Continuing my little blog series about the five biggest islands of Japan (because coronavirus means I havent been able to go anywhere else for ages), here is Shikoku.
Is Shikoku deserving of its own blog seeing as I only visited twice during the 13 months of living in Japan? Yes, because its really nice and most tourists apparently skip it.
My favourite means of travel around the Japanese archip Read on...
Today was a ‘very fun day. We made our way to the Telegraph Station Ruins and then take the sandy track to the Eucla Jetty which still has sections withstanding the pounding from the Southern Ocean. We spotted something, ‘large and black, moving about in the water about from the outer end of the jetty. Initially I suggested whale (stupid suggestion), Jane shark (really stupid suggestion) and Read on...
I am not sure it is possible to see everything of interest in London. We skipped the art museums, the Shakespeare and Dickens and Sherlock Holmes sites, and many other worthwhile attractions. But we did feel we had at least picked the fruit, and so on Monday morning we went out to Heathrow, rented our car, and drove off to tour southern England. Our first stop was to be Chartwell, Winston Churchi Read on...
Although the sky was blue and the sun shining brightly, a frigid north wind blew away our planned walk. Amongst the trees and heritage houses of Inglewood, we found more sheltered pathways.
The slushy shallows of the Bow River hundreds of Canada Geese. At first, there seemed to be only a few by the shore. Gradually my eyes saw that the napping ones blended invisibly into the stone strewn shorelin Read on...
You dream about this little corner of the world...you may even have your ticket for Christmas....but today, you learn in the news for the first time about B.1.1.529, or newly name, the Nu covid Variant. In few hours today, we found out that most countries could/will not people having visited South Africa the last few days. British Airways and KLM wont fly in and out anymore. From tomorrow Emirates Read on...
When I first visited China many, many years ago, one of the places I really enjoyed in Beijing was the Summer Palace. It was definitely somewhere I wanted to revisit and finally the opportunity arose. I took the subway to Beigongmen Station. That was a bit of a novelty as when Id visited previously there had been no subway and wed been at the mercy of taxi drivers, who werent exactly legit. I head Read on...
Having learnt from past experience, this morning we did a hike with two cars so that we only had to walk one way! We met up with Cathy and Steve at Halletts Cove and left their car in the car park. Bernie then drove the four of us up to Marino Rocks so that we could walk the Hallett Cove Boardwalk (Marion Coastal Trail) back to Halletts Cove.
Hmmn, a boardwalk sounds like some lovely gentle exerc Read on...
St Lucia is a tourist town famous for its wetland park declared a UNESCO world heritage site for biodiversity in 1999. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, as it is called today, is the largest estuary system in the world. Its waters are in average only 1.5m deep and they are home to 115 species of fish and 530 types of birds, including migrating birds from Europe, some of them flying over 18000km to reach Read on...
Free day today. So, I went off to do what everyone said I must do, which was to see Osborne House. Queen Victoria and her family stayed there, and it was design by Prince Albert.
I caught the bus exactly as advised by Betty Wood, a wonderful character aged somewhere between 71 and over 80, depending on which bit of gossip you listen to. Only Jacob had the nerve to ask her, and got the 71 answer, Read on...
Life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage to seek those answers that continues to give meaning to life. You can spend your life wallowing in despair, wondering why you were the one who was led towards the road strewn with pain, or you can be grateful that you are strong enough to survive it. – J.D.Stroube
2020 rolls on towards its inevitable end but for many, many people a Read on...