We are excited to announce the three winners for this year's travel writing contest. There were many submissions this year (thank you to everyone who submitted an entry or two). The three judges unanimously picked the top two winners in that order - competition for the third winner was more intense. We received entries from a number of countries and US states - for the past 6 or 7 years one of the winners has been from Los Angeles or Orange … [Read more...]
From Sea to Clouds, Vancouver to Whistler
With two days in Vancouver before jumping on the Rocky Mountaineer train on the way to Banff, we decided to visit the mountain town of Whistler. Greyhound offers a relatively affordable option by combining a round trip bus journey with unlimited tram/gondola rides on Whistler/Blackcomb Mountains. This makes it quite doable to see Whistler in a day with an early start from Vancouver. As soon as we arrived in Whistler Village (partly home to … [Read more...]
Comedy, Kayaking, Museums and Farmer’s Markets in Los Angeles
Looking for some comic relief in the evening after fighting traffic earlier in the afternoon, I stopped in at the famed Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd - just down from the celeb rich Chateau Marmont for some comedy. Many famous acts have started here or performed on its stages including Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase among others. It was #blackout Tuesday and I was the only Caucasian in the audience. Oh and I was in the … [Read more...]
Chena Hot Springs, Crazy Squirrel and Plenty of Sunshine!
Since visiting Chena Hot Springs (pronounced Cheena) several years ago, I've recently had the urge to revisit this neat little part of Alaska - merely a 90 minute drive from Fairbanks. And sunlight nearly all night in these northern latitudes was also appealing. It is almost 11pm as I type this outdoors, swatting nats and the occasional mosquito and there is bright light still! Sunset is around 1am and sunrise around 3am but it never really gets … [Read more...]
Mud Pond & Raymond Burr Gardens, Fiji
With the weather remaining dark, gloomy and at times spitting buckets of heavy rain scattering people under overhangs in downtown Nadi - it was a "weather weight off my back" today as the clouds parted and we finally had sunshine! Too much of this rain and gloomy weather is bad for my personal psyche. The cyclone watch was lifted a day or two ago and it was just a waiting game for the storm to dissipate. Today I set out for the hot springs and … [Read more...]
A Quick Stopover in Kiev, Ukraine
These days, with WiFi commonly available while on the go, Independent travel has certainly become "easier". After arriving at the massive central train station in Kiev, I simply typed the words "hotel" and "hostel" in Google maps and immediately a number of properties popped up within walking distance. This can take a bit of "adventure" out of raw Independent travel - simply removing all human contact. I didn't need to try and talk to anyone for … [Read more...]
Looking for Sunshine in Lithuania
With my brother and my friend looking to escape the miserable weather we've had all week (they are flying down to Greece in a few days) we opted for a trip together to the countryside before we parted ways. Today we visited Trakai, a prominent and historical Lithuanian Castle located on an island. Spotting an empty boat sitting near the drawbridge to the castle on the water's edge we walked on board. There were no guests but rather three crew … [Read more...]
VW Bus Bar, Naughty Squirrel & Riga Latvia
We first popped into Riga on a bus from Tallinn - the old town is a short few minute walk away but we didn't yet know this. After we located the word "old town" in Latvian on the Internet and showed a taxi driver our phone screen - he just laughed and pointed in the direction of where we needed to walk. Two minutes later we walked into the Riga Old Town Hostel & Backpackers Pub where we immediately spotted the reception; it was located inside … [Read more...]
Exploring Historic Tallinn, Estonia
Prior to our most recent trip to Finland and the Baltic States - I was expecting frigid temperatures combined with grey days and rain. Watching the weather several months before this trip we noticed brutally cold temperatures continuing week after week. Therefore we have been pleasantly surprised the past week - to have received a "weather bonus" if you will. It was 29.5 in Helsinki (33 is their all time record) and 31 in Tallinn several days … [Read more...]
Helsinki Summertime Light, Heavy Metal Club and Market
We are enjoying the long light this time of year in the northern latitudes. And as far as capital cities, it doesn't get much more north than this; Helsinki is at 60 degrees north latitude. A few hours of semi darkness settles in around 1230pm until 3pm and then by 4am its fully light again. Wandering the streets in bright light at 10:30pm is perhaps an odd feeling for those who live in the middle latitudes. And furthermore it seems strange … [Read more...]
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