2020: the year our world changed
Accept what is, let go what was, believe in what will be. My very first letter said…
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December 6, 2020
Great Salt Lake Adventures: Antelope Island And Salt Flats
2020 will be a year we will never forget. When COVID arrived, our lives came to a screeching halt and it will have an impact on us forever. I went from traveling every week to shelter-in-place for 6 months.
Except for a backpacking trip to Yosemite at the end of June, I was stuck at home. When one of my friends told me she was driving her daughter to college at The University of Utah in August, I jumped at the opportunity to join her. And we decided to turn it into a mini vacation.
After some research, I planned a couple of days of Great Salt Lake adventures.
August 25, 2020
Grand Cayman island beauty
Caymans: Swimming With Stingrays And Turtles
When we looked for a warm place to ring in the New Year, we discovered the beautiful unspoiled east and north side of Grand Cayman island.
The picture I had of the Caymans, was one of money and sophistication, a playground for the rich with a lot of high-end stores, fancy restaurants, and a ton of cruise ships.
Georgetown and 7-mile beach have all of that. However, we found the other side of Grand Cayman: the east and the northside.
Unspoiled beaches, nice little restaurants, and above all great opportunities for swimming with stingrays and turtles. We also had a magical night kayaking in bioluminescent waters.
June 13, 2020
Caves
Visit The Land Of Endless Snow And Ice: Iceland
2015 was supposed to be one of the better years for seeing the Northern Lights. Therefore we planned a 4 day trip in March.
Expecting spring weather, we spent 4 days driving and walking in endless snow and ice in Iceland instead.
Although unexpected, it was a magical experience with lots of snowy roads and frozen waterfalls. Unforgettable was a walk on the phenomenal Sólheimajökull Glacier, and finally on our last night, a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
May 20, 2020
The Magnificent Joshua Tree
Exploring Joshua Tree And The Wild West
Palm Springs is known to a lot of people for their beautiful golf resorts and for Coachella, the yearly music festival. However, we went to Palm Springs with a different plan: exploring Joshua Tree and the Wild West.
Joshua Tree National Park, just an hour from Palm Springs, is unique as it is a place where two deserts meet and an oasis of flora and fauna.
In addition to the famous Joshua tree it’s named after, there are a lot of other plants and trees, like the exotic Cholla cactus and the Yucca tree.
During our trip, we also visited Pioneertown and went horseback riding in the Indian Canyons. Both made us feel like we were part of an old Wild West movie. (more…)
March 23, 2020
Magma Picture
Hiking The Kilauea Volcano
Unpredictable, Wild, And Exciting
During our visit to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2018, we booked a trip with Aloha Lava Tours to hike on the Kilauea volcano.
Timing can be everything because nature can be unpredictable. Four months after our adventure, the 2018 lower Puna eruption on Kilauea volcano’s East Rift Zone began. For months, the island was in a state of emergency.
If we had planned our trip a couple of months later, this trip would not have been possible. In other words, we would have missed what is probably the most amazing and spectacular experience I have had in my life.
I highly recommend when visiting the Big Island include the Hawai’i Volcanos National Park in your plans. Explore the raw wild beauty of the island. Maybe you can even hike a volcano as we did.
Island of Hawaii
Lava Area
Plant
Magma Picture
Magma
Picture On Magma
Flowing Lava
January 26, 2020
Nashville’s hidden gems
Food explorations in the heart of Music City
Nashville is known as the music capital of the world. Many famous artists started their careers here. A lot of people link Nashville with country music, but Nashville is not just country. In addition to country, it is rock ‘n roll, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and a little bit of soul. So many famous artists that started their careers in Nashville have their names in the Country Music Hall of fame. Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers, and Taylor Swift, to name a few. Broadway Street, the heart of downtown Nashville, is a long street with multi-story bars. You can listen to live music all day long. However, the surprise this weekend was Nashville’s hidden gems. Nashville is a place for art and food lovers.
December 2, 2019
The Beating Heart of Havana: Food, Art and Music
“Both for Havana’s beauty and decay, it’s very hard to restrain yourself from staring everywhere you go”
– Brin Jonathan Butler
I visited Cuba a lifetime ago. It was in the days of Fidel’s reign and rules were strict and supplies were limited. We stayed in Holguin area, on the opposite side of the island from Havana. Although I was in Cuba and we had a great time, I never felt I experienced the real Cuba. The visit to the beautiful city of Trinidad, offered me a glimpse of that Cuba. In addition, after reading a couple of books about Havana, I knew I had to go back. I wanted to walk the streets of old Havana. See the sunset on the Malecon, drink in the history, the culture and the people. I wanted to feel that rhythm and beat: the beating heart of Havana: food, art and music.
November 4, 2019
The Masai Mara and the Annual Migration
“The views were immensely wide. Everything that you saw made greatness of freedom, and unequaled nobility“
Karen Blixen
I visited the Masai Mara in Kenya in 2012. I remember my first impression of the vast and wide plains: except for a tree, a giraffe or elephant here and there, your see nothing but the green colors of the grassy plains. It feels like you are transported back in time. There is nothing but you, the plains and the beautiful animals that call this part of the world home. That trip, we missed the famous annual great migration in the Masai Mara by a couple of weeks. Therefore, this time one of my main objectives is to see the Masai Mara and the annual migration. (more…)
October 9, 2019
A weekend Hanoi and Halong Bay
An old UNESCO heritage site and a vibrant young city On one of my recent business trips…
September 3, 2019