Our Traveling Adventures
In 81 Days Blog Entries
These are the blog entries in sequence for our 2024/2025 trip around the world. Each entry represents a different country or section of a country that we visited during our 81-day trip.
Days 1 - 4
Museums, Harry Potter and ... wait for it ... a broken shoulder.
Days 5 - 7
Penguins in Africa, the Cape that Dias did not discover, Cape Town and weather that was entirely too cold for Africa.
Days 8 - 11
The southern tip of Africa where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, faerie gardens, human origins and some nutjobs hanging off a bridge on rubber bands.
Days 12 - 15
The Timbavati Wildlife Park, Kings Camp and the coolest up-close-and-personal encounters with nature we have ever had.
Days 15 - 16
A cranky elephant, a hyena nearly close enough to pet (that would be a Darwin Award winning maneuver), a bloat of hippos, and one of the most poisonous snakes on the planet.
Days 17 - 20
Where did I stash my cash, more safari fun, a river safari, dinner with the gators and one of the most magnificent waterfalls in the world.
Days 20 - 21
"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way."
- Nelson Mandela
Days 22 - 26
Lovely temples, unimaginable throngs of people, crazy tuk-tuk drivers, menacing monkeys, and perhaps the most spectacular tomb on the face of planet Earth.
Days 27 - 30
"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster. The bars are temples but their pearls ain't free. You'll find a god in every golden cloister. And if you're lucky, then the god's a she. I can feel an angel sliding up to me."
- Murray Head
Days 31 - 34
Temples, temples and more temples. Oh, yes, and another temple. Look, there's a temple. White temples, blue temples and an artist's head inside a Predator.
Days 34 - 47
Every elephant deserves a good bath. And if you thought we were templed-out, think again. If you throw a rock, you'll hit a temple. And probably get thrown in jail for vandalizing an ancient monument.
Days 37 - 42
Not a single temple. But several beaches, some excellent snorkeling, even better scuba, and some more beaches. If you find an underwater camera, send me an email.
Days 43 - 47
It rained in the rainforest. Can you imagine? Scuba diving with the wallabies. Hmm, something a bit off about that.
Days 48 - 50
"Magnetic everything about you, you really got me now. You do it to me so well. Hypnotic, takin' over me."
- Zella Day.
And lest we forget, some happy little koalas and feeding the wallabies.
Days 50 - 53
Crocodiles and cassowaries in a sanctuary, kangaroos and wallabies on a beach, a cave with a super poisonous snake, a bit too much rum for a Thursday and a great time catching up with Tammy and Kieran.
Days 54 - 56
A world-class botanical garden filled with fire-breathing dragons (maybe no fire), wonderful museums, sites about town and LASER PINK FLOYD.
Days 57 - 59
Waterfalls, more waterfalls, horse-sized shrimp, orca sized banana, a fantastic motorcycle museum, and the lovely, natural beauty of the central east Australia.
Days 60 - 63
The surrealist art of Magritte, a bit of Pissarro, a super-fun day with Daniel and Yuna, Sydney Opera House, remembering the fallen, a well-done natural history museum and other joys of a large metropolitan city.
Days 64 - 67
Trolls turned to stone by sunlight, the moving spectacle of a Gallipoli tribute, a tree for smoking South-Farthing leaf and for watching elves, a modest botanical garden and nature reserve and some bitter cold, windy weather.
Days 68 - 71
Woody Allen's Sleeper car, the amazing beauty of New Zealand's north central hills, volcanos, a forbidden swimming hole (maybe), geysers, and the vale of Hobbiton.
Days 72 - 75
The best museum of indigenous history we have seen, a small and well-done art museum, more trolls and a skulking Gollum, volcanoes galore, and a small city working its way into a big city.
Days 76 -= 82
82 equals 83 but they both equal 81, humpback whales, beach fun, a tropical forest along the long and winding road and snorkeling with the sea turtles.
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