for a drink, Brennan

dressed up this seal trying to dry his

wet shirt, it was quite a hit with the locals.

The younger siblings went on this wild roller coaster

while the older siblings relaxed in the shade.

I love how the local children wanted to

be photographed by the Americans.

That's me, hot, drenched from the

rides, but still taking it all in...



Night in Hong Kong

It is almost brighter once the sun goes down.

Hong Kong is a nice city during

the day but it comes alive

when the sun goes down.

It is a chaotic atmosphere on

the street at night.

I love the neon, it reminds

me of the old Times Square.

Cars, buses, taxis, people

and vendors all share the street.

In the night market, a few tarps

are hung, tables and stools are

thrown out on the street and

you have a busy restaurant.



It's Fun to Stay at the YMCA

The Salisbury, Hong Kong

Yes, really, we stayed at the YMCA

 when we were in Hong Kong.

The Salisbury in Hong Kong

is said to be the nicest "Y"

in the world.

You won't find backpackers or people

down on their luck at this YMCA.  It is

 filled with families and business people.

It is run by a very efficient staff.

Think it may be located on a back

street in a seedy nighborhood?

No, it is near the harbour in Kowloon,

just next door to the very elegant

and very expensive, Peninsula Hotel.

Breakfast is served in a

lovely dining room.

The breakfast is quite extensive

with Asian and American items.

It is hard to tear yourself

away from that view,

but Hong Kong awaits!

The Peak ~ Hong Kong

We Made It To The Top!

Officially known as Victoria Peak or

Mount Austin, but locally known as

The Peak.  It is the high point of

Hong Kong and a major tourist

attraction.  We were lucky to have

a fairly clear day when we went.

Since we were staying across the

harbour in Kowloon, we had to

take a ferry, a bus and finally a

funicular to get up the mountain.

The funicular has been operating

since 1888.  Prior to that, people

were carried up the mountain

in sedan chairs.

Then you ride a series of escalators

climbing higher and higher.

Finally you make it to the top and go

outside where you can walk on ramps

and see breathtaking birds eye views

of Hong Kong, the Harbour and the

surrounding islands.

This is the view down the other side

 of the mountain, we will explore

over there in days to come.

What fun it would be to be a bird and

be able to soar down the mountainside

all the way to the harbour.

While at The Peak you can write

a love note...

...and tie it to this giant heart,

where it will dangle in the breeze.

Before heading back down the

mountain stop in for a coffee in

this shop with the million dollar views.