Cruisin'

Our most recent trip was a cruise to Mexico. It is not usual for us to 'travel in the lap of luxury' so this was a great change and well worth it! We traveled with Holland America Line and for the most part the ship, crew, and other passangers were great.
There were a number of highlights for us one of which was the 'formal' dinner night. This was Fun! I really looked forward to getting all dressed up and eating a great meal with wonderful company. The food was fabulous and the enterainment teriffic.
The shore excursions were also good as we got a chance to 'do our own thing' and as usual true to form we walked the towns for the whole day...checked out a great aquarium, museum, and loads of local arts and crafts.
We also visited our grand-daughter who is doing volunteer work at an amputee clinic in Mexico. She showed us around her small town, had a wonderful lunch, and bought some wonderful local hand-crafted jewerly.
Check out the pictures

Africa...maybe?

Well, we found a great deal on a one month tour for Africa! We were overjoyed. But, it seems the deal was not as great as we supposed. The trip was advertised as a 'special rate' with a great discount for 29 days...WOW!. It turned out that not only did the company not have any seats available, but they charged our credit card the full amount of the trip, took almost two weeks to tell us there was no availability even though their website still showed available spaces (long after we paid a 50% premium to get air tickets for the dates), had no gorilla permits... wanted to charge the regular price for the next available dates and...wanted to charge us a cancellation fee...and after two weeks of back-and-forth have still not credited our credit card with the refund. The company...Intrepid. Be very careful of unbelievable deals!

Where in the world

This blog is dedicated to all those who travel either by themselves, with others, or from the comfort of their armchairs. It is intended to inspire, excite, educate, and promote knowledge. It can be a lifeline to the world around us and an outlet for the adventurer. I hope it will chronicle many a cultural exchange, fulfill lifetime dreams, and allow everyone who reads it to benefit in some small way. Its purpose is to bring a smile to every face and a warmth to each heart and to confirm the humanity of us all!

Greece and the Islands

We have been to Greece a number of times and it remains an all time favorite of ours. We will be returning soon as we are completely out of stock of Britto's Ouzo (can only be purchased at the Placka - at least that is what I am told!) Past pictures and future plans coming soon.

Leaving for Greece on Tuesday September 18, 2012... I am so excited...

The Galapagos - and Quito

The Galapagos...can you get a much more exciting trip than this for anyone who loves birds and wildlife? I think not! We are planning a month long adventure tour to see some of the world's finest sanctuaries, the Amazon and the lovely city of Quito, Ecuador. Not to loose sight of the Inca Trail and Machu Pichu (supposedly fantastic views - but I have to check this out for myself!) which we will also include in our plans. Updates will be available as we progress toward fulfillment.

Breaking news....
The Galapagos, Quito, Amazon and Machu Pichu is in the planning stages.
As usual our travel agent 'extraordinaire' Lisa Derby of PTM http://www.ptm.cc/ourexperts/detail/Lisa_Derby is assisting every step of the way. We are really excited to be planning our first South America trip!!

Africa - again!

We took a trip to Africa about two years ago and loved it so much we have to go back. This time we plan to take a GAP tour (Canadian company - http://www.gapadventures.com/) to see the mountain Gorillas. More on this as we continue the plans.

More to follow on the food, fun, and fantastic people...!

2010 - Turkey Synopsis

What an exceptionally wonderful country! The people are warm, helpful and friendly...even though everyone wants to sell you a carpet (we now have three!). We were there in June 2010 and found that the weather was beautiful and not too hot for us Northern Canadians to bear.
We started in Istandul (double WOW for the beautiful buildings and the history) and travelled throughout the country by our own devices...and lots of help from very friendly and helpful locals. The bus transportation system is amazing, the buses have stewards who serve coffee and snacks, and it is almost always on time.
Just about anyone can do a trip of Turkey on their own as we did. We did a massive loop from Istanbul around the northern part of Anatolia to Hatusha, out to Nemrut Daag, down to see the Fairy chimneys in Goreme - Central Anatolia, all the way to the Syrian border (a little hotter here) to see the first settlement in human history (!!) and then along the coast on a Turkish yacht for a bit of a cruise to Fetheya.
We saw the 'chimera' and stayed at the Canada Hotel http://www.canadahotel.net/en/index.htm (yes it is owned and operated by a Canadian-Turkish family who were absolutely wonderful) and then along the coast to Troy and back to Istanbul. It was quite an adventure and I will be posting pictures of each section with a longer 'appreciation' of the sights and people and food.

Adjika

Recipe for Adjika

Skewers of kebab

Skewers of a different kind of kebab

Kofte (meat balls)

Pita sandwich

Fruit pie

Dolma

Travel Question

What is the price of hotels in Turkey? Do you have any that are recommended?

Food and pictures of food

I will be posting pictures of food and the friends that helped me learn how to cook it and eat it! Please post your comments.



Beef and Veggie stew

Africa ... good food... and beautiful people!! Nairobi, Kenya waht a great first day... and this was only lunch!

Carrot and Cabbage salad

Mixed veggie medley

Grilled meat and veggies

Green pea mash!!

Lamb and veggies

Lentil stew

Nope not rice! ??

Tomato and Onion salad

Marilyn jumping with the Massai Warriors...before lunch!

Posting food favorites

Some of my favorite foods are from afar...Persia (Iran), Turkey, Greece, China and Russia. I will publish some great recipes here for all to try...and comment on after they have eaten well.