Category Cultural Attractions (Museums, Historical Sites, Etc.)
New Zealand/Australia 2024 – Christchurch, Part Two
January 14-16, 2024 After finishing our coffee and snacks at the boathouse, we again hopped into two Ubers for a drive to our second adventure of the day, the International Antarctic Center. It is in a campus containing the Christchurch bases for New Zealand, US, and Italian Antarctic Programs, and comprises administration offices, warehousing, an […]
New Zealand/Australia 2024 – Wellington, Part Three
January 8 – 10, 2024 We exited the shuttle and with some time still left in the afternoon, walked across the roundabout next to the Cable Car Station to take in the Museum of the same name there. The Cable Car is a funicular railway between Lambton Quay, the main shopping street, and Kelburn, rising […]
New Zealand/Australia 2024 – Wellington, Part Two
January 8 – 10, 2024 As mentioned in the last post, we turned in our rental bikes and walked to nearby Rosie’s Red-Hot Cantina and Taco Joint to grab a drink and a snack. We wouldn’t need much as having learned from our experience the night before, I’d made a dinner reservation at a place […]
New Zealand/Australia 2024 – Whanganui, Part One
January 5 – 7, 2024 Our bus ride today would be one of the longest of the trip, requiring that we head west to Hamilton, and then turn south for Whanganui, our eventual destination. It would take us over seven hours given the number of stops that the bus would be making along the way, […]
New Zealand/Australia 2024 – Tauranga, Part Two
January 2 – 4, 2024 We finished up at the Redwood Grove and motored a short distance to the Living Village. It is a semi-rural geothermal area in the Taupō Volcanic Zone that was the site of the Māori fortress of Te Puia, first occupied around 1325, and known as an impenetrable stronghold never taken […]
Peru – The Amazon
July 27-29 Our first day in the Amazon would be a full one, starting with a 3:00 am departure from our hotel in Cusco that soon found us at the airport for our flight to Lima (our direct flight was cancelled) to Puerto Maldonado, which sits 34 miles west of the Bolivian border and is […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part Three
July 25-26 In our last post we left Joanna at KM 104 to begin her hike up the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. Not fond of writing, she reluctantly, but effectively, related her experience for us as follows: “When the train stopped at KM 104 (Chackabamba) I was a bit anxious as I wasn’t sure […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part Two
July 25-26 The four of us (Luis, Beppie and Ian) soon arrived at the entrance to the grounds, cleared security and began to wind up our way upward through the terraced landscape until we reached a high ground overlooking the entire complex. It was steep going and at this altitude not as easy as one […]
Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part One
July 25-26 This would be a long and exciting day as we finally make our way to Machu Picchu, starting early in the morning to catch our ride, the Inka Trail’s 360 Machu Picchu Train, a dedicated line that runs from Cusco past Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes. Featuring panoramic windows, free snacks and an […]
Peru – Ollantaytambo, Part Two
July 24 Arriving in Urubamba, we parked on one of the main streets, walked into a walled lot and found ourselves ready to enjoy a break at AMA Sacred Valley, a local organization that provides training and job opportunities to the vulnerable populations of the Sacred Valley. Its boutique sells traditional (alpaca) handicrafts made by […]
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