tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83248856763606221972024-02-08T10:34:02.486+10:00Fifty Plus TravelThrifty adventures for ordinary oldiesSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-77084916641575891252016-12-18T19:36:00.000+10:002016-12-18T19:36:50.801+10:00Desert Safari: Etosha National Park.
This is the second in a series about our African Safari trip. Read Part 1 here.
Living the dream in the African desert areas of Namibia!
Starting Out
We had met up with our fellow travelers in Capetown and were now embarking on the second part of our tour into the Namibian desert. Our countries of origin were Australia, England (UK) and Belgium; and over the next 21 days, we became firm Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-35327459765162825172016-11-03T07:26:00.000+10:002016-11-03T11:08:36.003+10:00Serenity in Sandakan: Memorial for WWII POWsThe city of Sandakan is in Borneo. It had been on my travel wish list for quite a time as it was the place for a remarkable story of a forced march from Sandakan to Ranau that was made by Australian and British Prisoners of War under the Japanese in World War II.
ARRIVAL IN SANDAKAN
We arrived from Kota Kinabalu on our Air Asia flight, luckily only 2 hours long, as Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-51269155354240151652016-08-13T16:00:00.001+10:002016-08-13T16:00:58.679+10:00Desert Safari: Capetown, South Africa to White Lady Lodge, Namibia
Part 1
There isn't a word to describe the beauty of the Namibian desert region of Africa! It has its own unique beauty and is always steeped in that unusual light that comes with the desert brightness. Contrasted with the unbelievable sand-swept redness of the Sossusvlei sand dunes and you get pictures of incomparable beauty. This is where we were heading for:
The stark Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-923539956795540692016-05-13T12:49:00.002+10:002016-05-14T17:08:49.470+10:00Five unsung gems of Europe Part 5: CreteCrete is a beautiful Greek Island in the Mediterranean Sea not far from Athens. It is often overlooked by the hordes of sun-seeking tourists who descend on more popular islands such as Mykonos. Crete exceeded all my expectations, both in beauty and friendliness! It is a short overnight ferry ride from the port of Piraeus.
A wonderful mountain view from a Cretan village.
Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-70505090143672946062016-04-14T10:40:00.001+10:002016-04-16T17:48:16.214+10:00 Showcasing our beautiful rural lifestyle: Living in the Oakey district of Southern Queensland, AustraliaBeautiful Southern Queensland
I thought it was about time that I highlighted the beautiful part of Australia where I live! I hope with this post I can show off to my overseas and Australian friends the incredible beauty of an Australian farm and the local area surrounding it.
It has been a privilege to travel overseas in the last few years, but coming home is also a realisation that no Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-73128422432768422282015-11-27T06:55:00.000+10:002016-09-17T15:48:26.141+10:00How You Can Save Money for Further TravelsYes we all know how hard it is to change our habits! For me, it's the little trips to town which is an hour trip return. Those little trips turn into a stop for coffee and cake, and inevitably quite a bit of overspending on other goodies unnecessary but what I consider essential at the time! But there are ways to save money to add to your travel budget... read on!
Tip 1:
Do it Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-11223224210619363662015-10-11T20:38:00.003+10:002015-10-25T08:57:24.428+10:00Capetown and the Cape of Good Hope: Shipwrecks and Survival.Capetown is a city of some 3 1/2 million, clearly a modern city but bearing all the hallmarks of a Dutch, British and even French military occupation in the 19th century. Territorial rights changed hands many times, but many buildings like the Castle, which is essentially a Fort complete with moat and Governor's residence, still exist.
We set out to explore this as it is within easy walking Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-44104286186903750802015-08-31T20:15:00.001+10:002015-08-31T20:18:50.768+10:00Luang Prabang: Life at a leisurely pace in Laos!We arrived in Luang Prabang and instantly became calmed by the change in pace from the busy streets of the capital city, Vientianne. Riding bicycles becomes easy on these typically country village streets and you can walk easily to any significant sites. Luang Prabang sits on the beautiful Mekong River and we only had to walk down a laneway to access the numerous restaurants Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-46796933420030892472015-08-25T18:47:00.001+10:002015-08-25T18:54:46.651+10:00Glimpses of a Beautiful Past in Granada, Spain.What springs to mind when the word Granada is uttered is the beauty and serenity of the La Alhambra and General Life complex that sits on the top of a mountain overlooking the main city area of Granada below. Located in Andalusia, Spain, this is a palace and fortress complex that was constructed on top of older ruins in the mid 11th century by a Moorish Emir. The palace was built in Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-84905678677842705432015-08-15T14:23:00.001+10:002015-08-17T19:30:20.813+10:00Reflections: What I Learnt from Problogger Training Event
I've discovered I'm not a small fish in a big pond! I belong to a 'community' and my homemade blog business cards cut from Albanian maps are totally ok!
Despite my newbie status, people who have immense followings have given those precious few minutes to speak personably with me, sharing their hard earned knowledge or a friendly hullo! This is amazing!
If you count how manySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-81973406820914589402015-08-01T15:27:00.000+10:002015-08-01T15:28:21.039+10:00La Sagrada Familia: Gaudi's Gift To the World. Ah, Barcelona, the very name evokes that beautiful city with its tree lined Las Ramblos, where you can stroll down that long wide street feasting on local foods, markets, ices and popping into every shop you can imagine, satisfying the senses and enjoying a vino or two! It is also here that Antoni Gaudi has gifted to the world his masterpiece: the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-60317788622458540402015-07-26T13:35:00.001+10:002015-07-26T16:31:44.708+10:00Palace of Versailles: Over the Top Opulence!No doubt, like me, you have heard of the grandeur of the great European palaces, but nothing could prepare me for the unsurpassed opulence of the Palace at Versailles! We had risen early to catch the train, which delivers you to the township of Versailles about 16 km from Paris. In fact, we were so early, we were first in line for the ticket office. We happily munched on our Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-80908400385695026922015-07-14T18:26:00.000+10:002015-07-14T18:26:47.274+10:00Top Tips For International TravelI have been travelling overseas for more than 11 years now and my motto is "expect the unexpected"! Here are my top 10 tips for making international travel easier.
1. Firstly and most important: Be super organised! Arrange your travel insurance - there are always surprises when you are travelling! Write and distribute copies of your itinerary to your family or friends: it Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-14997617543399979002015-06-08T17:43:00.000+10:002015-07-04T21:37:22.654+10:00Hot air ballooning: Up, up and away in Turkey and Myanmar!Have you ever been hot air ballooning? Despite the cost, the greatest thing I had to overcome was my fear of heights, the old vertigo I've suffered from forever! What a world was opened up to me when I finally realised my dreams and that first take off was so quiet and awe inspiring, that I was instantly an addict! If only it was a cheap pastime and not so outrageously expensive....but Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-17143325889627479942015-05-16T16:51:00.000+10:002015-07-04T21:37:15.953+10:00Illness and Luck in Vietnam!
Street scene Hanoi.
Getting sick overseas is never a good thing! I can attest to this as my other half got extremely ill in Hanoi, Vietnam many years ago.
Hanoi is a very busy city and the area we were in was typically busy by the Hoan Kiem Lake. There is the beautiful Ngoc Son Temple in the centre of this, with a much photographed bridge leading onto it. People gather there in the Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-82875577600774643462015-03-29T16:54:00.000+10:002015-07-04T21:37:07.820+10:00Five Unsung Gems of Europe Part 4: Porto, Oh beautiful Porto! Portugal's Gem.We flew from Paris which was quite chilly and rainy, via a Spanish airline, Veuling, into the sunshine of coastal Porto. Immediately, it was all stops out for a holiday atmosphere! The passengers were dressed casually and less chic- read Paris fashionable!- and even the airport atmosphere was laidback and very casual! It seems the English invade these coastal spots Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-40125468975438488052015-03-08T10:14:00.001+10:002015-07-04T21:37:00.319+10:00Unsung gems of Europe Part 3. San Gimignano, Italy.Italy! Scenes of Tuscan laneways with tall trees fading into the distance, stone cottages and ethereal beauty come to mind! Yes, the beauty of this countryside and its surrounds is just that, bellisimo! My next gem takes us to San Gimignano, a small medieval village set in the hills near Sienna. We went by local bus from our base at Sienna for a day trip. As we rounded the corners and slowlySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-51754499374114937512015-02-16T18:44:00.000+10:002015-07-04T21:36:52.262+10:00Five unsung gems of Europe - Part 2Moving around the countries of Europe by train and bus or ferry, we arrived at many destinations by the back door! My next gems are in Slovenia, which we approached by a magnificent train trip through the Alps from Salzburg. The first snow was dusting the peaks as we went by and many people complete with long poles and gear were setting off at various stations to walk the mountain trails. Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-39965088374489463702015-02-01T18:44:00.001+10:002015-07-04T21:36:44.158+10:00Five unsung gems of Europe - Part 1I don't profess to be the most knowledgeable world traveller, but over the past ten years, I have managed to pick up and learn of a few smaller and less well known places that have delighted us! In keeping with our usual do our own thing itinerary using buses and trains throughout Europe, we have discovered the best tips come from locals and young people travelling cheaply, Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-49758233273688963772015-01-26T08:06:00.000+10:002016-09-17T15:47:50.531+10:00Daylight robbery!Why did we fall victim to a robbery on a train from Patras to Athens in broad daylight? There was only one person, admittedly a large male, on the train when we stood up to get off. We always cover each others backpacks and keep them in sight when travelling. He was very practised and very quick!
Luxury accommodation on board the ferry.
We had come overnight from Brindisi in Italy onSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8324885676360622197.post-26559852712968248682015-01-19T17:56:00.000+10:002015-07-04T21:34:43.152+10:00Why no one takes the shortcut through Albania by bus to get to Croatia!My first post is about a disaster, yes, unbelievable I know after I had thoroughly researched online comments on ways to get from Greece to Montenegro! They were very limited, but I have always believed in the power of one's own instinctive urge to go where no one else has been and ploughed ahead regardless. This was 2010 and we had enjoyed a fantastic few days in Meteora, visiting theSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03540973192984833830noreply@blogger.com0